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FEATURES

This ain’t your normal 24...hours in Iraq.

Inquirer staff writer Chris Clark recounts his experiences on his tour in Iraq during wartime.

Page 2

EDITORIAL

Rally in the Valley:

ENTERTAINMENT

Fight for your right

Storytelling Festival:

Students can influence the changes needed.

Page 5

Speakers bring soul, wisdom and passion to DVC. Page 3

Thursday, February 25, 2010 Volume 76 Number 1

“

Copyright © 2010 Diablo Valley College - The Inquirer

We hope to build a student movement that will hold these politicians’ feet to the fire.

”

-Frank Runninghorse

S

DS students rally DVC community to prevent statewide community college fee increases

s t n e d o u t st no s y e sa hik e e f

Jonathan Roisman Staff writer

Pleasant Hill may not be a hotbed of political activism like Berkeley, but DVC students care about college fee hikes and other campus issues.

Students for a Democratic Society will hold a rally at 11 a.m. March 4 in the patio area between the cafeteria and student union building to protest the statewide community college fee increases and to organize a student political movement at DVC. “We hope to build a student movement that will hold these politicians’ feet to the fire,” said Frank Runninghorse, a long-time student and SDS community member.

In July 2008, community college fees rose from $20 to $26 per-unit and the state’s fiscal crisis resulted in a massive closure of classes at California’s community colleges.

While some in SDS prefer a general strike of the school in addition to a rally, many members say such radical action isn’t realistic right now.

The key, they say, is to show up.

“We want to get people involved and stand up for the their rights,” said Julia Jordan, a global studies major who joined SDS to raise awareness that something can be done about the budget cuts.

SDS member Nick Holmes said, “We know we’re at the birth of a new civil rights movement, so we need to build our warriors.”

Political science professor John Kropf, said he likes SDS and its political activism but cautioned it’s harder for commuter schools like DVC to form large activist groups because students do not live on campus and often work part- or full-time jobs.

A goal of the March 4 rally is to build support for the “March in March” rally March 22 when California educators and students travel to Sacramento to protest the increasing costs of attending college, Runninghorse said.

The Associated Students of DVC and the Inter Club Council have yet to take a stand on the rally, but ICC President Francisco Hinojosa said he believes the ASDVC will officially support it.

“We can only hope that more clubs [are] as passionate about keeping the doors open for students to still attend college,” Hinojosa said. “I like the [rally]. It speaks to the American spirit, and I miss that spirit around our campus”.

SDS members plan to leave DVC after the March 4 rally and meet up at Civic Center in San Francisco with other activists to protest the higher education budget cuts.

“We need to make the politicians fear us and respect us,” Runninghorse said.

Contact Jonathan Roisman at jroisman@theinquireronline.com

www.theinquireronline.com

Students pay more, college gets less Oksana Yurovsky Staff writer Students will soon shell out more money to park their wheels, but they will be able to buy semester passes online and use debit/credit cards for the machines.

Beginning this summer, the price of a semester parking permit will rise from $35 to $40, while daily passes will cost $3 instead of $2.

The fee hike was approved 4-1 by the governing board Dec. 9 over the objections of board member Tomi Van de Brooke and student trustee Christina Cannon, who does not have a vote.

Although the district’s budget crisis was cited as a reason for the increase in presentations to student leaders, 75 percent of the $5 increase in semester passes ($3.75) will go to an outside company to manage the online and debit/credit card purchases, according to a report given to the board before the vote.

The new rates were supposed to take effect this semester, but district spokesman Tim Leong said DVC still needs to “work out the bugs” before students can pay for day passes with credit or debit cards, Citations, however, increased as of Jan. 1, with a parking ticket now costing $40 instead of $35.

In addition to providing a new service, Police Chief Charles Gibson told student leaders the parking fee increase would ease $235,000 in budget cuts to his department, which includes police aides and maintenance of campus parking lots.

Chris Corbin / The Inquirer

See PARKING, page 6

Accreditation status moves to ‘probation’ Troy Patton Staff writer Jubilation greeted the Accreditation Commission of Junior and Community Colleges’ announcement that DVC is no longer one step away from becoming a satellite campus of Los Medanos or Contra Costa College.

