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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 | VOL LXXI ISSUE 10 tccclarion.com f/ccclarion T@ccclarion
#PRESSFORPROGRESS In recognition of International Women’s Day, the Clarion is featuring notable women and the Women’s March. PG. 6&7
Daniel Bardonner Clarion
all-girl trio amps Mothers and the punk scene writers The Frick Fracks create a safe space for women through the power of music. PG. 8
A review of a professor’s book on famous authors and their mothers. PG. 9
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
Clarion
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Everything you need to know about current events on the campus community. If there is something you want us to cover, email us: contact@ccclarion.com
HOOT TWEETS:
@dodonique: “Super stoked to be going on this journey with this kick ass cast!! #citruscollege” @OfficialMcReyna: “There’s some random dude yelling at Citrus College.”
• MARCH 7 & 8 - HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL BLOOD DRIVE
Huntington Hospital will host a blood drive on campus from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Campus Center Mall. • MARCH 7 - STUDENT SERVICES RESOURCE FAIR
@supcadena: “Citrus College folks are the sweetest human beings.”
OWLSTAGRAM:
Students can find resources available to them for the semester from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Campus Center Mall. • MARCH 8 - MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
The mobile food pantry returns to campus from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot outside of the Hayden Library. • MARCH 12, 13 & 15 - SPRING CLUB RUSH
Students have an opportunity to join a club on campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Campus Center Mall. • MARCH 14 - SPRING 2018 TRANSFER FAIR
Students looking to transfer can meet representatives from four-year schools. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the transfer process. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m in the Campus Center Mall. • MARCH 16 & 17 - BATTLE OF THE BIG BANDS 14
Citrus College’s Blue Note Orchestra and Azusa Pacific University’s Jazz Ensemble will perform on stage for the 14th time in a musical duel featuring jazz, swing and other musical genres. • APRIL 2-3, 6 - INTER-CLUB COUNCIL SPRING FESTIVAL EVENTS
ICC Game day is April 2, ICC Talent Show is April 3 and the BBQ Social is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 6 in the Campus Center Mall. • APRIL 7, 8, 14 &15 - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The Citrus Visual and Performing Arts Department presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” in a two-week show with four dates at the Haugh Performing Arts Center. For more information on the performances, visit http://www.haughpac.com.
Owlhitner g w/ Laug
• APRIL 7 & 8 - CITRUS THEATREWORKS
Citrus TheatreWorks gives theatre students the opportunity to explore different theatre genres. The performance will be in the Little Theatre. The content will be for mature audiences. • APRIL 9-12 - SEX 101 WEEK
This ASCC sponsored event aims to shed light and insight on the taboo topic of sex. More information wil be available as times and locations are still being finalized, with fliers coming out soon. • APRIL 21 - THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO ELVIS!
Champions and finalists from the annual International Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest! will perform on stage with a live band and back-up singers in the ultimate tribute to the King of Rock and Roll at 7 p.m. at the Haugh Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.tickets.haughpac.com.
THE 1000 BLOCK | Citrus campus safety blotter
grand theft/battery
PETTY THEFT
FEB. 23, 2018 – 4 p.m. Case#: 2018-017 Location: Physical Education Dispositon: Closed
FEB. 26, 2018 – 10:20 a.m. Case#: 2018-019 Location: E1 Parking Lot Disposition: Closed
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES FEB. 24, 2018 – 11:58 p.m. Case#: 2018-018 Location: Visual Arts Disposition: Closed
CITRUS COLLEGE
A COMIC STRIP BY CHARITY WA NG
CLARION Emily Cristler-Hermosillo editor-in-chief John Michaelides managing editor Daniel Bardonner news editor Maddison October features editor Michael Quintero photo editor Ryan Thompson web editor/circulation manager Charity Wang art editor
Staff Reporters: Erik Adams, Erica Capitaine, Gloria Cruz, Zaina Cummins, Jesse Elrod, Rose Junqueira, Brianna Sewell, Cameron Sparks Copy Desk: Mikayla Carrillo, Alana Daly, Patrick Fernandez, Jackie Giambalvo, Jessica Lifosjoe, Celina Ornelas, Karla Segura, Bianca Valenzuela Editorial Board: James Duffy, Patrick Fernandez, Richard Fewell, Richard Gonzalez, Ryan Thompson, Takina Walker Freelance Contributors: Daisy Diaz, Brandy Estrada, Deja McReynolds, Sayedah Mosavi, Megan Patterson, Nickey Williams
Reports are provided courtesy of the Citrus College Campus Safety Department. A report is not a statement of guilt.
