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The American River
Vol. 67, Ed. 6
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INSIDE:
ANTI-ISLAMIC ACTIVISTS STOKE FIERCE DEBATE WITH MUSLIM STUDENTS
PAGE 9 @ARCurrent
December 2, 2015
A CHALLENGE FROM THE AMERICAN RIVER CURRENT EDITORIAL BOARD
THE SILENT TREATMENT THE AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, YOU SHOULD SAY SOMETHING WHAT THEY DIDN’T WANT TO TELL YOU l A manhunt for an armed felon took place on campus. See page 2. l A student was diagnosed with active tuberculosis. See page 3.
W
ithin the last month, your life and safety were at risk from an armed felon on campus who injured a woman and a highly contagious, deadly disease. You may not have heard about this because ARC had no plans to directly inform you until it faced intense media scrutiny. Administrators at American River College, whose recent lack of communication with students has fostered a culture of silence, need to stop doing the minimum and take seriously their ethical obligation to inform us about serious risks to our safety. On the evening of Nov. 17, while students were in class, an armed felon trying to evade police capture injured a pedestrian in a hit-and-run in the parking structure before fleeing on foot,
EDITORIAL CONTINUES ON PAGE 11
Page 2
December 2, 2015
News
Holocaust survivor speaks LEON MALMED PAID TRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY who SAVED HIM IN NAZI-OCCUPIED FRANCE By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com Almost two months after Los Rios Student Trustee Cameron Weaver made headlines for questioning whether the Holocaust happened, students, faculty and staff gathered in a packed music hall at American River College on Nov. 10 to listen to the harrowing story of a Holocaust survivor and the couple who risked their lives to save him. Leon Malmed, now 78, was only four and a half years old when his parents were taken into custody by the French police at the command of the Nazi Germany. Malmed recognizes this as his “first memory” of childhood and “the only memory” of his parents. Malmed and his sister Rachel were taken in by their neighbors in the northern French town of Compiegne. The Ribouleau family refused to give the two up, despite the “24/7 mortal danger” that they faced. Leon said that he was soon able to call the Ribouleaus “mama” and “papa.” “I’ve never stopped thinking, to this day, of my parents,” said Malmed. “But, I found that it was possible to love two sets of parents.” Aside from the constant fear of being captured, Malmed said that they encountered several other troubles during their time in hiding — including a lack of food, which was scarce and rationed during the war. “Rachel and I were not supposed to exist,” he said. “So, there were only four ration cards that only gave you about 400 calories a day and we had to share those four ration cards between six
american river
current Editor-in-Chief John Ferrannini Managing Editor Matthew Peirson News Editor Lena DoBynes Sports Editors Nicholas Corey Matthew Nober t Arts and Culture Editor Joseph Daniels
John Ferrannini / jferr1995@gmail.com
Holocaust survivor Leon Malmed speaks at a Nov. 10 college hour about hiding in France during World War II.
people.” World War II ended in 1945, but Malmed said that it wasn’t for many years that he was able to accept that he would never see his parents again. Henri and Suzanne Ribouleau were bestowed the title Righteous Among the Nations by Israel in 1977 for their protection of Leon and Rachel. The title honors those who though not of the Jewish faith, risked their lives to help Jews during the war. Malmed recounted his story in its entirety in his book “We survived … At last I speak.” When Compiegne was liberated by the Allies, Leon and Rachel were the last two Jews alive in the small French town. When asked about Weaver’s comments, Malmed addressed the topic of Holocaust skepticism.
“The Holocaust happened. I was there. I lost my parents. … For people who have lost their parents at an early age, it’s just a terrible catastrophe that you cannot get away from for all your life,” said Malmed. Weaver did not attend the college hour. When asked why on Nov. 12, Weaver said that he had “academic obligations.” Student Senate President David Hylton, who defended Weaver’s comments, did not attend the college hour. When asked why, Hylton said that he wouldn’t respond to any questions he couldn’t approve in advance via email. Student Senate Director of Legislative Affairs Laurie Jones, who defended Weaver’s comments and voted against an effort to recall him, also did not attend in spite of suggesting at the time
that the school should provide a college hour on the Holocaust. Jones said that she didn’t know the event was happening. Clubs and Events Board President Justin Nicholson, who defended Weaver’s comments, said that he had work. Throughout the presentation, Malmed stressed to the audience that people have an obligation to speak out against discrimination. “We live today in, still, a very tumultuous word and unfortunately we are again witnessing a repeat of history,” said Malmed. “Let all of us speak and act against racism, hatred, anti-Semitism, injustice and, the worst of all crimes — the one whose name should make us shudder — genocide.” John Ferrannini contributed to this report.
Police chase armed felon on campus
Scene Editors Emily Thompson Ashley Nanfria Opinion Editor Mychael Jones Multimedia Editor Kameron Schmid Copy Editor Jordan Schauberger Web Editor Barbara Har vey Staff Noor Abasi Jose Garcia Johnnie Heard Michael Pacheco Joe Padilla Karen Reay Kevin Sheridan
Adviser Walter Hammer wold Photo Adviser Jill Wagner
ONE INJURED IN arc PARKING STRUCTURE HIT-AND-RUN, sparking HOUR-LONG pursuit By Barbara Harvey barbaraapharvey@gmail.com A police chase in the American River College parking structure on the night of Nov. 17 left one pedestrian injured and several students shaken after the suspect — an armed felon — crashed into a parked car, which then struck a pedestrian, police said. ARC students Chelsea Christensen, Damier Currey and Molly McGhee were walking together to their cars after class when Christensen said she noticed a suspicious man lurking on the fourth floor. As they prepared to leave, they were stopped by Los Rios police, who asked if they had seen someone standing on the exterior railing of the parking structure. “I was like ‘Oh, God,’ because I thought somebody was trying to kill themselves,” Christensen said. “I told (the police) about the guy who was being a little weird up there. ... He just rubbed me the wrong way. … I told the police and gave his description.” As the women separated and proceeded down to the next level, they were suddenly put on
“
I know how to protect myself, but you never know what people have in their pockets.
