Monitor 2006-3-2

Renegades take on Mission – Page 8

– Page 2

Katona talks about women – Page 5

Fremont, California

Vol. XXXVI No. 7

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Palestinian speaker waxes poetic on war and land

By MORGAN BRINLEE Staff writer “If education is to serve as a role in opening our eyes than the World Forum is an important tool,” said Forum speaker Dr. Hatem Bazian in his opening remarks at Tuesday’s World Forum. The topic for the first World Forum of 2006 was The Palestinian Perspective, and focused on the Palestinian argument in regards to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

Bazian stated that the issue of conflict between Palestine and Israel began with a God given right to land and further explains that God has become a powerful reference in claiming the land between Israelis and Palestinians.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine over the right to occupy lands that, as Bazian pointed out, first belonged to the Palestinians has caused much tension in the Middle East as well as the United States. Bazian explained that Israel has not admitted to “occupying” unlawfully the Palestinian’s land; but however, feel it is their right to live on the Palestinians land and want the Palestinians to recognize

that right. “I can admit I am being occupied but do not ask me to admit that my occupier has the right to occupy me,” Bazian said.

Much of the Israeli Palestinian conflict comes from the right of return. The right of return is an international law that states that refugees who were dispelled from their land and homes because of conflict have the right to return to their home lands. Israelis, however, are currently denying Palestinians the right of return because they fear it would ruin the established demographic of the land. However, Bazian, explored a recent study that shows how over the next 15 years the population of Arabs and Jews will even out on its own whether Palestinians are granted the right of return or not. Currently 750,000 refugees live outside historical Palestine waiting to return to their homeland.

Over 400 students attended the World Forum. While the majority of the audience included students and faculty of Ohlone College, there were a large number of community members present as well. Audience participation was so great during the

question and answer session that an extra ten minutes was allotted to allow for a few more questions from the audience.

However, it was not until a tall, lanky, white-haired man stepped up to the microphone during the question and answer portion of the forum that things began to heat up. Herman Rosenbaum, a member of the local Jewish community raised the question of what issues surrounding the Israeli Palestinian conflict were negotiable and which were not to Forum speaker Bazian.

Bazian responded that it was his opinion that issues such as border adjustments were completely negotiable while the issue of the right of return for Palestinians was not.

Rosenbaum countered that because the Palestinians refused to recognize compensations to the right of return they will be left stuck in a hard place.

He further went on to argue that “if you do not recognize the Jews right to live as a Jewish community then you can’t ask us to.” Bazian was quick to respond, his voice full of passion, “but you are living on stolen land, you have no right!

Palestinians will tell you what is negotiable is the mechanism not the right,” Bazian said.

Rosenbaum and Bazian volleyed back and forth about the right of re-

turn until both agreed to disagree.

While the mutterings of disagreement from fellow members of Rosenbaum’s community arose Continued on Page 3

science. The Brown Bag seminar received its name due to a requirement for students to bring their own brown-bag lunch, to be held normally on the first Friday of each month. The gatherings are funded by the ASOC and are free not only for the students, but also the general public. Each session normally lasts about 45 minutes, and there is a chance for the students and the crowd to get to know the speaker,

who is either a staff member or a volunteer, during the 15-minute question and answer portion.

This week, Ron Stazskow will be the guest speaker to teach the seemingly impossible: how to make math fun!

The seminar will be held in Building 3, Room 3201 on Friday, March 3 from 1 to 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Think brown, think math!

Brown Bag: Math is fun!

By IRA LAZO Staff writer Brown is suddenly the new “in” color, and right here at Ohlone a seminar held just for students is asking them to BYOBB. Bring your own brown bag.

March 3, the Math, Science and Technology department of Ohlone will be holding its annual Brown Bag Seminar to encourage students to learn more about careers in

Graphic by Jason Montalvo.

Dr. Hatem Bazian. Photo by Jerome Engelberts.

Ohlone’s funding to stay healthy?

More than $100,000 missing from parking permit fees

By Chris Marshall Staff writer

By MORGAN BRINLEE Staff writer

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed an increase of $609 million in community college funding as he set the stage for the new state budget. While this will ease the strain on Ohlone College’s wallet a little bit, some are careful not to be overly hopeful.

“The extra funding could be very, very helpful, but we are taking it with a grain of salt,” said Joanne Schultz, director of business services. “After all, this is an election year. Schwarzenegger made a lot of enemies when he borrowed money from K-14 and never paid it back,

and now he is trying to smooth things over with schools.”

The state funds Ohlone in different ways, said Schultz. There is general apportionment, which is the core funding based on credits for FTES, full-time equivalent students. Ohlone also gets funds based on proposed growth, maintenance of operation, cost of living adjustment and equalization.

Schultz said Ohlone’s estimated budget for next year is $21.4 million, not including equalization.

This is compared to a budget of $19.7 million for last year.

“The cost of living adjustment was very high this year, at Continued on Page 3

A large sum of money was recently found to be missing from the funds collected from parking permit meters. After comparing permit meter collections from last year to the year before Deanna Walston, vice president of Business Services noticed a significant decline in the amount collected, which led to a more detailed comparison of the differing sums.

The exact amount missing is uncertain. Business Services estimates the amount of revenue to be brought in by parking meters at the beginning of each semester based

on the amount of revenue brought in the previous semester. Last year it was estimated that $174,000 would be brought in from parking meters alone. However, only about $56,220 was found to have been collected at the end of January 2006, leaving a difference of $117,779. It is not yet known whether this difference can be attributed to the lack of enforcement of parking permit violations or whether money was actually taken from the meters and had been personally pocketed. Additionally the revenue from parking permit fines had also come in much lower than expected. Revenue from parking permit violations was estimated as being in at $95,000, but only

$31,632 was actually collected from parking fines.

Although parking permit machines were broken for a large portion of the last semester, and enforcement of parking permits was lacking, it was not expected that the final numbers would be so low in comparison to the previous years. Furthermore, police staff will be enforcing parking permit violations much more in the upcoming semesters. “I went down and met with them and impressed upon them the importance of enforcing violations,” said Walston.