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Patrick Schmiedt Clarion adviser Margaret O’Neil Clarion adviser Stacy K. Long Clarion adviser
The Clarion is produced by journalism students and is distributed every other Wednesday during the semester. Ads are not endorsed by the Clarion. Editorials are the opinion of at least 75 percent of the Editorial Board. All other 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. Libel will not be published. The Clarion welcomes feedback from our readers. We want to hear from you! Send your letters to ccclarion.com/letters. All correspondence must include your student ID#, major and signature. Letters may be edited for content.
Clarion
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 PAGE 3
Transfer Fair returns for more recruits Cal States and universities come to attract applicants BY BRIANNA SEWELL STAFF REPORTER
BSEWELL@CCCLARION.COM
The Transfer Fair will be returning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14 in the Campus Center Mall. Around 35 institutions will be in attendance, less than last fall. Twice a year there is a Transfer Fair colleges are invited that offer bachelor’s degrees and other degrees that you can get after an associate’s degree, Counselor Gretchen Maldonado said. “We invite them to come to campus so that students can talk to admissions representatives, they can learn about institutions that maybe they hadn’t ever heard of before,” Maldonado said. Some of the local universities include Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Fullerton and Cal State LA four-year colleges and universities are invited to participate in The Tansfer Fair. UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, UC Riverside among others in attendance. “We are going to have a few UCs come out, which is nice because a lot of times for the spring fairs they’re usually busy with applications,” transfer center secretary Heather Hendrickson said. There will be a passport activity handout for an opportunity drawing to win Citrus gear donated by the bookstore. When the Student Services building opened the Transfer Center and the Career Center merged. “The Career and Transfer Center came together to work on helping students decide on a major, transfer and go through that transfer process,” director of career/transfer center, Jessica Lopez-Jimenez said. “We’re putting on a series of workshops on the transfer side as well as the career
Stephanie Sheppard Clarion
Azusa Pacific University representative speaks to Citrus students as others review material from APU during the Transfer Fair on Oct.12, 2017 in the Quad.
“
We are going to have a few UCs come out, which is nice because a lot times for the spring fairs they’re usually busy with applications.” -HEATHER HENDRICKSON
Transfer Center Secretary
side.” The center has many workshops
coming up that can be found at http:// www.citruscollege.edu/stdntsrv/ transcntr/Pages/Events.aspx. “We’re really expanding the workshops and the services that we are offering our students” Lopez-Jimenez said. There will be a resource table showing what services the Career/Transfer Center provide, Hendrickson said. There will also be a few tables from departments on campus during the transfer fair, including the Honors Transfer Center. Another organization that will be at the fair is the California Community Colleges Transfer Agreement to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Advice from Counselors • • •
Attend the fair and ask as many questions as possible Use the resources that the Career/Transfer Center provide Talk to representatives visiting Citrus throughout
HBCUs historically serve African American students and are accredited. An agreement signed in 2015 between many HBCUs and California Community Colleges grants students
• •
the semester Meet with and stay in communication with counselors regularly Attend workshops put on by the Career/Transfer Center.
guaranteed transfer. “I would encourage all students to come in and check it out,” Lopez-Jimenez said. “Come talk to a university representative and ask questions.”
Club Rush: Groups reveal rush dates
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BY ROSALYNN JUNQUEIRA STAFF REPORTER
As someone who has been a student and has been a part of clubs, I know personally it benefited my experience through education.”
