Monitor 2007-11-8

Page 1

– Page 5

control of parking.

Men’s water polo drops one.

Fremont, California

Vol. XXXVI No. 11

Veterans Day is on the wrong day. – Page 2

– Page 8

– Page 3

OPINION

photos.

ASOC demands

SPORTS

About Nothing’

NEWS

FEATURES

More ‘Much Ado

November 8, 2007

Smith takes on 15th term

Let us entertain you . . .

By Eric Dorman News editor

Photo by Daniel Yuan

Don John, played by Bon Kearns, gestures expansively during a ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ rehearsal Tuesday. The show opens tomorrow and will play through next Saturday at Ohlone. Tickets are available at the Box Office. For more pictures, see Page 5.

Ohlone Foundation Executive Director Dave Smith was elected to his 15th consecutive term as Newark mayor Tuesday, winning 82 percent of the vote. He is the third-longestserving mayor in America. Smith listed Ohlone’s Newark campus as being a defining theme for his next term. “I really want to make Newark a greener community [starting with the Newark campus].” Smith added that he sees the Newark campus as being at the forefront of the “green” movement. He illustrated the point by noting that in a national mayors’ convention he recently attended in Washington, D.C, several EPA officials were so impressed by the Newark campus that they placed the opening day ceremony on President Bush’s calendar. While Smith noted that there was a very small likelihood that Bush would visit, the experience showed the level of interest the Newark campus is attracting. Even after 30 years of leading Newark, though, Smith said the job hasn’t gotten old. “The thrill is still there,” he said.

Group to search for Treadway replacement By ANDREW CAVETTE Staff writer The College Board of Trustees plans to ratify a $25,000 contract with the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) to help find a replacement for President Doug Treadway, who will be retiring this June. ACCT Search Consultant Pamila Fisher gave a presentation to board members during the last board meeting Oct. 24.

Though a contract has not been signed, the board unanimously voted to use ACCT in the presidential search. Barring any surprises, the board will ratify the contract with ACCT at the Nov. 14 Board meeting. The nationwide organization is involved with nearly 50 percent of community college presidential searches in California. ACCT is currently assisting Chabot and Los Positas colleges in their respective

searches for new presidents. Ohlone will form a 12-14 person search committee, which will closely resemble the current college counsel model but will probably use two representatives from each college counsel group. “The search committee does all the work along with me,” said Fisher. As a representative of ACCT, Fisher will train the search committee on how to read and rate applications and also how to conduct interviews.

“It may be old hat for some of the people, but [for others] it’s new,” said Fisher. ACCT will also do in-depth reference checking on all of the applicants. ACCT will host two public forums so that the college and people in the community can discuss what type of leader they want and what challenges they see for Ohlone in the next three to five years. The forums, along with input from the search committee and the board, will help

ACCT draft a position announcement. A position announcement indicates the position is open and also shows applicants what Ohlone is looking for. According to Sarah Daniels, assistant to the president, the production and distribution of the position announcement could cost between $3,000 to $5,000 and will be included in the $25,000 contract. Ohlone’s position announcement Continued on Page 3

Speaker discusses mental disorders By Elise Leon Staff writer Dr. John Cotrufo spoke on psychological and psychiatric disorders at a Psychology Club-hosted event Friday. When asked why society has such large numbers of depressed people and if there was a culture connection, Cotrufo responded that “there has been a major issue relative to gender roles in that society which depends on the family. By and large, the gender roles in the Afghan culture are not like California. Husband and wife, their roles are often dependent again on how that society is structured.” Cotrufo believes that through generations, he can still see the affects passed down from slavery. In a way, it is similar to when a person is abused. “A female is healthy, a trauma happens, she then has self-esteem issues, shame and feels lost. It’s an infection that would be like a fever for the rest of her life.”

He also spoke about a former patient he treated that suffered from schizophrenia. He recalls the patient saying how he knew he would never be able to have a family due to his illness and that it hurt him the way people would look at him and treat him. “When family members treat their mentally ill family members like children, it hurts,” said Cotrufo. Cotrufo works in San Leandro and Fremont. Although he does not have his own practice, he was in charge of a St. John Unit in Oakland. He is also in charge of a program for youths aged 18-23 with emotional problems. Psychology Club Treasurer Peter Schultz said his only complaint about how the talk turned out concerned the time constraints. He thought the hour allotted for the talk was too short for the amount of material covered. Schultz added that the Psychology Club’s ability to get Cotrufo to speak at Ohlone was

largely due to the fact that Cotrufo is a friend of the club’s ICC Representative Anahita Dadman. Because of this, Cotrufo charged nothing for his talk. The Psychology Club plans to stay busy over the next few weeks, said Club Advisor Sheldon Helms. For example, next Friday the club will be visited by Furry Friends Pet Therapy, a nationwide non-profit organization that trains animals for visits to places such as hospitals and children’s wards. The event will take place at 2:30 in Room 8205. More information on the organization is available at www.furryfriends.org. Both Cotrufo and Furry Friends have been hosted by the Psychology Club before. Looking forward, the club has several events planned for next semester as well, including a visit to Stanford’s Sleep Disorders Clinic and a cooperative event with the LIFE club. The details of the latter event have not yet been determined.

