2 Triton Viewpoints December 5, 2016

Keeping up with culture and community at EdCC

By Rel Konot
Editor-in-Chief
As a journalist, there is a fine line
between telling the news and being it.
As we discuss in our p.12 opinion piece,
“Truth in Information,” citizens are
staying vigilant of journalistic integrity
now more than ever.
This is due to a mix of complex fac-
tors; the rise of political-leaning news
organizations, the Sinclair video, the
spread of misinformation which comes
from an evolving internet era, and poli-
ticians spouting fear-mongering pro-
paganda designed to cause distrust of
the free press.
One truth in particular is the same
as it has always been: all humans have
bias, and therefore all journalists must
be aware of their inherent biases. That
being said, journalists must strive to
overcome those biases in order to de-
liver fact, truth, and honesty, so that
the readers may decide for themselves
on an informed opinion on matters.
I say all this for two reasons, the
first being that I hope you consider
how to positively affect the world
around you through your relationship
to the news.
The second reason being that while
I am Editor-in-Chief at the Triton Re-
view, I am also a student, and therefore
work within my community outside
of my job to hopefully make waves of
change. In doing so, I recently orga-
nized alongside the National School
Walkout to host an event at our school.
While small, the event caused an
ongoing conversation between stu-
dents, faculty, and college administra-
tion as to EdCC’s place in supporting
free speech events on campus, a con-
versation which I did not feel comfort-
able exploring in my Senate Faculty
piece (p.4) due to my role in the story
but felt it was important to address.
What role and rights should teach-
ers and faculty have in supporting stu-
dent-led political events on campus?
That is a question I extend to you. We
must be able to have these conversa-
tions in the community we celebrate.
By Ray Alfonso
Sports Editor
Lately, I’ve been having conversa-
tions with other EdCC students about
the transient nature of community col-
leges. The notion is that because we’re
only here for two years, there doesn’t
seem to be any time to make real con-
nections, or build strong networks.
During my short tenure as editor/
staff writer of The Triton Review, I’ve
heard that notion brought up by every-
one, from students, to instructors, to
team coaches, and school staff.
Each time that conversation came
up however, the more I realized how
untrue it actually is.
A couple weeks back I was inter-
viewing the three captains on our base-
ball team, along with their head coach.
They talked in length about how amaz-
ing this year has been for them.
It’s obvious that their hard work
and talent was a factor in their success.
But as a group however, they agreed
that it was their chemistry that made
all the difference, even referring to the
team as family.
While interviewing EdCC student
Lia Andrews for my canoe journey sto-
ry, she admitted that she was reluctant
to make friends at the school because
she wasn’t going to be here long any-
way. But the bonds she’s forged with
Anthropology Professor Tom Mur-
phy, and her colleagues at the Campus
Community Farm have greatly impact-
ed her life.
Initially, I looked at EdCC and the
community as just another step I need-
ed to get past.
The more I worked with the com-
munity here, the more it became my
community. I began to see the connec-
tions which link us together. I’ve also
met some good friends along the way.
I guess it’s our level of involvement
that really determines how we see our
campus community. And I’d like to
think that Edmonds Community Col-
lege has given us the knowledge and
resources to create that community for
ourselves.
By Christopher Kim
A&E Editor
Every season there arise new
events and activities that openly invite
all students to participate. Edmonds
has a population of some exceptionally
talented, athletic, and intelligent peo-
ple. And Edmonds Community College
offers a plethora of opportunities for
students to experience and sometimes
participate in these blossoming pro-
grams through events such as perfor-
mances, clubs, and activities.
Edmonds boasts a magnificent
music program that performs locally
and outside our area regularly. Going
to one of their many symphonic or jazz
band or choir performances is always a
great opportunity.
Likewise, Edmonds also holds a
talented and wonderful drama and
theater program. The amount of time
and effort that goes into rehearsal and
preparation is astonishing and their
shows are definitely worth attending.
EdCC also offers many opportuni-
ties for students to engage and learn
about their interests and pursuits
through workshops and information
sessions that occur quite frequently
on the campus. There, questions can
be answered and students get to learn
about their field of interests better.
As we are a transitioning into yet
another season of life and our interests
can be either apparent or vague, the
many events and opportunities that are
offered here at EdCC can help in real-
izing or reaffirming them. Plus they are
fun to go to and the people there are
quite open and welcoming.
The way I see it, the overabun-
dance of events, activities, performanc-
es, clubs, and groups here at EdCC is
a great chance for students. They are
an opening for students to engage,
build relationships, develop interests
in new areas of discipline, and simply
have a great time! Information on fu-
ture events can be found on the college
events calendar on the EdCC website.
Be sure to check it out and find out
which events interest you!
By Rumi Gilani
News Editor
I’m really into music, and I’m re-
ally into film. I love when those two
schools of art are combined as well, es-
pecially when they are done so in inter-
esting and provocative ways. Recently,
Donald Glover released a new music
video that’s been spreading like wild-
fire, called “This is America.”
I found it to be brilliant, and it’s
been dissected to pieces elsewhere by
people more qualified than I am. How-
ever, I just wanted to talk a little bit
about how it affected me when watch-
ing it for the first, second, and then
third time.
A major theme of the video has to
do with how in the foreground, Glover
and a cast of children are dancing as
riots and violence plays on in the back-
ground. We appreciate and make black
culture a part of our lives, in our music
and our entertainment, but we often
like to sweep the issues facing the black
community under the rug. Alternative-
ly, we busy ourselves with trivial joys
in order to not have to face the reality
right outside our field of view.
There are ways to interpret this
part of the music video, just like there
are many ways to interpret what’s go-
ing on in the world right now. Any way
you spin it, however, Glover is telling
us that if we open up our eyes, it’s pos-
sible that we’ve been lying to ourselves.
He, in my eyes, found an excellent lens
to portray how he sees society right
now, in a way that forces the watcher to
reconcile with their own role and tacit
approval in letting reality be ignored.
The best way to criticize the media,
American culture, and consumable en-
tertainment seems to be through con-
sumable entertainment itself. If you
haven’t yet seen the video, I highly rec-
ommend it, and if you’d like to share
your thoughts on it or the context sur-
rounding it, feel free to shoot us a mes-
sage.
The video is worth watching, and
the circumstances around its creation
are worth thinking about.

The Triton Review is a student-written and -produced newspaper for Edmonds Com-
munity College and the surrounding community. The opinions expressed in the Triton
Review do not necessarily reflect the views of the Triton Review staff or of the college.

Mission Statement
The Triton Review is a student-run newspaper at Edmonds Community College that
serves the student readership by reporting on issues and events as they relate to the cam-
pus community and by supporting the open exchange of a diverse range of viewpoints and
opinions.
The Triton Review strives to be impartial in its reporting and adheres firmly in its First
Amendment rights.

Newspaper Policy
1. The Triton Review covers issues and events as they relate to the Edmonds Community
College campus community and surrounding areas. A Student Publication of Sports Editor
2. The Triton Review editorial staff reserves the right to comment editorially on any Edmonds Community College Ray Alfonso
issues the staff finds newsworthy and important. 20000 68th Ave W. ray_alfonso4@yahoo.com
3. The Triton Review resists the influence of advertisers or special interest groups on the Lynnwood, WA 98036
selection of news content or editorial expression. 425.640.1315 Photographer
4. The Triton Review will consider for publication signed letters to the editor or con- Thya Vethanayagam
tributed opinion pieces reflecting student opinion on relevant topics, as well as those thyavetha@gmail.com
of other on or off-campus constituents when submitted according to publication Editor-in-Chief
guidelines. Rel Konot Illustratior
5. The Triton Review strives to uphold State and Federal Laws and Edmonds Commu- revedic@email.edcc.edu Rel Konot
nity College policies, particularly the Office of Student Life Code of Ethics and the relvkonot@gmail.com
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. News Editor
Rumi Gilani Faculty Advisor
Letters to the Editor rumijgilani@gmail.com Rob Harrill
The Triton Review welcomes letters to the editor. Letters submitted should be no more rob.harrill@edcc.edu
than 400 words, signed legibly, and accompanied by a phone number in order to verify au- A&E Editor
thenticity. Some letters may not be printed due to limited space, because they are similar Christopher Kim Staff Writers
to other letters received on the same subject, are potentially libelous, or are illegible. The christopherkim99@gmail.com Samuel Medina, Vincent Max, Brendan
Triton Review reserves the right to edit letters. Davis, Madeleine Jenness, Yesenia
Cisternes, Raisa Pankovets

The Triton Review May 14, 2018


Infamous parking problem causes increasing irritation
By Samuel Medina
Staff Writer
Paulina Corona has class in forty-
five minutes and she’s already done
getting ready. She thinks that she has
enough time to get a coffee and head
to school. She gets her coffee, the smell
of the roasted beans excites her senses,
and she zips off to school with thirty
minutes to spare.