”
–CHELSEA CHRISTENSEN
high alert as they heard screeching tires. “We heard the tires screeching,” Christensen said. “I was like ‘I gotta get out of here,’ and pulled to the side, and then a white car went zooming down past us followed by the police officer, and then as soon as they got down to the fourth floor, the police officer turned his lights on and the guy zoomed around the corner and hit a car. “We later found out that the car slid over and hit a woman. When the (suspect’s) car stopped because it hit another car, (the suspect) got out and started running and the police officer chased him on foot with his gun drawn. Then the shuttle came down and took care of the woman.” Officer Ryan Maxwell of the Los Rios Police Department confirmed eyewitness accounts that someone was injured. Maxwell said that the injuries
were “minor,” and that the woman declined treatment. Currey, however, said the victim had appeared to be more seriously injured. “There was a very large dent in the side of the door where (the victim) had been hit. She was hit hard. She was thrown. She was probably six feet away from the car that had hit her,” said Currey. “You could tell she was in a lot of pain.” Maxwell said that the suspect led officers on a foot chase, abandoning his vehicle after the crash. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department — including K9 and air support — was called in to assist in a search, which Maxwell estimated took an hour. The suspect, a minor, was apprehended after being found hiding in bushes. The suspect was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of numerous crimes, including assault
with a deadly weapon (non-firearm); unlicensed driving; possession of marijuana; resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer or EMT; violating probation; hit and run (injury or death); evading a peace officer in a marked vehicle; and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Christensen said that she was shaken to learn that the suspect had been in possession of a firearm on campus. “Knowing now that he had a gun and with all the shootings and everything happening … it does make me a little bit nervous. … I feel safe because I know how to protect myself, but you never really know what people have in their pockets,” Christensen said. “He didn’t know that I had a can of mace in mine and I didn’t know he had a gun in his. … I didn’t want to bring a can of mace to a gunfight.” McGhee said that after overcoming her initial shock, she was relieved. “I’m glad it wasn’t worse,” she said. “It could have been so much worse.” Jordan Schauberger, Joseph Daniels and Matthew Peirson contributed to this report.
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POLICY The Current is produced by the students of College Media Production, J410-413. All opinions are signed and not necessarily endorsed by the Current staff. All letters and articles appearing in the Editorial, Opinion or Forum sections are not necessarily representative of the Current staff or American River College policy. All articles are the property of the Current. Letters must be typed and can be submitted by mail, e-mail or in person at the following addresses: The American River Current 4700 College Oak Drive Liberal Arts, Room 120 Sacramento, CA 95841 Phone: 916-484-8304 Fax: 916-484-8668 E-mail: Current@arc.losrios.edu www.ARCurrent.com
December 2, 2015
News
Page 3
Business professor pleads guilty GREG BAKER RESIGNED AFTER CONFESSING TO HELPING TO DEFRAUD AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBE $17 MILLION By John Ferrannini and Barbara Harvey jferr1995@gmail.com barbaraapharvey@gmail. com An American River College professor has resigned after he pled guilty Nov. 5 to his role in defrauding over $17 million from an American Indian tribe. Business professor Greg Baker, 48, was the tribal administrator for the United Auburn Indian Community (UAIC). As part of a plea agreement, Baker pled guilty to money laundering, submitting a false tax return and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for his role in the scheme which took place in 2006 and 2007. Baker personally received $1.4 million in kickbacks, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s office. According to the press release, Baker knowingly approved false invoices from a construction project being worked on by developer Bart Wayne Volen. Baker approved the invoices along with Darrell Hinz, who was an employee of the UAIC responsible for quality control. In exchange, Hinz paid for Baker’s trip to Hawaii as well as for “the installation of a swimming pool at Baker’s residence, and for Baker’s purchase of a luxury automobile, several rental properties, and a condominium in the South Lake Tahoe area.” The construction is now complete on a site in Placer County that includes a school, offices and
“
The tribe is now relieved to see that Greg Baker’s lying has finally ended with his admission of guilt.
”
–DOUGELMETS
a community center. Baker, who was initially indicted in 2012, was teaching four classes at ARC until the day he entered his plea. He was then put on leave, according to Ryan Cox of the Los Rios district’s human resources office. Cox could not confirm the reason for the leave, saying it was “a private personnel matter.” According to The Sacramento Bee, Baker decided to resign his position as a professor effective at the end of the Fall 2015 semester. Other professors have taken over Baker’s classes. Tim Kovar has taken over Baker’s Introduction to Business class on Monday and Wednesday mornings. ARC student Nolan Cyr said that although Kovar couldn’t say why Baker was suddenly absent, students quickly found out. “Somebody did ask,” said Cyr. “They didn’t tell us, but you Google it.” Doug Elmets, a spokesperson for the UAIC, said that it “is the ultimate irony” that one of Baker’s classes — Introduction to
John Ferrannini / jferr1995@gmail.com
Tribal offices for the United Aubrun Indian Community are located in a series of buildings built utilizing general contracter Bart Volen, who was indicted along with ARC professor Greg Baker for taking $17 million from the tribe.
Management Functions — covers business ethics. “The UAIC put their trust in Greg Baker and Greg Baker violated that trust,” said Elmets. “The tribe is now relieved to see that Greg Baker’s lying has finally ended with his admission of guilt.” According to the press release, Baker filed false tax returns
from 2006 to 2009 that led to a loss of “between $250,000 and $550,000” for the U.S. government. As part of the plea agreement, the federal government said that it would dismiss the rest of the 18 counts of indictment against Baker at sentencing. The agreement also stipulates that the government will recommend a sentence of 78 months
(or, approximately six and onehalf years) for Baker, whose sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 17. Baker and Volen have agreed to pay at least $17 million in restitution to the tribe. Baker’s attorney, Thomas Johnson, declined to make Baker available for comment.
CORRECTIONS
Student diagnosed with tuberculosis
In Volumes 67, Editions 4 and 5 of The Current, the following corrections are listed:
HEALTH CENTER PROVIDING TESTS FOR THOSE POTENTIALLY EXPOSED TO THE DISEASE
In Edition 4 on page 8, it is falsely stated that ARC’s football team plays in the NorCal conference. In fact, it is called the NorCal League. In Edition 4 on page 11, it is falsely stated that only one member of the Associated Student Body was elected by the students. In fact, two were elected by the student body, Justin Nicholson and McKaela Broitman, the latter of whom has since resigned. In Edition 5 on pages 1 and 6, Hamed Hafezy’s first name is misspelled incorrectly with an i instead of with an e. In Edition 5 on page 2, it is falsely stated that the Folsom Lake College student government voted against a proposed recall of Los Rios Student Trustee Cameron Weaver. In fact, the board chose to abstain from voting but released a statement.
ON THE WEB For weekly coverage of Associated Student Body Student Senate and Clubs and Events Board meetings, go to ARCurrent.com
By Matthew Peirson and John Ferrannini matthewpeirson @gmail.com jferr1995@gmail.com An unidentified American River College student is in isolation after having been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, according to a statement made by the Sacramento County Division of Public Health on Nov. 17. As many as 160 students and faculty may have been exposed, according to Laura McCasland, the public information officer for Public Health. The school does not know if the student was diagnosed with multidrug resistant tuberculosis or standard tuberculosis, according to Pam Whipple, a nurse at the ARC Health Center. Those who may have been exposed were sent an email through their Los Rios gmail accounts, according to ARC public information officer Scott Crow. Letters of notification were also sent in the mail. “The email is asking for them (those potentially exposed) to be tested or screened,” said McCasland, who added that “you
have to be in close proximity for extended period of time” to contract tuberculosis from one who has it. TB tests will be available Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Health Center. “Public Health is working closely with school officials to investigate and screen any potential exposures,” said Pamela Harris, a Public Health official. The school originally had no plans to send a general notification to students. After local media ran stories on the diagnosis, the Health Center did send an email on Nov. 18 advising caution. “There is no longer any risk of TB exposure to ARC students and staff,” the email said. “Exposure to a person with the active disease must be very close and over a prolonged period of time for others to become infected with this germ. Further, the majority of people who have been infected with tuberculosis do not progress to having active tuberculosis disease and, therefore, they are unable to transmit the germ to others.” Symptoms of tuberculosis include a cough that lasts longer than three weeks and coughing up blood or mucus.
