DVC Inquirer 3/14/13 by DVC Inquirer

Letters to the Editor

Richard III: Preview of Shakespeare’s classic. Page 8

Full page of your letters to The Inquirer! Page 2

Softball: Recap of DVC sporting events. Page 5

The

INQUIRER S tudent V oi ce

D iablo Val le y C ol le g e

Cashing in on foreign students BRIAN BUNTING Online editor

SAMANTHA CHIU / The Inquirer

The Bay Bridge, illuminated by tens of thousands of LED lights attracted viewers from all around the Bay Area for the inaugural lighting of ‘Bay Lights,’ the vision of artist Leo Villareal.

‘Bay Lights’ open over rough water COLLIN JAMES News editor

Bay Area residents are currently being treated to a spectacular light show emanating from the Bay Bridge. On the western span of the bridge, the section stretching from Treasure island to San Francisco has been retrofitted with 25,000 LED lights that have been programmed to display dazzling patterns of orange, yellow, blue and white against the night sky. In a city well known for its clouds and dreary blankets of fog, the

colorful displays can best be seen from San Francisco’s Embarcadero district. Locals and tourists alike spent the night of March 5 taking in the opening display of the lights. Officially known as the Bay Lights Project, it is the brain-child of Leo Villareal, an innovative artist who combines art with technology. His art pieces often cover skyscrapers and large, man-made landmarks in major cities. Bay Lights is his latest project, which displays alternating lights that create intricate and dazzling patterns that are programmed to not

repeat. Hundreds of people gathered at the Embarcadero to watch the show and snap pictures with friends and loved ones. Even the cold rain and howling wind wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of Bay Area natives. A rooftop party was held at the nearby Hotel Vitale in spite of the light rains. Other bridge watchers set up a BBQ near the Cupid’s Span sculpture. Empty liquor bottles could be found all along the sidewalks, evidence that a long night of partying had just begun. The astonishing light show is

not the only new addition to the bridge. The East span coming from Oakland has recently been rebuilt after more than a decade of construction and at a cost of $6.3 billion dollars, making it the most expensive public works project in American history. The new span is expected to open Labor Day weekend of this year. Bay Lights will stay turned on every night from sundown to 2 a.m. for at least the next two years. Contact COLLIN JAMES at cjames@ TheInquirerOnline.com

HAKEEM MONTES / The Inquirer

Rich Copenhagen, right, Student Senate of California Community Colleges president, leads the march of students to the State Capital Building.

March on the capital HAKEEM MONTES Staff writer

In hopes of being heard by State Legislators, college students from across California rallied for higher education at the State Capital on March 4. The “March in March” which took place in Sacramento is an annual demonstration for higher education which is organized by the Student Senate of California Community Colleges (SSCCC). Students began the march to the Capi-

tal from Ralley Field around 10:00am. After crossing the Sacramento Tower Bridge, they made a b-line to the Capital Building steps where a series of speakers advocated for higher education. The estimated attendance was three to four thousand people, according to Darius Kemp of the UCSA. This was a significant reduction from last year’s event. The 2012 “March in March” had an estimated attendance of around ten thousand said Kemp. SSCCC Region 8 Senator Taylor Herron of

Rio Honda College stated as a part of her duties as a representative, she meets with State legislators on a monthly basis. Herron has been lobbying state officials to not support the 90 unit cap limit which is being proposed. This cap would require any California resident student who has exceeded 90 community college units to pay the out-ofstate per-unit fee which range between $140 and $170 per unit. MARCH, Page 6

Are international students being set up to fail for an increase in school revenue? The notion wasn’t lost on several Diablo Valley College instructors who voiced concerns at a recent Faculty Senate Council meeting. It’s no secret that international student enrollment is on the rise at Diablo Valley College (up more than 29 percent since 2008). SF Gate, Huffington Post, and CaliforniaWatch among others have reported on the phenomenon affecting California’s community colleges since 2010. It’s the result of sound recruiting strategies employed by revenue starved schools incentivized by the higher tuition international students pay. By itself, the enrollment isn’t a problem. Where some instructors are becoming concerned is in the rush to bring in extra profit, there’s been an increase in students struggling with the language effectively buying seats in a classroom that domestic students may stand a better chance of passing. English department area chair Keri-Dulaney Gregor spoke on behalf of several teachers, “I polled the English department, and many said they were concerned about (English proficiency) placement, and they don’t know that it’s very accurate.” The GPA of international students remains high. According to DVC President Peter Garcia, of 1,500 international students attending DVC this semester, over 1,000 of them are carrying 3.0 or above. The transfer-rate among international students appears healthy (transfer-out-rates for international students reached 30 percent in 2010 according to DVC). But for a small percentage of a growing community, the performance degrades. “There is a slide, though. After the back 500, there is a spread, people under 2.0,” Garcia said. Biology professor Catherine Machalinski didn’t mince words, “The pressure these kids are under concerns me. I have kids taking seats that have no hope of passing my class, because they don’t speak enough English, or even read enough.” According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office, the price tag to subsidize one domestic full time community college student is just over $5,000 annually. While the national center for education statistics reports DVC’s tuition and fees for in-state students in 2013 as $1,298, and for international students $6,758. That’s at least several hundred dollars of profit made off international students. It may not seem like a lot, until you crunch the numbers. If the 1,500 international students paid just $200 more dollars a year, that’s $300,000 dollars in revenue. If the difference is $500 more per international student annually, that’s a profit to DVC of three quarter of a million dollars. It’s not hard to see why DVC has an interest in this demographic. “40 percent of our students are students come from out of state, or come internationally.” “It’s not just a local service area market,” Garcia explained. International students must submit an application to enroll after having achieved an English proficiency score or certificate. How the criteria differs from one course to the next isn’t immediately clear. Garcia wasn’t sure how many domestic students had been pushed out in the influx, but expressed concern over a failure to accurately track the varied group of students. “The question for me is the scale of that phenomenon. Was it one or two classes, was it a hundred classes? Was it two thousand, or a whole department? That’s where a lack of information makes it a difficult conversation. I think we should know that. We don’t right now.” Contact BRIAN BUNTING at bbunting @TheInquirerOnline.com

• NEWS 1,6 • SPORTS 4, 5 • OPINIONS 2, 3 • EDITORIAL 3 • ARTS & FEATURES 7, 8 • CAMPUS BUZZ 2 • CALENDER 6 • POLICE BEAT 6 • STAFF INFORMATION 2•

Opinions

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Buzz

Letters to the editor What the health?

The

The sequester cut some preschool funds. Did you go to preschool? Is it important?

