Clarion 11/11/09

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The classic Greek comedy “Lysistrata” comes to life in the Little Theater.

See pg. 13

Clarion Citrus

College

Student stresses over seasonal overload.

See pg. 7

www.theclariononline.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Volume LXIII Issue 6

A First Amendment newspaper

College avoids being shortchanged by CSU campuses Kristin Lacuesta Clarion Staff Writer

S

Photo illustration by Dustin Call. Photo by Andrew Vasquez Citrus College Clarion Staff Sgt. Robert Ceniceros, a member of the American Veterans State Honor Guard and a Vietnam War veteran, participates in the flag ceremony during the Veterans Day Celebration in the Campus Center Mall on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Story and photos on pages 8 & 9

tudents who plan to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona will have a better chance of being admitted now that the university has reversed its earlier decision of declaring Citrus as a Tier 2 college.

Lucinda Over, dean of counseling at Citrus College, received an e-mail on Nov. 10 from Gretchen Anderson, coordinator of transfer, outreach and recruitment at Cal Poly, stating: “Congratulations. Citrus College is now a Tier 1 college.”

The reversal comes as a relief to administrators, faculty and students.

In October, Citrus officials were notified that Mt. SAC was named Cal Poly Pomona’s only Tier 1 community college, and that the college’s students would enjoy the benefit of applying with only a 2.0 GPA. Citrus had been designated a Tier 2 institution, meaning students planning to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona in fall of 2010 would need to have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Chaffey, Rio Hondo, and Pasadena City College were also deemed Tier 2.

When Superintendent/President of Citrus College Geraldine M. Perri, Ph.D., heard of Cal Poly Pomona’s decision to raise the required transfer GPA, she was upset.

“I immediately took action,” Perri said, and she as well as other Citrus administrators advocated to have Cal Poly Pomona’s decision reversed.

Perri said that she spoke to Cal Poly Pomona’s President Michael Ortiz to stress how much the decision would hurt Citrus students.

Given that Cal Poly Pomona is Citrus students’ No. 1 CSU transfer destination, Perri told Ortiz how important it is that Citrus College be made a Tier 1 college.

Citrus is 9.5 miles from Cal Poly Pomona. Perri stressed that the university’s decision placed a burden on students who need to stay local because of personal circumstances.

Despite the reversal, transferring to a CSU or UC is still going to be difficult for many Citrus students.

With most CSU and UC campuses no longer accepting transfer applications for mid-year transfers, admission into these campuses has become increasingly competitive.

Cal Poly Pomona has seen a 190 percent increase in applications from last year. Other CSU campuses have also raised their GPA requirements as more and more students apply.

Cal State Long Beach discourages students from applying if they have anything less than a 2.5, and Cal State Fullerton does not release its GPA requirement until officials there have considered all the applications they have received.

Citrus produces approximately 1,200 transfer-ready students a year.

These students have completed 60 transferable units and completed the “Golden Four” requirements in math, English, oral communications, and critical thinking.

The UC system reports a 150 percent increase in applications from last year. Many UC campuses might establish more rigorous standards for community college transfers.

However, private and independ

See TRANSFER/page 3

Victory for ‘brain train’ Anazarry Danganan Clarion Staff Writer

I

t has been a long, rough road with many years of fighting for the Gold Line Foothill Extension, but it has paid

off.

Victory came on Oct. 22, when the Metro Board of Directors passed a new Long Range Transportation Plan, committing to Phase 2A of extending a light rail service from East Los Angeles to Azusa and Phase 2B from Glendora to Montclair.

With the support of the community, businesses and schools, construction for the “shovel-ready project” is expected to start in 2010 and be completed by 2013.

At its completion, “the Gold Line Extension will reach to 13 colleges on or near the light rail line,” said State Sen. Bob Huff, who serves the 29th district of California.

With the extension Citrus College students, faculty, and staff will be able

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to travel in a more economically efficient way. Student transportation problems and the struggle to find parking are expected to decrease.

“Having rapid transit will help students’ cost of living and it will reduce traffic on the freeway. This would have gone the opposite direction, westward to the ocean, and I’m really glad we are part of this success,” said Citrus College Board of Trustees member Edward C. Ortell, Ph.D., who has been a part of the fight since 2004. He was the first to bring this solution to the board.

Students fought alongside with the Board of Trustees advocating for the extension of the Metro Gold Line into the San Gabriel Valley.

“Our board lobbied for [the station at] Citrus Avenue for about four to five years; we’ve gone to Metro Board meetings, gone to our state legislators, gone to Washington, D.C., met with some of our congressional representatives. All of our legislators and people from Congress have been completely behind it,” said Marilyn

Courtesy of Chris Lowe Metro Gold Line Ext. Const. Authority Fifteen different colleges and universities are along the route of the recently approved Metro Gold Line Extension, which will take passengers between San Bernardino County and Los Angeles.

Grinsdale, Citrus College protocol and government relations officer.

On Oct. 20, 14 Southern California congressional leaders, led by representatives David Dreier, Grace Napolitano, Adam Schiff, and Judy Chu, sent a letter to the Metro board insisting on the inclusion of the Gold Line Foothill Extension in the long-

range transportation plan and its funding.

“We are shovel-ready, meaning there’s stimulus money to encourage the economy, but some of the projects they put the money into won’t happen until five to 15 years, and that doesn’t give much stimulus when you need it right now,” Ortell said. “If

anything could simulate the economy, it’s jobs that start immediately, not jobs that start 12 years from now.”

On Nov. 4, 2008, the voters of Los Angles County approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax increase that fi-

See GOLD LINE/page 3

Life pg. 5 Sports pg. 10 A&E pg. 13 Opinions pg. 14 Editorials pg. 15 cmyk

News Briefs Campus Wire Applications available for spring student government positions Applications are now available for those interested in running for student government positions in the Associated Students of Citrus College.

Open positions are for the spring 2010 semester and include vice president, student trustee elect, and seven senator positions.

Applications may be picked up in the Office of Student Life in the Handy Campus Center and are due by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The elections will take place on Dec. 1.

Field house to be dedicated A new building has joined the Citrus College campus. The new field house will have a formal dedication on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m.

This dedication will allow visitors the opportunity to tour the facilities. It will also give an overview of the building and its purpose.

This new building provides modern locker rooms for student athletes, a classroom, faculty offices for the coaches, and workspaces to accommodate the needs of the student population.

The Citrus teams that will be housed in the field house include: football, track, cross-country, baseball, and soccer.

A feature that was designed by Citrus College ceramics students is the ceramic tile wall that depicts students playing their sports. It is one of the most attractive features of the new building.

If you have any questions about the field house or the dedication, contact the Citrus College Office of External Relations at (626) 9148872.

Local LAPD watchdog: Racial profiling probes were flawed LOS ANGELES—An independent probe found problems in a third of the internal investigations of police officers accused of profiling people based on race, gender or sexual orientation, the inspector general for the Los Angeles Police Commission said Tuesday, Nov. 10..

In a 41-page report, Andre Birotte said investigators did not interview witnesses, made mistakes or failed to ask important questions in six of the 20 cases examined. The report also concluded that some supervisors made decisions not to discipline officers that were "not based on information gathered" or based on incomplete probes.

Cmdr. Rick Webb, who is in charge of internal affairs, admitted that mistakes were made, but said the errors documented in the report did not affect the outcome of the investigations.

The Police Commission has been pressing for changes to how the department handles accusations of officers profiling people based on race, gender or sexual orientation—what police now call "biased policing."

Former Police Chief William Bratton defended the department, saying that it's impossible to assess whether an officer made a traffic stop or took some other police action because of a secret bias.

The LAPD changed how it investigates claims of bias last spring; the cases reviewed concluded shortly after those changes went into effect.

