Vol. 66, Ed. 11 by ARCurrent

american river

current Vol. 66, Ed. 11 • April 22, 2015

Campus smoking faces changes ADMINS SAY DECISION COULD BE MADE BEFORE SUMMER By John Ferrannini jferr1995@gmail.com If a new student at American River College does not notice the curly, thin streams of tobacco smoke drifting into the open air in front of Davies Hall or in the Rose Marks quad, they probably notice the crushed cigarette butts that pockmark the hallways. But after a nine-day online survey of students, faculty and staff ended last week, all that might change. “This has been an issue for years,” said Laurie Jones, who sits on the Building, Grounds and Safety Committee that asked for the survey. “I’m a health oriented person, but it’s also a civil rights issue because there are people who can’t work here because smoke gets in their workplaces.” After receiving complaints about the prevalence of tobacco use on campus, particularly cigarette smoking, the Buildings, Grounds and Safety Committee provided three possible courses of action for the school: maintaining the current policy, creating designated smoking areas or establishing a tobacco free campus. A survey, put together by the ARC Research Office, was sent to students, faculty and staff on their Los Rios email accounts on April 6 and remained open through April 14.

SEE SMOKING, PAGE 3

SHOT AT ON I-80 Page 2

Left, courtesy of Tamara Dunning. Right, Bryce Fraser / brycefraser180@gmail.com

Left, Tamara Dunning, 18 years old, sits with her grandfather. Right, Dunning holds the picture, with her military records spread in front of her.

DOCUMENTED SURVIVAL SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN THE ARMY, DUNNING IS STILL HAUNTED BY THE MEMORIES By Joseph Daniels joseph64daniels@gmail.com She had been 18 years old for just three months when she says she was attacked and sexually assaulted by a male soldier. Her attacker was never convicted of any crime relating to that night, and because of the statute of limitations, he never will be. Nearly thirty years later, American River College student Tamara Dunning is still haunted by what she remembers. “This isn’t just something that happened,” Dunning said of her assault. “This is my life. This affects every corner of my life.” Dunning’s recovery has been challenged by the long, ongoing process of trying to

still does not prove the rape in the eyes of the VA. Dunning said in her statement during the investigation that after being driven to her barracks by the man she accuses, he asked if she wanted to go on a walk. She was then tackled from behind, tried to fight him off, hit him with her fist and yelled at him to leave her alone. Both Dunning and the man took polygraph tests to answer questions to see whether they were lying or not about the assault. “Keep in mind, I’m in the service at the time,” Tamara said. “Someone tells you to do something, you’re not questioning, you just go do it.”

SEE DUNNING, PAGE 3

Mace attacker awaits court date A FORMER ARC STUDENT, LANNING IS NOW IN JAIL AFTER NEARLY KILLING A WOMAN WITH A MEDIEVAL WEAPON By Kameron Schmid kameronschmid@gmail. com A former American River College student who brutally attacked a woman and her dog with a medieval morningstar-styled mace in the early hours of March 23 is now being charged with attempted murder, but has yet to appear in court due to “psychotic episodes.” Travis Lanning has missed all four of his scheduled court dates, as court officials said he is unsafe to transfer in his current medical condition. Lanning is being charged with attempted murder, but was first arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. He is ineligible for

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INDEX

prove to the Department of Veterans Affairs that she was raped and needs treatment and disability payments, in spite of the fact that the man she accuses was never convicted. While Dunning is being treated by the VA for post-traumatic stress disorder, which she has been diagnosed with relating to the incident, she is not receiving benefits from the military for a service related disability. According to the VA, she needs new evidence to support that she has been sexually assaulted. For three years, when requesting her service files, all files related to her assault were omitted. Dunning recently received all of those documents through the Freedom of Information Act. They show that her PTSD diagnosis goes back to when she was still in the military, but

bail. According to reports, Lanning attacked a woman walking her dog in the very early morning on March 23, sending her to the hospital in critical condition and the dog to a veterinarian hospital as well. And as the media upswell began to rise, things were abruptly halted as Lanning’s mental state was brought to attention. Lanning’s public defender declined to comment after appearing in the courtroom on his second scheduled appearance date. The story of the attack was a topic of both national and international conversation as articles about the abnormal weapon choice and gruesome

SEE MACE, PAGE 2

Courtesy of the Sacramento Sherriff’s Department

Travis Lanning, 34, attacked a woman and her dog with a medieval-style mace on March 23. Lanning, a former American River College student, now sits in jail.

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News pages 2 & 3 Sports pages 4 & 5

Feature page 6 A&C pages 7 & 8

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Scene pages 9 & 10 Opinion page 11

ASB ELECTIONS PAGE 6

@ARCurrent Results from last weeks ASB and CAEB elections, and data on voter turnout in recent years.

April 22, 2015

Page 2

News

Road rage leads to shooting on I-80 STUDENT SAID SHE WAS SHOT BY A MOTORIST ON THE WAY HOME FROM A KINGS GAME By John Ferrannini jferr1995@gmail.com Ashlyn Jackson was scared to walk again for the first time after she was shot in the legs on the night of April 5. “I was really scared, probably because I’ve seen too many movies,” said Jackson. “What if my legs aren’t strong enough that I can actually do it? And then I had it in my head that like my legs were going to squirt blood everywhere like when you see a movie.” Jackson, who took a class at American River College this semester, said she was shot by a motorist while she was in the passenger’s seat of her boyfriends’ car on Interstate 80 while they were going home from a Sacramento Kings game. “We got on the freeway and what made me notice this guy was that he came up behind me really fast,” said Jackson’s boyfriend, Randy Hurst. “He slammed on his breaks to avoid hitting me so I got over and he got over and he kept on following me and staying right on me.” Added Hurst: “I rolled my window down to hear what he was saying … he was just calling me like a b**** and a f***** and was saying he was gonna beat my ass if we pulled over.” Hurst said he changed lanes to get away from the motorist, who Jackson describes as a male in his late 20s driving a silver Nissan

Altima. “When I heard the guy yelling at us I figured typically, if people do get mad, they yell at the person, they flip them off, and then they drive like a bat out of hell,” said Jackson. “Unfortunately, that’s not how it turned out.” The motorist changed lanes with Hurst, and that’s when the couple said he took out what looked like a 9mm handgun and shot four bullets in the bottom passenger’s side door, two of which entered Jackson’s legs. “It’s weird when I think back. It feels like it happened in slow motion,” said Jackson. “It felt like somebody had lit my legs on fire. And then I looked down

and I realized there was blood everywhere. And I could smell the gunpowder … all of that happened in like a two second period, but it felt like it was forever.” Hurst and Jackson were accompanied in the car by Hurst’s mother and brother. “It would have been a mess if somebody else was hurt,” said Jackson. “It was pretty traumatic on all four of us who were in the car.” Hurst said he wanted to get the motorist’s license plate number. “I tried to catch up just to where I could see the license plate, but it was like a steady space between me and him and I couldn’t gain any on him,” said Hurst. Hurst said he then drove onto

Auburn boulevard from the interstate. Shortly thereafter, Jackson was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center. “They checked my whole body to make sure I wasn’t hit somewhere else that I just couldn’t feel,” said Jackson. “Then they started giving me medicine, antibiotics, and I was very lucky, they said I was very lucky that it only went through muscle it didn’t hit any serious arteries or veins or bone.” Jackson was able to walk with the assistance of a walker two days after the shooting. “I was in this emergency overflow room that had a desk in the middle so I could do like laps and things,” said Jackson. “It was painful but I was okay and I could walk and I was very happy about that.” Jackson said that even though she was interviewed by the police in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and reached out to several news stations, neither the police or the media have gotten back to her as of press time. She is now walking without a walker, although she still has a bullet in her left leg. She said she is sharing her story to warn others. “He (the shooter) doesn’t know if he killed somebody or what kind of outlook he’s created for the person he did that to,” said Jackson. “He just carelessly shot somebodys car and drove away without blinking an eye.”