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10 2013

DVC cafeteria leaves student with a bad taste in mouth While Diablo Valley College offers a cafeteria and the basement café, few students who are concerned by unhealthy food go there.. Most of them are deep fried dishes that contain high fats and sugars which can be very harmful for students. In the cafeteria, there are hamburgers, pizza, spaghetti, bread and snacks which look very simply cooked and greasy. Most of the snacks are fried in hot oil which has high fats and high calories. Sausages normally contain very high fat in order to be juicy and look tasty. The salad dressing usually has extremely high

calories because of the sugar and the oil in it. Almost all the foods in the cafeteria are in high fats and sugars so they are in high calories. Almost all the spaghetti’s calories are over 1,000 with sides and also for the hamburgers. This is relatively high calories compared with the daily recommended calories, about 2,000 calories. In the article “What Is Your Ideal Calorie Intake?” author Jason Ladock mentions that women should be eating 300 to 500 calories per meal and men for 400 to 600 calories. As we all know, obesity increases the probability of having certain diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

“... food we eat everyday is also is also related to our learning process.”

Rocky Myint, 21 Undeclared

“I went to preschool. I think it’s very helpful. I think it’s part of having a good childhood. It really helps.”

Audrey Kosim, 19 Psychology

“We socialize more with other people because that’s our first experience as well.”

In addition to causing obesity, food we eat everyday is also related to our learning process. In the article “Eat Smart for a Healthier Brain” author Carol Sorgen said “You can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain well if you add ‘smart’ foods to your daily eating regimen.” The smart foods are blueberries, wild salmon, nuts and seeds, avocados and whole grains which we cannot find in the cafeteria. Food is one of the most important aspects in our life. It is time for DVC food services to improve its food quality which can significantly affect students’ health and learning efficiency. -Cho Seunghui DVC Student

Insurance costs irk foreign students

International students at Diablo Valley College are required to purchase medical insurance from DVC in order to take courses. DVC insists that medical care in the United States is expensive, so all the international students must have insurance. If students do not pay the insurance premium at the beginning of the semester, they are dropped from all courses. The insurance fee for fall 2012 is $312.50 and for summer/

spring 2013 is $450.50. The international students cannot buy the summer/spring insurance separately whether they stay in the U.S during summer or not. DVC does not allow international students to get insurance through their home countries even though it can cover them when they are out of the country. There is no exception to this policy, so prospective transfer students also need to buy it even if the spring

semester is their last semester. According to the International Education Center, a legal affiliate of DVC, IEC allows its students to bring insurance from their home country. Using one’s insurance from their home country insurance has plenty of benefits for the international student. First, it is often cheaper than DVC’s insurance. Second, DVC admits that the health care system in the US can be very different from other

countries, so international students can get better assistance and advices from their countries’ insurance. I know how important insurance is in this country. However, DVC’s insurance policy is very inefficient and expensive. Therefore, I suggest that DVC should give international students a choice regarding their health insurance.. -An Woori, DVC Student

Magnum dopus: a solution to the recession Tyler Montoya, 19 English

“You’re more sociable and likeable at an earlier age, rather than just being somewhat isolated.”

Tereese Abuhamdeh, 18 Undeclared

“I did go to preschool [and] don’t see the need in it ... when I was in preschool it was [just] teaching you how to make a [peanut butter and jelly sandwich].”

Yo’el Erez, 20 Japanese

“I did not go to preschool. I do not feel that it has affected my life in any bad or good way.” Interviewed by: Rachel Ann Reyes Photographed by: Samantha Chiu

Marijuana has been around for centuries and used for many different uses: several medicinal purposes and herbal therapy. Yes, it is true that some people do abuse this plant, but the human body can get addicted to anything if they ingest too much of the substance. Keep in mind that every individual is responsible for their own life and what they do with it. It was put on this earth for a reason, why not embrace it and use its beneficial potential? Our country is trillions of dollars in debt and it is affecting our economy tremendously. People are out of jobs and struggling to make ends meet. If people could be open-minded and look past all the negative stereotypes of marijuana and see its benefits, our country can really start to improve. It sounds strange that a country can benefit from a drug, but in this case it is true. Our country has lost thousands of jobs and put families in financial crisis. Our country is trillions of dollars in debt from all the government spending and the war. The government has cut funds from the most important part of our society: education. This is due to our government not having any money and it is not fair for this generation to get deprived of their schooling, as well as activities such as after school sports, music, drama, and art.

“Every individual is responsible for their own life and what they do with it.” tail stores. If these states do this process right and people see improvements, it could start a chain reaction in the United States. The day marijuana was legalized in Washington, Seattle police officer said, “The police department believes that, under state law, you may responsibly

get baked, order some pizzas and enjoy a ‘Lord of the Rings’ marathon in the privacy of your own home, if you want to.” Most people can agree with him because marijuana is not an aggressive drug. Alcohol is legal and is much more dangerous. Analysts estimate that the legal pot market could bring millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue for schools, health care, and other government functions. Imagine if every state did this, we could benefit so much from the tax dollars. This issue needs to be addressed and taken care of. If we taxed all profit the legal pot market made, we could get our country out of debt faster and create more jobs for the people. The economy and government services would improve, the poverty rate and the unemployment rate would go down and, most importantly, our nation would be back where it needs to be. It’s an easy, fast and safe way to get out of our recession. If the government regulates this system and keeps it within reason, it could have great potential. Give this idea a chance. -Hope Tocci, DVC Student

San Bruno explosion victims were the victims of bureaucracy The San Bruno explosion and fire in California occurred because of a lack of service for pipeline maintenance. During an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, chairperson Deborah Hersman stated, “It revealed there were significant maintenance lapses.” But while the Pacific Gas and Electric is responsible for this horrific tragedy, the blame goes deeper than that. With the tragedy over, the attention turned towards the investigation and repair. It is an expensive problem to repair, and a harder problem to create a system so that it never happens again. After the investigation, PG&E

Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR ONLINE EDITOR NEWS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR PHOTO CHIEF COPY EDITOR

If other states legalized cannabis, it could put an end to this problem easily and quickly. The main reason why Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use was to help their state. They tax it 25 percent at each stage and the money from the taxes goes back to the schools and all the government services they provide to the public. These people voted to legalize and regulate the possession of an ounce or less for adults over 21 years of age. Both states have a year to come up with a system of state-licensed growers, processors and re-

Josh “Grassy” Knoll Samantha Chiu Brian Bunting Collin James Aaron Hudson Sasan Kasravi Troy Patton Karin Jensen Andrew O’Connor-Watts

was able to increase the rates to its Since the damage from the explocustomers through a decision by the sion has affected all of us, we should Public Utilities Commission’s regula- just chalk it up as an experience and tors. pay the rate inTo correct “... conflicts of interest crease. this problem we should regarding utility stocks beThere have to look at laws passed the shareholders could be accidents just that forbid any of utility stocks, espewaiting to happen.” politician, mainly politicians. cially county and A person invests city political leadin stocks for primarily three reasons: ers, from owning shares in a utility profit, profit and profit. stock. This will remove the fear of a Profits are lost due to the expense conflict of interest when it comes to of maintenance costs. the cost of maintenance repair. The rate increase states that PG&E If politicians complain that they customers will see an average rate in- have their behinds tied into utility crease of 88 cents in 2013, and an stocks, they should go tell it to the increase of $1.36 in 2014. survivors in San Bruno.

