Inquirer 3-31-11

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INQUIRER Student Voice of Diablo Valley College

Volume 78 No. 4

Today’s Lesson: Copyright © 2011 The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

www.TheInquirerOnline.com

Flow of

MONEY Students pay district....

New student activity fee seeks to raise revenue STEPHEN LANGSAM Staff writer

With funding for student government declining in the Contra Costa Community College District, a plan is being made to help substantially increase revenue.

The proposal, which may come up for a vote later in the semester is to collect $5 student activity fee at the time of registration, instead

of making it the students choice when they buy a sticker.

Currently, out of 22 Bay Area community colleges, 10 charge a $1 student representation fee, 21 charge from $2-$10 for the student activity fee and nine charge a student center fee.

On March 23 Jennifer Ounjian, the director of student life at Contra Costa College, gave a presentation to the Governing Board

for the Contra Costa Community College District on the proposal to rectify the situation at hand.

Ounjian said that with the colleges’ bookstores experiencing little to no profit for the past two years due to an accounting adjustment and the sticker sales declining due to the loss of incentive to purchase them, the district’s AssoASO, Page 2

the district pays Chevron. board ruled in favor of Chevron’s ron. property tax assessAccording to Timothy Leong, appeal of their 2007.

2004from ment the district’s spokesman, one payoriginates from te dispu The already been made of Even as the Contra Costa Com- ment had ment at its equip old ron’s Chev munity College District is planning $351,025. assessed being ry refine ond Richm The total payment is $1.05 milto cut over $17.4 million from this Chevwhich tax, rty prope the into the course of two years, year’s budget, it apparently owes lion over . tified unjus was felt ron which will come from the district’s Chevron $702,051.

In fact, the district 2011-12 bud- general fund.

The payment is owed because get expenditure assumption inCHEVRON, Page 2 county’s assessment appeals the cludes the money it owes to Chev-

• NEWS 1, 2, 3 • SPORTS 5 • OPINIONS 6, 7 • EDITORIAL 7 • ENTERTAINMENT 8 • CAM PUS BUZZ 6

DVC rolls out new student emails CHRISTA BALINGIT Guest writer

Good communication has always been an issue at DVC, but now, with a new student email program, the administration is hoping to improve it.

The new student email and online program from Microsoft, called Live@edu, allows students to have better access to emails, blogging tools, shared calendar events, and more. Rather than sending school information out to a student’s personalized email address, the district office and top administration agreed to a onestop email account for all students.

It has not been a smooth transition for students though. Many have had trouble setting up their accounts and have missed important information from their classes.

“Out of 32 students in one class alone, only two students read important emails I sent,” said Bruce Cook in an email, Department Chair of the Music. “My students have missed assignments and important preparatory information about quizzes and exams.”

EMAIL, Page 2

Big changes are coming soon to DVC quad BRIAN DONOVAN Senior staff writer

District owes Chevron over $700,000 in taxes BRIAN DONOVAN Senior staff writer

Thursday, March 31, 2011

When the cafeteria, DVC’s second permanent building on the Pleasant Hill campus, was completed back in 1957, its elaborate dedication ceremony made the front page of the student newspaper then called the Viking Reporter.

Fifty-four years later, both the cafeteria and the oldest building on campus -- the student services center -- are up for demolition as the Diablo Valley College Commons Project gets under way. The project is scheduled to start on May 30 and be completed on Nov. 10, 2014.

The project has gone under the radar for most students.“I don’t think many students are aware,” said Sean French, psychology major.

When it’s done, a new cafeteria and student services building will occupy the current quad while a new commons area featuring an inforBUILDINGS, Page 2

• CALENDER 2 • POLICE BEAT 2 • STAFF INFORMATION 6 •

2

News

CALENDAR Friday April 1-2, 2011 Drama - Alice In Wonderland 8 p.m.

Sunday April 3, 2011 Alice in Wonderland 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday April 5, 2011 New School Of Architecture and Design Jill Taylor will be on campus to meet with students and answer your questions from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the main quad Transfer Overview For Parents Of DVC Students 6 p.m.

Story Telling Concert 6 p.m.

Music Department Alumnus Concert 8 p.m.

Wednesday April 6, 2011 University of Nevada, Las Vegas – campus represenative 11:30 a.m.

Sunday April 10, 2011 Alice in Wonderland – last showing 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 UC Berkeley Staring Point Mentorship Program 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 Whistling Vivaldi Project 2 p.m.

Concert Choir and Chamber Singers 8 p.m.

Thursday April 14, 2011 Piano Concert 2 p.m.

Monday April 18, 2011 Spring Break Starts Sunday April 24, 2011 Last day of Spring Break Tuesday April 26, 2011 Theatre Insights - The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot 12:30 p.m.

Friday April 29, 2011 Last day to DROP a full-term class with a “W”

POLICE BEAT March 28, 2011 DVC Lot 4: A Student reported that her vehicle was hit while it was parked, unattended, in the lot.

March 28, 2011 DVC Math Lab: A Student briefly fainted while in the DVC math lab and was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek.

March 24, 2011 Off-Campus: A District Employee reported that his vehicle was struck and damaged while it was parked, unattended, in the north overflow lot of District Office.

March 15, 2011 DVC Police Services Lobby: Student fell and sprained her ankle while playing soccer during a P.E. class in the gym.

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

A

SO from Pg. 1

ciated Student Organizations have started looking for new ways to fund their existence.

California colleges whom charge the fee at the time of registration have a higher profit margin then those who sell the sticker at a separate time, Ounjian said. Additionally there are very few requests for refunds at those colleges.

