March 2016 Issue - Community College of Allegheny County

the voice
COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY – NORTH CAMPUS & WEST HILLS
March 9, 2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Homelessness: The Community College Student Epidemic
MARK HUMPHREY
THE VOICE EDITOR
There is an emergent issue affecting
community college students: food and
housing insecurity. Students’ academic
performance, their mental state, and even
their own residences are at risk.
Hungry
to
Learn:
Addressing
Food & Housing
Insecurity
Among
Undergraduates,
the title of the study
performed
by The
Wisconsin Hope Lab, indicates that half
of all community college students are
currently struggling with food or housing
insecurities. These insecurities encompass
hunger, homelessness, and various other
factors relating to or influencing both.
Of the 4,000 community college
students surveyed for the study, 13 percent
specified that they had experiences
associated with homelessness in
the last year. This would equate
to about one out of every ten
community college students
delving into experiences with
homelessness.
These
experiences
include
being
kicked out of
home, staying
Illustration by Brian Wilson / CCAC North
Homelessness among community college students is a hidden problem.
in an abandoned building, eviction, and
staying in a shelter.
Homelessness, however, is not the
most pervasive issue. Among the students
surveyed, 52 percent reported that they
were at least marginally food insecure.
More than half of community college
students are at risk of hunger.
According
to
the
American
Association of Community Colleges
(AACC), there were 7.3 million for-credit
students attending community colleges in
Fall 2014. This would result in about 3.65
million students being at least marginally
food insecure.
There are several programs available
that can help alleviate the issues associated
with hunger and homelessness. CCAC
South Campus held a grand opening
ceremony for the Campus
Cupboard South Food Pantry on
February 17. The food pantry will
serve local students and families
in an effort to combat growing
food insecurity.
Greater Pittsburgh Community
Food Bank reported CEO Lisa
Scales as saying, “When one in seven
adults and one in five children in our
communities are struggling with hunger,
it is a significant issue we all should be
concerned about. Through key partnerships
such as this one with CCAC, I am confident
that hunger is a solvable issue…”
There is an abundance of other
programs and organizations including
SNAP, Just Harvest, Allegheny Link,
Community Human Services, Urban
League, and North Hills Community
Outreach. Each organization assists people
with food, housing, and/or other services to
help them become self-sufficient.
“In my case, someone would call my
office. Say for instance, if someone is to
be evicted from their housing, we ask them
what the situation is, if they can pay any
amount of their rent to keep them from
getting evicted,” says Jennifer Schlosser,
Service Coordinator with North Hills
Community Outreach.
“We usually like to see the client
pay a portion, and then we work with a
committee to see how much funding we
can secure for them. We also assist with
applying for other government programs
that are appropriate for their situation. It
all comes down to funding, but we help
them with as much as we can. Not only the
crisis situation, but also developing selfsufficiency.”
Whether the necessity be food or
housing based, these organizations work
tirelessly to provide assistance to those in
need.
Women Gain a Foothold in Gaming Creation
JESSICA REA
THE VOICE STAFF
Despite years of being a maledominated industry, more women are
joining the video game world.
Still, women working in the world
of computer and video games are
vastly outnumbered. A C++ computer
programming class in McMurray,
Pennsylvania has only two women students
enrolled in two classes.
Lauren Stawartz, a technology and
business teacher at the school, said she
was surprised by the enrollment and says it
may be because of stigma against women
in gaming.
“I think from a young age, [boys] are
more involved in gaming and programming
than girls,” Stawartz told WomensENews.
com. “But once the girls are in the class,
they are just as into it as the boys. We just
need to get them into the class in the first
place.”
This imbalance mirrors the situation
nationwide. According to Education Week,
only 20 percent of U.S. high school students
who took the AP Computer Science test
were female in 2015. The numbers are
important as it is predicated that computer
science will have the highest job growth
through 2020, resulting in an estimated 1.4
million jobs, according to the Department
of Labor.
But, Stawartz says, more girls need
to take computer science classes early for
them to be welcomed into the field.
At CCAC North, the Multimedia
Programming, Simulation, and Gaming
programming is still relatively new but
growing.
Maria Harrington, a professor in the
program, emphasizes how good the field
is as people navigate the growing digital
world. She encourages anyone interested in
joining the program. “It is very important
and significant that the best and brightest of
any gender enters this field. Then you can
play a part, a role in what forms our entire
society and culture, it is a great mission
and a vision with high impact.”
Still, the Pew Research Center’s recent
report on “Gaming and Gamers” indicates
that women are just as likely to be playing
video games as men. According to the
report, 49 percent of Americans say they
play video games – on computers, game
consoles, or portable devices.
More than that, the split by gender is
relatively even: 50 percent of men and 48
percent of women are gamers.
As these numbers grow, women
are being recognized more and more in
gaming, both as consumers and as creators.
Brian Wilson / CCAC North Voice
Yasemin Aysel is a student in CCAC North’s gaming program.
06
08
IN THIS ISSUE...
04
CAMPUS
CCAC North Campus
celebrates a birthday
ARTS & LIVING
Netflix hits you right in the
nostalgia with Fuller House.