Staff SENIOR STAFF WRITER Hakeem Montes STAFF WRITERS Gabriel Agurcia, Pablo Caballero, Matthew

Emmanuel, Tharesa Marie, Lucia Nardi, Alejandro Ramos, Rachael Ann Reyes, Mona Taleb-Agha, Evan Wesley PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Emmanuel, Julia Kinkela INSTRUCTIONAL LAB COORDINATOR Julius Rea ADVISER Mary Mazzocco

If an individual in the bureaucratic system of PG&E has direct authority to keep track of maintenance logs, and feels that they are doing a politician a favor by cutting costs for maintenance, problems will develop. I am not saying this is necessarily what happened in San Bruno, but conflicts of interest regarding utility stocks could be accidents just waiting to happen. I have mentioned this to a couple of different politicians in California, and came away every time with the feeling that I was getting the cold shoulder treatment. -D.A. Gonsalves DVC Student

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 •

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Opinions

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Editorial How congress’ inability to cooperate will impact students A lot of noise is being made about the sequester: how it affects us, who is to blame, and if/how it can be undone. While the answers to those questions can be complicated by a host of things, many still unraveling, it’s helpful to get our bearings if we hope to navigate further. What is it? Just so we’re all on the same page, the sequester is a series of massive funding cuts to both domestic and non-domestic government programs to the tune of $1.2 trillion over the span of the next 8 years, starting with $85 billion this year. Why is this a thing? The sequester kicked in as a result of Congressional stalemate over how to they would reduce the deficit during the 2011 Budget Control Act.That act, which saved us all from the bread line in 2011, came with a clause that said Congress would have to figure out how to reduce our debt down the road. What the president and Congress failed to predict was an impasse over how they’d achieved that clause later on. The familiar left vs. right ideological divide unsurprisingly pitted Democrats wanting to tax the rich against Republicans wanting to cut aid for the poor. With neither side willing to budge, the sequester, which hurts everyone, happened. The sequester was designed to be an undesirable contingency, motivating both parties to agree on where to trim fat before zero hour. Now, with agreement never being reached, the automatic sequester will punish everyone because politicians dropped the ball. Who is to blame? While Obama and the Democrats authored it, they never expected the Republicans or anyone else to actually allow it to happen. While it’s no surprise house Republicans put the interest of the nation’s richest above the interest of the nation’s disadvantaged, the same rich Obama proposed we tax in order to avoid the sequester, it is a surprise conservatives would let their protective instincts of the nation’s top 2% trump the interest of defense spending, which the sequester will hit

BRIAN BUNTING / The Inquirer

particularly hard, accounting for 42% of the cuts total. A recent Pew poll in the Washington Post showed most people blame Republicans in Congress for the sequester. Still, arguments that Obama never should have caved to pressure to author such a contingency back in 2011 share validity. What’s become increasingly clear is, while the temptation for political finger pointing may seem worthy in the short term, it isn’t very helpful with the jaws of austerity closing around us. How do the cuts affect us? If by “us” we mean college students in California, the sequester will impact most student aid and grant programs including the Federal Supplemen-

tal Educational Opportunity, and Title IIIA grants, and notably $26 million from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Fund, only sparing Pell. Fortunately, because of funding cycles, most of these cuts wouldn’t be felt right away, and they aren’t retroactive. On the other hand, if by “us” we’re referring to Californians in general, the most disadvantaged would be hit worst with cuts applying to the newly and long-term unemployed, as well as those who rely on Medicare and lowincome housing subsidies. While no programs would be shut down, and Medicaid and Social Security are immune, the overall job loss predictions are

grim. Some estimate totals hover around 2 million jobs, many of which would be lost from an already slow-recovering California economy. Can the sequester be undone? It’s possible, and both the House and Senate, beholden to angry voters, are working on plans to replace the cuts. With Democrats’ “Buffett rule” plans that combine closing loopholes on conglomerates, tax-hikes on the wealthy, and spreading program cuts out over the course of several years, and Republicans hoping to cut mandatory safety nets from under the nation’s poorest, there are proposals being written. But like the impasse that armed this bomb, no one agrees about the plan to disarm it.

Opinions

Black History Month slips under the radar THERESA MARIE Staff writer

February came and went and I can’t help but feel that we have let another Black History Month go by without doing what we were supposed to do. Where was the appreciation for the history of a race of people who, not only endured the horrors and hardships of slavery, but also worked hard, and were underpaid if paid at all, to build one of the most powerful infrastructures that this world has ever seen? This past month, I paid close attention to what was going on in the media with regards to Black History. Besides a few Facebook memes featuring quotes that may or may not have been said by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a few television shows that featured African Americans instead of the usual anglocentric casts. I didn’t see a lot of changes in the way Americans were doing things or thinking about things in light of Black History Month. George Orwell once said, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” A few months ago, I watched a four-part miniseries on the

History Channel called, “The Men Who Built America.” It was about Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford and how their ideas contributed so much to the Industrial Revolution that their successes built the financial foundation for America’s success as a nation. But the Industrial Revolution would have never taken place if it wasn’t for underwriters. Where and how did these underwriters come up with so much cash? The answer is that the underwriters who supported the Industrial Revolution that “built America” got most of their money from the hard work and suffering of millions of slaves. Slavery and the fruits of its labor created the empires that are now the backbone of our modern economic system. Americans would never have had money, had it not been for all of the unpaid hard work that African American slaves did for generations. The cotton that was raised in the South and sent to the textile mills in the North, where it was spun into thread and woven into fabrics that were sent all over the world would never have thrived if African Americans had been paid fairly for their work. In his book entitled, “Introduction to Black Studies,” Dr. Maulana Karenga writes:

