The Student Newspaper of Highline College

Campus

Poetry and self-reliance: A conversation with Susan Rich

Highline College has been a bastion for passionate educators and leaders since 1961, and for the last 25 years, it has been fortunate enough to be home to Susan Rich. The Thunderword spoke with Rich this past week and discussed her tenure at Highline, her favorite moments at the Arcturus publication, and some highlights from her upcoming book, “Blue Atlas”.

Taking in the views on campus as her last quarter as Faculty Editor for “Arcturus” and creative writing teacher, Rich is now looking onward to her oncoming book tour with as much creative zeal as she did at the start of her career.

Q & A: Meet the new president of Highline’s Queer & Allies club

The Queer & Allies club is not new to Highline, but its name and president are.

Last quarter, it was known as the GSA, or the Genders and Sexualities Alliance, but it’s since changed in both name and leadership. Now known as Q & A, or Queer & Allies, the new club president is Highline student Duncan Dao.

Inside the tenure review process

Have you ever wondered how your favorite instructor gets tenured by the college? The Tenure Review Committee (TRC) is responsible for reviewing any faculty member up for tenure. This means they are granted many benefits including stronger job security until retirement.

The committee currently has eight members including two college administration officials, five faculty members from their respective divisions, and the Vice President of the Associated Students of Highline College. It is led this year by co-chairs Tracy Brigham and Razmehr Fardad from the Health Department and Pure and Applied Sciences Divisions, respectively.

The impact of social media on college students

In the age of connectivity, the influence of social media permeates every aspect of our lives, and for college-aged students, this impact is particularly profound. From shaping social interactions to influencing academic experiences, the role of social media is undeniable.

It is worth looking into the multi-faceted impact of social media on college students and exploring the nuances that it brings along with it. Social media platforms serve as virtual town squares, connecting college students in ways unimaginable a few decades ago. 

Fireside Bistro & Ground to Tree Coffee - Exploring the grounds of each side

On both ends of Highline’s campus stands an option for student coffee. The Fireside Bistro, which has been open since fall 2021, in Building 8; and Ground to Tree Coffee, which just recently opened in fall 2023, in Building 29.

Now that the newest addition, Ground to Tree Coffee, has been operating for five months a check-in to see how each is serving students’ needs is in order. With both coffee shops now operating simultaneously, how well does each fare for students?

Balance and maintaining mental health while in college

College life is often hailed as a transformative journey filled with new experiences, academic challenges, and personal growth. However, it’s essential to recognize that this period can also be mentally demanding.

Academia brings with it a whirlwind of expectations, deadlines, and social dynamics. The pressure to excel academically, participate in extracurricular activities, and build a social network can be overwhelming. Recognizing the challenges and acknowledging the importance of mental health is the first step toward a more balanced life.

Community

Crust me, it's Pi(e) Day! Celebrating with irrational exuberance

As March 14 (3.14) rolls around, mathematicians, educators, and pie enthusiasts worldwide are gearing up for the most irrational and delicious holiday of the year: Pi Day! This annual celebration of the never-ending number has become a cultural phenomenon, with festivities ranging from pi recitation contests to pie-baking competitions.

Speaking of which, do you know why pi isn’t on X? Because 280 characters isn’t enough for it to express itself! We hope you like pi-puns, because you’re about to be served your fair share.

Light Rail construction affects local shops of Pacific Highway

The Light Rail has a lot of goals to meet by the end of 2026 in hopes to benefit the community later on in the future. However, many obstacles stand in the way of meeting that deadline, including that they have to buy more land – often ousting local business that have been in the community for decades.

The Federal Way Light Rail will be making alternative routes to meet the Tacoma Light Rail. One of those routes will go behind local shops on Pacific Highway. Another route even goes through where local shops used to and currently reside. The Light Rail has made offers to buy part of this land from Federal Way Tire City.

Waterland Arcade: The inconspicuous heart of seaside Des Moines

Just off the coast of Des Moines’ Marine View lives a seemingly small arcade. Only an “ARCADE” sign illuminates the exterior at night, but the inside holds another dimension of lights, action, and nostalgia.

This arcade near the sea, aptly named Waterland Arcade, opens after noon almost every day to its local community. Many families and children stop by to play and switch between the wide variety of games. And with any variety, there’s always something for anyone.

Unlike a traditional coin arcade, Waterland Arcade is a free-play arcade with only a simple entry fee. Pay the fee, and every machine is fair game.

