The Collegian -- Published Sept. 13, 2019

Delta community remembers longtime student Sean Reilly

FEATURE, PAGE 4

The Collegian Issue 1 • Friday, Sept. 13, 2019 •

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Pourzanjani hopes to make Delta College more inviting

BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR Editor in Chief

President/Superintendent Dr. Omid Pourzanjani greets people before a pancake breakfast event that took place on Aug. 23 on the Shima Green. PHOTO BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR

Over summer, Delta College hired Dr. Omid Pourzanjani to replace Dr. Kathy Hart as President/Superintendent.

Pourzanjani is a product of the California Community College system and has worked in higher education for many years.

Hart is still assisting on campus with transferring community partnerships, and the transition has been “seamless,” according to Pourzanjani.

Pourzanjani said he hopes to create an environment where students feel invited to stay on campus after classes, and to work on simplifying processes that are required for students to transfer.

“We need some more places that are pleasant for students to hang out, what I call sticky places. Whatever it takes, I don’t know. It’s really up to the students as to what they feel they need, whether it’s a ping pong table or an Xbox,” Pourzanjani said. “What is it that makes someone hang out here?”

The campus is seeing innovation in many areas.

The ball was rolling for projects before Pourzanjani’s arrival, MyDelta being the biggest change.

Pourzanjani inherited problems of low enrollment as well as gaps in departments missing faculty, following a large SERP initiative.

The search for new hires to replace those who

CHAOTIC FRUSTRATION

See POURZANJANI, page 8

Delta’s replacement of aging registration system falls short, fraying vital connections for students

SOCIAL BACKLASH Searching for the hashtag #MyDelta on Twitter produces mostly negative results.

Fall is off to a rocky start as the roll- Students showed outward frustration, inout of a new registration system went less cluding calling MyDelta “literal trash.” than smoothly, causing problems with evOther comments, presented as puberything from enrolling in classes, to stu- lished on Twitter, include: dents being perpetually stuck on waitlists, • “can you fix MyDelta so it can acto delays in financial aid distribution. tually work? this thing crashes evA week of turmoil culminated in Delery god damn time i’m on it.” ta College issuing an open apology to • “does anyone know how to use the students. new mydelta system? bc its not NEWS “We know the even letting me log in to register MyDelta regANALYSIS new for classes in the fall.” istration system • “okay mydelta can FIGHT ME I has been buggy at just want to reset my frickin passbest,” read the opening line of the Aug. word” 30 apology from Dr. Omid Pourzanjani, Professor of Fashion Design and Delta’s new president/superintendent, Merchandising Leslie Asfour was one who assumed the role only 18 days prior. of the first faculty members to notice the “We are working hard to improve the frustration expressed on social media, new system and we cannot thank you specifically in a Facebook group of nearly enough for your patience with us over 5,000 for San Joaquin Delta College, not these past few weeks and months. I truly connected to the school outside of a Delhope that these issues do not cause you to ta account being a “moderator.” pull away from your educational goals,” “We heard this in the Facebook page: the apology continued.

‘The old system was so easy so simple Issues remain. Financial aid payments why would they make it so complicated are still in question. Continued problems for students now?’” said Asfour. with waitlists have frustrated students and In the apology, which went out on faculty. Consensus is that while there is hope for the future, the launch of MyDelSee MYDELTA, page 8 ta has been nothing short of chaotic.

BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR Editor in Chief

Financial aid payments to students delayed due to system issues

BY JUSTINE CHAHAL Senior Staff Writer

Students are experiencing issues with receiving financial aid through the new MyDelta system since the beginning of the semester, including disbursements not being made in a timely matter.

“I was supposed to get it [financial aid] on the 29th [of Aug.] but got it on the 4th [of Sept.],” said student Aaron VanDyke, who applied for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Other students, such as Xochitl Rodri-

guez, still have not received financial aid despite applying for a FAFSA as well.

“I haven’t even received my financial aid as well as other students, which is pretty sad.

It would’ve been nice if the school told us a few months before that the system was going to change, but they did not even mention anything. It’s really annoying and irritating,” said student Jessica Delgado.

Issues extend beyond FAFSA applications.

“Unfortunately, as with any implementation of a new system, we have run into difficulties with various finan-

cial aid processes which has included all our financial aid programs.

As a result, it has impacted most students one way or another,” said Dean of Student Enrollment and Student Development Angela Tos in an email response to questions from The Collegian.

Recipients of aid through

See MONEY, page 8

NEXT ISSUE: Sept. 27 • CONTACT US: deltacollegian@gmail.com or (209) 954-5156 • ONE FREE COPY

2 OPINION 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/opinion

‘The American Dream’ is more difficult to reach

BY YGRAINE MONTGOMERY

T

Senior Staff Writer

he Trump administration has made yet another change to immigration rules, making it more difficult to get permanent residency status, or a Green Card.

The new rule, which goes into effect on Oct. 15, changes the definition of the term “Public Charge” from a person who primarily depends on the government for support to a person who has used or is likely to use one or more of the government programs in the future such as cash aid, Food Stamps, Section 8 housing vouchers, or Medi-Cal. Under the guise of promoting self-sufficiency, the administration will weigh an immigrant’s use of public programs (or in this case, likely use of public programs) against

income and will be to limit other factors legal immisuch as age, gration, move health, educaimmigration tion level, and approvals “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand credit score. away from I wonder the poor and on their own two feet and who will not become a how many lean towards native-born approving public charge.”

