Wednesday 03.18.20
All women matter Modernizing society’s approach to Women’s History
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C URRENT American River College Sacramento, Calif.
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Campuses close amid coronavirus concerns By Ariel Caspar & Bram Martinez arielcaspar@gmail.com bramster1@gmail.com
Vol. 71 Ed. 6
NBA to ARC
Former NBA player brings expertise to ARC basketball
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ARC mourns loss of former staff member by Brandon Zamora
As concerns about the coronavirus continue to grow throughout the college communities, the Los Rios Community College District announced March 12 that, effective Friday, March 13, the Los Rios district will suspend all faceto-face classes and student interactions, and beginning March 18, the campuses will close. “Starting Wednesday, March 18 all campus facilities will be closed to all students, faculty, staff, and community members; however instructional, student services, and operational responsibilities will continue online or remotely,” the email said, regarding the district’s decision to close Los Rios campuses. According to Brian King, LRCCD Chancellor, based on the guidance from the California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, all colleges should prepare for this crisis to last at least through June, and should expect to continue with remote operations through the end of the semester. This follows in the wake of previous emails and RAVE alert updates the district has been sending out since Feb. 27. These alerts had been sent out due to four students within the LRCCD who had been exposed to the virus in February. Since the disease has spread to a handful of states in the United States, including California, where now 11 deaths have occurred and a range of 200 to over 500 cases have been confirmed, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on March 4, and urged the restriction of all meetings of 250 or more people, according to multiple news outlets. Recently, this number has dropped to 10 people or more, with shelter in place a likely possibility, according to multiple news outlets. COVID-19, or coronavirus, is a pathogenic, respiratory illness that first emerged in Wuhan, China, and is said to have originated from bats, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As this disease continues to become more threatening, the LRCCD is keeping students, staff and faculty as informed as possible with frequent updates and alerts, according to the March 12 update. “This situation is rapidly evolving, so all students, faculty, and staff should be prepared for additional critical updates and districtwide alerts,” the email said. “We will continue to provide regular updates, including updated frequently asked questions, on the district coronavirus website.”
b14Zamora@gmail.com
Photo illustration coutesy of Jennah Booth | Student Worker
Starting Wednesday, March 18, all campus facilities will be closed to all students, faculty, staff and community members, and classes will move to online or remote operations until further notice due to COVID-19 concerns.
According to a Los Rios Health alert sent out via email on March 11, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that all events with a total of people exceeding 250, or where social distancing of 6-feet per person is not possible, have been canceled until further notice, including all athletic events, performing arts shows, celebratory gatherings and non-essential gatherings.
“Starting Wednesday, March 18 all campus facilities will be closed to all students, faculty, staff, and community members.” Los Rios Health Alert Email sent on March 12, 2020
That same alert confirmed that there continues to be zero confirmed cases in students or employees within the LRCCD of the COVID-19 virus.
Sacramento County Public Health experts had directed all colleges to continue with regular class and work schedules at that time, according to the alert. On March 12, the LRCCD made the decision to close all Los Rios campuses as a precautionary measure, according to the March 12 alert. According to a March 8 Los Rios Health alert, college custodial teams are taking extra measures to deep clean campuses with higher-strength disinfectant agents, with a focus on “hightouch” points such as doorknobs, railings, door handles, bathroom push doors and light switches. On Feb. 27, American River College’s communications office first reported to all Los Rios Community College District staff, faculty and student population through RAVE alerts sent via text and email, that two students, one from ARC and one from Cosumnes River College had both been exposed to an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19. The two students are medical health professionals and were exposed to the virus while performing their medical duties, according to the ARC communications announcement. After the exposure,
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both of the students returned to their respective campuses. Shortly following this announcement, ARC communications reported that two more students from Sacramento City College were also exposed at a different hospital. The original announcement said that since the exposures, the Sacramento County Department of Public Health had indicated that there were no indications at that time that members of the campus communities were at risk of potential exposure to the virus, but that later changed on March 12 when all face-to-face interactions on campus were suspended by the district. Scott Crow, ARC public information officer, told the Current that the exposed students made contact with the infected individual before it was confirmed they tested positive for COVID-19, and that is the reason why they returned to the campuses. According to Crow, both students had been instructed by county health experts to selfmonitor symptoms and to selfquarantine for 14 days as a mandatory precaution.
COVID-19 | Page 3 /ARCurrent.com
Go to ARCurrent.com for more coverage during the campus closure
On Jan. 26, Ray Di Guilio, former Vice President of Administrative Services of American River College, died at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer, according to his obituary in the Sacramento Bee’s website. Di Guilio served as vice president at ARC from 2011 to 2016. During that time, he paved the way for the new Wayfinding app and signage system that separated the directional signs into four color-coded zones that’ll help people find their way around ARC. according to Scott Crow, ARC’s communications and public information officer. Di Guilio also had a hand in establishing the vision for the college’s new Diane Bryant STEM Innovation Center, according to ARC President, Thomas Greene. According to Greene, even after Di Guillio retired, he still stayed connected with ARC and helped the college in many ways. Greene said Di Guilio’s passing will be missed by many faculty members. He added that Di Guilio wasn’t just another employee at ARC, but that he left a lasting impression on the staff here on campus because of the kind of person he was in life. “There are so many of us here at the college who feel his loss deeply,” Greene said, “Those I have talked to about his passing shared with me that they remember Ray as a very caring and genuine person and that he had a kind and gentle nature.” According to Greene, Di Guilio didn’t just help the college but helped him become a better individual as well. “I am a better person and leader as a consequence of my time working with Ray at American River College,” Greene said.