it “bullshit.” Lanning says in the same post that he first started attending ARC as a 17-year-old. Other posts alluded to membership to Phi Theta Kappa, and obtaining a degree from ARC in computer sciences. Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer, confirmed that Lanning is a former student who had a listed major in Computer Information Sciences, and is no longer enrolled. No Phi Betta Kappa members that were contacted remembered Lanning, and club president Xavi Aquino said that many people sign up without ever attending a meeting. Lanning’s last posts on his

Facebook all seemed to be centered around death and dying. On March 20, he posted a link to a reading of a letter written by Sullivan Ballou, a lawyer and politician for the Union during the American Civil War. Ballou was writing to his wife with the belief that he would die shortly thereafter. Two days prior to that, he posted a status wondering what would happen to a user’s account if they died. “How do you lock Facebook up for good like if you had died, and just wanna lock it in to be never touched again, without their Admins changing anything? They don’t offer that..,” the post read.

And on March 10, Lanning posted half a dozen photos of himself with what is likely the morningstar-styled mace that he attacked his victim and her dog with. He is smiling in most of the photos. Photos from News 10’s reports show that the head of the mace had become detached from the handle, possibly from the severity of the attack. Going farther back, it appears Lanning’s mother died on February 11. Lanning refers to her as the “only person that was always there for me” in his post memorializing her, along with which he posted many photos of her.

a loan,” said Dunning. “This is a very small college, also so is LTC, a loan is already prohibitive.” Dunning said that the General Assembly was initially scheduled to be somewhere in Northern California, but was changed at the last second to be held in Ontario, California. “Lake Tahoe has been very helpful to us with March in March,” said ASB Student Senate Director of Finance Laurie Jones. “Woodland is just newly active, so I think it benefits the entire state community college system and American River College to help them attend this event. Dean of Student Development Manuel Perez advised the board that it is a

possibility that SSCCC may use the donated money for other purposes. “If they go in a different direction, which at this point they have the opportunity to do, we can’t tell them what to do,” said Perez. Perez said that he hopes the board does not make a habit of helping out other schools, by making it a go-to option to donating money. He suggested that the ASB Student Senate could help by mentoring other schools’ student governments, having leadership summits or visiting other schools. Yuba Community College District Student Trustee Jesse Foster said that he is excited that

WCC has a chance to be able to attend General Assembly. It will be the first time that WCC will be able to attend the conference, according to Foster. Unlike ARC, WCC does not have student representation fees. The board passed a bill to hand out school supplies such as scantrons for finals week. It was also amended to allow for snacks to be passed out. Kalynn Snyder was sworn in after being appointed to the board on March 27. The ASB Clubs and Events Board spent much of their time discussing planning for the general elections, last Thursday’s Club Day and last Saturday’s Color Run.

Photo courtesy of Ashlyn Jackson

Ashlyn Jackson places a dime next to the bullet wound in her leg. She said she was shot by a motorist on Interstate 80 on the night of April 5.

Mace: Facebook posts tell a life story CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 mugshot taken after the arrest appeared online in local Sacramento news outlets, and soon spread to outlets based in New York, Los Angeles and London. Lanning, 34, posted images of the mace on his public Facebook profile two weeks prior to the attack. “I’d just walk around with it all day everyday if I could,” Lanning posted with one of the photos. He also called the weapon “unmerciful and vicious.” Posts on the public account also pointed to Lanning apparently leaving ARC in 2014, calling

ASBNOTEBOOK

By Joseph Daniels joseph64daniels@gmail.com The Associated Student Body Student Senate passed a bill Thursday to donate funds to the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, with the recommendation that those funds be given to Woodland Community College and Lake Tahoe Community College so those schools can participate in the spring General Assembly. American River College cannot give money to a school directly, said Tamara Dunning, who is acting as ASB Student Senate president. “We can give it to them, but as

SENATE DONATES FUNDS TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY ORGANIZATION

american river

current Editor-in-Chief Kameron Schmid Managing Editor John Ferrannini News Editor Joseph Daniels Sports Editors Matthew Peirson Kevin Sheridan Arts & Culture Editors Matthew Wilke Cheyenne Drur y Scene Editors Brandon Nelson Jose Garcia Opinion Editor Cameron Weaver Web Editor Emily K. Rabasto Multimedia Editor Br yce Fraser Copy Editor Lena DoBynes Staff Noor Abasi Miranda Bolar Nicholas Corey Meredith Durham Mychael Jones Mar y-Ann Myers Alex Panasenko

Adviser Walter Hammer wold Photo Adviser Jill Wagner

PROUD MEMBERS OF THE CNPA & JACC

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

April 22, 2015

Page 3

Dunning: A different nightmare ‘every night’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

John Ferrannini / jferr1995@gmail.com

American River College students Jack Whinery, middle, and John Lewis, right, smoke cigarettes outside of Davies Hall on Tuesday as they listen to Harley Bartels, left, tell a story.

Smoking: Survey had three suggestions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The survey asked which of the three courses of action participants would like to take. Ashley Rose, a nonsmoking theater major, says she would be in favor of designated smoking areas. “I don’t like smoking,” she said. “I have a very sensitive sense of smell, so I have to hold my breath sometimes.” Briana Garcia, a psychology and funeral services major and a smoker, agreed. “That way other people can walk around us,” said Garcia. Garcia received the survey in her email, but did not complete it. “The people who are going to take the survey are the non-smokers,” said Garcia. “The smokers don’t think it’s going to change.” As described in the 2014-2015 catalog, ARC’s current policy is to prohibit smoking both indoors and within 30 feet of building entrances. The policy is to be “enforced through common courtesy.” Electronic cigarettes and vaporizers are considered tobacco products under Los Rios guidelines. ARC President Thomas Greene said that now that the survey is over, a decision will be made about how the school’s smoking policy should change, if at all. “My executive staff and I are going to review the survey results and examine some other information,” said Greene. “There’s a host of other data out there about the trajectory of tobacco use on community college campuses. “If we make any changes about how we regulate tobacco use on campus, the decision will be made in this room,” referring to his office. Greene said that he does not know when that final decision will be made. “The hope would be to have any information by the end of the semester, but we will let the process of investigation and assessment control the decision,” said Greene. ARC has liberal smoking policies compared to other Sacramento-area community colleges. Sacramento City College, Cosumnes River College and Folsom Lake College all have designated smoking areas while Sierra College, which is not part of the Los Rios district, has a tobacco free campus. Sue Michaels, the manager of marketing and public relations for Sierra College, said that she was on the committee that banned smoking at Sierra in 2010. “There were butts everywhere,” said

