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ccclarion.com Volume LXXV • Issue 11 Tuesday, March 29, 2022
PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION BY MARK SNOW
Gas prices, Russians and war Prices at the pump leave the Citrus community with tough thoughts on global and at-home problems
BY MARK SNOW
MANAGING EDITOR
MSNOW@CCCLARION.COM
The Russian conflict in Ukraine is leaving students with light wallets and heavy hearts. While rising gas prices are an immediate concern, humanitarian and socioeconomic factors come into play with the ongoing Russian/ Ukrainian conflict. Citrus professor of economics Luai Zawahreh said in an email students should prepare for higher than normal gas prices. “Gas prices will not return to what they were two years ago, between $2.20 and $2.50 a gallon, students may factor that in as part of the spending budget,” Zawahreh said. “Economic factors show that individual income and household income has increased, and over time people may change their demand from gas engines to the more electric engine automobiles.” Citrus professor of political science Gerhard Peters said
Ukraine acted as a catalyst to fuel an already rising oil market. “It (rising gas price) could have the effect of driving a more fuelefficient vehicle or wearing dockers instead of Prada,” Peters said. Now more than ever students are feeling the heat from driving gas-powered vehicles. Although demand will increase for electric vehicles in the future, some students are dealing with more immediate problems, like daily commutes to school. Citrus biology major Searrah Cardenas said gas prices coupled with being a full-time student and working a minimum-wage job have had a major impact on her life. “Gas prices are reaching almost $7 (per gallon) when I’m only making $15 (per hour) is absurd,” Cardenas said. “The cost to fill up my tank has doubled and has me struggling to make ends meet.” Citrus dental major Joshua Groman is worried about driving to his family as the prices continue
“Hopefully the sanctions may deter Russia but that does not seem to be the case so far.”
Joshua Groman
dental student, Citrus to rise. “To be honest, I have been much more conscientious about where I am going now and if it’s worth the drive since my car already wastes quite a bit of gas as it is,” Groman said. Citrus professor of psychology Brianne Levine-Peters said with the number of students still taking online classes, and many working from home, it initially did not seem like the prices were that big of a deal. “When I thought more about it, it immediately came to mind that we are all experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance,”
Levine-Peters said. “Especially in California, where the gas prices are extremely high.” Levine-Peters said cognitive dissonance is a conflict of two different attitudes and can make us feel uncomfortable. “We’re seeing polls on social media where there are tons of support for Ukraine and support for imposing sanctions on Russia,” Peters said, “but on the other hand, no one wants to pay more gas and that’s the conflict. That’s the discomfort.” Groman said seeing the shelling and reports of civilians dying in Ukraine is alarming and hard to watch. “Hopefully the sanctions may deter Russia but that does not seem to be the case so far.” Groman Said. Worrying about the price of gas is an appropriate response, but other luxury items in life, like expensive purses and large fuelinefficient trucks, seem to not fit into that equation, Peters said.
Levine-Peters said this is where the cognitive dissonance is affecting the view on the crisis and the immediate problems on the homefront. “One of the ways we reduce cognitive dissonance is to reassess and change our behavior,” LevinePeters said. “If I say I don’t want to pay so much for gas then I need to do something to reduce that discomfort. That can be something like getting a new car or something like changing who we are blaming for the problem.” Citrus professor of history Bruce Solheim said the U.S. needs to be cautious when dealing with cutting off oil supplies to Russia. “The Japanese had to secure Indonesia during World War II so they wouldn’t have to be dependent on us (the U.S.),” Solheim said. “Cutting off the Japanese oil supply accelerated our involvement in the war, as they decided to attack in retaliation. That could happen again if we’re not careful.”
2 Tuesday, March 29, 2022
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Clarion advisers: Patrick Schmiedt Stacy K. Long The Clarion is produced by journalism students and is distributed every other Tuesday during the semester. Ads are not endorsed by the Clarion. Published opinion is that of the writer. Views expressed do not represent those of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College and/or CCCBOT.