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March 18, 2020
NEWS
C
The
URRENT An American River College student-run publication. Editor-in-Chief Ariel Caspar Managing & Feature Editor Thomas Cathey Photo Editor Emily Mello Photo by Ashley Hayes-Stone | File Photo
Paramedic major Asa Simien and civil engineering major Luis Olivares view the menu in the cafeteria at American River College on Nov.18, 2019.
LRCCD asks for more potential food service providers DISTRICT CAN’T COMFIRM ARAMARK RENEWAL By Oden Taylor odenshawntaylor@gmail.com Last semester, outrage about fair pricing, club fundraising, and quality of food, among other concerns, sparked among many students and faculty members of American River College regarding the Los Rios Community College District’s food service provider, Aramark. Students and faculty held focus groups last semester at all the campuses within the Los Rios district to determine what the biggest concerns were with Aramark and other potential food service providers. Aramark’s contract with LRCCD will either be reinstated or removed in June of this year, according to Mario Rodriguez, vice chancellor of finance and administration for LRCCD. Many students say they are concerned, as they do not want the contract reinstated. Ramses Galvez, Associated Student Body senator and chairman of the ASB Ad Hoc Aramark Committee, said he feels the student voice on this issue has been heard but that the district isn’t trying to
stop Aramark from taking the contract again. “I would prefer to not have Aramark at all, like most of the students in the district would prefer too,” Galvez said, “But if Aramark does take [the contract] again we want to see the changes we’ve been fighting for - better prices, good quality of food, not having restrictions for clubs on campus to sell food.” Several other companies have expressed interest in submitting proposals to the district, however, state law prohibits them from sharing information about the specific companies who have submitted bids, according to Rodriguez. “We continue to actively reach out to other potential bidders and we are hopeful for a diverse set of options to choose from,” Rodriguez said in an email to the Current. Rodriguez included information on the most common concerns expressed across the district about the future of on-campus food service, the biggest of which being fair pricing and addressing food insecurities by allowing the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer and food vouchers. “Our primary focus is on bringing in the partner that best meets the needs of our students, faculty and staff relative to the priority areas outlined in the feedback ses-
ASB NOTEBOOK
sions we’ve held to date,” Rodriguez said. No future focus groups will be held, however, Rodriguez said that changes have already been made to the existing food service contract based on the information gathered from students and faculty across the district.
“If Aramark does take [the contract] again we want to see the changes we’ve been fighting for.” Ramses Galvez ASB senator and chairman of the ASB Ad Hoc Aramark Committee
Rodriguez said that while the district staff involved will be taking many factors into consideration before deciding, it is too soon to say who the new food service provider will be and what the details of that partnership will entail. Maria Elena Sepulveda, a sociology major at ARC and member of the Aramark committee, said she and other members of the committee are waiting for an up-
date from the district about the status of Aramark’s contract. She disagreed with Galvez and said that she feels the district did not hear the concerns of its students. “I feel our voice has been muted so the district can look accountable,” Sepulveda said. Sepulveda, as well as other members of the Aramark committee, have decided not to continue trying to block Aramark from taking the district contract again, and instead, are working towards changing policies within the contract. “When Aramark takes the contract again I would like to see the current management replaced. I would like to see affordable quality choices; I would like to see the dietary needs of all of our students met by our food services,” Sepulveda said. “I would like to see our student employees treated better, and for all of our students to be less exploited by this awful corporation.” The Aramark Committee will no longer be able to meet in person due to the “coronavirus” that caused the campus to shut down, however, the district will continue to review any feedback received on this topic and students can share their thoughts and concerns by emailing foodservice@losrios. edu.
For weekly coverage of ARC student government, go to ARCurrent.com
ASB SUSPENDS MEETINGS IN RESPONSE TO CAMPUS CLOSURE By Brandon Zamora b14Zamora@gmail.com The Associated Student Body meetings at American River College have been postponed due to the district-wide closure of all Los Rios colleges, according to an email from Brett Sawyer, faculty advisor for ASB. As of right now, ASB has not confirmed details on what its exact plans are moving forward. According to Sawyer, ASB is try-
ing to figure out how to make the transition to holding their meetings online but it hasn’t been easy. “I’m working with their contracted parliamentarians to determine how that looks online, in terms of following Brown Act and Parliamentary Procedure,” Sawyer wrote. “It’s difficult enough to learn and follow in person, so going online creates some more challenges.” According to the First Amendment Coalition’s website, a nonprofit public interest organization
committed to freedom of speech, the Brown Act requires meetings of local government agencies in California to be open to the public. According to Sawyer, the transition to moving the meetings online is creating “barriers” that ASB will have to face. “Ultimately, advocating for students online is a new realm for student leaders across the community college system,” Sawyer wrote. “Some of the barriers will be processes of how to spend their money with [the] business
office (collecting necessary signatures, scanning documents etc).” According to Sawyer, they need to be prepared for the possibility of their meetings being held online as a long-term scenario. “This situation creates a lot of uncertainty. One of the tasks both boards may have to work on is creating a protocol for events like this in the future, especially if this is our new reality.” Sawyer wrote. This story will be updated online as more information becomes available.
News Editor Oden Taylor Sports Editor Brandon Zamora Arts & Culture Editors Bram Mar tinez Josh Ghiorso Opinion Editor Colin Bar tley Social Media Editor Marquala Brown Staff Heather Amberson Haven Bishop Clif ton Bullock Dylan Lillie Alex Muegge Faculty Adviser Rachel Leibrock Photo Advisers Josh Clemens Jill Wagner Student Workers Ashley Hayes-Stone Jennah Booth
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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 Portable Village 613A Sacramento, CA 95841 Phone: 916-484-8304 Fax: 916-484-8668 E-mail: Current@arc.losrios.edu www.ARCurrent.com
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March 18, 2020
NEWS
Photo by Emily Mello | Photo Editor
A sign that reads “Campus is Closed. No Permit Required” hangs on the ticket kiosk in an empty parking lot on March 16, 2020. According to health officials, individuals are advised to self-quarantine and social distance until further notice.
