CURRENT The American River
Vol. 67, Ed. 12
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KANEKO:
STUDENT WORK WAS PUT ON DISPLAY AT THE LATEST SHOW PAGE 10 @ARCurrent
Former student missing
On asylum from
PAROLEE WAS LAST SEEN ON APRIL 14
Kenya
By Robert Hansen w1090476@apps.losrios.edu
Story by Jordan Schauberger Photo courtesy of Edna Simbi
Edna Simbi stands with her friend Juan Pablo Celis Garcia at the United Nations. Simbi, a former ARC student, came to the U.S. on asylum in 2010.
FORMER ARC STUDENT ESCAPED WIFE INHERITANCE AND FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION ON HER JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES
May 4, 2016
I
n 2007, Edna Simbi was running for her life. Now, almost nine years later, the former American River College student remembers the journey that took her from escaping cultural practices in Kenya, such as wife inheritance and female genital mutilation, to working in the office of the attorney general of the United Nations. Before coming to the U.S. on asylum in 2010, Simbi spent several years on the run from what she described as the marginalization of women in the developing world. She grew up in Kenya but had to flee her community because of the practice of wife inheritance.
“It’s a cultural practice and that’s been a huge part of my life,” she said. “I lost several of my sisters to HIV AIDS.” Wife inheritance, also known as widow or bride inheritance, is a cultural practice whereby a widow is required to marry a male relative of her late husband, often his brother. This has often times been linked to an increased spread of HIV and, according to the National AIDS Control of Kenya, over 1.6 million people in Kenya were living with HIV in 2014. She left one harmful cultural practice only to find a community that was practicing another one ‒ female genital mutilation. After fleeing both communi-
Rushing to the NFL
ties, she made her way to Uganda and lived there for three and a half years as a refugee before she was found by the same people she was running from. They kidnapped her daughter and took her back to Kenya. “My daughter was one (year old, when she was kidnapped),” she said. “It’s not something I like talking publicly about since I’m yet to come to terms with what happened that night.” Although she did not want to go into the exact details, Simbi said that the obstacles she faced while trying to find her daughter were extensive. The police wouldn’t help her and thought
SIMBI | PAGE 8
A former American River College student and father of one has been missing since the morning of April 14 and was last seen in the Citrus Heights area, according to his sister. Jacob Linton, 31, showed interest in going to see Los Angeles band Sister Crayon at Harlow’s on April 14, the same day he went missing. According to ARC’s public information officer Scott Crow, Linton attended the college from fall 2001 to fall 2007 and had no declared major. Linton, out of work since January, has been living in Citrus Heights with his older sister Lesa Linton for about one month. He was supposed to check into probation for a DUI the day he went missing. “I woke him up (and) I told him to get dressed,” Lesa said. “He needed to go downtown and take care of his stuff and I left.” Linton was told by his sister’s boyfriend that if he checked into probation and didn’t drink that he was welcome to stay there. Linton never came home. “He left here with just pants and a t-shirt on his back and his shoes, and his wallet and his phone and that was about it,” Lesa said. A missing persons report was filed with the Citrus Heights Police Department by Lesa on April 17. “Some sort of notification (was sent) to neighboring agencies,”
MISSING | PAGE 2
FORMER ARC ATHLETE WAS DRAFTED BY THE SUPER BOWL CHAMPS By Mack Ervin III w1562393@apps.losrios.edu Former American River College running back Devontae Booker was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 136th overall pick in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Booker, recruited out of Grant Union High School in Sacramento, played his first two seasons at ARC and racked up 1,472 yards and 15 touchdowns in his last season. He won community college All-American honors before transferring to the University of Utah. Booker sat out a year after an incident involving an allegedly
forged transcript at ARC, but returned to the Utes in 2014. He had a total of 2,773 yards and 21 touchdowns over two seasons before a torn meniscus cut short his senior season. ARC football head coach Jon Osterhout said that Booker was an “unbelievable” player. “He was the most complete back I had ever been around in terms of the variety of combinations you look for in a superstar running back,” Osterhout said. “Tremendous speed, love and passion for the game of football, high football IQ, vision, change of direction, and the ability to put the ball in the endzone.” Osterhout said that Booker played a number of different
roles on the team and is a “ tremendous all around athlete” who has the potential to be a threat in multiple positions. “He can throw the ball 70 yards, he can catch and is a dynamic kickoff returner as well. He was on kickoff coverage and return and scored a couple touchdowns for us on kickoff returns,” Osterhout said. Booker, still rehabbing from the knee injury that shortened his season, hosted a pro day workout on April 12 at Grant Union High for NFL scouts since he was unable to do many workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. Eighteen NFL representatives, including running backs coaches
BOOKER | PAGE 4
File photo
Booker was drafted in the fourth round of the draft. He recorded 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season at the University of Utah.
May 4, 2016
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News
ASB elections see low turnout ONLY 176 STUDENTS VOTED AFTER $15,000 WAS SPENT ON ‘ROCK THE VOTE’ EVENT By Robert Hansen w1090476@apps.losrios.edu The $15,000 spent on Rock the Vote yielded 176 votes from nearly 30,000 students in the American River College Associated Student Body elections, according to the Center for Leadership and Development (CL&D) unofficial results. That voter turnout comes to an average cost of around $85 per vote. All candidates ran unopposed and were unofficially voted into office. Rock the Vote is an advocacy event to raise voter awareness and encourage them to participate in the school’s election by giving away food to students for those who participated in a survey. On March 10, Rock the Vote was passed by the ARC Student Senate by unanimous vote. The bill was authored by Director of Communications Tami Dunning. Roughly 1,400 students received free food from Senate because of Rock the Vote, which Director of Finance Jeremy Diefenbacher said was a success. “At least we fed students,” Diefenbacher said. “We were able to use the student rep fund to give directly back to the students. “It’s not our fault they didn’t vote,” Diefenbacher continued. Kevin Phan, Director of Finance-elect, thought more should have been done to increase student awareness with the money. “It was my belief that the funds
american river
current Editor-in-Chief Jordan Schauberger Managing Editor Matthew Nober t News Editor Matthew Peirson Opinion Editors Timothy Lipuma
Photo by Sharriyona Platt / Staff
CAEB President Justin Nicholson answers a question during the candidate forum on April 5. A total of 176 students voted in the elections. Nicholson and every other candidate ran unopposed and was elected to their position.
for Rock the Vote would have been used for an effective and engaging event that would have gotten more students to vote,” Phan said in an email. “To my disappointment however, it turned out not to be the case.” Senator-elect Laurie Jones also spoke about how unsuccesful Rock the Vote was in getting students to vote. “$15,000 was allocated,” Jones said. “In any event, we provided free food and swag for students, apparently some of whom out waited the survey to get the free food.” “I think it is a typically miserable voter turnout,” Jones said in
By the numbers $15,000 spent on “Rock the Vote” advocacy event
176 students voted in the ASB elections
$85.23 spent per student
an email. “Taking into account that no candidate was running opposed, so probably not much motivation to vote was generated.” Senate President David Hylton initially thought to block the bill. “If I could go back, I would have
vetoed it,” Hylton said. “Nobody said should we put any of the money towards advertising, or anything. I’m not at all surprised by the turnout.” The unofficial winners for Senate’s executive positions were Valencia Scott for Student Senate president, Alejandra Hilbert for Student Senate vice president, and Kevin Phan for Student Senate director of finance. The elected senators are Julian Lopez, Roberto Garner and Laurie Jones. Both Justin Nicholson and Mary Stedman are returning as CAEB president and vice president, respectively.
