FEELING THE PRESSURE

Issue V, Volume CXXXII

November 17, 2014

www.theoakleafnews.com

THE SRJC NEWSPAPER THE SRJC NEWSPAPER

FEELING THE

PRESSURE

Four weeks to go, all ready to blow

- Center spread

BSU faces bigotry - Page 3

2

November 17, 2014

Fri.

Calendar

Novem

21

22

Sat.

Drop Beats Not Bombs: dub music benefit for Western States Legal Foundation, a nonprofit organization working for peace and justice in a nuclear-free world • 7 p.m. to midnight • Arlene Francis Center • arlenefranciscenter.org/calendars • (707) 528-3009 • $10-20 sliding scale

Nuclear Savage: a free screening of the documentary about the Marshall Islanders, who were used as human guinea pigs for three decades to study the effects of nuclear fallout on human beings • 7 p.m. • Doors open at 6:30 p.m. • Newman Auditorium • nuclearsavage.com • Free

26

27

University application review • 9 a.m. to noon • Bertollini Student Center • santarosa.edu/transfer • (707) 527-4874

Napa Valley Wine Train Thanksgiving: traditional Thanksgiving feast in a non-traditional, but memorable setting • Lunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner 4-8:30 p.m. • winetrain.com/holiday/thanksgiving• (800) 427-4124 • $129-159

Bluegrass/Old Time Music: open jam • 7-9 p.m. • Aqus Cafe, Petaluma • aquscafe.com/calendar • (707) 778-6060 • Free

Compassionate Thanksgiving Feast: cruelty-free Thanksgiving vegan potluck • 3 p.m. • Monroe Hall, College Ave. • hopefull@sonic.net • (707) 540-1760 • Free

Highway Poets, Frankie Boots and the Dixie Giants • 8:30 p.m. • Zodiacs, Petaluma • zodiacspetaluma. inticketing.com • (707) 773-7751 • $10

Managing Editor:

Jarrett Rodriguez Section Editors: Copy Editor | Alex Randolph Layout Editor | Chantelle Bogue A&E Editor | Devin Marshall Features Editor | Nate Voge News Editor | JoshuOne Barnes Opinion Editor | Nathan Quast Sports Editor | Robert Marshall Sports Photo Editor | Joseph Barkoff Multimedia Editor | Jeanine Buckley

Follow us on twitter

An evening with David Luning, John Craigie and Sam Chase • 8 p.m. • Doors open at 7 p.m. • McNear’s Mystic Theatre, Petaluma • mystictheatre.com • (707) 765 -2121 • $16

Staff Writers Claudia Aceves, Haley Bollinger, Anne-Elisabeth Cavarec, Brennan Cole, Nikko Edwards, Faith Gates, Sal Gebre, Arthur Gonzalez-Martin, Mari Guevara, Deanna Hettinger, Hannah Kooistra, Andrew Lino, Kelsey Matzen, Alex Randolph, Ben Steinberg.

Photographers Joseph Barkoff JoshuOne Barnes Jeanine Flaton-Buckley

@SROakleaf @theoakleafnews

24

Mon.

Indelibly Yours: “The Tattoo Project” combining printmaking and tattoos in one exhibit • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery, Doyle Library • santarosa.edu/artgallery/ • (707) 527-4298 • Through Dec. 12 • Parking $4 • Free Proud Mary’s Slow Jam Session: learn how to play and perform great songs on the ukelele • 11 a.m. • Person Senior Wing, Finley Complex • (707) 543-3737 • $2 “Women in the 1910 Mexican Revolution” with Laura Larqué • Noon to 1 p.m. • Newman Auditorium • santarosa.edu/communityeducation/arts-and-lectures • (707) 5274372 • Parking $4 • Free

28

Thurs.

Wed.

Julie Lee and Stephen Radley

Irish Jam Session • 6-10 p.m. • Redwood Café, Cotati • redwoodcafe. com • (707) 795-7868 • Free

Sonoma County Roller Derby• 7:30 p.m. • Sonoma County Fairgrounds • Doors open at 5:30 p.m. •sonomacountyrollerderby.org• (707) 2731463 • $7-25

“Phantom of the Opera” • 8 p.m. • Burbank Auditorium • santarosa. edu/theatrearts/tickets.html • (707) 527-4307 • Parking $4 • $12-22

Editors-in-Chief:

Fall Dance Concert: original student choreography • 2 p.m. • Sonoma State University, Person Theater • sonoma.edu/theatreanddance/productions/fall• (707) 6644246 • $10-17

Redwood Writers Open Mic • 2-4 p.m. • Gaia’s Garden, Santa Rosa • redwoodwriters.org • (707) 5442491 • Free

Great American Beer Festival Medal Winner Tasting • 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. • Bear Republic Brewing Company, Healdsburg • bearrepublic.com • (707) 433-2337 • $9-20

23

Sun.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Sat.

Fri.

29

25

Tue.

Women’s soccer at NorCal playoffs, round 3 • TBA • srjcathletics.com/ sports/wsoc/2014-15/schedule• $26; free with ASP Men’s soccer at NorCal playoffs, round 2 • TBA • srjcathletics.com/ sports/msoc/2014-15/schedule• $2-6; free with ASP Women’s volleyball at NorCal playoffs, round 1 • 7 p.m. • srjcathletics. com/sports/wvball/2014-15/schedule • $2-6; free with ASP Slam Poetry: Slamazon • 8:30-10 p.m. • Redwood Café, Cotati • redwoodcafe.com • (707) 795-7868 • Free

Sun.

30

Black Friday Hike: lead by park docent Bob Long, this free 3-mile family-friendly hike is good for all ages interested in learning more about Sugarloaf Park and its plants, animals and history • 10:00 a.m. • Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood • parks.ca.gov • (707) 8335712 • $8 parking permit • Free for hike

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival: live entertainment • 11:00 a.m. • River Plaza Shopping Center, Petaluma • visitpetaluma.com • (707) 762-9348 • Free

Uncle Bill: live music • 3 p.m. • Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma • lagunitas.com/live • (707) 778-8776 • All ages • Free

Women’s soccer at NorCal playoffs, round 4 • TBA • srjcathletics.com/ sports/wsoc/2014-15/schedule• $2-6; free with ASP

Blues and BBQ with The Blues Defenders • 5-8 p.m. • Twin Oaks Tavern, Penngrove • twinoakstavernpenngrove.com/calendar•(707) 795-5118 • 21+ • No cover

Apple Z: live music • 9:30 p.m. • Flamingo Resort and Spa, Santa Rosa • flamingoresort.com/flamingo-lounge • (707) 545-8530 • $1012

Men’s soccer at NorCal playoffs, round 3 • TBA • srjcathletics.com/ sports/msoc/2014-15/schedule• $2-6; free with ASP Women’s volleyball at NorCal playoffs, round 2 • 7 p.m. • srjcathletics. com/sports/wvball/2014-15/schedule • $2-6; free with ASP

Advertising William Rohrs

Web & Social Media Chantelle Bogue, Julie Lee, Stephen Radley, Jarrett Rodriguez

Multimedia Stephen Radley, Joshuone Barnes, Jeanine Flaton-Buckley

Contact Newsroom: 707-527-4401 Ads Office: 707-527-4254 Anne Belden, Adviser: 707-527-4867 abelden@santarosa.edu

Distribution Brennan Cole, Nikko Edwards, Sal Gebre, Deanna Hettinger, Andrew Lino, Jeanine Buckley, Nate Voge

Follow us on Instagram

SRJCOakleaf theoakleafnews

EMAIL oakleaf-ads@santarosa.edu oakleafonline@gmail.com oakleafpr@gmail.com

Like us on facebook

OakleafNews

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We appreciate your feedback.

Send us your letters to oakleafonline@gmail.com or to the Oak Leaf office. They should include your first and last name and be limited to 300 words. Letter may be edited for style, length, clarity and taste. Libelous or obscene letters will not be printed.

Editorials do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the students, staff, faculty or administration.

Check out our website:

www.theoakleafnews.com

News

www.theoakleafnews.com

November 17, 2014

BSU students face bigotry JoshuOne Barnes News Editor Editor’s Note: After careful deliberations and consultation with the SRJC Black Student Union, Oak Leaf editors decided to include potentially offensive language in the following article.

Members of Santa Rosa Junior College’s Black Student Union encountered a spate of racism and bigotry while on a retreat with members of the Sonoma State BSU Nov. 10 at a bowling alley in Rohnert Park.

As BSU members left Double Decker Lanes at closing time, a group of a half-dozen white, collegeaged people shouted racial slurs and yelled, “Go back to Africa,” according to five BSU members who attended the retreat.

A female patron of the alley then shoved BSU member Darika Ramsey, called her the n-word and refused to get out of her personal space, BSU members said.

The woman told Ramsey and the rest of the group they were stuck in the past and continued spewing racial slurs as her friend dragged her away from the BSU group, Ramsey said.

When the group of SRJC students started to leave the parking lot, the assailant’s friends drove up in two cars and began yelling and taunting the group, according to Steven Covarrubias, a BSU member who

witnessed the events.

When the students attempted A man standing up outside of one to report the assault and the hate vehicle yelled, “You fucking niggers. speech, they said police officers Go back to Africa,” according to told them to go home and that the Covarrubias and other members of bowling alley was closed. Other the group. The taunting lasted several officers asked white patrons of the minutes, until the two cars sped away. alley what happened, according to “This is mind-blowing that this is Elias Hinit, a BSU member who happening in our time,” Covarrubias witnessed the police actions. said. “It’s just crazy, how it’s 2014. Our As the students protested their president’s black, come on. It felt like I innocence and the injustice of police was in Alabama in 1955.” ignoring them after the confrontation, The BSU students the police became were shocked to more aggressive and be targets of such cleared the students bigotry and racism. from the scene. One “This is mindThey were discussing officer told Hinit that blowing that this is the incident a minute he didn’t care if they happening in our later when four were assaulted and time.”

Rohnert Park police they needed to leave. officers arrived on Hinit said the - Steven Covarrubias, the scene. students have since BSU member Tre Webber, an filed a personnel employee of Double complaint with Decker Lanes who the Rohnert Park worked that night, police about the said there were no problems with the incident. When asked for comment, 20-plus BSU students in the bowling dispatchers at the police department alley and that the first he heard of declined, stating it was a personnel any trouble was when someone matter that would be dealt with by from the alley told him that five to 10 senior officers. police cars were outside. By the time California Penal Code 422.6 makes he made it outside, the hostilities it a crime for someone to “willfully were over. injure, intimidate, interfere with, According to the students, oppress, or threaten any other person the police acted in an aggressive in the free exercise or enjoyment of and hostile manner towards the any right or privilege secured to him black students, and one officer or her by the Constitution or laws even took his baton out and held of this state or by the Constitution it in a menacing manner while or laws of the United States” based approaching the BSU members. on that person’s “disability, gender,

nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or association with a person or group with one or more of these characteristics.”