Webb said it was too early to say whether the new procedures have had an impact.

Courtesy Associated Press

News

Citrus College Clarion Page 2

Senior board members re-elected

Dustin Call

Clarion News Editor The two longest-serving members of the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees were both re-elected in the Nov. 3 county special election.

Woods was first elected in 1982 and represents Area 1, which includes parts of Azusa, Glendora, Covina and Irwindale. He defeated his opponent Richard Lugo 683 to 226, receiving 75.14 percent of the votes.

Ortell was first elected in 1969 and represents Area 3, which includes parts of Azusa, Duarte, Monrovia and Arcadia. He defeated his opponent David Hooper 2,071 to 771, receiving 72.87 percent of the votes.

Woods and Ortell placed first and second respectively in Los Angeles County for top vote percentages among those in the public education categories.

“It was nice, Gary and I coming in first and second in the whole county,” Ortell said, “but it really was a vote on how well our students are doing on campus and succeeding when they leave the campus.”

Now, as the two begin another four-year term in office, the question arises as to what their next goals will be for Citrus College.

Woods said that his major focus is to continue handling the effects of the state budget crisis on Citrus.

“The financial crisis in California is not going to go away,” he said. He added that he will work to mitigate the impact on the college.

Woods also wants to follow through with the recommendations made by the accreditation team of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges during their recent campus visit.

These tasks will include continuing to work on the educational master plan, fixing the parking

Photo by Dustin Call Dr. Edward C. Ortell seen at the Nov. 3 STEM Center open house. problem, and finishing the construction projects to provide more classroom space.

Woods will also continue to champion cutting spending. Green initiatives such as e-mailing more often and using less paper are some of the ways Citrus is accomplishing that. “We’re going in the right direction,” he said. “We want to cut down as much as we can to try to get through this.”

Woods predicted that 2010 will be worse for Citrus than 2009 as far as budget issues go. He expressed his gratitude that the voters reelected him because “it’s important to have people that come in and understand the budget.”

Ortell said he was pleased with the results of the election.

“That was gratifying, … to get that kind of vote of confidence, not just in Gary and me, but in Citrus College itself,” Ortell said.

The next step for Citrus is to “build on our past,” Ortell said.

The oldest community college in L.A. County, Citrus has a reputation for academic excellence, which Ortell wants to maintain.

“We’re great today, but we will be greater tomorrow,” he said.

“And a key in that, I think, is planning. And that’s where the trustees play a role.”

Proper planning is something Ortell feels that Citrus is a winner in. “We see it and say ‘There’s going to need to be a shade tree here,’ and we plant the shade tree knowing full well as a trustee you’ll never see that shade tree, but somebody will benefit from that planning,” he said.

Ortell is a strong advocate for the recently approved Metro Gold Line extension that will pass through Glendora. He hopes that a second Glendora stop will be built next to Citrus, enabling students to get to and from school more conveniently and easing the parking dilemma.

Another future endeavor is establishing alliances with local fouryear institutions to provide satellite programs on Citrus’ campus to make achieving a bachelor’s degree a more convenient process rather than having to relocate.

Ortell said that logistics is often a reason for students to avoid going away to a four-year school, but that these potential agreements could resolve that problem.

“You could stay planted where you have your job, and your family, and your friends, and your whole support network, and still achieve just exactly the same goal as having to move off to some dormitory that’s not suited for you or is a long ways away,” he said.

Ortell also plans to fight the recent policy change at a few local CSU campuses to rank Citrus College as a Tier 2 community college and Mt. San Antonio College as the only Tier 1 school in the local area for their new transfer priority.

The next BOT meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 4:15 p.m. in the executive board room of the Administration Building. All board meetings are open to public.

Dustin Call can be reached at clarion.news@live.com

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:

College hosts LA Clippers workshop

Beyond Record jump in Cal State University applications California State University officials say they are seeing a record increase in applications for the next school year, although enrollment is being curbed.

So far, the nation's largest public university system has received more than 266,000 applications for fall 2010 - a 53 percent increase from the same period the year before. Freshman applications are up 32 percent; community college transfer applications are up 127 percent.

The deadline for applications is Nov. 30.

Meanwhile, CSU is facing a $564 million budget cut for the fiscal year. In addition to fee hikes and employee furloughs, enrollment is decreasing by 40,000 over the next two years.

Chancellor Charles Reed said Nov. 10 that enrollment shrank by 4,000 students this fall and will drop another 6,000 next spring.

Courtesy Associated Press

Read the story and view more photos on our website.

Anazarry Danganan Citrus College Clarion Citrus asst. coach Chris Acker teaches dribbling to Tyler Peterson, 11

www.theclariononline.com

November 11, 2009

News

November 11, 2009

Citrus College Clarion Page 3

GOLD LINE: Rail extension approved

STEM Center celebrates opening

Cont. from page 1 nances new transportation projects and programs and accelerates projects that are ready to go. Yet the Metro board still delayed approval.

“They promised if Measure R passed, the Gold Line would be one of the projects included, which they did but put it on hold until 2017, instead of 2013,” Grinsdale said.

Ortell calls the project the “brain train.”

“We have buses that line up in front of our auditorium [Haugh Performing Arts Center] for all of our programs,” Ortell said. “This will be an alternative way to just step off the platform, and they would be right there in minutes.”

The fight for the “brain train” has been joined by representatives from the University of La Verne, Mount Sierra College, Mount San Antonio College, as well as Azusa Pacific University.

“Now we have to get federal funding, that’s the next fight,” said Ginny Dadaian, director of community relations at APU. “We are all partisans. We all came together. We see the need for transportation in Southern California, and this is an integral part, bridging the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire to L.A. County. This is beneficial for our staff and students.”

“We’re going to have to ask our federal legislators for help in funding.

We are one united voice here,” Dadaian said.

A kick-off celebration is scheduled at 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 21. There will be an unveiling ceremony at the future Gold Line Foothill Extension Station in Monrovia at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road.

Elected officials and community leaders will be there. Students, residents, and families are welcome to participate.

Clarion News Editor

Anazarry Danganan can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Dustin Call An academic resource center for students studying science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, had its official open house on Nov. 3 in the Math/Science Building.

The STEM Complex is comprised of three rooms on the first floor of the math building, one of which is the STEM Center in room MA 130.

Members of the board of trustees, student government representatives, administrators, faculty, and a representative from Congressman David Dreier’s office were brought together with those who work and teach in the STEM Center to tour and celebrate the new learning facility.

Among the speakers at the open house were Geraldine M. Perri, Ph.D, superintendent/president of Citrus College; Eric Rabitoy, dean of physical and natural sciences; and Star Dominguez, former Associated Students of Citrus College president and current STEM Center instructor.

“There’s so many things that we’ll be able to provide,” Perri said.

“Whether it’s guidance in terms of a career, help with calculus phobia, help with going over a lecture that just occurred—and maybe you didn’t get a bit of it and need somebody to take you through it again—well, that can happen here.

“If you are, or never thought about, going into a field that involves STEM, you can have someone counsel you and tell the pathways of going to a field,” Perri said.

An example is Dominguez, who is a science major herself.

“What I do on a weekly basis with each of my sessions is come up with creative, effective ways to help students understand the material better, and I think how that, in

Dustin Call Citrus College Clarion A group of students learn about chromosones during a teaching workshop in the STEM Center on Nov. 3 one aspect, really benefits students is that it’s coming from a student who has taken the same course with the same instructor on campus. So I’ve seen the material. I know what the instructor wants. I know how stressful it can be,” Dominguez said.

Perri loves the idea of students teaching other students, and according to her, the STEM Center has been a big hit this semester, with 157 students showing up to receive help just in the first week.

Now the STEM Center is estimated to be serving close to 500 students a week.

