Oak Leaf Spring 2016 Issue 5

The

Oak Leaf

SRJC thespians thrill theater Historically accurate all-male cast does Shakespeare proud with its rendition of “Twelfth Night.”

A&E, Page 12

Santa Rosa Junior College’s Newspaper

April 25, 2016

Courtesy of SRJC theatre arts department

Volume CXXXV, Issue V

SRJC students for recovery

James Wyatt/Oak Leaf

SRJC community and local organizations show support for those recovering from addiction and mental illness.

News, Page 3

From print to film

Arthur Gonzalez-Martin/Oak Leaf

SRJC English instructor Jean Hegland’s novel “Into the Forest” makes it onto the silver screen, starring Ellen Page.

Features, Page 6

Soccer star reaches goal

Courtesy of Napa Valley Register

SRJC soccer star Holle Depina faced adversity on her way to Sonoma State University.

Sports, Page 13

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B

uttons, bustles and bustier.

Clothing construction can seem impossible when looking at something off the rack, but instructors at Santa Rosa Junior College show that making clothes isn’t as hard as it “seams.”

Instructors teach students it takes more than talent to make it in the industry; but also responsibility, professionalism and ethics.

The fashion department is planning a fashion show and reveal at Day Under the Oaks May 1.

Students express their personalities with their own unique styles. Some want to express themselves further by blossoming their creativity in fashion by taking classes.

Lyra Bobo, an SRJC adjunct instructor for 19 years, is in her first year as the fashion studies program coordinator.

She describes her style as eclectic and a little romantic.

She’s known since high school she wanted to pursue fashion.

She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 1979.

Throughout the years, she has seen different trends.

“Styles are interesting, because sometimes when you’re first exposed to them, they can seem really cool,” Bobo said.

“But as they reach their peak and they decline, they’re not so great anymore.”

A trend she’s seen lately are high-low dresses, where the dress is short in the front and long in the back. She’s seen this style on

Nikki Goetz and Jessica Carter Features Editor and Staff Writer

celebrities like Lady Gaga and American Idol singer Fantasia.

Bobo said she learns from her students as much as they learn from her.

“It’s very important to stay relevant when you’re teaching something like fashion that changes so quickly, and my students bring that to the table,” she said.

She stays connected to help her students find jobs. Six of her students are currently employed, getting their first part-time position or internships, which helps Bobo maintain contacts in the industry. A former student of hers has a wedding detailing business and has employed three current students. Another former student designs clothing for female wrestlers and bikinis for bodybuilders.

Bobo has seen many unique

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styles from her students.

One wants to start a clothing line inspired by music festivals, with colorful neons and boho fashion.

There are days where Bobo is busy and tired, but when she goes to her classes, her spirit is renewed seeing her students’ creativity.

She hopes her students leave the class with a trade or a skill that sustains their passion and love throughout their lives.

“I still remember talking with my parents and they wanted me to pursue something that I was going to make money doing,” she said. “And I felt like I could do both, and that’s what I tell my students. Work at something you love.”

A previous student of

Bobo’s, H i l a r y Heaviside, is a new instructor in the SRJC fashion department.

Heaviside has 15 years of experience in the fashion industry as a product engineer at Marmot. She has her degree in apparels and job experience with many outlets, which lead to the beginning of her SRJC career.

From working for Marmot to creating a line of bridal wear, Heaviside loves to be creative.

SRJC fashion classes gave her a way to express that creativity.

“Fashion design really attracted me because I love the feeling of being able to make people feel good and confident, and you can see that when they’re wearing something that fits them well,” she said.

She focuses on the fun but dying skill of alterations. She reminds people not everything fits right off the rack. She hopes to have a class based on revamping old clothing to build attire in Sonoma County.

In the 1950s, factories in Sonoma County made clothing for locals, and now a lot of clothing comes from overseas due to lower labor costs. She stresses people should know where their products come from, as it brings respect to the pieces they are buying.

“I don’t want to move to New York. I don’t want to move to L.A. I want to build the industry here,” Heaviside said.

Continued on Centerspread...

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News Alleged police brutality case continues

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Editors-in-Chief

Estefany Gonzalez and Maci Martell Section Editors A&E Editor | Devin Schwarz Assistant A&E Editor | Courtney Paige Copy Editor | Alex T. Randolph Copy Editor | Carin Huber Editorial Cartoonist | Zachary Chew Features Editor | Nikki Goetz Co-News Editor | Maci Martell Co-News Editor | Genesis Napel Assistant News Editor | Jynessa Lazzaroni Co-Opinion Editor | Alex T. Randolph Co-Opinion Editor | Catherine Ramirez Multimedia Editor | Catherine Ramirez Photo Editor | Estefany Gonzalez Podcast Editor | Travis LaBrucherie Sports Editor | Anthony Sosa Assistant Sports Editor | Will Mathis Social Media Editor | Nikki Goetz Staff Writers Laura Buel, Treven Bulluck, Jessica Carter, Arthur Gonzalez-Martin, Albert Gregory, Lachlan Irvine, Kiana Medina, Jocelyn Mobley, Rico Pinola, Jaime Rodriguez, Frank Sumrall and James Wyatt Senior Staff Writer Parker Dangers Oncken Photographers Treven Bulluck, Estefany Gonzalez, Jenner Dangers Oncken and Courtney Paige Distribution Jessica Carter, Tommy Dennen, Travis LaBrucherie and Jaime Rodriguez Layout Team Keshia Knight, Catherine Ramirez and all section editors and editors-in-chief

April 25, 2016

www.theoakleafnews.com

District Attorney will charge SRJC student with resisting arrest after police altercation Courtney Paige Assistant A&E Editor The judge in a controversial police brutality case between a Santa Rosa Junior College student and a sheriff ’s deputy warned in an April 13 court hearing that he could issue a gag order, after prosecutors released video footage of the event to social media outlets.

Judge Gary Medgivy’s statement came four days after the prosecution released several police body camera videos capturing a June 13 incident for which 19-year-old Gabbi Lemos was arrested for resisting arrest.

Also released was a jailhouse audiotape conversation between Lemos and her mother, Michelle Lemos, involving racial slurs against Sheriff ’s Deputy Marcus Holton.

Initially, the April 13 hearing was to address the issue of vindictive prosecution and whether the misdemeanor charges against Lemos would be dropped. But after the prosecution revealed the body camera footage to the public, the judge ruled Sonoma County Prosecutor Deputy District Attorney Jenica Leonard will be subpoenaed and forced to testify in a court hearing April 28.

“Truth and accuracy is the issue at hand here, and I believe she [Leonard] should be crossexamined,” Medgivy said. The judge

spoke of email communication of evidence between the DA management team.

“It is clear to the court the prosecution’s decision to file the misdemeanor charges was clearly a coincidence but [that] will have to be decided by a jury,” Medgivy said.

The audio tapes, consisting of multiple racial slurs, is consistent with the women’s behavior on the video footage. Their behavior in the video legally gives the deputy the right to investigate, according to court documents.

Another element discussed was previously redacted email evidence the court decided to keep sealed.

The court ruled the emails fully corroborate the timing of the misdemeanor charge decision.

The rulings indicate the court will move forward with the resisting arrest misdemeanor charges against Lemos.

During an interview Lemos’ attorney, Izaak Schwaiger, said, “When cops have to go hands-on with an individual and that person is hurt, they are trained to arrest the suspect for ‘resisting arrest’ or ‘obstructing justice’ because the Supreme Court law states if a person is convicted of resisting arrest, they cannot sue the cops for excessive force.”

There are two different cases going on concurrently. The first is the Sonoma County case where the

DA’s office is prosecuting a criminal misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest against Lemos. The second is Lemos’ civil case, filed in San Francisco’s federal court, alleging excessive force when Holton arrested Lemos June 13 after a high school graduation celebration at her Petaluma home.

According to court documents, Sonoma County Sheriff Steve Freitas has never disciplined any of his employees for excessive force.

Freitas has been the Sonoma County Chief Sheriff for over eight years. Within the corrections division over the last five years, 1,623 documented incidences of excessive force have been filed.

Management reviewed each case and found all to be within policy.

Schwaiger said, “You can’t make 1,623 cheeseburgers without f***ing a couple of them up, and we’re talking about humans here; real people.”

Top: Courtesy of KSRO / Bottom: Courtesy of photographyisnotacrime.com

Top: Body camera footage depicts the arrest of SRJC student Gabbi Lemos.

Bottom: Lemos’ face shows the multiple lacerations and bruising she suffered as a result of Sheriff ’s Deputy Marcus Holton’s alleged excessive force.

Contact Newsroom: 707-527-4401 Ads Office: 707-527-4254 Anne Belden, Adviser: 707-527-4867 abelden@santarosa.edu EMAIL oakleafstaff@gmail.com Advertising Keshia Knight oakleaf-ads@santarosa.edu LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Maci Martell Co-Editor-in-Chief

Voter turnout faltered in this year’s student elections, with only 566 votes compared to more than 4,400 ballots We appreciate your feedback. Send tallied in Spring 2015, the highest in letters to oakleafonline@gmail.com Santa Rosa Junior College’s history. or to the Oak Leaf office. Letters “The low voter turnout is very should include first and last name and unfortunate,” said current Student be limited to 300 words. Letter may Government Assembly President be edited for style, length, clarity and Joshua Pinaula.

“California taste. Libelous or obscene letters will not be printed. community colleges have a difficult time getting students to vote in general. The SGA hoped to see the number of voters increase this year, and perhaps benefiting from students Check out our website: remembering voting last year.” www.theoakleafnews.com While the voter turnout was significantly lower than last year’s, Exclusive, online-only con- election coordinator Billy Oertel tent can be found daily at said the turnout wasn’t especially low compared to previous years. www.theoakleafnews.com “2015’s high voter turnout was Read articles on a Board of related to a high-profile issue Trustees meeting, the Syrian [Student Center Fee Referendum] on refugee crisis, a Q&A with this the ballot; the three previous elections issue’s band of the week and (2012, 2013 and 2014) had turnouts privacy in the technology age. similar to this years’,” he said.

Pinaula noted various

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circumstances as to why voter turnout was low. “Some things that were different this year include no student portal message being sent out to remind students, no all-staff email being sent out to remind teachers (to announce to students) and elections brochures were late getting made,” he said.

The winners were mainly from the Justice League slate, a diversity-based platform, winning eight out of 12 positions. Only two members of the opposing Rebel Alliance slate were voted into office. Two other winning candidates had no party affiliation.

Jordan Panana Carbajal of the Justice League won 392-57 against write-in candidate Gilbert Stone of the Rebel Alliance for SGA president.

“Most noteworthy, a number of students from underrepresented student groups were elected to Associated Students for a second year,” said assistant director of student affairs Dean Tahir in a faculty email.

