January 28, 2025, TCC The Collegian

Student fees, program cuts considered

ASH PETRIE editor-in-chief collegian.editor@my.tccd.edu

The Board of Trustees approved a measure at its Jan. 22 meeting that would consider adding student fees, phasing out programs and modifying the college’s revenue sources to align its 202627 budget to the current economic situation.

“We’re being very frugal and conservative,” Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said. “At the same time that we will be bringing in new programs, we will be sunsetting those that are obsolete at this time.”

In February, the administration will have an updated summary to all the ways the college has been financially impacted and will address all the introduced considerations to

offset costs.

“An update, or lack of a better word, reality check,” LeBlanc said.

“We do have a new reality, and we are looking at every program, all areas of the college, and making sure that we have the resources where they are needed.”

In November 2024, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered colleges and universities to pause the increase of their tuition through 2027. This along with both the Tax Appraisal District freezing property tax appraisals, and different constitutional amendments and legislative actions increasing tax exemptions, has decreased the amount the college receives in revenue, according to Chief Financial Officer Pamela Anglin.

“We have a committee that is looking at, very broad based, any possible sources of revenue that

other community colleges have, that we may have been not utilizing,” Anglin said.

The college will continue its zero-based budgeting strategy implemented in the 2025-26 fiscal year, where any spending requested must be explained and justified to the administration.

“It does require some transformational change for all of us in many areas,” LeBlanc said.

Board Member Veronica Law questioned the introduction of student fees being a part of their strategic budgeting plan and if the college was looking for other opportunities to increase revenue. Angling said it would be a part of their update in February.

“The category strategic budgeting is a broad term, but it speaks to all the transformational changes that we are experiencing,” LeB -

lanc said. “We’re making decisions about programs, aligned with their performance outcomes.”

Gwendolyn Morrison, a board member since 1976, asked Anglin to explain how their budgeting committee was approaching the introduction of student fees at the workshop meeting on Jan. 15.

“They’ve looked at what other colleges charge. They have looked at areas where we are paying for things that typically are charged directly to students,” Angling said. “They’ve also been very concerned about gradually kind of working them into it.”

On Jan. 22, Morrison still raised caution about their proposed considerations to cut certain programs, asking the college to be proactive in informing the community before introducing them.

“I would just ask that you

Winter storm causes college closure

DISTRICT

Intercultural center undergoes name change

RYLEIGH ROPER managing editor collegian.editor@my.tccd.edu

The Intercultural Network’s name was changed to the Student Connections Center at the start of the semester.

Prior to the revamp, the department focused on helping people of color to succeed. Now they are aiming to support all students.

Verónikha Salazar, South Campus vice president of student affairs, said the Student Connec -

tions Center is now focused on helping students who need extra support like students who are nearly completed, first-generation or on probation.

“We kept emphasizing that it’s no longer one population, and now the mentoring is more intentional,” she said. “It’s more mentorship. It’s more academic workshops, like partnering with the learning commons, with the writing center, with the math lab.”

The Intercultural Network team conducted a student survey during the fall semester asking what

the new name should be. A total of 741 students responded, and the Student Connections Center was mentioned 260 times, giving it the most votes.

TR Campus Vice President of Student Affairs Jason Abreu said the name change wasn’t connected to Texas Senate Bill 17, which prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion activities on college campuses.

“It wasn’t necessarily to alleviate SB-17,” Abreu said. “Obviously that’s still there, but we want to make sure that students are drivers of their experiences. We just

wanted to offer a space so that students knew if I had a question, if I don’t know what I’m doing, where can I go to.”

The centers goal is to encourage incoming students.

NE student Justin Sims has been going to the center for about six months and said they believe the name change will draw more students.

“This is a place where we want to help you, and we want to make sure that all the resources necessary are being provided perfectly,” Sims said.

make a special effort to include that population as an integral part early on, not reactionary to the cuts they may hear about,” Morrison said.