Americans only wealthier would pass immigrants. that same test.

This - Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Director I wonder if assumes I would. immigrants of U.S. Citizenship and This change are taking only applies to benefits away Immigration Services those who are from Amerseeking pericans, which manent resiis not true. dent status. It Rich people nia, which are not affected does not apply to those who aren’t the only ones capable already have a Green Card and under the new rules. of contributing vital, tangible The Trump administration are applying for citizenship. benefits to our country. previously failed to get support If you’re attending Delta In its article “Immigrants College on a Student Visa, you from Congress to reform the and the Economy,” the ACLU immigration rules towards a can still apply for Pell Grants states: “Contrary to popular and other forms of educational more merit-based system. belief, immigrants do not take The effect of this new rule aid from the state of Califoraway jobs from American

workers. Instead, they create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their incomes on American goods and services, paying taxes and raising the productivity of U.S. businesses. Immigrants are good for the economy, not the other way around.”

Aside from the inherent inhumanity of this policy, this rule will force an already vulnerable population to make choices between their health and immigration status.

This new rule is a blatant attempt to circumvent Congress to reduce immigration levels and sow a climate of confusion and fear in the immigrant community.

It’s an effort to appeal to many in Trump’s base who want to preserve the whiteness of America.

The rule should be abolished.

A person’s past choices do not negate their political opinions

BY AYAANA WILLIAMS

W

Feature Editor

e live in a digital age where, due to social media, expressing one’s political views and opinions is easier than ever before.

However, it’s a shame how people’s profession or personal life choices somehow make their opinions less valid.

If a person has a career in sex work or erotic dancing, would that make their opinions on political issues any less important than the rest of us?

Society has created a stigma that lifestyles such as these somehow make a person less intelligent or politically driven than others.

There’s no reason someone should feel like they can’t exercise their constitutional rights out of fear that society may discredit them.

This type of ignorance is generally displayed on sites such as Twitter, where people should generally feel safe sharing

their views with the rest of the world.

One recent example of this type of appeal to ignorance is when newly famous rapper/hip-hop artist, Cardi B, began doing Instagram Live videos containing short political rants.

In her videos, Cardi B addressed her concerns about President Donald Trump and against some of his policies that would cut taxes for the upper and middle class.

Instead of arguing her point as if it were a valid, yet disagreeable opinion, people on the internet began to attack her.

If someone were to express these views they would normally be accused of socialism.

In this case, Cardi B was getting bashed by people saying ignorant comments such as “she’s just a stripper why would anyone listen to her,” “she doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” and “you

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.

The Collegian is a member of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

EDITORS VIVIENNE AGUILAR Editor in Chief/News

AYAANA WILLIAMS Feature

MARIA ABUGARADE RAYO Opinion

AMIRAH AMENHOTEP

Entertainment/Social Media

PAUL MUYSKENS Sports

SENIOR STAFF YGRAINE MONTGOMERY JUSTINE CHAHAL MAISY MACATO

CONTACT US:

should just stick to what you know.”

Cardi B often receives hate from the public about once living the lifestyle of a dancer, and to people on Twitter and Facebook, that somehow makes her opinion less valid.

It is important for people to remember that a person’s lifestyle or career choices, whether current or past, does not define that person nor their ability to give their input on current events.

Each person in the country is equally qualified to give their opinion as the next.

That’s why a reality TV star is president.

If a person is or was an adult movie star, it shouldn’t make them less politically intelligent than the average Joe. There is too much stigma wrapped around who should be giving their opinions and who shouldn’t; there is a lot of ignorance and privilege that needs to be checked.

STAFF ZOEY CAMPBELL KACI KELLEY JEFF LEIVA ALEXZANDRE SALON MATTHEW MILLSAP KAROLINA A. MOLINA JASON ORTEGA JORGE ROA SR. HARPREET SINGH DAVID VICTOR TYLER WILLIS MATISSE WOODWARD HANNAH WORKMAN

ADVISER TARA CUSLIDGE-STAIANO

PHOTOJOURNALISM ALEXANDER APCAR SIDNEE GALLARDO NATHAN GILES STEPHANIE JIMENEZ ROBYN JONES SERENA MALDANADO FOREST MAYO JESSICA MOLANO JOSEPH PETHOUD COLIN WEIS

MULTIMEDIA TECH MATTHEW WILSON

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shima 203/204, (209) 954-5156 or deltacollegian@gmail.com For information about advertising, letters to the editor and editorial standards visit deltacollegian.net

3 OPINION 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/opinion

EDITORIAL

MYDELTA SYSTEM ROLLOUT FAILED US

M

yDelta is a mess.

It hasn’t immediately benefited us as students in the way it was initially detailed it would.

Instead, we have had to deal with: • difficulties to enroll • logging in • lack of timely financial aid distributions • continued trouble adding/dropping classes • an unclear process for searching classes And that’s just to name a few problems facing Delta College students with this new system.

The Collegian staff, like other students, started stressing out before the semester even kicked off. From our own experiences, we knew what was coming. We knew it wouldn’t be a seamless, easy rollout.

Implementing a new system, without a trial run or easing into it was not the

MUSTANG VOICE

“Overall, I think the MyDelta website is a useful tool to have, especially when it’s properly organized.”