She gets to Edmonds Commu-
nity College fifteen minutes early and
she’s delighted, knowing that she has
enough time to park and get to class.
But then she realizes that she totally
underestimated the parking situation.
As she gets to school, she notices
a snake of cars driving around, des-
perately searching for an empty spot
that will cease their anxiety. Her heart
drops. She realizes that her chance to
get to class on time just dropped to be-
low zero, and so did her gut. Not only
that, but she remembers that she has
an exam today and is not allowed to be
late.
In desperation, she sees the many
rows of empty staff parking. She slowly
drives into the staff parking lot with an
angel on one shoulder and a devil on
the other. She chooses to listen to the
devil and parks in the staff lot. She rea-
sons that it’s only once, and she needs
to be on time for the exam.
She heads to class, and takes her
exam. Relieved, she heads back to her
car and finds a parking ticket placed on
her windshield.
Sound dramatic? Or even a little
be the
first
Attend A trAnsfer InformAtIon sessIon!
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Student parking at EdCC is infamous for being overpopulated, but observation has shown that staff parking may have
an overabundance of spaces, while students are left to struggle in the maze. And it may get worse before it gets better.
bit familiar?
Corona is just one of hundreds,
maybe thousands, of EdCC students
who have similar stories. Parking for
students at the college appears to be a
broken system.
The fact is, students do not have
enough parking. Or do we?
The journalism staff conducted a
study where they went out for seven
days straight counting empty parking
spots.
According to an informal census of
425.352.5000
empty spaces by journalism students
and The Triton Review staff, on Mon-
day through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11
a.m. there was an average of 98 empty
spaces in parking spots reserved for
college faculty and staff.
At the same time, student spaces
remained sparse, with an average of
just 14 open spots, and those spots
constantly shifted as hurried students
jockeyed for open parking places. That
is a seven to one ratio, showing the
disparity between student and faculty
parking. The census showed plenty of
parking on Fridays, when the college
schedules fewer classes.
When presenting this data to stu-
dents across campus, the response was
universally annoyed.
Corona was rightfully appalled and
said angrily, “They should really re-
consider the parking lines.” The school
knows that parking is a complicated is-
sue and along with it comes some re-
sentment from students.
On any given day, according to Jim
Ellington, the Director of Safety, Se-
curity, and Emergency Preparedness,
they give out thirty to forty parking in-
fractions per day.
The majority of these are from stu-
dents seeking to remedy their parking
anxiety by seeking last-minute parking
in the faculty lots.
As for the future of the parking is-
sue, “It is going to get worse when the
new STEM building is finished being
built.” When asked to go on, Ellington
described how parking lot A is going to
be taken completely out of the equa-
tion.
With parking lot A gone, that takes
away approximately sixty faculty spac-
es. Therefore, causing a greater im-
balance between student and faculty
spaces.
Although it sounds like it would be
easy to simply redraw lines to create
a more balanced parking experience,
there are politics preventing this. The
faculty has a union, Edmonds Com-
munity College Federation of Teach-
ers, and in their agreement there is a
certain amount of spots designated to
teachers. As stated in their agreement:
“The College shall provide academic
employees working on College prop-
erty with designated on-campus park-
ing.”
Many students were interviewed
in the process of trying to figure out a
solution to the parking issue we face on
News 3
Photo by Thya Vethanayagam
campus. Some students suggested that
we build a new parking garage, though
this is likely not going to happen as the
state does not fund parking.
EdCC student Torrin Wheeler sug-
gests that students plan ahead. It’s im-
possible to control the parking.
However, students can control how
early they show up, thus giving you a
better chance at finding a decent spot.
In addition, knowing one’s way around
the campuses’ many parking lots is vi-
tal to getting to class on time, especially
when one does not have the time to fig-
ure it out on the spot.
Wheeler proposes that we have an
exit-only roundabout directly adjacent
with 201st St. SW. This would allow
this area not to get backed up, as this
is a highly populated area, especially in
the peak hours. Also with the round-
about being exit only, students arriving
will receive priority and be able to grab
spots from their peers who are leaving.
Finally, one of the most common
“It is going to get worse when
the new STEM building is fin-
ished being built.”
-Jim Ellington, Director of
Safety and Security
answers students suggested was, “Just
take the bus!”
The reasoning behind this is be-
cause the busses are provided to stu-
dents via an ORCA card. This card al-
lows students to take any bus in the
Snohomish area. This option complete-
ly cuts out the need to search for park-
ing. Therefore, if bussing is an option,
always take it.
When told the ratio of faculty to
student parking, most students qui-
etly judged the information. Many
students did not want to say anything
that disrespected the teachers, which is
understandable. However, it was clear
that the parking situation needed to be
reassessed. Most students felt that the
faculty could give up some spots, with-
out hurting themselves.
The imbalance of parking spaces
between the faculty and students is
very apparent. Not knowing whether
you will be on time creates anxiety for
many students.
It is important to keep in mind that
balance is key to anything in life. Reach-
ing parking equilibrium will hopefully
calm this unnecessary anxiety.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
 4 News
Senate Faculty’s fight for student and teacher rights
By Rel Konot
Editor in Chief
Unbeknownst to many students and
long-overlooked by Edmonds Commu-
nity College administration, a powerful
community of teachers have begun to
speak up and demand a voice within
the decision-making at the school as of
the last few years.
Now more than ever, they’re tackling
an expansive list of issues across cam-
pus, including sustainability, student
fees, how the college can react and in-
teract with student-led activism, and
the treatment of part-time teachers.
Founded in spring of 2015, the Fac-
ulty Senate is a broadly-defined gov-
erning body at EdCC which aims to
“foster a community of mutual respect
and cooperation within the college; to
facilitate effective faculty participation
in academic governance; to broaden
communication in matters of concern
to the college; and to engage the fac-
ulty’s skills in the guidance of the col-
lege’s programs,” according to the Sen-
ate Charter.
Ann Paulson, an At Large member
of Faculty Senate Council and long-
time business management teacher at
EdCC, noted that this senate differs
from other colleges in the sense that
they want to be more broad-reaching.
“We don’t want to just be involved
in faculty-only issues, like curriculum,
and classes, and stuff like that,” Ann
explained. “We want to be involved in
the whole campus.”
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The Triton Review May 14, 2018
In particular, the Faculty Senate The term “part-time,” Paulson men-
want to be involved “from the begin- tioned, is actually a poor descriptor for
ning” of decision-making, rather than the work that associate faculty do. Not
asked for input at the final stages of only do they sometimes teach as many
EdCC project-planning which can have classes as full-time faculty, but also aid
long-lasting impacts on the college. students outside of class.
This was reiterated by multiple mem- “It’s just a two-tiered, hierarchical
bers of the Faculty Senate, including faculty system,” said John Baumgart-
David Breed, John Baumgartner, Ann ner, currently an At Large Council
Paulson, and Mary Whitfield. Representative and english professor
at EdCC.
A major concern that the Faculty But without an office or paid office
Senate has been working to amend is hours, they instead volunteer their
“70 percent of our classes are being taught by
people who are not given any assurance at all of
employment.”