“Black history is a contribution to an indispensable part of the rescue and reconstruction of Black humanity. For history is the substance and mirror of a people’s humanity in others’ eyes as well as in their own eyes. It is then, not only what they have done, but also a reflection of who they are, what they can do, and equally important what they can become as a result of the past which reveals their possibilities.” Somehow, I think that American culture has dropped the ball when it comes to celebrating Black History Month the way that its founder, Carter G. Woodson, intended it to be celebrated. I don’t think that our culture is measuring up to the expectations that Dr. Maulana Karenga challenged us with. Our country should be indebted to the lives of the people whose great ideas and hard work has let us enjoy the freedoms and luxuries that we have been so fortunate to have inherited. And many of these lives were lived by slaves. Many of them were lived by poets and jazz musicians during the Harlem Renaissance. Many of them are being lived right now. Let’s learn a thing or two and celebrate the strength that we pride ourselves in having as a nation. Contact THERESA MARIE at tmarie@TheInquirerOnline.com

Despite 138 dimwits, act protecting women finally law LUCIA NARDI Staff writer

Well, color me happy! The EXPANSION of women’s rights in the 21st century - I do declare, these are happy, happy days. Those kindly gentlemen and lovely ladies in the House of Representatives and Senate, went on ahead and passed the Violence Against Women Act last week extending and expanding domestic violence protections for women. Isn’t that just as sweet as honey in the bottom of my mint julep? Just when y’all were startin’ to believe that Congress had gone cattywampus since they let the act expire in September 2011. Well, they must have had a good reason to be as slow as molasses in January to reauthorize it. What was all the fussin’ about? I’m glad you asked, June-bug. It appears as

though our distinguished representatives in the Wait a minute. You can’t be serious. Why House objected to new provisions that expand is everyone being so polite? You mean to tell protections for gays and lesbians, me that a bill that strengthens and Native American and immigrant protections from sexual “Who voted expands women. Was that all, y’all ask? assault and physical battery, for Well, no darlin’, there’s more. AGAINST more women, was not immediThe expanded bill also provides ately and unanimously reauthoprotecting for the allocation of additional rized in Congress? Who voted resources to colleges and universiAGAINST protecting women women ties to help bring awareness to datfrom violence? How do these from ing violence and stalking and to rerepresentatives still have jobs? duce sexual assaults on campuses. Incredibly, 138 House memviolence?” Additionally, the bill re-authorizes bers, including 10 women, voted the Trafficking Victims Protection AGAINST the comprehensive Act which provides services to victims of hu- bill before it passed in Congress and was man trafficking. signed by the President. Let me pause for moment to take a sip of As tickled pink as I am that the bill finally my sweet tea... a turn on the veranda...and con- passed, I find myself wondering how it’s even template my previous declarations. possible that a great democratic country like

the United States can have so many elected officials with a propensity for misogynistic ideals? Does anyone care? Just moments before signing the Violence Against Women Act into law, President Obama said, “We’ve made incredible progress since 1994, but we cannot let up. Not when domestic violence still kills three women a day. Not when 1 in 5 women will be a victim of rape in their lifetime. Not when 1 in 3 women is abused by a partner. I promise you, not just as your president, but as a son, and a husband, and a father, I’m going to keep at this.” Happy days...happy days.

Contact LUCIA NARDI at lnardi@TheInquirerOnline.com

Sports

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Adrianna Juaquin drives to the lane against Merced during the fourth quarter of the women’s basketball first round playoff game 39-48 loss.

MATTHEW EMMANNUEL / The Inquirer

Vikings’ postseason ends early Historic women’s basketball season comes to halt in a disappointing playoff defeat can Big 8 Conference guards Adrianna Joaquin and Elena Ala fronted an aggressive full court pressure defense, wreaking havoc and creating multiple On Friday, March 1, the DVC turnovers. women’s basketball team was unable Even when the Devils were able to to overcome the stout defense of break the pressure, they often ran into Merced College in the second round a brick wall, that wall being sophoof the CCCAA Northern Regional more TyJae Chenevert. Playoffs. Chenevert began the half with a Though the Vikings’ effort was handful of blocks and forced Merced valiant, they fell victim to the visiting into many ill-advised shots. With just Merced Devils in a disappointing 48- nine minutes to go, DVC reduced the 39 loss. From the opening tip-off, the Merced lead to 30-28. Vikings were unable to establish an ofUnfortunate for Viking fans, the fensive rhythm, taking them a full six momentum shifted dramatically as minutes to score their first basket. Merced went on a 14-3 run to extend To add to the Vikings’ troubles, their lead to 44-31 with just three minMerced pulled down two rebounds utes left in the contest. per every Viking rebound, winning the The Vikings fought hard to close battle on the glass 50-24. the gap, but ultimately saw their chamEntering the game, pionship hopes crumDVC hoped to ride ble as Merced earned the hot hand of the a tough victory in Big 8 Conference a physical and lowMVP, First Team Allscoring contest. State and league-lead“Our defense ing scorer: Annelise played hard. When Ito. you hold an opponent However, the Devto 46 points, that’s ils were determined not a bad night,” said not to let this happen Vaughn. “We averon their watch. aged 64 to 65 points ~Ramaundo Vaughn With swarming a game and we just Women’s double teams and efcouldn’t score at all basketball coach fectively executed detonight. It’s disapfensive traps, Merced pointing and has left held DVC’s star Ito a bitter taste in all of scoreless in the biggest game of the our mouths.” year. The Vikings’ playoff loss came on “It was the first game all year she the heels of a record-setting regular scored zero points,” DVC coach Ra- season in which they posted the highmaundo Vaughn said. “She’s been est winning percentage that the womplaying with a stress fracture for a little en’s program has ever seen. With all time now, but she still fought hard.” but one player returning to the squad With the Devils directing most of next year, there is reason to be greatly their defensive game plan to stop Ito, optimistic. it was evident in the first half that “The good news is that they’ll pretty other DVC players must step up and much all be back. We have some great make significant contributions to their recruits coming in,” Vaughn said. “It offense. While the Vikings were not hurts now. Coming this far and comlacking in effort, they unfortunately ing up short will be motivation to fell short in their offensive efforts as work, motivation to get better. We’ll they went into halftime trailing 14-23. be back. It’s only gonna get better.” “Give Merced credit. They came Watching this young record-setting out and played the game the way they group evolve into an established and wanted to play, which is a low-scoring proven team will truly be a pleasant kind of event,” said Vaughn. “Even sight to see for the DVC community still, we got the shots we wanted, got and all basketball fans. to the foul line, and missed shots and couldn’t hit free throws.” Coming out of halftime, All-AmeriContact EVAN WESLEY EVAN WESLEY Staff writer

MATTHEW EMMANNUEL / The Inquirer

Ashley Walker leads the final drive of the friday night first round playoff game, entering the fourth quarter with the score of 31-34. Ashley Walker and TyJae Chenevert blocks shot against Merced during the last quarter of the playoff game on Friday, March

