american river
current
Vol. 66, Ed. 2 • September 17, 2014
Dunning wins by one vote RILEY: ELECTION WAS STOLEN By John Ferrannini jferr1995@gmail.com Tamara Dunning was elected as ASB Student Senate president by a margin of one vote, according to the unofficial results of last week’s special election announced by the Center for Leadership and Development Friday. Dunning received 77 votes to Jorge Riley’s 76 votes. “I’m extremely grateful and just humbled,” Dunning said. “77 to 76 is a real indication of the diversity on this campus.” Dunning served as Student Senate vice president last semester. Riley had served as Student Senate director of finance. Riley, who was elected ASB Student Senate president in last spring’s election over Dunning by a margin of 62 votes, but whose election was invalidated for reasons the administration and the ASB have not disclosed, says the election was stolen. “I think they rigged the election,” Riley said. “The only way they could beat me was to rig it so the numbers would be low.” “I see the commonality with last year when I was kept from running because of one signature,” he added.
SEE ELECTION, PAGE 2
Courtesy of Josh Perkins
Film major Josh Perkins posted a photo on Facebook of the injuries he received during the assault and battery spree that began during a class Aug. 26.
‘PUNCHING RAMPAGE’ VIOLENT OUTBURST BEGAN IN CLASSROOM AND ESCALATED INTO HALLWAYS By Barbara Harvey and Kameron Schmid
RELATED STORY
barbarapharvey@gmail.com kameronschmid@gmail.com A woman accused of going on a “punching rampage” was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 26 following an alleged assault spree that began in a classroom and escalated into the hallways, and involved the battery of more than seven students and faculty. The suspect, Jonetta Hall, 38, was taken into custody by campus police at 3:55 p.m. According to Sergeant Mike Olson, Hall is also a suspect in an earlier call to campus police placed from the library at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 26. The incident is alleged to have started in the Fine Arts building, room 512, during an instrumental voice class taught by professor Catherine Fagiolo. Josh Perkins, a film major who was present in the class, claims that Hall accused her classmates of laughing at her pri-
How prepared are professors to respond to violent situations that erupt in their classrooms?
SEE STORY, PAGE 3
or to the attacks. “Me and my girlfriend were talking a little during the class,” Perkins explained. “The woman who was sitting in front of us, who later went on a punching hurricane, decided to turn around and say, ‘You guys need to shut up, or I’ll punch you.’” Perkins, who described the alleged attack on his Facebook page as a “punching rampage,” claims that Hall continued to display aggressive behavior. “There’s honestly just something wrong with her, because she kept mumbling about it long after the event had transpired,” said Perkins. “She was mumbling a lot. It was like,
‘Don’t laugh at me.’” Perkins’ girlfriend Lauren Otis was also in the class. “It looked like she was about to start crying and left the room,” Otis said. “I thought it was a little weird, so I paid attention to that, and when she came back in, she did a little circle like she was about to just leave, and then she just decided not to, and pushed two guys in front of her. She then said something like, ‘Are you guys done laughing at me yet?’ and she was yelling at this point.” According to Perkins and Otis, Hall then turned her attention on Perkins. “She looked over at Josh, and made a beeline,” Otis said. Perkins claims that Hall then pushed him from behind, scratching his shoulder and drawing blood in the process. “(Professor) Fagiolo then walked over, and was like ‘You need to leave, so just leave, go.’ So she went out for a little longer,” Otis said. “It was a little longer than the first time she left,
SEE PUNCH, PAGE 3
Models pose nude for ‘Figure Friday’ ARC WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO COMMUNITY By Jose Garcia jig.garcia1995@gmail.com
Breana Herndon / bherndon96@gmail.com
Tami Dunning won the Sept. 9 special election by a margin of one vote.
Artists from American River College and the community join together once a week in room 510 of the Fine and Applied Arts building to participate in Figure Friday, an open life workshop that aims to help artists refine their creative abilities and technique by sketching a nude model. Figure Friday has been a weekly event at American River College for about eight years and has benefited from increased attendance since its creation. Diane Baxter, one of Figure
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INDEX
Friday’s regular models, has been modeling since the 70s, and has seen numerous changes in the world of modeling since then. “I started modeling when I was 18. When I first began, nudity wasn’t accepted,” said Baxter. Baxter has modeled in the past in cities such as Monterey, San Francisco, and even at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum. Her fame as a model has brought artists and fans from all around the world to see her. Most people recognize her from “The Diane Show,” a since gone recurring live show centered
SEE FIGURE, PAGE 7
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News pages 2 & 3 Sports pages 4 & 5
Feature page 6 A&C pages 7 & 8
Kameron Schmid / kameronschmid@gmail.com
Drawings by unnamed artists are hung in a display case outside of room 510 of the Fine and Applied Arts Building, where Figure Friday is held.
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Scene pages 9 & 10 Opinion page 11
IMPROVIVOR PAGE 8
@ARCurrent ARC students and alumni compete in local improv competition based on cutthroat reality show “Survivor”
September 17, 2014
Page 2
News
american river
current Editor-in-Chief Barbara Har vey
Managing Editors Ed Gebing Jr. Emily K. Rabasto
News Editor John Ferrannini
Sports Editor Ashlynn Johnson
Arts & Culture Editor Kameron Schmid
Scene Editor Kevin Sheridan
Opinion Editor Matthew Peirson
Design Editor Adnan Ramic
Breana Herndon / bherndon96@gmail.com
Tamara Dunning speaks during the Candidate Forum on Sept. 8 as opponent Jorge Riley looks on. Dunning defeated Riley by a margin of one vote.
Election: Students express apathy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “She is their puppet. She’ll do whatever they want. I’m a student representative not an administration representative.” Dunning sent a text message to Riley upon learning the results. “Jorge thank you for one hell of a campaign,” it read. “One vote difference...I hope we can continue to work together.” Nevertheless, Dunning thinks Riley should have been disqualified rather than the results invalidated. “You have to respect the process,” she said. “You want an honest answer? You want it on the record? I think the invalidation should not have happened if there was clear evidence with a campaign violation that was grievous enough that a candidate should have been disqualified.”
Dunning, who ran on a platform of being “100 percent transparent, 100 percent of the time,” gave the Current a copy of her unofficial school transcript and signed a release of records document allowing any student to see information concerning her spring 2014 race for president. She has also spoken off the record with Current reporters on two separate occasions over the past week. “The reason it was off the record is because I believe we talked about another candidate and we talked about other people,” she later said on the record. Dunning says she believes students should be able to see partial reports of campaign violations. “I would be happy to have legislation introduced for making this a better process,” she said. “I think the election violations should be released.”
ASBNOTEBOOK
Shayana Mendes, Nancy Lopez, and Jasmine Habibeh were elected to the board as senators. Mendes previously served as a senator last semester. Only 153 votes total were cast in the presidential race, compared with 457 votes in spring’s race. Students expressed apathy towards the election. “I don’t really care,” business major Michael Cook said. “Nobody has ever listened to me in my life. It’s always what they want.” Alexis Jane, a marketing major, says the ASB is disconnected from the lives of the students. “The things the students want to get done never get done,” she said. “It’s a waste of time.” ASB student senator Jose Garcia did not vote in the special election. “Honestly, all I have is an excuse,” Garcia said. “I put it in the back of my mind and I was focusing on homework and other
things.” Dunning said she was “disappointed” in the low turnout. “I’m disappointed in the number of votes cast,” she said. “We can do better. We need to better in this part of the outreach that I’ve been talking about for a while.” Dunning indeed campaigned on reaching out to students on campus. “We really need, especially at ARC, to not just build a bridge, but to cross that bridge between the senate and the student body,” Dunning said. “It was very enlightening coming back from G.A. (the General Assembly of California Community Colleges) and showing students our logo. Only two of 200 knew what it was. It shouldn’t be that way.” “Our outreach needs to be better than it has been. We’re not reaching students,” she added.
