News
Shoreline Rocks the Vote in 2004
On Monday November 1, students and faculty gathered in the PUB to hear a variety of speakers,
including Washington State Representative Maralyn Chase, discuss the importance of being active participants in the democratic process.
Many states experienced record voting turnouts in this year’s presidential election, with a particularly high turnout among new voters age 18-24.
The hard work of grassroots organizations and
volunteer drives played a large part in making this possible.
Dr. Holly Moore speaks about campus morale
Chaim Eliyah
A & E Editor
In a personal interview on Tuesday, Oct. 26, Dr. Holly Moore, president of Shoreline Community College, addressed issues surrounding the tension between the faculty and administration here at SCC. Two weeks ago the Faculty Senate here at the college held a meeting to examine to possibility of holding a vote of no confidence in the President, but instead elected to present her with a list of their concerns. She began this interview by saying that it’s “frustrating” not to know specifically what to do to improve the situation and climate at SCC and hopes to move the college forward.
Dr. Moore points out that community colleges are hard to work in from any standpoint, as they are often thought of as the “forgotten child” of higher education. Addressing some major concerns of the Senate, she notes that rules that apply for other institutions are often far more restricted at these types of colleges; also, whereas in business people receive bonuses for excellent performances, such perks are not always possible at public institutions.
Moore indicated however that she has the utmost pride and confidence in the staff by saying: “[workers here are] far more dedicated than at any university – I’ll guarantee it.” And she hopes for the best even though the college has had its “ups and downs.” She recognizes some members of the faculty as being more vocal than others, but it seems that she sees this as a positive ingredient to progress more than a disturbance.
When asked about some kind of roadmap to address the concerns of the faculty, Moore said that she feels it would be presumptuous to act without fully understanding the concerns at hand; however, she said that she does have a framework as opposed to a specific plan. She said she has already talked with faculty regarding some concerns, including information about her $25,000 raise (approved last spring by the Board of Trustees). She still desires to meet with others to develop a more solid course of action.
Moore is looking forward to the campus-wide meeting on Nov. 19, and hopes that it will be productive. She believes at this meeting that members of the faculty and administration should be able to address some of their mutual concerns; certainly, she said, “we should sit and talk together.”
Musilm Student Association to hold ‘Ramadan Fast-A-Thon’ on Nov. 9
Jessica McDaniel
Ebbtide Staff Reporter
This Nov. 9 the SCC Muslim Student Association (MSA) will be taking part in the third annual Ramadan Fast-A-thon for charity. By the looks of it, they will surpass their own goals for the event. The MSA is recruiting non-Muslims to pledge to fast with them for one day only, from sunup to sundown – approximately 6 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The Fast-A-thon is a way to raise awareness among non-Muslims about Ramadan, and to raise money to fight hunger at the same time.
For every non-Muslim who participates, six local businesses have each pledged to donate $1 to hope-link – a nonprofit food bank that serves North and East King County. The MSA hoped to raise $500 for the local food bank. So far just over 100 students have signed up, which brings their projected amount raised to over $600.
The MSA hoped to raise $500 for charity. So far just over 100 students have signed up, which brings their projected amount raised to over $600.
This year there is a dramatic increase in participation; the last two years the event only had about 20 participants. The organizers don’t want to stop there though. “It’s kind of early to say this is our goal, and that’s it. There’s room to change [our goals],” said Sana Ahmed, MSA treasurer.The Fast-A-Thon event began in Knoxville, Tenn., and has been a national event for three years across the nation. The University of Washington, Seattle Central Community College, and North Seattle Community College all have Muslim student groups participating in the event.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. That means they do not eat or drink anything during the day. This year Ramadan lasts from Oct. 15 to Nov. 13.
On the Evening of Nov. 9, the MSA will hold a free dinner in the PUB where participating students can break the fast together. Brother Fazal, the Imam at Bellevue Mosque, will give an educational presentation on Ramadan followed by a question and answer period. Any student who wants to participate in the Fast-A-Thon can contact the MSA president at president@shoreline.msanw.org.
Lunar eclipse lights up the night sky in Washington
Carol Brocker
WebMaster
It was a rare night with clear cold skies above Shoreline’s campus on Oct. 27, 2004. This enabled many people to view the outstanding sight of a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse’s timing was perfect. It started at 6 p.m., just after sunset, at the beginning of the moonrise, low in the eastern horizon sky. The timing made it early enough for even the smallest of children to take advantage and view this awe-inspiring natural event. It was a traffic stopper. Students, as they hurried to and from their classes, took time to stop to admire this inspirational sight.
The shadow-bitten moon seemed extra large, yellow slowing turning orange, and was so bright it drowned out the stars in this cold clear night’s sky. As it moved up into the darkening sky the shadow grew and it gulped the entire moon. But the moon did not totally disappear due to the refraction of sunlight as it bounced around in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. That left the moon a dark orange with moon craters still visible in the nights sky.
The moon moved into and out of the Earth’s shadow, blocking the sunrays, causing the outermost shadow. The first casting of the shadow is called the penumbra; you begin to detect a weak dimming of the Moon’s eastern side or leading edge. As the moon moved across into the umbra stage the shadow became distinctive and more obvious.
Once into the umbra stage, the true eclipse began with dramatic changes. This process took about one hour and nine minutes. The moon was not completely dark, but had a deep reddish orange glow to it. Demonstrating that the sun still had an effect on the moon through its rays as they were bent by Earth’s atmosphere, surrounding and illuminating, ever so slightly, the dark surface of the moon, adding to the enchanting effect it had on its viewers.
Every eclipse is unique -- not unlike a snowflake. People who have taken the time to enjoy them will never stop being amazed. Our next opportunity to view an eclipse from the Pacific Northwest will be March and August 2007 and again in February 2008, they will be total eclipses as well. We are very lucky to have this opportunity again.