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REGIONAL TRANSIT BOARD ENTERTAINS COMPLAINTS ON PROPOSED INCREASES
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March 30, 2016
Sextortion suspect, victims speak By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com A former American River College theater student, who was arrested on Jan. 22 in relation to sextortion allegations made in November 2014, told a Current reporter in a tearful jailhouse interview Sunday morning that he’s looking to take a plea bargain and doesn’t intend to take the case to court. Christian Brian Hirtzel played the lead role in ARC’s fall 2014 production of ‘Young Franken-
stein’, as well as prominent parts in other plays during his time at ARC from summer 2012 to fall 2014. Hirtzel said that he was “surprised” in early 2015 when police officers came to his door and put him and his father in handcuffs. “They just wanted us out of the way so they could go through my stuff,” Hirtzel said. “Since then, I was just waiting for this (being arrested) to happen.” Hirtzel said that he hopes to Screencapture from Hirtzel’s Facebook eventually start over. Former ARC actor Chris Hirtzel said
Suspect | Page 2
he will ‘start a new life’ if he has to.
SEEKING ASYLUM FROM SOMALIA
By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com Christian Brian Hirtzel, a former American River College theater student, was arrested Jan. 22 on 18 counts of six different felonies stemming from sextortion allegations made in November 2014. Two accusers told their stories in separate interviews with the Current. In accordance with the Associated Press guidelines, the Current does not publish the names of sex crime accusers or victims.
Accuser A said that an anonymous person had emailed her, posted photos of her in lingerie online and demanded more. After deleting her email and social media accounts, she said she was ready to move on. A friend had told her shortly afterward that she knew someone who had gone through a similar situation and that Hirtzel was the one who had harassed her. At the time, Hirtzel was dating her lifelong friend who she described as her “sister” and said
Accusers | Page 3
Abortion foes come to ARC PROJECT TRUTH PUTS UP CONTROVERSIAL SIGNS By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com
Former American River College student and Somalian refugee, Faryal Said, is now giving back as an ARC student personnel assistant for EOP&S.
war zone anything’ ‘Coming from a
you don’t have
A
Story and photos by Hannah Darden | hannah.k.darden@gmail.com
Refugee and mother of three finds new world at ARC
1.
Somalian refugee immigrated to the United States in 1998 after eight years of civil war, leaving her children behind so she could apply for asylum before becoming a student and then a staff member at American River College. After fleeing a war zone 18 years ago, Faryal Said won an award for staff excellence last month and will mark the end of her 10th year working at American River College on June
Her asylum case was immediately approved, and she was able to apply for her children to immigrate as well. Her three children, two girls and one boy, joined her a year and a half later. “I always believed in the United States. I came here with a mindset … for education, for better life, for opportunities. For myself and for my children as well,” Said said. Said attended American River College beginning in the fall of 2001, and went on to transfer to
Refugee | Page 9
An anti-abortion group that refers to itself as “Project Truth” visited American River College Monday to discuss its feelings on the subject. The group goes to college campuses all around the country, handing out flyers and engaging in conversation with students passing by. “(We) talk to students about our group and to talk about the injustice of abortion,” according to Project Truth member Ed Whitfield. “We usually get a good response, depending on the student,” said Whitfield. “We’ll have a lot of discussions about whether they think it’s right.” William Wilberforce, a Project Truth member, called the continuous act of abortion in the U.S. a holocaust. “57 million babies, that’s a holocaust,” Wilberforce said. “57 million pre-born babies, human lives have been snuffed out under this idea of choice. Even the Germans called it choice, they thought it was choice to get rid of what they called parasites.” Jorge Riley, a member of Project Truth and an ARC student, said “I think we’ll see with technology that abortion is this dayin-age’s version of slavery’s evilness. … It’s irrefutable to say that they’re just blobs of skin.” Bud Reeves, another member of the group, interjected on Riley’s comment to add more. “Roe v Wade made these little people in the womb property of the state that can be disposed of, like slavery,” Reeves said. “We (have this discussion) civilly and we’re winning. America is
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March 30, 2016
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Anti-abortion: Students join group CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 moving more and more toward gaining respect for human life.” Added Reeves: “As Dr. King said, if we allow injustice anywhere, it can go everywhere, and this is an injustice.” Many students walked by the set ups and some took flyers, which were located in front of the library and near the Student Center, but less actually stopped to talk with members of the group. George Coon, an ARC student and father of three, said he didn’t understand why it was necessary for the group to come to a college campus. Coon had only stopped to view the signs, but didn’t take a flyer or engage in any discussion with the group. “I feel like displaying these images in the middle of campus are disrespectful to the students and the learning environment,” Coon said. “If they really want to be efficient with this, they should display it at an abortion clinic, outside of a courthouse, outside of a polling place.” Coon said that while he agrees with the group’s right to express its right of free speech and that the subject is “tough,” he believes a college campus isn’t the right place. “You know there’s some girls that may have done this, and it might really mess up their day,” Coon said. “I got three kids of my own, and I know people who’ve done it. And it’s very hard, to live with that choice, and then have kids later.” According to Whitfield, the biggest outcry the group typically
american river
current Editor-in-Chief Jordan Schauberger Managing Editor Matthew Nober t News Editor Matthew Peirson Opinion Editor Timothy Lipuma Sports Editor Mack Er vin III Photo by Jordan Schauberger / Staff
John Edgar stands in front of one of anti-abortion group Project Truth’s controversial signs posted by the library.
sees is in response to the pictures that it posts around the set up. “These are really gruesome, awful pictures,” said Whitfield. “They can express so much.” Added Whitfield: “They see (the pictures) and say ‘wow, I don’t want to do that.’ So pictures show a lot.” John Edgar, another member, said the conversations with students can go many different ways. “There are students that oppose it, students that appreciate it, and there are students that are kind of on the fence--that have never really thought it through,” Edgar said. “And, they’re really
our target audience, typically. The ones that haven’t looked at all the facts, and haven’t really found out ‘when does human life begin?’ ” Several members of the group said that while it doesn’t happen often, conversations can sometimes go awry. “Sometimes they’ve gotten violent, where they try to knock down our display, or shout or spit at us,” Edgar said. “We actually had a professor on this campus that threatened to tear down our display, and actually encouraged his students to do it.” Rose Galloway, an ARC student, is pro choice and engaged in de-
bate with one of the Project Truth speakers before going to her next class. “It’s your body, it’s your choice,” Galloway said. Galloway said that while she personally doesn’t “know a lot of struggle,” she still believes it’s up to the person what they want to decide. “I’d rather not have a kid if I knew I was going to be a bad mom,” Galloway said. “But this (the brochure handed out by the group) isn’t going to change my opinion.” Jordan Schauberger and Trevor Haynes contributed to this report
Suspect: Hirtzel finds jail boring CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “If I have to start a new life, I’ll do it,” Hirtzel said. “I’ll start a new life that won’t interfere with them (the accusers).” Hirtzel went on to say that he’s unsure of how people will think of him going forward. “I’m not going to expect a whole lot,” Hirtzel said. “I’m not so self-righteous to say that they’ll have to deal with my presence.” Since being arrested, Hirtzel said that jail has been “boring and everything happens slowly” and that at this point, “it’s just a waiting game.” Hirtzel declined to comment on any of the specific claims that have been made against him. According to one accuser,
up to 14 other accusers made a statement to the police and there were many more girls whom he targeted that didn’t want to make statement. In accordance with the Associated Press guidelines, the Current does not publish the names of sex crime accusers or victims. The official booking charges were extortion, distribution of child pornography, communication with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, knowingly using a minor to assist with an obscene matter, computer crime or access without permission to defraud or control and attempted extortion. He is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail and his bail was set at $100,000. File Photo Hirtzel is expected to appear in court on Chris Hirtzel was arrested on Jan. 22 on charges of April 12. distribution of child pornography and extortion.