A recent survey produced by the American Student Government Association indicated 0-5 percent of the students at the aforementioned colleges

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

chose to “opt out” of the fees, Ounjian said. Several of the colleges indicated that no students ever request a refund of the fee. Brandon Amargo, the student trustee on the Governing Board, said, “the student activity fee is from the students, for the students.”

These fees would cover scholarships, athletics and anything students do on campus outside of the classroom, essentially student life.

This was promising for the other members of the governing board to hear, and they thought it would be a

good idea to pass this. John T. Nejedly, president of the board, said, “If it is a fee from the students, for the students, it sounds like a good idea.”

If the stickers are mandatory in the future and sold at the time of registration for the $5 agreed upon with the ASOs, the Student Activity and Student Rep fees at DVC and Los Medanos College would actually go down from $7-8 respectively to $5.

Even with less money charged for the fees, a substantial increase in revenue would be created because of

Currently, students are still able to receive emails for their personalized email accounts.

By the end of the semester, though, there will be no need to.

“We are hoping to give students the best communication possible while they are here,” Knox said.

The program has barely been out a month, though, and is already facing some issues. Emails were sent out to students informing them of the new program. Still, the sign-in rate has been low.

“I think [the email program] should have been initiated earlier rather than in the middle of the semester,” said Maureen O’Leary, English professor.

Teachers have had heated email exchanges over the matter, many citing issues with communicating with their

students and having problems with online classes.

“The biggest problem is trying to get students to sign up,” Knox said, “The students don’t know why they need to use it, so they won’t.”

That is exactly how some students feel. Ivan Roliz, a student at DVC, questions the necessity of the new email accounts.

“WebAdvisor takes care of most of our needs,” Roliz said, “It substitutes our need for a DVC account.”

Though Roliz admits it’s a good idea, he wonders how practical is will be.

“Not many people looked at their personalized email accounts before,” Roliz said, “I’m not sure these new email accounts will make them.”

Other students, like Sabrina Chaparo, have already signed onto their new accounts.

says that right now a lot of companies are desperate for work, so bids are expected to be cheap.

Colleges primarily use bonds to fund these kinds of projects. In 2006, Contra Costa County voters approved Bond Measure A to fund this project, before the budget crisis existed.

According to Grace, project manager David Lennahan has done as thorough job as possible to include everyone in the process. The buildings and grounds department had input for technical reasons as well as the faculty and staff.

This project has been brought up to the Associated Students of Diablo Valley College in the past for their input, but it has not been an issue for this year’s board.

“I believe that if the students show active interest and go through the right channels, that there will be a provision for student involvement,” said

Grace.

Due to public concern about potential noise disruption during construction, private contractors tested the decibels with a jackhammer and leaf blowers to see how much disturbance would be created.

The results proved that the decibel level was not sufficient to cause disturbance to the nearby classrooms. The design team along with buildings and grounds have considered the possibility of construction damaging sewage and electrical lines, but since most of the utilities around the site are old and underground there is still “bound to be surprises.”

According to the Feb. 28 schedule, demolition of the student services building won’t occur until Sept. 27 of next year.

According to Grace, the builder will fence off the entire area for safety. They will start constructing the new

the amount of students paying into the fees. Every student registering for classes would pay into it.

“Of course there could be exceptions, if a student were taking less then 3 units, or if a student were on fee waivers,” Ounhian said. “The matter still needs to be finalized” said Amargo. “I will meet with the ASOs and get something back to you (the governing board) soon.”

Contact STEPHEN LANGSAM at stlangsam@TheInquirerOnline. com

MAIL from Pg. 1

Chrisanne Knox, the director of marketing and communications, hopes the new program will provide reliable communication to the students.

“Popular email companies like Gmail can always have technology issues,” Knox said, “but now, we’re responsible for this email account. If it goes down, we know it and we can fix it.”

The new program will have many features including a web-based Microsoft Outlook Live email account with a 10GB mailbox that students can keep for life, a 25GB password-protected online file storage with Windows Live Skydrive, and shared online documents where students can create, access, and share project files using Office Web Apps.

B

“It just seems more professional to me,” Chaparo said, “I really think it’ll help communication for the students.”

Though the new program is already out for students to use, Chrisanne Knox hopes people will take advantage of it.

“It really is a great program” Knox said, “We understand students don’t always check their emails. We think of this as student development. Out in the business world, students need to check their emails every day.”

The new email accounts can be accessed by students now.

“It is the hope that this is a seamless experience,” Knox said.

Opinions editor Sean Wilkey contributed to this artcle.

Contact CHRISTA BANILGIT at inquirer@dvc.edu

UILDINGS from Pg. 1

mal stage will be created from the space that occupies the current cafeteria. The front steps of the campus will lead directly to the commons area and duck pond.

“I hope the new quad looks good; we need something more modern,” said Milton Rojas, software engineering major.

The buildings will also have the ability to capture water runoff that is treated in storm water gardens, and re-used for plumbing.

This project is expected to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating.

The project is going to cost from $30-$50 million, according to Guy Grace, the DVC facilities manager.

The entire cost of the project will not be known until the bidding process, which opens April 20th, is finished. Grace

Class reductions

buildings before demolishing the old ones to maintain the building’s functions on campus. The first step will be the removal of toxic materials such as asbestos from the old buildings, then they’ll use a wrecking ball or a CAT to take them down. For dust control, they will use a fire hose.

Grace brought up the importance of having fully functioning facilities as a factor when investing in education.

“This is going to redefine the future of the college,” said Grace. “They are not classrooms, but they are a huge part of the student’s education because the societies that are going to succeed are the ones that continue educating and investing in their populace.”