Royal flush: Poop talks on toilet innovation and global sanitation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made global sanitation a priority, committing over $370 million since 2011 to develop sustainable waste treatment solutions for the 2.5 billion lacking adequate facilities.

This effort originated with the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, which provides grants to researchers developing innovative toilet designs that operate off-grid without connections to water, sewers, or electricity.

Happy Leap Day! That’s right, as 2024 is a Leap Year, today marks an extra day only seen every four years

Every four years, the calendar makes room for an extra day, creating what is known as a leap year – a phenomenon that is intriguing, puzzling, and practical. Today, at the end of February, the world is celebrating this unique occurrence, which adds a touch of novelty and an extra 24 hours to our usual month.

Leap years, marked by the addition of an extra day to the month of February, are necessary to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun.

A city guide to downtown Auburn

Downtown Auburn is best known for its outlet mall and not much else, but venturing a little further into the heart of the small city, it houses several hidden gems that are worth checking out.

Klay Crazy Ceramics sits on a residential corner, with its main wall facing a busy highway, with the unpainted pottery pieces rattling on their shelves as cars cruise by. It’s a charming building, painted baby blue on the inside, and smelling sweetly of stale paint and unbaked clay.

Sports

Thunderbird tennis triumphs in home opener

In a resounding victory, the Highline College women’s tennis team dominated their home opener against Bellevue College, securing a 7-0 win.

Amidst the jubilant atmosphere, Sophia Crosby, a freshman hailing from Grantsville, Utah, shared her insights on the thrilling match and her experiences as a newcomer to the Thunderbirds. In an exclusive interview with the Thunderword, Crosby expressed her exhilaration at donning the Thunderbirds jersey for the first time on home turf.

Softball season kicks off

Softball season is finally back for Highline supporters who have waited patiently. There are new faces on the team who are ready and excited to tackle the new challenges that come with this season’s schedule. 

The team seems to have a good mix of fresh new faces and the more experienced players of the team. The roster currently hosts 11 players, with eight of them being freshmen and the other three sophomores.

Highline tennis team returns to pick up where it left off last season

In the realm of women’s tennis at Highline College, the past season went well enough, despite a challenging schedule. The team carved out moments of success, finishing with a 4-10 overall record and an admirable 4-2 record in conference play. Their journey culminated in a memorable run to the championship finals, a testament to their unwavering spirit on the court.

As the new season dawns, the Highline women’s tennis team stands at the precipice of opportunity, ready to embrace the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.

Men's basketball concludes season with determined effort

In their final game of the season, the Thunderbird’s basketball team displayed tenacity and commitment on the court, despite facing a formidable opponent. Highline College went head-to-head against Grays Harbor Community College in a closely contested, but ultimately unvictorious, matchup.

The game unfolded in two intense periods, with both teams trading baskets and demonstrating their competitive spirit. In the first period, Grays Harbor College took a narrow lead, finishing with a score of 37 to 34 against Highline College. Highline fought back in the second period, but were still edged out with a score of 49 to 44.

Highline men’s basketball shoot 1-1 on the court

In the fight for glory at the Thunderdome, the Highline’s men’s basketball team split a pair of matches this past week. First, the Thunderbirds fell by the narrowest of margins to the Tacoma Titans, then they went on to best the Lower Columbia Red Devils.

On Feb. 21, the Thunderbirds faced off against Tacoma Community College in a game that kept spectators enthralled until the final buzzer. Despite a valiant effort, the Thunderbirds fell short by a single point, with the Titans sawing out a narrow victory with a final score of 81-80.

Led by standout performances from players like Amari Jackson and Nick Robertson, the Thunderbirds showcased their resilience and never-say-die attitude throughout the game.

Highline women's basketball team finishes its season without shame or glory

With just three victories in 20 games during the season, the women’s basketball team concludes their regular season without doing well enough to make the playoffs.

The Highline women’s basketball team faced a challenging season, marked by both struggles and moments of brilliance. Despite their efforts, they fell short of securing a playoff berth, ending the season with a record that reflects both determination and setbacks.

In their final game against Lower Columbia, the Thunderbirds faced a formidable opponent on the road. Despite the team’s best efforts, they were unable to overcome Lower Columbia’s dominance, ultimately falling short with a final score of 85-38.

Arts

The found footage technique and its revolutionary approach to storytelling

Popularized in the late 1990s with the release of “The Blair Witch Project”, the found footage technique in horror movies has flourished in the 21st century. With social media and live-streaming media rapidly developing, found footage movies continue to stay relevant and evolve alongside the technology of the time.