Rabitoy said that the new complex shows the dedication that Citrus has to the success of its students.

“I’ve been here 16 years, and I’ve never before seen the type of opportunities for students to succeed in math and science as I see now,” Rabitoy said.

The new labs and teaching areas

are funded by a portion of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act STEM Grant, which Citrus College received in October 2008.

Totaling $4,084,888, the grant was awarded based on Citrus’ designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, and the grant application, which included the idea for the one-of-a-kind STEM Center.

Those responsible for the reception of the grant are faculty and deans of the math and science departments; staff from outreach, counseling, and career and transfer programs; vice president of instruction Irene Malmgren, and director of college success Sylvia Smythe, who was the project director.

The fusion of ideas lead to three objectives for using the money: introducing high school students, especially minorities, to majors such as the STEM fields; helping current Citrus students, particularly in math and science, to succeed, and part-

nering with local universities to help introduce students to their programs.

“So overall, it’s how do we strengthen the pathway to get students up from high school to Citrus, and at Citrus to get an A.A. degree or transfer and to move them on,” Smythe said.

The grant was for two years and would end Sept. 30, 2010. “In order to meet grant objectives, we plan to ask for a one-year extension,” Smythe said. “We are looking for additional funding to help us continue the programs when the grant ends.”

The STEM Center is located off of the main level lobby in the Math/Science Building and is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dustin Call can be reached at clarion.news@live.com

TRANSFER: Citrus reclaims Tier 1 status Cont. from page 1 ent universities are welcoming transfer students and are encouraging them to consider their campuses.

Justina Rivadeneyra, Citrus College Career/Transfer Center coordinator, highly recommends that students visit the Career/Transfer Center for assistance in completing CSU and UC applications.

“We make sure all questions are answered correctly,” Rivadeneyra said. “There are a couple of questions you have to watch our for. One mistake can trigger a denial letter, and then you have to invest additional time and energy to repair the damage.”

Advisers in the Career/Transfer Center offer frequent application workshops as well as assistance in writing personal statements.

Scholarship search assistance is available. Representatives from transfer schools often conduct on-site sessions at students’ convenience.

Rivadeneyra advises transfer students to “work really hard this semester and next spring. Ending strong is better. In a nutshell, the

stronger your GPA, the less you’ll be affected by the budget crisis.”

For a schedule of the college workshops offered by Citrus in November, visit www.citruscollege.edu.

For more information on the Career/Transfer Center, call (626) 9148639. The Career/Transfer Center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the State Academic Senate will vote on a resolution regarding the tier system.

According to Jack Call, professor of philosophy and social and behavioral science, the senate will be calling attention to “the geographically discriminatory practice of the CSU system.”

If the resolution passes, the Senate resolution would plan to enter into a dialogue with the CSU Academic Senate, and urge college presidents and chancellors to challenge the tier system.

Kristin Lacuesta can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Courtesy of Citrus College Office of Institutional Research The amount of students transfering from Citrus College to campuses in the California State University system has mostly exceeded 500 in recent years.

Citrus College Clarion

Life

November 11, 2009

Life Editor Courtney Mitchell-ccclarion@hotmail.com

Page 5

Art of Hair gallery show turns heads Celia Guerrero

Clarion Staff Writer Students from the photography and cosmetology departments put their heads together to create an art show that demonstrates their talents.

“The Art of Hair” exhibit, now on display in the Hayden Library, is a collaboration between photo and cosmetology students inspired by their fall fashion show, “A Night of Mystical Dreams” and various photo sessions.

The cosmetology students were told to use their imaginations and fashion mannequin heads fully created with styled hair and fashion make up.

Mannequins on display at the hair show included likenesses of: Queen Elizabeth by Ashley Folk from cosmetology 163; Edgar Allen Poe by Ashley Gannon Annabel from cosmetology 163; and Cirque Du Soleil, which sports a colorful face and big hair by Nicole Fink from cosmetology 159.

Photographer Ricky Lin explained that he likes to capture “the special

moment” when his subject is not paying attention.

Professor of photography Darrell Carr described the collaboration between photography and the cosmetology students as “the perfect marriage, though the photography displayed at the show did raise eye brows.”

Some visitors to the exhibit have described the show as provocative, as some of the photos display models in skimpy clothing and provocative poses, an echo of real-life magazine photography.

Carr argued that the images are art and the show is simply designed to celebrate students’ art, as opposed to starting controversy.

“However, people are entitled to their own opinions,” Carr concluded.

“The Art of Hair” will remain on display in the Hayden Library through Dec. 2.

The mannequins designed by the cosmetology student will also be on display on the Citrus Library Web site.

Celia Guerrero can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

(Center) Students wander around the gallery, enjoying the works of art done by the photography and cosmetology students. (Left) The “Day of the Dead” mannequin was done by Allie Visk and Kelsey Tolen. (Above) Cosmetology student Christine Ebiney titled her mannequin “Smokin Sultry Female.” Photos by Anazarry Danganan

Page 6 Citrus College Clarion

Life

November 11, 2009

How to choose your major in college Courtney Mitchell Clarion Life Editor What do you want to be when you grow up?

That is a question we have heard half a million times already. When I was 5, I wanted to be a princess.

And then when I was 7, I wanted to be a supermodel.

But when the high school counselors asked me what I wanted my college major to be, I completely blanked.

I was 16 years old. What was I supposed to say?

Choosing a major was proving to be more difficult than I anticipated but I finally narrowed my options to a career in the arts.

But what that might entail, I still wasn’t sure.

So I literally closed my eyes and randomly picked a major that sounded “fun.” I did my homework and became more or less excited about my choice: industrial design.

Prerequisite? Physics.

I have never been successful in the science department, so needless to say physics was completely over my head.

I knew it was time for another major.

As a sophomore in college

with no major, I freaked out, thinking I was behind the curve.

The only option I saw was to take random classes that sounded somewhat interesting.

Plenty of other community college students share my uncertainty. Whether you have experienced this or are experiencing it now, I share your struggle.

My mother suggested taking a career aptitude test. A counselor who works with her said I might start with career aptitude tests on the Internet.

As an experiment, I decided to take these tests. Because I already know what I want to major in, I took them to see if they

matched up.

Lucky for you readers, I have narrowed down the online career aptitude tests you should and should not take.

The first website, www.funeducation.com, asks a variety of questions, mostly about your personality and background. It’s free, as long as you can get through all 485 questions. I skipped that one.

The first test I got through was www.jobdiagnosis.com: it was only 30 questions long and free. Not only was it quick but also the results were quite close to my current major. It read: management consultancy or hos-

Spring 2010 in

pitality.

My major is communications.

However, my two part-time jobs fall within those two majors.

Then I found www.careercolleges.com, and after 50 questions, the results indicated that I was suited for a major in business. I actually took Business 130 here at Citrus, and I really liked the class, so I wasn’t surprised by the result.

Another site, www.colorwize.com, gave me the top 40 out of 298 popular jobs that would best fit me, based on the color that attracts me the most. As a lover of blue, I apparently would make an excellent postman, mid-

Spain

dle school teacher or truck driver.

I gave up on that one.

At Citrus College, the Career and Transfer Center also offers a career assessment test. However, there is a small student fee of $15.

The counselors in the CTC can also offer advice on how to choose a major that might interest you. They can help asses personal interests as well as what transfer schools you might want to consider.

The best advice I can give is to look at the schedule of classes and choose one or two that catch your interest.

Thank goodness I walked into Professor Waleed Rashidi’s magazine class last semester, currently on a budget-related hiatus. Without it, I would be lost.

Logos allowed me to tap into my design, photography, and writing skills. Not only was I told that I am good and have potential but also I have developed a passion for journalism.

I still want to be a supermodel and a princess, but it is always good to have a “Plan B.” Whether you follow your bliss or look for help, it will all work out in the end.

