Volume 74 Number 6
Copyright © 2009 Diablo Valley College - The Inquirer
www.theinquireronline.com
Thursday, May 7, 2009
DVC win conference for first time in 50 years
DVC’s red-hot arts courses
Vikings seeded sixth in upcoming state playoffs
Students pour out beautiful works of art
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Heroes living on the streets Students try to raise awareness about homeless vets. By Yun Yang Staff writer Meaghan Krakoff Guest writer What started as a school project for Speech 121 turned into a campaign May 1 to raise public awareness of homelessness among veterans. Four students from instructor John Hanecak’s speech class – Ryan Berg, Alex Rigali, Ryan Baumbusch and David Murk – combined efforts with the DVC Student Veterans Group to host a benefit concert in the cafeteria. Despite the rain, a low turnout and last-minute change of location, the event still collected $575 in donations for two veterans’ support groups, Swords to Plowshares and East Bay Stand Down. The event began around 4 p.m., with visitors donating money, buying T-shirts and raffle tickets for an Ipod See VETERANS, Back Page
By Ariel Messman-Rucker Editor in chief Bundit Kertbundit, president of the Associated Students of DVC says, he will not apologize for endorsing and campaigning for the coalition that swept seven of 10 winners into office last month, despite being ordered to do so by the ASDVC Elections Committee. Kertbundit told The Inquirer he disagrees with the Committee’s finding that he violated sections of the ASDVC constitution and elections code, which prohibit him, as “an ex officio member of all ASDVC committees,” from making such endorsements. However, he said he would apologize for the Committee’s other unanimous finding—that he violated an elections code section barring noncoalition members from financially aiding a coalition or candidate. “I will definitely apologize for the financial assistance part,” Kertbundit said. “But I will not apologize for the ex officio part.” The UAID coalition (Uniting ASDVC, the Inter Club Council and DVC), headed by President-elect Lindsay St. Hill, was also found in violation of the same rules, since the elections code makes candidates responsible for the actions of their campaign committee. “Yes everyone worked hard, but I thought everyone knew that I worked especially hard,” St. Hill told the Committee. “Yes, they are confirmed violations, but they are not what significantly made me win.” In a unanimous vote, the Committee ordered Kertbundit and the UAID slate, as punishment, to write an apology to be approved by Committee chair Anna Braginsky. Braginsky said later the apology will be read aloud to the ASDVC executive board at its end-of-the-year banquet May 15. Although the Committee had suggested publication of the apology in the Inquirer, Braginsky said it would not be ready in time for
Entertainment 3
UAID coalition found guilty Newly elected officers forced to make apology
ZACH BECKER / INQUIRER Lindsay St. Hill cries moments after the Elections Commitee found the UAID coalition guilty of two election code violations. the newspaper’s press deadlines. After voting against disqualifying UAID and requiring only the apology, the Committee agreed to bring the idea of a special election to the entire ASDVC board at its next meeting. On Tuesday, the board discussed
the idea, with heated debates from both sides, and scheduled a vote for its May 12 meeting. Directly addressing President-elect St. Hill and Vice President-elect Ben Prayada, defeated presidential candidate Young Jun Jang said, “You have
to make sure that students are still supporting you guys, because you violated the elections code.” If the board musters the required two-thirds majority vote, a special election would be held at the beginning of the fall semester, with all the same candidates on the ballot, including the UAID slate, Braginsky said. The election scandal began last month when the Elections Committee acted in response to formal letters of complaint filed by four defeated executive board candidates, public relations officer-elect I-Ting, and a DVC student unaffiliated with ASDVC. The Committee’s April 30 decision to require public apologies did not sit well with those who wanted Presidentelect St. Hill and other UAID winners to be disqualified, which most likely would have resulted in a special election, with UAID barred from running. That action – which required a twothirds majority vote – failed with three members opposed and two abstaining. At the April 30 meeting, Angela U, current ASDVC activities coordinator, said, “As a leader you need to know what is right and what is wrong, and as a leader we would be misleading students [if you do not disqualify them] that this is the right thing to do.” Before the vote, Braginsky made it clear that holding a special election would be difficult. But complainant Jang disagreed, saying “We can’t just give in to the time limit just because we don’t have time to make a special election.” At the April 21 ASDVC meeting, Jang had asked only for an apology from Kertbundit and UAID members. But he changed his mind and pleaded with the Committee to void the election after UAID never offered an apology and Kerbundit only apologized for misinterpreting the financial assistance part of the elections code. “We’re just going to give in and not do the right thing?” Jang said. “Then we’re just going to do the same thing in the future.”
Campus bookstore struggling with huge debt Student life loses $150,000 in sales profits used annually to fund student government, club activities and graduation
By Matthew Sage Staff writer The 5 percent discount given to students with Associated Students of DVC stickers may become the latest casualty of a district finding that the DVC bookstore has been losing money for five of the last six years. Bookstore manager Bill Foster said the sticker discount is one of many costcutting measures under discussion, although it is not at the top of the list. “That would be our last option,” Foster said. “I think we’re going to solve our problem before it gets to that.” Bill Oye, dean of student life, said he opposes the sticker discount disappear-
ing altogether. “We want to keep students loyal to the bookstore,” he said. “My argument is, if you take away that discount entirely, we’re going to lose that loyalty.” But possible elimination of the sticker discount is just the latest issue involving students to surface as a result of the bookstore’s newly discovered losses. By law, any profits made by on-campus bookstores must be used to benefit students. But zero profit – never mind a six-figure deficit – means no money for student needs. “It’s been kind of a shock to us,” said Oye, whose of-
fice relies on about $150,000 in bookstore profits each year to help pay for student government and club activities, student awards, graduation activities, “college success” workshops, staff positions in the Student Life office, and more. So far, his office has used reserves to pay expenses normally covered by bookstore profits, but those reserves are now nearly gone, Oye said. Foster, Oye and Chris Leivas, DVC’s vice president
of finance, met Monday to brainstorm alternative ways to fund student life and will do so again on May 18. Foster said he did not learn about the red ink until last November, when he was told the bookstore had lost $314,355 in the 2007-2008 school year. Until then, he said, he had never been told the bookstore was operating at a loss. But a reshuffling of positions at the district office resulted in a new person looking at the bookstore’s books and redoing the numbers, Foster said. “[It was then] that we were told we weren’t making money,” he said. The district audit showed the bookstore has been operating at a loss for five of the last six years, Foster said. But since the district ran
the bookstore until the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the college is only responsible for losses since then, he said. Contributing to the red ink was a $1 million outlay for fixtures, cash registers, file cabinets and desks when the bookstore moved into its new quarters on the opposite side of the Main Quad in 2007, Foster said. The bookstore will have paid off that expense at the rate of $200,000 a year in another three years, said Leivas, DVC’s vice president of finance. Foster said he immediately began making changes after learning the news last semester, including cutting back on labor costs and eliminating the faculty discount received on purchases. By the end of the school year, he said he expects to turn a $100,000 profit to apply towards the $314,364 in red ink.