Name of Office...................# of Votes SGA President Jordan Panana Carbajal (JL)....392 Gilbert Stone (RA).........................57 Executive Vice President of Petaluma Emanuell “Manny” Monter........267 Ana Belem Sanchez.....................186 Vice President of Advocacy Hernan Rai Zaragoza Lemus (JL)....295 Maleehai Rodriguez.....................161 Vice President of Committees Maria Fernando Salcido (JL).....427 Vice President of Student Health Sarai Rebeca Vargas (JL).................214 Hannah Cagle (RA).....................199 Zoe Moore......................................61 Vice President of Membership & Marketing Eduardo Osorio Juarez (JL).......414

Vice President of Student Life Abel Fernando Galindo (JL)............266 Robert Martinez (RA).................195 Vice President of Organizations Joshua Pinaula (RA)................394 Vice President of Diversity Hector Jimenez (JL)...................241 Enrique Martinez (RA)...............219 Vice President of Finance Gavin N. Johnston (RA)............394 Vice President of Sustainability LaMont Jerome Powell (JL)........268 Michal Steiner (RA).....................195 Student Trustee Sabrina Rawson........................412 Transportation Survey Results Yes.............................................393 No..................................................173 Total number of votes...............566

www.theoakleafnews.com

News

April 25, 2016

#Studentsforrecovery

College community helps students seeking support James Wyatt Staff Writer

A diverse population of students in recovery from addiction and mental illness revealed their intimate struggles when Santa Rosa Junior College introduced a safe, supportive club at Recovery Night April 20.

There was a large turnout of students and faculty in the Bertolini Student Activity Center as the night brought awareness and broke the stigma of the problems of addiction and mental illness.

The event provided catered food for the guests, live studentperformed music and a variety of informational resources. The atmosphere was a welcoming, supportive and non-judgmental place for students to bond over their darkest moments.

SRJC student Ryan Sansome guided the evening, and was one of the main contributors who spearheaded the creation of the Students for Recovery Club.

Sansome turned his life around from addiction, and through SRJC’s support has now become an

advocate for his fellow students.

Sansome opened his speech with statistical evidence showing the severity of the problem and its prevalence.

“It’s an epidemic, flat out,” Sansome said. “One in 10 Americans over the age of 12 are addicted to alcohol or drugs. One in four Americans of adolescent age or over has a diagnosable mental illness, and 1,000 college students in America commit suicide every year.”

During Recovery Night, 12 booths from different organizations throughout the county revealed the depths the college has pledged to provide student support.

Groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, Sonoma County Department of Health Services Bureau, Recovery Division of Acadia Health and Interlink Self Help were there to familiarize and commit their services to SRJC students.

The large number of students who attended the event reflected the magnitude of need for these services on campus. SRJC’s backing of Recovery Night gave students a comfortable place for their own recovery.

Co-News Editor Words like sustainability and conservation are popping up in media and conversations throughout Sonoma County, a leader in environmental action.

Santa Rosa Junior College students and community members gathered April 14 in the Bertolini Student Center to learn about the local challenges, opportunities and actions taken to decrease climate impacts.

Richard Engel, assistant program coordinator of Sonoma County’s General Services Department’s Energy and Sustainability Division, helps promote and deliver solutions necessary to mitigate environmental impact and prepare for climate change.

Engel supports his department by tracking energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and performance of the county’s renewable energy systems. He uses this information to work with consultants to solve problems facing the county and influence future building projects.

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” Engel said.

His measurements revealed employees’ commute to work is responsible for 50 percent of SCGSD’s greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings use 30 percent of the power and the remainder is from county vehicles.

“The Big Three,” Engel said.

SRJC recognized the importance of tracking and recording its power expenditures. Facilities’ Energy and Sustainability Coordinator David Liebman has done a lot in preparation to work in tandem with the facilities’ master plan.

Gender Queer and Coming Out

James Wyatt/Oak Leaf

Recovery Night attendees find support and share stories of their experiences.

“It shows the students that are in recovery, and the ones that are not but want to be in recovery…you can have support, even at the JC,” said Kailee Pozzi, 25. “It really helps because there are a lot of people in school right now who are suffering from this disease.”

An open mic portion of the program allowed students to voice their personal and emotional recovery stories. Students with problems such as depression, eating disorders, post traumatic stress, schizophrenia and addictions to narcotics, alcohol or other substances all spoke. Student after student expressed compelling accounts of unique journeys.

With a compassionate audience, many students opened up, allowing them to connect with each other.

Though each student had his or her own individual story of recovery, all were supported by the audience and each other.

“Many students start school with self doubt, unsure of their skills,” said SRJC counselor Anthony Vasquez. “Here, students can have comradery of not only sobriety [and] recovery, but the humanity part, because there is a lot of love in these students’ hearts to help. We are a family that wants to help, here are some resources for you and we are no longer hidden in the community.”

The facilities department has been working to equip all SRJC buildings with air conditioning energy management systems to automatically control building temperatures at a more economical and environmentallyfriendly standard.

One of Liebman’s projects is quantifying SRJC’s metrics to produce reports that depict the school’s water and electricity use, as well as greenhouse gas emissions per month per year.

“I use the county and the state as inspiration, but we hope to be better than that,” Liebman said.

On SRJC’s Petaluma campus, the parking garage lights were recently changed to energy efficient LED bulbs. From Liebman’s calculations, the previous bulbs were responsible for 7 percent of the total electricity

used on campus, which is the most expensive utility.

“It’s a good deal of savings,” he said. “Retrofits are some of the easiest things you can do as a college, and the payback is seen in two to three months.”

SRJC is among the most energy efficient community colleges in California, Liebman said.

Liebman recently conducted a paper towel and food waste audit in Doyle Library and Bertolini Student Center to compose a plan with the grounds department on how to reduce the amount of wasted food.

“Sustainability itself is just smart business,” Liebman said. “It’s paying for the full value of things in this world and not just having all these externalities that we’ll pay for because our economic system doesn’t encompass them.”

College strives to provide food equity Assistant News Editor To relieve stress associated with being a low-income scholar, the student equity department, along with student government, has launched a food voucher pilot program on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus.

According to Genevieve Bartone, director of student equity, this is one

of several consorted efforts to assist and retain underserved populations on campus. The equity department has implemented many programs over the past few years, including the equity scholarship, textbook loan program and food pantry expansion.

The food voucher program is one of three existing efforts to provide nutritious food options to students in need.

Students needing healthy food options can pick up a food voucher

Know

Join faculty and students to honor SRJC’s 2015-16 retirees, 3:30-5 p.m. April 26 in the Bertolini Student Activities Center.

Food vouchers Jynessa Lazzaroni

In the

Retirement Reception

SRJC plans energy efficient future Genesis Napel

3

in Bertolini Student Center between 9 and noon Mondays and Tuesdays each week while supplies last. Food vouchers, valued at $8, can be redeemed at the Fresh and Natural cafeteria.

Bartone also advised students who might need more assistance with food to come to the weekly food pantry in Maggini Hall. The food pantry is a collaboration with the Redwood Food bank and offers healthy food and canned goods for students.

Students may also seek assistance filing for Cal Fresh benefits, a countywide food assistance program, with an eligibility worker on campus in the student health department each week.

Bartone said the student equity department is dedicated to helping underserved populations on campus become successful.

Access to healthy food is one of many areas that the department is focused on improving.

Scott Rossi, student trustee and member of the Queer Student Union, Javier Rivera of Positive Images and two English faculty host an event to explore the gender spectrum and listen to coming out stories from the college’s LGBTQ community, 3:30-5 p.m. April 29 in Doyle Library, room 4245.

Inaugural Pan African Night

SRJC’s Black Student Union, MEChA, Puente and Umoja will host tables showcasing African cultural art, food, and local and global projects to enrich the community and encourage the solidarity of Africanism. The event is free, including food, drinks and live entertainment, 6-9 p.m. April 29 in the Bertolini Student Center.

Day Under the Oaks

The annual open house and community education fair will offer more than 175 booths, which include food, activities and demonstrations for all ages. Live music and dance performances will occur throughout this free fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 1 on the Santa Rosa campus. For more information, go to santarosa.edu/duo.

Self-Care Workshop

SRJC Career Development Services will host a self-care workshop to teach students how to improve and maintain self-esteem and peace of mind, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

May 4 on the third floor of Bertolini, room 4875.

Why do we Discriminate?

Diana Rangaves, RPh, will discuss discrimination and unlearning patterns of behaviormirror neurons, noon-1 p.m. May 9 in Newman Auditorium.

MESA Science Research Symposium

Join the SRJC community to view and learn from Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement students’ research poster projects in MESA’s annual symposium, 5-6 p.m. May 12 in the Bertolini Dining Commons.

Grad Cap Graduating Party Students planning on graduating this semester can bring their graduation caps to a decorating party from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. May 17 in Bertolini Student Activities Center. Decorating supplies will be provided as well as prizes, pizza and photos.

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April 25, 2016

Opinion

www.theoakleafnews.com

EDITORIAL

Police brutality not OK in Lemos’ case A recent police brutality case involving a Santa Rosa Junior College student sparked a heated discussion, prompting Sonoma County residents to question who’s at fault: the civilian or the officer.

The short answer? Both.

On her graduation night June 13, 18-year-old Gabbi Lemos stepped out of her Petaluma home to find flashing lights and Deputy Marcus Holton investigating a possible disturbance involving Lemos’ sister.

After a chaotic yelling match, mainly on the part of Lemos’ mother and sister, Lemos started to walk away. Holton then shoved her by the neck and forced her facedown in the gravel driveway, leading to facial swelling, bruising and multiple lacerations. And many people believe she deserved it because the family was loud, uncooperative and demanded rights they didn’t have.

Yes, the women were disorderly and unrelenting. Yes, they were yelling and possibly escalating the situation. No, that doesn’t give the officer the right to force a young woman’s face in gravel and get her sent to the hospital just because the family annoyed him.

A police officer has the obligation to be more morally upright than the average citizen. They are supposed to protect and serve; that includes behaving justly to unruly people.

According to the Bureau of Justice

Statistics, out of nearly 44 million U.S. citizens ages 16 and over who’ve had face-to-face contact with police from 2002 to 2011, 715,500 experienced threat or use of nonfatal force. The Arrest-Related Deaths program and the Supplementary Homicide Reports estimate an average of 928 law enforcement homicides per year.

These statistics hit close to home for many Americans who’ve seen police brutality and homicide cases become viral in the past few years.

Sonoma County is still reeling over a deputy’s shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in 2013.

Sheriff’s Deputy Erick Gelhaus, the officer who shot Lopez and escaped criminal charges, has a history of using excessive force. In one incident in 1996 he was accused of pulling his gun on a woman and her child in a neighborhood dispute.