Courtney Mitchell can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Life

November 11, 2009

Citrus College Clarion Page 7

Lean on, don’t alienate, loved ones Anazarry Danganan

Events Calendar

Clarion Staff Writer

As the weather becomes colder, the holidays lurk around the corner. But so does stress with midterms, finals, and personal lives. Not only does the month of November bring the beginning of family gatherings, but also the beginnings of full-throttle stress that follows up until New Years.

Very easily, all this stress can be displaced toward your loved ones.

Sometimes the word commitment makes me so stressed. It is during the month of November I realize how much I am committed to numerous extra curricular activities, or discovered that I have taken on more than I can handle.

Being part of the newspaper, the college’s play, “Lysistrata,” and being a full-time student drives me crazy. The school paper and the play have consumed most of my time, and I struggle to balance my other academic classes and my personal life.

This past weekend, I attended a funeral and contributed to a baby shower event, which was two hours

away. The whole week I have slept at midnight and, not by choice had, to wake up at 6 a.m. for personal or school commitments.

Balancing school commitments and expected or unexpected personal commitments can be challenging.

Thinking about all my problems, I realized that I can’t make this all about me. My spouse is also under a great deal of pressure from his nursing studies, as well as the attacks I’ve been throwing at him with my mood swings and complaints.

Michael has been nothing less than accommodating by bringing me food at night when I’m at rehearsal or on deadline Tuesdays when I’m found typing away on the Clarion computers.

There comes a point when I have to choose and think about what is most important among all the numerous commitments I have entangled myself in.

I am reminded of my pyramid of commitment list. At the top is my devotion to God. Next is my family, and further down are school, work, and everything else.

To help with all the craziness of the coming holidays, change of weather, commitment to family, school, or work, we must remember the basic needs: yourself and your loved ones.

I came to realize that for me to juggle multiple responsibilities, I must gain control of myself by taking care of my health and creating reminders

Nov. 9 - 14 Citrus Week Various Events 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Nov. 14 Last Home Football Game Citrus Stadium @ 1 p.m.

Nov. 12 Last Home Men’s Soccer Game Citrus Stadium @ 3 p.m.

Nov. 18 - Dec. 20 ASCC’s Annual “Food and Toy Drive” Donations are being taken at various places around campus

Nov. 13 Veterans’ Network Pool Tournament Cue-Time Family Billiards Covina 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

and lists that will help me stay sane.

Remember if you can’t even take care of your own health, you are no help to anyone.

As I reminded myself of my commitment pyramid list, I encourage all those who think they can handle everything, like myself, to write down all of your responsibilities and commitments.

The more alternatives, the more

Nov. 19 Last Home Volleyball Game Citrus Gym @ 7 p.m.

difficult the choice. So I advise keeping things simple these coming months. November and December already bring in a whole lot of excitement and change.

Anazarry Danganan can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

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(Top) A member of the American Veterans State Honor Guard performs “Taps” in the Handy Campus Center Mall on Nov. 5. Photo by Dustin Call.

(Above) Veterans participating in the “Salute to Veterans” ceremony march away from the campus quad as the festivities come to a close. Photo by Andrew Vasquez. (Right) U.S. Army helicopters fly over the Citrus campus. Photo by Dustin Call. (Center) AMVETS members fire three rounds into the air as part of the flag ceremony. Photo by Dustin Call.

VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION Joel Cloud & Robert Lucero Clarion Staff Writers

ome were young and some were old. Some wore uniforms, others wore street clothes.

All of them however, share a common background: service in the military.

On Nov. 5, local veterans and current service men and women gathered for Citrus College’s fourth annual Veterans Day celebration at the Campus Center Mall.

The event kicked off with the singing of the National Anthem, followed by a 21-gun salute accompanied by the folding of the American flag.

Dean of Students Martha McDonald, who was the keynote speaker, shared some of her past with the audience. She was born in Mexico, but her mother brought her to the U.S. when she was 5. As an immigrant, she knew she was going to have to work hard and get a good education in order to succeed.

She served in the U.S. Marines for seven and a half years, and completed two tours: one in North Carolina and second in Mar Island in California.

She was accepted to Cal State Fullerton, where she did not do as well as she could have done she said, and was put on academic probation. She then transferred to Chapman University, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology.

She now has four children of her own; two of them are serving in Iraq right now. She talked about how it can be nerve wrecking at times.

“Every time the phone rings in the middle of the night, I

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cringe,” she said.

People are always asking how she, as a mother, is able to stay so calm through her children’s deployment. She said she “needs to let things happen and not try to control things.”

The main attraction was the flight of the two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Air Force, which flew over Citrus College three separate times. There was also a humvee, and an m16A2 Half-Track for display.

History professor Bruce Solheim hosted the event with help from Ginger De Villa-Rose and Steve Nelson.

Del Villa-Rose has helped with the event all four years, and is an assitant volunteer veteran coordinator and a co-founder of the Books to Boots program.

She is also a former student of Citrus and is now studying at Cal State L.A. Nelson is a history professor at Citrus and at Azusa Pacific University.

He is also a director at the Fort MacArthur Museum. Nelson provided the uniforms and m16A2 Half-Track, among other vehicles, that were on display during the event.

Nelson has also helped with the event for the last four years.

Being a veteran himself, Solheim has a true understanding of the importance and sacrifices of men and women in uniform.

“I thought it was necessary to honor our vets coming back from Iraq,” Solheim said.

Solheim was an aviator for the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1986.

Ninety-three-year-old Marvin “Patrick” Schurr, who was in the Army’s Air Force from 1941-1945, was one of the many veterans in attendance for the “Salute to Veterans” event.

While serving in the Air Force, Schurr was in charge of load-

ing and organizing the planes in New Guinea and in the Philippines.

Even before enlisting, Schurr was no stranger to sacrifice.

Growing up in Buffalo, New York, in a family of nine during the Great Depression, Schurr had to quit school at the age of 13 to get a job to support his family.

“It wasn’t the good old days,” Schurr said.

Along with older veterans like Schurr, several young veterans were in attendance, including Joshua Serna, who was discharged from the Air Force in 2005 and started classes at Citrus last week.

Before coming to Citrus, Serna was stationed in Italy from 2002 to 2004, and toured Iraq from 2003 to 2004.

“It was a great experience,” Serna said. “ It was one of the best experiences of my life. I miss the camaraderie.”

Serna has found some of that camaraderie again through a program known as Boots to Books.

In 2005, Citrus College started the first Boots to Books program for veterans.

Boots to Books is a counseling program taught by Manuel Martinez (Books to Boots co-founder) that teaches student veterans how to adjust to civilian life and succeed in college.

“It’s an excellent program,” Serna said. “It’s been beneficial for me dealing with my own experiences.”

For more information on the Boots to Books, visit the Citrus College Web site, www.citruscollege.edu, or contact Solheim at bsolheim@citruscollege.edu.

Clarion Staff can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

cmyk

November 11,, 2009 Page 9

(Left) The Stars and Stripes and a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag are displayed on the back of a Hummer. Photo by Dustin Call. (Above) Marvin “Patrick” Schurr, who served in World War II in the Air Force, trades war experiences with fellow veteran Karl Kurtz during the “Salute to Veterans” event in Citrus College’s Campus Center Mall. Photo by Andrew Vasquez. cmyk

Citrus College Clarion

Sports November 11, 2009

Sports Editor Erica Irigoyen - ccclarion@hotmail.com

Page 10

Bakersfield blows out Owls’ momentum Andrew Vasquez Clarion Op-Ed Editor As the Citrus College volleyball team comes ever closer to closing its fall 2009 season, the Owls had a slight momentum going into their game against Bakersfield College last Friday, but like a sparkler on the fourth of July, they fizzled out.