Mario Vaccarezza, History

“I do not like it at all. The old portal was completely functional and there is no need to bring a whole new portal in. I think that the other one could have maybe been [an] upgraded version, but this one is not accessible at all. It’s frustrating on both ends for students and staff. I think it holds a lot of us back.

Catherine Hall

right move to help Delta students or faculty achieve our goals.

Many of our peers are first generation students with various barriers to earning college educations.

Delta College’s implementation of the new system has put in place new hurdles for us to jump forward in our journeys.

It has been a frustrating experience watching our peers suffer through issue after issue, being booted off waitlists, skipped over in class admissions, and unable to purchase needed items for their educations.

There has been little to no communication with college staff on solving the issues stated above.

Communication from the college reads more like public relations crisis management than an actual outreach attempt.

On Aug. 30, new President/Superintendent Dr. Omid Pourzanjani offered an open apology letter to Delta students. It

was a nice gesture, but it was too little too late.

Pourzanjani’s words did not resolve our worries. We would like to see actual changes with MyDelta.

Perhaps the first step should be to remove the shopping cart function so we don’t feel like customers on this campus.

If Delta insists on treating us like customers, we will start asking to speak to managers.

We should still keep positive thoughts; the more IT works on MyDelta, the better the chances are of it actually working well ... hopefully some day.

Let’s hope the rest of the semester runs a lot smoother concerning MyDelta.

Because right now, we feel like we’re stuck in the Holt elevator with no help on the way.

Send help.

Please.

— THE COLLEGIAN

‘What is your opinion of the school’s new MyDelta registration system?’

“I mean, I feel like MyDelta was a letdown because we couldn’t see our classes and our financial aid input was wrong.”

“I think that MyDelta is so much harder to use. The layout is more confusing. It is much harder to sign up for classes and even find certain classes to begin with. ... Some fixes would be nice.”

“I had no previous expectations for the format of MyDelta. Everything is new to me, so I had nothing to compare it to. There have been a couple issues logging in but nothing to sway me against using it.”

Trenton Washington, Criminal Justice

Rachel Engh

Michael Meza, Psychology

“I personally think they should have launched a beta and let the registration be normal, and then work on the beta and use fall as to introduce us to it instead of throwing us into it. ... It’s hard, it’s portal after portal. It looks nice but it’s also so slow.”

“I think whoever developed it should have done a beta test before doing a live release.”

“With the new MyDelta system, you can’t have multiple tabs open. You can only be on one page at a time. So to be honest, it’s a little more inconvenient right now.”

Bianca Lemos, Psychology

Amanda Munoz, Early Childhood Development

Tomas Hildebrand, English

“I don’t like it.”

Britney Mendoza, Journalism

“MyDelta is innovative, but it’s confusing. It would be good to have a tutorial.”

Rodrick Bonner

4 FEATURE 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/feature

Delta celebrates life of Sean Reilly

Mourning student brings flowers to vigil held in the quad in honor of former Delta student Sean Reilly.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD REYES

Students, faculty and community members gather to celebrate the life of a recently-departed student

BY YGRAINE MONTGOMERY Senior Staff Writer

Longtime San Joaquin Delta College student, Activities Club president and known campus figure Sean Patrick Reilly died Aug. 24 after a short illness. He was 49.

On Thursday, Sept. 5, a crowd of about 50 people met in the quad at Delta College at 7 p.m. to commemorate Reilly’s death and celebrate his life. The crowd was made up of young and old, students and non-students.

A tastefully draped table sat in front of the West Forum steps, strewn with roses, lit votive candles and large pictures of Reilly.

White taper candles were distributed among the crowd and carefully lit to hold aloft in memoriam during the service.

Standing on the forum steps Fatima Hernandez, vice president of student affairs with Associated Students of Delta College, approached the microphone and welcomed everyone.

She said she knew Sean from speech and debate class.

“He was just a really phenomenal guy. He tried to make everyone else happy. He went out of his way to make everyone feel included, even if he just met you. He was a very genuine person,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez then led every-

one in a moment of silence.

Dr. Angela Tos, dean of Enrollment Services & Student Development approached the steps to speak.

“He was one of the first students I met on campus and the way I would describe him as a light. He was just so welcoming and friendly and very very kind … he had an ability to make people feel valued, and special, and he really cared about you guys,” said Tos. Tos then read comments from Vice President of Student Services Dr. Lisa Cooper-Wilkins, who couldn’t attend.

“He was a student leader of the highest caliber,” Cooper-Wilkins wrote. “My fond-

est memory will be of him on a megaphone standing by the koi pond calling out to his fellow students to get involved.

Sean was the embodiment of the type of Delta student we wish for.”

Shayla Walker, director of Student Activities, approached and read aloud the poem “The 2 kinds of People” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

“This reminded me of Sean because ... he was always lifting the people around him, encouraging people, extending himself to his friends,” said Walker. “When you needed him, Sean was there ... Live honorably, and honestly, and compassionately like he did.”

Academic Senate President Kathleen Bruce spoke next.

“I never met someone so optimistic before … I never heard him say a negative thing about a single person,” Bruce said.

“And for an individual to be on this earth who never gossiped negatively about anybody, or never said a mean thing about somebody is just this true soul that we lost and that’s probably the element that I’ll miss the most about him, his encour-

agement and his positivity.”