John Ferrannini / jferr1995@gmail.com
The diagnostic agent Tubersol, right, is used to test for tuberculosis by causing a mild allergic reaction in those who have contracted it. The Health Center is in the process of testing students and faculty who may have been exposed.
SYMPTOMS OF TUBERCULOSIS • A persistent cough, lasting longer than three weeks • Chest pain or pain with breathing or coughing • Coughing up blood or mucus • Fever, nightsweats or chills Tests will be availble in the Health Center on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
December 2, 2015
Page 4
Sports
Kunaszyk awarded by CCCAA ARC LB NAMED top defensive player By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com American River College football linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 for the NorCal League by the California Community College Athletics Association, the second consecutive year the award has gone to an ARC player. Kunaszyk finished the season with 118 tackles and 3 sacks, averaging 10.7 tackles per game. Kunaszyk is close friends with former ARC defensive lineman Jordan Carrell, who won the award in 2014 and now plays at the University of Colorado Boulder. “I actually think it’s cool (because) my buddy won the award last year and he actually went to my high school, so it’s good to keep the award at AR and in Roseville,” Kunaszyk said. Kunaszyk said he and Carrell have been good friends since middle school. “I still talk to him all the time. In fact, I talked to him today,” Kunaszyk said. Kunaszyk and Carrell played together at Roseville High School, with Carrell being a year older. Kunaszyk was a medical redshirt for ARC in 2014, making 2015 his freshman playing season. Carrell said he was pleased to learn Kunaszyk had received the award for 2015. “It’s a big award, I’m glad ARC was able to represent it,” Carrell said. “I was excited when I heard my boy got the award.” Carrell said discipline is a key factor in everything that Kunaszyk does. “On and off the field,” Carrell said. “He’s disciplined in the classroom, and I think that carries to the football field with studying film. And he’s a leader.” Lou Baiz, ARC’s defensive coordinator, coached both players in their respective award-winning seasons and said it was a “great accomplishment” for Kunaszyk’s work on the field to be recognized. “He wasn’t even playing middle linebacker to start the season, we had to move him in there (because of injuries),” Baiz said. “He’s very instinctive and he plays with a great motor.” Kunaszyk will be eligible to play at ARC in 2016 due to his redshirt season in 2014, but said that it “depends on how recruiting goes.” He currently has one offer from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is likely to receive more offers in the coming weeks. Regardless of what the next move is, he said that he will appreciate the time spent at ARC when he does move on. “There’s no junior college I’d rather be at than American River College,” Kunaszyk said.
Barbara Harvey / barbaraapharvey@gmail.com
Running back Armand Shyne rushes the ball during the Nov. 21 Gridiron Classic Bowl against San Joaquin Delta College. ARC lost 24-17 in overtime.
ARC misses playoffs players hold heads high despite falling short of preseason expectations By Kevin Sheridan kevinsheridan56@gmail.com The story of the 2015 season for the American River College football team was one of redemption and revenge, beginning when ARC was knocked out of playoffs in the 2014 NorCal Championship game by City College of San Francisco after a field goal in the final seconds. The season opener against Modesto Junior College was a chance for ARC to show that it was back strong with a new, young and ready-to-win team, but things did not go according to plan as ARC was blown out in a 41-10 loss. Head coach Jon Osterhout addressed his team moments after the game, determined to fix what had gone wrong: A defense that had been so stingy against the run in 2014 gave up 212 yards on the ground to a Modesto team that finished 4-6 in 2014 and had lost its star running back. ARC had lost several defensive talent and team leaders from the 2014 squad, as NorCal League Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Carrell, linebacker Austin Paulhus, and defensive ends Ewing Simmons and Ray Edwards had all moved on. This not only left the team with a wound in its defense but also with the question of who would step up as the new team leaders and bring the team to the playoffs once more. Despite the rough beginning, ARC was able to rebound by winning its next two games against De Anza College 38-2 and defeating San Joaquin Delta College 4424. The two games not only rep-
Jordan Schauberger / jschauberger94@gmail.com
ARC defensive back Titus Vinson tackles San Joaquin Delta College running back Jamil Thomas during the Gridiron Classic Bowl at ARC Nov. 21.
resented a bounce-back for ARC as a team, but also a recovery for starting quarterback Jihad Vercher. After getting benched in the loss at Modesto, Vercher threw for a combined eight touchdowns and 488 yards with no interceptions in the two wins. “I think coming back week two after the opener was a huge statement for our football program,” said Osterhout. “It just showed we’re a tough football team mentally.” Sitting at 2-1 after the pair of wins, ARC had to go on the road to face off against arguably its toughest challenge of the season at CCSF with vengeance on its mind. This time around, ARC was the one to cause the upset when kicker Sam Keil booted in the game-winning field goal from the 25-yard line as time expired to win the game 20-17. “The San Francisco game — it was a great moment,” said
freshman linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, who finished the season as NorCal League Defensive Player of the Year. “It was a moment that people really started to buy in and achieve our goals,” he added. The win vaulted ARC to the top of the NorCal regional rankings and sent the team to the College of San Mateo with good momentum. After its victory against San Mateo in 2014 vaulted ARC’s status to arguably the best team in the NorCal League, this season ARC felt the payback when San Mateo rolled ARC with a 42-10 win. In that game, the same problems with run defense plagued ARC once again as it gave up 298 yards on the ground. The loss dropped ARC to 3-2 on the season, although it defeated three consecutive league opponents. ARC looked like it was going to have another season in which
it dominated its league in wins against College of the Siskiyous, Feather River College and local rival Sierra College. The streak folded when Butte came up with a last-minute hail Mary play to score the gamewinning touchdown and won 27-24. The loss tied up ARC’s championship title for the NorCal league and put it in a tight spot for its chances to make the playoffs. Heading into its final game of the regular season against Sacramento City College, ARC needed CCSF to beat San Mateo, Chabot College to lose to Laney College and Butte College to lose College of Siskiyous, among other scenarios. With its playoff chances up in the air, ARC defeated Sac City 38-18, but missed the playoffs as Chabot defeated Laney 48-21. Even though it missed the playoffs, ARC hosted Delta in the Gridiron Classic Bowl, where it lost 24-17 in overtime. Despite the loss, ARC running back Ce’von Mitchell-Ford, who finished second on the team in rushing with 605 yards, said that he was happy with how the season went. “Things didn’t fall the way we wanted to but we gave it our best shot,” said Mitchell-Ford. “At the end of the day that’s all you can really ask for.” Vercher said the team had a “great run.” “It’s going to stick with me forever, because it’s hard to find a team like that, where everybody loves each other,” said Vercher. Matthew Peirson contributed to this report.