-Ann Paulson, Senate Faculty
how associate faculty are treated on time outside of the classroom to help
campus: Associate faculty are teachers their students succeed.
which are hired to teach at the school “I get office hours, so I can meet with
on a quarterly basis, in contrast to full- students all the time,” Paulson said.
time teachers, who teach with a year- “Anytime that I get to the mid-quar-
long contract. ter of my class, I look at who’s not get-
The difficulty with this system is that ting the grade they wanna get, and I
associate faculty are not tenure-pro- send them an email and say, ‘you need
tected; and are not guaranteed a job. to come in and visit me and we’re gon-
“If their classes cancel, they don’t na fix this.’ And I can do that because
have a job,” explained Paulson. “If I have an office. I get paid for office
there’s not enrollment for students, or hours.
if there’s a full-time faculty that has a “Whereas associate faculty, they kind
class canceled, they can go bump that of share offices, and its not perma-
part-time faculty and take their class, nent... so they don’t get paid for office
which means part-time faculty doesn’t hours at all. So if a student is having
have an income.” trouble in a class, they have to talk in
a hallway, y’know, which isn’t good for
anybody.”
EdCC has about 510 associate fac-
ulty, or 72 percent of the entire teach-
ing staff on campus. “So 70 percent of
our classes are being taught by people
who are not given any assurance at all
of employment,” said Paulson.
More so, the implications of what’s
at risk for those individual teachers is
alarming: A recent survey taken by the
Faculty Senate discovered that roughly
two-thirds of associate faculty rely on
having their job at the college to make
ends meet, and don’t have a second job
to fall back on.
If they end up jobless for a quarter
or more, they could be in potentially
extreme financial stress, and could also
lose their healthcare or other benefits.
At the inception of the Faculty Sen-
ate, Baumgartner partnered with Mar-
sha Woodard, the Associate Faculty
representative for the union.
Together they formed the Associate
Faculty Council Committee, designed
to tackle issues specific to this commu-
nity.
“One of the first things I did was
work to try to institutionalize or pro-
vide a forum for problems that part-
time faculty have,” he explained.
Baumgartner was eventually hired
as full-time faculty, but his long-time
experiences as associate faculty are
fresh on his mind. “I felt really lucky,
because it happened so rarely.”
Although he has stepped down from
the Associate Faculty Council, he still
cares deeply about the issues those
teachers face.
The Associate Council has made no-
table progress in improving things at
the college; Baumgartner mentioned
the council’s work streamlining and
regulating the process of applying for
a Senior Associated Faculty position,
which had previously had a “gross in-
equity” in how people would apply for
December 5, 2016
the position.
He also noted the development of the
associate dean of instruction position,
which the associate council had an im-
pact on redefining.
“There was concern that they were
institutionalizing a ‘watchdog’ to look
over associate faculty, rather than ad-
dress the core issue, which is trying to
curve that imbalance between part-
time and full-time faculty. So that was
one of the things kind of motivating us
to form the committee: to raise these
issues and talk about them.”
The redefined job position, after the
associate council’s progressive pushes
for change, required the upcoming
dean of instruction to meet regularly
with the teachers to discuss and listen
to their concerns.
Elisabeth Fredrickson, the new asso-
ciate dean for part-time faculty, was an
associate faculty member for 13 years
as an English instructor.
“Many times associate faculty don’t
have as much access to information or
resources as full-time faculty, because
of odd hours or not always being on
campus,” Fredrickson says.
“It’s especially important to have
someone who can support them and
make sure they have what they need to
teach effectively.”
Fredrickson’s job is to assist with
instructional initiatives, teaching prac-
tice, and professional development,
while accommodating and working
with associate faculty.
David Breed, president of the Faculty
Senate, also noted their involvement in
EdCC’s presidential search. “We were
approached by the Human Resources
director, Dennis Curran, and invited
as a Senate Council to hold our forums
with the 3 college president finalists.”
But there’s still much work to be
done. Baumgartner stated that the
Associate Council wants to work with
the college to develop a more reliable
way of scheduling part-time faculty for
classes, and creating easier pathways
for those instructors to apply for ten-
ure.
Faculty senate also wants to continue
developing a better system for student
fees.
Mary Whitfield, EdCC chemistry
teacher and currently in her first-term
on the Faculty Senate, explained that
while tech fee costs have gone up for
students, the actual funds needed have
diminished, and therefore the money
students are giving are being funneled
into other aspects of the college’s bud-
get.
Faculty Senate want greater account-
ability on the part of the college on be-
half of students, so that the community
knows what they are paying for.
More so, with a better understanding
of where that money needs to go, the
college will be able to better accommo-
date for different classes and depart-
ments, and eventually may understand
where those fees can be diminished for
students.
Over time, Faculty Senate hope to
have even more ability to make posi-
tive change within the community, for
both faculty and students.
“I think for the Faculty Senate, one of
the most rewarding moments is work-
ing with students, and our teachers,”
Baumgartner said.
“We enjoy interacting with students.
And that dialogue between students
and faculty is one that we need to keep
connected. And I think Faculty Senate
offers a forum for that.”

EdCC’s Food Pantry now open for those in need
By Madeleine Jenness
Staff Writer
EdCC recently opened up a food
pantry on April 10th in Brier 240 that
provides food and supplies for students
and faculty in need.
The goal of the food pantry is to
provide food and other necessities for
students who are not secure financially.
Data shows that 48% of students
have some food insecurity, and 22%
have extreme food insecurity, accord-
ing to Jorge de la Torre, the dean of
student success and student life and
development.
The data shows that there is an
urgent need for this food pantry, not
only because of the high percentage of
students in need but also because hav-
ing access to such a basic necessity can
drastically affect one’s life and success
in college.
“Students aren’t going to complete,
they aren’t going to go to classes, they
aren’t going to move on to the next
quarter if they’re worrying about food,”
says de la Torre, “we’re trying to help
them out.”
“The data’s out there, it’s really
needed,” says de la Torre. “They’re
struggling with just day-to-day.”
Take Darrell Carswell for example,
a student who broke his host family’s
mirror and was not able to afford food
for a few weeks after paying the family
back for the broken mirror.
Thanks to the new food pantry,
Carswell was able to eat that week.
“I am really grateful for this,” says
Carswell.
Using the food pantry is made to
be simple, and can be done by anyone,
student or faculty, who is in need of
food.
All you have to do is fill out a dis-
claimer releasing EdCC from any li-
ability, and then you can take an item
from each shelf.
“I keep the form and the only thing
we’re doing with the form is we’re just
tracking numbers,” says de la Torre.
“We’ll probably just shred the forms at
the end of the year… You have to have
data so you can justify asking for fund-
ing, so that’s what we’re doing.”
It is a very discreet process done by
friendly people. De la Torre expressed
that they want to make people feel
comfortable.
“It’s something we want to be
EdCC faculty and community gather for a presentation about the Edmonds
Food Pantry, a project designed to aid students who struggle financially
5
cautious of and careful about, mak-
ing people feel comfortable when you
come and use it. We want people to feel
comfortable and not that they’re being
questioned and whatnot,” says de la
Torre.
There are instant meals, fresh
fruits, bread products, canned goods,
and drinks, along with feminine prod-
ucts and other paper products such as
paper towels and toilet paper available
at the pantry.
“We wanted to stay away from just
ramen,” says de la Torre. “You want to
make sure you’re buying stuff that peo-
ple are going to use.”
It’s difficult to know what food to
buy especially since the people in need
of food could be in very different situ-
ations and have access to different re-
sources.
“There are a percentage of our stu-
dents that are homeless, so do we have
everything that’s ready-made meals
for those students or do we have meals
that you have to prepare, and so we’re
kind of in the middle right now,” says
de la Torre.
People are asked to only come and
get food once a week rather than mul-
tiple times a week. “That was kind of
the norm that we’ve seen, and we don’t
want to be a snack stop… We want
somebody to come in and get 10 items
for the week, and then use those 10
items.”
“We’ll make adjustments if we get
feedback,” says de la Torre. “We would
like to have meals available for a week.”
The food pantry is open on Tues-
days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on
Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., as
well as from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
It is open at varying times to make
it more accessible to students since
there are many different schedules that
students can have.