SPORTS
A championship team in
Pittsburgh you don’t know
12
COMICS
A new student-created
comic makes its debut
2
The Voice
Physical textbooks are here to stay
MAYA CARTER
THE VOICE STAFF
the voice
MarySandra Do
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Brittany Kauer
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Brian Wilson
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
OPEN
COPY EDITOR
Mark Humphrey
NEWS EDITOR
Carlis M. Spivey
CAMPUS EDITOR
Veronica DeAlmeida
ARTS EDITOR
Allison Roup
SPORTS EDITOR
STAFF
Kaitlin Bigley
Daniel Brazell
Andrew Cardone
Maya Carter
Charles DeMore II
Andrew Doyle
Bryan T. Frauens
Anna Germain
Jessica Rea
Jared Sawl
Jennifer Weismantle
Apryl Zaczek
Melissa M. Zaffuto
Rob Velella
ADVISER
•
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
The VOICE is the student-run newspaper
of the Community College of Allegheny
County North Campus and West Hills.
Students are encouraged to join the
staff and contribute. 1,000 copies
will be distributed on one Wednesday
each month, both at North and West.
The VOICE provides a professional
journalism experience while striving for
excellence, completeness, accuracy,
and high integrity; the organization
shall produce a nonpartisan publication
providing responsible, objective, and
fair coverage of items of interest and
importance to the CCAC North and West
campus communities.
CONTACT
Room 1018, North Campus
rvelella@ccac.edu
412-369-3698
Mailing Address:
8701 Perry Highway
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Member of:
Pennsylvania
NewsMedia
Association
Despite our ever-technologicallyadvancing society, it seems that “eBooks”
cannot hold a candle to the attachment that
we, as a society, have to physical books.
When it comes to textbooks,
especially, readers everywhere prefer to
read from physical textbooks as opposed
to reading from a digital screen, such as
via Kindle, iPad, or even iPhone, with the
iPhone’s “iBooks” feature.
In a study conducted by American
University linguistics professor Naomi
Baron, it was shown that 92% of the 300
students surveyed from the United States,
Japan, Germany, and Slovakia found that it
was a lot easier to concentrate with physical
books. Reading from eBooks was more
likely to induce “physical discomfort” on
the head and eyes and made the reader
more prone to distraction while reading.
The population at CCAC North seems
to reflect those numbers.
“I was forced to get an eBook for a
trig class,” student Tim McClain notes.
“The page had trouble loading, and I just
didn’t like it. It sounds nice because you
don’t have to carry it around, but I like my
physical copy much better.”
However, students are not the only
ones feeling disdain towards eBooks.
Many professors on campus are concerned
for the students’ sake when using certain
textbooks for class. “What if your internet
crashes in the middle of your reading?” Art
professor Brian McDermott says, “You’re
screwed.”
Jess Davenport, the manager of the
bookstore at the North Campus, claims that
while the eBooks are an available option,
they are not mandatory – and they certainly
are not a popular choice.
“Any nursing students that bought an
eBook for their class came back and bought
the physical textbook instead,” Davenport
says. This shows that in demanding
programs, such as nursing, where strict
concentration is required in order to pass,
it is best to have the copy of the physical
book in order to focus better.
Davenport also mentions that buying
a physical textbook is much easier for the
sake of all students than buying an eBook.
Although the price is higher, the books can
be bought back by the bookstore for up to
50% at the end of the semester. This way
they are made available to rent to other
students who need them in the future.
Although everyone may have their
own personal preference, when purchasing
textbooks for a class, it is clear that physical
textbooks are the better option in the long
run, for CCAC and for the world.
Andrew Cardone / CCAC North Voice
Studies indicate that students prefer physical textbooks over ebooks.
CCAC Receives Grants for STEM
JESSICA REA
THE VOICE STAFF
Two programs at CCAC are making
strides towards great achievements, the
Biotechnology Workforce Collaborative
and the Health Professions Opportunity:
Pathway to Success. These groups
have been awarded grants totaling to
$13,754,803.
Both grants will assist underrepresented
groups in the health fields and the science,
technology, engineering and mathematic
(STEM) fields. This will broaden the
horizons for many underprivileged
students with a thirst for knowledge and
achievement.
The
Biotechnology
Workforce
Collaborative program has been awarded a
$629,207 grant from the National Science
Foundation while the Health Professions
Opportunity: Pathway to Success has been
awarded a $13,125,596 grant from the US
Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Family Assistance.
Both grants will be in effect for the
next five to six years.
The current grant from the National
Science Foundation is a generous expansion
to the previous support awarded for the
Biotechnology Workforce Collaborative.
The original awarded funding was in effect
from 2009 to 2015 and has now been added
on to become funded until September 30,
2020.
The BioMaS Workforce Collaborative
Project will seek to bring out participation
of the underrepresented groups in STEM,
including veterans, minorities, and women.
The BioMaS Workforce Collaborative
Project has specific goals tailored to
the students success. The Projects goals
are looking to provide the value of 40
full scholarships while simultaneously
providing onsite clinical social workers, a
community experience, and tutoring. These
services to the students will help them with
internship and job opportunities, improving
their retention and persistence, graduating,
and future employment. We also have the
funding awarded to the Health Professions
Opportunity: Pathway to Success. This
program specifically targets the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
recipients and other low-income students
who strive to be in health care professions.
The goals of the Health Professions
Opportunity: Pathway to Success program
is simply to prepare and support roughly
1,860 underprivileged students while they
stay in school and eventually graduate
the health occupational program. The
goal is also to have led the graduates into
preparing a future for themselves in the
Health Profession.
