Mediocre gladiators:
Editor-in-chief Julius Rea and Managing editor Troy Patton review the new film, “The Eagle.” See page 4.
Education sees red:
Inquirer Editorial Board discusses cuts to education and the lack of perceived value it impliesby the state. See page 5.
How to Heal: Take a look into DVC’s sports medicine program. See page 6.
The
INQUIRER S tudent V oi ce
Volume 78 No. 1
Copyright © 2010 The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
of
D iablo Val le y C ol le g e
www.TheInquirerOnline.com
GOODBYE?
Marching Band Techniques • Introduction to Music Skills • Introduction to Drawing, Color, and Two Dimensional Design • Introduction the Music Industry • Introduction to Reason and ACID • Introduction to Color Drawing and Composition • Figure Drawing • Printmaking: Monotype • Animation and Interactivity • Fundamentals of Stage Production • DVC Philharmonic Orchestra •Introduction to Printmaking •Watercolor • Introduction to Technical Theater • Introduction to Engineering •Beginning Guitar • Watercolor Workshop • Oil/Acrylic Painting • Technical Drawing • Horticulture • SCOTT BABA Features editor Color Theory and its Application to 2-D Media • Basic Principles of Acting • Nursery ontinuing budget prob- • Skills and Practices Introduction to lems for the Sculpture and 3-D Contra Cos- Design• Piano Ensemble Symphonic Band • ta Community College Pedagogy for Music and DVC have Teachers • Night Jazz District • Energy, Society, and forced the school’s adthe Environment • ministration to propose Landscape Design • Metal Art • Basic a reduced course sched- Principles of Acting ule for next year, heavily • Advanced Styles in damaging many depart- Scene Study • The British Blues Invasion • In- ments across the campus, troduction to Pro including art, drama, horTools • Directing Proj- ticulture, and engineering. ects • Applied Voice Training • Introduc- While planning the next tion to Electronic budget, the CCCD Music • Introduction year’s to Digital Video • 3D came up with three sceModeling and Anima- narios taking into account tion • Plant Propagation • From Be Bop to the possibility of Gov. Trip Hop: Fifty Years Jerry Brown’s tax increase of Small Ensemble either passing or not, and Jazz •Metalsmithing and Jewelry • Figura- whether Proposition 98 – tive Concepts • Typogdedicates at least 40 raphy • Percussion which Ensemble • Introducpercent of the state budtion to Music Litera- get to K-14 education – ture • Stage Makeup • Wheel Thrown Ce- will be suspended or not. ramic Art • Marching Chancellor Helen BenBand Techniques • In- jamin said the district had troduction to Music Skills • Introduction chosen the in-between to Music Literature scenario assuming that • Stencil and Screen the tax increase would fail Print Relief • Introduction to Circuits but Proposition 98 would and Devices • Printbe suspended, and making: Wood Block not Hand-Built • Chamber the district would take a Singers • Brass En- $15.8 million reduction. semble • Ceramic Art • Jazz Combos • Vocal To offset this budget Jazz Ensemble • Black cut, which is roughly equal and White Photog- to the losses of the last raphy • Digital Illustration • Introduc- two years combined, the tion to Digital Auplans involve redio • Major Produc- district’s tion • Concert Choir ducing workforce, course • Beginning Piano • schedules, and operating Woodwind Ensemble • Properties of Engi- budgets, as well as con- neering Materials • solidating and eliminating Advanced Photogra- programs and services. phy Workshop • Digital Imaging Process At DVC, this calcula- and Technique • Detion means that for the sign, Advanced Con- school to reach its low- cepts Programming for Scientists and ered budget it will have Engineers • Computer Aided Drafting • to make a 6.2 percent Band English Choral • Music Concerto for Multiple Solo InstruBUDGET, Page 2 ments • Digital Illustration • Engineering Drawing • Applied Projects in Music Industry Studies • Alan Hovhaness: Maximum Minimalism • Introduction to Digital Audio • Introduction to DigitAl Photography
Drastic budget cuts enrage hardest-hit departments
C
Thursday, Februrary 17, 2011
Speaking out costs jobs, coaches claim MIKE ALFIERI Copy editor
Two former DVC track and tennis coaches are suing the district since, in their opinion they lost their jobs for exposing illegal gender discrimination in sports programs at DVC. “I was told it was because of financial and budget issues,” said Peter Benko in a phone interview, on why the school chose not to rehire him. Hunter Pyle, the lawyer of Peter Benko and Daniel Cruz, tells a different story in his press release: “It appears that DVC was motivated by a desire to punish those who spoke out, and to frighten others from speaking out in the future.” Athletic Director Christine Worsley, cited in the lawsuit as the person who terminated the coaches’ employment, declined to comment on the matter. The district filed a response to the charges on Jan. 28, denying all claims. Repeated attempts to contact the district’s attorneys have gone unanswered. Benko and Cruz filed the federal lawsuit with the Contra Costa Community College District for wrongful termination they say was retaliation against them for the complaint they filed against the college. “It is clear from the school district’s actions that we were treated adversely after bringing to their atCOACHES, Page 2
New project addresses achievement gap, student stereotypes KEVIN HAYES Copy editor
The negative effect stereotypes may have on academic ability is brought to the spotlight this semester in the “Whistling Vivaldi” project. The program, organized by Lisa Orta, staff development coordinator, seeks to address the achievement gap at DVC through presentations, discussions, college events and film showings. She came up with the idea after hearing a radio interview with Dr. Claude Steele, the author of the book for which the program is named. In it, Steele discussed how people internalize stereotypes about their identity and can later be affected by them. “Whistling Vivaldi” was a technique black journalist Brent Staples used to defuse the perception that he might be a mugger while walking down the street at night. Whistling classical music helped him break the stereotype. One example Steele used in his book involved an experiment in which questionnaires were given to three groups of Asian women just before a math VIVALDI, Page 3