ASBNOTEBOOK
By Robert Hansen w1090476@apps.losrios.edu A bill allocating funds for students to attend NCORE, a race and equality conference held in San Francisco, was again sent back to be revised to lower the amount at a Mar. 15 Associated Student Body (ASB) Student Senate meeting. Both the Sociology club and Progressive Democrats club hope to use the money to support the students who are planning to attend NCORE. The bill was introduced by Director of Legislative Affairs Laurie Jones with an allocation of
SENATE PASSED SEVERAL BILLS IN RECENT WEEKS
$2,000. At an earlier meeting, the bill was presented with an amount of $20,000 allocating funds for students belonging to the Sociology club and Progressive Democrats club. “Both clubs are very small and don’t have the person power (to raise enough money),” Jones said. “The fundraising avenues on campus are very restricted and difficult and I think that racism is a critical campus issue.” Director of Finance Jeremy Diefenbacher said that he wants to help the students attend NCORE but that funds are low. “I think that we need to knock
this number down to $500 for each club,” Diefenbacher said. “I do agree that these issues should be addressed on campus, but I think that $1,000 per club is too much money.” Bills were passed that support Phi Theta Kappa’s banquet, Rock the Vote and sending members of ASB to the Spring General Assembly. The money spent on these three bills totaled $24,600. Phi Theta Kappa received $1,000 for its banquet at the Timber Creek Ballroom on Mar. 12. $15,000 is being spent on Rock the Vote advocacy events for the Apr. 12 and 13 election days. Roughly $14,000 of that is be-
ing spent on food. $8,600 will be spent for six members of ASB and an adviser to attend the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) Spring General Assembly. The First Annual ASB short film festival was also established at a Mar. 9 CAEB meeting. Submissions are open to any ARC student or club for films between three and five minutes in length and are tentatively due by Apr. 8. The details of the event have yet to be finalized as funding for this event has not been approved.
Arts and Culture Editor Shiavon Chatman Scene Editor Justina Sharp Multimedia Editor Joe Padilla Copy Editor Hannah Darden Staff Itzin Alpizar Timon Barkley Bailey Carpenter Ashley Davis Kyle Elsasser Trevor Haynes Rober t Hansen Nicole Kesler Allante Morris Sharriyona Platt Adviser Walter Hammer wold Photo Adviser Jill Wagner
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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
News
March 30, 2016
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CORRECTIONS In Volume 67, Editions 7, 8 and 9 of The Current, the following corrections are listed: In Edition 7 on cover, the headline “ARC student arrested in terror” was supposed to read “ARC student arrested in terror case” In Edition 7 page 8, The story “Students flock to auditions for ‘The Tempest’” only has a byline for Nicole Kesler when there should also be a co-byline for Tim Lipuma. In Edition 8 on page 4, there is no final record for the men’s basketball team. Their final record was 8-18 overall and 3-11 in conference. In Edition 8 on page 5, Nick Terry was not identified in the photo caption on the main photo, he is number 90. In Edition 8 on page 6, the welder photographed was not identified, his name is Fritz Aruber and is a technical sales engineer with Fronius. In Edition 8 on page 8, there are two different spellings of the theater production GUMBO, all capital letters for the name of the production is the correct spelling. In Edition 8 on page 9, American River College student Vincent Blake was incorrectly labeled a poetry major. There is no poetry major at ARC so he would be classified as an English major. In Edition 8 on page 10, professor Knirk was incorrectly titled as Dr., the AP rule is that only medical doctors can have the title of Dr. and if you have your doctorate in any other field it is PhD. In Edition 8 on Cover and Page 11, there are two different dates addressing the start of March in March. The 2003 date in the editorial alludes to the first March in March in Sacramento, but the 2008 date on the cover story alludes to the year SSCCC took over and made it an annual event. In Edition 8 on page 10, in the story “Surviving the Fight” in the fifth paragraph it says that “Now, a year later, Johnson is able to walk with a walker…” Johnson had actually started walking with a walker a year ago and is now able to walk by himself for a short amount of time. In Edition 9 on cover, the headline “Twins stab parents” is incorrect, because at the time of press Cody and Kevin Martinez had not been found guilty of stabbing their parents. In Edition 9 on cover, The deck head and main headline for McCall Madriago’s story contradict each other. She had not been selected to be on the season roster for the U.S. Women’s Deaf National soccer team, but had been selected for the preseason roster to compete for a spot on the season roster.
ON THE WEB For weekly coverage of the Associated Student Body Student Senate and Club and Events Board meetings, go to ARCurrent.com
Photo by Kyle Elsasser / Staff
ARC Sen. Laurie Jones holds up a sign that reads ‘Human Rights Matter’ at the RT meeting where a 10 percent fare increase was approved for July 1.