MATTHEW EMMANNUEL / The Inquirer

“The good news is that they’ll pretty much all be back.”

at ewesley@TheInquirerOnline.com

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Sports

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Vikings shoulder tough loss vs. Sierra College GABRIEL AGURCIA Staff writer

DVC was defeated by Sierra 9-3 on Tuesday, March 5. The Vikings grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, when a Nick Gavello double drove in Devin Alexander. Pitcher Ben Krauth held Sierra scoreless until the 4th: after a leadoff single and subsequent double, an RBI ground out tied the game at 1-1. Krauth induced two more ground outs to end the inning. Miscues in the fifth tilted the game in Sierra's favor. A leadoff single, balk, and a double to deep right field put men on second and third with no outs. An error by Brdar on a throw to second allowed each runner to advance a base, giving Sierra their first lead at 1-2. A single between third and shortstop drove in the runner at third and an error by Krauth allowed another run to come home, pushing Sierra's lead to 1-4.

“You can battle all you want, but if you can’t get the lead, it doesn’t matter.” ~DAN LUQUET Baseball coach

DVC caught up in the 6th. Michael Mann drew a one out walk and then scored on a double ripped to right-center by Alexander. After advancing to 3rd on a passed ball, an error by Sierra's third baseman allowed Alexander to score, making it 3-4. After DVC fought back, the 8th inning would prove to be their downfall. Ricky Delgado replaced Krauth on the mound, and after striking out the first batter he faced, allowing a single and then getting a popout, DVC looked poised to remain down just one run. But Delgado suddenly lost his command, serving up back-to-back home runs: a 3-run homer and a solo shot. Sierra tacked on one more run to in the 8th to leave DVC with a six run deficit, 3-9. Sierra went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th, and Sierra struck out DVC's side to end the game.When asked what went wrong in the 8th inning, coach Dan Luquet pointed to the earlier innings as the start of their issues. "I think the problems started earlier in the game. We threw away a couple double play opportunities, had some errors, and we didn't take advantage of our chances to tie," he said.He did like the effort in the 6th to close the gap. "We did a good job of battling a really good pitcher. I think he was undefeated coming into this game." However, Luquet admitted, "You can battle all you want, but if you can't get the lead, it doesn't matter." Contact GABRIEL AGURCIA at gagurcia@ TheInquirerOnline.com

KARIN JENSEN / The Inquirer

Pitcher Laura Torres winds up to throw a strike, pitching a 1-2-3 inning against the Cosumnes River Hawks on Friday, March 8.

Doubleheader deals delight GABRIEL AGURCIA Staff writer

in a run with a double, and Jennifer Shue perfectly flicked a 2-RBI single into shallow right-center, cutting to deficit to one, 4-5. DVC's offense stalled the remainder of the game, DVC was swept in a doubleheader against Con- Consumnes River added two more with a 2-run sumnes River on Friday, March 8. home run, and Consumnes River took “We gotta adjust the first game 4-7. The first game was a tight one. DVC couldn't capitalize with the The second game started close but to pitchers, and bases loaded in the 2nd inning, and ended lopsided. adjust in the same Consumnes River jumped all over Consumnes River scored early, putat-bat. There’s no ting up a run in the top of the 1st. the Vikings in the 3rd. With two outs and runners on But DVC quickly tied the game in excuse for going first and third, an error by Gardthe bottom of the 1st on a sac-fly by ner and a double gave Consumnes two to three times Gardner. River a 0-2 lead. through the lineup Consumnes River scored one run Torres walked two to load the both the second and third. Katie and not adjusting.” in bases, which was followed by a Crippen relieved Laura Torres on the single, Jenn Quigley error, and an mound, and Consumnes River quickly ~ANGIE GOULARTE ifield single. Consumnes River left jumped on her with two more runs in Softball coach the 3rd inning with a 0-5 advanthe 4th, giving them a 1-5 lead. tage. Crippen composed herself in the Gardner atoned for her error 5th, pitching a 1-2-3 inning, and DVC with an RBI in the thirrd. DVC then made their shortened the lead to three on a Heather Pinkston strongest push in the fourth: Chelsea Shipley drove RBI single.

Consumnes River put the game away in the final two innings: a 2-run home run in the sixth made in 2-7, and a dropped fly ball by Shue in the seventh pushed it to 2-9. DVC was unable to kick start a rally in either inning, going down quietly compared to the first game. Of that first game, coach Angie Goularte accredited her team's loss to a slow start, "especially offensively." She thought they played pretty well overall. "Our offense was consistent and productive." Goularte was more disappointed with the second game. "I felt like we mentally checked out of the game in the fourth." When asked what areas needed improvement, Goularte emphasized the offense. "We gotta adjust to pitchers, and adjust in the same atbat. There's no excuse for going two to three times through the lineup and not adjusting."

Contact GABRIEL AGURCIA at gagurcia@ TheInquirerOnline.com

CSU Chancellor: The Viking Accomplished DVC alumnus credits his time as a student-athlete to his current success AARON HUDSON Sports editor

Twenty-three campuses and seven off-campus centers of 427,000 students along with 44,000 academic faculty members in the state of California, welcomed DVC alumnus Timothy P. White to his recently accepted chancellor position. White is taking over as chancellor of the Cal State system from leaving his previous role as chancellor of the UC Riverside campus. He replaced retired CSU system Chancellor Charles Reed on Dec. 31. Months before accepting his position, White announced that he requested the CSU Board of Trustees reduce the state-funded portion of his salary by 10 percent, dropping it from $421,500 to $380,000. The Board was happy to approve White's request, but how many other people would take that same pay cut? This acts as a testament to what kind of person White is. White will still receive a $30,000 salary supplement out of privately raised funds from the CSU Foundation, a $1,000 monthly vehicle allowance and will live in a universityowned residence, as the Associated Press reported late last year. “He has really good people skills