The money from the parking permit meters was collected by two Continued on Page 6

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Opinion

monitor March 2, 2006

Associated Collegiate Press / National Scholastic Press Association All American 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Regional Pacemaker 1988 Journalism Association of Community Colleges First in General Excellence, Northern California Fall 1994 General Excellence 2005 2000 2004

Editor in chief: Jerome Engelberts Anna Nemchuk News editor: Opinion editor: Omer Ahmed Features editor: Joyce Leung Sports editor: Nick Zambrano Photo editor: Mojhgan Mohtashimi Online editor: Krista Martinez Investigative editor:Sean G. Crawford Staff writers: Frankie Addiego, Naomi Balagot, Rahul Batra, Morgan Brinlee, Thomas Hsu, Ira Lazo, Chris Marshall, Danelle Meyer, Gabriel Vila Ad Staff: Frankie Addiego, Jessica Losee Photographers: Wayne Chow, Jerome Engelberts, Rostislav Tsvetanov Graphic Staff: Wayne Chow, Jason Montalvo, Chirag Patel Ad manager: Danelle Meyer Adviser: Bill Parks Printer: F-P Press

Offices are located in Room 5310 on campus, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont 945395884. Call (510) 659-6075. Fax: (510) 659-6076. E-mail: monitor@ohlone.cc.ca.us Opinions expressed in the Monitor are those of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of the staff, the college or the Associated Students of Ohlone College.

Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of staff members. Advertising material is printed herein for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an expression of endorsement or verification of such commercial ventures by the staff or college.

The Monitor is funded by the district, by the Associated Students of Ohlone College, and through advertising revenue.

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Opinion

It's a world of woe, so where should we all go?

By Omer Ahmed Opinion editor If the U.S. goes to war again, I am leaving the country. It’s not an unreasonable course of action.

Albert Einstein expatriated in response to Hitler’s coming to power.

He very likely sensed the coming storm of World War II. Similarly, it often feels like the U.S. is speeding blindly down a foggy road which ends with a cliff.

Feeling this way brings up a very important question: where should

one go? Many Democrat friends of mine swore they would move to Canada if Bush won the 2004 elections. What was the point? Canada is to the U.S. as Oregon is to California.

It's not exactly the place to go to leave America’s woes behind, is it? There is a reason our northern neighbor is jokingly referred to as the 51st state.

As you may have guessed, not a single one of my friends moved.

So what about the rest of the world? If someone honestly wants to leave the United States, where should they go?

I wouldn't suggest moving to a country that is in the United Nations Human Development Index’s lower categories for living standards. The report was calculated using statistics on life expectancy, economic health, education levels, literacy rate and other factors that affect living quality. This obviously disqualifies many places that most people would never even consider such as Haiti, Tajikistan and all of sub-Saharan Africa.

It also rules out many better-known countries like Brazil, China, Egypt, India and Russia.

Of 192 countries, only 55 are listed in the highest category. From these countries, it is also prudent to rule out the communist states, the monarchies and countries that have waged war, civil or otherwise, at least once in the last 35 years. That leaves 42 choices and cuts out places like Cuba, Israel and Korea. Still plenty of options, one might say. Too bad most of them have just as many problems as the U.S. Japan and Singapore seem nice.

They have relatively stable economies and a high standard of living.

They are also the two countries that give the United States a run for its money as far as being the most vapidly materialistic and commercialist. Pokèmon, anyone?

More importantly, Japan is right next to the unhappy and nuclear weapon-equipped dictatorship of North Korea.

Germany has the third largest economy in the world after the U.S. and Japan, but it has issues as well.

There were 12,553 cases of extremist activity in 2004 alone according Continued on Page 3.

a British company that ran operations in several U.S. seaports. The U.A.E. will now run said operations due to this purchase. The Bush Administration also announced that it would veto any legislation that tries to interfere.

It didn’t take long for controversy to arise. Much to certain peoples’ delight, many of the purchase’s critics were congressional leaders in Bush’s own party. Republican senators such as Lindsey Graham led the charge to draft legislation preventing the U.A.E. from going forward.

While former President Jimmy

Carter and a few other Democrats supported taking a laissez-faire position on the matter, many others, including Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton, have come out in opposition to the purchase.

In a letter to Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist, senators wrote, “This sale will create an unacceptable risk to the security of our ports.”

This could not be further from the truth. They don’t realize that this Arab nation is an ally of ours.

Not only that, but the country happens to be placed in a location that is very convenient for us and is

populated by many devout Muslims who don’t harbor many of the antiWestern and anti-American views that are prevalent in other parts of the region.

Sounds good, right? So why are some people not behind it? It’s an Arab country. In essence, they’re racially, or at least geographically, profiling. Is it that these lawmakers hate Arabs or Muslims? Not really.

It’s more likely that they simply failed to do any real research before coming in with arms swinging.

The nation is a traditional, though not necessarily fundamentalist, Muslim country. While it’s likely

that there are some radicals, there’s no evidence that anti-Western sentiments have been spreading throughout the nation but it just might if we insult their nation.

President Bush is right on this issue and those who accuse him of not reaching out to our allies, or go so far as to say he’s demonized people of Arab descent, are now standing in the way when he’s doing what they wanted. They’re also doing it in the most critical hour.

The U.A.E. must be allowed to carry out their business. Otherwise, we may alienate a significant ally in the war on terror.

An unfortunate example of geographic profiling

By Frankie Addiego Staff writer In the quest to avoid cooperation with the White House, legislators of both parties have grandstanded in the wake of an honest deal involving one of our Arab allies. Because this is an Arab country, many hawkish lawmakers and lawmakers trying to look hawkish have opposed the sale.

About a week or two ago, the United Arab Emirates purchased

Campus Comment > > >

Where would you go if you had to leave America?

Mattew Wouters Sociology “Italy, because it has a unique and different atmosphere.”

Connie Valent-Bolduc Speech & Communication “Australia, lots of adventures!”