Photo by Daniel Yuan

Psychologist John Cotrufo speaks on psychological disorders at the college Friday.


2

monitor November 8, 2007

Associated Collegiate Press / National Scholastic Press Association All American 1984 1987 1990

1985 1988 1991

1986 1989 1992

Regional Pacemaker 1988 Journalism Association of Community Colleges General Excellence Fall 1994 General Excellence Fall 2000 General Excellence Fall 2004 General Excellence Fall 2005

Opinion Editor in chief: Anna Nemchuk News editor: Eric Dorman Opinion editor: Michael Aburas Features editor: Emily Burkett Sports editor: Tomás Ortega Photo editor: Dan Yuan Online editor: Matthew So Staff writers: Vanessa Baumann, Inez Black, Andrew Cavette, Brian Chu, Barry Kearns, Margarita Kitova, Elise Leon, Jerome Nepacena, Lila Salinas, Kathy Sung. Graphics staff: Nick Bakovic Photo staff: Jack Husting Ad manager: Danelle Meyer Adviser: Bill Parks Printer: F-P Press

Please recycle the Monitor

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

Christmas comes too early in department stores By Sandeep abraham Correspondent Consumption junction is normally a very disturbing website, a tribute and home to any and every politically incorrect fart/sex/puke joke on the planet. However, America is once again at an equally disturbing consumption junction of our own: the pre-Christmas shopping season. Halloween has just barely walked out the door of 2007, and supermarket chains have already begun taking down jack-o’-lanterns

in favor of plush Rudolphs, and devilish spears in favor of oversized candy canes. (I’m still waiting for candy cane devil spears. There’s nothing quite like a compromise.) Radio stations are slowly but surely beginning their upcoming mindnumbing stream of Christmas music with holiday remixes just around the corner. In a nutshell, we’re continuing our proud tradition of trampling older traditions to appease the almighty dollar, or maybe just the inexplicable yet all-American urge to splurge.

And why do we feel this need to spend even more of our supposedly hard-earned money on more useless crap we know corporations use to tug at our emotions? Because it’s tradition. We’re Americans; we spend, we consume; it’s what we do. The more we spend, the more we have. The more we have, the closer we are to the American dream. The closer we are to the American dream, the more American each of us is. Some of us don’t even think of why we spend so much. After all these years of holiday after

commercialized holiday, it’s all just routine and expected. And don’t try to deny that you spend all that money on useless holiday-themed trinkets and decorations. If you didn’t spend your money on useless holiday crap, companies wouldn’t produce so much of it, much less more than two months before the actual holiday. This isn’t to say that everything we buy for the holidays is useless crap. Turkeys, pumpkins, fruitcakes and such each evoke certain memories in us, memories that bring to mind our childhoods and warm

family gatherings. But for the love of all things sacred, do you honestly want those memories bottled, packaged and sold to you at Wal-Mart prices? Though maybe it’s justified. Americans live fast lives. Most of us are too busy, too engaged in our careers, relationships and ambitions to indulge in warm, fuzzy feelings we have to create ourselves. It’s so much easier to just buy these feelings and at huge holiday discounts. But that defeats their purpose. Continued on Page 3

Veterans Day is celebrated on the wrong day By Dan Yuan Photo editor On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice was signed, ending fighting in the Great War, the “War to End All Wars.” Veterans Day, Armistice Day and Remembrance Day are celebrated in many nations with the aim of reflecting upon the bloodshed of war. And yet to many, the holiday is

on Monday and is little more than a day off. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the date of the end of some of the most brutal fighting the world has seen does not change to make your vacation plans more convenient. By recognizing Armistice Day on a Monday, the significance of the date is cheapened, relegating it to yet another barbeque, chill-out day similar to what Memorial Day has become. But even more ironically, unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day is not even supposed to be

celebrated on a Monday. Although it was changed to the fourth Monday of October in 1968, this decision was reversed in 1975 and since 1978, Veterans Day has been recognized on the historically noteworthy day of Nov. 11. The carnage and effects of the first World War are not something we should forget so easily. The consequences of the vicious fighting and the treaties that followed reshaped the world. Even the current state of affairs in the Middle East can trace its roots to this conflict.

For example, the state of Iraq saw its creation due to a mandate from the end of the war. Over 20 million human beings, both soldiers and civilians, lost their lives in the two World Wars, and an entire generation was permanently scarred. Needless to say, the date Nov. 11 carries much significance. It’s disappointing to see the Ohlone events calendar incorrectly list V. D. as Nov.12. Maybe in the future we’ll digitally edit Roosevelt’s speech from Dec. 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy” to the

second Monday of December 1941, “a date to barbeque and take the kids to Disneyland.” But this is the world we live in. A world far removed from the effects of war, which only manifest themselves in the civilian world as rising gas prices and new subjects for movies and video games. General Robert E. Lee once said that “it is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it,” but we live in an age where it is far too easy to forget about war and the people it affects.