and he's a very well spoken, intel- That is being part of a group that ligent, amazing guy,” DVC Hall of focuses on a goal,” said White. “You Fame founder Steve Ward said. When get the right people to succeed and Ward started the Diato not give up. Focus blo Valley College and work hard day and Hall of Fame in 2005, night. There is a work sure the purpose was ethic aspect to athletto celebrate individual ics independent of the athletic accomplishsporting nature of it ments but it was to all that I think is a very also celebrate life acimportant piece of my complishments. What life.” did that athlete do You learn a lot of “I give a lot of when they moved on life skills when you credit to my time compete in intercolfrom DVC is just as important. at Diablo Valley legiate athletics, how “He's probably to deal with adverthe ultimate example College back in the sity, dealing with your out numerous sucday for giving me peers, developing a cess stories, of what strong work ethic. a DVC Hall of Famer a set of skills that Tools that will be useis,” said Ward. has worked so well ful, and also last a lifeWhite was Alltime. Golden Gate Con- for me throughout “If you push hard ference and an Alland try to succeed you my life.” American in both are going to fail and swimming and Water fall short more often ~TIMOTHY P. WHITE Polo From 1966then hitting the proCSU Chancellor 1967. verbial Home run out He later went off of the park. I think to become an All-American at Fresno athletics help me understand how to State. White was then inducted into aspire for success and how to manage the class of 2006 DVC hall of fame. expectations.” “You know, there is an important In the Spring of 2011, White thing about athletics beyond sports. dressed disguised as “Pete Wetson”

for the second season finale of the hit CBS reality show “Undercover Boss.” White spent a week undercover, doing a variety of jobs across the campus, finding ways to improve the campus for all that attended, a certain leadership trait that he gained from his time in the swimming pool, no doubt. “It is about setting goals and getting people to shape them and believe in them and to work towards being successful. When you fail don't give up continue to pursue it.” Lifelong friend Rick Millington swam with White Both at DVC and at Fresno State University, along with being the best man at White's wedding it is safe to say that they have known each other forever “I know that as we were young we became a tight group, we were a aquatic family and we still keep in touch today. Many of the athletes I coach are developing friendships like this, they just don't realize it yet,” Millington said. “I give a lot of credit to my time at Diablo Valley College back in the day for giving me a set of skills that has worked so well for me throughout my life,” said White. Contact AARON HUDSON at ahudson@TheInquirerOnline.com

News

calendar Thursday, March 13 Baseball vs. Cosumnes River College 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Baseball Field Architecture Lecture Series - John McGill 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Engineering Technology Building Friday, March 14 Library Exhibit - East Bay Artists Guild Inspiration Earth 10:00 a.m. Library RICHARD III 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Performing Arts Center Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22 Spring Break Monday, March 25

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10 2013

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Sunvalley mall plays host to labor protest COLLIN JAMES News editor

Students and local residents driving along Contra Costa Boulevard have seen an eerie sight during their morning commutes. A 12 foot tall statue of the grim reaper stands in front of the entrance to the Sunvalley Shopping center in Concord. Next to the frightening statue is a sign that reads “The Taubman Company (of) Sunvalley Shopping Center hurts workers, families and community. Shame on them!” These eye catching theatrics are part of a protest against the Taubman Company, who owns the Sunvalley mall, and its contracting company J. R. Lennen Inc., who employ carpenters at the mall. These are not workers striking, they are union members representing the California Carpenters Union Local 152 who are protesting what they say are unfair working wages at the mall. Flyers being handed out by union workers claiming that the workers are being denied area standard wages for construction projects within the mall. The spooky grim reaper statue, dubbed “Skully” by the carpenters, is meant to draw attention towards what they claim are unfair business practices by employing workers on unfair wages and benefits. The carpenters are not trying to discourage anyone from shopping, or from doing business with the mall; they simply want to bring the actions of the Taubman Company to the attention of PABLO CABALLERO/ The Inquirer the public. ‘Skully’ the grim statue overlooks protesters fighting for improved wages The protest will continue indefinitely. Contact COLLIN JAMES at cjames@TheInquirerOnline.com

College Council

and benefits for contractors employed by Sun Valley Mall’s Taubman Company.

MARCH

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Community Conference Center

From Page 1

Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, said, “The budget cuts we’ve experienced over the last few years have caused so much damage, it’s going to take us years to restore what we (have)cut.” Evans called for support of SB 241 which proposes an oil extraction tax. The estimated 2 billion dollars generated would go to all levels of education said Evans. Senator Mark Desaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, said about the rally, “People get up here and (are) able to feel like the process includes them….” Desaulnier stated that it is important for students to voice their concerns because in politics, sometimes the “squeaky wheel gets

Tuesday, March 23 Baseball @ Santa Rosa 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Away event

Police Beat

the oil.” A man who identified himself as Michael Jackson was coerced off the steps by a CHP officer soon after taking control of the microphone without permission. Jackson was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants, according to CHP Officer Kennedy. Santa Rosa Junior College student Victor Torres asked, “How can we get educated if the costs keep going up...? I want a change.” This dissent was echoed by DVC student Andrew Ramirez. “We hope that the budget cuts and fee hikes in the future come to an end once and for all,” said Ramirez. Contact HAKEEM MONTES at hmontes@ TheInquirerOnline.com

Monday, Feb. 25 DVC Library 1:55 p.m. Student’s backpack was stolen from underneath his chair while he studied in the library. DVC Library Complex 4:18 p.m. Student fell and suffered lacerations to his head. He was transported by AMR to Sutter Delta Hospital in Antioch. Wednesday, Feb. 27 DVC Lot 3 11:30 a.m. A student passed out while in class. Student was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Thursday, Feb. 28 12:56 p.m. SRC Math Lab Student reported a safety issue regarding the DSS cart. DVC Police Services Interview Room 6:14 p.m. Unknown subject(s) took property from victim’s locked vehicle. Monday, March 3 12:15 p.m. DVC Parking Lot 3 Two students were referred to the Dean of Students for stealing from the Bookstore. Both Students had been caught on video stealing from the bookstore on a prior occasion. Friday, March 8 11:58 a.m. DVC Bookstore Student was contacted for shoplifting from the bookstore. She paid for the item and no prosecution was desired.

HAKEEM MONTES / The Inquirer

A demonstrator wearing a Guy Fawkes mask listens to the political messages. Advertisement

Arts & features

Thursday, March 14, 2013 - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bottle Rock hoping for Napa based music fest supremacy MONA TALEB-AGHA Staff writer

