Monitor 2006-4-27

Softball team wins title – Page 3

ASOC stops elections amid fraud allegations The ASOC’s elections have been postponed indefinitely due to allegations of campaign fraud.

In a statement issued this Tuesday, President Tristan Tilma gave few details: “Based on the information that I’ve received from various sources including staff, students, and my own observations, I have come to the conclusion that I, as President of the ASOC, in the absence of the Elections Commissioner, will postpone the elections until further notice. In fairness to all candidates, based on today’s events an investigation will be carried out by the Elections Commissioner and myself regarding this matter.”

While the exact occurrences of April 25 remain unclear, a series of unconfirmed reports concerning the events surrounding the elections have been received. Such possible charges range from obvious breaches of ASOC election policy to more esoteric violations.

“It appeared that there were some possible violations to the campaign policy,” said Debbie Trigg, staff advisor to the ASOC, “It may not have been fair to all the candidates.”

While an official investigation has yet to release its results, an independent investigation has already confirmed several breaches of policy. One such confirmed report is that one write-in candidate, the seated Vice President of the ASOC

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Thursday, April 27, 2006

Earth Day proceeds despite rain

radius of the poll booth. However, reports of slander at the polls and biased poll workers remain unconfirmed.

Possible penalties for such actions have yet to be publicly disclosed, however, it is possible that all ballots cast on Tuesday’s elections will be thrown out.

“I think other people who got involved let things get personal,” said Aisha Wahab, the seated ASOC secretary and official presidential candidate. “None of the official candidates, from my knowledge, were involved.”

President Tilma and Elections Commissioner Roxanna Guide would not comment directly on these allegations.

Referring to Debbie TuckerTrigg, the director of campus activities & EOPS and Renee Gonzales, campus activities student services assistant, after Tuesday’s ASOC meeting Tilma said, “Debbie and Renee are preparing an official statement...Me and Roxanna will make a decision by Friday as to a course of action.”

These allegations come amidst questions concerning the budget of the ASOC. Due to the number of projects that the ASOC has undertaken this semester, Project Quad and the China Trip for example, it is questioned whether or not the ASOC will have enough funds for other annual projects. Project Quad is the ASOC’s effort to provide Ohlone College’s Fremont campus

“It appeared that there were some possible violations to the campaign policy.”

– Debbie Tucker-Trigg Bryan Roy, had begun campaigning for the position of president on the popular website myspace. com as much as a week early. As previously reported, per ASOC regulations, write-in candidates are only permitted to campaign on the actual days of the elections - as current vice president, Roy’s job was to be well-versed in those regulations.

In an interview, Tilma stated that the reason Roy was not an official candidate for the election was his tardiness in turning in his application.

Other confirmed charges indicate that illegal campaigning occurred well within the imposed 75-foot

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Fremont, California

Vol. XXXVI No. 14

By GABRIEL VILA Staff writer

Laugh with Rosemary O’Neill

with public tables and chairs, and the China Trip is a program to send Ohlone students to China in order to tour our sister college there.

Other possible causes for the budget shortfall could be linked to the lack of spending oversight in both ICC and ASOC in regards to clubs on campus.

Annual events that may be cut include the Teacher Appreciation Breakfast, though Tilma seemed confident that the staff would excuse it.

“I’m sure the staff will understand,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting. “Especially given the opportunities that we have been presented this year.”

Kelly Wilmeth and President Doug Treadway clean the Quad on Friday, April 21 for the second annual Earth Day Litter Pick Up. The event was touted as a success by participants and students and faculty are encouraged to carry the torch year-round: if everyone picks up and disposes of just one piece of litter a day, the next Litter pick up day may be unnecessary. Photo by Ross Tsvetanov.

Board prioritizes

By OMER AHMED Opinion editor

Ohlone' Board of Trustees Wednesday night began prioritizing the projects it is currently planning.

This comes at a time when the college has a shortfall of $45 million in its project funding. Issues of academic quality, health and safety were given the highest priority.

The discussion was a brainstorming session and the College Counciland other groups will undertake similar deliberations.

New video game certificate offered

By GABRIEL VILA Staff writer Ohlone has a new video game development certificate.

Pilar Lewis of the Multimedia Department, along with part-time professor Neil Strudwick, has put together a brand new certificate to meet the growing needs of the video game design community.

With courses focused on texture art, 3-D modeling and animation, the certificate will give students a

firm grounding in the basics for the industry.

“You can’t work in a video game company if you don’t play games,” Lewis said in an interview last Friday. “The artistic skills are important to video games. Sketching - I tell a lot of my students to bring a pencil and paper to sketch with.”

Professor Lewis tends to work more with the artistic side of development, showing students the Continued on Page 3

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Opinion

monitor April 27, 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 Investigative Reporter: 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 Photographers: Wayne Chow, Jerome Engelberts, Rostislav Tsvetanov Graphic Staff: Wayne Chow, Jason Montalvo, Chirag Patel, Ying Yam Ad manager: Danelle Meyer Adviser: Bill Parks Printer: F-P Press

The average Ohlone student’s disaster plan: PANIC!

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.

The Monitor is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Journalism Association of Community Colleges, Community College Journalism Association, California Newspaper Publishers Association, College Media Advisers and Society of Newspaper Design.

Opinion

Earthquake preparedness: Think you are ready?

