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Athletes of the Season: The Inquirer chooses Iwaugwu and Magarin as the best of fall 2011.
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R JOHN KESLE MMAD ZULI MOHA Staff writers
start that they would announced In 1984, DVC in the fall. units or more, charging tuition ts, who took six me students, studen Full-time while part-ti per unit. fee of $50 paid $5 paid a flat six units, at DVC, less than d students who took not only affecte ts in the entire This move college studen unity but comm nia. Know state of Califor d Oaklan Need to An reporter, to Tribune , was DVC started 1984 in Virgil Mibert stuthe charge fees quoted in full-time aper – at $50 for dent newsp units or Enquirer status, six called the $5 per – as more, and at the time only ime unit for part-t saying, “The that other thing college status. the community be asOn Dec. 15, can ature students State Legisl is [some whether sured of will decide tuition in se form of] er.” not to increa or semest fall the er only fees in Summ ongoWhile the to unity 2012 due thing comm ts t cuts. studen ing budge college of could be certain of type er was some ts toWhile young tuition, studencertain ts see fee studen day are only will inas a increases that the fees evil, necessary crease. ations 15, the older gener they On Dec. Legised as are appall Calfornia decide increasing see fees lature will unit. mid-year whether over $36 per are necbudget cuts from the Cal8 statement essary. Office, Sept. a to es Chancellor’s ors anAccording unity Colleg if legislat ifornia Comm e to $46 per unit fees will increas of mid-year cuts. nonneed unit. For nounce the classes are $36 per which contly, $231, is Curren -state the fee residents a $195 out-of California $36 fee plus the of late sists t during the charge. a DVC studen that the fees Habib Simab, 1990s, remembers early 1980s and $10 per unit. were around 8 FEES, Page
er st semest As the fir tion ends, uc of constr xed feelings s mi DVC ha BALINGIT CHRISTA s editor & Feature
Arts could walk t Wayne Yoo the Physiyear, studen r to Arts Cente his time last never Perfor mance fifteen minutes. He difrom the in e building m. The ability to walk cal Scienc and conwas a proble made it fast thought it gh the quad s agonally throu the campu one end of moving from venient. however, ter, project This semes proved difficult. “The new has h to the other to be a five-minute is very muc “What used turned into ten,” ting now classes, sed on mee walk has focu get to my “To of our Yoo said. d the entire the needs walk aroun d off I have to thing is blocke campus. Everythrough.” students. go Project’ so I can’t Commons KNOX The ‘New not be com~CHRISANNE ng of Marketi 15 and will of Director began July ncation By the end Commu 2014. and pleted until students will be press, much imthe proce a new and 15. sented with s. The constr uction camquad on July proved campu demolition of the of all buildings acrossclasses. the easy access in between started with allowed for students could sit ts are forced to The quad where studen place off, a d pus and was letely blocke campus. quad comp unications, routes to With the and comm just isn’t nt and longer marketing t, it find differe Knox, director of be inconvenien Chrisanne the constr uction may it. said that whileh reason not to do Page 8 a good enoug TRUCT,
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Students Occupy
Social Media allows student voice to be heard CECILY TROWBRIDGE Managing editor
Mike Alfieri/ The Inquirer
Nathan Brown, Associate professor of English, holds a teach-in at Dutton Hall at UC Davis during a state wide protest against fee hikes during the UC Regents meeting on Monday Nov. 28.
College students grab hold of ‘Occupy’ to help spread message Danielle Barcena Photo editor
Although students have been protesting budget cuts and tuition increases for years to no avail, the recent adoption of “Occupy” tactics may be forcing administrators to take notice. On Monday, Dec. 5, University of California President Mark G. Yudof, announced his appointment of 12 members to lead the task force to investigate the pepper spraying incident at UC Davis. The task force will act after Knoll Consulting Firm completes its investigation of the events. The 12 members of the task force are made up of a diverse group of Davis community members, including students William McKenna and Tatiana Bush, who spoke during a Nov. 28 UC Regents meeting at UC Davis. “My intent in forming this task force is to allow the UC Davis community to take a fair and uncompromising look at what happened on Nov. 18 … and also to make any recommendations it deems appropriate,” Yudof said. His proposal may not satisfy all students. “President Yudof is putting the foxes in charge of guarding the hen house,” Rachel Taylor, UC Davis student said during Regents meeting. “[the investigation panel] are privately contracted to represent and serve the regents, not the university community…We demand a truly independent investigation into these incidents.” UC Davis is only one of the many California campuses that have joined the “Occupy” movement. Students at San Francisco State University joined the “Occupy” movement on Dec. 1, after their President refused to listen to their pleas for a relief on fee increases. They set up tents in Malcolm X plaza and say they plan
Websites like Yelp, Angie’s List and Urban Spoon allow consumers to share opinions on the services they pay for, be it the quality of a crepe, the beauty of a painter’s work, or the atmosphere of an Asian bistro. However, one website which allows students to review the services of the professors they put their tuitions toward has stirred up unmatched controversy. The ability to tell fellow students, as well as the professors themselves, how well they teach, how difficult their material is and how attractive one considers them to be is surely being taken advantage of. Over 13 million reviews have been written. RateMyProfessors.com has been criticized as inaccurate and as little more than a tool used to fulfill the “vendetta” of a disgruntled student; the site says that “well over half of the ratings” are positive. “I use it every semester for every class that I’ve taken,” said DVC student Derek ONLINE, Page 2
Teachers prepare students for class changes Brian Donovan Copy Editor Danielle Barcena / The Inquirer
A student finds limited space to sleep inside of Dutton Hall at UC Davis. Fresh ink dries on posters created by Occupy supporter “J.P” on Monday Nov. 28 at UC Berkeley. on staying there until they see change. At UC Santa Cruz, students protested budget cuts and campus police violence by occupying the Hahn Student Services building on Nov 28. That same day, students across the state took control over a teleconference meeting held by the Regents of the University of California. The college community voiced their opinions at UCLA, UC Davis, UCSF and UC Merced during a People’s meeting that postponed the Regents’ originally scheduled Committee on Finance agenda item. Over 50 people were allowed one minute each to address the Regents via microphone that broadcast the STUDENTS, Page 3
Coming summer of 2012, students who have attempted a course more than three times will be prevented from taking the course in the future. According to DVC’s Vice President of Instruction Susan Lamb, this means if you received a D or an F or withdrew from the class, you’ll only have two more chances to succeed here. After your third unsuccessful attempt, you’ll have to go to another community college district to try again. “If students want to be successful, they’ve got to take that course in the spring,” said Lamb when explaining that next semester will be the
Mike Alfieri / The Inquirer
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REPEAT, Page 2
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
REPEAT
ONLINE
From Page 1
From Page 1
Leung. “The first couple of years, my grades weren’t that good because of my teachers. But, since I’ve started using Rate My Professors, my grades have improved because I’ve been able to find professors who teach in a style that I can learn to.” Critiques regarding accuracy include this statement from The University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology: “While some teachers may have taught thousands of students, they may only have 90 comments. So, what does this mean for the margin of error?” Rate My Professors was the first in this decade’s growing emergence of studentcentered social media sites which includes Reddit.com and Facebook. Reddit consists of a collection of pages which focus on topics like “Today, I learned…” “WTF” and “Atheism.” The site has a history of being the home of social rallying as in 2010, members put forth an initiative that Stephen Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” which was responded to and held in Washington, D.C. Rate My Professors is used as an instructor/ campus-reviewing system whereas Reddit supplies message boards so that students can communicate with one another. Students share sentiments such as which bathroom at school they favor most, what graffiti they’ve noticed and, “What’s with that statue in front of the library?” DVC’s personal Reddit page is home to these questions and more, as well as being the home of a few displeased students’ complaints. One student writes, “The sign [in the Admissions office] reads that DVC wants to provide outstanding service with a ‘students first’ philosophy. There is only one window open, with only one person working at which priority is given to staff. I asked if there is only one person working and staff ‘snarkly’ confirmed this.” The student proposed that officials “Take down that sign and stop pretending or hire some people and stop wasting your student’s valuable time.” Although many students consider the raiding of Rate My Professors a valuable strategy when choosing instructors for their courses, the reliability and accuracy of reviews has been widely questioned. The argument that one of the key categories instructors are rated on, “Easiness,” fails to target the facets of teaching that are most important has led many to write the website off as a mecca for angry students, searching for a place to rant about the unfairness of life. In factuality, the site comes up with a rating based only on “Clarity” and “Helpfulness.” “Easiness” is a category that was added purely due to its interest to the students. In a recent study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, researcher April Bleske-Recheck, associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire and student Amber Fritsch found that not only were the number of reviews indifferent to the overall rating of the professor but that there was “strong student consensus about instructor quality...Trends in student
Source: RateMyProfessors.com
DVC Psychology Professor M. Akiyama has maintained an overall rating just .3 points from perfect despite his 47 unique reviews. Below, mathematics Professor Patty Leitner has one of the highest overall scores at DVC.