By moving DVC from “show cause” (the bottom rung of the proverbial ladder) to “probation,” the Commission placed the college one step closer to full accreditation. But the clock continues to tick.

DVC has until October 2010 to satisfy all of the Commission’s recommenda-

News................ 1, 6 Sports....................4 Features................2 Entertainment........3

tions outlined in its evaluation team’s re- work to fully address all deficiencies.” port of November 2009.

In its confidential report to the commis“We really felt a huge sense of relief sion in November 2009, the evaluation and accomplishteam said, “The ment,” said Presiclimate [of DVC] dent Judy Walters “We don’t want to be tagged has changed from of her reaction to one of isolation with these old names and the Commission’s and resistance to Feb. 1 letter, which inclusion and parthese old labels anymore.” arrived by fax. ticipation.”

Noting that DVC Walters attrib- Judy Walters had “completed uted some of that DVC President significant amounts change to the of good work to adDVC community’s dress the deficiencies noted in the Com- stunned reaction a year ago to being mission’s action letter of January 2009,” placed on “show cause,” a finding that it encouraged the college “to continue its requires the college to resolve all noted

Calendar.................6 Sports scores.........4 Campus Buzz.........5 Staff Information.....5

Classified Ads........6 Editorial..................5 Opinions.................5

problems within two years or face closure.

“Everyone said we don’t want to be tagged with these old names and these old labels anymore,” Walters said. “We are working together.”

English professor Keith Mikolavich, who served as co-chair of a work group within DVC’s accreditation oversight task force said, “Going on ‘show cause’ forced us to change. We knew we had problems but when someone from the outside says ‘get your house in order,’ it gets you a lot more focused.”

See PROBATION, page 6

TheInquirerOnline.com - Polls - Videos - Blogs - Slideshows - News Updated daily with breaking news

88

Days until finals

Thursday, February 25, 2010

2

Left to right, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Thurmond and Marine Sgt. Tyler Fedelchak patrol a village in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

NOTHING

IS CERTAIN IN IRAQ

Chris Clark Staff writer The night-vision goggles cast the road in a soft green glow, a familiar if otherworldly view of Iraq.

We watch for maybe 10 minutes but see nothing unusual. To 26 Recon Marines, it’s just an ordinary dirt road, marked by a few potholes.

The night air seems cooler, that is to say it’s only about 100 degrees.

The sand still radiates the scorching heat that blistered the land throughout the day. We’ve hung our bottles in wet socks outside Humvee windows just to bring the water to a drinkable temperature.

Inside, we sit drenched

in sweat, wishing for even the slightest breeze.

We are a special operations unit, sent on a deep reconnaissance mission into unfriendly territory. For most of us, this is another day on the job. Only two “boots,” Marines on their first tour, have yet to witness the brutality that not even the most elite training prepares you for.

I can’t help but think back to the year before.

Will we see as much combat? I pray not. During our briefings, we were told that the insurgency had subsided. But nothing is certain in Iraq.

The moon and stars illuminate the desert landscape, and Humvee headlights catch the odd cat or dog scampering across

Sgt. Chris Clark carries an M-4 rifle in the province of Al Anbar, Iraq.

Photos Courtesy of Chris Clark

“This place is like the countless other villages I’ve been to.” the road. We almost always travel at night. At least since a couple years back, when a “daisy chain” of IEDs hit us one morning.

With every rock and pothole, I bang against the metal armor. The 100 pounds of gear and ammunition I carry weigh more heavily as the hours pass.

The dirty bulletproof window to my left and the legs of the machine gunner in the turret limit my vision, but anything helps. We’ve escaped death before because one person spotted something out of place.

Around 2 a.m., we dismount at a house on the outskirts of a village. We sleep in shifts until dawn, six men pulling security, 20 men on the dirt floor.

After a breakfast of stale MREs and warm water, we begin a day of patrols and “knock-and-talks” to gain a feel for the locals.

This place is like the countless other villages I’ve been to. Many of the 30 or so flat-topped brick houses look as if they’re in mid-construction.

Children run and play in the streets, some kicking a beaten-up soccer ball, oth-

ers holding out their hands to us, “Mister, mister, chokoolat.” Men squat outside their homes, smoking cigarettes and drinking tea, while veiled women return from the river in twos and threes, heavy baskets of water on their heads.