Janae Crosby, an SRJC student and BSU member who was present during the altercation, said she was shocked by what happened. “I’ve let [racial slurs] slide before, but now that I joined BSU, it’s kind of like why would I let it slide? It’s not acceptable,” Crosby said. “If I do hear it, I will tell them straight: ‘Do not call me that.’”

Jasmine Landry, a BSU member who also attended the retreat, said the whole situation was unfair. “No group should ever feel like [that]. They have the right to go out and enjoy their night; they don’t have to constantly be in fear.” Landry admitted the incident has stuck with her days later.

The SRJC students who spoke with the Oak Leaf about the incident agreed that to change the way our society deals with issues like racism and bigotry, everyone has to be a part of the solution.

“It’s all about dialogue and education,” Hinit said. “We see the bigger picture. This is just a product of the racist system that we are living in.”

Hinit said it is hard to make the necessary changes, because we talk about incidents of racism, but then they still happen the next day. “It is everybody’s responsibility to talk about this,” he said.

“Racism doesn’t come with your genetics; it is taught,” Ramsey said.

Native American students celebrate heritage Club members are supportive of each other after racist incidents Kelsey Matzen

M

Staff Writer

embers of Santa Rosa Junior College’s Native American Student Council held a bake sale and fundraiser outside Bertolini Student Center Nov. 13, which included a drum group that arrived on campus to support the club and sing songs for the students.

This was one of many events the

club has planned for November, Native American Heritage Month.

Debra Lopez, president and founder of the Native American Student Council, started the club two-and-a-half years ago after one of her professors made racist comments during class.

“That professor ended up recanting what she said,” Lopez said. “I don’t think it made a difference to students, but it made a difference to me. I don’t think the next generation should

Daniel Kong/Oak Leaf

Members of SRJC’s Native American Student Council host a bake sale in drum circle on Nov. 13 as part of Native American Heritage Month.

have to go through this.”

The club’s purpose is to reach out to young Native American students on campus and to provide them with support and a place to gather. Adam David Begay joined the club this semester because he felt it was the only club he could relate to.

“There are no other groups like ours on campus. We understand each other and where we come from,” Begay said.

One thing all the club members share is instances of racism on campus.

“I experience it all the time, but now I’m more comfortable with it,” Begay said. “I try to use it in a positive way. I like the fact that people don’t like me; it makes me push forward and gives me a reason not to quit.”

Rose Hammock, another club member and a first-year student, has also experienced discriminatory behavior.

“In my English class, I brought Pomo baskets I made myself and people were making fun of them,” Hammock said. “I felt disrespected and embarrassed to bring them again, but I was happy it gave me an opportunity to share

my voice with other students who don’t know about Pomo culture.”

The Native American Student Council has several other events planned for Native American Heritage Month, most notably a speaker in Bertolini on Nov. 20.

The speaker, Morning Star Gali, a Native American Advocate, will talk about the NFL Redskins controversy and her planned Nov. 23 protest at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Lopez is hoping as many club members as possible will participate in this protest.

“It’s a negative stereotype that hurts our children and perpetuates racism against our people,” Lopez said.

Though it is called the Native American Student Council, club members stress everyone is welcome to join and learn about Native American culture.

Lopez thinks that the best way to combat discrimination and unfair treatment is to educate people.

“We’re invisible as a people in our own country. People have misconceptions about us and I think we need to start correcting this by teaching younger children the real history of America,” Lopez said.

3

BSU helps student with terminal cancer Claudia Aceves Staff Writer After former Santa Rosa Junior College student Joshua McFarland was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, the Black Student Union (BSU) decided to take action and help him through the trying time by paying for his treatments through fundraising.

McFarland, 32, who has a 5-yearold son, first discovered he had pancreatic cancer on Feb. 22 after experiencing stomach pains. He ignored the pains until he developed jaundice, the yellowing of the skin and eyes, indicating something was seriously wrong. When he visited the hospital, McFarland learned he had one year to live.

McFarland worked at Safeway when he received his diagnosis, but because he was on a probation period before joining the union he was not covered by health insurance.

His sister, Lindsey, who works in SRJC’s Admissions and Records, said McFarland is doing chemotherapy in daily low dose pill form with the hopes of keeping the tumors at bay.

“The medication isn’t working as well as they’d like it to because the cancer is so deeply rooted,” Lindsey said.

Spearheading McFarland’s fight, Lindsey took her cause to Brian Phifer, assistant director of Student Affairs, and the BSU with McFarland’s story.

“We wanted to help,” said BSU student representative Elias Hinit.

“We voted on it and everyone voted to raise $1,500.”

The BSU held car washes and two to three bake sales a week during the summer and into fall. By September, they raised the $1,500 and presented a check to Lindsey while McFarland was in the hospital.

Although they had reached their goal of $1,500, in October the club co-sponsored the writer, director, actor and comedian Donald Lacy for a one-man show titled “Colorstruck” at the Petaluma campus. Phifer, who personally knows Lacy, asked if he would be willing to do a show at no cost to the club for McFarland’s cause, “and he jumped at the occasion,” Hinit said.

“He used laughter to ease us into a really deep conversation about powerful social subjects,” Hinit said.

“We raised about $200 there because not a lot of people went.”

“If I had a family member in that condition, I would want help too,” said BSU member Jenae Crosby.

“I’m happy we got support from the people who helped donate for Joshua.”

Photo by Lindsey McFarland

BSU members raised $1,700 for Joshua McFarland, with son Aspen, after he was diagnosed with cancer.

4

November 17, 2014

New candidates oust current trustees Mari Guevara

V

www.theoakleafnews.com

Campus police called on student senators Kelsey Matzen

Staff Writer

oters elected all three challengers running for seats in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Board of Trustees on Nov. 4.

The trustees relied heavily on their incumbency and experience to campaign for re-election, but challengers Dorothy Battenfeld, Jordan Burns and Maggie Fishman won their seats.

Burns graduated valedictorian from SRJC in 2009 and served as a student trustee member from 2008-2009.

Burns ran against Robert Burdo for West County and received 53.6 percent of the votes while Burdo had 46.1 percent from 15,403 voters.

Battenfeld teaches at Montgomery High School and said she’s committed to helping the college meet the changing needs of its diverse students.

Battenfeld challenged Don Zumwalt for Santa Rosa Area 3/4/5 and won with 54.2 percent of the votes, while Zumwalt held 45.5 percent of the votes from 32,592 voters.

Fishman, who also taught at Montgomery High School, said she understands the challenges SRJC faces due to decreasing in enrollment, tuition increase and demographic changes.

Fishman was Kathleen Doyle’s challenger for South County.

Fishman won with 56 percent of the votes while Doyle had 43.7 percent from 15,324 voters.

“I’m very excited, humbled and ready for a lot of hard work,” Fishman said.

Joshua Pinaula, president of the Associated Student Senate, said having all the challengers elected sends a clear message from a community that is ready for change.

“I think [students are] going to be heard more,” he said.

In their last official board meeting on Nov. 12, board members thanked the trustees for their years of service.

Communication Studies instructor Hal Sanford prepared a farewell speech for trustees.

“You have set quite a high bar for your successors,” Sanford said.

SRJC president Dr. Chong also had touching words for the trustees.

“When I came here the board gave me the latitude, the support, the encouragement to try to do the most I can,” Chong said. “I just really appreciate all that you’ve contributed and will continue to contribute because when you’re part of the JC family you will always be part of the JC family regardless of title or stature.”

In the meeting Zumwalt and Burdo offered advice to Burns, Battenfeld and Fishman and said their goodbyes.

“You’ve got to treat each member with respect even though you don’t support their views,” Zumwalt said.

“Make a decision based on what is good for the students and the college.”

Burdo warned that budget reserves have to be spent wisely. “You get one shot and you don’t get to re-do it,” Burdo said.

Doyle expressed her affection for the job and said she would miss all her friends on the board.

News

Staff Writer

S

anta Rosa Junior College administrators called the campus police on two members of the Associated Students Senate during a prospective student orientation on Nov. 4.

Disability Resources Specialist Laura Aspinall called police on President of Associated Students Joshua Pinaula and Vice President of Organizations Virginia Kerr.

The Associated Students officers held an election party for Measure H at the same time as a prospective student orientation, hosted by the Disability Resources Department (DRD), in the adjoining part of the student activities center.

Kerr approached Tara Johnson, disability specialist, and asked if she and Pinaula could tell students about college life.

After talking to Johnson, Kerr and Pinaula returned to the election party. However, Kerr went back to the orientation and told the staff running it that the event looked boring. At this point, Aspinall talked to Kerr.

“She accused me of being

really rude to Tara in our initial conversation,” Kerr said. “I was shocked.”

In a phone call to Aspinall, she declined to comment on the incident. Johnson did not return a call.

“It’s really disheartening for me to hear about faculty going out of their way to try to kill student involvement and tell us off like we’re children. That’s something that we deal with a lot,” Pinaula said.

Pinaula returned and talked to some of the orientation students, introducing himself as the student body president and telling them about the college.

“I think the people running it felt really invaded,” Pinaula said. “I don’t think they’re used to actually communicating to students or having student involvement at all. They’re just used to talking at students.”

According to Pinaula, when he walked past Aspinall, she asked if she could help him.

Pinaula explained that he was the student body president and he was interested in seeing potential students and getting them involved. Aspinall told him he was distracting people from the orientation. Pinaula accused her

of failing to engage the students.

Aspinall then told Pinaula that if he didn’t leave, she would call the police.

Adrienne Leihy, a campus bookstore employee who witnessed the conflict, said Pinaula was not being aggressive.

“I don’t think it was necessary to call the police. I mean, these are two student representatives and all they wanted to do was make a presentation,” Leihy said.

“Once she threatened to call the police and then called the police, then we were being bullied,” Kerr said. “It was so far beyond anything that needed to happen.

I can’t even find what would be the appropriate way to speak about this college anymore. It is so disappointing.”

When the police arrived, they advised Pinaula and Kerr to stay away from the orientation for the rest of the night.

Pinaula and Kerr may face student conduct violations. In an email from Patie Wegman, dean of Student Conduct, both were asked to attend a student conduct conference.

In her email, Wegman cites Section 1, Item M in the SRJC Standards of Conduct as what Kerr and Pinaula will be charged

with. Item M lists continued disruptive behavior, failure to comply with directions of college officials acting in the performance of their duties, and continued willful disobedience as some categories of misconduct.

“If this is how the administration wants to handle their student leaders, by bullying them, we should just start a campaign to tell people not to come to this school because you won’t have a voice and if you stir up any controversy, they will try to shut you down,” Kerr said.

Jeanine Flaton-Buckley/Oak Leaf

AS Senate President Josh Pinaula may face a student conduct violation after an incident at a DRD orientation.