By Gabriel Vila Staff writer We are doomed, but hey, what else is new?

With the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake just last week, you may ask yourself, “What in the name of (insert deity) am I doing in the Bay Area? Am I just asking to be crushed by moving walls of earth, shooting at me at 5,000 feet per second? Am I totally insane?”

Well, if you do ask yourself

that question now, then you worry too much. But the possibility of a devastating earthquake is not wholly improbable. While the 1906 earthquake occurred along the San Andreas fault line, Fremont sits almost directly atop the Hayward fault. The Hayward fault has an earthquake every 151 years, give or take 23, and the last earthquake along the line occurred in 1868, meaning that a new earthquake seems imminent.

Estimated damages from a big quake on the Hayward fault range

from shocking to utterly incomprehensible. It has been projected that more than 150,000 housing units could be destroyed, over 350,000 people displaced, thousands of roads closed and billions upon billions of property damage will be incurred.

Thinking about future disasters brings up a question; what is Ohlone College’s disaster plans? As a student, I don’t think I’ve ever been briefed in regards to earthquake plans. What kind of role would Ohlone play in Fremont given an earthquake? How would Ohlone

College fare in any sort of disaster?

Are we really prepared here?

Setting these questions aside, are we prepared in our homes? I know for a fact that I’m not. My family tried to put together a disaster kit back in the dawn of history. A store of canned foods and water was placed in our garage, along with a sister store in the hallway of blankets, flashlights and a radio. Over the years, the canned goods were cannibalized (when you run out of cream of mushroom on Thanksgiving, what are you supposed to do?),

the water was thrown out, blankets brought out on cold days and the flashlights were used in late-night forays into the creek. The radio is still in the bottom of the bin as we haven’t found a use for it.

We don’t worry about disasters as a people and, as a result, we are woefully ill equipped to deal with them when they show up. Perhaps we should all think about stocking up on survival gear and supplies, just in case the next big quake hits... at least until Thanksgiving rolls around again.

constructs of society, not biology.

Just look at previous U.S. censuses. In 1880, the census did not ask for ethnicity or race. It asked for “color” and gave five options: White, Black, Mulatto, Indian and Chinese. The 2000 census asked for “race” and gave the options of White, Black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, other race and the two or more races option. There was also a separate category for Hispanics.

While this covers most of the options, it also emphasizes how vague the idea of race is.

Illustrating this, people of Middle Eastern descent are counted in

the census as White despite many Middle Easterners being as dark as many Africans. The census’ structure has some basis in reality. Arabs are believed to be descended from people who lived in the Caucasus mountain region. The Caucasus region is also where European ie.

Caucasian ie. White lineages are traced to. While based on real genealogical surveys, the descendents of the original “Caucasians” aren’t all considered “white” by society at large.

The average resident of Fremont’s Little Kabul might even be offended if you called him “white.” Adding to the confusion, people from the

Muslim countries east of Afghanistan are in the Asian group.

The idea of race and ethnicity is in a constant state of flux. The answer to “Who is what?” is always being redefined. Early in the United States’ history, only Anglo-Saxons were considered white. The Irish, Russians, Italians were only reclassified as white later in our history.

Then there are people who are so much of a mix that they don’t identify fully with any of their ancestors’ races. Tiger Woods has Caucasian, Black, American Indian and Asian roots but he has more than once identified himself as Cablinasian.

Despite his decision, most people will say that Woods, who is only a quarter African-American, is black.

People will assign a person one ethnicity before they guess someone is multiethnic. This produces interesting results. While I’m a mix of Pakistani and Mestizo Mexican, people have guessed I’m Italian, Spanish, Aztec, Mongolian, Indian (both types), Chinese and Inuit.

Those last two particularly confused me. If a young multiracial boy can be confused for so many supposedly distinct ethnicities, is there anything more to race than looks?

Why the idea of race doesn’t make much sense

By Omer Ahmed Opinion editor Ever since taking my first standardized test, I 've wondered which box I should check when asked for my race. I was particularly troubled about this when I was younger as I thought that I would lose points if I got the question wrong and having parents from two different races made the question confusing. Years later, I am smarter, hopefully, and understand that the ideas of race and ethnicity are meaningless as they are

Campus Comment > > >

What is your opinion of this year’s ASOC?

BOB BRADSHAW Math Department

CAROL LAUGHTON Part-time faculty

Elpidio RAFANAN Chemistry

“The ASOC provides opportunities for students to be involved in: campus committees, etc.”

“ASOC funds things that are vital to the students. People should know more about (ASOC)”

“As part-time, night, I’m not as exposed to the activities of ASOC as you might expect.”

KRIS LYONS Ceramics “I know very little about ASOC; I’m a part-time instructor.”

Ralph Kindred V.P of IT “It’s important to have opportunities for student involvement and decision making on campus.”

News

April 27, 2006 MONITOR

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Library obtains e-books

By IRA LAZO Staff writer Biology homework getting you down? Library closed? No worries, now Ohlone College has recently acquired more than 30,000 new electronic books, which are now accessible from the Ohlone library’s website.

These e-books are digital, fulltext versions of printed books acFrom left: Trang Nguyen, David Zimmermann, Associate Professor of Mathematics Geoffrey Hirsch, Gary Fung, Jun Fang, and Hartej Dhami. Photo by Hartej Dhami.