While not the first use of the found footage technique, “The Blair Witch Project” is often heralded as the creator of the genre. Premiering in 1999 and claiming to be the discovered footage of three missing college students, “The Blair Witch Project” thrived on the use of a fledgling internet.

One-Shot Manga Roulette: Memories of food

The seas and the stars have been sources of human curiosity for millenia, driving humans to develop technology and explore the world. Rocket engineering brought Sputnik 1 to space in the 1950s and sailing revolutionized exploration as far back as 4000 BC.

But the technological development of all technological developments was the combination of fire and tools 3.3 million years ago that gave us the gift of modern day cooking. I underestimated the universality of food and cooking last week but that’s okay because it will be the theme of this week’s One-Shot Manga Roulette!

One-Shot Manga Roulette: Star-filled skies

Curiosity! Wonder! Exploration! These have all been considered as part of the human condition. Last week we even dove deep into oceans and wound up onto a mysterious land. Yet no concept has been so interwoven with humanity’s own history than the stars! Welcome back to One-Shot Manga Roulette, this week we will be shining that light back onto one-shots centered around stars and the fascination people have for them! 

When thinking about the interconnectedness of humanity we may think about the internet, advancements in travel technology, or the general globalization and spread of cultures. However, before this it would be more accurate to say that it is the stars that manage to connect all of humanity together.

Go watch “Dune Part Two” in theaters right now (spoiler free)

Denis Villanueve’s cinematic vision of the sci-fi epic “Dune” has graced us with the second part of the acclaimed novel. Timothy Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson are three most prominent actors in an already stacked cast that completely electrifies what would have already been a pillar of sci-fi moviedom.

The first “Dune” released in 2021 ended with Paul and his mother escaping into the desert after the Harkonnens failed to keep the mother/son witch combo restrained. The competing houses and societies assumed Paul’s family was completely wiped out with the news of his father’s demise.

One-Shot Manga Roulette: Touhou hijack

The seaweed is in-fact not always greener in somebody else’s lake. The last thing you remember was going out for a quick swim, next thing you know you’re waking up in a watery grave. Returning from the trenches, the seas brighten with colors as you leave behind the abyss you wonder how long you’ve been gone for (or how it is you’re even alive).

After bursting through the water you find yourself in Gensokyo, a land of fantasy, illusion, and of that which is forgotten…

Comparing three versions of Jeffrey Dahmer dramatizations

Over 30 years after his gruesome serial murders, controversial media portrayals of Jeffrey Dahmer continue to intrigue and disturb viewers.

This review will compare the factual fidelity and ethical problems found between two biopics, “My Friend Dahmer”and “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, versus the documentary series “Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes”.

*New* Science & Technology

Artificial intelligence: The shortcomings of an underdeveloped technology in our lives 

Artificial intelligence has been taking over seemingly every corner of the internet and free market. Airlines, search engines, and marketing firms are adopting it, and it seems like every service has a new AI feature to advertise. For the average consumer, is any of this even useful?

AI itself has been mainly behind the scenes for decades, whether it be a computer player in a video game or an algorithm of any kind. Its recent boom in popularity, however, was due to OpenAI’s Chat-GPT releasing in November 2022. Recent advances like these began the AI boom as we know it.

Climate change: What does it mean for Des Moines?

Decades ago, the topic of global warming lacked attention regarding basic research, funding, and societal interest. Today, the issue is increasingly gaining more awareness, as its impacts on our environment are becoming more prominent through sea-level rise, disastrous storms, increased drought, and even loss of species worldwide.

This world renowned debate first took place in the late 1980’s, where the issue was perceived as something that wouldn’t impact us for generations. Well, that day has come, and its effects on us as humans are evident in these strangely warmer temperatures, rapid weather changes, and especially poverty and displacement.

Comets: ​​Celestial wanderers that reveal nature’s creativity

Do you ever look up in wonder, interested to know about all that fills the sky? Well, if you were to be paying attention at the right time and place you may be dazzled by a show put on by a mysterious space traveler – a comet.

Comets travel through the depths of space while continuing to intrigue and inspire scientists and skywatchers alike. Have you ever looked up at night and seen what you thought was a shooting star, but that star and its tail didn’t fade? You were probably witnessing a comet, which at times can be seen slowly moving across the sky.

News Briefs

Denys’s weekly wonders: StarDate 3/14/2024

In 1970, the Iranian government wasn’t planning just any old party. No, they were gearing up for an epic bash to celebrate the remarkable 2,500-year history of the Persian Empire. They weren’t settling for mediocrity; they wanted a celebration that would make history itself raise an eyebrow.

