The Collegian - Published Oct. 7, 2022

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The Collegian

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STOCKTON ON ALERT

BY ARIANNA JUÁREZ Editor-in-Chief

Video surveillance footage featuring a person of interest in the investigation of six homicides and a shooting has been released by Stockton Police Department Chief Stan ley McFadden during an Oct. 4 press confer ence that included Mayor Kevin Lincoln and City Manager Harry Black.

This release comes just days after SPD initially disclosed that the department was looking into five Stockton homicides the de partment believed were “interconnected” on Sep. 28.

“By definition these shootings are a series of killings,” said McFadden during the Oct. 4 update. “We do believe we have a potential serial killer.”

The grainy video surveillance footage shared during this press conference featured a man in dark clothing with his back to the camera. The man had an “uneven stride” and an “extremely upright” posture, noted Mc Fadden.

“We’ve seen this person of interest on more than one of the incidents, so it’s abso lutely someone we want to talk to,” McFad

Salad offerings in Danner Hall are part of the limited offerings at the location. Students addressed the board on Sept. 20 to voice concerns about a lack of food on campus.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

den said about the unknown suspect.

The City of Stockton, Stockton Crime Stoppers, and the Federal Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with do nations from anonymous local business own ers, are now offering a combined $125,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest.

“There’s one thing we know about the city of Stockton,” said Lincoln in his first address to the city since news about this investiga tion broke last week. “We are resilient. And when we experience and we go through ad versity, like the chief said, we come together. We find a way.”

The community was first alerted that a se ries of five Stockton homicides with similar patterns were under investigation on Sept. 30.

Later, on Oct. 3, SPD disclosed in a Face book post that it was now considering two additional cases that could potentially be linked with the initial five identified.

The April 10, 2021, shooting death of a 40-year-old Hispanic man in Oakland, as well as an April 16, 2021, shooting of a 46-year-old black woman at Park Street and

Forum brings candidates for Stockton Unified school board to campus

BY ARIANNA JUÁREZ Editor-in-Chief

The third and final in a series of San Joaquin County elec tion candidate forums brought community members to the South Forum building on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

These question and answer forums were sponsored by Delta College, as well as the University of the Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business, CSU Stanislaus, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and other notable Stockton organizations.

Students address lack of food

BY NICHOLAS MICHELSEN Entertainment Editor

If you have wandered into Danner Hall you probably no ticed a dimly-lit room, sparsely populated by students roaming about eating vending-machine potato chips and microwaved burritos.

You may have also noticed a large section in the back that resembles a fully functional kitchen which sits untouched like a ghost town. Welcome to the current state of the caf

eteria at Delta College. Large counter top steam tables are filled to the brim with nothing, a hot food grill and fresh deli section are dark and empty, and closed off by a rack of chips and several boxes.

“It [would be] pretty nice to be able to go in and get [hot] food cheaper overall. It would be more of an in centive to sit around and do just schoolwork. That would help me out,” said Kyle Gold

smith, a new student of Delta, during a College Hour event Sept. 15 where the Associat ed Students of Delta College brought in a food vendor to serve students.

The state of the cafete ria recently became a public comment topic at the Sept. 20 meeting of the Board of Trust ees where Digital Media stu dents who spend a lot of time on campus noted the lack of options in Danner Hall.

These public forums, where the community is encouraged to get to know potential elected officials, were held over the span of three weeks during the month of September.

Each forum featured candidates from different local gov ernment races on the ballot this November. Questions were asked by students who represented Delta’s political science department, as well as local government reporter Ben Irwin of The Record.

Wednesday’s forum featured candidates running for seats on the Stockton Unified School District’s Board of Educa tion.

The embattled board is holding elections this November, just weeks after a lengthy report from the San Joaquin Coun ty Grand Jury detailing severe financial mismanagement and operational dysfunction was released.

This comprehensive report concluded that SUSD’s man agement and board of trustees “were not adhering to policies

String of homicides close to Delta’s campus prompts warnings from Stockton police as no clear image emerges of

suspect

Religion essential for college students

BY LAKEISHA JOHNSON

We’ve

all been handed a Gide on bible on campus, right? Are you curious about God? Is he real?

Do you or someone you know ask why God is important in your life?

Each individual has their own per spective on religion. Some believe that God is the big rulemaker with a long stick, waiting to strike you down at every mistake made. Others believe in multiple gods, or higher powers. Belief systems can impact mental health, which can help students be a more complete person.

Even more complicated are beliefs in evolution or creationism. Are we the result of a spark that happened mil lions of years ago? Or were we created by an all-knowing entity?

If you ever have taken a religion class here at Delta College, you’ll find that evolution was a theory initially proposed by Charles Darwin and Al fred Russel Wallace in the nineteenth century as an idea that humans must come from another species.

If so the question is, if evolution is real shouldn’t it still be happening? If we evolved from monkeys, shouldn’t we still see it happening? We may have evolved in other ways, but the human

race hasn’t evolved in a way that makes it different than it had been since the homo sapien era began.

The views on the different sides are sometimes far apart. Religion, in general, is something that people find solace and grace in.

“Religion in young adults can bene fit them greatly because of the deci sions they make in those years,” said Brandon Smith, a pastor over young adults at Quail Lakes Baptist Church. “Particularly, Christianity provides a

framework for how we all should live our lives. Jesus Christ the God of the universe is important, especially for millennials.”