Missing: Linton had problems with alcohol CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Lesa said. Linton’s ex-girlfriend Claire Lopez moved to Hawaii with their two-year-old daughter, Arabella, last month because of a job offer. Lopez let Linton stay at her place the last “couple weeks” before she moved. “I wanted him to spend some time with Arabella,” Lopez said. Linton, who his sister said struggled with alcohol addiction, was missing once before, for “about a week,” after he was told to move out of his grandmother’s house in January according to Lesa. “We asked him to leave my grandmother’s house because he was drinking very heavily,” Lesa said. Ryan Houser, Linton’s friend, “has no idea” where he might be, but suggested his friend may have decided to leave
town. “I personally think he just got on a bus and kind (of) just went somewhere,” Houser said. “I think he just had a break down.” Friends and family have reached out to the community for help. Rachel Delgado, a friend of Linton’s, posted April 24 on Facebook that the “past 11 days have been a nightmare” and urged everyone to “help in any way” they can. Lesa said she is not going to give up looking for her brother. “I’ll pick you up wherever you are or just come back, if you want,” she said, directed at Linton. “I’m worried about you and it’s not fair for you to disappear on me like this.” Lesa urges anyone who has information on her brother’s whereabouts to contact her at 916-765-3325 or contact the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department.
ASBNOTEBOOK
By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com The American River College Student Senate passed a bill for $13,000 to purchase ten laptops for Associated Student Body members at its meeting on April 12, while the Club and Events Board discussed its end-of-theyear celebration at their April 19 meeting. The laptops, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 model, are supposed to help continue the flow of information from current to future
ASB members, which has always been a challenge according to Director of Finance Jeremy Diefenbacher. Diefenbacher reaffirmed his insistence on passing the bill immediately. “We need to make a decision,” Diefenbacher said. “Because it’s pretty much get computers now, for the next year, or not.” The bill had been postponed at previous meeting from lack of information regarding the software included. “We’re not entirely sure what the bundle of Microsoft software
Screencapture from Lesa Linton’s Facebook page
Linton attended ARC from fall 2001 to fall 2007.
STUDENT SENATE SPENDS $13,000 ON LAPT0PS FOR BOARD MEMBERS would contain,” CAEB President Justin Nicholson said. “We should not go and throw $13,000 at it until we know exactly the product that we’re getting.” Another topic discussed was the idea of an end-of-year celebration for all the clubs on campus. Nicholson said that the celebration was to commemorate the work the clubs have done, and that they will be working with Student Senate. “This is a tandem event between us and Student Senate so we really want to work together
and collaborate, but I want to know what the clubs think since it is just as important to them as it is to us,” Nicholson said. The schedule for the finals giveaway was decided by Senate at Thursday’s meeting after 15 minutes of discussion. One of the ways Senate helps students is by giving away supplies for finals. Members of Senate started handing out scantrons and bluebooks for finals Monday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. each day and will continue through Thursday.
Sports Editors Kyle Elsasser Mack Er vin III Scene Editors Justina Sharp Arts and Culture Editor Shiavon Chatman Multimedia Editor Joe Padilla Copy Editors Claire Bathor y Hannah Darden Staff Itzin Alpizar Timon Barkley Bailey Carpenter Rober t Hansen Nicole Kesler Allante Morris Sharriyona Platt Adviser Walter Hammer wold Photo Adviser Jill Wagner
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POLICY The Current is produced by the students of College Media Production, J410-413. All opinions are signed and not necessarily endorsed by the Current staff. All letters and articles appearing in the Editorial, Opinion or Forum sections are not necessarily representative of the Current staff or American River College policy. All articles are the property of the Current. Letters must be typed and can be submitted by mail, e-mail or in person at the following addresses: The American River Current 4700 College Oak Drive Liberal Arts, Room 120 Sacramento, CA 95841 Phone: 916-484-8304 Fax: 916-484-8668 E-mail: Current@arc.losrios.edu www.ARCurrent.com
News
May 4, 2016
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Los Rios eyes D2L change ARC IN FAVOR OF SWITCH TO CANVAS By Hannah Darden hannah.k.darden@gmail. com
Photo by Timon Barkley / Staff
ARC student Vince Blake (left) hands a water bottle to a homeless man near Loaves and Fishes. Blake said he hopes to get more ARC students involved.
Feeding the homeless ARC STUDENT HANDS OUT FOOD AND WATER TO LOCAL SHELTER – LOAVES AND FISHES
By Robert Hansen
w1090476@apps.losrios. edu An American River College student helped local actor Sosa Hernandez hand out food to the homeless near Loaves & Fishes, a local nonprofit that provides daily meals and shelter to those in need in Sacramento on April 16. Vince Blake, president of the newly formed Film Club, was thankful for the opportunity to be involved with helping the homeless that Hernandez provided him.
Blake, who had been looking for an opportunity to help the homeless since high school, helped Sosa hand out McDonald’s hamburgers and bottled water to the people living in small tent camps up and down Ahern Street just north of downtown. Hernandez has built a rapport with this small community of homeless people in the area after about three months of coming out on “most every” Saturday and passing food out from the back of his Range Rover. Randy Horn had mainly worked as a non-union laborer
and is “trying to get it together” after being homeless for about a year. He usually gets a spot to sleep at a nearby mission and when he can’t, looks for a friend that has a concrete slab where they can pitch their tents. “Thank you so much, God bless you,” Horn said after receiving food. “He’s (Hernandez) such a nice guy.” Byron Burnett has been homeless for about four to five months. He mainly sleeps on the sidewalks of Ahern Street and North B Street. “It’s a blessing these guys are
Posters on bulletin boards around campus have been alerting students to the changes but don’t disclose many details. “There’s so much misinformation out there,” said ARC counselor Judy Mays. “It’s so convoluted, the way it’s happening ... the district stands to lose so many students.” These requirements are higher than they were before, which may affect student’s eligibility. If funding is lost after a student is placed on academic probation, there is an appeals process to regain it, which can be found on the financial aid portion of ARC’s website. Starting in fall 2016, all financial aid information will move
from MyARCAid to Eservices. MyARCAid officially closes on Oct. 1, 2016. Feelings toward the changes are mixed among students. Some see it as a welcome push toward academic betterment, while others believe it could be a potential hindrance. “I feel like that’s an okay requirement,” said Nick Hattendorf, an electrical engineering major. “If you’re doing less that that, you’re probably not applying yourself education wise.” Others believe that the requirements will further push down students who are already falling behind. “I think it’s a negative,” said Alissa Allen, a philosophy major.
here,” Burnett said. “This guy must be wealthy or something, he’s giving away hot food. God is good to him.” “I do this with my own time and money,” Hernandez said. “It’s a blessing when they’re happy, to see them smile.” Blake said that volunteering is “contagious” and that he enjoyed the ease of being able to get involved and help out others in the community. “It’s nice to work with people who are already connected,” Blake said. “This is a lot more convenient way for me to get involved.”
