Restaurants support Students hope for postponement community during pandemic over cancellation for graduation
The Collegian DELTACOLLEGIAN.NET
FEATURE, PAGE 3
Issue 10 • Friday, April 10, 2020 •
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LEARNING MOVES ALL ONLINE FOR DELTA BY ESPERANZA HERNANDEZ-MUNOZ Staff Writer
Following the lead of schools around the world, Delta College has moved all classes online indefinitely. An update posted to the college’s COVID-19 information page informed students of the change, which as of March 26 includes all lab-based courses. “The College will extend its stay at home and remote work practice for employees, with the exception of essential operations personnel,” the statement read. “All classes, including labs, have shifted online or to other remote access. At the same time, the College is exploring options to provide students with learning opportunities for hands-on skills acquisition and career education, including early responder programs and those with external accreditation requirements (such as Nursing and Police Academy).” The decision looks beyond the April 6 date stated initially and “extends that date indefinitely until the public health risk subsides.” Students are now adjusting. “I went from being on campus Monday-Friday, busy with my full time classes and being
An aerial shot of the nearly empty Delta College campus after announcement that all classes were moving online. PHOTO BY CRAIG SANDERS/FOR THE RECORD
Vice President of the Active Minds club to being home everyday, feeling like I am in a different world,” said student Katrina Springs. Students are left reorganizing themselves. “I have made a schedule for each day. To keep ahead on school assignments, I plan out my week on Sundays,” said Springs. Students are taking different approaches to remain motivated and organized.
“I do have a planner system that I update every couple of weeks. I write which days I’m focusing on which subject,” said student Kaelynn North. North said it’s harder to focus due to the lack of an inclass educational environment. “I’ve felt the work pile up on me more,” said North. Some students are not bothered by the change. “I personally think that it’s much easier having my classes
online simply because of my personal schedule,” said Signs noting the instruction change greet campus student Mer- visitors. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO line Ramirez. Only change now is that since With all the at home time students have I don’t have class, I have time had to invest more time in oth- to exercise,” said Springs. Students can stay informed er activities to pass the time. “To keep myself feeling by visiting the page on the Delnormal, I set my alarm for each ta College website dedicated to morning and do my morning updates about the pandemic at routine I am used to doing. deltacollege.edu/coronavirus.
Graduating high school seniors missing milestones during pandemic BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR Editor in Chief
High school seniors throughout the country aren’t celebrating long-awaited milestones this spring. Traditional events such as prom, senior trips and graduation have been canceled due to COVID-19. Prom, a coming-of-age staple of high school in America, is one of the most pressing concerns for today’s graduating class - and it won’t be happening for members of the Class of 2020. Venture Academy student Emily VanDam, 18, had been looking forward to her senior prom. The theme would have been “The Roaring 20s.” VanDam and her mother planned a day to shop for dresses, but had to cancel due to social distancing. VanDam and her friend “had been talking about what [they] wanted to do as far as pictures and dinner and stuff but ... never came to a decision. Now we are tying [sic] to figure something else to do once everything is all over,” she told The Collegian. Sarah Margaron, 17, who also attends Venture Academy, was nearly
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“Walking is a huge part. I feel like most seniors have been trying hard to get to this moment.” - Jacob Foster ready for her senior prom. “I was literally about to buy a dress - I had my card out and everything. I was taking one of my guy friends who hadn’t gone the year before and was super pumped about going,” she said. Jacob Foster, 17, a senior at Lincoln High School, said he’d already planned his outfit and date for prom. Venture Academy had planned two senior class trips. The first was to visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, followed by a bonfire. The class had already assigned students to bring food and supplies for the trip. A “grad bash” at Universal Studios
was to follow, according to VanDam. She placed a $200 down payment for this at the beginning of the school year. “They still haven’t said anything about getting the money back to us. They just said further payments were being put on hold,” said VanDam. According to Margaron, grad bash hasn’t been canceled yet. Lincoln High School planned on attending Disneyland’s Grad Nite. With schools canceling graduation ceremonies, students have expressed frustration over social media. Foster said many of his friends are doing this. VanDam said the possibility of not having a graduation ceremony is the hardest part for her and her family. Her father called crying at the thought of missing the milestone. His side of the family is in Michigan, so flying was an essential part of the celebration plans. VanDam wanted to show her family around her city and state. A graduation party in Michigan was also planned. Even with everything “up in the air,” she remains positive they will celebrate some way. “I just want to walk across the stage honestly,” said Margaron. The class of 2020 will have to transi-
tion without celebration. Foster plans on attending Delta College in fall to study nursing, then transfer. If the pandemic continues into the fall, his worry is online classes. He said they won’t give him the social skills he hopes to learn in college. Veronica Bautista, Foster’s mother, said Lincoln High was “definitely not prepared” to send out online work for their students. She’s mainly worried about unfinished school work and canceled activities for her senior. “If [the students] finish their work, the district should reschedule the senior events in the summer,” she said. Bautista is disappointed for this year’s graduating class. Foster has been with his same class since kindergarten, so senior year should have been what they “envision[ed] themselves doing.” She remembered how the last days of senior year are all about “just hanging out in the parking lot.” Both Venture Academy and Lincoln High School are finishing out the year online, a route recommended by California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on March 31.