You can also follow the food pan- Photo courtesy of official Food Pantry twitter
try’s twitter at @EdCCFoodPantry to All students and faculty are welcome to the food pantry at Brier 240. The
get updates on when they are open, pantry is averaging dozens of students a day who fill a bag for the week.
along with other news.
The idea of implementing a per- “We did a pop-up in the last week this is really needed,” says de la Torre.
manent food pantry began during Fall of the Fall, so we did it during finals, Last April, de la Torre visited South
quarter when there were pop-up ver- and we out bags together with some Seattle Community College to take a
sions of the food pantry set up across food and some toiletries, and there look at the food pantry that they have
campus. [were] 220 bags and they were gone set up there and get an idea of how one
Bags of food and toiletries were like that,” de la Torre said with a snap could be run at EdCC. Our new food
put together and handed out to those of his fingers. pantry is greatly based off of South Se-
in need. “We did it for two days at three attle’s.
The extent of the need was re- different locations and we were run- Former President Jean Hernandez
vealed when the bags of food that were ning out in half the time we thought we allocated $10,000 for the food pantry.
put together for these pop-up events would… That kinda showed us that we EdCC’s Green Team raised $2,500 for
disappeared faster than they expected. needed to do something more perma- it as well. With help from Jorge de la
nent.” Torre and Yvonne Terrell-Powell, the
“It’s, I think, overdue,” says de la ball got rolling on getting the food pan-
Torre. try set up.
“During the Winter quarter we Students and faculty can help out
met with the student government and by donating food and other goods to
asked: where’s a good location? And the pantry, as well as by volunteering
we found that Brier 240, which is up- at the pantry.
stairs in the Triton center, was the old To volunteer, you can sign up on
diversity center… That center was only the food pantry’s page on EdCC’s web-
used for a conference room and the site.
way the room is shaped we could put “One thing I’ve really learned since
cabinets over to the side.” I came over from athletics is that ev-
“Student government graciously erybody here is really student-focused,
said great, you could use that for the and this is I think another great exam-
pantry, then we reserved it for the ple of that,” says de la Torre.
quarter, and bought cabinets, and “We’ll have times where we have
bought food, and opened it up,” said de clothing drives and whatnot, and so
la Torre. that’ll be our next phase,” says de la
The food pantry serves on average Torre.
20 people each day it is open, and in Jorge de la Torre thanks student
three weeks it had helped out 116 peo- government, Yvonne, former president
ple. Hernandez, and everyone who’s been
“I’ll be honest with you, I was re- committed to making this happen, for
Photo courtesy of official Food Pantry twitter ally impressed [with] how many people their contributions to creating the food
have come out. I think it was like 41 pantry.
that first day or so. So we’re like wow
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
 6 December 5, 2016
By Ray Alfonso
Sports Editor , Staff Writer
It’s 4:30am and still pitch-dark.
Some folks are already up, and have
broken down most of camp. The canoe
must be back on water before sunrise
to paddle north along Washington’s
pacific coast.
Paddling from one landing to the
next is a physically grueling task. It
can take 10 hours or longer to reach
another landing, so people rotate from
support boat to canoe, and back, some-
times pulling off at an island to rest, or
rehydrate. Safety is of utmost impor-
tance, so there’s always a support boat
for assistance. Then it’s back on the
water.
This is what a day on canoe jour-
ney might look like, according to EdCC
student Lia Andrews.
“Just what it meant for
her, for her daughter
to all of a sudden want
to know the culture, it
was life transforming
for that family.”
-Professor Tom Murphy
The tribal canoe journey is an an-
nual event celebrated by the indige-
nous peoples of the Pacific Northwest
Coast.
Each year, native tribal nations
travel the surrounding waters of the
region in ocean-going canoes to visit
other nations en route to their final
destination. A different course from
year to year.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
Photo by David Moscowitz
Tribal canoe journey se
Paddles have ended at tribal na-
tions in Pendleton, Oregon, Port Ange-
les, Washington, and Bella Bella, Brit-
ish Columbia, to name a few.
“You’re out there on the Salish Sea,
or some other channel,” said Andrews. EdCC students join tribal familie
“You’re paddling through, sometimes
you’ll see wildlife, or you’ll pass is- “I had a student who is Nisqually,” step-dad travelled with us all this way,
lands, or sometimes there’s just noth- said professor Murphy. “She lived up and then all her relatives at Nisqually
ing (but water)to look at.” here with her dad, and her mom is a got together and greeted her when we
Her first journey was in 2013, as Nisqually tribal leader. But she wasn’t landed.
a Running Start student. She had met really connected to her culture, and she “It was the most powerful experi-
professor Tom Murphy, EdCC’s head got excited hearing about it in one of ence I’ve ever had teaching.”
of the Anthropology Dept. a couple my classes. Went home and told her Giovanni Torres is an engineering
years before. mom, I want to do canoe journey. student at EdCC. He works as a coor-
It was through him, the LEAF “Just what it meant for her, for dinator for our Campus Community
school, and EdCC’s annual powwow her daughter to all of a sudden want Farm. Giovanni’s first journey was a
that sparked her interest to participate to know the culture, it was life trans- memorable one, and he plans to par-
in the journey. forming for that family. So we were ticipate again this summer.
So far, Lia has paddled in three paddling to Nisqually that day. And so “If you could trace back your his-
different journeys, and volunteered in in a very real sense, we took her home. tory hundreds of thousands of years
two. 2014 was the only exception. “It’s Her mom asked if she could travel with ago,” said Torres fervently. “You’d be
definitely shaped who I am,” said An- us, and I connected her with one of doing the same things that people did
drews, when referring to canoe jour- the canoe families. Her mom and her here in North America…from Europe,
ney.
Lia emphasized the importance of
the journey as a means to bring back
tradition. Not just for native indig-
enous peoples of North America, but
from all over the world.
“We’re all indigenous peoples, one
way or another,” she said.
Tribal canoe journey was first done
in 1989, to commemorate the centen-
nial of Washington statehood. 15 tribal
nations participated in what became
known as the “Paddle to Seattle.”
In that same year, the state and in-
digenous governments signed the Cen-
tennial Accord, recognizing the sover-
eignty of native tribal nations.
Canoe journey was not continued
until 1993, but has since gone on every
year after that.
What started out as a journey
for native indigenous tribes of North
America to honor a pact between colo-
nial settlers became a revival of culture
and tradition, and a journey of self-
discovery. Photo by David Moscowitz

to Asia, to Africa, to Australia, every-
body is indigenous.”
Cali Drake, an EdCC alum who
works with Professor Tom Murphy,
spoke about personal growth to be the
most rewarding experience during her
journey. But it wasn’t just her own per-
sonal growth, rather, but also from ev-
eryone around her.
“The traditions was and is lost for
a lot of people, so seeing that brought
back to life, and by people who don’t
have ties to it is a really healing thing,
and a rewarding thing,” she said.
Tribal canoe journey is a three-
week long event. Those who participate
in the epic paddle work together in ca-
noe families. These families consist of
members from native tribal nations, as
et to embark once more
es for another summer in the sound
Photo by David Moscowitz
well as non-native peoples from their
communities.
This summer, Puyallup will be the
last stop of the journey, where canoe
families, tribal leaders, and members
of the community will join together for
Protocol – a week-long celebration (or
potlatching) of gift-giving, song and
dance, and learning about the indig-
enous culture and traditions.
Edmonds Community College and
LEAF school have taken part in this
annual voyage since 2011. Although
the journey is done during summer,
the planning and preparation is almost
year-round.
For any student who has ever
taken part in a service learning event
for native gift-making, these carefully
crafted works are what is given to tribal
families during potlatching.
Some examples are roses made
from cedar bark, or model canoes
carved from wood. The sharing of song
and dance is also just as meaningful a
gift as anything material.
Giovanni wrote and performed his
own song as a gift to tribal families. He
got help from a tribal elder to put his
song together.
To prepare for the rigorous pad-
dling of the canoe journey, professor
Murphy and LEAF school hold canoe
and camp expeditions to practice be-
forehand.