Changes coming to BOG in fall By Justina Sharp justinasharparc@gmail.com New academic requirements that include maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher and completion of 50 percent of their coursework will be applied to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors (BOG) waiver this upcoming fall semester. The BOG waiver has provided tuition-free education for more than 5.1 million Californians and is currently received by 1.1 million students in California, according to a March 29 press release from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office.
CORRECTIONS
In Volume 67, Edition 11 of The Current, the following corrections are listed: In edition 11 on page 3, the caption and deck of “Alleged stabbing near ARC” incorrectly named the 99 Cents Only Store as the 99 Cent(s) Store.
In edition 11 on page 8, in the story “Brave space tackles racism in media” at the end of the second paragraph the movie “Crash” is incorrectly quoted.
In edition 11 on page 8, in the story “ARC enters “Immigration Nation” Professor Kristina Casper-Denman had her name misspelled in the second paragraph.
In edition 11 on page 10, the headline for the story “Tempest makes way to ARC” the headline should read “The Tempest makes way to ARC”.
UNDERSTANDING THE BOG 1. Maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher 2. Complete 50 percent of courses 3. Takes 24 hours to distribute “Once you’re in a hole, this just digs you one step deeper.” Ultimately, it’s the student’s responsibility to maintain their aid and make sure they’re meeting all requirements. “It’ll be up to the individual to follow the rules,” said ARC counselor Sigrid Menard.
The Los Rios Community College District is considering leaving D2L behind in favor of a system called Canvas, according to an email from district Deputy Chancellor Sue Lorimer. The change comes about as a result of the LRCCD’s move to shift its learning management system (LMS) away from D2L. The licensing for D2L costs the district $278,000 per year, but through the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI) program, LRCCD could license Canvas for free for “at least several years,” according to Lorimer’s email. Canvas is a LMS currently used by many of the 113 California community colleges, including Foothill College and nearby Sierra College. If the switch is confirmed, Los Rios will begin enrolling students in Canvas in the spring of 2017. The switch will be completed by December 2017, at which point D2L will be discontinued. Part of the switch comes from a push to make online classes more accessible to Los Rios students. Currently, Los Rios online classes are run through D2L, and some students are unhappy with the system. American River College student Courtney Farrow said she finds D2L hard to use for both students and instructors. “D2L’s not as accessible … we have ‘ask my instructor,’ but our professors would rather have us email them directly because it’s so hard to use,” Farrow said. Araceli Santana, a second-year ARC student, said that Canvas is more accessible than D2L. “For people who want online classes, it should be more accessible for them … If I’m going to take an online class, I’d rather have it through Canvas.” Santana said. Farrow also said she’d be glad to see the switch help the school’s budget. “You’re going to get a lot more money for the budget,” Farrow said. “We need that money to put towards other things.” ARC Academic Senate member and nutrition professor Anthony Giusti said that the board came to a consensus of support for the switch to Canvas.
May 4, 2016
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Sports
Beyond the gridiron INSIDE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A JUNIOR COLLEGE COACH ON AND OFF THE FIELD By Matthew Peirson matthewpeirson@gmail.com Coaches in any sport, at all levels, can be seen strolling the sidelines during a game, barking orders and calling plays to their team, trying to motivate players during a stop in the action and always--no matter what--teaching. That coach--while instructing his or her players and communicating strategy with any assistant coaches, is in the last hours of the mentally exhaustive effort that a coach puts into their job not only off the field on game day in reviewing film, running practice, holding team meetings, and that’s only partial areas that have nothing to do with the third down or last-second shot. Even in the off-season for a coach at the community college level, their time is largely spent on building and developing the program in place, maintaining relationships with players on the team, and recruiting and preparing for the next playing season, even six months or more in advance. American River College head football coach Jon Osterhout spoke to some of the details that go into being a coach at the community college level, and balancing out the processes that a coach must go through from running a recreational team and a classroom all wrapped together, while
Photo by Matthew Peirson / News editor
ARC coach Jon Osterhout wraps up his off-season conditioning class on Feb. 23. Osterhout said “being smart” is key to student athlete success.
adding the responsibility that an unheralded level of competition brings to the job. “We look for smart, tough, dependable, competitive individuals -- that also fit the redeeming qualities outside of football,” Osterhout said. “So we’re looking for guys that have a sincere interest in being a student first, an athlete second.” In regard to toughness, Osterhout said the mental aspect is the most important. “The mental challenge that you go through, in regards to your off-season strength and conditioning program, in regards to the summer program, in regards to the 22 practices that we get in
training camp prior to the first game,” Osterhout said. “If we’re trying to help prepare these young men for what they’re going to see at the university level, they need to see that now as freshman and sophomores. They need to see that when they’re 17, 18, 19 years old,” Osterhout said. Osterhout was a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska from 2006 to 2008, which has helped him mold the program at the junior college level as he knows what the players will need to expect when they transfer. Nick Terry came to American River College after going to and playing a few games at Boise
File photo
Devontae Booker ran for over 1,400 yards during his time playing for American River College.
Booker: RB goes to Denver CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 from the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders, were among the 150 people in attendance. Broncos general manager and vice president of football operations John Elway tweeted his thoughts on acquiring Booker, saying he was “One of the highest rated RBs on our board. Physical, versatile & has great ball skills.” Osterhout said Booker’s work ethic and organization compares to another NFL talent he had mentored, Ndamukong Suh. Suh was drafted out of the University of Nebraska by the Detroit Lions in 2010 and currently plays for the Miami Dolphins. “I think Devontae is, like Suh, very selective with regards to what they do in all facets of their life,” Osterhout said. “They have things prioritized so that they can get to the position that they’re in now.” While he may have been selected later in the draft than was initially predicted,
Osterhout said that as long as he performs, draft position shouldn’t matter. “It doesn’t matter where he gets drafted, he’s gonna be successful and at the end of the day, it’s all about making the team,” Osterhout said. “You have to prove your worth every day regardless of where you get selected.” One of Booker’s teammates from ARC, Arizona State University center Nick Kelly, also declared for the draft, but was not selected. Kelly played for the Beavers in 2012, before graduating and transferring to Arizona State. There, he started 26 consecutive games for the Sun Devils from 2014-15, was named a Two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team member, and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for backto-back 1,000-yard rushers. As of press time, Booker had not responded to a Facebook message from the Current.
State straight out of high school. “In high school, I chose where to go because of the coaching staff, and that’s not what you’re supposed to do,” Terry said. “I learned that the hard way.” Terry kept in contact with Osterhout, who he had known since high school and arrived during spring 2015. “I only had one semester to prove myself, so it was a gamble,” Terry said. Terry, along with 2015 teammate Chigozie Nnoruka, are both transferring to UCLA for the 2016 playing season. Nnoruka ended up at ARC after transcripts from his school years in Nigeria did not transfer over to the university level in the U.S. He also said he didn’t at first understand how the recruitment process worked and only played football during his senior year in high school. “Now you go to camps and stuff like that (for recruiting), and by senior year it was kind of too late,” Nnoruka said. Nnoruka and Terry both said that they felt ARC in particular ran like a Division I program. Osterhout defines success in his program in a way that’s easy to understand. “Player development. Student athlete development. It’s as simple as that,” Osterhout said. “This is a commitment over time. This is year-round commitment.”