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JACC has new student leadership
The Clarion staff attended the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and Associated Collegiate Press Convention in Long Beach. managing Editor Mark Snow was elected JACC student president for the next year, March 23, 2023. Clarion editor-in-chief Anthony Rossi was elected to be a SOCAL representative. Individual group awards were given, with four from the statewide publication contests for work published by Logos and Clarion during the 2021 calendar year.
Spring brings Gradfest
Citrus College Student Services is scheduled to have a GradFest event on March 28–April 1. This event is used to kick off graduation season for Citrus College students. Students should apply for graduation by April 15.
Cinderella coming to the Haugh
Citrus College presents a musical Broadway adaptation, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” beginning at 2 p.m April 2-3 at the Haugh Performing Arts Center. Tickets range from $15 to $30. You can purchase a ticket at http://www.tickets.haughpac.com/cinderella/2277.
Correction
In the March 15 edition of the Clarion, in the story “A shifting mentality” the success rate for online and hybrid classes was incorrect. Online classes had a 64% success rate before the pandemic and a 69% success rate the past two years. Incorrect information was supplied to the Clarion.
News
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 3
CLARION
One class makes an artist Beginning Drawing creates skills for new students in the art world BY BROOKE SPEARS
STAFF REPORTER
BSPEARS@CCCLARION.COM
Beginning Drawing is an art course offered at Citrus that creates artistic possibilities for anyone who may be interested to become exceptional with a pen and paper. This course brings students’ artistic abilities to light while teaching students different techniques in the process, making the impossible possible for students who doubt their abilities. Former Beginning Drawing student Adrian Nava said joining this art course allowed him to create art that he didn’t know he was capable of creating, while giving him new skills to work with. Kimberly Toth, a former student of beginning drawing, said in an email this class has made her more skilled and has helped her along the way for future art courses. “I feel beginning drawing did help me become a better artist,” Toth said. “I am positive I would not have done well in my other art classes without it.” Art professor Dyane Duffy is an example of the beginning art course transforming a student into an artist. “Beginning Drawing was an important class for me as an
undergrad student at a community college,” Duffy said in an email. “I really surprised myself. I suspected, but didn’t really know, I had this sort of talent in me.” The result of taking this course is not just for the sake of becoming more skilled, but for the ideal of learning the history of art and vocabulary, while gaining insight for creativity. “This class helped me understand many new techniques that I can now incorporate into my art,” former Beginning Drawing student Benjamin Goodrich said. “My favorite aspect was the freedom I was given.” The course gives students the freedom to draw something of their choosing and become confident in their artistic development. “My best experience with Beginning Drawing was probably being able to draw freely. With every assignment I was able to feel more comfortable choosing my own objects,” Goodrich said. Beginning art will create an artist within any student, who is devoted to boosting their artistic abilities. “Students who immerse themselves in this course have their own personal nature to their artwork,” Nava said.
BROOKE SPEARS-- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A former student drew a landscape portrait from a real-life view. Photo was made from black and white charcoal mix.
Business and accounting is changing Citrus will introduce new accounting degrees and three new business certificates BY MIRANDA PALMAS
STAFF REPORTER
MPALMAS@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus has implemented new degrees and certificates in accounting that will come into effect beginning fall 2022. One of the full-time accounting professors that presented this idea, Patrick Borja, said in the fall of 2021, faculty developed several new accounting courses, degrees and certificates. The new degrees Citrus will offer are an associate degree in accounting and an associate degree in business with an emphasis in accounting. The three new certificates being implemented are CPA, or certified public accountant, certificates, which will deem that person an accounting professional and a trusted financial adviser. Dean of Mathematics and Business Victoria Dominguez said the certificates take anywhere from three to four classes to complete. The new certificates are the CPA exam preparation in accounting, the CPA exam preparation in business-related subjects requirement and the CPA licensure in accounting study and ethics. The idea of these new degrees and certificates comes from the faculty in the accounting department because they “are the ones who write curriculum,” Dominguez said. The two full-time accounting professors, Borja and Robert Smolin, “are CPAs so they know what students need and what (employers) want (in order to) get employed,” Dominguez said. These two new degrees will
MIRANDA PALMAS-STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Accounting 102 students work on an in-class assignment taught by professor Robert Smolin in LB 208 on March 24.