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UNEVENTFUL FIRST MEETING FOR ASB STUDENT SENATE
PROUD MEMBERS OF THE CNPA & JACC
By John Ferrannini and Thomas Santos jferr1995@gmail.com tmssnts.1@gmail.com There was no new business at the Associated Student Body Student Senate’s first meeting of the semester on Thursday, Sept. 11. Instead, the focus was on introducing procedures of the board to the senators and members of the public. Outgoing ASB adviser Tanika Byrd introduced the members of the Student Senate to the student money they will have access to spend this year. The senate receives money from two places; student access cards, and from the student representation fee, which is only supposed to be used for advocacy purposes. The funds are located in two separate accounts. Jorge Riley, who was elected ASB Student
Senate President in spring’s election but whose election was invalidated for reasons the administration and ASB have not disclosed, thought the meeting went well. “It was good,” Riley said. “It was informative and without conflicts. It seems like they’re just making the announcements they need to make.” Leslie Milan Fisher, who is acting as interim ASB Student Senate president, tried to inspire confidence in the board. “We are students serving students and we are fully dedicated to making a positive impact on this campus,” she said. “Your student senate are the eager beavers shoring up dams all over the school.” Fisher also said that the senators should keep office hours so that students will be able to reach them with their concerns. Director of Finance Laurie Jones mentioned that students are getting fined in the parking lot by campus police for not wearing their seatbelts.
A moment of silence was held to honor the victims of the attacks on 9/11. “It was requested by our director of finance (Laurie Jones) that we have a moment of silence in observance of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy,” Fisher said. “I concurred with her that would be an important and relevant thing for us to do.” “To give a little historical background for that day, on Sept. 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group alQaida hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States,” she explained. After the meeting, several members of the public were seen discussing the ASB Student Senate special election that was held Tuesday. Results were posted Friday at noon in the Center for Leadership and Development. In that race, three new senators were elected and Tamara Dunning defeated Jorge Riley for the presidency by a margin of one vote.
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
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Assault: Woman punches seven students CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 she then came back in. There’s a pretty big wooden table in the room, and she flipped the thing, and then flipped the podium.” “She kept saying, ‘Are you guys laughing at me?’ I kept asking if she was OK--I wasn’t the only one to ask--it was like a mental breakdown. Fagiolo again asked her to leave, and that’s when Josh called the police,” said Otis. “Apparently, she attacked two people in the first hallway, three people in the other hallway, two people in the main hallway into the fine arts building, and then on her way out of the parking lot, someone got hit. There was a guy who was like, ‘Yeah, I was just sitting here on my phone, and I got bopped twice, and I don’t even know what happened,’” Otis continued. ARC student Rebecca Jines claims that while she was outside the theater building on the phone with her mother, Hall approached her. “A woman I didn’t know approached me and very timidly said, ‘Excuse me,’” Jines explained. “I moved the phone away from my face and said, ‘Yes?’ and she came closer and said, ‘Were you talking about me?’” “I said, ‘No, I was talking to my mom,’” Jines continued. “She came to stand directly in front of me and yelled, ‘I know you were,’ then hit me--first in the right side of my face, and then the left, open handed, and walked away back into the theater building.” “I called after her that I was calling the police, and she yelled back that she didn’t care,” Jines said. “I called the campus police and they told me to meet an officer in the front lobby. When I went back in, I found out I wasn’t the only person assaulted.” Jines was left confused by the attack. “She seemed fine when she approached me, but what happened after didn’t make logical sense. She seemed to be hearing things that weren’t there.” “I don’t think there was particularly a motive,” said Perkins. “Other than the fact that she clearly thought everyone was making fun of her. Delusional--and in her mind, she was probably thinking ‘These people are laughing at me and I’m going to show them what for.’” “Me and (Loren) were in the seat behind her, joking around and laughing, but none of it was directed at her,” Perkins continued. “It was really surreal,” Otis added. “(Professor Fagiolo) was like, ‘This is what happens when you bring all your stress into this room and then sit in front of a bunch of people.’” Otis believes there is a larger issue at play. “I think that mental health can definitely be handled better,” Otis said. “That’s kind of a problem I’ve noticed, that no one really knows how to react to that. They don’t seem to have any kind of support, and no one’s educated about it.”
September 17, 2014
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Are professors prepared?
‘PUNCHING RAMPAGE’ RAISES QUESTIONS OF FACULTY TRAINING FOR CLASS VIOLENCE By Barbara Harvey barbaraapharvey@gmail.com When asked if he feels prepared to deal with violence in the classroom, ESL professor Paul Bracco seemed unsure. “Prepared? I think physically I feel relatively prepared, and maybe instinctually, but as far as there are certain protocols I need to follow or certain things I need to know, I probably could use some more instruction,” said Bracco. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website, “Crime in schools and colleges is … one of the most troublesome social problems in the Nation today.” And American River College is no exception. A woman was arrested on Aug. 26, the second day of the semester, for a string of alleged physical attacks that began in a classroom and left as many as seven victims. The professor of the instrumental voice class where the incident began, Catherine Fagiolo, did not respond to a request for comment, but witness Josh Perkins, a student in the class, described Fagiolo’s response to the violence. “The teacher honestly just said ‘You need to leave’ because before we knew that anything was wrong, (the suspect, Jonetta Hall) came in whacking people,” Perkins said. “There wasn’t really time to calm down, there was just time to say, ‘Hey, you need to leave,’ because she had already hit someone.” New ARC President Thomas Greene feels that the incident was handled appropriately. “When the situation happened, and it seemed to happen out of the blue, honestly, the police were contacted immediately, and they arrived very quickly. They stopped the situation and intervened,” Greene said. “Folks responded exactly the way they were supposed to: stop the immediate threat, make sure everybody is safe.” Greene feels that even with
Barbara Harvey / barbaraapharvey@gmail.com
American River College staff are required to take a workplace violence training course that is offered online. The training is centered on workplace violence, but not specific to violence in schools.
what he believes is a wide range of available training and awareness programs meant to instruct faculty on how to prevent and handle violent situations, the potential for violence on campus isn’t something that can be eliminated. “This incident raises the question that no matter what you do, in terms of an awareness campaign, in terms of all the prevention activities that we can do, you can never prevent 100 percent of these incidents from occurring,” said Greene. “There’s always room for improvement, but with this incident I feel like the procedures in place and the resources were followed. There was a very appropriate response.” ARC Public Information Officer Scott Crow detailed the available trainings, some of which, he added, are mandatory for faculty. “There’s a variety of different training opportunities that are organized in different ways. For example, we have what’s called the Center for Teaching and Learning … The chief (of campus police) is giving the talk on ‘Ready or Not’ on Thursday, which is a College Hour event that everyone can go to,” Crow said.
“Then there’s the Los Rios Human Resources Department, which also provides additional training,” Crow said. “And then you have the (Los Rios) Police Department, which in addition to providing police services, responding and so forth, they also provide training as well. So in addition to maybe what some people see, which is ‘OK, there’s a College Hour event,’ there’s this other training that’s going on behind the scenes.” Greene feels that partly due to the recession, students with mental illness may not be receiving necessary support, and consequently, the risk of such incidents is increasing. “In the last several years, there has been the economic crisis and the recession, and that’s really impacted the state’s ability to provide social services, and that means mental health and support services and the ability for those to access those services,” said Greene. “As a consequence, there’s probably an increased number of individuals who aren’t receiving the support that they need and could benefit from.” “What I’ve noticed is that there are increased incidents across all colleges as a conse-
quence of our lack of statewide necessary support services,” continued Greene. Greene has unique insight in this regard, having previously worked as a discipline officer prior to coming to ARC. “I served as the discipline officer that investigated those incidents, also intervened personally, particularly in smaller colleges, where we didn’t have a police force,” said Greene. “So I’ve seen it from many different facets.” “Often, situations occur because the individual is ill--they have mental health issues or so forth. Keeping the learning environment safe for everyone else, that’s number one. But two, how can we help that individual but ensure that this doesn’t happen again?” explained Greene. Greene admits that providing “ongoing support” to mentally ill students is a challenge for the school. “We have counselors who can just provide some immediate support. It’s not therapy, but it’s just support. Then, our counselors and others have access to resources … in our community, and then (counselors can) connect students to that help,” said Greene. “The challenge is how to provide ongoing support for students, but in appropriate ways, with limited resources.” “Oftentimes, the behaviors, indications that a student is struggling, it’s to really help our faculty and staff to be aware of those, and to intervene in appropriate ways, but to intervene early, and connect students early, before it turns into a situation where the behaviors truly disrupt the learning environment and threaten the physical safety of our other students,” said Greene. “That’s an area where training helps, in terms of identification, and to create a culture that encourages that and is sensitive to that, and aware and proactive. So that’s going to be a continued focus of our efforts moving forward.”