Photos by Kyle Elsasser / Sports co-editor
The new soccer stadium will be completed in the fall and will seat up to 1,000 spectators.
For details and an update on ARC’s soccer stadium construction, go to ARCurrent.com
Sports
May 4, 2016
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SPORTSUPDATES MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Individual winners from the Big 8 championships include Richard Finical in the 400m, Steven Hill in the 800m, Conor Wells in the 1500m, Donald Plazola in the 5000m and 10000m, Treshawn Woods in the 400m hurdles, Casey Aguirre in the 300m steeplechase, and Austin Collier in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. The team won the meet with a score of 297 points.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Individual winners from the Big 8 championships include Tatiana Bell in the 100m and 200m, Micayla Rennick in the 800m, Jenica Dodge in the 5000m, Andrea Stark in the 100m hurdles, and Lauren Cariaso in the long jump. The team won the meet with a score of 201 points.
MEN’S GOLF
The Beavers finished in third place at their tenth and final Big 8 conference tournament of the year with a total of 425 strokes, 46 off of the winners Folsom Lake College. The NorCal championships starts on May 9.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Photo by Kyle Elsasser / Sports co-editor
ARC catcher Joaquin Sequeira swings at a pitch during a game against Sacramento City College on April 21. ARC lost by a final score of 7-3.
ARC’s women’s tennis teams finished winless on the season with a 0-7 record. The team picked up three individual wins on the season, two from Addie Ramos and one from Nosheen Khan. The doubles team of Addie Ramos and Kianna Brown qualified for the Ojai Individual Tournaments, but did not participate.
SEASON REVIEWS AT ARCURRENT.COM
ARC SOFTBALL ONTO PLAYOFF REGIONALS BASEBALL TEAM ENDS SEASON AT 15-21 By Mack Ervin III
By Matthew Nobert
American River College’s softball team beat Modesto Junior College last Tuesday 13-2 in six innings to finish their season 24-16, and earn themselves a berth to the Northern playoff regionals.
American River College’s baseball team did not have the season it was hoping for starting off this season with hopes of making it to playoffs, but ended up having a sub .500 season and finishing with a 15-21 overall record.
ARC wins NorCal title
MEN’S TENNIS FINISHES UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE
By Mack Ervin III w1562393@apps.losrios.edu American River College’s men’s tennis team closed out its season with a 17-4 record, including a flawless 10-0 in conference and bringing home the Big 8 Conference championship and the NorCal Championship. The Beavers only dropped a total of eight matches throughout the Big 8, earning them the No. 1 seed for the NorCal tournament. Their only losses this season were to teams from southern California, including NCAA Division I school Fresno State. After winning the NorCal Championship, the team traveled to Ojai to take on Irvine Valley College in the State Championship, but fell to the Lasers 5-1. ARC qualified four singles players and three doubles teams for the Ojai Individual Championship, with sophomore Alex Meliuk earning the No. 1 seed outright. Meliuk, Seppi Capaul, and Cody Duong made it to the round of 32, while Dylan King lost in the round of 64. The doubles team of Meliuk and Duong made it to the semifinals before losing to Sam Cohen and Javier Callejo of Irvine Valley College. Coach Bo Jabery-Madison said that he was proud of the group and their accomplishments and how far they came over the course of the year. “Results are definitely not everything or our first priority, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t fun to do something like this,” Jabery-Madison said. “I love these kids. They’re wonderful guys, and to do something like that with this group is just a really cool feeling.”
From Belarus to the Beavers TENNIS PLAYER COMES OVERSEAS TO PLAY FOR ARC
ON THE WEB For a profile on Belarusian tennis player Alex Meliuk, go to ARCurrent.com
Photo by Mack Ervin III / Sports co-editor
ARC coach Bo Jabery-Madison hugs Seppi Capaul after his match on April 16. Capaul won his match to make ARC NorCal champs.
“Our season is a success no matter what,” Jabery-Madison said. “We’ve worked hard and had a lot of positive outcomes, but more importantly we’ve improved a lot and I think that’s the goal.” Justin Barton said that it was great to see all of the team’s hard work paying off with the season that they’ve had. “It feels amazing,” Barton said. “We put in a lot of hard work and prepared really well and I thought we came out here and put it all on the line and really fought.” Jabery-Madison said after the NorCal title win that it is too early to judge what next year’s team may look like. “Every year is so different,” Jabery-Madison said. “Some years we had the talent, but not the health or some teams have overachieved and you’re happy with what you got rather than what you could’ve done.”
May 4, 2016
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Feature
A group of organic chemistry students perform their extractions of aromatic compounds from spices and tea in professor Edmund Niedzinski’s organic chemistry (CHEM 420) class.
Organic
chemis-tea Story and photos by Timothy Lipuma | timlipumacurrent@gmail.com
In the mind of popular culture, chemistry is about toxic spills, television drug dramas and pollution. It’s not exactly the best reputation for a science to have, so it might be surprising to learn that organic chemistry students spend their lab time with tea and aromatic spices. The process actually isn’t all that complicated. Cloves or cinnamon are ground up and boiled in a distillation setup, and the collected distillate has unpurified essential oils. The other part of the lab had students boiling simple black tea. The goal is the most consumed drug in the world: caffeine. The students then focus on purifying their products, collectively known as aromatic compounds. They are named as such for their characteristic chemical properties, but colloquially for their often pleasant odors. Needless to say, it’s not exactly the “foaming at the mouth” kind of chemistry. Cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon is used as food flavoring agent or natural insecticide, and eugenol from cloves can be combined with zinc oxide to form a temporary dental filling. Caffeine is an essential part of any last minute study session kit. Taylor Tufto, a premed student planning to become an anesthesiologist, says she “enjoys the variety and relevance of organic chemistry compared to general chemistry. ”
Organic chemistry is study of carbon containing molecules, with students learning about their reactivity, structure and how to make them. Luke Soberanis, a chemistry major, said that he appreciates learning about how “carbon makes life.” Carbon is in the food you eat and the clothes you wear. Carbon is in your DNA. Organic chemistry also has something Purified caffeine crystals sit on a watchglass after being distilled from black tea. of a reputation for being a difficult class. First, students need to complete the general chemistry series, CHEM 400 and 401, before taking organic chemistry. Once students are in organic chemistry they have numerous supplemental books available to them, and multiple tutorial videos to watch online. It might give students the idea that they can’t ever do enough to prepare for the class. Nevertheless, Tufto wasn’t the only student who felt like organic chemistry is doable. Niloofar Radgoudarzi, who is also a premed student, said that “organic chemistry requires a very different kind of thinking, it’s more than just using a formula … it helps that Ed is a great teacher.” If students can conquer their fears about the reputation preceding it, organic chemistry opens up a unique way of appreciating the carbon chemistry all around us, even in A distillation apparatus heats up cinnamon and water to extract cinnemaldehyde. a cup of tea.