last one where a student can complete a course they have repeated more than three times. This is all the result of the state Legislature recently reducing the amount of times a student can repeat a course from seven attempts to only three in an on-going effort to cut the education budget. According to Lamb, students who are at risk will be notified that spring semester is their last chance to succeed. In the future, students who fail or withdraw from a course twice will have an intervention by a DVC counselor. According to DVC instruction office numbers, there are 390 students who have attempted English 122 more than three times while 420 students for Math 120, making them the classes most impacted by this policy. “It’s not fair for the students,” said Jose Daza, who represents the Latino Student Alliance on the InterClub Council. “It doesn’t feel good being told you are a failure and that is what this policy does.” Longtime DVC student William Medrano said that students face unforeseeable circumstances that can cause them to fail a course. “No matter how hard you try, life gets in the way,” Medrano said. “Who makes these decisions without my permission? This is not what I pay taxes for. I pay taxes to allow students to succeed.”
Communications major Claudia Aguas said, “Why eliminate advancement when someone is willing to take something more than three times?” While students are mostly either against or aren’t yet aware of these changes, some faculty and administrators are looking forward to what they and students can do to get prepared. “Maybe the good way to look at this is that it helps students be successful the first time,” said Lamb. “We need to make sure that they have the resources to be successful the first time whether through tutoring, study groups, cohorts and/or counseling.” Math Department Chair Despina Prapavessi said, “We are trying to create alternatives for our students to be successful.” She said those alternatives include new courses like Math110E Elementary Algebra in study skills and Accelerated Algebra for Statistics. English Department Chair Judy Myers had advice for students who needed to take their impacted class next semester. “If you get into the class that you need to complete, be smart about how many units you are taking. Take a lighter load, go visit your teacher early and often,” Myers said. Contact BRIAN DONOVAN at bdonovan@ TheInquirerOnline.com
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PABLO CABALLERO / The Inquirer
ratings on RateMyProfessors. Psychology instructor M. com mirror those found on Akiyama has 47 ratings with traditional student evaluations an overall score of 4.7 while of teaching (Coladarci & John Freytag, Science, has Kor nfield, 45 written 2 0 0 7 ; reviews, a “Since I’ve started score Sanders et of using Rate My al., 2011).... 4.6 and an Rate My easiness scale Professors, my Professors of 2.3. grades have is providing In 2008, improved because University of u s e f u l feedback I’ve been able to South Florida a b o u t find professors who iSn sct r ou c tt o rt instr uctor teach in a style that G r i z z a r d , quality.” Bleskewho teaches I can learn to.” Recheck Economics, has 42 total wrote a ~DEREK LEUNG ratings on personal DVC student the site with response an overall “to the rating of 4.2, while her one person who gave me easiness is 2.5. In contrast, a not-so great review on of the 961 professors rated RateMyProfessors.com.” for DVC, the majority of the “All of the other instructors 5.0 ratings (the best score I have talked to have told me possible) are due to the fact not to obsess about student that only one review has been ratings,” he writes, “but I written for that professor. view my class as my product Two of the top-scoring like a small business owner professors (with the highest views his product, and you number of ratings in relation are the customer. I care to score) are Patty Leitner, about customer experience Mathematics and Kimberly and satisfaction.” Taugher, Biology, who both He then goes on to address stand at 5.0. They’ve each the student directly: “I am been rated 11 times. When sorry you had a bad experience asked what about her teaching in my class. You have to work style she thought students hard at economics, and most were responding to, Leitner students don’t realize how said she makes an effort to tough the subject is.” “explain things clearly” and While some professors “tries to make sure that every have taken to “obsessing” single student really gets it over their reviews as - not just the ones that are Grizzard has, The University naturally good at math.” of Alabama’s Office of
Information Technology says that, “an instructor has the option of removing any posts believed to be slander.” In an article from Wired Magazine, founder of Rate My Professors, John Swapceinski who created the website when he was himself a student at San Jose University, is quoted as stating that he receives lawsuit threats “pretty much on a weekly basis.” Business Professor David Mease of San Jose State University received the number one spot in the “Professor Top Lists” for the 2010-2011 year. Bay Area four- and two-year schools received a number of the honors; Anna Marie Hibble of San Francisco State ranked number three “Hottest” professor, Diane Pirtle of Cerritos College at number nine was best “Junior College Professor” overall and the University of California, Berkeley received number six “Highest Rated University.” DVC’s student consensus seems to be clear. “It’s a pretty valuable tool ‘cause it lets everybody’s voice get heard...for the most part,” said Criminal Justice major Nick Barton. Staff writer Theresa Marie contributed to this article.