“So, they speak in the process.”

Police find body near TCC campus

RYLEIGH ROPER managing editor collegian.editor@my.tccd.edu

A man’s body was found by a TR Campus police officer on Jan. 21 while patrolling along the Trinity River near campus. Fort Worth police officers were dispatched to the scene at 245 E. Belknap St. at 3:23 p.m., according to police spokesperson Tracy Carter. There were no signs of trauma or foul play, but homicide detectives are investigating the incident.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of death and confirm the identity of the deceased.

However, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the man’s family has identified him as 34-year-old William Hernandez. Telemundo reported that Hernandez flew to Dallas from Philadelphia on Jan. 4 to attend training with American Airlines. Bedford police booked Hernandez into the Tarrant County Jail on Jan. 6 on a charge of failure to identify after stopping him as he walked along Highway 183 around 3 a.m. He was released from jail later that day, but his family never heard from him again, according to the Star-Telegram.

New TCC Chief of Police Jay Tillerson couldn’t provide an update because the college police department isn’t part of the investigation.

ASH PETRIE editor-in-chief collegian.editor@my.tccd.edu

Overcome with emotion as he began to speak, the college’s new police chief, Jay Tillerson, stood at the podium as he introduced himself to the college at the Jan. 22 board meeting.

“I’m honored to be your chief of police,” he said with his hand across his heart. “I approach this role with the clear understanding that campus safety is the foundation to student success.”

The initial focus to his work is listening. He said by engaging with the broader campus community, college leadership and department members, he aims to understand the perspectives, priorities and opportunities of the college.

“Your police department exists to advance the college’s strategic plan, providing a safe, supportive and confident learning and working

environment,” Tillerson said.

His first day was Jan. 12, and since then he said he’s met more helpful people than he could ever imagine.

“It almost feels like I’ve been here for a while, because everybody’s so welcoming and attentive,” Tillerson said. “So, I’m enjoying my time here.”

An FBI National Academy graduate with a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice, Tillerson spent 30 years in higher education law enforcement at UTA. Now, as chief of police for a community college, he said he’s prepared for the change.

“Although some of the challenges are similar, they’re far different, which I find challenging and rewarding,” he said. “It mirrors what I tell cadets and in fact experienced officers, you never stop learning in this career.”

Admitting she contributed to some of Tillerson’s learning, Board

President Jeannie Deakyne said she met him many years ago when she was an assistant professor of military science at UTA.

“The reason we would interface so often was because I had cadets with cannons who would randomly fire cannons,” Deakyne said. “It made me think that you, more than any other higher education police officer I know, is very prepared for the unexpected.”

General Counsel Antonio Allen presented at the meeting a short list of the many events Tillerson unexpectedly experienced in his first two weeks.

Between the hours of compliance training and employee orientation, Allen said Tillerson also tended to a serious off-campus law enforcement matter while also preparing the campuses for a winter storm.

“I think it’s fair to say he is already drinking from a fire hose,” he said, chuckling.

While Tillerson has had a lot of hands-on experience outside the classroom, he’s also spent a portion of his professional career inside it too as an adjunct professor of criminology and criminal justice at UTA.

commitment

education plays in shaping lives,” Allen said.

Through learning, building

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-

old Veterans Affairs Intensive Care Unit nurse, was tackled to the ground and shot and killed by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-yearold mother and wife, was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7 in the middle of a Minneapolis street.

Keith Porter Jr., a 43-year-old father, was killed by an off-duty ICE agent outside of his apartment complex in Los Angeles on Dec. 31.

Kaden Rummler, a 21-year-old protester was permanently blinded by a federal agent as he was protesting Good’s death in Santa Ana, California, on Jan. 9.

This is how ICE treats the American people.

This is the brutality this administration deems acceptable.

The violence must end.

The Trump administration is not going to stop, so the American people must gather together and demand justice and humanity in a time where apathy and cruelty are normal.

