The Collegian - Published Oct. 8, 2021

Live your emu phase out at Dell’Osso

Tough start for men’s soccer

The Collegian ENTERTAINMENT, PAGE 3

Issue 2 • Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 •

SPORTS, PAGE 4

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POURZANJANI OUT, LAWRENSON IN

BY DAVID VICTOR Editor-in-Chief

Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson assumed the role of acting superintendent/president after former Superintendent Omid Pourzanjani’s resignation was approved by the Board of Trustees on Sept. 28 during a special board meeting.

“On behalf of the Delta College Executive Cabinet, we would like to thank Dr. Pourzanjani for his leadership and service to the campus. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Lawrenson in a letter she sent out to the

college community.

Lawrenson is meeting with campus leaders this week after assuming her new leadership duties to discuss campus initiatives, as stated in the letter she sent out following the board’s decision to put Pourzanjani on leave.

The letter also advised the community to watch for an invitation to an open forum in which the community can ask campus leaders about how Delta will continue moving forward after the change in leadership.

The forum was scheduled to take place on the morning of Oct. 8.

Before coming to Delta College in

2020, Lawrenson was a professor at South Puget Sound Community College and an executive administrator at American River College and Cosumnes River College.

Lawrenson admits she never thought she would become Delta’s superintendent/president, but is looking forward to taking on bigger responsibilities to help students.

“I’m truly honored to serve as acting superintendent/president. When I was a student at American River College I could never have imagined that I would someday be the acting president at Delta,” said Lawrenson. “But I am

Delta rolls out vaccine mandate

POURZANJANI LAWRENSON thrilled to be in this position. Helping students harness their strengths, skills and expertise and then guiding them through their educational journey is

See LEADERSHIP, page 3

Climate change to be analyzed at world summit

BY ARIANA MALLERY Staff Writer

Director of Information Technology Dr. Chelsy Pham and Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler show an example of these contract tracing lanyards. PHOTO BY JAHDAI SPIKES

BY JASON DIEZ Staff Writer

Delta College is quickly approaching an Oct. 15 vaccine mandate set in August by the board, which will impact students and staff.

Ambiguous only a few weeks ago, details have emerged on the “how” since the Sept. 21 Board of Trustees meeting where contact tracing was also discussed at length.

The plans stem from an Aug. 17 meeting where the eight-member board voted to mandate the Covid-19 vaccination for all students and employees. The process involves vaccinations, contact tracing, testing, and ongoing reporting after Oct. 15.

“We’re going to be contracting

with ReturnSafe case management for students,” said Director of Information Technology and Data Center Services, Dr. Chelsy Pham during the Sept. 21 board meeting.

“This allows us to automatically understand who is a contact as defined by the CDC, which is 15 minutes in a 24-hour period.”

The tracing tool resembles an ID badge attached with a lanyard, which traces the surroundings of people within 15 minutes that automatically updates their profile if the person came in contact with Covid-19.

Information about getting a badge was sent to staff on Oct. 8.

There are plans for student distribution events Oct. 11 through

Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Danner Hall.

Students are being encouraged to wear the badges, particularly since the technology allows users to be informed if they are exposed to Covid-19.

“We’re going to be using them very soon after this is going to start to get implemented once it’s approved by the board,” said Pham.

The contact tracing has been talked about since summer.

“We paused on actually executing on that because that was when during like the June 15 period where we thought Covid was going to go away,” Pham told the board. “And then we didn’t execute

See VACCINES, page 3

October is usually synonymous with cool weather, autumn and warm drinks. Something seems noticeably different this year, though. The crisp chill in the air isn’t yet here, but the temperature runs deeper than just a lack of #SweaterWeather — it’s climate change.

Climate change has long been a controversial, yet increasingly relevant issue, especially with the frequencies of major climate disasters rising within the past decade.

The annual United Nations Climate Summit, organized by the World Climate Foundation is slated for Nov. 8 in Glasgow. Now in its 26th year, the event sees world leaders coming together to implement measures to help combat climate change.

Students have similar ideas of what they want to see come out of the event.