COVID-19 concerns lead to state-wide school closures
Cont. from page 1
“We would definitely recommend that those students do as instructed,” Crow said. It was later reported in a separate announcement that same day, that a third and fourth student, both from Sacramento City College, were also exposed to someone who may have contracted COVID-19. With a total of four exposures, Sac County Public Health experts had directed all colleges to “take no immediate action and proceed with regular class and work schedules” at that time, according to the RAVE alert announcement. On Feb. 28, ARC President Thomas Greene issued a message to the whole campus in regards to the announcements. “I want to reassure you that your health and safety is paramount, and we are actively monitoring and responding to this situation as it evolves,” Greene wrote. Greene said the ARC Health and Wellness Center staff were prepared to give guidance to individual employees and students regarding these concerning times. Dee Dee Gilliam, director of student health and wellness, released a statement to the Current via email regarding the growing concerns of COVID-19, and whether or not there had been a contingency plan in place. In response, Gilliam said the ARC Health and Wellness Center was also working closely with the Sac County Department of Health Services and were frequently monitoring communications from the California Department of Public Health, the CDC and the World Health Organization, and was prepared to follow their expert guid-
ance, before the campuses closed. Since the exposures were reported, the situation has continued to evolve, with messages from the ARC communications office being sent out frequently regarding new developments and communicating that the Los Rios district and its colleges were in close communication with county health officials and the Center for Disease Control, which led to the decision to close campuses.
200 - 500+
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in California
“Currently, we are working very closely with the Los Rios Community College District to perform contact analysis of people who have potentially been exposed to COVID-19 either as travelers or because of a connection to a family member,” Bongiorno said.
11
Deaths from COVID-19 in California
COVID-19 cases as of March 17, 2019
40
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sacramento County Brenda Bongiorno, Sac County Public Health Services public information officer, spoke to the Current via email on behalf of SCPH regarding the cases within the LRCCD. Bongiorno said that SCPH has developed a coordinated system with healthcare partners for successful infection control. She said they are effectively identifying possible cases, conducting testing and diagnosis of suspect cases and leading investigations to identify individuals who may have been exposed.
CAMPUS PU
LSE
“I think it should have happened a while ago. I think that delaying closing the campus was definitely a threat to the healthy population.”
-RILEY HUDSON Chemistry Major
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Deaths from COVID-19 in Sacramento County According to Bongiorno, SCPH is instructing identified cases to quarantine or isolate themselves. She also clarified that an individual who has been released from isolation or completed quarantine no longer poses a risk of infection to others they come into contact with. Borgiorno said that the SCPH recognizes students may have concerns, and emphasized the importance of remaining calm. “Please be assured that there is no need for alarm or to change daily routines,” she said. “We rec-
ommend you practice the same precautions you do during cold and flu season and avoid nonessential travel to areas where COVID-19 infection is widespread.” In more recent developments, the LRCCD is now coordinating daily discussions to assess the daily status at each campus so they can make quick decisions and communicate new information to students and employees, according to Gabe Ross, the Los Rios district associate vice chancellor. For the few students from the Los Rios campuses, who are still in quarantine, they are being treated on a case-by-case basis with their instructors in regards to their absences from class, according to Ross, and if new identified cases arise, this is how students and instructors are advised to proceed. It has also been communicated that the college should pay special attention to any incidents that involve stereotyping, bullying or harassment directed towards people perceived to be Chinese American or more generally of Asian descent, as there had been several media reports of this issue. “Ethnic harassment or bullying exacerbates hatred, harms students, and is never justified,” Ross said. “We reaffirm our commitment that all students should be able to study and learn in an environment that is healthy, safe, and free from bias or discrimination.” To prevent the spread of this infection, the Los Rios Health Department, the Sacramento County Department of Health services, and the CDC have made information on coronavirus available to students and employees through email links. These agencies encourage the washing of hands frequently for
20-60 seconds. Washing hands remains an effective way to halt the spreading of pathogens. They also recommend avoiding touching your mouth, eyes or nose with unwashed hands, as well as covering your mouth while coughing. The Sac County Health Department, the CDC and the Los Rios Health and Wellness Center also recommend that individuals selfmonitor in case they show any signs of symptoms. They recommend checking for fever, if coughing is getting more frequent or if experiencing shortness of breath. If infection is suspected, please notify the Sacramento Health department immediately, especially if there has been any travel to mainland China, Italy, Iran, Japan or South Korea within the last two weeks, or have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, according to the Los Rios coronavirus FAQ page. The page also recommends self-monitoring daily, checking for fever twice a day. According to the Sacramento Department of Health, there have been a total of 40 cases of COVID-19, with three deaths and a recovery in Sacramento and Placer Counties. Sacramento Department of Health is also changing the way they are handling these cases from containment to mitigation. With this shift, a 14-day quarantine will no longer be necessary and health agencies are now requiring individuals who have been exposed to go into isolation immediately if they are experiencing symptoms, according to NPR. Continue to check emails daily for Los Rios Health Alerts, as they will provide the most current updates on COVID-19 in the Los Rios District.
What do you think about the LRCCD campuses closing down? “I think it is a little over dramatic in my opinion, but I do understand why they would do it. We go through this every other year, there is always some type of virus or disease, and it always passes.”
-JONAS BABEL-BUCKNER Criminal Justice Major
“I’m a little bit leary because there was a reason I took faceto-face classes, but life happens. You just have to roll with the punches and this is how we are going to lessen the flow of the virus, I’m fine with it.”