Everyone has their own take on who God is. Some are Buddhist, Muslim or Scientologist.

Surprisingly enough individuals all have something in common and that is they all have faith in something. Even if it’s just themselves.

Faith is trust and confidence in something.

As children, some of our parents drove us to either a church or a temple, where we all congregated with other same believing individuals. We all should know right from wrong. We all know that we should treat each other the way we want to be treated. So each individual at the college age should have some type of foundation as they enter the real world.

Religion can be that structure for many.

Think of it this way; It's beneficial to have some sort of belief. Many of us can relate to a young Jew by the name of Jesus who sacrificed his life some 2000 years ago. Some can relate to him because of his age and the fact that he could receive anybody.

Faith also can impact mental health. According to an 2019 article in Indian J Psychiatry, religion can help with one’s mental health by improving it. Religion can benefit individuals greatly by providing them with some type of peace.

So here is the question: What are some of your core values? If you have some of the values listed within this article then you're off to a good start.

Whatever faith you believe in you have to have one universal thing and that is love and respect for everything God has created.

Students struggle with financial aid difficulties

BY JADA PORTILLO Opinion Editor

Isthe department bad or are the bad apples mixed in with the good ones?

If you ask the students of Delta College the Financial Aid department has its fair share of good and bad. The complaints range from financial aid special ists telling students “your par ents probably make too much money” to workers closing Live Chats on students with urgent problems.

Student Jonathan May oLopez said the financial aid department has him “punching the air.”

“From my experience with the Financial Aid department they are just straight to the point and quick, from there it’s onto the next student that has to do their second step for the financial aid and they even get a little mad for showing up to the zoom call 30 seconds late,” said MayoLopez.

The closing of Live Chats, which is available through

the Delta College website, in particular is not a sanctioned action.

“This would not be an ac ceptable practice and is not cur rently an issue that we are aware of,” said Tina Lent, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Sometimes finding help in the department can be trou bling. Students are welcome to contact Elba Serrano, the As sistant Director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Depart ment as well as Lent herself.

“Other than the variety of options students have to contact various staff members of the department, students are wel come to reach out to either Elba Serrano (Assistant Director) or myself at any time,” said Lent.

I’ve had my fair share of experiences at the financial aid department, from walking in with anger to walking out feeling happy.

It comes down to who you speak to.

I recommend finding the

right financial aid specialist for you as if you were scrolling left or right on Tinder. You may have to check out a few before you find a good match.

After finding the right financial aid specialist for me, I understood what was going on behind the scenes instead of being reeled like a fish.

Finding someone who can really help and understand your point of view is essential es pecially when it comes to your financial aid. When I finally found the right specialist for me, I was able to have peace of mind and the status of my grant. From then on my opin ion on Financial Aid changed because I was able to get the help I needed.

With that being said, the department can be a frustrating and hair-pulling experience, there are resources out there for you to learn more. Like a variety of financial aid work shops the department and Delta College Student Services host. Financial aid is also open

late Wednesdays from 3 p.m to 7 p.m. in DeRicco 117. The Financial aid department is still available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m to 5 p.m.

“Financial Aid can be a complex process and diffi cult for students to navigate through,” said Lent. "It is essential to understand the processes and in order to assist students with gaining a better understanding we offer a variety of different type of workshops.” In an email interview, Lent included links to campus workshops at www. deltaocollege.edu/department/ financial-aid-scholarships and a general contact page.

“The Financial Aid Office continues to look for innova tive ways to best meet students where they are,” said Lent.

The best thing to do to stay on top of your financial aid understanding is to ask ques tions, ask for clarity, and have a little good luck to navigate the process.

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Mustang Market Farm is in the works

BY MARISELA QUINTUA Staff Writer

Gone are Delta College’s Cabernet grape vines, with the replacement of an abundance of fresh produce.

The goal is to produce the Mustang Market Farm on Delta's campus to be launched in Spring of 2023. Stop by the Mustang Market Farm for fresh produce grown on San Joaquin Delta College’s very own soil.

The Market is directed by Professor Tina Cande lo-Mize with the help of her students. It is going to be located in the northeast area of campus near the Data Center, where the vineyard used to be. Professor Can delo-Mize specializes in Horticulture and Plant Sci ence.

The Market is planned to be a year-round fixture, with specific dates to be determined, and exceptions made for holidays and colder winter months. Their produce on offer will align with the year-round fixture, with seasonal produce sold alongside a more continu ous selection.

This market plans on having locally grown fresh produce such as seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers. “All fruits and vegetables will be grown on campus,” said Candelo-Mize.

Students have been able to learn the benefits of growing produce, working with different soils, and bal ancing their academic life with a gardening schedule. This project has been growing for some time now.

“We have been planning and preparing this project since late 2020,” says Candelo-Mize. “Students and staff worked over the summer to prepare the soil and the first planting of vegetables just took place on Sept. 27.”

The students are hard at work planting many goods such as broccoli, peas, and daikon radish. Berries, stone

fruit and more are soon to be announced according to Candelo-Mize, with produce in rotation depending on the season.

“We have not settled on pricing yet, but the primary mission of the market farm is to increase student access to fresh fruit and vegetables, while helping to alleviate food insecurity within our campus community. So, it is very likely students will have a pay-what-you-can op tion,” said Candelo-Mize

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Mus

Delta forums renamed after board approval

BY VANESSA GOMEZ Staff Writer

On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees voted to acknowledge and amplify three historically underrepresented groups in the renaming of the North, South, and West campus forums, which have historically not had given names.