Several of Reilly’s friends approached the stage, one by one, to share the things they loved and missed most about him.

Almost all of them shed tears while they spoke; several others stood nearby, ready to lend a comforting shoulder or hug when the tears inevitably came.

The most common thread among all of their testimonials was that Reilly was kind, compassionate and outgoing.

He was known for being cheerful, giving, and always willing to help a friend in need at a moment’s notice.

At the end of the memorial service the crowd all sang “Don’t Stop Believin,” Reilly’s favorite song, and then joined hands in a communal prayer.

In his spare time, Reilly found time to act as an extra on three films and loved singing karaoke with his friends.

Reilly’s friend David Arnold will host a celebration of life for Reilly on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 6 to11 p.m.

It will be held at the Stockton Kids Club, 303 Olympic Circle, Stockton, CA. Friends are welcome to attend.

Mustang BBQ kicks off Delta’s Fall 2019 semester

Students form a line around campus to get their hands on some complimentary food provided by Delta. This annual event is held at the beginning of every Fall semester. PHOTOS BY MAISY MACATO

5 FEATURE 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/feature

Active Minds walks for life

“...a lot of Filipino-American businesses aren’t represented as much as they should be”

Digging in to Rice Queen Social Club’s Filipino fare

BY MARIA ABUGARADE RAYO

P

Opinion Editor

op ups are “popping up” more and more in Stockton and surrounding areas.

This week, I am meeting up with Benny Peneyra and his team, who started a Filipino pop up, Rice Queen Social Club.

Born in the Philippines and coming to the states at a young age, Benny started cooking at the age of 12.

He majored in pastry before he “dove into savory” in 2013.

Benny worked with Chef Ravi Kapur, who he described as “the king of pop ups, he started Hawaiian fusion pop ups” in San Francisco, where he was inspired to start a pop up of his own.

Starting from not knowing what a pop up consisted of, Rice Queen Social Club is going on four years and getting a food truck in December.

“Planning to be based in Stockton, make our way to Sacramento and eventually, in the future, go back to San Francisco,” said Benny.

Rice Queen Social Club has big plans ahead.

Benny and his team have received a lot of support from the Stockton community.

“I’m actually very surprised.

The community has always showed up and showed out here. They come to every event,” said Benny.

“Being from San Francisco, a lot of Filipino-American businesses aren’t represented as much as they should be,” he said, and the “way to get noticed was to pop up.”

Rice Queen Social Club has a menu that varies per event.

The main dishes that you can find at almost all of the

on the menu with maria events are “The O.G. (chicken vegetable lumpia with sweet chile sauce), Garlic Fried Rice (topped with a fried egg) and Dumplings (pan fried chicken dumplings, fishcake, crispy garlic, chili oil and sweet chile glaze).”

Whether you’ve tried Rice Queen Social Club’s O.G. lumpia or not, you can definitely tell they are homemade and there’s love put into them.

Make sure to follow Benny and his team on Instagram @ ricequeensocial for upcoming events.

This issue, I will be starting a food column in The Collegian looking at local restaurants, pop ups and other food related business in and around Stockton.

I graduated in 2017 with my Associates in Science for Culinary Arts here at Delta College. From the Culinary Program, I was able to open up my palate and try different cuisines, as well as travel to Italy to study abroad for 17 days.

Since then, I like to travel as much as I can to see, read and write about all the different types of foods in the world.

Checking out multiple locations, with a focus on the locally-owned and the variety of different cultures of food in the area.

Follow me along on this food adventure to find some cool new spots to go out and eat.

Left to right: Garlic Fried Rice topped with a fried egg, O.G. Lumpia, and Dumplings. Top: Benny Peneyra sautéeing an order of Dumplings PHOTOS BY MARIA ABUGARADE RAYO

The Active Minds club joins members of the community in a walk that took place at Victory Park for suicide prevention, remembrance and awareness. The event was created and sponsored by the Child Abuse Prevention Council. PHOTOS BY AYAANA WILLIAMS

UCs host workshops for student success

BY AMIRAH AMENHOTEP Entertainment Editor

Students attend a junior college with intentions of furthering their education, whether that is getting a degree or certificate, or to transfer to another school.

However, there’s a specific tool to help students who have a goal of finishing their education at a UC. The Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is a program for any student who attends a California community college to have a seat at a UC of their choice.

The TAG program will hold two more workshops in which different representatives from the UCs will assist students in filling out the applications and making sure they are on the track to transferring over at the desired year.

The UCs taking part in the program are UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.

“They all have different requirements and, depending on your major or program, it will go off of your GPA,” said Delta student program assistant Domenica Castaneda.

One requirement that is the same for all UCs is the seven course pattern, which consists of two English composition courses, one math course and four courses from the following areas: art, humanities, behavioral and social sciences, and biological and physical sciences. Depending on which UC the student chooses to attend, they will have to have a GPA of 2.8 to 3.5 by the end of the designated semester.

To apply for the TAG program, students must use the UC Transfer Planner (TAP) and it’s advised to review the application with a school counselor or UC TAG advisor.

“What some students do first is they fill out the TAP — it’s putting in the courses and information before they do the TAG so the UC representative can see which programs the student qualifies for,” said Del-

ta student program specialist Connie Martinez.

Once applied for TAG, the student must select only one campus and when applying for the UCs they must apply for the same college the put in their TAG application with. It’s highly recommended to apply for as many campuses as possible.