RJUNQUEIRA@CCCLARION.COM
As Citrus College settles into the spring semester, students are busy filling their schedules with classes, but academics are not the only things offered by Citrus. Citrus College offers Club Rush, an event that will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 12, 13 and 15 at the Campus Center Mall. For those looking for new experiences, a chance to build up their resume or volunteer opportunities, Club Rush gives students a chance to connect. Various clubs such as, Black Student Union, Citrus College Filmmakers’ Association and Swing Dance Club use Club Rush to show students just what the club has to offer and what can be gained by joining. Student life main adviser Rosario Garcia said that the purpose behind Club Rush is to get students more involved with campus life. Club members use the opportunity to reach out and communicate with students. “They (clubs) sometimes talk to students about the events that they are planning on having so students can attend those events,” Garcia said. Along with partaking in various activities with like-minded individuals, Club Rush offers an array of benefits for students.
-RITA BARBER
Inter-Club Council Advisor
File photo
A lot of clubs go on field trips, some get private tours of museums or zoos, there are even guest speakers invited to talk to club members. “In the case of the Anthropology
Club, most of their field trips are educational,” Garcia said. “I know they got a private tour last semester when they went to the Museum of Natural History … they
actually get to see things that most people don’t.” Field trips and guest speakers aren’t the only things that clubs have to offer.
Inter-Club Council Adviser, Rita Barber, said that students can gain a lot from joining a club. “As someone who has been a student and has been a part of clubs, I know personally it benefited my experience through education,” Barber said. “It gave me a feeling of community and a sense of belonging in a school that seems rather large.” With a variety of clubs and organizations being offered at Club Rush, students can connect with others that have similar interests and find their own sense of belonging in the Citrus College community. Barber said that the clubs are not here to interfere with student academics, but rather to enhance them, with “the relationships that they form and the different activities that they do.”
Clarion
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 PAGE 5
Alumna running for president of UC Berkeley BY EMILY HERMOSILLO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
EHERMOSILLO@CCCLARION.COM
Despite being transgender, the child of an immigrant, diagnosed with PTSD and a single mother, Juniperangelica Gia Xiomara Cordova continues on, following her goal to become president of UC Berkeley. She has been involved in student government since attending Azusa High School. After serving as the commissioner of equity and the student trustee at Citrus College, she transferred to Berkeley as an ethnic studies major and is now a senator running for ASUC president. Being a student leader and advocate would be enough to overfill anyone’s schedule, but Cordova adopted a relative October 2017. Cordova raises awareness of immigration and LGBTQ issues. “When Juniper was a student trustee she was actively engaged in campus affairs,” Citrus College trustee Barbara Dickerson said. Cordova helped coordinate Sex 101 week while here at Citrus, offering information on safe sex, consent and gave out free condoms to students. “she did a great job with making sure publicity got out and delegating to other student officers to make sure that they helped with the efforts,” Marianne Tolano-Leveque, dean of students said. Tolano-Leveque describes Cordova as hardworking, bright, tenacious and passionate. Cordova’s former International Relations professor, Gerhard Peters, said “She was a pleasant student and
Photo courtesy of Juniperangelica Gia Xiomara Cordova
I was glad to have her in the class.” Although Tolano-Leveque only knew Cordova for a semester she left behind a lasting impression. “One time she told me she wanted to be the president of the United States,” Tolano-Leveque said “... We’re going to see Juniper’s name in a public way somewhere, sometime.”
Q&A How did your time at Citrus prepare you for Berkeley and beyond? Citrus prepared me for UC Berkeley through the introduction to self-advocacy. At Citrus, I was pushed into the college world and expected to advocate for myself and my needs, whether it be acquiring the services I needed or help I needADVERTISEMENT
ed in class. The mentorship from so many women of color in leadership at Citrus also shaped my perspective and desire to lead. What advice would you give to current Citrus College students? Keep going. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to pack up and leave the game, but I kept going. As a transfer, a queer and transgender woman, a mother... it’s been a rough ride but I know that I will
be proud of myself the day I can sit back and know “I’ve made it.” I also will say it is vital to find and lean on community. Our people will get us through tough times, so be vulnerable. Also, be loud. Be the loud b**** in class and in government and everywhere. As women of color, we are often silenced and then begin to silence ourselves. I refuse to be the quiet girl anymore. How has your experience with motherhood impacted you? Motherhood was unexpected, as it usually is. But it’s been the world’s greatest gift. Having the opportunity to adopt my child has shown me that while I can strive for greatness on campus, someone will always have my heart in mind. Having a child to come home to makes rough days a little easier. I’ve also learned to prioritize and to think about my future in terms that are more than just myself. I understand that you are an activist, can you tell me what you have been doing lately and what kind of sacrifices you have made to help others? There is a lot of need on campus and in the surround area. My work most recently has revolved around racial justice, fighting tuition hikes and police accountability. There have been countless of incidents around the Bay Area that has demanded my immediate attention and I try my best to show up to actions as needed. It’s important to be aware of our community’s safety and always work toward a more equitable and just reality. Cordova answered via email.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
SPOTLIGHT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
A marcher stands out in the crowd during the Women’s March Jan. 20 on Foothill Street in Los Angeles.