The push to rename the classroom spaces comes from the Black Faculty Taskforce, the Chicanx Latinx Faculty Task force, and the Faculty Caucus for Asian Pacific Equity in con junction with the Asian Pacific Islander American Staff Asso ciation.

The three task forces have agreed that a starting point in making the campus a more wel coming area is by renaming the forums in honor of the under represented groups that Delta has neglected to acknowledge for so long.

“The college is predominate ly people of color; Hispanic stu dents make up 50 percent of the student population. And yet, there are no buildings named after Hispanic community members.” said Professor Ma rio Moreno, who is a member of the Chicanx Latix Faculty at Delta.

The groups led movements for the renaming, which includ ed presentations to the campus Heritage Committee on Sept. 19.

The Asian Pacific Island er American Staff Association (APIASA) and the Faculty Caucus for Asian Pacific Eq uity (FCAPE) worked to re name the West Forum to the Dr. Dawn Bohulano Maba lon Forum to honor the Delta alumni and advocate for the

Little Manila Historic Site in Stockton who died in 2018.

The Black Faculty Task Force (BFTF) worked to rename the North Forum to the Tony Fitch Forum. Fitch worked as a coun selor at Delta for 45 years and received Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian award for his service. The Chicanx Latinx Faculty Taskforce (CLF) chose to rename the South Forum to the Campesino Forum, in hon or of the campesino workers who are underrepresented in the history of California.

The support for the renam ing has been active for some time.

“The student government has been overwhelmingly sup portive of this change. Both the Spring 22’ semester and this semester, the elected officials of the Associated Students of Delta College have unanimous ly supported the renaming of all three forums.” said Moreno in an interview.

Talks about renaming the forums have been going on since at least a semester ago,

and the petition to rename the West Forum in honor of Maba lon was submitted March 1st of this year. The renaming of the West Forum had been halted due to the Heritage Committee “needing more time with their constituents.”

For the South Forum renam ing process, the issue appeared to be an issue of wording. AP 6620, the code that determines the guidelines for the naming of college buildings, states that a building can be named after an individual or individuals of im portance to the college or com munity. Campesinos, which is a general term for a group of peo ple, does not easily fall under the guidelines.

Despite the hurdles, all three forums will be renamed to the new names the faculty task forc es worked tirelessly to achieve.

Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawer son, president/superintendent of Delta Colleged, voiced her support for the renaming of the Campesino forum in particular, stating: “A sense of belonging is indicative of student success.”

tang Market Farm team, contact faculty advisor Tina Candelo-Mize at tina.candelo-mize@deltacollege.edu.

FOOD: Meal options limited on Delta College campus

continued from PAGE 1

Digital Media student Ashley Hallinan noted that the situ ation is so dire that Professor Adriana Brogger, who has a jar of snacks free for students, has had to replace the stock multiple times already this semester.

“Many students are hungry now that we’re back on campus, and there’s different, you know. It can be seen, and I’m in several classes where our teacher is generous enough to put out granola bars and crackers and stuff, saying, ‘Take what you need’. That jar is being depleted every day,” Hallinan said.

Students who have health conditions, including Type 2 dia betes, may find themselves out of luck if they don’t bring their own food, Hallinan told the board.

“I have two other classmates on this evening who also have medical issues that revolve around nutritious food. I’ve been to our cafeteria on several occasions, and the options are less than equivalent to a gas station”, said Hallinan.

In recent semesters, Danner Hall has offered pre-packaged options that resemble the nearest 7-11 store rather than a col lege-scale food service operation. A warm meal on campus for some is simply a styrofoam Cup Noodles. Pre-pandemic, for mer Delta College President Dr. Omid Pourzanjani worked to renovate the Danner Hall space and lower prices. But now the once-bustling kitchen is a shell of its former self.

Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services Nate McBride said Delta appreciates hearing student voices on the issue of cam pus food offerings. Auxiliary Services is the department where Danner Hall operations reside.

“We are actively looking at potential strategies to improve food service, but we don’t have any specific details to share yet. We will definitely keep students informed as we get further along in the process. We also are very interested in any ideas that students might have and we are looking for a way for them to submit those ideas to us. We’ll release more details on that as soon as we can,” McBride said.

One notable option for students is the Culinary Arts’ depart ments Student Chef, which recently opened for food service two days a week. The program is a kitchen and restaurant for culinary students to refine their cookery and dish execution.

“The advanced culinary [students are] the ones that are pre paring the food that is being served by the restaurant operations class,” said Instructional Assistant and Adjunct Professor Brit ney Howard. “They come up with a menu, each week it changes. So we’re trying to use local products, so a lot of the product comes from local farmers.”

Student Chef uses fresh ingredients and produce within 100 miles of campus.

Student Chef is open to serve the campus in the south-west corner of Danner Hall, from 9 to 11:15 a.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday, with a new low-cost menu each week.

Delta College Horticulture students growing produce at the Mustang Market PHOTOS BY DUANE SANDERS

A sign celebrating the renaming of the South Forum to the Campes ino Forum was displayed after the Delta board of trustees voted on Tuesday. PHOTO BY SAADIQ AFZAL

Locally grown produce at new Mustang Market Farm grown by Delta horticulture students

DELTA PRIDE CENTER PROVIDES SAFE SPACE BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

Editor

Started in 2011, Delta’s Pride Center believes in pro viding support and a safe cam pus climate for the college’s LGBTQ+ students.

