DVC Inquirer Issue 3 No. 4

I

INQUIRER Student Voice of Diablo Valley College

Volume III No. 4

#2016issues A quick guide to the candidates’ positions on topics that matter to college students See Page 6

Tuesday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 www.DVCInquirer.com

They who should not be named Mass shooters don’t deserve fame

See Page 9

JESSE SUTTERLEY / The Inquirer

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Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28 2015

calendar Friday, Oct. 16 DVC Vikings stadium Men’s Football Game Friday October 16th, 7pm-10pm Monday, Oct. 19 Transfer Center College Rep Visit: UC Berkeley from 9:30am-3pm –Merryl Owen from UC Berkeley will be answering questions for students Tuesday, Oct. 20 Student Service Center Personal Statement Workshop 11am-12pm in general info and tips on what UC’s want in personal statements.

Tuesday, Oct. 20; Sunday, October 25 Art Gallery Carrie Lederer: Wondrous Strange Reception and lecture– 11-1pm & 3-5pm Wednesday, Oct. 21 Student Service Center College Success Workshop: overcoming writer’s block and conquering in-class writing, 2:303:45pm with presenter Danielle DeFoe

police beat Thursday Oct. 1 DVC Women’s locker room A locker was broken into and two students reported property stolen. This incident is considered Grand Theft.

Thursday, Oct. 1 DVC Parking Lot #3 A backpack was stolen from the trunk of a locked vehicle. The suspect has not been identified.

Thursday, Oct. 1 DVC Parking Lot #3 There was a medical response action for a student who had fallen while walking on a sidewalk. She did not request any further medical assistance.

Monday, Oct. 5 DVC Parking Lot #4 A student reported that his helmet was stolen from his motorcycle while it was parked.

Tuesday, Oct. 6 DVC Parking Lot #3 A DVC staff member reported that his vehicle was vandalized while parked. There were no witnesses to the incident.

Nurses strike for safe patient care JESSE SUTTERLEY News editor

Martinez County Hospital nurses took to the streets this week striking for better working conditions and, in their words, better patient care. If you use Martinez County Hospital as your main source for medical treatment, you may soon be facing a problem with a lack of nurses at the hospital. There will be a struggle to keep patient care to a high standard.

The strike kicked off Tuesday morning as a mass of nurses marched from County Hospital to downtown Martinez, taking control of Alhambra Avenue.

After the march, the group stayed at the entrance to the hospital with signs that read “strike for patient safety” and “safe staffing saves lives.” They remained there all of Tuesday and

JESSE SUTTERLEY/ The Inquirer

Nurses from Martinez Country Hospital stand in front of the hospital entrance holding signs reading “safe staffing saves lives” on Oct. 7.

Wednesday as cars and trucks drove by, many of the drivers honked in support of the strike.

Even police showed up to support the nurses.

“I have worked here for 29 years and what we are seeing here now is a crisis. It has to do with patient safety,” Rosalind Walker, a nurse at Martinez County said. “We are at the state now where we can’t retain the nurses we have.

We have a lot of nurses with a lot of experience leaving.”

Walker went on to say that Martinez is used as a training ground for other hospitals in the greater Bay Area.

“We get the new nurses in because no one will higher them without experience, they come here, work six months to a year then they are gone,” Rosalind said. She added that even the experienced nurses are leaving for better pay and hours. This leaves a void in the hospital’s

ability to care for patients.

Walker and the other Nurses want the hospital administration to sit down and discuss better terms for the nurses working in Martinez, “We would like the county to hear us, the staffing shortage is bad. We can’t keep nurses, we don’t have enough nurses, we can’t get nurses from registry, so the answer has to be to mandate the nurses they have.”

“Mandatory over time is not in our contract and it is not fare they (doctors) come in at a certain time and they leave,” Walker said, “They leave for doctors appointments they leave to pick up kids, they leave to go home to take care of sick loved ones and we nurses have the same issue.”

Contact JESSE SUTTERLEY at JSutterley@DVCInquirer.com

Uber is heading east SARAH CARR Staff member

The company’s controversial growth spurt may change the entire city of Oakland.

Uber has purchased the seven storey Sears building in downtown Oakland, and will be using the space as their future headquarters.

The enormous expansion of Uber has also caused the company to create another base in San Francisco’s Mission Bay Area.

Since its official launch in SF in 2011, the company’s revenue has grown by 200 percent per year in its native city, according to an article by Business Insider. Its expansion goes hand-in-hand with the explosion of the tech industry in the Bay Area, but Uber’s new $123.5 million home in Oakland is a new development in the growth of these companies.