-CELIDAH PORTER Speech/Language Pathology Assistant Program
“I think it is somewhat of an overreaction. I’d rather have an overcorrection rather than not being prepared enough.”
-LUKE LOCKWOOD
Computer Engineering major
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March 18, 2020
FEATURE
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com
Board games are just one of the types of entertaiment for those practicing self-quarantining.
Pass the time with table games By Bram Martinez bramster1@gmail.com With the cancellation of classes all over the country, and the cancellation of various sporting events, concerts, and gatherings, people are probably disappointed and bored. One of the solutions for this, is diving back into some classic board games, or purchasing some slightly more difficult modern tabletop games. People might not know what to do to pass the time because of the selfquarantining, but board, card, and tabletop games remain a good way to pass the time. Here’s a list to get you started. 5. The first game has been a classic since 1902, and is possibly one of the most devastating games to friendships. This game
is Monopoly, a very competitive property/financial game that has players head off against each other in order to have the most money and the most properties, while financially destroying the other players. This game can be very time-consuming, and it can really make people strategize and deal with other players. 4. Risk is the original battle strategy game about world conquest. This game is started with players in their chosen countries with a handful of soldiers. Players then spend the following rounds expanding or increasing an area’s army. The way this game’s strategy comes into play is the fact that every round, each player gets more soldiers depending on the lands they control. More lands equal more soldiers, so the question
comes down to how to maximize defense while getting as much land as possible, with very randomized combat based on dice rolls. This game can take a very long time to play. 3. Risk and Monopoly are fun games, however, they can get boring after a while. Settlers of Catan is a lot more versatile because of the many different expansion packs that create variations of the game. Essentially, there is a landmass known as Catan that is randomly composed of tiles with resources on them. Those resources are: ore, sheep, grain, brick, and wood. Players need to build settlements in order to maximize on these resources and score victory points. Victory points can be scored by building settlements, upgrading to cities, building the
longest road, building the biggest army or gaining development cards until a player has ten points to win. There are different ways of playing this game by either trying to steal resources, trade or isolate your settlement. This game has an online counterpart as well as other editions for various tastes, and all are very fun. 2. Cards Against Humanity is a very funny game. Essentially there are two types of cards, white and black. A player, known as the ‘Card Czar’ or the judge of the round, plays the black cards which have the setup, with a blank space somewhere on the card. The white card fills the blank space, to make the black card funny. Essentially other players aside from the ‘Card Czar’ each put a white card down to fill the spot. The card that the ‘Card Czar’ deems the funniest is chosen, and the player that played that card gets the black card, then it’s the next player’s turn to be the
‘Card Czar’. The first player to get ten black cards wins.The game has a lot of outcomes, but may be a little more mature/inappropriate for younger audiences. 1. The game, Dungeons & Dragons, is for individuals who enjoy interactive game play. This game is essentially a story that people get to play through. The Dungeonmaster, or DM, conducts the players through an adventure, and what happens next is up to the players. The DM narrates a bunch of scenes, and tries to coordinate the players to get through. There is roleplaying, worldbuilding, bartering and combat strategy within it. DND can be played online. There are sites that have information on class building, backstories, world building, monster lists, difficulty adjustments, puzzles etc. The best of these sites is D&D Beyond, which is free.
A professor’s passion for physical education By Brandon Zamora
b14Zamora@gmail.com When it comes to physical education at American River College, there are many unique courses available. One such class is cardio kickboxing, taught by Angela McKillop, adjunct faculty in the physical education department. McKillop has taught at ARC since 2017. She has a masters degree in physical education and has taught overall for 15 years. Her love for physical education has brought her back home to ARC where she gets to teach her passion to the students who currently attend. Despite ARC’s campus closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak, McKillop will continue to instruct her classes online by having her students complete workouts from home. McKillop says that cardio kickboxing is a class that a lot of students at ARC really love to take. She says when the 2020 spring semester started, there weren’t any openings left in her class on the first day, and is currently still filled up. “My cardio kickboxing class was full at the start of the semester, and we take 40 students,” McKillop said. “It’s popular, and it’s still around after all these years.” Before she started teaching, McKillop was a student here at ARC. She even played for ARC’s women’s soccer team from 2005 to 2006.
Playing soccer at ARC is also how she met her husband, who played for ARC’s men’s soccer team during the same years. McKillop likes to call her marriage, “the perfect American River love story.” McKillop says that playing for the soccer team, as well as taking all those physical education classes at ARC, made her not only want to teach classes focusing on that subject, but come back to ARC and teach them to the students here. “That’s why I wanted to start teaching here at American River because when I attended here as a student, and took the required PE classes, I fell in love with the aerobics side, step aerobics, and cardio kickboxing.” McKillop said. “It made it full circle to come back and now teach at American River.” Alongside teaching cardio kickboxing at ARC, McKillop also teaches classes at California Family Fitness, as well as a few other local gyms in the Sacramento area. At these local gyms, she teaches cycling, yoga, bootcamp, step aerobics, aqua aerobics and many more classes. While it may sound like an incredibly demanding class, according to McKillop, the cardio kickboxing class actually starts off slow and works its way up to being more challenging as the semester goes on. “At the beginning of the semester we’re not doing a whole hour and 20 mintunes of straight jumping jacks,” McKillop said. “We start
Photo by Brandon Zamora | Sports Editor
Angela McKillop, physical education professor at American River College, teaches different types of PE classes both at ARC and outside the college, including cardio kickboxing.
easing into it, and go longer each session towards the end of the semester—by the end of the semester we are doing around 50 to 60 minutes of a workout.” Jennah Booth, an ARC student in McKillop’s cardio kickboxing class this semester, really enjoys McKillop’s class. While she knows this class can be a challenge, it’s a
good and welcoming challenge. “I have to be there at 9 a.m. so to get up early and work out first thing in the morning It’s good for me but it’s very challenging,” Booth said. Although the class is challenging, Booth says McKillop makes it fun. Saying that McKillop is a “really good professor” and would sug-
gest anyone looking for a physical education class at ARC to take one of her classes. “We do different types of workouts from partner workouts, or sometimes we’ll do a circuit workout,” McKillop said. “We do a variety of different workouts, not just kickboxing so students can go their own pace.”
