Through my time at Hutchinson Community College, I have written several well-received articles for The Collegian. I can write a variety of articles, from news to columns to alternate story forms.
Toxic Masculinity: ‘Adolescence’ and College Years
Netflix’s new mini series, “Adolescence”, was released to the world on March 13. The series follows a young boy in the U.K. named Jamie who is arrested in the first episode on suspicion of murder of a young girl in his class.
The show created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne has been making headlines for its cultural impact and expression of toxic masculinity, which begs the question, how do the students of Hutchinson Community College feel about toxic masculinity?
According to HutchCC sociology professor, Kim Newberry, toxic masculinity isn’t a new concept in society, we’ve only just given it a name.
“Now we are witnessing it and maybe even calling it out. It’s the toxic part that we’re really starting to take note of,” Newberry said.
Just like portrayed in the show, Newberry said she believes that toxic masculinity can be harmful for anyone involved. She shared that it can especially be harmful for men because of the way they perceive and express their emotions.
Hutchinson freshman, Preston Reed, said he believes that toxic masculinity can be especially harmful for young boys growing up.
“I think it affects men growing up because if you see it’s wrong, then it’s like you’re weird for not going along with it,” Reed said.
Recently the U.K prime minister, Keir Starmer, has made the show available to watch in schools as he believes it’ll help halt any early signs of toxic masculinity in school aged children. Reed, having seen the show, said this could be a great idea.
“It teaches you good lessons about how to deal with unhealthy relationships or unhealthy environments in school,” Reed said.
The alpha male content presence was a large plot line in the show. The main character Jamie is an avid Andrew Tate watcher. Tate is known for making controversial manispheric videos that a lot of young men look up to. However, over the years many concerns have been raised about his ideologies and if it is safe for young kids to watch.
Haven sophomore, Mariah Piña said, “Alpha male creators push a toxic ideology that is not helpful for today’s society. It causes more harm, especially to young listeners because they pick up on bad traits to live by.”
To add to the conversation on how toxic masculinity is perceived by the public, Haven sophomore Clayton Shingleton said, “I think it affects the public perception of men in a negative way. Toxic masculinity makes people think that men have higher expectations of themselves, which can lead to men becoming selfish and insecure.”
When asked how she thinks society can steer away from toxic masculinity, Newberry said, “It’s fine to be masculine, but protect each other. We’re all in this together. Why can’t you be strong, kind, and masculine?”
Adolescence has become the fourth most watched series on Netflix with over 114 million views in its month long release.
The show has raised concerns about toxic masculinity, especially in school aged kids. Adolescence aims to stop toxic masculinity before more than just toxic men get hurt.
HutchCC Social Media Policy Is Contradictory
The death of podcast sensation Charlie Kirk sent the nation into a social media frenzy.
Kirk was known for exercising his constitutional right of freedom of speech daily, from his podcast episodes to debating students on college campuses.
Ironically, according to ABC News, dozens across the country have been fired from their jobs for comments made on their personal social media accounts.
Hutchinson Community College weighed in by sending out an email to staff regarding the college’s social media policies.
In the email directed to staff, HutchCC President Tricia Paramore, wrote, “While the First Amendment provides important protections for personal expression, those protections are not absolute. Speech that incites violence, constitutes a true threat, disrupts the College’s ability to fulfill its mission, or interferes with the College’s regular operations may fall outside of those protections.”
With Kansas being an at-will employment state, the college has every right to punish staff members for things posted on their social media accounts, though that doesn’t make it ethical. Free speech is not defined clearly in the constitution, leaving protected and offensive speech left to one person’s opinion. What could be considered offensive to one person may not be to another.
“When an individual’s social media account identifies them as affiliated with the College, that individual’s comments, posts, or other online activity may connect back to HutchCC, which could have professional implications for the individual, and may be viewed as reflective of the College as a whole,” Paramore wrote in the email.