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2 OPINION 041020
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Bad song covers not a solution to viral pandemic BY JUSTINE CHAHAL Entertainment Editor
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eople around the world are struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, facing issues in their everyday lives such as lack of food in grocery stores and having to stay home in an effort to adhere to social distancing. The pandemic has revealed another, less life-threatening issue: the ego of celebrities who believe they are struggling just as much as we are and want to be seen as relatable because of it. A prime example of this issue is Gal Gadot’s now-infamous viral Instagram video posted on March 18. In this video, Gadot and 21 other celebrities, including Will Ferrell and Natalie Portman, sing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” taking on different lines of the song in separate locations. Gadot posted this video to uplift her followers during this time, captioning it, “We are in this together, we will get through this together. Let’s imagine together. Sing with us.” The video is not great, to say the least. It’s awkward to watch, consid-
ering most of the people singing are actors who, well, can’t sing. Of course, it shouldn’t be about the singing, but instead the effort they put into the video. Isn’t it enough that these celebrities came together to try and cheer people up? Isn’t it the thought that counts? The answer is no, not really. The video is an empty gesture, doing little to offer any real comfort during this time. It feels disingenuous; celebrities want to help people, but not in a meaningful way. I find that the efforts of rich people ultimately amount to nothing if they aren’t actually using their platform in a way that matters. This can be seen through the immense backlash on social media, especially in the comment section of the video itself. Many said hearing celebrities sing “imagine no possessions” despite having the money to buy whatever they want felt ironic. Others said they were not, in fact, “in this together” because of the large wealth gap between Gadot and the average person watching. Gadot’s viral video is just one exam-
ple of cringe-worthy attempts made by celebrities to appear relatable. Another case involves Ellen Degeneres, who has posted multiple videos on Instagram where she looks bored at home and begins to call up other celebrities to chat. Social media users have found it hard to feel bad for her considering she’s making these calls from a mansion. Celebrities’ actions during the pandemic highlights an issue of celebrity culture in general: the people in the limelight think if they do the bare minimum, they will be praised for it because we live in a world where hardcore fans of anybody and anything can exist. Since we watch them on screen, they sincerely believe we want to watch them live worry-free on social media as well. It also highlights how the rich simply do not give away as much money as they could to support others nor use their platforms to push for actual change. Of course, there are those who are using their platforms for real action, proving that such things are possible. Rappers Lil Nas X and Megan
Take stay-at-home order seriously BY CHRISTOPHER ESCAMILLA Senior Staff Writer
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ith COVID-19 now a worldwide problem, it’s important to stay at home and practice social distancing for the safety of everyone. Doing so stops the spread of the virus. However, it seems there are a good number of people that just don’t give a damn about their own health and see this pandemic as not affecting their life. People are still spending time with others outside, disobeying the rules placed by the states because they think it only applies to those who are vulnerable. California has had a stay-at-home order in place since March 19 to slow the spread of COVID-19. Yet, local cities still had to put up caution tape around park playgrounds, benches and other outdoor gathering spots to prevent use. On March 25, CNN reported a group of teenagers hosted a “coronavirus party” as a way to prove nothing can happen to them, the end result one ended up getting the virus. The rest were quarantined. With these people, all it takes for one of them to get it and then to realize that this is a serious issue and should care. It’s ridiculous that some don’t see the point. Many are aware but they’re only thinking it’s not that big a deal. But in reality, it is and precautions need to be taken. A data dashboard provided by the John Hopkins
university reveals that almost 200,000 people are confirmed to have COVID-19 while more than 4,000 have died from COVID-19, as of April 1, 2020. Before the update it was only 3,000 deaths; this is spreading faster than expected and many still don’t have an impact on their life. This clearly should be a wakeup call to all who aren’t believing it or think this doesn’t matter because it should be to you that your life is in danger if you don’t follow the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention safety rules. Your health is more important than anything you’re doing right now. The best way to maintain that good health is to stayat-home. Don’t leave the house unless it’s necessary. Just don’t do it.