SRJC’s IT department rejects student-made website Claudia Aceves

work, IT noticed the new website’s URL included the SRJC name but did not immediately identify itself as an Staff Writer unofficial SRJC website. laiming alleged trademark Although Conrad didn’t discourage infringement, the Santa Hough from using the site, he asked Rosa Junior College’s Information that Hough change the domain Technology (IT) name to something department asked that doesn’t directly a student to change associate the school the domain name of to the website to “The whole point his website, where avoid trademark of the disclaimer is he posted a program violation issues. so that there is no to help students “[Conrad] says it’s confusion, so I don’t up to me if I want visually organize see why the domain their class schedules. to change it, but Ben Hough, 19, that if he gets any should have to be knowledgeable in complaints he’ll talk changed.” coding, first came to the board and take up with a program action,” Hough said.

- Ben Hough he could use to However, SRJC help him organize instructor Bill Stone his class schedule did a trademark online to better search and learned visualize his workflow. that the name SRJC is not actually Last summer, Hough presented his trademarked. program to IT Director Scott Conrad Conrad said the college name is and asked if he would be interested in protected under Ed Code 72000.4, using his code. which states that no one can use the However, because there were college name, or any abbreviation of other project priorities lined it, without permission. up, like updating the Student Conrad suggested to Hough a link Information System (SIS) to meet to create a pop-up disclaimer when state requirements, Conrad said people enter the website. As of Nov 6, IT was unable to integrate the Hough added a small font disclaimer scheduler in SIS. reading “Not an official SRJC website” “For a while I had a code that only underneath the site’s title. worked for me and I decided to turn Because the disclaimer doesn’t it into a website so it could be more appear on mobile versions of the accessible,” Hough said. website, Hough plans to add a pop-up.

Recently, when one of Hough’s “This is similar to what we do when instructors shared the scheduler you click on a non-SRJC link today. link, www.srjcscheduler.com, in a When you click a Facebook link on districtwide email promoting Hough’s our site, a jump page comes up and

C

tells you that you are leaving the SRJC site,” Conrad said. “This way users are clear when they are on an SRJCsupported site or not.”

If there are technical issues within the scheduling site, IT wants to make sure schedule users understand they are not on an official SRJC website and should ask the site creator instead of SRJC in case of malfunctions.

“Our only concern is that his program be clearly labeled as not part of the SRJC, since we have no control over it,” Conrad said.

Although no legal action has been considered against Hough, who has not changed the URL of the website, Conrad said if SRJC receives any complaints it will defer to legal counsel to determine whether legal action should be taken.

“I don’t plan on changing the domain name,” Hough said. “The whole point of the disclaimer is so that there is no confusion, so I don’t

see why the domain should have to be changed.”

Conrad said SRJC programmers are currently working on a similar scheduling tool to incorporate in SIS within the student portal for fall 2015.

“There has been a plan for over a year to add a visual schedule display similar to the output of the student program, but this has been delayed due to the large number of changes that have been mandated by the state legislature for the Student Success Initiative,” Conrad said.

Incidentally, Hough said that during the July conversation Conrad did not mention a similar program in the works, but rather the possibility of incorporating an interactive schedule in SIS once prioritized projects are fulfilled.

“It was meant to make things easier for students,” Hough said. “I would think they would want to use it to help.”

Photo courtesy of www.srjcscheduler.com

The SRJC Class Scheduler allows students to visualize their class schedules.

Sports SRJC athletics attracts talent

November 17, 2014

www.theoakleafnews.com

Brennan Cole

D

Staff Writer

arrel Deflorimonte, 20, from Ontario, Canada, was visiting Simon Fraser University in British Columbia when a group of former Santa Rosa Junior College football players approached him about the SRJC football program and coach Lenny Wagner.

“They all raved about Wagner as a coach and told me that he is always looking out for the best interest in all of his players,” Deflorimonte said.

“They also stressed the amount of time Wagner devotes towards helping all of his players get recruited to the next level.”

So he moved to Santa Rosa and enrolled this fall at SRJC, playing defensive back for the Bear Cubs.

With high enrollment costs, limited athletic scholarships and tough academic requirements, four-year universities are out of reach for people like Deflorimonte. Their alternative is to hone athletic abilities and complete units at much more affordable community colleges.

Yet selecting the best community college can often be a dilemma. A general benchmark for studentathletes in determining the perfect school compares its overall rankings in athletics as well as its academics. SRJC

is unique in that it boasts equally great academic and athletic programs.

“The school provides all kinds of resources to help make life as a student-athlete as easy as possible,” Deflorimonte said.

According to the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Report on Benchmarks, SRJC transfer students have higher outcomes than those at other community colleges. Another statistic of interest is that SRJC’s successful course completion rates rank higher than the state average.

To accommodate studentathletes’ overwhelmingly vigorous schedules, SRJC gives them priority registration. Additionally, dedicated counselors assigned to athletes are accessible five days a week to keep the athletes on track.

“The tradition of excellence combined with one of the most iconic campuses in the country, being led by such outstanding faculty has created one of the best college environments in the nation,” said SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong.

Overall, according to the 20132014 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings, SRJC’s athletic programs ranked 17th in the nation, and eighth in the state. The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup is a program honoring institutions that maintain a broad-based program by achieving success in multiple sports, both men’s

and women’s.

“The academic and athletic integrity of the college is recognized nationwide as being the best of the best,” said SRJC volleyball head coach Kaitlin Ferguson.

Whether it’s the training staff, librarians, coaches, alumni or custodians, countless individuals contribute to the school’s reputation of excellence.

“We [SRJC] are lucky enough to have a highly recognized athletic training staff available to aid in injury, recovery and prevention,” Ferguson said. “Not to mention, the staff is globally recognized as a leader in concussion management.”

Men’s basketball head coach Craig McMillan said, “The education has always been a plus here, and if the students work at basketball and school, they will definitely have more options when they graduate than they

had coming in.”

With the trickle-down effect of superlative employees, the college reels in proportionately impressive students.

Nearly all the sports teams have diverse rosters consisting of student-athletes from around the world.

“I have never seen coaching staffs as dedicated as the ones we have here,” Dr. Chong said. “And that includes trainers, equipment managers, players and assistant coaches.”

SRJC football team wide receiver Khirhy Hayes, from Lochraven High, Baltimore, credits a close friend and former Bear Cub for recommending SRJC and raving about his experience.

“My time here has been great, and I’ve met a lot of influential people along the way,” Hayes said. “The countless opportunities available here make Santa Rosa a place accommodating for most anyone.”

Illustration by Chantelle Bogue

Bringing the thunder from down under Vai Thompson

ContributingWriter

A

s he sat amongst a sea of strangers, his heart grew heavy with anticipation. His future awaited 10,000 miles away. He sat anxiously for what felt like an eternity, when finally, the plane roared; it was time. The view from his window, of his beautiful

Australia soon vanished into clouds of gray. The sky grew vague along with thoughts of his future, but he knew in his heart that this was the right decision.

In 2013, after completing high school at Brisbane Boys’ College in Australia, 19-year-old Jacob Wilson had a rocky start playing a collegiate sport.

“It’s hard to get any exposure from colleges in Australia, but my

Jeanine Flaton-Buckley/Oak Leaf

Australian SRJC basketball player Jacob Wilson looks to make an impact this season.

high school coach knew a person who ran a prep school in Florida.

He told me I should go there,” Wilson said.

Wilson left his Brisbane home, and spent a year in Delray Beach, Florida at the Elev8 Sports Institute. He worked to improve himself as a player to gain the exposure he needed to catch the attention of college coaches.

“Everything there was mainly just basketball. I went there because I didn’t get the exposure from any coaches. The purpose was to gain exposure.”

After spending a year at the Sports Institute, Wilson learned he was a non-qualifier for the NCAA; to play at a four-year university, he would have to spend his first two years at a junior college in America.

“The person running Elev8 had connections with the men’s basketball coach from Ohlone College and he suggested Santa Rosa Junior College. Since I had to attend a junior college as a non-qualifier, and since I like California, I thought it would be a good fit,” Wilson said.

Wilson also visited the SRJC campus a year prior and enjoyed his time spent there, as he was reminded of his home in Australia.

“My first impression was great when I came to visit last summer,” Wilson said. “I loved the campus.

It has a great relaxed vibe. I grew up so close to the beach so it’s something I really miss around here, but overall, Santa Rosa is a lot

like smaller parts of Queensland, the state I grew up in.”

Wilson arrived in Santa Rosa in mid-August. Initially, he felt out of place. Not only was he unaccustomed to the foreign environment, but Santa Rosa’s population reaches approximately 170,000 people, much smaller than what he’s used to.

“It’s a very small town compared to where I’m from,” Wilson said.

“The city I grew up in, Brisbane, has around 2 million people so it took some time to adjust.”

As a freshman, Wilson hopes to be a solid contributor for the SRJC men’s basketball team. He intends to help his team reach its most significant goal: winning the state title again.

Wilson’s first impressions of the team were good, as the passion each player had for the sport was undeniable. In addition, Wilson respects head coach Craig McMillan.

“Coach McMillan was probably the main reason I came to Santa Rosa,” Wilson said. “He is a great leader and is so respected in the community. I’ve already learned so much from him.”

Under the guidance of McMillan, and with his focused team, Wilson believes their future has great potential.

“The basketball team is great.

I wouldn’t be over in the States if it wasn’t for basketball. Under McMillan, every year the team has an opportunity to be great and I think our team will be,” Wilson said.

5

Bear Cubs vie for another state championship Robert Marshall Sports Editor

I

n 2013 the Santa Rosa Junior College men’s basketball team started out 6-3 and never looked back, accomplishing the unthinkable by winning its first state championship in school history and aspires to go back-toback this year.

“Nobody really expected us to win state,” said head coach Craig McMillan. “We had so many guys improve so much and come though and play to their maximum ability at the end of the season.”

With a new season comes new faces. Freshmen Molefi Thompson from Redwood High School is new to the team as well as Australian transplant Jacob Wilson.

Wilson was at a prep school in Florida when he found out he was ineligible for the NCAA. Wilson made his way to SRJC when a recommendation from an Ohlone College coach sent him to men’s basketball head coach Craig McMillan, where he visited SRJC and now plays for the defending state championship team.

“It’s a good experience, and I learn from the guys coming back,” Wilson said.

Daniel Cresta from Santa Rosa High School also joined the team this year. “To be on a team that is coming off a state championship season is a great challenge and privilege,” Cresta said.

Though they are new faces, with help from returning stars the Bear Cubs are ready for this season.

Another returning star, Davone Oliver, plans to work to get this team to another championship.

“It was probably one of the best feelings I ever had,” Oliver said on winning the State Championship.

“It was exciting from the whole start to finish.”

The Bear Cubs went an astounding 24-8 in the season with a 12-2 conference record. When the buzzer went off, signaling the end to a historic season, the Bear Cubs were ecstatic.

The players know it’s not going to be easy going back-to-back, but they are very capable of doing it.

“I think we have a competitive group,” McMillan said. He believes this team has a chance to be successful even though the team is not as big on the bench as last year.

“We don’t have as much depth, so we don’t have a lot of margin for error against the top teams,” McMillian said.

Though it’s early in the season, the Bear Cubs already have a couple beat-up players but McMillan says once everybody gets healthy and if they’re playing to their ability, the Bear Cubs can have a good team.