• NEWS 1, 2, 3 • SPORTS 6 • OPINIONS 5 • EDITORIAL 5 • ENTERTAINMENT 4 • CAMPUS BUZZ 5 • CALENDER 2 • POLICE BEAT 2 • STAFF INFORMATION 5 •
2
News
CALENDAR Thursday, Feb. 17 Last Day to Drop a FullTerm Class Without a “W” First Inter Club Council (ICC) Meeting Student Life Conference Room 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 Academy of Art Campus Representative DVC Quad 10:30-1 p.m. Whistling Vivaldi Project The Angry Eye with Jane Elliott Meets in BFL-CCC 12:30 p.m. College Success Workshop Student Life Conference Room 5:30-6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23 UC Berkeley Representative Counseling Building 9:30-3 p.m. DVC Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony Tickets are $40 each Norsemen 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24 SF State International Rep Counseling Building 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 Focus The Nation Clean Energy Forum Performing Arts Center 11 - 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28 College Council Community Conference Room 2 - 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 Drama-Auditions The Last Days of Judas Iscariot 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 Walk Like An Egyptian Student, community, faculty assembly & march DVC Quad 12:30 p.m. Whistling Vivaldi Project Understanding Learning Disabilities BFL-CCC 2 p.m. Thursday, March 3 Saint Mary’s College Campus Representative Transfer Center 10-12 p.m.
POLICE BEAT Feb. 9, 2011 DVC lot 4: Student admitted to keying another students vehicle because she took a parking space he was waiting for. Feb. 7, 2011 DVC Library Men’s Restroom: Civil Rights, Interfere with, Property Damage , Unknown subject(s) wrote “Hate” graffiti on the restroom walls. Feb. 6, 2011 DVC Math Building: Unknown subject(s) spray painted graffiti on the math building.
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Thursday, February 17, 2011
DVC hosts clean energy event C Event hopes to increase green energy awareness on campus LINA PERVEZ Senior writer
DVC is one of 18 college campuses across the nation hosting a Clean Energy Forum this month on Feb. 25 at the Pleasant Hill campus. The Clean Energy Forum is sponsored by a non-profit organization called Focus the Nation which strives to "empower a generation to power a nation." Architecture major and student coordinator Carla Bernal hopes that attendees will enjoy themselves, but she is more concerned that each person leaves with a better understanding of what the future holds. "I want the event to spark en-
B
informational sessions and a panel discussion in the PAC Theater. Each session will include a 45 minute moderated conversation with guest speakers and a 10 minthusiasm," said Bernal. "Green ute question-and-answer period. Confirmed speakers include energy is the future and it's someStanford student Teryn Norris, thing we should keep in mind." Registration is free and will Director of Americans for Energy Leadership. begin at 10:30 a.m. The final event in the PAC Theater of the day will be Area. Members of a 70 minute panel the community, as discussion which well as students, are will consist of local invited to attend. government offiFabiola Ramirez, cials. Both State Sen. DVC's Focus the NaMark DeSaulnier tion representative and Rep. George and lead coordinaMiller have both tor of the event, has been approached been planning the FABIOLA to participate in the forum with a small RAMIREZ panel but neither group of DVC students and engineering professor have confirmed they will attend. Attendees will have the opporJoe Valdez since October 2010. The event will consist of three tunity to place their questions in
a designated box throughout the day, and selected questions will be asked. "The goal is to come up with solutions for our current roadblocks," said Ramirez. Student coordinator Keith Montes also hopes to reach out to other clubs for endorsements and volunteers. "Students need to recognize the power of coming together and bringing about real change," he said. The event will include workshops in PAC rooms 101, 102, and 106. Topics covered in these smaller seminars include healthy eating and recycling. There will also be a farmers market set up in the Student Union Quad from 12-4 p.m. To register online for the event visit, www.focusthenation.org/forums. Contact Lina Pervez at lpervez@ TheInquirerOnline.com
UDGET from Pg. 1
time equivalent faculty, which is the amount of faculty work-hours the school is capable of paying for. The first attempt to address the 2011-2012 course schedule has left some programs out in the cold. At Feb. 8 Faculty Senate meeting, several department heads expressed their concern at the choices the administration has made. Among the programs at risk, department representatives reported that art would lose approximately 25 percent of their classes and drama 32 percent; horticulture would take a 50 percent reduction, and the choices of class cuts in engineering would effectively eliminate the engineering transfer program. Horticulture instructor Stewart Winchester pointed out that all the at-risk classes in the horticulture program were classes required to complete certificates. The drama department would also be taking a hard hit with the proposed schedule, losing basic acting and directing classes. “We will cease to function as a department,” said Beth McBrien, drama instructor and department chair for the performing arts. “With the level of cuts [it has received], the drama department will die within the year.”