If we live in a world where we are scared to share our opinions out of fear of losing our jobs, at what point does freedom of speech cease to exist? With the amount of staff members that work on the HutchCC campus, it’s not a fair statement that one’s comments can reflect the college as a whole. If members of the Hutchinson community can freely express their beliefs and their opinions, HutchCC faculty, then staff members, should be able to practice their First Amendment rights in their free time. While private entities have every right to fire someone for saying something that doesn’t align with their values, public entities like the college can’t constitute what employees post and say online.
“As a public institution, HutchCC takes seriously both the freedoms and responsibilities that come with open expression. HutchCC plays a critical role in fostering the ability of the community to deliberate in an effective and responsible manner,” said Paramore at the end of her email.
I applaud Paramore’s professionalism, but I find the policy ironic in that it tells staff members that the college takes freedom of expression seriously, but yet several HutchCC staff members declined to comment on the email. If the college truly cared about freedom of speech and expression, these staff members wouldn’t have declined to comment.
HutchCC Has Paid Attention to Swatting Incidents at Other Colleges
Everyone has experienced a prank at some point in their life. Whether that be pouring water on their friend while they’re asleep or putting a marble in someone’s gas tank, pranks have often been meant to be a harmless, laughable matter
But recently across the United States, there has been a new wind of “pranks” that are enticing fear and panic amongst college students.
In the wake of the 2025 fall semester, several major universities have been the victims of swatting incidents. These swat calls have occurred on several campuses including Villanova University, University of South Carolina, and Kansas State.
“It’s not a fun little prank,” said Hutchinson Community College’s Jolene Bell, a Rose Hill sophomore. “That’s terrifying and people can die from it. And I think if you do call something like that, you should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
These incidents have occurred after local authorities received notice that a shooter is on campus, but after thorough investigations and a swat team, these calls have ended up being nothing but a prank.
“People need to take a lesson in comedy, listen to Eddie Murphy. Listen to Bo Burnham. Like that’s comedy. These are not jokes. These are life threatening situations that you’re putting people in against their will,” Bell said.
HutchCC is aware of these disturbances across campuses and actively monitoring for any similar situation.
“These types of situations are concerning,” said Dana Hinshaw, HutchCC’s Executive Director of Student Affairs and Campus Safety. We realize that any campus across the country, including ours, could be a target of a swatting attack. The intent of these attacks is to cause large-scale deployment of SWAT teams and other police resources to a site, as well as to incite panic, disrupt normal operations and potentially harm individuals.”
Hinshaw said that in the event HutchCC does experience one of these false swattings, the campus safety team is in coordination with the local police department and will follow any protocols necessary.
“I highly suggest that our students download the DragonAlert App. There are so many great features on the app, aimed at keeping our campus community safe,” Hinshaw said. “If an incident occurs, we ask that the HutchCC community remain calm and follow directions from authorities, even if you believe it is a ‘Swatting’ incident. The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remain our top priority.”
Authorities do not yet know who is responsible for these fake swatting calls, but they do believe they are all linked to the same group.
“I don’t want my tax funds going to some harmful prank when you could have just dumped a bucket of water on someone while they were sleeping,” Bell said.
Fairly Good Deals: How Kansas State Fair Can Be Cheap For Students
The Kansas State Fair is back in town. From Sept. 5-14, residents of Kansas gather in Hutchinson for days filled with fun, but it can get expensive fast. There are plenty of ways that broke college students can still have fun at the fair without going into debt:
Dillons Dollar Day – Sept. 8
While entrance tickets are typically priced at $10, a cheaper alternative for students would be to attend the fair on Sept. 8, when attendees can enter for just $1, or free with a Dillons Plus Card.
Tasty Tuesday – Sept. 9
Participating vendors will be offering $2 concessions from 8am-10pm. Tasty Tuesday gives attendees the opportunity to try new foods without breaking the bank.