Jimy Ballard Business Economics

Chao Chen Business Administration

Ielric Waters Liberal Arts

“Canada, it’s the most similar to the U.S. and I like hockey."

“China, because I’m from there.”

“Egypt, because I’m really drawn to the culture and history.”

News/Opinions Funding increase?

Continued from Page 1 5.18 percent,” said Schultz. “However, we didn’t receive any funding for growth last year or this year.” Schultz said Ohlone, along with many other community colleges, was in stabilization last year, meaning there was no growth in the number of full time equivalent students. “Our FTES last year didn’t make the base number. Thanks to the extreme efforts of lots of people on campus working hard to get a wide array of classes and students into them, we should be able to make the cap this year, otherwise we might have to pay some money back,” said Schultz.

Ohlone received an adjustment of $174,000 from leftover growth money from the state. Since many schools were not growing, the remainder was distributed among the schools, said Schultz. “[Ohlone’s] budget looks pretty good at this point, since we haven’t increased the operational budget for three years. The contracts have increased a lot, especially energy, but we can’t help that,” said Schultz.

Schultz said Ohlone stands to receive up to $1.3 million in equalization funds if Senate Bill 361 - backed by Sen. Jack Scott, D-21st District, which proposes a new funding formula - passes. The possible $1.3 million from equalization is not included in the estimated $21.4 million budget.

Ohlone also receives categorical funding from the state, the spending of which is restricted to the programs the funds are allocated for, such as EOPS. Schultz said categorical funds for such programs are determined

by FTES and the demographic of the area for people eligible for the programs. “However, the state funding for these programs is by no means enough to cover their cost,” said Schultz.

On the federal level, student aid in the form of loans has been cut by $12.9 billion. “It used to be everyone who wanted a loan could pretty much get one. That won’t be the case anymore,” said Schultz. These cuts won’t affect Ohlone students so much, said Schultz, as Ohlone’s cost of education is so low it is mostly covered by Pell grants, which have not been cut on the federal level.

The state legislation should pass the state budget in July, while a tentative budget must be given to the Ohlone Board of Trustees sometime in May.

Where to run?

Continued from Page 2 to former German Interior Minister Otto Schily; much of it was related to Neo-Nazi groups. Furthermore, the European Union Racial Equality Directive has not been enacted in the country despite the 2003 deadline.

England is likely the first place Americans would head off to. We speak the same language after all.

It might be shock to find out how England is very much like America in some of the worst ways. The suicide bombings in London last year are a good example. England has terrorism just like the U.S. and their response seems more than vaguely familiar.

On July 22, 2005, metropolitan police identified a man as one of the bombing subjects based on photos taken from numerous pubic cameras.

The man was cornered and, when he resisted, shot at close range seven times in the head. It turns out the man was a Brazilian national who had nothing to do with the bombings.

What was revealed is that the county had a massive public surveillance system reminiscent of the novel 1984 and a “shoot to kill policy.” Echoes more then slightly with our own often-unpopular PATRIOT Act. France and Spain come to mind after Britain. Those mandatory foreign language courses from high school would definitely make the move easier. Though, I’m not sure how the countries’ homegrown terrorist groups view immigration.

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) has not been particularly understanding since Spain sent out those illegal death squads in the ‘80s. The recent riots in France are a reasonable deterrent as well. The official state of emergency only ended in January.

ETA’s buddies in Ireland, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), make the land of Éire pretty unattractive. They claim to have

disarmed but it is hard to trust paramilitary organizations that have been attributed more then 1,800 deaths. As much as I like France, Ireland, and Spain, trading one terrorist group for another isn’t exact they way to find a peaceful home.

If Europe isn’t exactly your cup o’ tea, there are a number of small but oil rich Middle Eastern nation to choose from, including Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Air condoning definitely makes the heat tolerable. The only things you have to worry about are living under Islamic law and the finite crude oil reserves that most of the economy is based on.

The leftovers are mostly island, Northern European and Central American nations. All of which have their own issues, of which I won’t go into because there are too many to list.

When it comes down to it, every nation has its problems. Most have more then the U.S. We may be facing another war somewhere, sometime in the future. As Homer Simpson said, “Where will it be? North Korea? Iran? Anything’s possible with Commander Cuckoo Bananas in charge.” My bet is currently on Iran because it’s conveniently sandwiched between Afghanistan and Iraq.

Whatever the case may be, the United States is as well or better off then the rest of the world. We’re tenth on the United Nations Human Development Index for a reason.

I still plan on moving if there is another war. Most likely to Switzerland or New Zealand, the land of Xena, Hercules and hobbits. If I do, it won’t be because the U.S. is not good enough. It will be because I don’t want to be around when the consequences of the world’s anger comes knocking.

That and I’m deathly afraid of the draft.

March 2, 2006 MONITOR

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Special board meeting

By FRANKIE ADDIEGO Staff writer In response to student and faculty demand for more accessbility, on Wednesday, March 8, the Ohlone College Board of Trustees will be holding a meeting in the cafeteria from 3 to 5 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. there will be a reception with free food.

As with all board meetings, students are welcome.

In order to accommodate this

event, the food services will close at 1 p.m. While future Board meetings will generally continue to be held in the Child Development Center at 7 p.m. on every other Wednesday, meetings held April 12 and July 12 respectively, will be held in the Newark Unified School District Administration Building.

There will be no meeting held on March 22, during Spring Break. The subsequent meeting will take place the following Wednesday.

From left: Dr. Hatem Bazian with Ohlone President Doug Treadway, Dr. Hafiz Siddiqi of Arabic and philosophy studies. Photos by Jerome Engelberts.

World Forum speaker Continued from Page 1 throughout the lecture, Bazian did not appear to be disturbed.

It was his goal, in fact, to remove audience members from their comfort zone in order to explain the Palestinian perspective and help those at the forum relate to the sufferings of the Palestinian people.

Bazian was born in Palestine in

Amman Jordan and moved to the United States 1983. He went on to receive his Ph.D. from Berkeley and is teaching Islamic law and religious studies at Berkeley.