We observe custom and speak only with the men.

They’re polite, but hardly forthcoming. By the end of the day, we pack up to leave with no new intel on insurgent activity in the area.

I cram into the fourth vehicle with five other Marines. We’re hot and tired, and the Humvee is like an oven. No one looks forward to another night-long drive, but we’re in unusually high spirits. We joke with one another and try to make light of having eight months still ahead of us until we’re home.

As my eyes adjust to the night-vision goggles, Iraq again turns an eerie green. I feel as if I’m entering some sort of dream, a hazy consciousness that can be sparked to clarity at any moment.

Leaving the village, we round a small bend.

First there’s a blinding flash, then a deafening sound as my Humvee lurches into the air.

My heart jumps to my throat, and in that splitsecond I know: A roadside bomb. A pressure-plated IED that, somehow, four vehicles passed without

“We are a special operations unit, sent on a deep reconnaissance mission into unfriendly territory. For most of us, this is another day on the job.” detonating. Vehicle Five, about 15 feet behind us, is hit hard, its entire front end gone.

I scramble out of my Humvee and enter a nightmare. Gunny, our platoon sergeant, lies in a crater the size of a Volkswagen, his legs blown apart.

Flesh and blood are scattered across the road and paint the inside of the wrecked vehicle. Dazed Marines stumble through the smoke and dust.

Doc, our corpsman, is tying tourniquets to Gunny’s mangled legs as the ground around them turns darker.

In a rational world, there would be shock and emotion. But in war, cruelty is commonplace. So there is calmness in our movements.

Time becomes abstract.

I don’t know if hours or minutes pass before the CH-46 hovers above. The

steady beat of the blades are deafening as the chopper sets down. Through the night-vision goggles, the dust-filled air looks like a lunar sandstorm. We load Gunny into the chopper, and the bird takes off.

We are ordered to stay until backup comes.

I dig in on the side of the road, hidden in some reeds. Through a sleepless night, I again watch Iraq basked in a surreal green. Marines about me quietly shift their weapons and whisper into radios.

At daybreak, I’m relieved that I’m still alive. But it starts up before long. First come the mortar rounds and 50 cal. sniper fire, then the cracking of AK-47s.

I wonder if I’ll live to see the next day. Humvee wreckage and a deep crater are yards away, a grim reminder that nothing is certain in Iraq, not even an ordinary dirt road.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

3 Chinese American Storyteller Charlie Chin, tells a story within a story in the tea house tradition to an audience during the Ethnic Storytelling and Musicology Festival on Feb. 18 2010.

Music and stories come alive at DVC Chris Corbin / The Inquirer

David Matteri Staff writer

“Music can change the consciousness of the audience.”

- Steve Johnson Festival organizer

Travis Jenkins / The Inquirer

Steve Johnson, above, who plays the guitar for The Frank Samuels Band also coordinates the ethnic storytelling and musicology festival. Annie Staninet, left, plays the fiddle for Andrew Carriere and The Cajun All Stars.

Talking animals, shape-shifting snakes, Malaysian pirates, knights, a woman born from a melon, and a dragon appeared onstage Feb. 18 in the Performing Arts Center.

But the building did not burn down from such a gathering, since these peoples and creatures came from the mouths of guest storytellers Charlie Chin, Patrick Ball, and Carlos Baron.

Despite starting later than planned, anthropology professor Steve Johnson welcomed the audience with a brief lecture on traditional storytelling, the earliest form of entertainment and education.

“Stories penetrate your subconscious,” Johnson said. “They enrich our lives and let us glimpse the world through someone else’s eyes.”

The role of music in stories was featured more than in previous storytelling festivals.

“Music can change the consciousness of the audience,” Johnson said before playing an ocarina, which was a replica of a 4,500 year-old instrument found in Mexico and shaped like a woman with three eyes and three mouths. It filled the air of the modern theater with an ancient, meditative melody.

Johnson also played “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors and “Lodi” by Creedence Clearwater Revival on an African guitar, encouraging the audience to sing and clap along.

Chin began the first story of the event by playing a traditional Chi-

nese banjo to create the mood of ancient China.