I spoke to Ricky Gutierrez, the program manager for Del ta’s Pride Center and empow erment resource programs, and asked some quick questions about the center.

What is the Pride Cen ter?

“A student resource and cultural center for LGBTQ+ students,” said Gutierrez. “We promote the overall well being of students, improve campus culture and support the success of students.”

Do you think Delta should do more to pro mote the Pride Center?

“Yes! We love to be shown love. So anytime we get a shout out, especially on social media, it definitely creates more visi

bility. We loved the promotion and marketing that happened in June for our first ever pride Flag raising ceremony.”

What are some of the services that are provid ed by the Pride Center?

Isaiah Wright, who is one of

the student mentors and well ness ambassadors, said the cen ter offers “one-on-one mentor ing, book voucher, community

Delta celebrates Latinx Heritage Month

building opportunities, flyer posting for community out reach.”

When it comes to Delta supporting the Pride Center, Wright said “Delta [support ing] Pride is a great way to en sure students with the ability to express themselves with a safe environment free from judg ment and negativity.”

Emily Pham, who is a stu dent assistant for the Pride Center, said “We have the Pride Center which provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ stu dents, where students can hang out, study and meet like-mind ed folks. We have many re sources available. We have the Pride Scholars program which provides academic guidance.”

The Pride Center is locat ed at Danner Hall upstairs in room 202B, and is open Mon day through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It can be contacted by phone at (209) 954-8349 or using Google Voice number (209) 597-8349.

Delta college is celebrating Latinx Heritage Month between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15.

Students are given opportunities to join in on various activities throughout the month.

On Sept. 21, students joined the Pride Center to play lotería and win prizes. On Sept. 21, Sept. 28, and Oct. 5 students could join the Latinx Cen ter for ‘Paletas con Profes.’ Students are encour aged to join in on the last ‘Paletas con Profes’ on Oct. 12 in the Latinx Center (Shima 133).

Celebrate the grand opening of Delta’s Dream ers Success Center Oct. 13 with a ribbon cutting, followed by tours of the center and music.

Hitting the books after thirty not impossible

BY LAKEISHA JOHNSON Staff Writer

Decisions, Decisions, De cisions. What may seem like your dream career, just may not be. An individual's mind can change after they’ve worked on a job for several years. Compa nies that used to pay retirement benefits are not doing it any more. Individuals put college on hold because “life” simply got in the way. Some had fam ilies early or entered the work force early, only to realize that they actually needed college to promote, and the list goes on. Whatever the reason may be,

college could have been on the back burner for many people.

According to 2019 research done by Forbes one million Americans returned to col lege and earned undergrad uate degrees within the past five years. “I had a baby when I was in my teens and I hadn’t thought about college until I hit my thirties,” said Stepha nie Rhodes, a full time student here at Delta College, “Too busy with raising kids and trying to work, so I definitely wasn’t thinking about it. Seems like to get a really good job you need some type of degree.”

Jobs may not be paying what

individuals are seeking to earn, which can be another reason some older adults return to col lege after 30.

Data by the Social Securi ty Administration written in 2021 says that men with their 4 year degrees make almost $1 million dollars more over a lifetime. Women make less, but still manage to make some more with a degree at roughly $630,000 dollars. That’s a large increase over one’s lifetime.

Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to wait. Some students who can’t afford college can save for it by working over a length of time. That will stop them from

taking out huge loans that they may not be able to pay back in their older years. With more employers looking for individ uals with degrees and a diver sified working class, employers may want to hire older adults with degrees. Companies like to hire older adults as well. These are companies right in our own backyard within the Santa Clara county borderline. So let’s not give up hope just yet.

Some individuals may take a break from college to travel and see what the world has to offer. Traveling can give stu dents more expertise. Broad

ening their horizons may not be such a bad idea. Individuals seeking to do this may have funding issues so working can help them pay for this along with family contribution. Sim ply getting out does a body good, and helps prepare an in dividual for a lengthy college career depending on what they are seeking to obtain.

Some college students 30 and over may feel like they cannot relate to 18 -24 year olds but that is just fine. There is something for everyone in college and it’s never too late.

Omar Rodriguez, left, and Hector Arrivillagor, right, enjoying their paletas.

Pride Center program manager Dr. Ricky Gutierrez-Maldonodo.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

Nikki Boyd attending lotería night.

Counselor Daniel Fernandez.

Sofia Abarca enjoying her paleta.

Student playing lotería.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

Entering Halloween season with fair fun

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Feature Editor

The spooky season has fi nally begun, as events like the Manteca Pumpkin Fair start to kick off. The 37th an nual Manteca Pumpkin Fair was held Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2 in downtown Manteca, bringing two days of fun for all ages.

Visitors to the fair could check out a tractor show on Saturday and cruise the street to see the extensive car show on Sunday.

Live bands played on main and community stages, sur rounding visitors with good tunes throughout the fair. Stockton local classic rock band Network took the stage at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Mike Torres Band took the stage at 2 p.m. Sunday, filling the dance floor.

Activities filled the fair, providing the opportunity to make memories with family and friends, or to meet new people.

“It’s really getting out, it’s getting exercise, it's talking with other people, and that’s important,” said vendor Rose Flores Alcaraz of Soaps Creams and Things.