Bazian is set to release a book titled Virtual Internment: Arabs and Muslims and the War on Terrorism in the Fall of 2006.

The World Forum scheduled for

April 12 has been cancelled. The next World Forum will be held on Wednesday, March 29, and present the Israeli perspective on the conflict.

Dr. Noel Kaplowitz of U.C. Davis is scheduled to speak from noon to 1 p.m. followed by a question and answer session in the Epler Gymnasium.

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monitor March 2, 2006

Devil's Advocate

By Anna Nemchuk News editor

I am woman, hear me purr I like having long hair. I like how small my hands are, like the curve of my collarbone, like the shape of my mouth.

I love perfume and I have enough lip-gloss to last a regiment of beauty pageant contestants for 3.4 years. I like having doors held for me, like assistance with my coat, love 4-inch heels.

I love being girly.

This, of course, makes me sexist. Or perhaps I’m just an object of pity, a victim having thoroughly fallen to men’s chauvinistic expectations while my more liberated sisters, those of the shaven heads and ripped army pants, luxuriate freely in their jobs as firefighters and chain-smoke and belch in an orgy of emancipation.

What does it mean to be female? We range from the extreme of the Victorian era to the biker age, from bound feet, dresses encompassing small continents and whalebone corsets to shoulder pads, muscle shirts and fetish corsets and still no one can come up with a satisfactory definition.

What does it mean to be a girl, to be feminine? There are a few ways in which I wax traditional, but having been raised by Old Europe, I must admit to more than a few inbred gender preferences.

I dislike what has come to be called “feminism” - not just the support of women but the rabid hatred of male and the simultaneous mimicry thereof, the insistence on “equality” in all things, the frantic thrusts away from anything soft and sweet and conventionally ladylike.

We’re different, girls and boys, and what seems so often to slip through the cracks is that it isn’t bad; there’s a huge chasm, a world of disparity between judging from those variances that one is superior to the other, stronger or better, and wallowing in them, basking in the striking contrast that male and female present.

What makes a girl? Sex hormones, brain chemistry, sexual orientation, preferences for pink over blue, a sympathetic nature, physiological and psychological traits, what? Who’s to say that a woman doesn’t like one night stands or roses, doesn’t feel vulnerable or cruel, doesn’t have a vagina and use it copiously or a penis and a craving for the former along with a severe chocolate addiction?

I favor the unwelcome view that there are no clear boundaries.

I feel feminine in silk and cats and whips, but she may prefer salt and verdigris hair dye and long walks through Tokyo’s slums. so be a girl, if you feel like it, if you want to.

I like boys and I like girls. I like them at different times for different reasons. I love the sight of guys brushing women’s hair and a woman painting a house.

But my lipgloss is my own.

Features Circus magic at Smith Center By danelle meyer Staff writer From the first act to the last bow, the audience was won over by the San Francisco Circus Center’s performance at the Smith Center last Saturday.

Whether being dazzled by bubbles, yo-yos, magic, trapeze or any of the other amazing performances, the show was incredible.

Master of Ceremonies Jeff Raz came out before each performance and got the audience laughing with jokes and all sorts of tricks from juggling to balancing a ladder on his chin. After the first show by the Youth Circus, Raz introduced The Bubble-Smith, Sterling Johnston.

Children ran up to the stage in hopes of being splattered by the amazing bubbles he created. Johnston wowed by creating bubble forms that most never thought imaginable. He would dip his hands into the soap and out of thin air would be large and small bubbles.

Johnston also did tricks like putting smaller bubbles into bigger ones and creating long bubbles that looked like snakes.

After the bubbles were put away, Jennings McCown and XiaoHong Weng came out on stage to perform the Iron Monkey show.

One of the more memorable moments came when the two held each other up in the air with only their hands. They stunned the audience with impossible positions that showed off their ability to keep balance while hoisting each other into the air.

The Youth Circus performed two more times during the night, once with rings and the other with a jump rope. Both performances were magical as people flipped through rings held up by the feet of two other performers.

“I do enjoy this a lot. It isn’t my plan to be professional but it keeps me in shape so I do plan to stay with it awhile,” said Alec Kauf, who is actually the son of Broadcasting Instructor & Director of Television Services Gary Kauf.

Midway into the show, the audience was entertained by The Yo-Yo King, David Capurro. He came out with attitude and threw mean spins and twirls. At the end of his performance his yo-yo flew into the air and into his pocket as he walked off stage to the rock music’s beat.

The most striking performances included the contortion act by the Mystic Pixies, the Magic show by Alex Gonzalez and the Aerial Silk act by Brett Womac.

Womac stunned audiences by

climbing silk ribbons that hung from the ceiling. When Womac would climb the silk it was unbelievably fast and most were afraid to look away for fear of missing an outstanding moment.

“I started training in elementary. It’s an adventure every time I perform. I have to prepare myself each time because I get so nervous before; it is such a relief when I’m done,” said Womac.

Magic took on new meaning when Gonzalez came out. Strings and pieces of cloth would turn into doves. Cards would disappear and reappear in the air. When you would think he couldn’t pull anything else out of his sleeve he would cough up cards and swallow golf balls.

“I have been doing this for seven years. It is great. I think that I feel really blessed I can do something I love and can make a living out of it. This was my last show with everyone before I go on tour. It was great. We have such a family type atmosphere,” said Gonzalez.

Featuring Dasha Sovik, Idanna Zharzhavskaya, Natasha Patterson and Julie Bergez, The Mystic Pixies completely won over the audience as their bodies contorted and did things that one would not think were possible.

Whether lying with their bodies

hung across their heads or walking with their faces in between their legs, the performance was glittering. Unreal poses were created as bodies stacked on top of each other to create pyramids of stunning flexes.

“We train for 40 hours a week,” said Patterson.

“I love performing. It’s such a great experience to meet new audiences,” said Zharzhavskaya.

“The circus would not be complete without a trapeze act,” said Raz. The first trapeze act was a solo performance by Abi Munn, who dangled through the air by his legs, feet, hands and anything else that could be latched around the trapeze bar.