His story was in the traditional Chinese storytelling form, wherein the teller begins a tale with characters who also tell a tale within a tale.

These stories, although seemingly unrelated, eventually come together in the end by returning to the first tale with an overlying moral.

In his performance Chin used a fan as a prop and visual aid, representing everything from a boat to a bottle of wine.

Ball, the next performer, played a brass, stringed Celtic harp while telling the medieval tale of Tristan and Isolde, a story of romance and chivalry.

Much like Chin’s banjo, the crystalline melody of the harp transported listeners to another place and time.

From the back rows, the strings of the harp were nearly invisible, making Ball’s hands seem to conjure the music out of thin air.

Baron, a professor of theater arts from San Francisco State, did not tell one story, but several varying in length and subjects ranging from Latin American folklore to personal experiences living under a military dictatorship.

The Ethnic Storytelling and Musicology Festival concluded with a night performance featuring musical groups Andrew Carriere and the Cajun All Stars, The Frank Samuels Band, and The Spirit Roots Ensemble.

Contact David Matteri at dmatteri@ theinquireronline.com

Advertisement

Courtney Johnson / The Inquirer

“Polar Bears” by Walter Crew is one of the many pieces currently displayed in the library through March 27 as a special exhibit.

Long-time student shows off his stuff Annie Sciacca Staff Writer A current exhibit in the DVC library features a series of paintings by Walter Crew, a Bay Area artist and long-time DVC student.

Created in the past 10 years, the work includes Native American and Western cultural themes, animal and bird art and some acrylic, abstract collages and paintings.

The exhibit features bright colors in oil, acrylic, pastels and mixed media.

Crew began his art career in 1999, when he took a beginning water-

color painting class after a 25-year, non-art career.

From there, he took all of the art classes, leading to the advanced painting classes he currently attends. He also belongs to three local art groups and shows his paintings throughout Contra Costa County.

In an e-mail interview, Crew said painting “relaxes and soothes” him.

“I love to paint,” he said.

“I usually paint most every day, and it is, for sure, my therapy.”

Crew said he likes to explore different areas, like the use of collage and abstract elements. He is

also a photographer, and his photos taken at the zoo or out walking are references for some of his paintings.

DVC librarian Ruth Sison she selected Crew’s work for this library art exhibit. The ongoing exhibits rotate every few months.

“It is my pleasure to have this show at this time of my life,” Crew wrote in his artist statement. “If not now - when?”

Contact Annie Scciacca at asciacca@ theinquireronline.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

4

Playoffs in sight, despite loss Kamille Simmons-Turnquest

Staff writer

Guard, Dan Daviess

Forward, Benji Arvizu

Guard, Brandon May

Player

Points Rebounds Assists

Brandon May

16.3

6.8

4.0

Dan Daviess

15.2

3.1

3.0

Brandon Thomas

10.1

3.1

1.5

Benji Arvizu

8.7

4.3

2.5

Jordan Estrada

8.2

3.0

3.4

No. 11

DVC

VS.

Foothill College

No. 6 Player

Points Rebounds Assists

Bobby Macias

15.5

2.7

4.0

Marseiiles Stewart

14.9

6.8

1.9

Matt Christman

7.4

4.1

1.3

Austin McQuay

5.4

2.9

0.7

Tim Williams

5.1

1.7

0.3

Advertisement

American River College dashed DVC’s hopes for an improved playoff seed Feb. 19, with the Vikings unable to recover from an early deficit.

The No. 2 team in the Big 8 Conference, now 19-8, defeated DVC 6150 in its last regular home game of the season.

DVC had clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 73-53 win Feb. 16 over Sacramento City College. But the loss Friday dropped the Vikings to 1711 overall and 7-7 in the Big 8 Conference, seeding them at No. 11.

It was the third meeting between DVC and ARC this season and DVC’s first loss to the team.

“It’s hard to beat a team three times,” head coach Steve Coccimiglio said before the game. “[It’s] going to be a challenge…They don’t want to lose to us three out of three times.”

The Vikings struggled early offensively, unable to score on any of their first 14 possessions.

Forward Brandon May, who led the Vikings with 12 points, was finally able to put DVC on the board nearly midway through the first half. May’s basket sparked a 6-0 run by DVC, cutting the Beavers lead to nine.