It took them a whole year to plan a three-day extravaganza, spanning from Oct. 12 to 14, 1971. For this epic event, they did something that even Hercules would have second thoughts about – crafting a 70-meter-long (that’s a whopping 230 feet) table and a matching tablecloth big enough that it could double as a landing strip for small planes. But here’s the kicker: it took 150 women over half a year to sew that gigantic tablecloth. That’s dedication!

Denys’s weekly wonders: StarDate 3/7/2024

We are living in this crazy world where unfortunately everything’s digital, right? Well it turns out, like, 90% of all the data floating around out there was just born in the past couple of years. Yeah, you heard that right – two years! It’s like we’re all suddenly drowning in a tsunami of data, and nobody handed out life jackets.

So, you know how you’re scrolling through Instagram, liking pics of puppies and drooling over food porn? Well, congrats, my friend, you’re adding to that ginormous pile of data. And it’s not just us regular folks.

Denys’s weekly wonders: StarDate 2/29/2024

In a tale that could make even the most dedicated entomologist (people who study insects as a career) question their eyesight, researchers have embarked on a microscopic journey into the world of the Megaphragma mymaripenne wasp (also known as fairyfly) – the insect kingdom’s ultimate miniaturized marvel.

Clocking in at a barely-there 139 micron (smaller than some single-celled organisms), this diminutive parasite has scientists both marveling and squinting in disbelief. Armed with an electron microscope, they’ve zoomed in to the mysteries of its fairy-like physique.

Opinion

Anime’s deeply rooted sexism and fanservice services no one

Many anime fans can find it awkward talking about the genre due to some of its more toxic fans. Places like the main anime subreddit, r/Anime, often shows droves of users ranting about censorship of sexual content at every turn, even if it’s merely reducing the visibility of a female character’s undergarments.

Often it’s difficult for a more relaxed or “casual” fan to speak about it with others because of the large amount of overtly inappropriate content that somehow permeates almost every anime out there.

Opinion: A response to the recent visit from anti-abortion advocates

Disclaimer: Please consider where you are mentally and emotionally right now. The following article addresses and elaborates on the subject of abortion, sexual assault, and death.

Our campus received a visit from a group of men this past week. They brought with them enlarged photos of fetuses in an attempt to spread their belief that abortion is wrong, and nobody should have access to safe reproductive healthcare.  

It is clear to me that they did not come to fight for a woman’s right to choose to see her pregnancy to term. Women already have that right, and nobody has tried to take it away. Instead, they came here to prevent women from ever having that choice.

Opinion: “Madame Web” is great actually

Dakota Johnson stars as the subtly-named Cassandra Webb in Sony’s newest attempt at money laundering: “Madame Web”. Boasting a 3.8 out of 10 stars on IMDb, a 13% critic rating, and 55% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Madame Web” is, in my opinion, actually not a bad movie – but perhaps the greatest Pepsi commercial ever made.

While product placement is a common aspect in film, especially modern film, “Madame Web” seems to hint at Spiderman characters as side plots to a larger, expanded “Pepsi Cinematic Universe” (PCU), which I personally find inspiring.

Even the climax of “Madame Web” is atop a giant Pepsi sign, wherein one of the letters falls off and crushes the villain, almost suggesting that the hero all along was Pepsi Cola, with some assistance from strong independent women. 

It’s Taylor Swift’s world, we’re all just living in it

Taylor Swift is the talk of the town these days. Which town? Well, all of them really. The music icon continues to dazzle and delight while on the top of the world. Although she’s seen almost two decades of success and a plethora of awards, she may have just concluded one of the best weeks imaginable. 

Between the previous Sunday (the Grammys) and last Sunday (the Superbowl), the “Fearless” singer won a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year Grammy, announced the release of her 11th album, completed an international leg of her iconic Eras Tour to a sold-out crowd in Japan, oh, and she made it back to Las Vegas in time to watch her famous, arguably the best-there’s-ever-been tight-end boyfriend win the Super Bowl. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Affectionate cats can change your life for the better

The long-fought war between dog and cat lovers is still ongoing. Dog people claim dogs as “man’s best friend”, while cat lovers claim loving cats requires a certain appreciation for individual autonomy. While these paradigms are a couple ways to look at the issue, there is also the extroverted dog versus introverted cat debate. Regardless, all animal lovers can agree that animals improve our lives.

According to Forbes, 66% of households own pets, and of those 66%, 46.5 million households have cats. While dogs beat them out for the majority, 46.5 million is no small number.

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