DVC Inquirer 10-23-14 Vol. I Issue 4 by DVC Inquirer

The

INQUIRER Student Voice of Diablo Valley College

Volume I No. # 4 Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014 www.DVCInquirer.com

Poll Pressures The Editorial Board discusses midterm elections and ballot issues. See Page 5.

news 2

Thursday, Oct. 23- Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

calendar Art Show, Oct. 23 - Nov. 26 A-305 “Soft Nudge” by Alyssa Lempesis will be featured in the art gallery Mon-Thurs 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Soccer vs. Sierra, Oct. 24 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Soccer Field DVC Soccer hosts Sierra College in a Big 8 Conference matchup “The Wedding Singer”, Oct. 24Nov. 9 Performing Arts Center DVC Drama performs their fall production Cost: $11-$21 Friday and Saturdays: 8 p.m. Sundays (Nov. 2 & Nov. 9): 2:30 p.m. DVC Transfer Day, Oct. 28 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Library Quad Speak to over 70 college representatives and start your transfer process

police beat Thursday, October 9, 2014 Physical Education Area, near weight room At 6:00 pm, an unknown subject cut the lock from the victim’s bicycle and stole the bicycle. Friday, October 10, 2014 Art Complex At 10:35 AM, a student fainted and subsequently hit their head on the wall. He was transported to Kaiser Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Faculty Offices At 3:00 pm, an employee drove a DVC vehicle into a passway shorter than the vehicle. The top of the vehicle collided with the second floor walkway between the Faculty Offices and Liberal Arts Building, causing damage. Thursday, October 16, 2014 Library At 3:04 pm, a student’s cellphone was stolen.

Muslim students speak out against Islamic State DANIEL MARACCINI Features editor

Members of the Islamic State group claim to be followers of Islam. They also enslave women, kill children and behead journalists. Their actions have left several Muslim students at Diablo Valley College pleading distance between their religious practices and those of the group. President of DVC’s Muslim Student Association Omar Fazli is one of these students. “Their actions are causing more Islamophobia in the West,” Fazli said. “People are associating (the Islamic State) with all Muslims." The group has been known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as well as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). “Whenever ISIS does something and they say it’s an act of Islam, that bothers me,” Lina Mathkour, undeclared major, said. “In no way does Islam represent

violence. It represents peace.” In a Sept. 10 public address, President Barack Obama condemned associating the Islamic State group with religion. “ISIL is not Islamic," he said. "No religion condones the killing of innocents." Zaina Abubeker, a 19-year-old economics major, also expressed frustration with such terms. “I hate when they tag 'Islamic' to it,” she said. “Because then people automatically associate that religion with that group.” According to all three students, the media has disrupted the peaceful message they associate with Islam. “Fox News,” in particular was mentioned as a source of these misconceptions. “Unfortunately [Fox News is] really promoting a lot of ignorance,” Fazli said, “They’re showing a minority and trying to display it as a majority.” “It just drives you crazy after a while,” Abubeker said of “biased” news coverage on ISIS. “It’s really

WESLEY IHEUZE / The Inquirer

narrow-minded and pretty ignorant.” Dr. Amer Araim, a DVC professor and author of the book “Understanding Islam: 50 Questions,” believes the key to defusing such ignorance lies with those being attacked. Araim spoke of the need “to clarify,” and to “convince [a] person that your position is not different than that of him.”

Fazli, who is often found in front of DVC’s Liberal Arts building tabling for the MSA, encourages students to learn more about Islam. “We’re friendly, we won’t bite… Everyone is always welcome to come ask questions.”

Contact DANIEL MARACCINI at DMaraccini@DVCInquirer.com

Hong Kong riots spark conversation with DVC students CAMERON CHEAR Staff member

Diablo Valley College students with ties to Hong Kong are keeping a close eye on protesters there who are demanding changes to the electoral process. The movement has been dubbed both Occupy Central and the Umbrella movement, with the latter coming from the use of umbrellas by protestors to defend themselves from tear gas and other attacks by the local police force to disrupt the mostly peaceful protests. After news of police brutality became more widespread, the Umbrella movement seemed to revive as more protestors joined in. Vanessa Wong, 19, a Hong Kong native and DVC art major, said "I do know some people that were 'active' in a sense that they went there. They just sat there, and I think more of them went as a symbol of support more than really actively doing anything. Some of my friends, however, don't agree and think its a waste of time." Jeffrey Tiu, 20, communications major, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to the

THE INQUIRER Diablo Valley College 321 Golf Club Road, ATC-103 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 The Inquirer is published Thursdays during the school year by the Diablo Valley College journalism students. Unsigned articles appearing on the opinions page are editorials and reflect a two-thirds majority opinion of the editorial staff. Signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Inquirer, Diablo Valley College or Contra Costa Community College District.