The thought of potential eco-

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.

nomic development and turning Oakland’s downtown area into a thriving utopia is the optimistic side of the deal. Driving out the rest of the working class and the culture of the last major city left un-encompassed by the tech scene is the impending fear is the other, expressed in Oakland North’s article.

Uber is currently one of the fastest growing enterprises in the Controversy surrounds Uber from taxi cab companies as well as riders themselves about the unregulated background inspections of drivers, public transportation licenses, and the absence of fare meters that Uber claims they do not have to take part in due to being a “technology company.”

SF’s drastic culture shift into the tech scene has caused a major upheaval from people who lived there before the price surge of almost everything in the city caused by

SARAH CARR / The Inquirer

Uber car waits for passengers Oct. 9, on Market St, San Francisco CA, the new companies. With SF becoming more expensive and more crowded, Oakland could easily be the next big opportunity for companies like Uber.

According to statistics in Finance & Commerce, Oakland has over 4 million square feet of real estate space that’s 10 percent empty and up for grabs. Oakland Officials want to build a new tech-

Editorial Board NEWS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR PRINT EDITOR SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR COPY EDITOR

Jesse Sutterley Fidel Ontiveros Marcel Scott Jacob Judd Alejandro Ramos Katharine Hada Sarah Carr

nology park and residential area called “Coliseum City” close to downtown.

Uber’s move is proving to be more than just its own company expanding, but may be a glimpse into the future of the Bay Area itself.

Contact SARAH CARR at SCarr@DVCInquirer.com

Staff SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Melanie Calimlim, Austin Lemak, Keith Montes STAFF WRITERS Madeline Berry, Julianna Cardinale, Sarah Carr, Emily Fishbaugh, Samuel Francisco, Katharine Hada, Soohyum Kim, Jung Min Lee, Pamela Levin, Cooper Mead, Erick Mujica, Tyler Newhouse, David Ridings, Sean Ross, Allison Roullier, Nic Wojcik, Erin Smith, Samuel Tageson, Randy Taylor 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 •

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Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

Swan engineering continues work on faulty gas pipes Tuesday, October 13.

KATHARINE HADA / The Inquirer

Gas leak stinks up campus MARCEL SCOTT Staff member

On Tuesday Oct. 6, Diablo Valley College experienced an unexpected gas leak near the Student Union Building, which has led to a prolonged shutdown of gas services on campus.

PG&E was forced to shut off gas valves in order to locate the gas leak. At this moment the campus is still without gas, which has a great impact on food services around campus as well as science departments.

According to President Peter Garcia, “Complete shutdown was the only option given the configuration of our gas pipeline infra-

structure.”

PG&E have provided a temporary portable trailer for culinary arts and food services until the issue has been resolved. Food services around campus are now reliant on this vital source of fuel until a permanent solution is found.

“Tuesday classes were cancelled.” ~CHRISTOPHER DRAA Culinary Arts Department Chair

Culinary Arts Department Chair Christopher Draa said, “(The leak) only affected us the day it happened. Tuesday Classes were Advertisement

cancelled, Wednesday we cooked using electric services, and Thursday we were provided with the (PG&E) trailer. Everything is running as normal now.”

Currently there is only a rough estimate for how long repairs will take. Crews are working an extended shift seven days a week in order to get this problem fixed as soon as possible. “...we will continue to explore temporary services to other buildings, but we will be in this working and learning environment without gas until we can safely restart our service,” Garcia said.

Contact MARCEL SCOTT at MScott@DVCInquirer.com

Weihao “Wesley” Xia was recently voted in as the new ASDVC President September 8.

Interview with the executive

gated to those meetings. If you’re in student government, your job should be to become a vocal and At the start of the semester, active member of the community.

ASDVC was in limbo; with no SR: So as I’m understanding it, president to guide their hand, there seems to be a problem of the board was stalled to inac- absenteeism with respect to reption, until Weihao “Wesley” Xia resentative duties... So what’s your stepped in. Wesley, a 19-year-old plan to resolve this issue?