“For any UC campuses, we always advise students to seek help as soon as they get to the community college ... because the TAG conditions vary in GPA, and to know what classes are needed.

Seeking that advice helps create a better plan,” said UC Santa Barbara representative Julio Zamarripa.

The TAG applications are open until Sept. 30. The last two workshops to assist and talk to more representatives will be on Monday, Sept. 23 and Monday, Sept. 30. Both workshops will be held in the Career Transfer Center, DeRicco room 219, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

6 ENTERTAINMENT 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/entertainment

Annual exhibit features former Delta student

(Top) “It’s Not One Thing...It’s Everything” by Vicki Gunter (Top Right) “Child’s Play: Hit & Run” by Linda S. Fitz Gibbon (Bottom Right) “Communal Backwash” by Kayla King. PHOTOS BY AMIRAH AMENHOTEP

BY AMIRAH AMENHOTEP Entertainment Editor

On Thursday, Sept. 5, the annual Visions in Clay exhibit opened at San Joaquin Delta College’s L.H. Horton Gallery.

Visions in Clay is a known event where artists from all over the country are selected by a juror for display. This year’s juror was Sarah Millfelt, executive director of the Northern Clay Center. The show features more than 50 pieces displayed, including some local artists from here in Stockton.

“This is our tenth year doing this clay show. It’s a super popular clay show known around the country because it’s one of the largest ceramic-only shows.

Every year, the artists are continually bringing the most amazing work, and I’m just happy that

they keep coming back and keep getting great art out here for the students to see and learn from,” said L.H. Horton Gallery Director Jan Marlese.

Among this year’s artists was Delta College alumna Kayla King, who graduated from Delta in 2017, then this year graduated from San Francisco State.

Her piece “Communal Backwash” was a highlight of the show for her, considering she used to be a student who worked in the gallery during her time at Delta.

“For me the name of the piece is Communal Backwash, so I was imagining something that has one mouth but four chambers, so the idea is something you pass around cause it is a functional vessel, it’s heavy

but you can put water in it,” said King. “I had worked at the gallery for the last two Visions in Clay that I was at Delta and I entered as an afterthought thinking that would be cool and when I got the email I was literally jumping up and down, because that felt like my homecoming back to Stockton.”

All that was showcased meant something to the artists and it showed the art had reached out to the crowd who came to the exhibit.

“I like making things that look somewhere between organic and almost like a prop from the Flintstones movie where its over the top, I really wanted to make sure that I was letting the natural clay body show, then I did some under-

glaze on the top and went crazy with the drips.”

All the pieces have different themes that isn’t always just a particular subject within the show. Some artists represent what’s in their lives and others focus on what’s around them.

“The other thing that’s great about this show is that it’s so diverse and there’s a different type of art in every piece, from things that are figurative, to things that are abstract; creatures and animals — just a lot of visual eye candy,” said Marlese.

The pieces displayed ranged from the fun and whimsical, to the abstract and meaningful,

some with messages about today’s society.

Vicki Gunter’s “It’s Not One Thing…..It’s Everything” was about of loss in her life and her community as a whole.

“I was working on a series about loss and it started with personal losses of my grandparents, the family dog, my parents, and then it turned into working with social losses,” said Gunter. “It was during the Occupy Movement, it just came to my mind to have a different set of losses for each of the 13 stripes of the flag, the losses that we are all experiencing, the 99 percent of us, in a way.”

Two movies, two different opinions on quality Seth Rogan comedy brings adult humor, satire to the world of tweens

BY VIVIENNE AGUILAR

G

Editor in Chief

ood Boys” is an adventure comedy about tween boys Max, Lucas, and Thor risking everything to attend their first kissing party. It is produced by Seth Rogen. It opened in theaters Aug. 16.

Like “The Goonies,” or “Bad News Bears,” this movie has the perfect comedy formula. The film centers around three sixth-grade boys (Max, Lucas, and Thor) in today’s world.

It is topical to our time, but never loses the authentic feeling of being a 12-year-old. We’re talking parental control, puberty and unlimited motivation for trying new things before other kids.

The movie is rated R, and features child actors as self-proclaimed tweens with access to smartphones, drones and Molly, the drug. All of these mixed together create the movie’s wild adventure.

“Good Boys” catches the years we all spent figuring ourselves out, and makes you nostalgic over those cringy

memories.

Losing childhood friends is one aspect creators used to punch the audience in the “feels.”

“Good Boys” focuses on first best friendships, the ones your environment pushes you into. I think this was achieved so well it can send a grown man into hysterical crying from sadness, as well as laughter. There’s something about watching boys stumble into adult situations that puts you into your deepest memories.

Discovering your personality and interests is another topic addressed.

This goes hand in hand with losing your first BFFs. As movie-goers watch characters struggle with accepting individuality, they’re prompted to recall their time in the hot seat. For some this may be enjoyable, for others, maybe they’ll just have to relive all of their worst memories of trying to be someone they’re not. No matter who you are, “Good Boys” will leave you nostalgic.

Letting yourself grow up is the last lesson the film leaves you with. This wraps the movie up with a perfect bow. If nothing else in the movie satisfies the you, the ending will.

Although this movie wants to make you laugh, it has the ability to disrupt your psyche and make you remember a time you never really wanted to.