ARC led 24-13 at the half, but the Vikings’ offense picked up in the second half when guard, Dan Daviess opened it up with a three-point field goal.

The Vikings trailed by double digits for the majority of the game.

DVC rallied to cut the lead to eight, but the Beavers sealed the game with an easy layup and two Viking turnovers with less than a minute to play.

“It’s a disappointing way to end the season,” Coccimiglio said. “We got

outhustled and outplayed completely.”

Forward Jordan Estrada echoed his coach’s statements, “We didn’t play our best. We didn’t make hustle plays in the first half, and we missed some big free throws.”

The Vikings have a healthy team and hope to redeem themselves in the playoffs.

“We’re going to come out strong,” forward Brandon Thomas said. “We just need to start off strong, knock down shots, and play defense.”

The Vikings will play their first playoff game Feb. 26 at No. 6 Foothill.

Contact Kamille SimmonsTurnquest at ksimmons@ theinquireronline.com

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

5

DVC’s accessibility depends on students How have the budget cuts affected you?

Alec Pica, 17 Transfer Studies “It seems that there are more students and less teachers. A lot of people are having trouble getting into classes.”

The Inquirer supports the on-campus rally March 4 to protest fee hikes and budget cuts that have forced the closure of classes and drastically reduced funds for programs like EOPS, CalWORKS and Disability Support Services.

Sponsored by Students for a Democratic Society, the rally begins at 11 a.m. in the area between the Student Union and the cafeteria.

Afterwards, SDS members will move their activities to the San Francisco Civic center to join in a larger protest event at 5 p.m.

We support the efforts of SDS to build a political movement at DVC. A February 2009 report by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education stated that community colleges enroll most of the lowincome, first-generation and Latino students in the state.

These are students who may attend classes part time or on weekends, support families and receive financial aid, including grants and loans.

And hundreds of students scrambled unsuccessfully to get into closed classes this semester after DVC cut about 147 classes from its spring and summer 2010 schedule because of the budget crisis.

Even now, the college is putting together a reduced fall 2010 schedule and considering the elimination of some of the less popular sports teams.

It’s time to demand an end to these cuts.

By attending the March 4 rally, we can tell those in Christopher C. Long / The Inquirer power we will no longer let them shuffle the burden of As you can see, it’s not easy to raise support their budget shortfalls onto the students. for a cause from students on a commuter camAnd later in the month, on March 22, we can pus. Witness the exodus from overcrowded DVC support the statewide “March in March” rally in parking lots, Monday through Thursday, as stuSacramento. dents leave immediately after classes for jobs or A visible and vocal student presence forces other commitments. those in power to act. We can prove we are not This makes community college students a perso easy a target by simply showing up and being fect target for the governor and state legislators seen. to unleash their fee hikes and service reducIf you think you can’t afford to miss a day of tions. class to attend the Sacramento rally, just wait unCommunity college fees went up 30 percent as til you can’t afford class at all. of July 2008, from $20 per unit to $26 per unit.

Talking out of place annoys classmates Britney Smith, 17 Transfer Studies “I barely got into a class.

Education is one of the most important things.

They shouldn’t cut anything.”

A DVC engineering major recently complained about a common problem: side conversations that distract from the professor’s lecture.

“I paid “Does this pregood money cious liberty exto listen to a tend to distracting professional expand my side conversations knowledge, not to have in class?” it reduced by updates about ‘Survivor,’” he said. “Nobody raises their hand either.

“Everybody just blurts out whatever comes to mind.”

The great thing about living in a free coun-

try is that we have the right to express our opinions But does this precious liberty extend to distracting side conversations in class?

Just because you can have an opinion doesn’t mean you have to share it. You know, decency.

Listen to this self-described “big talker:” “There were just several classes I didn’t feel challenged enough to pay attention, and I didn’t worry about the people around me.”

Indeed, the teacher can set the tone.

“If it’s a class where the professor doesn’t say anything, the conversations will sometimes last the entire class,” says a recent DVC graduate.

Another student told me that her friend got into a physical altercation after confronting someone about his incessant side-chats.

She added her husband is more often plagued by off-topic conversations in his humanities classes than his science classes.