A long journey to ARC for ASB VP INTERIM STUDENT SENATE PRESIDENT DRIVES 99 MILES FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SCHOOL By John Ferrannini jferr1995@gmail.com Many students at American River College begin their day with breakfast and perhaps some exercise, but most don’t wake up at 4:30 a.m. to drive a 99.1 mile commute to come to school. Leslie Milan Fisher, the interim Associated Student Body Student Senate President, does exactly that. “There are only two schools on the West Coast offering a mortuary science degree: ARC and Cypress,” Fisher said. “Upon visiting both and weighing out the programs, amenities, and opportunities, the choice was clear: ARC was for me.” Fisher’s family was involved in the mortuary science program at San Francisco City College for many years before it closed. “Around 2000, the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science announced that it would no longer function as an educational institution,” said Damon de la Cruz, department
chair of Funeral Services at ARC. “Faculty and administrators at American River College anticipated a need for a funeral service education program for students in the Northern California region and adjoining states.” “In roughly ten years the program has grown to attract future practitioners at the statewide, national and even international level,” he added. Fisher has wanted to be involved in funeral services since she was a child. “I’ve wanted to earn my mortuary science degree from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science as many of my other family members had since I was eight years old,” Fisher said. “I get to look at my family members pictures on the wall in my classroom everyday. How cool is that?” Fisher says she sometimes spends the night in Sacramento during the week, but her residence is in San Francisco. Fisher was elected last spring to the office of ASB Student Senate Vice President. She decided to get involved in ASB after several encounters with school officials, such as former
school interim President Pam Walker. “Last semester I became very ill on campus, while walking through the administration building I was stopped by a woman who asked if she could get me a bottle of water and help me,” Fisher said. “After grabbing a bottle of water, she walked with me and sat me down under a shady tree and told me ‘I’m going to check on you. I can see you from my office. If you want anything, just tell me.’” “She made me feel cared for, like an individual,” she added. Fisher became interim ASB Student Senate president after the invalidation of Jorge Riley’s election to the position last June. De la Cruz said that in the time he’s known Fisher, she has displayed the qualities of a student leader. “Leslie Fisher is a person who is dedicated to her course work,” he said. “She has natural leadership qualities, these are reflected in her involvement with the Funeral Service Education Fraternity, Sigma Phi Sigma, and the Associated Student Body.”
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September 17, 2014
Sports
Football lifers: From player to coach FORMER AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS RETURN TO CAMPUS AS LEADERS
By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com For 30 years, Doug Grush has been involved with football, as either a player or a coach. Grush played at American River College for two years as an offensive lineman, and has had two separate coaching stints at ARC, where he currently serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Grush started playing football in 1984. He played for a total of eight years; four years at Mira Loma High School, two years at ARC, and two years at Kansas State. While playing for ARC, he was named the “Outstand Freshman Offensive Player” in 1988, and was on a 1989 Beavers team that finished with a 9-2 record, ranked top 20 in the nation, and saw Grush named First Team All-State, according to the ARC athletics page. Following his two years at ARC, Grush transferred to Kansas State, playing there in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. In 1992, after his second playing season, Grush spent one more year as a student aide coach while completing his degree there. He didn’t stick around, however, for two reasons: the time commitment, and he missed home. “I kinda came to a point where I didn’t want to be coaching football so much time that I wasn’t gonna be able to have a family, you know be able to go on vacation. That Division I level of coaching is an extreme amount of time.” Grush became the offensive line coach upon his return to ARC, from 1993 until 1995. “You know I love the game, and you know that ability when you teach a kid something and you see the light bulb go off, you know there’s just nothing like it; it’s really, really cool. And I wrote for the school paper at Kansas State for one semester, I had 20 articles printed, and I liked doing that, but you didn’t get the same feedback,” Grush said. For Grush, the feedback is key in his desire to coach and teach. “Once it was out there, you didn’t know if people liked the article, did they hate it, sometimes the people you wrote about, they give you feedback, but there wasn’t that interaction, if that makes sense. With coaching, you get that interaction, good, bad, or indifferent. You’re able to see the kid, and I just kinda got hooked,” Grush added. When current head football coach Jon Osterhout took over last spring, one of his first moves in organizing his staff was calling Grush.
Emily K. Rabasto / rabastoe@gmail.com
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Doug Grush explains the details of an onside kick play to the team during football practice on Thursday, Sept. 11. Grush played football at American River College as an offensive lineman in 1988 and 1989.
“He played here and has a vested interest in American River College, he has an extremely high football IQ, very knowledgeable in all phases of the game... You know what he did last year proved to me that he would be able to handle the offense for us moving forward,” said Osterhout. Osterhout is most impressed with Grush’s work ethic. “Oh, he’s unbelievable. I mean he’s a worker, he loves football. So when he’s here, he’s very diligent in getting things done, he’s extremely organized, and he’s always a day ahead. And that’s what you look for in an offensive play caller, because when you’re playing, you’re calling plays offensively, you always gotta be a step ahead of the defense,” said Osterhout. Grush has held multiple positions while coaching, instructing players from a range of age groups. He was the head coach at Bella Vista High School, the offensive line coach at Casa Roble Fundamental High, as well as his stints at ARC and Kansas State. In addition to coaching at ARC, Grush is also a P.E. teacher at Bella Vista High School, where he’s taught for almost 20 years. Grush plans to continue coaching at ARC for the foreseeable future, and will do so “as long as it’s fun and still allows me my family time and things of that nature and doesn’t impede on that, then I’ll do it.” “And the minute it’s not fun, or I feel I’m not being effective, then I won’t do it anymore,” said Grush.
By Ashlynn Johnson ashlynn.johnson1295@gmail.com The roar of a crowd, pumping adrenaline, and victorious feeling that goes with playing football is nothing new for American River College’s defensive backs coach, and previous player, Chris Marshall. Marshall played wide receiver and defensive back for ARC in 2001 and 2002 before going to Sac State, where he graduated with a degree in psychology, and Grand Canyon University, where he completed his masters in professional counseling. His decided to rejoin ARC because of his previous coach Jerry Haflich. “I have a lot of respect and love for coach Haflich. I enjoyed playing for him as a player and I did a lot of growing up here. So, when he asked if I would be interested, I thought it could be a great step for me to take,” Marshall said. “I figured I would enjoy coaching here, understanding the culture he and his staff had built, and that this would be a great opportunity for me to grow as a coach.” “Back then, I never expected to be back and to be coaching … it’s a good opportunity to be here and I enjoy being back on campus. It’s changed a lot, and it has put me in a position to help guys (that are) where I once was, get to the next level,” he said. When coaching his players, Marshall tries to pass on the knowledge he acquired while playing in college and the
recruitment process from when he played for ARC. Marshall says that playing at ARC and developing relationships with people like coach Haflich helped him grow up a lot and that is what he tries Coach Chris Marshall to pass along to his players. “Chris has been an unbelievable resource for us. From a past history standpoint, his knowledge of the game, and his work ethic ... he’s been a phenomenal addition to the program,” head coach Jon Osterhout said. When Marshall is not coaching, he spends his time working at a children’s receiving home as a counselor. He describes the transition from coach to counselor as tiring, but says that both coaching and counseling are the same. “Counseling and coaching are pretty much the same. In counseling, you teach people new ways and methods to get the best out of life. In coaching, you are teaching new techniques, and how to focus on things and pay attention to put yourself in the best position to have success.” While Marshall says he enjoys both coaching and counseling, he admitted to liking football more.