Contact CECILY TROWBRIDGE at ctrowbidge@ TheInquirerOnline.com
Thursday, December 8, 2011
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The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
STUDENTS From Page 1
Photos by MIKE ALFIERI / The Inquirer
Speaker of the California Assembly John A. Perez D-Los Angeles, addresses reporters outside of the UC Regents meeting Nov. 28 at UC Davis. er over a PA system and the phone that connected the teleconference to the other campuses. Students voiced their concern with educational leaders ignoring their pleas for accessible education. Many students in the UC Davis audience held signs saying “Resign Katehi.” UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi has faced much scrutiny since campus police pepper-sprayed students during a peaceful protest against fee hikes. Katehi has refused to resign, but has initiated an investigation on the police response. Some students are still unsatisfied, however. “When the Chancellors’ salary is above $400,000 and professors have to buy paper, that is a system that is not working…and when the UC Davis chancellor doesn’t know the practices of her own police force, that means she’s not doing her job,” said Puneet Kamal, UC Davis undergraduate student. John A. Perez, speaker of the California State Assembly, who attended the meeting on the UC Davis campus, called the violence a “clearly unacceptable police response to a clearly peaceful assembly.” Recent campus police response to peaceful protesters, like the Davis incident and the student beatings at UC Berkeley, has garnered national attention and media coverage. During a time when the world has focused its eyes on the “Occupy” movement against economic inequality,
students trade in their previous rallies and sit-ins for UC Davis tents. Chancellor Following the Nov 28 reLinda Katehi gents meeting, students at and class UC Davis held a General Aspresident sembly in Dutton Hall and Adam unanimously passed UC Davis English Professor Nathan Thongsavat Brown’s move to occupy the listen to the hall for the following two demands weeks, through to the end of of students the school’s semester. The that took assembly agreed on the occontrol cupation. of the UC “The proposal…is to stop Regents administrative functions meeting [and] establish control over on Monday the building.” Brown said. Protesters set up tents inNov. 28 at side of and in front of DutUC Davis. ton Hall to supplement the encampment that has been present at Davis for weeks prior. While other Occupy movements have faced tough criticism by onlookers for what some see as a lack of coherent demands, student protesters hold onto to the demands that they have voiced the past few years. “Our educational leaders must support the public education system, they should not be collaborating to privatize the system,” said Jordan Carol, UC Davis PhD student during the Regents meeting. UC Berkeley students continue to keep an intermittent presence in front of Sproul At UC Davis, student Mayra Aguilar holds up a sign at the Regents meeting. A list of demands is written Hall, where the beatings took by occupiers at Dutton hall where Davis Fire Chief Nate Hartinger discussed fire code with the tent setup. place on Wednesday Nov. 9. Advertisement
Contact DANIELLE BARCENA at dbarcena@ TheInquirerOnline.com
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Anatomy of an Athlete
The Inquirer chooses Dozie Iwaugwu, above, and Wendy Magarin as the Vikings’ finest of the season GRIFFIN HENNING / The Inquirer
age and third in the conference in rushing. Statistically, Dozie did more with the ball in his hands than any other back in the conferIt was a brilliant season for the DVC Vi- ence. kings who finished 8-2. While squatting nearly a quarter-ton may There were four-year prospects on both not be a prerequisite for playing DVC footsides of the ball and Coach Darr’s team of ball, it certainly paid off. coaches deployed them with tact and effiPart of the fun of watching Dozie Iwaugcacy. wu run is not just his speed, but the way he However, there was one player that particu- runs straight through tackles. larly and incessantly impressed The Inquirer’s One might be led to believe that coach sports reporters; and that’s why Dozie Iwaug- Darr has been spending late evenings in the wu was unanimously selected as Player of the Viking locker room coating Dozie’s pads with Year. WD-40. The only However, controtradition and versy that clout tell us could have differently surfaced about DVC was over sports. the mere Evidence fact that shows that this Viwhen Dozkings team ie is surwas seeprounded by ing with predators, he talent. effortlessly Dozie moves his Iwaugwu feet with the transferred speed and to DVC gyration of a after playbakery-grade ing his first egg beater year with which, in Sierra Colturn, allows lege. him to scamAfter per for larger finding the gains. environThis ment to be makes it imlacking, he portant to opted to not ever, uncome back der any cirto the east cumstances, bay and make the play for the dreadful asVikings. sumption There is, that Dozie indeed, an is down and enchantthe play is ment that over. comes with He’s not observing that kind STEVIE CHOW / The Inquirer Iwaugwu of player, Dozie Iwaugwu runs with the ball during DVC’s run the and the Vifootball. kings aren’t game against Santa Clara College. Iwuagwu had He is a that kind of 806 rushing yards this season, and 935 all rare breed team. purpose yards. of running Iwaugwu back that has received can play offers from any role asked of him. D-1 schools including Cal Poly and SacraDuring a weight room competition put on mento State. by the coaching staff, it was determined that “I surprised myself at Sierra with the reIwaugwu was pound-for-pound the strongest sults I could get conditioning, and I just man on the team. brought that same mentality to DVC hoping “We knew he was strong coming in this that it would carry over.” said Iwaugwu. year, we could tell by his explosiveness in the “And I think it will, I want to take football weight room,” said Coach Darr. “But, I don’t to the highest possible level I can,” he said. know if anybody expected him to squat 500 Look out. He’s off to a fast start. pounds.” Iwaugwu’s season numbers give clarity to his play. He was second in the Golden Gate Contact GRIFFIN HENNING at ghenning Conference in scoring and all-purpose yard@TheInquirerOnline.com GRIFFIN HENNING Staff writer
Wendy Magarin
Dozie Iwaugwu
MIKE ALFIERI/ The Inquirer
Wendy Magarin shoots on goal while practicing at Viking stadium. She leads the team this season in goals and points. SCOTT ANNIS Sports editor
Diablo Valley’s soccer team had more success this year than they have had in quite some time. It was their first winning season since 2009 when they were only over .500 by one game. A lot of returning players and excellent coaching led to this. The biggest contributor however wasn’t a sophomore or coach of the year Cailin Mullins, but a first year Freshman Wendy Magarin. Magarin led the team in goals, with 11, and was tied in total points with 28. “We had really good possessions, and when chances came I stepped up,” Magarin remarked on how she was so successful this season. The Forward is the only member of the team coming from Mt. Diablo High School and was recruited by DVC to score goals. Coach Mullins said, “We recruited her hoping that she could come-in and be a goal scorer for us because this was an area we were lacking last year.” Her impact showed as the team scored 20 more goals than a season ago in only one more game. In 2010 DVC scored a total of 30 goals in 21 games compared with 2011 when the team scored 50 goals in 22 games. Mullins went on to say “As the season
went on, she became more comfortable and productive in that role. She is a talented soccer player who is very skillful and deceptive with the ball which makes her difficult to defend.” Magarin has played soccer since her dad got her into it at four years old. Having played so long she knows all the ins and outs of the game and has overcome a lot to make it to this point in her career. “I get mad a lot, and have to overcome my frustration,” said Magarin. Magarin received two yellow cards this season but never let her frustration completely take over; she never received a red card. Magarin’s anger doesn’t get in the way of her goal scoring; she was seventh in the conference in total points scored and goals scored. She was 28th in the state in points. Mullins is excited about having as skilled a player as Magarin back for a second year. “She has shown a desire to continue to improve as both an athlete and a soccer player, and as a result I anticipate that she will be an even more threatening goal scorer next year. Magarin just wants “to be a leader, and win conference next year.”
Contact SCOTT ANNIS at sannis@TheInquirerOnline.com
Sports
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Vikings fall 2011 season in review TOM RIZZA Staff writer
SEAN WILKEY / The Inquirer
Alec Pica rushes for a touchdown in the third quarter against San Mateo in the Bothman Bowl. The DVC football team finished with a record of 8-2.