Math students get award from Ohlone

Last Friday, Geoffrey Hirsch, associate math professor, handed out $30 checks to the spring semester 2006 top scorers in the Ohlone’s national Student Math League. The group finished 13th in the entire United States, with David Zimmerman finishing 9th individually and Jun Fang 29th. The checks are awarded by the Ohlone Foundation to encourage math students in their efforts.

quired from and provided for by the NetLibrary service, and come free of charge to both distance learners and students who cannot physically visit the library. These files are then uploaded to the NetLibrary website, and can be easily accessed as a PDF file, complete with navigation systems for each chapter and section in the book. Unlike a regular textbook, which is designed to inform on a vast amount of general information,

these e-books are more focused and specific to certain topics. Another advantage to using the e-book, according to Kathy Sparling, a librarian at Ohlone, “you can search their text for particular words and you can print out one page at a time.”

To access these e-books, simply go to the library’s home page www2.ohlone.edu/org/library and, if accessing from off-campus, there will be a log in page in which case the student/staff id and last name serves as the id and password. Once entered, search through HANS, Ohlone’s online library catalogue and be sure to limit the search by clicking on the “Quick Limit” drop bar to the right hand side, and look for the option - electronic books only.

To learn more about electronic books, and if you still have questions or are confused, be sure to check out the HANS tutorial page for electronic books at www2.ohlone. edu/org/library/ebooks.html

Video game courses provide real-life experience Continued from Page 1 value of working with their hands as opposed to with the computer for design, a crucial step in providing materials that go into creating the all-important presentations that will get video games approved even before the game goes into development.

Strudwick has practical experience working with video games, at one point working for Namco, one of the biggest video game companies to ever have existed.

He provides the students with a real-job viewpoint, giving advice and criticism from the standpoint of experience.

“Teach the class as if you were in the real industry,” Lewis said.

“Where every one of the students has a role, and so that when the students get the certificate, they are familiar with the roles in real life.

The video game design classes themselves are run like design teams. The classes are broken up based on number of students, and then each student assigned a job in: management, story, character design, etc.

Students are required to take the class twice so that they learn the vagaries of each job in the design team. In the end, this practical experience is sure to serve them well

in the actual job market.

The end product of each class will, of course, be a game. A guest speaker from the industry is scheduled to come at the end of the course and critique the execution of the game: strong points, weak points, what will and will not sell.

The students can then use their work in their portfolios when they apply for jobs.

The Fast Track Certificate in Video Game Development requires 17 units, the details of which can be found on Ohlone’s Multimedia Department website under the degrees section: www.ohlone.edu/ instr/multimedia/home.html

Buildings tested for leakage

By IRA LAZO Staff writer Recently on campus, there was a hole in the clock tower. Not a big, gaping hole, but enough to make passing students question what was going on.

The answer: the facilities crew of Ohlone is testing the structural integrity of the buildings. It is, ironically enough, called destructive testing. According to Dave Orias, assistant director of facilities, the crews are testing the buildings by poking holes to see if the stucco paint will be a good enough remedy for water intrusion.

Especially appropriate in light of the 28 days of continuous rain that has lately drenched the Bay Area, the facilities crew will be applying a special stucco paint to Ohlone College Fremont campus buildings that is meant to prevent leakage wear.

However, before the paint can be applied, the buildings must be tested in different settings and conditions.

The project is scheduled to begin in the summer if all test results are positive and all things go well. As for the color of the paint, there has been a proposal made by the TBP Architectural firm, first to President Doug Treadway to approve the change in color - then the decision will fall to the ASOC Committee.

From left: Martin Gutierez and Antonio Saudos perform “destructive testing.” Photo by Ross Tsvetanov.

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Features

monitor April 27, 2006

Jazz guitarist Grant Geissman

By Jerome Engelberts Editor-in-chief This Friday night the Smith Center presents a concert by jazz guitarist Grant Geissman. The local San Jose artist is rooted firmly in the tradition of such guitarists as Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell, and a strong advocate of recording to showcase the music as opposed to recording to please the programmers at “smooth jazz” stations.

According to jazz reviewer Bill Milkowski, his new CD “Say That” is “a triumph, a collection of thirteen original Grant Geissman compositions that play like a righteous melding of 1960s Wes Montgomery, Horace Silver and Jimmy Smith. It’s real music that swings, simmers, smolders and burns. Say That! is an iron fist upside the mushy head of smooth jazz, and Grant Geissman’s defiant declaration of independence.”

Geissman’s enthusiasm for playing music shines through when you talk to him, and he doesn’t show any of the “been there, done that” attitude that is often prevalent in player who have recorded for three decades with a virtual who’s who list of jazz artists.

Geissman, in other words, is a musician’s musician. Although his web site touts his solo in Chuck

Mangione’s “Feels So Good” (the live version, since the radio version doesn’t feature the solo), which he recorded in 1978, his more recent endeavors also point toward a more traditional niche. Geissman makes a case against smooth jazz and its trend to dumb down the music so it appeals to a greater market. He feels strongly that real jazz should be based on the flow of creative thought as it translates into music and shouldn’t be hampered by what makes “good radio.”