be the first associate degrees in accounting at Citrus. The process to get these courses approved was a long and slow one with “faculty submitting the curriculum degrees, courses and certificates in the fall. (After that) waiting for approval here at Citrus, and then going up to the chancellor’s office in Sacramento and being approved there,” Dominguez said. If that wasn’t enough hoops to
jump through, “it could take an extra year if the course is a transfer level course like this one, which (then) has to be articulated to a university, so that it’s accepted by (the university) and students get the credit for that course,” Dominguez said. The requirements for completing these certificates vary and in the fall of 2022 is when they will be advertised so faculty will “put up
posters in the LB classrooms so that students can see what the requirements are right when they are in class,” Dominguez said. Citrus College has many accounting majors and the faculty that presented these certificates and degrees hope that “these new programs will offer more opportunities within accounting for students to take new… courses, gain a greater exposure to
accounting and to prepare to take the CPA exam and obtain their CPA license,” Smolin said. In fall of 2020, Citrus introduced three other certificates of achievements – payroll accounting, income tax one (income tax assistant) and income tax two (income tax preparer). The income tax one and income tax two courses are meant to prepare students to become an income tax assistant or to become an income tax preparer, Dominguez said. “Students take the first certificate class, and then a test from the IRS, and then they are able to become an assistant,” Dominguez said. “They then take the second certificate class and are able to become a preparer, so while they are in school they can prepare tax returns.” Dominguez said one goal for the Citrus Math and Business Department is to “have what’s called a vita site on campus, so that people from the community can come and get their taxes done for free. It would be a great opportunity for students to practice what they’re learning.” All courses will have every modality offered to them such as “fully online…hybrid and on campus,” Dominguez said. “We’ll continue to offer all of the options to give the choice to students.” With a staff of two full-time and six adjunct accounting professors, the faculty hopes to see “these programs… be successful and that attendance will continue to grow,” Smolin said.
4 Tuesday, March 29, 2022
CLARION
Features
Looking out on the waves sets coming in, Jeremy Brown stares out to see where the best waves are breaking to know where he should paddle in.
A local of Huntington Beach surfs a two-foot wave as the sun sets on the ocean swell.
Surfing & snowboarding in the age of COVID-19 STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANDREW GARCIA
STAFF REPORTER
AGARCIA @ CCCLARION.COM
S
urfing and snowboarding has been around for decades, yet since the pandemic struck the U.S. there has been a drastic increase of those willing to pick up a board and surf whether it is in snow or water. Growing up in California opens many doors to outside activities due to the vast amount of weather conditions from snow to extreme heat. Southern California is one of the few places that offers the advantage of being able to go surfing and snowboarding on the same day. It shows the uniqueness and unity of this skate and surf culture. Surf culture was seen before skateboarding and snowboarding had even come to exist and yet they all contribute to one another in their own way. Peers not familiar with the sport suggest that surf and snowboarding culture
Snowboarders and skiers as they ride the ski lifts up to the slopes of Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, people have discovered a newfound solace in the ocean and on the mountains collide when in fact they correlate. When speaking to surfers and snowboarders, one can see how much they both seek the same connection to the rush of the experience as well as help one progress in said sport. “Surfing was a way for me and my friends to be safe and to enjoy our time outside without having to be yelled at to wear a mask or feeling like the odd one out for not wanting to wear one,” Patrick Golden, a Citrus college student said “Since I am a beginner, I could just finally relax at the beach.” He is not the only new beginner out there around this time of year. Statistics on the surf and snowboard industry growth shows an increase of roughly 12% to 15% a year which makes surfing and snowboarding one of the fastest growing sports as of today according to Damjana Cikaric, an author from Bitola.
