CLARION CITRUS COLLEGE
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014 VOL LXXXIII ISSUE 1
Complaint alleges civil rights violations By Cameron Wisdom Editor-in-Chief • cwisdom@ccclarion.com
A legal firm representing a current Citrus College student filed a complaint in July in the United States District Court alleging that the college’s administration infringed on their client’s constitutional rights. In a 42-page document filed with the Western Division Court of the Central District of California, The Davis Wright Tremaine law firm serving as counsel to student Vincenzo Sinapi-Riddle described how their client was allegedly
threatened and intimidated by a college administrator while he was petitioning outside the college’s designated “free speech zone” on Sept. 17, 2013. According to the document, Sinapi-Riddle was gathering signatures for a petition urging the Citrus College student government to condemn spying by the National Security Agency. When Sinapi-Riddle left the free speech area to discuss his petition with another student, a campus official, referred in the document as defendant Doe 1, allegedly confronted him near the school’s Edu-
cational Development Center. The document further states that the official threatened SinapiRiddle by stating that he had the authority to eject the student from campus for violating the school’s free speech zone policy. Citrus College’s Administrative Procedure 3900 titled “Speech: Time, Place and Manner”defines the campus as a “non-public forum” and restricts the school’s free speech zone to a location in the central quadrangle area. The plaintiff’s filing states that this free speech zone comprises - See Free Speech, pg. 5
Facebook photo
Vinny Sinapi-Riddle (left) pictured alongside California gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly during a fundraiser for Donnelly last year.
Starting Again
Student worker wages frozen
A traumatic brain injury survivor rediscovered herself and shares her journey in a new book By Careesa Campbell News Editor • ccampbell@ccclarion.com
Forgetting moments in life are inevitable. But for a member of the Citrus College Foundation, her entire life’s history was lost. Celeste Palmer can remember only 14 years of the 64 years of her life. On May 1, 2000, shortly after her 50th birthday, a young driver ran a stop sign and crashed into Palmer’s car. She sustained a traumatic brain injury, resulting in total memory loss. “I knew nothing of anything,” Palmer said. “I didn’t know I had a body at first. I didn’t know there was anything to life.” Palmer’s story is told in a book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries.” It describes her determination to restart her life after the nearly fatal accident. Simple routines such as finding clothes hung inside a closet and washing dishes were mysteries to
By Dillon Cooper
Sports Editor • dcooper@ccclarion.com
“I knew nothing of anything...I didn’t know I had a body at first. I didn’t know there was anything to life.”
-Celeste Palmer
her and became difficult challenges, she said. Palmer did not remember that she had given birth to three children. Her children - Heather, Jason and Matthew - are all married now and she has come to know them. But in the aftermath of her accident, learning about them was confusing. At first, Palmer said she wondered about her children’s reaction to her condition, but she soon realized that they accepted her, minus the memories. “They’re all great kids,” she said. “That’s a sign to me that it must’ve been okay.”
Evan Solano Clarion
Celeste Palmer is a member of the Citrus College Foundation. After a car crash left her with no memory, she now shares her story in a new book “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries”
Nancy Magnusson, also a member of the Citrus College Foundation, said Palmer is one of her favorite friends. “She’s honest and beautiful and very easy to get along with,” Magnusson said. “We’re more like sisters.” Magnusson said Palmer has focused on the present, rather than wasting time trying to remember moments that have vanished. The biggest mistake people
make in life is getting stuck on the negative whether it’s in the past, present or future, Palmer said. “We forget to notice how much we are in the present. All we know about is right now,” she said. “Live that moment to the fullest that you can so you don’t miss something.” As a life coach, Palmer helps people start their own Happiness Projects. This is what she calls a process in which people discern - See Palmer, pg. 10
‘faking it’ films again THE NEW MTV SHOW RETURNS TO THE CAMPUS CENTER MALL TO FILM FOR SEASON 2
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The minimum wage in California was raised from $8 to $9 on July 1, 2014. With that change, the administration at Citrus made a change of their own. Student workers at Citrus College will now be limited to earning a maximum of $9 an hour and will no longer receive raises. Meanwhile, student workers currently making $9.25 will continue to do so until they are no longer employed at Citrus College. “With the increase in the minimum wage, we decided it would be better just to pay one rate for all of our student workers,” said Robert Sammis, director of human resources. “That way, beginning student workers don’t have to work here three to four semesters to make more money.” Previously, student workers were able to receive raises based on how many semesters worked. Wages were also adjusted according to the skills - See Wages, pg. 5
$700k COST TO THE BUY THE 104 ACRE PLOT OF LAND THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME CITRUS COLLEGE