Free Stage and Exhibits
The Kansas State Fair offers plenty of free entertainment. Go enjoy music from local bands or specialty shows like Ron Diamond, a comic hypnotist. The fairgrounds have many buildings to walk through, from art being displayed to the state’s biggest crops from agriculture competitions.
Midway All Day
For a select 7 days, you can buy Midway ride passes for $35 and enjoy rides non stop for an entire day. Days include Sept 8, 9-12, and 14.
$4 after 4 p.m.
On Tuesday and Thursday’s entrance to the fair will be $4 anytime after 4 p.m.
Budget Friendly Shows
On Sept. 8, the fairgrounds will be hosting the Demolition Derby, with tickets going for just $12.
Sept. 9 you can go watch Fairfield Pro Wrestling at $17 a ticket.
Try New Foods
The fair is filled with iconic foods. From turkey legs to Pronto Pops, there are so many things for fair goers to try. Along with the tradition fair foods, this year’s fair has a few new featured items to be on the look out for:
The Truffle Burger — The Beer Garden
Fried Pies — Little B’s
Fried PiesBlackened Shrimp — MidState Cookers
Fried Brownie Bites & Pulled Pork Corn Dog — Pop’s Place
Firecracker Wontons & Cookie Butter Beignets — Waddle Wagon
Kansas Lottery Chiefs Red Friday – Sept. 12
PlayOn members can get into the fair for $2. Members are encouraged to wear their Chiefs gear.
Win free tickets to Ludacris and Josiah Queen
Stay up to date with The Collegians social media for a chance to win tickets to a couple of state fair concerts.
Reviving The Big Screen – Why We Need to Go to Movie Theaters
During his acceptance speech for Best Director at the 97th Oscars earlier this year, Sean Baker shared something that really resonated with me.
“Where did we fall in love with the movies?” Baker had asked the crowd. “At the movie theater. Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, scream and fight together.”
Having grown up in boring midwest towns, going to the movies was one of my favorite pastimes. For years I would drag my family and friends to see the most random movies, even going as far as driving over an hour just to see a movie I had been waiting for.
Toward the end of 2024, my friends and I went to see ‘The Substance’, but I noticed that we were the only people in the theater. It was a Friday night in Wichita, yet me and my friends remained the only ones sitting to watch the movie.
Everyone enjoys movies and raves about the newest trailers, so why aren’t people going to the theaters anymore?
While I do believe the Covid-19 pandemic impacted people’s willingness to sit in a room amongst strangers for two hours, and ticket prices have definitely increased, my question still remains unanswered.
America is no longer under public restrictions caused by the pandemic and a trip to the movies is not any more expensive than other family outings.
Like Baker shared, the movies are a place where people in your community can come together and experience something for the first time. Theaters are a place where we can experience a movie the way the director intended. As much as we try, watching a movie like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on a TV in the living room, it will never compare to the experience of watching it in an IMax theater the way it was meant to be screened.
So many theaters went out of business during the pandemic and we will continue to see a decline in the industry. Independently owned theaters still continue to struggle. It is so important for communities to come together to support places like The Fox Theatre in Hutchinson and The Grand located in Grand Island, Neb. These theaters allow the community to enjoy new releases at a fraction of the cost of a chain theater.
While I do watch plenty of movies in the comfort of my own home, I will always and forever try to make it to a theater to watch a new release. Going to the movie theater is a way for people to escape from their problems. They allow people to take a two hour break and escape into a completely different world.
That is simply not something you get to experience anywhere else.
Small Business Sam – How a HutchCC Student Started His Own Tech Business While in School
For most busy college students, starting up their own small business while also handling their vigorous workload is just a distant dream.
Iowa freshman, Samuel Barker, has turned that distant dream into his reality.
Dealing with finances while being a college student could be classified as an Olympic sport. When something important breaks, it can be immensely difficult to find the time, resources, and money ro repair the item. Sammy B Tech Repair was started with the goal of helping broke college students repair their electronics for a reasonable price. Barker wants students to have access to quality and timely tech repairs. Barker does the work for free and only asks that clients purchase the parts themselves, most being under $25.