Water polo finishes seasons with revenge SEAN WILKEY Staff writer
DVC Water Polo is looking at another successful year, ending with the men’s team spiking a win at conference for the fourth consecutive season, placing 3rd in state after a brutal victory against West Valley. Women’s water polo placed 3rd as well against Merced and won first in conference. Getting there wasn’t easy either; last year women’s water polo placed 4th in conference and 5th in NorCal. “Overall, our sophomores improved and we received a large influx of freshmen which strengthened our team,” observed women’s head coach Rick Millington. Five made All American, among them, Taylor Henry, who made All State and Katie Campbell, who also made All State and is ranked as the best goalie in Northern California. The road to victory in State wasn’t easy either; the Lady Vikings were constantly haunted by Merced for not just the State, but NorCal as well. Originally the Vikings lost to Merced in overtime in NorCal. The Vikings got vengeance for this defeat in the match for third place in state. Merced turned up the heat for a fierce game leading to sudden death. Thankfully, Katie Camp-
bell kept up the saves until the spot was clear for a decisive victory. That break was made by none other than All American Nicole Meyer who passed to All State awarded Taylor Henry, for the game winning goal. Men’s water polo also placed third in state against a similar NorCal nemesis, West Valley. Leading 5-3 at the half, but ultimately losing 5-11 in NorCal. They had their revenge after taking home 3rd in state after winning in a 13-10 struggle. Victory for Vikings’ Water Polo is reflecting in not just their training; it’s reflecting on them as students. Of all sports teams, DVC Water Polo teams have a team roster with an average GPA exceeding 3.0, and offers for students from various 4-year universities. “Expectations are always clear,” explains men’s head coach John Roemer, “Every student is immediately made aware of what he has to do in order to be a part of the DVC team.” A DVC team that is building a community, through wins against teams from all over the nation; DVC Vikings Water Polo has played more 4-year schools than any other junior college in California. Contact SEAN WILKEY at swilkey@TheInquirerOnline.com
Another exciting season of fall sports has come and gone and once again DVC athletics has shown that it is all around one of the best programs in the state. Five sports going on to playoff berths. The winning tradition kept on going for the water polo program, with both the men’s and women’s teams sweeping their respective divisions. The men’s team cashed in on their fourth NorCal championship in a row and their 3rd place finish in the state championships is the best they’ve ever placed. After losing to West Valley twice this season, DVC had the last laugh with a their 1310 win in the 3rd place match at the State Championships. Ori Raz led all scorers in the game with 5 goals and earned All-State honors, and the Vikings keeper Aleksander Garvic had 9 saves. “I think it’s good to show how successful you can be as a team when you do it the right way,” said head coach John Roemer. The women’s team did just as well, winning another NorCal championship and finishing in 3rd place in the state championships. The Vikings faced off against Merced, which handed DVC one of their five losses in a 4-10 match in the early goings of the season. But in the post season, it was the Vikings who got the win when it mattered, edging out a 9-8 thrilling overtime win. The biggest turn around this year would be the DVC soccer team, which improved from their 6-12 record last year to a 15-4 record
Contact TOM RIZZA at trizza@ TheInquirerOnline.com
Carolina Socha takes a successful shot in DVC’s 16-2 win against Fresno City College. DVC’s womens water polo team took first in NorCal and third in state.
Mullins wins coach of the year The 2011 winner of the California Junior College women’s soccer coach of the year is DVC’s Cailin Mullins. The team finished 15-4-3 and took second in the Big 8 conference behind only the top ranked team in state, Santa Rosa. After winning their first round playoff game against Sierra College 1-0, DVC fell to Modesto 3-2. After a disappointing sixth place finish in the Big 8 conference a year ago and a 6-12 record DVC was looking to turn things around. “The biggest reason for our success is our leadership,” Mullins said. One of the leaders on the team was Wendy Magarin, a starting forward on the team who is happy for her coach saying, “Having not so good of a season last year and then getting second in conference was really good for her.” Mullins began her coaching career as an assistant at Stanford before coming to DVC in 2001. After having only three winning seasons since 2003, Mullins needed to change things up saying, “I hope what we did this year is the new standard for the future.” They finished this season ranked seventh in state, and the huge turn around led to Mullins winning coach of the year. Magarin in her first year of eligibility led the team in goals with 11.
Although their record this season was abysmal, 2-12, the young Vikings brought their effort to each game. The experience will come in handy next year with seven players returning. “I have been out scouting high school matches and tournaments looking for potential studentathletes that are wanting to come to DVC to continue their education as well as athletic career,” said Coach Babb. “We have a good core of players to work with over the off-season and hopefully with the new additions that I hope to secure we’ll have a much better season next year.” The DVC cross country team earned success in the Big 8 conference championships this year. The women’s team finished 5th overall led by Freshman Carmen Martinez in a season best time of 19:45. This earned her an All-Conference First team. The men’s team finished 2nd overall and were led by Freshman Greg Garcia who was 7th overall and made the All-Conference First team as well. Although the team saw success in the conference championships, the NorCal and state championships were a different story, with the team finishing 27th. The team, although young, looks to add onto their improvements this year and turn it into success next year. Overall it was another exciting season for fall DVC athletics. The spring teams have big shoes to fill for the Vikings faithful hungry for winners. Until then Vikings fans, stay tuned!
ALEX BRENDEL / The Inquirer
SCOTT ANNIS Sports editor
this year, earning a playoff appearance. The Vikings won their first round playoff match against Sierra 1-0, with Wendy Magarin registering the only goal of the game and goalkeeper Desiree Mortenson holding the shut out. The Vikings would fall in the second round in a close fought 2-3 match, losing to Modesto Junior College. Coach Cailin Mullins still views the season as a big step forward. “The biggest difference for us from last year to this year is the amount of returning players and the leadership that we had from those returning players this year. We had 11 returners who worked hard in the spring and summer to become better soccer players and better leaders for this season,” said Coach Mullins. “This made a significant difference in our ability to be competitive with the top teams this year.” The Vikings football team finished strong this year with an 8-2 record, lead by a defense that was ranked number one in the conference. Their consistent play earned them an appearance in the Bothman Bulldog Bowl against their rival the San Mateo Bulldogs. Once again a bowl win eluded the Vikings with a 62-24 loss. The Vikings are going to lose a lot of players to 4-year programs next year, especially with the entire defensive line receiving scholarships to D-1 programs. The team’s recruiting is going to be a big factor in their success next season. The Vikings’ volleyball team had a tough season this year, after losing most of their team last year to recruiting or ineligibility.
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Ana Torres did her part with 10 goals and eight assists. “You don’t win an award like this by yourself. This is a team win,” Mullins said. As humble as she is Mullins isn’t going to stop now. “I hope to end my career here at DVC,” Mullins said. She will have many more years to build on this years success.
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Cailin Mullins talks to the team during a game in 2009. Mullins won coach of the year in 2011 after leading the team to a 15-4-3 record.
The newspaper production lab is waiting for those who are interested in news media for a future career. Hop into JRNAL126: an open-entry, 1-3 unit class.
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Opinions
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What do you think about using Rate My Professors to decide on your classes?
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“It’s a great tool determining what to expect from a teacher before you take the class. I love using this website because it also tells how the lectures are and how easy the class will be. I highly recommend this site.
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Thank you The Inquirer Editorial Board appreciates members of the DVC community that support journalism Being a journalist can suck. And, in some aspects, being a college journalist can suck even more. During the Nov. 29 ASDVC meeting, Francisco Hinojosa, Inter Club Council president and district student trustee, directed complaints with the Inquirer’s news coverage towards a staff reporter covering the meeting. He began to try to rally the ASDVC Board to take direct actions against The Inquirer while criticizing the reporter’s work this semester. During this rant, members of the ASDVC board stood up to say that Hinojosa was out-ofline; some even defending the victimized reporter, The Inquirer and the Freedom of Press. Traditionally, an editorial is a space where an editorial board can assess a situation affecting its community and suggest a solution to any problem. In this editorial, however, The Inquirer Editorial Board would like to thank the members of ASDVC who fought for the Inquirer and the First Amendment rights of college
students. Over this semester, new Inquirer staff members have struggled to cope with the environment of a college newspaper and the responsibilities of being a journalist on the Diablo Valley College campus. At the same time, the paper has witnessed staff members gassed and arrested. While covering the September BART protests in San Francisco, Inquirer copy editor Brian Donovan was wrongfully arrested with a group of reporters and protesters after an ill-communicated dispersal order. A few months later, news editor Mike Alfieri and photography editor Danielle Bárcena were in the midst of tear-gas and non-lethal rounds while covering Occupy Oakland. And as 2012 approaches, California community college journalists have witnessed what can happen when a student newspaper has little or no support. Earlier this semester, Solano Community College’s student newspaper, The Tempest, covered the death of a black football player, Ennis Johnson, while mis-
“The editorial board is relieved that there are at least a few people who are willing to stand up for a right to report, and our right to learn.”