The night ended with a double act by brother and sister Ena Dallas and Danny Sarnowski, who made a story out of their trapeze act with equally entertaining music and powerful poses.

“When I perform I feel like I’m showing something very special with others that I want them to know,” said Dallas.

“I had a great time here. It is the hardest thing that I have ever done, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I regret that I can’t do it forever,” said Sarnowski.

Women’s History Month

Women in danger of losing rights won in ’60s, ’70s

EDITOR’S NOTE - In honor of Women’s History Month, the Monitor has decided to run a series that delves into issues still pertinent to women in 2006.

The series will run through the month of March with a new topic and Q& A every week.

By Joyce Leung Features editor

As we reflect upon the gains that women have made since the Women’s Rights Movement of the ‘60s, we have to ask ourselves, “Should we be complacent?” or “Should we be expecting more?”

Women have undoubtedly broken many barriers, from infiltrating the “Old Boy’s Club” in corporate America and staking a place on the Fortune 500 list to achieving many firsts - the most recent being the election of female presidents in Germany, Liberia and Chile in 2006. Yet, as Professor of English and Women’s Studies Cynthia Lee Katona warns, the momentum for Women’s Rights has slowed.

Perhaps it is because of the efforts of previous generations that protested, marched and refused to settle for less than equal that the current generation is shrouded in comfort and security.

Still, when you evaluate the statistics and facts, there are only seven women CEOs among the 500 companies on Fortune’s list and women make only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. And if we look globally, we see that female babies are being given up at alarming rates, domestic violence is often overlooked and sex trafficking is prevalent.

Should we settle for this?

Professor of English and Women's Studies Cynthia Lee Katona. Staff photo.

Q: Do you think a women’s history month is still relevant today?

A: I don’t know how much anybody pays attention to women’s history month anymore. It seems to me there needs to be maybe less of a women’s history month than a real kind of return to the issues of the second wave of the women’s movement.

Young women, I think, don’t realize they’re about to lose all their rights again.

So women’s history month is kind of symbolic and that’s very nice but I think probably women’s issues are in trouble right at the moment and I’d probably rather see something serious done about that.

I think the most obvious thing is that we have a new Supreme Court and we have a state that’s going to try to push some legislation up to the Supreme Court to outlaw abortion completely. No exceptions.

That test case has a chance of

overturning Roe v. Wade. That’s one of the major accomplishments of the second wave of the women’s movement and I believe it’s just the beginning of an attempt to take us back culturally maybe to the ‘50s, which is maybe not the best thing for women.

The problem is there’s a whole new generation. Young women had best watch those rights or they’re going to lose them again.

In other words, the apathy could be the end of a lot of the gains that were made in the ‘60s and ‘70s. As an older feminist, one who wants to retire, I’d really like to see young women make sure they hold onto those rights and perhaps address some of the issues that still need addressing, like they only make 76 cents on the dollar for what men make.

Q: 77 now actually.

A: Oh is it really 77 cents now?

Fantastic. But it’s not enough to make three quarters of what men do for the same work. It’s not right.

So there are inequality issues that way.

There is still a glass ceiling for women in corporate America. All you have to do is look at who the presidents of the Fortune 500 are to see that it’s not a thought that I have, it’s a fact.

I think women would be wise to keep an eye on things.

Q: Where do you think women stand now?

A: I think they’re backsliding.

For one thing, there is a backlash and I think that the conservative agenda has been very effective in the last eight or nine years.

I just think that women should

be vigilant right now.

Q: What does it mean to be a feminist today?

A: Last semester I taught a “Women in the Western World” course and actually one thing I was shocked at was that so many young women don’t want to be considered feminist.

They somehow think that if you’re a feminist you have to hate men or that you’re a lesbian-it’s just associated in their minds with a lot of things that aren’t necessarily the case. A feminist just wants equal rights under the law for women.

It’s as simple as that. And look, we still don’t have the Equal Rights Amendment.

Q: Are there battles left to be won?

A: This seems like it’s not a women’s issue but the Patriot Act, which has just been renewed by the government, can be used against women.

Right now we’re worried about the Patriot Act being used against Muslims or Arabs or whatever but it will be used against whatever minority the government doesn’t like if it’s gays, if it’s women, if it’s a racial minority.

I mean, this country has a history. We don’t have a very good track record. So why would we give the government all this ultimate power?

The Patriot Act is a women’s issue because women and minorities are the first people who the government starts to keep tabs on, starts to interfere with when individual rights are taken away. So women can’t afford to let that happen without paying attention.

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March 2, 2006 monitor

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6 MONITOR

News

March 2, 2006

Building goes up, concrete goes down

Construction around Building 4 continues unabated. Stuff goes up, stuff goes down. Monday, workers brought in pumping trucks to fill forms with concrete, making curved ramps that are wheelchair-accessible. Concrete gets poured, and ramps emerge. Nothing has caught on fire yet, but the semester’s young. Photos by Mojhgan Mohtahimi.

Parking funds found missing Continued from Page 1 police officers and then turned in to the accounting office along with a receipt slip. On some occasions the money was collected after the accounting office was closed. In these cases the money was stored in a safe in Building 20, the Ohlone Police department headquarters. The safe combination is available to only a select number of people, mainly those working in campus security. “I can’t tell who for sure has access, but I assume the police chief and the officers,” said Walston. There was no assigned police staff member to collect the monies from the machines as well as no set schedule. “The goal is to collect it once a day, but because of staff shortages it was often a couple days between collections,” Walston said. However, since the missing money was reported, Walston has changed the procedure for permit meter collections. Now a member of the police staff and the accounting staff collects money from the permit machines during accounting office hours only.

Business Services has launched an independent investigation with the Fremont Police in an effort “to rule out any wrongdoing of cash or coin from the meters,” said Walston. Detective William Veteran will be handling the case for Ohlone. “The board is aware that we are having an independent investigation done. When recommendations come in we will take them to the board,” said Walston.

Veteran began by interviewing Ben Peralta and will be interviewing the rest of the police staff in the upcoming weeks. Steve Fajardo, Ohlone’s former police chief, is also on the list of people to be interviewed, although he is not considered to be a suspect at this time, noted Walston.