Sports
December 2, 2015
Page 5
Cross-country’s reign continues By Matthew Nobert mdnob40@gmail.com American River College’s men’s Crosscountry team finished the 2015 season at No.1 in the Big 8 Conference and in the NorCal Championship. The team had looked to continue its reign over Northern California Crosscountry, having won its third state championship in four seasons last year. With the final race of the season coming up at the 2015 California Community College State Championship, ARC had to prove one last time that it was worthy of its No.1 ranking. ARC felt confident with its ability to win the meet because the team won it back-toback-to-back in 2011, 2012 and 2013 but was not expecting the results it would get this time around. The race hosted of 200 runners and almost 30 schools from all over the state. To this point, ARC had a perfect season but also jumped from being the No. 3 ranked team to No.1 earlier in the season. ARC didn’t look to show any signs of folding under the pressure because ARC’s seven runners put up a score of just 67 points to win the meet. Every other team was north of 100 points including this seasons previously ranked No.1 team, Mt. San Antonio College. ARC took two top 10 places and two more top 20 places. ARC started off the 2015 season looking determined to show that it was still No.1 with its season opener at the University of San Francisco Invitational. ARC ran in the Non-Division I 8000-meter and left every other team in the dust with a final team score of 20 points and separating itself from the rest of the pack by 41 points. ARC progressed through the season
Photo courtesy of Rick Anderson
Donnie Plazola, left, and Sean Gregg, right, run in the cross-country state championships. ARC finished first with a overall score of 67, winning its fourth state championship in five years.
winning the Fresno Invitational over the No.1 and No.2 state ranked Mt. SAC and College of the Canyons. The team then won the SoCal preview in both the open and invitational and the thought of a state championship was on some runners minds. “I didn’t really have any expectations but as the season went on the goal was to win the state meet,” said freshman Ross Walker, one of ARC’s top five runners. The team finished out its regular season by taking the first place state ranking and winning its next two meets at the Hartnell Invitational and the Non Division I Santa Clara University Bronco Invitational with sophomore runner Sean Gregg taking the
SPORTSUPDATES
individual win for ARC at the Hartnell Invitational. The team’s success has not been by accident with head coach Rick Anderson at the helm, who has led the team since 1996. He has multiple titles with the team including four State Championships, nine NorCal Championships and 15 Big 8 Conference Championships. “I would like to thank Rick for recruiting me and putting together a great team, because without him I would have stopped running,” said Abdul Hamid, one of ARC’s top runners. Anderson picks only the best runners from area high schools and has a strict workout system to get the best out of ev-
ery athlete. “Our success this season has been mainly through coaching, (Anderson’s) atmosphere allows us not to freak out,” said Brad Needles. Going into the Big 8 Conference Championship, Anderson made a bold statement to the rest of the conference by sitting his top five runners and planning to still win the title without any trouble. The team delivered, with three out of five its runners finishing in the top five and culminating a score of 20 points, spacing themselves out from the rest of the teams by at least 50 points. The win made it the 10th consecutive Big 8 Championship Conference for the team and allowed its top five runners to get rested up for the Northern California Championship. ARC sent Hamid, Donald Plazola, Sean Gregg, David French, Walker, Needles and Ozzie Hassen to run in the meet with many of these athletes already having multiple top five finishes during the season and even some first place finishes. ARC ended up crushing the meet, with Hamid winning the race with a time of 20:20:8 over the four mile course and was almost a full three seconds ahead of second place finisher Jason Intravaia from Las Positas College, who had a time of 20.23.5. “He’s a freak, always on his game,” said Needles about Hamid’s performance every time he runs. Plazola, Gregg, French and Walker took third, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively, helping ARC win the team portion of the race as well by a score of 28. Team members credited their individual hard work and the coaching of Anderson with its rise back to the top as state champions.
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ARC guard Jazlynne Macklin drives down the court against Cosumnes River College during the 2014-2015 season. ARC has started this season 6-1 overall and plays its next game Friday.
VOLLEYBALL
WOMEN’S CROSS-COUNTRY
With a new head coach in Gabe Gardner, ARC made the playoffs and won one playoff game at home and lost its second on the road. Freshman Kaitlin Meyer led the team in kills with 292 for the season. The team finished 21-9 overall and 10-4 in Big 8 Conference play.
Sophomore Jenica Dodge finished second in the women’s 5k with a time of 17:46.8 in the California Community College Athletics Association Cross-Country State Championships on Nov. 21. The team finished seventh overall with a total team score of 1:37:30.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Forward Austin Lobo produced a double-double for ARC with 17 points on 7 of 16 from the field and 2 of 5 from the 3-point line along with ten rebounds in a 71-56 loss to Shasta College on Nov. 22. ARC’s first home game is in January, and the team is 3-4 so far this season.
Guard Jennifer Manduca scored 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field and hit 3 of 4 from the 3-point line in ARC’s 50-47 win over Shasta College on Nov. 24. Manduca added 6 rebounds and 2 steals in the win. The team is 6-1 this season and will host Lassen College on Friday.
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December 2, 2015
Page 6
Photos by Jordan Schauberger / jschaberger94@gmail.com
Bottom right, Trude Zmoelnig, an ARC student and former prison psychologist stares at a piece she recently drew of people on the bus. Clockwise from left, Zmoelnig drew ‘Mystery Mixed Media,’ and ‘Green Bear.’
A LIFE’S WORK OF ART
former prison psychologist COUNSELED inmates WITH ART By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com After spending the majority of her professional and scholarly career in the psychology field, an immigrant and first-semester American River College student is now studying the subject she is the most passionate about: art. Trude Zmoelnig worked as a psychologist at the Pelican Bay State Prison. She was able to incorporate art into her work there by teaching an art class for the inmates. “I got to see aspects of my clientele that wouldn’t normally come out,” Zmoelnig said. “You know, emotions and colors are related and many of the prisoners reacted in a positive way.” Pelican Bay Warden Clark E. Ducart, who was a correctional administrator during Zmoelnig’s time with the prison, said that her work with the inmates was one of the more “unique” things he’d seen while working there. “She (Zmoelnig) really took a strong interest in every person she worked with,” Ducart said. “I think her art class is something that a lot of them still remember today.” Zmoelnig grew up in Austria in the 1950s and was always surrounded by art, but, throughout the early stages of her life, it was never something that was fully “supported.” Art was an activity that her mother only told her to do in order to “keep her (Zmoelnig) out of her hair.”