Gelhaus isn’t the only officer with a record of unnecessary force. Holton was also cleared of all criminal offenses after he shot a man during an encounter on Todd Road in 2011. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office currently has six pending civil rights lawsuits against it, Lemos’ included.

An officer should be trained to act in a professional manner and behave with patience and civility. In February, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg Suhr announced

Big fat lies

reforms to train police officers on emphasizing time and distance to de-escalate tense confrontations. The reform calls for officers to use proper verbal skills to engage the suspect and create a buffer zone to reduce the need for the use of force.

While Lemos’ family exacerbated the altercation, Holton should have known how to proficiently handle the ordeal without using excessive force against an 18-year-old girl who was

simply walking away from an out-ofcontrol situation.

Excessive acts of police brutality resulted in officers having to wear body cameras. What good do these cameras do if footage is held from the public? In Lemos’ case, the video wasn’t released until the case gained media attention and made citizens question who was at fault.

In response to gray-area cases where both parties involved could be liable,

U.S. citizens started Cop Watch. The program is focused on letting members of the community know their rights and encourages people to hold police officers accountable for their actions.

If Americans are going to fully trust law enforcement again, the militarization of police officers needs to stop. Reforms such as the one in San Francisco to train officers to de-escalate situations should be enacted nationwide and here in Sonoma County.

Body size does not predict health Carin Huber Copy Editor Take it from me, there’s not a fat person alive in this country, from infant to ancient, who hasn’t been told they should lose weight to be healthy.

This is a lie.

Numerous medical studies have found many overweight people have some life-threatening illness, and obesity can in some cases exacerbate the symptoms of that illness. However, there are two important points these studies have, until recently, failed to consider: correlation is not causation, and many thinner people also suffer these same illnesses.

No disease has been proven to be a symptom solely of being fat. Even in Type II Diabetes, about 20 percent of sufferers are normal weight according to the National Institute of Health.

In many cases, it’s likely obesity is actually a symptom of a disease.

Recent studies show fatness has nothing to do with fitness. In 2013, Dr. Vaughn Barry, Ph.D., collected and analyzed the data of 10 studies on the mortality rates of people judged to be cardiovascularly fit or unfit, relative to their body mass index. Barry found those who were unfit had twice the mortality rate of

those who were fit, regardless of BMI. In other words, it’s just as unhealthy to be thin and weak as to be fat and weak, and it’s just as healthy to be fat and strong as to be thin and strong.

Losing weight and keeping it off is not as simple as the weight loss industry wants us to believe. Dr. Tracy Mann, professor and researcher at University of Minnesota, said diets don’t work long term. “You don’t just notice [food] — it actually begins to look more appetizing and tempting,” Mann said in an interview for the Washington Post last year. “So the thing you’re trying to resist becomes harder to resist.”

In 2001 I tried the Atkins diet for about a month.

The pounds melted off. My jeans went from lay-downto-zip to literally falling off my hips. I was ecstatic – and I was miserable. I couldn’t ­ stop thinking about food. I counted carbs obsessively, even when I wasn’t hungry, planning for my next meal.

At parties I couldn’t eat anything: all the food was sugar- and flour-laden.

The day I caught myself standing with my head in the pantry smelling that precious loaf of bread with just

10 carbs per slice – I could have a whole sandwich! – I realized I had a food obsession, one I never had before I tried to lose weight.

Bariatric surgery is no better. It may reduce the amount of food one can eat at once, but this can result in constant eating. At the same time, some types of surgery can starve the body of crucial nutrients, regardless of the food eaten, because it bypasses parts of the digestive system that absorb those nutrients.

Furthermore, the body reacts to what it perceives as starvation by holding on harder to every calorie it gets. “Your body uses calories in the most efficient way possible,” Mann said, “which sounds like a good thing, and would be good thing if you’re starving to death. When your body finds a way to run itself on fewer calories, there tends to be more leftover, and those get stored as fat, which is exactly what you don’t want to happen.” Before long, many patients are just as fat as they were before, if not fatter.

However well meaning, “encouraging” fat people to lose

“It’s just as healthy to be fat and strong as to be thin and strong.”

weight is not only unhelpful, it’s actively detrimental. In a 2013 study, Angelina Sutin, psychologist and assistant professor at Florida State University College of Medicine, showed weight discrimination is more likely to result in targets of discrimination gaining more weight than losing it.

The worst offenders are doctors with fat-prejudice. Doctors say a thing is so and everyone believes them; they went to school for eight years or more, they must know what they’re doing. But doctors are only as good as the most recent studies they have read, and many don’t seem to continue learning once they

have their degrees. Worse, some do read new information, but decide it’s wrong because it refutes what they believe.

Many doctors see a fat patient and make the snap diagnosis of obesity, regardless of the actual problem. The blog “First, Do No Harm” at fathealth. wordpress.com, has hosted people’s stories of belittlement, misdiagnosis and outright mistreatment of fat patients since 2007, and the stories keep coming.

Size discrimination is the last socially acceptable bigotry, and it needs to stop.

What’s good for one body is not good for every body. Pretending one size fits all hurts people and helps no one.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Opinion

April 25, 2016

Racial and religious prejudice in America

Just the tip The final frontier?

Genesis Napel

Middle-Eastern student experiences stereotypes

Co-News Editor

Amira Dabas Contributing Writer I am Palestinian. I am American.

My family is Muslim.

Over the years I have come to realize I am in a world where I constantly have to defend my family’s culture. This feeling of hesitation before I share the fact that my family is Muslim is, to say the least, unsettling.

“Your family practices the religion of terrorists,” or “Isn’t that the religion where men can have multiple wives?” These are some of the ignorant, judgmental comments I’ve heard.

According to a YouGov poll conducted earlier this year, 55 percent of surveyed Americans were found to have an unfavorable opinion of Islam. Two percent of Americans indicated that they “were very knowledgeable” about the religion and 60 percent said they “are not at all knowledgeable about Islam.”

How can someone judge

something they know so little about?

Sadness has evolved from shame and has turned into anger. I’m angry that I am hesitant to share the very thing about myself that makes me who I am. “I’m Middle-Eastern,” I’ll say vaguely, quickly adding on my Salvadorian heritage as if this might shield me from automatic judgments.

There was a time where I couldn’t go on Facebook without seeing racist anti-Muslim comments or posts. When I hear negative comments about the religion that many of my loved ones practice, I can’t help but take personal offense.

I remember one Facebook post in particular. It encouraged women to walk outside their homes naked so “neighborhood Muslim men” would commit suicide. The post’s author suggested this as a solution to eliminate Muslim men, because according to Islam, once a man sees a woman who’s not his spouse naked, he must take his own life.

Those statements were not only incorrect, but blatantly offensive.

How could someone write such a thing? What does “neighborhood Muslim men” mean? Is this what my neighbors think of our family?

Recently Donald Trump’s horrifying comments added to this ongoing problem. He said he would consider requiring Muslim-Americans to register with a government database, and suggested they carry a special identification card noting their faith. I laugh hearing things like this, but a sick feeling still creeps into my stomach as I realize there are many Americans who agree with such nonsense. Simply because of faith, a person is now less American. Trump is painting a hellish nightmare for Muslims; he is a voice provoking hatred and fueling fears.

Is this anti-Muslim behavior becoming the new norm? Recently,

a UC Berkeley student was escorted off a Southwest Airlines plane after a passenger overheard his phone conversation in Arabic. One minute Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was on the phone with his uncle who lives in Baghdad. The next he was a victim of Islamaphobia, because of the language he was speaking.

We must ask ourselves; “How did we reach this point? Are we really protecting ourselves?” Whether it’s building a wall of hate or spreading lies of ignorance, it’s all tied back to underlying fear. I refuse to hide my heritage any longer.

I want to stand proud and embrace my culture with confidence, without fear of judgment. A conversation of tolerance is uncomfortable, but it’s one we need to have because misinformation and ignorance adds to society’s intolerance.

Only a healthy discussion of ideas, fears and information can break down barriers.

North Carolina’s bathroom bill

HB2 law discriminates against transgenders Eloy A. Delgado

Contributing Writer Gender-neutral restrooms are a reality at Santa Rosa Junior College, but in states like North Carolina, using the restroom or locker room for the gender that identifies them is illegal for transgender people.

Currently a wave of anti-LGBT laws are being enacted across several states. Gay marriage is legal in the United States, but members of the LGBT community can still be legally discriminated against at work or school in many states. Anti-LGBT legislation has real repercussions in people’s lives. It promotes ignorance, prejudice and hatred, and this turns to violence.

I grew up in a conservative town, feeling isolated and in constant fear for my well-being because I’m gay.

I know what it feels like to grow up feeling like people hate you because of who you are. I know the look in people’s eyes: they want to destroy you. If they could, they would kill you.

Though I’ve experienced harassment and violence because I’m gay, the transgender community encounters even greater challenges.

North Carolina’s HB2 law, or the “bathroom bill,” seeks to have individuals use the restroom and locker room that matches the gender on their birth certificate. It also bars

local municipalities from prohibiting discrimination based on sexual or gender orientation in public places.

HB2’s public facilities section is unenforceable, unless North Carolina plans to require birth certificates or have security guards checking genitalia before entering the restroom.

These laws aren’t based on reality.

What is a reality is the transgender community is vulnerable to violence and discrimination translating to a high suicide attempt rate.

According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 41 percent of transgender individuals have tried to kill themselves at some point in their lives, as opposed to 4.6 percent for the general population.

Supporters of legislation HB2 say the intent of the law is to protect the privacy and security of women and children because sexual predators could gain access to public facilities by pretending to be transgender.

Mediamatters.org contacted law enforcement officials, government employees and advocates for victims of sexual abuse in 12 states where non-discrimination laws are in effect for the use of public facilities. Not a single documented report found a sexual predator posing as a transgender individual to attack someone.

For transgender people, something as basic as using a restroom can result in harassment and violence.

5

Daniel Kong/ Oak Leaf

SRJC installed gender-neutral bathrooms on campus in January 2015.

According to a study by the Williams Institute, a UCLA School of Law think tank, 68 percent of the transgender respondents indicated when using the restroom, “They were told they were in the wrong facility, told to leave the facility, questioned about their gender, ridiculed or made fun of, verbally threatened, or stared at and given strange looks.”

Eighteen percent of respondents also said they were outright denied the right to use a restroom. In the same study, 54 percent of respondents said they had experienced physical complications in their efforts to avoid using restrooms. The study focused on people who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming/genderqueer in the Washington, D.C. area.

SRJC student Kaiya Kramer hosts

the Queer life, a weekly radio show on KBBF FM 89.1. As a transgender woman, Kramer has experienced discrimination and said she was fired from a job because of her gender identity. Kramer spoke of microaggressions she has experienced, such as being misgendered in a restaurant.