United States in his late teens, has had a different experience. "Two of my friends are active protestors," he said. "They do not follow words from any activist groups (or) political groups like Scholarism, Occupy Central and Pan-democratic party. Instead, they protest as individuals at MongKok, one of the three locations where protests are performed. They claimed they faced “unjustified violence done by the Hong Kong Police Force." The conflict highlights the ongoing debate about China's role as sovereign power over Hong Kong, which became a special administrative region of China on July 1, 1997. Tiu says that he supports the demonstrators' politics, but disagrees with their "keeping the movement as a bold, long term fight with the Hong Kong government." The risk, he says, is that "the involvement of foreign media and their wide news coverage builds an even larger wall of untrust between Chinese government and Hong Kong people, and forces Chinese government to impose stricter regulations to Hong Kong in the future to show their presence if they were to follow their national security doctrine."

Editorial Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR PHOTO CHIEF COPY EDITOR NEWS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR

Amrita Kaur Tyler Elmore Daniel Maraccini Kendall Brescia Shane Louis Amrita Kaur Shane Louis Tyler Elmore

The protests date back to August, when several hundred people filled the courtyard of the Central Government Complex to protest the 12th National People’s Congress decision that the Chinese government would have to approve candidates in the election. The group was led by Joshua Wong, founder of the Hong Kong activist group Scholarism, according to an article in the Guardian this month. This group, along with the Hong Kong Federation of Students, led boycotts and demonstrations against the Chinese government in response to the Aug. 31 decision to set limits for the 2016 Legislative Council election and the 2017 Chief Executive Election.

Contact CAMERON CHEAR at CChear@DVCInquirer.com

Staff STAFF WRITERS Cameron Chear, Marissa Dadgari, Elicia Locke, Natalia Kiedrzyn, Daniel Maraccini, Taylor Pagan, Taylor Saenz, Lucas Wanless, Alicia Watson, Liyin Yeo, Zachary Dalton CORRESPONDENTS Andrew Barber, Wesley Iheuze, Raymond Martin INSTRUCTIONAL LAB COORDINATOR Julius Rea ADVISER Mary Mazzocco

• Phone: 925.969.2543 • Email: inquirer@dvc.edu • Website: www.dvcinquirer.com • Printed seven times per semester •

news 3

Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

Common core inevitably coming to California TAYLOR PAGAN Staff member

one-size-fits-all, untested standards.” Diablo Valley College political science Department Chair Scott Macdougall supBoth California State Superintendent of ports the Common Core initiative. Public Instruction candidates, Tom Torlak"It's not an unreasonable thing to have," son and Marshall Tuck, plan to fully imple- Macdougall said. "The reality is that stument the controversial Common Core State dents compete not just with students from Standards in 2015. Nevada or Oregon, they compete with stuThe United States Common Core initia- dents from China and Germany. The idea tive implements the same educational stan- that the United States shouldn't have a comdards state-to-state by creating an outlined mon system of education that will prepare set of learning requireall of our citizens for that ments for each K-12 grade. global competition, from Although the Common my vantage point, seems Core is not federally mankind of silly." dated, it is federally supHowever, DVC stuported and encouraged dent Katherine Rodgers, with financial incentives. a 21-year-old biology maThough some favor such a jor, said that the Common system, others protest it. Core is an infringement Those pro-Common of the 10th amendment Core believe, as the Calistate rights. fornia Department of "The federal govern“We will also need to Education states it on ment shouldn't impose examine how our their website (cdd.ca.gov), policies on a whole nastandards and "Having the same stantion," Rodgers said. "It is dards helps all students so large. They can't possicurriculum get a good education, even bly encompass the needs frameworks in other of all the people involved if they change schools or move to a different state." subject areas can be in the education system Those anti-Common through their policies." Core believe, as the Cali- made compatible with As of now, the Comthe Common Core.” mon Core only pertains to fornians United Against Common Core states it on the subjects of math and ~TOM TORLAKSON their website (cuacc.org), English. State Superintendent Incumbent “Common Core is a topHowever, incumbent down, big federal governTorlakson plans to further ment education program with nationalized, the already existing standards if re-elected.