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Meets: Tuesdays from 10:30-12:00, In the Boardroom
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IT’S YOUR CHOICE. USE YOUR VOICE!
May 4, 2016
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Workshop to bring creativity to ARC SUMMERWORDS IS BACK FOR FIFTH TIME By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com From May 26 through May 29, the American River College creative writing department will be hosting its fifth SummerWords at ARC, a community-based creative writing event featuring workshops, panel discussions and readings with award-winning, local and emerging writers. This year’s rendition of the event will feature a keynote speech from Luis Alberto Urrea, an award-winning and best-selling author from Mexico. Previous keynote speeches have been given by renowned poet Carolyn Forche and poet laureate Philip Levine. ARC creative writing professor Michael Spurgeon described Urrea as a “big personality” who students will “really enjoy.” Spurgeon, who was one of the founders of SummerWords, said the event was created to “showcase” ARC’s “exceptional” creative writing program. “We saw it as a way to bring more attention to the program and the campus, as well as a way to serve the broader Sacramento community,” Spurgeon said. Spurgeon said that SummerWords is a “unique” opportunity for students to have exposure to world-class writers. Jessica Armstrong, an ARC English major and two-time SummerWords attendee, credited the workshop with sparking her interest in becoming a writer. “The first time I went … I didn’t really feel like I was a writer and didn’t think I was going to have a place there, but I found myself really loving it,” Armstrong said. “I loved it so much that I’m practically addicted and I’ll probably go forever.” Allison McAdoo, also an English major, said that event was “like nothing else in the world.” “It’s just this big community of writers, editors and people who are interested in the written and the spoken word that all come together for just talking about what we love,” McAdoo said. Matthew Bowie, another ARC English student who’s attended SummerWords, said that at first he was “a little shaky” about what he would experience, but was “blown away” when he actually went. “One of the big things that I noticed was the sense of camaraderie,” Bowie said. “You’ve got writers that are attending, you’ve got published authors who are attending, you’ve got people who’ve never written anything ever, but everybody treats you like you’re the same.” Spurgeon highlighted the affordability of the workshop compared to other similar events. “It’s really important to us that we offer an affordable conference,” Spurgeon said. “Something equivalent to this could cost anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 and we charge $95 to attend.”
Photo courtesy of Edna Simbi
Simbi enjoying a snow day with her family. While Simbi studies at Columbia in New York, her family stays home in Sacramento.
Simbi: Former student interns at the UN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 she was behaving like a “white woman” by refusing to fulfill the cultural requirements of wife inheritance and FGM which they thought made her a woman The journey of getting her daughter back is what moved her to seek asylum and eventually led her to Sacramento. It’s also one of the main reasons why she’s focused now on eventually going back and “changing the statistics” in her country and Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. “Getting asylum is a hard process that not everyone can go through,” she said. “Systemic change is necessary because not everyone can flee.” She started attending classes at ARC in the spring of 2012 and after taking 23 units a semester for one and a half a years, she graduated in May 2013 with four associate degrees and an honors certificate. Although she was only at ARC for a short period of time, she described the college as an “integral part” of her journey. “I really owe a lot to this college. I don’t think I’d have life in the academia if it wasn’t for ARC,” she said. “This has been really amazing and I’ve met some great people here and made some good friends.” Her time at ARC inspired her to pursue a career with the United Nations and she credits ARC political science professor Kathleen Collihan as “one of the big reasons” she got involved with the UN. “She changed my life, literally, really I can never say enough things about that woman. The reason I am who I am today is mostly because of her,” Simbi said. “I’ve gotten by in life by standing on the shoulders of giants and she is the first person who lifted me up through everything.” Collihan described her relationship with Simbi as “multifaceted” and said that she was always discussing “big picture” ideas.
Photo courtesy of Edna Simbi
Simbi takes a selfie with her kids. Her daughter was four when they left Kenya, while her son was born after they came to the United States.
“The first time she reached out it was an email about how to join the UN and if I knew anyone in the UN,” Collihan said. “I had to tell her, ‘why don’t we start with the (model UN) club first.’ “She’s very driven and focused. She’s the reason she is who she is today,” she continued. Carlos Reyes, ARC’s dean of behavioral and social sciences, is another faculty member who Simbi credits as being an influencer during her time at the college. Reyes, however, said that he thinks Simbi’s drive would have taken her wherever she wanted, with or without the support. “I credit Edna with her own success,” Reyes said. “What she’s been able to achieve through her own ability is astounding.” After leaving ARC, Simbi got accepted into several schools but chose Columbia because she wanted to work for the UN. Columbia’s campus is only 5 miles from the UN headquarters in New York City. At Columbia, Simbi is working on a joint program to get both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees simultaneously. Kimuli Kunihira Kasara, who
is a political science professor at Columbia and was Simbi’s honors thesis adviser, described Simbi as “one of the most exceptional” students she’s worked with. “Edna is a person who always gets things done and I don’t know how. She has two kids, goes to school and interns for Goldman Sachs and the UN. I’m not sure how she manages to find time,” Kasara said. “She’s very smart, determined and ready for big challenges.” Simbi said that working for the UN was the most direct approach she saw for making sure that the change she wanted to see in the world happened. “Women are still very much marginalized … that’s I why work closely with UN women,” she said. “My goal is to bring to the world women empowerment from an African perspective, from a developing world because that’s where I think we’re most marginalized and that’s where we need it the most.” Now that her children are experiencing a much different upbringing than her own, Simbi said that she feels that there’s a
paradox in the way she wants to raise them. She admires the sense of ideals inherent in Kenya like watching out for your brothers and sisters but rejects the harmful cultural traditions. “I recognize that it’s not everything about our cultural practices that are bad,” she continued. “We can get rid of the harmful practices like female genital mutilation and do alternative initiation rights because initiation is an important ceremony in the African community.” Simibi believes that initiation to womanhood and initiation to manhood is really important to have, but it should still be possible to remove the harmful aspects of it without necessarily sacrificing what they stand for. “There’s a fine line between this too. The community carries a lot of these cultural rights. So, how do you teach a child about community, yet they’re the same people who harm as well as do good. It’s a tricky place to be in but it’s one that has to be talked about.” Despite having to flee, Simbi still recognizes the positive aspects of Kenya and hopes to one day return and help move the country in the right direction. “Kenya is a wonderful place, a wonderful place, but also very retrogressive in terms of culture,” she said. Simbi admitted that, despite her hard work, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without her faith. “It’s really by the grace of God that I’m here today. I’ve seen a lot of my sisters die ‒ by lack of opportunity, by HIV, by poverty ‒ and I didn’t,” she said. “I’m here today. I’m able to make a change and go back and influence lives, so I’m blessed.” Over half a decade since she left Kenya, Simbi still feels overwhelmed with how far she’s come in life. “I’m still surprised I can open a tap and running water comes out.”
May 4, 2016
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Earth Day is two days at ARC By Sharriyona Platt sharriyonaplatt@gmail.com
Photo by Mack Ervin III / Sports co-editor
Steve Running, who earned his doctorate in forest ecophysiology, answers questions following a lecture on the effects on climate change on April 21.