Business Administration major, WX: After that meeting, I actuwas formerly ASDVC’s activities ally realized that majority of the coordinator, and a very active board actually consists of freshmember of student government. men who just entered DVC. We recently sat down to discuss So a lot of them do not know his election, and his plans going what is going on, and need guidforward. ance and leadership; some of them are actually afraid of signSR: Why did you decide to be- ing up for a committee simply come involved in student govern- because they aren’t very vocal or ment? don’t know what to do. So a large WX: When I first stepped onto part of my job has been delegatthis campus, I felt an obligation ing tasks. to help students around and imSR: What plans do you have to pact the community, because dur- improve DVC during your time ing high school I didn’t really do as ASDVC president? much for my WX: This community, “I felt an obligation to semester we and I just felt have been dishelp students.” that, “Hey, I cussing a plan could do a lot to hire a crossmore.” That ing guard at ~WEIHAO XIA ASDVC President I could help the crosswalks other students. at the overflow During parking lot and my first year here, I was actually at the front lot by College Park. highly active in at least 4 different The other program is the Carcommittees, and I helped set up pool Program, which would be a multiple events, helped draft both networking program to organize the Multicultural Center Proposal student carpools. We’ve also apand the Carpool Program. I used proved a proposal to renovate the to dedicate at least 30 hours of old basement cafeteria in the Stumy week to the ASDVC board. dent Union into a Multi-cultural SR: You’ve mentioned that you Center, where students relax and feel there are some fundamental enjoy themselves. One of the bigissues with regards to the ASDVC gest projects we have is to reduce board. Could you clarify what you textbook prices on campus. We believe those issues are? are sending in resolutions to the WX: The main issue right now State Center for Community Colis professionalism... In my mind, leges, and will establish a committhe board that’s representing the tee to negotiate with retailers for student body should be more lower prices. We’re also looking to dedicated and enthusiastic about start a campus-wide, peer-to-peer what they’re doing. For example, book exchange fair. a couple weeks ago, when I was appointing people to different college councils and committees, Contact SEAN ROSS at SRoss@DVCInquirer.com some students did not feel obliSEAN ROSS Staff member

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Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

Upcoming musical takes DVC ‘Into the Woods’ MELANIE CALIMLIM Staff member

The Diablo Valley College Drama department will start its season off with the Tony Award-winning musical “Into the Woods,” featuring a book by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The play will send you into childhood fairytale flashbacks, but with some special twists. More than a few of these tales are told simultaneously as one narrative.

A baker and his wife wish to have a child, while Cinderella wishes to attend the king’s ball and Red Riding Hood visits her grandmother. Other characters including Rapunzel, Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” and Snow White make appearances. As the story unfolds and conflicts begin to thicken, the phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ will cross your “I saw the musical for the mind.

Since the show first very first time when I was opened in 1986, there living in England and I fell have been hundreds of interpretations of this in love with it.” classic.

Each director has the ~LISA DRUMMOND choice to stay relatively DVC Director true to the original version, or you know, not.

“Into the Woods” was also adapted into a movie just last December.

Despite the tendency of other directors to stray away from the story line, director Lisa Drummond has chosen to stay close to the original version in this production.

“I saw the musical for the very first time when I was living in England and I fell in love with it,” said Drummond, “I really really wanted to just do a traditional version of Into the Woods, really going back to the idea of the books that these characters came from and the idea that they were stories of children and the morals of those stories.”

The musical will be about two hours long, full of live singing, which the actors have been rehearsing since September. A 14 piece orchestra playing the songs, primarily composed of DVC students.

Of the 122 people who auditioned for Into the Woods, only 18 made it on to the stage. Drummond said that everyone in the cast had some sort of a musical background, whether they came from a choral or theater base. It was just up to Drummond and the show’s musical director, Enrico Banson, to blend everybody’s talents together to create a cohesive show.

Scottie Masao Tsubota, who plays Jack, posted to the drama department’s official Facebook page “’Into the Woods’ is an adventure with fun characters and great lessons about the chances we make, it is a must-see!”

The show opens on Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 8. Buy your tickets on dvcdrama.net or call the ticket office at 925-969-2358.

Sage Georgevitch-Castellanos, the Baker, lifts his jacket while rehearsing the opening song of Into the Woods on Oct. 7. at the DVC Performing Arts Center.

Contact MELANIE CALIMLIM at MCalimlim@DVCInquirer.com

The cast of Into the Woods finishes the opening number, Prologue and hold their positions as Lisa Drummond directs the cast in setting up for the next scene during rehearsal on Oct. 7. at the DVC theater.

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Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

The Into the Woods cast run the opening number to the show, “Prologue: Into the Woods” on Wednesday Oct. 7.

Yesenia Rodgers, Cinderella (left) and Farah Dinga, the Witch (above) get into character while singing “Second Midnight” during rehearsal at the DVC theater for Into the Woods on Wednesday Oct. 7.