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March 18, 2020
ARTS & CULTURE
‘North Star’ is a heartfelt retrospective of the civil rights movement By Colin Bartley colinbartley99@gmail.com The American River College Theatre debuted its latest musical production of “North Star,” by Gloria Bond Clunie on Feb. 28 and ran through March 8. It is an inspiring, coming of age story of a young African American girl, Relia, growing up in 1960s North Carolina at the peak of the civil rights movement. “North Star” was directed at ARC by Sam Williams, with his brother David Williams as music director. Sam Williams gave a brief foreword before the show started, explaining what this production means to him and the themes of courage and inner strength he hoped to share with the audience. The show started with a breathtaking musical number, filled with vibrant colors and exciting choreography, setting the stage for the rest of the production. The music in “North Star’’ boasted a genuinely beautiful range of vocals alongside booming instrumentals. The musical numbers also featured impressive choreography that blended traditional dance with other styles of dance such as tap and breakdancing. The cast displayed truly impressive footwork and seemed to carry great stage presence. The acting was an absolute joy to watch, in particular Felicity Johnson and Fetalaiga Faga as Relia’s parents, Kate and Manson Tay-
lor, both brought so much energy to the stage, which helped bring out the emotional impact of the story. While some scenes did run a little long at times, it still felt wellpaced throughout. A handful of the scenes with heavy internal dialogue felt drawn out, but overall didn’t detract too much from the narrative. The cast as a whole did a wonderful job of projecting fully realized and believable characters who really brought the script to life. The costumes were well put together and helped complete the characters without being distracting. Each look felt lived-in, which made the performances more genuine. At intermission the audience was invited to look through the James Kaneko Art Gallery, which hosted artwork by Milton Bowens, whose work centers around depicting powerful pieces with themes of black culture and history. One scene that really stood out was when Willie Joe, played by Anaundi Borum, had flashbacks to when his uncle, played by Clinton Verge, was lynched by a mob. The scene was haunting and was accompanied by absolutely stunning vocals. Most importantly, it has a satisfying ending that closes with an uplifting message of strength through adversity.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Patt
The ARC Theatre’s production of ‘North Star,’ stars (from left to right), Anaundi Borum as Willie Jay, and Audrey Booth as Relia.
Photo by Clifton Bullock | Staff Writer
Dyne Eifertsen leads Instrumental Jazz Ensemble rehearsal ahead of the Instrumental Jazz Ensemble Concert at the American River College Theatre. The concert has since been canceled, due to the campus closure on March 13.
ARC’s music department’s contribution to America’s genre
By Clifton Bullock bullock.clb@gmail.com Duke Ellington put the world “In a Sentimental Mood” in 1935, Clifford Brown and Max Roach took on “Jordu” in 1954, Miles Davis released his critically acclaimed magnum opus “Kind of Blue” in 1959, and John Coltrane kicked a heroin addiction while hearing the voice of God before delivering “A Love Supreme” to the masses in 1964. With each date provided, time seems further away from the present. It’s not a wonder that many speculate about the current state of jazz and feel that the genre of music is dying. Many critics say the genre had its heyday and is in a decline. John Gennari, jazz critic and author of “Blowin’ Hot and Cool,” and a number of other jazz centric literature, documents
the history of the music from its origins, and is one of those that confesses that jazz is from another time. “Jazz is written in the vinyl groove; it’s written in the rich oral tradition of jazz talk—an endless evolving argot which in the 1930s and ‘40s spoke of pianists’ “ticklin’ the ivories” and drummers’ “strokin’ the hides”—into epic tales of communal ritual and individual heroism,” Gennari wrote. Professor Dyne Eifertsen, music department chair at American River College, and the music department team are contributing to sustaining genre by teaching a number of classes, enriched curriculum, and highlighting the genre’s cultural significance to students as well as the surrounding community by scheduling jazz performances. He wants to expand efforts to revitalize the conversation of jazz
and of traditional music and also reintroduce the music to the student body while highlighting the music department’s role in sustaining jazz in a new day of age. This means impromptu pop-up performances and jam sessions. “One of the things I’m trying to do right now is [to] get us to perform on campus more,” Eifertsen said. “We’re starting a concert series at least twice a semester to go down to play at the Student Center. Whenever we go out and do that, we get a huge crowd and they are just loving it.” The music department plans to be more public by getting to the people instead of the people stumbling upon them. They also want to do music that’s not watered down and recognizable meanings replicating the soul or emulating the artists’ emotions while covering popular classics. Doing so will open the music de-
partment up to other students on campus. “It’s not just for the people who were in a band at any particular point. Many times people don’t know that ARC has a jazz band and events like such would be a serious recruiting tool,” Eifersten said. There are a myriad of factors contributing to the decline, considering the rise of other genres like rock and roll, and the advent of television and home entertainment which made more stay at home instead of dancing out on the town at jazz clubs. Many times younger generations of people, college students in particular, don’t have a full understanding of jazz and traditional music because there seems to be minimal visibility of the scene. Daletza Benitez-Macias, music department instructional assistant, provided further insight to the state of jazz, and how various forms are being reintroduced for a younger generation of listeners. “There’s so many different forms of jazz right now that are getting revamped. Latin jazz or fusion jazz, like Jacob Collier - he’s someone who is young and modern - and a lot of the young[er] generation[s] are getting into that form of jazz. Vocal jazz is popular; acappella, that kind of vocalised music a lot of people like to hear,” BenitezMacias said. Celebrities are also attempting to garner younger people’s interest in jazz. According to the website for Wynton Marsalis, the Grammy Award, Pulitzer Prize winner and artistic director of the Lincoln Center, for instance, has done much to promote music education by hosting children and teen music seminars, band competitions and continues speaking with business groups about jazz. Eifertsen added that funding gets a bad rap for being the catalyst of the genre’s decline in
schools, but getting people’s interest needs to change for the sake of survival, in which the sentiment was substantiated by Marsalis. Jazz is America’s true art form tied to its history, and has many in the business fighting for its survival to be the soundtrack for stories of its past and future. “I think [the] jazz of today is not necessarily what jazz was in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. It’s more of a world type of thing. You can put anything into it and call it jazz,” Eifersten said. “That is what will allow the genre to transcend generations because you can broaden the definition of what the music is and simply call it jazz.”