“Usually up in Anacortes,” said the
professor. “We do a lot up there,”
He’s had canoe practice expedi-
tions in the Stillaguamish reservation
area, like Lake McMurray, and Lake
Cavanaugh. He’s gone to Vashon Is-
land, or even as far south as Olympia
for practice. He’s even done practices
on Lake Union, with the Canuck canoe
family.
“For anybody that really likes cul-
ture, likes the outdoors, likes sports,
likes being a tourist…it’s a great op-
portunity to get out and get to know
this place: the Puget Sound, the Salish
Sea. No better way, in my opinion,” he
claimed.
This summer, EdCC participants
will be supporting five tribal canoe
families in the upcoming journey.
Students can get a richer experi-
ence working together with tribal fami-
lies than they would with their own
campus canoe family. They can learn
about Sammish culture, or Snohomish
culture, or from any other Salish Sea
community.
The 2018 tribal canoe journey –
dubbed “Paddle to Puyallup” – is ex-
pected to have roughly 60 tribal na-
tions participate, with over 70 canoes,
coming from Oregon, Alaska, Wash-
ington, and British Columbia. Included
are canoe families from as far as Ha-
waii, the Polynesian Islands, and New
York, with the Mohawk nation.
The number of indigenous tribal7
nations participating in the event has
quadrupled since the first journey was
done in 1989.
According to the Tacoma Wa-
terfront Association, approximately
15,000 people are expected to partici-
pate in this summer’s canoe journey,
either as paddlers in canoe families,
tribal nations hosting guests, or volun-
“…it’s a great opportu-
nity to get out and get
to know this place: the
Puget Sound, the Salish
Sea. No better way, in
my opinion.”
-Professor Tom Murphy
teers from the community.
The thirst for knowledge, culture,
tradition, and adventure, is alive and
kicking.
A list of the registered tribes/na-
tions and canoes participating in the
journey this summer is available on
the official Paddle to Puyallup website:
paddletopuyallup.org
A map of the journey, along with
news, and information on how to vol-
unteer or register, is also available on
the official website.
EdCC students can still sign up for
the canoe journey this summer by ap-
plying at www.edcc.edu/leaf. Students
will enroll in 15 credits, satisfying hu-
manities, social science, natural sci-
ence lab, and/or cultural diversity re-
quirements.
Organized volunteer activities are
available through EdCC’s Center for
Service Learning site.
Canoe landing ceremonies and
potlatches are public events during
the Paddle to Puyallup. All peoples are
welcome to attend.
Photo by David Moscowitz
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
 8 News
New automatic voter registration in Washington
By Rumi Gilani
News Editor
On March 19th, 2018, Washington
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a collection of
bills aimed at increasing voter turnout
and participation in elections. Head-
lining this package was a bill instating
Automatic Voter Registration across
the state.
For some time, the Washington
State Senate was controlled by the Re-
publican Party, which prevented some
Democrats from being able to pass cer-
tain legislation that was at the top of
their priority list.
But now that control has flipped,
Democrats have been tearing through
their objectives list at an unprecedent-
ed state. Near the top of their list was
the idea of Automatic Voter Registra-
tion, and now that it has passed, it has
the potential to completely change how
the state is represented in the coming
years.
Alongside Automatic Voter Regis-
tration, Gov. Inslee also signed into law
a slew of other voting reforms. Same-
day Voter Registration, pre-registra-
tion for 16 and 17 year olds, campaign
finance reform, and the Washington
Voting Rights Act were all included.
This collection of bills is called the
“Access to Democracy” package, and
according to Gov. Inslee, it seeks to
make sure Washington is doing its best
to make it easy and convenient for citi-
zens to vote.
Washington already has a system
of mail-in ballots, which avoids the
problem of long lines at the polls on
election day and allows voters ample
time to think about who they’re voting
for and why, with their ballot right next
to them at home. However, Washing-
ton Democrats still want to take out
as many barriers to democracy as pos-
sible.
Same-day registration is going
into effect mid-2019, and will allow
Washington residents to register and
cast their ballot on election day. Many
people simply miss deadlines for vot-
ing registration, and are then unable
to participate when the time comes to
vote.
This is to allow people to vote even
if they forgot to register beforehand,
which happens often because people
live busy lives, and things that aren’t
essential to their well-being often get
left behind in the day-to-day hussle.
As important as this legislation is,
the signature piece of the package is
definitely Automatic Voter Registra-
tion, due to its potential to change the
makeup of Washington’s voting popu-
lace.
Starting mid-2019, Washington
residents will now be registered to vote
automatically when they obtain an ID
card or an enhanced driver’s license,
effectively changing the registration
system in the state from an opt-in sys-
tem to an opt-out one.
There is significant precedence for
the idea that making systems opt-out
instead of opt-in makes people more
likely to participate.
For example, a study done by Shai
Davida, Thomas Gilovich, and Lee D.
Ross at Cornell University and Stan-
ford University found that in countries
where people are signed up for organ
donation automatically, about 90% of
people donate their organs when they
die.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
Washington‘s automatic voter registration will be in effect mid-2019, letting voters register and cast ballots the same day.
However, in opt-in countries such
as the U.S., less than 15% of people do-
nate their organs at death.
In the case of organ donation, the
policy being discussed is clearly very
consequential to the outcome of the
situation.
The main difference here however
is that organ donors don’t need to do
anything after they’ve signed up, but
those who register to vote still need to
head to the ballots.
However, there is evidence that
just being registered is a major indica-
tion of whether a citizen will actually
vote.
According to the U.S. Census Bu-
reau, about 55.7% of the U.S. voting-
age population cast their ballots in
2016’s presidential election.
It’s common knowledge that the
U.S.’s voter turnout is one of the low-
est in comparison to its “first-world”
peers, but the more interesting statistic
regarding turnout is in relation to voter
registration.
Gov. Inslee also signed
into law same-day
voter reigstration, pre-
registration for 16 and
17 year olds, and cam-
paign finance reform.
Those same Census statistics place
turnout of citizens that were registered
to vote beforehand at 86.8%. That fig-
ure is incredible, but it may be skewed.
For one, people who have regis-
tered to vote out of their own volition
are typically going to be more involved
in the election process and more inter-
ested in participating in democracy.
If people are automatically regis-
tered to vote, they may not have the
same zeal or passion for voting that
people who registered on their own
possess.
A more specific study was done on
how a third party helping to register
people to vote may affect the subject’s
willingness to actually go out and fol-
low through.
The study, titled “Do Voter Regis-
tration Drives Increase Participation?
For Whom and When?” by David W.
Nickerson of the University of Notre
Dame found that even just reminding
people to register increased the likeli-
hood that people would vote.
“...on average, 10 more newly
registered people appeared on treat-
ment streets than control streets—an
increase of 4.4%. This suggests that
registration is a burden for a portion
of the eligible population,” Nickerson’s
abstract stated.
Washington Democrats figure that
removing that burden altogether is
a major part of the puzzle of missing
voter turnout.
“[T]he results of these six experi-
ments suggest that electoral reforms
reducing the costs associated with vot-
er registration will assist a nontrivial
portion of the electorate but not alter
the overall composition of the elector-
ate,” Nickerson concluded.
However, combining automatic
registration with Washington’s mail-in
ballots may be enough to significantly
affect turnout and therefore the com-
position of the electorate as well.
Mail-in ballots are significantly
less intrusive into someone’s daily rou-
tine when compared with physically
going to the polls, which adds to the
convenience that Washington voters
will have access to in the coming fu-
ture.
However, this bill has been in the
making in Washington for about two
years now.
The only reason it’s coming to frui-
tion now is because Democrats have
control of both halves of the State Leg-
islature.
They hold a slim 50-48 majority in
the State House of Representatives and
an even slimmer 25-24 majority in the
State Senate.
Before they gained the majority,
however, this bill had no chance of sur-
viving.
December 5, 2016
Photo credit Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Even though automatically regis-
tering people to vote doesn’t seem very
controversial at first glance, Republi-
cans holding office were very opposed
to its passage, to the point where the
vote went entirely down party line.
When talking to The Atlantic,
Washington State elections official
Kim Wyman explained the divide.