"As California moves to implement these school systems. standards, we will also need to examine how "Principals, teachers and other school our standards and curricusite personnel know their lum frameworks in other students best," Tuck said subject areas can be made on his campaign webcompatible with the Comsite (marshalltuck.com), mon Core, " Torlakson said "They- and not the buon his campaign website reaucrats in Sacramento(tomtorlakson.com). should be empowered to The Common Core was day-today decisions that adopted in California in impact student learning." 2010, the same year TorHowever, Tuck said he, lakson came into office. like Torlakson, also plans However, the key funding on fully implementing the “Principals, teachers Common Core standards legislation didn't pass until 2013. and other school site if elected. "The newly adopted "I will work with the personnel know their Legislature Common Core Standards and others students best.” initiative focuses on the in Sacramento to make skills needed for success sure it is understood that in college and careers," schools need multi-year ~MARSHALL TUCK Torlakson said on his camsupport for additional State Superintendent Candidate paign website (tomtorlakprofessional development son.com). for the Common Core "These standards proso that the standards can vide an opportunity for the higher educa- help our kids compete in a 21st century tion and K-12 systems to collaboratively global economy," he said on his campaign design a more thoughtful and streamlined website (marshalltuck.com), "Moving forcurriculum and assessment system that con- ward, the state’s focus must be on effective nects high school to postsecondary learning implementation of the new standards." and employment opportunities." With two Common Core supporters up On the other hand, first time running for election this Nov. 4, Californians, decandidate Tuck, who has a background in spite the ongoing opposition of some, can expanding charter schools, said that a flex- expect to see further implementation of ible school system is the ideal. these standards. Tuck said that the California Education Code, a 2,300 page piece of legislation, Contact TAYLOR PAGAN at TPagan@DVCInquirer.com governs way too many details in California

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Future of Basement Café space is up for discussion TAYLOR PAGAN Staff member

The Associated Students of Diablo Valley College are considering possible uses for the vacant Basement Café in the Margaret Lesher Student Union Building. “We need to decide what will be most beneficial, not just for this year, but for every year after,” ASDVC President Keith Montes said. Diversity affair officer Lily Yi spoke on the behalf of her committee during the ASDVC meeting on Oct. 7. “We are working to write a proposal for a Multicultural Center for the newly available space downstairs, the old Basement Café,” she said. Yi said that the Diversity Affair Committee is currently in the process of brainstorming ideas and looking at the Multicultural Centers of the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Santa Barbara as models. ASDVC member Eli Pipersburg supports the proposal. The multicultural center will “allow students to indulge in different cultures. It’s possibly one of the best ideas we can have for this room,” He said. However, student Scott Brown, not a member of ASDVC, said, “Limiting it to that description would be an error.”

ARCHIVE PHOTO / The Inquirer

The Margret Lesher Student Union has been cutoff from the rest of campus due to construction. Montes, in response to the opposition, said, “We need to flush out what that even means.” The Diversity Affair Committee plans to provide clarity with an upcoming mission statement.

Contact TAYLOR PAGAN at TPagan@DVCInquirer.com

opinions 4

Thursday, Oct. 23- Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

Extremist groups give ‘radical’ a new meaning It has long been a word that usu- perative that we realize the dangers ally bears a positive connotation, of religious fundamentalism and but the term "radical" takes on how it manifests itself into twisted a whole new meaning in a world radical ideologies often advocated where transby extremist national terrorgroups. ism poses as a Radicalism real and serious itself serves no threat to national purpose. It is security. when it is used We are heras a form of alding an era of psychological terrorism, where weaponry that extremist groups it poses the often seek to greatest threat demand the atto civilization. tention of the Radicalism is government and the main cause media in order for acts of terto manipulate rorism and the masses. violence across With the adthe globe. vent of a plethoFormer UK LIYIN YEO Staff member ra of media porPrime Ministals, it seems the ter Tony Blair only way these recently wrote extremists can demand our atten- in the Observer that, "the acts tion is by permeating every, and of terrorism are perpetrated by any, media platform available. people motivated by an abuse of Now more than ever, it is im- religion."