RT board amends proposal BOARD PROPOSES TO INCREASE ALL FARES BY 10 PERCENT EFFECTIVE JULY 1 By Hannah Darden hannah.k.darden@gmail. com Sacramento Regional Transit amended and passed a proposal raising fares at a board meeting on March 14 after public outcry against the fare hikes. Those protesting the hikes included students from the American River College Associated Student Body Student Senate. RT heavily amended its original proposal, passed a resolution to increase all fares 10 percent effective July 1 and made changes to the Paratransit monthly pass. RT’s original proposal, published in January, proposed a 20 percent raise in its standard fares, a 20 percent raise in Paratransit fares and the elimination of the Paratransit monthly pass, effective July 1. RT amended the original proposal after receiving public feedback throughout the month of February, including over a thousand online surveys and additional phone calls, emails and town hall meetings. Doug Carter, a transit consul-
tant for RT, said that he understands that “bad news does not get better with age. Having to raise fares and cut services is bad news… (but) we have to find a way to balance the budget by next year. Reserves are not an option.” The amended proposal, which was presented Monday by Carter, would still raise fares 20 percent, but with two 10 percent increases over two years instead of one 20 percent increase this July. The amended proposal also retained the Paratransit monthly pass, but capped the pass at 44 rides per month. After hearing comments from nearly 60 members of the public opposing the fare increases, the board passed a third version of the proposal. RT asked the public to allow the Paratransit and RT riders to speak first, as their transportation would cease running before the end of the meeting. Sen. Roberto Gardner from ARC’s Student Senate spoke during the public comments and said he’s been riding RT for years and finds the fare increase too steep. “You guys are picking on the
low income, and the senior citizens, and the disabled for no reason,” said Gardner. “And I’m looking directly at you, Mr. Chair. You think this is a game, but it’s not. Put yourself in people’s shoes.” The passed proposal increased all fares 10 percent starting July 1, but eliminated the fare increase in 2017. This proposal also kept the Paratransit monthly pass instead of eliminating it, and set two options for caps for number of rides per month. Paratransit monthly pass users will all pay a new fee of $137.50 per month for their passes starting July 1, but riders can now choose between two monthly pass options. One pass will allow up to 44 rides per month on Paratransit, and will include a free pass for RT’s fixed route services, while the other will allow up to 60 rides per month but will not include a fixed route pass. Sen. Laurie Jones spoke at the meeting, informing board members that ARC’s ASB had passed a resolution opposing the rate hikes and said the amended proposal would “make the disabled
vulnerable and further isolate them.” “When you think about it, 44 trips (on Paratransit) is not even one round trip a day. It’s basically one round trip, maybe a weekday, and then the weekends you’re homebound, you stay there,” Jones said. Dozens of members of the public protested the rate hikes while the floor was open for public comment. Esteban Hernandez, who represented the ANSWER coalition, said he was “astounded by how bad our public transit is. It prioritizes profit over people’s needs. It operates more like a company than a public utility.” The RT board also passed a resolution creating up to 30 jobs for fare checkers on the light rail. Mike Barnbaum, founder of Ride Downtown 916, said that “job creation is a big step forward” for RT. Many members of the public also attended the meeting in protest of RT’s contract with G4S, an international security company. The protesters alleged that G4S had committed human rights violations.
had heard of at least nine girls at ARC who Hirtzel had attempted to extort. She and her sister then contacted the Sacramento Sheriff’s County Department and two deputies were sent out to her home. She said that when they explained the situation the deputies said it was their “fault for taking the pictures.” She couldn’t remember the names of the deputies. “I was so flabbergasted that they would say that to us,” she said. “Here I was trying to protect her and deputies came into my house and revictimized her right in front of me.” Tony Turnbull, public information officer for the Sheriff’s
Department, did not return multiple calls as of press time. She then went to the Los Rios Police Department and it immediately started an investigation. Now that Hirtzel has been arrested, she said that she felt relieved. Accuser B said that when it was happening, she didn’t know that it was him behind it. “It just started with anonymous emails and messages through text or skype,” she said. “We were friends throughout high school off and on and briefly dated. When it was happening, I didn’t think it could be him behind it all.” She said Hirtzel would say he had pictures and videos of her and threaten to send them to
her parents, school officials or post them online if she didn’t do what he said and if the messages were ignored, the threats just increased. She said that she still doesn’t think that Hirtzel is a bad person. “(He’s) just someone who made some bad decisions,” she said. “I have fully forgiven him for what he did and will be attempting to keep the friendship after all of the court affairs are dealt with.” She said that she knows of 15 girls who gave statements to police, but that he could only be charged on nine accounts. She also said that there were many other girls who he targeted, but several of them didn’t want to talk to the police.
Accusers: ‘I didn’t think it could be him’ CONTUNUED FROM PAGE 1 that she refused to believe that he would do something like that. “When I was told about the girl who it happened to, I said ‘No it wasn’t him, he knows me, he wouldn’t do that to me,’” she said. Months later, after Hirtzel had starred in ‘Young Frankenstein,’ her sister had said that she had been hacked in the same way and mentioned Hirtzel’s name. After hearing Hirtzel’s name mentioned in three separate situations, she said that “all the red lights went off” and she got in contact with the other girls she’d heard of and ended up concluding that it was definitely Hirtzel behind all of it. She said that by the end, she
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Sports
Men’s tennis team falters in SoCal By Mack Ervin III
w1562393@apps.losrios.edu American River College’s men’s tennis team finished the regular home season undefeated with a 9-0 win over Santa Rosa Junior College on March 15, but suffered their first losses on the road to Ventura and Cerritos College three days later. The team is virtually assured of getting another home game at some stage in the playoffs, but for now they will only be able to practice at ARC. The Beavers took all except one game against Santa Rosa in straight sets, while Troy Carlsen took three sets in order to dispose of his opponent, eventually winning 3-6, 6-2 and 13-11. Sophomore Seppi Capaul got off to a seemingly slow start, going down 2-4 in the first set, before rebounding and going on to win 6-4 and 6-0. “Everyone in general did pretty well. Myself, I did so-so,” Capaul said. “Got down a couple of breaks in the first set and had too many unforced errors.” Capaul said that playing at home really does make a difference and is an advantage for the Beavers. “There’s a home advantage when you’re used to playing
on your own court,” Capul said. “When you play away, it takes a little warmup to get adjusted to not only the weather conditions, but also to the speed of the surface.” Head coach Bo Jabery-Madison agreed that playing at home does have benefits. “First of all we have great facilities,” Jabery-Madison said. “It’s nice to play on these courts and we know how they play. Different courts play at different speeds.” ARC then played in the North/ South tournament in Fresno, which included some of the best teams from northern and southern California, including NCAA Division I school, Fresno State. Before the trip to Fresno, Jabery-Madison said that while the team is playing well in conference, it is important to be tested by tougher schools and really push yourself to go the extra mile. “Aside from DVC (Diablo Valley College), the matches in the conference aren’t very competitive. We need matches like this to see where we’re at and get tested.” ARC did bounce back and defeated Chabot College and Diablo Valley College once returning from the tournament, dropping only two games in the process, and ending the regular season with a 13-2 record.. Freshman Cody Duong said
Mack Ervin III / Staff
Alex Meliuk prepares for a serve during a doubles match against Santa Rosa Junior College on March 15. Meliuk and his partner Kadyn Silva won the match 8-2.
that now that the post-season is on hand, it is important to take the playing level up a notch.
“We always try to kick it into a new gear every time we go to the next level,” Duong said. “We compete as hard as we can and that’s
SPORTSUPDATES
all that we can ask for.” ARC will play in the Big 8 North Conference Tournament, which begins Thursday in Santa Rosa.
Itzin Alpizar / Staff
(Left to right) Lucie Chevreuil, Ashley Albor and Ellie Velez run the steeplechase during track practice on March 10.
BASEBALL
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
American River College fell to Santa Rosa Junior College on Saturday after surrendering a run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lose 4-3. The 9-13 Beavers played Santa Rosa again on Tuesday and results were not immediately available.
Individual heat winners from the ARC Invitational and Multis on Saturday include Stevie Jones in the 200m dash, and Jessica Swingle in the 800m race. The women’s 4x400 relay team also finished 2nd overall.
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
MEN’S GOLF
Individual heat winners from the ARC Invitational and Multis on Saturday include Joe Shanahan and Anthony Sanchez in the 800m race, Alan Quintero and Steven Hill in the 1500m race and Cambron Lyles in the pole vault.