JESSE SUTTERLEY / The Inquirer

The T o The T

NIK W Staff m

DONALD TRUMP Student Debt: Thinks student debt is the one area where government shouldn’t profit. He’s “gonna make it really great for the student,” but not really “gonna” tell us how.

Immigration Reform: Infamous for referring to illegal immigrants as “rapists” and “murderers” and wants to deport them all.

Intends to build a really big wall and bill Mexico for it.

Military Engagement: Thinks we should let Russia get rid of ISIS, but previously favored U.S. boots on the ground in areas where ISIS has oil interests. Wants a really big military so “nobody messes with us.”

Civil Rights (BLM/LGBT): He called Martin O’Malley “weak” and “pathetic” for apologizing to Black Lives Matter protesters.

Echoes “all lives matter” chant. Strays from the GOP pack with his support of LGBT workplace rights and says “you have to go with” same-sex marriage decision.

Planned Parenthood/Abortion: Really big pro-life advocate...now. Has flipped a few times on the issue of funding Planned Parenthood.

Drug Policy: Opposes marijuana legalization as of June, which is a switch from his position in 1990. However, he doesn’t think kids should get jail time for pot busts.

Nov. 8, 2016 worlds away for an but the presidentia wasting a single maining 389 days themselves apart f A lot can chang and then, but as are your frontru they feel about is to you. More can to come online a com.

Tale of Tape

WOJCIK member

may seem like n average person, al hopefuls aren’t one of their res in trying to set from the crowd. ge between now s of now…these unners and how ssues that matter ndidate coverage at DVCInquirer.

HILLARY CLINTON Student Debt: Proposed plan to refinance existing loans, shrink four-year college cost and make two-year colleges free.

Immigration Reform: Cosponsored DREAM Act in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Believes comprehensive reform and a path to citizenship would actually add $700 billion to the U.S. economy within 10 years.

Military Engagement: Favors diplomacy over gunfire when possible. Regrets her past vote to invade Iraq and not providing more assistance to Syrian rebels. Strongly supported Iran nuclear deal.

Civil Rights (BLM/LGBT): She has said that “gay rights are human rights,” although it “could’ve been sooner.” In August, she told Black Lives Matter activists that they need a concrete plan because “if you can’t explain it and sell it, it stays on the shelf.”

Planned Parenthood/Abortion: Consistent in her support of Planned Parenthood and women’s right to choose. Says defunding Planned Parenthood blocks people from “life-saving preventative care.”

Drug Policy: Advocates for medical cannabis research, but is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding legalization for recreational use.

features 8

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

New app keeps S.F. ‘up all night’ SARAH CARR Staff member

Graphic illustration by JESSE SUTTERLEY

Imagine a wolrd where everything you say and do is can be placed in a 1-5 star review, well that future is not to far apart as Peeple makes its way onto devices in November.

‘Peeple’ fosters social media anxiety JESSE SUTTERLEY News and photo editor

Imagine going on a disappointing date. You want to tell people to watch out for the cheap skate that tried to make you pay for everything because they “forgot their wallet.”

Peeple, a new app for IOS systems, allows you to rate your friends and family on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.

So what are the requirements for reviewing someone? First you must be over the age of 21, and you must have a Facebook account. However, Peeple has had to change it’s policies after outrage from media outlets, up until Sunday, Oct. 4 there was no opt out

policy. Only after incredible backlash from the internet did the apps creator, Julia Cordray, create the opt in only policy.

In the past week the apps main website has been neutered and its Facebook and Twitter pages have been deactivated although the app is still set to launch into beta testing Oct. 12.

After we look past the loss of privacy, biased reviews and hateful comments, what’s truly scary about this is the effect it may have on people’s emotional and mental well being.

Everyday all of us pass judgment on someone else, be it your classmate, lover, teacher or random stranger, but these judgments only run through our head,

unless we are near a friend. Now these judgments will be seen by the world and the negative effects could greatly out way the fact that someone from your work thinks you’re a “really swell person.”

What happens when you try to go out on a date but instead of getting to know them when you meet, you already looked at their Peeple profile and found out what others think?

Is this the downfall of real human connection? Why risk getting to know someone when you could just wait for the reviews?

Contact JESSE SUTTERLEY at JSutterley@DVCInquirer.com

Frequent concert-goers would greatly benefit from signing up for this feature, and you can pick San Francisco now has its own and choose which four shows you RSVP event calendar. want to attend.