The season started Nov. 7 and the team currently sits at 3-3.

The Bear Cubs’ next game is at 8 p.m. Dec. 4. against Marin College.

6

November 17, 2014

Sports

www.theoakleafnews.com

Major League Soccer rises in popularity Nikko Edwards Staff Writer It is well known that soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. In fact, the U.S. seems to be the only country that really just doesn’t care about soccer, “the beautiful game.”

Sports have always been an important part of America’s fabric.

From our country’s “national pastime” of baseball to the rise of the NFL, U.S. citizens and international audiences have always been enthralled by fierce competition played at a high level.

However, things could be shifting around in the near future.

With every season of Major League Soccer, revenues increase.

The league started in 1993, and was founded as an agreement with FIFA to establish a professional soccer league to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The MLS started with 10 teams and has seen rapid expansion in the past decade. In 2015 alone, two new teams will join the MLS, and three more expansion teams will see their inaugural game played in 2017.

Soccer has always been on the outside looking in on the U.S.’s so called ‘Big 4’ American sports.

Photo courtesy of FIFA.com

Vai Taito wraps up and stops the College of San Mateo running back Oct. 18 at CSM in San Mateo.

These four sports include baseball, football, basketball and hockey.

The lack of soccer’s popularity has always been attributed to the fact that athletes who are born and raised on American soil typically choose one of the big four sports to focus on. Pair that with is the historically atrocious play of the U.S. men’s national team.

But with each passing year and each World Cup, the U.S. takes a step, albeit a small one, towards international relevance.

The men’s team has reached the knockout round of the World Cup in consecutive competitions for the first time in our nation’s history, and currently holds the 25th ranking in the world of 209 nations that are FIFA associates.

The U.S. men’s team has done a lot to increase the popularity of the sport, but other U.S. sports are helping the MLS’s intrigue as well.

Each year, baseball is losing popularity among its young supporters. In a poll taken by SportsNation earlier this year, children between the ages of 12 and 17 are just as interested in the MLS as they are baseball. This is a huge shift, as baseball was the most popular sport in the nation for some time.

Baseball is notoriously slow, and in today’s fast-paced world, many

people say they do not have the time to sit and watch a game that can run for more than three hours. Though soccer is a slower sport as well, games only last about two hours including halftime.

Along with baseball’s rapid decline in popularity, football is seeing major changes as well.

Though the NFL is the most popular of American sports, the recent concussion data and domestic violence scandals have given people a different view of the game.

In the last 3 years, two former NFL players committed suicide, and an autopsy diagnosed CTE, a disease linked with excessive and repetitive brain trauma. In response to these tragedies, and many other players with trauma-related brain injuries, the NFL is drastically changing its rules in attempts to limit brain damage. This has taken a lot of the violent contact that fans love out of the game.

Though the attempts are valiant, concussions still happen nearly every game, leading parents to question their childrens’ desires to play football.

Many people have come out and said that they will not let their children play football. This list includes former 49er Ben Lynch, and LeBron James, who is the

face of the NBA, if not the face of American professional sports.

Many owners, like Stan Kroenke, own teams in both the MLS and English Premier League want to establish good competition and transfer between the two leagues who have historically been at opposite ends of the talent spectrum.

Recently, many big-name stars have signed with MLS teams.

Though these men are looking to get one big contract prior to their retirement, their star-power is something the MLS has rarely seen.

Some of these players include David Villa, the all-time leading scorer of the Spanish national team; Jermaine Defoe, Tottenham legend, Frank Lampard and Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry.

One of the major problems remains the competition, as most prominent American-born players choose to take their talents overseas to Spain or England. However, as Major League Soccer’s popularity continues to rise, young stars will likely choose to stay home and establish something that has never existed before, a very good American soccer league.

Only time will tell just how popular the MLS may become. The expansion will continue to go on as long as the fandom increases.

Bear Cubs drop season finale: Postseason Bowl Game in Fresno Joseph Barkoff Sports Photo Editor

In its last regular season game of the 2014 season Santa Rosa Junior College’s football team took a circuitous route to Pleasant Hill, facing Diablo Valley College to see whose 2-2 conference record ends above 500.

Deferring to receive the ball in the second half, the Bear Cubs kicked the ball into the hands of DVC’s Vikings to begin the game.

Not quite achieving the coveted three-and-out, the Bear Cubs smothered the Vikings at their own 34-yard line where the Vikes tried to boot a confident 51-yard field goal. The kick was short and a turnover on downs ensued.

McAlvain and his trenchmates took the field for their possession of the game with 13:15 left to go in the first quarter. Out of the gate McAlvain was sacked for a loss of 1-yard. The next snap saw a ball fly incomplete to Terrence Drew.

Third and 11, two-and-ahalf minutes into the game, McAlvain, never losing faith, took the snap, dropped back, and let a spiral fly. The ball fell into the hands of Drew who proceeded to take the rock into the end zone from 67 yards for the first score of the night.

Three plays, 46 seconds. The Bear Cubs looked like they were

in their early season form.

The Vikings took the ball after the kick off on their 30. The first play from scrimmage DVC’s Adam Wood connected to CJ Cromwell for a 48-yard strike.

Not even five minutes elapsed, and if it wasn’t crowded in the stands, we might have seen a tumbleweed roll by.

Four plays later, third down, in the redzone on the Bear Cubs’ 16-yard line, Wood tossed a ball over the middle, and Bear Cub Stephen Kenins leapt up, tipped the ball almost straight up and off its line. As Kenins fell to the ground, the ball fell into his grasp where he secured it against his chest for an interception.

SRJC went three and out following the interception with a punt, but Vai Taito recovered the ball on DVC’s first play of their new possession and it was Bear Cubs’ ball again.

The Bear Cubs followed this turnover with a score on a 4-yard TD run by workhorse Desmond Nisby, plowing over and through the Vikings like little kids trying to tackle a grown man. With only seven minutes gone in a 60-minute game, SRJC was up 14-0, and it looked like it might turn into a long night for DVC. With 52 minutes to go and DVC defending its own field for the last game of the regular season, the game was far from over.

Two drives later resulted in a TD for DVC on a 53-yard

toss from Woods to Efrain Montalvo with two minutes remaining in the first. The extra point was blocked by Cameron Drummond briwnging the score to 14-6.

The following Bear Cub possession McAlvain tossed a pick-six interception. Though the rushing PAT would fail, the score was now 14-12 with 50 seconds before the end of the first quarter, but DVC was beginning to claw its way back into the game.

Both teams had three fumbles and two sacks against. Both had

interceptions against and failed field goal attempts. Not one ball tumbled through the uprights for three points on the night’s game.

DVC failed five of its six PAT’s, and both teams committed enough combined penalties to make the ‘70s Raiders want their record back.

Despite the strong beginning, head coach Lenny Wagner and his staff could not will a win for their players.

“We let them stay in the game,” Wagner said. “We had a chance to put our foot on them and put them away but we didn’t take

advantage of it. Once again, the penalties, our kicking game and the deep ball got the best of us.”

The final score ended with a defeat for the Bear Cubs by a difference of three points, 41-44 in favor of DVC. The Bear Cubs finished the season 7-3 and 2-3 in conference play. The Bear Cubs take their sixth place National Division ranking into postseason for one bowl game, the State Center Bowl hosted by Fresno City College against National Divisional, ranked number 11, Fresno City Nov. 22.

Joseph Barkoff/Oak Leaf

The Bear Cub defense executes a perfect example of gang tackling, crushing a would-be rushing attempt at Diablo Valley College Nov. 14 in Pleasant Hill.

Sports

www.theoakleafnews.com

November 17, 2014

Polar Bears freeze out San Jose 9-3

7

Scoreboard Football

Nov. 1 SRJC-41 DeAnza-10 Nov. 8 SRJC-45 Foothill-28 Nov. 14 SRJC-41 Diablo Valley-44

Men’s Soccer

Oct. 28 SRJC-1 ARC-0 Oct. 31 SRJC-1 San Joaquin Delta-3 Nov. 4 SRJC-0 Modesto-1 Nov. 10 SRJC-4 Modesto-4 [T] Nov. 14 SRJC- 5 Consumnes River-0

Women’s Soccer

Joseph Barkoff/Oak Leaf

Joseph Barkoff/Oak Leaf

SRJC’s John Keshishian fires the puck into San Jose State University’s net minder Nov. 15 at Snoopy’s Home Ice.

Top: Head coach Mike Kovanis gives brief instructions for staying focused against San Jose State University’s Div. 3 squad during the first intermission Nov. 15 at Snoopy’s Home Ice. Bottom: Andrew Mason completes a fast break with a back-handed one-onone over the glove hand score against SJSU’s net minder.

Oct. 28 SRJC-4 San Joaquin Delta-1 Oct. 31 SRJC-1 Modesto-0 Nov. 4 SRJC-1 ARC-0 Nov. 7 SRJC-2 Sacramento-0 Nov. 13 SRJC-0 Diablo Valley-0 [T]

Men’s Water Polo

Nov. 1 SRJC-8 Alumni-13 Nov. 6 SRJC-6 San Joaquin Delta-20 SRJC-6 Modesto-9

Women’s Water Polo

Oct. 29 SRJC-11 Sacramento-1 Nov. 1 SRJC-8 Alumni-10 Nov. 7 SRJC-6 San Joaquin Delta-10 SRJC-17 Modesto-2 Nov. 8 SRJC-2 Fresno-6

Volleyball

Joseph Barkoff/Oak Leaf

Blake Johnson rifles the puck into San Jose State’s zone from inside the blue line. Johnson earlier scored the first goal of the game just over four minutes into the first period and never looked back. SRJC Polar Bears beat San Jose State 9-3.

SRJC athlete

Who will win the Super Bowl?

Jock Talk

Rooting for the Chicago Bears, but the Patriots or Broncos Simanek will win it.

–Men’s basketball

Mike

Josh

Douglas

PS4 or Xbox 360?

Plans for Thanksgiving?

Mac or Windows?

Favorite genre of music?

Xbox 360.

Dinner with family and friends.

Windows.

Rap.

Oliver

Niners.

PS4.

Eating and working out.

Patriots.

PS4.

Eat.

Mac.

Rap.

Mac.

Rap.

Hammell –Men’s basketball

Nov. 1 Lassen Tournament 10th place Nov. 5 SRJC-33 Modesto-21 Nov. 7 SRJC-59 Mt. San Antonio-68 Nov. 8 SRJC-92 Yuba-84 Nov. 9 SRJC-74 San Francisco-88 Nov. 14 SRJC-60 Merced-55

Women’s Basketball

–Men’s basketball

Cory

Wrestling

Men’s Basketball

–Men’s basketball

Davone

Oct. 29 SRJC-0 San Joaquin Delta-3 Nov. 5 SRJC-2 Sierra-3 Nov. 7 SRJC-3 Diablo Valley-2 Nov. 12 SRJC-0 ARC-3 Nov. 14 SRJC- 3 Consumnes River- 0

Patriots.