The men’s golf team finished in 4th place in Big 8 tournament #5, finishing 39 strokes off of the winners Santa Rosa. The results from their sixth Big 8 conference tournament on Monday at the Whitney Oaks Golf Course in Sierra were not immediately available.
Mack Ervin III / Staff
American River College runner Curtis Roth competes in the men’s 1500m race at the American River Invitational on March 26.
UPCOMING HOME GAMES April 2 Softball vs. Modesto Junior College 12:00 p.m. April 2 Baseball vs. Sierra College 1:00 p.m. April 5 Softball vs. Sacramento City College 3:00 p.m. April 7 Baseball vs. Sierra College 2:30 p.m. April 12 Baseball vs. San Joaquin Delta College 2:30 p.m. April 12 Softball vs. Santa Rosa Junior College 3:00 p.m.
Sports
March 30, 2016
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Softball hits tough stretch TEAM SLIPS AFTER PROMISING START By Mack Ervin III w1562393@apps.losrios.edu
Photo by Itzin Alpizar / Staff
Isaiah Griffin (right) runs during practice with his teammate Martino Falls (left) at the ARC stadium. Griffin runs a personal best 11.02 100 meter dash.
Track star accelerates to the top By Allante Morris allantemorris123@gmail. com American River College sprinter Isaiah Griffin wasn’t always the fastest runner on the track, but his time at ARC has seen him steadily improve and become one of the top sprinters in both the school and the state. Griffin started running at 17 years old when he was attending Yuba City High School, and ran what he considered to be average times before deciding to attend ARC last year. Griffin didn’t let his progress distract him and noted that “he wasn’t always the fastest guy in the room.” Men’s track and field coach Rick Anderson said that he saw a lot of improvement from Grif-
fin during his time at ARC. “Isaiah has improved massively and even more since high school with his times,” Anderson said. “He is one of the fastest runners on our team.” Anderson believes Griffin “definitely has what it takes to continue running track professionally.” Griffin’s personal bests include 11.02 seconds in the 100 meter dash, 21.74 seconds in the 200 meter dash and 49 seconds flat in the 400 meter dash. Recently, Griffin finished first in the men’s 200 meter dash at the Beaver Relays on Mar. 4 and at the Coast Conference Preview on Feb. 20. He was also a part of teams that finished first overall in both the 4x100 meter race and the 4x400 race at the Coast Confer-
ence Preview. His time of 21.94s in the 200 meter dash places him second overall in the Big 8 conference for that particular race, and tied for 12th across all California community colleges. “Track is not so much a passion but I do it because it’s really fun and keeps me in shape,” Griffin said. Griffin will be graduating in May and has hopes of being recruited to further his running career, but as of now has no set school he is looking at. Griffin runs the first leg on the men’s 4x4 relay team and runs the second leg on the 4x100 relay. He and his ARC teammates finished 2nd at the Aggie Open on Mar. 12, coming in with a final time of 42.72s.
Griffin currently has nothing he is training for specifically, but is always working hard to improve on his times. Fellow ARC runner Xavier Gaulman had praise for Griffin for his skills on the track, and his ability to inspire teammates. “He (Griffin) is an excellent team player,” Gaulman said. “He works alongside all the sprinters, pushing them and himself to their fullest potential.” “He motivates others to keep on racing even when they are tired and he’s a true sportsmanship athlete that has the skills to be a team captain,” Gaulman said. Griffin and the team’s next track meet is the Hornet Invitational at Sacramento State, which takes place on Mar. 19.
Women’s tennis seeks improvement By Mack Ervin III w1562393@apps.losrios. edu American River College’s women’s tennis team is continuously improving, despite dropping games to Santa Rosa, Folsom Lake and Cosumnes River College. While doubles matches remain an achilles heel for the team, they appear to be closing the gap to the opposition in the singles matches. Sophomore captain Addie Ramos picked up another individual win against Santa Rosa, while Katherine Bonilla made life very difficult for her opponent, taking their match into a second set tiebreak before ultimately losing. Two individual wins have come from Ramos so far, and another was added by Nosheen Khan against Cosumnes River. With the end of the season approaching, improvement and better play has become the rallying cry for the season. Head coach Steven Dunmore acknowledged this and said that
Photo by Mack Ervin III / Staff
American River College’s Sophia Senay hits a ball back during a game against Santa Rosa Junior College on March 15.
improvement is apparent compared to earlier games in the season. “Overall, the team is learning to compete,” Dunmore said after the game against Santa Rosa. “We got our second individual
win of the season and it’s starting to rub off. All of the matches are getting closer more often and the girls are learning how to compete.” “That’s all I ask is that they go out and give me their best,” Dunmore said. “The score will take
care of itself.” Katherine Bonilla was also proud of the team and the amount of competitiveness the games have. “You could see the improvement and confidence rise in everyone and my game was really close too,” Bonilla said. Addie Ramos urged the team to keep supporting each other and to not give up in what may be tough times. “Support goes a long way, and I think we’re learning that as we go along,” Ramos said. “We played with a lot more energy in doubles and we’re still looking for that first win.” Ramos also said that it is important that the team show their love for the sport of tennis on the court as well as off. “We talk about how much we love tennis and how it doesn’t really show on the court,” Ramos said. “The first step is really presenting themselves as if they want to be here.” The Big 8 Conference Tournament begins Mar. 31 at Santa Rosa.
After a strong start to the season, American River College’s softball team has hit a tough stretch of games which leaves them at 16-10 on the season. The team started 14-4 after a 11-1 win against Yuba on Mar. 8, but then lost four straight games to Merced, Sierra and a double header to Sacramento City. During that stretch, the Beavers were outscored by 25 runs to 8. Head Coach Lisa Delgado said early in the season that every game was important to the team and its season. “Every game matters for the playoffs,” Delgado said. “We’re in the toughest conference in the entire state. Everytime we step on the field no matter who we play, we’re playing to beat the best team in the state.” Through 7 Big 8 Conference games this season, ARC has a record of 2-5 which puts them in 6th place, having played three more games than current leaders Sac City. Also in conference games, their batting average slipped from .280 to .234 while the opposing teams’ batting averages rose from .274 to .314. Assistant coach Christine Mueller said that conference play would be tough if the team did not step their game up. “We need to step it up because conference is coming up,” Muller said. “If we don’t turn it on earlier in the game, we’re going to get eaten up.” Freshman Haley Dosher said after a win over Napa Valley that aggression is key and that they need to get an upper hand in the games. “We want to be more aggressive,” Dosher said. “We need to play at our level instead of playing down to the other team.” Pitcher Sharie Albert said that the team will always pick each other up and move on even when times get tough. “We always pick each other up all the time no matter who gets down and we just go up to each at bat with full confidence in ourselves,” Albert said. The team will be looking to rebound in time for the playoffs starting Apr. 2 in a doubleheader against Modesto Junior College.
Photo by Jordan Schauberger / Staff
Outfielder Lacey Burr takes a pitch in a win over Lassen College. ARC is 16-10 on the season.
