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ccclarion.com VOL LXXIV • Issue 6
December 9, 2020
ALANA DALY O’BRIEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
New solar canopies were reciently completed in the southwest parking lot of Citrus College. Photo taken Oct. 25.
Citrus brings the energy to campus
Construction of new solar canopies completed in the southwest parking lot BY ALEX MCCARSON
STAFF REPORTER
AMCCARSON@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus spends $1.5 million annually on utility bills, with the highest percentage being electrical usage, reported by the Citrus College District Physical Resources Committee in their Oct. 22 meeting minutes. With the constant use of power, the school wanted to implement renewable energy by constructing solar canopies.These canopies
provide shade to cars as well as solar energy to the grid. The minutes stated the cost of the structure would be $1,839,198, which would be paid back in a 15-year plan. Installation of these eight solar carports started in August 2019. “I think this sets a really good example for other schools to follow in our area,” Citrus student Kristin Walker said. Walker fully supported the campus going green when she
realized these solar panels were being put in since she also has panels on her parents’ home. “I know it might take the school a while to pay back the debt but if it ends up saving the school money in the long run, it will be good for our community,” Walker said. Fred Diamond, Citrus College director of facilities and construction, stated in an email interview that these panels are now currently generating power despite being in the
commissioning phase. “The PV installation is continuing in the Commissioning Phase of project close-out.” Diamond said, “This means that the equipment is going through trials and testing, especially the technology portion of the work. We still have some tech issues to work out, but the equipment is putting power on the grid.” Diamond said he worked closely with Southern California Edison to bring these solar panels to the
Citrus campus. It will end up benefiting the schools utility budget since SCE will be giving the college a much lower annual electricity bill from the production of energy. The October meeting minutes also said that after this commissioning phase by the Division of the State Architect, the project should officially be complete and safe for whenever students are allowed back on campus.
Citrus among top colleges New dean takes charge amid online learning for Hispanic students BY LUCY ARGAEZ
NEWS EDITOR
LARGAEZ@CCCLARION.COM
BY RYAN URIBE
STAFF REPORTER
RURIBE@CCCLARION.COM
A Citrus College newsroom press release recently reported that Citrus is ranked among the top colleges and universities in the nation for Hispanic students. Information was provided by Melissa Utsuki, executive director of communications and external relations for Citrus College. Utsuki said the publication “Hispanic Outlook Magazine” has been an advocate to the Hispanic community for 30 years. It uses data from the integrated postsecondary education data system to determine which colleges and universities from across the nation enrolled and awarded degrees to the most Hispanic students. In its August issue, the magazine ranked Citrus College among the top colleges for social sciences with 69% of Hispanics receiving degrees and 58% of
them receiving degrees and/or letters in English language and literature. The press release states, “The publication ranked Citrus College 17th in the country for total associate degrees awarded to Hispanic students in 2019, and 31st in the country among twoyear schools for total Hispanic student enrollment in the 20182019 academic year.” For more than 10 years, Citrus College has been recognized by the magazine as one of the nation’s top community colleges. “Being recognized as one of the top degree producers in the nation for Hispanic students reflects our commitment to serving our diverse student body,” said Superintendent/President Geraldine M. Perri said. “The faculty and staff at Citrus College are dedicated to providing all students with the programs and tools they need to succeed.
As online learning continues, students and faculty continue to make transitions this year. This was especially true for the new dean of mathematics and business. Victoria Dominguez became the dean of mathematics and business on June 22. She is helping students and teachers remotely amid online learning. She is the first math dean at Citrus College in 15 years to have previously been a math professor. “Remote teaching and learning has been a challenge for everyone; Victoria’s understanding of this is not secondhand,” math professor Brian Anderson said. “She experienced this herself as an instructor last March when we made the sudden transition.” Dominguez previously served as a professor at Citrus College from 2012 to 2020 and worked with students in the fast track program, guided pathways, student equity and inclusion and AB 705 which combined classes like Stats 65 and Stats 165.