Up All Night — a live music One of the most exciting qualientertainment app that requires ties of being a gold subscriber is a simple account and a list of po- having all access to the exclusive tential event companies and local events and club nights Up All promoters to follow — provides a Night hosts. scrolling list of upcoming live muAs of right now, the website sic events happening in the city. states there is no penalty for gold The app is centered around members who receive free entry to dance, house and indie music, but a show and don’t show up to claim there are it. occasional However, “If clubbing and house exceptions this policy music are your niche, to this. may change If clubif the app this app should bing and accrues a definitely pique house mularge enough sic are your audience your interest.” niche, this and gold app should subscribers definitely pique interest. frequently miss shows. The tickets Electronic music dominates the are also on a first-come first-serve app, which comes as no surprise. basis. So showing up 30 minutes Electronic dance music, or before the event ends is not a good EDM, becoming the new “pop idea. Get there early. music” has been in progress for a San Francisco is the only city few years, and the SF club scene Up All Night caters to, but the is home to many unique, under- app will soon be expanding to ground acts that don’t often ap- other cities. Overall, this app is pear in other major cities in the a great thing for partiers. Jukely, US. a NYC-based app with the same Up All Night also has a “gold” principles, also allows dedicated feature where users can sign up for music lovers and club goers to a monthly $25 fee that grants free RSVP to shows. It seems these access to four shows per month. nightlife apps could be a new up Considering that most shows cost and coming trend. close to $30 each, excluding the fees attached to purchasing tickets Contact SARAH CARR at SCarr@DVCInquirer.com online, its a decent trade-off.

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Editorial

Remember the names that matter

We

’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t.

And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.

-Chuck Palahniuk, “Fight Club.”

Mass shootings keep happening in the United States, and they will continue to do so — becoming meaningless through repetition.

While we need to reform our 2nd Amendment and possibly increase funding to mental health programs, neither one of these solutions seem to be making headway. People love their guns and people don’t like to give away money, and so the debate continues.

However, the point of this editorial isn’t to talk about gun reform or the need for more mental health centers.

Instead, let’s talk about something we can all agree upon: Our media needs to stop naming mass shooters.

This habit makes it seem as though we are idolizing the people causing these tragedies. If we keep reporting and creating documentaries and films about them, then they will continue to exist in our culture. These shooters all seem to want one thing: publicity. And our media continues to give them the spotlight.

Changing the way we report a mass shooting may not stop the event from happening, but it will send a message: “Shooting up a place will not make you famous.”

Perhaps it’s because we’re more inclined, more intrigued, with these sinister characters rather than each individual victim who actually mattered.

NPR ombudsman Benjamin Mullin defended their decision to use the Oregon shooter’s name by saying: “Identifying the shooter by name is part of unraveling a story and helping place it in the larger context of many shootings.”

But this approach focuses on the lunatic that killed rather than the innocent person whose life was taken.

People that are killed in these atrocities become a number. The victims are known as a group, and not the individuals they really are. When media report on the shooter, they go into their biography, possible motives, interests, and other random stuff that doesn’t really matter after the fact.

This needs to change.

Last week’s shootings at Northern Arizona University and Texas Southern University — strangely occurring the same day — were reported no differently.

Of course, this won’t stop these horrific events from happening, but it is the ethical way to start reporting them.

No one committing these acts deserves to be remembered.

We need to remember the people we have lost.

opinions 10

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

The

Buzz Do you support physician-assisted suicide?

ANASTASIA KARAKOI, 18 Business

“I think it’s agood idea because people will have help.”

EMMERSON LIM, 20 Communications

“If that’s their own choice I think it’s a good idea, so they don’t have to suffer.”

REBECCA CANNON, 21 History

“‘I’m Catholic so I’m against (it).

They have no right to meddle in the business of God .”

MADDI CASHMAN, 19 Nursing

“Yea, I guess it’s a good idea, but I don’t have much of an opinion on it.”

FINN OYEN, 21 Criminal Justice

“No, it’s not a good idea because people can still come back...when they aren’t likey.”

Interviewed by: Erin Smith Photographed by: Jung Min Lee

Are you afraid of the dark?

The campus police at Diablo Valley College is anything but up to par, specifically in the evening. When students are walking to their cars after a night class, there are no police to be found.

Students have to walk to their cars looking over their shoulder in fear that someone might try to hurt them.

I don’t know what the campus police’s directive is, but it seems like they only care about KATHARINE HADA / The Inquirer giving students tickets for not having parking DVC campus officer J. Curtis instructs campus police aids Hunter Yarell and passes.