“I have been interested in art most of my life,” Zmoelnig said. “But, you know how it is: parents encourage you to do something that makes money.” Following her parents aspirations, Zmoelnig put aside art to study psychology when she initially moved to America. However, art was always a part of her life. “In between, there was always a little bit of art when I needed to quiet down,” said Zmoelnig. “I even did my dissertation and my master’s thesis on the affective value of colors. So, it was always with me, one way or another.” After starting her studies in upstate New York, she eventually recieved her master’s degree at the United States International University in San Diego. Zmoelnig didn’t have her breakthrough as an artist until after she retired and took a portrait drawing workshop where she decided to switch it up by drawing with her left hand. “I consciously decided to use my left and all of a sudden my stroke and everything was better, much stronger,” said Zmoelnig. “I never really fully pursued it (art) to the full extent because my right hand was just weak, but when I started using my left hand, everything took off and it pleased me more.” She said that using her left hand in art opened up a more spiritual realm of art. “For me, art is now a very spiritual thing and, to me, from all
the things I’ve done in my life, it makes the most sense,” said Zmoelnig. “When you have your feet on the ground, mother earth, you can actually feel that, me as an artist, I am not doing things on my own and I go to a level that is not just thinking. “There are spirits, nature spirits, that are contributing to it, so I cannot say this is all my work. Things show up on the canvas and sometimes you have no idea where they came from.” Zmoelnig said her work is often compared to that of Franz Marc, a painter in the early 20th century who was a key figure in the German expressionist movement, in spite of the fact that she was not initially familiar with his work. “The interesting thing is that he too was very interested in the spiritual aspect of art,” Zmoelnig said. “This is still one of my connections to the art world.” At ARC, Zmoelnig has worked in a gallery operations course that she said has set her up with possible internships. Gioia Fonda, an art professor at Sacramento City College, taught Zmoelnig at SCC and said that she was a “very dynamic” artist. “The thing I liked most about her is how serious she is as an artist,” said Fonda. “She’s always open to change and criticism. She’s never afraid to experiment.” Zmoelnig said that she is currently working on a project in which she draws people that she sees when she’s riding the bus to and from school.
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The Clubs & Events Board and Student Senate
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Arts&Culture
December 2, 2015
Theater dances with death ‘Skeleton stories’ takes audience on a journey to the underworld By Joseph Daniels Joseph64daniels@ gmail.com The American River College theater department’s production of “Skeleton Stories” takes the audience on a journey through a Latino-inspired underworld that celebrates the Day of the Dead, but the main story is dragged down by the short stories. “Skeleton Stories,” written by Delondra Williams and directed by Pamela Downs, features a protagonist, Maya, played by McKenzie Lopez, who prays to Santa Muerte, a folk saint who is associated with death, played by Itzin Alpizar, to wish that her dead mother not rest in peace. “Skeleton Stories” is similar to “The Inferno” by Dante Alighieri. “The Inferno” is an epic poem about a writer’s quest into Hell. However, the strongest comparison the play has to another story is Jim Henson’s “The Labyrinth.” The type of role that David Bowie plays in “The Labyrinth” is essentially played by two separate characters in “Skeleton Stories”: Santa Muerte and Mitch, played by Charles Souther. Santa Muerte visits Maya to inform her that she received her wish and that she is being cut piece by piece by Mitch and put back together to only suffer through the torment over and over again.
Authors reflect on ethnicity lecture covers racial struggles By Kevin Sheridan kevinsheridan56@gmail.com
Joseph Daniels / joseph64daniels@gmail.com
Santa Muerte, right, played by Itzin Alpizar, visits Maya, played by McKenzie Lopez, after Maya prayed to her.
“Skeleton Stories” leads into individual short stories that are about as eerie as a “Twilight Zone” episode. One of them includes a woman who has a dysfunctional relationship with her clone, and another involves a woman who sleeps with a man, on the condition that it occur in a dark room where she cannot see him. “Skeleton Stories” has one story that feels like dead weight. It is about two young women throwing a Halloween party that is crashed by the spirits of those who have died. It seems out of place to in-
clude a narrative that is centered around Halloween in a production that celebrates Day of the Dead. However, this story features interesting, strange imagery. An actor was used as a door, and one actor sat on the floor and acted as a television set. The Upright Dead Citizen’s Brigade, a play on popular improv collective Upright Citizen’s brigade, is a collection of ghosts and spirits played by actors who sit among the audience for much of the show. The group does not play a huge role in the play itself, but it was enjoyable
see the actors interact with the audience while staying in character. The costumes are incredibly detailed. Even the actors who played the skeletons, whose costumes initially appear to be cheesy, look as if their bones are clacking against each other as they dance once the strobe light turns on. While the play is rough around its edges, “Skeleton Stories” offers a unique experience for audience members with its weird imagery and its tragic story telling.
One man’s trash, another’s canvas
ARC students will use recycling bins to showcase original artworks By Lena DoBynes lena.dobynes@gmail.com The Earth painted in shades of blue and pink featuring a large eyeball is one of the artworks that will be displayed on trash bins to be “upcycled” into recycling bins on the American River College campus in coming weeks. Student Neil Putnam, the artist of “Earth’s Watching,” said that it was his second art idea for the recycle bin after he felt his original idea was “too common.” “I asked myself what does it mean to recycle and I realized it was a subliminal thought — Earth is watching you,” Putnam said. Art professor Mick Sheldon asked Putnam to participate in the project. “The most challenging part of the process was bridging the gap — seeing the piece for what is was at the time and not what I wanted it to be,” said Putnam. With the help of various groups on campus including the administration, the Associated Student Body Student Senate, the art department and maintenance, the American River Sustainability program has created a project to “upcycle” select trash bins around the school into recycling bins that are decorated with student art. Don Reid is directing the project. Reid, who also works as the sustainability representative for the Building, Grounds and Safety Committee, was approached by the Student Senate last spring about how to best spend money on campus. “The first thing that came to mind was recycling,” Reid said. Reid went on to point out that if someone were to walk from the administration build-
Karen Reay / karenraychel@gmail.com
‘Eyeball Dance’, left, and ‘Blue Hands,’ right, are two pieces that will be placed on recycling bins.
ing to the Student Center, they would find many trash bins but very few recycling bins. After Student Senate approved funding for the project and administration matched the board’s funds, Reid went to art professor Mick Sheldon and asked if some of his students would be interested in designing art for the upcycled bins. The requirements for the art are that it has to be in shades of blue and incorporate some kind of symbol for recycling to allow the average person on campus to understand that it is a recycling bin. Max Marchol, a studio art major, was approached by Sheldon to paint an image for one of the bins.
The first-semester student came up with a design of a tree growing on top of squares that are falling away from underneath it. According to Marchol, the idea was that the squares are discarded, man-made objects free from consuming, which will eventually allow life to grow. Marchol said that coming up with an idea for the project did not take long. “I always have ideas bouncing around in my head,” Marchol said. “I take an existing idea and adapt it to my cause and find expression there.” In total, 15 bins have been set aside for the project.