Campus Comment > > >

Which actor would play you in your biography?

rebecca boliba Deaf Studies “Punky Brewster. I always liked her.”

jess Chiang Undecided “Jet Li. I like the common man who can also fight.”

angelica vila michael o’boyle Business English “A bum off the street.”

“Ashton Kutcher. He’s a random crazy guy who will do anything.”

Daniel taube Business “Some Ukranian guy .”


November 8, 2007 MONITOR

News

3

Health Sciences Department on track to move By Kathy Sung Staff writer The Health Sciences Department and others are on track to complete their move to the Newark campus by the start of classes on Jan. 28, 2008. A variety of classes will make the move to the new campus, including classes from different science fields and some sections of Chemistry 109. Some of the equipment needed to support the new campus will be moved by a moving company. However, there is $500,000 allotted by the campus and various other funding resources to allow purchasing of brand new

equipment. Newark’s new campus focuses on Health Science and Technology, because there is a need for skilled employees in these two areas. A lot of the Bay Area companies are looking to fill in new “entry-level positions” with skilled employees. Ohlone College is one of the few colleges trying to help students develop the new skills needed to meet this workforce need. The movement of some of the science programs will allow students access “new, state-of-the-art facilities” to improve their work skills. Only one biotechnology laboratory exists in the present-day Fremont campus. Newark’s new campus will

allow “biotech students at Ohlone College with better learning environments,” said Math, Science and Technology Dean Ron Quinta. The “entire health science division is moving. This includes Registered Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, Physical Therapy Assistant and Phlebotomy,” said Nursing Director Gale Carli. The move for the health science division is right on track. Health science departments will be moving on Dec. 17 and 18 and unpacking over Winter Break. The staff is planning and hoping to have the entire department move in by Jan. 28, 2008. Assistant Director of Buildings & Grounds Manmohan

ASOC demands Lot N By Barry Kearns Staff writer College Board of Trustees Student Representative Ken Steadman has announced a resolution that would give the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) control of the parking spaces in Lot N. There will be an executive meeting this Friday at 10:15 a.m. in Building 1 near the ASOC offices that will focus on the current parking situation. Following this, next week in the ASOC meeting there will be a vote to support the resolution which will then be put forward to the board of trustees. Lot N is currently unavailable as student parking. Steadman argued that the 36 spaces available would help with the current parking crunch and possibly reduce the current parking fees that were raised due to the loss of Lots N, O and P. Steadman also pointed out that during the ASOC table events parking is the number one concern of students that fill out surveys. The ASOC voted unanimously to approve funding for the Thanksgiving day feast for this year. The event will be held in the Cafeteria on Wednesday Nov. 21 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Burrito Loco will cater the food and the ASOC is expecting 500 people to show up to the event. Burrito Loco won the contract by coming in with a bid lower than the cafeteria’s. The amount awarded for the

Thanksgiving feast was $4,875 for the food and some decorations for the event. In return for the food the ASOC is asking for people to fill out a survey regarding the cafeteria. The food provided by Burrito Loco will include an entrée of turkey or vegetarian lasagna People who come to the event are encouraged to bring new socks for the Tri-City Homeless Shelter. The staff of Midnight Magazine also appeared before the ASOC to make a request of $4,000 for this semester’s issue of the magazine. The amount will go to printing fees and is a reduced price from the $5,300 charged last semester. The ASOC will convene next week to vote on the request. The Advisors report offered a reminder to the ASOC that some decisions would need to be made about the Newark Ohlone Campus and in some of the available corporate sponsorship. Towards the end of the meeting discussion resumed once again about the Certified Student Leader Online Seminar. The members of the ASOC are required to watch the seminar presentations as part of their meetings. Apparent lack of interest sparked the discussion. The matter was discussed at a few weeks earlier at the Newark Ohlone Campus, but with no better plan for viewing the seminars the ASOC decided to continue watching them as they had previously. Before any changes could be made about the online seminar, a quick vote adjourned the meeting for the day.

Gill and the moving company are moving the items over. Large items “such as mannequins, vital sign monitors, IV machines which can not be boxed up” will be moved by a moving company with experience in moving things from the medical field, said Carli. The Newark campus will be the first to have a human patient simulator. There will be one for a child and one for an infant. “This is the only time in the nursing program where we tell students it is OK to make a mistake while providing patient care,” said Carli. “The human simulators can produce a blood pressure, heart rate, respirations, lung sounds, heart sounds.

They have peripheral pulses also. Students can practice inserting all types of tubes. The manniquin can talk and cry.” The technology in the new facility will allow people to increase their educational status. For the next semester, the nursing faculty is hoping to integrate nursing basics into some of the basic classes such as English, speech, and intermediate algebra. This will allow future nurses to have further practice in their area of study. The new instructors are working together with nurses to prepare and alter these courses. These new courses are tentatively planned for the Fall 2008 semester.

