theaccent – Page 5

Brides’ Commitment Outshines Conflict

For better and for worse, in sickness and in health, devoted couple focus on health and family as the issue of same-sex marriage engages Texans in social debate

Story by Ryan Fontenette-Mitchell, Reporter

Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant’s relationship is more than a sensational news blurb.

Before becoming the first same-sex couple to legally marry in Texas, the two shared a 30-year relationship.

Goodfriend and Bryant met during their undergraduate program at the University of North Carolina.

“I’ve always considered Suzanne my life partner and she feels the same way,” Goodfriend said.

The couple’s relationship has seen many developments over the years including the adoption of two daughters.

Dawn Goodfriend, 18, and Ting Goodfriend, 13, are biological sisters and were adopted from China. Both girls came to United States when they were about 2-years- old. Dawn arrived in 1999 and Ting arrived in 2003.

“I really cannot describe what it is like to travel to China and finally — after the paperwork, the waiting, and having a little tiny picture — to finally have the human being you have been waiting for placed in your hands and under your care,” Goodfriend said.

As in any relationship, happy times are tempered by trials.

Goodfriend was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer last May. Although the couple had considered marriage over the past 30 years, the cancer diagnosis created a new sense of urgency to get married. Bryant and Goodfriend felt it was important to have protections in place that would give Bryant rights to the couple’s children if Goodfriend died. They then filed for a Texas marriage license.

The court order granting their marriage license was directed specifically to Goodfriend and Bryant because of Goodfriend’s cancer.

Responses of the marriage varied, but were mostly favorable, Goodfriend said.

“Our mailman man left us a card with two wedding rings saying congrats and about time,” Goodfriend said.

“I would love to see [same sex marriage] become more acceptable in our society,” ACC mass communications major Megan Hall said. “I believe discrimination against same-sex marriage is unfair. Society needs to be more open minded to change nowadays.”

The marriage also generated disapproval.

“The reason I don’t support the marriage is because of my religious views,” John Thomas Baize, radiation therapist major, said. ”I wouldn’t call it a marriage. A marriage is between a man and woman.”

The varying public reactions and media attention taught the couple the importance of having a good sense of humor. Goodfriend said millennials are more accept- ing of same-sex marriage and hopes that in the future it won’t be an issue.

Hours after Goodfriend and Bryant received their marriage license, Texas Attorney General declared the license void. However, Travis County Clerk Dana Debeauvoir holds the license as valid.

Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether gay marriage bans nationwide are unconstitutional.

With media attention waning, the couple would like to finally go on their honeymoon.

Goodfriend said that she is six months away from her last chemotherapy treatment and that everything looks good so far.

Courtesy picture of The Austin American Satesmen

Boards Members Settle In

Chloe Kwak, Reporter

New ACC board of trustees members Mark Williams and Gigi Edwards Bryant have had several months to settle into their new roles.

“It’s an exciting time to be in the community college world,” Williams, a University of Texas graduate, said.

Gigi Edwards Bryant is a sixth generation Austinite.

“I am most excited about the fact that we all have a shared mission for the college, students, staff and education. Everyone has great passion,” Bryant said.

Williams was elected to Place 1 in the Novemeber 2014 elections, and Bryant was elected to Place 2 in a runoff election in December 2014 elections.

Both trustees’ terms end in 2020.

ACC Riverbats Defeat Angelo State In Mens basketball

Go Riverbats congratulations to coach Partin and his team

“ACC Riverbats won the whole tournament this weekend beating Angelo State 67 to 66 in the finals! We are proud of our students and their outstanding coach.” — Cheryl Richard, director for Student Life

TIPA 2015

Six members of Accent’s student staff attended the 2015 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference April 9-11 in San Antonio.

Congratulations to Accent Editor in Chief Noor Alahmadi who was elected Secretary of the 2016 TIPA student executive committee.

Congratulations to the following Accent students for being recognized in five categories including two First Place awards:

First Place Critical Review – Joseph Van Vranken, Multimedia Editor
First Place Picture Story – Dave Creaney, Photographer and Preston Bezant, Layout/Design Editor
Honorable Mention News story – Manal El-Haj, Reporter
Honorable Mention Feature Page Design – Preston Bezant, Layout/Design Editor
Honorable Mention Illustration (Non-photo) – Daniel Groh, contributor

TIPA was established in 1909 at Baylor University and is the oldest collegiate press association in the nation.