Tanaya Winder compared writing to someone performing open heart surgery on themselves at American River College’s Creative Connections event on Nov. 17. Winder, a motivational speaker from the Southern Ute, Duckwater Shoshone and Pyramid Lake Paiute nations, sang songs and read poems about the struggles of Native Americans in the modern era and how their culture has been devalued. Winder noted that one of the major struggles of American Indian groups is suicide. Native American youths have a higher rate of suicide than any other ethnic group, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Signs reading “you are loved” were posted on some of the trees in reservations that Winder had visited. The intent is to make people think twice before attempting suicide. Winder used an incident that took place in South Dakota involving a large group of Native American children who were on a field trip to a hockey game as an example how Native Americans still face prejudice. It was reported by Rapid City’s KOTA-TV that during the course of the of the game, the children had beer poured down onto them, and were being called to go back to the reservation. Winder was joined at the event by Cherrie Moraga, the co-editor of the book “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color.” The book highlighted the experiences of women who belong to minority groups and called for greater attention to race-related subjects within the feminist community. “The only thing that’s being understood is that two Chicanas did it,” said Moraga, which made the audience laugh. Moraga said that the movement was in need of writers from other ethnic groups. “For us to do that at that particular time, we needed them to back us up,” Moraga. Moraga said that she “loved writing about writing.” “In the act of writing about writing, you’re writing,” she said. Marie Quintero-Lenihan, a proctor for the self-assessment office, said that Moraga’s book “unified all women of color.” “It doesn’t happen a lot,” Quintero-Lenihan said. “The fact that they were united is a radical notion in and of itself.” Dean of Student Development Manuel Perez said that “This Bridge Called My Back” was “transformational.” “(It was) significant in terms of understanding my identity as a Raza youth,” Perez said. Moraga declined to comment after the event.
December 2, 2015
Scene
Page 9
‘Trans* Talk’packs Raef Hall STUDENT-LED PANEL TALKS LGBT ISSUES By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com
Barbara Harvey / barbaraapharvey@gmail.com
A large sign reading “Why Islam Kills” near the Student Center on Nov. 17 was erected by anti-Islamic activists and drew a large crowd of students.
Activists spark Islam debate arc students dispute message of anti-islamic display, stage counter-protest By John Ferrannini and Mychael Jones jferr1995@gmail.com mychael.jones.arc@gmail.com An American River College student held a silent protest outside the Student Center on Nov. 24 in response to an anti-Muslim protest that took place one week earlier in the same location. Burak Kocal, the student who was protesting, said that the anti-Muslim activists who erected a sign that read “Why Islam Kills” frightened him. “I remember after Tuesday I was properly scared to be in America,” said Kocal. “On Thursday, I felt I had to do something.” Kocal stood outside with a blindfold wrapped around his head while holding up a sign that asked passers-by to hug him if they agreed that Muslims should be treated with respect. On Nov. 17, activists erected a sign that read “Why Islam Kills,” provoking an intense religious debate with students. Coming on the heels of the Islamic State’s attack in Paris that left 129 people dead and hundreds injured on Nov. 13, the activists — who identified themselves as Christians but refused
Mychael Jones / mychael.jones.arc@gmail.com
ARC student Burak Kocal, a practicing Muslim, holds a sign protesting the stereotyping of Muslims in response to the earlier on-campus protest.
to identify with any organized group — said that they wanted to “engage people.” Keith Humphrey, one of the activists, said that he was surprised at the number of Muslims who attend ARC. “We’re encountering actual Arabic Muslims. I didn’t expect to go head-to-head with them. There must be hundreds of them on this campus,” said Humphrey. “The main purpose of making a controversial statement is to engage people. You have to make
L
CAMPUS PU SE “Yes. They should email us.”
-ALFREDMARTINEZ Engineering
something controversial to get their attention. … If we don’t have an in — a controversial statement — we’re not talking to anyone.” The activists were met with opposition from both Muslim and non-Muslim students, who said that the message that “Islam kills” is both offensive and wrong. “Only 0.2 percent of the socalled ‘Muslims’ are killing anybody,” said Muslim ARC student Awais Khan. “It’s against our religion, which says that if you kill
one person, you kill the whole human race.” Former ARC student Hamzah Ahmad, who is also a Muslim, said that the anti-Muslim activists had a false understanding of his religion. “I can be out here all day saying ‘I’m Muslim, I’m Muslim’ but if I’m not following the right path, I’m not following the religion of peace, then I’m not a Muslim no matter how much I say,” said Ahmad. “Do you know what the word Islam means? It means peace. It’s the religion of peace, brother.” For his part, an activist that can only be identified as Dick (he did not give his name, and Humphrey declined to give his last name) said that Islam as a whole is a “religion doing horrible things.” “Our sign is truthful,” Dick said. “The history of Islam has always been one of violence.” Los Rios police and Student Life Supervisor Juan Miguel Blanco went out to the booth to see what was going on. “There is a fine line between hate speech and free speech,” said Blanco. Jordan Schauberger and Kameron Schmid contributed to this report.
Do you wish the school informed you about recent events? If so, how would you want to be informed? “Yes they should inform us. In person, like have the police tell teachers and students because not everyone checks their email.”
-AGATHAQUIAMBAO Culinary Arts
In the midst of Transgender Awareness Week, American River College students piled into a packed lecture hall on Thursday to listen to a college hour presentation geared towards creating a greater understanding of the transgender community. Following an introduction by Brett Spencer, who volunteers at the Community and Diversity Center, and a 20-minute video titled “Transgender Basics,” a panel of six ARC students who identify with the transgender community answered questions on their own personal experiences. One of the questions asked was how allies of the transgender community comfort and talk to those dealing with depression spurring from their transition. Kylie Marx, who was one of the students on the panel, said that she fights depression each day with the sense that at least one good thing will happen. “I approach the day thinking that I’ll encounter at least one person who will call me by the proper pronouns,” Marx said. “Confidence is a big factor even if, at times, it can be hard to muster.” Another one of the panelists, Zahra Kruk, stressed that gender validation is an extremely important part of the transition. “For many people, not all, hormone replacement therapy is really helpful when dealing with gender dysphoria,” Kruk said. “Misgendering is really awful because of the constant invalidation.” Shonn Sutton, who is an ARC student and member of the Fierce Club, said that he’s been on hormones for two years and that he is much happier after identifying as transgender. “I’ve been told by my friends two things since I’ve came out transgender,” Sutton said. “The big ball of stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I’m a much happier person now.” One thing that all the panelists pointed to as being helpful is the Gender Health Center. Regina Drake, a transgender student at ARC, described the center as one of the main places she was able to find support when first coming to Sacramento.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Just a email or text works.”
“Yes. I like when they send out texts because I would get that fast and it could be a couple hours until I check my email.”