Pennywise continues to terriorize the town of Derry, well after the first attack

BY MAISY MACATO

B

Senior Staff Writer

asically “Killer Klown from Outer Space” — except it’s only one clown.

I wondered where It came from but to say he came from space was weird because of how unrealistic it was but it was somewhat true to the book.

But still, why couldn’t he be a demon, or come from another dimension instead of making him some space alien slash clown?

“It Chapter 2” brings the Losers back together for the final showdown, but it’s not all laughs and giggles … unless you count Pennywise’s hacking laugh.

Bill, Bev, Stanley, Richie, and Ben seemed to forget all about Derry and the monstrous, murdering clown and their friendship except Mike who tells them they must come home again to try to defeat It forever.

We see flashbacks into their lives which gains more background on the characters as they try to re-

gain their memories about Derry, but the jaunt down memory lane dragged on more than necessary.

Stanley is basically a forgotten part of the group that doesn’t seem missed, except by Richie.

Is this group even really friends?

“It Chapter 2” was not up to par because it seemed to drag on with no actual fuel to keep the suspense and horror running.

You get to see Pennywise kill or in most cases eat other side characters while the main characters are trying to get their crap together to battle him which doesn’t happen until the very end but this isn’t actually satisfying to wait so long for that to take place.

There are emotionally parts that are ignored, like a character being gay but that doesn’t really get addressed. I know it’s the ’80s and being gay was bad, however, shouldn’t they have at least came out to friends?

Is adultery normalized in 1980s?

We know domestic violence is, according to Beverly and her husband.

The only thing saving this movie was its super cool jump scares that you know are going to happen but still make you flinch or jump otherwise.

The rating for this movie is a 6 out of 10 for me personally due to the fact that horror isn’t just about the jumpscares but more about the build up which unfortunately fell short.

7 SPORTS 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/sports

Women’s soccer has even higher expectations for 2019 season

BY PAUL MUYSKENS Sports Editor

Expectations are at an all-time high for the Delta College women’s soccer team this season after 2018 saw the Mustangs go 19-4-3 and make program history with a trip to the state championship for the first time.

Off to a 4-0-1 start this season, the Mustangs under head coach Adrienne Sorenson have high expectations for this season with most of their team returning, including more than 70 percent of an offense that scored 81 goals last season.

“More goals, that’s the one thing I want more,” said returning forward Jay Her when asked what she wants to see after a season-opening 5-0 win against West Valley that saw her score a goal in the first half. Her led the team last season with 13 goals.

Through the first five games, the Mustangs have scored eighteen goals, led by Jaylin Meza, who has scored five goals already this season after scoring a second-best 11 goals last season.

“Definitely looking to get back to the final four and compete for a state championship,” said Sorenson when asked about the goals for this season.

“We understand that it’s not going to be as easy as it was last year to get back. There’s definitely a target on our backs now, especially with so many returners. We are going to get everyone’s best look every game.”

With a majority of last season’s team back, the biggest hole to fill coming into the year is in goal where the Mustangs have to replace team MVP Amanda Leal.

“I’m really excited about our goalkeeping this year,” said Sorenson.

“Marcella (Salyer) has been really good all summer and she definitely has earned her opportunity to start. Then we have freshman Callie Crain who was a top prospect in the area and she is coming in and competing also and I think it just makes both of them better.”

(Above) Joana Leon crosses the ball against West Valley (Below) Jay Her is hugged by Jaylin Meza after scoring PHOTOS BY PAUL MUYSKENS

Salyer and Crain have both seen significant time in goal as the pair have combined to allow just one goal.

Over the summer Sorenson went to France for the Women’s World Cup and had an amazing time going to multiple games including the USA vs.

France quarterfinal game. “(U.S.A. head coach) Jill Ellis talked about pressure and how other teams and programs shy away from pressure like it is a bad thing,” said Sorenson about what she brought back from the once-in-a-lifetime experience and shared with her team.

“She said for the U.S. women that they live in pressure and they can’t live without pressure. I think for this group with a target on our backs and

so many players returning that’s the kind of environment we want to have every day. We want the pressure, we want to put pressure on each other at practice to be better, we want lots of competition and I think that makes everybody better.”

With a deep team of returning players and talented newcomers, the Mustangs have had 27 players already see the pitch.

“We live for pressure,” said Her. “We like the pressure. It kind of puts a target on us but it’s fun having people chase us.”

The Mustangs are back at home this afternoon for a 4 p.m. kickoff against Butte.

Volleyball reaches Delta Classic championship match

BY PAUL MUYSKENS Sports Editor

While the Delta Classic did not end with the Mustangs holding the championship plaque, there were still plenty of smiling faces — and a baby held up in the air — as the Mustangs won their first seven matches of the season before losing in the finals to Feather River.

Reaching the Delta Classic championship match the Mustangs celebrated an impressive tournament run that ended on the same night that head coach Molly Mordaunt-Hummel’s daughter Emmy was turning 1 year-old.

“We have a lot of new kids in the gym that are really playing at a really high level and they are going to have to learn how to play consistently at that level,” said Mordaunt-Hummel. “They are going to just keep getting better.”

On the way to the championship match the Mustangs won three matches including a come from behind five set win over the defending state champions American River. In that match the Mustangs trailed 20-9 in the second set before scoring 16 of the final 19 points to take the second set and also trailed two sets to one before winning the final two sets.