In actuality, the main issue should be student Kamrun Kaya in the library parking lot Tuesday, Oct. 13. safety. When it comes to campus safety, many students are unaware of what DVC offers. night. There are less police officers on campus I love having a night class, but I don’t feel safe For example, many stuat night. Two to three to be walking to my car once my class is over,” said dents do not know that exact. sophomore Sasha Rowland, “it would be nice they can call a police offiWe have nine parking lots to know that while I’m walking to my car late at cer to escort them to their on campus, not including the night that I am safe, but at the moment I don’t car. Wouldn’t you think that overflow lots we have. That feel that way.” would be a good thing to isn’t enough police to cover A change needs to be made. know? this whole campus if there’s The police officers on this campus should But if one student is using a serious emergency. be patrolling each parking lot when most night this escort system, this takes I’m a student who has a classes end and start. away a police officer from night class and I do not feel This will give the students peace of mind the rest of the campus. So safe when knowing that if something were to happen to that’s not really solving the I’m walking to my car, my them, there is probably a police officer close by. problem, it’s just creating a only defense is the mace that It will also add a degree of safety to this camnew one. my father gave me. pus, which we do not have. So not only will it According to the daily Although the mace is great give students a safe feeling, but it will also keep JULIANNA CARDINALE police reports on campus, in case of an emergency, it the students safe.

Staff member more crimes happen during still doesn’t make me feel the day time. But that doesn’t safe in anyway. And I’m not Contact JULIANNA CARDINALE at necessarily mean that the students are safer at the only one who feels this way, “As a student JCardinale@DVCInquirer.com

Drinking sewage is California’s future We have plenty of water, as Sept. 29. long as we cut the crap.

The Dublin San Ramon SerThe common reaction when vices District, however, is still unyou hear “sewage” and “drink- satisfied. ing water” connected in the same There is simply no way of besentence is to respond with some- ing absolutely sure that El Niño thing along the will bring the lines of “eww,” amount of waor “gross,” ter needed to or variations quench our thereof. states thirst.

The two As a result, might be they have proclosely conposed the rather nected, and outlandish idea sooner than of purifying you think. sewage water Since Gov. and reverting it Jerry Brown’s back to drinkdemand for able tap water. a 25 percent This is not a KATHARINE HADA KATHARINE HADA / The Inquirer reduction in new concept.

Staff member urban water Since 2003, Central Contra Costa County citizens fill up recycleduse, the state Singapore has has met those relied on this water tanks for landscape irrigation at the Central Contra needs and then some.

“NEWater” micro filtration sys- Costa Sanitary District in Martinez on Oct. 8, 2015 This past August alone, the East tem created by the Public Utilities Bay Municipal Utility District re- Board (PUB) which uses advanced The issue here is not the tech- cycled sewage water, and quickly. ported a 27 percent cut back and membrane technologies and ultra- nological side of things, it’s cul- The reality is California can’t rely Contra Costa Water District re- violet disinfection systems to treat tural. on rain as a primary water source ported a 40 percent drop in con- sewage water.

Many people simply can not anymore. sumption for it’s residential usage.

This system provides 30 per- stomach the idea of drinking forWater is running low; we have “This shows our customers are cent of Singapore’s total water mer sewage water. the technology and we would all taking the drought seriously and requirements.

No matter how filtered, we still eventually end up adjusting psydoing what we asked for,” Abby They state that the quality of know what we did in that water chologically.

Figueroa, a spokeswoman for the the filtered sewage water, once it before flushing.

East Bay Municipal Utility Dis- is returned for consumption, actuAs gross as the concept may be, Contact KATHARINE HADA at KHada@DVCInquirer.com trict, told the Contra Costa Times ally exceeds drinking standards. we should switch to reusing re-

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Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

KATHARINE HADA / The Inquirer

Amer Araim educates his students on importance of democracy and campaigning on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2015

Millennials prepare for election season Millennials throw a wild card sionate voters who see an inspirainto the upcoming presidential tional figurehead in Bernie Sandelections. 18 to 22-year-old voters, ers, drama lovers who are drawn to who have grown up learning about Donald Trump’s insane proposals, politics through highs and lows in and feminists who are ready for past administrations, are now be- a strong female voice in Hillary ing asked to do Clinton. their part for the When it American Govcomes to an ernment. Young, ideal presidendiverse, imprestial candidate, sionable minds millennials are now responare finding sible for making inspiration in a decision that mensch Bernie will effect AmerSanders. He ican lives for at hates student least four years. debt, having However, milgone on record lennials may not as stating, “I be as naive and just want evKATHARINE HADA idealistic as they eryone to get a Online editor portrayed. higher educaThe issue here tion, regardless seems to be that the millennial of their income.” He knows how group is divided: The young pas- to appeal to a younger genera-

tion with his positions on legalizing marijuana and increasing the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. He is also killing it on the presidential subreddit. His page alone gets dozens of posts daily, illustrating the effectiveness of a solid grassroots campaign strategy.