To get involved against antiLGBT legislation, Kramer suggests financially supporting organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group fighting for LGBT equality. Most importantly, Kramer said she was “inspiring people, who have no reason to support us” to do so, and “to be an advocate.” Kramer said if we hear someone saying “that’s so gay,” or “is that a dude?” speak up and say something, especially if you have no reason to.

Our culture continues to shun the butthole. Yet this taboo part of the body is often the main focus of people’s sexual fantasies and is glorified in porn and rap songs. Yet society imposes the idea that it’s filthy or gay to try anal play. Well, that isn’t true.

The gooch and anus contain thousands of nerve endings. In Taoist practices, the perineum is an essential sexual landmark that contains a holy spot of stimulation; the “million-dollar-point.”

People use sex as a way to feel pleasure and a connection with their partner. All sexual orientations can enjoy anal stimulation.

Mixing things up with anal play can be a tricky route to explore. It means more than just busting in through the backdoor.

As with all sexual acts, consent is essential in getting the juices flowing between partners. No one should be pressured into doing anything in the bedroom.

When it comes to exploring new realms, be clear about what you want to try and be open to hear concerns or enthusiasm.

With the ass clear for exploration, being aroused beforehand is best.

When going down on women, it’s particularly easy to transfer from cunnilingus to “rimming.” Yes, it can be done, and it’s OK. Any concern about the cleanliness of the orifice can be navigated with communication and preparation.

When it comes to penetration, there are precautions which need to be taken to ensure the receiver’s enjoyment. Rectums don’t produce their own lubrication like vaginas, said sexologist and blogger Dr. Kat Van Kirk from the America College of Sexologists. This makes them vulnerable to tears, so a water-based lubricant is suggested.

This is a sensitive part of the body and needs warming up. Start with fingers and work your way up from there as your partner starts to feel more comfortable. Remember, lots of lube and reapply as needed.

Take things slow and have plenty of time set aside as to not feel rushed. Any form of anal play can feel vulnerable. Having a solid foundation of trust is crucial.

“Truffle butter” may sound appealing, but this crosscontamination is a surefire way to spread bacteria, which leads to genital infections like UTIs. If you want to proceed, clean up after the deed.

Anytime semen is in close proximity to the vagina, the potential for pregnancy exists; STIs can also be contracted from anal.

Use condoms.

The backdoor isn’t always unlocked, but it’s good to know of its needs in case the house of lovemaking invites you to enter through the back entrance.

6

April 25, 2016

Features

www.theoakleafnews.com

Instructor finds success with apocalyptic drama Rico Pinola

Staff Writer It took five years for Santa Rosa Junior College English instructor Jean Hegland to write her novel “Into the Forest,” several more years for the novel to be published and 19 years for it to make it to the big screen.

Thanks to “Juno” movie star Ellen Page, Hegland’s “Into the Forest” was turned into a major motion picture and debuts in the United States later this year.

Hegland has been teaching English at SRJC since 1984 and is the author of three other novels: “Windfalls,” “The Life Within” and “Still Time.”

After overcoming much adversity, Hegland’s novel “Into the Forest” was published in 1996 and—nearly two decades later—made its way to the big screen Sept. 15, 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

DirecTV has distribution rights to the film, which will premiere on the service before its release in theaters.

“Into the Forest” was also part of the TIFF’s annual top 10 Canadian films in 2015.

Patricia Rozema directed and wrote the screenplay adaptation of “Into the Forest.” Set in the near-future, the film tells the story of two sisters, played by Page and Evan Rachel Wood, living alone in their Northern California forest home. They’re forced to live off the land after the entire continent loses power. The sisters struggle to

Authur Gonzalez-Martin/ Oak Leaf

SRJC English instructor Jean Hegland writes books in her spare time and shares her passion for writing with her students.

survive while protecting themselves from intruders, disease and starvation in this apocalyptic drama.

With her recent success, Hegland discussed what influences her book, seeing her film on the big screen for the first time and teaching at SRJC. Q. What adversity did you face to have “Into the Forest” published?

A. It was rejected by every agent I sent it to, and by two dozen other small presses before it found a home at Calyx Books. Not long after Calyx published it, it was “discovered” by

the New York publishing houses, and republished with Bantam.

Q. What was most shocking?

A. Getting a hard copy of my book in another language; knowing I wrote it, but can’t read it.

Q. Do you like how your book was formed into a film?

A. I saw it one time when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was an overwhelming experience. It was a gripping movie; the acting was really good, and the cinematography was really good.

Q. Do you think once the movie is released in the United States, it will impact book sales?

A. I hope so! I’d like to think it will help to bring at least a little attention to my other books too, especially my new novel, “Still Time.”

Q. Who had the biggest influence on your book?

A. I am influenced by everything I read. I was reading books by Gary Snyder, Wendell Berry and Barry Lopez, nature writers from the 1990s.

Also feminist theorist Rianne Eisler.

Q. Who had the biggest influence on the book being turned into a film?

A. Page had a friend who was a bookstore owner. He gave her my book and told her it was really good and she should read it. She loved it, and she thought it should be turned into a movie.

Q. Does having your book turned into a film have any impact on the way you write books now?

A. No. Writing is still hard as ever. It never gets easier.

Q. What do you enjoy most about teaching English?

A. I love sharing passion for books and writing, and I love junior college students. They’re wonderful human beings.

Q. You said having an English degree is kind of like being in a karate stance. How do you feel they are similar?

A. I don’t really know enough about karate to elaborate on that analogy very effectively, but it’s my understanding that from certain stances, it’s possible to move very quickly and smoothly into a number of other positions. To me, that seems similar to the way that having a degree in English can enable someone to quickly become skillful in many other fields.

Q. What advice would you give to a student who is trying to write a novel or be published?

A. Don’t give up. It takes a great deal more than you think, but if you put the time in it will pay off. Read books, and have faith in the process.

Astrology

-Estefany Gonzalez, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Aries: Take a deep breath, let it fill your lungs

Libra: Your heart is light and warm. Your

Taurus: Don’t spend too long daydreaming.

Scorpio: Children can often see things

Gemini: Take responsibility for your

Sagittarius: Stay away from large bodies of

Cancer: Although paintings may look

Capricorn: Take a moment to shine in

Graduate degrees in: Nursing • Teaching • Counseling

beautiful from afar, a closer step may reveal distasteful brush strokes and lack of care. Don’t spend too much time looking from a distance.

Financial aid and scholarships available

Leo: Perhaps it’s time to do something nice

Aquarius: Others enjoy your company.

Virgo: Earth child, it’s time to embrace

Pisces: Pay attention to your fashion

GET

A DEGREE IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE

CONTACT US TODAY 707.527.9612 santarosacampus@usfca.edu Information Meetings held at least once a month.

For dates, go to: www.usfca.edu/santarosa

CHANGE THE WORLD FROM HERE

and clear your head of harmful thoughts. Just as cell phones and computers need to power off to function, you require a clear mind.

Be aware of your surroundings or you may not like what you find when your feet finally hit the ground.

mistakes. No one is perfect; it’s OK to mess up. Don’t spend too much time overthinking.

Learn from the experience and move on.

for others. Being the center of attention is nice, but it’s better when the light is flattering.

your mother. Drop your technology and spend more time in nature. Time away from all of your devices may reveal a truth you need to hear.

spirit floats like a feather in the wind. Listen to the voice in your head when making decisions and you’ll always know what to do.

adults can’t. Open your eyes wide. It’s time to let out your inner child.

water. Now is not the time to learn to swim.

Stick to what you know. Taking risks without knowing how things will turn out could cause you to drown.

the sun. Let others compliment you and praise your accomplishments.

Your sweetness is much like honey. Be careful of bears with a sweet tooth.

choices, smile more and be kind; you never know who’s watching.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Features

Model student

Student model

April 25, 2016

7

Courtesy of Hoang Le

Devon Delzell models clothes by Apoteca. She loves working with the designers on shoots because she adores being a part of their creative vision.

Estefany Chavez Contributing Writer

D

evon Delzell walks toward the cafe wearing nothing but black; her long black hair trails behind her and her cat eye sunglasses brings the look together.

Delzell, 20, is attending her second year at Santa Rosa Junior College and hopes to transfer to UCLA to major in history, with a focus on Turkish or Asian history.

When she’s not studying, Delzell spends her weekends transforming herself into a commercial model. She’s been featured in Vogue Italia Online and worked with local San Francisco designers like Apoteca.

Her modeling career started at a young age. “I kind of grew up with it,” she said.

“When I was a baby, my mom worked for a blood bank. And when I was 6-monthsold, I was on a billboard of Sonoma County for the blood bank. So that was my first job.”

Karen Delzell, her mother, worked in product development and encouraged her daughter to model, even making her the filler picture for picture frames.

Karen also modeled in her early years, which helped Delzell learn how the industry worked.

During her pre-teens, Delzell took a few years off but started again in her teens. She worked her first two years for free before finally getting signed to City Model Agency in San Francisco.

Unlike New York or Los Angeles, San Francisco is gentler on upcoming models.

It’s easier to learn the ropes and everyone is professional.

Delzell’s favorite type of shoots are with designers, especially Igna Ojeriene, who designs Apoteca in San Francisco. “I love working with designers because when they show up you can see their creative vision. And it’s just fun to be part of a creative process,” she said.

She couldn’t help but giggle when discussing her hardest shoot to date.

During winter, most designers are preparing for their summer lines. She was doing a photoshoot for swimwear in Marin Headlands when the photographer asked if she could jump into the water.

She jumped in with no towel on hand and

started to model in the icy cold water.

Delzell looks at modeling not as a job but a fun creative task. She knows by age 23 she will be focusing more on school and will likely retire from modeling. She would like to pursue work behind the camera too.

“Modeling is not consistent ever. So there are times when work is very busy and you could be booking every weekend, you know a couple times a week,” she said. “And sometimes it’s very slow, and you won’t hear anything for a month or a couple weeks, and that is kind of discouraging.”

Delzell has been featured on Vogue Italia’s online blog “Photo Vogue” three times. Her first time was due to a selfsubmission and she counted herself extremely lucky to be picked. “When your photos are submitted and taken by something like Vogue Italia, it’s a confidence booster and a reminder that you’re doing fine,” she said.

Delzell understands different aspects of modeling are expanding and changing within the industry. She believes social media is a great way to get your brand out. It’s also revolutionizing modeling because it’s giving models a voice and brings them to a human level. Delzell thinks that Photoshop is something that will eventually be done away with. The fashion industry has taken strides to represent everyday consumers, and the more people advocate for change, the sooner it will happen.