PHOTO COURTESY VICTORIA DOMINGUEZ
New Math and Business Dean Victoria Dominguez.
As a former professor, Dominguez can better understand the struggles of students and teachers and find ways to meet the needs of math and business teachers alike. “I feel much more comfortable in this role,” Dominguez said.” I have had to take on new challenges, but
as I work on it and get familiar with the process things have been going very well.” Dominguez said she finished working with faculty to schedule their classes and is hopeful more
Read DEAN, Page 4
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Opinion
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Opinion
The dark side of social media
Internet networking platforms take a negative turn as users claim their mental and physical health are being affected BY ETHAN LANDA EDITOR IN CHIEF ELANDA@CCCLARION.COM
As of 2020, an estimated 3.6 billion people are using social media— nearly half the planet’s population. From Friendster to Tik Tok, the purpose of social media has always more or less been the same: to make and foster connections with others. In its defense, in the first years of social media that was the case. As mobile devices weren’t as popular and used far less, many people had to use their desktop or laptop computers to access social media. Facebook and Twitter were the main platforms available at the time until Instagram was launched. During this early stage of social media, constant usage wasn’t common. I remember my parents checking their Facebook feeds maybe once a day. However as mobile devices made social media more accessible, it was also utilized more. While you can browse your Instagram feed on a computer, you aren’t able to post. Platforms like Tik Tok and Snapchat are only accessible on mobile devices. With this dramatic change in usage, we would expect to live in a world where we feel closer to our friends and family than ever. More social media should equal more connectivity. But this isn’t the case. Although social media is meant to bring us closer together, in reality social media drives us further apart because it creates toxic competition, generates onesided conversation and distracts us from having meaningful face to face conversation. Many social media users only portray one side of their lives. To be honest, I am guilty of this trend. On Instagram, all of my posts have short catchy captions
“Social media today has given a platform to “influencers” to further promote negative body image standards.”
with high-quality photos that have similar filters. They all have a “high quality” aesthetic to them. When everyone on social media is only posting the best “highlights,” is it really an honest depiction of their real lives? Social media today has given a platform to “influencers” to further promote negative body image standards. In an article from Forbes, 47% of surveyed Instagram influencers felt that their work as an influencer had an impact on their mental health. 32% felt that Instagram gave them a negative impact on their body image. These combined factors lead to the conclusion that social media promotes unhealthy body standards as well as unhealthy mental health. Millions of users follow influencers trying to be like them in every aspect of their life. After so long those who try too hard to be someone else end up not being able to form their own personality, ideals or beliefs. Influencers present a lifestyle that is seen as almost mandatory to be “cool,” which couldn’t be further from the case.
Many users on social media, namely Instagram, strive to put their best image possible out to their followers, which generates competition and unrealistic standards. From personal experience, I can attest to users spending hours editing their photos for that perfect Insta post. High quality combined with the best filter leads to an image that can be far from reality. Not only is this process deceiving to other users viewing the post, it can create competition among users to have the “best” post. In a study done by The University College London Division of Medicine, researchers found “Higher Instagram use was associated with a greater tendency towards orthorexia Nervosa.” Orthorexia Nervosa, unlike other eating disorders that focus on the quantity of food, is an unhealthy obsession with healthy food. Orthorexia Nervosa is a rare condition. Cases make up less than one percent of the general population. However this study found that among users on Instagram that follow health food accounts, 49% of them had symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa. Not only are we not authentically connecting, we’re barely even conversing. Despite the fact that social media is meant to be “social,” many times platforms don’t allow for conversations but rather onesided dialogue. The inherent purpose of social media is to be a conversation between at least two people. Many users on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter don’t use the platform to generate conversations, but rather