“It is certainly in the realm of reason that Fajardo would be interviewed since he was the police chief during the time in question,” said Walston.

Fajardo was recently let go before his contract expired, and escorted off campus in late January. His contract was not renewed.

The investigation will not, however, focus on the accounting department staff. “The issue is more: is this the right amount of money that should have been brought in,” said Walston. Veteran has, however, met with the accounting staff to better understand the process used to collect and count the monies from the parking permit machines.

Walston does not know whether the college will pursue legal measures in regard to the missing money, but is waiting for recommendations from Detective Veteran.

The money collected from the permit machines goes to “supporting the staff responsible for enforcing parking violations and also refurbishing parking lots and grounds upkeep,” said Walston. Due to the smaller amount collected last year, cuts will have to be made in grounds upkeep, although Walston said she is hoping to avoid cutting staff. “In terms of grounds supplies and other things related to the parking lots those will be [deferred]. I am expecting some loss this year with this operation, however,” said Walston.

Student services Nicer classrooms and fairer reorganization grades = gleeful students

By THOMAS HSU Staff writer If you strolled your way into Ohlone College’s Assessment Center, you will find the strikingly antiqued wooden desks and chairs of yore beneath its canted ceiling, slathered in its drab brown and white color scheme. But come this June, the room will have been subject to a considerable facelift.

The conversion of Rooms 1406 and 1402 were at the top of the Faculty Senate meeting’s agenda, part of the new Learning Community project.

These two rooms will soon serve as the prototypes for the type of learning environment that Ohlone will gradually convert into, as well as the model for the future Newark campus.

Inspired by classrooms found in Evergreen Community College and Stanford University, the room will be painted in a new conducive-to-learning color, decked in “flexible furniture” and multimedia devices.

The flexible furniture will enable the room to be easily reconfigured - antithesis to the thick wooden

tables and clunky chairs currently occupying the room. Even the height of the tables can be easily adjusted.

Possible multimedia devices being discussed include dual television screens, which would be built into the wall, or instead, portable plasma screens which would fit into the spirit of the flexible furniture.

Professor Alan Kirshner expressed his pleasure in how the project has sparked an enthusiasm for education and progress in the faculty and administration, and how this enthusiasm helps the project move smoothly through the bureaucracy.

Another topic discussed was that the state government may begin more closely watching how the associate degree programs are being handled.

This comes in light of abuses, such as when the body of classes required to earn the degree has been made too lenient.

In the past, auditing of the programs has been reactive rather than proactive, happening only when an abuse is reported.

The process of challenging grades also became an issue at the

meeting - currently there is no formal way to change a student’s grade if contested by the student.

The senate presented an anecdote in which an Ohlone department dean had changed a student’s grade without first consulting the class’s professor.

Kirshner motioned to create a commission of students, faculty and administrators to create an official process for grade appeals, and the motion was passed.

Another debate ensued when the issue of regulations over how faculty conducted their finals was raised.

Ohlone’s faculty handbook states that the two-hour block allotted to classes for finals during finals week must be used.

If the class does not conduct finals, then the time slot must be used for instructional time.

Faculty must also submit their finals to their department’s administration the day before the exam.

Currently, these rules are not uniformly enforced through the departments.

The senate could not agree on whether these rules should be formally restated and enforced.

By OMER AHMED Opinion editor

Ohlone’s Student Services office has reorganized in order to increase efficiency and remove vacant positions.

The reorganization consisted of transfers, new positions and the removal of vacant stations. Michael Bowman, former Director of Curriculum and Scheduling, was given a promotion to Dean of Research and Enrollment Services. The new title holds all the responsibilities of Bowman’s old job in addition to the duties of the Director of Research.

The now redundant research director position has been removed.

The promotion from director to dean was validated by the increased duties of the job and reduced number of management positions. In the new position, Bowman reports to Associate Vice President of Student Services Ron Travenick as he did previously.

The vacant Director of Admissions and Records appointment was renamed to Registrar. This newly revamped position will be responsible for overseeing the course scheduling system. While a Title 5 compliant search is held to fill the position, former Interim Director

of Admissions and Records Gillian O’Farrell will act as Interim Registrar. The registrar position will report to Bowman.

A Title 5 compliant search will be made to fill the vacant director of admission and records position.

Kimberly Robbie, the Student Services Specialist for Curriculum and Scheduling, will now report to the Registrar as part of the recent change.

Two changes are going into effect from a 2005 board of trustees approved reorganization. Research and Systems Analyst William Duke will now transfer from Student Services to the Information Technology and report to the Associate Vice President of Information Technology Ralph Kindred. The Director of the Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center, Yvonka Headly, will now report to Leta Stagnaro, the Dean of the Newark Center.

These changes where proposed

by Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Jim Wright and approved by the board of trustees on Feb. 8. Ralph Kindred, Ron Travenick, and Vice President of Administration and Technology Deanna Walston consulted on the plan. The changes are to be in effect

by Feb 15.

Campus Events March 2 Men’s Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. Mission College at Ohlone.

3 Brown Bag Seminar: Math is Fun --. 1 to 2 p.m. in Building 3, Room 3201. Brown Bag Science Seminars is a program at Ohlone College sponsored by the Math, Science and Technology Division. The purpose to is stimulate interest in and awareness of topics, trends, and careers in science. Refreshments are included and you can meet with the speaker afterward. This event is free.

4 Men’s Baseball -- Noon vs. Hartnell College at Ohlone.

5 Ohlone Chamber Orchestra -- 2 p.m. in the Smith Center. A winter concert with a Spanish flair. Concert features the Fremont Youth Symphony, director Eugene Sor and winners of the first annual FYS Concerto Contest.

Featured work includes Bach's Concerto in D minor. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office.

7 Men’s Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. Chabot College at Ohlone.

7 Gay/Straight Alliance Club-- In the Smith Center, Room SC-116, from 3 to 4 p.m. A student club for gay/straight/bi/or curious students who meet to talk, make friends and meet likeminded people.