-JUSTINBAILEY Undeclared
-Joyganes Biology
December 2, 2015
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Scene
From the streets to the classroom transgender student BATTLEd TO OVERCOME homelessness, DRUGS and PREJUDICE By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com At the Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento during a candlelight vigil, Regina Drake, a transgender American River College student, read the obituary of a 25-year old transgender woman from Brazil who was killed earlier this year by blunt force trauma to the head. “It’s always sad (to hear about deaths in the transgender community), but I am still here. We must never give up and always fight for a better tomorrow,” Drake said after the vigil. “The goal is that one day we don’t have to have these anymore.” Drake, after ten years of hormone replacement therapy and battles with homelessness and drug abuse, plans to have surgery to complete her transition from male to female next summer. Drake was born in Bartow, Florida and raised in upstate New York outside of Syracuse. “I always felt different; I didn’t feel like I fit in (and) I didn’t feel like a normal boy,” said Drake on her early years of puberty. “I started to cut sweats up and make skirts in private. … It’s one of the things I did to feel sexy.” Rita Sarasy, Drake’s mother, said that her daughter was never accepted by the adults and other children around her. “Not a lot of people understood her and they refused to accept that she was different, but she always forged her own journey,” Sarasy said. “When she first told me (that she was transgender), I was really shocked and worried, but the more I prayed the more I knew that, as long as she was happy, I was happy.” It wasn’t until she was 26 and had a run-in with the law in Florida that Drake was able to start her transition. Drake was arrested on counts of destruction of property and
Jordan Schauberger / jschauberger94@gmail.com
Regina Drake, a transgender ARC student, holds a doctor’s letter recommending her for sex reassignment surgery.
evading arrest. Once released, she felt that she had nowhere to turn to in Florida and New York, so she headed to the West Coast. Drake said that it was in Washington state where she first felt support and started publicly as a woman, however, she still lacked the complete acceptance that she was searching for. Her search led her to San Francisco, where she started experimenting with drugs such as meth and crack cocaine. “I had this idea in my head that maybe (drugs) is what it means to be a woman,” Drake said. “I know better now, all that stuff actually blocks the hormones.” Due to her drug abuse, Drake found herself homeless and living in different shelters in the Bay Area.
TAKETHISCLASS By Lena DoBynes lena.dobynes@gmail.com The loud clang of metal on metal, the almost overwhelming heat against one’s face as they open the forge doors, and the look of bright, hot metal as it is pulled out of a fire are some of the various elements in the day-to-day life of a student taking ART 376: Functional Sculpture. Found within the art department, ART 376 teaches “the hands-on basics of metal forming, design principles and materials used for sculpture, and functional art forms with emphasis on the use of an anvil and gas forger,” according to the American River College catalog. Topics covered in the class range from hand-forging metal techniques to furniture and sculpture design. This semester is the first time the class has been offered since the budget cuts of 2010 removed it from the college’s curriculum. “It was heartbreaking when we learned the class was canceled,” said professor Laura Parker, who teaches the course. “Yet this semester we had a good turnout of students who were interested.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to live in the shelters because I’m in preop,” Drake said. “San Francisco can be a little more accepting than some of the other cities, so I ended up there a lot but that’s where my drug problem came from.” Reflecting on her transition, Drake noted that becoming a woman physically has drastically changed her approach to and view of the world. “I’ve had to learn to avoid certain streets or to look over my shoulder because I have been raped,” Drake said. “As a male, you can always feel safer walking down the street than I or any woman can.” Drake added that she can “look good and feel good, but it doesn’t mean crap” unless she’s safe.
“Guys are much stronger than girls,” Drake stressed. “When you’re on the hormone pills, you lose a lot of the strength that you took for granted.” Drake said that she is confident with her transition, in spite of criticisms. “I want to be a woman because I want to feel sexy, I want to feel elegant, I want to feel beautiful,” Drake said. “I don’t want to be treated like a piece of garbage.” At ARC, Drake said that she found a community that made her transition “a little bit easier”. Attempting to give back to the ARC community, Drake spent almost two months as member of the Associated Student Body Student Senate. However, Drake resigned from her position as a senator after
medical issues stemming from gallbladder and kidney surgery earlier this year forced her to drop one of her classes which, therefore, put her under the unit requirement for ASB board members. Education is very important to Drake in spite of suffering from extremely low processing speed, a condition described by psychotherapist Luanna Rodgers as a developmental disability. Drake said that once she has her operation she wants to move back east to be with her family again. She admits that she is a little nervous and afraid. “When I get back, it’ll be … how does the new me fit into (my family’s) life now,” Drake said. “I’m nervous but excited and it’s something I think about everyday.” Drake said she was fine with being away from home for so long, because she feels she had to find herself before she could have a loving relationship with her family. “I didn’t want my family to be affected or bothered until I knew this was me,” Drake admitted. “At the end of the day, you only have yourself; you’re born with yourself, you wake up with yourself and you die with yourself, so how can you have a life with others when you don’t know yourself is yet?” Once home, she hopes to finish school and start a career as a social worker. “I want to help all different kinds of people from all different backgrounds accept themselves,” Drake said. Nearing the end of her transition, Drake admitted that she will never be fully accepted by everyone, but it doesn’t matter because she has faith in herself. “I know I won’t ever pass (as a woman) for everyone, but I have faith in myself,” Drake said. “I have faith in who I really am.”
ART 376: Functional Sculpture
Art student Rachael Knight-Reigns was one of the students who enrolled in the course after returning to school in 2012 to pursue courses in metal work. Knight-Reigns, who has taken many of the traditional art classes on campus, said that the course leaves her with a sense of accomplishment after each project that she did not feel when taking other art classes. “You get hands on, dirty and sweaty,” said Knight-Reigns. “When you’re done with your piece you get something that is functional — something that you can use.” The course has also drawn in students who have had experience with working metal, such as automotive collision technician major Xander Lehn. “I did some welding before so I figured this course would fill my time by doing something I knew I enjoyed,” said Lehn. Originally taking the class to fill a transfer requirement, Lehn said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the course. Student Charles Kinter, an art new media major, said that taking this course has helped him in his art new media classes. “Working with this material helps my visual when working on computers,” said Kinter. “I am able to see how a lot of mate-
rials look in the real world and bring them to life on the computer.” The class is part lecture, part lab and features various projects that build upon skills the students learn each week. The lab portion of the class consists of the students working with hammer, anvil, and forges to work plain metal rods into functional pieces such as butter knives and candle holders. The work can be physically demanding and have the potential for injury. Some projects may even take longer than others for students to complete depending on skill level. 67-year-old student Jeff Armstrong insists that the course, which is his first at ARC, is “worth the pain.” While the work can be physically demanding, students enrolled in the course say that the physical aspect of the course is not the most challenging part. Art major Melani Adachi said that finding time to make up work can be difficult if they miss a day. “Getting someone’s notes from lecture is the easy part,” said Adachi. “Making up time that’s put in with anvil and hammer is more difficult. … The only way to do it (the work) is be here.”