“I want to see a draft of a plan for what everyone has decided to do together. I don’t want to just see what the United States is doing, or what Russia is doing. I want to see what all the leaders are doing collectively for climate change,” said student Delainey Bright. “World leaders need to come together and treat this as a broad issue more than an individual issue.”

Middle College High School senior Dan Vo was definitive in what he was hoping would come out of the event, dubbed “COP26.”

“Actually some change. They always talk about change, saying we’ll do this, but in the end, nothing comes out of it,” said Vo. The event takes on greater significance in light of a Oct. 3 pipeline burst off the coast of Huntington Beach caused more than 126,000 gallons of oil to pour into the ocean — the largest in the state’s history — resulting in beaches to be closed as remnants of the spill continue to wash up on shore and devastate local wildlife, including the fragile coastal wetlands of Orange County.

Amplify Energy, the company that owns the pipeline could face a class-action lawsuit because of the oil spill. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), which has been found to be the principle cause of many fatal fires including the 2018 Camp Fire which killed 86 and devastated the

See CLIMATE, page 3

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2 OPINION 100821

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/opinion

Counseling scarcity leads to frustration

BY JULIO BURGOS

D

Staff Writer

uring my six years at Delta College, I have found that one of the greatest barriers I have encountered is getting intouch with a counselor to assist me with my academic goals.

As a first generation college student some of the topics I’ve needed help with at Delta are academic guidance, career planning, and class scheduling.

Yet it feels like those are also the hardest to get help in, particularly in high impact times during the semester.

One of the easiest times to get a hold of the departments or services mentioned is at the beginning of the year, but after that It is almost impossible to schedule a meeting.

Weeks into the 2021 fall semester I tried booking an appointment through the Delta website, but to my disappointment the website did not have any openings.

When I attempted to reschedule one of the few meetings I was able to obtain, I was unable to notify my assigned counselor. I tried calling, leaving voicemails and emailing to reschedule. What made it worse was that I never received a response from the counseling department.

Previously students were able to walk into the DeRicco Student Services Building, sign-in, and meet with a counselor. Due

The DeRicco Student Services Building at Delta College, pictured on April 7. PHOTO BY ROBYN JONES

to COVID-19, that option is no longer available.

With the lack of availability and communication from Delta counselors, I question how this impacts students.

According to affordablecollegesonline.org “Some learners drop out of college because their school does not offer sufficient student support services, such as mental health counseling, academic tutoring, and career advisors” So what is the role of an academic counselor?

The American School Counselor Association describes a counselor’s role as “counselors design and deliver school counseling programs that improve student outcomes. They lead, advocate and collaborate to promote equity and access for

all students by connecting their school counseling program to the school’s academic mission and school improvement plan.”

At Delta, counselors help guide students and establish Student Education Plans. Those plans guide our journey through Delta College.

As a 33-year old full-time student I have built my own way of navigating through my academic issues by asking people who have gone through the process and by taking the necessary steps to solve these issues. However, even with all of my experience developed throughout the years, it still took me a while before I was able to understand the Delta College system.

What does this mean for a brand new freshman, first-gen-

eration student, or just students in general who have not developed such problem solving skills and don’t know where and how to get help?

Will they give up if they can’t book an appointment online?

How does this affect them with their educational goals and general view of the Delta?

The processes to see a counselor and register seem more like obstacles than built for ease, this personally resulted in discouragement that led me to take semesters off and not put the efforts in my classes because I did not know what I was working towards. It wasn’t until I got through to my counselor and learned of my remaining transfer requirements that I felt like I had a clear pathway.

As a result, my grades further

improved because I had clear objectives.

Currently, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it is essential students struggling to adjust get the help they need and counselors play an important role in their success.

An article by Harvard University titled “Expanding support beyond the virtual classroom” reports “counselors often were not given the tools and support they needed to help them best help their students.”

Could this be the case at Delta?

Delta currently has 20 full time counselors, according to Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler.

He said counselors also teach courses, participate in committees, workgroups, and many other Delta related affairs. There are also 13 part-time counselors that have been hired to expand the available appointments.

Additionally there is the virtual help counter and “Live Chat” that was implemented last year to help meet student demand.

Breitler said the number of available counseling hours and/ or the hiring of additional counselors depends on the current budget.