Climate change and why it matters MEMBER OF A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNING PANEL SPEAKS ON THE FUTURE OF ENERGY By Jordan Schauberger jschauberger94@gmail.com “If we wreck the Earth we can’t simply off load to Mars. It will not work. So, we have to save this planet,” said Steve Running, who was a board member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore in 2007. In front of a packed lecture hall, Running spoke to the American River College community on the effects of climate change and the growing opportunities in the energy field as a part of the college’s two-day celebration of Earth Day. In regards to climate change, Running talked about the damage coal is having on the environment and how the world as a whole needs to make a switch to energy sources like electricity and natural gas. Although there has been a push for natural gases to replace fossil fuels, Running said that waste caused by flaring at natural gas processing plants is proving detrimental to the switch, unnecessarily wasting $100 million a month. “These are our natural resources that they’re just blowing out into the sky because they’re too lazy and in too big of a hurry to collect and sell it,” Running said. “As a basic citizen that just
Photo by Jordan Schauberger / Editor-in-chief
ARC student James Puppolo (right) sits in a packed Raef Hall to listen to a lecture from Steve Running on the effects of climate change.
pisses me off. Why do we let them get away with this?” A big focus of Running’s presentation was his vision of job opportunities in the future. He said that this topic is what seemed to interest students the most, so he decided to open all his talks with the question “what should I major in?”. Near the end of his talk, Running said that he thinks the ultimate job prospect is probably in electrical engineering. “I’m just talking about electricity for everything and I’ve seen that the currency of the future more and more is going to be electricity,” Running said. “They’ll use it everywhere and not even in ways we use it now, so if you’re in (electrical engi-
L
CAMPUS PU SE “School is kind of like a job so you have to do good at your job to get paid. So I think it’s like the same feel.”
-ALBERTCAMPOS Computer Science
neering), you’ve got it made as long as you pass your final.” American River College chemistry professor Linda Zarzana, who was responsible for getting Running to speak at ARC, said that her one hope for the lecture was that students had a new idea of what careers were available for them in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field. “The best part was when he talked about where you go with your major,” Zarzana said. “Where can you go to make our world a better world for everyone?” Running agreed with Zarzana and said he hopes students took away that there are a plethora of new job opportunities bubbling
up. “(There are) things that didn’t even exist before that are going to take humanity to the next century, so if you can major in the right thing, get the right education and work to the right area there’s just tremendous new opportunity,” Running said. Running and Zarzana had a unique relationship before Running even agreed to come to ARC, because Running’s daughter and Zarzana’s son are married. Running even said that it was “family inside job” and that he’d spent the previous night at Zarzana’s house. ARC student James Puppolo said that it was cool to hear a lot of the stuff he’s learned in school reiterated by someone who’s had success in a STEM job. “(My biggest takeaway) was probably at the end when he was talking about how we can’t go to another planet,” Puppolo said. “I liked more of the focus on electric cars and why not buying one today instead of waiting until is even more of an issue.” Running concluded his presentation with a picture of Earth from 1 billion kilometers away and said that in order to have a better future there has to action happening right now. “We would just be fools to not do (change) and it’s your generation that has to make it happen because mine is too old and tired and likes to drive their SUVs too much,” Running said.
What do you think of the Bog Waiver changes? “It’s pretty much fair because there are people who probably carry lower GPAs ... they still get to come here and take the free classes as do students who really strive and try to do their best to keep their grades up.”
-TOYIAANDERSON Business
American River College celebrated Earth Day with a two day celebration from April 19 through April 20 with visits from environmental groups and organizations, artwork displays by students, vendors and a live band. The event was put on by the Center for Leadership and Development, with student personnel assistant Frankie Johnson as the coordinator. “The Earth Day planning committee worked really hard to put this event together,” Johnson said. “The first day was only ARC involvement, and today outside community members joined us in the celebration.” Various organizations took part in the event, including California Sunlight, which was advertising and selling its Solar Balloon Cooker. Representative Rick Noss said, “(The Solar Balloon Cooker) was released one year ago during earth week and we were selling them here at last year’s celebration,” Noss said. “It uses only clean and sustainable energy from the sun.” “You can use them to boil water in 15 minutes, make hot dogs, bacon, soups and stews. … I’m making biscuits right now,” he added. Other groups involved included Atlas Disposal, 350 Sacramento, ARC Department of Natural Resources, Cosumnes River Preserve, Sac State Sustainability, Sacramento Area Creeks Council, Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen, SMUD, Electric Stand-up Cycles and Sacramento Taking Action Against Nicotine Dependence (STAND). There was an art display that ARC students made as part of a competition by the art department for the new UpCycled trash bins, which will be placed around campus as part of “Sustainability at ARC.” “All the old trash bins will be replaced with the new UpCycled ones,” Earth Day planning committee member Cecilia Baldwin said. Members of the art club and other students participated in the competition, and art club member Frankie Vanity took first place. There was also a “tree of purpose” on display where students could write their UpCycle ideas and hang them on the tree. The event also included several vendors selling items and a live performance by the band Descargo Tropical.
“It has it’s pros and cons but at the same time some people shouldn’t get free tuition.”
“It’s a 2.0 or higher, right? That’s really easy to get … I think it’s a good idea.”
-KHOREMIXON Photography
-MARKKISELEV Business
May 4, 2016
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Arts & Culture
For more ARC arts and culture, go to ARCurrent.com
Photo by Robert Hansen / Staff
Rodney Reibel performed the role of Prospero in the Shakespearean play “The Tempest” directed by Tracy Shearer at the ARC Theatre from April 22 to May 1, 2016.
ARC’S ‘THE TEMPEST’ CONCLUDED MAY 1 By Nicole Kesler
American River College’s production of “The Tempest” ended its run on May 1, bringing native traditions to the Shakespearean plot.
MUSIC PROFESSOR REMEMBERS PRINCE By Jordan Schauberger
When he heard the news that iconic musician Prince had died, American River College music professor Dyne Eifertsen could only think of the impact that the ‘Purple Rain’ artist had had on his career as a musician.
FASHION DEPT. TO HOST “EVOKE” SHOW By Sharriyona Platt
American River College is hosting their 15th annual fashion show “Evoke,” where 16 designers will come together to showcase their collections. There will be three shows held in the black box theater at 11 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on May 6.
ARC FASHION STUDENT REACHES NATIONAL SUCCESS By Sharriyona Platt
By the age of 26, American River College fashion student Saul Latvanen has had his designs featured in Sacramento Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and two American River College fashion shows.
COMING SOON
ARC’s auditions for “Cabaret” will be held from May 22 through May 24 at the ARC theater department. For information about the summer productions of “Little Me” and “Beauty and the Beast,” go to www. fairoakstheatrefestival.com/ events-calendar
Photo by Hannah Darden / Copy editor
A close up of “Civilization Restrictions” by Raad Shamoon being displayed at the student art show at the James Kaneko Gallery at American River College in Sacramento, California on April 26. The show runs from April 25 to May 11.