Added Knight-Reign: “My ideas tend to exceed my skill level. I have all these farout ideas I want to try but I have to be realistic about what I can actually do.” Parker said that the students have a hard time “accepting imperfection.” “One doesn’t learn this overnight,” Parker said. “Coordination with a hammer and anvil is a weekly thing that must be worked on — like an athlete must practice daily to get better. As their (the students) confidence grows the easier the work becomes and the better their art turns out to be.” There are no prerequisites for the course, however Parker said it does help if students are not afraid of fire. Lehn recommends other students take the course as an alternative to lecture courses that meet the art requirement for graduation or transfer. “Taking off-the-wall courses and exploring out-of-the-norm classes could possibly lead to an experience you love doing,” said Lehn. “At least it’s a relief from being burned out in the classroom.” The class returns in the spring on Mondays and Wednesdays between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
December 2, 2015
Opinion
CURRENTEDITORIAL
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don’t sweep it under the rug
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 leading to an hour-long manhunt — part of which went through the campus — and required the assistance of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s K9 unit and helicopters. In spite of classes being in session during the manhunt, no alert was sent to students, faculty or staff. No lockdown was initiated, despite an armed felon running through the center of campus while police gave chase with their guns drawn, according to witnesses. Los Rios Police Capt. John McPeek dismissively said that the incident wasn’t reported because it was not deemed a threat to the community. Perhaps he should tell that to the woman who was injured during the chase. Unlike the arrest of Kristofer Clark for what police alleged was a “credible threat” on campus on Oct. 9, the administration did not hold a press conference to boast. Officials did not even send an email letting the student body know what had happened. On the very same day, it was announced that an American River College student was in isolation after being diagnosed with active tuberculosis, a deadly, contagious disease that can be spread by an infected person coughing or even just speaking. The administration originally had no plans to send a general notification to students informing them of the risk, and only acquiesced after a reporter from ABC 10 News grilled a school nurse in front of television cameras. Students and school employees took to social media, asking why they found out about the potentially harmful situation secondhand from the news media rather than the school. If the school was concerned about causing a panic, the best way to avoid doing so is to control the narrative through timely and open communication rather than remaining silent, which gives the impression that the administration has something to hide. ARC President Thomas Greene said that it was his decision not to send a general notification to the students about the armed felon evading police on campus because there was not a continuing threat after the arrest. While the minimum legal standard for a crime bulletin from the school is that there be an ongoing threat, Greene’s rhetoric about building a culture of “shared responsibility” asks students to go above and beyond the minimum legal standards when it comes to campus safety. “If you see something, say something,” Greene reiterated after the “credible threat” arrest. “If you hear something, say something.” But his message of a “shared responsibility” for safety between students, police and school employees means nothing when the administration makes no willing effort to keep the community informed. Greene said that he made the right decision not to send a notification because sending too many might risk “desensitizing people to the message.” Or, as McPeek put it, “do we really need to submit a notification for everything we
“
Los Rios Police Capt. John McPeek dismissively said that the incident wasn’t reported because it was not deemed a threat to the community. Perhaps he should tell that to the woman who was injured during the chase. do?” Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer, said that he gets complaints that the school sends too many notifications as it is — citing emails about the Oak Cafe as an example. Common sense would dictate that most people can tell the difference between an email about a police pursuit of an armed felon on campus and an email about the Oak Cafe. All these excuses are ways of avoiding the truth. The reality is that the administration doesn’t feel the moral or ethical obligation to tell the people who study and work here that their safety was seriously at risk. It is obvious that emails about the Oak Cafe are not equivalent to a notice that you may have been exposed to tuberculosis, or that an armed felon who had already injured someone was running past the bookstore — the police unable as yet to apprehend him — while classes were in session. Keep in mind that after Kristofer Clark was arrested for what police alleged was a verbal threat — an allegation that the
SEN. JONES: I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT HOLOCAUST LECTURE To the Editor: Thanks for a great article covering his (Holocaust survivor Leon Malmed’s) talk. Almost like being there, but I wish I had been. Too soon we won’t have any survivors left to come talk. I had requested it, so you’d think they’d let me know. Next time a crucial event like
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district attorney decided not to follow up on with actual charges — the school held a press conference. In this instance, we have a felon with a gun on campus less than three months after the first school shooting in the Los Rios district’s history, and all anyone can see is the bare minimum — a vague entry on the police department’s website that doesn’t even specify the number of suspects and the fact that the suspect hurt someone. Average students wouldn’t know to check this, and the administration knows that. The fact is that there is no logical way to reconcile a sincere desire for “shared responsibility” with this reluctance to letting students, faculty and staff know what risks they face. This recalcitrance on the part of the administration isn’t limited to the lack of notification regarding the armed felon police chase and the hesitation to notify about the tuberculosis isolation. The district in general is loathe to transparency and to holding itself accountable. After October’s external report on the Sept. 3 shooting at Sacramento City Col-
LETTERTOTHEEDITOR
this comes up, would you please ask me before the event or was it after on purpose? I’m sorry you didn’t include my first response, which was the MUN meeting & a 1:00 honors class. (I was told it was the last MUN meeting to get into the conference in April.) I have to admit, though, if I had known about the talk, I would have skipped both of them to go. Do you know how it was advertised? I think it should have at least been announced at a senate meeting & the chancellor’s chat.
lege that left a student dead in the parking lot during a busy school day said that the response of the emergency ALERT text message system was “unacceptable,” Los Rios officials released a self-congratulatory press release downplaying the serious criticisms made of the emergency response. This culture of back slapping and putting in the minimum is unacceptable from any organization, but especially from those entrusted to education. Either the administration has to meet a higher standard, a better standard, a moral standard, or it has to stop expecting students to. It is not as if other California community colleges only abide by the minimum standard for alerts about crime. While Los Rios was widely criticized for its response to the SCC shooting, San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton used the incident to foster open communication, asking faculty to talk to students about emergency procedures during class time. Other colleges, including Citrus College and El Camino College near Los Angeles, have more frequent notifications than ARC. “We really try to look at what might be meaningful and helpful to students,” said Marc Posner, public information officer for Citrus. “There are a number of instances recently, so you wonder about fatigue but then you think ‘what if we didn’t say something?’ ” If the administration is truly interested in creating a culture of “shared responsibility,” it should follow its own advice: “If you see something, say something.”
I did recently go to 2 community talks on Palestine & Jews in Germany in WWII. I believe that the student body president used to meet regularly with the college president. I don’t think that is happening now. I’m researching it. Maybe that would help us be more connected. I also found out about the LRCCD 50th anniversary gala dinner from arcurrent. Laurie Jones, ASB Director of Legislative Affairs
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be typed. Mail or deliver letters to 4700 College Oak Dr., Liberal Arts Room 120, Sacramento, California 95841, or email to current@arc.losrios.edu
‘TIS THE SEASON
From left, Diana Rodriguez, Taja Barrios, Miguel Barrios and Alana Barrios skate at the downtown ice rink on K and 7th streets over Thanksgiving weekend. The rink opens every winter.
Photo essay by Kameron Schmid / kameronschmid@gmail.com Welcome to Sacramento: it’s so hot for so long that the whole city can forget it’ll ever get cold again. But suddenly it does get cold, and just like that, people are ice skating downtown, running in thirty-degree weather for charity and attending Christmas tree lightings.
Right, a Christmas tree in Old Sacramento was lit the night before Thanksgiving. Left bottom, a young girl waves to the KCRA-TV helicopter during the 22nd annual Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving Day at Sacramento State. According to KCRA, more than 28,600 people participated, a new record, and nearly $1 million was raised for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Top left, a sign above the downtown Sacramento ice rink reads ‘Happy Holidays.’ The ice rink is open for varying hours every day until Jan. 18.