This is an issue that I have been going through pre-pandemic and it is something the school needs to solve in order to promote and support the success of its students.

Students react to Delta College’s vaccine mandate

BY ANI GUTIERREZ

D

Staff Writer

elta College has officially mandated that all students planning to partake in in-person classes for the Spring 2022 semester be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.

The Delta College Board of Trustees made the decision during its meeting held on Aug. 17.

Although mandating vaccines is a sufficient way to put an end to the pandemic, Delta’s deadline decision seems slightly last minute and some students feel that the deadline is rushed.

Students not vaccinated by the deadline will not be able to register for on-campus classes when registration for the spring begins. This important news hasn’t made its way to a majority of the students until recently, though, leaving many of them unaware or newly aware of a mandate that goes into effect in less than a week from now.

Making vaccines mandatory is definitely a positive step towards flattening the curve, but it would be more efficient if this deadline was pushed back a bit so students would have more time to prepare and receive both of their vaccine shots.

“I think it (the vaccine deadline) should be somewhere around late November,” said Lynda Morales, a second-year student. “October seems a bit too rushed, especially since there are some students that are just starting late classes.”

She does, however, agree with the mandate.

“I feel like mandating vaccines is something that we should be doing to keep the vulnerable population safe,” she said.

Second-year student, Nuna Abledu, also believes this new mandate, “is very last minute.”

She agrees with it though, saying

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that she does plan on getting vaccinated. “I work on the Delta counseling staff and we have to get a covid test twice a week if we’re not vaccinated and that’s something I don’t really enjoy doing, so I do plan on getting vaccinated,” she said.

However, she isn’t sure if she will make the Oct. 15 deadline in time, along with other students.

The Board of Trustees also made the decision that if, for religious or medical reasons, a student can’t take the vaccine, they would have to get Covid tested twice a week if they wanted to attend in-person classes next semester. Covid testing will be available on campus.

Online classes may sound more enticing than getting a swab shoved up your nose twice a week.

“Getting tested twice a week seems too extensive because it does hurt,” Abledu said.

It is possible that purposely making

EDITORS DAVID VICTOR Editor in Chief

ANI GUTIERREZ Opinion

ARIANA MALLERY News

JAHDAI SPIKES

STAFF JULIO BURGOS JASON DIEZ GRACIELA GABRIEL ALBERT GAMEZ SANTINO MARTINEZ BRYAN RAMOS ALAN SOLORIO LEON

the testing process burdensome will make students lean towards just taking the vaccine instead.

First year student, Hamza Awan, doesn’t care too much about the vaccine mandate, or the Covid-19 virus for that matter.

“I don’t care about it. I’ve just never really cared about the virus so it’s just not really a big deal to me,” Awan said.

“I’ve read that it (the vaccine) is not helping, but some people are saying it is helping so I don’t really know, but if it does help that’s cool I guess.”

He does, however, want to return to campus next semester since he just recently received his first vaccine dose, but he is worried he may not make the deadline of Oct. 15 in time, like many others.

“I feel like it’s too soon, it was rushed for sure,” he said. “I can’t register for classes until I’m fully vaxxed. I’m kind of stuck in the middle right now.”

MULTIMEDIA TECH MATTHEW WILSON

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Entertainment

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3 ENTERTAINMENT 100821

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/entertainment

DELL’OSSO FAMILY FARM RETURNS FOR OCTOBER OBER

BY JAHDAI SPIKES

Entertainment Editor

Top: Children racing tricycles at Dell’Osso Family Farm on Oct. 2, Left: an emu named Col. Sanders seen at Dell’Osso Family Farm Petting Zoo on Oct 2. Above: Child playing on obstacle course at Dell’Osso Family Farm on Oct 2. PHOTOS

BY JAHDAI SPIKES

The Dell’Osso Family Farm in Lathrop is now open until Oct. 31, and there are attractions for people of all ages to enjoy.

This year there are several new additions to the farm such as a carousel, miniature golf area and a low level obstacle course, all of which are huge attractions for younger children.

“We would like all of our guests to have a great experience from the time they walk through the Dell’Osso Family Farm Gates,” said Yvonne Sampson, public relations official for Dell’Osso.