Michaels. “Now, you don’t see people walking around smoking anymore. I’ve seen a couple of people smoking in their cars. Smoking employees walk outside of campus to a nearby road to take their break.” Holly Palomo, a childhood development major, says it was ARC’s lax tobacco policy that helped draw her here. “The main reason I came here was because there was no smoking policy like at Sierra,” said Palomo. “You have to go to the parking lot to smoke there. Here, I don’t smoke where it says ‘no smoking.’” Claire Doughty has been a student at Sacramento City College since before the designated smoking areas were set up in Fall 2014. “It was always uncomfortable for me to exit buildings and walk into a giant cloud of smoke,” said Doughty. “Sometimes people would do it next to doors and air vents as well so it would smell inside.” Doughty said that she thinks the designated areas have had a positive effect. She said the new policy “helps to keep the smell and harmful smoke away from people who do not want to inhale it.” Nevertheless, she added that not everyone follows the new rules. “I still see people smoking outside of the areas, but most people are not confrontational enough to call them out for it, so it continues,” she said. ARC Public Relations Officer Scott Crow said that the survey is a way to collect hard data on the issue, rather than just anecdotal attitudes. “This is a conversation that has been going on at the college for some time. There was a survey done a couple of years ago and there have been various movements by students,” said Crow. “There was an interest in gathering sound data through a solid survey.” Randall Sly of the Buildings, Grounds and Safety Committee said that he thinks the issue has not been properly thought through by members of the committee because of the absence of hard data before the survey. “There hasn’t been enough student input about this,” said Sly. “They haven’t thought this through. Are all 155 acres of this campus supposed to be smoke free?” Jones said she disagreed with how the survey was written, but said that a scientific survey was an important first step. “The next step is to have a tobacco free campus,” said Jones. “Smokers say their rights are being infringed, but then again, I’m not addicted to tobacco.”

CORRECTIONS

In Volume 6, Edition 11 of The Current, the following corrections are listed: In Vol. 66, Ed. 10, on page 1, it is incorrectly reported that Carol Greider visited the American River College campus the previous Monday, which was March 23. In fact, she visited on March 16.

In Vol. 66, Ed. 10, on page 2, it is incorrectly reported that Pavel Postelnyak was convicted of murder the previous day, which was March 24. in fact, he was convicted on March 19.

Dunning’s answers are essentially the same throughout the process, while the answers of the man she accuses changed over the course of the investigation. According to the records provided to Dunning, the accused attacker claimed to have been in his barracks during the time that she said she was attacked. However, those same records indicate that not only can no one place him where he said he was, but that they were actively trying to find him. The accused attacker initially said that he did not know Dunning, but later said that he had consensual sex with her. His own polygraph results came back to be inconclusive. One of the symptoms that Dunning has to deal with since her assault is hypervigilance. She feels uncomfortable with encountering new buildings, and not having more than one exit to a room. “I won’t go into rooms where I’m not relatively familiar with,” Dunning said. “Usually I would ask people about layout, I would ask people where they are, what the seating is like.” Dunning said that she still has nightmares about the assault. “Every night I have a different one, and those are the worst,” Dunning said. “Those are the ones that I get away, and because I’m going to wake up and I’m going to know that’s not true.” Her husband, George Dunning, said that in order for Tamara to go sleep, she needs to do so before him. “She needs someone that is watching over her as she goes to sleep,” George said.

Sexual assault in the military 25 percent

It is estimated by the Rand Corporation that one in four victims filed a report in 2014, compared to one in 10 in 2012.

6,000

The rate of sexual assault reported by military service members increased by 8 percent in 2014. 6,000 sexual assaults were reported that year versus 2013, which had 5,500. In 2012, sexual assault reports jumped by fifty percent. The Rape Abuse and Incest National Network runs a counseling hotline for victims of sexual assault. Their number is 800-656-HOPE (4673). Sometimes Tamara said that she could feel George attempting to comfort her by putting his arms around her as she’s having a nightmare. George said that when at home while they are watching television, he would change the channel if something were to come on that could potentially cause a trauma trigger for Tamara. “I don’t like it. It makes me angry,” George said about how he has to watch Tamara relive her assault. “It makes me want to, if I could reach in back in time to slap the crap out of this guy for doing what he did to her.” Tamara said that the military wouldn’t have given her an honorable discharge if it believed that she was lying about her assault.

April 22, 2015

Page 4

Sports

Throwing like a girl

STUDENT PLAYS WOMEN’S FOOTBALL AND THINKS THOSE WHO SAY IT ISN’T A SPORT ARE ‘JEALOUS AND SEXIST’ By Brandon Nelson brandon.nelson916@gmail.com When you hear the sound of pads crashing together on a football field, what often comes to mind is men playing football. However, football is no longer just a men’s sport, as teams like the Sacramento Sirens, a semi-pro women’s football team, have proven since 2001. A common stereotype that has plagued women’s football is the claim that it is not a real sport. Current Siren and American River College student Zionya Nolan, who plays on the defensive line, has had to deal with this stereotype for three seasons now. “I’ve had my fair share of negative comments thrown my way. One time a guy told me that his pop warner players could play better than us and that women shouldn’t be playing because our bodies aren’t made for that. I think those people are jealous and sexist,” said Nolan. She said she doesn’t let that stand in her way and uses such comments to inspire her to work harder and become a better player. She is also encouraged to play and supported by her family. “They think it’s awesome, they are my biggest fans,” said Nolan. Some other stereotypes faced by playing women’s tackle football have also had an impact on Nolan. “I think that ‘we are all a bunch of lesbians playing recreation football’ is the worst stereotype. Traditionally, it’s been known as a pretty masculine sport so I guess people are quick to assume what our sexual orientation is. All kind of women

Brandon Nelson / brandon.nelson916@gmail.com

Quarterback Alexis Vierra runs the ball during a preseason practice session on March 17. Practice was held at Center High School in Antelope.

play, straight or gay,” Nolan said. “The oldest on our team is 45 (years old) and she’s a beast,” she added. Nolan describes herself as the smallest on the defensive line, but she doesn’t let that get her down. The Sirens first home game was on April

18 at Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College against the California Quake. The Sirens have won several division titles in two separate leagues in its time as a team, the first of which came in 2001 during the first year of its existence of the Women’s American Football League.

The furthest the team will travel this season will be a game in Phoenix to play the Phantomz. Nolan said she is not looking forward to playing that game. “Not because they are good, but because it’s gonna be hot as hell,” she said about the June 13 match.

UPCOMING HOME GAMES 04/24 Baseball vs. Diablo Valley 2:30 p.m. 05/08 Track, NorCal Finals Noon.

LOOKING AHEAD TO FALL SPORTS Football: 10-2 record last season Volleyball: 22-7 record last season Men’s Cross-Country: Finished first in NorCal Women’s Cross-Country: Finished second in NorCal Women’s Water Polo: 15-15 record last season Men’s Water Polo: 7-18 record last season

File photo

ARC’s football team finished last fall with a 10-2 record after falling to CCSF in the state semifinals. The team won eight games in a row to start last season before losing its ninth.

SPORTSUPDATES TRACK

MEN’S TENNIS

SOFTBALL

MEN’S SWIM

American River College’s Mackenzie Theiler set a personal best of 2 minutes and 30.17 seconds in the 800-meter to win the women’s heptathlon at the Northern California Championships on April 17. The event will continue at College of San Mateo on May 1.

The men’s tennis team fell to Foothill College 5-0 in the Team Playoff Regional Final on April 18. The loss ends the men’s season as a team after having earned a record of 15-2. Individual Championships will be held in Ojai, California and start April 23 and run through April 26.

The softball team lost a doubleheader at Diablo Valley College on April 17 by scores of 4-1 and 3-2. With the losses, ARC’s losing streak now extends to four games in a row and it now holds a record of 19-17 overall with a conference record of 8-12.

American River College finished fifth in the Big 8 Conference Championships that ran from April 16-18. Jake Struckmeyer and Connor Vaughn finished second and twelfth, respectively, with times of 16 minutes and 46.65 seconds and 19 minutes and 42.97 seconds in the men’s 1650 freestyle.