News editor Mike Alfieri contributed to this article.

Contact BRIAN DONOVAN at bdonovan@TheInquirerOnline. com

News in Brief

The Contra Costa Community College district and Diablo Valley College have moved forward with their plans to cut a number of sections from the fall schedule. After the administration’s first round of proposed cuts, protests from faculty over the poorly thought-out choices of proposed cuts led to the creation of a joint task force of administrators and faculty for the second round.

While the overall 6.2 percent reduction of full time equivalent students was maintained, departments agreed to take an across the board 3 percent, with the remaining 3.2 percent being targeted at classes with low productivity.

Laurie Lema, President of Faculty Senate, indicated that keep complete classes from being killed was a high priority for the task force.

“We attempted to preserve as much breadth and access as possible,” Lema said. Ultimately, even with more carefully targeted cuts, the 6.2% reduction left few departments untouched. “Nobody was happy,” said Keith Mikolavich, vice-president of Faculty Senate, “so we must have done something right.”

Microsoft MVP Douglas Spindler, computer network technology instructor, has been chosen by Microsoft as the most valuable professional for the 2011-2012 year. MVPs are present in over 90 countries, spanning more than 30 languages, and over 90 Microsoft technologies Spindler will be able to attend the MVP Worldwide Award Summit for winning the award at Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, WA, in February.

Pink slips sent out

On March 9, the Contra Costa Community College District approved pink slips to academic managers at DVC and CCC. One faculty member from CCC and four from DVC received the pink slips on March 15. This reduction comes on the heels of further cuts to the college district that is forcing the district to look at ways to cut costs from its reduced budget.

The District has until June 30 to decide whether the positions that received pink slips will be eliminated or be given a reduced number of work days for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Horticulture certificates Diablo Valley College, currently offers certificates through its Horticulture program. The certificates include a horticulture certificate, landscape maintenance, landscape construction, and landscape design.

But DVC is looking to expand the subject to where a degree can be obtained in the near future. At this time DVC is the only community college in the Contra Costa area that offers Horticulture.

The matter of getting a DVC Horticulture Degree was overheard at the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board meeting March 23rd. If you would like more information on the Horticulture department contact Department Chair Rick Gelinas RGelinas@dvc.edu.

C

HEVRON from Pg. 1

Not only does the community college district owe Chevron money, but the entire county of Contra Costa owes Chevron a total of $18 million in property tax due to the ruling.

According to the financial website Earnings Whispers, Chevron’s earnings were $19 billion in 2010, up from $10.5 billion from 2009. Both the political activist group the Richmond Progressive Alliance and Richmond Mayor Gale McGlaughlin say Chevron has had a history of minimizing and resisting its tax burden.

To date, Chevron has not responded to the Inquirer’s attempts to interview the corporation on this matter.

In 2008, Richmond passed Measure T, which increased the business license fee for larger companies like Chevron. In 2009, Chevron took Measure T to court and succeeded in getting the measure defeated.

In 2010, the alliance started a campaign to end Chevron’s flat utilities tax perk. The utility tax is the main income for Richmond.

Chevron countered with a proposal to lower the utilities tax for everyone.

In the aftermath, Chevron agreed to pay the city of Richmond $114 million over the course of 15 years. Alliance member Jeff Ritterman, in an open letter in the group’s newsletter, stated that the most recent tax appeals board ruling was biased and corrupted by conflict of interest.

Joe Fisher, who sat on the assessment appeals board during the ruling, is also the executive director of Black American Political Action Committee .

The The Richmond Political Alliance claims Fisher’s political action committee receives a lot of contributions from Chevron.

The Richmond mayor acknowledged the potential for a perceived conflict of interest in the decision, but stated that there is not enough evidence to validate it.

The Richmond mayor says his city has not come up with a plan to pay for its share of the settlement and instead is encouraging the county to continue the fight “Chevron is a corporation whose main job is to make profit and our job is to make sure that the citizens are protected and their needs are addressed,” McGlaughlin said.

What’s more, he said, “We don’t feel that we owe money to Chevron, but we feel that Chevron owes money to us. Let’s co-exist but let’s do it with the understanding that you hone a responsibility to our community.”

Meanwhile the community college district has a different outlook. Leong said that the district will figure out with Chevron how to minimize the impact to the colleges.

“They continue to provide support in the community and we ask for more. …I don’t think we can hold them up for scrutiny for being profitable,” said Leong. “All Chevron asked for is fairness.”

Contact BRIAN DONOVAN at bdonovan@TheInquirerOn‐ line.com

Thursday, March 31, 2011

3

News

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

File photo by Mariana Ramos / The Inquirer

The next ASDVC board will have to deal with a deficit caused by lack of revenue from sticker sales.

Students to elect new ASDVC Board Taliah Mirmalek Copy editor and Brittney Griffen Staff writer

Starting next weekend, ASDVC is holding elections for board member positions.

Katerina Schreck, Keith Montes, Dajia Cornelious and Sophia Huang are running for President.

Schreck is currently the president of ASDVC. When asked why she wishes to continue her presidency in a second term, she said, “In my year as president, I’ve been able to get things done efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. There are things that are still left to accomplish and I also have a lot

of great, student and community oriented goals for the next academic year.”

Keith Montes, president of the Latino Student Alliance and vice president of the Queer Straight Alliance, said he wants to be president because he believes in “student power and the ability of students to organize themselves and to become effective and create solutions.”

Kang Hee Kay Kim and Zi Zhi (RC) Lim are running for the position of vice president of executive affairs.