So what can the audience expect on Friday? Assuming that the new CD “Say That” is anything to go by, dark, burnished and warm guitar sounds that suggest that somewhere in the past there was a time when Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff were taking up some residence on the turntable. With tracks featuring hot organ trio á la Smith/McDuff in “Below The Radar” and “New York Stories,” alternating with more, dare I say “modern” vibes that bring artists like Bob James or Yellowjackets (“Point of view,” and Eric Gale (“Siete”) to mind (MY mind, anyway), Grant Geissman’s musical window on the world combines traditional sounds with tunes that have a lighter, airier vibe. It also handily makes it impossible to classify him as either a retro-stylist

or - heaven forfend - a smooth jazz player. There’s a lot to like here, and I can only recommend that you do what used to be the common approach before you buy the album: check out Grant live at the Smith Center this Friday at 8 p.m.

He will be performing with a band consisting of woodwind player Brian Scanlon, Emilio Palame on keyboards, Acoustic bassist Trey Henry, and Dave Tull on drums - the same band that’s with him on the album.

Tickets are $25 Adults $15 Seniors/Staff/Students $10 Children For tickets or more information, contact the Smith Center Box office at 510-659-6031

From top: Jazz guitarist Grant Geissman performs at the Smith Center this Friday, April 28 at 8 p.m. Photo courtesy of Grant Geissman.

Geissman CD “Say That!.” Cover art by “lowbrow” artist, Miles Thompson

‘Literally Dancing’ showcases talents of many

By Danelle Meyer Staff writer Dancers, music, lighting and special effects brought the Jackson Theatre to life during three days of performances for the Dance Department’s spring production, “Literally Dancing.”

From an idea sparked by a former Ohlone student, Artistic Director Janel Tomlin-Brown built a production that showcased the talent of students from different departments.

“Literally Dancing” included three suites that power rocked the stage as different types literature--the Diary, Newspaper and Fairytale--were interpreted into dance forms including hip-hop, tap and ballet.

At the start of the show red curtains went up to reveal a screen that flashed the name of the different types of dances along with the

words, “Literally Dancing.” This allowed the audience a sneak peek at the performance on stage.

After getting the audiences attention, the show started with the Diary suite, which included five choreographed dances interpreting the pages of a diary like a guy writing about the girl he loves but can’t have.

Months of preparation started at the beginning of the spring semester where dancers were chosen through rounds of auditions and placed under the wings of Tomblin-Brown’s select chorography class.

“It’s nice to see every level of dancer blending on stage together and giving 100 percent effort. The dancers shined,” said TomblinBrown.

Not only did the dancers flow on stage with wonderful costumes created by Costume Designer Agnes

De Lucchi; but the scenes, music, light design and projected images added another dimension of entertainment.

“It’s one thing to see the dances in a studio, but when you put on the costumes and add the sound and light, that’s what makes it come to life. It’s a beautiful thing to watch the transformation,” said TomblinBrown.

The second suite, Newspaper, started solid with a display of black and white photographs projected on screen and smoke. Dancers tapped out on stage to sell newspapers and then transitioned to breakdancers.

“My name was all over this show but I didn’t do it by myself.

It was my vision, but it turned into a collaboration of creative minds,” remarked Tomblin-Brown. “The show technically was a challenge.

Julie Collins, the stage manager, did

Multimedia Festival May 4

By Frankie Addiego Staff writer On Thursday, May 4, Ohlone College will hold its annual Multimedia Festival, consisting of various exhibits in interactive media, animation, and digital video. The festival will also showcase works created by Ohlone students enrolled in one of the multimedia courses.

“What’s happening is our students are submitting their projects [from] this year,” said Professor of Multimedia Pilar Lewis, who is in charge of this year’s festival. “We also invited alumni,” said Lewis, “[because] we want to see what they’re up to.”

Cynthia Baron, a noted graphic

designer, will host the event. Baron is the author of the book Creating a Digital Portfolio and is currently Technical Director of Boston’s Northeastern University’s Department of Visual Arts. Lewis said that Baron is “very interested” in seeing how the Multimedia Department is using Creating a Digital Portfolio as a textbook.

Baron and the Multimedia Department will be holding court in Ohlone’s own hi-tech epicenter, Hyman Hall. It will begin at 2:30 p.m. with Ohlone alumni hosting various workshops on a number of different topics.

Following that, attendees will get a chance to view exhibits of student work until 9 p.m.

At 4:30 p.m., Baron will deliver the keynote address. After the speech there will be a reception for the award ceremony from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. After that, awards will be given out for various achievements.

Categories for these include Interactive Media, Digital Portfolios, Alumni Projects, Web Site Design, Digital Imagery, 2D and 3D Animation and Digital Video and 3D Imagery.

Each of these will have a first prizewinner and an acknowledgement of the runner up for “honorable mention.”

According to Lewis, a juror who works for Yahoo! will decide on the winning exhibits.

a wonderful job giving directions on what to do next and made the show look easy. Fred Alim really tied the show together with sounds.”

To cap the show off, the Fairytale suite tapped into the innocence of everyone with an introduction that had a mother reading a story.

The first scene had a princess stolen. A battle dance against a huge evil spirit followed and when the princess was saved, the dancers

lept into happy ever after.

“The Diary suite kind of takes you to an individual place, the Newspaper suite takes you to a current and realistic place and the Fairytale suite takes you to a place far far away,” commented Tomblin-Brown. “I like to sit in the audience during the show and feel, hear and see their responses to see if it was what I intended. This year it certainly was.”