Sports

April 22, 2015

Page 5

ACL tear recovery more than just rehab ARC PITCHER ALBERT COMES TO ARC AND STARTS THREE YEARS AFTER KNEE INJURY By Kevin Sheridan kevinsheridan56@gmail.com When softball pitcher Sharie Albert injured her knee three years ago during practice, she immediately knew something was wrong. Albert, who now pitches for American River College, was preparing for the season opener as a member of the Sierra College team when she turned her knee while practicing sliding feet first. “We were practicing that a lot, and I said ‘Let me try that one more time,’” said Albert. “I turned it wrong and I didn’t get back up. “I was laying on the ground and I’m like ‘it hurts, it hurts’ and I heard (one of our coaches) saying ‘please don’t say it hurts in the back of the knee’ and then my other coach says ‘where does it hurt?’ and I said ‘in the back of the knee,’ so right then and there I knew something was wrong.” Albert was diagnosed with a torn ACL in her left knee and was

told she needed reconstructive surgery. To replace the ligament, doctors told her she had to choose between her hamstring or getting an artificial knee. Albert said the circumstance of the situation overwhelmed her emotionally because she had never had surgery of any kind, nor had she sustained any major injury. After the surgery, she went through nine months of physical therapy to regain strength in her knee, which her physical therapist told her was the fastest recovery from an ACL injury that she had ever seen. Albert was officially cleared following her recovery and was declared a medical redshirt by Sierra’s coaching staff. She asked the coaches if she could return to the team the next season, but was told they no longer wanted her. “That devastated me, and I could have lost my way,” said Albert. “When I first started at Sierra, softball was supposed to take

Kevin Sheridan / kevinsheridan56@gmail.com

ARC softball pitcher Sharie Albert admits to losing her way after tearing her ACL three years ago while at Sierra College. This is Albert’s first season pitching at ARC after being recruited by infielder and friend Michelle Tarlandoukht.

me somewhere. I was supposed to work hard, get a scholarship somewhere, get a degree, and then when (the injury) happened … softball was my motivation, softball was going to push me to keep going and not lose track, but once I lost it, I definitely lost it for a little bit.” After struggling while attending Sacramento State University, she was told by ARC infielder Michelle Tarlandoukht that the softball team needed a pitcher. “(She told me that) I should try to get back into it, I’m really good, it will get me out of the house, its something I love to do, and so I

Baseball still in hunt for playoffs By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com American River College’s baseball team still has a chance to make the playoffs as the regular season wraps up this week. It’s a far cry from last season, when the team finished in last place in the Big 8 conference at 11-24 overall and a 4-17 conference record. ARC (15-18 overall, 7-11 conference) faces last place Diablo Valley College (8-25 overall, 5-13 conference) in a three game series this week that began Tuesday at home. The results of the game were not available as of press time. Following a loss Friday at Sierra College, the team must win all three games against DVC this week in order to have a true shot at a playoff spot. Additionally, Sierra must lose at least one of its games against Santa Rosa Junior College. ARC head coach Doug Jumelet said the team has about a 90 percent chance of obtaining a playoff spot if that scenario unfolds, but said he was about 95 percent positive that ARC would drop out of the race if it loses even one game to DVC. “Hope so, that’s the plan,” Jumelet said on if the team could sweep DVC. “If we want to make the playoffs, (we’re) going to have to.” The players know it will be tough to pull off, but believe they have what it takes.

“Well we’ve played them before and they matched up pretty good, but I think this time we’ll bring it because we have a lot on the line,” said starting pitcher Matt Gunter. Asked of what the team needs to do to win, James Boitano said a complete performance. “We’re going to need to get on the board early, solid ‘D’ of course, and the crucial hit,” said Boitano. Pitching coach Preston Vancil said its all up to the players to decide their fate. “It’s in our own hands. If we take care of business, we’ll be just fine.”

Lineup changes around the diamond

came here,” said Albert. Albert’s head coach, Lisa Delgado, said Tarlandoukht and Albert have been friends since the second grade. “Michelle is good friends with Sharie. She was just working and not going to school. Without Michelle, Sharie wouldn’t be here,” said Delgado. Albert said that she has regained her way now that she pitches for ARC. Albert’s first career college start came this season when ARC opened on the road at Solano Community College, which she called a big achievement for herself.

“All I wanted since I got out of high school is I wanted to start a good college game … it was scary at first just because I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. Despite her injury, Albert said she doesn’t think about her knee when she is playing. “I can run as normal as I used to,” she said. “I’ve never been scared to do anything. “I haven’t used a brace ever except when I got injured. I don’t feel like I need it just because I always know there’s going to be pain no matter what I do, and so I’ve always just toughened it out.”

Bryce Fraser / brycefraser180@gmail.com

Jumelet has made several lineup chang- Starting pitcher Matt Gunter and the rest of ARC’s baseball team need to win all three games of es in the last three weeks, most notably their season-ending series against Diablo Valley College to have a chance at making the playoffs. Mikey Ramirez replacing Kirby Broadbent as the team’s third starting pitcher. Ramirez pitched at least seven innings in wins against Modesto Junior College and Santa Rosa before Friday’s loss at Sierra. Broadbent, “struggling” of late in Jumelet’s words, has also been in and out of the starting lineup at first base with most of the playing time going to Dalton Devries. Devries had previously been the designated hitter. Austin Call has also received more playing time, taking over third base for Colton Freeman.

April 22, 2015

Page 6

Feature

Mary Ann Myers / myersmaryann7@gmail.com

Candidates for offices within the Associated Student Body Student Senate all spoke at a candidate forum prior to elections. Garrett Kegel, speaking, was elected the next Student Senate president.

ASB elects a new order LOW-TURNOUT FOR STUDENT ELECTIONS CONTINUE, AS 621 VOTES ARE SUBMITTED OUT OF NEARLY 30,000 By Joseph Daniels joseph64daniels@gmail.com The unofficial results for the Associated Student Body General Election were posted at the Center of Leadership and Development Thursday. ASB Student Senate Director of Activities Garrett Kegel defeated Sen. David Hylton to become ASB Student Senate president. Kegel defeated Hylton with the vote count of 313-292. Kegel made an emphasis on the importance of direct student participation. “We need to increase involvement in student government in general,” Kegel said. “We need to fill the entire board, and those senators sitting on the board need to be heavily involved in outreach, and getting students to be more involved.” Hylton said that he doesn’t feel that the school population was properly represented considering that only three percent of the student body participated in the election. Hylton said that he’s looking to come back next semester as director of finance. He said events this year such as the March in March and the Valor Games were wasteful spending. “I am not saying we shouldn’t have spent that much on our veterans but we should have gotten more bang for the buck,” said Hylton via a Facebook message. Sen. Samuel Kinsey ran for ASB Senate vice president unopposed. “I can’t wait to get in office and do what I said what I will do when I got here,” Kinsey said.

Clubs and Events Board Whip Justin Nicholson ran unopposed to become CAEB president. “It feels nice to have some potential to affect change on campus,” said Nicholson. “It feels nice to have some support to some form of constituency.” Nicholson said that he is happy for Kegel for being elected ASB Senate president. “He took the time to support a community that I feel strong for,” Nicholson said. Senate Director of Public Relations Cameron Weaver defeated ASB Student Senate Director of Finance Laurie Jones for the position of Los Rios Student Trustee. “I’ve been in the spot of talking to people across four colleges about the things that I want to do, now I have that opportunity,” Weaver said. “These students voiced their vote to give me the opportunity to deliver the things that I want to work on.” Jones said that Kegel told her that there is always a spot for her on the Senate. “I would really like to go for director of legislative affairs, because that is what what I wanted to do this year, but Tami (Dunning) asked me to run for director of finance, so she could have a full slate, and it worked really well, because I was available a lot,” Jones said. 621 votes were turned in during the election. Jones said that many students on campus did not know that there was an election on campus. “In the campaigns, on most of the campuses, the banners were fairly hidden,” Jones said. “Ours were stuck into the liberal arts and science breezeway.”