Xbox 360.

Going to Ukiah to enjoy Grandma’s cooking and some football.

Mac.

Depends on my mood, but generally rock or hip-hop.

Nov. 13 SRJC-59 Foothill-50 Nov. 14 SRJC-49 Fresno-78

Four weeks to go, How to manage your time, money Stress reduction Fish make a difference

Nate Voge, Hannah Kooistra and Estefany Gonzalez Features Editor and Staff Writers

T

he holidays are right around the corner —but with finals, it’s not the most wonderful time of the year.

Santa Rosa Junior College instructors say this is the time of year when a lot of students drop classes because they feel overwhelmed with increased work and study hours.

According to a 2013 study, 37 percent of SRJC students reported feeling high stress levels and more than 40 percent reported they felt tired, dragged out, or sleepy three to five days a week.

Lack of sleep and a crammed schedule leave little time and energy for stress-relieving activities like exercising, socializing or engaging in personal hobbies.

Understanding the physical and psychological causes of stress and learning how other students handle theirs can help every SRJC student get through this stressful time of year.

Deanna Hettinger/Oak Leaf

Proud betta fish owner Raina Pope flashes a smile.

Deanna Hettinger Staff Writer Having a study buddy can serve as a welcome stressreducing distraction and help maintain an overall sense of tranquility and well-being.

Scientific studies show pets can help humans reduce stress in their lives. The simple act of caring for them can counter a high-stress lifestyle, improve relaxation and help one stay centered.

Although it doesn’t hold the status of a certified service pet, fish are recognized by dentists and doctors for lowering blood pressure. Often waiting rooms have fish tanks for their soothing effect.

A study of heart attack patients published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that pet owners scored especially well in heart rate variability, a sign of healthy hearts and positive responses to stress.

Caesar Navarette of Caesar’s Tropical Fish in Santa Rosa said, “Fish play for me a big part of relaxing after a hard day at work or any hard day for that matter. I can feel my brain relax every time I’m in front of my tank,” he said.

To get the most bang for your buck, consider Siamese fighting fish, or “bettas,” native to Thailand and otherwise known as the “Jewel of the Orient.” Its almost fluorescent rainbow hues shimmer like the colors of a peacock feather.

With the flare up of the “half moon” and “veil tail,” they are like a pieces of moving art.

Goldfish are high waste producers. “Bettas only need a partial water change just once a week with filtration, this makes it very easy and affordable to keep, especially for students on a budget,” Caesar said.

SRJC student Raina Pope, a betta fish owner said, “Betta fish are like little people to me. My very first fish had such a personality. They are all so different. I chitchat with them and they give me a sense of fulfillment.

Sometimes I will walk around with them and put them down where I’m studying.”

Beware, as graceful as they can be, bettas are not good roommates to each other. Living up to their name, they should always be kept in separate containers and fresh water environments.

According to Pet Sitter International, the world’s leading education organization for professional pet sitters since 1994, watching fish stimulates serotonin neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to an increased production of endorphins.

Endorphins are the body’s natural “feel good” hormones and produce a feeling of happiness. These hormones also reduce anxiety and have a range of other health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing hyperactivity.

Bill Sangiacomo, a Native American who has 14 multicolored goldfish said, “It is like Indian medicine man Black Elk’s vision of peace, where he has a dream about different color horses going in different directions like a swirling rainbow of peace.”

Nutrition

Diet can play a key role in managing stress.

More specifically, how we consume food, not what we eat, can better alter stress levels.

SRJC foods and nutrition instructor Tammy Sakanashi said diet doesn’t physiologically affect stress but can make one feel more stressed. For example, eating more healthfully won’t reduce stress; and it can actually increase stress for

someone who is used to eating junk food then suddenly decides to eat vegetables during finals.

On the other hand, stress can cause a student to unintentionally change eating habits. SRJC biology student David Wickoff said when he feels stressed, he doesn’t pay attention to eating regularly during his busy day. “I binge at night and stock up for the next day.”

Sakanashi said over-eating, under-eating or a combination of both is common for people who are stressed. “When you skip a meal, then you usually make up for it and more at the end of the day,” she said.

Another way students make up for skipped meals and low energy is by drinking more coffee.

Sakanashi said increased caffeine intake during a stress period makes it worse, but cutting out caffeine would cause even more stress. Instead of sipping coffee or snacking on sugary processed foods while studying, Sakanashi recommends eating snacks like nuts, sunflower seeds and fresh fruit. She added that hand-to-mouth snacking is a stress-relieving activity.

Healthy snacking is another way to combat skipped meals during the day, where as unhealthy habits intensify stress. “If somebody is not eating very well, they’re eating a lot of sugar, drinking a lot of alcohol, and they’re stressed, it’s going to make it worse,” Sakanashi said.

“The key is making sure your body is getting good fuel consistently throughout the day.”

Physical Activity

Studies have shown a direct relationship between student physical activity levels and

SRJC students who felt overwhelmed by all they do 12% 8%

*Polled from American College Health Association. Assessment II: Santa Rosa Junior College Executive Summary Spring 2013.

No, never Not in the last 12 months

80%

Anytime in the last 12 months

*Polled from 995 students

school-related stress. A 2003 study publis the “journal research Quarterly for Exerci Sport” found students who exercised reg had less health and school-related compla SRJC freshman tennis player Roseamonty divides her time between and tennis practice, but doesn’t feel stress by her schoolwork. She said tennis allow to forget about school and focus complet something else.

“I play tennis to relieve my stress,” she s Since tennis is fun for Rosemonty, the pr of competing as a student athlete reliev stress instead of compounding it.

Stress relief through physical activit range from collegiate-level tennis to riding a bike to class. SRJC biology s David Wickoff said riding his bike to class way he stays active.

“Exercising a little more keeps stress a Wickoff said. “It makes it more manage He said he also lifts weights, whi keeps lying around his room so he ca them whenever.

For freshman football player Gi Cattaneo, being a student athlete is consuming, but he said the physical a relieves his stress.

“When I go work out, afterwards I fee focused for studying,” he said.

For Cattaneo Football practice is a relieving outlet, not something that keep from doing schoolwork.

If Cattaneo is stressed out from schoo football is his motivation to study. “It makes you figure out your time manag skills,” he said. “It’s all doable.”

Hobbies

Full-time student Kyle Lishka, 19, take units at Santa Rosa Junior College. He fi stressful to divide his time between his di parents. “I have to travel between the hous every week,” he said.

Along with these stressors, Lishka dea the pressure of finding Christmas pr for his loved ones without a job h “Sometimes I’ll have a little savings left from my birthday,” he said. “If I want something that’s really fancy for one p that would mean I wouldn’t have anymo over for someone else. Just thinking abo stresses me out.”

Lishka often likes taking walks at Ho Park to find some peace of mind.

What are some of your favo

“Listen to music and find a place to chill.”

-Jaime Moren

“Typing or hanging out with my girlfriend.”

-Dominique Colombo

,and alllifeready to blow without losing your mind

shed in ise and gularly aints.

Betsy school sed out ws her tely on

said. ressure ves her

ty can simply student s is one

at bay,” eable.” ich he an use

iuliano timeactivity

el more

stressps him

olwork, t really gement

es 13.5 finds it ivorced seholds

als with resents himself. ft over to get person, ore left out that

owarth

Although he can’t give the exact reason why walking calms him, he said he enjoys wandering around wherever his feet take him.

SRJC student Danni Menze, 21, is a digital media major with a focus on animation.

Recently Menze began questioning if he should change his major to story writing. “If I do want to switch, that would be about three years down the drain,” he said.

Time isn’t the only thing that worries Menze; the financial consequence of what his choice would mean also stresses him out. Menze’s parents currently help pay for his tuition. “I feel like I would be betraying them if after all this time I suddenly said I want to do something else,” he said.

Menze likes to play role-playing games and write stories to de-stress. Menze has been writing a book for five years but the role-playing game is what helps him most. “It allows me to jump into the skin of a person I’d like to be, so it’s a way of escaping who I am or what I am and allows me to be who I want to be,” he said.

SRJC student Yevtte Sanchez, 20, is a fulltime student and part-time barista at Starbucks in Cloverdale. Her main stressor is finding a balance between work and school.

In the three years she has attended SRJC she has always taken at least 12 units. “I usually work in the afternoons and go to school in the mornings,“ Sanchez said. Her commute also adds to her stress. “My drive just one way is 45 minutes,” she said.

While Sanchez finds that the best way to take a break is hanging out with friends, she also enjoys traveling. She finds it fun to visit friends who’ve gone away to different colleges. “I went to Sacramento for my birthday in September, and that was fun,” she said.

Sanchez enjoys the freedom that planning a trip gives her. The best part for her is just getting out of her own element.

Time Management

The math is simple. Fifteen hours per week at a desk or table, facing a projector screen or a teacher, broken up by the occasional prompted peer activity or video. Then another 15 hours at the library or at a desk, maybe in bed with a textbook, mostly on a computer, glancing every so often at a packet of blurred paragraphs outlining the next assignment. Scattered throughout are 15 more hours spent at a parttime job. This doesn’t include the commute to and from, grooming, caring for dependents

34% of

felt so depressed

it difficult to

within the last and eating. A typical full-time student faces a workweek that easily exceeds 45 hours. The stress begins here.

A 2008 survey conducted by the Associated Press and mtvU reported 80 percent of college students experience stress in their daily lives.

The finding marked a 20 percent increase from a survey conducted five years prior.

“Students who are extremely stretched financially may be working multiple jobs, and that’s really tough when you’re going to school and dealing with everything that everybody else does,” said Dr. Burt Epstein, assistant director of Student Psychological Services at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Dr. Epstein said he often works with students who live at home or have families of their own.

Homelessness is another issue Epstein said is more unique to community colleges.

Dr. Epstein has worked for four other state universities and said that while SRJC students follow national trends with primary issues of depression, anxiety or stress, relationships and financial issues predominate.

Despite advances in technology and communication, the cliché of a stressed out college student devoid of a social life continues under increasing economic pressures.

According to the National Center for Public Policy and Education 2008 “Measuring Up

SRJC students

that they found

function any time

12 months

*

Report,” college expenses have increased more than 400 percent in the last 25 years while the median family income has increased less than 150 percent.

The NCPPE also found that Pell Grants cover less than one-third of college expenses, compared to three-quarters the cost of attending a public four-year college or university in 1979.

SRJC student Luis Avila, 20, made a recent decision to leave one of two part time jobs. Avila continues to work 30 hours a week as an assistant accountant and still struggles to maintain a work-life balance as he pursues a degree in electrical engineering and an associates in math, economics and physics.

Avila said he regularly runs, exercises at the gym and cooks to relieve stress.

“That’s my only free time. Every time I turn around, that’s the only free time I’ve got,” Avila said. “I’ve got no hobbies or anything else; I don’t get to go out or anything because I have no time.”

Avila said he has not played his guitar in six months because of school.

Rene Romero, 18, said school and work are his biggest stressors. He said his job in construction creates an added pressure to perform.