With Bakersfield ranked number one in the Western State Conference and fourth in the state, the Owls held their own in the first game, just missing a win by two points, losing the first round 26 to 24.

After the end of the first game, the Owls never got that close to victory again.

The second game saw the Owls losing by 10 points against the Renegades, 25-15, and the third

game resulted in an eight-point loss to Bakersfield with the score being 25-17.

Despite entering the game first in the WSC, Renegade head coach Carl Ferreira said he stressed that, going into the game, the team should not underestimate the Owls.

Citrus middle blocker Daisy Llamas said, “We always start well but then when we fall behind just a little bit and feel like we are losing, we let our momentum go down.”

But the team’s game against Bakersfield was not all doom and gloom. Opposite hitter Lindsey Mitchell lead the team in kills with 12, and libero Tatiana Quiocho led in digs with 17.

However, head coach Shin Jung says that the team’s loss of momentum during games is more a factor of volleyball itself, and not on the Owls’ skill level as a team or

individual players.

“Once a team loses its momentum it is hard to get it back,” he said. “Volleyball is the hardest to come back from after a team falls behind.”

“We were at an even-skill level with Bakersfield but they figured out our weaknesses and focused on them,” he said.

“We have the pieces but what is missing is the experience,” he said.

“When four out of the six starting players, including the libero are freshmen, we are bound to lack experience as a team.”

Last night, the Owls beat West L.A., making their current standing 6-11 overall and 4-5 in league.

Andrew Vasquez can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Andrew Vasquez Citrus College Clarion Lindsey Mitchell, freshman outside hitter for the Owls, leads the team with currently 208 kills and second in digs with 153.

Theirs for the taking Robert Lucero Clarion Staff Writer With many new faces on the roster, the fall 2009 season is a brand new start for the women’s basketball team.

“So far we’re doing OK,” said head coach Eric Anderson. “We are a young team with seven freshmen and two sophomores. Collectively, I think we can be pretty good.“ Anderson describes his players as, “very athletic and fun to coach,” said Anderson. “I like this year’s team.”

In the fall 2008 season, the team played seven out of the top 10 teams and only beat two of them.

However, Anderson pointed that the losses were close, the Owls only losing by a small margin.

Their only double-digit losses last season were to Ventura and to Pasadena.

The Lady Owls finished second in most of the tournaments they competed in.

Coming off a respectable 23-11 overall record last season, and making it to the second round of the Western State Conference playoffs, the Owls hope to take it a step further this sea-

son.

“Personally, I want to go all the way,” said small forward Brianna Barfield. “ I want to be champions, and I’m not expecting to lose. Maybe only one loss.”

“We’re young, but talented,” said assistant head coach Monica Peters.

“The girls work hard. The biggest challenge the ladies will be facing is learning from each other and not worrying about making mistakes.”

As the season progresses, Peters predicts that the “girls will understand their roles.”

The key issues for the team are how well they bond with each other, and how much they mature as the season develops.

“Both are very important at this level,” Anderson said.

Krystyn Jacobs, point guard and returning captain, is anticipating the 2009 season.

“It feels good,” she said. “It’s a brand new start.”

Sidelined with an injury during last year’s playoffs, Jacobs said that the Owls were unable to reach their goals, but she is looking forward to this season.

“The team is looking good,” Jacobs said. “We haven’t seen our full potential yet, but we look good. We’re going to be pretty damn good.”

When asked about which teams were the ones to look out for this season, Jacobs said, “The girls are excited for Riverside.”

Barfield said, “They’re going to have to watch out for us.”

So far, the likely starting center, 6 feet 1 inch Vivian Robles is out with an ankle injury.

The injury affects the team because Robles “takes up a lot of space in the middle,” Peters said. “We need her for her rebounding.”

Despite the injury, Robles is expected to be ready by the Owls’ first games, scheduled for the Barstow tournament on November 19-21.

The first home game will be on Saturday January 9 against LA Valley College at 5pm.

With all the work the women have been putting in, “This is theirs for the taking,” Peters said.

Robert Lucero can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Andrew Vasquez Citrus College Clarion Owls guard Yvonne Sanchez prepares to attempt a mid-range jumpshot during practice in the Owls Nest.

Sports

November 11, 2009

Citrus College Clarion Page 11

Men’s basketball starts with success Andrew Vasquez Clarion Op-Ed Editor With their first game of the 2009-2010 season resulting in a 24-point lead against Ventura City College, the men’s basketball team has their sights set on reclaiming the state championship title that eluded them last season.

The Owls took the Western State Conference title last season but were just one point shy of advancing to the California Community College Athletics Association state finals when they lost to Riverside City College, 72-71.

The fall 2009 team, which is composed of 11 sophomores and eight freshmen, three assistant coaches and head coach Rick Croy at the helm, said that they are determined to take back the state title.

“The team has been through a lot together,” Croy said. “They are brothers.”

The coach had high praise for the team’s newest players.

“The freshmen are an outstanding group,” Croy said. “They knew what they were getting into when they joined this program.

The foundation has been laid already and they have joined this team because they want to be studs on the court.”

“We have a demanding program,” Croy said. “We are recruiting great people every season and we help them grow and mature by challenging them everyday.”

Owls guard Jose Rivera said that the team’s family mentality is their greatest asset.

“We are really close and once you get a team of close guys, they are hard to beat,” he said.

The team has adopted the mantra “Win Forever,” a slogan they chant at the end of every huddle. But according to Croy, it is more than just a saying to get the team motivated during a game.

“It started two years ago as

something we strive to do,” he said. “It is about giving your best in everything you do and appreciating the moment and people you’re doing it with.”

The players take the “Win Forever” concept seriously. Each of them has their own take on what it means. “‘Win Forever’ goes into any aspect of life,” said sophomore shooting guard Jose Rivera. “To me it means that both on and off the court, I am going to do my best. ‘Win Forever’ is a mindset.”

Sophomore forward Keith Thompson agrees with Rivera’s assessment of the ‘Win Forever’ mindset. “‘Win Forever’ means win on and off the court,” Thompson said.

Five sophomores have already been accepted to four-year university programs. Croy said that he is confident that the other six sophomores will be accepted to four-year university basketball

programs as well.

And as for winning on the court, the team is ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

“We want to win every game, and we know there will be adversity, but it is how we respond to it that will dictate our journey this season,” Croy said.

Thompson says that rather than think about what basketball holds for him in the future, he is focused on the outcome of the season.

“I want to keep playing but I am not looking ahead of this season too much,” he said. “My future plan right now is to go to war with my brothers and win the State Championships.”

The first home game will be The Neil Edwards Classic Nov. 27-29 in the Owl’s Nest.

Andrew Vasquez can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Photo by Andrew Vasquez Basketball guard Jose Rivero goes for the lay-up in practice as he prepares for the Owls’ first home game on Nov. 27.

Sophomore stud on and off the court Celia Guerrero Clarion Staff Writer

Photo by Andrew Vasquez Sophomore forward from Long Beach, Keith Thompson looks forward to a winning season as he gears up for the Owl’s first home game.

Starting as a forward for the Citrus College men’s basketball team is returning player sophomore Keith Thompson, who stands at 6 feet 6 inches, and weighs 220 pounds.

Thompson was introduced to the sport of basketball through his dad at the young age of 8 years old.

“My dad has always been there for me,” Thompson explained.

“He has always kept me focused.”

Thompson’s focus and success is noticeable through his hard work during practice.

Other people who have also contributed to his success, he says, are the coaches here a Citrus.

“Our coaches push us hard at practice. That’s why I came here, to play basketball,” Thompson said.

Thompson also explained how

the team, including the coaches, learn from each other, which helps them feel more like a family.

“We can talk to the coaches about anything. We know they are always going to be there” Thompson said. “We are a family on and off the court.”