Is the way to a voter’s heart through the stomach? *Spring 2015 - 621 2014: Fall special election - 153 Spring - 457 2013 Fall special election - 310 *Spring - 950 2012 - 296 *denotes an election that free food was offered to voters

Mary Ann Myers / myersmaryann@gmail.com

Cameron Weaver, seen speaking, was elected to be the student trustee over Director of Finance Laurie Jones, right, and Jonathon Rogers, from Sacramento City College.

Mary Ann Myers / myersmaryann@gmail.com

Senate and CAEB joined together to offer free food to students who voted in the elections. Of the last six elections, the two that offered free food were the two highest in number of voters.

Arts&Culture

Page 7

April 22, 2015

ARC professor’s second novel By Cheyenne Drury cheyennemdrury@gmail.com His newly released novel “The Animals” has been featured in the Sacramento Bee and was reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle and by the author of “California” Edan Lepucki who was interviewed on the Colbert Report. Christian Kiefer is an English professor here at American River College and he described his new novel as being “a literary thriller.” Kiefer started writing this novel two years ago and said he commits anywhere from one to 10 hours of writing per day. “It’s about a guy trying to atone for some really bad decisions he made in his life,” Kiefer said. The novel also poses a lot of ethical questions. “It asks how to be a good person and some life or death questions,” Kiefer said. During the writing process Kiefer always

has inspirational music on and for this novel it wasn’t any different. “I listened to a lot of John Lee Hooker and Miles Davis while writing ‘The Animals,’” said Kiefer. The protagonist talks to himself in the second person point of view and because of this Kiefer described the narrator’s voice as ‘being a little shifty.’ Novel writing isn’t anything new to Kiefer. “19 or 20 I started writing my first novel ... I’m like a long distance runner when it comes to writing,” said Kiefer. Currently, he is 700 pages into another novel that he said will be around 1000 pages entitled “Kingdom of Wolves” about European cartography at the beginning of the century. Fellow English professor and co-worker Michael Spurgeon spoke very highly of Kiefer’s new novel. “He is a crazy good writer and I really think this book is going to put him over the top,” said Spurgeon.

Courtesy of Christian Kiefer

American River College English professor Christian Kiefer speaks at SummerWords last year. “The Animals,” Kiefer’s second novel, is currently recieving notable reviews.

Lena DoBynes / lena.dobynes@gmail.com

Chris Sexton, the piano player for the UNR jazz band, performs a solo piece during the song, “Just Friends” by Rob McConnell. The jazz band came to ARC to showcase its talent and recruit musicians for the program.

Reno jazz band performs at ARC

FIVE-SONG SET FROM BAND IS WELL-RECIEVED AND ‘REFRESHING’ By Lena DoBynes lena.dobynes@gmail.com

Lena Dobynes / lena.dobynes@gmail.com

One of UNR’s guitar players, Ed Lacala, strums along with the band during one of their songs. Lacala’s playing received high praise from the audience.

The University of Nevada, Reno jazz band was invited to perform for the American River College Studio Jazz Ensemble and the rest of the campus on April 9 in music room 548. ARC was one of three stops for the band, which was on a mini tour in the Sacramento area and had played at some of the local high schools to help promote the university’s music program. The event was their fifth performance in two days, according to band conductor Larry Engstrom, the director of the School of Arts at the university. The event brought many to the performance, where the band played a five song set, which was followed by a request for an encore performance from the audience. “Value” by Neil Slater started off the set and was followed by Darcy James Argue’s “The Neighborhood,” which highlighted the band’s guitar player, Nick Mills and tenor saxophone player, Eric Johnson. The third song, “Still,” composed by Steve Owen, featured a solo by Jef Derderian, the band’s trumpet player. Chris Sexton, the band’s piano player, played a solo in the fourth song, a ‘70s classic by Rob McConnell entitled “Just Friends” with solos also by Graham Marshall on violin, Miguel Jimenez on drums

and Nat Kline and Derek Fong, an ARC alum, on tenor saxophones. Nathan Smith’s “Rhetoric Machine” finished off the set and not too long after its last notes, the audience was asking for an encore. The encore piece, entitled “Namaste,” by Nate Kimbell calmed the excited crowded and effectively ended the event on a tranquil note. Overall the performance by UNR’s jazz band was well-received. Louie Goodenough, a music major, heard about the event over the past week in his classes and attended the performance to see what the band had to offer. According to Goodenough, who has played the saxophone for three years, he most looked forward to the band’s sound as a whole as well as its saxophone section. “It (was) refreshing to hear a band play music you wouldn’t typically (hear) a college band play,” said Goodenough. Fong, who performed with the band on saxophone, said that although it felt a little weird playing at his old school, but it was “cool” to see old friends and show them the progress he has made. Engstrom ended the event by inviting all in the audience to consider UNR as a possible transfer option. “We exist at UNR,” said Engstrom.

Page 8

Former hip-hop artist now producer HE PRODUCED RAP TRACKS AND VIDEOS, AND NOW HE’S WORKING ON TWO FILMS By Jose Garcia jig.garcia@gmail.com Alonzo Chism, an American River College student who has worked with hip-hop artists such as Mistah Fab and Krumbsnatcha of Gangstarr, is now working on two films. Chism is working on “Fight 4 Your Life” and on his own short horror film “Hood Damnation.” He began producing hip-hop tracks when he moved back to California from Germany. The first music video Chism produced was the song “Relax” by Krumbsnatcha, which he co-directed with the help of the Italian producer Gregory B, who goes by the name Goldhands. “Producing hip-hop tracks helped me get out of my shell,” said Chism. “I met a lot of new people and friends from doing it.” After a while, Chism chose to put a hold on music so he could finish his schooling. Going back to school led Chism to study photography and filmmaking. Chism has done work in photography and film for weddings, studio shoots, short films and feature films. He says the skills he has learned doing these activities helped him produce his first promo video “Introducing TreSolid.” Chism continued aiming for even higher goals, joining One Studios and working with its founder Bryan Bachar

April 22, 2015

Arts&Culture

Courtesy of Alonzo Chism

From left to right: Dominique Allen, Drew Cecchettini, Erik McCall-Johnson and Alonzo Chism pose on set of the “Hood Damnation” viral video. Casting for the video will begin on May 1.

on productions such as the Sacramento International Film Festival and the 5x5 Festival in Hollywood. Taking part in those activities led him to work as the producer and line producer for the film “Fight 4 Your Life.” “Working with (Chism) has been phenomenal,” said Bachar. “He’s definitely a team player and hard worker. I’m happy to have him as a part of the One Studios team.” Once production on “Fight 4 Your Life” is finished, Chism will begin production of his very own entitled “Hood Damnation.” “Hood Damnation” is about a young man who chooses to follow in his father’s footsteps down a road of betrayal, death and love. Gifted with a second chance at life, his decision will either lead him to salvation or damnation. Chism will be graduating with his business degree in December and plans to continue working on the film. “I’m not going to school to get a degree. I’m here to make my dream come true and to go above and beyond with what I want to attain,” said Chism. “If you put time into working towards whatever you want to get, you’ll receive it and see that your hard work has paid off.”