use it just to speak their own minds, share their experiences and talk about themselves. When scrolling through my personal Twitter or Instagram feeds, I rarely ever comment on other posts. On Twitter I will stick to liking tweets and the occasional retweet. On Instagram, I scroll and like while also occasionally posting photos or posting to my story. The only social media where I believe conversation is inherently ingrained in the purpose of the platform is Snapchat. Other than that, most platforms don’t provide a form of back and forth communication as their main focus. Even though most platforms have a direct messaging system, many users see that an afterthought. With the continued rise of social media and digital media as a whole, social media distracts us from having meaningful face to face conversations. Author and MIT Professor Sherry Turkle explains that technology gives us three fantasies when it comes to companionship: we’ll have attention everywhere, we’ll always be heard and we’ll never have to be alone. As humans, we naturally strive to find a community. Community is necessary for survival. Social media takes the real face-to-face community away from us, leaving a feeling of loneliness. Humans need face to face interaction to be mentally healthy. When we try to substitute this interaction for digital conversion, it can result in poor mental health. NBC reports that “People who get together regularly with family and friends are about half as likely to report symptoms of depression as those who have little face-to-
“ ...technology gives us three fantasies when it comes to companionship: we’ll have attention everywhere, we’ll always be heard and we’ll never have to be alone.” face contact.” Dr. Alan Teo, a professor of psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University conducted the study. I spend an average of over 29 hours on social media per week, with a daily average screen time (total screen time, not just social media) of six hours and 26 minutes. Despite the revolutionary change that social media has brought in terms of communication, it has also hindered our interpersonal relationships. Communication is key in any relationship, and relying on social media as a platform for such communication won’t last. Although social media is meant to bring us together, in reality it drives us apart. Is checking out the newest Tik Tok dance really worth forfeiting your ability to communicate better in the future?
Santa Mark Features
Rock star Santa brings joy and magic to children BY LUCY ARGAEZ
NEWS EDITOR
LARGAEZ@CCCLARION.COM
It was the day of the 2002 Salsa Festival. Mark and Debbie Tate wanted to stand out. They were taking their ice cream trailer, but Debbie wanted to make sure they sold something. So, she asked Mark to wear a Santa suit and grow out his beard for the festival. “I thought my wife had a great idea, because who doesn’t love Santa,” Mark Tate said. The festival had a costume contest, and by chance, Mark Tate was called to the front of the stage because he had won. Shortly after getting off the stage, a woman came up to the Tates and asked how much it would cost for Mark to show up to her house as Santa. “I told her he would do it for 250 dollars and that was the first time he was paid to be Santa,” Debbie Tate said. Today, Mark Tate, 65, works as a mall Santa at the West Covina Mall. He feels COVID-19 takes away from the magic of working as Santa. “I don’t like the mask, it takes away the humanity of Santa; some kids are downright scared because of the mask but I’m making the best of it,” Mark Tate said. Mark Tate’s music video was made to keep up the holiday spirit and is called “Its Almost Christmas.” It was released on Dec.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 3
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1 of this year. His friend Ben Rushing, drummer and film editor, was looking for a Santa to perform an original song and asked Tate to be a part of the project on the YouTube channel Klickfoot. “One of the things that Mark always wanted in his life was to be a rock star, he even left his home in Texas to pursue a career in music,” Debbie Tate said. Tate discovered his love for music at his Church and learned to play the guitar at 12 years old. By the time he was 18 he was playing at night clubs in El Paso, Texas. “I played at Cabaret and I even got to back up artists like Willie Nelson, Barbara Mandell and Charley Pride, but I wanted to get serious about my music, so I moved to Hollywood at 22,” Mark Tate said. Mark Tate did some acting and played for several bands before settling down and later becoming a neighborhood Santa, although his dream of becoming a rock star never left him. “When he became Santa, I saw something completely different in him, people would look at him and be amazed, I told him Santa is the biggest rock star in the world,” Debbie Tate said. Mark Tate started out as a neighborhood Santa 18 years ago; he would create a makeshift Santa suit calling himself Econo Santa. “I would go to the dollar store and get a bunch of toys and throw
Mark Tate poses while dressed as Santa.