Since it’s the season of academic selfimprovement, what with our recent success in the Accreditation Crisis, let us also recover Christopher C. Long from our crisis Staff writer of conscience and let the expert talk when class is in session.

Contact Christopher C. Long at clong@theinquireronline.com

Love should never be a battlefield Bruno Rodriguez, 19 Business Major “I’m a little worried about the fees for international students next semester.”

Jasmine Balderas, 18 Biological Sciences “I really saw a difference in the number of classes between this semester and last.”

Interviewer: Christopher Long Photographer: Annie Sciacca

Winner of the 2008 JACC General Excellence Award

The words “dating,” “love,” “sex” and “passion” should never be associated with pain, manipulation, abuse and neglect.

“Dating should Yet too be fun and caremany young people, most free.” often women, allow themselves to be put in bad situations without the courage or will to leave.

The boyfriend of a woman I know says and does unforgivable things to her. He also plays mind games that keep her in turmoil.

This is emotional and psychological abuse.

According to stoprelationshipabuse.org, one in three women will experience relationship abuse in her lifetime.

Another website, relationship-tips-for-you. com, says domestic violence is still the single biggest threat of injury to women, more than heart attacks, cancer, strokes, car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

And womensissues.about.com, says that

I’m currently in my first year here at DVC, and I find it shocking that there is no boys

around 80 percent of young women subjected to physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date their abuser.

Also, 80 percent of teens believe verbal abuse is a serious issue for their age group.

But these statistics are not reliable, since much of the time mental, emotional and physical abuse is not reported.

Dating should be fun and carefree. A new girlfriend or boyfriend should add happiness, not take it away.

Sadly, people often stay in bad relationships, because they think it will get better.

It won’t.

They think that this behavior is normal.

It’s not.

They think that their partner will try harder, just because he or she has apologized.

They won’t.

When a friend or acquaintance tells me about her boyfriend’s abusive behavior, I want to scream, “Leave now. You’re so much better than this.”

But this rarely works.

People are “creatures of habit,” and too often they return to the situation they just com-

soccer team here. I have wondered why this was for a very long time now. I have even

plained about.

If only we had a place on campus where students could get help from trained mental health counselors. Sometimes an outsider can help you see things a friend cannot.

But wishing Julie George for such a thing Staff writer during endless budget cuts is a joke.

Sometimes all we can do is just be there for one another.

And that means having the courage to voice our concerns, even if the friend can’t appreciate it in that moment.

Contact Julie George at juliegeorge@ thequireronline.com

gone so far as to e-mail the DVC president, but I get nothing in return. I really think that DVC could have a state-ranked men’s team, if only we had one.

Maybe your sports editors or a

Editorial Board

Staff

Editor in chief: Ariel Messman-Rucker News editor: Julius Rea Features editor: Scott Baba Entertainment editor: Troy Patton Sports editor: Curtis Uemura Opinions editor: Jonathan Roisman Co-online editors: Christopher C. Long, Annie Sciacca Copy Editor: Nick Sestanovich Instr. lab coordinator : Ann Stenmark Advisor: Jean Dickinson

Photo chief: Chris Corbin Photographers: Travis Jenkins, Courtney Johnson, Jesse Thompson Cartoonist: Christopher C. Long Reporters: Oksana Yurovsky, Julie George, Carrie Soldati, Brian DeAngelis, Kamille Simmons, Travis Wonacott, Yuno Imai, Christa Balingit, Lina Pervez, David Matteri, Christian Villanueva, Chris Clark, Chelsea Brandt

The Inquirer

Diablo Valley College 321 Golf Club Road, H-102 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

The Inquirer is published on Thursday mornings during the school year by the journalism students of Diablo Valley College. All unsigned articles appearing on the opinions page are editorials and reflect a twothirds majority opinion of the ed-

different department could do a story answering this question, because I know that I’m not the only one curious about this.

Cody Nordstrom Phone: 925.685.1230 ext. 2313 Fax: 925.681.3045 E-mail: inquirer@dvc.edu Web: www.dvc.edu/journalism www.theinquireronline.com

itorial staff. All signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writer or artist and not necessarily those of the Inquirer, Diablo Valley College of the Contra Costa Community College District.