Dell’Osso still has its signature corn mazes, which vary in difficulty so anyone can enjoy them, a haunted house that’ll even scare adults, and the Dell’Osso Express Train that takes people on a wraparound tour of the farm.

The infamous Dell’Osso pumpkin patch is open to go and buy pumpkins or just for a good photo opportunity and the Pumpkin Blasters are also open.

There are live animals to see and feed, even ponies to ride, tons of various carnival games, a spinning pumpkin ride and the Pedal Car Speedway where kids race on tricycles.

There are vendors that sell things from fun hats to a

portrait of yourself drawn in front of you.

Food options are also aplenty, with the Country Store Bakery that sells jams and jellies, berry cobblers, fudge and much more made there in the bakery.

Cider Hill is open this year as well for people to try hard cider or other alcoholic beverages. There is fresh apple juice, pizza, and cornhole for those who are underage or just don’t want to drink.

Entertainment options include an interactive Pirate show that is back this year, live performances on stage, and even pig and duck races.

Dell’Osso staff will be following Covid-19 protocols by social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing work areas but customers aren’t required to wear masks or social distance.

Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week, it is encouraged to come earlier in the month and on weekdays to help with Covid-19 safety.

Monday through Thursday the farm is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and tickets cost $16.95, Fridays the farm is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and tickets cost $24.95, and on weekends the farm is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and tickets cost $24.95.

Admission for children 2 and under is always free.

Parking is free as well.

VACCINES: Contact tracing badges to be distributed to Delta staff, students continued from PAGE 1 on that contract, but as we got the Delta Variant and things are numbers were getting bad again we were going to kick this off, and then another comment was made to why don’t we do students, at the same time, so we want to just go ahead and do like a big bang and do a push everybody wants.”

The board approved contact tracing 8-0.

Delta College is mandating full vaccination for students taking campus-based classes in Spring 2022.

“My efforts before I think in

this case because of because we’re in an unusual circumstance with Covid and we, as board, voted to have people vaccinated. I think that this is an area where we really need to pass this. Will definitely pass this because it will further delay some student enrollment and we don’t need that.

But we need to get on this very quickly, because we didn’t have a mandate,” said Trustee Janet A. Rivera.

All staff are also required to get vaccinated unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

Staff can be placed on leave if out

of compliance.

Students at Delta College are aware of the required vaccinations for Spring 2022, specifically from outreach by the college “But now that it’s required, everyone can get their vaccine in order to be on campus, I agree with that choice. With what Delta is doing, I am more safe with their choices and what they are planning. I think they are organized or professional of what they think about their students,” said Heidi Garcia, a Delta College student in the business major.

Vaccination is a precaution ac-

cording to one student.

“To me, yeah I think it’s important, because students should be in a safe environment. Get vaccinated so hopefully, if they catch Covid, they don’t get really severe symptoms. So they don’t have to suffer through a loss of a family member or given to someone who has an underlying health issues,”said Gael Franco, a Delta College student in the biology major.

Clarification of the details during the Oct. 5 board meeting for mandated vaccines and tracing also include on-campus

testing for employees who have exemptions or are in the process of being vaccinated.

Dr. Chelsy Pham shows an example of what the contract tracing badges will look like.

PHOTO BY JAHDAI SPIKES

LEADERSHIP: Lawrenson a longtime educator Climate: Students hopeful continued from PAGE 1 for future action important work that really matters to me.”

Lawrenson has 28 years of experience as a community college professor, administrator and social justice educator/trainer in California and Washington.

For her first actions as acting superintendent/president, she is willing to hear from Delta’s students to help determine what decisions the college should make and what matters campus administration should focus on most.

“I would certainly welcome thoughts and suggestions from students about what the most important needs and challenges are,” said Lawrenson.

She also admits Delta’s response to issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be easy, especially now with a change in leadership.

“Change is always difficult, but it’s especially difficult now as we continue to work through the vaccine mandate and other issues,” said Lawrenson. “We will tackle these issues as we look forward to better days to come.”

Lawrenson will act as Delta’s superinten-

“I’m truly honored to serve as acting superintendant/president... I could have never imagined that I would someday be the acting president at Delta ”

- Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson

dent/president for quite a while as the school isn’t currently sure about who could permanently take Pourzanjani’s place.