“When you do something wrong they make you do it all over and fix it. That stresses me out also.”

Demos and other research groups confirm that working more than part-time negatively impacts school performance, but many students have no choice. The U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics 2008 data revealed nearly one-third of all undergraduates worked 35 or more hours per week.

Stephanie Starr, 50, credited a college success class she recently attended at SRJC for her improved confidence and study practices.

“I’m an oral learner. I never knew that. That has helped because now I listen to my books on tape even when I’m asleep, and I’m getting As where I would have gotten Cs and Bs,” she said.

Starr said that along with listening to her books she has been adhering to a consistent bedtime, finding time to be social and putting her stress in perspective when she feels overwhelmed.

“It’s just a matter of getting them implemented and being consistent and not allowing myself to be overwhelmed by the gap between the perfect world of what I should be doing and my real world of how it really is,” she said.

Epstein recommends exercise, relaxing audio streams, socializing or engaging in individual hobbies and avoiding harmful substances to aid in stress relief.

For those struggling with financial burdens, Epstein said time management is crucial.

vorite ways to de-stress after a long day?

“Pray, worship.”

-Kase Cazet

“I don’t get stressed.”

-Gabe Zermeno

“Going to rock concerts.”

-Chelsea McCrady

www.theoakleafnews.com

Features

November 17, 2014

11

Hal Sanford brings energy to SRJC debate team Maci Martell Contributing Writer

A

civil-litigator-turned-publicspeech-instructor and forensics debate coach may sound like a daunting authority figure, yet Santa Rosa Junior College communications studies instructor Hal Sanford deviates far from normal expectations.

Sanford brings life into his classrooms and creates a safe and fun environment for his students so they approach a subject as intimidating as public speaking with open arms.

Sanford inspires many of his students with his upbeat attitude and dedication to teaching – the same teaching style that inspired him. The biggest influence for Sanford was his motivating high school debate coach, George Stege. “I sensed with him that he cared, and you can’t fake that,” Sanford said. “What I try to do with my students is transmit that same genuine concern.”

Before landing his teaching position at SRJC, Sanford started his educational career earning his Bachelor of Science in speech at Northwestern University.

He attended the University of Southern California School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor.

With a lawyer for a father Sanford drew a correlation between debating and litigating, and saw being a lawyer as a “prudent course of action.”

As a civil litigator, Sanford handled critical business cases. While he admits

that the high-stakes cases had a certain involved in the team’s success is rush and emotional component, the knowing debate theory, having time overall stress and demanding nature management skills and staying up-toof the job simply was not fun. Sanford date on contemporary issues.

Sanford could not speak about described himself as being more wired his work without mentioning his to teaching and would rather focus his immeasurable gratitude for Mark interest on the students.

Nelson and Susan Houlihan, SRJC After he left his law career to pursue faculty members and former directors his passion for teaching, Sanford started of forensics, for working at Sonoma their outstanding State University in coaching assistance.

1992 in the Upward “His wit and humor “Hal is wonderful Bound program, to work with on teaching debate keeps everyone the speech and and English to firstlaughing. ” debate team. His wit generation college and humor keeps students. In 1994, - Susan Houlihan, everyone laughing,” Sanford received a former SRJC director Houlihan said. part-time position as of forensics S a n f o r d a speech instructor at also voiced his SRJC, which gave him time to spend with his appreciation for 5-year-old daughter.

Anna Szabados, When his daughter was in high dean of humanities and fine arts, and school, Sanford increased his her support of both the speech and workload at SRJC, and in 2007 began debate programs and his teaching. “The traveling with the debate team, support of the administration is what volunteering his assistance. In fall enables me to best serve my students,” 2012, SRJC instructor Mark Nelson Sanford said. stepped down as director of forensics Despite his hard-working nature, and gave the position to Sanford.

Sanford does not believe in all work In the last seven years, the SRJC and no play. He brings a positive forensics team finished in the top six attitude into every class to share parliamentary debate schools, even his happiness with others. Besides beating out four-year colleges and Ivy feeding off the energy of his students League universities. or listening to rock ‘n’ roll, there’s In 2013, the team placed second in another component to Sanford’s life the nation in the debate tournaments. that fuels his passion: models.

Sanford said the key elements When the topic of models came

up, Sanford cheered, jumped up out of his chair and grabbed his plastic plane model kit to display with all of the fervor of a giddy child showing off his highly valued new toy.

Since his childhood, when he started building models with his father, Sanford retained an everlasting zest for building and collecting plastic planes, tanks and figures.

Back in 1988, Sanford published a book about miniature model-making titled “The Illustrated Modelaholic: A Guide to Modeling Enjoyment,” which he said was a fun adventure to work on. In the midst of his busy schedule, Sanford still manages to make time for his passion by going to the annual Eagle

Quest miniature model convention in Texas.

The enjoyment Sanford gets from model building helps to animate him in his daily life, which translates into his teaching career. Sanford notes the importance of being energized by what makes him happy, whether it’s from hobbies, teaching or his loving and supportive marriage of 35 years. He advises everyone to find something in life they enjoy, and to “follow your bliss,” as writer Joseph Campbell said.

Sanford speaks of his job and students with passion. “I believe in this place. I believe in the students,” he said. “This is literally the one job on the planet that I want, and that I will keep.”

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kong

A proud coach, Hal Sanford leads the debate team to several victories since 2012.

12

November 17, 2014

What a cheapskate Mariana Guevara

uest speaker Jeff Yeager rummaged through a trash bin, admitted he serves his guests cheap wine in expensive bottles and demonstrated why he thinks being labeled “cheap” is actually flattering.

Yeager lectured on his unique philosophy of personal financing at Santa Rosa Junior College’s Bertolini Hall Nov. 3.

Dubbed “The Ultimate Cheapskate” by Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show, Yeager is the author of five books, a public speaker and a media personality.

He opened up his talk by congratulating SRJC students for attending a junior college and making a financially viable decision.

“The irony is nobody wants to live at home when they go to school,” Yeager said. “They go away. They borrow $28,000, and when they graduate, they’re so far in debt that they move back home with their parents.”

Yeager introduced the idea of being cheap as a positive expression.

He said that a cheapskate is the polar opposite of a conspicuous consumer, who spends only to impress.

He said there’s little correlation between money and happiness, and he believes it is possible to live in America without having to borrow money.

He also set aside the common saying that things cost more now than they did in the past. The problem is that people demand more, Yeager said.

“The more time you think about your future — envision yourself in your future — the higher priority you place in getting your money act together earlier rather than later in life,” Yeager said.

To become a smart consumer, Yeager recommended three exercises: The first is a fiscal fast in which you spend no money for a week. This exercise increases awareness on how much of your money is misspent.

Yeager said Americans throw away 25 percent of the food they buy and spend more than 100 percent of what they make.

The second exercise involves reevaluating the way money is spent and self-analyzing if it was done wisely, which Yeager calls the “what-the-heck-was-I-thinkingon-it” exercise.

The last exercise is a trash bin autopsy, which he demonstrated by rummaging through an actual trash bin and pointing out the financial waste within.

He said people can save 20-50 percent more by buying store brands instead of name brands. Essentially, people spend more money on excessive advertisement than they do for the product itself.

Yeager encouraged students to consume less and use bicycling and public transportation as a way to reduce their environmental footprints.

At the end of his lecture, he offered free copies of his books.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Monty Monty, sculptor of time Anne-Elisabeth Cavarec

Staff Writer

G

Features

Staff Writer

A

curious sea monster silently scrutinizes students who meditate on their next assignments at Santa Rosa Junior College Doyle Library.

Moored to a wall on the fourth floor, “The Whale” is an impressive sculpture made of miscellaneous objects, such as an oar, keys and a vintage camera. In the heart of the machinery of its entrails, the clock has stopped at 3:18, while life goes on around it.

Its creator Monty Monty didn’t spare any effort to make it emerge from his imagination. “Sometimes I start in the morning and I don’t go outside until it’s dark and I realize, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t had lunch yet!’” said the former SRJC student.

Standing in his Graton studio with an intense alert look and his hands in motion, he twirls around a sculpture in progress, a plane called “Big Boy.” He speaks loudly with the objects that will create the story he will tell. “I write stories with my sculptures and I tell myself stories while I am putting it together,” he said. “So, the story comes to life and the idea is that I am giving life in a story.”

Monty Monty’s own story is that of a man who, as a child, put pieces together to build models.

He continued to study art in high school and at SRJC, where he majored in commercial art and graphic art in the late ‘70s. “That was eye-opening because I was exposed to assemblage and different types of art, putting things together. It was a great experience and made me think of doing things differently,” he said.

His friend Natalie Seagraves said, “The way his mind works is

Anne-Elisabeth Cavarec/Oak Leaf

Monty Monty works on “Big Boy” at his studio in Graton. His sculpture is on display until Dec. 7 at the Christopher Hill Gallery.

so strange. He can see a horse in a piece of wood. That was always fascinating to me.”

His teachers recommended that he become a graphic artist to make a living. Born in Healdsburg, he moved to Washington state to pursue his career for 20 years.

However, he never stopped working on sculptures during his free time, day and night.

He joked that he was tired of having to break the Washington ice with a broomstick, so he decided to move back to the sunnier climate of Northern California in 2001.

Above all, he didn’t feel like himself anymore by keeping up with the transformation of the graphic industry. “The whole industry changed to desktop computers. It became less fun because I wasn’t using my hands,” Monty Monty said.

Back in California, he devoted himself totally to his art. This

personal revolution coincided with the psychological and economical upheavals caused by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. “That was a scary time, everybody was afraid, nobody was thinking about art,” Monty Monty said. The art market collapsed, but he persevered because art can make peoples’ lives more beautiful and nourish them with something other than fear.

Monty Monty’s art is a poem of today, an homage to the past. Driven by his taste for history —especially early modes of transportation — and for antiques, he uses old, broken or forgotten objects.

“It’s a recycling process,” he said.

“It’s environmental art in a way. I thought it was really appropriate that ‘The Whale’ was in the library because it’s an eco-friendly building with a lot of recycled material.”

He often uses objects from his own past in his work. Some

of his father’s fishing items are part of “The Whale”. Spoons that previously belonged to his mother are in the propellers of the plane under construction. “She is not here anymore to support me. This is the way I can be supported,” he said.

In the context of a commission, people may give him personal objects or objects that belonged to dead relatives. In the artistic process, Monty Monty reinvents their usage to deliver a personal and commemorative creation. He gives life back to objects from the past while celebrating the memory of those who have died.

His sculptures look like an attempt to stop time. “I don’t know any other way to make time stop,” Monty Monty said, punctuated by a silence. But maybe it is not time that passes, but we who pass in time — and “The Whale” keeps watching students pass.

said, “His dream has always been to become a cop. He’s that kind of person with the perfect personality for a cop: helpful, smart, and cares about others. He’s also very driven.”

In pursuit of his goal, he has taken criminal justice classes, which are his favorite.

His other interests include history and the SRJC culinary arts program.