KATE VAASILYEVA / The Inquirer
Chris St. Pierre and Fiona Daniel create a sculpture in their 3D art class, part of the art program which is taking a heavy hit. Michele Krup, art instructor and department chair for art and photography,, said that the proposed cuts would completely eliminate the photography and print-making programs, and that all the classes in the art program in general work towards a certificate or degree. “This will no longer be the art department you know at DVC,” said Krup. The Faculty Senate passed a
resolution for more faculty involvement in the scheduling decisions, by splitting the 6.2 percent reductions in two, letting every department take a 3 percent acrossthe-board reduction and creating a scheduling task force drawn from both faculty and academic management to resolve where the rest of the reductions should go. Peter Garcia, interim President of DVC, praised the
resolution but also indicated that some of the conversations were naive and premature. “You make assumptions on how to fix the schedule if the cuts aren’t as bad as they seem,” said Garcia at the close of the meeting, “but you have nothing there assuming things won’t get better.” Contact SCOTT BABA at sbaba@ TheInquirerOnline.com
Advertisement
INVEST IN YOURSELF AT MILLS.
Feb.5, 2011 DVC Performing Arts: An adult female fell in the PAC and injured her neck. Fire and AMR responded; however, the victim refused medical treatment or transportation. Feb. 3, 2011 DVC Performing Arts Center: Unknown person(s) had been sleeping in the PAC. One non-student was found in the building without any explanation for being in there.
CLASSIFIED PLACEMENT INFORMATION $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 office.
For more than 150 years, Mills College has been opening doors for women to attain their dreams. Today, we offer generous renewable merit scholarships to recognize your achievements, including: • One full-tuition scholarship • Multiple merit scholarships up to $14,000 • An additional $5,000 for qualified students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa or Alpha Gamma Sigma* For fall priority scholarship consideration, apply by March 1.
INFORMATION SESSION
Tuesday, March 15 • 11:00 am–2:15 pm *Limited number available
MAKING THE WORLD MORE . . .
5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA admission@mills.edu www.mills.edu/transfer RESERVE YOUR SPACE AT WWW.MILLS.EDU/VISITFORM.
OACHES from Pg. 1
tention that their planned actions violated federal law,” Benko said in the release. Last year, the Inquirer reported about the suspension of track, tennis and crosscountry. After a Title IX complaint filed by then tennis coach Benko and track coach Cruz, the college has reinstated the programs but assigned new coaches. Cruz and Benko filed complaint with both the college district and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights on April 22. Jim Bradshaw at the Department of Education press office said the complaint filed in April alleged that “Contra Costa Community College District discriminates against female athletes based on sex at all three college campuses.” According to the coaches, elimination of the programs would have created unequal gender opportunities among the sports programs and violate Title IX. Title IX requires schools that receive federal funding to provide comparable athletic opportunities for men and women. The Office of Civil Rights found grounds for an investigation on all district campuses. “DVC wasn’t comfortable with an investigation,” said Benko in a phone interview. DVC reinstated the programs in June 2010 in order to comply with Title IX. In July, the Athletic Department terminated the employment of Cruz and Benko from their coaching positions. The Athletic Department filled the positions with fulltime employees from within the department. The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 1, also states that the coach’s First Amendment rights were violated and their reputations defamed. It claims the coaches were told directly by Worsley there would be negative consequences for filing a complaint and that the coaches tried to provide other solutions, such as working without pay. Benko and Cruz are seeking unspecified compensation for emotional distress, humiliation and other damages. One expert thinks the coaches may have a hard time winning their case. “Proving that they suffered adverse employment consequences -- in this case, not being rehired -as a result is a little trickier because usually there is no direct evidence that that is the case” said Erin Buzuvis, an associate professor of law at Western New England College School of Law who specializes in Title IX cases. “But courts will accept circumstantial evidence of retaliatory motive in circumstances where the plaintiff can prove that the employer’s stated reason is actually a pretext, a cover up for the real reason.” On Feb. 9, both parties agreed to mediation within 120 days, though Benko and Cruz will get a chance to prove their case in front of judge and jury if no agreement is met. “We will not let them get away with this type of retaliation,” Hunter Pyle said. Even with the school’s cooperation with Title IX compliance training through 2013, no sports programs are safe from cuts, said Tim Leong, director of community relations at CCCD. “When evaluating the budget and with more expected cuts, nothing is off the table,” he said. Contact Mike Alfieri at alfieri@TheInquirerOnline.com
3 Family starts
News
Thursday, February 17, 2011
V
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
IVALDI
from Pg. 1
test. One reminded them of their ethnic identity, another reminded them of their gender and the last did neither. The goal was to see if the stereotypes “Asians are good at math� and “women are bad at math� would affect test scores. The women reminded of their ethnicity performed noticeably better than the women reminded of their gender. The term Steele used to describe this is “stereotype threat.� The achievement gap in terms of race at DVC shows Asians and whites outperforming Latinos and blacks. Fixing the gap is especially important in California where Latinos will constitute half the working-age population in 2040, according to an Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy study done in October 2010. Emily Stone of the College Success Inquiry Project feels stereotype threat is a contributor to the gap but that other factors
memorial scholarship SCOTT ANNIS Staff writer
KATE VASILYEVA / The Inquirer
Lisa Orta, staff development coordinator, discusses the achievement gap during a “Whistling Vivaldi� presentation on Feb. 10 in the BFL conference room. play a role as well. These include things such as inequality in public K-12 schooling, language barriers and lowincome students often having to spend more time outside of
Upcoming “Whistling Vivaldi� Events PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSIONS: THE ANGRY EYE COLLECTING WISDOM: FACULTY ROUND TABLE COLLECTING WISDOM: STUDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS ROUND TABLE COLLECTING WISDOM: STUDENT ROUND TABLE FILMS / VIDEOS: HOW DIFFICULT CAN THIS BE? SMALL ISLAND CRASH THE BUTCH FACTOR Presentations and discussions are held Tuesdays from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in the BFL CCC. Films and videos are shown Wednesdays from 2 - 4 p.m. in the BFL CCC.