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All about that jazz
March 30, 2016
Feature
ARC MUSICIANS PREPARE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION JAZZ FESTIVAL IN MONTEREY By Shiavon Chatman schatman916@gmail.com American River College’s Vocal Jazz ensemble has been invited to play at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, one of the most popular jazz festivals in the country. Only six ensemble’s in the United States are selected to go each year and ARC has been selected for the past three years. In preparation for the upcoming event, the ensemble is dedicating up to 16 hours a week of rehearsal. “This is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the country so I’m a little nervous” said Gabe Catabran, music major and also the lead baritone. According to Professor LaPierre, director of the vocal jazz ensemble, ARC’s jazz ensemble was selected because of how well last year’s team did. “This will be my first time going to the Monterey festival and I’m really excited,” said Catabran. This year’s jazz team is completely new aside from the lead soprano and some members are even new to singing jazz, like Catabran. “I’m trying to get into the overall feel of how jazz is supposed to go because I’m mostly done classical,” said Catabran. This year’s ensemble has been together since August and will remain together for an entire year. The vocal jazz ensemble is “trying to get into a funky cha-cha vibe,” said Catabran, but “we are a symphonic band with jazz combos.” The jazz team mostly covers classic for jazz or blues artists. “We are covering the Peggy Lee classic ‘I love bein’ here with you’’” said LaPierre, director of the vocal jazz ensemble. Jenna Magaziner, an alto and also the handler of the business and administration information, said that her favorite piece to cover is “‘Groovin Hard’ by Don Menza and she’s “excited to cover it” for the first time at the Monterey Jazz Festival. ARC’s vocal jazz ensemble will be participating in the festival on April 10 for third year in a row.
Photo by Joe Padilla / Staff
ARC’s vocal jazz ensemble practices for their Apr. 10 performance at the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey.
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March 30, 2016
Scene
ARC honors women in the public sector By Sharriyona Platt sharriyonaplatt1@gmail.com American River College celebrated two women who have devoted their professional lives to public service during college hour on Thursday. Former legislative analyst and state assembly staff member Pamela Haynes and former state senator Deborah Ortiz were the women honored . History professor Camille Leonhardt opened the college hour by saying, “This is both a joyful and sentimental college hour.” “These women are not only empowering and devoted to their public service work, but they are a part of our history here at ARC,” Le-
onhardt said. Haynes has served on the Los Rios Community College board of trustees since 1999, and Ortiz since 2010. Both women have served as president of the board, and Ortiz currently holds that title. “I’m honored to be here today,” Ortiz said. “This is an amazing recognition from the school during such an important month.” This particular college hour’s premise was to acknowledge and celebrate these women during Women’s History Month. ARC’s Center for Teaching and Learning wanted to acknowledge their hard work and dedication, and the college hour gave the women the opportunity to talk about their backgrounds and their work.
Haynes and Ortiz also answered questions from the audience. Most questions were regarding how these women got to where they are today, and what factors led to them becoming elected officials in such a predominantly male career field. Haynes credits her long lasting career to her commitment and her allegiance to her work. “If you’re a hard worker, it will go a very very long way,” Haynes said. Both Haynes and Ortiz advocated for more women and minorities to enter into public service work. ARC hosts college hour weekly, every Thursday from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Raef Hall 160.
Photo by Sharriyona Platt/Staff
Pamela Haynes and Deborah Ortiz were the guests of honor at the Mar. 7 college hour.
Stranger than friction R.A.D. HOSTS A DOCTOR WHO FOCUSED COLLEGE HOUR By Bailey Carpenter
goldenbeybec1@gmail.com
Photo by Timon Barkley /Staff
The Initiative’s Kyle Tyson, Anthony Johnson, Raven Kauba and Darius Upshaw discuss the artwork that was in the auction at the Timber Creek Ballroom on Mar. 12, 2016.
Funds for the future
PHI THETA KAPPA HOSTS INAUGURAL FUNDRAISER By Sharriyona Platt Sharriyonaplatt1@gmail.com The American River College Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society hosted their inaugural fundraising banquet at the Timber Creek Ballroom in Roseville on March 12. The fundraiser consisted of an art showcase and auction, a dessert auction, silent auction, live music and a dinner catered by the Timber Creek Ballroom. The purpose of the event was to bring the community together to showcase what ARC and its students have to offer, while benefiting the honor society and their services. Phi Theta Kappa Vice President of Membership, Hani Lakkis, was excited that the day had finally come for an event they had worked so hard on. “We’re hoping for a lovely night,” Lakkis said. “We want our guests to have a great time and enjoy themselves.” “We really appreciate their support,” Lakkis said. Project organizer Kevin Jenco expressed his appreciation for ARC throughout the night. “ARC is more than a school, it’s a community and I thank everyone who participated tonight,” Jenco said. “The campus does so much for its students and we wanted to have an event that not only benefits us, but to give back to a campus that has given so much to us,” Jenco said. The event was filled with contributions from ARC and the families of Phi Theta Kappa members. The art showcase featured pieces made by ARC students, and the culinary department provided cakes, cookies and handmade chocolates for the dessert auction.
Live music was provided by the school’s jazz band “The Initiative”, and student photographers were on hand to take photos of guests. ARC students Karol Benning, Catherine Seron and Monica Medrano were first, second and third place winners of the art showcase, and all received cash prizes. Photography student David Gary volunteered his services for the night. “Photography is what I’m trying to get into and I look at this opportunity as a way to gain experience and become a more established photographer,” Gary said. The jazz band received lots of praise from guests and Phi Theta Kappa members throughout the night. “The band was fantastic,” Jenco said. “I’m so happy we were able to get them to play.” The band’s singer, Raven Kauba, said she appreciated the opportunity for their band to come out and play for such a great cause. The money raised will be allocated to various club activities, including Phi Theta Kappa’s service project with the Women’s Empowerment group and the Model United Nations. The event ended with Phi Theta Kappa President Xavi Aquino thanking everyone involved with the fundraiser, including all members, club advisor Matthew Register, the Jenco family for helping fund the event and all guests in attendance. Patty Jenco said that she was honored to help fund the event and hopes that the honor society continues on with the fundraisers. “I raised my children to get involved and I want to be supportive of that,” Patty Jenco said. “This is their first fundraiser, hopefully they continue on with this event.”