Footage from multiple angles showed Good’s car turned away from federal agent Jonathan Ross, who officials claim “acted in selfdefense” when he shot through her windshield.

“It’s OK, dude. I’m not mad at you,” said Good only a few moments before she was shot.

With the federal government denying state access to the investigation of Good’s death, many are concerned with the impartiality of

the federal investigation.

“When you have a federal administration that is so quick to jump on a narrative as opposed to the truth, I think we all need to be speaking out,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC News only a few days after Good’s death. In an interview with Fox News, Vice President J.D. Vance said the rate of deportations will rise once ICE recruitment numbers increase and these agents can begin “door to door” operations.

Federal agents are going household to household, hunting down anyone they think does not match this administration’s idea of a citizen.

Those who are detained are sent to detention centers where they face inhumane conditions.

It is important to remember that this kind of brutality is historically very American. Slave-catchers hunted down runaway enslaved people. Japanese Americans were thrown into internment camps during World

War II.

Some argue that ICE should receive extensive training so federal agents are more prepared to handle tense situations like the shooting of Good.

Others argue a well-trained ICE agent is still a danger to any community they enter and that ICE should be abolished.

ICE is just a violent limb attached to the already violent body of the U.S. government dragging the nation toward authoritarianism.

With the escalation of ICE raids across the country, the vice president claiming Ross and other ICE agents have “absolute immunity” and the push back toward peaceful protesters, we must consider what this means for the future of this nation.

The relentless dehumanization of immigrants, people of color and trans people is a tactic to distract and divide the people from this administration’s overhaul of democracy.

Legal observers are being detained by federal agents for the simple act of documenting ICE encounters.

Journalists are being threatened into compliance.

The military has been mobilized on our soil toward the American people in an attempt to quell civil action and opposition.

How could any person be expected to remain calm and obey orders from heavily armed masked individuals with virtually free rein in our streets?

They are allowed to execute us, but we are not allowed to defend ourselves or speak out against this violence?

To a moral world, this is nonsensical. To a realistic world, this is the next logical step in the rise of violent nationalism and government overreach.

Will we stand up for each other before it is too late?

Or will we continue to bury our heads like so many Americans have done before while our fellow humans suffer?

I typically wake up around 5:45 a.m. exhausted, with bloodshot eyes and a cup of coffee.

The bags and dark circles have grown to be noticeable even with makeup, so I’ve given up trying to hide them.

I work at a breakfast diner on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and every other Friday morning. After I’m off on Tuesday and Thursday, I rush to NE Campus for class. Monday and Wednesday, I’m on campus from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Then I work for the newspaper everywhere in between.

I cook most of my own meals, do my own laundry, clean my apartment and pay for my bills.

The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25. The diner pays me $11 an hour and the newspaper $15, so on paper it seems I’m making a killing, but I only take home roughly

ASH PETRIE editor-in-chief campus.editor@my.tccd.edu

$1,500 a month.

My apartment is $1,495, and thank God I have a roommate. Electricity comes out to about $140 a month, and our internet is $70. Then the water and apartment service charges us $95 a month.

What is the service my apartment charges beyond water? I don’t know, but in total we each pay about $900 for our cockroach-

infested, uninsulated and brokendown apartment where I hear every step, yell and jump from the children upstairs.

My car bill, thankfully, is only $216, and my parents take care of the insurance for me. I pay off my horrible 2016 Kia Soul in April, but who’s to say my car will even make it to then. Weekly, I fill up the tank, and $30 every four weeks comes to $120 a month.

Then groceries. I try to go once every few days as I know it is easier for me to prep and cook that way than trying to do it once a week. I usually keep it light and choose to only eat Greek yogurt, oatmeal, lentils, quinoa and vegetables. Still, this can add up to about $100 every two weeks. Health insurance? Neither of my jobs offer it. And while the government offers decent tax exemp -

tions through the marketplace, I still can’t afford the over $100 monthly payment for cheapest and crappiest insurance plan. So, I gave up on paying for it.