Kim, currently president of visual martial arts club, said, “The most important issue is one that affects the most students: transfer issues. I want to focus on transfer issues as it effects students’ lives and

futures.”

Lim, on the other hand, said, “there is no particular issue that needs undivided attention, but rather they all need equal attention.”

Running unopposed for vice president of legislative affairs is Alex Silva.

Silva said that students, first, need to be educated about the current, political issues and then, should participate in political activism such as protests and rallies in order to represent themselves in local government.

Yi Chin Grant Ye and Risa Santoso are running for the position of controller, which has the responsibility of managing ASDVC funds.

Santoso said, “ASDVC can better manage its funds by

discussing past issues and seeing how to make it better in the future.”

Ye, in response to the same question, said, “We have $15,000 in deficit, a financial crisis caused by the lack of revenue from the sticker sales.

I want to save money and make a more accurate estimate for events because there’s always a surplus left over due to a lack of attendance. I don’t want to waste money.”

Nadia Fonny is running unopposed for the position of secretary.

Yi Cheng Zhang and Jake Evan are running for the position of parliamentarian.

Jake Evan has extensive experience within the legislative committee. He said, “I have personally passed resolutions

towards amending the ASDVC constitution to better match the overall DVC constitution.”

Amit Randhawa is running for the position of public relations representative.

Randhawa said, “ASDVC can increase its own student awareness by having more face-to-face interactions rather than just posters. We need to talk to people individually because they’ll remember who we are that way.”

Janelle Superales and Heeryeong (Hailie) Kim are running for the position of activities coordinator.

Roco Sebastian is running unopposed for the position of technology communications director.

TsungHsun Lee is running

for the position of diversity affairs officer.

Sean DeWoody is running unopposed for a new position created this year, environmental affairs officer. DeWoody hopes to, “bring environmental awareness including but not limited to organic produce and local farmers’ markets.”

Elections will be held on April 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 10 and 11 from 9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Bring a student ID to vote.

Contact Taliah Mirmalek at tmirmalek @TheInquirerOnline.com and Brittney Griffen at bgriffen @TheInquirerOnline.com

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

5

Sports

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

The Giants hope to repeat in ’11 SCOTT ANNIS Staff writer

STEVIE CHOW / The Inquirer

Jake Patterson, left, and Sam Barton swim laps at the DVC pool during the triathlon training class on March 28, 2011.

Triathlon class looks to go the distance GERARDO RECINOS Sports editor

Diablo Valley College’s course catalog has a few hundred classes in it, from basic mathematics to writing classes. And of course the triathlon class.

You start with a 400-yard swim, then go straight into a 12-18 mile bike ride with a seamless transition into a 3.1 mile run. Triathlons test endurance in athletes, pushing their bodies to the furthest limit.

But all you need to join the class is to have a bicycle, be able to swim at least two laps in an Olympicsize pool, and be able to run around the block.

Lisa Ward, a National Champion swimmer, teaches the class, which meets spring semester to begin training. Ward doesn’t just teach the class, while she says that swimming is her specialty she also tries to

do at least one triathlon a year.

The class has a diverse group of students from all walks of life.

“We have students from 18-55. You work to your own ability. I had people who could only get across the pool twice at first,” Ward said.

Judy Kranzler, who is a part of the older group, joined the class and is enjoying improving her athletic skills.

“I don’t so much like the competition,” Kranzler says.” But I like biking and swimming and wanted to do them better,” The class is made up of mostly athletes who don’t currently compete in other sports; however, Ward says that at times she does get athletes who play other sports, looking for a challenge and a way to condition in a more physically demanding way.

Ward usually gets anywhere from 18 to 30 students in her class.

“I’ve taken the class a few times,” says student Robert Wiersma. “It’s stuff I always do anyway, so I come out and exercise and hang out with people.”

The class is great for anyone who has basic athletic skills, no matter how rough the slate, the aim of the class is to help a student accomplish a task that not many can say they have.

The triathlon class is a 2- unit class that will be on the DVC course catalog only for spring semesters, meeting for an hour and 50 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Contact GERARDO RECINOS at grecinos@TheInquirerOnline.com

The A’s try to stomp out of the AL West GERARDO RECINOS Sports editor

On one side of the Bay Area, people can’t stop talking about the World Series. It is still a talking point even four months after all the confetti had fallen.

Except in Oakland.

The Athletics finished last season with an 81-81 record, which may not look too gaudy; but considering their abysmal hitting numbers, it should be deemed a success.

The A’s starting pitching staff is by far the best in the American League, and the best in the Bay Area, despite popular opinion.

With Trevor Cahill as the ace of the staff, the A’s have plenty of young talent. Cahill deserved the Cy Young

One year after their first World Series title in 56 years, the San Francisco Giants aren’t slowing down.

After shocking the world and blowing through the post season, the Giants are back at it this spring, looking to do one of the hardest things in all of sports: repeat. It’s tough but not impossible for this team built around pitching.

As long as the Giants’ rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner stays healthy, it has they have a le-

Award last season in my opinion over higher place.

Felix Rodriguez, especially with Felix My dark horse pick is Gio Gonzaonly having 13 wins. Sure the Mari- lez, who finished the end of last seaners didn’t have great son on a hot streak. I hitting, causing Felix to think he will be at least lose some close games, a 15 game winner this but neither did Cahill. year.