TOM RIZZA / The Inquirer
takenly printing a comic strip that “references a group of black women stating that they should get rid of all black men,” according to a Daily Republic article. Soon after print, The Tempest participated in a group discussion on their campus which soon turned into a public reprimand. According to a Tempest article, “heated remarks ensued as several audience members demanded to know how this cartoon was able to be placed in the paper and published.” One student, Marion Lee, was quoted asking Phillip Temple, the black cartoonist who created the comic, “Aren’t we tired of being a whipping post? What were you thinking?”
The journalism program is being considered for elimination. In Spring 2011, the California Scholastic Journalism intiative reported on the shutdown of Modesto Junior College’s student newspaper, the Pirate’s Log, while dismantling its communications department. Altogether, the college eliminated journalism, broadcasting and film departments. Rich Cameron, the Cerritos Community College journalism adviser, released a statement recalling the suspension of West Valley College’s journalism department in the mid-‘90s. He said that even though the newspaper was reinstated, “it is not the same voice for
students and training ground for future journalists as it once was and it likely never will be again with its on-again, off-again status.” College journalism is shaky at best. Get past all of the editorials, retractions, interviews and newsprint floating around the campus. The Inquirer is a teaching tool and its staff are simply students learning the foundations of journalism. College journalists have a heavy burden being the “student voice” for their campuses. At The Inquirer, the editorial board is relieved that there are at least a few people who are willing to stand up for a right to report, and our right to learn.
Letter to the Editor
International students: the new minority Being here for two and a half years, I’ve realized that many minority issues are under tremendous attention, such as injustice imposed on African Americans, Latinos, women and gays. But international students are easily ignored. In the 2008-2009 academic year, 671,616 international students came to the U.S. to study. Most of the international students came to the U.S. literally without knowing anybody. Although they have been learning English, they are not fluent at it. On top of that, they need time to adjust to American culture. According to the Bing Dictionary, the definition of minority is a “smaller socially defined group; a group of people, within a society, whose members have different ethnic, racial, national, religious, sexual, political, linguistic or other characteristics from the rest of society.” International students are usually not considered a minority. Maybe because minority usually associates with
disadvantages, but international students are considered rich by many. International students who come to America are definitely privileged compared to peers in their home country. But the truth is that Americans see one side of the story. Community colleges like DVC only charge $195 per unit for out-of-state students. So for many of the middle class families, community college is their first and only choice. When they needed to demonstrate their financial ability to study in America to the U. S. Embassy, many of them borrowed money from friends and relatives then save money in their bank account and show some documents to the U.S. Embassy. In fact, quite contrary to many people's belief that international students
are rich, these students with middleclass family backgrounds are living a very frugal life in the U. S. The rationales behind the notions of African Americans being criminals and international students being rich are the same to me. When one person or many people from a group does something or shows one quality, we tend to assume all the people from that group does that thing or has that quality. We don't even realize that we are labeling people. I have come to realize that DVC doesn't care about international students' well beings in general. All they care about is money. We are only here to be exploited. The only time the school ever sent an email to international students exclusively is when they demand and
“But the truth is that Americans only see one side.”
Editorial Board
Staff
EDITOR IN CHIEF Julius Rea MANAGING EDITOR Cecily Trowbridge NEWS EDITOR Mike Alfieri OPINIONS EDITOR Lisa Diaz SPORTS EDITOR Scott Annis ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR Christa Balingit PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Danielle Barcena
STAFF WRITERS Griffin Henning, John Kesler, Stephen Langsam, Theresa Marie, Zuli Mohammad, Vanessa Muniz, Tom Rizza, Sean Wilkey PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Brendel, Pablo Caballero, Stevie Chow DESIGNERS & ILLUSTRATORS Kristiana Britanik, Yaeko Takada INSTRUCTIONAL LAB COORDINATOR Ann Stenmark ADVISER Mary Mazzocco
threaten us to pay the health insurance on time, or we will be dropped from our classes and forced out of the U.S. There is no surprise that the U. S government wants more international students to study in America under this kind of economic condition. In fact, international students contribute an estimated $17.8-billion to the U.S. economy a year. The same with all the other people who first came to the U.S., international students face many challenges and injustice. However, with more international students awakening to the fact that we can be treated better than just money machines, the issues about international students will come to attention. Only when we see an individual through his or her own characteristics and not through a stereotype about the group this person belongs to, will we have a fair society.
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 relfect 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 Disctrict
• Phone: 925.685.1230 ext. 2313 • Fax: 925.681.3045 • Email: inquirer@dvc.edu • Website: www.TheInquirerOnline.com • Printed Every Two Weeks •
Opinions
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Chipotle supports ‘real stuff’
CECILY TROWBRIDGE Managing editor
’Integrity’” is kind of a funny word for food,” is Mexican food chain Chipotle’s current choice motto. Yes, Chipotle, personifying quesadillas is bizarre. But since I was a small food enthusiast, I have enjoyed your righteous and simple ingredients frequently. The concept of developing a sustainable food system is one that I support and respect. However, as of late, an increasing number of quirks have been illuminated within the realm of what it truly means to be a virtuous burrito. One of these being that McDonald’s owns Chipotle. But this little nugget of food-culture gossip isn’t true, at all. In factuality, McDonald’s was involved with Colorado-born Chipotle from 1999 to 2006 as its primary investor, owning 87% of the burrito Mecca’s common stock, according to chipotlefan.com. McDonald’s no longer has anything to do with Chipotle; regardless, this information came as a shock to me when I came across it. McDonald’s equals deep-fried while Chipotle touts itself as being synonymous with wholesome. So what gives? Before you begin picketing at your local Chipotle, know this: McDonald’s has had a role in a lot of businesses. Primarily restaurants, McDonald’s also played a part in the development of fast food/deli-verge Boston Market. The idea that highly criticized grease giant McDonald’s has had any part in a restaurant so dead-set on providing people with quality meats and vegetables is a disturbing one. You can’t trust anyone these days, right? Consider the situation this way: You, budding entrepreneur, have a passion for the edible entities that your life revolves around, and decide to open a business. You need funding. “Hmm…” you ponder. “Who has money to spare that will believe my restaurant to be a valuable investment?” Ding! “Ohhhhh.” Yes, fervent food monkeys, you must proposition the food giants, which is exactly what Chipotle founder Steve Ells did. Golden-wrapped burritos, and award-winning 3D commercials are a couple of Chipotle’s most recent efforts to keep the chain unique and progressive, and I must admit that I’m buying it. For now. What is most importantly standing out to me, however, is that unlike many selfproclaimed well-intentioned fast-food chains, it seems that Chipotle sincerely stands behind what it preaches. I appreciate ingenuity in all aspects of my life. Kudos to Chipotle, born from a different initiative, which has stayed, so far, on the right track. Contact CECILY TROWBRIDGE at ctrowbridge@ TheInquirerOnline.com
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Paper over pwning As Christmas approaches, gift-givers need to drop the video games and hit the books I will never forget that feeling as I woke up at 6 on Christmas morning and sprinted towards the Christmas tree in my special, seasonal Looney Tunes pajamas. The anticipation was high; I could not wait to see what good old Santa managed to squeeze down the chimney and place underneath my homemade paper ornaments dangling from the proudly decorated Christmas tree. Was it the 5-foot tall Barbie’s dream house with a functioning elevator and hot tub? Though I did manage to outgrow the early morning wind sprints, cheesy letters and crafty decorations, I still look forward to Santa’s yearly arrival. Don’t worry, I don’t still ask for Barbie accessories at 21. During this wonderful time of the year, many of us browse websites and cruise the mall looking for gift ideas to give to others and, of course, preparing hints to drop to our loved ones. This holiday season, I urge you to change up your shopping routine. Swiftly walk past the electronic tablets, game consoles and expensive handbags to a place where there are rarely crowds and people do not get trampled or stabbed: the bookstore. Ask Santa for a good read and don’t hesitate to return the favor to those on your special Christmas shopping list. Reading is not valued as much in our generation as it was in previous generations, nor as much as it should be. Not only will you be helping out poor Santa’s thousand-yearold back by lightening his present load, but you will keep more hard-earned cash in your wallet. In a survey conducted by the School Research Journal, a book reviewing publi-
Occupy needs ‘Rule of Law’ for clarity
TOM RIZZA Staff writer
TOM RIZZA / The Inquirer
cation, the average cost of a hardcover adult fiction book is around $25. Compare a durable, timeless hardcover novel to the leading item on many Christmas lists this year: “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.” Spend $59.99 on Amazon. com for the popular game, only to have to use half of your paycheck next year on “Modern Warfare 4.” Cost aside, getting lost in a good book is not only more intellectually stimulating than playing video games, but there is no dorky headset required. There are countless benefits to reading a good book: it improves your writing, which in turn will boost your grade point average, it allows you to become more informed and best of all, reading takes you on a jour-
“As you exercise your brain through reading, you escape into another world, free of the everyday stresses of work, school and relationships.”