He explained the team motto is “win forever, win in life.”

In an article posted on the Citrus athletics page, head coach Rick Croy explained that "Win Forever” is a reminder that there will always be goals and dreams to chase, but it is really the approach of the pursuit and the character of the chase that will define a legacy.

“It is a privilege to be a part of the team,” Thompson said. “We connect with each other.”

Thompson said the games are not stressful because the team practices hard, prepares and organizes before a game.

When asked about what he expects from the season Thompson simply explained with a smile,

“We all have our minds set on the State Championships.”

He added that staying humble would help the team get there.

Aside from being a basketball player, Thompson likes to spend time relaxing with his family and friends.

He describes this as “the perfect balance.”

Thompson’s favorite color is red. He enjoys going to the movies, and his favorite food is lasagna.

He plans to eventually transfer to Utah Valley University on a basketball scholarship.

Thompson is currently undecided in his major, but one of his dreams is to become a professional basketball player for the NBA or to play the game overseas.

Celia Guerrero can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Citrus College Clarion

Arts & Entertainment November 11, 2009

Arts & Entertainment Editor Ashley Broussard - ccclarion@hotmail.com

Page 13

Students to perform classic anti-war play Jonathan Rowe Clarion Correspondent In the Little Theatre, student actors will soon be presenting Aristophanes’ classic anti-war play, “Lysistrata.”

Written in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War, this enduring comedy tells the story of a group of women who are fed up with the futility of a seemingly endless war, and devise a way to stop it.

Their plan: to withhold sex from their husbands until they agree to lay down their swords.

The ensuing battle of the sexes exposes cultural stereotypes of both genders in a hilarious fashion, while delivering a serious message about war.

The timelessness of the story al-

lows room for malleability, which director Cherie Brown takes to full advantage.

“Instead of its original Greek setting, we wanted to put it in a sort of post-apocalyptic environment,” said Brown, professor of theater arts at Citrus College.

In this production, swords have been replaced with guns, and the Apocrypha resembles a futuristic fortress.

With its meticulously decrepit look and rusty overtones, the stage scene resembles something out of a Mad Max movie.

“Besides the few references to locations or people, audience members unfamiliar with it would never know it’s a Greek play, because we basically created our own world,” Brown said.

With a theme of a futile, endless

war, parallels can certainly be drawn to modern events.

“War is a very decisive factor. It divides us culturally,” she said. “We’re not trying to make a statement on any particular war, but about war in general, which I think most people can certainly relate to.”

Judging from Citrus theater arts major Arlene Marin’s bodacious performance, the audience might assume that she’s no stranger to portraying a strong woman like Lysistrata.

“Actually she’s very different from my own character,” Marin admits.

“Lysistrata is very much out there, whereas I consider myself to be more introverted and shy. So the biggest challenge for me in this performance was just overcoming that shyness,” she said.

Her secret for warming up: “I listen to songs that I feel my character would get into…Lysistrata would definitely listen to Tina Turner,” Marin said One of the most captivating aspects of the play is that its actresses paradoxically manage to be threatening and sexy at the same time.

One of the most memorable and provocative scenes is between Kinesias and her husband Myrrhine, where she seduces him into succumbing to Lysistrata’s cause.

“Compared to other plays I’ve been in, this role is a lot more sexual,” said Summer Stratton.

As the alluring Myrrhine, she is faced with some of the more intimate scenes in the play.

“To not lose focus, I just remember that this is a show,” she

said. “Once you’re completely in character, nothing in the play seems out of the ordinary.”

The production, which features a 45-person team, 28 of whom are Citrus performers, is scheduled for Nov. 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 8 p.m.

The performance on Nov. 22 will be at 2 p.m.

Tickets cost $12, or $10 for seniors and students.

For more information, call (626) 963-9411, or log-on to www.haughpac.com.

With its double entendres and phallic images, Lysistrata is most definitely for mature audiences only.

Jonathan Rowe can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Field House Dedication Citrus College will celebrate the opening of the new Field House on Tuesday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m.

The dedication ceremony will provide visitors with the opportunity to tour the facilities. It will also include the introduction of special guests, an overview of the building and its purpose, and refreshments.

For more information about the Citrus College Field House Dedication, contact the Citrus College Office of External Relations at (626) 914-8872.

Citrus College Clarion

Opinions Page 14

Opinopns Editor D.K. Heller - e-mail address

November 11, 2009

How to navigate the credit matrix Rene Lewis

Clarion Correspondent s a college student, you will likely start to open and begin to manage your first credit accounts. The American economy revolves around credit, and it’s important to start developing a personal credit history now. Positioning yourself as a desirable credit customer will earn you the best interest rates and desirable payment options on the money you borrow.

Your first concern in regard to financing should be your credit score. Knowing what it is and working diligently to protect it is critical to your financial future. When creditors are considering whether or not to finance your loan or credit card application, they use a matrix of determining factors to help make their decision.

Your credit score usually is the most important out of all these factors.

Protecting your score often begins before you even swipe your first credit card. For example, unpaid rent, cell phone charges, and utility bills can be reported as negative activity on your credit report. So pay these bills completely and on time.

The most damaging thing that can happen to your credit is for you to not pay your bills on time.

Every time you miss a credit payment it is called a late. When you are 30 days late it is reported to the credit bureaus who establish your credit score. This is the number one thing that leads people towards the path of bad credit history and a low credit score. If you are not paying on time companies will not want to finance you and your current lenders will charge you fees and raise your interest rates.

“Hard hits” are another enemy to your credit

A

score. Every time you apply for cell phone service, a credit card, or a loan, your credit is run and the credit matrix views it as a hard hit. Each hard hit can drop your score by up to five points.

So, running your credit to get a free cap or tshirt, as you sometimes see happening on college campuses, is not the thing to do.

Checking your credit to keep track of your score and activity is an important part of managing your credit. These inquiries are considered “soft hits” and they won’t damage your credit.

You should check you credit on a regular basis.

It will allow you to see what lenders see when considering you for approval and protect you against identity theft. You can check your score through websites like annualcreditreport.com.

Some students think that paying cash for everything and having no debt is ideal when it comes to getting approved for financing. This is not the case. To have no debt history is to have no proof that you will pay your bills. This lack of credit history puts you in the category of “first-time buyer.”

This debt-free status may in fact hurt your

Andrea Koehler Citrus College Clarion ability to get a loan or credit card. First time buyers carry a high risk for creditors. In this category you can expect higher than average interest rates and limited lines of credit. Not all companies work with first time buyers and you should ask before you run your credit with someone.

A good bet is to sign up for your first credit card through the bank with whom you have established a checking account.

One of the biggest pitfalls of qualifying for new credit is the false sense that you can afford to buy more stuff. Don’t spend more just because you have a card in hand. Remember, credit it is money that you don’t have. Increasing your spending without increasing your income is a dangerous road to start down. Deciding in advance what you will use your credit card for is a smart way to make sure you don’t get in over your head. For example, opt to put all of your gas or groceries for the month on your card.

Pay more than the minimum monthly payment when the bill comes but make sure to maintain a balance on the card. This may seem like perplexing advice. Why would I encourage

you to be in debt and pay interest? A common misconception is that paying off your balance every month will help in building a solid history.

The reality is that it takes at least six months of maintaining a balance to create a notable trend in credit history. Holding a balance on more than one account for 12 to 18 months will take you out of first-time buyer status.

My husband did just this when he was building his credit. Even though he had an interest rate of 26 percent, he made sure to leave a balance of $50 on his account each month. The small amount of interest that he paid during those first two years was worth it to establish himself as an ideal credit candidate. Now that he is established he pays off his bill every month to avoid interest and leave his credit line open for emergencies.