He continues to say that, "It is a Rocks" writer, further supports perversion of faith." this argument in one of his articles Radical idewhich state ologies are ofthat "extrem“ISIS is but the most ten used as a ists who selecrecent example of a tively interpret tool by terrorist organizations radical Islamist group, Islamic scripto spread their ture and issue sphere of influ- and history itself bears religious rulence and recruit witness to a multitude ings declaring members for jihad, defined of extremist groups as a call for viotheir cause. They draw whose radical ideolo- lence against upon false both nonpremises and gies stem from several Muslims and twist contex- orthodox religions. It is Muslims they tual information deem 'inferior', from religious vital for our society to have ramped texts to suit become cognizant of up threatentheir whims and ing rhetoric on the dangers of fancies. jihadi forums They then and social meradicalism in our embellish this dia platforms." society today. ” with numerous This form otherworldly reof radical idewards that they ology is at its claim will be bestowed upon the most dangerous when it is used to righteous follower who has obeyed encourage self-sacrificial acts like his every order. suicide bombings, all in the name Roger Farhat, "War On The of their cause.

These events occur when relentless zealots, who are so impassioned by their radical ideology, will stop at nothing to attain their final, twisted objective. With recent events transpiring in the Middle East, and the legions of extremists who have recently pledged to join ISIS, there is a pressing need to raise awareness on the dangers of radical ideologies. ISIS is but the most recent example of a radical Islamist group, and history itself bears witness to a multitude of extremist groups whose radical ideologies stem from several orthodox religions. It is vital for our society to become cognizant of the dangers of radicalism in our society today. We do this with the knowledge that peaceful conflict resolution is sometimes hardly attainable in a field as volatile as politics, but with the hope of one day eradicating the threat of terrorism from our world. Contact LIYIN YEO at LYeo@DVCInquirer.com

Letters to the editor Student debt not taken seriously Dear Editor, On September 19th, Apple launches the next revision of their popular iPhone. Lines will be gathering, flocking to see the latest device. Even then, others will be anticipating the next Samsung Galaxy. The cycle of consumerism is increasing especially amongst students – no longer do students graduate with money in their pockets. Student debt is rising yet we find ourselves somehow able to afford another new, bigger, and greater device. In 2012, UCLA students conducted a research study on 32 families throughout the U.S. titled, “Life at Home in the TwentyFirst Century.” The study found that mothers’ stress hormones rose when dealing with their possessions. About seventy-five percent of families in the study couldn’t park their cars in garages because the space being occupied were filled with things. A recent report by the Wall Street Journal published May 2014 suggests that the class of 2014 is the most indebted ever. The Wall Street Journal cites analysis of government data by Mark Kantrowiz saying, “the average […] graduate with studentloan debt has to pay back some $33,000 […] nearly double the amount borrowers had to pay back 20 years ago.” Now, more than ever, do students need to

focus on longer term goals such as graduating college with money to their name. We are buying things we want rather than what we need. We must be aware of our personal budget. Make lists and stick to them. Ask yourself if what you're about to get is necessary – and then ask yourself once more. Lastly, appreciate what you already have. Focus on the long term, such as paying off student debt, instead. The next, best thing should be what’s in your bank account, not your pocket. ~Bryce Jones

Ugg boots come with a cost Dear Editor, Now that fall is approaching and the cold weather is starting to set in, many of us will start buying wool products to keep us warmer this winter. However, we may not be aware about what we are contributing to when purchasing wool products. According to independent.co.uk, Australia and the US are the largest producers of wool in the world. Many of us may not know that these sheep suffer the cruelest methods of torture one could ever think of to obtain their wool. Such as having limbs amputated and being hit with hammers regularly while still

conscious. There are many photos and videos of this being done that have recently surfaced the internet. This should be brought to everyone’s attention because many of us have the belief that the wool industry is harmless and that Australian wool companies simply just shave their sheep. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Being a student at DVC, I would enjoy being able to walk around campus and no longer see everyone wearing their UGG Australia boots and other wool products. Luckily, there are easy ways to resolve this issue. We can all simply stop buying wool products and start purchasing alternatives. These alternatives are cruelty free, affordable, and comfortable. It is important to research every product we buy so we do not contribute to this cruelty. We can also educate others about this issue that is so hidden from our society. ~Celina Green

International students struggle to get to school Dear Editor, Imagine having to wake up two hours before class just to get to school on time; not very pleasant, right?