school earning money than others. Even if stereotype threat isn’t the whole answer, Stone thinks it can be helpful to address it. “If there’s something we can do in just our way of thinking about students and interacting with students and thinking about our own selves‌ then that’s pretty powerful, that’s part of how you make change,â€? Stone said. Douglas Phenix, a black student and member of the CSIP, didn’t like to hear that he could succeed at school but still feel forced into those numbers. “I went to two junior colleges before coming to DVC and I was pretty much in those numbers. I wasn’t succeeding, I wasn’t interested in class, I kind of knew what I wanted to maybe do, but I didn’t have no goal or direction,
no influence, no advice from nobody‌,â€? said Phenix. He changed his mind mainly because of EOPS (Extended Opportunities Programs and Services) as well as support from Student Life. “It’s the support that they actually care about your education and that makes me care more about my education‌ somebody’s caring about something I’m trying to do so it brings a bigger value to it. That was the biggest thing that changed for me, support and just my mind frame,â€? said Phenix. For much more information, visit the Whistling Vivaldi website at: http://www.dvc.edu/events/ events/whistlingvivaldi.htm Contact Kevin Hayes at khayes@ TheInquirerOnline.com
The family of John Spanger, a former DVC English professor who died on Nov. 18, started a scholarship in his honor. The scholarship is intended to continue to spread his passion for English at the same place he taught. The $500 scholarship would go to a DVC student planning on transferring with an interest in obtaining an English degree. The student must have maintained a 3.0 GPA, among other criteria. The scholarship will be available in Fall 2011. More information will be provided by the scholarship office. Spanger transferred from DVC to Chico State University to receive his degree in English. When he started teaching, DVC was his top choice and he worked for the Contra Costa Community College District for over 40 years. In 2001, Spanger retired from Diablo Valley College where he had been an English professor since 1969. He taught courses including developmental reading and writing, transfer composition, and literature. Spanger also served on many English committees and was the chair of the English
division for two semesters. “As division chair, he was fair, organized and a voice of reason,� English instructor Irene Menegas said. “What I remember most about him was his wonderful sense of humor; he alJOHN SPANGER ways left me laughing.� Surrounded by his family, he died in his Sonoma home. He was 74. “People really miss him and remember him very fondly,� Dean of English Ellen Kruse said. Donations to honor and remember Spanger can be sent to: The John Spanger Memorial Scholarship fund, Diablo Valley College, 321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill, CA, 94523. Inquirer copy editor Mike Alfieri contributed to this article. Contact Scott Annis at sannis@ TheInquirerOnline.com
Advertisement
N A T I O N A L
U N I V E R S I T YÂŽ
N<Ă&#x2039;CC E<M<I GLK PFLI 9LJ@E<JJ ;<>I<< ;I<8DJ FE ?FC;%
Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ,'' KI8EJ=<I J:?FC8IJ?@G
Â&#x2039; 1DWLRQDO 8QLYHUVLW\
Next For You?
C\Xie `] pfl hlXc`]p ]fi X ,'' kiXej]\i jZ_fcXij_`g% :Xcc /''%,/(%+('' fi m`j`k YiXe[dXe%\[l&Ylj`e\jj
9l[^\k ZileZ_\j dXp _Xm\ fk_\i jZ_ffcj Zlkk`e^ Zflij\j# Ylk 9iXe[dXe `j \ogXe[`e^% N\Ă&#x2039;i\ X[[`e^ Ylj`e\jj ZcXjj\j kf d\\k k_\ `eZi\Xj`e^ [\dXe[% 9iXe[dXe gXike\ij n`k_ Zfddle`kp
N8CELK :I<<B :8DGLJ <8IE PFLI 98:?<CFIĂ&#x2039;J ;<>I<< @E 9LJ@E<JJ 8;D@E@JKI8K@FE FE :8DGLJ FI FEC@E<% <DG?8J<J 8M8@C89C< @E1 Â&#x203A; 8::FLEK@E>
Zfcc\^\j kf dXb\ kiXej]\ii`e^ Zi\[`kj j`dgc\# Xe[ k_Xk ZXe dXb\
At
National University,
youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked to get this far, and we want to help you get even further. As a community college transfer student, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to take advantage of these great beneďŹ ts. . .
Â&#x203A; <EKI<GI<E<LIJ?@G
>> Streamlined admissions
Â&#x203A; =@E8E:<
\Xie`e^ pfli Ylj`e\jj [\^i\\ X cfk
>> No enrollment fee
Â&#x203A; ><E<I8C 9LJ@E<JJ
dfi\ X]]fi[XYc\%
Â&#x203A; ?LD8E I<JFLI:<J
>> Flexible scheduling
Â&#x203A; @E=FID8K@FE JPJK<DJ D8E8><D<EK
we know how hard
>> Unique one-course-per-month format >> Scholarship programs
Â&#x203A; D8IB<K@E> Â&#x203A; FI>8E@Q8K@FE8C :FDDLE@:8K@FE Â&#x203A; FI>8E@Q8K@FE8C C<8;<IJ?@G Â&#x203A; JLGGCP :?8@E JPJK<DJ
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
<PM =VQ^MZ[Q\a WN >IT]M[
9iXe[dXe Le`m\ij`kp `j XZZi\[`k\[ Yp# Xe[ `j X d\dY\i f]# k_\ N\jk\ie 8jjfZ`Xk`fe f] JZ_ffcj Xe[ :fcc\^\j N8J: %
Visit
client:
An Affiliate of the National University System
THEINQUIRERONLINE.COM
CUCO0192_BBA_QP_DVC_Sept_em0.indd 1
Brandman University
8/19/10 5:05:07 PM
if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at least kind of awesome...