Having too much credit will also damage your score so don’t go opening an account at every store where the sales associate says, “Would you like to save 20 percent by opening an account with us?” It’s not worth it.

You want to protect yourself against this by being selective about what accounts you open.

Once you have established accounts, keep them open. Closing accounts will drop your credit score.

Your oldest accounts give you the most established history. Eliminating these accounts will take away some of what you have going for you.

Don’t be afraid to jump into the world of credit but proceed with caution and do your research.

Make the system work for you.

Rene Lewis can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Living abroad widens your horizons Jonathan Rowe

Clarion Correspondent

F

or most of us, the idea of home is associated with the country where we were born, the neighborhood we grew up in, or the house we shared with loved ones.

The word “home” has connotations of “heart.”

And regardless of your definition of home, it is most likely the place you’re most familiar with.

And to most people, familiarity equates with comfort.

For many college students, the idea of leaving home can be quite disconcerting.

Leaving home means leaving behind not just your friends and family, but the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Going to a different country means having to learn a new language,

Letter to the Editor In Response to “Hate Free Zone”

to adapt to a new culture, and to be immersed in the unfamiliar.

Having moved more than a dozen times in my short lifetime, I consider myself an expert on adjusting to new environments.

I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and first moved to California when I was 2 years old.

After a year here, my family and I moved back to Brazil for four years.

Since then, our pattern has been that for every four years we lived in Brazil, we would return to California for anywhere between six months to a year.

Sometimes I would catch myself feeling resentful towards my parents for making us move all the time.

The idea of a consistent, stable place to call “home” was not a luxury I was granted.

But it wasn’t until recently that I realized what a privileged experience it was to have lived in two cultures.

I was very much taken by the article in the October 28, 2009 edition of the Clarion. HATE FREE ZONE seems to have generated quite a reaction. Let me take the road less traveled and comment critically on the poster in question.

It seems to me that the word HATE is bandied around far too freely. There was probably no issue

Embedding yourself in an unfamiliar culture breaks you down.

Stepping out of your comfort zone forces you to reexamine your own culture from a different perspective while at the same time gaining a new appreciation for it.

Certain stereotypes or prejudices that you didn’t even know you had begin to surface as well.

My Brazilian friends thought all Americans were morbidly obese guntoting xenophobes, and most of my American friends perceived Brazil as a jungle somewhere south of the border with lots of soccer players and naked people dancing in flamboyant costumes.

It was only by living in both cultures that I began to realize the dangers of having a unilateral perspective of the rest of the world.

A limited worldview is a constricted life.

It means that your perception of in which HATE was used with more abandon than last fall’s Proposition 8 campaign. The staff parking lot was filled with cars with the message NO H8. I flatter myslef that I don’t hate anyone, not even my ex-wife.

I discussed the matter with two of my students. They were very surprised that I would support the

Jessica Bravo Citrus College Clarion other countries will always be filtered abroad and get to know another through the biases of your own cul- country. ture.

The experience is an unforgettable Broadening your worldview allows one with perennial rewards. you to assimilate information on a more independent level, without subJonathan Rowe scribing to a domestic perspective. can be reached at As a college student, it is crucial ccclarion@hotmail.com for your personal growth to travel proposition. They considered it a no-brainer. To my mind the question was like the story of a man who had a dog and a horse. he proclaimed that his dog was really a horse. The question then is how many horses does he have? One is tempted to say that there are two horses. But really there is only one.

We will now see how inclusive

Dr. Perri’s policy is as to tolerance toward those who do not share the dominant opinion on the campus of Citrus College. We will see if it extends as far as politically incorrect social conservative.

— Henry R. Kramer Part-time math instrictor

Citrus College Clarion

Editorials Page 15

Editorials Editor D.K. Heller - ccclarion@hotmail.com

More budget cuts? Cut it out Arnold!

California has serious money issues.

With enrollment of the state’s community colleges and universities at an all-time high, it is crucial to rethink the funding mechanism for public education.

When the economy is doing well, community college enrollment drops because finding a job is easy and people would rather make money now instead of later. In good times, state funding for education increases and fees decrease.

But when the economy is struggling, people who cannot find jobs decide to go back to school and community college enrollment increases accordingly.

The problem is that supply drops while demand increases. In bad economic times, the California legislature cuts education funding and raises rates.

The state’s pillars of higher education include: access, affordability, and quality.

In 1960, the Legislature passed the Master Plan for Higher Education.

This plan set priorities for the UCs, CSUs and community colleges. Basically, it stated that if you wished to continue your education, you could do so without the financial stress.

Since then, the Master Plan has fallen short of its original goal.

Our parents and teachers have told us that in order to have successful careers, we must go to college.

But, with the California Legislature dramatically and deliberately shrinking publically funded higher education programs, students are finding it increasingly difficult to move ahead with their student education plans.

Per-unit fees have risen from $20 to $26.

Meanwhile, CSUs are not taking mid-

year transfer students, have raised admission standards to a 2.5 G.P.A, and have furloughed thousands of employees.

Both CSU and UC’s have also dramatically increased tuition and fees.

Just when we thought that things couldn’t get worse, the dean received news that California is in the hole for an additional $1 billion and that the governor might well cut education funding even more in January 2010.

If this pattern of cutting education continues, the community college student goal of transferring to a four-year university in two or three years is gone.

Another issue that has at least a quarter of California students in a panic is funding for the California Grant program.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has threatened to cut funding to thousands of UC students by attempting to eliminate the Cal Grants.

Cal Grants must be fully funded to ensure a higher education for students, as thousands of those students rely on the Cal Grant to fund their education.

Although California is still the cheapest place to get a higher education, the state is not meeting the needs of California students.

In short, our generation is screwed.

So we have decided to help you out with a bit of career counseling, alternative careers that take little-to-no schooling. That’s a relief, since government is slowly taking higher education away from us.

Do you like to eat? Then you can capitalize your passion for burgers and fries.

Your local Fast Food Forever franchise is looking for a bright cook of tomorrow to forego their dreams of

Citrus College

Clarion

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sandra Lopez

MANAGING EDITOR Emily Rios

NEWS EDITOR Dustin Call

Life Editor Courtney Mitchell

Sports Editor Erica Irigoyan

A&E Editor Ashley Broussard

Opinions/Editorials Editor Andrew Vasquez

Online Editor Emily Rios

Design Editor

Celia Guerrero Citrus College Clarion making it into the exclusive chef school all. and sign on as head-deep fat fryer.

But the truth is, no matter what our If that doesn’t sound like you, don’t vision of a successful career path might worry because we have plenty of other be, if the state legislature doesn’t start options. funding higher education programs in Like children? Turn your babysitting bad economic times, our dreams of experience into real money. Your local our bright future will never become a after-school Kiddie Care is hiring. Any- reality. body who walks through the door with So what is the solution? Obviously experience in fingerpainting and get- decreasing funding in economic times ting crayons out of noses is encour- and increasing funding in good times aged to join. Before you sign on, get isn’t working out, so we need to change your rabies shot, as some children tend it. to bite.

State spending on higher education And don’t forget about Sunny Hill should expand in bad economic times retirement community where you can when student enrollment goes up and grow old while taking care of the eldcontract in good times when students erly. You can look forward to giving demand for classes goes down. them their pills twice a day and changing their diapers while listening for This counterweight system will help hours on end to their fascinating stories not only us, but our state and our nation, in a collective pursuit of the of when they were young.

If none of the above caught your eye, American dream. then maybe college is right for you after

Take our heroes off the streets

Most students know on Veterans Day we are reminded of the sacrifices of our service men and women, with a marching band on campus, and others with closed schools and businesses.

But as we celebrate that single day, the next day as the 21-gun salute fades, the rest of us who don’t have family or friends active in the military forget the day after.