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A child displays a sign in the middle of the Los Angeles Women’s March.
Men, women and children march as one community for equality Protesters participating in the Women’s March on Jan. 20 on Hill st. in Los Angeles.
Protesters participating in the Women’s March Jan. 20 crowd South Foothill Street in Los Angeles from City Hall beyond 7th Street.
Photos of events that happened during Los Angeles Women’s March for international women’s day photos by Daniel Bardonner
Protesters participating in the Women’s March on Jan. 20 at Pershing Square.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Clarion
the frick fracks: a versatile trio ROCKs the SCENE
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BY MICHAEL QUINTERO
We want our shows to be a safe place for women.”
PHOTO EDITOR
MQUINTERO@CCCLARION.COM
Throughout history, punk rock music has always been an outlet for people to express their emotions through music. The punk rock scene has been mostly male dominated, but times have changed. The Frick Fracks are a groovy punk band trio of young women from Glendora. The band is composed of bassist Devan Occhiato, guitarist Marielle Villaflor and drummer Samantha Martinez. The band is labeled as punk on its website, but it has different music styles from thrash punk, to blues, to R&B. “I love that we aren’t tied down to one genre,” Villaflor said. “It doesn’t limit us to one sound.” The trio is not a typical punk rock band, playing three chords and screaming about their broken homes, like ‘70s and ‘80s punk rock. Personal freedom, equality and self-expression are just a few values The Frick Fracks voice through their music and live shows. Chase Bikle, photographer and graphic designer for The Frick Fracks, wrote in an email, “Their songs come from experience as a human and living in our current society.” Though the punk scene has had a history of violence and drugs, The Frick Fracks do not want this environment for their fans. “We want our shows to be a safe place for women,” Occhiato said. Occhiato and Villafor met when they were 12 years old and had an
Nathan Garcia Clarion
From left, Marielle Villaflor, Samantha Martinez and Devan Occhiato of The Frick Fracks pose for a photo on March 5 in the photography studio at Citrus College.
itch for music. The band first started in 2015. They started writing and playing in response to a friend’s band The Sinking Sailors. “We did it because the guys were doing it,” Occhiato said. In the beginning they thought this was a one-time thing, and didn’t
expect to be in their position now, Occhiato said. It wasn’t long until they held their first festival, The Frick Fracks Fest, in 2016 in a backyard in Glendora. Martinez was just a fan, but in 2017 when they needed a new drummer, Martinez was their girl. ADVERTISEMENT
When Martinez first showed up to tryouts, she banged the drums twice and said “that’s all I know.” But, after they jammed out, “I knew right away that she was a perfect fit,” Occhiato said. Since the trio has been together they have came out with their first
-DEVAN OCCHIATO
Bassist of The Frick Fracks
single, “June”, which was released Feb. 19. They plan on releasing more singles throughout the year while recording their first album. But, the music doesn’t stop there. Occhiato wants The Frick Fracks to be a brand, similar to how Black Flag branded their logo across the world. Ideas flow through her head about how to brand themselves, from selling merch, collaborating with artists and planning Frick Fracks Fest 2. Aside from the music, Occhiato will be graduating with an associates degree in psychology from Citrus College next fall. Martinez and Villaflor attended Citrus but left to put full focus into The Frick Fracks. The Fricks Fracks started as a one-time thing, but they are a cornerstone of dedication to the music scene. “It takes real time to come together each week and weekend to continue to produce and play for their audience,” Bikle wrote. Even though the trio is vibing with what they have, they want to enhance their sound by adding more female members. “We love women doing things in this scene, and want to jam with them,” Martinez said.