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March 18, 2020
Opinion: Astros cheating scandal sets bad example for student athletes By Brandon Zamora b14Zamora@gmail.com For as long as anyone can remember, cheating in sports is something that’s always happened. Teams and players throughout history in every sport have cheated at one point or another and it’ll keep happening for years to come. However, it was recently discovered that one team did in fact cheat to not only win games, but cheated to win a championship and was caught doing so. That team is the Houston Astros, and what punishment did they get? A simple slap on the wrist. This not only makes the Astros and MLB look bad, but sets a really bad example for student athletes. You have a major league sport giving a light punishment to a team who cheated to win the World Series. If you’re caught cheating, you’ll get in a little trouble, but you can still call yourself champions. In 2017, the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, winning their first championship in franchise history. At the time, this was one of the most memorable World Series in recent history with how close the seven-game series was. I used to think that game five of the World Series was one of the most exciting high scoring baseball games I’d ever seen with the Astros beating the Dodgers 13-12 in a game that went into extra innings. Now, knowing they cheated that season, including the playoffs, that game has been
SPORTS
ruined for me. In fact, the entire series and championship for the Astros is forever tainted as it was discovered that they actually cheated to win that title. According to Baseball Prospecus’s website, a sports news source dedicated to the sabermetric analysis of baseball, the Astros’ cheating started as early as May. 19, 2017 and carried on through the season, going to the playoffs in October. According to an article on The Athletic’s website, a national sports news source, at the Astros’ home stadium, Minute Maid Park, a camera was installed in center field that was used to capture the catcher’s hand signals to the pitcher. That camera feed then went to someone working for the Astros in the tunnel, away from the field, and then that person hit trash cans loud enough for their batters to hear to let them know what type of pitch was coming their way. All of this sounded like pure speculation at first, but former Houston Astros pitcher, Mike Fiers, confirmed that the Astros did in fact use this sign stealing trick in 2017, according to an article on ESPN’s website. After a further investigation by Major League Baseball, there was enough evidence to prove the Astros cheated, and they did receive a punishment. Well, in a way, they did. The Astros manager, AJ Hinch, and general manager, Jeff Luhnow have both been suspended from the MLB for one year. The Astros team itself was fined $5 million
and lost its first and second round draft picks for 2020 and 2021. That’s it? MLB only suspends two people for one season, while no players get suspended or fined? They fined the team a few million dollars while players like Justin Verlander are currently making $33 million a year with the Astros alone. And worst of all, the Astros get to keep their 2017 World Series title. Even though they cheated to win that championship, and it’s been proven that they did, they’re still seen as champions. People cheat in sports all the time, but that doesn’t make it right. Although if you’re a member of the Astros you may think differently as in a press conference, the Astros owner Jim Crane said that his team cheating didn’t
three different franchises. He played for the Houston Rockets, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings. Thomas played for 10 coaches in 11 seasons. Larry Brown, who used to coach Thomas, is one of the coaches that he still keeps in contact with and tries to learn from. “Larry Brown coached me in Philadelphia, and he’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” Thomas said. “I still keep in contact with him, and if there was a situation where I would be able to bring in a coach like Larry Brown to help me coach basketball, I would.” Thomas says the things that he learned in the NBA aren’t really things that would be taught on the college level. “Being here at ARC is a totally different perspective when coaching than being a player,” Thomas said. “I think that there are a lot of things that I have learned from the NBA as far as tricks and schemes, but I don’t think that that knowledge would be the teaching point for these kids.” As an assistant coach, Thomas focuses on helping out the bigs on the team, which are normally the power forwards and centers. “With my position here at ARC, I focus on the kids that are bigs,” Thomas said. “With my past history and the knowledge that I
have, being able to mentor or give advice to these kids from the standpoint of basketball overall, my basketball IQ is pretty high, so I bring a variety of dynamics when I’m helping teach these kids.” ARC head coach Mark Giorgi says he thinks that having Thomas on staff makes the players listen better, because they understand the experience that he has. “The biggest thing that he does, with his notoriety, is that kids know him, and because he’s played in the NBA, kids look up to him and listen more, because Kenny’s been there and done that,” Giorgi said. ARC guard Jair Lang said he appreciates that Thomas pushes his players to be great. “He doesn’t baby you,” Lang said. “He gives us the tools and we need to use them. He’s an A+ coach.” Lang says he’s grown close to Thomas. “My favorite moment with coach Kenny was when I beat him in a free throw competition. He tries to say it never happened or that he doesn’t remember, but I make sure he does,” Lang said. Giorgi is also someone who says he’s started to gain chemistry with Thomas. “We look at each other and start laughing when a player does something, it’s like we’re both thinking the same thing,” Giorgi
Photo illustration by Brandon Zamora | Sports Editor
The Houston Astros were caught cheating in the 2017 season by using cameras and trash cans to signal their batters what type of pitch was coming. The MLBs inadequate punishment towards the team sets a bad example for teams in the future.