Millennials love drama, and Trump knows how to appeal to this aspect. He represents the American Dream where hard work and perseverance will help you attain everything you want in life. According to the Reason-Rupe 2014 survey, a whopping 64 percent of Millennials agree when Trump states that hard work is the key to success and 40 percent agree with him when he says that poor life choices and a “lack of work ethic” is what leads to poverty. Unfortunately, it isn’t that black and white, and that’s a gross understatement.

Trump is potentially blindly leading further generations into mak-

ing horribly uneducated decisions that influence the masses.

And then there’s Hillary Clinton who appears to be holding down the feminist contingent.

Having recently appeared in an interview for Lena Dunham’s “Lenny” newsletter, she goes on record talking about her positions on equal pay, sexual assault on college campuses, student debt, and women’s health. For women who have patiently been waiting for a strong female leader, Clinton is a hopeful in attaining those goals, however, millennials have said they find something “off putting” about her. Back in 2008 voters compared Clinton to more of a “nagging mother” than a a leader.

When asked for their opinions on the matter, the Diablo Valley College community had differing opinions on the matter.

Biology student Niko Dennis, 22, said, “I like nearly everything

I’ve heard from Bernie Sanders.

I haven’t heard much from other Democratic representatives, and I don’t like much coming from the Republican candidates side.” Alternatively, sociology and psychology student Lunden Davis said, “What I’ve heard from Donald Trump has been a lot of negativity around immigrants that I don’t necessarily agree with what he has to say. I haven’t heard anything from Hillary at all.”

So when push comes to shove, do we want a leader who fights for student rights, one who is undereducated and leads further generations into darkness, or a strong woman fighting for equal pay who also happens to sound like our nagging mother?

Contact KATHARINE HADA at KHada@DVCInquirer.com

Law school is valuable beyond law What do Nelson Mandela, John Grisham, Henri Matisse cisely and persuasively, simplify complex ideas, research, neand Gandhi have in common? They are all law school gradu- gotiate and strategize to reach desired results. ates.

Colette Stone, founder of Stone & Associates, a highly For whatever reason, law school has now gotten a bad rap. successful local law firm, opined that, “The cost of law This writer, who is also a lawyer, wholeschool is not too high when you consider heartedly disagrees with these criticisms. the power and versatility of these skills.”

The evidence shows that law school has A legal education prepares students for tremendous value, whether one aspires to a wide range of careers including business, practice law or follow a different career real estate, journalism and law enforcepath, now is a particularly favorable time ment. to apply.

Justin Berkowitz, a graduate of ColumCertainly, law school is expensive. The bia Law School and this writer’s son-inaverage debt for a law school graduate is law, rejected the traditional practice of $84,000 at a public school and $122,158 law. Instead, he was the east coast editor at a private school. for Car & Driver Magazine before joining However, most advanced degrees BMW Mini in the product management are costly. Getting a Master of Business division. Berkowitz explained, “I am a Administration degree from top busiwalking example that a legal education ness schools ranged from approximately opens so many doors…it provides a great PAMELA LEVIN $108,000 to $118,000. The estimated skill set applicable to many different proStaff member average loan debt for 2013 graduates of fessions.” medical school was $169,901.

While the legal job market has experiLaw school is well worth its price tag. enced a downturn since 2007, along with Students learn to think analytically, speak and write con- the rest of the economy, the gloom and doom regarding job

prospects for lawyers is exaggerated.

U.S. Department of Labor data in 2010, during the height of the recession, showed that the unemployment rate for lawyers was six times lower than the overall rate.

More importantly, there are strong signs that the market is returning. Recent projections show that demand for law jobs and the supply of law jobs should be relatively equal in 2015 and demand may exceed supply in 2016.

Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Law School at John F. Kennedy University Dean E. Barbieri explained, “When the economy gets better, the need for lawyers gets better.”

While lawyers do work hard, the same can be said of many other careers. Additionally, those long hours are generally well compensated. Lawyers earn the fourth highest median salary, $113,00 in 2010, topped only by medical doctors, dentists and CEOs. Law school is not for everyone. However, a legal education should not be rejected because of recent, largely unfounded but highly publicized, criticisms. Law school deserves a second look.