Well, that is the kind of discomfort that countless international students face each morning in order to get to the DVC campus. Currently, many international students have no choice but to be placed in homes through the Diablo Valley Homestay (DVH). They are not only having a hard time coming to school because of inconvenient public transportation system, but it is also costing them a large amount of money. I believe that some changes are necessary in order to improve the educational experience of the students. First of all, DVC should consider making a free shuttle bus system for students that will take them from DVC to the Concord Bart station, at least in the morning. Many students who are coming school by bus have to transfer buses at the Concord BART station. If they miss a bus, or if there is a delay in the bus schedule, students have to wait more than 30 minutes. On an important day, such as a presentation or a test, the time that students lose could be fatal to their grade. Secondly, the DVH should change their contracts. Instead of forcing students to stay at their assigned homestay for at least two months, the students should have the choice to move to another house if they feel that their home is too far. The school should also make sure that the students will have a way to commute to school easily. ~ Jungmin Lee

opinions 5

Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

The

Buzz

Are you planning on voting this midterm election Nov. 4th?

Editorial Political naivety

JOSEPH HERNANDEZ, 21 Biological Science

“I think family has a major factor in the way I plan to vote. I tend to lean a little liberally as well.”

WESLEY IHEZUE / The Inquirer

NICK EUBANKS, 31 Civil Engineering

“I’m planning to vote but I haven’t looked through the packet yet.”

LUNDON DAVIS, 20 Psychology / African-American studies

“I’m not really into politics and I consider myself independent. But I definitely still plan on voting. I haven’t looked at the props yet.”

MEDINA ARYAEI, 18 Business

“I’m actually registering to vote for this midterms. I consider myself an independent voter.”

MONICA WILLEMSZ, 18 Nursing

“I’m not registered to vote. Though I think it’s very important that people have a voice in our community.” Interviewed by: Ryan Chan Photographed by: Kendall Brescia

Young voters fail to realize the power of their voice As the midterm elections approach, naive student voters have questions and are overwhelmed by all the propositions in this year’s ballots While the contents of this year’s ballot are far from exciting, it still raises a question: Should we care and if so, why? “I feel like we should know what’s going on because we’re at that age that it’s starting to affect us, but I feel like right now, there are people here just to get their degree.” said Freddy Nazzal, a 20-year-old communications major. Nazzal was able to give a few vague details regarding some of the ballot measures, but admitted “This is going to be embarrassing.” This is a major problem because elections mean decisions and decisions mean changes that can affect us as students. If students remain unaware, these decisions could affect us negatively. Some classes have specific assignments pertaining to the election, such as in Communication 123 class, where students debated the various propositions. If nothing else, election-related assignments cause students to think about what they believe in. Ron Renirie a member of the non-partisan, not-for-profit group, “Move On” had a table on campus in order to help students register to vote. “Most of them are just interested in getting to class, but some of them are engaged; I would say about 10 percent ... but most of them are not so enthusiastic,” Renirie said. But what good will any of this do unless students are knowledgable about the issues and the candidates? “We’re just doing this to get DVC students involved in politics, because everybody’s on the cusp of becoming grownups,” Renirie said. “You are the young voters of tomorrow,” Walnut Creek resident Ann Lindner said. “You are the people that are going to make the difference. And without registering, you aren’t going to be eligible to support the American system.” Lindner said. “This is a ballot that’s much more important because it’s about your local issues.” So what is on this ballot that we as students should be concerned about? This year’s ballot contains two propositions that affect California community colleges, proposition 2 and proposition 46.

Proposition 2 According to Ballotpedia, a non-partisan, online encyclopedia about American politics and elections, proposition 2 is hoping to establish a “rainy day fund” which means that some of the money from California’s general fund would go towards a reserve to reduce school budget cuts, help fund the education system in times of recession and help pay off state debt. A cap would be added to local schools as a safety measure so that districts cannot ask for more money from the state than they actually need, by sending in a budget that does not include their personal savings. However, there are other issues in the school system that will not be helped by this proposition and could even cause potential harms. Currently, California is ranked fiftieth overall in per-student spending and in student-teacher ratios. This proposition does nothing to resolve the mentioned issues and potentially hurts these ratios further in certain districts by placing caps. Voting for prop 2 would reform the state budget, help reduce the state debt and create caps on local school budgets and reserves. Proposition 47 Proposition 47, according to the California Voter Information Pamphlet, would deem “non-serious, nonviolent crimes” to misdemeanors instead of felonies “unless the defendant had prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses or certain gun crimes.” In addition to this, inmates who are currently serving prison time for any prior offenses would be re-sentenced and would undergo a thorough review of their criminal history and risk assessment before re-sentencing, to ensure that they do not pose a risk to the public. The following sentences would be reduced if there was not more than $950 of theft or damage: shoplifting, grand theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, fraud, writing a bad check, and personal use of most illegal drugs. The measure also would create a Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund from the savings made by having fewer inmates. These funds would be distributed between the Department of Education, the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board and the Board of State and Community Correction, according to the Voter Information Pamphlet. Contra Costa County Community College Board member election