Features

April 27, 2006 monitor

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Life, liberty and the pursuit of health insurance State of Illusion

By Chris marshall

There are a number of established practices in America I consider to be criminal, amoral businesses.

One of them is credit cards, but I won’t be discussing that this week.

The criminal enterprise I wish to cover this week is the single biggest rip-off in America today - health insurance.

Health insurance in America is, for the most part, privatized. This causes a conundrum; the driving force behind market-based health insurance is capitalism - a major component of which is profit - which is counter to the health needs of the consumers. It’s common sense for those who need health insurance to be the ones who seek it, however those people are not the ones who are profitable investments for the health insurance companies - hence the conundrum. This is an amoral practice and it is just plain dumb.

For the past couple of weeks I have been looking to purchase health insurance, but to no avail. I am a healthy 24-year-old person, with a relatively clean medical history. I’ve had a couple bouts of kidney stones, and high blood pressure caused by an anti-anxiety

medication I was taking. I don’t need any treatment currently, but so far I have been denied health insurance twice.

I first applied for Blue Cross’ Tonik brand of health insurance. The Tonik brand is targeted to people my age, and more so to people who participate in dangerous sports.

I consider Tonik to be “Xtreme” health insurance with the ridiculously bright orange-blue-green color scheme of their marketing materials. The package I applied for was called “Calculated RiskTaker,” which I assume is meant for people who like to take risks

with their health, though I chose it because it had the lowest deductible.

Obviously the people approving applications are not in the category of taking risks. I find it disgustingly humorous that people who like jumping out of planes and off of buildings can get health insurance while, I, a healthy 24-year-old male - a non-smoking, non-drinking one at that - cannot.

It wasn’t 10 minutes after I had submitted my application that I received an e-mail stating how I had been denied. Immediately, I filled out another application for a normal Blue Cross PPO program.

Laughter as medicine

By Joyce Leung Features editor Go ahead and laugh, even if you have no reason to.

According to Personal Counselor Rosemary O’Neill, children laugh an average of 500 times a day. They don’t seem a reason to giggle. The average adult, on the other hand, laughs about 15 times a day. Some barely crack a smile.

Somehow in between learning the truth about Santa and losing our imaginations, adults have forgotten how to be silly.

“We’re taught we have to be serious,” said O’Neill. “I want to dispel that somehow it’s not okay to be playful.”

So in an effort to bring some mirth onto campus, O’Neill started the “Laughter Club of Ohlone,” where for 10 minutes every Wednesday, faulty, staff and students get together to just let it all out.

A group of about 20 showed up to the club’s first meeting Wednesday morning to hoot and holler.

“It’s nice to take a break from work and go do something ridiculous,” commented Ohlone Web Designer Cheryl Lambert. Others seemed to have enjoyed themselves as well as the session ended with hugs and not one gloomy face in the bunch.

Laughing clubs were started by Dr. Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India. The jovial doctor was researching for an article on laughter as medicine and was amazed at the amount of scientific literature that attested to the benefits

The next day, I received another e-mail of denial. Finally, I filled out a Blue Shield application, and I am currently awaiting their decision. Another frustrating aspect of this ordeal is I won’t find out why I was denied for another couple of weeks.

If I cannot get health insurance, I fail to see how someone ill - someone who really needs health insurance - can ever get it.

I am ready and willing to pay the monthly fee of $186 for the assurance that if something happens to me, I will still have enough money to pay for the rest of my education at U.C. Berkeley. I guess I am not

the type of investment that maximizes profit.

As of 2002 it’s estimated 15 percent of Americans do not have health insurance, which means about 45 million people in America -- the most industrially advanced country in the world - probably cannot pay for medical care if they have an emergency.

This re-enforces my belief that the priorities of America are beyond skewed. Here we are, in the 21st century, spending over a trillion dollars on a very questionable war in Iraq, all the while there are people at home who cannot afford health care.

Massachusetts, the one state which seems to be on the right track in terms of social reform, passed legislation this month making health insurance mandatory for all residents. The state is also making available more options for residents who need to get health insurance, with programs ranging from $250 a month to nearly free, all through private companies subsidized by the state.

The rest of America needs to follow the path Massachusetts has begun to pave. First on the list of social reform needs to be affordable, universal health care and insurance for all Americans. The notion that there are so many people who cannot afford health insurance and quality health care is preposterous and unacceptable.

Cinco de Mayo celebration May 3 By omer ahmed Opinion editor

Personal Counselor Rosemary O’Neill breaks into laughter during yesterday morning’s “Laughter Club” meeting which meets every Wednsday until the semester ends. Photo by Joyce Leung of laughter for the human mind and body. Accounts of people healing their bodies through daily doses of laughter convinced Kataria to test the theory for himself.

Kataria discovered that laughter, whether real or fake, can be beneficial. According to his website, www. laughteryoga.com, laughter “helps us keep healthy by enriching the blood with ample suplies of oxygen...helps to remove the negative effects of stress...[and] boosts the immune system.”

However, laughter’s benefits go beyond that of the physiological.

Laughter makes it easier for people to cope with challenge, conflict, and more often than not, an over-

burdened workload. O’Neill saw laughter as an antedote to stress, a problem that she saw too often on campus as a personal counselor.

“Worry is useless,” said O‘Neill, who practices what she preaches by remaining optimistic though even she admits that she’s not immune to life’s more painful situations. “It really has to do with perception. The situation may not change but you can always alter your perception.”