“I run Sammy B Tech Repair, where I help students fix their devices for the best possible price. My goal is to make repairs not only affordable, but done quickly, with care, so students aren’t stuck without their tech,” Barker said.
Barker said that he started his business just a few months ago because he has always had an interest in all things tech related as well as a passion for helping others. He decided to combine his passions and create Sammy B Tech Repair, as a way to continue his love for tech and help out college students in need. His experience in tech repairs goes back several years. He started working on electronics as a kid and quickly became skilled in the area.
Barker provides many services. He works with all devices, from phones and computers, to gaming consoles. He shared that some of his most popular repairs thus far have been screen replacements, battery swaps, and charging ports. Barker is able to fix a variety of problems on various types of tech products. He also offers devices that clients can borrow in the meantime while he is repairing their electronics.
When asked what he gets out of the business since he is not making any sort of profit, he shared a compelling story. Barker detailed that a few years ago during a hard time in his life, he read the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli which taught him a lot about the importance of giving back to others.
“It changed how I saw things and made me realize how much purpose there is in helping others and being a friend to everyone. The book gave me a fresh start and my purpose now is helping others,” Barker said.
Barker said he believes people should go to him for tech repairs instead of a more well known company because he offers the most affordable option while also caring for the customer. As a student himself he understands the importance of students having access to affordable repairs for their expensive electronics.
Students can reach out to Sammy B Tech Repair through the number (515) 478-5470 or email him at sjb1061@dragons.hutchcc.edu.
Open Door Services Continue to Provide Services on HutchCC Campus
The Open Door Services are at Hutchinson Community College to help end the stigma of Sexually Transmitted Infections and young pregnancy.
Despite 1 in 5 people in the United States having an STI, many young adults still find it an uncomfortable topic to discuss or are too embarrassed to get the help they need. The Open Door Services, located east of Lockman Hall, are available to students every Tuesday from 9am to 1pm, free of charge.
“At Open Door Health Services, we genuinely care for overall health and aim to provide valuable information to educate, empower, and equip students so they can make a well-informed decision. All of our services are free of charge as well as confidential, non-judgmental, and non-discriminatory,” said Client Services Coordinator, Jenni Nisly.
The mobile services include STI testing as well as treatments, pregnancy tests, and many other educational resources to students in need of help. Nisly shared that they also provide a program called Choices IRL that aims to educate students about sexual health. The services are confidential and all information shared in the mobile van stays in the mobile van.
College students remain in one of the highest demographics for contracting STI’s and the Open Door Services hopes they can help young adults feel more comfortable getting help and educating themselves about the importance of proper sexual wellness.
“I think the service is important so that students struggling with those kinds of things don’t have to be afraid and go through it alone,” said Haven sophomore Mariah Piña
Students are able to get in contact with the service by simply walking up to the door and knocking. Most appointments last about 30 minutes and results can be found back at van within the next 10 days for STI results and the same day for pregnancy tests.
The service doesn’t just provide testing, but they also want to end the stigma associated with sexual wellness by educating students about how to stay safe. They strive to not only help students physically, but also mentally.
“We are passionate about health and wellness for the whole person and believe that you are more than a test result. When you come to the mobile we are here to answer questions regarding relationships, safe dating, healthy boundaries, in addition to providing the testing that you need,” Nisley said.
If students are unable to make it to the van on Tuesdays, they can contact Open Door Services by visiting their clinic located at 315 West 1st Avenue, or by calling them at (620) 728-2229. Many STI’s don’t reveal any symptoms so it is important for students to get regularly tested when being sexually active.
“We are here for you, and you are not alone,” Nisly said.
Collegian Alumni Now Own Several Newspapers Throughout Kansas
Hutchinson Community College’s own Collegian student newspaper has had its very own love story.