SPORTSUPDATES
MEN’S SOCCER
CROSS-COUNTRY
WOMEN’S WATER POLO
The team has a record of 0-4-1 after two losses Sept. 6 and 7. The team lost against Mendocino College 3-2 at Cosumnes River College during the Mendocino-Norcal showcase. The team lost again at CRC 2-1 against Lake Tahoe College during the Lake Tahoe-Norcal showcase.
The men’s team ranked third at the Fresno Invitational with a total time of 1:47:26 in the 4-mile run. Three ARC runners all placed in the top twenty with an average time of 21 minutes. The women’s team placed 10th in the 3.10-mile run with a time of 1:47:09. Freshman Jenica Dodge placed in the top ten at 18:43.1.
The women’s team hosted the River Rage tournament this past weekend at ARC. The team finished the weekend with a record of 1-4 after a loss of 12-6 against Mt. San Antonio and a win of 10-6 against Cerritos College.
FOOTBALL
MEN’S WATER POLO
VOLLEYBALL
The team won its second game of the season beating DeAnza College 4928. The team was lead by sophomore quarterback Tanner Trosin and his help with completing 3 touchdowns. The team is now 2-0 under new head coach Jon Osterhout.
The men’s team attended the Delta Mini tournament in Stockton also this past weekend. The team finished with a record of 3-3 after winning 15-10 against Cabrillo College and losing 1-9 against Merced College.
After winning their first match the team went on to pull out three wins and a loss during the Delta Classic at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. They have a record of 4-4 after winning 3-0 against Lassen College, 3-1 against Foothill College, 3-0 against Fresno College, and losing 3-1 against Cabrillo College.
Emily K. Rabasto / rabastoe@gmail.com
Goalie Avery Dotterer blocks a shot in a match against Golden West College on Sept. 11.
Sports
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September 17, 2014
Women’s soccer hits hard at home By Kameron Schmid kameronschmid@gmail.com
Emily K. Rabasto / rabastoe@gmail.com
Freshman running back Casey Lambert is tackled during the first home game at American River College against Modesto Junior College on Sept. 6.
Osterhout era begins with win NEW HEAD COACH HAS HIS TEAM ON THE RIGHT PATH, WINNING THEIR HOME OPENER By Ed Gebing edgebingjr@gmail.com Quarterback Tanner Trosin and his five touchdowns helped lead the American River College football team to their first win of the season against Modesto Junior College, 37-27. Trosin had two rushing and three passing touchdowns, starting the season the same way his brother, former ARC slot receiver Tyler Trosin did last year, though with two more touchdowns. “I might joke around with him a little bit, we’ll have a couple laughs about it,” Trosin said. The team got off to a slow start, going fourand-out on their first possession, but after giving up a touchdown with only five minutes left in the first quarter, they began to find
their way. “We came out flat, and I was kind of disappointed in how we executed every play when we came out in the first couple of drives,” Trosin said. However, the team turned it around. In a swiftly contested game that saw the lead flipflop back and forth, the momentum swung in ARC’s direction with the first of two interceptions by freshman defensive back Robert Sanders. “(The coaches) put everyone in the best position they could and we went out there and executed,” Sanders said. With ARC up a touchdown and under four minutes left in the game, Modesto snapped the ball over their punter’s head in the end zone, causing a safety, which gave ARC two points and possession of the ball with only
minutes remaining. The team then ran out the clock. “I feel pretty good that we got this victory,” Trosin said. The game was special for new head coach Jon Osterhout as well, it was his first win as leader of the program. “The players gave me the game ball, and gave it up for me,” Osterhout said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our coaches, they did a tremendous job putting our players in good positions to be successful, and then the players just flat out went out and executed. I couldn’t be happier, but it’s definitely good to get number one out of the way.” Their next home game is Sept. 27 against City College of San Francisco at 6 p.m. For live coverage of the game, follow The Current on Twitter @ARCSports.
ARC volleyball bumps, sets and spikes to a win ARC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM OPENS THE SEASON WITH MANY NEW FACES By Ed Gebing edgebingjr@gmail.com
After finishing last season coming up short in the state tournament, the American River College volleyball team served up a win at home against City College of San Francisco, 3-0 (24-14, 25-22, 25-20) in their season opener. “It feels good, we have been practicing hard,” sophomore libero Kiana Chaney said. The team features returning two starters, Chaney and Taylor Bunger, and have several freshmen looking to contribute, but the players aren’t worried about having to start from scratch. “ARC is always really good teamwise, it’s because of (head coach) Ashlie (Frame) and our staff, they just push us. I think once we click and Brandon Nelson / brandon.nelson916@gmail.com play the way we do in practice everyKiana Chaney, a libero for the American River College thing will be fine,” Chaney said. volleyball team, serves the ball in a match against Feather River College on Sept. 4.
Even though the team won its first match of the season, they feel as though there is still much work to be done. “We need to work on our communication,” Bunger said. The women seemed content with their play in the first match, though. “It wasn’t too bad, there was a little bit of confusion, but I think it was just first game nerves,” Bunger said. For some of the girls on the team, this was their first time playing at the collegiate level. “Once they realize that they can be a really good team, they will have more confidence. It will get drastically better by the end of the season, it’s just all new to them,” Frame said. The goal for the women this season is to repeat as conference champs and to make it back to the state championships. “I think we can go back to state again, we just have to be disciplined,” Bunger said.
With a 1-0 win over West Valley College and a player red carded and ejected, the new season for American River College’s women’s soccer team began in quite a fashion. The red card came first, with 58 minutes played in the game. ARC sophomore defender Taelor Silveira got tangled up with an opposing player and both went down to the ground. Both players struggled to get back up and went down to the ground a second time. Silveira then appeared to throw a punch that connected with the side of the opposing player’s head. Silveira was issued a red card and left the field shortly after play resumed. Assistant coach Rick Carrigan, who was filling in for suspended head coach Paul Arellanes, said he did not see the punch from the team’s bench, but that it would likely result in a two-game suspension. “The standard is that you leave the current game and then miss the next, but (ARC athletic director Greg Warzecka) told me that he thought it might be a twogame suspension because there apparently was a strike made. I didn’t see it,” said Carrigan. “There’s nothing we can do now except move forward. We’re gonna miss her, but it’s a learning experience,” said Carrigan. Despite having one less player on the pitch for the remainder of the game, ARC’s energy seemed to pick up following the red card, and in the 69th minute of the game, freshman forward Theresa Cooper scored the game’s only goal. Cooper’s winning goal bounced off the right goalpost but ricocheted into the net. She had multiple shots on goal throughout the game, including one that bounced off the top crossbar. The women were altogether impressive in the game. Despite only playing three midfielders compared to West Valley’s five, ARC successfully moved the ball forward and out of dangerous situations consistently, and the defenders played well enough to keep freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Doss from having to make any truly challenging saves. Doss said after the game that she definitely felt a boost of energy from her teammates after the red card, and that, along with the win, made her first game with ARC all the more special. “It was crazy, it was fun, I really enjoyed it. I love working with these girls,” said Doss. Carrigan was enthusiastic about the win, and sees the playoffs as a reasonable goal for this year’s team. “We have some work to do, obviously. Big 8 is a tough conference, and so our hope is to make the playoffs every year. We hope we have the players to do that every year, and so far it looks like we do,” Carrigan said.
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September 17, 2014
Feature
Photos by Kameron Schmid/ kameronschmid@gmail.com
Art major Shane Cantor looks at his favorite piece of the Fall Faculty Exhibition, “Picasso in L.A.”, an oil and acrylic painting on canvas by Dan Samborski, an adjunct art professor.