He has trained with and assisted SRJC District Police on campus, and done ride-alongs with the Santa Rosa Police Department to learn first-hand what being an officer entails.

“During a ride-along, I go and patrol with them for four hours each time,” Avila said. “I go making traffic stops, looking for people on probation. Once, I got to go to Sebastopol to break up a fight, and the deputy arrested the aggressor and we took him to jail.”

On another ride-along, he went with police to exercise a search warrant. “We were looking around the house for things the guy wasn’t supposed to have,” he said with a chuckle. “Guy got handcuffed then was sent to jail. It was awesome.”

Avila advises others interested in police work to go on at least three ride-alongs, take an intro to criminal justice class and contemplate the decision. “It’s a very dangerous and demanding career, so make sure you can handle that,” he said. “[I like] helping people; not just law-wise, but beyond that. I like giving out sweaters to the homeless during the winter, and when I

become a cop, I will be making more money, meaning I will be able to help in more ways,” Avila said with a huge grin.

In a few years, a new officer will emerge on the roads — one who has the best interests of the people in mind. “I want to go beyond the call of duty. Not just give out tickets. I want to make a difference,” Avila said.

A lifelong dream comes true Madeline Polk

Contributing Writer

W

hen you’re 7, you want to be a firefighter. A paramedic. A cop. Most don’t realize that dream. But for Santa Rosa Junior College Student Eric Avila, his dream to become a police officer is well on its way to coming true.

Avila, 23, recounted a story from his childhood to explain why he wants to be a police officer. “I remember sitting outside my parent’s room. My father was a drunk, and he had just hit my mom. My sisters were trying to keep me occupied with my Gameboy. There was so much arguing going on and my sisters were crying. I was so scared,” he said.

“Then, out of nowhere, it’s like two angels came. Two cops walked in the house, and as soon as they came in, everything stopped.”

Ever since that incident, Avila was determined to become a police officer to help others in similar situations.

Diego Hernandez, 24, who has known Avila since high school,

Photo courtesy of Eric Avila

SRJC student Eric Avila hopes to go beyond the call of duty as a police officer.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Opinion

November 17, 2014

EDITORIAL ale! Sale! The year’s best deals, the lowest prices, the biggest crowds — all encroaching AY MOND DAY on a holiday near you!

TUES Since its earliest usage by police officers dealing with traffic jams in 1960s Philadelphia, the name “Black Friday” has carried a negative connotation. Boon of deal-hunting shoppers and bane of overworked staffers, the day has increasingly taken bites out of Thanksgiving in search of higher corporate profits. WalMart, Target and Macy’s all plan to open their doors at 6 p.m.

Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year.

Why have retailers made the season more about riding the gravy train instead of passing the gravy boat? The way corporations continue carving into the day itself sounds like something Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” might do. terms of net economic growth, Big box stores have struggled these advertisements aim to to keep their seat at the table as win over uncertain buyers and Internet retailers like Amazon push the more confident ones continue to siphon away large into splurging a tiny bit more on portions of the shopping their holiday shopping. So far, it populace. In 2013, Amazon seems to be working: consumers made $67.8 billion in online surveyed for the Nielsen study sales, while Wal-Mart’s online said they planned to spend more efforts earned only $10 billion. money on gifts this year than last.

Without the holiday season But the study also reports only revenue stream, these stores 22 percent of those people have could dry up completely, so it’s begun their shopping. The rest, no wonder that they keep trying including 70 percent of the male to eat up a few more hours of consumers, are waiting for the turkey day. last minute.

According to a recent Nielsen Perhaps some dormant primal study, advertisers spent nearly instinct awakens in these late$2.5 billion on television goers: the thrill of the hunt for commercials during the 2013 a great deal, satisfied by nabbing fiscal year’s fourth quarter — i.e., the last item off the shelves. the holiday season. As recent Crowd psychology must also years have not seen much in come into consideration — it’s

FRIDAY WEDNESDAY

Opinion Editor

T

he most frightening movie I’ve ever seen was “Artificial Intelligence,” when I was 10. The movie followed a robot programmed to act like a child near my age. While no horror movie by usual standards, for months afterward I was terrified I, too, was a robot.

Every action the boy-robot made, dictated by programmed logic, an imitation of what a “real boy” was supposed to do, think and feel, was exactly what I would have done.

A decade later, I heard the term “Asperger syndrome” for the first time during a therapy session. I was already leery of “syndromes,” having dealt with the awkwardness of Tourette syndrome as a young child, but completely balked when my therapist informed me Asperger’s is a form of autism. Sure, I had problems, but nothing that far gone.

Still, I began researching the disorder. Autism seemed a piece that didn’t match my jigsaw puzzle, and my therapist’s analysis confused me more than anything.

The forbidden word Robert Marshall Sports Editor

I

hard to remain an individual when the mob presses against the doors, with every member focused on getting the maximum on all those bargains.

Retail personnel have to learn how to deal with some of the more ignorant and insensitive members of the population, even during the rest of the year. But when Black Friday’s “doorbuster” sales actually do result in busted doors and fatal consequences, as in a 2008 case where Black Friday shoppers in New York trampled a WalMart employee to death, these workers are far outmatched by the consumers they try to serve.

The day after Thanksgiving has become a lost cause, in terms of societal reform, but consumers should reject “Gray

Embracing the atypical: Nathan Quast

THURSDAY

Illustration by Chantelle Bogue

S

13

Thursday” before it turns into the status quo.

When Black Friday comes, Santa Rosa Junior College students will be standing on both sides of the door, as employees trying to keep up with the rush and as the patrons trying to push their way in.

For those working in the early hours of Friday morning, and especially for those forced to observe Thanksgiving on the job, we send our best wishes.

Many of the Oak Leaf staff will be in the same stressful position.

The Oak Leaf staff also entreats those choosing to go for the sales on Friday to stay mindful of the stressful environment their fellow students face and to stay home on Thursday. No discount is worth not giving thanks.

How understanding my neurology allowed me to expand my horizons

I had worried my emotions were Asperger syndrome is one of several developmental disorders under the facades for my “robotic” nature.

But in discovering Asperger’s, umbrella term of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Diagnostic this mind-frame finally made sense. and Statistical Manual of Mental Instead of inventing reasons for Disorders (DSM-5), determines the my differences, the fact remained: severity of autism by how it affects I don’t have the same emotional a person’s ability to be self-sufficient pathways as most people.

I turned to the second side of the and interact with others.

While informative, the clinical puzzle piece: misinterpreting social diagnostic criteria didn’t solve my cues. Further therapist-guided selfexamination puzzlement. r e v e a l e d It was the motives behind personal accounts It’s been about three years since conversation of Asperger’s I first discovered my Asperger’s, tactics I used. that finally made and those years have been quite I became an it click for me. the wild ride. attentive listener Many people, accustomed to because I had no the previous idea what other edition of the people said with DSM that catalogued forms of their body language or tone of voice. autism separately, refer to themselves Sarcasm, hostility and apathy: as “Aspies.” Two common threads I didn’t come into this world with emerged from stories Aspies told the natural intuition to interpret about their lives: having a logical – meanings in raised voices or not emotional – frame of mind, and a shrugging shoulders. I need to analyze the other person enough to lack of understanding social cues.

The puzzle piece shifted, fitting gauge the – again, logical – response. into place – and with it, a cascade of Over time, I developed a bank of pieces fell into sequence, all the way knowledge about how things work, but there are still conversations back to my childhood fear.

I don’t follow or a joke I tell that doesn’t quite translate.

It’s been about three years since I first discovered my Asperger’s, and those years have been quite the wild ride. Realizing that I’d mostly self-taught workarounds for an unknown issue was both astonishing and empowering. Furthermore, understanding how I operate has enabled me to continue developing those workarounds and build more.

I lived more than two decades not knowing why I function the way I do, and learning about it made things easier. Being an Aspie brings its challenges, and most recent was the choice to publicly state I consider myself one. I’m not a “bleeding-hearton-my-sleeve” guy by nature, but I also don’t regard myself as someone to hold back secrets.

It came down to this: the term for people without ASD is “neurotypical.” Given the choice, would I rather claim the “disorder” that exorcised my childhood demons, and empowered my sense of self? Or would I rather pretend at being “typical”?

I’m many things, but typical isn’t one of them.

hear this word more and more as time goes on — a word I was taught to never use, or I would have been grounded for the rest of my life.

In a Nov. 10 incident in Rohnert Park, at a bowling alley, 20 black students were called “n-----r” by white men. People are shocked and appalled by this. Am I? No, as a black American it doesn’t shock me one bit. It’s an everyday thing. It just proves that racism is not over in the U.S. This word has become part of the everyday English language.

According to the nonprofit educational resource African American Registry, the word “n----r” dates back to the 1800s and comes from the Latin word “niger,” which means black and has devolved into a derogatory term.

The word “nigga” is more of an informal term derived from the original word. I hear a lot of teenagers use this word. I’ve also heard them use “n----r” in conversations as well. It’s sad; my friends have used it once or twice around me. Did I say anything to them?

Not really. I gave them a weird look, though I probably should have voiced my displeasure.

The word is used as “friend” these days, and hip-hop and rap music have plagued the airways with this vile word.

I hear Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West use it in their raps. I don’t understand why they use it.

They’re black, and it’s offensive to their own race.

I’m against the word. I have never used as a greeting. It’s atrocious to use such a word that has caused and continues to cause pain to African Americans.

I was at the store one day and a guy came up to me and said, “What’s up, n----r?” I was young and didn’t know what to think.

Right now I realized the word has definitely hurt me. I’ve always put aside how I really felt until recently.

It hurts because I’ve had family and friends use the word around me in everyday conversations — not toward me — but I wonder if they’ve been educated on the word and its meaning. It’s wrong, and we should teach people that it’s offensive and a racial slur.

We shouldn’t use it. It’s like calling Italians “W-p” and women “c--ts.”

There are so many other words we can use, like “bro” or “dude,” that don’t have a negative history.

For heaven’s sake, what about using their name?

We need to teach people that words really do hurt. When I hear the word, I will tell people how offensive it is and do my part to make people better aware of the words they choose.

A&E Bats in the belfry, vampires in the auditorium 14

November 17, 2014

Devin Marshall

A

A&E Editor

nne Rice doesn’t believe in vampires — she never has.

Despite this, she’s become a bestselling author on the subject.

Rice visited the Santa Rosa High School auditorium with her son Christopher Nov. 11. The event was set up through Copperfield’s Books for both authors to speak about their latest works before they continued on their separate book tours.

Anne debuted the latest entry in her Vampire Chronicles series, “Prince Lestat,” while Christopher signed his newest supernatural thriller release “The Vines.” The two talked back and forth on stage, with Christopher offering up witty banter while Anne revealed some of the details of her early writing career.

The two revealed that they lived somewhere in Sonoma County while Christopher was young. Anne would sit down by the creek surrounded by redwood trees and listen, trying to describe the voices of the water. She explained that the ancient vampire Maharet’s compound in her novel “Queen of the Damned” is based off her time spent at this property.