Courtesy of Alonzo Chism

Chism studies photography and filmmaking while attending American River College. He will graduate in December.

Dreamt is the only word that ends in a-m-t. With 1,025,108 other words in the English language, what are the odds? One in 1,025,109, actually. Learn even more earning a bachelor’s degree at National University. Online. On campus. Non-profit. Don’t think you have time to learn something new? You just did.

Sacramento Campus 10901 Gold Center Drive (916) 855-4100

April 22, 2015

Scene

Page 9

Lecturer remembers his wife’s tale

FOR YOM HA’SHOAH, THE HUSBAND OF A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO DIED LAST YEAR SPEAKS TO STUDENTS By Cheyenne Drury cheyennemdrury@gmail.com In honor of Yom Ha’Shoah, or Holocaust remembrance day, the husband of Holocaust survivor Renee Heck came and retold his wife’s story to students at American River College in Raef Hall room 160. Heck passed away last year and in the previous years spoke at ARC about her experience in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. This year her husband, Conrad Tracy, decided to fill her place to keep her story alive. Humanities professor Keith Atwater introduced Tracy and read a passage from “The Six Days of Destruction,” a religious text used by both Jewish and interfaith services for Yom Ha’Shoah, written by author and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel. “There are no words to reach beyond the edge of the night, No messengers to tell the full tale. There is only silence. The silence of Job. The silence of the six million. The silence of memory,” said the text. Heck was born in eastern Germany in 1926. Heck’s father moved to Central America when she was a young child and four years later her parents divorced, leaving mother and daughter to provide for themselves.

When Hitler came into power, Heck and her mother moved to Paris. A few years after being enrolled in the educational system, Heck was told by her superintendent she could no longer attend the school because she was German. After being kicked out of school, Heck was educated by private tutors which her mother paid for with the profit she made from her job as a seamstress. By the time she reached high school, Heck was back living in Germany and her mother was living in her own house in Nice, France. When she was 16-years-old, a young man came to Heck’s door telling her he had received a note from her mother and that she was to come with him promising her she’d be gone for only a few days. Unbeknownst to Heck, she was on her way to Drancy an internment camp outside Paris. The young man was a Jewish bounty hunter and had found out Heck’s whereabouts from her mothers paperwork that had her address. Heck’s mother had been at the camp for three weeks by the time she arrived. Daughter and mother were at Drancy for about four weeks until a cattle car arrived to take them to central Europe. During their time at Drancy Heck and her mother became

good friends with the cook and before they left he gave them a handsaw and pry bar for escape tools. The cattle cars held up to sixty people, traveled about 10 miles per hour and took roughly three to six days to reach their destinations. “There wasn’t any food served during Renee’s time in the cattle car and there was a bucket in the corner with a blanket for a bit of privacy,” said Tracy. Added Tracy: “The night that Heck announced to her car that she was going to use the handsaw and pry bar to escape a person in the back yelled “if you do I am going to scream.” The man who yelled was wounded from being shot in the leg from previously trying to escape and would have been left behind if Heck’s escape plan had been executed. Before they reached Auschwitz, “Renee and her mother said they’d identify as sisters after they heard parents and children were separated,” said Tracy. When they reached the labor camp, everyone was lined up and and had to march to where the Schutzstaffel, or SS, men were and were filed off into different groups. Fortunately, Heck and her mother were both sent to the right side. 17-year-old Heck and her mother proceeded to undress for the SS men and then were sent to

Lena DoBynes / lena.dobynes@gmail.com

This picture, drawn by a prisoner, depicts life within a concentration camp. Prisoners, both male and female, were shaved from head to toe and given only one pair of shoes and one article of clothing to wear.

SS women who cut off all of their hair. After their haircuts they were sent off to the showers. Tracy recounts his wife’s words about her first showering experience. “I had no idea if the water was warm, hot, or cold. I was too nervous to remember the sensation,” she said to him. Added Tracy: “The people who were sent to left did not get water. They got gas.” Tracy says that his wife was assigned to load the bodies of those who had died from poison gas onto carts, a detail she never shared with her audiences. The bodies that were loaded onto the carts were sent to the crematories, which were constantly active. Tracy explained his wife’s living conditions at Auschwitz. “Each barrack held 150 to 160 people, each person was given a blanket and there were two people per bunk on each level,” said Tracy, “I asked Renee what was life like in the concentration camps. She said it ran from total boredom to periods of stark terror.” At night, the fences were electrified and in the morning if there were three to four bodies in a building that held the people who died in the night then there would be no selection the next day. “One morning Renee was sent

to go get the bread and coffee for breakfast and when she came back they were having a selection. The man was none other than Dr. (Josef) Mengele and the next person to be inspected was her mother,” said Tracy. “Renee said it was the most terrible experience during her whole time at Auschwitz.” Added Tracy: “Dr. Mengele took a pair of twins, cut them in open, and sewed them back together to make siamese twins. Renee said to look at him you knew he was evil. He had black deep set eyes.” Heck’s mother passed Mengele’s inspection and shortly thereafter, in 1945, they were selected to go on a special work assignment assembling mortar shells for the German army. Heck and her mother were liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. “They knew they were free when they woke up in the morning to no guards and no locks,” said Tracy. They eventually found their way to the United States. “She was a tremendous woman. Very artistic, we raised sheep together and lived a very happy life,” said Tracy. “You know what I always tell people: my wife lived in France, Germany, Guatemala and the United States, so I didn’t know if I was going to get German food, American food, French food or Guatemalan food,” said Tracy.

Page 10

Students shown how to get ‘LinkedIn’

April 22, 2015

Scene

CAREER CENTER HOSTS LECTURE ON SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR CAREER SUCCESS By Lena DoBynes lena.dobynes@gmail.com An event discussing the value of social networking in order to achieve career success was held on March 25 by the Career Center in community room 167, covering topics such as using the social network LinkedIn to present oneself to potential employers, networking and developing one’s brand. Professor Melissa Fish, who teaches business technology and business management on campus, hosted the event for 31 assembled students, discussing ways to improve one’s profile on LinkedIn, which acts like a resumé to all who see the page, as well as various methods in which students can use the site to his or her advantage. “Today’s economy is rough, tough, and competitive, and - in some areas - sparse,” said Fish. According to Fish, students should develop necessary skills for each specific job, understand current employment trends so that one knows what to expect of the job market and connect to valuable resources, which is the ultimate goal of LinkedIn. Networking was one of the main topic of discussion at the event. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” Fish said, quoting a well-known saying. Fish attributed the reason for most job positions being filled to networking and making and maintaining professional connections. LinkedIn is convenient and

easy to use, according to Fish, and allows one to communicate and stay connected to the professional world. The user’s profile is a “reflection of oneself” and is used to display one’s skills and knowledge to potential employers. “Figure out a way to create an identity for employers to see,” said Fish. “Show skills and knowledge that will have employers come looking for you.” Fish urged students to consider his or her brand and asked them to take a minute to think of one, prompting them with the question: “what do you have to offer - can you stand behind (your brand)?” Fish continued the discussion by offering the audience ways in which they could further develop their brand and make their profiles more appealing. The business professor said that having a concept is the first step in the development process, which is then followed by creating a professional image. Adding a picture increases the likelihood of one’s profile being viewed by 11 percent, according to Fish. Portrait style pictures that show a little personality and confidence are prefered over the “selfie”, being that the picture is a visual representation one is putting forth to potential employers. Some in the audience were concerned that adding an image to their profile could turn employers away because of prejudice, to which student personnel assistant Eva Bell offered a solution.