With that being said, the Health
Professions Opportunity: Pathway to
Success Program will include various
services to help the students help
themselves achieve their goals. They will
be assisting the program participants with
child care, tuition and also transportation.
These two programs support student
success at CCAC. Further, these funded
programs actually offer the tools students
need to go into the real world and succeed.
Mark Humphrey / CCAC North Voice
CCAC has received substantial grants in support of science and health programs.
3
The Voice
CCAC’s Audio Project Collects 50 Years and One Million Stories
MARYSANDRA DO
THE VOICE EDITOR
In honor of the Community College
of Allegheny County’s 50th anniversary,
the college’s Educational Foundation has
started a project to share 1 million stories
of current and former students and faculty.
The Foundation is taking submissions
through the project’s microsite (CCAC.
edu/50). In approximately two weeks
about 20 stories will be featured on the
site and the site will continue featuring a
new set of stories for each of the following
months. As a service project, The Honor
Society students plan to go once a month to
each one the CCAC campuses and record
students’ audio stories as well.
“It’s opened to current employees,
former employees, current students, former
students- anybody that’s had any kind of
affiliation with CCAC- to talk about their
stories,” says Rose Ann Dicola, Chief
Executive Officer of CCAC’s Educational
Foundation.
CCAC’s Educational Foundation
focuses on cultivating relationships in the
community as well as raising money for
the college. Education has always been
important to Dicola, who has been a part
of the Foundation for over a decade. “It’s
particularly rewarding because we’ve been
able to raise money to try to increase our
endowment, to try to build scholarships for
students,” she says. “It’s very rewarding to
be able to make a difference in the lives of
students.”
The idea to feature a total of 1 million
stories was purposeful and the number is
relative to the number of years that CCAC
has been open.
“When we developed the logo for
the 50th anniversary, what we wanted to
do was to show that’s the reason for the 1
million and we did check that number out
by the way, back to 1966 when the college
first started, so many students had actually
come through the halls here so we do have
over a million students that have attended
CCAC in some way,” says Dicola.
“What is your story? How did CCAC
– essentially – change your life?” Dicola
recalls discussing during the early stages
of the project’s development. “It’s our 50th
anniversary, it doesn’t happen very often.
What do we want to occur as a result of
this?”
The telling of 1 million stories aims
to connect all the individuals who are or
have been a part of CCAC. It is also a way
to remember past success stories as well as
current ones.
Many of the stories highlight the
positive impact that CCAC has had on
students who came from quite humble
beginnings. “We have a number of alum
who are really successful today but at the
time CCAC was the only option for them
to get into higher education,” says Dicola.
Being a part of the Foundation for
about 14 years, Dicola notes some positive
changes, “CCAC’s name in the community
is more recognized and I think that we’re
more recognized in terms of the role that
we play in work force training and also
economic development in the area.”
She also notes that companies,
particularly healthcare institutions, depend
on the school in terms of preparing workers
to go directly into their fields. “I think the
thing that intrigued me the most when I
first came to CCAC was really the fact that
we were training a workforce,” she says.
She states that many people attended
CCAC later in life but today, due to the
resulted debt from the average four-year
institution more students are looking at
CCAC as being more suitable to spend
their first two years of school.
Many of the stories show the
advantages of attending CCAC – seeing
as there are so many alumni who have
flourished professionally. “I think we want
them to look at the successes that CCAC,
the students and employees have had at
CCAC and to look at the impact that we
have in the community,” says Dicola.
The Foundation hopes that this
project will lead to more in the future,
particularly involving alumni. There a few
other projects in the works, in honor of the
school’s anniversary. The college is going
to honor 50 distinguished alumni and there
is a campaign that will endow 50 students
with 50 scholarships.
Both the college and the Foundation
encourages everybody to participate
in some way or other in the 50the
anniversary- to use it as an opportunity to
share their story and also to share CCAC’s
story amongst family, friends, and the
community.
“Our goal and our hope would be that
this would become something very big and
that would help to draw people closer to
CCAC,” she says. “I think everybody’s
story is important and significant.”
To submit a personal story to be
featured on the microsite, log onto to
CCAC.edu/50
4
Campus
The Voice
North, West Hills welcome new Dean of Academic Affairs
CARLIS M. SPIVEY
THE VOICE EDITOR
As the new Dean of Academic Affairs,
Dr. Jeffery Thomas has been responsible
for all of the academic programming at
CCAC North Campus and West Hills
Center as of December of 2015.
“That means that my office schedules
all the classes, works with faculty to
develop new develop new programs and
improve existing programs, and represents
the college and campus to the public.”
says Thomas.
He believes that the work done by
CCAC for Allegheny County is wellknown, and he felt that he could add to
the school’s legacy of accomplishment.
Thomas says “The North Campus is a great
place to be. The leadership is amazing
and the faculty and staff truly care about
the students attending here. In addition,
Pittsburgh is consistently rated as one of
the best cities to live in the US.”
Thomas has a PhD in history from
Texas Tech University, a Master of Arts
degree in history from the University of
Texas, and a Bachelor of Arts in American
Studies from Eckerd College. He stated
“I taught history and anthropology for
about ten years in Arizona at Northland
Pioneer College. I first became a dean
at Northland Community and Technical
College in Minnesota, so I’m no stranger
to cold weather! I was most recently a dean
at Miami Dade College.”