prepared by:
STOCKTON CAMPUS 3520 Brookside Road 209.475.1400
Dentsu America
800. NAT.UNIV | getinfo. nu .edu/transfer
4
Entertainment The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
DVC Film Club continues to grow COLBY CARTER Staff writer
As they wind down after the third Aspiring Mind Film Festival, edit new projects, and search for a distributor for their film “Marbles,” the DVC Film Club stays busy as they look for more members in the new semester. Despite his active schedule, club organizer David Sherr took some time to sit down with The Inquirer to talk about film production, inspiration, and the club’s future. I: How was the DVC film Club founded? DS: It was founded three semesters ago by Seth Craven. They produced two movies, “The Last Lonely Saturday” and “Marbles.” I: Is your focus on short film only, or do you do longer features as well? DS: To us, a long feature . . . is like 12 minutes. A four minute video basically will take a day of planning, a half day to shoot, and a day and a half to edit. It then needs to be compressed to be affordable. So a day of planning, a day to shoot, a day of editing. I: How is the club related to the Aspiring Minds Film Festival? DS: It’s our own film festival; we just had our third one. We’re . . . into putting on the festival. The real value of the schools is not the algebra or films, but the networking and commodity knowledge. The club provides those social networks, not Facebook… but, you know, “Realbook.” Real life social networks where the club becomes a focal point and it grows. I: Were your films received well at the festival? DS: Yeah, we’ve been very successful. What’s funding us now is the $3 per head we charge, and we showed 16 films last time. I: What standard equipment do film club members use to shoot on? DS: Some of us use really dynamite cameras – some of the guys bring their own. We use Canon HDs and Sony Excels, but they’re not HD, they’re standard definition DVs.
THE
EAGLE
Two out of two Inquirer editors think that they might have preferred watching a different movie. In 140 AD, Roman legionnaire Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum), accompanied by his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell), tries to find the truth about his father’s apparent death while searching for a sought-after relic, the Golden Eagle. The story follows Aquila as he commands a fort of the Legion’s outcasts, recovers from a battle and meets Esca.
TROY PATTON Managing editor
My opinion of Focus Feature’s “The Eagle” can be summed up in the sentence, “Yup, that was a movie.” Everything in the film is done well enough that I wasn’t offended by its mere existence, but, on the other hand, I won’t be paying to see this movie again anytime soon. It was fun for the 114 minutes it lasted, but I don’t want to turn my experience with “The Eagle” into a 228 minute one. The film has everything checked off on the list of successful action movie techniques; the acting is decent, the soundtrack sets the tone for each scene well, and the cinematography uses that surefire trick of making action scenes interesting by strapping the camera to a paint shaker. At the same time, this isn’t a soundtrack that will be mentioned in the same sentence as a John Williams score, and Channing Tatum isn’t going to win any awards for his portrayal of Marcus Flavius Aquila. Aside from an oddly placed and mood breaking “broment” to close out the film, I don’t really have anything in particular that I can point to and say, “This is the reason why I didn’t love this movie.” “The Eagle” was competent. Nothing more, nothing less. But that raises the question; does every movie need to be an amazing billion dollar box office hit and win 10 Oscars for it to be worth watching? In the end, there are many movies that deserve to be erased from existence that have made more money at the box office than “The Eagle” ever will. The “Scary Movie” series says hi.
I: Which films and directors do you take inspiration from? DS: It all depends; we all have our own muses. Stanley Kubrick, Coppola. I pay homage to all the masters. I used those birds in the end of my film, like Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” I: Which genres do you want to work with in the future? DS: We do lots of different stuff. We have music videos in mind. Natalie’s going to play the Lily of the West, I’m going to sing it. It’s a story, we’ll take the shots, it will be like “Repulsive Bastards.” I: What future projects should we look forward to seeing next? DS: I would say that you’ll have to stay tuned, because the runaway winner of the second Aspiring Minds [Film Festival, Mitchell Kell, who was the critical and mass winner of that show, is going to basically head up the club as presidential chair and potential director. He’ll have a major impact. Contact Colby Carter at ccarter@TheInquirerOnline.com
Advertisement
Are you a writer? An artist? A photographer? Do you have any interest in investigative journalism, web design, page layout or editing? Are you amazing? Or at least kind of awesome? If any of the above applies to you, maybe you should think about joining
The
Thursday, February 17, 2011
INQUIRER
Journalism 126 is an open enrollment class available to join any time during the semester. Meets every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 12:30-2:20 in H-102.
JULIUS REA Editor in chief
I have one word to say about the new gladiator thriller, “The Eagle”: meh. After seeing the trailer I was somewhat excited, but thought it would be just another movie with a whole bunch of killing and the possibility of a deep story line. Unfortunately, after watching “The Eagle,” I thought, “That was decent.” Ultimately, this was the movie’s downfall. There were about four peaks of action throughout that were thrilling enough. I was waiting for a bloodymcblooderton kill-fest. But no. I didn’t think that Channing Tatum could top his previous blockbusters, like “Dear John” and “Step Up,” but he was surprisingly good. However, some of the other actors tendency towards speaking as if they were in a 1980’s office ruined it for me. While Tatum and his costar, Jamie Bell, are travelling through the open terrain, some spots were interesting and beautiful and some were ugly and dead enough to fit the mood. There was a decent story, a decent amount of fights between gladiators and barbarians, a decent score and a decent amount of homoerotic tension, which adds up to a wholly decent film. Throughout the film, there was nothing spectacularly bad or good. Everything - from the acting to the backdrops to the music to the makeup - was disappointingly average. All in all, “The Eagle” was so average it was boring and forgettable. When the credits started rolling, someone started to clap. I would have slapped him if I wasn’t two seconds from a boredom-induced coma.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Editorial
The
Buzz
Do you think that DVC has a problem with stereotyping?
