CLARION c i t r u s
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 | VOL XCI ISSUE 2 tccclarion.com f/ccclarion T@ccclarion
Eagles swat Owls out of playoffs in 87-69 loss BY MIGUEL ROMERO MANAGING EDITOR
MROMERO@CCCLARION.COM
For the second year in a row, Citrus was knocked out of the California Community College Athletic Association men’s Southern California playoffs by Mt. San Jacinto. It
was Citrus’ ninth straight playoff appearance. Led by state leading scorer Samuel Williams, who is averaging 25.8 ppg, the Eagles (23-7) were able to pull away from Citrus in the second half of their second-round matchup for
the 87-69 win. No. 7 Mt. San Jacinto will play No. 2 Saddleback College in the third round of the Southern California Regionals on March 4. Mt. San Jacinto came SE E B AS KETB ALL • PAGE 13
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
With a rise in the number of drug related offenses on campus, Citrus is using new methods to combat a ‘chronic’ problem
BY MEGAN BENDER STAFF WRITER
MBENDER@CCCLARION.COM
N
BY EVAN SOLANO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ESOLANO@CCCLARION.COM
A “No Marijuana on Campus” campaign, aimed at educating students and enforcing campus marijuana policies that they may be unaware of, is underway at Citrus College. The Department of Campus Safety developed the campaign in partnership with the Glendora Police Department. “We noticed an increase over the last couple of years in the number of students who are caught on campus, either bringing marijuana or smoking marijuana,” said Martha McDonald, Ed.D., interim executive dean. In an effort to counter the rise in drug related violations, officials are conducting monthly workshops to educate students on the rules of marijuana use on campus. “I think that there is misconceptions about its use, and we know marijuana is known as a ‘gateway drug’,” McDonald said. “It is about educating them and then [students] can make a deci-
Veterans Center looking to stay successful
“If you don’t tell the students walking around that state laws don’t apply to community colleges, then no one would really know that.”
-Mario Rodriguez
21, business administration major sion on what they are going to do. However, you just can not do it on campus.” At a March 2 workshop in the Hayden Memorial Library, only two students sat in with presenter Mika Chandramohen, an intern in the Student Health Center. “The biggest group I’ve had is 15, smallest is one,” Chandramohen said. “We talk about the consequences of using marijuana on campus and how to distinguish what is allowed on campus ver-
sus what is allowed on the state and federal level,” Chandramohen said. Attending the workshop was Mario Rodriguez, 21, business administration major, who described the session as beneficial. “If you don’t tell the students walking around that state laws don’t apply to community colleges, then no one would really know that,” Rodriguez said. “It’s good information to have.” In addition to educating students, the “No Marijuana on
Campus” campaign also serves to make students aware of the consequences that will be in effect for students who are caught with marijuana on campus. “If we find a student with marijuana in their car, but not smoking, we will give them a warning and ask them to come to our workshops,” McDonald said. “If you are caught smoking marijuana on campus, it will lead to suspension…we want to make sure students understand that.” The penalties are being imposed because of the college’s need to comply with federal guidelines so as not to affect the school’s qualifying for Title IV federal funding. “If we don’t follow these federal laws, that would affect our ability to provide financial aid,” McDonald said. Last semester, 60 percent of Citrus students received some type of federal financial aid through Citrus College, which the workshops help put into perspective. SE E M ARI JUANA • PAGE 5
Baseball swings to victory The Owls win big against Bakersfield PG. 13
early a decade ago Professor Bruce Solheim, Ph.D., and a few student veterans got behind the idea providing a haven for students who had served in the military. The result was the Citrus College Veterans Program. Citrus College was the first college in the nation to offer a transitional course for veterans. For Martha McDonald, Ed.D, interim Executive Dean at Citrus College, this fact sets the veterans center apart from other Community Colleges centers. “Some of the colleges call them resource centers,” said McDonald, who is a Marine veteran. “We call ours the Veterans Success Center because it’s more than just a resource.” According to the VSC website, Citrus College has over 500 veteran students who utilize the VSC to
“We call ours the Veterans Success Center because it’s more than just a resource. ” -Martha McDonald
interim executive dean
study, connect, and readjust to a different lifestyle. Monica Christianson, the VSC Director, can see the students struggle when they return from deployment and no longer have the structure they’re used to on a daily basis To help student veterans’ transition from structured military life to student life, Christianson tries to ‘hand off’ one veteran to the next in an effort to ensure that those returning form deployment feel comfortable. Baron Cheng, 26, who served four years S E E V ET ER AN S • PAGE 1 0
1965 The year the “Citrus Collegian” became the “Citrus College Clarion”