The event brings the com munity together.

“It's a fun couple of days,

you get to meet a lot of great people,” said Cyndie Bell of BC Bell Financial Solutions.

Kids were entertained with a multitude of activities; a rock wall, painting, carnival games, a kids zone complete with corn hole, and even a minia ture train to ride.

No matter dietary needs, there were food options for everyone. Visitors could find fair staples such as garlic fries, hot dogs, funnel cake, mango nada, and lemonade. For visi tors over 21, there was a beer garden and vendors selling al coholic beverages.

Vendors filled the fair. You could find stuffed animals and novelty toys, handmade items such as jewelry, candles and soap, but most importantly you could find the fruit of the season: pumpkins.

“I think as a vendor there are a lot of great people here looking to spend their money and I think as a shopper there’s a lot of great vendors here, a lot of variety and some really cool things to check out,” said vendor Kayla Roslan of Sparks Fly Candle Co.

“This show in specific, I feel like it is very good at having different vendors every year,” said vendor Shelby Fletcher of Scentsy.

There were also informa tional booths, using the fair as

an opportunity to inform the public about services or orga nizations they had access to.

“It is exposure to the com munity, to let people know what we do, to help families, and to just get our name out

there,” said Bell. “The more people that see your name, that see your face, the more they trust you, so then they’re more willing to open them selves up and see what you ac tually can do for them.”

The weekend was un doubtedly filled with smiles, laughs, and a sense of com munity among both Mante ca residents and visitors from the surrounding San Joaquin County.

SPOOKY SEASON ROUNDUP

If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the Manteca Pumpkin Fair this year, don’t worry because there is more Halloween fun to come:

• Dell’Osso Family Farms open until Oct. 31

More Spooky Season Events:

fair.

• SJDC Horticulture Club pumpkin sales on Oct. 7, 14, and 21

• ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ showing at the Bob Hope Fox Theater on Oct. 16

• Lodi Halloween Fest on Oct. 22

• Stockton’s Halloween Pub Crawl on Oct.22 Lodi Hops and Goblins Beerfest on Oct. 22

• Fierce’s Fall Fest in CTE-Land on Oct. 29

Looking fresh with Loads of Hope

BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN Photo Editor

With times being hard for a lot of people, Delta had of fered to take a load or two off your shoulders.

Loads of Hope is a pro gram that partners with Del

ta College to provide laundry services for the students once a week.

Students are able to wash a limit of two loads every Tues day from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Holt 1 parking lot.

“More students are taking

advantage of these free on campus services,” said Mi chelle Cruz, Student Outreach Ambassador.

The program is part of Del ta College’s ongoing efforts to meet student basic needs as part of their experience on campus. Basic needs are “es sential resources required to thrive as a student,” according to the Basic Needs page on the Delta College website.

Other basic needs services include the Student Food Pantry, the health center, and crisis/behavior counseling ser vices.

Loads of Hope parks up at Delta campus. PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

A game of cornhole with a Halloween twist at the Manteca Pumpkin Fair. PHOTOS BY LEO LORENT ZON

The Manteca Fire Department visits

ALL GRUNGE, ‘NO CITRUS’

BY NICHOLAS MICHELSEN Entertainment Editor

‘No Citrus’ is a fresh new band, composed of three musicians that are actively appearing in the music and arts scene around Stockton. The band currently plays small venues, house parties, and rocking the mics right here in our own backyard. Make sure to check them out and support your local musicians. For content, and updates follow them on IG @NoCitrus209.

The band is comprised of three active members: Jamie Dennis -Lead vocals/ Bass guitar, Lotus T. -Lead guitar/back up vocals, Dominique (who goes by Dom) -Drums. The band is currently seeking a fourth member, contact them on social media for more details.

Dennis answered questions for Collegian

WHEN AND HOW DID ALL THREE OF YOU MEET, AND HOW LONG HAVE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC TOGETHER SINCE?

“Collectively we met around August last year. Me and Dom have known each other since high school so we kind of met T last year…” said Jamie. The two went to an open mic that night and played on stage together for the first time. Jamie and Lotus both agreed on a song titled ‘Sweater Weather’. “Honestly before that I was never like a singer at all. I was always too nervous to sing in front of any body besides my friends.” Jamie explained.

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC AND WHERE THE NAME ‘NO CITRUS’ COMES FROM?

“We like to say that we play Queer-Grunge… There’s so many genres in the world right now you might as well make up your own.” Many of their peers have compared them to ‘No Doubt’, and ‘Hole’, to which Jamie explains their influ ences are very broad and not so specific as to where they get their unique sound.

Jamie then shared the origin story of the band name which began in high school.

“We were trying to come up with a band name and I kept saying things like ‘Lemon Lime’, ‘Lime Crime’ ‘Salty Lemon’, like what if we named our band something like this? Like ‘Orange Peel’? And my friend she was like ‘No citrus Jamie, cut it out with the citrus, no more citrus, like no more citrus names’. And then I was like, ``What if we called our band ‘No Citrus’?”

And thus ‘No Citrus’ was born.

“...we were like f**k it.”

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR WRITING SONGS TOGETHER?

“The main one [process] usually is we’ll be jamming and let’s say I do some thing on the bass and Dom’s like ‘Oh my god I really like that’ and then were like ‘Oh let’s do something with it’ or T will be just playing the guitar a lot and I’ll just start free-styling lyrics over it and were like ‘oh this is making sense -like this could work out’ and we’ll kind of come together and just make our songs togeth

er…” According to Jamie the band would often play and write acoustically, crafting their songs during jam sessions at the park.