JEMMA DAVIES, 17 Nursing
“I don’t think it’s an issue, because there is a variety of people in all shapes and sizes. I think everyone is accepting, because we all come from many different places.”
MEGAN MALMGREN, 20 English
“I don’t really think it is a big deal. If anything, people are having difficulty opening up.”
5
Opinions
Budget cuts bleed education dry Massive budget cuts and new class schedules over the past few weeks have kept the DVC administration busy, and several “extra-curricular” courses are suffering for it. Many students would agree that the cuts need to stop, and continued budget cuts look like they will affect future transfer rates. Engineering, for example, bolsters the highest transfer rate of any other major at DVC, and with the new budget cuts for the 2011-2012 school year, it could be wiped out altogether. The enrollment of international students, who net into the school over $1 million annually to take courses such as engineering, could steadily decline or even enroll at other schools altogether. Community college is not about what can be cut, but what can be offered. Opportunity is found to be essential in our educational system, as clearly reflected in DVC’s mission statement: “DVC is passionately committed to student learning through the intellectual, scientific, artistic, psychological, and ethical development of its diverse student body”. DVC’s administration seems to be more adamantly commit-
ted to cutting classes in the arts, engineering, biology and physical recreation department than preserving or expanding them. DVC’s administration, while removing whole courses from the class roster, has removed the process to cut these classes all together. No evaluation. No grading process. Not even the faculty senate was given time to advise on this major academic change. In a recent Faculty Senate meeting on Feb. 1st, discussed how prerequisite and placement courses, which originally helped fulfill degree and certificate requirements, are being cut. A joint cut across all classes was proposed at the following faculty senate meeting last Tuesday. The faculty agreed that a 3 percent cut from all departments and the creation of a new scheduling task force could help alleviate the situation the administration has put the student body in. The new commission which would include Integration Council members, a united faculty rep. and a member of academic management would give teachers the representation in scheduling and budget meetings that, until recently ignored by the administration, is entitled to them by
SEAN WILKEY / The Inquirer
article 10+1 of the California Education Code. In joining the student body in their struggle with the budget cuts, teachers at DVC are helping guide students and taking a stand against the cuts. Though the Faculty Senate’s proposed changes should help DVC in the short term, students in the long term will suffer. Their suffering originates in a core problem within how our school is run. At its core, DVC should foster a community of opportunity,
and in light of financial pressure, that opportunity has diminished in favor of an oppressive form of education. This system of education is gradually manifesting in the rising class prices and budget cuts, similar in many respects to an accounting process. This banking form of education, as explained by Paulo Friere, molds students to become “receiving objects” that are unable to “grow or mature” beyond the limits given to them by their educational “banks”.
Our educational banks our bankrupt; as students, we need an alternative. DVC’s administration has made their position on our school mission clear. Their budget cuts have caused our student body and our faculty to become divisive on what should be cut; how has now become a topic of debate. To DVC students, education is not something to be debated nor divided. Education is essential, and what is essential should be made available to everyone.
Opinions
OSIRIS HERNANDEZ, 21 Mechanical Engineering
“No, I don’t think it’s an issue, because I don’t get it from faculty or anyone. I have friends from many races and cultures.”
Away with words: The Web is killing English “kAbOrin9 ..!!! miS oLL d tence I found on the Internet commonplace. What current Internet speech hApi timES..!! mZ. LoneLy written by what I would assume is a human being. Then again, all has devolved into makes me gUrL.. :-( :-( niD sUm eLp” If you had a problem under- bets are off when your sentences shudder and, at the same time, standing the previous sentence, look like a cokehead was practic- fearful for what the world would be like if this type fear not. of speech became Through a loose But if the English language is the norm. understanding of devolving into this form we see Simple things TROY PATTON ancient Egyptian above, I want to get off the world like using the word Managing editor hieroglyphics and “r” instead of “are” my trusty code now. I don’t belong here anymore. make me wonder how one could and forgetting to wheel, I’ve maning his craft by making lines out capitalize the word “i” can be at- type like this without deliberate aged to decipher it. tributed to pure laziness, because effort. It roughly reads, “The mur- of alphabet soup. How does a person decide to The longer you spend on the reaching that shift key obviously der of the English language,” or capitalize both L’s in the word something about being sad; my Internet the more familiar you requires a momentous effort. However, egregious misspell- “LoneLy?” code wheel doesn’t have a trans- may be with the type of systemThat takes effort. That takes atic “character” assassination ing and complete disregard for lation for emoticons. And yes, that is an actual sen- that seems to be more and more capitalization or punctuation conscious thought. Someone has
“
”
ALAN KINGSLEY, 57 Music
“[Yes]. As an adult student, there are times when I’m perceived as different. People assume I am here for extracurricular activities.”