Andrew Cardone / CCAC North Voice
Dean Jeffery Thomas began his role at CCAC North in December of 2015.
In memorium:
Danielle
Kappeler
The CCAC North Campus
community mourns the loss
of student Danielle Kappeler.
Kappeler, who passed away in
February, had been a student at
CCAC North since fall of 2015,
and spent a lot of time giving
back to her community. She
spent her time comforting the
children awaiting transplants
at Children’s Hospital, and
volunteered at the Evergreen
Volunteer Fire Department,
a position she valued highly.
She made it her goal to bring
awareness
to
transplant
donation and the transplant
community. A Celebration of
Life was held on February 21
at Bauerstown Volunteer Fire
Department, where balloons
were released in her Honor. Fly
high, Danielle.
On top of his multiple degrees,
Thomas was also selected to represent US
community colleges on a tour of colleges
throughout Russia as a US Scholar through
the Fulbright US Scholar Program. “The
Fulbright experience was one of the best
in my career.” he says. Thomas continued
by saying “We were exposed to changes
occurring in Russian higher education,
as well as curiosity about community
colleges, which don’t exist in Russia.”
While it’s clear he has accomplished
quite a lot in his career, Thomas says his
proudest achievement is watching the
students he has helped graduate. “…I feel
pride. I went into this business to help
students reach that outcome, and when I
can help them get there I feel a sense of
accomplishment.”
In his time away from work and
academics, Thomas seems to keep himself
pretty busy! He says “I have 4 kids, so I
spend a lot of my time driving to practices
and rehearsals. I also like to hike and camp
and spend time outdoors. I am looking
forward to exploring the natural beauty of
western Pennsylvania. I enjoy traveling to
new places and exploring new areas and
learning the history and culture of those
areas.”
When asked how he felt about the
future of CCAC, Thomas says “CCAC
will continue to be an educational leader
in Allegheny County and Western
Pennsylvania. We will continue to offer
new and innovative programs to meet the
needs of students and the community.”
Thomas says his favorite thing
about North Campus is the hard work,
dedication, and kindness of the faculty and
staff. He says “Don’t be afraid to explore
the opportunities the campus has to offer,
to be engaged in clubs and activities and
to learn all that you can.” He concludes
by saying, “Also, don’t be a stranger! Say
hello when you get a chance!”
Financial aid adds a
new self-service option
CARLIS M. SPIVEY
THE VOICE EDITOR
Effective for the 2016-2017 academic
year, CCAC will have one Federal School
Code and one Pennsylvania Higher
Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)
School Code. Both codes will cover all of
the CCAC center locations and campuses.
When completing and applying for the
Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA)
for the 2016-2017 academic year, the Title
IV Federal Code used, will be 003231. The
PHEAA School Code, 014000 should be
used for Pennsylvania State Grant purposes
for the academic year.
Financial aid self-service gives one
the ability to not only print a copy of any
award letters they may obtain, but it also
allows one to request a student loan. One
could also accept or deny Federal Workstudy. It also allows one to be able to check
their Satisfactory Academic Progress
(SAP) and whether or not you’re eligible
for financial aid, as well as the status of
subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and
learn the differences between these two
types of loans.
To access and manage one’s financial
aid with the self-service feature on
my.ccac.edu by signing in with their
NetID. If one doesn’t have a NetID, the
self-service feature will not be available.
To create a NetID, simply follow the
onscreen directions on netid.ccac.edu. For
questions regarding financial aid, please
visit my.ccac.edu or your campus’ financial
aid office.
Changes for 201617 academic year:
• All CCAC campuses and
centers now have a single
code
• Students can manage
financial aid throught the
my.ccac.edu portal
• Students can now accept
or deny federal work study
offers
5
The Voice
CCAC North’s humble beginnings with a payphone at a mall
shortly before the division was moved
to Babcock Boulevard. According to the
1992 Annual Report, Curran said “When
we were at Babcock, we felt completely
isolated from the rest of the campus. That
When John Kraft joined the effort to changed when we moved back to Pines
establish a CCAC campus in the North two years later. This was when we felt like
Hills area as dean in 1972, things were a we were a part of everything.”
bit harder than one may imagine. For the
The Report also says Curran felt the
first week of his involvement, it is rumored two year transition time made the move to
that Kraft kept his office supplies in the a new campus much easier.
trunk of his car, and had to make phone
“If we didn’t have those two years
calls from a payphone at the Northway at Pines to get used to being a part of the
Mall.
system, it would have been a real culture
The campus began as an idea amongst shock when we moved to the new campus.
the five founders of North-Center. Their Things are really exciting right now
primary focus was to establish a College because everything is changing,” says
Center-North in the North Hills. Soon, Curran, as the Report stated.
their idea was transformed into a trailer in
“We had no space and old, dilapidated
the Passavant Hospital parking lot known facilities. But, to be honest, we had the
as “CCAC Center-North.” The school greatest morale at that time,” says Nina
taught nursing students specifically.
Lyons, who began as a work study at North
“We actually had official meetings in in 1977 when the campus was still located
the Northway Mall, near and among the in Pines Plaza. By 1980, Lyons had gone
potted palms at the Center-North office,” on to be a part-time employee. Finally, in
says Kraft according to the 1992 CCAC 1985, Lyons had applied for and obtained a
Annual Report which celebrated the full-time position at CCAC North.
campus’s 20 year anniversary. At the time,
“To do Student Life in an old strip
only two official campuses were up and mall with no room wasn’t easy,” said
running: Boyce and Allegheny.
