“The piece was inspired by my music taste. I enjoy electronic and industrial and I felt I could convey that liking through a visual representation.”
Accent holds contests each semester to showcase student art, photography and writing. Art major Marshall C. Simpson’s “Beast of Bass and Boom” was created with ink on paper. Sumbissions of original artwork may be sent to [email protected]
At the beginning of each semester, college students receive invitaions via mail, e-mail and word of mouth to join a multitude of clubs, groups and fraternities or sororities. One that students at ACC receive is a little yellow invitation in the mail for a group called Phi Theta Kappa.
While some students, understandably, have the impression that this organization is a fraternity or sorority, it is actually an honors society that extends to community colleges everywhere in the United States, as well as internationally.
“I like to say we’re more geek than Greek,” Daniel Chitty, ACC’s Alpha Gamma Pi Chapter Presi- dent said. “But I’m not gonna say it’s not at all social, because we do like to have a good time.”
Each chapter of Phi Theta Kappa is very unique. At ACC, the Alpha Gamma Pi chapter focuses on community service, academics, and some research activity. Students with 12-23 hours and a 3.5 GPA, 24-45 hours and a 3.4 GPA, or over 46 hours and a 3.25 GPA all qualify to apply for membership.
Students also need to be enrolled in at least six credit hours the semester they join, and have a declared major. Bronze members only need to attend a new member orientation meeting, and pay the membership meetings. Silver members can expect some active involvement, and gold members should expect to devote a fair amount of their time to the organization.
Shortly after joining Phi Theta Kappa in the fall of 2011, Chitty volunteered to fill in for a campus vice president, who had stepped down in the organization. He moved up quickly, becoming Phi Theta Kappa’s international president in Apr. of 2013.
“Campaigning for the office and holding the office are two very different experiences. Win or lose, you always grow from the campaign experience,” Chitty said. Joining Phi Theta Kappa has not changed his long-term goals, which include getting accepted into dental school, but it has helped him broaden his perspective.
“I feel like it has helped to prepare me much better than any classroom could to enter into a much more professional realm.” Chitty will be attending the School of Dentistry at the UT Health and Science Center in San Antonio next year.
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.
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
Students that are looking for a cool new place to study, drink, and attend free events, Buzz Mill is the place to go.
Located on East Riverside and open 24/7, Buzzmill has a unique atmosphere with its cozy cabin-style interior, where you can either grab a beer, a cup of coffee, or try their specialty infused liquor. The outside seating area is equipped with wooden benches, and a fire pit for cozy conversation on those rare, cold Austin nights. Buzz Mill does not have a food menu, but have no fear – there are two food.
trucks stationed right there in their backyard! The Blue Ox truck serves up some savory Bar-B-Que, and Golden Spike Rail Cart specializes in vegan comfort food.
Buzzmill has events every night, such as stand-up comedy and live music. Comedy shows are free every Wednesday at 9pm, and are filled with local and commuting comics.
Katy Pengra opens every comedy night with some bittersweet anecdotes for the simple joy of making strangers laugh.
Pengra, who has been working at Buzzmill for a year, said “I love this place, it has a really unique vibe to it, and it’s fun running a show here.”
Buzz Mill’s lumberjack themed setting is a comfort for students looking for a place to hide while they cram for midterms. The little nook behind the bar has a strict “no talking” rule for anyone wishing to study in peace.
Buzz Mill is a quaint hangout full of people from all walks of life, truly representing the Austin spirit. The next time you’re around East Riverside stop by – it will be worth it!
Austin is home to runners and dog lovers alike. Combine the two and you get RuffTail Runners— a program that inspires Austinites to take shelter dogs out of their kennels and onto the trails for exercise and exposure.
“There were a lot more benefits than we realized,” Rob Hill co-founder of RuffTail Runners said.
The runners act as extra trainers, and the vast majority of the dogs are well behaved as a result.
Each month, Ruff-Tail Runners holds training sessions to teach volunteers how to properly handle the dogs. Group sessions are fairly small, and include both classroom and hands-on training.
“What we try to do is keep the runners, dogs, and public [on the trails] safe”, Hill said. “We average about 300 runs a month. All these runs, we’ve had virtually no dog fights”.
Running with the dogs is not a requirement. Many participants walk the dogs.
Hill has no statistics on the program’s effects on dog adoption rates, however he said that getting the dogs away from the stressful shelter environment results in happier, healthier, pets.
The program also allows people to spend time with the dogs without the full-time commitment of ownership.
Before each run, dogs are fitted with bright vests that read, “Adopt Me!” Hill, a native Austinite, has two adopted pets of his own— adogandacat.
“I’m a magnet for strays!” he said.
RuffTail Runners is open to the public at the Austin Pets Alive! Town Lake facility at 1156 W Cesar Chavez.
For more information, visit www. meetup.com/rufftail- runnersaustin.
On the cover: ACC student Devon Foster is the winner of Accent’s Spring 2015 Cover Art Contest. The painting titled “Illusion” is acrylic on canvas. The dimensions of the original are 22 inches by 28 inches.
Photo Contest : Inking Austin One Body at a Time {First Place Winner}
Photo Story Krystal Anzaldua
Featured Photo Above: Closing Tine — Tattoo artist Garrett Potts locks up his shop after a long day. Mom’s Tattoos is open 7 days a week, and is located at 1703 South Lamar.
Last fall, debate surrounded the topic of electronic cigarettes and whether or not vaping was subject to the same regulations as cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Last year on Nov. 17, the ACC board of trustees voted to expand the college’s smoke-free policy to prohibit nicotine vapor products. This ban, which also includes smoke-free tobacco products, went into effect Jan. 5 of this year.
“We want to maintain a healthy and safe environment for our students and employees,” Dr. Mary Hensley, ACC Executive Vice President of Operations, said.
This new restriction has sparked controversy, and many students argue that school officials lack any real supporting evidence that vapor smoke is harmful. Collin Hayes, a student at the Northridge campus, believes the ban is too harsh.
“[Tobacco smoke and vapor smoke] are two completely different substances,” Hayes said. “I feel it’s more of a moral attack”.
In the ACC online Newsroom, students criticize the ban as being imposed without any sort of consensus or representation.
Accent sought to capture differing viewpoints on this topic, but the few students who seemed to be in favor of the ban chose not to go on record with their opinions.
There is not enough data to determine whether there is any risk associated with secondhand nicotine exposure, but scientists have confirmed there are no combustion related toxins present in vapor. Electronic cigarettes are most often used as smoking-cessation tools, and can help reduce the risk of relapse and tobacco related death. Vaping is, however, a relatively new trend; the long term effects remain unknown.