At 5 feet 7 inches, Delzell is a shorter model. She admires other short models like Kate Moss and Twiggy. Moss inspires Delzell because she showed the fashion industry, “This small girl can work it.”

For girls who want to pursue modeling, Delzell advises them to not get discouraged. “You’re not going to get a campaign right away from sending out your headshots that you took in your bathroom,” she said.

Delzell dismisses the idea models just sit down and look pretty. “It’s like a sport.

You have to practice,” she said.

Top: Courtesy of Jen Christo / Bottom: Courtesy of Deb Leal.

Top: Devon Delzell sports Adidas attire at a shoot at Balboa Tennis Court Park in San Francisco.

Bottom: Standing at 5 feet 7 inches, Devon Delzell models a dress

by Jemma Clare Swatek.

Geno Smith, 18-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College neurotechnology major, describes his style as “different,” but it truly screams “swag.” During the spring season, he rocks big, blunt white headphones, a maroon tee with a fierce golden lion, green-fitted pants and white, hightop chucks.

He travels to San Francisco every four or five months with $800 in his pocket and intentions to find random pieces of clothing that he likes.

Smith’s cousin is a fashion designer and owner of a downtown boutique called Punch. His cousin has strongly influenced him his whole life and takes him shopping, giving him advice on how to put things together. Smith enjoys the experience of shopping and is up to throw down cash on pieces he likes so his ensemble will stand out amongst the crowd.

“If I look good, I feel good and I do good,” he said.

Most guys he knows don’t care about how they dress, but it’s clear he feels enthusiastic about what he wears on a daily basis.

Left and Top Middle: Nikki Goetz/Oak Leaf

Left: Maryanne Scozzari (right) and a student create costumes for the SRJC theatre arts department’s production of “Twelfth Night.” Top Middle: Mannequins stand wearing the early stages of the costumes for “Twelfth Night.”

Continued from cover...

Thirty-six-year-old nursing major Doreen Mukama’s style is effortless, comfortable and flirty. Mukama is a busy mom, SRJC student and overnight nurse.

“I don’t aim to dress up, I just look in my closet and see what I find,” she said.

Mukama has become more aware of her style ever since her 7-year-old fashionista daughter denied relation to her when picking her up from school one day.

“I put on this very long dark skirt and a long-sleeved purple shirt, and when I went to go pick up my daughter, she told me to never ever pick her up dressed like that,” she said with an amused smile on her face.

Mukama’s daughter inspires her as she tells if she approves of her mom’s outfit to keep her looking her best.

Also, Mukama’s mother and sister are shopaholics and will find pieces for her on their shopping sprees. She will occasionally shop at Ross, but overall she allows the women in her life to guide her on the correct path to being fashionable.

Nikki Goetz/Oak Leaf

Mannequins in the SRJC fashion department’s classroom show off the artwork of former and present students.

Nikki Goetz/Oak Leaf

A student in the SRJC theatre arts department works on costumes for upcoming productions.

Heaviside lives and breathes fashion. All her clothes have her personal alterations and twist on them. She said her style is titled ‘chameleon.’

With a mixture of thrift store pieces making them contemporary to classic, she changes it up. She is inspired by colors and fabrics with a variety of textures.

Heaviside is excited to be a part of the fashion program and respects Bobo.

“She is really taking the fashion program in this exciting direction that is more industry focused,” she said.

She is a part of growing the industry in this area, and understands it all starts with training students here at SRJC. She urges students to sign up for fashion classes sooner than later, as class survival depends on enrollment. The program is changing and growing. It used to be home economics based, but now it’s heading towards the actual industry, training students and setting them up for success.

Garcia Hall isn’t the only place to find fashion inspiration. At the theater arts department in Burbank, Maryanne Scozzari has taught costume and makeup design for 28 years. She describes her style as colors, textures, scarves and bling.

As a costume designer, her job is to study all styles to understand and appreciate their origins and purpose. She observes different styles around campus as inspirations for costume designs.

Scozzari’s always been fascinated by theatre since kindergarten. Her mom

Bottom Middle and Right: Jessica Carter/Oak Leaf

Top: Students prepare costumes for the upcoming production of “Twelfth Night.”

Bottom: Students in the fashion department work with a wide variety of fabrics and styles to create a wearable work of art in Garcia Hall.

Right: Instructor Lyra Bobo is teaching four fashion classes this semester. She works hands-on with students in each class to help them shape their vision into reality.

and grandmother made all her costumes through elementary school. She won her first re cog nit ion for costume d e s i g n in high school.

W h i l e attending A l a n Hancock College, Scozzari recieved an AA in theater arts and a BA and MFA in theater design from Humboldt State University.

She was thrilled to be hired as the first full-time faculty position at SRJC because of its state wide reputation for excellence in educational standards.

Scozzari is always amazed by her student’s creativity and the hard work they put into their projects. Over the years, she has seen multiple students become finalists in region seven and eight in the American College Theatre Festival. She’s had many costume and makeup design students receive awards as well as offered scholarships and internships. She believes participating in any area of theater brings out students’ creative juices. From extensive research to creative problem solving, costume and makeup design compel them to think outside the box and use their imaginations, while learning new skills and inventing techniques.

Scozzari learns from her students when she teaches them. “It’s one of the many reasons I love to teach. I learn so much about myself and how I share and communicate information from them,” she said. “They are a constant inspiration.”

Nikki Goetz/Oak Leaf

SRJC actor Evan Held wears his costume for “Twelfth Night,” in which he is playing Duke Orsino. Extensive research went into making all costumes period appropriate.

Nikki Goetz/Oak Leaf

Students in the costume tailoring segment of the SRJC theatre arts department get practical experience in the world of costume design and in tailoring specialty and period clothing.

Jack Yaeger, 18, an acting major, titles his style street wear. He embraces spring fashion with a black tee, distressed black jeans and white Adidas finished off with a baby pink jacket.

“If you picture Kanye West in a white form, that’s what I base my outfits off of,” Yaeger said.

He gets most of his inspiration from rap culture and recognizes rappers are fashion forward. He loves winter and fall months because he is into layering his clothing.

He’s not afraid to admit that he judges what people wear on campus. Just imagine ‘SRJC’s what not to wear.’ As he walks from class to class, he sizes students up and criticizes how they put their ensembles together. Yaegar feels that people criticize him when he is in public, mostly people of the older generation unable to grasp that guys can wear pink and skinny jeans.

“I think a lot of people have a preconceived notion that if you dress nice, you are gay. Just because I dress nice doesn’t mean I can’t steal your girl,” he said confidently.

Comfortable—this is what 18-year-old SRJC student and Dutch Bros. employee Taylor Kelly’s style embodies. Kelly is intuitive when it comes to what she is wearing. How she feels is reflected in what she wears. Her celebrity inspiration is “the old Miley Cyrus.”

“I don’t think fashion should be about runways and what’s new; it’s about what’s going to let you express yourself,” Kelly said.

Kelly advises all students to wear what makes them feel comfortable, whether it’s sweatpants or high heels with a mini skirt. Being true is key.

As the weather warms up here on SRJC’s campus, it’s important to remember to be confident and be true to whatever style works best for you. It’s not about having designer brands or a closet full of expensive clothes, but about channeling that inner rapper or fashionable mom. Whether you’re a student or instructor, inspiration is everywhere.

10

April 25, 2016

A&E

SRJC Band of the week Estefany Gonzalez / Oak Leaf

Top left: Charlie Davenport refers to Jiordi Rosales as the North Bay’s “go- to-celloguy.” Rosales uses the cello to convey musically what words cannot.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Rags Estefany Gonzalez

Co-Editor-in-Cheif

Top right: Davenport used his middle name for the musical project Rags.

He started the project eight years ago as a solo act but has added others to the lineup since.

Estefany Gonzalez/ Oak Leaf

Left: Davenport said Rags draws more inspiration from electric bands like Fugazi and Slint than anything acoustic.

Right: The newest member of Rags, Gabe Katz, said he drums with his heart and soul.

Bottom: Rags is working on releasing a five song EP by the end of summer and breaking out into the greater Bay Area and beyond.

Harsh. Punchy. Odd time signatures.

“We typically don’t write songs with a groove that repeats. We write in a linear fashion where the song is always moving forward and repeats very little,” said Rags front-man Charlie Davenport.

What Davenport started as a project influenced by singer-songwriters like Elliot Smith and Bon Iver, turned into a full band over the course of the past eight years. His goal was to create an all acoustic musical arrangement, to give listeners a unique experience.

In the beginning, Davenport played solo and later introduced other musicians to round out the sound.

Different members have come and gone throughout the time Rags has been a band.

The current lineup includes drummer Gabe Katz, upright-bass player Chris Johnson and cello player Jiordi Rosales. Davenport is excited by the new lineup because it has influenced new material.

“Gabe and Chris are extremely progressive players and are game for whatever crazy direction I want to take the music in,” Davenport said. “Having Jiordi on cello is awesome too because it’s nice not having to rely on vocals as the melody instrument all the time. Plus he has an ear for noise and experimental sounds that’s pretty brilliant.”

At the moment, the band is focused on writing new material and plan to release an EP by the end of summer. Members are working to pair up with a record label to break out in to the greater Bay Area and beyond.

Estefany Gonzalez/ Oak Leaf

Charlie Davenport and Jiordi Rosales celebrate after their set at the Sonoma County Next Level Festival at The Arlene Francis Center in Downtown Railroad Square Historic District of Santa Rosa.

11 A&E Beach bites in beautiful Bodega Bay April 25, 2016

www.theoakleafnews.com

On Cue Calendar of Events

Courtney Paige

April 28

Anime Movie Nights: Watch anime at the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the Petaluma campus 6–8 p.m.

April 28 – May 1, May 5-8

Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”: This show will take the audience to the Elizabethan period with its traditional approach: an all-male cast performing the tale of Viola and Sebastian, 8 p.m. in Burbank Auditorium. Tickets are $12 - $18.

May 3

Open Mic Poetry Night: Come listen to some open mic poetry at the Intercultural Center, PC 116 from 5-6:30 p.m.

May 5

Throwback Thursday Game Nights (PC): Spend a late afternoon to play videogames with your friends from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium.

May 6

First Friday Night Sky: The show will go over the stars, constellations and planets present in the night sky. Viewing at the SRJC Planetarium from 7-8:30 p.m.

May 7

Film Fest Petaluma: The Petaluma Film Fest will begin at noon in the Mystic Theater at 21 Petaluma Blvd, Petaluma. $10 admittance includes $1 community fee.

Assistant A&E Editor The Blue Water Bistro is a lovely little eatery perched above Sonoma County’s coastline cliffs with a romantic, panoramic view of Bodega Bay. This venue offers a completely different Doran Beach access experience.