10 Last Day to Apply for Graduation -- or to apply

for a certificate of achievement for the Spring 2006 semester.

11 Ohlone College Super Flea Market -- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. In Parking Lots E and H. Flea Market is held second Saturday of every month, year round. Parking fee is $2.

12 Ohlone Wind Orchestra -- 2 p.m. in the Jackson Theater. “California’s Premier Windband,” is one of the leading professional quality wind bands in the United States today. Under the direction of Tony Clements, the band is comprised of 50 woodwind, brass and percussion players. Melodic, thrilling band music, including modern compositions by Ian Polster and Mary Ellen Childs.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. They can be purchased online, at the box office or by calling (510) 659-6031.

14 Men’s Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. West Valley College at Ohlone.

14 Ohlone Community Band -- Performance at 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. The band has a blend of youth and experience and is an outstanding example of the benefits of a music education. The band has a wide variety of literature to challenge both the audience and the ensemble itself. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults and are available at the box office or by calling (510) 659-6073.

14 Women’s Softball -- 3 p.m. Versus Chabot College here at Ohlone.

15 Spend Semester in Sydney, Australia -- meeting. 6 p.m. in Room 5209.

Come check out what all the excitement is about and how you can be a student of the world in Fall of 2006. Study courses like ENG101B and ART203 while exploring Sydney Australia and meeting many new people. For more information call Cynthia Katona at (510) 659-6226.

for students and $20 for adults. They are available at the box office or by calling (510) 659-6073.

15-17 One Acts In-ABox (Student Repertory Company Performance) -- 8 p.m. in the NUMMI Theatre in the Smith Center. The Theatre and Dance department’s leading student actors, directors and designers will showcase their talents in an evening of zany comedy and searing drama. Tickets are $10 for students, $12 for adults and are available at the box office or by calling (510) 659-6073.

25 Men's Baseball -- Noon vs. City College of San Francisco at Ohlone.

20-26 Spring Break -- holiday break. No classes.

23 Men's Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. Monterey Peninsula College at Ohlone.

23 Women's Softball -- 3 p.m. vs. Monterey Peninsula College at Ohlone.

28 Men's Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. Gavilan College at Ohlone.

29 World Forum: The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict -- noon to 2 p.m. in the Epler Gymnasium.

March 2, 2006 monitor

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Dr. Noel Kaplowitz from U.C. Davis will present the Israeli perspective. His research has included hundreds of hours of in-depth interviewing with Arab and Israeli leaders and officials on their national self-images, perceptions of the other, and attitudes towards issues in conflict. His articles have been published in a variety of professional, peer-reviewed journals.

This event is free.

CLASSIFIEDS WEARE HIRING Teachers and Aides for Preschool Centers. Our locations are in Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark & Union City. Please call Arlein @ 866-994-7823 or fax your resume to 650-994-7825 or e-mail it to calstaff@sbcglobal.net.

15 Campus Tour -- 4 p.m. in the lobby of Building 1.

The Ohlone College Student Ambassadors conduct campus tours the first and third Wednesday of every month. Wear comfortable shoes. This event is free.

16 Women’s Softball -- 3 p.m. Versus College of San Mateo at Ohlone.

17 Last Day to Petition -- to complete a class on a credit/no credit basis for Spring 2006 semester.

18 Ohlone Chamber Singers -- 6th Annual Masterworks: Voices past and present. 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre Featuring Fanshawe’s African Sanctus. Tickets are $10

Read the Monitor Online at http://ohlone.edu/org/monitor

The Monitor invites your comments. Letters should be 250 words or less and include your name and relationship to Ohlone. Letters become property of The Monitor and may be edited for spelling and length. Campus Events listings are free for college-related events.

To have your event added or to place an ad, contact Danelle Meyer at (510) 659-6075 or e-mail monitorads@ohlone.edu

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Page 8

Ladies have quit exit in playoffs

By Nick Zambrano Sports editor Playoffs. Every team strives to make it into the postseason, but only the elite get invited in. Everyone says that the playoffs are like another season, I agree. It’s a season where losing is not an option, because if your team loses just one game, the season’s over.

Last week, our women’s basketball team started their postseason play in hopes of putting up another championship banner in the rafters of Epler Gym. However, the same week Head Coach Elizabeth Stanley and her squad set off on their postseason hunt, they were dealt that loss and sent back home.

The Lady Renegades actually started off their hunt by beating rival Chabot 74-67, back on February

22. With that win over Chabot, the Lady Renegades went on to face Reedley College.

There in Reedley, the Lady Renegades were dealt that one loss and sent back to Fremont banner-less.

In a game, in which the final score was 87-83, Ohlone and Reedley were not always close.

At halftime, the Lady Renegades had a commanding 12 point lead.

After the half, Ohlone managed to turn that 12 point lead into 15. However, due to some bad calls and one-sided officiating, Stanley saw her tean’s lead slipping away.

“I’m not one to blame the officials, but this officiating crew made it very difficult for the team to hold on to the lead,” said Stanley.

Even though the officiating was

not in their favor, Ohlone managed to keep Reedley‘s top player; Aspen Hampton, into foul trouble. With Hampton in foul trouble, Ohlone tried to take advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line.

They were 12 for 20 from the line.

In addition to that, Ohlone did have a few bright spots. Leading their attack was point guard Alcha Strane. The sophomore had a double-double with 26 points and 12 assists. Also contributing in the failed effort was Kaycie Zimmerman, who had 15 points and three steals.

In the locker room afterwards, the mood was very somber. “It is hard not to be sad,” said Stanley.

“This team really gets along and it is sad that many are moving on.”

This also marked the last game

bring in the runs after that as well.

Their hitters left men stranded on base, couldn’t make contact or put the ball in play.

It seemed that every hitter on both teams had the potential to make solid contact with the ball and to put it in play. Moore said the exact same thing after the game as well. “Every hitter had an opportunity to bring runners on base in to score.” Back and forth, back and forth, both sides would give the opposing defense 1-2-3 innings. From the fifth inning on, the crowd started to get disinterested and bored. It even seemed that the players and coaches were also feeling the same way.