‘Fall Faculty Exhibition’ at ARC FIRST SHOW OF THE SEMESTER FOR THE KANEKO GALLERY FEATURES STRONG ART BY ARC STAFF By Kameron Schmid and Lindsey Martin kameronschmid@gmail.com, lindseymartin51391@gmail.com
“Sphinx,” by Craig N. Smith, using plaster, hydrocal, paint and shellac.
Jaiyi Young on “Pi books, Volume II.” “The book is done in an old fashioned way, but the digits are printed digitally. The book was originally designed for a meditation room, it’s a meditation exercise where you take the book and sit down in a nice and quiet room, and then you copy the numbers. “Seemingly it’s kind of a boring task, but it’s actually a very rewarding experience. As you sit down and copy the numbers page by page, you think that the numbers have no meaning to you. But as you go, you’ll come across some numbers that you
Craig N. Smith, one of the featured falculty members at Kaneko Gallery’s “Fall Faculty Exhibition”, on his contribution, “Sphinx.” “I set out to make a head, and I wound up calling it ‘Sphinx’ after I put the feet on. “I wanted the work to be interesting visually and have some sort of personality or character to go back to that story, and certain things happened along the way to make me take my idea about that story and refer to it along the way, which is usually my encouragement to my students...‘don’t just have an idea, let your idea change as you develop the form of the work.”
“School’s Out,” by James Albertson, using acrylic on paper.
feel have some kind of connection with your life.” “Maybe it’s your birthday or your mother’s birthday, maybe it’s a significant date in your life or an old telephone number you forgot a long time ago.” “Page after page, you start to make memories of your life as you go through this exercise, and at the same time it’s calming.” “My parents actually did the bookbinding. My dad is a writer, and has radical ideas that don’t get published in a communist country...so my dad would write and they would bind the book “Pi books, Volume II,” by Jaiyi Young. 712,800 digits of pi numerals printed on 350 pages of Yuan-Shu Chinese together. So I asked them to bind calligraphy paper. my pi books.”
September 17, 2014
Arts&Culture
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Figure: Workshop lets artists practice for $5 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
around Baxter. Figure Friday is hosted and operated by Jackie Costa. Costa started out as a volunteer when she first began helping with the production of Figure Friday, and she now continues passionately working in a paid position as the host of this artistic venture. “I love hosting but it’s not as relaxing as it used to be. It’s like throwing a party at your house. You want to make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time,” said Costa. While Figure Friday may be a lively and beneficial experience, there are procedures that still apply. Organization and respect are two of the most important key aspects stressed when attending Figure Friday. Every model who’s being drawn has their own set of rules that go along with the school’s rules as well. For example, if a student wants to get closer to a model to catch sight of more de
tail then they must ask for permission to get closer. Models tend to regularly hold poses between two-15 minutes long. On occasion models will hold 20 minute poses so artists have more time to complete their sketches. ARC student Kiichi Koga said he has definitely benefitted from the experience. “I’ve been attending Figure Friday for a year now. Coming here is one of the best ways for me to practice my drawing skills.” Other Los Rios colleges such as Sacramento City College and Cosumnes River College also have their own forms of Figure Friday. When you feel the urge to draw, sketch, or paint, remember that Figure Friday will be taking place the entire fall semester between 2:30-5:30 p.m., and costs $5. If creating visual art is a passion of yours, Figure Friday can help train you in sketching the human anatomy.
Photos by Kameron Schmid/ kameronschmid@gmail.com
The work of several different artists who have attended Figure Fridays is featured in the hallway outside of room 510 of the Fine and Applied Arts building. Figure Fridays is a weekly event at ARC open to the public.
IN YOUR HEADS MUSIC: “Tech N9ne. I like the mid 90’s traditional means. He
still actually rhymes his words when he raps and he still raps about something, where most rap I hear now is moving more towards hip-hop.”- Blake Campo
MOVIE: “‘Frozen. I’m still into it. I spend a lot of time
listening to the music. The fact that it’s kid friendly, but Disney still throws jokes in there that us older people in college get but little kids can’t quite get.”- Ethan Sprock
BOOK: “‘The Sea Wolf’ by Jack London. It’s very psychological
and I like that mechanic about the story. I like how suspenseful it is, right from the start.”- Kurt Milby
VIDEO GAME:
“‘Final Fantasy X Remaster’. The original game was fantastic, and then they just made it beautiful with the original story and character development.”- Alex Porter
TV SHOW: “‘Adventure Time.’ I like the relationship between
the characters. It’s a lot about brotherhood and I like that it gives a good message to kids, and that it’s a show that has humor that a lot of times the kids won’t get but I think is really funny. It’s also really colorful and it has princesses, and I like that.”- Katherine Wilson
Auditions held for ARC theater’s Tennessee Williams production By Joseph Daniels joseph64daniels@gmail.com American River College held auditions for “Tennessee Williams’ Honky Tonk Parade,” a play that will include selections from plays and poems by American playwright and author Tennessee Williams, on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The selections will include William’s works “This Property Is Condemned,” “Talk To Me Like the Rain And Let Me Listen” and “A Perfect Analysis Given By A Parrot.” Williams is best known for writing two Pulitzer Prize winning plays, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which was also adapted into a film starring actor Marlon Brando. Director Bob Irvin, who this summer directed “Brain from Planet X” and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” said he was looking for 10 to 12 actors (an even number of men and women), and those who are able to speak with a southern accent. While songs are featured in the production, the ability to sing isn’t a requirement. Actors were partnered up to do a cold reading from one of the plays that will be
featured, or were given a poem to read from. “Honky Tonk Parade” stage manager Meghan Pence gave advice for people who wanted to audition. “If it’s your first cold reading, just have fun with it, go with your gut instinct, and just have fun. That’s all you can do,” said Pence. Caitlyn Verlade, an art major, said, “This is my first time going to an audition, I’m pretty nervous.” “I read a little bit (of William’s work) before, just to figure out, ‘oh god, what am I going to do?’ When I tried to look up plays specifically, I got things like scripts. I’m going into this quite blind,” said Verlade. Acting major Edward Pinelo also auditioned for a role in the play. “I honestly can’t give you my opinion about it. I’m the kind of guy who has to see it to give an honest opinion about it. All I can say is I did the best I could,” said Pinelo. “(The audition) was the first time I saw the script. I knew about Tennessee Williams from ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’” explained Pinelo. “Off the top of my head, that was the first one I knew of him.”
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September 17, 2014
Arts&Culture
Courtesy of Mike Barger
Season two runner-up Eric Barger, front right, presents the “re-entry idol” to creator and host Matt Russell. Molly Doan, back center, was declared the winner of season two during the finale.