Sonoma County beaches are often cold and foggy, so hitting the beach in the Bay Area on a sunny day doesn’t always guarantee warmth – unless you’ve discovered Blue Water Bistro.

Frequently frigid at the bay’s beaches, this quaint venue gives a warm snug hug with its classic Bodega cedar architecture.

Locals living in the Bodega Harbor neighborhood know this secluded bistro. Residents benefit from amenities like basketball courts, tennis courts, a workout facility and heated pool. The public has access to bench seating overlooking the cliffs, the golf course and bay below.

Most importantly for beach lovers is the public beach access via the bistro. Simply park in the lot at the restaurant and walk towards the gate next to the pool. You’ll walk the cedar-planked decking down the steep stairs and onto what feels like your own private beach away from the masses. Dogs are allowed with a leash.

Breakfast at the bistro is available

Saturdays and Sundays only, 8:30-11 a.m. Lunch is dished up seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shrimp Louie salad is the quintessential companion for a warm picturewindow seaside view. Lettuce count the ways this chilled iceberg salad tantalizes the taste buds with a caperfilled remoulade dressing crafted from scratch.

The seaside restaurant’s paramount asset is its ardent bar appropriately called “The Fireside Lounge.” Tranquil live music is a rarity in Sonoma County, yet the bar offers jazz and acoustic beats all year round, every Thursday evening from 5-8 p.m. with free admission and Martini specials.

Dinner is limited to Thursday through Saturday, 5-9 p.m.

Reservations are advised if you’re counting on that coveted seaside table. Availability is easily found in

‘Luma shows short films Devin Schwarz A&E Editor Santa Rosa Junior College and the Petaluma Film Alliance will celebrate their eighth annual film festival May 7 consisting of short films, accompanied by panels of directors, actors and other professionals to discuss each film with the audience.

Each showcase screens nine to 10 short films. “There’s really no other venue where you can get this variety of storytelling for the price of a single movie ticket,” said Mike Traina, SRJC media instructor and event organizer. The oneday event May 7 at the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma consists of four screenings, matinee shorts at noon, afternoon shorts at 3 p.m., world shorts at 7:30 p.m. and late night shorts at 10:30 p.m.

The festival has never existed purely for entertainment, but also as a platform to spread a variety of ideas and opinions from around the world. This year’s lineup tackles issues such as gay rights, civil unrest and gender identity.

The festival organizers used a new system to receive entries this spring.

The website Film Freeway netted more than 1,000 film submissions—five times more than last year. A team of students, instructors and community members meticulously combed through the films to create the final 38-film lineup.

Among this lineup are four films SRJC students created, including “The

Berninator,” a film satirizing modern Hollywood action films with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as the pivotal super hero. There will also be a screening of “Bear Story,” the Oscar-awardwinning animated short.

This event serves to bring together the community of not only SRJC but the entire county. “Events like this have a unique energy,” Traina said. “It’s nice once a year to have such a flagship event in downtown. It’s good for the community and the college.”

Film Festival Screenings Matinee shorts

Afternoon shorts

World shorts

Late night shorts

-The Berninator -Ariadne’s Thread -Foley Artist -Flash -Over -Alienation -Land of Exodus -The Gift -One Night in Hell -Love is Blind -Impressive Stacks -Escalator -#ya -Sry Bsy -Nineteen -Career Girl -Pride -Nada S.A. -Dive -Bear Story

-La Liberte -He has Two Souls -The Fantastic Love of Beeboy and Flowergirl -3 Year, 3 Month Retreat -Keeping Balance -Enfidle -The Old Man and the Cat -Chop -Green Thumbs -Or -The One -Carapace -The Eggman -Boy-Razor -I said I Would Never Talk About Politics -Gluttony -After the End -Metube 2-August Sings Carmina Buburana

Courtney Paige/ Oak Leaf

Top: Blue Water Bistro is a well-earned title as the view from the restaurant is a magnificent panorama of the beach below. Bottom: Another of the restaurant’s many picture windows offers a view of the rolling green fields of The Links at Bodega Harbour golf course.

advance at OpenTable.com. Or, take a chance at “The Fireside Lounge.”

Who knows, maybe luck will locate a spot next to the toasty stone fireplace.

Even though the restaurant’s

menu is a basic bistro melange, each dish boasts an artisan creation made from fresh, seasonal local ingredients with all menu items surprisingly fair priced.

12

April 25, 2016

A&E

Late night coffee A’Roma Roasters Coffee & Tea 95 Fifth St.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Late night pizza

Late night diner

NY Pie

Adel’s Restaurant

65 Brookwood Ave.

456 College Ave.

-Jocelyn Mobley

-Courtney Paige

-Jessica Carter

Located in the middle of Historic Old Railroad Square, A’Roma Roasters is the oldest roastery in Sonoma County.

With 25 years of knowledge, A’Roma knows how to make a good cup of Joe. It has a huge selection of coffee and tea, including single origin coffee beans, sourced from individual states or regional cooperatives, herbal infusions and mate.

A’Roma imports fresh beans from around the world and roasts them in-store.

A’Roma also has a wide variety of food. It has a traditional glass case, like any other coffee shop, full of baked goods. But instead of cookies and croissants, A’Roma has an assortment of vegan, gluten free and sugar-free treats. There are also sandwiches, burritos and many more lunch options. If you’re still looking for something just a little more special, there also is an ice cream parlor in the back of the shop.

A’Roma has seating where

Cheers! Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and your pizza is taken seriously.

Open 11-3 a.m. seven days a week, NY Pie Pizza recently expanded their already spacious sports bar serving up 19 beers on tap with five televisions dedicated to sports fans.

For some, the best part of pizza is the dough, and NY Pie has the best thin chewy crust in Sonoma County.

With 15 pizza menu originals, like “Lady Liberty” and “Wayne’s The Whole A,” NY Pie sets the bar for awesome crust with a staggering number of topping combinations.

NY Pie, located at the corner of Fourth Street and Brookwood Avenue, steps from downtown Santa Rosa, is the perfect pizza eatery for a late night nibble.

Stop in after your pub-crawl for a quick nosh to soak up any residual alcohol levels your body may harbor. If you’re getting your sloth on, pick up the phone for delivery.

NY Pie delivers from open to close.

Late night food is hard to find in Santa Rosa. If Denny’s isn’t your cup of tea you should definitely try Adel’s Diner.

Not only is Adel’s close to SRJC on College and Mendocino Avenues, it also has great food and is open until midnight.

Are you a fan of breakfast all day? Adel’s has it covered. Their menu entails all of the classic breakfast items, like cinnamon french toast which melts in your mouth, an array of omelets that you have free range to customize to your liking and buttermilk pancakes that taste like the perfect blend of butter and syrup.

If you have the urge to eat past ‘normal’ dinner hours, the shredded beef tri-tip nachos are crunchy, cheesy and adeliver a lasting savory impact on your palate. They’re everything you would expect from nachos and more.

With great service and good food, plan on stopping by Adel’s to cure your late-night cravings.

Top: Courtney Paige / Oak Leaf /Left: Courtesy of Zomato.com / Right: Estefany Gonzalez / Oak Leaf

Top: Ny Pie’s open floorplan allows customers to see every part of the pizza-making process.

Bottom left: Adel’s bar gives the quintessential diner experience. Eggs Benedict and a cup of Joe is the perfect protein packed breakfast before a hard day of school.

Bottom right: A’Roma Roasters is the perfect stop after a movie night in Santa Rosa.

you can watch your coffee being brewed, and a back room perfect for studying. Open late from about 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., depending on the day, A’Roma provides a quiet hum

Good old fashioned fun

that makes it a perfect place to do homework. If a louder hum is more your style, come in for twice-a-week live performances of everything from atmospheric folk to acoustic pop.

SRJC theatre arts department stuns with allmale Shakespeare production Alex T. Randolph Copy Editor, Co-Opinion Editor William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is usually about a woman pretending to be man.

But in the Santa Rosa Junior College theatre arts department’s version, the woman pretending to be a man is actually a man pretending to be a woman, who staves off the attentions of a woman, who is also actually a man pretending to be a woman, while trying to woo a man who is pretending to be – another man.

And if that made you go cross-eyed, don’t worry, it all makes sense.

“Twelfth Night” is one of Shakespeare’s seminal comedies about mistaken identity. Fraternal twins Viola (Matt Heredia) and Sebastian (Cooper Bennett) are separated at sea, and each thinks the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario, looking almost exactly like her brother, and courts the fair Olivia (Kot Takahashi) for the sake of her master, Duke Orsino (Evan Held), who she’s in love with.

Olivia promptly falls for “Cesario,” who of course is a bit taken aback. Things

snowball from there, as our hapless cross-dressing heroine deals with a love triangle while Olivia’s drunk uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Richard La Rosa), servant Mariah (Daniel Banales) and hopeless suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Erin Galloway) all conspire to humiliate her stuck-up steward Malvolio (David McCullough). And that’s not going into Sebastian’s return, or Feste the Fool (Noah Sternhill) weaving in and out of all the various plotlines that eventually collide in a comedy of errors.

Shakespeare’s works have been set in nearly every place and time – the 1996 movie adaptation of “Twelfth Night” was set in what appeared to be Victorian England – but for this, the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s birth and death, the theatre arts department decided to go back to the beginning. Not only is the play set in the time it was made, great pains were taken to make this performance authentic to how it was originally played.

The program lists all the ways the

Courtesy of SRJC Theater Arts Department

Matt Heredia and Kot Takahashi share an intimate moment on stage. The cross-dressed duo star in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” The play took several steps to remain true to the original production, including all roles being played by men.

play stays true to its early days. This includes the stage having chandeliers with real candles hanging overhead, just like the first indoor theaters, two booths onstage where special guests can watch the play firsthand, real musicians located at the top of the stage, girls wandering around selling oranges during intermission and a liberal use of white face paint to express beauty.

But unquestionably, the most notable use of traditional stagecraft is that every role, including the women, is played by a man.

That’s not to say it’s the only notable thing – the actors do a great job of getting laughs out of the audience, partly through line-delivery and pratfalls. Shakespeare’s dialogue can be impenetrable to modern audiences, but

broad physical comedy is practically universal. Indeed, some of the funniest moments have no dialogue at all. One such scene is between Held’s Orsino and Heredia’s Viola. Orsino is starting to fall for Viola, but is still unaware she’s a woman, leading to a scene were he constantly approaches and then backs away from a receptive Viola, clearly very confused with himself.

Perhaps the best performance is Takahashi as Olivia, who starts getting laughs in his first scene just by walking across the stage. Whether it be his high-pitched voice as his character shrieks at Heredia to love him, or his overly exaggerated demeanor as he acts more and more the idiot as Olivia falls more in love, Takahashi owns the stage every time he’s there.

