Destiny Torres
Executive Editor

Attending college can be a stressful time for anyone, but the stress doesn’t stop at academics for students who are financially independent.

“Not only do I go to school full time, but I work two part time jobs just to pay my rent,” says Lorain County Community College Student, Kathryn Carver. “I’ve had times that I had to choose between getting a big assignment done or going into work.”

Many independent students at LCCC like Carver have found these struggles implemented into their daily lives. The Covid-19 pandemic back at its start in 2020, triggered an economic breakdown in the United States, causing many to lose their jobs, friends, houses and more.

Soon independent students were left struggling to pick up the pieces of paying for college, rent and food while also risking their lives going to their “essential” jobs in grocery work or fast food.

According to Carver who works at a fast food restaurant and a diner, she stresses about her academics and financial situation daily.

“I used to be a straight A student, but now I have to pay almost eight hundred dollars a month in rent; my job has become more important to me than my academics,” she says. “I have to make sure I have enough money to feed myself, keep the heat on and somehow still find time to get homework done for my five classes.”

Carver is not the only one struggling to pay rent as it has skyrocketed in the past year.

According to Rent.com, rent has increased nearly nine percent nationwide in the past year alone, forcing many to have to downsize or move back home if possible.

“I actually had to drop out of school,” says former student Margo Solace. “I was working 25 hours a week, so I could focus on school and still wasn’t making enough money to pay my rent.”

Solace went on to add that it wasn’t just the rent that caused her financial stress.

“I was deciding whether I should put gas in my car to get to and from work and school, or buy groceries. I never realized how much food cost till I was on my own.”

The inflation of food cost has increased 11.2% since September of 2021 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, causing independent students to have to decide whether to eat or pay their rent.

“I just wish I was able to stay in school,” says Solace. “I plan on going back at some point, but it just pushed my life plans way off track.”

Fortunately for those that are struggling, LCCC has an answer. Resources like Commodore Cupboard or the Advocacy Resource Center exist on main campus to help students in need.

“We had a lot more students coming in during the past two years more than ever before, so we knew we needed to expand our resources,” says Cathy Shaw from the ARC. “A lot of times, these students don’t know where to start, and that’s why we’re here.”

For more information regarding the ARC and commodore Cupboard, visit https:// www.lorainccc.edu/support-services or stop by the ARC in the Bass Library.

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Lauren Hoffman
Editor-In-Chief

For many of us, watching the birth of technology has been exciting, scary, and everything in between, but for some it’s also been a necessity.

Meet Shane

“I started using technology at the age of five and I have certainly seen a lot of it change throughout the years.” Meet Shane Popplestone. A Lorain County Community college student who, like many others has grown up around technology in his day to day life.

The only difference? Popplestone is completely blind. “Many people when they see me think I can’t use a lot of technology because I can’t see, but trust me that is completely not the case.”

Popplestone has spent his life traversing the growing age of technology from screen readers to accessibility programs to help better his life, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. “In 1991, I started out with the Apple 2E using the echo speech synthesizer while at school when I was five. They had us using 5 ¼ inch floppy discs that have braille edited express on it,” he says.

“Basically one side had the braille and the other was full of data, and floppy discs are weird on their own, so for someone who couldn’t really see them, it was super strange.”

Still despite the troubles, Popplestone preserved and as he grew so did technology.

Back to the 90s

By the time we entered eighth grade, the troubles of screen reading and writing seemed to be drifting off. “Windows 95 came out when I was in 8th grade and that would run Job Access with Speech or JAWs for short on an upgraded version,” he says. “This was a major upgrade for everyone, students and staff included at my school.”

Popplestone attended the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus, OH by this point.

“This technology gave us access to the internet in ways we never could have imagined and worked on all the computers at our school,” says Popplestone. “It felt like I could start being like the other kids, you know going on the internet and clicking on things I wasn’t supposed to and laughing.”

But as technology is always growing and changing, it can come with some less than favorable experiences as well. “Screenwriter manufacturers had to figure out the changing technology even faster than most could to make sure that the internet was still accessible to us which was fine, until Java came along,” he says.

Java Monster

Java, a now mainly defunct programming language system first developed in 1995 by James Gosling. At the time, the program was the leading platform for all things technology, powering everything from video chat sites to virtual shopping centers.

While the program seemed great for many, for the blind it was a nightmare.

“It was so hard to get things to work with the program and overall caused so many problems,” says Popplestone. “The technology we used didn’t want to work with Java but since it was everywhere, we couldn’t do anything about it. It was like we took a step back in time.”

To the future

But, like always, Popplestone persevered and soon life was back on track, especially when he got his first iPhone. “The iPhone was my first experience with explore based touch and it was interesting to say the least. I didn’t realize I could click on things and open them just by using my fingers on the screen and it was all crazy.”

According to a study done by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, there could be as many as 100,000 blind and visually impaired iPhone users in the United States, a number that could possibly be even bigger.

Now with apps like “Be My Eyes” that allows blind users to connect with sighted users to help with tasks like picking out clothes or reading expiry dates on products, the iPhone has continued to become more accessible than ever.

Today, Popplestone views technology as he always has, a marvel of life that has continued to help him throughout his own.

“A lot of technology helps with even the most basic things like shopping or scanning a package to make sure I have the correct one.,” says Popplestone. “A lot of stuff most sighted people don’t even think about, but it helps me because I don’t have to wait for people to help me, I can do it myself.”