LISA DIAZ Opinions editor
ney into another world, one which you would not otherwise be exposed to. “Just like muscles, the brain benefits from a good workout.” Dr. Ken Pugh, a researcher from Yale-affiliated Haskins Laboratory, said in an Oprah.com article. “And reading is more neurobiologically demanding than processing images or speech. As you’re absorbing, say, this article, parts of the brain that have evolved for other functions—such as vision, language, and associative learning—connect in a specific neural circuit for reading, which is very challenging.” As you exercise your brain through reading, you escape into another world, free of the everyday stresses of work, school and relationships. On the Mental Health Well-
HOLIDAY
ness Week website, reading is encouraged as a healthy way to distress. A healthy way to de-stress is always appealing; anything to get me away from eating a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s “Half-baked” when life gets rough. Solely focusing on brain exercises and the economics of buying a book is leaving out not only the most valuable, but the most intriguing benefit of trading in the game controller for literature. There is no better feeling than getting lost in a good book. When reading something you truly enjoy, it’s as if the words jump off the page and illustrate the story all around you, forbidding you from putting the book down. You can travel back in time, around the world or transform yourself into the mind of a famous movie star or crime detective with the flip of a page, expanding your mind every step of the way. Dear Santa, a book is nothing short of the perfect Christmas present. Contact LISA DIAZ at ldiaz@ TheInquirerOnline.com
From Page 10
In fact, according to an article by Stephanie Clifford for the New York Times, the midnight openings were so successful that they’ll probably become the norm from now on. At the rate things are going, I’m willing to bet that by 2052 one will see stores open every day at midnight with amazing deals on HDTVs. Besides the trample-athon known as Black Friday, another aspect of the holiday season that annoys me is definitely the slew of holiday specials and advertising that carpet bomb the networks. These things are the worst. Many of them are about people overcoming tough times to discover that “The True Meaning of Christmas” isn’t about greed or obtaining mass amounts of wealth, but instead is about family and love. Now don’t get me wrong:
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I feel like these qualities are good, and they really should be encouraged. There are just a few problems with this. For one, these specials go about encouraging such good qualities the same way Bono does: by beating me over the head with such messages until I get turned off and eventually find them extremely annoying. The other thing is that society doesn’t even embrace these messages. That people are more important than things is a good message to share, but for the other 10 months of the year, we flagrantly violate this maxim
and act like we’re allergic to broke. Speaking of broke, this is the worst time of the year to be. Even though our culture emphasizes “The True Meaning of Christmas” as not being about greed or wealth, I still feel like I’m expected to get my friends nice things. There’s just one issue: like the protagonist of a holiday special, I’m broke and unemployed. Even though I have some friends who I can negotiate non-present purchasing contracts with, there are some people who just deserve a present. I know homemade gifts are the best, but sadly
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go. I have to start preparing for next Christmas.”
I lack any sort of crafting prowess. This, of course, leads to a situation in which I either have to borrow money to save face or look like a horrible person. It’s even worse when a friend buys a present and I have completely neglected to reciprocate. This happened last year and it only succeeds in making me feel like the worst person in the world. Who says the holidays are not about presents? There’s just so much wrong with the holiday season. It begins too early, the sentiments are obnoxious, and in practice nobody even takes the morals to heart. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go. I have to start preparing for next Christmas. Contact JOHN KESLER at jkesler@ TheInquirerOnline.com
If asked about what sets America apart from the world, many people would say the right to free speech is its strength. Others would respond that it’s our overall dominance of the world, with a crazed “USA USA USA.” I struggled with this question as well, until I was enlightened by an opinions columnist for Salon.com named Glenn Greenwald. His book “Liberty and Justice for Some” discusses the Rule of Law: the idea that no one is above or below the law, that everyone stands equal ground under the blind eyes of Lady Justice. Somehow this ideal has become a mirage. For whatever reason, we’ve come to abide the two-tier justice system that says that if you are a normal citizen, you are subject to receiving the maximum penalties for your crimes; but if you are a famous actor, athlete, banker or politician, you are exempt from the harshest punishments and in some cases pardoned from your wrong doings. It so obviously violates the Rule of Law to the very core. Greenwald sites a report entitled The Rule-of-Law Revival written by Thomas Carothers, a leading official with the World Bank. Carothers states that the most crucial aspect of establishing the Rule of Law is that “above all, government officials must refrain from interfering with judicial decision making and accept the judiciary as an independent authority. They must give up the habit of placing themselves above the law.” And there is a myriad of examples of America not following this policy, from pardoning Nixon to not investigating the Bush Administration for illegal wiretapping and war crimes, not investigating Goldman Sachs and the others on Wall Street. Thinking about this, it seems that this would be the obvious message of the Occupy movement: reestablish the Rule of Law. But it isn’t. Instead, when you research Occupy, you’ll often find that their “mission statement” instead reads more like a grocery list of demands. This petulance only bolsters the stance that Occupy is a stratified group of hippies and anarchists that would rather see the system burn than make progress. Stop. Stop waving ironic signs and shouting rhyming phrases, stop bashing in windows of businesses who have no fault in our plight, stop vandalizing public property in the name of revolution. In order to reestablish the Rule of Law, we must use the law itself. Instead of voting for President in 2012, let’s sue him. Contact TOM RIZZA at trizza@ TheInquirerOnline.com
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Arts & Features The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
FEES
CONSTRUCT
From Page 10
According to the UC Davis website, the tuition alone for the 2011 school year is estimated to be $13,860. When compared to an estimated $1,080 for DVC’s tuition, community college comes out to be an attractive option. Students like Lorri Budesa agree that it is still cheaper to go to community college first, but it’s still expensive compared to the days where it was free. “They keep cutting classes and hiking fees. It isn’t fair,” Budesa said, Maraccini, 20, is transferring to UC Davis next fall after completing her general education courses at DVC. She believes that it was cheaper than doing the same courses at a four-year university. “While $36 per unit is a bit much, I know that I ended up saving more by attending DVC first,” Maraccini said. According to a Legislative Analyst’s Office report on community college fees for the 2011 - 2012 school year, California could eventually increase the fee to $60 per unit but even then “fees would remain lowest among the country.” Zakia Nabi took classes at DVC in the late ’80s as well and thought that the $9-$10 per unit was absurd. Three of her children have also attended DVC, two of whom have transferred to UC Berkeley. All of her children began DVC after the ’90s. The fees per unit varied from $19 to $26 with each child. Her children, at the time, thought it was costly. Now, it seems tame compared to the $36 per unit fee. “It will probably go to $46 per unit next semester,” Nabi said. Students will have to wait until until Dec 15. to figure out when exactly the fee increase will occur. Nabi’s daughter, Maryam, attended DVC from 2004 to 2006 before transferring to UC Berkeley and thought of the fees $26 per unit at the time as a small burden. She, like many other students, noticed it was much cheaper going to DVC first. Even people going back to school have been surprised at the recent increase of the tuition fees. Cecilia Ortiz, a mother of two, decided to come back to school a couple of years ago. She was also shocked by the fee hikes since she attended DVC before the introduction of community college tuition in 1984. Now, she has realized it is no longer 1984. “Times are changing and so are the prices,” Ortiz said.