If there’s a criticism, it’s that there

are no subtle performances here. While some are more broad than others, they everyone hams it up to various degrees.

While it works, since this is supposed to be a screwball comedy, it might get a bit overbearing to some audiences.

“Twelfth Night” hits the sweetspot for both casual audiences and Shakespeare aficionados. The latter will appreciate the time and effort the play puts into recreating the original experience, and the former will appreciate the facial expressions and Chaplin-esc antics. “Twelfth Night” will continue through April 28-30 and May 5-8 at Burbank Auditorium, with a special performance at 3 p.m. for Day Under the Oaks.

Check http://theatrearts.santarosa. edu/current-season for specific times and how to purchase tickets.

13 Sports Baseball wins first outright Big 8 title April 25, 2016

www.theoakleafnews.com

Bear Cubs look to secure top playoff seed in Northern California Will Mathis Assistant Sports Editor Jake Scheiner and Zach Hall homered, and Matt Estes provided six quality innings in the Bear Cubs 5-3 win over Cosumnes River College April 23.

The win clinched the Big 8 Conference for SRJC (29-4, 172) with two games remaining against CRC (26-8, 13-6) before heading into playoffs. SRJC was ranked No. 1 in the California Community College Athletic Association Northern California rankings released April 6. The Bear Cubs lost two out of three to No. 2 Sacramento City College (25-9, 13-6) April 9-14, but are 4-0 since then, including a sweep of No. 3 San Joaquin Delta College (24-10, 10-9).

“We’re not going to act like it’s our first time here,” said assistant coach Tom Francois. “We have more work to do. We want to win the next two also.”

Scheiner’s sixth home run of the season gave SRJC a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

“We feel good knowing that we have accomplished one of our goals [winning conference],” Scheiner said. “But we are still focused on winning the series against Cosumnes. We still have

a lot of work to do in order to play as long as possible and win a state championsip.”

Estes allowed a leadoff single to advance to third base on a passed ball and a wild pitch in the first inning. The runner eventually scored on an RBI-single. Estes retired the next 10 batters he faced, allowing the Bear Cubs to add on to their lead.

Zach Hall scored on a wild pitch, and Charlie Magana hit an RBI single to increase the lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning. Magana is five for his last 14 with three RBIs. “[Magana] was so clutch,” Francois said. “He’s a grinder.

He’s a rat.”

Hall tacked on his third home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning.

With a four-run lead, Estes labored through the sixth inning.

He allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning and they advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Both runners scored and Estes eventually struck out the side to end the inning with a 5-3 lead.

Estes finished after six innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk. He struck out seven.

During the inning, third baseman George Foster made a diving stop on a ball, which was hit sharply down the line. His stop prevented a sure two-out RBI double.

Jenner Dangers Oncken/ Oak Leaf

Santa Rosa Junior College second baseman Myles Andrews attempts to tag out a San Joaquin Delta runner trying to steal second base. SRJC captured its first conference championship since winning the Big Valley Conference in 2005, on its way to winning the State Championship.

“It was a huge defensive stop for us to keep the lead and gain momentum,” Scheiner said.

Jared Noonan pitched the final three innings. He worked around four walks, allowed just one hit and struck out five.

After the win, players gathered in right field, happy about winning the conference but subdued.

“It revealed so much about these guys,” Fracois said. “There’s no cockiness, just confidence.”

SRJC’s final regular season home Jenners Dangers Oncken/ Oak Leaf game is at 2:30 p.m. April 26 at Cook Santa Rosa Junior College third baseman George Foster gets in position for the pitch.

Sypher Field.

Tough times don’t last; tough girls do : Kiana Medina Staff Writer

Dedication, determination and passion are key to Santa Rosa Junior College student Holle Depina’s goal of playing soccer at a four-year college.

Depina, 21, will attend Sonoma State University this fall on a full-ride athletic scholarship.

She’s currently taking off-season soccer training classes at SRJC to stay in shape for her time at SSU. A committed SRJC student since 2012, Depina recently received her associate degree in communications in fall 2015.

Achieving her associate degree hasn’t been easy for Depina. She struggled with injuries and sickness that not only kept her from school, but off the field as well.

“I tore my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] in 2015, and the year before that I had mono [mononucleosis],” Depina said.

“I was coming off a concussion during the first round of playoffs last semester; nobody wants to miss playoffs.”

Fortunately for Depina, she played in the third round of playoffs and scored a game-tying goal with only three seconds left on the clock.

“We went on and actually won that game in OT,” Depina said.

According to SRJC women’s head soccer coach Crystal Howard, that playoff game was one of Depina’s greatest highlights during the last season of her SRJC soccer career.

Howard describes Depina as a leader, both on and off the field. She’s delighted Depina is transferring to SSU. “It’s exciting to be a part of [Depina’s achievement],” Howard said. “Holle is one of my first players to go on to a four-year.”

Howard’s first year as a head coach at SRJC was last season.

Ironically, she is an SSU alumni and came from SSU as an assistant coach.

“She slid right into the leadership role,” Howard said about Depina. “She leads by example and is the person offthe-field players feel comfortable talking to.”

Playing soccer since the age of six, Depina hasn’t lost her passion for the game and has stayed positive throughout the hardships she’s faced.

“My family, my friends and my teammates all encouraged me to be positive,” Depina said. “I was really thankful for that.”

With an important and inspiring support system in her corner, Depina has excelled throughout her soccer career thus far with an outgoing and

SRJC student takes soccer talents to Sonoma State University

Courtesy of Napa Valley Register

Holle Depina dribbles the ball in a game during the 2015 season. She was part of an SRJC soccer team that completed an undefeated regular season and finished 19-1-4 overall. Depina faced adversity throughout her life, but it didn’t stop her from her goal of playing at a university.

upbeat attitude.

Depina describes her time at SRJC as “incredible,” and is looking forward to what the future has in store for her.

“I want to go into marketing,”

Depina said. “I really want to travel the world and I think marketing and selling products will allow me to do that.”

Depina is also interested in the sports media world and is

considering sports broadcasting.

Off the field, Depina hopes to achieve her goals at SSU and is excited to start her new journey.

“The goal for me is definitely getting my master’s,” she said.

14

April 25, 2016

Sports

‘Mamba out’

www.theoakleafnews.com Jaime Rodriguez Staff Writer

Opinion

Kobe Bean Bryant left the game of basketball at age 37 as undoubtedly one of the all-time greats, second only to Michael Jordan.

April 13, 2016 was “#mambaday” across the sports world. All eyes were on Bryant during the final NBA game of his illustrious 20-year career.

Bryant’s extraordinary 20-year-stint as a Los Angeles Laker is the longest career all-time with one franchise.

Before the game, legendary Lakers’ point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson proclaimed Bryant “the greatest Laker of all time.”

The “Black Mamba” went out the only way he could, pouring in 60 points on 50 shots in a thrilling comeback victory over the Utah Jazz.

Those 60 points are the most ever scored by a player in his final game; the greatest ending to a career ever, other than winning a championship.

Despite being the villain who everyone loved to hate, Bryant received respect and admiration from fans every road game this season.

Bryant has been known as a nononsense player, constantly butting heads with teammates, trying to become the very best and accomplish his goal of surpassing his idol and the unquestionably all-time great Jordan.

His will to win was second to none, and that’s why people loved and hated him. He was the closest we’ve ever seen to Jordan, who had similar qualities.

Bryant came up one championship short of tying his idol, with five championships Courtesy of Fan Illustration Kobe Bryant celebrates after capturing his fifth and final championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Bryant, the 2010 Fi- compared to Jordan’s six.

Bryant’s other accolades measure nals MVP, averaged 28.6 points, 8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in the seven-game series. He had 23 points and 15 rebounds in game seven.

up to Jordan’s, though; five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, 2008 NBA MVP, 18-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA first-team, ninetime All-NBA first-team defense, Slam Dunk champion and two-time scoring champion. He finished with more All-NBA first-team honors than Jordan, and tied him in All-NBA firstteam defense honors.

Bryant finished third in total points scored in NBA history with 33,643, finishing behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, but surpassing Jordan who is now fourth all-time.

Sports fans will never forget Bryant’s 36 Jordan-like gamewinning shots, including his buzzer beater in the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns in 2006.

We’ll also never forget his mindblowing 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors, the second greatest point total in a single game in NBA history.

Or his heroic performance against the Dallas Mavericks in 2005 when he outscored the entire team 62-61 over the course of three quarters.

We witnessed Bryant evolve from a young athletic freak who’d dunk on you, to a cold-blooded and mature superstar who would kill you with a jump shot in the final seconds of a game.

Bryant left it all out on the floor and leaves basketball as the second best player of all-time or maybe the greatest ever in some people’s eyes.

As Bryant said after his final game, “Mamba out.”

Continuing problem in the NFL Frank Sumrall Staff Writer

Opinion Performance enhancing drugs.

Domestic violence. Assault.

Despite never being criminally charged for any of these offenses, All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon finds himself on the verge of missing his second-straight season because of continued marijuana use.

Gordon faced suspension in each of his last three seasons due to banned substances and alcohol.

His troubles began in 2013, when the NFL suspended him for two games because of its anti-drug policy. He finished that season leading the league in

yards and was later named FirstTeam All-Pro. The league’s drug policy could cost Gordon his career, and while it remains his fault, NFL officials should open their eyes to the hypocritical suspensions.

The NFL is under heavy scrutiny for its random approach to disciplining players over the last few years.

Ray Rice faced a mild four-game suspension after knocking his fiancée unconscious in an elevator.

The league later suspended him for a season after weeks of uproar across the country. Rice made

Courtesy of BSO.com

Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Josh Gordon had a career year in 2013 with 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games.

He has only played in five games since then due to multiple substance abuse violations. The NFL denied Gordon’s request for reinstatement.

headlines, but he is just one of many who fell through the cracks.

Personal conduct cases are far from fair, as the league averages a suspension of one to two games for first time offenders and one to four games for repeat offenders.

This is far less than the average suspension for drugs, which stands at four games for first time offenders and 16 games for multiple offenders on average.

Repeat offenses for Gordon

hurts his case as this could turn into his fourth suspension, but with half of the NFL’s teams playing in states where marijuana is legal in some fashion, it seems ridiculous to penalize someone so extremely for marijuana use.

If Gordon remains suspended an additional season, he would miss 45 games in the last four seasons out of the 64 games available.

Harvard psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon remains vocal on the

benefits of marijuana for CTE treatment. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is open to the idea, but remains pessimistic on the results so far. If this hypothesis turns into fact, the league would change its policies in a heartbeat.