Former NBA player looks to help the next generation By Heather Amberson heatheramberson2k16@gmail.com
“With all the knowledge that I have over the last 20 to 30 years plus of playing basketball, being able to come in here and give these kids some knowledge from what I’ve learned and help them better themselves [is what made me want to start coaching].” Kenny Thomas, a former NBA player, has found a way to continue with his love for the game of basketball — this time as an assistant coach and recruiter for the American River men’s basketball team. Thomas also does private workouts with younger kids. On a recent afternoon, he was spending time with an eighth grader, running him through drills and working on his form from the free throw line. Thomas became a star during his time in college, from 19951999, at the University of New Mexico. He holds school records for single season scoring for a freshman, most rebounds in a career and conference career and is also third in career double-doubles. After his time at New Mexico, Thomas went on to the NBA, where he got drafted with the 22nd pick in the first round by the Houston Rockets in 1999. Thomas played 11 years in the NBA, with
make a difference in the game. “Our opinion is that this didn’t impact the game,” Crane said. “We had a good team, we won the World Series, and we’ll leave it at that,” according to a video posted on CBS Sports Website. Using a camera to steal signs, and banging on trash cans to signal your batters what pitch is coming doesn’t affect the game at all? No, that’s not right at all because this team cheated but they’re acting like it’s not a big deal. What about the teams they cheated against who had a chance in winning the World Series in 2017? It didn’t impact them at all? Because I can guarantee you that it did and they won’t soon forget it entering the 2020 season. Student athletes who look up to players from this team as role models could see this and think
it’s perfectly fine to cheat. What’s going to stop them from trying to cheat from this point on if a major league team who got caught only gets a little punishment and are allowed to keep their title? The Astros are perhaps now the most hated team in all of baseball, if not all of sports. From not only cheating to win the World Series, but trying to say it wasn’t a big deal. This team deserves every single amount of hate pointed towards them. We all know cheating in sports will continue because it’s going to keep happening no matter what. Let’s hope that the Astros cheating scandal and MLB’s lack of effort to deal with the issue doesn’t encourage student athletes and even the next generation of athletes to cheat in the same way the Astros did.
Photo by Heather Amberson | Staff Writer
ARC men’s basketball assistant coach Kenny Thomas talks to ARC forward David O’Looney during a game against San Joaquin Delta on Feb. 11, 2019.
said. “Whether it’s a turnover or a bad shot, we look at each other and start laughing.” Other than coaching, Thomas also helps recruit high school kids to join the team. “Throughout the season, it’s a process of trying to get people for the next season,” Thomas said. “It’s going to the high schools and watching kids to see who you are interested in bringing to ARC.” Thomas says he would love to coach at his alma-mater New Mexico, if that’s how it plays out, but he just hopes that one day he
will be able to coach at the Division 1 level. “I see myself coaching D-1 ball from a head coach perspective,” Thomas said. Thomas says he is looking for ways to continue to pass along his knowledge of the game of basketball. “I do clinics in Sacramento and Yuba City, and I’m in Yuba City and New Mexico doing camps,” Thomas said. “I’m also putting together an [Amature Athletic Union] program in New Mexico, Sacramento and Philadelphia.”
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March 18, 2020
OPINION
CURRENT EDITORIAL
LRCCD scrambles to catch up in midst of pandemic By Current Editorial Board current@arc.losrios.edu As of Wednesday, March 18 all Los Rios Community College District schools will close indefinitely in an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus. While there have been no confirmed cases of infection throughout the LRCCD, according to RAVE alerts, four medical students in the LRCCD were exposed to COVID-19, according to an email sent to students, staff and faculty. Exposure occurs when an individual has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus, while infection is when a person has been tested and confirmed to have contracted the virus. Regardless of the status of the tests done on these students, the LRCCD should have responded to this situation sooner, as one does not need to be infected to spread the virus. Inaccurate information and a lack of clarity coming from the LRCCD, as well as the delayed response in action, makes it clear that the LRCCD is unprepared for a prolonged closure of campuses. LRCCD should learn from the problems that arise now, to better prepare if there are future campus closures. While COVID-19 has not been confirmed on any of the Los Rios campuses, the district should have been prepared for any situation including campus shutdown, as the infection spreads quickly in highly populated areas and in close quarters, such as classrooms, cafeterias and student resource centers. According to Scott Crow, ARC public information officer, the college is following the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health and the Sacramento County Department of Health Services to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Please know that we are treating this situation with the highest level of urgency and responsiveness,” Crow said in an email sent to the Current. “Our team
will be especially hard to transition to an online platform for students who have learning challenges as they may require specific accommodations that may not be available immediately with the campus closure. Going online will also require getting specific materials for both students and professors. But by only giving professors and students less than a week to prepare and get materials, students may fall behind in classes. The college’s focus should move to making sure professors are supported in making their teaching materials and classes accessible to students, so that they have the tools to help the students in this transition. The miscommunication from the LRCCD was apparent as student employees, who are worried about their jobs, were told conflicting information about Photo by Emily Mello| Photo Editor their employment status. As of March In the midst of campus closures that went into effect on March 13, students and employees 17 they are still employed, according to voice concerns about the sudden changes instructed by the LRCCD. an email sent out by the ARC communiis actively in communication with public next. Students may not know what will cations office. However earlier, on March health experts and evaluating all guid- happen to the resources offered by the 12, an email was sent out saying that all ance from local, state and federal offi- college, and the future of students and payments would be stopped and that professors this semester is in question. student employees would be terminated. cials.” While student employees remain emHowever, due to more outbreaks of the While