The Collegian The Collegian is the student newspaper of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. The paper is published six times a semester. As a First Amendment newspaper we pride ourselves on a commitment to the students of Delta College while maintaining independence. We reinvigorate the credo that the newspaper speaks for the students, checks abuses of power and stands vigilant in the protection of democracy and free speech.
EDITORS VIVIENNE AGUILAR Editor in Chief/News
HANNAH WORKMAN News
MARIA ABUGARADE RAYO Feature
JUSTINE CHAHAL Entertainment
AMIRAH AMENHOTEP Opinion
PAUL MUYSKENS Sports
TYRA GREEN Social Media The Collegian is a member of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.
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Thee Stallion, as well as actress Indya Moorem donated money to individuals on Twitter who comment on their posts or directly messaged them with links to their CashApp. Moore, who prioritized the needs of black trans and/or queer fans as a black nonbinary person themself, was “able to pay out $3000 to 51 black queer + trans folks facing financial crisis during this time” and will try to donate again, according to their tweets. Celebrities shouldn’t expect their supposed relatability to help the average person get through these tough times. In fact, what we need is for rich people to understand they are not like us. They have privileges we are not afforded, resources we don’t have access to and an exorbitant amount of money they can rely on to get through the pandemic while the average person is trying to apply for unemployment benefits. Hopefully, as we continue to deal with the pandemic, we will begin to see more celebrities realize how their privileges enable them to help and actually reach out in a meaningful way.
Message to our readers We, like the rest of you, have abandoned our campus home as Stockton, California, the nation and the world have changed the way we do just about everything. The role of journalists is to be a community watchdog. We may have lost our physical space temporarily, but members of The Collegian staff are working hard to fulfill what we consider our central responsibility. We have adapted our methods, including: • Complying with the stay-at-home order by not having an on-campus presence. • Limiting all physical contact in reporting. If Collegian staff writers or editors are reporting, they will be doing so through electronic-mediated methods, including phone, email, and direct message-based interviews. • Removing focus on visuals from our electronic and online editions. We pride ourselves and our staff with creative visually-attractive designs. We understand seeking out photographs now is not in the best interest of our staff. The transition online has meant we’ve split the staff into two groups, with stories rolling on to deltacollegian.net more frequently through the end of this semester. We believe The Collegian can continue to deliver the high caliber of reporting Delta College students are accustomed to without exposing our student journalists to COVID-19 through reporting. Vivienne Aguilar, Editor in Chief Tara Cuslidge-Staiano, Adviser
SENIOR STAFF MAISY MACATO CHRISTOPHER ESCAMILLA
STAFF ELLIE ANDRADE LUPE ANDRADE KIMBERLY BENAVIDES ANGELICA FLORES SIDNEE GALLARDO ESPERANZA HERNANDEZ-MUNOZ ROBYN JONES C.J. LOVE SERENA MALDONADO JAELYN MORALES
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3 FEATURE 041020
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RESTAURANTS HIT HARD BY COVID-19 ORDERS BY MARIA ABUGARADE RAYO Feature Editor
The pandemic has forced California Governor Gavin Newsom to place a “shelter-in-place” order forcing all Californians to stay home except for essential needs, such as grocery shopping and doctor’s appointments. In Stockton, Lodi and the surrounding areas, restaurants have been affected just as much as other businesses — if not more. This order forced restaurants to reduce the capacity allowed in dining rooms, first down to half-capacity, then shuttering dining rooms entirely. Restaurants are now only allowed to be opened if they can provide take out, delivery or drive thru service. This has forced many restaurants to shut down because they’re not breaking even with what it takes to open their doors and money coming in from food orders. “COVID-19 has affected our business a lot because our sales dropped by 70 percent due to the no dine in [policy],” said Kenny Kong, aka Big Worm, of Big Worm’s Bakery and Deli. While the shop still takes orders for take out and delivery, “it’s better to just open to the community and do the best we can to help them and ourselves,” said Kong. In these tough times, several mom and pop shops like Big Worm’s are staying open while following the proper Safety and Sanitation Guidelines from general county guidelines. The well-known National Restaurant Association (NRA), also known as ServSafe, has provided free ServSafe Food Handler training as well as ServSafe Takeout and Delivery: COVID-19 Precautions training videos. Many restaurants have taken advantage of this free training to be able to open up their doors to their communities and reassure customers that proper guidelines are being followed. However, other places, like D’Lilah’s Cakery in Stockton, have closed their doors to the public completely, keeping business to shipped orders only. “We have allowed for select items to be shipped 1-2 day shipping via USPS,” said owner D’lilah Vanessa Pubill. Shutting the doors is a hard decision for many, so still attempting to bring in some income to keep their locations open is the only option available to many restaurant business owners like D’lilah. With the uncertainty of this pandemic, many restaurants can only hope to reopen to the public sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Visit Stockton is maintaining a list of area restaurants open Big Worms’s Bakery and Deli and D’Lilah’s Cakery, shown at its previous location in for take out and delivery during the shelter-in-place order. For more information, 2018, are among the small businesses being impacted by COVID-19 closures. COLLEGIAN ARCHIVE PHOTOS go to visitstockton.org/restaurants/dine-stockton.