This was followed by Christopher’s segue toward his mother, “So I hear

www.theoakleafnews.com

you write!” With the geographical topic out of the way, it was time to ask Anne the important questions. “Given that completely impromptu inspirited conversation we just had, I think it’s fun to talk about what you believe,” he said. “Do you believe in vampires?”

Her reply was almost immediate.

“No! Did you think that I did believe in vampires?” she asked. “No, I do not believe in vampires and in 40 years of writing about vampires I have never met anybody who said he or she was a vampire. Now, I’ve gotten some emails from vampires. Like ‘You don’t know anything about us!’ et cetera, no argument there!”

The two delved straight into literary analysis from there. “What is significant, and I think what is lasting about your vampires is that it’s not like a religious institution where you have to have faith that they exist to appreciate the novels and the stories that you create; it’s what they represent,” Christopher said. “It’s what they stand for, the beauty of the outsider.”

Anne nodded. “They’re great metaphors for the outcast, but I don’t think about that when I’m writing,” she said. “Any really good vampire story has to be a good story about human beings.”

Though “Interview with the Vampire” is definitely a classic, it

did not do so well at first. She could not sell any copies in hardcover, due to genre fiction being ostracized.

However, a publisher worked hard to sell it in paperback and then a motion picture was made. Two years later, she became a hardcover success.

“What interested me was interviewing the vampire,” she said.

“Putting him in a room with a reporter and having him really answer all these important questions.”

For more information, anecdotes and a transcription of the Q&A Jeanine Flaton-Buckley /Oak Leaf session, read the full article online at Anne Rice signs a copy of her new book “Prince Lestat” for each particiwww.theoakleafnews.com. pantat her book tour talk Nov. 11 in SRHS’s auditorium.

Jeanine Flaton-Buckley /Oak Leaf

Mother-son authors Anne and Christopher Rice speak about their latest books, “Prince Lestat” and “The Vines.”

Petaluma Film Series hosts documentary film director AVAILABLE NOW

Sean Curzon Staff Writer

N

Transfer to Success Scholarship Up to $5,000 Award Automatically Awarded to Qualified Students Transfer Friendly Year-Round Enrollment A Private Nonprofit University Serving the Public Good™

Call Today • (408) 236-1100 Applicants must meet eligibility requirements and be formally accepted to National University. Funds paid in accordance to the scholarship terms.

Some restrictions may apply.

nu.edu/transfer

© 2014 National University_1399

ot everyone is lucky enough to hear from the director himself after viewing his film or be able to ask him questions but those who attended the Petaluma Film series on Nov. 6 hosted at the SRJC Petaluma campus were.

After a screening of his documentary film “Lynching Charlie Lynch,” director Rick Ray gave a speech on the shooting and editing process, and offered advice for up-and-coming documentary filmmakers. Unable to come in person, the Q-and-A was hosted via Skype.

“Lynching Charlie Lynch” follows the life of Charlie Lynch, who opened a medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay, California with the blessing of the city council and mayor. However, the sheriff ’s department began watching him and looking for a way to shut him down. A f t e r a year of not finding any state law violations, the sheriff called in the Drug Enforcement Administration because selling marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. The film follows the story from Lynch beginning to sell pot to his arrest and eventual trial.

Director Rick Ray was not drawn into this film by the politics of marijuana legalization.

“Before, I didn’t have a strong opinion. I was pretty ambivalent at the marijuana movement,” he

said. Ray said what drew him in was Lynch himself. “He just tried to do this right. The sheriff had a grudge against him. I cannot believe we treat petty criminals like this,” he said.

Ray interviewed as many people as he could: people from the community, Lynch’s friends and relatives, the mayor of Morro Bay, politicians on both sides of the argument and even Lynch’s customers.

“Everyone else [besides a girl who uses medical marijuana] is a Republican. They were mostly all Libertarian. Straight up Republicans fighting for states’ rights. It really crosses the aisle,” he said.

Ray can’t predict when or if weed will be legalized. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened tomorrow,” he said.

On editing, Ray said, “Your film isn’t edited until you’re sick of it.”

Ray shot the whole film himself over the course of three-and-ahalf years and had over 70 hours of footage.

He also wanted to move away from traditional narration. “In past movies I used narration. I wanted to move away from that. It is a greater challenge,” he said.

Though his main focus is filming stock footage and selling it, he did have some advice for beginning documentary makers. “You take a small camera. You become your own crew,” he said. , For the full article, read online at www.theoakleafnews.com.

www.theoakleafnews.com

A&E

Astronaut lullabies:

November 17, 2014

15

Music for the metaquizzical

Illustration courtesy of jimoceanmusic.com

Musician-and-composer duo Jim and Kathy Ocean share their love for the stars through performing science-filled music for students and the community at the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium.

Haley Elizabeth Bollinger Staff Writer A melodic concert under a planetarium’s star projector conveying facts and entertaining thoughts of space travel is sure to free the mind and create wonder about Earth’s place in this massive mystery that is the universe.

Jim and Kathy Ocean, a husband and wife composer-duo from Sonoma County, performed “Astronaut Lullabies” to a crowd at 3 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Santa Rosa Junior College planetarium. The audience ranged from students and professors to community members including families with young children.

Ed Megill, programming director for the SRJC planetarium, invited the Oceans to the planetarium to add diversity. “I want to add a little bit of different types of programming: still

Aries: The fan of your life cycles at high speed. Turn off the constant spin and reward yourself for your achievements. See a new movie, go out with a friend or enjoy a relaxing day in nature.

science and astronomy-oriented, but different than the lecture series,” Megill said. He also wishes to incorporate local talent, music and the metaphysical aspect while keeping it educational.

The lights turned off and the star projector shot pointed beams of light that reflected off the dome, which arranged to show exact positions of stars. As the stars swirled above, Jim began playing guitar and Kathy announced each song as they progressed.

Before they started a few songs, she quoted philosophical thinkers of astronomy like Plato and Carl Sagan.

The Oceans covered facts about the moon, shared awe at the beauty and wonder of Earth from an astronaut’s view, discussed how one of Jupiter’s moons has the same amount of water as Earth and shared their anticipation for traveling to other planets in the future — their ideas intertwined with the music they compose.

Jim Ocean aspired to create music inspired by science and astronomy due to a great sense of personal redemption. Math wasn’t his strongest subject during school, so he decided to mix science with his passion for music.

“The way that the educational system is set up is you can’t go into science if you are bad at math,” Ocean said. “I remember I was very crestfallen around my junior and senior years in high school and I looked at my college years coming and realizing ‘There is no way I can do this, I have to do something different,’ so I went into music instead, which is another form of math.”

Composing his music gives him the opportunity to come back around to science through music. “They tell you that you can be really good at music but not necessarily math, so there is this two-fold nature: one goes intuitive; one goes linear,” Jim said.

Kathy Ocean is a big fan of

Jim’s music and enjoys the content they create. “It’s really rewarding, especially when we are writing in a niche to be able to give these amazing songs life and then to bring in the different quotes and philosophy, different ideas and weave them together. Putting it in a planetarium, we’re able to get people out of their normal perception,” she said.

Jim and Kathy Ocean perform all original music during the show. One song is named “2049ers” and predicts mining in space in the future, like how humans mined gold on Earth. They closed the show with this song.

The Oceans use their lyric-driven original songs as a way to explore the world, ask questions and start conversation. They call it “music for the metaquizzical.”

Mark Phillips, 62, attended the show to enjoy the music and facts.

“What I’m still chewing on is if it weren’t for the moon we wouldn’t be

Astrology

here,” Phillips said. “Also, the Voyager passed out of our solar system and into interstellar space.”

Celia Lamantia, a probation instructor at the Sonoma County Office of Education, was impressed by the show. “What I found interesting is that the moon is moving away from us at an inch and a half rate every year.

Good facts and music in the show, great fun!” she said.

The Oceans’ final performance of “Astronaut Lullabies” is at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 6 in the SRJC planetarium. More information about the duo, including their music, can be found at www. jimoceanmusic.com.

Enjoy a live concert that explores our reality and goes into the deep conversation of why we are here, what is this space we exist in and where the future of the human race is headed.

“Astronaut Lullabies” provides an outlet to these questions and also provides us with awe at the universe we live in.

Capricorn: Life has just dealt you a royal flush. To keep feeling like a queen or king, stay grateful for your current blessings and the good times will turn grand.

No joker will bring you down right now.

-Haley Elizabeth Bollinger

Taurus: Quiet time will reveal what stagnant aspects of your life no longer deserve your energy. Remember which core characteristics possess the power to show what passions lie within yourself.

Cancer: Pilgrims and Indians were not best buds, even if elementary school history tries to convince you otherwise. Look for the dishonest parts that plague existence and seek truth both in the world and inside your soul.

Virgo: Some are entertained by others’ misfortune, but the one experiencing the burden wants to find peace. Hold on tight to those who love you, and don’t let the ones who judge disappoint your reality.

Scorpio: Disappointments harbor resentments.

Forgive whatever situation, person or place causing confusion. Saturn inhabits your aspect and questions limitations.

Aquarius: Create instead of complaining. The potential your mind holds is insurmountable.

Don’t play the victim in life, take responsibility for your actions and allow them to inspire future endeavors.

Gemini: The trudge up a mountain may seem daunting, but the only excuse to quit halfway is an asthma attack. Keep climbing to the top; beauty and positivity will swirl through your consciousness when you arrive.

Leo: When was the last time you gazed into the night sky? Take a step back from electronics and remember that this magnificent planet spins though space. Ponder in awe at this wonder and contemplate the age-old question of why we are here.

Libra: Create a routine that frees bad habits from everyday life.

Plant personal goals and grow in a garden that produces positive outcomes rather than regret.

Sagittarius: When the mind engulfs itself in negativity, a jaded awareness follows. Do all that seems impossible and push through buffoonish self-imposed imprisonment and self-doubt.

Pisces: Being homeless and more concerned about the next high than the next meal is a reality many face. Your emotional nature retains its desire to help others. Pursue this piece of your personality.

SAME

PROFESSORS.

SAME

JESUIT VALUES.

SAME

FIRST-CLASS EDUCATION. USF SANTA ROSA CAMPUS

Complete your bachelor’s degree at USF in downtown Santa Rosa. Degrees now available in Management and Psychology.

LEARN MORE AT AN

INFORMATION MEETING at the USF SANTA ROSA CAMPUS Wednesday, December 10, 5:30pm

To RSVP call 707.527.9612 visit www.usfca.edu/santarosa or email santarosacampus@usfca.edu

Intro Special 5 classes of your choice $25 OR One month Unlimited Yoga $49 Specials apply if you haven’t been in the studio for 6 months

CLASSES

Friday Night Drop In; 4:30pm and 6:30pm

$5 with CURRENT College I.D. $8 no college I.D.

Change your body at Bikram Yoga 707.545.9642 522 Wilson Street Santa Rosa on the corner of 7th & Wilson Bikramyogaofsantarosa.com

"Voted best yoga studio in Sonoma County since 2004"