By: Joe Zimmermann
Whatcom’s Campus is a microcosm of democracy, and as such, it has a governing body of students through which the administration hears the concerns of the students through representatives in student government.
The Associated Students of Whatcom Community College is composed of the Executive Board, the student Senators, the Programming and Diversity Board, and the college community at large. Continue reading New direction for student senate
By: Shelby Ford
Women are empowered and speaking out against the dark side of the entertainment industry, confronting some of the most powerful men in Hollywood with allegations of harassment and sexual assault. The movement Time’s Up was created in support of this action by over 300 women in the industry.
We’re seeing more and more celebrities use popular award shows as a platform to address issues such as sexual harassment and inequality of race and gender. By using award shows like the Grammys, Golden Globes and Oscars, celebrities can influence viewers. Continue reading Is it really about the music anymore?
By Catherine Wallace
Horizon Advisor and Journalism Adjunct
Last quarter, for the first time in the five years since I’ve been advisor of the Horizon, we had to pull an issue from the racks. That’s a very serious step toward self-censorship and one I hope never to have to repeat.
But before I get into what happened, it’s important to note that my writing this column is also not normal. My role is to advise, not to interfere—unless or until something bad happens.
Well, something bad happened. Continue reading Self-censorship a necessary step after student reporter’s actions
By Kai Vieira da Rosa
On the final issue of winter quarter, the Horizon pulled their last paper from school circulation. The articles pulled were not meant to be malicious or misleading in any way, but sometimes mistakes are made.
Here at the horizon, every mistake is a new learning opportunity for the staff. This mishap brings to light the importance of student journalist being executed the correct way. Newspaper productions classes, like The Horizon, are an extremely important part of learning to become a journalist.
When errors are made, the people affected often look on the negative side of the situation and question the purpose or benefit of the production. This has been seen many times with the conflict between our president and the media. The criticism received often diminishes the credibility of a production, making journalism appear less important in the eyes of the public.
As a result, funding cuts in community college newspaper productions are occurring nationally and locally. President Donald Trump’s budget plan remove funding for public media is something journalist should be wary of. National Public Radio Brian Naylor reported “President Trump’s proposed budget calls for big cuts in a wide array of domestic programs — among them, agencies that fund the arts, humanities and public media.”
This is a major step backwards on the road to recovering the distrust between the government and the media. The government decides to cut the budget on one of the best ways of training there is at the worst possible time. The distrust our government has with the media is higher than ever, yet teaching trusting reporters is not a priority.
On a local level, Whatcom has been steadily cutting The Horizon Newspaper budget. In fact, in the last year the budget dropped from $19,950 to $18,500 according to The Associated Students of Whatcom Community College 17-18 S&A Fee Budget table.
The importance of college run newspapers is clear for many reasons. Student run papers in community college gives budding journalists a place to put their writing into something they can be proud of.
Student newspapers teach the essential skills needed in the work force by giving the students real life situations. One on one interviews and conference interviews give a look as to what a career in journalism could be. Learning how to write in AP style can be a refreshing change from the fundamental APA or MLA classes. Valuable lessons are learned in theses production classes.
Some people say that print media is dying. Although this does seem true, it is still important for students of journalism to learn its ways. Newspaper production classes are closest thing a student can get to a real, professional paper. It is important to remember that these papers are typically run solely by students who are all still learning, so mistakes happen. Even though some of them aren’t perfect every time, college productions can still be a credible source of information about your school.
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By Kenzo Yamamoto
Scholarships specific to Whatcom Community College allows students to study abroad in five different countries with other community colleges. Future trips include Berlin, Costa Rica, London, and a combined Germany/Poland trip. Faculty members will accompany students and teach the 10-week, 15-credit courses in English.
Each student will receive an internal scholarship which reduces tuition to $25 per credit. Students will be going with other community college students that are a part of the Washington State Community College Consortium for Study Abroad.
In addition to the $25 per credit fee, the consortium also provides two scholarships per program excluding summer. The international programs department at Whatcom was able to find funding to provide two $1,000 scholarships for fall and spring quarter programs, and two $500 scholarships for summer programs.
Ulli Schraml, Associate Director of International Programs, said he encourages faculty members to pitch ideas for short-term programs during the summer that are roughly two to three weeks long.
“Not everyone can afford a 10-week program that’s $8,000 to $10,000, and to have an alternative shorter and cheaper program gives more students the opportunity to experience what learning in another country is like,” Schraml said. “It’s also cheaper to go abroad while you’re at a community college than it is at a four-year university.”
Students desiring to learn more information about the scholarships can go to Syre 135 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm on Feb 1.
“They will have a panel of students and faculty members alike who have gone on these trips and can answer questions for students who still want to know more about the programs and specific trips,” It’ll be a perfect opportunity for students who are interested in future programs to come and hear about previous student experiences and also faculty input,” Schraml said.
Schraml mentioned that people who don’t feel they have the means to travel abroad, they now have a “meet the world at Whatcom fair” in the Syre foyer on Jan 31, 11 am to 1 pm, where staff tries to motivate international and immigrant students to set up booths with cultural presentations to highlight their cultures.
Schraml said he highly encourages students to separate themselves from the rest.
“The important thing is to tell the reader why you are different, not only why you want to study abroad, but what’s so different about you. Why should they give it to you and not the next person?” Schraml said. “The more information you provide the better.”