Contact JOHN KESLER at jkesler@ TheInquirerOnline.com Contact ZULI MOHAMMAD at zmohammad@ TheInquirerOnline.com
Thursday, December 8, 2011
From Page 10
STOCK PHOTO / The Inquirer
The DVC quad, above, in 2009. Students and staff have mixed feelings about its ren0vation while admitting there is no way around it.
Engineering majors Fabiola Ramirez and Chris Mason, left to right, discuss the project in the construction zone in the middle of campus on Dec. 1, 2011. Both are interns for Flintco, the prime contractor of the $52 million project.
ALEX BRENDEL / The Inquirer
“Is it inconvenient?” Knox when the construction is done, said. “Definitely. But the proj- but I think DVC needs to kind ect is carefully designed to of upgrade their look. It does minimize disruption as much cause some issues in between as possible. It will be much bet- classes, but honestly, they don’t ter for our students when it is really have much of a choice. all done.” There’s no way to get construcBy the end of the construc- tion done without some kind tion, two of the oldest build- of annoyance.” ings will be replaced. Student Students and professors are services will no longer be sepa- having to exercise a certain rated, but will be placed in a amount of patience. Reynolds new building altogether. Phish, a psychology major, said After the second phase, the that his professors have been campus food services build- very understanding. ings will be replaced. “Actually, I’ve been getting Lastly, the culinary building a lot of leniency in all of my and cafeteria will be torn down classes,” Phish said. “A lot of to make more room for the my professors allow us to be at new quad. Though students least ten minutes late before it are going to be given an im- gets counted as an absence.” proved campus, some find that Sophomore Killian Holck, it isn’t completely worth it. Ser- alternatively, found that his ena Padilla, who is in her third teachers were only lenient in year at DVC, said she sees the the beginning. construction as a big inconve“My teachers went easy on nience. us the first two weeks,” Holck “I understand that they want said. “Now, they’ve been rea better campus,” said Padilla. ally strict. The fact that there is “But having the quad blocked construction going on is not an off makes walking to classes excuse.” twice as long. I mean, it’s great As construction takes up for people who more space “I won’t be here are still going to and causes be here; I won’t more conwhen the be here by the gestion, stutime construc- construction is done, dents are tion is over, so but I think DVC starting to to me it’s just accept it. needs to kind of troublesome.” Others are Student Fa- upgrade their look.” choosing not biola Ramirez to let it affect is interning them. ~EDDY CASTENADA with Flintco Lance DVC student Constructive Gegner, who Solutions, the company that is is in his first semester at DVC, responsible for managing the said that the construction construction. hasn’t bothered him. “People may complain “Current students here about all of the construction,” won’t see what it is like [once Ramirez said. “But you have to construction is complete] ungive up something to get some- less they come back to visit,” thing. Look at the end result.” Gegner said. “But it might Other students, such as Eddy be worthwhile for future stuCastenada, said they think the dents.” project will greatly improve the While students have mixed campus. reactions regarding the con“Personally, I think it’s go- struction, most professors ing to look great,” Castenada around campus state that while said. “I mean, I won’t be here it may cause some issues, the
PABLO CABALLERO / The Inquirer
improvement to the school is necessary. Sheree Lin, who teaches Chinese, said that the only disadvantage is that it is extremely inconvenient. “I think it’s interesting that they chose to do it,” Lin said. “But it is improving the school.” With the actual completion date three years away, each phase will be done separately so students will be able to see progress along the way. “I want to see the place progress for the students,” said professor Kent Haldan, who teaches American History at DVC. Even though three years may seem like a long time, the benefits of the construction will last much longer. “The new project is very much focused on meeting the needs of our students,” Knox said. “We unfortunately cannot help the fact that construction is inconvenient. It always is.”
A worker, above, looks on over the former quad. Left, a crane waits to be used again. The entire project will be completed in 2014.
Staff writers John Kesler and Zuli Mohammad contributed to this article. Contact CHRISTA BALINGIT at cbalingit@ TheInquirerOnline.com
ALEX BRENDEL / The Inquirer
Arts & Features
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
Bubble tea shop creates average, decent tastes
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JULIUS REA Editor-in-chief
Heck, I haven’t had a bubble tea in five years. Let’s start now. After one negative experience with the drink over five years ago and the recent opening of Boba Hut, I put my apparent dislike aside. I mean good food is good food, right? After walking in this quaint shop - in the Safeway shopping center next to campus - and asking the waitress/ barista/cashier to surprise me, I was given a lychee tea with jelly. Surprisingly, I tasted the happiness in the creamy, comforting and cold lychee tea on an even colder winter morning. Suddenly my mouth was attacked by a barrage of jelly squares that were previously floating at the bottom of my cup. I understand that the tapioca pearls usually found in bubble tea can be swapped with jelly, but I can’t forgive a mouth full of tasteless, squishy caviar-like jelly messing up my lychee tea. And then there was the coconut croissant with a hint of almond. Compared to fantastic restaurants with homemade food in the area like Flora’s Hotdogs and Gyros, Chef Burger, The Spot Coffee Shop and even the DVC Bakery, the hut’s store-bought pastries might not cut it. I returned later to try a regular bubble tea before I completely wrote off Boba Tea. Lucky for me, the mango tea with tapioca bubbles was its saving grace and I finally understood boba. I understood when I tasted the first shot of fake mango flavor mixed with the tapioca and vanilla rising from the pearls at the bottom. And then I tried my first tapioca pearl in five years. Was it gummy? Yes. Did it taste like traditional tapioca? Yes. Was it delicious? It was good enough. And, after the jelly disgrace I’d tried earlier, I was content. But still, I question what makes this shop different than Quickly, the resident bubble tea joint, or Mocha Boba, the previous bubble tea and crepe shop that was located in Boba Hut’s current residence. I find myself with the age old dilemma of driving around with my friends searching for the closest “Golden Arches” and saying “Let’s not go to that McDonald’s. Let’s go to the good McDonald’s.” Boba Hut houses a hodgepodge of odd decor and average food with at least one gem. Besides a slight price decrease over its competitors, I’m not 100 percent sold on their drinks. But I have found a new appreciation of bubble tea. So I’ll head back over to order from the area’s newest bubble tea shop, but I’ll skip the pastries. Contact JULIUS REA at jrea@ TheInquirerOnline.com
‘Kids’ Rock
Courtesy of MODERN DAY KIDS
Modern Day Kids, from left to right, is made up of drummer Keller O’Rourke, lead guitarist Nick Hays, frontman Kyle Paquin and bassist Matt Salavitch. The band recently acquired Paquin as their new lead singer.