Thursday, February 25, 2009

6 CALENDAR Thursday, February 25 – Friday, April 16 Graduation speaker application period Thursday, Feb. 25 Saturday, March 27 Walter Crew art exhibit, “if not now – when�

DVC Library 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., M – Th; 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., F; 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., S

Yuno Imai Staff writer 2/25/10 JRNAL 126

Thursday, Feb. 25 Brown Bag Lecture Prudence Crandall Abolitionist SU – 204 12:30 p.m.

DVC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony $30 Tickets include dinner The Norseman 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 26 Relay for Life Organizational Meeting SU – 210 11 a.m.

Monday, March 1 – Wednesday, March 3 Drama auditions Betty’s Summer Vacation Monday, March 1 Speech and Debate Team Meeting Weekly PAC – 106 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Tuesday, March 2 College Success Workshop: Write Thesis and Topic Sentences SRVC Language Center 1 – 2:15 p.m.

SU – 204 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 3 College Success Workshop: Resiliency and Student Success SU – 204 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 4 Communication and Outreach Work Group Monthly meetings BFL Community Conference Room 10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

Notes not taken Becoming a note taker gives you an opportunity to help others, plus make money.

Disability Support Services needs nearly double the 65 students who take notes for fellow classmates with disabilities.

Despite a barrage of iers and e-mail messages to teachers asking them to make class announcements, the need falls short of demand, said DSS coordinator Lisa Martin.

When matching note takers with students who need the service, DSS goes through the list of classes both are taking to see the overlap.

This semester, out of all the available note takers on the list, Martin said she had close to 300 sections listed, totaling 500 classes.

Only 10 positions matched the requests, Martin said via e-mail messages.

DSS encourages students to apply, even they lack conďŹ dence. “If they are willing to learn, we’re willing to teach.â€? Martin said.

Note taker, Brad Peck admits he was “a sloppy writer� before the job gave him an opportunity to organize his notes and get motivated to do well in class.

Note takers earn $100 per semester, per class, although some prefer a DSS certiďŹ cate for Volunteer Service instead of money.

Note taker Arina Semionenkova said she took the job for two reasons. “I need the money and I want to help other students,� she said.

Disabilities that require note taking services range anything from inability to see the blackboard or hear the instructor to brain injuries, developmental delays or attention deďŹ cit disorder. “It could [also] be temporary like a broken hand,â€? Martin said.

Janet Richards, who uses the service because of her illegible handwriting, said in an e-mail interview that, note takers help her stay on track, and prevent her from feeling “left behind.�

Note takers allow deaf student Darlene Johnson to pay more attention to lectures and not miss important information. “I do not have note takers for all classes that I have been taking in the past,� she said in an e-mail interview.

Note takers are expected to take readable notes in class and make some understandable formatting changes. “Good notes consist of whatever is on the board and what the instructor is lecturing,�

Martin said.

And beneďŹ ts are twofold: Students with disabilities get equal access and the information they need; note takers improve their skill and class attendance. “It’s a win-win,â€? Martin said.

Job applications are available in Student Services Center Building, room 202A. Contact Yuno Imai at yimai@theinquireronline.com

$1.50 a line 2 line minimum. 32 characters per line includes punctuation & spaces Copy and payment due the Monday before publication date.

For more information call 925.685.1230 ext 2313 or stop by The Inquirer ofďŹ ce.

Christopher Long Staff writer The “MySitePortalâ€? system due out as a beta at the end of summer session 2010 has ďŹ nally arrived.

The district launched it Feb. 17.

Once logged in, students can check the weather stats for DVC and LMC, as well as the Brentwood and San Ramon satellites.

A monthly calendar also shows the user’s upcoming classes.

Though there is still some work to do, it contains links to campus services, student clubs, DVC press releases and the Inquirer.

Daniel Abbott, the district’s director of administrative information systems, said the delay was due to concerns about the performance of certain key areas of the system.

Go to insite.4cd.edu and use your current username and password from WebAdvisor for the log-in information.

And the best part?

No warning about exceeding the maximum number of cookies.

Contact Christopher C. Long at clong@theinquireronline.com

Transfer myths busted Lina Pervez Staff writer

Myth You don’t need to choose a major right away.

Fact As budget cuts continue at both DVC and the UC/CSU campuses, classes are becoming harder to get into.