As the number three Gonzalez has a starter, Dallas Braden great curve ball that is severely overrated. he can spot in almost While the story of his any count; he needs to perfect game was a work on control, but great Sports Illustrated the curve ball is notocover story, Braden riously hard to master. may be a one-trick As far as the hitting GERARDO RECINOS pony, and it doesn’t goes, Hideki Matsui Out of Bounds make him any better shouldn’t make too than any of the A’s much of a difference other pitchers. in the lineup because He should be slotted as the number he isn’t that much of a power threat four guy, but he will probably get a anymore. Coco Crisp and David

DeJesus are the true threats.

DeJesus has never played on a team this good. Coco will need to be a catalyst at the top of the lineup so the A’s can scratch across some runs.

It’s no secret the A’s strength lies with their pitching, so looking at their hitting isn’t wise.

Despite an omnipotent lineup, the A’s should have enough to win 88 games, a seven-game improvement on last season.

It should be enough to get them a playoff berth in the AL West, especially with a significantly weaker Texas Rangers pitching staff that will be missing Cliff Lee.

Contact GERARDO RECINOS at grecinos@TheInquirerOnline.com

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SCOTT ANNIS Out of Bounds

gitimate shot to win at least 95 games. Their win total could increase if Barry Zito becomes a decent fifth starter as well.

Pitching is set but other things on the Giants roster are still in question: How will Pablo Sandoval look? He has been working intensely in Arizona all winter. Can he go back to his 2009 year of hitting .330 and 90 RBI’s, though? If he does, the Giants lineup will be immensely improved and have another bat to match Aubrey Huff ’s, Buster Posey’s and Pat Burell’s. The Panda will need to stay disciplined at the plate and the buffet line.

How can Posey get any better, and can Brandon Belt help? It will be hard for Posey to better himself next season, but don’t tell him that.

He wants to lead the Giants to another title. Posey wasn’t called up last year until May 29 the Giants are excited at the prospect of getting him for a full season.

Many call Brandon Belt a left-handed Posey, but can the 22-year-old make an impact this year? He could break camp with the team if he impresses manager Bruce Bochy, but it would be a surprise.

Expect him to be called up sometime during the season, and have the same impact as Posey did last year.

Who will win the left field job? There are at least seven players who could potentially play in left field this season.

The most likely scenario is that Mark DeRosa, and Pat Burell will split time. Also, if Brandon Belt plays first base, then Aubrey Huff will move to left. Who knows if the Giants can repeat, but they should be considered one of the favorites. As Junior Battles said in the film “Coach Carter,” “We’re the champs till we ain’t the champs no more.”

Contact SCOTT ANNIS at sannis@TheInquirerOnline.com

6

Opinions

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

The

Buzz

How powerful are social networking sites?

LEXA KEENAN, 22 Culinary Arts

“Pretty powerful because they connect people around the world.”

ALEX GODWIN, 18 Engineering

“I think the only negative is that people spend too much time on it, but it’s powerful. Like it can help people discover things about their surroundings.”

KRISTIN KAGAWAN, 23 Liberal Studies

“There is a big stigma on social networks and people think they take up all of our time and make people less productive, but they do serve a purpose and keep us informed.

SKYLAR MUNSON, 21 Psychology

“They have power over the mindless.”

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Editorial Disaster Relief 101: Do your homework before you donate While the world is rushing to the aid of Japan during the earthquake and tsunami aftermath, the Red Cross has become one of the largest organizations for relief donations.

The American Red Cross has so far collected close to $34 million for the crisis in Japan.

Despite the Red Cross collecting such a large amount of money, the organization’s reputation has always been shaky, as displayed in the aftermath of Haiti.

The organization spent only $254 million of its overall $430 million dollars in donation money received leaving most inhabitants living in “tent communities.”

In a video by Fred Sajous, founder of the watchdog group Kontrol Aid, published in the Miami Herald, Haitian community leaders were recorded saying they had not received anything from the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross CEO Gail J. McGovern stated that donation funds are to be allocated but that not all of them should be spent at once; the spending should be incremented over a three to five year period.

Reasons for the delay ranged from saving the funds for the sake of conservative spending to creating future disaster prevention funds.

Then again, explanations without solid facts begin to sound like excuses.

Throughout its history, the Red Cross has been criticized for numerous scandals, including reports that the Red Cross claimed to be in debt while it was attempting to put some of its $1 billion in donations on reserve.

In Canada, the Red Cross chapter has been prevented from comtrolling the blood supply after it plead guilty to knowingly distributing HIV and Hepatitis C contaminated blood supplies to patrons.

In Singapore, the chapter was put on hold after an internal audit by the Commissioner of Charities discovered misappropriation of $68,900 in donations.

The victims of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake received $10 million of the $50 million raised, with similar cases occurring with Red Cross fundraising after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the San Diego fire in 2001.

The Red Cross has received complaints for its sluggish distribution of funds.

At the end of the day, it needs to be held accountable for its use of donations, or lack thereof.

Furthermore, the people who fail to use their powers of critical thought and donate only to the largest or-

SCOTT BABA / The Inquirer

ganizations with the fanciest advertisements need to take responsibility as well.

Even though the Red Cross advertises with threeminute ads on television and Internet that plead for you to open your checkbook, other organizations exist that seek to help in times of crisis.

With a history of largely unresolved complaints, donors should ask themselves: is the Red Cross any more reliable than the possible alternatives?

During the Haiti earthquake, Cuban and Venezuelan medical professionals helped tend the most to people’s

needs; 7-11 retailers was notable as distributing food and supplies in Japan during the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.

Givewell.org is a website that reviews and recommends charities for people to donate.

They obtain information about charities by reviewing the organization’s website, contacting the organization directly and conducting applications for direct grants, according to its website.