The “Laughter Club of Ohlone” meets every Wednesday from 9:45-9:55 a.m. at the Smith Center Amphitheatre.

For more information on the “Laughter Club of Ohlone,” contact O’Neill at 510-659-7380.

The Ohlone chapter of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán or the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán) and Ohlone’s Chicano Studies Program will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

The festivity’s motto will be “Why we celebrate” and Chicano Studies Instructor Mark Salinas will give a speech on the history and meaning of Cinco de Mayo.

Counselor Maria Ramirez will give a performance of “Chicana Her-Story,” which she has also performed previously at unity week and internationally in Finland and New Zealand. “Chicana Her-Story” is a mix of storytelling, oral tradition, music, spoken word and theater.

Cinco de Mayo means Fifth of May in Spanish. However, Ohlone’s celebration will take place on May 3. It commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. In the battle, General Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza’s force of 4,500 ill-equipped Mexican militiamen defeated 6,500 French infantrymen who were attempting to occupy Mexico City.

The celebration will occur in the quad from 11 a.m. until noon.

Poetry reading today in Library The English Department and the Library invites students, staff and faculty to join in a celebration of National Poetry Month in an open poetry reading at the Library on Thursday, April 27, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Read an original poem or one written by your favorite poet, or just come and enjoy listening to others.

If you or someone you know would like to read, please contact English Instructor Robert Mitchell at (510) 979-7415 or sign up at the Library Information Desk.

6 MONITOR

April 27, 2006

News

Job Fair on May 3

By FRANKIE ADDIEGO Staff writer On May 3, the Tri-Cities Spring 2006 Job Fair will take place at the University of Phoenix Campus, located at 40440 Encyclopedia Circle, Fremont, CA. Tri Cities One-Stop, a resource for finding employment and education, is sponsoring the event.

Those interested can visit www. tricitiesonestop.com for information about the event. The web site also contains information about upcoming events in the East Bay on related topics. These include

an Interviewing Workshop called “They Are Going to Ask Me What?” on April 13 and a seminar entitled, “Attending a Job Fair: What is Your Marketing Strategy?” on April 20.

Employers who host or attend job fairs rely on educational institutions such as Ohlone College to prepare pupils for the real world challenges they will encounter in their future jobs.

Employers who will be attending the job fair include: Target, Costco Wholesale, Nelson Staffing Solutions, Safeway and the United States Army and Air Force, respectively.

Foundation offers 28 scholarships

By THOMAS HSU Correspondent Are you tired of eating pieces of cardboard cut into the shape of chicken nuggets? Can’t remember what it feels like to actually wear shoes? If so, it could be time to look into scholarship opportunities brought to you by the Ohlone College Foundation at www.ohlone. edu/org/scholarships There are currently 28 Foundation scholarships posted online, ranging from $150 to $3,000, with more to come in the next few weeks - the deadline for most is May 3.

Though Financial Aid receives and posts scholarship announcements throughout the year, Founda-

tion scholarships come from private donors specifically for Ohlone students and are only periodically made available.

Many have application deadlines by the end of the month.

One such scholarship being offered is the Don & Babs Amsbaugh Award for Health Science.

Don Amsbaugh told the Monitor that he wanted to help Ohlone College students because he was “a product of community college” himself, having graduated from the San Francisco Junior College. Following his graduation, Amsbaugh entered the medical field and was on the Washington Hospital board when they helped form Ohlone College’s School of Nursing.

While the Amsbaughs have targeted Health Science students, other scholarships have different prerequisites - whether it is a particular field of study or a minimum GPA. Many also give preference to a specific ethnic group or those with certain financial situations.

Many scholarships are created in the memory of people who have made contributions to Ohlone College, such as the Stephen E. Epler Award, which honors our college’s founding president.

However, memorial scholar-

ships do not necessarily have to honor people who had direct connections with Ohlone - the Carol E. Goodell Scholarship for Deaf Studies, for example, was set up

by Goodell’s husband because she had to deal with hearing loss and eventually deafness for most of her life. Though Goodell never attended Ohlone, the endowment was set up to benefit students of Ohlone’s Deaf Studies program.

The minimum requirement to apply for scholarships is a one page personal statement and an

application, but many also require additional resources, such as a letter of recommendation.

“Students who show campus and community involvement have the best chance of getting a scholarship,” said Johari Peebles of the Ohlone College Foundation.

“Giving out scholarships is one of the most exciting times of the year for the Foundation,” Peebles added, “Students get so excited when we call to tell them that they have received a scholarship.”

Campus Events tory, all day.

April 27 Archive Project Meeting -- For faculty, meet at noon in the warehouse room to help go through boxes of old material like slides and negatives which need to ascertain their value.

27 Forum: I’m a Fake Filipino, How About You? -- 3 to 4 p.m., in Room 2206. The Asian Pacific American Student Association Presents: I’m a Fake Filipino - How About You? A forum about Asian American stereotyping.

Light refreshments will be served. This event is free.

27 Men’s Baseball -- 2 p.m. vs. Hartnell College at Ohlone.

27 Transfer Event: Menlo College -- Meet with a representative from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is an opportunity to get instant admissions and the possibility of being awarded a merit scholarship. A table will be set up in the Lobby of Building 1.