Lyons. “The big hardship was no space.
The trailer soon became a “Center” I took all programming off campus... My
housed in Pines Plaza. The center had motto has always been, The County is our
very little space, minimal resources, and campus!”
roughly 600 students, and a very small
The organization was young, yet
library. Through all of the hardships continuously expanding.
though, the faculty and students pulled
While the campus began to grow,
through.
people still had their doubts and some felt
Elizabeth Curran had been a secretary that this area could not support a campus.
for Community Services since 1976, Finding a spot to build also proved to be
quite difficult. After trying
multiple locations such as
North Park, and McIntyre
Center to no avail, the
dream of a CCAC North
Campus seemed to be
diminishing.
“I never thought we’d
see a campus” says Lyons.
“To build support, we all
joined local boards and
worked endless hours in the
community volunteering. I
put in so much time, but
at that point in my life, I
loved it. I felt like I had
a mission to make this
campus happen,” she adds.
“I am pretty proud to
say I was a member of that
pioneer CCAC team. We
really did change a lot of
lives. It’s why I still love
this organization,” Lyons
said.
Dr. Fred Bartok started
working for North in 1983
as Dean of Instruction. By
1984, he was promoted to
Executive Dean.
In accordance with
the Report, Bartok said,
“Key to our success is the
fact that the campus has
been fortunate enough to
have assembled a cadre
of dedicated, creative, and
talented faculty, staff, and
administration.”
Per the Report, Bartok
also stated, “The people
of North have worked
together to positively
change the perceptions of
Photos from CCAC archives the North Hills community
Top: The interior of North Campus decorated with about North Campus. It
took hard work and was
colorful banners.
sometimes discouraging,
Below: Students at Pines Plaza.
Right: Advertising for the opening of the new CCAC but we did it together.”
The CCAC North
North building.
CARLIS M. SPIVEY
THE VOICE EDITOR
Campus has grown in tremendous ways
since the organization’s conception in
1972. If not for the past and current hard
work and dedication of the CCAC North
faculty, staff, and administration, the
campus may well have remained nothing
more than simply… an idea.
6
Arts & Living
The Voice
Full House just got fuller
VERONICA DeALMEIDA
THE VOICE EDITOR
The classic TV sitcom Full House is
now even fuller on Netflix with its new
spinoff sequel show.
A Netflix Original, Fuller House was
recently released on February 26, 2016
to eager fans nation-wide. The new show
features the original actors playing their
given characters in the same setting. Fresh
additions to the cast and a modern day
backdrop help keep the legacy alive in its
updated plot.
As detailed on IMDb, Full House ran
from 1987 to 1995. Its original storyline
began after the sudden death of Danny
Tanner’s wife. As a young father (played by
Bob Saget) who enlists the help of his rock
musician brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis
(John Stamos) and his comedian best
friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier)
to help him raise his three young girls,
D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie
(Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle (Mary-Kate
and Ashley Olsen).
Fuller House is a continuation of the
TV sitcom Full House, picking up about 20
years after its finale.
The show keeps true to the present
day, where recently widowed D.J. is now
a single mother of three young boys. D.J.’s
sister Stephanie, her best friend Kimmy,
and Kimmy’s teenage daughter all move
into the “Full House” to help her raise her
sons. Cameo appearances of previous main
characters occur throughout the season.
This show is for the fans, the truest
of which having long begged for such a
Full House reunion. Smartly, Netflix knew
its audience to be dedicated enough to
make their investment worthwhile. Even
this early in the game, the rising success
of Fuller House and its 13 episodes has
prompted Netflix to start planning, already
promising a second season.
Reviving Full House means continuing
to tell its endearing story through its
darling characters and traditions. Keeping
in mind what makes it unique, the new
show focuses on its original heart, and
the Full House familiarity. The point is to
connect the old with the new, and in this,
Fuller House is successful.
However, the show has already
received mixed reviews. Unfortunately,
the nay-sayers have valid points, like how
the two shows are too similar with almost
parallel plots.
Courtesy of YouTube & Netflix (above)
and tvgcdn.net (below)
With that said, Fuller House does try
to bring something new to the table, with
the help of its present-day setting and
The cast of Fuller House (above)
features both familiar actors from the
original Full House (below) and also
new faces joining the spin-off show.
new characters. The similarities that can
be found between the shows are both its
greatest and weakest aspects.
Yet this is an epic reunion that has
almost everyone on board (except for
the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who
remain absent). Twenty-five years after the
premier of this classic American sitcom,
Netflix has revived Full House’s old plot
and cast, creating a new show even fuller
than the last.
Attention, CCAC North Campus Students!
Your Student Government Association
will be hosting its first annual Art competition.
We are encouraging students to submit their own individiual works of Art with the theme of “Campus Life”.
You may submit paintings, drawing, sculptures, and photography. This is an opportunity designed to bring to
light all the work that our own CCAC artists can do as well as to decorate our campus in student works of Art.
This activity is designed to bring students together and showcase what the student body can accomplish.
Works of Art will be judged by the student body in a penny ballot fashion. The top three works of art will be on
presentation at a date to be determined.