On the menu with Maria
Parents become teachers after K-12s canceled BY DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Feel like pulling your hair out? You’re not alone. Parents and teachers all over the county are adjusting to school closures due to COVID-19. School closures began in mid-March with most districts expecting for students to return to school in early April. On March 31, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent a letter to the California superintendents saying “due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year.” Many parents are now doing double duty as they work from home and homeschool their children. “My advice to other parents would be to reach out and use all the resources you can. If you need someone to talk to because you’re frustrated, don’t feel guilty. We’re all sad, tired and unsure of what’s going to come of all this,” said Stefani Mendoza, mother of Derek, a pre-k student with special needs. “Having my child at home all day has been a new adjustment.” Third-grade teacher and mom of two Christina Fortuny is teaching her children at home while also moving her entire curriculum online for her own students. “I have moved my classroom into my office — which is nice because I can shut the door. When I’m in a training [session], I put a Post-It on the door to remind them not to come in. However, my daughter still likes to come in to ask questions or tell me she’s bored,” said
Above: Jessica Detmer teaches her children. Right: Detmer bounces on a trampoline with her children, who have been stuck at home due to California’s shelter-in-place order. PHOTOS BY DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS
Fortuny. There is also some concern from parents about the quality of education being received at home versus an on-campus setting. Special situations like Mendoza and her sons’ can prove to be especially lacking. “I don’t feel that [with] him being home, he has received the same education as he would in school. He has peer interaction there, which is something he lacks at home with the current pandemic. The teachers are also trained very well to handle and teach children with autism,” said Mendoza. On the other hand, some parents are adapting well to this sudden change in schedule.
“Having my kids at home all the time has been nice. [We get] to spend more family time together while making sure they are still doing homework,” said mother-of-three Jessica Detmer. While some kids might feel like they’re missing out on school activities and social time, Detmer said her kids are doing just fine. “I’m not sure it is affecting them all that much. It seems like they feel they are on an early summer break,” she said. This could be the case for a lot of students, which is why Fortuny said the importance of keeping students focused for the remainder of the school year. “Keep a regular school scheduledon’t let them stay up super late or sleep in. Keep the routine of getting ready for
the day,” said Fortuny. Thurmond’s message addressed the need for continued effort from parents and educators. “This is in no way to suggest that school is over for the year, but rather we should put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning,” he wrote. The greatest message from parents adjusting to this new reality: Hang in there and remember this is a new and confusing time for everyone — you’re not alone. “It’s okay to have a cocktail every now and then to relax,” said Detmer, laughing.