This year 442 students and 76 advisers attended the convention from 62 member colleges and universities. The convention hosted journalism contests ranging from TV News Broadcasting to Newspaper Headline Writing. Professional journalists and journalism professors held workshops on networking, resume writing, and various aspects of journalism.

“The contests were very competitive and drove me to put my best foot forward,” Ryan Fontenette-Mitchell, Accent reporter and business clerk said. “The workshops were detail oriented and gave me a lot of information that I can apply in my career.”

Accent Staff — Accent’s spring 2015 staff members complete registration at their first Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference April 9 at the El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio. This was the time attending the convention for (left to right) Ryan Fontenette-Mitchell, Chloe Kwak, Noor Alahmadi, Gaius Straka, Joseph Lee and Shannon Mullery.

ACC Job Fair: All Campuses

Press Release from ACC Newsroom

Austin Community College will host a Job and Internship Fair April 21-23, to connect ACC students and local employers. The college-wide event will take place at all 11 campuses. Review the schedule:

Tuesday, April 21; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Elgin, Highland, Pinnacle, South Austin and Riverside

Wednesday, April 22; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Eastview, Hays, Rio Grande and Round Rock

Thursday, April 23; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cypress Creek and Northridge

Students are encouraged to bring copies of their résumés and portfolios to distribute. Professional attire is recommended, and attendees should arrive prepared to interview.

Employers such as the Austin Police Department, Apogee, AT&T, CAG Continental Automotive Group, FedEx, LIVESTRONG Foundation, Nurses Case Management and Rackspace are among the many employers looking for local talent.

Get more information at austincc.edu/jobfair.

Employers interested in participating in the Job and Internship Fair or posting open positions to the ACC jobs board can register online or contact Career Services at 512-223-2011.

“Y.O.Unique” Event: ACC Round Rock Campus

Press release by Kassandra Burns

ROUND ROCK CAMPUS April 7, 2015 — The Student Life Campus Team will host “Y.O.Unique” on April 7 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in building 2000 on the Round Rock Campus.

The event is open to all ACC students. Cupcakes and prizes will be served to participants who complete the True Colors personality quiz.

The quiz is designed to show participants which color/personality traits are dominant and enhance interpersonal communication in both professional and personal settings.

In addition to completing the quiz, students may speak with campus advisors about career choices that may better suit their personalities. At one of the event stations, participants will be able to look up famous people who share their True Color results.

The theory of True Colors originated around 460 b.c. when four different temperaments were identified involving Plato’s ideas about character and personality.

For more information about the event, email Claudia at [email protected]

Accent Promotion: Free Movie Passes!

Accent is giving away free movie passes to Universal Pictures’ new thriller/horror film “Unfriended.” Each pass admits two people.

To receive a pass:

Please take a photo of yourself holding the latest issue of Accent (a cell phone picture is fine)
Email the photo to [email protected] along with your

full name,
home campus (where you’d like to pick up the pass)
what you are studying at ACC
indicate if you’d like to be added to our email list to receive notices of meetings and available assignments
after sending the picture RSVP to the promotions company (once you send the picture to [email protected], RSVP instructions will be emailed back to you. Deadline for RSVP is Friday, April 3, 2015. You must RSVP to reserve your seat.

The photos become property of Accent and may be posted to our website and social media accounts along with your name and perhaps a tag such as #readAccent.

Film details are as follows:

Name: Unfriended

Rating: R (must be17 and older)

Screening Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015 8 p.m.

Location: Regal Metropolitan 14

901 Little Texas Lane

Austin, TX 78745

Running Time: Approx. 82 minutes

Rio Grande student Michael Saenz has his copy of Accent. Pick one up today from the red kiosks or at your Student Life Office and #readAccent!

Tea Talk: Round Rock Campus

Press release by Kassandra Burns

TEA TALK – WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELBRATION

ACC ROUND ROCK CAMPUS, RM 2117, ROUND ROCK, TX, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015 –

In an effort to celebrate Women’s History Month Student Life will host a Tea Talk event. The event will take place 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Students can come, celebrate and converse with each other about the importance and impact women of today and the past have made on the world. Jennielle Strother will speak.

Ashley Feagins, Student Life Campus Team Chair, planned the event because “It is important to understand where we have been in history in order to know how to go forward with women’s equality.”

Hot tea, pastries and finger sandwiches will be served in British style to allow students a multi-cultural experience. The tea targets female students at ACC who might not be involved outside of the classroom otherwise. Feagins hopes to build a community in addition to sparking a conversation about gender norms.