Incumbent Matthew Rinn and candidate Tim Farley are going to battle for board member - ward 3. Tim Farley earned an associates degree from Diablo Valley College in 1982 before transferring to the University of California Davis. He now works as a college director at St. Mary’s College. If elected Farley hopes to implement policies that make the district more inclusive. Farley said he hopes to introduce “a series of advisory committees with student and faculty representation which would provide direction to the board.” Farley said that having committees with student representation would give the board “first hand reports on how new policies (will) impact the students.” “The budget should be completely transparent. Everyone should be able to access the draft budget and review it in a readable way,” Farley said. Matthew Rinn was appointed to the board in 2013 after the death of board president Sheila Grilli. Of his accomplishments on the board, Rinn said on Measure E “I will give $450 million towards increasing the success of our students in the future.” If elected, Rinn hopes to implement changes that focus on student success, increase communication and add resources for financial assistance. “I would like to expand our counseling services and offer more programs towards student success.” he said. He said these changes will help students, by raising graduation rates and by allowing them to transfer faster. On the subject of community college budgets transparency, Rinn expressed faith in his district, but concern at the state level. “I feel confident that the district is transparent in financial dealings. The areas of concern actually come from Sacramento and the uncertainty around how much we will actually receive each year in funding,” he said. The midterm elections are on Nov. 4, nationwide. Like anything in life, knowledge is power; the more we research as students, the better informed we become on who gets elected to decide our academic future and what measures we need to vote on.

features 6

Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

DJ’s new gig: Laying tracks of success for college students TAYLOR SAENZ Staff member

New Student Activities Assistant Candice Custodio-Tan not only has an incredible history as a disk jockey, but has also met some pretty impressive celebrities ... before they were famous. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Custodio-Tan's passion for music began with the inspiration from her father and his collection of records. Growing up, she had a lot of friends who were DJ's and taught her the basics of becoming a turntablist. She received her first turntable when she was 17 and it was then she realized she wanted to challenge her skills and go into competition. After two years of being an underground DJ, Candice came out as "DJ Kuttin Kandi." "Hip-hop was very prominent in my life because it was born and raised in New York, but competing is a totally different culture," she says. In her 20 years as a DJ, Custodio-Tan has accomplished quite a bit. She was the first and only female to make it to the finals of the "DMC USA World DJ Champion-

ships," which is one of the longest DJ battles to ever exist. Custodio-Tan says DMC is one of the most respected and well known competitions in the world. After proving herself as a professional DJ, she went on to perform and meet many well known musicians. Busta Rhymes, Common, JayZ and LL Cool J, are just some names that Custodio-Tan has had the chance to work with. She has also been on tour with the Black Eyed Peas and met Kanye West while he was still discovering himself as an underground rapper. Some crew partners she has had, have even gone on to work with and go on tour with Jay-Z and Common. Custodio-Tan has also been honored as a guest performer and spokesman for the 1999 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Hip-Hop Conference. From performing at the "Vans Warped Tour" to working with Bob James, she has done it all. "When you are in the music industry, you will meet everyone from every genre," Custodio-Tan says. Moving from New York to San

Courtesy of CANDICE CUSTODIO-TAN

Candice Custodio-Tan, shown here in a file photo, performed under the name Kuttin Kandi with the likes of Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and many other prominenet hip-hop artists. Diego and now to the Bay Area, Custodio-Tan finds herself at Diablo Valley College, doing what she loves almost as much as being a DJ, working with young people. She feels she can utilize her skills as a DJ to help the youth use music as a positive tool for change. Custodio-Tan decided to move to the Bay Area to stay connected

to her music, but currently is trying to decide what is next in her life. At the present time Tan is still a DJ, but not as often as she would like to because she is now focused on starting a family. "I wouldn't say I'm retired, I'd like to DJ maybe one night a week for fun, but it also depends on

how I can balance that with my pregnancy," she says. She will not continue with her music career, but will keep it as a hobby. Custodio-Tan says, "Hip-hop is something I live and breathe." Contact TAYLOR SAENZ at TSaenz@DVCInquirer.com