For those of us who enjoy festivals of the likes of Outside Lands and Treasure Island, here arrives the next big event in the Bay Area that will attract thousands: Bottle Rock Music Festival 2013. This festival is the first in what will hopefully become an annual shindig. Like other music festivals, the event will also include other attractions besides the music itself, such as wine duh, great food and even as yet to be announced comedy lineup. It will take place right in the heart of downtown Napa, at the Napa Valley Expo center. It is common knowledge that Napa Valley’s identity revolves around their production of wine, and the festival coordinators are definitely taking advantage of the location by featuring over 40 of Napa’s top wineries. And to accompany the abundance of Napa Valley’s acclaimed wines, the area is also home to various distinguished restaurants that serve tipsy weekend visitors as well as locals. You will find many of these restaurants catering during the festival as well as popular San Francisco eateries such as Gott’s Roadside and Kara’s Cupcakes. Obviously, the festival’s main attraction is the awesome list of bands that will be performing over the weekend. Headliners include: Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, Jackson Browne, The Flaming Lips, Train as well as many other up-and-coming artists. A $29 benefit show is also taking place on the same premises featuring rap stars Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis, in which the proceeds from the ticket will be donated to children with autism. There are over 60 acts that will take place over the weekend, so there’s definitely going to be something there for everybody. The festival is a part of WillPower Entertainment, a company that is quite philanthropically involved. Bottle Rock Napa Valley is going to be donating a “significant portion” of the festival’s proceeds will go to supporting autistic adult living care, family resources, and the research for a cure. Also, $1 for every beverage sold will be donated to the Bacchus Fund. The Bottle Rock Music Festival seems like a promising event, and perhaps has the potential to become a staple of the San Francisco Bay Area. If you can afford a ticket, make sure to check it out! The Bottle Rock Music Festival will be held from May 9 through 12. Ticket prices and information can be found on their website, http://bottlerocknapavalley.com. Contact MONA TALEB-AGHA at mtalebagha@TheInquirerOnline.com

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

A new tomb worth raiding

Image Courtesy of SQUARE ENIX

Lara’s fresh start promises a bright future TROY PATTON Arts & features editor

When it was first launched in October of 1996, the original “Tomb Raider” quickly became one of the best reviewed and bestselling titles on the fledgling PlayStation. It quickly became a franchise that was big enough to warrant movies, books, and even theme park rides being built around its mythos. Flash-forward to 2013. After being handed the franchise by publisher Square Enix and getting a number of critically and economically successful games underneath their belt, Crystal Dynamics has rebooted the franchise with their newest game, simply dubbed “Tomb Raider.” “Tomb Raider” frames itself as a new origin story for series star Lara Croft. Instead of putting you in the shoes of a certified, tried and true adventurer as in the series’ previous installments, this Lara is still cutting her teeth. A 20-something Lara is shipwrecked on the island of Yamatai with the rest of the research crew aboard their ship, The Endurance. She quickly learns that the native population, made up of other victims that have been stranded on the mysterious island over the years, is not very friendly and she quickly

finds herself fighting for her survival. Maybe a bit too quickly. It seems Crystal Dynamics wanted to tell a story of Lara slowly coming into her own as a badass who would make even Indiana Jones tip his cap, but the problem is that the transformation from victim to deadly vixen seems to happen with the flip of a switch instead of the gradual movement of a slider. One moment you have Lara distressed at killing a man who was trying to sexually assault her; the next segment of the game that follows then has you shooting dozens of people on her way to safety. Fortunately for “Tomb Raider,” the uncanny valley wears off fairly quickly. What seems like an initial misstep in character progression quickly falls away as Lara is thrown into more dire and disturbing situations. Also fortunately, Lara’s skills and combat abilities have a much smoother progression than their storytelling counterparts. At the beginning of the game Lara’s first weapon is simply a bow. As you progress, you gain more tools to traverse her environment and with them, an increasing degree of lethality to contend with foes hell-bent on making sure you never leave Yamatai. The combat is pretty typical for third-per-

son action fare, but upgrades to your weaponry make the combat more interesting as more tactical options become available. The natives tend to take cover as soon as they notice you, so sometimes combat devolves into a game of whack-a-mole. Once explosive arrows are introduced this no longer becomes a problem. Are they hiding behind cover? Just blow it up. And those explosives will look pretty because the team at Crystal Dynamics used every trick in the book to pull the horsepower needed for this caliber of visuals. Superb lighting and breathtaking vistas are the graphical highlights this game has to offer. While the story fails to capture the same sense of mystery and humanity that “Lost” so desperately tried to wrangle a few years ago, the gameplay and visuals are enough to make up any ground the script may have lost. As “Tomb Raider” draws to a close, you will very much want to continue your adventures with this Lara. If the quality of this reboot is any indication, Crystal Dynamics is more than capable of creating a sequel worth playing in the future.

Contact TROY PATTON at tpatton@TheInquirerOnline.com

Armies clash in local Warhammer tourney ALEJANDRO RAMOS Staff writer

Over 200 people attended the 2013 Bay Area Open, which was held at the Contra Costa Fairgrounds, to compete against each other in tabletop war games like Warhammer 40,000. “It’s popular all over the world,” event organizer Frankie Giampapa said about the game. Warhammer is a tabletop game that’s played using miniature figurines. Each figurine has its own powers and abilities, much like the pieces in chess. Players use dice and tape measures to determine what their next move will be. The event itself was structured as a onePABLO CABALLERO / The Inquirer on-one tournament in which competitors Two Warhammer 40,000 armies square off at the 2013 Bay Area Open. played against each other in timed rounds. The victors moving on to the next round until competed at the event. “That’s what makes it Frontline Gaming, a gaming store in Martia champion was crowned. so enjoyable.” nez that has been in business since 2011. They Despite the air of competition, the competAt the end of the day, however, there was specialize in selling tabletop games and accesitors could be seen chatting it up and making only one competitor left standing: Liz Foster. sories. jokes in between rounds. Foster made it to the final round undefeated “(Warhammer) attracts a crowd of very and emerged victorious. Contact ALEJANDRO RAMOS at aramos@TheInquirerOnline.com nice people,” commented Adam Randall, who The Bay Area Open was sponsored by Advertisement

REALIZE YOUR DREAM AT MILLS COLLEGE.

Mills offers talented women who want an exceptional and personal education the opportunity to: • Get the classes you need to graduate on time. • Earn merit scholarships totaling up to $20,000. • Transfer with no minimum number of credits. • Transfer without completing your GE requirements. Apply now for fall 2013 to receive special expedited admission benefits. Financial aid and scholarships are available.

INFORMATION SESSION Thursday, April 18 • 11:00 am–2:15 pm

MAKING THE WORLD MORE . . .

Oakland, CA admission@mills.edu www.mills.edu/transfer RESERVE YOUR SPACE AT WWW.MILLS.EDU/VISITFORM.

Arts & features The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Thursday, March 14 - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

JULIA KINKELA / The Inquirer

Jeremy Gallarado (left) and Bradley Lorio (right) practice their fight in the upcoming play “Richard III” scheduled to open in the PAC on Friday, March 15.