Be as creative as possible, and we look forward to seeing your submissions!
The Voice
7
More than one little Pittsburghee goes to Market Square
MARYSANDRA DO
THE VOICE EDITOR
Market Square, located in the heart of
downtown Pittsburgh, is not only a popular
spot to dine and shop but also a historical
district.
It is one of the oldest areas in the city
and first took shape in the late 1700s when
it was originally a plan of lots and streets
known as “The Diamond,” laid out by
George Woods and Thomas Vickroy.
Later, the first Allegheny County
Courthouse was built in the western half
of the property while the eastern half was
occupied by vendor stalls. In 1841, the new
courthouse was finished on Grant Street
and the area went back to serving its initial
purpose as a public marketplace.
Several years later, there was a fire
that took out one third of downtown and
the wooden market buildings were taken
out to make room for two brick buildings,
both of which covered half of the Square
and became the Diamond Market Houses.
1914 welcomed the New Diamond
Market public marketplace but was later
demolished in 1961. That open space then
served as a public park and meeting place
and in 1972, Market Square was labeled by
Pittsburgh as its first historic district. Over
the years new businesses have taken up
spaces in the downtown hotspot.
While the Square includes various
popular chains like Starbucks and Subway,
there are also some businesses that set up
shop only in, or in very few places other
than Market Square.
Nola on the Square, for example, is a
New Orleans themed Jazz Brasserie that
serves authentic Creole cuisine. There are
also live jazz and blues performances at the
restaurant. Right next to Nola’s is Nicholas Coffee
Co., which has been around since 1919.
The shop sells coffees, boxed and loose
teas, chocolates, and the like. It’s a fitting
place for any tea or coffee connoisseur.
Various businesses also exist within
the narrow streets that extend from the
Square. A newer one is the Market Street
Grocery. Within the store is a little Gaby &
Jules Patisserie that sells French pastries.
The Wine Room at Market St. Grocery
with Collefrisio wines and a full coffee
bar featuring La Colombe are the other
two parts of the place.
Aside from shops and dining, the area
also hosts events and has live bands play
in the summer. The Irish Fair in the Square
is set to take place on Saturday, March 12.
MarySandra Do / CCAC North
Market Square in Pittsburgh is home to a wide variety of shops and restaurants.
8
Sports
The Voice
Pittsburgh Passion:
The City’s Other Champions
ALLISON ROUP
THE VOICE EDITOR
When you hear three time undefeated
champions from Pittsburgh the immediate
thought is the Steelers or Penguins. But,
no, we’re not talking about the Steelers
or the Penguins, in fact we are referring
to the Pittsburgh Passion all female
player football team. Founded in 2002 the
Pittsburgh Passion have worked extremely
hard to achieve this high performance
level, and even more so to obtain the
recognition they have thus far received.
The Passion have won the Independent
Women’s Football League Championship
in 2014, and 2015. These women play
hard and train hard currently practices
are held Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
nights between 8 and 11 at night. The late
practices just show the pure passion these
women have that they are willing to go to
work, or school and come out and practice
with their football family.
The hard work is not for nothing as
the past championship wins prove these
End of an Era:
Heath Miller retires
BRYAN T. FRAUENS
THE VOICE STAFF
Last month, Heath Miller announced
his retirement from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After 11 seasons with the team, the
famous and talented tight end has decided
to take off the pads for good. Over the
course of Miller’s NFL career – which was
played entirely in the city of Pittsburgh –
he has amassed some pretty impressive
statistics.
The first stat that should be noticed
is that out of 168 regular season games
Heath has started 167. The dedication it
takes to stay healthy and to do whatever
it takes to make sure your always ready
is tremendous. This is why he was able to
achieve so many milestones. Among those
milestones: in the 2015 season alone, he
became the all-time leader in receptions,
receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns
for any tight end ever to play for the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Heath Miller was and is not only a
great football player but a great man on
and off the field.
On the field he was never the type to
over celebrate or to get a personal foul. He
treated everyone with respect and stayed
focused on playing his own game. Off
the field Heath was involved in multiple
charities such as the Glimmer of Hope
Foundation and took time for local youth.
Kevin Colbert, General Manager
of the Steelers, said, “Heath Miller was
as great a combination of character and
football player as I have ever been around.”
On the field, the loss of Heath Miller is
a great tragedy for the Pittsburgh Steelers’
offense. With the defense lacking in the
past few seasons, the offense has been
carrying the team the majority of the time.
Now with a section of the Steelers offense
no longer available it will be easier for
opposing teams to predict and prepare
for the Steelers offense. With Miller out
the team will lean more towards a spread
style where they were previously versatile
enough to play both the spread and pro
style offense which utilized the four most
powerful weapons the Steelers had.
With Heath gone young Jesse James
will step up and try to make his way in
the NFL at tight end. James will likely
serve more as a receiving tight end than a
blocking tight end. Good luck to him. He
has some big shoes to fill.
women leave all they really have to say on
the field.
The Voice received a very warm
welcome to the Passion practice from
players and coaches, among the whistles
and thud of pads hitting pads. This reporter
got a chance to talk with Co-owner and Cohead coach Teresa Conn “We set a culture
that is very building…we play because we
love the game we’re not in it for a business
we’re here because we love the game this
isn’t a business to us this is a passion.”
