President Biden recently unveiled a host of new policies targeted at raising the vaccinated population in the US. These policies include ensuring that health care workers are fully vaccinated as well as contractors and workers for the federal government. According to Joe Biden, the healthcare worker mandate alone will affect 17 million Americans. However, the largest order that Biden is putting in place affects any company that employs 100 or more people, according to Biden, this will affect more than 80 million Americans. Biden’s guidelines for these companies is to vaccinate every employee. Biden, in his statement to the press,…

By Devin Schug • May 29, 2021 Green River College (GRC) is waiting for Washington State Governor Jay Inslee to answer whether there will be mask and social distancing requirements for the fall. “Green River College will follow the directives and guidelines for higher education operations for the fall issued by the Governor, as we have done since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Suzanne Johnson, president of GRC. Johnson has been serving as president of GRC since July 2017. According to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a…

By Aidan Wuth   COVID-19 has affected many different parts of schooling negatively, graduation being one of those many casualties.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have had to convert almost everything to an online environment. Graduation and commencement at Green River College (GRC) are no exception to this. The ceremony will be replicated with a virtual ceremony. Justin Kwan is a student graduating this year with an Associates in Arts. The majority of his time at GRC was spent taking online classes away from campus. “We saw it coming so we’ll manage with it.” He said, when asked about graduation.…

By Aidan Wuth While most students have had challenging schooling during the pandemic, Running Start students have a unique experience balancing the college life with high school.Running Start is a program that allows for high school students to take college classes at local community colleges while still taking high school classes. This is a program funded by the state, paying the students tuition should they be accepted into the program.During the pandemic, Running Start students have had to balance the college courses that they are taking on top of high school courses and any other work they may be doing…

By Stephanie Valdes Due to the pandemic, online courses have been hard for both staff and students alike. However, it has been especially challenging for first time college students and Running Start students.“College students have long been prone to stress, anxiety, and depression. Three out of four Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 report poor mental health tied to the pandemic, according to the CDC.” Jorge Marin is a Running Start student and Ignacio Lopez Jr. is a first-time college student, both at Green River College.Marin mentioned “Going to high school and college is challenging. I was excited…