“The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who”, written by Simon Guerrier and Dr. Marek Kukula, was picked by the R.A.D. book club to be the focus of their college hour Mar. 10. Paulo Afonso, who is an Astronomy teacher and has been at ARC since 2010, was the guest speaker at the college hour. Karen Milam, who works in R.A.D., said “We picked him (Afonso) because physics is his life and astronomy is part of it too. All the sciences are apart of it.” Afonso took a scientific approach to explaining certain things about Doctor Who. Afonso said, “My motivation to talk about Doctor Who was indeed to show that science could be more interesting than fantasy in general.” Afonso explained the basic ideas about space, time, and mass and addressed how there could be life in the universe. He also said that Doctor Who continually abuses space and time, goes back in time, and warps time. Paulo Afonso and Regina Drake had a conversation about the definitions of friction and fiction when Afonso used the term “science friction.” Drake, an Associated Student Body student senator at ARC, said “I just don’t like the idea of something fiction being called friction, but I appreciate learning about stuff.” A video was shown about Laniakea, a galaxy supercluster that is home to the Milky Way. Afonso said that there are not absolute measurements of mass, space, and time. The ARC astronomy club launched a stratospheric balloon in the Mojave desert in June of 2014 and Afonso was the head of the project. A camera was attached to the balloon and
Photo by Kyle Elsasser/Staff
Professor Paul Afonso introduced the theories of science behind Doctor Who on Mar. 10.
footage of the balloon was shown in the presentation. The mission failed, but Afonso said that he planned to keep trying. Afonso suggested to travel to the south, Brazil or Portugal to get great pictures of the galaxy because the earth is curved and space is easier to see. Karen Milam, who works for R.A.D., hoped for a bigger student turnout but said the low attendance could be because Doctor Who is from the BBC, or British Broadcasting Corporation. Doctor Who has been on air for 50 years, and there have been twelve doctors total throughout the series. The doctor is able to regenerate himself into a new person and fans hope for a female doctor in the next season.
March 30, 2016
Scene
Page 9
Brave space talks stereotypes ARC’S UNITE HOSTS A DIALOGUE ON MICROAGGRESSIONS, WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO SPOT THEM
By Allante Morris
allantemorris123@gmail. com American River College hosted a brave space meeting organized by UNITE, where students came together, on Mar. 9, to discuss microaggressions, which are subtle but racist comments that are meant with good intent. UNITE representative Asher Hamilton lead the brave space by opening up with three comedic clips based on microaggressions. The three clips displayed a comedic situation focusing on if
blacks, Latinos and Asians said the things white people did. Hamilton and ARC theater student Bret Spencer warmed up the crowd by sharing their experiences first, Hamilton sharing hers a black woman and Bret as an openly gay white male. The brave space started off with comedy clips, but displayed an underlying tone of sincerity where the jokes were not just funny, but represented real issues each race, gender and sexuality face. A black ARC student, Sabrina Jones, shared her thoughts and disbelief on the microaggressions
she has experienced. “‘You’re mixed, huh? You can’t possibly be all black, you have lighter skin, and Asian type eyes,’ Jones said. “Things like that hurt me and make me feel pity for those who don’t think being just black is good enough.” James Le, an Asian-American ARC student, shared his story of being categorized as “just Chinese” as well as being gay. “(I hear) ‘so what type of Asian are you? Oh so you’re Korean and you’re gay but you don’t look like it’ and I think “What is gay supposed to look like?” Le said. ARC student Ashley Holly said
she was half black and half Puerto Rican, and described microaggressions that she received from both sides of her race. “‘You’re mixed because you have good hair,’ or ‘Oh, you’re Puerto Rican and you don’t speak Spanish, you’re not a real Puerto Rican then,’” Holly said. The dialogue wasn’t limited to only race - it went over microaggressions relating to age, gender, sexuality, religion and others. UNITE plans to post a board around campus where students can add their own experiences with microaggressions.
Photo by Kyle Elsasser / Staff
UNITE member Brett Spencer describes the microaggression focused videos he’s showing students
Refugee: Staffer finds a home at ARC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sacramento State University, where she graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She began working at ARC in 2006. Said attended school while working and raising three children, and is planning on pursuing a master’s degree in counseling or education. “I call home, American River College, because it’s where my education comes from,” Said said. “I love this campus.” Said, now a student personnel assistant for Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOP&S) and supervisor of the Student Services Resource Center, is described by her coworkers as “welcoming”, “uplifting” and “motivating.” EOP&S offers counseling, priority enrollment, tutoring and other services to disadvantaged students, and CalWORKs is a state-funded program which helps students on public assistance to get work and become self-sufficient. Randy Phelps, ARC English major and tutor at the Student Services Resource Center, said “She really makes a point of illustrating the fact that she… started as a student like the ones we’re helping. She knows (the program) from the ground up.” Said said that the program she works for now helped her to pursue her education as a student at ARC. She used EOP&S and CalWORKs as a “bridge” that helped her overcome language barriers, financial problems and living as a single parent. “This program is really close
Photo by Hannah Darden / Staff
Faryal Said sits at her desk in the EOP&S office in Student Services. Said is an ARC staff member and former student who immigrated from Somalia in 1998.
to my heart,” Said said. “It gave me the comfort and the support I needed to reach my educational goal at ARC.” Though Said was a senior banker before she left Somalia, she had to start over when she immigrated to the U.S., beginning with earning her GED before continuing to college. Said could not bring documentation with her when she immigrated, so she could not resume working in a position like the one she held in Somalia. “Coming from a war zone, you don’t have anything … I didn’t mind starting from scratch,” Said said. “I always wanted to build a life based on reality, and based on my effort. You just cannot imagine how many students are going
L
CAMPUS PU SE “I think it’s alright, they’re just trying to make people smoke less. I just don’t know if anyone’s going to respect that.”
-ANTONIOYAYA Architecture
to this campus day out, day in to better themselves, but they have so much to overcome,” said Said. Said had a similar experience when she attended ARC, and said she was “scared to death” of the college at first. “I could not imagine at that time sitting in a classroom, all American peers, they are all smart… they know what they’re talking about, their perfect language, skilled, and I was so intimidated,” Said said. Her CalWORKs counselor, the now-retired Eddie Webb, encouraged her to continue attending ARC and to work her hardest to complete her degree. “I remember my counselor at CalWORKs… told me, ‘Don’t worry about it. Walk in. You can beat
all of them.’” Said said. Said said that being able to make a difference in the lives of students who share these struggles inspires her daily. “The only thing I can do is give back to students who are in my shoes right now, coming from different countries,” she said. Said said that students and staff outside of the department don’t realize how many students are struggling while pursuing higher education. “I always look at students coming down from war zones, because I know what they are going through,” said Said. “I come to work every day and I see the students. I see their eyes, the stress, the difficulty they are going through. I’m here for the stu-
How do you feel about the potential increase of the California smoking age from 18 to 21? “I think it’s nothing but beneficial. I just think the more mature you are, the better you are to make those decisions.”
“I like it, I’m not 21 yet.”
-KIERSTENHAMMOND English
-JINLEE Statistics
dents.” Her work with students through EOP&S and in the Resource Center has impacted not only the students, but her coworkers as well. “She’s very understanding, and super patient,” said Neda Resvani, an ARC biotechnology major and classified temp worker at the Resource Center. “She takes her time. She’s very welcoming and understanding... she goes out of her way to help anyone she comes into contact with.” Phelps described her as a motivator, and said Said is willing to help in any situation. “Everyone here, we have pieces of the puzzle, but anything we’re lacking, we can go to her,” Phelps said.
“It doesn’t really bother me, I don’t smoke or vape.”
-ABIGAILCARTER Undeclared
March 30, 2016
Page 10
Arts & Culture
Models cast for ‘Evoke’ By Sharriyona Platt sharriyonaplatt@gmail.com
By Shiavon Chatman / Staff
Gabe Catabran, lead baritone for American River College vocal jazz ensemble, rehearsing on March 10, 2016 for upcoming jazz concert.