Kaneko honors art students By Hannah Darden
hannah.k.darden@gmail. com A gilded statue of a woman with stairwells and archways carved into her, an oil painting of a wilted sunflower and a salt photography print of a girl’s face were among the award winners at American River College’s annual student art show. The James Kaneko Gallery held a full house at the show’s opening reception on April 26 to honor those who had their art chosen and to announce the winners by Natalie Nelson, the show’s juror and director and curator of the Pence Gallery in Davis, California. There were about 60 pieces total chosen for the show that are currently being displayed at the gallery and the library
stairwell through May 11. These were selected out of “over 100 pieces submitted,” according to Kaneko Gallery director Patricia Wood. This year marks Wood’s first annual student show as it is her first year directing the gallery. Nelson was not available to present the awards, but Wood read a note from Nelson regarding the show. “Making art takes dedication, but exhibiting it in a public setting, or even in front of ones fellow students, takes courage,” said Nelson on the note read by Wood. “All the students who created art to be juried for this exhibit deserve commendation ... [they] demonstrated a deep engagement with the materials in order to convey a clear message.” The show’s top award, Best in Show, went to Raad Shamoon
for his golden statue of a woman, hollow in the center and intricately carved to create architecture that included arches, stairs, windows and doorways. The piece was titled “Civilization Restrictions.” First place went to Andrea Arnott for her oil painting of a dying sunflower, reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers, titled “After Vincent.” Second place went to Arieal Sudds for her salt print of a girl lying amongst flowers titled “Peaceful Solitude.” “I feel great. I feel very strong about my work now,” Sudds said. “I think the student show is a very valuable thing for the students, because they get to experience showing their work, first of all, and pricing it, and all that. It helps the student get to know a gallery.” Third place went to David
Rohner for his pen composition heavily featuring crosses and torsos with severed arms, titled “Technological Terror: “god”.” “I had entered an art piece two years ago and it won, but I wasn’t here,” Rohner said. “So I come in and it’s actually a better experience.” The Ken Magri purchase annualy awards, founded by ARC art professor Ken Magri, were awarded during the show to add students’s art to ARC’s permanent collection. “The students are making the primary donation. They funded this. You can say on your resume that you’re showing in a college collection with Andy Warhol’s,” Magri said. Winners of the Magri awards were Millissa Saddler for her watercolor portrait “Coffee” and Andrea Arnott for her oil on wood painting “Storm in My Head.”
Voice workshop bellows emotions SINGERS RECEIVED ATYPICAL REQUESTS IN ORDER TO ‘FEEL’ THE STORIES THEY SANG By Itzin Alpizar itzinalpizar@gmail.com American River College’s adjunct music professor, Catherine Fagiolo, hosted the third vocal workshop of the spring semester on April 14 with special guest Lee Hoffman to provide professional feedback for singers. Hoffman, a soprano, is currently the director of the choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento. She taught voice at several universities in Ohio, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Missouri states and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). The workshop consisted of students presenting their songs and receiving feedback from Hoffman and Fagiolo. Hoffman said that the benefit of these workshops is that you learn what
to do and what not to do. Hoffman made some students walk around the room, singing, changing postures and emotions, and recommended yoga, acting classes, and even swimming to “free their bodies .” Another of the strategies recommended by Hoffman was “feeling like a king.” “Act as you are wearing a beautiful tuxedo, and you are a king, and you have just been crowned,” Hoffman said. “That [stage] bePhoto by Itzin Alpizar / Staff longs to you, that is yours.” Marissa DeBarge, right, sings in front of the special guest Lee Hoffman, left, Julia Pearson, an ARC nutrition on a voice workshop hosted at the music department on April 14. major, has done at least three of the workshop. This was her have colleagues who get you out, workshops this semester. “I love them, they are so much first time singing classical music. people that you respect, build “I got interested in classical,” you up and help each other to get fun. I always learn something else, like today’s focus on the ex- Compagno said. “I like the raw better,” Hoffman said. She plans to participate as a pression,” Pearson said. “I’m go- emotion in classic.” Fagiolo and Hoffman de- guest again. ing to continue doing it the rest scribed having a great experiFagiolo invites students from of my life.” all disciplines to participate in Gianna Compagno, 15, former ence working together. “Being able to connect is truly the upcoming workshops on fall student at Fagiolo’s studio for singers, was the youngest singer important. It is wonderful to semester.
May 4, 2016
Opinion
CURRENTEDITORIAL Current@arc.losrios.edu American River College’s most recent memories of student government are nothing but misrepresentation, disappointment and failure. However, the Associated Student Body is on the cusp of a new generation of student leadership and has the opportunity to restructure itself into something more innovative and effective. ARC’s ASB does not carry with it a prestigious reputation—however, this hardly matters since it is vastly disconnected from the students it is supposed to represent. Students are largely apathetic toward student government, and this isn’t entirely the ASB’s fault. Community college is, by design, a commuter system. Since—up until this point— ARC’s student leaders have had a difficult time reaching and inspiring those whom they represent, we on the Current editorial have laid out a five-step plan to help out the newly elected officers. 1. Find better ways to spend money The ASB has continually shown an inability to use its funds in a way that actually benefits students. During the most recent ASB elections, Student Senate allocated $15,000 for the “Rock the Vote” campaign. At first, it doesn’t sound like a terrible idea to spend the money to promote the election and engage students, but when all the candidates are running unopposed, the money doesn’t add up. With the unofficial total of only 176 voters, ARC’s student leadership spent an average of $85 per
WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO IMPROVE THE ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY
Photo by Robert Hansen / Staff
The new ASB members cannot repeat the same mistakes as past student leaders if they want to have success at ARC and encourage change.
voter. When Director of Finance Jeremy Diefenbacher said “it’s not our fault they didn’t vote,” he’s wrong. It is the responsibility of the ASB to inspire the student body to take part in student government. It is also their responsibility to spend money in an effective manner. When spending seems irresponsible, like the $13,000 spent on brand new Surface Pro 4s for the ASB, be the one to raise a flag. This is the kind of irresponsible spending that needs to stop with the next group of student leaders. The ASB should make sure the money they spend actually benefits the campus. Something like filtered water stations for refillable containers is a positive achievement. When the ASB is out making connections with the campus, they’re bound to find more opportunities like this to do good for the entire campus.