Lauren Ferragonio former CCAC
Boyce student and current criminal justice
student at La Roche College, and caretaker
for her grandparents said, “You gain a
sisterhood it’s just like a big family I’ve
gained a lot of self-confidence playing on
a team helps you in so many more aspects
other than a sport in your career in your
family it just helps you work well with
others.”
“We just want to show young girls
and women everywhere that they can do
anything they can put their mind to. Come
out and watch us play in April.”
Allison Roup / CCAC Voice
Members of the Pittsburgh Passion line up for practice last month.
FURY RINK: Pittsburgh’s
thriving roller derby scene
ALLISON ROUP
THE VOICE EDITOR
The smell of burnt rubber. The screech
of wheeled heels. Women determined to
score and others determined to stop them.
Inside the roller rink called the Romp
n’ Roll in Glenshaw Pennsylvania on a
February Sunday night the screeching of
skates, and cheers can be heard. Cheers
for names likes of “Poppin fresh, Thrasher,
Loraxe, Daley Dose” are just the few that
ring out over the crowd as they cheer on
the Mon Mosters and Allegheny Avengers
two of the teams of the Steel City Roller
Derby.
As of last month the two teams battled
it out on the track to decide the challenger
of the Penn Bruisers in the Burgh
Championship game. The victor being the
Allegheny Avengers by a score of 165 to
142.
For those of you who have never
heard of Roller Derby or have just seen the
movie Whip It, Roller derby is alive and
thriving in Pittsburgh. Being an embracing
sports fanatic city roller derby has found a
home here. Ranked 28th out of 247 in the
world according to the Women’s Flat Track
Derby Association
The Steel City Roller Derby may not
be a name you have heard of before but the
league will be celebrating ten years of roller
derby in the city of Pittsburgh. To mark this
decade of dedication the Steel City Roller
Derby would like to welcome fans and new
fans to come out March 19th at the Romp
n’ Roll in Glenshaw as the Avengers and
Allison Roup / CCAC Voice
Pittsburgh is home to an active roller derby scene.
Brusiers face off in the Championship
game. To add to the excitement the leagues
two traveling teams the Steel Hurtin and
Steel Beamers will be around mixing it up
with teammates and fans.
Tara Zirkel a.k.a. Tina Fray who is
director of admissions at CCAC South
Campus and a Roller Derby player had
this to say “Roller derby is really diverse
our current age range of players is18-48
we have parents, teachers, people that do
all kinds of different jobs have all different
skill sets really is unique and that it really
is for everyone.”
Simple Rules
of Roller Derby
As interesting a sport as Roller
Derby is getting used to the rules to
understand and enjoy the game is
difficult at first. To put it simply roller
derby shares many similarities to
ice hockey, there are penalties and a
penalty “box” to serve the sentence in.
Only one player from each team
is able to score points this position
is called the Jammer who’s objective
is the pass as many opposing players
as possible gaining a point for each
person they pass. The Jammer is
usually the easiest to spot sporting a
star on their helmet and is followed
by a Jam referee to track points and
penalties.
The Pivot is a blocker who plays
at the front of the pack, and usually
is the last line of defense to block a
Jammer from scoring more points
or becoming Lead Jammer for that
play. And then there are three other
players called blockers who will play
offense or defense at any given time
most likely to switch frequently. All of
these positions lead to the two teams
having five players each on the rink
during play.
With some basics down go out
support our local Steel City Derby and
have a good time.
10
Opinions
The Voice
E D I T O R I A L :
Letter
Cultural Appropriation
North students take
leadership to new levels
Why has it become so commonplace?
Cultural appropriation by definition is the act of taking customs,
practices and/or traditions from one culture (usually by a member
of a dominant culture) either to mock or simplify the meaning or
significance of that piece of culture.
This is especially seen in the media, so much that it’s almost
commonplace. Viewers don’t seem to give two cents when they see a
music artist or celebrity embodying the stereotypical image of another
culture. Some examples?
Katy Perry performed at the 2013 VMA’s dressed as a geisha.
What’s worse is that she performed the song, “Unconditional” which
lent itself to the stereotype that Asian women are so servile and
permissive that they will always endure abuse and mistreatment essentially “unconditional love”. What was meant as an act of honoring
another culture instead served as a prime example of “yellowface”.
The same year, Selena Gomez wore a bindi in an MTV video music
awards performance. The bindi is symbolic of the Hindu faith and it
represents the third eye and the flame. Members of the religion were not
happy that Ms. Gomez used this as a prop and essentially stripped the
bindi of its religious significance.
Bits and pieces from other cultures are integrated into pop culture
as a way to appear edgy. These symbols are adopted with little to zero
knowledge of their true origin or meaning. This is exploitative and robs
minority groups of the credit they deserve. And nobody bats an eye.
Nobody wants to call out Beyoncé for dressing like a
hypersexualized Bollywood actress in her collaboration with Coldplay
and nobody wants to admit that some other well-recognized faces in the
world are completely in the wrong for reducing certain ethnicities to
stage props.
Many times we see marginalized cultures being worn as costumes.
Why are individuals wearing Native American headdresses and scantily
clad versions of sacred ensembles on Halloween? Why aren’t those
individuals, instead, addressing the horrible atrocities brought upon an
entire people when Columbus “discovered” this land?
Why is “Indians” considered an appropriate name for mascots?