This needs to change, Veterans Day is a reminder to the people of America what these millions of soldiers, sailors, airmen, coastguards, and marines have sacrificed home front and abroad for our land, our nation, and our people. It only fair that we continue to celebrate, not only remembering, but honoring these heroes every day through action.

In the month of November, our nation celebrates Thanksgiving in remembrance of that fall in 1621, it is a day where we honor each other and give thanks to those we love and what we are blessed with. We should also give thanks to our war heroes who have sacrificed earthly comforts, being apart from their homes, friends and families, and even giving up their lives, if not body parts. Some of these brave men and women return to no home, or bring with them serious mental disabilities from being active abroad. All soldiers sent away come home

November 11, 2009

McClatchy-Tribune Media Services wounded if not physically but men- Marine spoke on campus and actally for a lifetime. knowledge the growth of women in There are 154,000 male and female the military from 8 percent in the veterans who are homeless, according 1980s to 14 percent as of today, she to the Department of Veterans Affairs was proud to be part of that increasalone in 2008. We can only imagine the ing number. McDonald acknowledge numbers this year have increased. the women who left their homely About 26 percent of adult veterans are comforts, as well as their own children, a fraction of the homeless. The VA behind. There are an estimated 23.4 has identified 1,500 veterans from the million veterans in the United States Iraq and Afghanistan wars as high risk with women making up 7 percent, that in becoming homeless. Not to men- is 1.7 million of the veteran population, 45 percent of the homeless vet- tion MacDonald said. Yet there are 11 erans suffer from mental illness, and percent of veteran women from the 70 percent suffer from alcohol and Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone who drug abuse problems. are on the streets with no home.

When Citrus Dean of Students To help homeless veterans and preMartha McDonald who served as a vent returning veterans from becom-

ing homeless, Congress and State Legislatures should look at expanding employment assistance, also increasing transitional housing beds and supportive housing. We must assist the process of veteran transition and work training programs, improve access to excess federal property such as clothing, and encouraging cooperation between federal, state, and local government agencies and communitybased veteran service organizations.

Veterans who are given support on the federal or community level and find employment are more likely to stay off the streets and make the transition back into civilian life.

Here at Citrus College there is a veteran student who is homeless. He was able to get a $3000 emergency check from the Veterans Affairs.

Shortly after he cashed in the check his money, textbooks, clothes and other personal items were stolen from him during his stay at the homeless shelter.

Donations are being taken to help this homeless veteran through the Citrus College Foundation Office. Those who would like to donate money may contact Cheryl Greer at cgreer@citruscollege.edu or call her at (626) 9148825. Since it is the month of remembrance, honor and thanksgiving, we should not only make a contribution but be a contribution.

Courtney Mitchell

Photo Technician Frank Ram

Instructional Assistant Emily Rios

Adviser Margaret C. O’Neil

Staff Writers Anazarry Danganan,

Kristin Lacuesta, Caitlin Griffin, Celia Guerrero, Joel Cloud, Matt San Pedro, Kanzue Fujii, Rob Lucero, Jonathan Rowe, Monique Shattuck, Liliana Gaeta Correspondents Chris Lopez

Photographers /Artists Andrea Koehler, Andrew Vasquez

Page Designers Jessica Bravo, Jonathan Petitt, Chantelle Marchesano, Victor Silva, Janette Vera, Celia Guerrero The Clarion is produced by journalism students and is distributed every other Wednesday during the semester.

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November 11, 2009

CITRUS WEEK

Photo by Andrew Vasquez Nick of The West L.A. Poker Company readies the one roullette table for Citrus students ready to try their luck.

Casino day fun Erica Irigoyen Robert Lucero Clarion Staff Writers The sounds of spinning wheels and shuffling cards could be heard in the Handy Campus Center on Nov. 10, as students participated in the fourth annual Citrus Casino Day. The event, sponsored by the Associated Students of Citrus College, kicked off the first day of Citrus Week.

A few dozen students gathered around multiple gaming tables Photo by Andrew Vasquez with the hopes of winning gift Sean Cookmeyer, Associated Students of Citrus College commissioner of clubs, dominates the dice as he continues cards and amusement park tickets.

The blackjack tables featured to win at craps while fellow student gamblers watch in awe during Citrus Casino Day, the first event of Citrus faculty dealers, while West L.A. Week’s schedule of events.

Poker staffed the roulette tables.

There were many prizes gamblers could win—from In-N-Out gift cards to a $150 Visa gift card.

Nineteen-year-old Scott Curley was among the students who attended Casino Day. “I had a hot streak and then I lost,” Curley said.

Tung Nguyen, who is in his first semester at Citrus, won $100 playing blackjack.

“I’m tired from the semester,” Nguyen said. “This makes students relax. I’m enjoying myself.

They should have more activities like this.”

Clarion Staff can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Citrus Week Events

College Fair aids students

Wednesday, 11/11:

Comedy Show @ 11:30 a.m.

Sandra Lopez

Comedy Sportz Show @ 12:30 p.m.

Clarion Editor In Chief

Handy Campus Center Mall

Day two of Citrus Week was celebrated with a fashion show that took place in the Handy Campus Center Mall, with informational booths surrounding the area as part of “Citrus Aide.”

The fashion show featured clothes from the Owl Bookshop. Students of all sizes and ages walked down the runway sporting winter clothing such as pull-over hoodies, sweatpants and jackets and summer clothes such as shorts, organic T-shirts and polo shirts. Other items, like three-ring binders, fuzzy teddy bears, and backpacks, were also modeled down the runway. All of these clothes and accessories proudly boasted a Citrus College logo.

Citrus model Kirstie Smith, a 21year-old advertising major, said that walking the fashion runway was “fun, but kind of embarrassing at first.”

“The clothes make me proud to be a Fighting Owl,” said Joel Gaglia, a 19year-old philosophy and theology major.

Students who brought their student ID cards along with their ASCC stickers received free “Citrus punch” as well as discount tickets to the upcoming shows “Lysistrata” and “Holidance,” which will be featured in the Haugh

Photo by Andrew Vasquez ASCC Senators Tamara Dubuni and Maggie Lin scope out booths that aim to help students take steps towards getting the most out of their education during the “Citrus Aid” event during the weeklong schedule of events to take place in the Handy Campus Center and Campus Center Mall.

Performing Arts Center.

There were also many informational booths on hand.

The Foster/Kinship Care Education booth contained information about everything from child abuse to information about immigration and pro bono lawyers.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is a program whose goal is to increase student interest in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“Our services are geared toward math and science majors, but we also offer tutoring,” said Jeff Burke, M.A.

Math Coordinator, STEM Grant.

The financial aid booth handed out information about grants and book scholarship applications.

The Health Center gave out flyers explaining the difference between a common cold and the flu, and they also gave out packets of free condoms.

“The ambience was unforgettable and I wish it would have never ended,” Gaglia said.

Sandra Lopez can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com

Thursday, 11/12:

Clubs Spotlight 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Handy Campus Center East Wing

Friday, 11/13:

Veteran’s Day holiday Campus Closed

Saturday, 11/14:

Football Game @ 1 p.m.

Citrus Stadium Drawings, Games, Entertainment

Casino Day Winners Justin King, Manuel Esquivel and Sheridan Sutton $5 gift cards to In-N-Out Helen Acosta $5 Cold Stone gift card

Matt James pair of tickets to Legoland Shawn Glassbrook pair of tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm

Kyle Reiner $15 gift card to Subway

Jeannette Orantes and Brenda Gonzalez pair of tickets to Disneyland

Chinonso Ezeh $15 iTunes gift card

Qiana Burnet pair of tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific

Tung Nguyen $15 gift card to 21 Choices frozen yogurt

Michael Howard $150 Visa gift card

Sarah Prosenko $20 Starbucks gift card