For Japan disaster relief, they recommend Doctors without Borders, an emergency medical care charity

Letters to the Editor Jobs skills should require skills They are everywhere and anywhere in the world. Workers, whether they are experinced or not, are always trying to find the job that best fulfills their needs.

Whether it is a job that consists of a high pay wage or a high level of experience for the job, the ones who are looking to hire workers do not seem to pay much attention to employees’ experience.

In the end though, are you losing money or making a profit off of in-

experienced workers service? Are you losing customers due to unsatisfactory ? Or are you gaining business from work ethic excellence based off experienced, hard working employee?

Each and every day young, unexperienced workers are being hired for employment.

Some finally feel the urge to thank the nerds they cheated off of in college for all the “knowledge” they obtained in their papers.

I myself noticed at several retail

stores a lack of knowledge in specific women’s clothing I learned from my work experience. I was given false information and poor experience from employers who were hired with no interest in the field.

Work is hard to find in the United States and so is an employee who has the maturity and experience needed to do their jobs; therefore, companies approach the inexperienced.

Every business needs to pay closer attention to who they hire as their

team of employees. Individuals need to be aware of who they are working with and what they are telling customers.

Business leaders, you may think you are saving money by not hiring highly experienced workers but at the same time you are losing customer satisfaction.

Which is more important?

Physical education needs to work out MICHELLE MACAREG, 19 Undeclared

“I think it’s more powerful because you can access more information and it has a wider range of people using it.”

Interviewer: Stevie Chow Photographer: Izzy Bajalia

In response to Brian Donovan article “Physical Necessity In Education”, I couldn’t agree more.

Physical Education should not be cut, and is extremely helpful to the well being of all students.

Personally, exercise was the only thing keeping myself from spiraling into depression after losing my father, and without it I would not be able to function academically.

There is definately a posi-

tive correlation between my exercise habits and my GPA. Unfortunately, cuts must be made during this economy.

As a solution, I propose the Contra Costa Community College District create a partnership with local gyms.

This could be achieved in the form of an online course.

Students would pay for the class, like any other, but instead of paying what they would for a textbook, stu-

dents could buy a discounted semester-long membership at a gym.

When you go to the gym, you are checked into computer system. This can be “proof ” that students go the required days (3-5 days a week).

Students could keep a daily log of what they do at the gym and submit it online for a grade.

On top of that, they would take one class (spin, yoga, etc)

Staff

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

which helps millions of people caught in crises in nearly 60 countries, according to the Doctors without Borders website.

Numerous international, national and local relief organizations are worth considering beyond their initial image.

ADRA, All Hands, UNICEF and AMURT, to name a few, all provide competent disaster relief.

Obviously, the largest organizations may have the largest amount of flaws, and people who donate to charities should take the responsibility to research how and where their money is being spent.

Julius Rea Troy Patton Mike Alfieri Scott Baba Sean Wilkey Gerardo Recinos Alec Graham Taliah Mirmalek

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Brian Donovan STAFF WRITERS Scott Annis, Pablo Caballero, Colby Carter, Lisa Diaz, Brittney Griffin Stephen Langsam PHOTOGRAPHERS Izzy Bajalia, Stevie Chow, Mariana Ramos DESIGNER Yaeko Takada INSTRUCTIONAL LAB COORDINATOR Ann Stenmark ADVISER Mary Mazzocco

through the gym per month, and have the instructor of the class sign off that they were there.

This would allow students to exercise how they wantand not require much work on behalf of the schools.

This would also bring in revenue to local business.

I see it as a win-win situation.

-Sarabeth Panela DVC Student

Who tells us what to do?

As a former permanent staff member, and now parttimer, I’m passionately puzzled as to why so many, many more directives I get from DVC come from Marketing than from Administration.

-Heather Jukich LMC Student

-Bruce Reeves English Division

THE INQUIRER Diablo Valley College 321 Golf Club Road, H-102 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 The Inquirer is published Thursday mornings during the school year by the journalism students of Diablo Valley College. All unsigned articles appearing on the opinions page are editorials and reflect a two-thirds majority opinion of the editorial staff. All signed columns and cartoons are the opinions of the writer or artists and not necessarily those of The Inquirer, Diablo Valley College or Contra Costa Community College District

• Phone: 925.685.1230 ext. 2313 • Fax: 925.681.3045 • Email: inquirer@dvc.edu • Website: www.TheInquirerOnline.com • Printed Every Two Weeks •

Thursday, March 31, 2011

You are to blame, not the games

7 Was social networking Opinions

The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

the spark for a revolution?

GERARDO RECINOS Sports editor

Yes, NPR-listening mom, it is your fault.

Just because the latest Yahoo! news article said that violent video games cause kids to be more violent, doesn’t mean it’s true.

In a press release distributed by state Sen. Leland Yee, Gov. Jerry Brown said, “California’s children are exposed every day to video games that glamorize killing sprees, torture and sexual assault.”

Look, we know kids are completely desensitized to violence; to actually blame it on the companies who design the games is insane.

It’s your job to police your kids, if that is your prerogative.

When your kid is walking around and throwing rocks at his younger brother and screaming “tango down,” it’s not the game’s fault.

In 2009, parents protested a Nintendo Wii game called “MadWorld,” saying the game’s violence was too much for children.

But a study done at Texas A&M International University last year found that violent video games do not cause violent behaviors in children who have no preexisting conditions.

“Violent video games are like peanut butter,” Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson, who performed the study, told Reuters last June.

“They are harmless for the vast majority of kids but are harmful to a small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems,” he said.

Parents who want companies to change their content forget one thing: games with violence and swearing are rated “M” for “Mature.”

