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THE HORNET Check out Local Page 8
HornetNews
Serving Fullerton College since 1922
Volume 98, Issue 8
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
hornet.fullcoll.edu
‘Teacher of the Year’ race underway Students asked to nominate their favorite professors. STEPHANIE ORNELAS News Editor
Trespassers spotted, campus cracks down
Photo by Mark Sutton, The Hornet
Stay aware: Officers warn all students who are taking late classes to be cautious of their surroundings while on school grounds at a late hour.
Campus safety looks out for potentially dangerous trespassers. Cory Knowles Hornet Reporter
There has been a rising percentage in the number of homeless reported on campus, both during school hours, as well as after. Are the homeless that are on the Fullerton College campus a problem for the students and staff, or are do they go unnoticed? Should we be worried? If it is a problem, what is Campus Safety going to do about it? While there have been no official reports of incidents involving homeless, Sergeant in the Campus Safety Department Jim McKamy states, “Our mission is
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they are here is scary . . .Someone should do something about it.” She was also surprised to hear that this was an issue, saying, “It’s news to me.” “I don’t see a problem with it,” Says student, Edgar Jimenez. “As long as they are mentally stable and not causing any trouble.” The majority of students questioned seem to all feel the same way about the issue. That is, as long as they are not causing any trouble, than it’s really not a problem. Sergeant McKamy also acknowledges the fact that a lot of the homeless are students of Fullerton College themselves. “We have many resources available on campus for our homeless students and we do our best to help them with whatever they need.” The Fullerton College Care-
Open mic and forum shine during Black History Month.
important is this month to the city of Fullerton? If there is one thing to know that by the numbers this month is the most important to Fullerton College and those within. Fellow Fullerton college student Chelena Cabon echoes these sentiments, “it gives the black community the ability to unify ourselves as a whole and an increased ability to establish ourselves.” To say the least Orange County has a complicated relationship with race. As recently as November of this past year, the Los Angeles times published an article noting an African American family forced to leave their home in Yoruba Linda after their tires had been slashed and instances where racial obscenities had been yelled at them. Alysa Fletcher takes a strong surmising, “by in large I believe America is still segregated, there is a strict line of neighborhoods.” Instances like these are a
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bank provides assistance to students, enrolled in no less than five units a semester, with food certificates, fuel cards, and bus passes. “We want to be sensitive to the subject but we also need to look out for our students. We are in charge of their safety and that is first priority. We also understand that we do have homeless students and we want them to know we have recourses for them,” Mckamy added. Although they are only able to assist a limited number of students per semester due to limited resources, many students are unaware of these things available. To donate to your fellow students in-need, or to find out more information on the program, visit the Associated Students Office in building 200, room 222.
Black history forefront upcoming social events NICK ACEVEDO
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to keep the campus safe. If there are any homeless engaging in activities that they shouldn’t be doing on campus, we will escort them off the premises immediately.” To understand the homeless issue better, it is important to understand that there are two different types of homeless that roam the campus after hours. According to an unnamed FCC staff member, “most of the homeless on campus are actually students and they are harmless.” That same employee has seen only a small handful of homeless after hours in the past two or three years. Some students however, don’t feel the same way. When asked if the thought of homeless on campus worries her, Maria, an FC student said, “Yes! The fact that
The race for teacher of the year has finally begun. Students were encouraged to nominate their favorite professors whom they felt affected them most. It can be any part-time or full-time community college teacher. Voters were required to submit a form stating why they think that professor deserves to win. This is based on appearance, ability to communicate and interact with each student as well as the overall experience the students have with that teacher. The Orange County Superintendent of Schools announced the James Hines Orange County Teachers of the Year Foundation Awards Program, where the top five finalists will receive up to $15,000. During previous years, the winner of both Fullerton College is eligible for this program but this year, The winner of Cypress, our sister school will be the only one. Nomination forms will be reviewed by three different committees, first being Associated Students. “I have a professor that has completely changed my life,” said student Lauren Taylor. She added, “I wasn’t even planning on going to college. I thought it was a waste of time until this professor showed me I can do anything I want. I’ll be transferring to Cal-State Fullerton next year and it’s all thanks to her. There are educators out there who deserve this award.”
If you were asleep the first three weeks of the month or live under a rock, you won’t know that February is black history month. First created in 1926 by historian Carter G. Washington, and recognized by the federal government in 1976, this month aims to give note to the history of African Diaspora. When asked what this month means to her Fullerton college student Alysa Fletcher responded, “it further informs us on who we are.” But how important is this month truly to Orange County? Where according to the 2010 census, African Americans comprise only 2 percent of the population. More to the point, how
reminder that the isolated predominantly white community would like to pretend racism is gone forever. This isn’t to say that orange county is a bastion of hate where crimes are committed on every corner or that every person who isn’t a minority is a racist. This is to say that civil rights are still a relevant topic. Student Devinne Ingram states, “To move forward we must know where we have been”. Narrowing the scope now to the city of Fullerton, one cannot help but ask how important black history month is. The city of Fullerton, which for most of the first half of the twentieth century was a sundown town meaning no minorities were allowed out past sundown. Over a ten year span from 2000 through 2010 has seen virtually no growth according to the us census. Mirroring Orange County with the percentage of blacks comprising only 2 percent of the population at roughly 2000
residents. Without speculating or giving an opinion it’s apparent, the city of Fullerton doesn’t attract many new African Americans families to live in their city. When Alysa Fletcher also a resident of Fullerton was asked to the cause for the lack of growth she speculated “its hard for black families to carve out their own spot in a community overwhelming populated by whites and might at times feel discouraged.” To parallel this, an article was published in the O.C. weekly questioning the city of Fullerton as possibly the most racist city in all of Orange County. The point of painting the back ground of this portrait darker than most would like to admit is to show that Fullerton College can truly be the enlightened center of focus.
SEE BLACK HISTORY PAGE 3