Mary-Ann Myers / myersmaryann7@gmail.com

Melissa Fish, right, discusses future job opportunities and how LinkedIn could play a strategic part in job hunting with students who attended the event.

“It is optional to add a photo to your profile, but all other information must knock the employer out of their chair,” said Bell. Using keywords and presentation of content also helps to make a profile more interesting and susceptible to being viewed. The third step to the development of a LinkedIn profile is to identify one’s brand; give goals in order to provide a better sense of future objectives and what can be brought to the organization if hired. “People look at a profile longer if there is more to the page,” said Fish. Fish provided additional tips on how to make one’s profile more “tantalizing” to others, including giving detailed descriptions of the duties and responsibilities performed at previous jobs as well as providing an educational background and miscellaneous information like certifications, honors and awards received and publications created by the profile user. Fish suggested that the audience show their work if the work better displays the tasks required of a job or if one’s work

experience is limited. However, she reminded all to be careful of copyright and trademark infringements. Providing updated professional contact information on the website was also encouraged at the event, however Fish advised students to be cautious and professional with the information posted. “Don’t divulge information you are not comfortable with being out there, like phone numbers and addresses,” said Fish. “If you are giving out a phone number remember that your voicemail should be professional as well.” The presentation was wellreceived by the audience, who found the information to be helpful. Bell even described it as being “the most comprehensive and best LinkedIn presentation ever given”. Career counselor Janice Klar, who attended the event to see what would be said, thought the audience was engaged and responsive throughout the event, being as the discussion was a “hot topic”. Felipe Gomez, a student personnel assistant for the Journey

program, described the site, LinkedIn, as the “resumé of the future”. “(I attended this event) to get more information (on LinkedIn); I want to encourage students in my program to get LinkedIn and start early to get involved so that they have a head start when they transfer out to another college or career,” said Gomez. Art new media student Debbie Marques, who attended the event to meet a requirement of her art new media portfolio class, also found the information provided at the event to be beneficial. “I appreciated that the event was a live interaction and not just watching a video,” said Marques, a returning student from “the old school generation”. “I will pass (the information) on to others that LinkedIn is a valuable social media tool to market oneself professionally and connect with other professionals,” added Marques. Fish ended her presentation by wishing luck to the audience in their pursuit of future employment. “Hopefully we’ll be connected soon,” said Fish.

Child Development Center sells goodies to raise funds MONEY RAISED BY DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE CHILDREN WITH MORE ENTERTAINMENT AND NOURISHMENT By Jose Garcia jig.garcia1995@gmail.com The Child Development Center held its annual bake sale April 8 in an effort to raise funds for the children in its program. The money that was raised will be used to buy the children more food for their lunch as well as more classroom pets such as turtles, fish and hamsters, which the children are responsible for taking care of. “Every year we receive tons of support from students and staff. They really love

helping out and trying our baked goods,” said Sue Ahola, a staff member of the Child Development Center. Parents of children in the program and even faculty members usually donate or make baked goods for this sale. Each baked good was sold for a dollar. The chocolate chip cookies and large muffins, some of the more popular items at the event, sold out quickly. Valerie Hoyt, an early childhood education major, helped work the sale with Ahola and her son Cole. “We see a lot of success at our bake sales

CAMPUS PU SE

thankfully. It’s great that we have a way to make money since the Child Development Center doesn’t have as much funding as it used to,” said Hoyt. The center tries to hold these bake sales once every semester. Students that are in early childhood education, ECE, 320 and 321 work with the children in the development center for six hours a week as part of their lab. “Before my son, Cole, became too old to stay in the program, I used to volunteer at the Child Development Center for my

What do you think about the campus smoking survey?

“I feel like it shouldn’t be banned from school, but there should be designated areas.”

“I don’t feel like we should make a rule for it, but since some people do go overboard I guess something needs to be done.”

-ADELAIDAFERRER Veterinary Science

-ASHERBEDINGFIELD History

classes,” said Hoyt. “Although I don’t volunteer in the center itself anymore, my second son is enrolled in their program.” The center is flexible when it comes to dropping children off for day care. They work with parents’ to create a schedule around their work and school schedules that allows parents time to study and focus on other responsibilities. “The Child Development Center definitely accommodates the students well. We’re looking forward to obtain as much support as we can,” said Hoyt.

See news story on cover “People are also just going to start smoking e-cigarettes or vape pens and be all like ‘It’s not smoking, it’s vaping.’”

-DALTONSALISBURY Theater

“Students aren’t going to have time to run out to the road and run out to somewhere else. They got 10 minutes between classes, how am I going to get all the way out there and back?”

-BRIANSTALKER Computer Science

April 22, 2015

Opinion

CURRENTEDITORIAL

Page 11

LIFTING THE SMOKESCREEN

A RECENT CAMPUS SURVEY HAS THREE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS, BUT DESIGNATED AREAS COULD WORK FOR EVERYONE The United States is a very different place today than it was just 50 years ago. Smoking cigarettes in the office or while dining with significant others wasn’t just considered normal, it was a show of class, prestige and even social standing. Those days have passed, and with countless scientific studies confirming the ill effects of tobacco use, a compromise has to be reached to allow smokers the freedom to indulge at American River College while not inordinately exposing other students to the health risks. That compromise lies in the creation of designated smoking areas. Sacramento City College, another Los Rios college, enacted a designated smoking area policy on its campus in

Keeping the 30-feet rule

the autumn of last year, and the results have been stellar. The key to making this approach work lies in careful planning of where the designated smoking areas are to be located on the ARC campus, ensuring students who smoke adequate access to these areas while maintaining a safe distance from those who don’t want to be exposed to secondhand smoke. No student enjoys the thought of rushing to their classes on a sometimes limited time schedule, so strategic placement of the designated smoking areas is essential in ensuring that this approach is successful. If careful surveying, planning and execution is successful, a compromise can make our campus a better place to be for smokers and non-smokers alike.

Adopting designated smoking areas

Making ARC a smoke free campus

Pro:

1: In theory, most flexible for smokers. 2: Smoking is annoying, but legal, and might not deserve more scrutiny than other annoying things, like loud music.

Con:

1: Rule is largely unenforced. 2: Smokers often ignore the rule. 3: Walking through smoking is often unavoidable in more compact areas.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s how the old saying goes. But just by surveying the campus, American River College is admitting that at some level, the current policy on campus smoking is broken. Whether it comes from the difficulty of enforcement or not, smokers are ignoring the 30-feet rule almost non-stop. There are different breeds of the campus smoker. There are the walkers, who stroll through campus with their cigarettes lit, even as they pass open doorways. There are the rebels, who smoke literally anywhere they want, including right outside open doors. But for the large part, there are the courteous smokers, who seek out open areas away from people, and move when asked to. When a rule is broken enough, though, the rule nees to be changed. So, the question is, are we as a student body, along with the administration, staff and faculty, willing to continue things the way they are? This is why the survey exists, and it will be interesting to see if the administration makes itself beholden to the results.

1: Smoking will be avoidable to non-smokers. 2: Easier to officiate than 30-feet rule.

Con:

1: Areas might be small, infrequent on busier parts of campus. 2: Will areas have coverage from elements?