“I have met many Democrats that
are convinced that Republican are try-
ing to keep their party from voting, and
I’ve met many Republicans that are
convinced that Democrats are cheat-
ing. And it’s really hard to convince
either side otherwise,” Wyman stated.
Wyman is one of the few Washing-
ton State Republicans that support Au-
tomatic Voter Registration.
Rep. Mark Harmsworth, on the
other hand, voted against the bill’s
passage due to his issues with the bill,
which are many, he told KSER, a local
radio station.
“It also doesn’t really deal with
the fact that some people don’t want
to register to vote. Even though it’s a
right that we have, to vote...some peo-
ple don’t want to do that,” Harmsworth
said.
However, Harmsworth seemed to
miss that the Automatic Voter Regis-
tration bill doesn’t make it so that you
must vote or even must register. It just
changes the default from unregistered
to registered, in order to allow people
to exercise their rights more consis-
tently.
He went on to say state that he
thinks that the options we currently
have are “fine”, and that “automatic I
don’t like because I think it can intro-
duce a lot of problems.”
Despite these complaints, the
bill has now been signed into law and
Washington is now the ninth state to
enact Automatic Voter Registration. It
remains to be seen exactly what kind of
affect this will really have on the state’s
elected officials, but it seems as though
it will at least make Democracy a little
bit more accessible for the common
Washington resident.

Student’s work featured by EdCC’s art gallery
By Raisa Pankovets
Staff Writer
We say that a picture is worth a
thousand words. So we wonder what
those words might be.
Growing up in Slavic culture, EdCC
student-artist Nazar Patriy had to
overcome the right abound of obstacles
to create those one-thousand words for
his art piece displayed at school.
Every year, Edmonds Community
College brings more than a hundred
works of art to life. On the third floor
of Lynnwood hall, EdCC’s Student Art
Exhibit is the birthplace of young art-
ists.
This exhibit is hard to miss, and
so is the art. Through the glass win-
dow at the opposite end of the library
entrance, students can see the artwork
presented as they walk in and out of
the library. Inside, the exhibit casts
perfect lighting on each work of art.
Next to the window is a sofa for two,
to allow those who visit a chance to sit
down and soak it all in.
“I am excited that this exhibit fea-
tures work from many of our emerg-
ing student-artists, as well as artworks
from some of our more seasoned art-
students,” commented Audineh Asaf,
a faculty member and co-chairperson
of the Visual Arts department. She was
recalling the creation of the student
spring exhibit.
On the left side of the exhibit, one
of the first pieces that will catch your
eye is called “Ukrainian Household”,
by Nazar Patriy. He painted this beau-
tiful art piece as a gift for his grand-
mother, Nadia Barsukova.
In 1950, Nadia was three years
old when her family departed from
Ukraine to Siberia, due to her family’s
religious beliefs. It was not until 20
years later that her family was able to
come back to Ukraine. But by then it
was no longer the same. Everything,
through the years, had changed and
become distant, and unfamiliar.
Triton Espresso fuels caffeinated student culture
By Yesenia Cisternes
Staff Writer
Many Edmonds Community Col-
lege students know the struggle of
school at 7:30 am; there’s always a
quarter of the year when you have
no other choice but to sign up for the
morning class, dragging yourself to
campus half-alive.
Getting coffee before class to pow-
er through a two-hour lecture is a cul-
tural staple of college.
Walking into Mountlake Terrace
Hall, where the Triton Espresso is lo-
cated, you are delighted with the smell
of freshly roasted coffee, the noise of
coffee machines starting up, and the
cheerful voices of the baristas ready to
greet you.
But it’s still morning, and some are
still adjusting. When asked about the
Espresso stand, students in line were
quiet.
One student cheerfully responded,
“Sorry about that, we’re waiting for
our coffee. You can’t talk to us before
our coffee.” Students laughed in agree-
ment.
To re-create the memory from Na-
dia’s childhood, Nazar painted a lovely
rendition of a small farm in Ukraine.
Standing in the corner of the ex-
hibit and holding his guitar, Nazar
paused and said, “oil is better…”
When asked what was meant by
that, he replied, “I wanted to make it
more realistic, and the color to pop
out.”
The difference between acrylic and
oil paintings is that with oil paintings,
the paint strokes are not seen. With
acrylic, the paint tends to dry more
quickly, while the strokes are visible.
As an artist, Patriy volunteers at a
private art school, giving lessons. Along
with taking art classes, he works at Ed-
monds Community College. He’s also
part of his choir at church. During his
weekends however, spending time for
his artworks is what counts the most.
This year, Nazar was selected to
have his work published in the col-
lege’s annual art literary publication,
“Between the Lines.” He plans to trans-
fer to Western Washington in the fall.
Down the row of the collection of
art, students will notice different sig-
natures within the works.
Kevin Ng, pursuing an Associate
of Arts degree, has photographs dis-
played in the exhibit.
One of his works, titled “Mount
Shasta”, is a vibrant photo of the Cali-
fornia mountain, and its surrounding
landscape.
“That is an interestingly signifi-
cant photo for me,” said Ng, relaxed on
the sofa. Only then did he realize how
much it meant to him.
Kevin was enrolled at the San
Francisco Art Institute for a year and a
half before his time at EdCC. Due to the
expensive tuition, he left the Art Insti-
tute and came here.
Sitting on the 26-hour train ride
back to Washington, looking out the
window, the anguish thankfully did not
blind his eyes to notice the perfect sun,
setting, and flowers blooming all at the
right time.
So his camera went ‘click,’ and
Everyone around the stand is sip-
ping from some kind of coffee cup;
some are from the Triton Espresso,
some are from a Rubi’s machine (avail-
able just across the courtyard in Lyn-
nwood Hall), a few are Starbucks, or
sipping from their own mug.
In essence: The coffee culture is
strong at EdCC.
Gabriela Galious, a barista at the
Triton Espresso working there for
two years now, said that although she
wasn’t a coffee drinker, she really en-
joyed working at the Espresso.
“I really like the bond between the
co-workers. It’s great, and I get to rec-
ognize a lot of people now.”
She noted that some students come
more than once a day.
“Usually [people order] dripped
coffee or Americanos, and we’ll also get
a lot of Red Bull drink orders, but it de-
pends on the person.”
Delainy Knight was hired at the
Triton Espresso last November, and
recently graduated from the pharmacy
tech program at EdCC.
Unlike Galious, she loves coffee.
“Specifically white mocha’s,” she said.
She expressed that without her job,
she wouldn’t have known even half of
the people she knows now and loves
An EdCC student admires the photos displayed in Lynnwood Hall’s Art Gallery
“Mount Shasta” was created.
When asked what got Kevin into
photography, his response was simple:
“Because filming was too expen-
sive. I picked up photography and nev-
er stopped since.”
Down near the far end of the hall,
there is Lorenzo Townsand’s works of
art.
If one day in the existence of Town-
sand’s life did not happen, we would
not have been able to see his beautiful
art displayed in the exhibit. The day of
his “Mona Lisa”.
Lorenzo considers himself a shy
guy. One day when he was going gro-
cery shopping, while still driving to the
store, he saw her driving in the oppo-
site direction. His voluntary muscles
became involuntary for a moment, be-
cause what happened next was incred-
ible.
“I would love to take a picture of
her…gosh she is pretty,” reminisced
getting to know her community and
their stories.
Having experience working in cof-
fee shops previously, Knight’s favor-
ite thing about working as a barista is
learning how to make coffee well.
“Starbucks employees, many
times, don’t know how to make a cof-
fee,” she said.
While coffee isn’t always cheap,
the Triton Espresso is fair. Knight not-
ed that many places are expensive in
comparison.
Elijah and Matt, two students chat-
ting together at the Espresso stand,
noted that as college students every-
thing is expensive to them and that
they only drink coffee as a way of so-
cializing with others.
Matt noted that a friend sometimes
repays him with Starbucks coffees.
Two girls sat nearby the Triton
Espresso, an iced Starbucks coffee and
a laptop at their table.
One of the girls, Aiden, explained
that although she usually buys coffee at
the Triton Espresso, her sister had got-
ten her coffee the day before and she
still had it, trying her best to make the
drink last.