Surfing and snowboarding are sports that take place outside which resulted in many using these sports as a way to get away from all the COVID-19 regulations. Since at the time surfing was all one could do, many people have joined the sport and are now in the water chasing waves as much as the locals. “It’s a sport that hooks you, once you finally get up on that board and take a wave all the way in,” Jeremy Brown, a local surfer from Newport Beach said, “there is no going back because you’ll fall in love with the feeling.” The joining of many newcomers is very controversial when it comes to asking the locals whether they like sharing the waves with “kooks” yet many are excited to have a global spread of the awareness of the sport and culture behind it.
Patrick Golden wanted to experience the California culture by beginning his day surfing Newport Beach and ending it on Big Bear Mountain where he can surf snow.
Campus Question
Opinion
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 5
CLARION
For this week’s question, I asked Citrus students: What are you struggling with being back on campus?
MARK SNOW - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
MARK SNOW - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Xavier Lopez First Year, Music
Ariana Alverado Second Year, Sociology
“Definitely social isolation. I don’t have many friends in this area, or even in this school.”
“The transition back on campus, this is my first semester being here in two years.”
MARK SNOW - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Reporter Nico Lira introduces the campus question before interviewing students March 18.
To watch the full video and all other episodes, visit: MARK SNOW - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
MARK SNOW - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Carissa Dycus First Year, Psychology
Esther Pecho Second Year, Education
“Seeing everybody. That’s the biggest thing. I’ve been online for over two and half years and seeing everybody is a whole new change.”
“When I’m hungy and I get out of class, but the Owl Cafe closes at 2 p.m. and my class ends after it’s closed and I’m like so hungy but it’s closed.“
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Editorial
One district to rule them all Being a one-district college comes with many decisions exclusive to itself Citrus College will always be the most unique school in its district; after all, it is the only school in that district. Citrus College is a part of the Citrus Community College District, a district featuring Citrus College alone. While in most districts, the decisions are made with several schools in mind, Citrus is unique as decisions focus only on itself. The district takes care of issues in-house without having to look outside its own windows to see what everyone else in the neighborhood is doing. This is not without its advantages. Being the only school in the district allows potential problems on campus to be immediately and directly addressed.
However, the exclusivity of Citrus College can also insulate and isolate the campus. Other colleges can be operating in one way, while Citrus will act in its own. Citrus College sets its own precedent, a fact that is both freeing and dangerous. An example of this is the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, or in Citrus’ case, the lack thereof. Other schools, such as Mt. San Antonio College, have required students and faculty to show proof of vaccination to return to campus. Citrus College is not obligated to follow this lead and has chosen not to. Citrus continues to require masking indoors, daily prescreening and scanning QR codes around campus to track the disease.
Yet, documentation of vaccination status remains a step the district of one will not take. Another example of Citrus having the ability to act unilaterally is how they have handled fake students attempting to manipulate the financial aid system for profit. Citrus and every other community college were hit hard by enrollment fraud in 2021. The California Community College chancellor’s office reports that 40% of the 116 community colleges failed to report any information regarding the fraud, the L.A. Times said in a story on March 22. The chancellor’s office plans to create a new state regulation that requires these colleges to
submit information upon request within 10 days, reporter Michael Burke said in an article posted on edsource.org. Currently, Citrus does not need to report any information regarding fraud to any state authority. It may have to if new regulation is passed, but that does not mean Citrus will fall into the same guidelines as L.A. County. Citrus will have its own guidelines for dealing with fraud, or any other issue. This is the privilege of being a one-district school, for better or for worse. This decision is made possible by the freedom to make it without any school to consider except Citrus College. The prototypical school
district is held accountable by various different colleges, just as the colleges hold the district accountable. This is not a call for a vaccine mandate at Citrus, a repealing of COVID policies, or an upheaval of the Citrus College Community School District. Rather, this is a message for Citrus to look outside of its own scope. A district of one is advantageous as long as it looks out the window.