“T. has come to us with an entire song before like ‘Jamie I think it’d be cool if you played this bass line and Dom if you do something on the drums like this and I’ve kind of already made a whole guitar part and lyrics’ and we’re like ‘okay f**k it like, this sounds cool’.”

Jamie has also presented finished songs for them to learn together. The ‘No Citrus’ writing process seems to be a free space of melodies for them to create music in unison.

“It’s always different but mainly it comes from jamming all together”, she explained.

When asked about if any of them had moved to Stock ton previously, Jamie elaborated that they are all natives of Stockton, born and raised here.

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED ANY HURDLES OR OBSTACLES COMING TO GETHER AS A BAND WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY?

“It’s been immediately arms open...” Jamie paused for a moment and asked me to specifically quote her feelings regarding the community and her journey before she continued.

“It feels like the community hugged us. Like if they just gave us a giant hug and just like, took us in. And this was immediate support from the beginning, and it felt so- so encouraging. So that’s like what really pushed us to keep going was from the very, very beginning, people were so open.” The band has received love and support from the community that lead vocalist Jamie has expressed great gratitude over.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOUR MUSIC AND WHEN IS YOUR FIRST ALBUM READY TO DEBUT?

“Okay currently we have nowhere they can find our music besides our Insta gram, we have some short Reels, [from] when we perform. But we actually just finished recording on Friday, so we got everything done and Noah’s just mixing and mastering it. So hopefully at the end of October it will be released.” Al though the release date is an estimate and TBA, Jamie noted that the band will be having an album release debut at The Hatch Workshop.

*The Hatch Workshop is a free space for artists and creatives where events, shows, and open mics are often held. They are located at 40 S. Union St, Stock ton, CA

*Official release date for their first album will be announced in the near future on the No Citrus Instagram page. @NoCitrus209

‘Frankenstein’ opens in campus studio theater

Delta College Drama Depart ment is presenting Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, adapted by Bo List and directed by Greg Foro. The performance goes on in the Alfred Muller Studio from Oct. 7, 8, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m.

Left: Angry villagers confront the monster. Right: Kayla Mc Connell plays Dr. Frankenstein speaks to Parker Rose, who plays Henry.

GOODMAN

‘No Citrus’ Lotus T (Lead Guitarist/Backup Vocals) on the left, Jamie Dennis (Lead vocals/Bass) middle, and Dom (Drums) on the right. COURTESY PHOTO

Fitness projects being established at Delta

BY SAADIQ AFZAL Sports Editor

In an effort to help stu dents stay healthy and fit, Delta’s Board of Trustees have voted on Sept. 20 to approve the purchase of equipment for a fitness court from the Na tional Fitness Campaign.

The fitness court is a seven minute workout system that consists of seven stations, each focusing on a workout that strengthens a person’s core, lower body, upper body or agility using their own body weight.

The fitness court project is in the process of getting es tablished by Oct. 2022 and its official location will be in front of the Atherton Audito rium.

“I’m excited about an out door area to get stronger in,” said Adrienne Sorenson, head coach of the women’s soc cer team. “I’m really excited that the school is putting that money into that area. I think it’ll be awesome and it’ll be great for the community also, just a place for them to work out.”

Other staff members had some comments and opinions about this as well.

POST Academy director Tammie Murrell says that the fitness court will benefit the police academy since they don’t have their own athletic training equipment.

“The police academy at Delta College doesn’t have its own athletic training equip ment,” said Murrell. “So, this is going to give us an oppor tunity to have a place to work out and we’re gonna be the first people to use it and we won’t have to share the facility with other programs. So, it’s

very good for our program.”

Delta President/Super intendent Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson says that although the POST academy are sched uled to use the fitness court for one hour each day, the rest of the time is open for the public and that can engage the com munity in crossfit training.

“How the fitness court will be beneficial to the communi ty is that currently our POST academy students will use the fitness court, but they will only use it one hour a day,” said Lawrenson. “And, the rest of the time is open for the ath letics and the general public to use. So, it gets people to come and engage in crossfit training on the fitness court itself.”

Current and former stu dents at Delta shared their opinions, too.

Goleman Library tutor and former Delta student Silvio Dell’Aringa says that the fit ness court is a great idea and it would do great for public health.

“I think the fitness court is a great idea,” said Dell’Aringa. “Stockton has an issue with obesity. So, when you are of fering a free program where people from the public can workout, I think that would do great for public health.”

Freshman soccer player Mateo Pena also says that the fitness court is a great idea since it’s free access for the public to workout.

“Honestly it sounds like a great idea,” said Pena. “It would motivate more people to workout and give people access to an area that they can workout for free.”

However, this isn’t the only fitness related project Delta is working on right now.

The par course is a fitness activity that consists of ten stations and each of these sta tions will require participants to do exercises such as chest press or leg extensions.

After completing a spe cific station, the participant will run 100-200 meters to the next station to continue on with the workout, gaining more muscle and burning off calories from running to dif ferent stations as well. The total distance of completing these ten stations comes out to about one mile.

Delta’s Board of Trustees are still in the process of ap proving the equipment for the par course. “The par course is some

thing that was in place years ago and we want to promote a health and wellness minded campus climate,” said Lau ryn Seales, head coach of the women’s track and field and cross country team for Delta College who is also the main part of the fitness court and par course. “When you ad dress your physical wellness, your emotional, mental, and physical wellness improve as well.”