“IMPROVIVOR” IS EVERY FRIDAY, SEPT. 19-NOV. 14 AT 10 P.M. AT COMEDYSPORTZ SACRAMENTO, LOCATED AT 2230 ARDEN WAY, NEAR HOWE AVE. TICKETS ARE $8, OR $4 WITH THE PURCHASE OF A COMEDYSPORTZ TICKET. SEASON PASSES ARE $40. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT FACEBOOK.COM/IMPROVIVOR
‘Survivor’ meets ‘Whose Line’ on stage ARC ALUMN AND LOCAL COMEDIAN CREATED AND HOSTS LIVE IMPROV COMPETITION BASED ON REALITY TV By Barbara Harvey barbaraapharvey@gmail.com Combining the backstabbing and dramatic elements of cutthroat reality shows like “Survivor” with the comedic wit of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” “Improvivor,” the popular live comedy show at ComedySportz Sacramento, is back for a third season, featuring a cast full of ARC students and alumni. “Improvivor” creator and host Matt Russell, 29, is well known in the Sacramento improv comedy scene. Russell, also a veteran of the theater arts department at ARC, used his love for reality television and improv comedy as inspiration when creating the show. “I always grew up watching those ‘Survivor’-esque shows, I’ve always been a fan of them. ‘Amazing Race’ ‘Survivor,’ the new show ‘The Quest’ and stuff like that, where it’s not just the physical ‘Survivor’ game, but the mental ‘Survivor’ game,” explained Russell. “I realized, ‘Huh, I think I could probably make an improv show out of this… So back in 2011, I did the first ‘Improvivor’ then, with a cast of ten people.’” As the show’s name suggests, “Improvivor” is highly reminiscent of the long-running reality competition “Survivor.” “In a nutshell, 12 improv comedians get separated into two teams of six. They
compete in improv challenges to win immunity, and the team that wins immunity does not have to vote (one of their tribe members) off. It continues that way until the teams merge into one tribe, and then they compete for individual immunity by playing improv games,” explained Russell. “We take it from there, and the last person standing ends up winning $100 cash, plus gets to play in a mainstage show at ComedySportz,” said Russell. Audrey Dyte, 19, is an ARC student majoring in biomedical engineering and a cast member of the upcoming season of “Improvivor.” Dyte, who is also a mainstage player at ComedySportz, was compelled to join the cast after becoming a fan during season two. “I was actually invited to do season two, and I didn’t want to do it because it felt like a big time commitment, but I found myself going to every single one because I was so drawn in to it. I was so compelled by the show that I decided to sign up for season three,” said Dyte. “You know how reality shows are. You watch a reality show, and you go, ‘Oh god, this is dumb,’--don’t tell Matt I said that. You think it’s dumb initially, but you get so wrapped up in it, because it’s so intense, and you don’t want to see your favorite players get voted off, and all of a sudden
you’re so emotionally invested in it that you pick sides. Suddenly you have favorite players and enemies--you just feel like you’re in the show with them,” said Dyte. “It felt just as cutthroat as I feel ‘Survivor’ is,” said season two cast member and ARC student and undecided major Sina Baghdadi. “Every time I had to (vote someone off), it hurt.” According to Russell, ARC has a strong presence in the Sacramento improv scene. “You have people that you see everywhere in Sacramento that have gone to ARC and taken either just the improv class or the theater classes there. It’s one of the best, in my opinion, theater schools in all of California. I see that some of the best improv stock comes out of--and I say stock as though improvers are cattle--some of the best improver stock come out of ARC’s Improv Club, and (ARC theater arts professor) Pam Downs is a wonderful teacher of it,” Russell said. Russell’s background at ARC stretches over ten years. “I’ve been going to ARC off and on for ten years. I got my certificate in technical theater and my certificate in children’s theater,” Russell said. “I have a strong ARC connection. I talk to the teachers regularly, I just did the summer children’s show, ‘Rumpelstiltskin,’ so I’ve been doing that, and I was Improv Club president at ARC-
-wow, I should really talk about that--I’ve been ARC’s Improv Club president four different times in my tenure there,” said Russell. Russell takes pride in “Improvivor” being representative of the Sacramento improv scene, accomplished by crossing club borders and including cast members from numerous Sacramento comedy clubs. “The thing I liked the most about season two was that it brought the improv scene from all of Sacramento … It felt like more than a ComedySportz event--it was an improv of Sacramento event,” said Dyte. Within this diverse group, however, remains a strong ARC presence. “A lot of people know about Pam (Downs). I hear about her all the time, and it feels like she’s the improv mother of Sacramento. A lot of the people in ComedySportz or Blacktop come out of ARC. Not all, but it feels like ARC definitely has a strong presence,” said Dyte. “This time around, I believe we have six current (ARC) students and alums in the cast,” adds Russell. Russell is visibly excited when speaking of what’s in store for season three. “Attendees can expect a lot more ‘Survivor’-style challenges, not just improv challenges. I’ve got some twists and turns in mind that are going to blow people’s minds,” said Russell.
September 17, 2014
Scene
Green education comes to ARC
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AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAM BRINGS IN HYBRID TECHNOLOGY TO TEACH STUDENTS FUTURE OF AUTO INDUSTRY By Kevin Sheridan kevinsheridan56@gmail.com American River College will be offering a new certificate program in hybrid and green technology during the fall 2015 semester called Alternative Fuels and Green Vehicle Technology, consisting of 26 units. The courses will focus on training students on how to maintain and repair hybrid and electric vehicles, but will also highlight other basic automotive material. One such course for this program is Automotive Technology (AT) 316, where students are provided an overview of existing fuels. Other classes being offered are AT 309, an Introduction to Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology course, which discusses operation of hybrid and electric vehicles as well as each of the cars’ manufacturers, AT 319, Electric Vehicle Construction, and AT 329, Advanced Hybrid and EV Technology, which covers in-depth hybrid and electric vehicle diagnosis and repair. Students who take the 319 course will have the opportunity to turn a three-wheeled chassis into an EV car, and the school will have two more by the end of September. The school is not planning to build any new buildings for the program as of this writing, citing a lack of funds. “We would like to have our own building, but we don’t have funding right now, (but) we have a fleet of hybrid and electric vehicles, about 10 in total,” said technical education dean Gabriel Meehan. These hybrid and electric vehicles are both new and used, purchased using money from grants gifted by the California Energy Commision. These vehicles include first, second, and third generation Priuses, a Chevy Volt, and a Nissan Leaf. Meehan also stated that no new professors will need to
Kevin Sheridan / kevinsheridan56@gmail.com
Automotive tech student Vasily Bessonov works on an EV chassis that is part of the alternative fuels program. The chassis is one of three that will arrive by the end of September.
be hired, and that existing AT professors already have the necessary training to teach the classes. According to the course instructors, the purpose of this program is to make students familiar with new fuel technology and to train the next generation of auto mechanics. “There’s a lot of momentum in the (hybrid and electric vehicle) industry. Show (students) these cars aren’t going
away, you show them the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards tell (students) they aren’t going to last long in the industry (if they reject hybrid or EV cars),” said Ben French, head instructor of the program. “You can’t always work on hot rods like you see on TV,” he continued. The program will also prepare the student to pass the ASE Hybrid Exam that will take place in 2015.
Professors respond to ‘RateMyProfessors’ scores OVERALL: 4.0/5 HELPFULNESS: 4.1/5 CLARITY: 3.9/5 EASINESS: 3.7/5
By Barbara Harvey, Joseph Daniels, and I’m not just talking about my thing, but average. I don’t know that, but my guess is there. And take it with some grains of salt. looking at other people on there, you could that would be the case. I think some place But if you know who’s writing that, and get and Jessica Vang barbaraapharvey@gmail.com, joseph64daniels@gmail.com, jessicavang20@gmail.com
Most students who attend college have heard of the rating site Ratemyprofessors. com, in which students are asked to rate their professors based on their own experiences. But have you ever wondered what your professor thought about the rating you gave them? In the first of a new series, the Current asked humanities professor Brian Bates what he thinks of the site. Do you know your score on RateMyProfessors.com? “No.” Have you ever looked at the website? “A long time ago I looked at it, but I don’t pay that much attention to it.”
What was your impression of it? “In some cases, some people were right on, as far as their comments. In other cases,
L
tell that maybe they had a grief about this or that, some small thing. I think it can be useful for students. But I think you have to look at what the student who rated that professor had in mind. Were they really ticked off because they had a bad grade? Did they really like the professor and want to spread the word? That kind of thing. So it’s useful. My daughter looked at my rating and said I was ‘too easy.’ So whatever. She put more credit in that than I did.”