She also noted that she usually
shows up while everyone is in class
A&E 9
Photo by Ray Alfonso
Townsand. He had no other choice but
to follow her to the store.
His original plan was to go grocery
shopping anyway, so being a gentle-
man, he gathered his strength and
asked if he can take her picture.
Ever since then Lorenzo’s said, “I
will take pictures until I am dead.” His
motto for life.
Art is an imitation of life. There is
a curiosity into what inspires these art-
ists, because every piece of work tells
a story. A thousand words may not be
enough to capture the emotions, ideas,
and deeper meaning within a picture.
Meet the artists, Friday, June 1,
where a reception will be held between
3-5pm at the Art Gallery (inside the li-
brary), Lynnwood Hall, third floor.
EdCC’s Student Art Exhibit will be
on display from April 2 thru June 15
located inside the library at the third
floor of Lynnwood Hall.
when it’s quieter and easier to get
through the line.
“Work the system,” Aiden advised.
Janet, an international student,
said she liked the Espresso at school
better than other places because the
one at the school is for students.
She usually comes with friends
and said her preferred drink is latte’s,
which she needs in order to survive a
busy student schedule.
Older students and faculty were
more reserved, all seemingly racing
through the day, occasionally hollering
to peers they knew while walking in the
direction they were heading.
Coffee is big at EdCC. Many use
it as a break with their friends before
continuing their day, while others use
it as fuel for their studies.
Coffee at EdCC has become a
source of energy, a thing that even
though we savor it, it has become a part
of our everyday life.
The Triton Espresso is open 7 a.m.
to 6 p.m Monday through Thursday,
and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m on Fridays.
Stop by for a warm drink, good
vibes, and a sense of EdCC community.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
10 Sports
Triton’s baseball coming in hot for the playoffs
By Ray Alfonso
Sports Editor
It was a cold and rainy day in
mid-April. The dark gray sky casted a
shadow on the doubleheader matchup.
The games looked to be cancelled and
rescheduled yet again. But the Tritons
baseball team wouldn’t let up. If Bel-
levue is coming to play, you best be-
lieve the Tritons will be ready for them,
rain or shine.
On April 17th, they were ready.
Despite the wind and howl from
bad weather — and visiting Bellevue
fans — the Tritons managed to come
out on top, winning both games of
the doubleheader, 7-2, and 6-4. In
the first game, freshman pitcher Will
Smith performed incredibly, pitching
10 strikeouts and shutting down Bel-
levue’s hitters through the first six in-
nings.
The team posted 5 runs batted in
(RBIs) during that first game of the
doubleheader, while scoring twice
more off of errors made by Bellevue.
“It’s really just kind of…paying at-
tention to the details,” explained head
coach Scott Kelly. “Small things win
baseball games.”
The Tritons are 34-5 this year,
with a 15-3 record in the NorthWest
Athletic Conference (NWAC) North
Division. They’re currently first place
in the north division, five wins ahead
of second place, Douglas College. De-
fensively, they’ve managed to hold op-
ponent’s scoring to single digits, while
the team racked up double-digit runs
in over a dozen wins.
That first game of the doublehead-
er could be a microcosm for the team’s
success this season.
The Tritons baseball team has dis-
played stout defense all year long. They
were first in their division in both runs
scored, and batting average.
“It’s been unbelievable this year,”
said sophomore pitcher Elliott Car-
ney. “We’ve been scoring a lot of runs,
pitching a lot of strikes…the defense
has been picking us up.”
The Tritons have already clinched
a playoff berth weeks before the end of
the season, while Bellevue and Everett
are still fighting for second place in the
NWAC North division.
Coach Kelly attributes his players
as the reason why this team has been
so successful over the season. He talks
(From left to right) Nik Sokol, Leighton Moniz, Nathaniel Sagdahl, Drew Carlson, Will Smith, celebrating together after a much sought-after win against Everett.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
December 5, 2016
with great pride about how the leaders
on the team have thoroughly bought
into the system, and how they’ve been
a good example to the younger players
who’ve come in.
“Sometimes that can go a com-
pletely different way,” he said. “We’ve
had that in the past where we’ve had a
young team and not really strong lead-
ers, and we’ve kind of faltered in that
year. You see it coming…it’s like a train
wreck…and you know you can’t do any-
thing about it.”
Thankfully, Coach Kelly doesn’t
see that problem with this group.
He knows that they’ve put the
work in, and that they’ve been in clutch
situations before. They’ve executed
and done what they’ve needed to do to,
winning over 30 games this season.
Most of the games that they’ve lost
have all been winnable games. The Tri-
tons would have a game winning run
on second base, but one way or anoth-
er, the ball doesn’t bounce their way.
Regardless, the team has created op-
portunities for themselves to possibly
win future games.
Elliott Carney is one of the captains
of the team, along with infielder Evan
Hurn, and catcher Nathaniel Sagdahl.
All three are second-year players who
have embraced their role as leaders in
their team.
With so many freshmen on the
team, Nathaniel Sagdahl admitted
there was some adversity in the begin-
ning.
“At first it was kind of hard to get
everyone on the same page for what
our goals were as a team, but once ev-
eryone kind of bought into what we’re Photo credit Wilson Tsoi
all about…it’s been very successful.” Triton’s infielder Nic Sokol in deep focus as he rips a line drive across the field.
Evan Hurn points to the chemistry
of the team on and off the field as the and pitching averages. that’s winning the championship.
catalyst to the team’s success. The time Carney is the team leader in pitch- “They don’t quit,” said coach Kelly.
spent together every day has forged a ing with 10 wins, and only one loss, “They keep coming… but baseball’s a
bond amongst these student-athletes, while racking up a total of 79 strikeouts crazy game, and no matter how good
who all come from different parts of thus far. we could be in that one day, there could
Washington and elsewhere. Hurn leads the team in home runs be that one team that could just rise up,
They’ve even gotten two players (4) and RBIs (38), and is second on the and that one day…play their best, and
from Japan, and one from Hawaii. team in batting average (.355). Sagdahl beat us in that moment where it cost us
“It’s everything,” said Hurn. is a close third, batting an average of a championship.
“We’ve had team dinners, and we’ve .350 this season. “But I don’t think that’ll define us,
gone to the beach together and played It is still undetermined who they’ll whether it’s that or not. I think, how
spike ball. We play Fortnite every night be playing during the 2018 NWAC we play, and how we prepare will de-
together.” Baseball Championship Tournament, fine how this team ultimately ends the
All of that camaraderie translates but this year’s squad stands a chance season.”
on the field. against anybody as they are a good The 2018 Baseball Championship
“We’re a family,” added Sagdahl. group who takes their business seri- Tournament will be held May 24-28 at
It’s no surprise that Carney, Sag- ously. They work hard in the weight David Story Field in Longview, Wash-
dahl, and Hurn are the captains of the room, and take care of their studies. ington. Come out and support your
team. They’re also leaders in batting, They have their eyes on the prize, and team on their run to the postseason!
Photo by Wilson Tsoi

EdCC’s softball stars aim high and follow through
Triton softball fired up in a huddle after a successful home run. As of their double header win against Pierce College on May 5, Tritons break win record yet again.
By Brendan Davis
Staff Writer
On Friday, May 18, playoff soft-
ball will begin for the heavily favored
Edmonds Community College Tritons,
as they travel to Spokane, Washington
for the Northwest Athletic Conference
(NWAC) Championships.
The Tritons only have two games
left on the schedule before they will
have completed the greatest regular
season in EdCC softball history! Last
season, the Edmonds softball set the
bar high, by tying the school record
with 35 regular season wins. That mark
was broken this season after Edmonds
won both games of the double header
against Pierce College and increased
their win total to 37, and extended
their winning streak to 17.
“This is a really special group,”
shares head coach Sheryl Gilmore.
“They have a lot of heart, a lot of pas-
sion, and they are all about the team
and the success of each other.”