EDITORIAL INACCURATELY PORTRAYS ASB PRESIDENT I realize that reporters probably do not write the headlines for their articles. In the April 13 edition of the Current (Vol. 6, Ed. 11), the lead headline of “Reefer, booze and GA” on Robert Hansen’s article is correct, because that did happen, albeit in Fall of 2014. (This is news?) The smaller headline below that says, “Senate President Flip-Flops on Weed Use at Conference”. The article does not support the smaller headline, or, conversely, the headline does not support Hansen’s article. President Hylton says that he will not drink alcohol or smoke reefer at GA, and then he talks about getting a marijuana script, which is a separate issue, since he already said that he will not bring marijuana to GA. So President Hylton does not flip-flop. In addition, your editorial on p. 11 misquotes that same article. The editorial says that “Within the last week, Hylton has openly expressed a desire to bring marijuana to the 2016” (SSCCC GA), “the exact reason he got kicked out of the conference in 2014.” This editorial statement is in direct contradiction of Hansen’s article. Hansen’s article quotes President Hylton as saying ‘”I will not be bringing marijuana to the General Assembly,” Hylton said at a recent Senate meeting. “I will not smoke reefer, I will not drink booze.” Hansen’s article on pp. 1-2 goes on to
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2. Make a campus connection If the ASB were to do its job, there wouldn’t be a problem of the same students feeling like they have to run for office. With a strong campus connection and a sense of accomplishment in ASB, there could be droves of students looking to join student government. Those serving on the boards of the ASB need to bring their activities to the classroom in the forms of fliers, speeches and anything else to get their fellow students involved. In-person engagements are much more effective than a passive Facebook post and signs advertising “come meet your ASB!” After all, why should students be interested in the ASB if their elected officials aren’t interested in talking about it themselves? Time and time again, Senate President David Hylton has expressed a desire to reach more
students but fails to advertise the appropriate things. In recent weeks, the Senate has begun discussion on resolutions that were presented at General Assembly last week. These are resolutions that have a real chance of being seen by state legislators. If average ARC students were polled, it’s doubtful even a fifth of them would know this was happening. Why not spend $15,000 promoting this? 3. Challenge the institution This next board should be the generation of the ASB that is described as innovative. But when the same members make up the ASB year after year with older members insisting things be done the way they always have, there is little room for growth. The incoming ASB members should not be complacent with the institution they are stepping into. If administration says they can’t do something, they should ask them why. If the methods of student government seem ineffective, be the ones to call it out. As March in March and Advocacy in April have both failed, the ASB should find new ways to represent students. They should branch out and do the groundwork at the capitol themselves, and figure out what issues affect students. They should sit on as many standing committees as possible, and influence the decision making processes at ARC. ASB members are elected or appointed to have a voice and to ask questions. 4. Start here, go anywhere Members of the ASB should draw from the real world of politics, where there are term limits. When a political official has a term limit, there’s a limited
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
quote Hylton as saying, ‘”I’ve been thinking of getting my (marijuana) script,” Hylton said, “(ARC’s) administration shouldn’t be able to tell me that I can’t go.” I read that to mean that Hylton feels that he shouldn’t be prevented from going to GA simply because he has a marijuana prescription, without having any on him or having smoked it at GA. Hylton has apologized profusely many times for his for behavior and repaid some previous GA campus funding. He was prevented from attending Spring 2015 GA but did attend Fall 2015 without incident. He has said that he won’t bring marijuana to GA, script or no script. I believe him. I think that we need to get the facts straight, so that a correction is in order. Thank you. Laurie V. Jones Director of Legislative Affairs
ARTICLE ON DIEFENBACHER IS MALICIOUSLY FRAMED I am a current student at American River college and a friend of Jeremy Diefenbacher’s. I am disappointed in the content of the article involving him in today’s issue. This sensationalist article was framed in a way that was malicious. It showed nothing but allegations for wrongs that have not hurt any one in the slightest. Articles I like? Ones that showcase our schools’ issues. Persistently update fellow students on
student performances involving music, dance, food, etc. Crosswords. Ones that are fact checked first and don’t rely on a corrections list. Please know I respect the job of the media. You are the watchdogs making sure the public is aware of any bureaucratic wrongs involving policy and how it is being enforced. I would hope that though the media today focuses only on what bleeds, you can aspire to write to inform and educate the general public on things they can change and get involved in. Slamming my friend does not accomplish this. Thank you, Charlie Charm
FORMER STUDENT TRUSTEE THANKS CAMERON WEAVER Student leadership is a rewarding and challenging process which takes a special person to venture. Humility plays a key role in representing not only our commonalities but also our differences, while trying to remain as objective as possible throughout leadership tenures. Immediately after my exit speech as the district’s former Student Trustee, I began to sit back and watch how my successor (Cameron Weaver) would fair in taking over the position and leading the students of Los Rios — I am absolutely proud of his work. Through the various challenges he’s
amount of time to get work done. It also prevents those in political office from having too much power or influence on the institution. When student senators spend multiple years on the ASB, they’re bound to get burnt out or jaded. A bill or resolution can always be postponed if you’re a comfortable student senator. There needs to be a sense of urgency and a desire for efficiency held by those in office. ASB members should consider the time they have on the board limited. Those holding a little too much seniority in the ASB need to move on. Out with the old and in with the new. 5. Strive for a culture of excellence Incoming ASB members should learn parliamentary procedure ahead of time and know the inner workings of their organizations as best and as soon as they can. If you run for office, you should do the level of work that comes with the job. There should be an expectation from the ARC community that those serving on the ASB take their positions seriously. Professionalism not only helps to conduct business more efficiently, but also communicates to students and administration that the ASB is a legitimate platform for student representation. That means no more knitting during meetings. No more inappropriate jokes during meetings. No more apologetic defenses of those who aren’t living up to their elected offices. The incoming ASB leadership has plenty of work cut out for itself and only time will tell if it can leave the mistakes in the past and do better.
faced and the oppositions he’s been acquainted to, I have watched him bear true to the spirit of service leadership and keep his head up throughout. Folks, being a leader is not something that comes with a How To Manual. To be a leader is not to call you a leader but to recognize yourself as a servant, the difference being that a servant knows when he is obligated to lead and cannot leave his post regardless of the challenges. It’s unfortunate that our Student Trustee has one more meeting left and I have yet to read one article that simply thanks him for leading our students — not one. The hours and dedication poured into advocacy is often stressful and is even more discouraging when you realize the folks around you don’t care too much about your work — as the numbers have reflected with voter turnout across the district for the past few years. If Los Rios wants better student leaders across the board, then they have to do a better job in supporting those leaders who step up and stop blindly defending those who persecute them. So just in case Cameron completes his term without a public “thanks” from his colleagues or constituents, I’d like to go on record for saying, from the bottom of my heart Mr. Trustee, thank you for your service and dedication to the students of Los Rios Community College District. I look forward to attending your final district meeting to shake your hand, sir. Omba Kipuke, LRCCD Student Trustee 2014-15
Saints and
SacTown Sinners
Above: members of the SacTown Sinners talk during a local motorcycle meet in Sacramento, California.
Photo essay by Kyle Elsasser | kyleelsasser21@gmail.com A Sacramento based motorcycle group named the SacTown Sinners meet every Thursday at the Howe Bout Arden shopping center to talk motorcycle culture and show off their rides. The meet featured well over 150 bikes, which included Moto GP style bikes and highly customized choppers American River College student Burak Kocal is a member of the SacTown Sinners and drives a BMW motorcycle. Kocal calls the SacTown sinners his “family.” The SacTown Sinners have a total of 239 members in their Facebook group and welcome anyone with a motorcycle to join.
Above: A detail shot of a BiLT helmet at a local motorcycle meet in Sacramento, California. Right (top): A BMW emblem on Burak Kocal’s BMW motorcycle seen at the SacTown Sinners meet. Right (bottom): A decal of the SacTown Sinners logo located on Burak Kocal’s BMW motorcycle.
FOR A VIDEO OF THE SACTOWN SINNERS BIKE NIGHT, GO TO ARCURRENT.COM