Delta was awarded $30,000 from the Greenfields School Incentive Program specifically for the par course equipment.

Although the establishment date of the par course is un known, the proposed areas will be around the parking lots and the entrance to Delta College.

“I also like the idea of the par course because it offers an outdoor system where you can run throughout the school, going to different sta tions and focusing on differ ent parts of your body, which I think is great for overall ex ercise and to get fit as well,” said Dell’Aringa.

Not only does the par course and fitness court help you get in shape, but it will help you cope with your men tal health as well, according to Valerie Gnassounou, dance and French professor at Delta College who is also a big part of the fitness court process as well.

“As you know, a lot of stress was increasing due to the pandemic and we wanted to make a change and cope with different barriers that have risen from the pandemic,” said Gnassounou. “And, we came up with the fitness court because we believe fitness is very good for the mental and physical health of the person.”

Mustangs soccer starting off strong this season

BY SAADIQ AFZAL Sports Editor

Delta women’s soccer team started off their season with a record of 8-1 as of Oct. 2022.

The team has recently beat Cabril lo College on Sept. 30 and the players shared some comments on that win.

“I was pretty excited when we won because Cabrillo did get better and we really didn’t expect that from them,” said Kayli Wilson, sophomore midfielder. “It was one of those games where it’s like you are on the edge of your seat and you are really engaged. So, it was really fun to watch and be involved in.”

In addition, Cabrillo College had negative expectations about the city of Stockton and Delta wanted to prove them wrong about that.

“This was a fun game to win only because they know that we come from Stockton,” said Eliza Barocio, sopho more goalkeeper. “So, they have the ex pectations that Stockton is rude, mean and ghetto, but we went up there and showed them how we do it classy like we do every game and every team.”

The team has been working on grow ing everyday and improving more and more on each match as well.

“I think the biggest thing for this group is that we’re trying to improve everyday with every match,” said Adri enne Sorenson, head coach of the soc cer team. “Yeah, we’re excited about the season, but we’re more excited about

growing everyday and improving a little with each match.”

As for the team’s motivation, the players try to push themselves to be better than their previous games and work harder and harder each day.

“Motivation for next games is just to get better and push ourselves more and just be better than the previous games,” said Taylor McMahon, sophomore midfielder and co-captain of the soccer team.

In addition to that, the team cares more about a complete performance and their standard is about being per fect on the field.

“It’s just a total complete perfor mance is what we’re looking for,” said Sorenson. “We have a lot of shutouts, but to us, that’s not really our standard. Our standard is trying to reach perfec tion and we haven’t done that yet.”

During soccer practice, the players coach and motivate each other through out their sessions. Whether it’s kicking the ball around or playing practice games, the players push each other to work hard er and harder everyday.

Moreover, the team tries to connect more and help each other out through out practice and the games.

“I think this year, we have a much better environment with the girls and our connections could be better and I think we are working on that as a team,” said McMahon.

As for their goals for this season, the

state championship is what they have in mind.

“The goal is honestly just getting to state,” said Alondra Higareda, sopho more midfielder. “That’s what we play for and we play for each other. At the

end of the day, state is the goal.”

The Mustangs have been on a six game winning streak as of Oct. 2022 and the team will continue on with their schedule by playing another away game on Oct. 4 against Modesto Junior College.

Official area of Delta’s proposed fitness court, which will be in front of Atherton Auditorium PHOTO BY SAADIQ AFZAL

Soccer head coach Adrienne Sorenson speaking to the players on Sept. 22. PHOTO BY SAADIQ AFZAL

ALERT: Delta police sends warning to students to remain vigilant

Union Street, in which the victim sur vived, are now under investigation.

“We do have ballistic evidence that interconnects these cases,” McFadden said on Oct. 4 when asked why the two new cases were now under scrutiny.

The initial five homicides all occurred between July and September.

The first occurred on July 8, on the 5600 block of Kermit Lane, just a mile and a half east of campus.

The second was on Aug. 11 in the 4900 block of West Lane. The third happened on Aug. 30, at the 800 block of East Hammer Lane. The fourth was on Sept. 22, on the 4400 block of Man chester Avenue. The most recent homi cide occurred on Sept. 27, on the 900 block of Porter Avenue, about a mile north of campus.

This disclosure prompted a rare safe ty message from Delta’s District Police

on Wednes day, Sept. 28, which urged students to be “vigilant” and main tain “constant awareness of their sur roundings” in order to re main safe.

DELTA POLICE WARNINGS

Delta Police encourage students to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings, on and off campus. Keep these tips in mind:

• Always walk with a friend, never alone.

• Do not walk with headphones in, as it dis tracts you from your surroundings. Always walk with your head up so you can surveil for potential threats.

• Always report suspicious activity to police.

These ho micides all oc curred between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. in areas around town that are heavily shaded by tree cover and poorly lit. Victims were gunned down seemingly at random, said McFadden, while walking alone on the sidewalk, or while alone in their car.

McFadden said these victims seemed to be “caught by surprise” by the killer.

The ages of the victims ranged from

College Hour returns

BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN Photo Editor

The Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC) hosts events the third Thurs day of every month from 121:30 p.m. in the quad. The events are meant to increase student spirit.