Do you think the students recognize we have good faculty here? “I think they do. A good student does, certainly. And you could say that a bad Too easy in terms of… student or bad faculty member wouldn’t “In terms of Rate My Professors.” recognize that anyway. You can always say that an A student can tell the difference beWhat do you think the average score tween an A and a C paper easily. A C student for ARC would be? can’t. That’s why they’re a C student on that “I don’t know their scoring system, so just paper.” in general, I think ARC is probably going to rank higher than a lot of places. First of all Do you think that a good student because it has a really strong faculty, and would be able to look at Rate My Profesthe second factor, which sometimes doesn’t sors objectively and tell which is a bitter get taken into consideration, is that it’s got student leaving a bad review because pretty good students. So a good student they got a bad grade and which is… is going to make an intelligent comment, “Yeah, and I think that’s true of any site. not just ranting about some complaint. So You’ve got to evaluate the site and take a I think they’re probably going to be above look at what kinds of forces are at work
CAMPUS PU SE “I’d probably contact campus police. That seems like the best option, rather than getting involved. (Getting involved) could cause more trouble than there needs to be.”
-ANDREWDAVIS Business
like a four-year school has the advantage that you’re in classes that you really want to be in, that’s your major, that kind of thing. So they might rank higher on that kind of level. But I think in the basic classes, ARC might do really well, and mainly because they have really good people here now.”
a good sense of their purposes, then that can tell you how you’re going to react to it. And I say about the faculty--I’ve taught at a number of places: University of Arizona, Pima College, and this is a good, good faculty here. So it should rank higher.”
Overall, do you think the site is a benefit to students, or could it be detrimental? “I think it could be used well. I don’t think it’s going to be detrimental to students, because they’re going to have the choice to do something, or not. They can extoll some people, and say "yeah, take this person" for whatever reason, because he’s easier, because you’re going to learn a lot, or some other factor. They can also say "don’t take this one, because that character is really boring in class, or is unfair in his grading." And that’s where I think everyone has to use some common sense. If this person is saying that (the professor) is boring, was it because they slept through the class? In which case, it may not have mattered about the professor.”
How would you react to violence in the classroom? “I’m post military, and I’m an extreme pacifist, so I don’t like to cause harm to other people, but I most likely would be active enough to try to restrain somebody from causing violence.”
-WILLIAMROWTON Nursing
“Call campus police, I guess. I don’t know.”
-KERIANNEPRUETT Physics
“Depends on who the violence is directed at. Depends on if it’s instigated or not.”
-IANLUFT CISP
September 17, 2014
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SOC320: Minorities in America
TAKETHISCLASS By Walter Jones & Jose Garcia waltorlando@gmail.com & jig.garcia1995@gmail.com With the recent tensions in Ferguson, Mo. students may find it worthwhile to learn about the racial debate in America. Professor Pamela Chao, instructor of Sociology 320: Minorities in America, teaches with passion and an open mind as she brings light to topics that are informative and perhaps touchy at times. Chao and her students come together every Tuesday and Thursday at noon to learn about the patterns of racial and ethnic group relations in the United States. “I was interested in seeing what this class had to offer,” William Vi, a social science major, said. “I also want to expand my knowledge so I can know what everyone else is going through.” The class breaks down the differences in what makes a group of people a minority compared to a majority. The students are encouraged to ask questions and to analyze themselves. The course is designed to make you think of your cultural history and understand that there is not just one social status you are defined to. “Life is complicated, there are so many identities and issues at stake, we should learn not to be reactive about this, but proactive in moving towards a communal society together,” Chao said. “This is a relevant topic in everyone’s daily life. Becoming literate in race and stratification will greatly
“
improve one’s self knowledge.” This course encourages open class discussion about all subjects from our president being the first African American elected to what happened in Ferguson, Mo. over the summer. Decoven Benton-Bell, a theater major, told the story of why he decided to take this course. “I took this course because I remember being a sophomore in high school going into a store and this woman followed me all around the store for no reason at all and all I wanted was some candy,” he said. “I literally walked around the whole store to see if she was following me, and it happened to me again when I went to Nordstroms. And I picked something up just to be funny and I walked around the store and I put it down when she wasn’t looking and she followed me out the store.” When asked about today’s generation Bell went on to say, “we act like we are the generation of understanding, but we are not. We act like we know what other races and cultures go through, but we really don’t. “We think there is no more racism, but its just not as blatant as before we get oppressed in different ways. We aren’t being lynched anymore, but the way we are treated by the media is oppressing,” Bell continued. Sociology 320 is still an open class, and there is also a second eight week class coming up on October 20th just in case Jose Garcia / jig.garcia1995@gmail.com students have a busy schedule. “Life is complicated, there are so many identities and issues at stake, we should learn not to be reactive at this, but proactive in moving towards a communal society together,” Chao said.
I took this course because I remember being a sophomore in high school going into a store and this woman followed me all around the store for no reason at all and all I wanted was some candy.”
DECOVEN BENTON-BELL THEATER ARTS
Transfer students bring insight from former colleges Adnan Ramic and Quincy Clavelle adiramic@gmail.com, quincyclavelle@gmail.com Students at American River College can take their campus for granted. Whether it is the lines at the financial aid office or the poor conditions of bathrooms, students can sometimes lose sight of or overlook the quality of higher education that is offered to them at ARC. By walking around campus, students can see construction sites for new buildings and a presence of the administration attempting to modernize the school. An example of this is the construction of the new culinary arts building, which recently opened for instruction this semester. Devin Ward, a former student of Yuba College, prefers his new campus experience at ARC to Yuba’s. “I like it a lot more. The environment is better. Better food. Better people, and I like seeing new faces,” said Ward. Ward feels that he can be very successful at ARC, adding, “I’m looking forward to my next couple years here at American River.” Jackie Bernauer, who previously attended Berkeley City College for two years, is currently attending her first semester at ARC. Bernauer said her time at BCC was amazing and that the campus was fairly
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different. “It’s one big building and all you have to do to get to your classes is take an elevator. There’s like five floors,” said Bernauer. Bernauer, who is used to the teachers at BCC, thinks that education is a lot more structured at ARC. “I think it’s mostly has to do with the teachers, everything just feels more laid back and loose there,” Bernauer said. Bernauer says that, in her experience, the people at Berkeley are ‘wacky,’ more so than those at ARC. “Everyone is kind of ‘out there’,” she said. “Which is good, because everyone is open with who they are.” Bernauer explained that she moved back to Sacramento because living in Berkeley had become too hectic. “Berkeley is an overwhelming place. It’s a completely different environment but at the same time, I think it was really good for me to go there for two years because I feel it made me grow a lot as a person. And even though I really miss it, I was kind of ready to move back at the same time because city life kind of exhausts you. So it is nice being here, because it’s not fast paced.” While many students at ARC are quick to bash it for it’s flaws, these students should look at the things that make our campus a better option than other schools to get a greater education after high school.
“
I was interested in seeing what this class had to offer. I also want to expand my knowledge so I can know what everyone else is going through.”