In the meantime, she is assuring that she will do everything to the best of her abilities to help Delta move forward with its goals.

“We will likely not know for some time who Delta’s new permanent superintendent/president will be,” said Lawrenson. “I’ll do everything I can during the time I have to advance the great mission of the college.

continued from PAGE 1

town of Paradise is thought to have been linked to the start of the Dixie Fire, which has been burning since July 13, and is still burning at this time. As of Sept. 17, The National Park Service issued a statement that the Dixie fire has burned upwards of 60,000 acres within Lassen Volcanic National Park — more than half of the park’s 106,452 acres.

Cause is still under investigation, but victims of the Dixie fire filed to sue PG&E after allegations came out that infrastructure negligence by the company could have caused the fire. “I do believe they should be fined, and I do believe they should be held accountable. The companies should have known.” said Malika Lewis.

A study first published in the journal Science on Sept. 26 claims those born within the last six years will live through three times as many climate disasters as their grandparents.

“We are getting to a point where most of us are accepting that it’s real,” said Lewis.

The bottom line, said Bright, is that caretaking of the Earth belongs to everyone.

“We need to keep our earth clean,” she said. “We all need to do our part.”

4 SPORTS 100821

The Collegian • deltacollegian.net/sports

Volleyball looks to improve in Big 8 play

BY DAVID VICTOR Editor-in-Chief

Delta’s volleyball team seeks to put itself among the top teams in the Big 8 Conference following its win in three, 2513, 25-20, 25-14 against Santa Rosa on Oct. 1. and loss in three in its visit to American River College on Oct. 6.

The Mustangs currently find themselves in fourth place of its conference with a record of 4-2, trailing Sierra, to whom Delta lost 3-1 in four sets on Sept. 29, American River and Modesto Junior College As conference competition nears its halfway point, the Mustangs are sure they will continue to improve as the season progresses.

“We’re getting a lot better, we’re working to where we need to be,” right side hitter Kiana Day said.

While the Mustangs have shown to put on solid performances winning four of its first five conference matches, head coach Molly Mordaunt-Hummel said the team has also faced challenges off the court.

“We’ve battled through some adversity,” said Mordaunt-Hummel. “We’re still in a process of piecing things together, we’ve had players that were out for 10 days due to covid protocols and then we

had some injuries.”

Delta’s win against Santa Rosa turned out to be costly as outside hitter Savannah LeBarre was forced to abandon the court after suffering a sprained ankle during the second set.

LeBarre leads the Mustangs on the offensive with 160 kills and currently averages 4.44 kills per set, the second highest rate in the state.

Even without its lead killer, Mordaunt-Hummel thinks the depth in her team’s roster allows it to perform at a high level regardless of who’s on the court.

“She [LeBarre] does carry a big load of our offense for sure. We’ll just keep battling together, we’ve put Kiana Day in a new position as a middle and she’s doing a great job carrying a big load offensively too for us. We’ve got a lot of great players, we carry 17 on our team for a reason,” said Mordaunt-Hummel.

Day pointed out that the Mustangs have many players to choose from, which is important for a competitive team to have.

“It’s good because we carry a big roster and we’re all really good girls. It’s nice that when we’re missing [players] we can still come in and go hard together,” said Day.

Delta’s Jessica Smith hits the ball over the net as Santa Rosa’s Kaleigh Weland attempts a block during the Oct. 1 match in the Marcopulos Gymnasium. PHOTO BY DAVID VICTOR

Every player on Delta’s volleyball team plays an important role during each match whether or not they’re part of the action.

The players on the court feel motivated with the support from their teammates on

Men’s soccer has tough start in Big 8 Conference with two tie games

BY ALAN SOLORIO LEON Staff Writer

Delta took on Big 8 Conference rival Modesto Junior College on Oct. 1, the end result was a 1-1 tie.

Coming off another draw vs Fresno on Sept. 28, the Mustangs (3-5-4) started off slow in the first half according to Delta Head Coach Josh Bradley. “Speed of play was slow today and I think we were tired a little bit from the long road trip to Fresno on Tuesday (Sept. 28) but our speed of play was slow, we’ve could have started off quicker, I also think our movement off the ball could have been more dynamic, a little static in the pockets,” said Bradley.