Bank grants $450,000 By Brian Chu Staff writer Fremont Bank has granted Ohlone College $250,000 for the brand new Newark Campus, the first completely “green” campus in the country. Ohlone’s capital campaign budget for the college’s new Center for Health Sciences and Technology is currently at $10 million. “We’re proud to be the lead corporate sponsor in the support of this new facility, which represents the next-generation of community college campuses,” said Fremont Bank Foundation President Hattie Hyman Hughes. “This generous grant from Fremont Bank Foundation will inspire other individuals and companies from the private sector to help us increase the quality of the educational experience at Ohlone College.” said Ohlone College President Doug Treadway. In honor of the donation, Ohlone College is naming its new Business and Community Conference Center the “Fremont Bank Conference Center.” It will be located on the Newark campus

and has a 180-person capacity. A press release from Fremont Bank states that the new Conference Center is an impressive “wireless state-of-the-art facility has capability to simultaneously engage people in the building with four or more video conference locations on a split screen.” Fremont Bank had also contributed $100,000 to ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation. The foundation plans to construct a children’s playground in Fremont’s Central Park. The playground equipment will be designed to allow children with special physical and developmental needs to still be able to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Construction is estimated to begin shortly and is to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2008. Fremont Bank has also had a long history with Central Park. The late founder of Fremont Bank, Morris Hyman, was a former chairman of the City of Fremont Parks and Recreation Commission. Last June the Fremont Bank Foundation donated $1 million to assist in the reconstruction of the Central Park lagoon.

Organization to search for new president Continued from Page 1 will be sent to the presidents of community colleges across the nation asking for recommendations. Additionally, according to Daniels, the ACCT will utilizes a “highly developed network of periodicals that are appropriate for this kind of a search.” Treadway currently makes $195,295 annually, but, according to Fisher, the salary for the new president will not be featured in the position announcement. Salary negotiations will take place after the finalists are narrowed by the board. Treadway was out of the country when Fisher made her initial presentation. Though she will meet with Treadway upon his return, she said the outgoing president will have

minimal input into the selection process. ACCT was not used by Ohlone when Treadway was chosen to be president. According to Daniels, initially some board members wanted to once again use the services of Tom Van Groningen in this new presidential search. “There were some people who felt that he did a good job in bringing in Dr. Treadway as a candidate and they wanted to at least leave that option open to consider him,” said Daniels, “but, by the end of the evening at the board meeting, they were persuaded... not only in terms of [Fisher’s] presentation and ACCT as a firm, but also in the interest of time.” Ohlone is already a member of ACCT. If Ohlone did not use ACCT

it would have to send out a formal bid for proposals, await responses and have those responses reviewed by the board before making a selection of finalists. Daniels said, “... because we are members of ACCT we can use [their services] without a more formal bidding process. It

saves us roughly two months worth of [search] time. With the holidays coming up we would loose precious time.” Once the contract is signed, the search committee formed, the public forums held and the committee reviews the responses generated

by the position announcement, the board will narrow the candidates down to a few finalists. According to Fisher, the public will have a chance to meet the finalists before a final decision is made. The timetable will have a new president selected by late March or early April 2008.


4

monitor November 8, 2007

Devil’s Advocate By Anna Nemchuk Editor-in-chief

Church hate is good “The American Army is a Fag Army!” proclaims the Westboro Baptist Church on godhatesamerica.com. The anti-gay, antiAmerican, anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, anti-flag, (apparently anti-pretty much everything, as I can’t really find anything that they’re for) Kansas-based church was recently ordered to fork over $10.9 million to the family of a U.S. marine for picketing his funeral with such charming slogans as “God hates fags.” and “Thank God for dead soldiers.” The church’s mature and thoughtful response to the matter can be found on their website: “As long as the Lord our God gives us breath, and He continues to kill your G.I. Joe wannabe brat kids, we will still preach at funerals [...] Pass your laws, file your lawsuits. [...] WE WILL NOT GO AWAY [...] We have but one word for you: HA!” WBC, led by Fred Phelps, is the same group that picketed around Newark in conjunction with transgender teen Gwen Araujo’s murder and Newark Memorial High’s subsequent performance of “The Laramie Project” in 2002. The first glimpse of the website made me laugh. The primitive, garish graphics, the sensationalistic text better suited to an eBay ad than a religion, the antagonistic, arrogant, hate-filled expletives against all things non-WBC, the ludicrous, convoluted, nonsensical arguments that make taffy out of logic (“For more commentary in real time, read every word of our new blogs. Your soul depends on it!”) - more than anything else, the site seems like an elaborate April Fool’s joke gone way overboard. Except, as far as I can tell, these people are serious. And that’s right around the time my brain came to a screeching halt. I’m literally having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that there are lucid (sane?) adults out there who honestly believe god is punishing America because that is what happens “when you fill the army with fags and dykes.” And one of the most repugnant parts of the whole mess is that the Phelphs clan, bloated with lawyers, uses free speech legislation to their advantage. After all, they declare pompously, the First Amendment means they can spew their particular brand of back-lot zealotry at will. After having taken the censorship class with Professor Katona last spring, I can readily attest to the many limits on what most people consider “free” speech in this country. But I have to say, much as I abhor all forms of censorship, muzzling these idiots at funerals, churches and public places seems a fair compromise to mercy killing. They’d enjoy that too much.