WILLIAMVI
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Photo illustration by Adnan Ramic
September 17, 2014
Opinion
CURRENTEDITORIAL
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DIDN’T VOTE? DOESN’T MATTER
FOLLOWING THE INVALIDATION OF RILEY’S SPRING VICTORY, DISENFRANCHISED VOTERS STILL HAVE NO ANSWERS Following the second Associated Student Body Student Senate special election in one year, Jorge Riley has once again been denied the Student Senate presidency, losing to opponent Tamara Dunning by a margin of one vote. But why did it come to this? Why was Riley’s win in the spring election invalidated? Why did the invalidation happen over the summer? Why did it happen without an explanation to the student body? Furthermore, why were individuals historically at odds with Riley on the committee that looked into campaign violations? As the Current previously reported, Riley’s win was invalidated following a recommendation from former interim president Pam Walker to the Los Rios Chancellor’s Office, after a comBarbara Harvey / barbaraapharvey@gmail.com mittee that included representatives from the Clubs and Events An ASB special election sign encouraging students to vote. Perhaps the committee that invalidated students’ votes Board and the Student Senate thought about telling us why, but just thinking about it doesn’t count. was tasked with investigating sion of the committee, whatever complaints of campaign violaRiley did in the copy room contions. stitutes campaigning. Riley, who served as the StuThe committee that invalidatdent Senate’s director of finance ed Riley included former Student last semester, says he believes Senate president Kenneth Hinthe campaign violations are reton and former Current editorlated to campaigning in the liin-chief Jeff Gonzales, both of brary, which is against campaign whom have a recorded rivalry rules. Riley contends that he was with Riley. merely in the library to utilize In 2013, Riley was arrested selves at political odds in ASB American River College made the copy facilities. on campus for allegedly being meetings. Furthermore, Hinton national news by being the first “I asked the front desk if I under the influence of alcohol. actively assisted the campaign of publicly funded school in Califorcould print my flyers,” Riley said When the Current ran a story on Riley’s opponent, Tamara Dun- nia to endorse Proposition 8, the in a previous interview with the the arrest, Riley was seen throwning, during the recent special ban on same-sex marriage. Current. “I was getting permising copies of the paper in the election. Later in 2013, Riley’s petition sion. I was only in the library cuttrash--a misdemeanor offense in Why did Hinton and Gonzales to run for ASB president was ting up my little things.” California--which led to a public not recuse themselves from the invalidated, prompting him to Apart from Riley’s claim, we confrontation with then editorcommittee? Hinton’s actions rep- claim in a letter to the editor of don’t know the truth of what in-chief Gonzales. resent a clear conflict of interest. the Current that the school’s adhappened, because the powers Riley’s rivalry with Kenneth Riley’s time at ARC has been ministration was attempting to that be have not seen fit to exHinton is well documented, as controversial. When he began his keep him out of office. plain it to us. they frequently found themASB career as a senator in 2008, When asked recently why he Judging by the apparent deci-
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Let’s be clear: this is not an endorsement. Simply, we are left questioning whether our votes matter following the administration’s quiet display of how easily they can overrule our will.
feels his win was invalidated, Riley reiterated this sentiment. “It could be the fact that I sit around throwing the administration under the bus all the time because of the horrible things they do,” Riley said. We, as students, do not get to choose faculty. We didn’t have a say in the appointment of Thomas Greene, the new president of American River College. The ASB Student Senate is where students, by voting, get to choose who represents their interests. Last spring, for better or worse, the less than one percent of students who voted chose Riley. Let’s be clear: this is not an endorsement. Simply, we are left questioning whether our votes matter following the administration’s quiet display of how easily they can overrule our will, without even giving us the decency of a real explanation or the transparency befitting what is supposed to be a fair and democratic process. Why was this committee not held to a standard of transparency? Four separate committee members refused requests for comment from the Current. The members of the committee refused to even comment on the nature of the alleged campaign violation. Even Riley feels that he was not given answers. “I just got kicked and slapped and was given no real reason except that they didn’t like the outcome of the election,” said Riley. “I won by a 25 percent margin. The administration wants a vote on the student government, and then they wonder why students don’t vote. If it’s not going to count, why should they?”
Head to Head: Are e-cigarettes less dangerous to non-smokers? By John Ferrannini
By Cameron Weaver
jferr1995@gmail.com
cameron.weaver.arc@gmail.com
The use of electronic cigarettes has been growing exponentially in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, use of ecigarettes among middle and high school students more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. This increase has raised questions over whether e-cigarettes should be treated similar to or differently from tobacco cigarettes. While my opponent is correct in saying that there is no conclusive evidence as to whether or not e-cigarettes harm bystanders, it must be taken into account that this is because e-cigarette technology is new to widespread use. After all, there was a time before it was proven that tobacco cigarettes causes lung cancer and that second-hand smoke was harmful to others. E-cigarette vapor does contain chemicals known to be harmful to health. According to Forbes, E-cigarette fluid tested in the United Kingdom was found to contain diacetyl, which can cause a condition called popcorn lung. Popcorn lung scars the lung and can sometimes warrant a lung transfusion. According to Dr. Stanton Glantz of the University of California, San Francisco, several carcinogens, or cancer-causing chemicals, have been found in e-cigarette vapor.
Because of these health risks, the World Health Organization is recommending that e-cigarettes be banned in public places and not be allowed to be sold to minors. E-cigarettes may be a useful tool to help tobacco cigarette smokers quit, and current evidence suggests they are not as harmful as a tobacco cigarette. Saying that individuals should be exposed against their will to vapors that definitely contain harmful chemicals, though, is just discourteous and may one day turn out to be dangerous. Dana Reeve, the wife of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer at the age of 44 despite never being a smoker. She did, however, often perform in smoke filled bars and restaurants. The science of the harm of second-hand smoke was not as developed as it is now. Let us not ignore the lessons of the past when it comes to their electronic cousin.
The debilitating effects cigarettes have on an individual are no secret. 440,000 smoking-related deaths occur in the United States annually, and $92 billion is lost from productivity related to complications from smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Electronic cigarettes, first experimented with in the 1960s, gained worldwide prominence in 2003 after Chinese inventor Hon Lik, 52, created the first working e-cigarette prototypes, according to an analysis done by the Los Angeles Times’ Barbara Demick in 2009. The technology has come a long way since then, with several alternatives to traditional tobacco smoking. Public understanding of the devices, however, is stymied by a lack of factual data being readily presented. Despite common misconception, there is no scientific evidence that supports second-hand “vaping” can cause damage to others. Nicotine juice-the combustible element heated by an e-cigarette battery--typically either vegetable glycerin or propylene glycol. The Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) found that both propylene glycerol or vegetable glycerin are of “low toxicity when ingested, inhaled, or in contact with the skin.” In a 2008 report, Dr. Murray Laugeson of Health New Zealand concluded “Inhaled nicotine in cigarette smoke is over 98% absorbed, and so the exhaled
mist of the e-cigarette is composed of propylene glycol, and probably contains almost no nicotine.” When lit, there are approximately 600 ingredients in a traditional cigarette which combine to create over 7,000 chemicals-tobacco, tar, arsenic, among others, that are the direct cause of lung complications and cancer, according to the American Lung Association. No such chemicals are present in nicotine juice, therefore e-cig users avoid the health pitfalls of regular cigarettes. While studies are being conducted on the health implications of electronic cigarettes, the jury is out on their effectiveness as an alternative. Regulating e-cigarettes the same as fossil-fuel burning sticks is taking a step backwards on our knowledge of cigarettes. Not only are e-cigarette users improving their lives, but also the lives of others. Now that’s a beat we can all smoke to.
American River College wide receiver Jjuan Muldrow avoids a tackle and completes a first down during ARC’s first home game of the season against Modesto Junior College Sept. 6.
ARC FALL SPORTS
Photos by Barbara Harvey / barbaraapharvey@gmail.com and Emily K. Rabasto / rabastoe@gmail.com
The fall sports season is underway at American River College. See a schedule of upcoming home games below. Games are free to attend for currently enrolled students. Men’s Water Polo: Women’s Water Polo: Men’s Soccer: Women’s Soccer: Football: Volleyball: Red shirt sophomore Colton Merriman, 19, draws a play for junior ARC fan Jorden on the face of a game ball in an attempt to score a touchdown on the opposing team during a playful scrimmage at halftime on Sept. 6.
Makayla Ruvalcaba clears the ball in a game against West Valley College on Sept. 2. During the ARC women’s soccer home opener, a red card was issued when an ARC player threw a punch after running into a player from WV.
Wed, Sept. 17 vs. Diablo Valley College @ 5 p.m. Wed, Sept. 17 vs. Diablo Valley College @ 3:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 19 vs. De Anza College @ 4 p.m. Tues, Sept. 23 vs. San Joaquin Delta @ 3:30 p.m. Sat, Sept. 27 vs. CC San Francisco @ 6 p.m. Sat, Sept. 27 vs. Butte/Yuba @ TBA
For a gallery of more photos from recent fall sports games at ARC, go to arcurrent.com.
Goalkeeper Avery Dotterer prepares to deflect the ball as her teammate Zoe Kratzer sacrifices her body for the sport and blocks the attempted goal with her face in a game against Golden West College on Sept. 11.