“This group has a lot of fight and grit and they just find a way to keep battling and just keep going,” said Mordaunt-Hummel. “That’s not something that you can coach or teach.”

Losing three of their top four attackers from last season the Mustangs’ top

(Above) Angelique Stepanoff holds up Emmy Hummel (Right) Angel Lambert gets a kill during the Delta Classic championship match against Feather River PHOTOS BY PAUL MUYSKENS

returning attacker is sophomore Angelique Stepanoff who had 174 kills last season.

“I feel like I have a lot of weight on my shoulders and I like it,” said Stepanoff about her increased role this season as one of the captains as she has averaged a team-high 11 kills along with eight digs per match to start the season.

“I like the pressure, it makes me play better. I want to push all the other girls to do the best that they can.”

Among the freshmen making an impact to start the season are Kacy Bolding and libero Analiese Almgren. Bold-

ing had led the team with 219 assists while Almgren has led the team with 139 digs.

“Our overall goal is to win conference and make it to state,” said Stepanoff.

Last year’s runner up at the Delta Classic, American River, went on to capture the CCCAA State Championship. If that happens again this season it will be the Mustangs holding up more

than just a baby at the end of the season.

In the very first California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association rankings of the season, the Mustangs are ranked third in NorCal and fifth overall in the state.

With their next five matches all at Ernie Marcopulos Gym they are back at home this afternoon for matches at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

8 NEWS 091319

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/news

Enrollment numbers decline

BY AYAANA WILLIAMS Feature Editor

Enrollment is down at San Joaquin Delta College at the start of the Fall 2019 semester, although the decline is not as drastic as earlier in the year.

School officials have said that enrollment at Delta College has declined a little less than 3 percent compared to last year.

That’s better than earlier in the summer, when news reports indicated Delta’s enrollment was down by 10 to 12 percent.

While overall enrollment at community colleges across California has been in decline over the last decade, the implementation of the new MyDelta online registration system may have played a role in the fluctuating numbers, as well.

Many students have shared their frustrations through the Delta College Facebook group with comments such as “Can someone please give the step by step on how to go

about registering for classes with this new MyDelta system? It is proving hard to navigate,” and “I’m having so many issues with MyDelta portal, can someone tell me how I can enroll in classes for mountain house campus?”

These issues with the new portal have proved to be a contributing factor to enrollment decline in Fall 2019.

“Our recent Enrollment Express events were a big help. We were able to provide hundreds of students with services including registration, financial aid, counseling and more,” said Delta Public Information Coordinator Alex Breitler.

“It should also be noted that community college enrollment has declined nationally for nearly a decade now, as reported recently by Insider Higher Ed. California is one of the states with the largest decrease. Sometimes, when the economy is strong and more people are working, college enrollment slips. When times are hard we often see enrollment climb once again because

more people are out of work and looking to retool for new careers.”

Since summer, Delta has been able to narrow the enrollment gap with helpful resources such as Enrollment Express events held before the start of the semester to aid students in navigating the new system.

Delta College is currently working to help its students with any enrollment issues they may have; as well as fixing controllable elements such as any issues with the new MyDelta registration system, to be better prepared and ensure easier enrollment for next semester.

“Whatever the cause for Delta’s decline in enrollment so far this year, we want to emphasize that it’s not too late to take classes this fall,” said Breitler. “With the recent expansion of free community college and the known quality of Delta’s instruction and academics, we’re confident that students across our region will continue to choose Delta College.”

MONEY: Issues persist continued from PAGE 1 other programs such as fee waivers and the Pell Grant have also been impacted.

A majority of students rely on these programs to obtain aid.

Tina Lent, Director of the Financial Aid Department, said “70 percent of our student population on campus receives the CCPG (Fee Waiver) and usually we have approx. 6,200 students receive the Pell Grant.”

Random fees have also popped up on some students’ MyDelta accounts even though they do not need to pay them. A student reported they were even being charged out-of-state fees despite living in Stockton.

Students have been told to ignore these fees, MyDelta has posted messages notifying students about issues transmitting information and providing financial aid.

A post was made on the 5,000-plus member San Joaquin Delta College Facebook group with the caption “Did anyone else receive this?” Attached was a picture of a MyDelta message stating there was a technical glitch in regards to receiving the Pell Award.

Other students were having similar struggles.

“The solution that financial aid is working hard on is: they have to clear (essentially cancel) the financial information out of PeopleSoft in order to fix the bug, then they will work to put all the awards and disbursements back in the system. Financial Aid is expecting this process to take 2-3 business days,” said Academic Senate President Kathleen Bruce in an email sent to faculty on Sept. 4.

At the Sept. 10 board meeting, in response to a board member asking about problems with financial aid, Tos said that “we have corrected the error” and the process was moving again. She also said, though, that “I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep, which is why I’m not telling you the exact date” outstanding financial aid would be disbursed.

Problems are being tackled daily. Until these issues are resolved, the campus is providing means through which students can get by, including delaying parking enforcement through Sept.

23 so students have more time to get aid.

MYDELTA: College to continue working through issues into next semester we could at least have had some warning. Especially for like sign ups and registrations for students so we Delta College social media channels, Pourzanjani asks wouldn’t have missed an opportunity to get a class, students to keep their faith through these technical like me,” said student Catherine Hall. difficulties.