Fifth annual comic contest open for submissions

RYAN CHAN Staff member

Comic enthusiasts rejoice. The fifth annual James O’Keefe Comic Contest is accepting submissions once again. Artists and comic enthusiasts may contribute a variety of submission types, including collages, short stories and hand-drawn or digital works. There is no entry fee, and participants may enter group or individual works. Participants also have the option to work with arts and illustration instructor Arthur King on first drafts, which the contest judges strongly recommend. First draft submissions must be delivered to Art-103 by Dec. 2. Final drafts are due to English Department room 136 by Wednesday, Jan 21. First draft pickups are on Dec. 9 and 10. Submissions must be labeled as funny or unfunny.

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FILE PHOTO/ The Inquirer

Cartoonist Thien Pham appeared at last year’s awards. The date of the awards ceremony is yet to be announced. Contact RYAN CHAN at RChan@DVCInquirer.com

features 7

Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

New website connects DVC students with each other I figured I could do the same thing by creating online get togethers," says Smith. Smith got started on the idea back in Spring of 2014, but then stopped due to lack of time and resources. He started the program from scratch relying on help from the Internet and research. "I was hearing a lot of students complaining about not being able to socialize with anyone at school because people don't stick around after classes," he says. "It motivated me to want to find a way for just DVC students to hang out." He is currently working on the website by himself, but is looking to get a team of three or four people to help him finish building. Right now the website is straightforward, with only a username, password, email and student ID required. Once signed up, you have the option of choosing the amount of personal information you want to put on your profile. The idea

TAYLOR SAENZ Staff member

Diablo Valley College students seeking an alternative to Facebook need not look far. "DVC Connect," a social networking website created exclusively for DVC students, by a DVC student, is now live. The website's creator, Sam Smith, has taken his skills with computer programming, and come up with one of the community college's first social networking websites. Smith created "DVC Connect" which allows only students from DVC to make an online account to chat and share pictures. With around 31,000 students, DVC has a large student body, some of who may never get the chance to meet. Smith wanted to make something that could connect students just here at the school. "A lot of people meet their college friends through team sports, both inside and outside of school.

Sam Smith constantly makes DVC Connect more up to date and feature friendly. Oct. 16, 2014.

KENDALL BRESCIA / The Inquirer

of DVC Connect is to keep the conversations and picture sharing more private than say Facebook. "In no way am I trying to make another Facebook, I just wanted

something unique for the school," says Smith. Smith hopes to get the desktop version of DVC Connect into a phone app within the next couple

of weeks. Contact TAYLOR SAENZ at TSaenz@DVCInquirer.com

TYLER ELMORE/ The Inquirer

Perham, Kline, and Addonizio perform a poem together on Oct. 9.

Famous poets perform at DVC

I came for a Degree. I discovered my Purpose.

TYLER ELMORE Managing editor

Berkeley

Saturday Oct. 25 10:30 a.m.

San Jose

Saturday Nov. 1 10:30 a.m.

Saturday Nov. 8 10:30 a.m.

Attend an Open House

JFKU.edu

BUSINESS I PSYCHOLOGY I HEALTH & HUMANITIES I LEGAL STUDIES An accredited nonprofit university. An Affiliate of The National University System.

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9/24/14 3:21 PM

Famous writer and poet Kim Addonizio recently performed her poetry with fellow poets for students at Diablo Valley College. Addonizio is the author of the “Poet’s Companion,” an anthology of how to write poetry that many DVC instructors use for their classes. “I didn’t really know anything about poetry,” Addonizio said. “And I was about 27 when it hit me like lightning.” Addonizio’s newest book, "The Palace of Illusion: Stories," from which she read a short essay titled “Another Breakup Song,” was released in September of this year. In addition to Addonizio, Stanford professors Brittany Perham and Peter Kline also read their work. The performance also included music. Addonizio, Kline and Perham have started a band called Nonstop Beautiful Ladies. Kline played the guitar and sang, Addonizio played the blues

harmonica and guitar, and Perham was on tambourine. In between the music, each writer read several poems. Perham discussed her poems before she read them, “It (her poem) is in the form of a Ghazal, which is a Persian form and what that one is…. A phrase or a word repeats on the end of every one or two lines.” English Professor Judy Myers asked how they got started with poetry and who they were most influenced by. “I didn’t know anything, so I was buying books based on what covers I liked, so in that respect I was very selfeducated,”Addonizio said. Kline’s story was a bit different. “For me writing was something I was interested in high school but I didn’t take it seriously until I was at college," he said. "I had fantastic teachers.”