Edmonds currently sits atop the
NWAC North standings with a confer-
ence record of 27-1 and will go into the
playoffs with a comfortable lead over
second place Douglas College who cur-
“This is a really special
group. They have a lot
of heart, a lot of pas-
sion, and they are all
about the team and the
success of each other.”
-Coach Sheryl Gilmore
rently sit at 21-5.
The Tritons have dominated nearly
every team they have faced this season,
but Douglas seems to be the one team
in the conference who matches up well
with them. “They have a great group
of girls, great coaches, and they bring
11
Photo by Wilson Tsoi
it every time they play,” said outfielder it a lot easier. we’re one of the top teams, it’s good to
Chasity Stalcup. “So it’s exciting, it’s an “It helped so much,” explains Hi- remember that.”
intense atmosphere, and very competi- rano. “And without them, I feel like This will be Edmonds’ third
tive.” it would have been a whole different straight trip to the NWAC Champion-
When the two teams faced off in a story.” ship. Though they weren’t able to win it
doubleheader earlier in the season, Ed- In Gilmore’s second year coaching all the last two years, this Tritons team
monds and Douglas were each able to the team in 2016, Edmonds qualified has all the ingredients of a champion-
steal a game from each other. With the for the NWAC tournament with a 20- ship team.
season series currently tied 1-1, both 19 record. Edmonds lost a close game When speaking about the team this
Edmonds and Douglas will be look- in the first round to Douglas, but they year, Coach Gilmore described them
ing to come out on top when they have were able to win one game in the con- as a “close-knit” group. They play to-
their final matchup on Tuesday, May 8. solation bracket before being eliminat- gether, and they care more about team
Although Douglas has exerted ed by Lower Columbia. success than their individual success.
dominance over the rest of the division Despite losing, the team learned “We all have a family here,” said Stal-
in the last few years, this season has a lot from that first trip to the tourna- cup. “We all just rely on each other,
marked the changing of the guard. Ed- ment. “It’s almost like a separate sea- because pretty much everyone on our
monds has increased their win totals son because you go in there and every- team lives in the dorms. So we’re al-
each of the last three years to ascend body has a zero and zero record,” said ways together.”
past Douglas and become the top team Gilmore. “Teams that are favored to do If the Tritons can maintain their
in the North. well tend to get tight, and teams that focus and continue to play as a team
A major factor that has led to the have nothing to lose go in there and the way they have all season, then the
Tritons success has been the recruiting can get hot at the right time. Now that sky’s the limit.
connection that has been established
in Hawaii. Nine of the 14 players on the
roster played softball in Hawaii before
being recruited to come to EdCC.
“I think it really starts with who
you recruit, the character of the girls
that you recruit, and then their buy
into the program,” explains Gilmore.
“And of course, if we get talented play-
ers, they’re going to play good softball.”
For years, Edmonds softball strug-
gled to win any games. They made
some decent strides in the 2014 and
2015 seasons, but it wasn’t until 2016
when the first players from Hawaii
joined that the Tritons really became a
formidable opponent. Since then, Ed-
monds has been lucky enough to draft
more outstanding players from Hawaii.
Shortstop Tamia Hirano is one
of the players from Hawaii that the
Tritons are fortunate to have on the
team. With a .410 batting average, she
has proven to be a consistent threat to
score every time she steps up to the
plate.
While getting on base can come
easy for her, leaving home and mov-
ing to a completely new environment
would be a difficult transition for al-
most anyone. But for players like Hi-
rano, having teammates who went Photo by Wilson Tsoi
through the same transition can make EdCC Softball on their way to the NWAC championship, currently with 37 wins.
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
12 News
Truth in information: rebuilding trust in the news
By Vincent Max
Staff Writer
It would be accurate to say we
live in the information era. With a
few swipes of a finger and a light, flat,
smooth mini-computer, you can find
virtually anything you want to know:
a handful of recipes and ingredients to
make for dinner tonight, or a popular
film to learn about the actors, creation,
and controversy behind it’s making.
Nowadays it’s even simpler; just say
“Ok Google!” or tap a virtual button,
and your search is done.
And that’s just it: our new cultural
expectation is to have our questions
answered and to have our information
now. And with that demand, we also
want something else: truth.
Truth is a funny thing these days.
Because it’s so easy to access informa-
tion, anyone can find anything and say
anything. It’s very easy to spread mis-
information, which has become an in-
creasing problem in recent years.
It’s no mystery that “fake news” is
a real concern on many people’s minds.
Trust in any kind of news source is now
something earned, never assumed. It
is an inherent truth that people will al-
ways have a bias or opinion, but a pro-
fessional in any field should be able to
put those aside and communicate facts
and information to the people.
Misinformation shouldn’t be
something you need to consider when
it comes to trusting your news outlet.
These days though, it seems like trust-
ing anyone puts a stigma on you. You
listen to Fox News? You’re a brain-
washed conservative. You listen to MS-
NBC? You’re a complacent liberal.
The one supposed exception to
these assumptions are local news an-
chors. They’re not some high paid
pundits who push any agenda; they’re
community leaders. People you know
and trust. Yet even these people can be
The Triton Review May 14, 2018
December 5, 2016
used and manipulated by outside par-
ties.
You might recall back in March a
series of local news anchors across the
country reading off the same script, de-
nouncing “fake news” and promising to
report fairly and accurately. The script
was written by Sinclair Broadcasting,
which owns or operates 193 television
stations in the U.S., and are known for
promoting conservative media.
An outstanding line of the now in-
famous script stated, “This is extreme-
ly dangerous to our democracy,” in ref-
erence to cable news outlets pushing a
political agenda.
After the story went viral, multiple
news anchors surfaced either anony-
mously or otherwise to voice their
disapproval of the “must-run” scripts
that Sinclair would demand it’s news
channels to report. News anchors and
journalists from Seattle’s KOMO news
voiced disapproval of the scripts.
One newsroom employee from the
station was quoted as saying, “They’re
Art by Rel Konot
certainly not happy about it. It’s cer- of highly credible news sources now Sinclair’s script was a sign of just
tainly a forced thing.” seen as having major political bias. A how despicable and manipulative these
We’ve seen a storm of controver- decade ago, if you wanted to read the organizations can be. They don’t have
sies in the last two years eat up our news you knew where to go: The New your best interests at heart, but would
attention spans. But this is something York Times, BBC news, or the Associ- rather keep a web of fear and a mis-
that should still be on our minds, and ated Press. informed public following their path.
stay there every day: journalism used Now, our trust in these organi- Sinclair has been accused of misinfor-
to push poisonous agendas. The Sin- zations is put into doubt by a fearful mation in the past, and these acts of
clair script wasn’t about raising aware- culture which villainizes the existence telling people to not trust and not be-
ness of any fake news; it was about of bias, and by parties and politicians lieve support these accusations.
making it’s audience scared to trust seeding Us vs. Them mentalities in or- Whenever you read a news story,
anyone else, and manipulate the trust der to push their own political and cor- be sure to check your sources. It’s not
you give to your local community. Ev- porate agendas. easy, it’s more than a few finger swipes,
eryone else is a liar, and we alone can Let’s be perfectly clear: Any presi- and it can be dull. But the integrity of
be your friend. dent which accuses news organizations your information is paramount. Get
What happens when people think which disagree or challenge them that your information from multiple news
everything else is falsehood? When they’re “fake news” should be seen as a outlet; don’t put all of your faith and
you have only one source, how easy is disgrace to the people. It doesn’t mat- trust into one or two. Be thoughtful,
that to manipulate? And with midterm ter if that president is left or right; cre- be aware, and don’t let fear-mongering
elections coming up, what better weap- ating fear-mongering conspiracies in overwhelm rationale and fact. We are
on could there be to manipulate voters order to target the informational back- the ones who decide come election day,
than information paranoia? bone of a free, democratic nation can- and we must have honest and trans-
Make no mistake, people will try not be tolerated. Being skeptical is one parent communication of information
to persuade you with misinformation. thing, but being paranoid is another. between our news sources.
It proved to be highly effective in the And what is going on right now is de- Because that fickle friend might be
2016 election, with the denouement finitively paranoia. the most important one of all: trust.
eecs.wsu.edu/software-engineering