4 SPORTS 041020
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COVID-19 ENDS CAREERS SOONER THAN EXPECTED BY PAUL MUYSKENS Sports Editor
College athletes whose spring seasons were cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic will not have this year count against them as a season played. On Monday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) voted to grant a waiver to allow additional eligibility for spring sport athletes whose seasons were impacted by COVID-19. The vote followed a similar decision made by the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) on March 19 to allow any spring athlete to have their season of competition restored provided they had not quit or been cut from their teams prior to the season being postponed by the CCCAA on March 12. The spring sports affected by this at Delta College include softball, baseball, beach volleyball, swimming, dive, track and field and men’s golf. While the decisions give athletes a second chance, it’s not a realistic option for many. “My heart was absolutely shattered,” said sophomore softball player Ashley Laughlin. “It hit home for me in a different way, the fact that I played my last game without knowing the fact that I might never play softball again.” Laughlin is one of many sophomores at Delta College who, despite getting a year back for athletic eligibility, will have a tough choice to make about whether coming back for another year makes sense. “I worked so hard these past se-
mesters and took extra units every semester to get my AA in two years. It would be fun to play softball again, but it’s not a beneficial choice for me,” she said. Another season on Delta’s softball team would require her to pay and take extra classes — not just play again. It remains to be seen how four-year colleges address those athletes under scholarship and how they will handle the extra year of eligibility. However, any move on the part of four-year institutions will not help those at Delta and other junior colleges who may have to pay out of pocket to be able to stay at the school for an additional year. “I think for most athletes it can be tough because they will have to choose whether they want to pay for more classes,” said baseball player Jacob Standridge. “It was terrible knowing that this was how my final season at Delta ended. We didn’t know that our last game was our last game. We did not get to say ‘thank you’ to all the coaches and the guys for a great season.” Also having her playing career at Delta College come to an early end is beach volleyball player Stephanie Fopiano as she is moving on to a four-year school. “Although I’m very happy this isn’t the complete end of my beach career, I am sad that’s the end of my career at Delta,” said Fopiano.“I think it’s great they gave people back their eligibility, but for me, it’s just not realistic to come back to Delta and use it. It was such a teaser because we got our season started and I was so excited to see how this year was going to go. Most spring sports were around the midway point of the season before the remaining portion was canceled.”
(Top): Ashley Laughlin hits the ball in a game against Butte. (Left): Stephanie Fopiano dives for a ball against Fresno City. PHOTOS BY PAUL MUYSKENS
Championship chase canceled due to virus BY PAUL MUYSKENS Sports Editor
To say that the 2019-20 season was one that will be hard to forget might be an understatement in ways that no one would have predicted as the Delta College women’s basketball team went 29-1 and were three wins away from capturing the first state title in program history before the season was canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Riding a 22-game winning streak, the Mustangs advanced to the state championships for the second year in a row under Head Coach Gina Johnson, who for the third time in her coaching career at Delta College was named the California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaching Association’s Northern Regional Coach of the Year. With this year’s state championships set to take place at West Hills College in Lemoore, the Mustangs headed down on March 10 — after it was announced that the state championships would be played with no fans in attendance and only teams and essential staff allowed into the gym. “I actually took two years off of basketball out of high school and it was a really great opportunity for my family to see me play in a big-time setting again, said freshman Kiara Manipol. “It was really devastating, but we knew all of our families would be watching and we were ready to get the job done and bring home the title.” With the games set to start on March 12, the team was gathered at the state banquet the night before when the world of sports changed. Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and the NBA started to cancel games. Later that night the NBA would suspend its season until further notice. While the players and coaches all had a little bit of an idea of what was going on in the world of professional sports, they had no idea it
(Top): Vanessa Cochrane passes the ball to a teammate against Merced. (Bottom): Monet Brown fires up the team before a game against Santa Rosa. PHOTOS BY PAUL MUYSKENS
would lead to the eventual cancellation of the rest of the state championships and their season. “We kind of figured we would be OK,” said Johnson. “They had already limited the number of people [in attendance] and we were already there, so we thought we would still get to play our games.” That would all change less than 12 hours later. With the first game of the day just hours away from tipping off on quarterfinal Thursday, the season came to an unexpected early close. “We were all happy and ready to get the day started,” said freshman Donja Payne, who was named the state Co-Player of the Year earlier this postseason. “We were getting ready for walk-through and our coach came in looking like something really bad happened. We all kinda knew they canceled it. She said it and we all cried, hugged and prayed together.” Spending the majority of the second half of the season as the number one ranked team in the state the Mustangs were considered by many as the favorites to return back to Stockton with their first-ever state championship. “When we found out that they canceled the whole tournament it felt like a stab in our hearts, “ said Manipol. “We were so confident in our team and we were confident that we were going to make it to our goal of the state game and hopefully bring the title home. It really was just heartbreaking, and you’re left with a ‘well, now what’ kind of mentality.” Though it ended without closure, it was still a season for the ages as the Mustangs set multiple program records, with all of their wins coming by no fewer than nine points and an average margin of victory of 32 points. Going a perfect 14-0 in Big 8 Conference play, the Mustangs also saw Vanessa Cochrane named to the All-State second team while Alicia Jones received thirdteam honors.