In total, $1,336 a month when I make about $1,500. A lovely $164 for myself to spend on other items such as laundry detergent and possible emergencies. If I want to do something nice for myself, I will contemplate for weeks whether it’s a good idea or not. If I decide it is, I won’t tell anyone because I feel guilty spending my money on something other than what I need.

I must spend every day writing, studying, driving, interviewing and asking people if they’d prefer a booth or a table in order to survive. I’ve had one day off since November. And people love to tell me this

is normal, and I, instead of complaining, should be doing more to further advance my career.

If I do more, I might explode or die before I even reach my 30s.

I’m single and don’t have anyone at home to help me. My roommate can’t do my laundry, clean my dirty dishes or help with rent.

I’m the boss of the newspaper. I can’t relinquish my responsibilities to other staff members who don’t know what to do.

I’m the owner of my car. My parents already help me with the monthly insurance, so I can’t ask for more help than they already give.

So, what do I do?

I guess for now, I’ll continue as I am. I’ll ignore the judgements and advice from those who don’t know my day to day and do what I know I can.

Even if it’s slowly killing me.

With the rise of gay romance, many people have questioned why women specifically are drawn toward it.

Why do women want to see two dudes in love? The truth is that gay romance satisfies women’s desire for sex and romance without violence or misogyny.

“Heated Rivalry” came out Nov. 28 and has since snowballed into popularity.

The show is about two hockey players who are secretly in love, and the main actors, Connor Storie and Hudson Williams, have been shot into stardom. Hounded by interviewers and podcasters everywhere, everyone wants a piece of them and the action.

The Golden Globes Awards even squeezed them in at the last minute to present an award.

Their red carpet looks, interviews and screen time flooded the

Collegian

RYLEIGH ROPER managing editor campus.editor@my.tccd.edu

internet appealing to a vast audience of ages, nationalities and sexualities.

The online response has many people questioning why women, particularly straight women or women in a relationship with a man, are eating this show and other gay media up.

Women have been fed with love story after love story displaying the man who is in charge and wears the pants, while the woman is belittled,

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petite and submissive.

These stories often appeal to the patriarchal way of life. The man wins the girl, they have a family and live happily ever after.

Or in recent years, movies like “It Ends with Us” or “Fifty Shades of Grey” use abuse as their main plot point.

Gay romance has long been coveted by women. In recent years media like “Call Me by Your Name” and the 2022 series “Interview with the Vampire” has been edited and shared on social media with women flooding in the comments how they yearn for a love like the one presented.

When done right, gay romance offers something straight love typically doesn’t, and that’s love without violence.

Every woman knows someone who has dealt with sexual assault, so to be able to witness sex between

two people without a woman involved can be a relief from the anxiety, internalized pressure and even trauma many women face.

In “Heated Rivalry” there is also consent and communication with pleasure prioritized for both parties, which is not something experienced by women.

The gender norms today promote a rigid and an emotionally avoidant version of straight masculinity.

Even the porn consumed today by a mass number of men are profiting off violence towards women. The graphic films normalize hitting, choking, degradation and many other aspects of BDSM that many women are not always comfortable with.

I’m not shaming women if they are into BDSM, that’s for them and their partner to consider with full consent. What I’m talking about is

that the new norm of sex is violence. Women should not feel ashamed to just want some soft love with their partner.

That’s why many fans crave the yearning and vulnerability that the two main characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, present. Seeing this kind of emotion between two very masculine hockey players is both foreign and therefore enticing as women aren’t used to seeing this type of behavior from a male love interest.

So, while yes, the show starts off horny and full of sex scenes, as the show progresses a beautiful love story unfolds for the audience. Women don’t want to see over sexualized and abused reflections of themselves.

We just want true love full of vulnerability, yearning and consent, and that’s exactly what gay media offers.

Risks pay off in A$AP Rocky’s new album

of stealing his style and flow.