“No, I don’t think so. I do not see cliques or anything, and everything seems diverse.” Interviewer: Brittney Griffin Photographer: Mariana Ramos
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR FEAUTRES EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR PHOTO CHIEF COPY EDITOR
Contact Troy Patton at tpatton@ TheInquirerOnline.com
How do we talk about this? Why are white people afraid to talk to black people? While killing time to see “Black Swan,” my aunt and I recently discussed how white people acted when talking to black people about sensitive subjects. Of course, we had no definite answers. While ironically eating a “Black and White” sundae in a restaurant, we decided to ask our waiter some of our race related questions. I asked him why some white people feel uncomfortable saying certain words or phrases like
the term “black.” His response: White people don’t want to make a situation worse by talking about some-
self, does talking about an issue make it worse? The Inquirer published an article last fall about the achievement gap between black and white students. Now, we’re covering the JULIUS REA “Whistling Vival- Editor-in-chief di” project, which the black achievement gap a bigis making a point that students will act like the ste- ger problem. Actually, this reminds me of reotypes projected onto them. I’m wondering if the combi- the suicides of gay teenagers last nation of endorsing that article, year. In an Associated Press article making sure that the Whistling Vivaldi project is covered and about Tyler Clementi, experts writing this column is making said that his highly publicized
“ But, as a black student
SOPHIA TANG, 18 Undeclared
to say, “You know what, I’m totally going to capitalize these two letters for absolutely no reason.” While I’m well aware that this rant makes me sounds like a crotchety old man, the English language has been honed and developed over hundreds of years and any changes have been slow and methodical. But if the English language is devolving into this form we see above, I want to get off the world now. I don’t belong here anymore. Also, you kids get off of my lawn.
journalist, I question if I am helping the problem or exacerbating it. ” thing taboo. Surprisingly, this was an honest, interesting point that made me think. In the midst of Black History Month and DVC’s “Whistling Vivaldi” project, I’m asking my-
Staff SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Brian Donovan, Taliah Julius Rea Mirmalek, Lina Pervez Troy Patton STAFF WRITERS Scott Annis, Pablo Caballero, Colby Favio Delgadillo Carter, Lisa Diaz, Brittney Griffin Stephen Langsam, Alaiyan Scott Baba Violetta, Mark Ryabstev Sean Wilkey PHOTOGRAPHERS Izzy Bajalia, Stevie Chow, MariGerardo Recinos ana Ramos, Kate Vasilyeva Alec Graham Mike Alfieri DESIGNERS & CARTOONISTS Yaeko Takada, Niki Hicks Kevin Hayes INSTRUCTIONAL LAB COORDINATOR Ann Stenmark ADVISER Mary Mazzocco
suicide may have persuaded others to take their own lives. The more the death was discussed, the more acceptable suicide may have seemed. Is the DVC community solidifying the stereotypes that should be solved by addressing them more often? It’s not my intent to disapprove of the “Whistling Vivaldi” project, The Inquirer or the achievement gap’s significance. But, as a black student journalist, I question if I am helping the problem or exacerbating it. Contact Julius Rea at jrea@ TheInquirerOnline.com
THE INQUIRER Diablo Valley College 321 Golf Club Road, H-102 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 The Inquirer is published 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 two-thirds majority opinion of the editorial staff. All signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writer or artists and not necessarily those of The Inquirer, Diablo Valley College or Contra Costa Community College District
• Phone: 925.685.1230 ext. 2313 • Fax: 925.681.3045 • Email: inquirer@dvc.edu • Website: www.TheInquirerOnline.com • Printed Every Two Weeks •
6
Sports
Ellis’ All-Star snub was all in the hands of fans
STEPHEN LANGSAM Staff writer
With the clock winding down and the team trailing by two points, the Warriors gave the ball to their All-Star, Monta Ellis. He stands dribbling at the top of the key eyeing the shot clock above the basket. Ellis makes his move to the hoop and sinks the basket. The fans at Oracle Arena jump to their feet as the Warriors beat (insert opposing team here). This has been the story many times this year. “A Great Time Out,” the recent marketing campaign for the Golden State Warriors, is finally coming true. In the off-season, the Warriors made key additions like David Lee and Dorrell Wright, the league’s leading three-point shooter. Now, the floor has opened up more for one of the most amazing players the NBA has to offer. So, why hasn’t Ellis received the nod to what should have been his first All-Star game in Los Angeles this year? Is it because of high-flying dunk machine Blake Griffin or the consistent double-double stat sheet of Kevin Love? No: the real culprits in this All-Star mess are the fans, who can vote as many times as possible, in this case, for Yao Ming. Yao, who had a season ending injury, led all Western Conference centers and forwards with over 990,000 votes. The only problem is he can’t play, but he still gets a roster spot for the All Star game. So what gives? Maybe it is because Ellis’ team has a losing record, or maybe it is because he plays more minutes then almost any other player in the NBA, so his stats are exaggerated. Either way, Ellis is having his best season of his career. My suggestion is the NBA should change the way votes are tallied and give the in-stadium votes more weight then the votes turned in online. In turn giving those players a better chance of going to the All-Star weekend in the future. As for the rest of the season, Ellis needs a healthy chip on his shoulder and use the All-Star snub to light a fire to lead the Golden State Warriors back to the promise land, the playoffs. Contact STEPHEN LANGSAM at slangsam@TheInquirerOnline.com
‘Out of Bounds” is written by Sports editor Gerardo Recinos as well as staff writers Scott Annis and Stephen Langsam. It is updated biweekly on The Inquirer Online.