If a 13-year-old kid is trying to buy a game with a mature rating, he or she can’t without parental consent.

If your kid pays a strange adult to pose as a parent and give consent, then I think you have bigger issues than violent video games.

Take responsibility for your bad parenting and stop doing whatever talk radio tells you to do.

It gives me a headache every time some article or report says violent video games may have been the cause of a school shooting.

But some parents continue to pass off their ineptitude on someone else. It’s never their fault.

Contact GERARDO RECI‐ NOS at grecinos@TheInquir‐ erOnline.com

Courtesy of ALEXA LEIGH RUBIN

Yes: The revolution No: Facebook is won’t be televised, revolutionary, it will be tweeted not a revolutionary On Aug. 2, 1990, more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers along with 700 tanks invaded the Persian Gulf state of Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia, realizing it was also a potential target for invasion, decided to keep the Iraq-Kuwait war a state secret.

For seven days not a word was heard about Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Now place this same occurrence in the context of the 21st century.

All it would have taken was for a man in Kuwait to pick up his cell phone and update his Twitter account with, “The Iraqis have invaded!” and everyone would have known.

Ultimately, Facebook and Twitter have significantly catalyzed the spread of the revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East.

A Salon article states that the Algerian regime attempted to “squash organizers by blocking Facebook and Twitter.” Ultimately, if social networking sites weren’t important, then regimes would not have made such efforts to block them.

Even though Facebook has been hesitant to talk about its substantial role in the Middle East protest, Twitter and Google formed speak2tweet, “a service that allowed dissidents to circumvent the government's nationwide Internet shutdown,” according to a Switched article.

The power of social networking sites married with the accessibility of the cell phone has added to the power of citizens to speedily trade information.

This creates a platform for everyone to update everyone all the time.

Take a look at the chain reaction in the Middle East: Crowds in Libya were galvanized by images and videos of Egypt’s revolution which in turn was sparked by the crowds in Tunisia.

Some argue that Twitter and Facebook are just building upon the media of the past, because after all, as John

TALIAH MIRMALEK Copy editor

Everard, former ambassador to North Korea, said, “There were revolutions before Facebook.”

However, those revolutions were not able to spread as fast as those in the Middle East.

In the past, ideas spread slowly via word of mouth, slightly faster with books, then radio, then television.

Social networking sites have broken through the chains of the traditional means of spreading information because of the constant updates and a massive international audience.

A process is only as fast as the tools used to finish it.

“Facebook and Twitter have significantly catalyzed the spread of the revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East.”

Contact TALIAH MIRMALEK at tmir‐ malek@TheInquirerOnline.com

Revolution and revolt is an integral part of the human condition.

Throughout the centuries the course of human history has sometimes been defined by the act of popular protest.

Events like the civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi or the Bolshevik Revolution have been so influential that they changed the way the world functioned.

Gone were the Romanovs and the British Empire and in its place were something completely new.

The wave of popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa is just another example of the will of the people changing the course of human history.

What started out as a protest against rampant corruption and human rights violations in Tunisia, ousting the long-standing President Ben Ali, has quickly spread to over a

and Twitter as the potential catalysts in this spree of civil unrest.

While these sites and others were, no doubt, integral to the rapid spread of the movement, there have been revolutions before. Facebook was just in the right place at the right time.

There have been popular uprisings in the past and in almost all instances, there have been ties back to the spread of ideas through the use of mass communication mediums.

It was the proliferation of print that allowed Thomas Paine to spread his pamphlet “Common Sense” to the people of the American Colonies.

It was political propaganda that drew people to the side of the Bolsheviks during Red October.

It was the spread of newspapers and pirate radio stations in France that helped strengthen the cause of the French Resistance in World War II. These were tools, an accessible means to an end.

The accessibility of Facebook and Twitter has allowed the revolutionary message to spread quickly, but they are only the medium, the proverbial antennae that transmits the news to the rest of the world.

What really starts a revolution is simple disenfranchisement.

When a people feel like they aren’t represented and they care about that representation enough to risk losing everything to change it, that’s when revolutions happen. It’s not about the tool that’s used, but the people who are using it.

“Revolution and revolt is an integral part of the human condition.”

TROY PATTON Managing editor

dozen countries.

The result has been the removal of President Mubarak in Egypt and what some are calling a full-scale civil war in Libya. Many will point to social network sites such as Facebook

Contact TROY PATTON at tpatton@ TheInquirerOnline.com

The future of music is an ‘orgy of sound’ The term “genre” is dead, its blood on the hands of artists like Girl Talk, Super Mash Bros, and Vico Ono. And I’m ready to dance on its grave.

By fusing 80’s glam rock with modern hip hop, grunge with indie pop, and dubstep with rap, these masters of the mash-up have carefully deconstructed the barriers between genres.

Now, music is turning into a mad, 808-fueled orgy of sound.

This new art form doesn’t fit into a certain genre, and instead, does away with the idea of genres entirely.

Mash-ups have paved the way for modern musicians to truly experiment outside of their set sound, as evidenced by artists like Audiodax and Sleigh Bells.

The former fuses indie rock and raw rap to create a sound that seemingly defies classification; the latter creates an amalgamation of noise rock and dance pop formulated by a metal guitarist and an ex-girl band member.

With artists looking to expand their repertoires with new sounds and styles constantly, today’s music is no longer cut-and-dried.

“The term ‘genre’ is dead ... and I’m ready to dance on its grave. ”

Instead of waiting for their music to bums of 2008. become the next victim of a mash-up, It seems like mash-up artists are today’s artists have pushing the music intaken it upon themdustry in a profoundly selves to transcend new direction, one the genre barrier, without the forced by fusing R&B with classification and conhardcore rock and crete genres of the rapping over jazz. current institution.