ARC vocalist takes on jazz BARITONE SINGER EXPRESSES EXCITEMENT OVER TRIP TO PRESTIGIOUS JAZZ FESTIVAL By Shiavon Chatman schatman916@gmail.com Gabe Catabran is the lead baritone on American River College’s vocal jazz ensemble. Catabran is a part of VJ1, the audition-required section of the jazz team. He has been attending ARC for three years and “plans on transferring soon, maybe in about a year or so” said Catabran. He started singing in an ensemble in high school, then eventually he joined the choir at ARC. Catabran originally sung classical music, and was a part of ARC’s classical group the Chamber Singers. Arthur LaPierre, the direc-
tor of the vocal jazz ensemble, worked as Catabran’s personal voice coach. “Gabe is steadily improving, his overall musicality has much improved this year,” said LaPierre. LaPierre was a big part of Catabran’s decision in making the switch to jazz. “I really like both of them but I like jazz more. My ear likes the thicker cords,” said Catabran. On Apr. 10, ARC will be one of the six ensembles in the country performing at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival. “This will be my first time going, and I’m really excited.” said Catabran. He credits Kurt Elling, American jazz vocalist, as his biggest
musical inspiration at the moment. “(Elling’s) musical achievements are incredible. I even drove to Stanford to see him perform,” said Catabran. Joe Gilman, professor and occasional pianist for ARC’s vocal jazz ensemble, has been working with Catabran for a little over three years. “When he first got to American River College he was an excellent classical vocalist,” said Gilman. “After working with the vocal jazz ensemble and Professor LaPierre over the past semester, he has become quite a soulful singer.” Catabran will also be performing in the vocal jazz ensemble concert at ARC on March 16.
By Shiavon Chatman / Staff
Catabran recently switched from classical singing to jazz.
Annual jazz CD coming together By Shiavon Chatman schatman916@gmail.com American River College’s vocal jazz ensemble is preparing for a concert on campus which is gearing them up for the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival. Along with preparing for the festival the jazz ensemble will also be recording their yearly CD, which includes all the songs they have covered over the year and will be sold at the campus bookstore. “This is the 11th year we’ve done the CD. We start recording in about two weeks,” said professor Arthur LaPierre, the director of the jazz ensemble. “This is the third year that ARC has been selected to perform at the festival,” LaPierre said. The vocal jazz ensemble, also known as VJ1, is made up of eight people and requires an audition process. There is also a jazz choir known as VJ2, that is made up of 15 people, but no audition is re-
quired. Along with the singing from the ensemble, “Rick Lotter plays the drums and Matt Robinson plays the bass” said Gabe Catabran, a member of VJ1. The jazz team usually rehearses about eight to 16 hours a week, sometimes without their director, so that they can gain insight from each other. On Feb. 11, the California AllState Music Education Conference (CASMEC) was held in San Jose for college ensembles all over California, but ARC was only one of two community colleges to attend the conference. The conference is usually only for classical ensembles but “It was the first time they combined jazz,” said Catabran. “Even though we haven’t performed it yet, ‘Groovin’ Hard’ is my favorite piece to cover,” said VJ1 alto member Jenna Magaziner. The vocal jazz ensemble will be performing March 16 at 8 pm at ARC theater and the tickets are $10.
Photo by Joe Padilla / staff
ARC vocal jazz singers practice tracks for their upcoming CD.
The fashion department at American River College held a casting call for models for their 2016 fashion show, “Evoke,” on Saturday. The casting call attracted a host of models including men, women and children of all ages and sizes. “We’re excited to see the models come out and want to be a part of the show,” fashion professor Dianne Grant-Toscano said. Grant-Toscano is the instructor of the collections and production class where the designers prepare and create their designs for the fashion show. Theater arts professor and fashion promotions instructor Gail Russell was excited for what her students had put together. “The students worked really hard to put this casting together and to promote it,” Russell said. “The casting and fashion show are run by the promotions students, I’m just here for any help or guidance they feel they need,” Russell said. Promotions student Sam Collier was busy most of the night directing the model casting and communicating with his classmates and the models. Collier felt a necessary responsibility with this casting in particular because he will be the instructor of the promotions class next year. “It’s pretty busy, but it’s worth it,” Collier said. “I’m happy to be involved, this is what I love to do.” “I’ll be taking over the promotions class next year for Gail, so me being here and helping out is just more experience for when it’s my time.” Models were asked to sign consent forms, take headshots, get their measurements taken and walk for the designers. One model, Ilana Polyakh, was excited to be in attendance and eager to be chosen for the show. “This is my first time trying out for the show, I’m really excited,” Polyakh said. “I have previous modeling experience so hopefully that helps.” Another model, Daniel Dorofeyev, said that this was his first time trying out for the fashion show. “I’m excited to be here,” Dorofeyev said. “I’ve never auditioned for the show before, but I do have some experience with photoshoots.” Models’ experience varied and ranged from a lot of experience to no experience at all. Designers got the opportunity to choose which models they wanted to wear their designs during the fashion show. Designer Kayla McCall has a Disney inspired collection for the fashion show, and found just what she needed during the casting. “I have all the models I need,” McCall said. “Now I’m excited and ready for the show.” The fashion department will host their annual fashion show on May 6 at 11:00 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
March 30, 2016
Opinion
Page 11
Despite El Nino, still conserve water By Robert Hansen w1090476@apps.losrios.edu This past winter, El Nino provided California with much needed rain that filled its lakes and sent snow to stockpile in the Sierra Nevada mountains. But just because California is seeing rainfall, it doesn’t mean the drought is over -- and it certainly doesn’t mean that the threat of climate change is diminished. This year’s Academy Award winner for best actor, Leonardo Dicaprio, told us how he feels about climate change during his Oscars acceptance speech on Feb. 28. “Climate change is real, it is happening right now,” Dicaprio said. “We need to work collectively and stop procrastinating.” El Nino is not the only factor influencing the climate system. Each winter season is unique, and past performances should not be taken as a guarantee of future outcomes, according to the California Department of Water Services. The rain received this season is promising for Californians, however, the amount of rainfall California will receive in the future is not certain. What is certain is a hot, dry summer where we will still have a legal obligation to conserve water. Despite recent rainfall, Califor-
File photo
Many of California’s reservoirs are below half capacity, and snowpack is dangerously low. Barren lake beds like Folsom Lake’s above aren’t unusual sights.