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Lauren Hoffman
Editor-In-Chief

On Nov. 15, Lorain County Community College got an insight into the world of recycling thanks to the Lorain County Collection Center. Nov. 15, which has been denoted America Recycles Day once again by the National program commissioners, has long had its roots in Lorain County.

Coming to LCCC

This year the program spread to LCCC once more as a way to continue the important message of recycling, especially now.

According to Brandi Schnell from the Lorain County Solid Waste Management District, “we want people to be aware of what recycling is and how it prevents items from going into the landfill as well as its importance.”

This year the collection center branched out to the college through an America Recycles booth filled with information on the importance of recycling as well as how to do it right in your own community.

Not so hard

“Many people think that recycling is hard and so they tend not to do it,” says Schnell. “They used to teach about the numbers of what plastics you could and couldn’t recycle and it just got all confusing.”

Remember the list

To combat this, Schnell provided college students with a “Recycle Right in Lorain County” poster designating the five types of recyclables along with directions.

“You can recycle cans, cartons, glass, paper and plastic which many people don’t know, but one thing you should never put in your recycling is plastic bags and wrap because it will get caught in the machines.”

Schnell reminded students and guests to take these fliers with them and “plaster them everywhere” as a way to continue to spread efforts.

What about the larger stuff

As for the larger recyclable items or others that shouldn’t go into the landfill, Schnell introduced the college to the collection center’s material list. Products like old light bulbs, tires, gasoline, paint thinner, road flares and more can all go to the sight to be repurposed instead of making its way into the landfill.

“We ask that these be separated because if there’s too much of bad things in one batch, it has to all go into the landfill and curbs our efforts,” says Schnell. “This way these items can get another use and keep our efforts moving at the same time.”

Taking the pledge

Finally, Schnell asked visitors to take the America Recycles Day pledge in order to continue the recycling efforts. “By signing this pledge, you agree to remember to recycle and help the environment, plus as an incentive you will get entered to win either a rain barrel or $25 Amazon gift card,” says Schnell.

The barrel, which is useful in rural areas, is gifted from the collection center to promote recycling of a different kind, water usage. “We as humans go through so much water on a daily basis and don’t tend to take advantage of the water falling around us,” Schnell says.

“This barrel not only collects the water but filtrates it as well to better shape the future.”

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Lauren Hoffman
Editor-In-Chief

Lorain County Community College prides itself on firsts and diversity and that includes tackling all sorts of different difficult and oftentimes sensitive topics. Introduced this fall semester, the Student Senate team has conducted meetings to discuss these topics, deemed “real talks”.

From gay rights to religion to domestic violence, the group has continued to lead students in conversations in a safe, civilized space. After working up towards it, the senate introduced the topic of abortion, a long time headed debate since its inception into politics in 1973.

The history

“Before we start the meeting, please keep in mind that people have different opinions for various reasons,” said Student senate vice president Brenda Hitchens. The senate was originally unsure of introducing the topic because of its disastrous discussions in the past, but ultimately decided the student body was mature enough to handle it.

Opening with a video on the timeline of Roe v. Wade, a historic landmark Supreme Court Case that was introduced in 1970, passed in 1973 and overturned just earlier this May, the senate team then opened the floor for students to voice their opinions on the matter.

“It seems like abortion has had a tumultuous history since its beginning with different restrictions, overrulings and more,” said student Abe Elkammaty. “If it has been this way, what’s stopping it from being overturned once more?”

Restrictions

Other students agreed with Elkammaty, but did point out that severe restrictions that now exist. “In many states in the U.S. including Ohio, there have been total abortion bans put in place. This means that if a woman is seeking an abortion for whatever reason including rape and incest, she could be arrested as well as anyone who helps her,” said one student who preferred to remain anonymous.

The terrifying reality is that now in some states, miscarriages which can be mistaken for abortions are also under fire. “There was a woman in Ohio that was at the risk of having a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage,” said Harry Kestler, M.D., a professor at LCCC and a leading scientist on HIV research. “This woman was turned away from hospitals who refused to help her because they weren’t sure if her miscarriage was due to natural causes or because of an abortion pill.”

Against code

Not only do the doctors actions go against the Hippocratic Oath of do not harm, it also defies the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act or EMTALA introduced in 1986. “EMTALA is a law that states if a woman is in active labor, she cannot be turned away from a hospital or help, no matter the situation,” said Kestler.

High risk and disease

Kestler also discussed different types of diseases that can affect a mother or child during pregnancy that can often lead to the need of a medical abortion. “Any type of STD the mother has while pregnant has the capability of being transferred to the child, especially HIV,” he said. “Now there are ways to prevent this, namely by having the mother take medicine that fights the disease, but there’s always still the chance that it can be passed on.”

Kestler then told the story of a student he once had who wanted to have a child despite having HIV. “Pregnancy in and of itself is a very risky business for both the parent and child. There are so many things that can go wrong,” Kestler said.

High risk pregnancies are also a common cause of many to seek abortions. A high risk pregnancy is when there is danger to either the child, mother or both during the pregnancy that can result in death. One of the leading causes is Polycystic Ovary syndrome.

“This is when there are cysts that form on the ovaries that can make pregnancy extremely difficult and also incredibly painful,” said Nashalie Nieves. “Anything from irregular hormones to searing pain can cause the loss of a child or death of the mother.”

For the future

Ultimately after looking at all of the information the group agreed that no matter their stance on abortion, there are many ways in which they can be avoided. “We need to have better sex ed in school as well as correct the foster care system,” said Dannelle Johnson.

“There are so many children in this world who are suffering and so many more young adults who don’t understand the weight of pregnancy, without these changes, nothing will get better.”

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