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Vikings sail into playoffs Even when the Hawks were able to get a rebound and run with it, a trailing defender caught up and was able to set his feet A win would mean that the Vi- and draw the charge. Despite the Hawks’ solid run kings would clinch a spot in the playoffs as well as a Big 8 Confer- to end the half, the Vikings held a 43-27 point lead thanks in part to ence championship. Standing in their way, however, great shooting from guards Brian were the Consumes River Hawks, Goins and Jordan Estrada. After the first half, Consumes who came into Pleasant Hill Feb. 11 as the only team to hand the came out shooting but, despite a Vikings a loss in league play this few missed opportunities including a fast break that was cut off season. The Vikings started fast with with an excellent block, they still an 8-2 run, draining two three- trailed by double digits. Five minutes in, Consumes pointers and working their ball movement around the perimeter River was pushing and penetrating with good strength and with crisp passes. The Hawks mounted a run points in the paint, bringing the after a few good offensive series, lead down to only six. The Consumes defense blancausing Viking head coach Steve keted Jordan Coccimiglio to Estrada, not call a timeout and talk to his “We want to finish allowing him to get any team. off strong and see open driving Out of what [playoff] seed lanes or open the timeout, the message we get. The goal is shots. “They had seemed to be to head to Ventura a guy staying slow the game down because and get to the Final on my jersey, coming the Vikings off screens,” slow methodiFour. Estrada said, cal ball move“but it leaves ment help free guys like Brian up guardJordan Zach Payne Goins open, Estrada for a Forward and he had a three ball. great night. I Estrada don’t care how caught fire from downtown by hitting three much I score as long as we win.” A few costly turnovers by after three. With Coccimiglio barking in- Consumes slowed down the structions, they continued shoot- Hawks’ momentum and handed ing the ball well from beyond the it to the Vikings. Goins stepped up and hit a few arc. The Vikings started to build a key jumpers, including a stomach lead in the midst of a 17-0 run punching three ball that extended that had the score at 27-9. With the lead back to nine after Conthe Hawks struggling on the sumes had cut it down to a two boards, DVC’s big men domi- possession game. That’s when Goins took over. nated with turnovers and blocked With Estrada being double shots on the rare occasion that teamed, Goins was able to step Consumes River penetrated. GERARDO RECINOS Sports editor
”
ALEC GRAHAM / THE INQUIRER
Rafael Carter blocks a layup while Brian Goins prepares to e the rebound in a Vikings 81-66 win.
up and hit jumper after jumper eventually giving the Vikings their conference championship with an 81-66 win. After the game head coach Steve Coccimiglio said that he was very proud of his team’s accomplishment, but that didn’t mean that his team would coast
through the two remaining games. “The momentum is something you don’t ever want to give up,” Coccimiglio said. “We have a lot of room for improvement, and we gotta keep our foot on the gas pedal.” Payne reiterated Coccimiglio’s
thoughts, saying “We want to finish off strong and see what [playoff] seed we get. The goal is to head down to Ventura and get to the Final Four.” Contact GERARDO RECINOS at grecinos@TheInquirerOnline. com
Sports med students cure what ails athletes DVC sports medicine program teaches real-life kinesiology and its application SCOTT ANNIS Staff writer
Look above head athletic trainer Wendy Weber’s office in the training room. There are stickers from Oklahoma State, University of Utah, UCLA and Michigan State, among others. Those aren’t her favorite schools and she didn’t attend any of them; her students did. Those stickers represent DVC’s sports medicine students making their way to the college of their choice, looking for degrees in sports medicine, personal training, coaching and sports management. DVC’s sports medicine program started out very small and continues to expand. Mike Chisar, sports medicine program director, became the head trainer in 1995 when one sports medicine class was available. By 2005, Weber took over his training duties because sports medicine classes become so popular. “In some cases we added 5 or
ALEC GRAHAM / THE INQUIRER
Katie Baker directs sports medicine students in an emergency drill in the Sports Medicine Training class.
6 students over the maximum,” Chisar said. There are currently 17 sports medicine courses, excluding prerequisite or physical education courses. Most students in the program are looking to pursue a career in one of the fields. Some, however, are in it just to find out more about their injuries or to be better prepared in case of an accident. Tim Beasley and Bryan GimaDerrow are both students in the program and love it. They both started because they wanted to help people and stay involved in sports, and they turned it into a career path. In fact, the sports medicine program’s main focus is to get students transferred and to help
start their careers. Some students have had internships with the Raiders and local doctors. Also, previous students have become physical therapists, nurses, physician assistants, paramedics, ER technicians and even school teachers or trainers.
“We want to help people continue doing what they love.” Skylar Beshar Sports Medicine student
Four degrees are available at DVC through the program in
sports medicine, personal training, coaching, and sports management. Three certificates are available in personal training, coaching, and group training. All sports medicine students start out in introductory classes. These classes cover basic medical techniques and termwinology. They go over diseases and treatment of basic injuries. Clinical classes, which cover first aid and rehab techniques, are offered for advanced students who want to go into the sports medicine field. Students learn how to treat different injuries in lecture courses and then get to apply the processes in the training room. Weber supervises these advanced students, which is a demanding task as she also cares for
around 350 athletes. Advanced students attend home sporting events and away football games; they are also available for every practice and an hour before and an hour after every event. Beasley said the worst injury he has seen during a game is “either a dislocated thumb or a dislocated knee.” They aren’t the hardest to treat but they look the worst. Students looking for a degree in a sports medicine-related of the fields related to sports medicine are at a major advantage. Sports medicine student Skylar Belsher said she wanted to “help people continue doing what they love.” Contact SCOTT ANNIS at sannis@TheInquirerOnline.com