DVC student fronts Bay Area band, looks at musical past aren't. Vocalist Paquin lists bands like Led Zepplin, DVC student Kyle Paquin John Mayer Trio and Mayhas found himself as the day Parade as some of the newest front man of Bay band’s influences. Area alternative band ModCurrently, the band is ern Day Kids. working on a music vidDespite the pop-punk eo – directed and ahot by and alternative rock sound O'Rourke's father, Kevin – of MDK, Paquin’s person- for their song "Her Poison," al main inspiration comes written by Hays. from God. "While it sounds evil, the "He gave me the ability song has a positive connotato sing, write songs and per- tion," Paquin said. "Everyform for people,” he said. one has diverse styles which “I am inspired to give a little makes our music sound difback to him ferent." by developHays Courtesy of MODERN DAY KIDS ing these said, “As talents." all of us DVC student Kyle Paquin, front, plays with Nick Hays, fellow Modern Day Paquin are getting Kids band member. Paquin’s musical interests changed from Christian music to started older and alternative rock as he started to pursue music seriously. singing maturing, Advertisement while in his our lyrics church's are too.” youth worThe ship band. band's faIt wasn't vorite show until later, happened when he to be at the was preDiscovery ~KYLE PAQUIN sented with Counseling Modern Day Kids Lead Vocalist his first Center in 1982 Les Paul Ultra guitar in San Ramon. eighth grade, that he started They said, "We had a getting serious about music. lot of technical issues but "I wanted to start a band overall had our own dressafter I realized I wasn't very ing room and people threw good at writing church mu- themselves towards the sic," Paquin said. "Six years stage, it was super strange later and I'm in a slammin' but really cool." band." Later tour dates are going Besides Paquin, San Ra- be released on their Facemon-centered Modern Day book page. Kids consists of bass player “I see the band evolvMatt Salavitch, drummer ing into something greater Keller O'Rourke and guitar for reaching more fans player Nick Hays. within the next few years,” After letting go of their O’Rourke said. previous lead singer, SalaAs Paquin looks towards vitch, O'Rourke and Hays future MDK tour dates, he called Paquin after seeing said it will "rock your face him perform at a local show and will blow your soul into in Martinez. a better direction." The rest is history. Information about the The love the band has band can be found at www. for their music is shown mdkrocks.com. through their dedication of practicing 10 or more hours Editor-in-chief Julius Rea per week. They feel an ob- contributed to this article. ligation to play and create great music for their fan base that is growing. While Modern Day kids Contact ZULI MOHAMMAD at are classified as pop-punk, zmohammad@ TheInquirerOnline.com many of their influences ZULI MOHAMMAD Staff writer
“I wanted to start a band after I realized I wasn’t very good at writing church music. Six years later and I’m in a slammin’ band.”
Holiday frenzy induces headaches
Giving thanks:
The Inquirer Editorial Board offers a sincere ‘thank you.’
It’s only the second week of December and I’m already absolutely sick of the holiday season. Due to the efforts of the retail industry, the holiday season began the week before Halloween, which means that since then everything has been dominated by all that “Ho, ho, ho” garbage. I mean everything: advertising, Diet Coke, television and my thoughts. The popularization of Black Friday made the holiday season begin even earlier. As major big box retail stores opened at midnight on Black Friday, Kmart outdid everyone else by being open on Thanksgiving.
Bland bubbles: A new Boba tea shop finds its way in the area. See Page 9.
“I’m willing to bet that by 2052 one will see stores open every day at midnight with amazing deals on HDTVs.”
Thoughtful protest:
Staff writer Tom Rizza has found a suitable mission statement for the Occupy movement. See Page 7. JOHN KESLER Staff writer
HOLIDAY, Page 7
Rock it: Bay Area band
Modern Day Kids, finds its new front man at DVC.
Arts & and Features Opinions T he I nquirer , S tudent V oi ce
Volume 78 No. 6
Copyright © 2011 The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College
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stru c t ion ahe ad, stil l
As the first semester of construction ends, DVC has mixed feelings
T
CHRISTA BALINGIT Arts & Features editor
his time last year, student Wayne Yoo could walk from the Performance Arts Center to the Physical Science building in fifteen minutes. He never thought it was a problem. The ability to walk diagonally through the quad made it fast and con-
venient. This semester, however, moving from one end of the campus to the other has proved difficult. “What used to be a five-minute “The new project walk has now turned into ten,” is very much Yoo said. “To get to my classes, focused on meeting I have to walk around the entire campus. Everything is blocked off the needs of our so I can’t go through.” The ‘New Commons Project’ students. began July 15 and will not be completed until 2014. By the end of ~CHRISANNE KNOX Director of Marketing the process, students will be preand Communcation sented with a new and much improved campus. The construction started with the demolition of the quad on July 15. The quad allowed for easy access of all buildings across campus and was a place where students could sit in between classes. With the quad completely blocked off, students are forced to find different and longer routes to campus. Chrisanne Knox, director of marketing and communications, said that while the construction may be inconvenient, it just isn’t a good enough reason not to do it.
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CONSTRUCT, Page 8
D iablo Val le y C ol le g e
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Different age groups disagree about fee increases JOHN KESLER ZULI MOHAMMAD Staff writers
In 1984, DVC announced that they would start charging tuition in the fall. Full-time students, who took six units or more, paid a flat fee of $50 while part-time students, who took less than six units, paid $5 per unit. This move not only affected students at DVC, but community college students in the entire state of California. An Oakland Need to Know Tribune reporter, Virgil Mibert, was DVC started to quoted in the stucharge fees in 1984 dent newspaper – at $50 for full-time called the Enquirer status, six units or at the time – as saying, “The only more, and $5 per other thing that unit for part-time community college status. students can be asOn Dec. 15, the sured of is [some State Legislature form of] tuition in will decide whether the fall semester.” or not to increase While the only fees in Summer thing community college students 2012 due to ongocould be certain of ing budget cuts. was some type of tuition, students toWhile younger day are only certain students see fee that the fees will inincreases as a crease. necessary evil, On Dec. 15, the older generations Calfornia Legislature will decide are appalled as they whether mid-year see fees increasing budget cuts are necover $36 per unit. essary. According to a Sept. 8 statement from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, fees will increase to $46 per unit if legislators announce the need of mid-year cuts. Currently, classes are $36 per unit. For nonCalifornia residents the fee is $231, which consists of the $36 fee plus a $195 out-of-state charge. Habib Simab, a DVC student during the late 1980s and early 1990s, remembers that the fees were around $10 per unit. FEES, Page 8
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