Clarion
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 PAGE 9 ADVERTISEMENT
REVIEW
‘Wak’-ing it out of the park Professor Dale Salwak delivers collection on mothers’ impact on their children’s writing
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Ryan Thompson Clarion
Professor Dale Salwak holds his new book, “Writers and Their Mothers,” on March 2 in his office in the CI building. This book was released Feb. 25 by Palgrave Macmillan.
BY JAMES DUFFY STAFF WRITER
JDUFFY@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus College professor of English Dale Salwak grinds a new lens for reading literature: authors’ mothers. The project’s ambition, to tackle the maternal influence on writers, is staggering. Salwak gained submissions from Anthony Thwaite, David Updike, Ian McEwan and Martin Amis, among others. “These are all people I am acquainted with, some I have known many years,” Salwak said. “I use a shotgun approach, send messages to about 50 people, figuring, I’d get about half.” Biographical details on William Shakespeare, Louisa May Alcott, Sylvia Plath, Samuel Beckett and Philip Larkin surprise as much as they inspire. The reader starts comparing the authors’ relationships to their own. Are you a Larkin, who along with mother Eva, celebrated independence from their late patriarch; or a Robert Lowell, whose career was part rebellion against “mother,” and part-restoration of the memory of “daddy.” Then there are the autobiographical revelations. Ian McEwan and his mother Rose both suffer from a hesitation to speak. It was an anxiety learned from living in the house of Sgt. David McEwan. “I was like her, too tongue-tied to face down his iron certainties,” McEwan writes. The author agonizes his mother’s attempt to change her accent in high company. One of several inspirations for Salwak’s work was a challenge posed by Alexander McCall Smith in his book on W.H. Auden. “There may be no book on the mothers of poets,” Smith writes. The astonished reader asks, “Why?” The maternal relationships of the authors in the book span every distinction of class, faith and parental bond. Larkin’s mom, whom he called,
“dearest creature” in correspondence, was the only reliable woman in his life. Whitman could not recover from his mother’s death. “We have been great chums: always next to each other: always,” Whitman wrote. Whitman’s biography notes that both he and his mother exchanged regular letters describing their illnesses. Whitman’s Pulitzer Prize winning biographer, Kenneth Silverman, was doing chemotherapy at the time. “This was the last piece of writing before he died,” Salwak said. Sylvia Plath tortured her mom with the prospect of suicide, as she did with everyone else in her family. She killed herself with her two children in the next room. Louisa May Alcott tortured herself to please her mother, Abigail, who lived vicariously through Louisa’s career. Art critic John Ruskin’s mom moved to college with him. Samuel Beckett could not escape his mother, who thrilled at the chance to visit his frequent sickbed. Salwak’s striking collection is a who’s who of literary peerage. He retained important contributors, such as Ann Thwaite and David Updike, from his 2004 collection, “Living with a Writer.” Salwak’s interest in his contributors’ work lasts decades. “A lot of my research has been on that group, they grew out of the ‘50, the so-called ‘angry young men,’ Salwak said. While focusing on writers of English, the book is distinctly anglo and American. One would like to see the Indian literary celebrities dominating English publishing, such as Arundhati Roy or Salman Rushdie, if they could be got. “That’s the problem with something like this. There are so many areas to explore it would just become a baggy monster,” Salwak said. “There were a whole generation of writers coming out of World War II that really transformed the novel in ways such that we have not seen
since.” Ernest Hemingway, who was raised by his mother as a girl before age 6, did not make the cut. But we learn from Judy Carver that her father, William Golding, confessed a desire to be a girl as a child and lived in awe of women’s intuitive power. “Witchcraft, he would mutter again, and I don’t think he was joking,” Carver wrote. Salwak has assembled a collection that other writers and biographers can now come to for material. The importance of the maternal bond, for good or ill, is the most remarkable part of the compilation. Organizing one’s thoughts in words is a reflective act. Scouring the mind for language, incanting one’s “voice,” cannot be done without hearing a mother’s sighs, scolds and soothing coos. Matriarchs in the book are “cruel,” “charming,” or “suffocating.” Some spread their ambition to their children as Shakespeare’s mom, and some try to break their spirits, as Charlotte Lowell did to her son, Robert. Stepmother Elizabeth Jane Howard had an “exotic” touch to guide the hand of a “semi-literate truant,” as Martin Amis described himself. Amis credits her with a more important role in his literary development than his famed father, Kingsley Amis. All the mothers are connected by their significance in their children’s lives. Fathers may or may not teach by example, but mothers, even in resentment, listen. And for a budding writer, what more could they ask for than an audience? Salwak’s own mother shaped his career as well. “Without any doubt. (My mother) has always been an avid reader, she has read everything I’ve ever done and saved me from lots of stylistic embarrassment,” Salwak said. “Writers and Their Mothers” is available at www. http://palgrave.com for $24.99.