Features Literature dark and stormy By Margarita Kitova Staff writer The gothic novel is described as containing “mysterious deaths, supernatural happenings, a moaning ancestral portrait, a damsel in distress,” and, according to the Oxford Companion to English Literature, “violent emotions of terror, anguish, and love.” If that sounds like your kind of literature, you may be interested in Gothic Novel English 119, a class that will be offered in Spring 2008. It will cover such topics as dark romanticism and the gothic impulse in 19th and 20th century literature. In the class, students will read books like “Phantom of the Opera,” “Jane Eyre” and “Dorian Gray,” as well as see vintage films of novels like “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Nosferatu.” The class will be taught by Professor Cynthia Katona, and the last time it was offered was when Katona was in Sydney, Australia with Ohlone students on their semester abroad. The course fulfills GE requirements, and it is one of the elective courses for the English Major. The Gothic Novel class is three units and it will include lots of reading and a

Blood drive gets 55 units By Inez Black Staff writer

Illustration from ‘Halloween in Germany,’ from an 1840 collection of gothic novels. single paper, said Katona. The class will have only one section, offered on Monday night from 6:30 to 9:40 in HH 208. Katona is likely retiring after next year, so this will be the last time she will teach the class. The prerequisite for English 119 is English 101A or equivalent. Students should show up for the first night regardless of whether they meet the requirements, though. Katona said that many returning students take the Monday night class and meet the requirements

other ways. Other interesting things that students will learn include the meaning of the strange plants in “Rappaccini’s Garden;” Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire,” the cult classic that makes Stephen King look like kid stuff, according to Katona; as well as the complex secret of the library in “The Name of the Rose.” The latter work will be studied in connection with the preoccupations of the Romantic, Victorian and Modern eras.

bit as little publicity has been done. Also, Bratton noted that cigarette butts have reappeared all over campus. People have been e-mailing Bratton saying they have seen people smoking on campus where it is not permitted. This has led to another big campaign to heighten the awareness of the Ohlone policy. The Great American Smoke-Out began Nov. 1 and it will end on Nov. 15, which is the date of a planned turkey raffle and breakfast in the Quad, starting at 8 a.m., for those who want to sign up to be smoke-free.

Bratton indicated that the most successful programs for stopping smoking are those that limit access to smoking areas. Smoking secession programs are not as successful. People getting sick are not as successful in stopping smoking. Doctors warning patients is not as successful in stopping smoking. Bratton said, “People have to realize that policy does work in successfully getting people to stop smoking.” “We have about 25 volunteers who will help us do an educational campaign, to give people tear-off

After an innovative Draculabased promotion campaign, the Oct. 31 blood drive resulted in 55 faculty, staff and students donating blood, according to Sally Bratton, director of the Ohlone Student Health Center. It was particularly important this year, as the Red Cross had to cancel their Southern California blood drives for two weeks during the fires, Bratton said. Typically, Ohlone averages 46 volunteers to donate blood, making this drive a success. The Red Cross team of 20 members arrived at 7:30 a.m. to set up in the cafeteria. The drive was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There were so many volunteers the station stayed open until 5 p.m. Bratton said, “It takes about a half an hour from the time they go in to do their intake to find out if they are eligible to be donors until they actually have their blood drawn. “We were so backlogged that we had people wait an hour and a half. They were great. They were so patient.”

Smoking still illegal on Ohlone campus By Inez Black Staff writer The Student Health Center has been instrumental in helping Ohlone become a smoke-free campus. “We had a grant to promote it,” said Sally Bratton, director of the Ohlone Student Health Center. So, in June 2004, the regulation was passed, and Ohlone became a “smoke-free campus.” Bratton said that the Sustainability Committee took the over the anti-smoking campaign after the regulation was implemented, and it has waned a

World Forum now set Dec. 3 By Jasmin Toutounchi Correspondent The World Forum on the international perspective of deaf culture, originally scheduled for Nov. 14, has been rescheduled to Monday, Dec. 3. Roz Rosen, director of the National Center on Deafness (NCOD) at the California State University Northridge, will speak from noon to 2 p.m. in the Craig Jackson Theater, in the Smith Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Rosen will give insight on the international deaf community and the challenges faced, especially in third-world countries. Rosen’s presentation was postponed due to availability problems. According to a 2006 press release from California State University Northridge (CSUN), the National Center on Deafness (NCOD) provides communication access and tutoring programs for deaf or hard of hearing students, as well as leadership and social opportunities. Rosen graduated from Gallaudet University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree as well as a doctor-

ate in education from the Catholic University of America. Rosen also served for eight years on the board of the World Federation of the Deaf. Her experience goes as far as serving for three years as the president of the National Association of the Deaf. Joe McLaughlin, dean of deaf studies and special services, said, “She is very aware of what is happening. “With Fremont’s California School for the Deaf and the positive and encouraging environment, Ohlone has become a draw for deaf students in the Bay Area.” In particular, with the many resources provided, the deaf community thrives. “Being deaf is simply

a different mode of communication and Roz Rosen tries to bring that to the attention of her listeners,” McLaughlin explained. The Ohlone College World Forum series started in spring 2005 and has brought speakers on global issues into the campus twice each semester. The most recent speaker was B.S. Parkash, who explained the changing global profile of India and the dynamics of the relationship between India and the U.S. Admission to World Forums is free.