While it’s a fun song, it doesn’t hit as hard or demand the attention of Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 diss track against Drake, “Not Like Us.”

A$AP Rocky’s fourth studio album, “Don’t Be Dumb” is the New York rapper’s long-awaited return to artistic form.

“Don’t Be Dumb” isn’t Rocky’s magnum opus, but it doesn’t disappoint. It’s his best work since “AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP” released in 2015.

The album is structured into two disks. Disk 1 is 15 tracks. Upon release, Disk 2 consisted of only two songs. On Jan. 21, two more were added prior to an X post from Rocky’s account implying even more songs will be added.

The album cover was designed by legendary artist and filmmaker Tim Burton, and his one-of-a-kind style sets the tone for this unique and experimental album.

Rocky adds a theatrical feel to the music by collaborating with composer Danny Elfman, known for scoring many films such as Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Rocky’s first three projects had opening tracks which immediately pulled the listener into his world.

This time around, the opening track, “ORDER OF PROTECTION” feels like Rocky is still warming up. But he finds his stride on the high-energy second track “HELICOPTER.”

“STOLE YA FLOW” is a not-so-subtle Drake diss, accusing his former collaborator

Tracks like “Stop Snitching,” featuring Bossman Dlow and Texas rapper Sauce Walka, highlight the album’s aggressive first half fueled by excellent experimental production. Walka’s hard-hitting verse is backed by a wild beat, which successfully incorporates phone rings and dial tones.

The most experimental aspects of the album shine in “STFU” featuring Slay Squad, by pulling off a hyper, abrasive and industrial sound like what would be heard on a Death Grips album.

Rocky’s ability to shift between aggression and elegance without losing cohesion is heard when he takes his foot off the gas in tracks like “STAY HERE 4 LIFE.” This is when he introduces a smoother and more relaxing sound into the album with the help of Brent Faiyaz, an R&B artist.

Rocky brings back his old 2015 sound in “WHISKEY (RELEASE ME).” He seamlessly blends his psychedelic rap sound with vocals from Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn and fellow New York rapper Westside Gunn’s gritty ad-libs.

In the third act of Disk 1, his emotional range comes out in songs like “PUNK ROCKY.”

Built on punk-inspired drums and a trance like rhythm, it abandons the aggression heard in the first half and favors his vulner-

ability, making it stand out as one of the most revealing moments on the album.

“I cried alone in my truck,” he admits.

The title track, “DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY,” starts as a beautiful, hypnotic love song that pauses for a man to give his definition of dumb. Described as “temporarily unable or unwilling to speak,” this gives the listener an insight into the album title. The beat then switches to a calm, yet more traditional rap beat to showcase Rocky’s lyricism.

The album’s theatrical ambition peaks in the third act as well with both “ROBBERY” featuring Doechii and “THE END” featuring Jessica Pratt and will.i.am.

“ROBBERY” is a jazzy and luxurious song that samples Thelonious Monk’s 1955 cover of Duke Ellington’s 1936 classic “Caravan.” Rocky and Doechii rap back-and-forth leading up to a masterfully executed robbery skit, bringing a grand, Bonnie and Clyde feel to the track without dragging it off course musically.

“THE END” concludes Disk 1 with the album’s most powerful moment. It’s eerie and incredibly produced. Built around a sample of Nancy Priddy’s 1968 song “Ebony Glass,” it feels apocalyptic, with Rocky and will.i.am delivering societal critiques. The repeating hook “This is the way the world ends” lingers long after the song is over.

The first four songs on the second disc lift the mood after the haunting ending of Disk 1. Even though “FLACKITO JODYE” is a dud, these tracks let us know that Rocky

is having fun again, regardless of the world around him.

“Don’t Be Dumb” is impressively consistent, rarely missing despite its heavy experimentation. That puts it a clear step above “TESTING.” However, the highs just don’t reach those of his first three projects. In Rocky’s defense, he set the bar incredibly high for himself.