27 Poetry Reading -- National Poetry Month. From 1 to 3 p.m., in the first floor of the Library. All students, staff, and faculty are invited to bring a favorite poem to read. Bring a poem you wrote or a poem by your favorite poet. If you or someone you know would like to read, sign up at the Library Information Desk.

Even if you don’t read, come and enjoy the poetry!

This event is free.

28 Raza Day -- Attend or volunteer to help, at Raza Day in the Smith Center from 9:30 to 11:20 a.m., or just attend until 3:30 p.m.

The purpose is to recruit and sign-up more Fremont and Newark 11th and 12th grade students to go to Ohlone College.

28-29 Bookstore Closed -- The Ohlone bookstore will be closed for inven-

28 Smith Center Performance: Grant Geissman -- 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. Geissman is currently #14 on the Jazzweek Radio Chart. Geissman grew up in San Jose and is does all the music scoring for the Hit TV show Two and A Half Men. He’s one of the top session guitarists in the world. Tickets are $15 for students, $25 for adults and $10 for children under 10. Tickets are available at box office.

May 1 Learning Community Fair -- From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Quad. The faculty from the fall learning communities will there to share info about their learning communities. There will be free pop-corn and cotton candy, and music.

This event is free.

2 Transfer Event: University of Phoenix -- Meet with representative Ivan Sanchez from 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be a table in the Quad.

3 Transfer Event: San Francisco State University -- Meet with a rep from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make an appointment, visit the counseling window in Building 1 or call (510) 659-6110.

3 Transfer Event: Alliant International University -- Meet with a representative from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be a table set up in the Quad.

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

4 Transfer Event: CSU East Bay -- Meet with a representative between 2 and 6 p.m. To make an appointment, visit the counseling window in Building 1 or call (510) 659-6110.

4 Multimedia Festival -- In Hyman Hall. View the work designed by Multimedia students and enjoy a workshop lead by a professional in the field of

Multimedia. 2:30 to 3 p.m., will be alumni workshops.

View work from 3 to 9 p.m.

From 4:30 to 5:30 Cynthia Baron will speak about portfolio do’s and don’ts.

Reception is from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., and awards ceremony is from 6:30 to 7 p.m. This event is free.

5 Brown Bag Seminar: Biomaterials and Cell Interactions -- From 1 to 2 p.m., in Room 3201. The purpose of the seminar is to stimulate interest in and awareness of topics, trends, and careers in science. This event is free.

5 EOPS Awards Ceremony -- 6 to 8 p.m., in the Jackson Theatre. You are invited to share in congratulating our EOPS students as they complete their academic goals. RSVP in the Building 1 EOPS center

by May 1.

6 Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir -- Performance at 8 p.m., in the

April 27, 2006 monitor

7

Jackson Theatre. It will be an uplifting evening with a multi-racial group of 55 vocalists united in love of old-time gospel. Tickets are $15 for students and $25 for adults. They are available at the box office, or by calling (510) 659-6031.

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

FREE Satellite TV System FREE installation. Get up to 4 receivers with remotes for up to 4 TVs. Over 300 channels available. For more information, call 800-7847694. Please mention the special promotion code: A33496003

3 Laughter Club Meeting -- 9:45 to 9:55 a.m., in the Smith Center. Open to students, staff and faculty be on of the first to join.

Take 10 minutes out of your day to laugh! You’ll feel better for it.

3 Transfer Event: UC Merced -- Meet with a representative from 9 a.m., to 3 p.m. For more information and to make an appointment visit the counseling window in Building 1 or call (510) 659-6110.

3 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 for walking around the campus. This event is free.

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, April 27, 2006

Over time

By RAHUL BATRA Staff writer

San Jose Sharks biting down This season has been tremendous for the San Jose Sharks. They have been playing incredibly over the past three seasons, apart from their previous years.

This season, the Sharks sure looked like a team that would need a few more years to get settled in and be comfortable to become a playoff bound franchise like in 2004. Flirting with last place in both their division and in the west race for a majority of the first half of the season, the Sharks seemed like a team that was wasting away. But it wasn’t until Nov. 30, that San Jose acquired this one player, a well-positioned center named Joe Thornton from Boston.

The most frequent question asked after the trade happened was that, “can one player make a serious impact?”

Well, this one did. Look at the statistics. Before the trade, San Jose was 8-12-4. Once Thornton came to the Bay Area, the Sharks went 35-14-7.

Joe Thornton has definitely earned the right to be nominated for the Hart Trophy of the regular season. This season, it is narrowed down to two players: Thornton and Jaromir Jagr. Sports writers and hockey analysts all over the country are already saying that Jagr will be the winner. However, one has to recognize that Thornton will give him some serious competition. Thornton finished ahead of Jagr in points and in 58 games with the Sharks; he finished with 20 goals and 72 assists.

Although San Jose didn’t finish with another 100-point season, they sure came incredibly close by finishing with 99.

The acquisition of Thornton has jolted the spirit and strength of the Sharks offense. Right wing Jonathan Cheechoo has also added to the team’s offensive regime. He’s been tremendously solid. Even though the exciting relationship between Thornton and Cheechoo has only lasted 61 games so far, it has earned them two trophies. Thornton won the Art Ross Trophy for as the NHL’s high scorer with 125 points, finishing ahead of Jagr by two points. Meanwhile, Cheechoo won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer with a franchise best 56, ironically also ahead of Jagr by two goals.