sheets if they see them smoking outside the designated areas which are just in the regular parking lots,” she said. “They cannot smoke in the handicapped parking lots.” She indicated it was merely a matter of educating people of the policy. Most people are not hostile. As a matter of fact, the Newark Campus will be complete smoke free-not even smoke in the parking lots. Bratton said that Ciggy Butts will not be there as they donated the Butts costume to the Alameda County Tobacco Control Coalition, as they do many smoking secession programs. So Ciggy has graduated and is now working in his field, Bratton pointed out.


November 8, 2007 monitor

Features

5

‘Much Ado’ opens tomorrow night Actors rehearse for ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which opens tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. Clockwise from left: Antonia, played by Stephanie Pintella, Beatrice, played by Tabitha Mcbride, Hero, played by Stacey Lynn Bell and Friar Francis, played Phil Vallejo, look on; Pintella, left, and Claudio, played by Wes Walters, argue; something captures the attention of McBride, Pintella and Bell while Vallejo makes a pronouncement to Bell and Walters. Photos by Daniel Yuan


6 MONITOR

News

November 8, 2007

Jeff O’Connell’s Brown Bag: Math goes to the movies By Eric Dorman News editor It was an unlikely scenario: Homer Simpson, a cartoon figure with an IQ lower than most rodents, had apparently just disproved a 500-year-old mathematical tenet. It was an unlikelier setting: the cartoon was being shown and discussed before a packed house at last Friday’s Brown Bag Science Seminar, led by Math Instructor Jeff O’Connell. Though under closer scrutiny it was revealed that Homer was incorrect, there was no denying the popularity of the talk’s subject matter. Throughout the presentation, the clips, which came from such sources as “The Wizard of Oz,” “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” and “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” met with applause from students, math teachers and third-semester calculus students alike. O’Connell prefaced his talk by noting that while previous Brown Bag lectures—particularly the talk directly preceding his, a collection of chemistry demonstrations performed by Ohlone Professor Emeritus Jim Klent—have contained opportunities for learning on the attendees’ part, such learning possibilities would be absent from his presentation. O’Connell illustrated this point by starting the show off with a clip from the 1941 Abbott and Costello film “In the Navy,” in which Costello explained that 7 x 13 = 28 to some more informed but less imaginative navy officers, noting that the points made were so convincing that one could walk away from the show thinking that Costello was actually mathematically correct. After Costello’s multiplication lecture, O’Connell presented

several minutes of the 1994 movie “Little Big League,” showing the Minnesota Twins baseball team attempting to solve a simultaneous work problem, followed by a scene from “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995), in which Bruce Willis was able to disarm a bomb by measuring out exactly 4 gallons of water using only a 5-gallon and 3-gallon jug. Though the movie never showed Willis actually solving the problem, O’Connell said that it had two independent solutions, which he left for the audience to figure out on their own. O’Connell also explained how two shows as disparate as “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and “The Simpsons” could be connected through math. To do this, he first showed a scene from “The Wizard of Oz” in which the Wizard bestows a diploma upon the Scarecrow, causing the latter individual to spout out an official-sounding, but deeply flawed, version of the Pythagorean Theorem: “The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side.” After spending a moment proving the inaccuracy of this statement mathematically (the statement is true for the hypotenuse and two legs of right triangle, not an isosceles), O’Connell showed a response from “The Simpsons.” In it, Homer finds a pair of glasses in a public restroom and, upon putting them on, immediately spouts out the Scarecrow’s dictum. Rather than getting a positive response as the Scarecrow does, however, a deep voice intones to the perpetually unlucky Homer, “That’s a right triangle, you idiot.” O’Connell noted that out of all TV shows, “The Simpsons are famous for their math jokes.” He listed seven “Simpsons” writers/

producers who hold advanced math and science degrees, many from Ivy League universities. This is not the first time O’Connell has delivered a Brown Bag lecture; 3-4 years ago he spoke on Game Theory and other ideas of Mathemetician John Nash, the subject of the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind.” O’Connell said the the idea for a “Math in Movies” talk wasn’t a recent one; “it was something I’d always had in mind.” He said he thought it would be fun, and was pleased with the results. Due to the fact the all the material shown was copyrighted, no recording was made of the talk. The next Brown Bag will be held next Friday, Nov. 16, from 1-2 in Room 2133. It will be concerning “NanoTechnology: From Fundamentals to Function: Industry’s Vision and Strategy” and will be led by Dr. Archita Sengupta of Intel.