Despite a lack of Creating a blend of major label support, sounds that does away current mash-up artwith all preconceived ALEC GRAHAM notions about modern ists are seeing a rise Photo chief music, mash-up artists in publicity. are helping to create Girl Talk’s album “Feed the Animals,” released for free a melting pot of music that is truly on his label Illegal Art, has garnered greater than the sum of its parts. attention from both Rolling Stone and Blender, in addition to being named Contact ALEC GRAHAM at agraham@ TheInquirerOnline.com number four on Time’s Top 10 Al-

8

Entertainment The Inquirer - Diablo Valley College

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Entering Wonderland

MARIANA RAMOS / The Inquirer

The tea party (from left to right) with Alice (Atessa MaLeenan‐Morell), Mad Hatter (Justin E. Johnson), Door Mouse (Nasreen Broomand), and March Hare (Jon Borg).

Ed Trujillo chooses translation over interpretation in DVC’s recent drama, ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ BRITTNEY GRIFFIN Staff writer

“Alice in Wonderland” is a story that most of us are familiar with, but how many of us really know the original story?

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” written by Charles Dodgson under the pen name of Lewis Carroll, is a bright, lively and fun fairytale, unlike Tim Burton’s recent film.

The DVC drama department’s version, directed by drama chair Ed Trujillo, is not an interpretation of the story.

It is Lewis Carroll’s novel translated onto the stage.

After reading the original novel, I could not help but wonder, “How will they portray a story that contains so many unrealistic elements on a stage?”

Surely it is simpler to create a false reality on film with special effects.

Having said that, the actors,

crew, makeup, lighting, props and costumes exceeded my expectations; this story was exquisitely presented.

It was the simple things, such as the trap doors, the spinning set, and the movement of props to represent Alice’s ever-changing height, that were subtle and brilliant.

“How will they portray a story that contains so many unrealistic elements on a stage?”

As far as makeup and costumes were concerned, they were as amazingly absurd as the characters. Things such as the giant dog and the large caterpillar on the staircase were brilliant.

It is no wonder these actors and actresses were able to get so into character.

The acting was one of the

most impressive aspects of the entire show, and even the less-substantial roles such as the crabs, the cards, and the jury, were all so dedicated to the insanity of it all.

Thanks to the narration by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, played by Chad Ellis and Brady Hold, the audience is constantly involved in the story, and cannot help but love their charismatic characters.

Although all the acting was amazing, the tea party scene was by far the most spot on scene.

The Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Doormouse, and Alice could not have been any better.

Alice, played by Atessa McAleenan-Morrell, produced a stunning performance. Her British accent never faltered, and she truly captured the innocence of Alice and the hilarity of the entire story.

The Mad Hatter is a charac-

MARIANA RAMOS / The Inquirer

The Queen of Hearts, Jessica Brown, and the cards preparing to play croquet. ter that many people are familiar with, and Justin E. Johnson provided the audience with great comedic “madness.”

But it was the March Hare, played by Jon Borg, that I could not get enough of. His constant insane rambling and shouting kept me laughing the entire time.

Even if you are not familiar with the story, this play will keep you entertained, laughing, and wanting more.

Alice (Atessa MaLeenan‐ Morell) is surprised by the giant dog when she first enters the wonderland.

Contact BRITTNEY GRIFFIN at bgriffin@TheInquirerOnline.com

MARIANA RAMOS / The Inquirer

Beautiful, but confusing: ‘Sucker Punch’ New movie from director Zack Snyder suffers from a case of all style and no substance BRITTNEY GRIFFIN Staff writer

Anyone who saw “Inception” and could not wrap their mind around the notion of a dream inside of a dream may not want to go see the recently released film, “Sucker Punch.”

This movie is so engrossed in fantasy and action that I think the director/writer, Zach Snyder, forgot to add dialogue to the script.

The entire first 10 minutes of the movie consisted of a long, silent, melodramatic scene in which the main character, Babydoll’s, mother dies.

A quarrel with her stepfather then ended with Babydoll accidentally shooting her sister instead of her stepfather.

She is then brought to a dark, eerie mental hospital, Lennox House, where she quickly realizes she needs to escape before the doctor comes to perform a lobotomy

on her in three days.

Everything after that is all a dream, literally.

The transition from mental hospital to a burlesque show for orphans was not only confusing but strange and awkward.

Every time Babydoll dances, she enters a second fantasy world where she must fight off fictional characters such as dragons, large steel samurai, dead-gas-filled men, and robots.

This fantasy world has a sort of Angelina Jolie “Laura Croft: Tomb Raider” thing going on with hot girls kicking some ass.

Alongside Babydoll is her crew of girls dressed in fishnets, leather, and machine guns: the always-appropriate attire for fighting off dragons and robots.

Together their sole mission is to obtain five things that will help them escape: a map, fire, a knife, a key, and the last

thing, which remains a mystery until the end.

Their journey in the second world is dictated by a witty guy who says clichés such as “If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything” and things with absolutely no sense behind them, like “You can’t write a check with your mouth that you can’t cash with your ass.”

In moments like that, you cannot help but to think “What the hell is going on?”

Yes, the cinematography is wonderful, and if you like anime/action films, then this movie is great, but it was the lack of explanation that left me puzzled.

You are never given any sense of what is happening in the real world. It is all just a dream inside of a dream.

Contact BRITTNEY GRIFFIN at bgriffin@TheInquirerOnline.com