together any red clothes I had, I would show up Christmas morning and hand out all these toys to kids in the neighborhood,” Mark Tate said. In 2004 Tate had started working as a mall Santa, after he had gained some experience working at parties. He has worked at Cerritos, Lakewood, Victorville and Buena Park malls. He then worked in Vegas for two years in the Town
Square Parade. “We had a parade and I did a show for the local news with a snow machine behind me at five in the morning, then worked as Santa and took pictures for 13 hours straight after that,” Mark Tate said. Then he went back to working at the Cerritos mall, and after 11 years he was transferred to West Covina Mall and continues his love of spreading joy. He said, “seeing kids
PHOTO COURTESY MARK AND DEBBIE TATE
who believe in Santa is magical, I just love it, it’s a great way to spend the rest of my life.” “It’s probably one of the best things that’s happened to us, it’s a real joy to see him as Santa,” Debbie Tate said. “I love it when we walk in a room and if there is a child there, they will practically stop dead in their tracks because they see him; this was a ‘meant to be’ job for him.”
PHOTO COURTESY UNSPLASH
Fees remain unchanged despite remote learning BY JUSTIN GEORGE
FEATURES EDITOR
JGEORGE@CCCLARION.COM
Despite campus being closed, students at Citrus College are still paying normal fees and expenses during registration. These fees include the class pass, health service, student representation/student service fees and parking fees. Vice President of Finance and
Administrative Services Claudette Dain said that the fees are funding their respective operations as they adapt to a remote environment. “We want to make sure we can continue as many of our student services as we possibly could in a safe, remote environment,” Dain said. All but a few of the student services offered at Citrus remain available to students. Essential staff
continue to work on campus and remotely to provide services. The Counseling and Advisement Center, Learning Center, Disabled Student Programs and Services and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services are providing services through online appointments. A temporary Class Pass may also be downloaded for use on all Foothill Transit bus lines. The Class Pass is a bus pass issued by Citrus
College to all students enrolled in at least 1 credit unit. Students can access those services and make appointments on my.citruscollege.edu. Despite most of the student services taking an online form, some student benefits are not being offered during the campus closure. Normal benefits of the student service fees include discounted
movie and theme park tickets, bookstore specials, Night Owls and campus activities as well events put on by the Associated Students of Citrus College. “Any student service fee, students have the option to waive it,” ASCC President Jennifer Munguia said in an email. “These fees are used for the ASCC budget; any ASCC sponsored activities are a benefit from the students paying the fee.”
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News
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In memory of Cheryl Hall Esteemed Citrus administrative secretary dies BY LUCY ARGAEZ
NEWS EDITOR
LARGAEZ@CCCLARION.COM
The memory of Cheryl Hall will be held close by those who came to know her, she died on Nov. 27. She was a valued member of the health sciences department at Citrus College. Hall started as an administrative secretary in 2002 and in 2014 was promoted to an administrative secretary II. She was selected as the Above and Beyond Classified Development award recipient in 2017. “She was recognized for her calm and professional manner, her willingness to go above and beyond in serving her students and faculty members, and for consistently demonstrating her commitment to Citrus College,” Superintendent/ President Geraldine Perri said in an email to Citrus College colleagues. Hall was from Chicago and was a part of a big family. Perri recalled her joking about having “a built-in sports
DEAN from Page 1 students will register for the winter and spring semesters. “Learning how to take on the budget and the scheduling was a pretty big undertaking because I had to reach out to faculty to ask them what they wanted to teach and schedule them,” Dominguez said. She is responsible for the accounting, mathematics, business, engineering and real estate departments. She also
“She believed in knowing a little bit about everything and truly did think that a mind was a terrible thing to waste.”
Geraldine Perri
Superintendent/President team.” Hall attended the University of Phoenix and Cortez W. Peters Business College in Chicago. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business management, an associate degree in secretarial science and a certificate in human resource management. “She believed in knowing a little bit about everything and truly did think that a mind was a terrible thing to waste,” Perri said. Hall was in the TV show “Soul Train” as one of its original dancers. She was also the personal secretary for Eunice W. Johnson, the co-owner of Ebony magazine and a production
manages scheduling for all five departments. “Victoria’s background in mathematics helps her better understand the needs of her faculty and students,” Anderson said. Dominguez is thankful for the other deans and faculty. “I’ve reached out to them several times, as anyone would in a new job when certain things come up that you don’t know how to deal with, so I am very grateful for the help,” she said.