Photo by Daniel Yuan

Math Instructor Jeff O’Connell explains an episode of “The Simpsons” at the Brown Bag Friday.


Campus Events CLASSIFIEDS babysitter or home day care needed -- I am urgently looking for a baby sitter or home day care to take care of my 13-month old daughter. I work part time as a lecturer on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and unfortunately my current baby sitter is unable to continue after Thanksgiving. If you know of anyone who can baby sit starting from the week after Thanksgiving, please call (925) 484-1082. Tutor Wanted -- For second grade students. For more information please contact Ria at: pgupta8@yahoo.com or call (408) 234-0300. NOW HIRING $11$18 -- Do you love working with children? Become a substitute.We need teachers, aides & directors for preschools, daycares and after school programs all over the Bay Area. Schedules are flexible. You pick your days, hours, region and age group. We will work around your availability. Please call (866) 9947823, e-mail at calstaff@ sbcglobal.net or visit our website: www.CaliforniaStaffingService.com.

November 8 LIFE Meeting -- 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. in the Palm Bosque if the weather is good or Room 14A if the weather is bad. LIFE is a club that meets on Thursdays. Come join the fun and take part in “Liberated Individuals for the Environment.” Everyone is welcome. 8 New Art Gallery Exhibit -- Up until Dec. 5 in the Art Gallery. This exhibit is “Much Ado About Nothing,” in cooperation with Ohlone’s theater department. The exhibit is guestcurated by the “Much Ado About Nothing” producer Tom Blank. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from noon to 3 p.m. 8-10 Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing -Performance by the Ohlone Theatre Department at 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets visit the box office or call (510)

659-6031. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults. 10-11 Men’s Basketball - Jonathan Wallace Memorial Tournament -- All day here at Ohlone. 10 Super Flea Market -- 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in parking lots E and H. Vendors sell a variety of things like jewelry, food, tools, gift items, toys, household supplies and collectibles. Flea markets are held on the second Saturday of each month. Parking is $2 per vehicle and admission is free. All proceeds support Ohlone College programs. Just in time for holidays. 12 No Classes For Holiday -- Veterans Day Holiday. No classes.

ing -- performance by the Ohlone Theatre Department at 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets please visit the box office or call (510) 659-6031. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults.

page for more information on upcoming Brown Bag seminars.

16 Chops Big Band: Sound of the Americas -- 8:30 p.m. in the Smith Center. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the box office window located at the front of the 16 Brown Bag Seminar Smith Center. -- NanoTechnology: From Fundamentals to Func- 17 Women’s Basketball tion: Industry’s Vision and -- 7 p.m. vs. College of Strategy. Event is from 1 Marin here at Ohlone in to 2 p.m. in Room 2133. the gym. Dr. Sanjay Sengupta, Ph.D at Intel Corp., will present 18 Women’s Basketball “next generation projects” -- 6 p.m. vs. San Joaquin in nanotechnology and Delta College here at physical chemistry. She Ohlone. shares insights into exciting cutting-edge careers 22-25 Thanksgiving Holiin science. Free refresh- day -- No classes. ments are available prior to event and the event is free. 28 Women’s Basketball Check the Ohlone web -- 7 p.m. vs. Las Positas

November 8, 2007 monitor

7

College here at Ohlone. 30 Brown Bag Seminar -- Global Warming. Event is from 1 to 2 p.m. in Room 2133. Juliet Hoffman will present compelling scientific evidence of global warming as well as its effect on the polar bears and other threatened species. Free refreshments are available prior to event and the event is free. Check the Ohlone web page for more information on upcoming Brown Bag seminars.

December 3 World Forum: Deaf Culture: An International Perspective -- Noon to 2 p.m. The World Forum is free to the community. This World Forum will be held in the Craig Jackson Theater, in the Smith Center.

14 FREE Thanksgiving Feast -- 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the lobby of Building 1. This event is sponsored by the Associated Students of Ohlone College. 14 Women’s Volleyball -- 6:30 p.m. vs. Gavilan College here at Ohlone. 15 Last Day To Drop -this is the last day to drop classes and receive a W grade. All day. 1 5 G re a t A m e r i c a n Smoke-out -- All day free in the Quad. Features “Cold turkey” breakfast and free turkey give-away. 15 Interviewing Skills Workshop -- 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. in Room HH-113. Sign up by email to: ssc@ ohlone.edu or visiting the Counseling Window in Building 1. Presented by Tri-Cities One Stop Career Center, Newark and the Ohlone College Student Success Center. This event is free. 15 Campus Tour -- 4 p.m. in the lobby of Building 1. The Ohlone Student Ambassadors conduct campus tours the first and third Thursday of every month. Tours will begin promptly at 4 p.m. and last approximately one hour. Wear comfortable shoes. 15 LIFE Meeting -- 2:40 to 3:40 p.m. in the Palm Bosque if the weather is good or Room 14A if the weather is bad. LIFE is a club that meets on Thursdays. Come join the fun and take part in “Liberated Individuals for the Environment.” Everyone is welcome. 15-17 Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Noth-