the college and district have been ployed for now, the confusion and misininfection in the Sacramento area, and the updating the students with information, formation is a clear sign of the campuses closure of Elk Grove Unified School Dis- the information is limited to what the unpreparedness for dealing with a camtrict on March 7, the district should have district has done, and not what they are pus closure. been taking much stronger preventative planning to do. COVID-19 has shown how unprepared The confusion and conflicting stories measures. American River College is in the face of a As the COVID-19 virus has swept coming from the LRCCD administration campus closure, and that if there is a next through the state, at least 40 people in on what would happen if the campus time, the campus should be more preSacramento county have been infected were to close is indicative of the poor re- pared to take the necessary action, with and there have been at least three deaths sponse from the college, as it seems they information being released as clear and in Sacramento and Placer counties, had taken a more “wait and see what true as possible, so no one involved is left though Sacramento county is no longer happens” approach to containing the vi- with unanswered questions. reporting individual deaths and is only rus. While no one on campus has tested The lack of preparedness shown by the issuing weekly updates every Monday, positive for the virus, this does not mean college and district is leaving professors according to the Sacramento County that there are not any infections, as test- and students scrambling to get orgaing is very limited. website. nized and prepared for this bold transiHad the district been more clear about tion. If the college had been prepared Starting March 13, the LRCCD canceled all in-person classes and began the pro- the campus closures or informed profes- for this in advance, or had given students cess of moving to 100% online or remote sors and students more clearly on what time off to destress from the chaos, stuclasses. However, there are still many would happen, they could be more pre- dents and professors may have gone into unanswered questions of what happens pared for education off of campus. It this more prepared.
Celebrate Women’s History every month By Marquala Brown marqualab@gmail.com In March, the U.S. celebrates Women’s History Month. This is a month where we reflect on the struggles and contributions that women have made throughout the United States’ history. Although we celebrate historical women and their great contributions, I think we should celebrate every woman who deals with adversities and challenges such as fighting for reproductive rights, fair workplace treatment, and harassment because they simply are women. In 1980, the week of March 8 was declared as “Women’s History Week,” but after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project in 1987, Congress passed and authorized then-president Jimmy Carter to officially proclaim March as “Women’s History Month.” Although women should be celebrated every day, March brings awareness to the challenges, adversities, and the progression that many historical women faced throughout history to help the progression of women. We should also celebrate all women during this month. During Women’s History Month we should celebrate
women who deal with the wage gap, making less than men, as well as all the women who deal with sexual and verbal harassment, systematic oppression, reproductive rights and fighting for their human rights on a daily basis. For example, women still do not have full control of their reproductive rights. In 1971, Roe v. Wade marked a major progression in women’s history when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a women’s right to have an abortion. Yet, in 2020, women still do not have full control of their reproductive rights. Many states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri have laws in place, or are working to enact laws that challenge women’s reproductive rights. This issue hits close to home, too. This semester, during the first week of Women’s History Month, ARC had old privileged white men, and some women, on campus telling other women how bad abortion is. These are old white men who will never experience childbirth, never have to make the difficult decision for themselves, or live the life of a woman in a world that dictates what they can or can’t do with their bodies. These people came on campus to shame women during a month
Photo by Ashley Hayes-Stone | File Photo
Crowds of people gather at the Sacramento State Capitol for the Second Annual Women’s March on Jan. 21, 2019.
designated to celebrate them. But this is acceptable when you have the first amendment to hide behind and a president who says “grab them by the pussy” when talking about women. Everyday, women deal with fighting for freedom to govern their own bodies. Every day women must deal with being treated unfairly in professional environments because of their gender. Women often deal with sexual and verbal harassment in the workplace. In December 2019,
for example, a TV reporter , Alex Bozarjian, was sexually harassed, violated and humiliated by a man who smacked her on her butt while she was just trying to do her job. This is just an example of how women are objectified and often can’t even work in professional industries without the risk of being sexually or verbally harassed. Women have and continue to face many struggles in their pursuit of equality and basic human rights. There are many more women
who have contributed to the progression of women but let’s also celebrate every woman, including single mothers, women with mental health issues, women who simply wake up and exist. As women we need to provide unity to each other. Women deal with so much daily, so use all 31 days of March in Women’s History Month to reflect on the contributions of not just historical women but every woman on earth who exists.
March. 18, 2020
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A sign that reads “Campus Is Closed No Permit Required” hangs on the ticket kiosk in an empty parking lot at American River College on March 16, 2020. Since the Los Rios Community College District closed its campuses, students’ classes are now converted to online until further notice.
College faces pandemic ARC takes precaution against the coronavirus outbreak
By Emily Mello emilycastellar97@gmail.com
The Los Rios Community College District announced on March 12 that the district will postpone face-to-face classes, which results in online classes until further notice. White flyers with big bold red letters that read “Campus Closed Effective Immediately” that plaster classroom doors at nearly vacant American River College. The announcement went into effect on March 13 and the campus officially closed on March 18. Here are some snaps of the big effect COVID-19 has already had on the ARC campus.
Beaver Food Pantry workers organize boxes of food to give out to stuA student views the sign on a Davies Hall door that reads “Campus Closed Effective Immediately,”on March 16, 2020. dents, staff and faculty during the campus closure on March 13, 2020. Professors and students have been told by the Los Rios District The pantry will shut down after March 18. to prepare to remain online indefinitely.