Defense played a major role in this tug of war. Both starting pitchers threw the heat. DVC’s pitcher logged nine strikeouts and Vinnie Climent, the Renegade’s ace, threw eight strikeouts.

Maybe, if the pitching wasn’t so outstanding, the game may have been a little bit more exciting to watch.

However, I do have to give credit to the players on both teams. To be motivated to keep playing and to have the enthusiasm through 18 innings is incredible. Up next for the Renegades will be Mission College, today at 2 p.m.

Ohlone first baseman Ramiro Pereda jumps into his set position. The Renegades take on Mission College. Photo by Ross Tsvetanov.

for the sophomores here at Ohlone.

“The team accomplished a great deal and most of the success was predicated on their leadership, focus and laudable performances on and off the court,” said Stanley about her group of sophomores.

Stanley’s sophomores will dearly be missed, as they took up 10 of her roster spots.

Even though her team lost, Stanley maintains her “processoriented” attitude. “They proved to everyone that they are a good team and they are one of the best teams in the state. Reedley knows they dodged a bullet,” said Stanley, “we were seeded as the fifteenth team and they were the second team. They celebrated like they just upset the higher seed team. They were very lucky to eek out that win.”

Ohlone ties in 18-inning wonder

By Rahul Batra Staff writer The Renegade baseball team last Saturday played a long, heated battle against Diablo Valley College (DVC). Strong defense and solid pitching from both sides were key factors in the game. Because of the defensive battle and lackluster offense, the game ended in a 1-1 tie in the 18th inning due to darkness.

The Renegades started the game off hot. Newark Memorial alum Jason Tweedy knocked in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning, with a single scoring Jeremy Brown.

However, the Renegades couldn’t bring in any more runs. The Renegades didn’t have a rhythm as far as making contact with the ball, scoring runs and consistently getting runners on base.

“We didn’t excel on offense,” said Ohlone Manager Paul Moore.

“When we had runners on base, we couldn’t get them in. We need to put more emphasis on getting our lead off hitters on.”

The same went with DVC. There first and only run came when they started off with a lead off double in the top of the fifth, then a single to advance the runner to third and then a sacrifice fly to score in the tying run. DVC could not find a way to

Renegades swim past De Anza

By Naomi Balagot Staff writer The Ohlone swim season is currently in full swing as the Renegades collectively blew past DeAnza College with a culminated score of 224-167, last Friday in Coast Conference competition.

On the men’s side, Andrei Soen, Po-Han Chan, Alex Schmeel and Billy Purta won the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:45.00.

Sprint freestyler, Billy Purta won the 50 Freestyle (24.18) and the 100 Freestyle (53.63). Freshmen Po-Han Chen and Andrei Soen took

first place in the 100 Backstroke (1:04.84) and 200 Invidual Medley (2:14.77) events.

The Lady Renegades solely dominated the competition as Erin Morgan, Ashley Kendall, Kat Ashley and Ashley Rogers exceptionally took first place in the 200 Medley Relay, posting a time of 2:01.35.

Freshman Kat Ashley won the 1000 Freestyle (12.28.62) and the 50 Butterfly (30.99) individual events.

Other outstanding performances include Ashley Rogers taking first place in the 50 Backstroke (32.19) and sophomore standout

swimmer, Erin Morgan won the 100 IM (1:04.19) and the 50 Breaststroke with an impressive time of 33.16.

Head Coach Gene Kendall was very impressed with Allison Gibson's exciting 200 Freestyle race, as she took first place with a time of 2:22.01 and Eric Meyer winning the 100 Breast with a time of 1:13.13.

In regards to last Friday’s win, Head Coach Gene Kendall said, “It means we’re still on top of the pack. We’re undefeated for the men and the women. It leaves us in first place, which is a nice place to be.”

On the men’s side, West Valley College and Chabot will be uncompromising competition and on the women’s side; long-time rival Chabot will go head to head with the Lady Renegades. They have high hopes to pursue their Conference reigning title, as the season progresses on.

“In Conference, we have a fifty-fifty shot. We’re close, but ultimately it’s going to be a coin toss between us and Chabot,” said Kendall.

Next week the Renegades swim team face Foothill and Cabrillo Colleges at Foothill, next Friday at 2 p.m.

The final score

By Steven Chavez Correspondent

The Big Hurt’s war of words Okay, let me preface this week’s rant with the notion that I am no Frank Thomas fan. I don’t, honestly, care one way or the other about him personally or, for that matter, professionally.

He’s been a great player over the years, with borderline-hall-offame numbers. He’s never really caused too much of a commotion over in Chicago; yet here we stand, on the brink of a new season, and he’s already making headlines for off-the-field actions.

This past week, Thomas and Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams went into a heated exchange through the media. Williams went so far as to call Thomas an idiot, selfish and to insist that the World Series champs don’t miss him. I would have to agree with that last part since they won the World Series with Thomas’ keister parked on the bench.

Thomas though, did what any classy, professional man would do; he stayed pretty much out of it.

The controversy was sparked

by Thomas’ comments to a suburban Chicago newspaper saying that he felt let down by the fact that White Sox chairman, Jerry Reinsdorf, didn’t call him to let him know of the team’s decision to part ways with the 16-year veteran, all of who’s years were spent with the White Sox. Any man would be. No man, who gave his career and livelihood to one team/company/union would feel it right that his employer would unceremoniously cast them off into oblivion.

His words were harmless and did not provoke the onslaught of words that Williams fired in his direction. Williams showed himself to be gutless and heartless, to go along with the brilliant that he earned last year by putting together that team, which made them even stronger over the offseason.

The fact, though, that Thomas took all this with a grain of salt and held his head high -- didn’t compete in this war of words shows the class, dignity and professionalism so lacking in today’s world of sports. His actions, or lack thereof, should be praised coast to coast.

Here’s hoping that he stays healthy enough to land the A’s back in the World Series this year after 16 years, going through Chicago to get there, of course.

And here’s also hoping that they get swept by the Giants.