Contact PAMELA LEVIN at PLevin@DVCInquirer.com

sports 12

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015

Vikings start strong in Big 8 ERIN SMITH Staff member

returned to play the game they so desperately wanted to finish.

The Vikings kept their pace with Diablo Valley College volleyball Consumnes River throughout the team won their first game in the set with an answer for every shot Big 8 Series, by defeating Con- sent their way. With a clear winsumnes River Friday Oct. 9. Com- ner half-way through the set, DVC ing out of three previous losses, this dominated the court. The final was the Viking’s first win in the Big score was 25-12 for the set and 3-0 8 Series. for the game.

DVC came out strong in the first After the game, outside hitter set. Hard-hitting spikes sent by Noelle Vleisides commented, “I DVC to the opposing team made think we did really well. We had up several of DVC’s points. good tempo and pace.” Vleisides Defense specialist Taylor-Marie also attributed adjusting to the othKanoe Pruett er teams tachandled the tics and mak“We were just defense on ing them having fun out there.

DVC’s side work for their of the net. points to such I think we can Keeping the a successful be hard on ourselves. ball in the air, win. she prevented Pruett comWe shake it off Consumnes mented on the and move on River from fact that this is scoring, retheir first win to the next play.” sulting in a in the series, first set win, “We were just ~TAYLOR-MARIE KANOE PRUETT 25-14. having fun out Libero The Vikings there. I think came off a we can be hard little spotty at on ourselves. the start of the second set. Con- We shake it off and move on to the sumnes River took a four point next play.” She also mentioned the lead, causing the DVC fans in the importance of team work. “We had room some distress, but DVC was each others backs and played as a able to quickly tie the game up team and trusted each other. It’s a again, 7-7. The two teams kept a good feeling.” close score for the majority of the The Vikings head out to battle second set, but DVC ultimately San Joaquin Delta on Wednesday prevailed, the score was 25-22.

Nov. 14, and return home Friday, Emotions were running high as Nov. 16 to take on Sacramento DVC entered the third and po- City. tential final set. The audience was amazed at the skill that was being displayed. The team’s eyes were Contact ERIN SMIH at burning with anticipation as they ESmith@DVCInquirer.com

DVC ouside hitter and right side hitter Noelle Vleides serves the ball to Consumes River College.

Courtesy of SHANE LOUIS

Fitness center gets a long-awaited update AUSTIN LEMAK Staff member

The Diablo Valley College fitness center is in dire need of help. The center is outdated and doesn’t have everything a top of the line gym should have. With the changes being made it has a lot of potential to be that top of the line gym.

This past summer Diablo Valley College passed a grant for new equipment in the

“I want to have the most up to date equipment for my interns so that when they apply and move on from DVC they know how to use all kinds of updated equipment.” ~SHELLY PIERSON Kinesiology professor

campus fitness center.

As well as having outdated weights, the fitness center does not provide the equipment found in a standard gym.

The updated fitness center will be com-

plete when students return to school for the spring semester.

The center would have been completed when the grant was passed in the summer, but the district postponed moving in the updated equipment due to painting and cleaning the fitness center over winter break.

Shelly Pierson, a professor of Kinesiology at DVC, is the one that made the new fitness center possible. Pierson wrote the $58,000 grant presented to the school for the updated equipment.

Pierson is the program director of the Fitness Instruction/Personal Training Degree/ Certificate program. Pierson said,”I want to have the most up to date equipment for my interns so that when they apply and move on from DVC they know how to use all kinds of updated equipment.”

FIDEL ONTIVEROS / The Inquirer The new and improved fitness center will have brand new hand weights featuring a Donaven Spencer uses a shoulder press machine in DVC Fitness Center. custom DVC fitness logo.

The outdated equipment will be replaced this is one of many phases in upgrading the The process of getting the grants passed by a nine station Hoist Rocket Fitness jungle fitness center. for the new equipment will be long and difpulley system. This one machine will do the The goal is to make DVC’s gym more like ficult. As grants are passed we will not have job of all the outdated machines that are cur- an actual gym with high-tech equipment. to wait as we have had thus far. Once grants rently in the weight room.

There will be more upgrades to the fitness are received we will be able to add to the fitFive new benches are also going in the center, and more additions to the center as ness center piece by piece. fitness center. There are currently limited grants come in. benches in the center now and only one The department plans to add new bumper bench press and incline bench press. weights and renovate the currently cracked Contact AUSTIN LEMAK at ALemak@DVCInquirer.com The Kinesiology Department hopes that floors.