The rise of a new king at DVC ‘Richard III’ set to open for the first time in the PAC TROY PATTON Arts & features editor

For the first time in the department’s history, DVC drama is gearing up to bring the story of Richard III to the stage with their production of the Shakespearean tragedy that shares its name with its main character. As this is DVC drama’s first foray into this particular production, one might think a completely clean slate would serve as a challenge to the actors and production staff, but to director Beth McBrien, that seems like business as usual. “I approach each show I direct without preconceptions,” said the drama area coordinator and faculty senate vice president who is coming up on her 10th year as a full time professor at DVC. It was McBrien who submitted “Richard III” for consideration a year ago when the season’s offerings were being set, and she said it was a two-fold decision. “I suggested Richard III because it hasn’t been done at DVC,” said McBrien. “We’ve produced several of Shakespeare’s classics

more than once, but ‘Richard’ hasn’t been done.” “Richard III” tells the tale of the rise and fall of the real English monarch of the same name, and while the opinions on Richard can range from divisive to downright unlikable, his character is at least unique. “He is the only one of Shakespeare’s flawed dramatic main characters that has a sense of self-knowledge and irony about what he does,” said McBrien. “He tells you what he’s going to do, does it, and then says to the audience, ‘What do you think about that!’ ” As with almost all of Shakespeare’s work, language is one of the major hurdles that audience members have to jump over. With dialogue that is littered with innuendo, colloquialisms, and double entendres it has been up to the directors and their crew in the past to make changes to scenes and dialogue, as well as the actors ability to emote, as a way to “translate” Shakespeare into something that is easily digestible by audiences. In this regard, “Richard III” is no different. “I made the original edits to the script,” said McBrien, “Then as the actors and I worked

through the scenes in the play, we made additional edits based on the criterion; Does this serve the story? Does it help the relationship?” These edits, McBrien says, are meant to highlight the major themes of the show and to prevent it from becoming weighted down by excessive language.

“(Richard III) tells you what he’s going to do, does it and then says...‘What do you think about that!’ ” ~BETH MCBRIEN Director

Another way to draw in audiences is, of course, create an aesthetically pleasing show as a well-scripted one. In the case with “Richard III” DVC drama has a little help from some DVC alums to give the show flare that many of the department’s previous productions are known for.

Set designer Jessica Bertine and fight choreographer Cyle Swanstrom both have professional experience and are lending those talents for this production. Along with assistant director Scott Dare, this production has plenty of professionals lending their skills to make sure “Richard III” is as good as it can be. With an experienced hand guiding it with professional know-how backing it up, “Richard III” appears to have the makings of a strong performance to go along DVC drama’s other strong showings this semester. McBrien says she is looking forward to being able to sit and enjoy the show as an audience member on opening night. “The cast and crew have done such a tremendous job working to put this show together,” said McBrien, “I’m looking forward to the culmination of their work as artists.” “Richard III” will be opening on March 15. For ticket pricing and show times, visit http://www.dvcdrama.net. Contact TROY PATTON at tpatton@TheInquirerOnline.com

DVC film club gears up for upcoming film festival THERESA MARIE Staff writer

They inspired, terrified and entertained audiences at DVC’s Filmapalooza. They battled exhaustion, time constraints and unforeseen obstacles in the 2X6 Challenge. But DVC’s Film Club isn’t slowing down any time soon, as they are preparing for the biggest event of the semester – the eighth Aspiring Minds Film Festival, which will be held May 23 in the DVC Forum. “It really is a calling for the best films,” said DVC film club advisor Richard Woodruff, who is also DVC electronics and video specialist. “The festival has grown to be one of the best things for film students at DVC,” said DVC Film Club President Sandra Lopez. “Not only does it show our creativity but it connects the students with people they might want to work with in the future.” Lopez speaks from experience. Last year, she worked with her boyfriend, Adrian Nava, on his film, “La Vida Loca” (“The Crazy Life”). “La Vida Loca” won best in festival and the people’s choice award at last year’s festival. “La Vida Loca” is currently being considered for the Sundance Film Festival. “Between writing the script, pre-production, shooting it and editing it, I couldn’t even tell you how many hours we put into it,” Lopez said. “We worked on it for months. There was one night when we shot until 2 a.m. I had to be in class the next morning at 8 o’clock and then go to work afterwards. I think I slept five hours in a two-day period.” “Film is a labor of love,” Lopez said. “It takes a lot of work and you’ve got to stretch yourself in all areas – creatively and techni-

cally.” Students showcased their labors of love at DVC’s second Filmapalooza on Feb. 7. Homicide, eternal bonds and spirituality were just a few of the themes that were explored in the 13 short films shown. “I was surprised by how talented everyone was,” says Jensen David. David, a 20-year-old athletic training major at DVC, heard about Filmapalooza through a friend who is in the Film Club and wound up staying through the end. “I thought that I’d just stay for the first half. But I was surprised by how interesting every film was,” David said. Filmapalooza required the students to partake in every aspect of their films – writing the scripts, film editing, sound editing, camera work, etc.

“This festival has grown to be one of the best things for film students at DVC.” ~SANDRA LOPEZ DVC film club president

For example, Lex Franklin, a DVC film major, played the title character in Campbell’s short film “Anti-Hero.” During intermission, Franklin shook hands and enjoyed the perks of starring in a film. “The impact of Filmapalooza is huge because you get to meet other people that do film,” Franklin said. “And if they like your film then you can build relationships.” The opportunities to build relationships and diversify one’s skill set continued in the Film Club’s 2X6 Challenge, on Feb. 18. While most students were enjoying a Monday off, dedicated film club students met at 9 a.m. on campus, where they were randomly divided

Photo Coutesy of LAUREL CLEMONS

Lance Gregor (left) and Andrew Ganzon (right) work on their film for the 2x6 Film Festival which was held on Feb. 18 at DVC. into groups. Each group was given six hours to create, edit and produce a two-minute film. Each group was given a genre, a line that they had to use in their film and a prop that they had to use. Students had to think on their toes, collaborate and cooperate in order to create a work of art. “Everyone was saying, ‘It’s impossible! We don’t have enough time!’ ” says Lopez. “In the real world, you never have enough time. But you have a deadline. And you don’t always get to work with the people that you like. So the 2X6 Challenge helps to prepare you for all of that.” The preparation will come in handy for the upcoming eighth Aspiring Minds Film Festival.

The festival “is aimed at current students from almost all colleges,” says Woodruff. “There will be judges and awards. It’s really rewarding for these students because they put so much time and so much work into all of these films.” It’s also not too late to join DVC’s Film Club and be part of the festival. “A student doesn’t have to be a film major to join film club,” says Lopez. “If you love film and love talking about film or if you want a deeper understanding of film, come join us.” DVC’s Film Club meets 5 p.m. Mondays in the Digital Media Lab, which is under the library.

Contact THERESA MARIE at tmarie@TheInquirerOnline.com