The San Joaquin Delta College Facebook group Rollout of other parts of the system has likely the greatest number of pubcontinue. lic complaints. On Monday, a student “We’ve had a lot of hiccups in the MORE ON MYDELTA said she was told after two full weeks implementation, I think we need to just Read answers to email interviews of attending a class and hoping for a face that fact. We’ve had issues with stu- conducted for this story. spot, the instructors couldn’t add her dents trying to register, faculty trying to to courses.

• bit.ly/mydeltaresponse drop or add, those kinds of issues,” said By late Wednesday, three weeks • bit.ly/enrollmentresponse Pourzanjani during an interview the into the semester, the same student first week of the semester. posted again to thank Delta staff for Once the dust settles for MyDelta, helping to fix the issues. But that student wasn’t alone Pourzanjani said he believes it will be more helpful to in experiencing problems: the campus than the former system.

• “Finally saw my transcripts on mydelta...there are some grades missing from my transcripts.

LACK OF COMMUNICATION Who do I contact about this? I am beyond After the system’s launch there was little to no frustrated. I wish they would have left well communication on how to use it. Social media posts enough alone. smh” advertised drop-in training for students starting in • “Who can I call regarding dropping a class? Im late May, after most had left campus for the summer. trying to drop a class but it keeps on telling me Faculty attended training the Friday before the start Im not registered to classes.” of this semester, but full features were not available.

• “I have not been registered for any classes due “Nothing we had access to was live,” Asfour said. to MyDelta and now Canvas isn’t working.

“So we watched somebody on a screen showing us That was my last hope to be added by today’s what we will have and they promised it would be live census count.” on Monday morning and we would have access to these things on Monday morning. That didn’t happen. WARNING SIGNS Then Tuesday, we had access to some stuff. So, nothA Google search for PeopleSoft, the enterprise reing was ready for us and I think that there are still source planning software for MyDelta, reveals previsome issues that should be solved immediately.” ous issues.

From the student perspective, registration dates In Florida, Manatee County School District Peoplewere missed because of trouble logging into MyDelta Soft implementation fell a year behind and cost twice or understanding how to use the new system, particu- as much as proposed. Problems encountered include larly the multi-step process to add courses. lack of preparation and “defective modules.” The sys“I think that if they would have asked students or tem cost taxpayers $24.1 million, according to an article staff or at least notified us that there was going to be published in The Bradenton Herald on Jan. 16, 2019. a change — I wasn’t here over summer, but like, a At two community colleges (Tacoma and Spokane) lot of students were telling me that it happened over in Washington, initial testing of the software “did not summer and they could’ve notified us last semester, go smoothly,” according to an article published in in spring that this was going to be happening so that The Spokesman-Review on Jan. 30, 2016. The schools

continued from PAGE 1

experienced issues with enrollment and financial aid disbursement. The cost of the program shot to $110 million or more.

“People who chose it for Delta didn’t do some homework, and why wasn’t there something built in to allow this to be tested for a semester?” said Asfour.

Issues in implementation for software at this scale aren’t uncommon.

“I think I have done this, the fourth or fifth ERP migration that I’ve been through and I don’t think I’ve seen a smooth flawless one,” said Pourzanjani.

LOOKING FORWARD The college admits mistakes were made.

“While the College has provided information to students and faculty, as well as continuously tried to solve a variety of ongoing issues, communication could have been much better throughout the implementation process and semester start,” said Delta Public Information Coordinator, Alex Breitler in response to Collegian questions.

Breitler said “more comprehensive” outreach is planned, but other steps including “alternative enrollment strategies” and additional late-start classes have already started.

“The College is in the process of identifying and reaching out to students who have encountered problems in order to resolve any remaining issues as soon as possible,” he wrote.

A debriefing is being planned.

When fully implemented, MyDelta is supposed to be a hub for all academic records and transactions. The Delta website promises personalized records, schedules, education plans, and more.

“At first I didn’t like it, but once I started exploring the system, I came to favor it because it showed me more information than the old system,” said Meredith Ramirez, a sophomore theater major. “I think it will be harder for older students to adapt to it, but I don’t think the ones who are new to Delta are going to care.”

Hannah Workman contributed to this report.

POURZANJANI: New president asks students for patience during changes continued from PAGE 1 retired in Spring 2019 is an opportunity to ensure equity for the campus. “[The] best we can do is help everyone as much as we can, try to keep things calm,” Pourzanjani said of all the changes impacting Delta this semester.

Before Pourzanjani’s installment, faculty had an ongoing issues with contracts not being solidified for the upcoming semester. Faculty raised the

issue during inservice days a week before school started, heckling Pourzanjani during their first public encounter with him in an open forum.

“I do think it was unfortunate for faculty to feel that that was the right forum to do that ... I can’t say I enjoyed the behavior, but I’d say I understand it. And I think my hope is that we can build stronger relationships and trust between us — if I say, you know,

here’s how much money we have here so much money we have for raises or whatever — that they were on the same page with these things,” said Pourzanjani.

He asks that students remain positive as the school tackles all issues with MyDelta, and take advantage of the resources available to streamline enrollment.

“I would like students to remember

to step back from the situation. And have confidence that this is truly, not because I’m saying it, but because it’s one of the best colleges. Might be one of the best colleges in the nation. One of the factors that was reviewed in that ranking is the salaries our students get when they graduate. And that’s critical in terms of economic mobility. That’s one of our major drives,” Pourzanjani said.