At the Aug. 25 Mustang BBQ, students were provid ed with barbecue pulled pork, beans, and cold drinks. Music for the event was provided by a deejay.

“One of ASDC’s goals for the year is to bring back that sense of community; which we hope to do through Col lege Hour and other ASDC events,” said ASDC President Alexandra Cruz. “I think the Mustang BBQ was a success, we were able to serve over 400 students in the quad. I think the students had a great time, I saw a group of them dancing and having fun”.

A second event was held Sept. 15 with live mariachi that had a attendees partici pating in singing and danc ing.

Food from Los Gorditos Muniz Taco shop was served. This event kicked off the start of Latinx Heritage Month. Students who purchased the Mustang Pass, available for

$10 at the Cashier’s Office, received free food at the event.

While in person events happened last year, more stu dents are attending this year because more classes have returned to campus.

“It feels amazing to have College Hour back in-per son,” said Cruz. “I started Delta during the pandemic so I never saw Delta Col lege when it was packed with students. I think that school spirit and student enthusi asm has been lacking be cause of the pandemic.”

The ASDC board is work ing to build pride for Delta back in the student body.

“The new ASDC board wants to bring that school spirit back. It was so awe some to see students enjoying the BBQ and dancing to the music. It made me feel proud to be a mustang,” said Cruz.

“Another way we’re interact ing with students is through our Instagram @ ASDC_ SJDC.”

More student involve ment could also come from fewer students having classes during the ASDC-sponsored events.

During Summer 2022, Administrative Policy 5560 was revised to reflect that

21 to 54 years old. The first linked victim was a white male, while the other four were Hispan ic males. The Oakland vic tim was a His panic male. A black female is the lone sur vivor of the alleged perpetrator.

None of the victims were targeted for a robbery, with the killer leaving be hind the victim’s wallets and keys.

These similarities have prompted the Stockton police department to as semble “a team of detectives, task force officers (federal, state, and county), and crime analysts” to more closely examine

these patterns, according to a statement on SPD’s Facebook page.

“I need the community to be on high alert. We are in this together.” McFad den said during a Sept. 30 update.

“There are grieving families that are deeply touched by these homicides,” said McFadden during the Friday Sept. 30 press conference. “We bring closure to them by having a thorough investi gation, without misinformation.”

In the meantime, McFadden urged community members to remain aware of their surroundings, avoid being out late at night, and always report suspi cious activity to the police.

If you have any information that could help with any of these investi gations, you can submit a tip by calling 209-937-8167, or by e-mail at poli cetips@stocktonca.gov. Video surveil lance footage can be submitted at stock tonpdca.evidence.com.

classes should not be sched uled during College Hour. The change takes place be ginning Spring 2023.

“Delta College’s strategic planner empathizes how they are ‘student centered,’ how ever, I feel that is not their priority and is not reflected in some of the decisions they make.”

Cruz said that she and last year’s ASDC board worked to implement that policy change, which will prohibit scheduling of classes during the 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. hour on Thursdays.

“This was done to ensure that every student can have the opportunity to partici pate,” said Cruz.

Delta College students dance to mariachi music during an Associated Students of Delta College event on Sept. 15.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

FORUM: Sept. 28 forums last in a series of three on-campus events

and procedures regarding financial transactions.”

It also concluded that the district’s $585 million dollar budget was “not being used in the best interest of the students, families, staff.”

SUSD is facing a $30 million defi cit as a result of “poor business prac tices,” and is currently under audit by the Fiscal Crisis Management Assis tance Team (FCMT) on behalf of the San Joaquin County Office of Educa tion.

AngelAnn Flores, who was elected to the board in 2018, was notably the only incumbent to participate in the forum.

“Right now what we’ve lacked is

honesty, integrity, and moral ethics,” she said.

The first half of the forum featured current Area 2 representative, Ange lAnn Flores, and her opponent Me lissa Garibay Ortiz.

Flores is a Stockton native, a moth er, and a grandmother in the commu nity, and has held the seat for one full term of four years.

Flores called for members of the community to join her in “rebuilding, restoring, and demanding results for our school district.”

Garibay Ortiz is an University of the Pacific alum and mother of four who has three children enrolled in Area 2 SUSD schools. Ortiz said she was seeking the office because she be lieved in “school safety and collabo

ration.”

The second half of the forum fea tured candidates in the race for Areas 5, 6, and 7.

Running to unseat Area 5 member Maria Mendez is Donald Donaire, a self-described “community organizer at heart” who loves Stockton.

A University of California, San Diego alum, Donaire came back to Stockton after college to do his best to “undo and right the wrongs of the historical unfairness that has been here in Stockton.”

The Area 6 candidates running to unseat incumbent Scot McBrian are Rafael Cordoza and Sophia and Co lon. Cordoza called himself a “frus trated parent” who had problems with the curriculum.

“They are not learning,” said Cor doza about SUSD students.

Colon said she is running to “hold the district accountable to the com munity’s values and priorities” and to “ensure fiscal responsibility.”

Last to be introduced was Stock ton mother Kennetha Stevens, who is running against current area 7 trustee Zachary Ignacio Avelar.

Stevens called herself “an advocate for strong schools” who believes “ev ery student deserves high-quality ed ucation no matter where they live.”

With four of the board’s seven seats up for grabs, a potential shakeup is set for Nov. 8, which leaves the board’s next moves related to the Grand Jury reports uncertain.