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
Clarion
Owls fall short in third round of playoffs Men’s basketball loses in close battle against Orange Coast College BY MICHAEL QUINTERO PHOTO EDITOR
MQUINTERO@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus College’s men’s basketball season came to an end in an 80-77 loss in the third round of playoffs against Orange Coast College on March 3 at Citrus College. Sophomore forward Kyle Gray had a chance to score and take the lead on a difficult shot with 5 seconds left, but missed. Citrus had to foul, and had one last chance down by three with 4 seconds left. Sophomore guard Miles
Crawford took the last-second 3 point shot and fell short. “We both played great basketball, but the other team came out on top,” Citrus head coach Brett Lauer said. “This is what happens when you compete against great teams.” Citrus started regional playoffs as the No. 3 seed. The Owls blew out San Diego Miramar in the second round 99-72. Sophomore guard Jeremy Smith scored 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the blowout win. Smith scored 25 points against Orange Coast College in the loss. This is the Owls third consecutive year making it to the third round of playoffs, but have fallen short. The Owls averaged 84.7 points per game on the season and 15.4 assists per game. Smith averaged 21.6 points per game and 5.4 assists per game.
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“We both played great basketball, but the other team came out on top.” -BRETT LAUER
Citrus head coach
The season is far from being over for Lauer. “My job is to make sure every sophomore has a scholarship to a four-year,” Lauer said. “My season is far from over.” Citrus finished the season going 27-5 and 9-1 in conference games. Orange Coast College was their only loss at home.
Michael Quintero Clarion
Citrus head coach Brett Lauer draws up a play for a last-second shot to keep their playoff hopes alive on March 3 at Citrus College.
Wendy Brito Clarion
Citrus’ Jeremy Smith, left, reaches for the basketball on Feb. 25 in the Citrus College gymnasium.
Clarion
FORUM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 PAGE 11
EDITORIAL
Marjory stoneman douglas high school: Teaching truth to power To end the cycle of American gun violence, join the chorus of voices who have had enough. Commit to voting out any politician who insists on treating this issue like a talking point, rather than the deadly epidemic that it is - one in urgent need of a bipartisan cure. Congress has played hooky for too long from the politically charged issue of gun violence, so it is time for Americans to stand together and bring these politicians back to school. The number of our fellow Americans we’ve lost in schools, theaters, churches, workplaces, concerts, homes and streets as a result of the gun violence epidemic has grown far too large for us to do anything otherwise. In this great national classroom, Congress must be re-educated about that which is far more sacred than their political self-interest: American lives. Young students are now the teachers for national leaders, teaching all adults an unforgettable lesson in courage. Although many of them are barely old enough to drive a car, the students and survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are steadfastly driving a moral message that can no longer be silenced. If there is such a thing as a collective national conscience, then it has surely found the voice that it has been looking for in the form of the #NeverAgain movement that rose up out of the shell-ridden classrooms and halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month. As always, there will be people who will go to great lengths in hopes of burying a serious national discussion and movement on the issue. Online conspiracy theorists wasted little time in making the outrageous claim that survivors of the tragedy were really “crisis actors” who were faking their ordeal to promote some anti-gun agenda.