Contact NAME XXXXX at TElmore@DVCInquirer.com

sports 8

Thursday, Oct. 23 - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water polo continues to maintain their perfect record ZACHARY DALTON Staff member

Well into the 2014 season, the Diablo Valley College women's water polo team has been dominating opposing teams. The Vikings currently hold an impressive overall record of 18-0, and are only one of two teams who remain undefeated in the state. Their 5-0 record in the Big 8 Conference currently lands them in first place and with only two conference games left, they are very close to clinching it. A few teams have been able to compete with the team, but the Vikings have been producing countless blowout wins. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Vikings shutdown Sacramento City College with a 20-2 victory. SCC was unable to produce anything on offense or defense; DVC, on the other hand, was powerful on both sides of the ball. On defense, the team allowed few shots on goal and forced a lot of turnovers. The offense managed to get open and set up scoring chances with ease. Set defender Sarah Ward felt as though the game was played very well. She said the team still has to take every game serious to prepare for the what lies ahead of them. "We played pretty good defense, that's always a strong part of our game," Ward said. "We also did a good job running plays that were told to us on the spot, which is going to get us ready for Big 8, Norcal and State." Coach John Roemer's thought on the season thus far is that the team has great chemistry despite the fact that the majority of his players have been together for less than a year. He explained that the few sophomores on the team act as the core but each and every girl has shown the will to do what it takes to win.

ZACHARY DALTON / The Inquirer

Driver Michelle Hawkins attempts to score against Sacramento City College on Oct. 21. Although they are in a great position to win the conference and possibly go even further, the team is still working hard to improve some aspects. "We need to work on transitioning from offense to defense and vice versa," Roemer said. "Water polo is really simple; the first team that moves in transition is usually the team that wins." Driver Megan Dietrich believes the team's play has exceptional so far and that the undefeated record shows it.

"I think we're pretty much where we want to be," Dietrich said. "I'm excited for Big 8, that's when people will really challenge us." The Vikings will try to add another win to their unbeaten record against Modesto Junior College at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at DVC. Contact ZACHARY DALTON at ZDalton@DVCInquirer.com

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer looks for a turn around ZACHARY DALTON Staff member

The Diablo Valley College women's soccer team snatched a huge conference victory Tuesday, Oct. 14, beating the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs 1-0. It had been well over a decade since DVC was able to take down Santa Rosa, but Tuesday's game plan allowed the team to end the long losing streak . The Vikings matched up with the No. 2 ranked Bear Cubs well in the first half. Both teams exhibited strong defensive play throughout the half but it would be DVC who would come close to taking the game's first lead, a shot coming halfway through the first half missed just wide of the goal post. The score at the end of the first half remained 0-0. The game continued to be tightly played deep into the second half. SRJC had the chance to take the lead, but a shot was sent just high of the crossbar. The Vikings responded quickly with a drive up-field. The drive ended with a pass from Daissy Lozano to wide open Hannah Harris who was able to get the ball into the net for a goal. Harris' goal came with just under 20 minutes left in the second half, the Viking defense would have to provide some crucial stops and that is exactly what they were able

to do. With under two minutes left, Viking goaltender Megan Elms made a huge save that secured the victory for DVC. Forward Hannah Harris felt as though the team clicked on both sides of the ball, especially when they needed to execute a play. "We played our game," Harris said. "We are starting to get the aspect of playing together and playing for each other." The team feels as though this victory will help them get back on track for the season. "It's going to move us up in the rankings and give us back our mojo," defender Avery Van Horn said. The second half of the season is just around the corner and this victory proves that the Vikings can match up with anyone in the Big 8 Conference. Head coach Cailin Mullins shared her thoughts on what her team has to do to turn things around. "Fitness is definitely an area in which we have to get better at," Mullins said. "Executing in the last 10-15 minutes of the game in the Big 8 Conference is tough." The Vikings are looking to finish their season strong, the next home game will be at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 against Sierra College. Contact ZACHARY DALTON at ZDalton@DVCInquirer.com

ZACHARY DALTON / The Inquirer

Midfielder Hannah Mazelowski fends off a player in their game against Santa Rosa Junior College on Oct. 14.