Guest speaker Jennielle Strother is the vice president of enrollment management and financial aid at the Seminary of the Southwest. She is pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from Northeaster University and has previously worked at Concordia University, Laredo Community College, Lon Morris College, and is co-founder of #EMchat, a weekly twitter conversation for enrollment management professionals.

Women’s history month traces back to March 8, 1857 when women protested over working conditions. In 1909 it turned into an International Women’s Day, then expanded into a week. Now an entire month is allotted to celebrate the history of women and all they have endured. This event will allow students and faculty to discuss important topics covering the history of women and also serves as a chance to meet new people.

The student Life Office reaches out to the students in a way to involve them in school activities outside of the classroom. It does this by planning events to get everyone together, to learn new things, meet new people and have fun while doing so.

What better way to celebrate such a significant time in history than with a cup of tea, some pastries, and great conversations?

Spaces are still available for current ACC students, who may RSVP at http://… For more information, please email Ashley at [email protected].

Realizing the Potential of College Advising Systems

Story by Jessica Youssefi, Reporter

To better address the issues, successes and future progress of community college education, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted a panel discussion during the 2015 SXSW conference.

The “Unravelling the Advising Maze” panel on March 11 focused on how to better counsel and advise students during their time at community colleges.

Students and educators attended the panel which offered information on ways to fix glitches in the advising system during tense times for students, particularly during registration and finals when the need for advising is high.

The panel began with attendees participating and sharing their input in hypothetical situations. They were asked to fill out student forms about credit hours, transferable credits and how to find that information using only the tools provided. This activity showed the frustrations of students on a daily basis.

In order to address some of the key issues, the degree map was introduced. This tool has been implemented at Austin Community College and serves as a visual tracker allowing students to monitor their progress and see which courses are left until their degree is completed.

ACC student and panelist, Lisa Pham said the degree map is an essential tool of the advising department.

“ It’s a great way for students to see how far along they are and have a visual to see what they are accomplishing,” Pham said. “Having the advisor refer to the degree plan and checking up on you to see how you’re doing in your classes, shows that they care and they want to motivate you toward completing your education.”

The importance of the student/advisor relationship was further addressed by the panel. It described the advisor as often being a student’s best reference point when dealing with frustrations on a personal rather than academic level.

Lluvia Hernandez, a panelist and ACC student, credited a good relationship with her advisor as one of the reasons for her success.

“Once I found counselor Tim Self, who really cared about my success, I felt a lot better about school and taking certain classes,” Hernandez said. “On my end I was struggling a lot through personal and health issues and my advisor gave me the encouragement and guidance I needed — that extra push that was needed.”

STUDENT OUTREACH — Dr. Jill Biden spends time at the 2015 South by Southwest Education summit with college-student reporters (left to right) Lauren Booker, Noor Alahmadi and Jessica Youssefi. Booker attends Georgia State University and both Alahmadi and Youssefi attend Austin Community College.

Community College Receives Increasing Attention

Story by Noor Alahmadi, Editor in Chief

Panelists focused on the increasing importance of community colleges at the South by Southwest Education summit held March 10 at the JW Marriott Austin.

The seminar on Re-Designing Higher Education for Student Success aimed to boost awareness on how schools can increase graduation rates and gave students a unique opportunity to share their own ideas and experiences about strengthening college opportunities.

“I went to the University of Massachusetts in Boston with a scholarship that I had believed would cover tuition,” Valerie Inniss, a student panelist said. “But it only covered two-thousand dollars with thirteen-thousand in hidden fees.”

Innis said had she known about all of the scholarship, advising and counseling options available to her at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, she would be in better financial shape and on a more clear-cut path to graduation. Ultimately she left the school to transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In addition to student panelists like Innis, education experts on the panel discussed alternatives such as online learning, reducing required credit hours and the importance of utilizing community college education.

Dr. Jill Biden, second lady of the United States, gave the keynote speech on the heels of the panel discussion. Biden is a community college teacher of 20 years and an educator of 30 years. In addition to stressing the importance of a college education, she expressed her love of teaching at community college and stressed its importance as a stepping stone for higher education.

“I think making community college free would make us better as a nation,” Biden said. “In the next ten years, two out of three job openings will require a college degree.”

Gavin Payne, director of the United States Program Advocacy and Communications for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, spoke about his organization’s role in promoting community colleges.

“We have a challenge as a foundation. When someone says college, they think of a four-year institution.” Payne said. “There are a lot of ways to get there and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation wants to make these paths more accessible to students.”