It’s unfortunate to see such a talented player waste his career by something so easily avoidable; but it’s his and the league’s decision to crack down on him so hard.

www.theoakleafnews.com

Sports

April 25, 2016

1.

to a lefty-heavy rotation. They’re a sleeper in the AL East.

Cubs: Jake Arrieta is closing in on Hall-Of-Famer Bob Gibson’s record of 26 consecutive quality starts. In his last 119.1 innings pitched, he has only allowed seven earned runs.

23.

Marlins: Christian Yelich is tearing it up for the Marlins early on. He holds the fourth best batting average in baseball at .379.

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Nationals: Bryce Harper may be pulling ahead of Mike Trout for best player in the MLB. New manager Dusty Baker has them rolling early.

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Royals: Despite being doubted every year, the Royals continue to win games. They execute small ball and their bullpen like no team before.

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Power Rankings Anthony Sosa and Will Mathis

Sports Editor and Assistant Sports Editor Dodgers: Kenta Maeda has filled the void of Zack Greinke Blue Jays: In 12 of his last They’re off to a putrid start, and the looked good in his first three starts nicely. He’s 3-0 and has only given 14 starts, J.A. Happ has allowed two main reason is their pitching. A team of the season, owning a 1.50 ERA up one run in his first 25.1 Major earned runs or less. He’s no David ERA of 4.94 won’t win many games. and 14 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Price, but he helps a somewhat League innings.

Rockies: Trevor Story wrote questionable pitching staff.

Mets: Ace Matt Harvey a novel in his first week as a Rockie.

White Sox: Jose Quintana, Pirates: For the third- hasn’t looked good in 2016. He He’s got everybody in Colorado Mat Latos and Carlos Rodon give straight season, the Pirates are owns a 1-3 record with a 5.24 saying, “Troy Tulowitzki who?” the White Sox great depth in the off to a slow start, but that didn’t ERA. Noah Syndergaard may be rotation behind ace Chris Sale. stop them from making the considered the ace soon. He has That rotation could be a wrecking Athletics: After taking two playoffs the past two seasons. a 3-0 record, a 0.90 ERA and 29 out of three from the Royals and ball in October. strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. sweeping the Yankees in New York, Diamondbacks: The they dropped two out of three to the Orioles: Manny Machado’s Giants: Newly acquired Blue Jays. bat is on fire. He’s hitting .380, the Shelby Miller trade hasn’t looked best in the American League, with 6 good for the Diamondbacks so pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Johnny home runs and 27 hits in 17 games. far, but the trade for Jean Segura Cueto have combined for a 5-2 Yankees: Similar to the has. He’s hitting .358 after hitting record. Other starters Madison It’s fair to say he’s a top 10 player.

Royals in 2014, the 2016 Yankees .257 last season for the Brewers. Bumgarner, Jake Peavy and Matt pieced together the best bullpen Cain have combined for a 2-5 record. in baseball. Dellin Betances and Cardinals: They’re 1-5 against Tigers: Miguel Cabrera Andrew Miller have struck out the Cubs and Pirates to start the and newly-acquired Justin Upton Red Sox: Boston’s rotation 37 of the 61 batters they’ve faced year, but are arguably baseball’s are barely hitting .200 to start the greatest organization since 2000. season, but once they get going, is filled with question marks after this season. Just wait until Aroldis They are a good ball club, and might watch out. The Tigers’ potent David Price, who allowed eight Chapman returns from suspension. runs in his last start. The Red Sox finish third in the division. lineup may be back with the likes of season may be highlighted by Big Victor Martinez, JD Martinez, Nick Angels: The Angels’ ERA Papi’s farewell tour.

Rangers: Injuries derailed Castellanos and Ian Kinsler. is in the top 10, but where is their Derek Holland and A.J. Griffin the offense? They’re ranked last in past two seasons. If they can regain Astros: With the Astros’ Mariners: Felix Hernandez batting average and 25th in homers. form, the Rangers can have one of 2015 surprise success, many people leads a Mariners’ pitching staff that Rays: The Rays’ top prospect baseball’s best rotations with Cole picked them to win the AL West and has the fourth-best ERA in the Blake Snell, adds another southpaw Hamels and Yu Darvish. possibly the World Series in 2016. American League. Taijuan Walker

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Trying season nears end

22.

Indians: Cleveland is struggling to find its identity, and recently moved slugger Carlos Santana to the lead-off spot. It may be time to trade the pieces they have and start over.

25.

Reds: The Reds are a fun early season success story, but trading away players like Johnny Cueto and Todd Frazier makes it unlikely they’ll continue strong.

26.

Phillies: The Phillies are stuck in the middle of a rebuilding phase. The only enjoyment Phillies’ fans will get to see this season is star third baseman Maikel Franco hit home runs and the young pitching rotation develop.

27.

Brewers: Jimmy Nelson is 3-1 on the season, but the rest of the rotation is a combined 2-9. That record won’t get any better playing in the difficult NL Central.

28.

Twins: The Twins just missed making the playoffs in 2015.

They started off the 2016 season 0-9 and are currently 5-14. It’s starting to look like 2015 was a fluke season.

29.

Padres: They’re on pace to be shutout 30 times this season.

The 1908 St. Louis Cardinals were shutout a record 33 times in a 154 game season.

30.

Braves: They only have three home runs in 18 games. They acquired great prospects over the past two years. You heard it here first; the Braves are winning the 2021 World Series.

SRJC softball team looks at positives after rough season Parker Dangers Oncken Senior Staff Writer The Santa Rosa Junior College softball team entered its final week of the season hoping to finish a disappointing year on a high note.

During a season that was as unpredictable as the weather that soaked the Bear Cubs’ doubleheader against San Joaquin Delta College April 21, the team earned a split, winning the first game by one run before losing the nightcap. The team rode clutch hits and a strong pitching performance from Ashley Stevens in game one.

Stevens, a sophomore who graduates from SRJC this spring, talked about the importance of a strong finish as a building block towards success next season.

“As the season progressed, we learned to relax and play together, building confidence with each win,” she said. “The team next season can look at the sophomores who emerged as leaders this season and emulate them in playing each game like it’s their last.”

The team started slow this season, and couldn’t rebound from the early hole, but started stringing wins together as the season wore on.

A weekend doubleheader against Sacramento City College

Jenner Dangers Oncken/Oak Leaf

SRJC softball head coach Phil Wright makes a visit to the mound to discuss the team’s strategy for the next batter in a game against San Joaquin Delta College April 21 at Marv Mays Field. The SRJC softball team currently has a 7-11 record in conference play and an overall record of 18-18.

gave the Bear Cubs a chance to gauge their improvement against the conference’s best team. The Bear Cubs struggled to execute at the plate and in the field, and lost both games by margins of 15-0 and 13-4.

The team improved drastically in all facets of the game this season, but a focus on the fundamentals and how they

matter in turning one-run losses into wins is sure to be a point of emphasis among the coaching staff heading into next season.

While the results from the weekend were not encouraging, every player was in good spirits while talking about the team’s growth during the season. All their friendships were made stronger as a result of facing

adversity together throughout the year.

“Being together with your teammates constantly, through tough times and good ones, makes you appreciate them even more as human beings,” Stevens said.

The Bear Cubs wrap up the season and bid farewell to several sophomore leaders April 26 at Sierra College.

Sports Sharks’ playoff report: www.theoakleafnews.com

April 25, 2016

16

Sharks defeat Kings 6-3 in game Sports Briefs Albert Gregory five in first round of playoffs Staff Writer

Lachlan Irvine Staff Writer Exhale, Northern California.

They’ve finally done it.

After three-straight playoff series and 19 valiant battles, the San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings in a playoff series for the first time since 2011. The Sharks finished off the Kings 6-3 in game five, winning the series 4-1 and moving on to the second round of the postseason.

Sharks’ rookie Joonas Donskoi picked up two goals, including the game winner, and captain Joe Pavelski continued his playoff point tear with his fifth goal of the series.

The Sharks opened the scoring just over a minute into the game with Donskoi’s first goal, assisted by center Logan Couture. Center Chris Tierney doubled the lead at 11:21 when he took a pass from defenseman Brent Burns and snapped a shot high past a screened Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick.

The second period was a wild one. It opened with Sharks’ left winger Matt Nieto knocking in a tipped puck from behind the net past Quick to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead. Sharks’ forward Patrick Marleau nearly scored on a breakaway, but was tripped by King’s defenseman Jake Muzzin and given a penalty shot. Marleau attempted

Courtesy of FoxSports.com

Left winger Tomas Hertl celebrates with goaltender Martin Jones after the San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-3 in the opening playoff series. It was the first time the Sharks defeated the Kings in the playoffs since 2011. Hertl finished the series with two points on an assist and a goal. The Sharks faceoff against the winner of the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators series in the second round of the playoffs.

to go top-shelf on his penalty shot attempt, but Quick was able to block it with his chest.

The Kings got on the board when their center, Anze Kopitar, tipped Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty’s slap shot past Martin Jones at 7:44 of the period. Four minutes later, Kings’ center Jeff Carter made it a one-goal game when he found himself all alone in front of the net and beat Jones’ blocker side. The

game then turned on the Sharks.

Kings’ winger Kris Versteeg beat Jones’ glove side to tie the game.

The Sharks needed the best third period of their entire season, and they got it. A scramble in front of the Kings’ net led to Burns backhanding a pass to Donskoi, who whacked it

by Quick and into the net at 3:58 of the third period. It all unraveled for the Kings after that. Pavelski took a low shot along the ice, that Quick

completely whiffed on, and beat him through the legs to make it 5-3 Sharks. An empty netter for San Jose rookie Melker Karlsson with 22 seconds to go sealed the game and the series for the Sharks.

The Sharks will get a much-needed rest before returning to action later in the week. They will play the winner of the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators series in the Pacific Division Finals.

The Santa Rosa Junior College swimming teams started the season off strong at the Big 8 Conference Invitational.

SRJC’s A team placed first in the 200 women’s medley relay. Celine Sargis placed first in the women’s 100 fly and Jessica Lee placed first in the women’s 200 fly and 500 freestyle.

In the women’s 50-yard freestyle, Sargis placed first. RJ Williams placed first in the men’s 50-yard freestyle.

At the Chabot Invitational April 9, Jesse Schmidt placed first in the 200 breaststroke, Lee placed first in the women’s 200 freestyle, Erickson placed first in the men’s 400 individual medley, and SRJC’s A team placed first in the men’s 200 medley relay.

The golf team has had a very successful season and achieved second 10 times out of 12 tournaments.

Two of its best performances came early in the season when it placed first at the second Big 8 Tournament and followed that up with another first place win at the third.

The team also had two first place wins in March.

SRJC’s track team has consistently put up solid performances throughout the season.

Recently the men’s and women’s team both placed first at the CSU East Bay Invitational April 15.