Illustration by Patrick Fernandez Clarion
Despite such desperate efforts to silence them, the voices for change are growing louder, not softer. We have already seen how the students’ voices have compelled officials such as Florida Gov. Rick Scott to modify their staunch positions on the issue – moves that formerly may have been considered political suicide for many Republican politicians. By vigorously exercising the amendment that precedes all others, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas are opening Americans’ eyes to a reality that is too easily forgotten in our polarized society. They are reminding us that the real power of our nation lies neither in the White House nor on Capitol Hill,
but rather in the hearts of everyday Americans – young and old, big and small. We the people are the teachers, and those in high office are our pupils. They take their direction from us, and they behave in accordance with the lessons we teach them. The best expression of solidarity we can offer to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is to support them in their courageous journey to teach officials in high places that Americans will not have their voices ignored any longer. If you believe in the change they are pushing for, then you too can help them “teach” both state and national officials about the massacre-free America we all wish to one day see,
and more importantly, the massacrefree America we all deserve. For Southern California residents, one such opportunity will be taking place this month. Coinciding with the March for Our Lives event in Washington D.C., Los Angeles will host its own March for Our Lives at 10 a. m. March 24 in Pershing Square. Some students at campuses nationwide are also planning a 17-minute walkout from classes on March 14. While there are a variety of legitimate reasons why both students and teachers may not want to participate in this type of demonstration, Citrus College could still express solidarity by lowering the flag to half mast on March 14 and
observe a moment of silence at 10 a.m. for all victims of gun violence. With the 2018 midterm elections approaching, we will have yet an even greater opportunity to hold politicians accountable who refuse to act to curb gun violence. We will be able to exercise our right to vote such politicians out of office. So, register to vote if you haven’t already, and help make sure no politician is let off the hook. The polling place may well be the best place to speak up for survivors, victims, and families of gun violence and prove to leaders that we are serious when we say – #NeverAgain.
OPINION
USA women’s hockey battles on and off the ice BY RICHARD GONZALEZ
STAFF WRITER
RGONZALEZ@CCCLARION.COM
Thirty-eight years after the U.S. hockey team won gold against the heavily favored Soviet Union team, which some people considered impossible, the women’s USA Olympic hockey team also did the impossible by beating the Canadian team to win their first gold medal in 20 years. They are being compared to the 1980’s men’s team by earning their “miracle on ice” performance beating a heavily favored Canadian team. Typically, men’s hockey has higher ratings than women’s hockey; however, this year the women’s team stole the show and the ratings. There was something special about them and they went out to prove something-not only to themselves or to the United States, but to the world. The women’s gold medal game was the “most watched late-night program in NBCSN history,” according to NBC Universal public relations. I have been watching hockey my whole life, but haven’t watched much of women’s hockey because their games aren’t usually on local cable channels. However, I was really impressed with women’s hockey in the Olympics this year. I enjoyed watching women’s hockey more than I did watching the men’s team for this Olympics. The USA - Canada game was some of the best hockey I’ve
Illustration by Patrick Fernandez Clarion
watched. The USA women’s hockey team not only battled hard to earn their muchdeserved gold medal but also had to fight an off ice battle of equality. Prior to the Olympics, the women’s hockey team was planning to boycott the 2017 Women’s Championships
due to unfair wages and unequal support for women’s hockey — a boycott that bled into the Olympics. According to CBS Sports article by Pete Blackburn, the women were only getting paid $1,000 a month during the six-month Olympic training period and receiving fewer benefits
and developmental programs compared to the men’s team. In 2014, during the Olympic jersey announcement, there was no women’s representative when the jerseys were unveiled. The design was supposed to include each of the gold medals the USA hockey team has
won. When the jersey was revealed, it only reflected the gold medals the men won and left out the women’s 1998 gold medal. “It was heartbreaking, honestly we put our lives into this team,” USA Captain Meghan Duggan said in Blackburn’s article. “But to USA hockey, we were not even thought of. We were disappointed. It was a slap in the face and another sign of disrespect.” Subsequently, both sides reached a four-year agreement which would pay women’s hockey players about $70,000, with potential bonus of about $100,000. Also, USA hockey agreed to provide them with the same accommodations and insurance equal to the men’s team. The U.S. women overcame adversities on and off the ice. They made Americans and hockey fans proud with their stellar performance. They made their mark on history and proved that in today’s world, women are just as equal as men. “When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates, and the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one of the back,” Herb Brooks, 1980 USA Olympic coach, said in the movie “Miracle.” The women’s team lived by that quote and proved that the USA in front of the jersey is all that matters and not the person’s last name or their gender.