nians will still experience a severe drought this summer. On Feb. 2 the State Water Board adopted an extended and revised emergency regulation to ensure that urban water conservation continues in 2016. The regulation extends restrictions on urban water use through October 2016. “Many of the larger reservoirs in northern California and southern Oregon are still below half of capacity,” the Drought Center
Former ASB president speaks out on Holocaust denial Dear Editor, I hope I am not opening a closed wound, but I have been reading the editorials posted on the ARCurrent website, specifically the articles concerning the Student Trustee Weaver controversy. I have read about Laurie Jones. I have read about President David Hylton II. I’m hurt. I was a student leader. I was YOUR Associated Student Body Student President and I see that I did not leave the school in capable hands. The few accomplishments that our Student Senate can feel proud about are greatly overshadowed by their ignorance of the historical tragedy that is the Holocaust. In 2008, American River College contained a board of student leaders who shared a similar prejudice towards those of the LGBTQ community. They passed legislation endorsing government legislation that specifically harmed this community. These student leaders, as they referred to themselves, are not leaders. The LGBTQ community is part of OUR community. They are OUR students. And if I was there, back at that time, I would have fought. My face would have been red with anger. My passion for defending those in our community who have faced any sort of prejudice would know no bounds. In 2015, American River College contained a board of student leaders with dissenting opinions concerning another group who has faced prejudice. This group is another part of our community, those of the Jewish faith. The prejudice that this group has faced. The tragedy that they have endured. The loss of loved ones. The battle against an actual villain in history. D-Day. Normandy Beach. Auschwitz. So many lives lost. I feel for this because I
noted in its January 28 report. According to the L.A. Times, the statewide snowpack stood at only 83 percent of average for the day, a result the California Department of Water Resources blamed on fall and winter seasons that have brought only “moderate precipitation” and “relatively warm temperatures.” The Sierra Nevada snowpack plays a critical role in California’s water supply, providing more than 60 percent of California’s
developed water and 75 percent to 80 percent of California’s freshwater. The snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada this year has fallen to its lowest level in at least the past 500 years, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change. This precious resource has dwindled in the past few years and is threatened by future climate change, according to Frank Gehrke, who serves as the chief
of snow surveys for California’s Department of Water Resources. Californians should still do all they can to conserve water this summer -- some Californians have redesigned grassless lawns with stone pathways and gravel. Other simple ways to save water are turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, playing a song to keep showers under 5 minutes, or as the saying goes; if it’s yellow, let it mellow.
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
am a former military member. I raised my right hand just like those brave men who fought to free these people from death camps, atrocious inhumane constructs of pure evil. And yet, ASB did not really do anything. They did what college students usually do. Form opinions. Here’s the opinion of our student leadership, “I didn’t see it. I wasn’t there. I can’t say if it happened or did not happen.” Appalling. Simply appalling. I left ASB to later see the ARC community I care about adopt apathy towards history that SHOULD NOT BE REPEATED. We were taught about the tragic events of the Holocaust in 9th grade. At least I was and I hope other students were taught about this tragedy as well. It was hard for me to see the videos and the pictures. I have a weak stomach. But we were taught about the Holocaust not for academic curiosity. No no no. The reason we were taught about the Holocaust is TO NOT REPEAT THE HOLOCAUST. Turning a blind eye to this tragedy is the first step to garnering ignorance that can only lead to a similar tragedy. We can already see this happening in our government today. The treatment of those of the Islamic faith. The profiling of those in our African-American community by those who have sworn to protect them. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow students, we are not in a bright and sunny world where prejudice is a thing of the past. Prejudice is real. Prejudice IS the super villain of today’s world. Prejudice IS our enemy. The Holocaust happened. I would urge our ASB Student Leaders to issue apologies for what they have said and also any ignorance that they have shown towards this tragedy as soon as possible. Apologize. Now. The Holocaust happened. Sincerely, Garrett Kegel Former Associated Student Body Student Senate President
Student encourages wariness of Jehovah’s Witnesses Dear Editor, Our campus has a history of religious denominations coming to our college to share their faith with the hope of winning converts. And, without a doubt, our Constitution permits them to engage in such activity. One group that makes use of our campus is Jehovah’s Witnesses; anyone of course has the freedom to join. But as a former Jehovah’s Witness, I wish to invoke my First Amendment right to forewarn my fellow students exactly what joining them means and what they’d be asked to give up. As a JW, you must abide by a negative world of constant “do nots.” Many restrictions are forced upon you and your family: • Higher education is discouraged. • No Christmas celebrations or other holidays. • No getting involved in politics, you’re not allowed to take part in elections, plus you’re not allowed to join the military (I wonder if they ever thank a soldier when they see one for defending their freedom not to salute the flag.) • No blood transfusions. This cult is a virtual death trap. Millions of JW babies were sacrificed at the Watchtower altar. Refusing a child, a blood transfusion, I understand is against the law! • You’re not allowed to attend other churches • JW children are forbidden to join non-JW children in little league sports, after-school extra-curricular activities and clubs, field trips and parties. The list of false prophecies regarding Armageddon out of their history is phenomenal. Here are some main dates:
1871, 1879, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1929, 1941, and 1975. Whenever a prophecy does not come to pass, the Watchtower Society, cleverly with sleight of hand, washes its hands and subsequently denies everything they’ve ever predicted. Think of it: today’s truths become tomorrow’s errors! They always use that time-worn “new light” excuse! One only has to reflect on Deuteronomy 18: 21-22: “If you say to yourselves, ‘How can we recognize an oracle which the Lord has spoken?’ know that, even though a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if his oracle is not fulfilled or verified, it is an oracle which the Lord did not speak. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.” Ergo, a true prophet cannot lie! In the 1920’s, the second Watchtower president, Joseph Rutherford, wrote an article “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” That generation is dead! Armageddon didn’t come. In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s marriage and children had to be postponed. Young JW’s could not attend college. After all, the end was so close. Many JW’s also sold their properties and assets. And yet, a 1972 “Awake” article pointed to the Watchtower as a true prophet! Again. A true prophet cannot make such abysmal mistake! Lastly, family life suffers tremendously. Family members may not associate with those who’ve been disfellowshipped. This has caused a lot of depression and suicides. Many marriages have been wrecked. Students, be on your guard: don’t fall for the whims of this sect! Unless you choose to live a life of slavery! Been there, done it! Paul Stefanski
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 go to ARCurrent.com
π
American
Math club president Gary Hollenbeck won the pie-eating contest during the Pi Day celebration, which was organized by the mathematics department at American River College, on Mar. 14.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM ARC’S CELEBRATION OF PI DAY, GO TO ARCURRENT.COM
Photo Essay by Bailey Carpenter goldenbaybec1@gmail.com Pi day is an event put on by American River College’s math department every year on Mar. 14. Events included reciting every number of Pi, a pie eating contest, an art exhibit and a pin the decimal point game. The event went from 12:26 p.m. to 2:38 p.m. in the Liberal Arts area near Davies Hall and the math center, and many people showed up to get free slices of pie. Rocio Owens, a mathematics professor, coordinated the whole event with the help of mathematics professor Shelly Hollenbeck and said there was a great turnout.
Students gathered to watch the pie-eating contest held during the Pi Day celebration at American River College on Mar. 14. Winners received tumbler cups, meal vouchers, t-shirts and a puzzle.
Fashion student Patricia Thorpe’s dress was the winning submission for the Pi Art contest.
(Left to right) Shelly Hollenbeck, Rocio Owens and Yael Amir helped prepare pies for students.