CITRUS COLLEGE
CLARION Ethan Landa - Editor-In-Chief Alana Daly O’Brien - Managing Editor Lucy Argaez - News Editor Justin George - Features Editor Staff Reporters: Alex McCarson, Andrew Perez, Daisy Martinez, Diocelyn Carlon Gabriel Raphael, Ryan Uribe Patrick Schmiedt Clarion adviser Stacy K. Long Clarion adviser
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assistant for the Ebony Fashion Fair. Hall worked at 3M for 14 years and relocated to Southern California when 3M downsized and her department moved out of state. She then applied for a secretarial job at Citrus College.
Perri said Hall will be remembered for her special performances with her group Sisters-in-Song at the California State Employee Association Summer Shindig events in addition to her lip sync with classified staff colleagues at the 2015
staff appreciation event. “The Citrus College community extends its deepest sympathy to her loved ones, friends and colleagues,” Perri said. “Ms. Hall will truly be missed.” Services are pending.
Low enrollment could cause revenue loss BY JUSTIN GEORGE
FEATURES EDITOR
JGEORGE@CCCLARION.COM
Enrollment of full-time equivalent students is down 14% from last year’s fall semester, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at Citrus College Claudette Dain said. A lower enrollment figure could mean revenue losses for the college if enrollment is not restored. “Citrus College, like all other California community colleges, is under a funding model that primarily funds colleges based on full-time equivalent students,” Dain said. The Student-Centered Funding Formula is how California allocates funds to community colleges. It provides a student success allocation in which funding depends on student success. It includes a hold-harmless provision, which protects funding from dropping below a base established in the first year of SCFF. However it is temporary and may expire in two years if it is not renewed. “70% of the allocation is based on the number of full-time equivalent students that we serve,” Dain said. “If our FTES continues to decline and the hold-harmless provision
PHOTO COURTESY PIXABAY
expires, then we would see a pretty significant reduction in our funding if we don’t restore those FTES.” Enrollment started to decline during the spring semester of 2020 when all courses were moved online. A potential cause for the enrollment drop include students taking a gap year, or “waiting it out,” as Dain puts it. Some students were unable to succeed in an online environment and decided to withdraw. During the COVID-19 pandemic, community colleges have been receiving financial help from the federal and state government. This
includes the CARES Act, federal block grants and grants for minorityserving institutions. The CARES Act included a student aid portion and an institutional portion. “The purpose of the institutional portion is to allow colleges to adapt and adjust and continue providing instruction in this remote environment,” Dain said. “This is a very challenging time for our students; it’s challenging for our faculty and our staff as well. The college is committed to providing as much as we can.”
Christmas celebrations continue at the Haugh with ‘Don’t Shelve the Elves!’ STAFF REPORT
CONTACT@CCCLARION.COM
The Citrus Singers are performing in a virtual Christmas event and lending their voices to animated characters this holiday season in “Don’t Shelve the Elves!” The event is free and hosted on streaming platforms at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 and 3 p.m. Dec. 12 on the YouTube app by searching “Citrus College Visual and Performing
Arts Division Don’t Shelve the Elves!” The show begins with an encore of a past holiday Citrus Singers choral performance, followed by the animated event. The animated performance features elves Ernie and Elsie, voiced by Luis Zano and Berlynn Milliken, taking on the task of breaking the news to Santa that they are not able to visit the children at Citrus College this year. A link will be provided on the
Haugh Performing Arts Center website on the days of the event for easy access. While the show is free, you can show your support for the Vocal Music Program with a tax-deductible donation through the Citrus College Foundation. The Haugh website says that donations “provide scholarships, tuition assistance, and support the educational goals of students studying the arts at Citrus College.”