Bradley said the team can build from this game by “going with the same type of routines that we have been doing and to progress and get better as the season weighs on.”

The scoring started on behalf of Modesto’s Brandon Avila who had a one-on-one chance with Delta goalkeeper Josh Quigely. Avila slotted it home to make it 1-0 in the first half.

In the second half Delta right back (defender), Macario Bermundez produced a cross to midfielder Eric Esparza who headed it in the back of the net to make it 1-1 with 20 minutes left in the game.

Esparza reflected on his game saying he believes he still can improve as an individual by “playing faster with the ball and making sure to look over my shoulders.”

the sideline as they constantly cheer them on throughout the entire match.

“It’s so fun to play with our teammates yelling at us, especially right now. With covid we only have a certain number of spectators in the gym, so we

Sophomores make the most of extra year at Delta

BY DAVID VICTOR Editor-in-Chief

Delta midfielder Macario Bermundez attempts to recover the ball from Modesto midfielder Alejandro Garcia during the Oct. 1 Delta vs Modesto game. PHOTO BY DAVID VICTOR

Midfielder Pedro Santana stood out in this game by manufacturing turnovers and creating chances for the Mustangs.

“I feel like I was a bit lost [in the] first half, but a different formation[in the] second half I found my spot with the team and tried to help out my team as much as I could,” said Santana when asked about his self-evaluation of the game.

Nearing the end of the game, Delta was awarded a penalty that midfielder Ignacio Flores shot too high and

missed, ending the game 1-1.

Following the tie game against Modesto, Delta came away with the same result in the team’s away game against American River College on Oct. 5. Forward Jose Avalos netted the Mustangs’ only goal in the first half during their first visiting conference matchup.

The Mustangs have scored 18 goals and have conceded 25 goals in 12 overall games played this season. Delta’s next game will be at home against Santa Rosa at 4 p.m. on Oct. 8.

really rely on our teammates to cheer for us,” said Day. The Mustangs will play their next match on Oct. 8 when they are scheduled to take on Folsom Lake at home in the Marcopulos Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m.

Third-year sophomores, referred to as super sophomores, are looking to make the most out of an extra year at Delta College after the COVID-19 pandemic limited their transfer options.

While transferring to a four-year college after two years is what many would expect, several athletes are still glad to stay a little longer.

“Delta always feels like home, they’ve helped me a lot and I really like this school,” women’s soccer player Jasmin Mejia said.

The reasons for athletes staying around longer vary both athletically and academically.

Volleyball players Jessica Smith and Kaitlyn Morenzone find an additional year with the Mustangs helpful both on and off the court.

Delta’s coaches support their athletes academically in addition to training them for competition, and Smith thinks the guidance they’re providing her will be very important once she does transfer.

“I decided to stay because I believe Delta is a great program and I belong here,” said Smith. “In order to move on to a four-year [college] I have the help that is needed to move on.

My parents recently moved to Arkansas, but I honestly decided to stay here in California just to strictly play at a JC level just so I can move on, and I

have the right coaches to lead me to a great spot.”

Morenzone opted to stay to improve athletically and for economic reasons, stating that courses at Delta are much cheaper compared to online courses at four-year colleges.

“I didn’t want to pay a lot of money to take online classes that I could just take here, it’s way cheaper, and I had knee surgery. So having another year to get more practice in before transferring, it was an easy choice for me,” said Morenzone.

Delta’s athletes also see academic convenience with staying another year.

“I’m fine with staying a little longer, I needed another year to finish my degree,” men’s soccer player Luis Sandoval said.

Smith is taking advantage of this extra year to earn a degree before transferring.

“I just wanted to stay two years, but then I decided to do a minor major in psychology and allowed me to stay here an extra year,” said Smith.

Others want to have more options to transfer to a fouryear college most suitable for them.

Men’s soccer player Ignacio Flores decided to stay despite having an offer to transfer.

“I had an offer, but I stayed to get better offers with my performance here and go somewhere that would best fit me,” said Flores.