There’d be uproar if “Negroes” was a high school mascot. It’s the same
thing. Native Americans are not subhuman and their history and culture
should be respected just like the next group.
Adopting the clothing and the slang and the physical features of a
minority group when they’re only appreciated on the majority is also
something that is seen far too often.
Society appreciates full lips and dreadlocks on Kylie Jenner but
Zendaya was shamed for her dreadlocks on the red carpet when the
hairdo actually coincides with her ethnicity.
Society ignores the struggles minority groups face and shame them
for their cultural ways. Then they proceed to borrow those same aspects
of these cultures and add them into a melting pot and label them trends
or high fashion or edgy. There is something seriously wrong with that.
Someone can’t chastise black people for using their vernacular,
and then write a song sprinkled with the same slang and call it art.
Likewise, an individual cannot put on a Native American headdress and
claim it’s in honor of the culture.
So many mistake cultural appropriation for cultural appreciation.
There is a difference and in many instances cultural appropriation is
unintentional. However, that does not make it okay. When one gets
close to crossing such a blurry line, it’s best to take three steps back
and admire from a distance rather than try to copy the ways of another
people. All these minority groups want is the same cultural respect that
is given to members of the majority.
the voice
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor represent the opinion
of the author, and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of The Voice, its staff, or CCAC.
All members of the CCAC community –
including students, faculty, staff, and alumni
– are welcome to submit a letter to the
to the
NATALIE HOOEVER
CCAC NORTH STUDENT
Three students at CCAC North
Campus took leadership to new levels
during the month of November. The
students--Sandra DeLorenze, Jeremy
Hinnebusch, and Natalie Hoover—
gathered together an accumulation of
resources to create a book drive and
a pajama drive. The North Campus
team involved utilizing the members
of Student Life, Phi Theta Kappa,
and The World Cultures Club in this
promotional drive.
The two organizations the team
supported were The Pajama Project
and Highland Elementary School. The
team hosted new books and pajamas
drive for The Pajama Project. They
also raised eighty dollars to buy new
books from Barnes and Noble for the
Pajama Project. The Pajama Project
was provided with two boxes of new
books and two boxes of new pajamas
to children in need.
In addition, a new and gently used
book drive was hosted for Highland
Elementary School. The team collected
ten boxes of books for Highland
Elementary School. These items
provide the children with the supports
Editor:
they need and promote an interest in
reading.
Over the week of November
10 to 13, the team scattered posters
around North Campus and to students
to inform them about the upcoming
book and pajama drive and how to
participate. Student Life at the North
Campus location created a large sign
of the team’s promotional poster which
was placed at the front doors to create
awareness. Sandra, Natalie, and Jeremy
set up a designated table from 12-noon
to 2pm every day from November 16th
to 19th. During this time, the members
from Phi Theta Kappa and The World
Cultures Club, volunteered to sit at
the table and promote the drive. They
continually showed support for the
charities the drive was meant for.
The leaders—Jeremy, Sandra, and
Natalie—also sat at the table along
with their volunteers to demonstrate
their support and belief in their chosen
charitable organizations.
This group demonstrated true
leadership skills and innovation with
their service projects. They also
garnered great results. With people like
Sandra, Jeremy, and Natalie leading
the way, North Campus will become
an even better, more compassionate,
giving school.
Have an opinion?
All members of the CCAC community – including
students, faculty, staff, and alumni – are
welcome to submit a letter to the editor. Any
letter intended for publication must include
the writer’s name, contact information, and
college affiliation. No anonymous letters will be
accepted. All submissions are subject to editing.
The Voice reserves the right to refuse publication.
Please limit submissions to 500 words.
Email Rob Velella, sdviser, at rvelella@ccac
editor. Any letter intended for publication
must include the writer’s name, contact
information, and college affiliation. No
anonymous letters will be accepted. All
submissions are subject to editing. The Voice
reserves the right to refuse publication.
Please limit submissions to 500 words.
CONTACT
Rob Velella, Adviser
Room 1018, North Campus
rvelella@ccac.edu
412-369-3698
Deadline is one week before publication.
The Voice
11
Voice staff wins Keystone Press Awards
Members of the 2015 staff of The Voice, the student newspaper at CCAC North, were nominated for 16 Keystone Student Press Awards from
the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Ultimately, the staff won two honorable mention awards (Mark Humphrey), and four first place
awards (MarySandra Do, Veronica DeAlmeida, and Brian Wilson). The Voice competed against student newspapers at community colleges
throughout Pennsylvania in categories ranging from photography and design to news writing, editorials, and personality profiles. The entire
staff was honored with a breakfast on campus last month attended by several deans and the campus president. Recipients will accept their
awards in person at an awards luncheon in Hershey, Pennsylvania next month.
12
The Voice
Voices of
CCAC North
What are you doing
for Spring Break?
Are you a
cartoonist?
The Voice is looking to
fill this back page with
student-created comics every month!
Contact rvelella@ccac.edu for information.
ONE SHOTS by Jared Sawl
Paul Colose
“Staying home.”
Chris Kagle
“Working... nothing special.”
Bayley Fields
“Visiting colleges.”
Fabrice Deuchein
“Visit a friend in Michigan and
going hiking.”
THE ROUTINE by Andrew Doyle
Compiled by Charles DeMore II and Daniel Brazell / The VOICE Staff
BAD JOKES by Charles DeMore II
BINNY by Kaitlin Bigley