Joey Young of Buhler and Lindsey Young of Haven first met while Lindsey was the Editor in Chief and recruited Joey to join the staff.
While Lindsey had entered HutchCC with the intention of going into journalism, Joey was not quite set on his career path. While writing for the college paper, Joey changed his mind.
“(I) quickly fell in love with it at Hutchinson without really any intention of doing so,” Joey said.
Journalism became a done deal for Joey as he started freelancing for local papers and got a job at the Harvey County Independent soon after graduating from HutchCC.
While the print industry is starting to see a decline in the modern world, the Youngs are working hard to revive it. They are the owners of the Kansas Publishing Venture, which owns three local newspapers, Hillsboro Free Press, Harvey County Now, and The Clarion.
Their business venture began when Joey’s time at The Hutchinson News started to dull down and he was looking for something more. He decided to call his former employer at The Clarion and offer to buy the paper from him. From there their company started to grow and they now control several different print papers throughout Kansas.
“I would like it on record that he did not tell me about the phone call,” Lindsey said with a laugh.
Coming up this summer, the Youngs will be taking over The Hutchinson Tribune for Trinity Catholic High School Student, Michael Glenn.
“We will eventually add a print product and hire full time journalists,” Joey said.
Both Lindsey and Joey believe journalism is an essential part of our world. Without it, communities would be left in the dark. Joey shared that he believes journalism is important to small communities because they need to know what is going on around them.
You are the first reporter of history,” Lindsey said. “There is a responsibility to preserve where we are right now.”
When asked what advice they would give aspiring journalists, Joey suggests that freelancing and summer internships are the way to go. He also recommends you recommend what companies you are looking in and family owned papers are the way to go. Lindsey urges young journalists to “become a jack of all trades.” and diversify your skills.
The Youngs are reviving the print industry with one newspaper at a time. These two HutchCC alumni found their calling while studying at the college and are now living out their wildest dreams.
Singing the Blues – Spring Semester Doesn’t Start with Fanfare of Fall
The spring semester blues have hit Hutchinson Community College once again, leaving many students feeling more tired and less motivated than usual.
Students and staff alike on campus have found that the spring semester is much harder to get through than the fall semester. With just coming back from a month-long break for the holidays and the only academic days off in the spring being Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20 and Spring Break, students are creeping along waiting for the moment they get another break from the never-ending school work.
Students find that it’s harder to stay motivated and have energy throughout the second semester.
“I have noticed other students’ lack of motivation, I think a contributing factor of that would be how cold the weather is,” said Moundridge sophomore Maggy Adolf.
The spring semester starting in the dead of winter could quite possibly be one of the main reasons students are hit so hard by the spring semester blues. Coming back to campus after the holidays where they have to walk in the cold between classes can be cause for a negative attitude amongst the students.
“Stress is a big factor and can cause people to fall back on school work,” Adolf said.
Another cause for the semester blues may be because students have grown so used to not having any work during the holiday break and then are instantly met with another big workload at the start of the semester.
Sydney Fountain, a HutchCC psychology instructor, also said she believes that the cold weather may be causing the spring semester blues.
“Sometimes people struggle more when it’s colder out, the sun isn’t out as much. It’s harder to get motivated sometimes,” Fountain said.
Curiously enough despite noticing the spring semester blues in the people around them, neither Adolf nor Fountain have noticed a negative effect on the coursework being handed in.
Adolf said that she prides herself in the work she hands in and Fountain hasn’t noticed a change in the homework she is receiving.
To fight the spring semester blues, Adolf has an idea.
“Find moments of joy amidst the blues,” Adolf said. “My go-to moment of joy is the moment when I wake up reminding myself that God has provided another day for me.”
When asked what advice she would offer students struggling with the spring semester blues, Fountain said, “I would try to motivate them to keep coming to class and be as actively engaged as possible because starting the semester strong can set the tone for the rest of the semester.”
While the spring semester blues work their way through students on campus, it’s important to not let them break your spirit.
Lizzie Rush 