“Don’t Be Dumb” confirms A$AP Rocky is still one of hip-hop’s elite artists, even if his early classics rank above it.

in the United States. Previously, costumes and props from “Game of Thrones” were only displayed in London during a 2024 exhibition. So, I had to check it out for myself and see what the hype is all about.

Winter has come to Arlington with a stunning show of design of one of the most successful series ever created.

“Game of Thrones: The Exhibition” is on display at the Arlington Museum of Art until April 5. This exhibition gives fans an opportunity to see more than 60 meticulously crafted costumes from all eight seasons.

“Game of Thrones” is a fantasy show that follows the world of Westeros, and the nine noble houses that make up the territory. Two of the most notable houses are Stark and Lannister, and they are enemies from the very start of the series. Through the eight seasons the audience follows the never-ending betrayals and battles for who sits on the Iron Throne and rules over all the houses.

One important member of the universe is Daenerys Targaryen. She is known as the mother of dragons as she raises dragons to try and secure her seat on the throne.

This exhibition is on display for the first time

A dark room with the intense orchestral music from the soundtrack flows through the space, setting the tone for the first display, Ned Stark’s decapitated head from Season 1.

There are a series of rooms highlighting a specific scene and characters. While it was cool to see a few characters like Arya Stark and The Hound, I found that the majority of the exhibition felt like Lannister propaganda. No other house is highlighted the way the Lannisters are. The first three rooms are just Lannister after Lannister, from Tyrion’s small suits to Tywin’s funeral garments and ending with the incestuous twins Cersei and Jaime. Cersei herself had 10 dresses on display.

As a member of House Stark and loyal follower of the Mother of Dragons, I found it extremely odd and slightly insulting that Dany had only three dresses on display and the smallest plaque with details while Cersei got a whole room with a wall of information about her.

This was disappointing because the museum website highlighted Targaryen and Jon Snow with no mention of any Lannisters.

When one thinks of “Game of Thrones” they typically recall dragons, and those dragons were only possible because of Daenerys.

The exhibition also featured only one outfit worn by Snow. While it’s true that he didn’t have that many costumes to begin with, the one outfit on display wasn’t unique to him. It was a fur suit worn by all the Wildlings who lived beyond the wall. It would have been cool to see one of the massive fur cloaks he often wore throughout the series.

With all my grievances and obvious loyalties

set aside, this exhibition is a fun way

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CAMPUS VOICES

NE Campus

My favorite album of 2025 was ‘Half Blood’ by Slayr. It’s just such a great, great album. The very bassy 808s [and] the synth in the background is just wonderful. The production on it is self-produced by Slayr himself. ... He has some rock samples on it as well, so the rock samples fuse with the rage rap that is currently happening. ... It’s a pretty cool fusion.”

TR Campus

“ One of my top contenders definitely has to be ‘Melt’ [by] Not For the Radio. The Marías [singer] branched off and did her own thing called Not For the Radio ... It has a very soft, mellow vibe to it. And I guess that’s what I needed at the moment. You know, it was the fall semester so I needed something very tranquil to keep me calm during the stresses of last semester.”

NW Campus

“The only song I like in the year 2025 was ‘With You’ by Davido, because that song expresses that whoever you’re with, whether it’s your friend or whether it’s your lover. You really love enjoying [life]with them, and you experience life ... Life is sweet because you’re hanging out with the right person. It’s a song where it’s not so depressing, it’s more of inspiration ... Do what you want, take the risk before it’s too late.”

NW Campus

I’m not sure. I haven’t listened to any albums. If I were to say that drop this year, I’d probably say Olivia Dean. Oh, yes, I love Olivia Dean. Yeah, probably her album.”

“My favorite music album of 2025 is probably going to be one of Lana Del Ray’s, because I have heard every song. In the gym, even when I’m working out, running, doing some athletic things, I always listen to her. And I think she’s one of the most underrated artists that has not got much recognition from the music industry.”