Along with team captain Patrick Marleau and goalie Vesa Toskala, who is in place of the injured Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks look pretty dominant and worthy of their first Stanley Cup.

Page 8

Softball wins fourth straight title

By Naomi Balagot Staff writer Winning a four-peat Conference title definitely isn’t an easy task to come by. Especially with a team primarily comprised of freshmen.

“I always think it takes a while for freshmen to buy into your program, and to believe in your philosophy,” said Ohlone Head Coach Donna Runyon.

While the pitcher and catcher positions are spots where veterans are needed most, Runyon has freshmen who are handling their roles like veterans. On the hill, freshmen Tiffany Chan and Isabel Ramos are punching out opponents with help from fellow froshmen catchers Meredith Ang and Liz Wagner.

In fact, some would even say that winning four league championships in a row might mean having good talent, and a little luck. This is especially the case for Runyon, and her Lady Renegades, who have absolutely dominated their league. Runyon and her elite softball squad are now headed to Regionals next weekend, where they will face the top teams in the North and South Regions.

“As we go into the playoffs, I’m hoping for the pitchers to stay sharp, and for my players to maintain their hitting stroke,” said Runyon.

She also said that the three-four lineup combo of Melissa Cross and Kristina DaSilva has also been impressive. Cross, who has earned the Easton All-American Award as a freshman, has led the Lady Renegades in hits, runs scored, RBI’s, doubles and triples. Meanwhile, DaSilva has been crushing the ball and leads her teammates with eight home runs.

This year’s championship team fromtop left: Athletic Trainer Chris Warden, Kristina DaSilva, Head Coach Donna Runyon, Jessica Soderholm, Jennifer Rapp. Second row from left: Meredith Ang, Melissa Cross, Angelina Piccolotti, Ashley Gibbs, Isabel Ramos and Christela Fabio. Bottom row from left: Scorekeeper Mavis Padgett, Roquel Torres, Tiffany Chan, Liz Wagner, Ashley Marra, Valerie Briones and Assistant Coach Dave Villegas. Photo by Ross Tsvetanov.

This past Tuesday, the Lady RenTomorrow, a Coast Confer- Regional tournament. ence meeting will take place, This Saturday, Runyon will egades claimed a 5-2 victory over which will determine where the attend a Northern California Con- College of San Mateo to end their playoffs will be held. Thereafter ference meeting which will reveal league season.

“It’s hard to beat a team three a coaches seeding meeting will which of her players if any, will take place to seed the qualifying receive All-Regional and All-State times in one season, and by no Northern California teams for the Selection awards and nominations. means is it easy,” said Runyon.

Turning two for the Rengades While swimming and softball are heading into post-season play, baseball still lives.Earlier this week, the Ohlone Renegades Baseball team were on the road against Monterey Peninsula College. The Renegades won with a final score of 12-7. The win puts their overall record at 21-14-2 and their conference record at 12-9. Ohlone Manager Paul Moore and his team are on the final stretch of the 2006 season. Here is a quick breakdown of their upcoming schedule for the rest of the season.

SATURDAY, April 29 At Gavilan College Noon

TUESDAY, May 2 At Skyline College 2p.m.

SAT-SUN, May 13-14 REGIONAL PLAYOFFS Location unkown

THURSDAY, May 4 Home vs. West Valley College 2:00 p.m

FRI-SAT, May 19-21 SUPER REGIONALS Location unknown

TUESDAY, May 9 PLAYOFFS Time unknown

SAT-MON May 27-29 FINAL FOUR in Fresno

Swimming heads to conference

By Naomi Balagot Staff writer As the Ohlone swim team wraps up their dual meet season, today marks the start of the three-day Coast Conference Championship meet, hosted by Chabot College.

On the women’s side, the Lady Renegades look to dominate the competition, in an attempt to defend their Conference title.

“It’s going to be really close. What it all comes down to, it’s either going to be us, or Chabot,” said Head Coach Gene Kendall.

The women’s swim team is also expected to place within the top three, in both the freestyle and medley relays.

On the men’s side, the men are hoping to accomplish the same exact thing.

Sophomore stand out Erin Morgan, who is known to be the best female swimmer in school history, is predicted to win all of her individual events in the 50 Fly, 100 Fly, and the 200 IM. All of which she won last year at the California Community College State Championships.

Morgan also received the California Community College State Female Swimmer of the Year and was honored as the Finest Performance at the State meet in the 100 Breast, by a female swimmer. However, Morgan's outstanding success definitely doesn't stop here. Last year at the State Championships, her victory in the 100 Free set both a school and state record, and was named the Ohlone College Athlete of the Year. Fellow sophomore Ashley Kendall is looking to also take victory in the 50 Breast and 100 Breast individual events as well.

Morgan has already qualified for the State Championships in the 50 Breast, (31.06) 100 Breast, (1:06.05) and the 100 IM (1:00.03) individual events. Some of Coach Kendall’s other swimmers have a chance for reaching qualifying times at the Conference meet.A few of the things Kendall expects of his swimmers at the highly competitive Conference meet are to be supportive of each other, be positive, and to have fun.

“I’ve told my swimmers to swim within yourself, swim strategically, and to have a race plan.” said Kendall. “I also expect them to support each other, be positive and to have fun.”