Editorials are the opinion of at least 75% of the Editorial Board. Views expressed do not represent thoose of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College and/or CCCBOT.
FALL 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND SEPT. 8 – DEC. 2, 2022
Enroll in 12 or more units of CSU/UC transferable credits next fall!
STUDY ABROAD WORK TOWARD YOUR DEGREE OVERSEAS! Visit www.citruscollege.edu/studyabroad for up-to-date program information and meeting dates.
WINTER 2023
PARIS, FRANCE JAN. 7 – FEB. 4, 2023
Enroll in 3-6 CSU/UC transferable credits next winter!
Sports
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 7
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Owls turn it around After a shaky start to the season, the Owls are finding their stride BY NICHOLAS LIRA
STAFF REPORTER
NLIRA@CCCLARION.COM
After having lost two seasons due to COVID-19, the Citrus College baseball team finished their non-conference games with a 7-10 record. Head coach Steve Gomez said their preseason results did not match their expectations going into the season. “You start a season you have to go out and think you’d win every game,” Gomez said. “New season means you go at it.” After winning their first conference game on March 8, freshman outfielder Matthew Espinoza said they are headed in the right direction. “Preseason I knew we had the pieces to be a really good scrappy team,” Espinoza said. “It was just a matter of playing together at the right time.”
Gomez said he is pleasantly surprised with his offense so far and pointed out freshman outfielder Devon Diaz, specifically. Diaz has played well in the leadoff spot. The freshman outfielder boasts the third highest on base percentage on the team at .453. Gomez said having a freshman in the leadoff spot shows the utmost confidence that a coach can have for a player. “I go out there and play with confidence, knowing that my team trusts me is a great feeling to keep in the back of my head,” Diaz said. Putting runs on the board has not been an issue for the Owls, but keeping them off presented challenges during their nonconference games. The Owls’ pitching held a 7.50 ERA at the end of preseason
play. Gomez used these games to set up a rotation for the pitching, which at that point was described by Gomez as sporadic. Six games into conference play, the pitching has found its rhythm to a tune of a 3.33 ERA. The Owls have used a highpowered offense and revitalized work from the pitching staff to start conference play 4-2, including a decisive 23-1 victory against Antelope Valley College on March 10. “From the moment we got off the bus we knew the task at hand and were focused early on,” freshman outfielder Matthew Espizoza said. “We wanted to go in there and play our game of baseball and I think we did just that.” The Citrus will begin a three game series against Glendale on March 29 after completing a series sweep of West LA.
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8 Tuesday, March 29, 2022
News
CLARION
Colleges compete for community college Oscars Over 150 other institutions compete to win $1 million cash prize BY ANDREW GARCIA
STAFF REPORTER
AGARCIA@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus College has received an invitation to compete against 150 other schools for what former President Barack Obama once called “the Oscars for great community colleges,” the Aspen Prize. This is the college’s fifth consecutive invitation for the award that has run seven times. “Receiving another invitation to compete for the Aspen award is truly a great honor for Citrus College and a testament of the great work done by our faculty, staff and students,” Finance and Administrative Services Vice President Claudette Dain said in an email. Ten finalists will be chosen this spring or summer resulting in one winner who will gain the $1 million prize for their institution. This prize awards high achievement and success among community colleges nationwide. The award is given every two years and is judged in five areas: teaching and learning; certificate and degree completion; transfer and bachelor’s attainment; workforce success; and equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. “I believe that Citrus will do good when they compete, I can really see Citrus scoring very high when it comes to the five areas of judging,” said Andrew Mackliff, a student at
PHOTO BY PIXABAY
Citrus. The competition and ceremony for the award is in May 2023. The college
with the most success or overall improvement will be victorious. “I honestly believe that Citrus ADVERTISEMENT
College is one of the best community colleges nationwide and think the money could be well spent on our
school if we were to win,” another student, Kevin Golden, at Citrus College said.