Certainly the middleground between the two extremes, limiting smoking to designated areas on campus would pigeonhole smokers to certain spots for their nicotine fix. One possible complication includes the size and varying layout of the campus. While the actual size of the campus is much larger than Sacramento City College, and has plenty of space to put things, not all of it is spread evenly. In fact, most of the institutional areas on campus that see the most foot traffic are buildings that are hugged right against each other. So where will they get fit in? Pity to the hypothetical smoker who has a ten minute break between two classes both in Liberal Arts, but faces a five minute walk to and from the potential designated area near Davies. And what will these smoking areas look like? While there’s a debate to be had over whether or not smokers have the right to smoke in an area protected from the elements, it will certainly be fought over as soon as it’s time to pony up the money to create that shelter. Will every open space on campus be populated by smokers from sunrise to sunset? And will that negatively affect the school experience of students who prefer to spend their between class breaks indoors?

ON THE WEB A campus map with suggestions for placement of designated smoking areas, in the opinion section of

arcurrent.com 1: Non-smokers benefit form a smoke free campus. 2: Smokers will have less opportunity to smoke frequently, possibly leading to health benefits.

Con:

1: Treating an annoyance as if it is a crime, possibly unfair. 2: Unaccommodating to students, faculty, administration and staff.

Smoking is annoying to non-smokers, no argument there. But not all anoyances are created equal. According to the Center for Disease Control, secondhand smoke can be every bit as harmful as smoking, and calling it harmful might be understating the matter. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, and smoking-related diseases are responsible for one-in-five deaths in the U.S., per the CDC website. So yes, smoking is every bit as annoying as loud music and other bothering things people do on campus. But there is a true, scientifically proven problem with smoking, and the U.S. has continually limited smokers’ ability to light up. From the periods of 1988-1991 to 2011-2012, the percentage of non-smokers that had traceable amounts of secondhand smoke residues in their system dropped from 87.9 to 25.3. Nationwide, smoking is less often being considered a right, and more a restrictable addiction. In the end, what’s the best way for those who don’t smoke to avoid the problems and annoyances that smoking brings? Don’t let people smoke on campus.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

INDIVIDUALS NEED TO TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES I found your editorial on the proposals for free community college education contrasted with your analysis of students’ apparent “apathy”, insightful and right-on! There certainly is a morass of apathy among many (or, most?) young college students these days: not only here at A.R.C., but at most institutions of higher-learning in my view. We have, as a society, gotten more lax about our civic responsibilities and developed a sense of entitlement: to food, shelter, recreation/entertainment, and— now—healthcare and a college education. This collective attitude (while still not shared by many in society, of course) has been fostered by the media (including advertising), certain political parties (“getting ‘X’ is a ‘right’”), and popular entertainment (music, movies, etc.) for many decades now. Is it any wonder that youth today acquire those values that they have been exposed-to while growing-up in a media-saturated, “if-it-feels-good-do-it” society such as ours? But I would like to note that,

while the editorial accurately diagnosed the problem, it only stated what young people (and the rest of adults) should do to address the problem. May I suggest that the suggested approaches (being better students, limiting our media/Facebook time, working to improve our lives, etc.) are good, but assume there is an underlying motivation to do so? Any psychologist would tell you that the motives for doing something must be dealt with to adequately deal-with and ultimately change human behavior. Failing to do so only deals with the symptoms, not underlying causes. Naturally, sociologists and other “analysts of the human condition” have widely-varying opinions for the causes of this or any other condition in society, but may I suggest one that seems to be overlooked often in the debate in the public square? I refer to the spiritual aspect of human nature…the widely-recognized human need for connectedness and meaning on a deep, soul-based level. This aspect to our natures is what determines our activity, motivation, and sense of worth and significance. We need to remember that our motives, choices, and actions have consequences! We in the Western world seemed to have

bought-into the post-modernist delusion that we can lower our moral and ethical standards and abandon any sense of spiritual perspective, and it will have little or no effect on the quality of our spiritual, moral, and social character as individuals or as a society. We have only to look around at the obvious moral decay of our society, with its gang-violence, school shootings, and youth suicides, to see that we have “lost our soul” on a very real, basic level. This condition, I believe, along with the media-saturation of our modern world, has led to a dulling of the human spirit, which is manifested by apathy and its evil twin, self-indulgence. If we as individuals don’t take the personal responsibility to monitor and renew ourselves on the spiritual level, such conditions will only perpetuate. Then apathy won’t be our biggest problem: a total moral collapse and chaos in society will result. Let it not be said of our great country, and its precious youth, that they—in the famous words of an ancient writer--“sowed to the wind, and reaped the whirlwind”! Let’s aspire to be once again “touched by the better angels of our nature”, as Abraham Lincoln so wisely stated. --James Dillion; A.R.C. student

MEAN-WORLD SYNDROME HAS GOT TO GO It’s often said that a great struggle builds character, but I’ve often found that with insufficient self-awareness, struggles can also build bitterness and resent for the future. The March 25th editorial condemns the idea of free college as an entitlement, and glorifies the hard work and suffering past generations no doubt had to endure. But is this a logical argument against the idea that basic college should be free? When you unpack this argument, it quickly becomes absurd. Here’s an analogy: I’m a computer science major. Computer technology constantly improves, even within generations. I often hear my supposed industry elders complaining about “how easy kids have it these days” and how new students should have to learn to program the same way they did. But should they? Should I really have to do without all my rapid application development tools, simply because my predecessors lacked them? Should I spend hours doing things the hard way to satisfy someone’s cruel, misguided sense of fairness? I call this kind of mentality “Mean World Syn-

drome.” It’s the belief that the world is cruel and unfair, and that suffering somehow justifies further cruelty. In my college career, I’ve made a lot of expensive mistakes, faltered, and dropped out because of poverty. Even though it stings that future generations might be able to avoid all that, I wouldn’t wish my suffering upon them. I would rather them be able to focus on getting their education and being the best student possible. Perhaps a measure of compassion is required in understanding why people drop out, rather than simply dismissing failure as apathy. Finally, can we please do away with the idea that entitlements are inherently negative? The author describes entitlements as “passing the buck,” but I wonder if they would describe SSI, the Earned Income Credit, Medicaid, etc. as negatively. We as society still have the ability to choose what policies we support to encourage certain desired outcomes, and there is nothing inherently lazy or wrong about entitlements. We socialize K-12 school precisely because of the opportunities it provides for children. If economics determine that we need additional free education to remain competitive in the global economy, so be it. Brad Carps

Construction on the Student Services building began in May 2014, and is neearly complete. The new building will include a new assessment center, new offices and a lab for financial aid.

Old building is made new

OPENING NEXT FALL, ARC’S STUDENT SERVICES GETS MAJOR ADDITIONS TO INCREASE SIZE AND CAPABILITY Photo essay by Bryce Fraser and Matthew Wilke

Construction on the building was handled by SW Allen Construction. The company also worked on the Performing Arts Theatre building in 2007.

The original Student Services building was constructed in the 1970s, just after a large wave of campus construction was completed in the 1960s.

The construction of additions to the Student Services building, which began in May 2014, is nearing its completion. The newly extended and renovated building will include a new assessment center, a financial aid lab, offices for financial aid representatives and a lobby. By the end of the construction project, 5,000 assignable square feet will have been added to the building. During the excavation, the crew found themselves working around pipes and previous work that had been in place since the ‘70s, when the orignal building was constructed. Many of the services provided in the old building had been moved to the portables for the duration of the construction period. “There’s no good time to have construction on campus,” said Laduan Smedley, thenvice president of administrative services for the college, before the construction commenced. “At the end of the 14-month period, we’ll have a better space. (This will) greatly enhance our ability to meet the needs of our students.” SW Allen Construction has been key in building these recent additions. The company also worked on the Performing Arts Theatre in 2007.

The building is most likely going to meet it’s projected summer 2015 completion.