Wednesday, February 8, 2023 – Volume 36 • Issue 15
@tccthecollegian • collegian.tccd.edu
DISTRICT
TCC closes districtwide due to winter storm
Alex Hoben/The Collegian
A man shovels ice off of his car when the snow and ice started to melt off. The storm began on Monday and caused the district to close down through Friday morning.
ALEX HOBEN
editor-in-chief alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu
TCC had to close campuses for four days due to an ice storm that swept the state of Texas. On Monday Jan. 30, TCC issued a notice that all campuses would be closing at 1 p.m. that day due to inclement weather. The initial notice stated that the closure
would extend to the next day. Over the week, additional notices letting students and faculty know the status of the district were sent out until the district reopened on Friday at 10 a.m.. According to director of emergency management Kirk Driver, the weather over the week is classified as a winter storm and requires extensive monitoring from the winter weather team here at TCC.
“What we do as the winter weather team, it kind of starts with the department of emergency management and our relationship with the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth,” he said. “They integrate a lot with emergency managers across the region, and they provide us a level of detail for weather events. That would help us make it easier if we have to decide on a change of operations
CONNECT
for our organization.” The winter weather team involves the department of emergency management, the police department, the chief operating officer, the vice chancellor for external affairs and communications and then the chancellor, Driver said. They are the ones who consider the reports given by the weather service as well as communicate with surrounding districts to determine
whether to close the campuses or not. In this case, the forecast that had come out on Sunday regarding the initial impact of the ice storm was not correct for the conditions that were seen on Monday, and that is when Driver had to have conference calls with the weather service and relay that information to the rest of the weather team.
See Freeze, page 2
DISTRICT
Navigating Valentine’s Day as a broke college student NINA BANKS
campus editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu
Joel Solis/The Collegian
NE student Gem Smikle uses the financial aid office in NADM speaking to an associate.
TCC students discuss the significance of financial aid, FAFSA The FAFSA is here to provide numerous financial aid opportunities for high and low-income students across the nation. Applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a great way to qualify for financial aid through things like work-study positions or federal grants. With the price of college growing steadily over time, knowing where to go in order to seize the chance to reduce the cost of education is important. Consulting someone like a
counselor on campus who specializes in financial service is one of the best ways to start a FAFSA journey. TCC has dedicated financial aid offices with their own unique contact information available to all students. “It’s [FAFSA] definitely important, and although some may not need it – it’s still very useful,” TCC financial aid representative Angelleana said. Despite the handful of financial benefits, there seems to be a lack of information about it making the rounds. Not very many students know what the FAFSA specifically is or what it offers. Connect student Alexie Uribe
said she is vaguely familiar with what the FAFSA is, but not yet familiar with what exactly it can provide. “I am aware of it in general, but I do not really know the details of how it works and how to get it,” she said. While detailed information about financial aid isn’t quite as widespread on campus as it could be, Uribe still believed that it is valuable to college students. “Higher education is important and not everyone can afford it,” she said. “It allows more people to have more opportunities.” Connect student Caleb Wallen
Romanticized love The media has influenced the expectation of relationships Page 3
Black women’s struggle Learning to love while fighting stereotypes and racism Page 3
Shewanda Riley Author, podcaster and associate English professor tells her story Page 4
XAVIER BOATNER
campus editor xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu
See FASFA, page 2
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, TCC students have weighed in their opinions on the day of love. Initially, Valentine’s Day was created to honor Saint Valentine, the patron saint of love. The holiday has since evolved to celebrate love in its entirety. SE student Brendan Wilkins believed the holiday was a proper way to celebrate love. “I think it’s a nice way to show appreciation to the person you love,” Wilkins said. “There’s a holiday for literally everything so it only makes sense for there to be one for relationships.” In recent decades however, some feel that the holiday has commercialized. With corporations such as Hallmark and Hershe capitalizing on the holiday to sell romantic cards and chocolates respectively, many felt the holiday has lost its meaning, including NE student Jason Glover. “I think it’s a glorified holiday,” Glover said. “Because when you think about it, Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a time where you spend with loved ones, and it’s been glorified to where everyone has to spend tons of money or else you don’t love your significant other.” According to the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend $26 billion this year for Valentine’s Day. $2 billion more than in 2022. Despite the statistic, the pressure to spend excessive amounts of money has never fazed Glover
as the only gift he is concerned about is his mother’s birthday which coincidentally falls on Valentine’s Day. Glover finds compromise on spending on a significant other with mutually budgeting $20 for Valentine’s Day and purchasing pricier gifts on birthdays. “I feel no pressure whatsoever,” Glover said. “The only thing I do is buy a birthday gift. Whenever I am dating someone, I do buy a Valentine’s Day gift. But, it’s not gonna be an exuberant amount.” For those not looking to break the bank or who prefer a more sentimental touch, many websites have articles dedicated to DIY gifts — such as date coupons or origami flowers. A student who requested to remain anonymous contended that creating homemade gifts for a significant other has more sentimental value than a purchase. “It just shows you put the time and effort into that person rather than just buy and say ‘here you go,’” the student said. “I like to know the person put effort into our relationship.” And if all fails, be creative and don’t resort to the box of chocolates. “What is overdone on Valentine’s Day is the box of chocolates,” the student said. “The roses are overplayed, but I would rather accept that than the chocolates.” Though not in a relationship, Wilkins has instead decided to designate the day of love for selfcare. “For this upcoming one, I want to take myself out for a ‘me day’ so I’ll probably have a big budget,” Wilkins said.