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, November 8, 2007

Page 8

Men’s H20 host Conference Championship, lose By Jerome Nepacena Staff writer The first half was an offensive struggle for the Men’s Water Polo team. The second half was a struggle defensively in the Renegades’ 8-3 elimination loss against Solano College Friday afternoon. Throughout most of the first half, both teams struggled to execute on offense, making it clear that the first team to put a few goals together and create some separation on that scoreboard was going to win the

game. That is what happened, and unfortunately Ohlone wasn’t the team that managed to gain the upper hand. The loss meant elimination from the Men’s Water Polo tournament which spanned from Friday throughout all of Saturday. At the start of the third quarter, neither team could score and many scoring opportunities were missed. The difference was hustle, and Solano showed a lot of it by beating the Renegades to loose balls and

Photos by Daniel Yuan

Above and left: Ohlone players give it their best shot in the Water Polo tournament last weekend. forcing turnovers. On the offensive end, the Renegades used too much time off the shot-clock and couldn’t seem to get off a quality shot. As the quarter went on the Renegades were able to break free and score two goals in the quarter to make the score 5-2 going into the fourth. Turnovers and bad shots defined the fourth quarter for the Renegades as Solano finally began to pull away. Solano managed to put the game away for good at

the midpoint of the quarter when an Ohlone turnover resulted in a score for Solano, giving them a 7-2 lead with six minutes left in the game. The Renegades were held to one goal in the fourth and the end result was an 8-3 loss and elimination in the first round of the tournament. The tournament was won by West Valley College, with Cabrillo College coming in at second place. When asked about the Ren-

Men’s Basketball ready for season By Vanessa Baumann Staff writer Generally in every sport, two major things are needed to have a successful team: good players and a good coach. The Ohlone Men’s Basketball Team has had just the thing in the past years, and this year is looking to have the same success. Coach John Peterson will be coaching his sixth season at Ohlone this year. Throughout the years he has given a lot to the team. He led the team to the first league title in Ohlone history as well as the most wins and best win percentage in Ohlone’s history. Over the past six years, the Renegades’ win/loss record is 128-57. The team has also won two Coast Conference Championships and has made five State Tournament appearances. Their highest ranking in the state is No. 4, and their highest ranking in Northern California is No. 2. Last year’s achievement included a record of 28-4. They also won the Confer-

ence, but ended up losing in the Elite Eight. Last year 11 players transferred to four-year colleges, and of the only sevne players who have gone to a DI four-year colleges in Ohlone’s history, last year’s team provided four of them. With all of the team’s success in the past six years, this year’s plans are to deliver another year of success. With no returning starters from last year, 17 freshmen are on this year’s team, along with two sophomores. So the whole team is all new. Because this year’s team is all new, there is no answer to what their strength is yet. With 19 new players on the team, they have been working well with each other in the gym and on the court. That is very important and it is a good sign for the team. Coach Peterson said, “having good players, who are equally good people, that are willing to listen and learn,” is one of the main keys to his success as a coach. When asked about what drives Coach Peterson, he answered, “the

fear of losing, a desire to teach life skills to our athletes that will help them when they leave here, and the desire to help kids position themselves to get a scholarship and continue their education.” With a lot to live up to from the past years, this year’s team will be working just as hard to succeed and prove that they are a strong team.

Coach Peterson’s realistic expectations for this year’s team is to win the state title. “ If we do the things we are supposed to do, on and off the court, I think it could be a good year.” The men open at home Friday, versus Sacramento City at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Jonathon Wallace Memorial Tournament.

Photo by Tomás Ortega

Coach Peterson instructs one of his players during practice Tuesday afternoon.

egades’ overall performance for the season, Coach Gene Kendall said “We have been improving every week but not enough to win many games.” Players like goalie Kevin Lundt, Nate Gill, and Danny De Gregorio have been consistent performers for the Men’s Water Polo Team, and, according to Coach Kendall, these players were bright spots for the Renegades in a somewhat disappointing season.

Soulless holidays

Continued from Page 2 Wait for the holidays. Yes, there’s a holiday rush. Yes, you might have to not-sogently nudge that ninety-year old grandma out of the way to get the last turkey on sale. Yes, you might have to actually use one of uncle Alphonse’ bonsai trees, because all the Christmas trees were sold out. And yes, you might even have to be creative on your sister’s present because you didn’t sell your soul to beat the crowds on Black Friday. But if you end up inviting that old grandma to share your family’s Thanksgiving dinner, if you get to decorate that bonsai tree with your little cousins for their first Christmas, and if your sister just happens to appreciate the love and effort you put into your present rather than simply buying her something everyone else has, wouldn’t it all be worth it? I can’t answer those questions for you, but I for one wouldn’t have it any other way.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.