Thus, if students don’t plan ahead and choose a major early, they may need to stay at DVC for an extra year to complete transfer requirements, says Transfer Center staff member Joanne Davi.

The Transfer Center has a new motto: “Your bachelor’s degree starts at DVC.� But few students know where the center is located, never mind how critical its services are to making their stay at DVC as productive – and brief – as possible.

Consequently, myths substitute as facts. “You should wait until a later semester to pick a major so you can experience classes,� says student Donny Dewitt, who is not alone in this belief. Yet, this is one of the biggest myths.

Myth Completing the Myth You don’t need Myth Private schools requirements for an asto visit the Transfer Cenand out-of-state schools sociate of arts or science ter until you are ready to are more expensive than a degree allows you to transtransfer.

UC or CSU campus. fer.

Fact Transfer requireFact Less than 10 perFact Students who simments change and applicacent of students attending ply complete the AA/AS tion deadlines vary. a private college pay full degree classes are fulďŹ ll“You could be here a lot tuition, says Center Cooring DVC’s requirements, longer if you don’t visit the dinator Regan Ronayne. which often are different transfer center as soon as The Washington Post from those required by you’ve picked out a major recently reported that stutransfer institutions. and a school,â€? Davi says dents at private colleges “Degree requirements A number of students visnationwide receive an avshould be completed in adited the Center for the ďŹ rst erage of $14,400 in grant dition to transfer requiretime after the fall admisaid and tax beneďŹ ts every ments,â€? Ronayne says. sions deadline had passed year.

Contact Lina Pervez at lpervez@theinquireronline.com

Continued from page 1

The Commission’s evaluation team found the college had fully satisďŹ ed three problem areas.

They included improving its curriculum process to include “timely, systematic review� of courses and programs, creating a calendar for Student Learning Outcomes and identi-

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fying program SLOs and creating a well-designed, technology plan.

Problem areas partially satisďŹ ed included clarifying decision-making roles, developing planning tied to the DVC’s mission statement and budget, developing a process of program review, and improving communication among DVC’s various constituent

DAL020758B groups. ALLOY MEDIA & MARKETING heads of work groups in “A lot of these processes DVC has an Oct. 15, the comingTHAWKINS weeks. are3.42 new, x 5 “ Lamb said. “So 2010 deadline to correct One focus will be anawe have to look 1 at them gl remaining problems and lyzing whether any of the and say, ‘Is this how we submit its next report to plans devised over the want it?’ and make some the Commission. past year to correct prob- adjustments.� “Basically, we need to lems need to be changed, Contact Troy Patton at complete what we said we said Susan Lamb, vice tpatton@theinquireronwere going to do,� said in- president of instruction. line.com Advertisement terim executive dean Ted Wieden.

Wieden said he will meet with Walters and the

by the need for a more efďŹ cient way for students to buy parking passes. “If you can register [for classes] online,â€? Murillo said, “why can’t you buy a parking pass online?â€?

Although some new revenue would go toward parking maintenance and paying student aides, Murillo said these were “secondary� to online parking permits.

Cannon, the district student trustee, declined to be interviewed by the Inquirer, but district board member Van de Brooke said she made a “compelling case for not raising fees we have control over� at the Dec. 9 meeting.

“We should be looking at more creative options,�

Van de Brooke said.

Cannon presented the board with several ideas, such as increasing fees only for “priority parking� or charging faculty and staff to park.

Chancellor Helen Benjamin said Cannon’s suggestions are receiving attention, although she said some may be “hard to implement.�

Governing board President Sheila Grilli called the parking fee increase “minimal.�

Earn Money

Parking....

Continued from page 1

CLASSIFIED PLACEMENT INFORMATION

Chris Corbin / The Inquirer

District portal opens

But in an interview, Lindsay St. Hill, president of the Associated Students of DVC, accused the district of not being completely honest about the need for this fee increase. “I feel like they were using the budget cuts as a good time to pass it,� she said in an interview.

St. Hill said the fee was presented as a tradeoff to laying off students police aides who patrol campus parking lots.

But according to Gibson, this was not the case.

He and Vice Chancellor Kindred Murillo said the increase was prompted

Contact Oksana Yurovsky at oyurovsky@theinquireronline.com

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