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Softball reloads for playoffs vs. Sequoias. – Page 3
Fremont, California
Vol. XXXVI No. 13
OPINION
Black Panther to speak at Unity Week.
SPORTS
NEWS
FEATURES
Tim Roberts band jams out in theatre.
Beauty is skin deep; tanning does not help. – Page 2
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Treadway announces retirement for ’08 A 90-day long hiring freeze also announced at the forum April 30. By Kyle Stephens Staff writer and Omer Ahmed News editor College President Doug Treadway announced his retirement during a Special College Issues Forum on Monday, April 30. He also addressed a number of other pressing concerns affecting the campus, such
as a freeze on new hirings. Near the end of the forum, Treadway told the audience of faculty, staff, students and community members that he would be retiring in June 2008, ending months of speculation among people at Ohlone. He said the late date was set on purpose, in order to give the college and the board of trustees time to find a replacement. Treadway mentioned that his primary reasons for seeking retirement were that he wanted to spend more time with family, specifically his three grandsons, teach, and do consulting and international
volunteer work. Treadway also announced that no new staff or faculty would be hired without direct approval by the administration for 90 days. He said that the hiring freeze was a response to uncertainties in the upcoming year’s budget. Due in part to the drop in housing prices, the taxes that make up a large portion of Ohlone and other community colleges’ budgets are now up in the air. Treadway said that the freeze is an attempt to buy time with the budget, which must have its funds, namely for payroll, allocated.
Newark mayor appointed new director of foundation By SANDEEP ABRAHAM Staff writer
Ohlone Foundation has appointed David Smith, mayor of the city of Newark for over 29 years, as the Foundation’s new executive director. The announcement was made by the Foundation on Monday, April 30, but Smith was first approved for the position by the Ohlone board on April 11. He replaced former director, Josephine Ong-McBride, who resigned in March. Smith was previously Ohlone’s executive director of enterprise and asset management. He began working for Ohlone in January 2006, making this promotion, just
a year and a half later, all the more significant. His official duties as the foundation’s new director include supervising two signature Foundation events, garnering funds from local donors and collaborating with Ohlone’s president on various other campus events and projects. He will be responsible for enhancing relations between the foundation office at the top of the hill and the campus community below it. The Foundation is responsible for the scholarships awarded to Ohlone students and will give out at least 20 this week totalling $10,850 for this school year. Eager as ever about his new position, Smith intends to further work
Set nets college $10K
on the district’s capital campaign and to use his new directorship to integrate the campaign’s activities with the goals of the Foundation. He plans to expand the Foundation’s source pool of funds in order to provide more for Ohlone students by tapping more individuals and corporations for scholarship money. “Integrating the capital campaign with the Foundation will enable us to reach a broader audience as we take the capital campaign ‘public’ a few months from now,”said Smith. The Capital Campaign itself is an ongoing fundraising project, launched late in the summer of 2006. Its primary aim was to raise Continued on Page 3
The ‘Twisting to the 60’s’ set pictured above was created by the theatre staff for Great America. Story on Page 3.
a long-term solution. Additionally, Treadway addressed the issue of campus safety and how to improve it in light of the recent VT shootings and a survey showing that many students did not feel safe on campus. “I think we should have zero tolerance for not feeling safe on campus,” commented Treadway, explaining that Ohlone should make students feel safe at all times. The president’s forum was held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre in order to ensure accessibility to the public.
Job fair for students
Photo by Tomas Ortega
Ohlone student Natalie Lu speaks with Fremont Bank representative Danyelle Gibson at Tuesday’s Job Fair.
Measure to lower tuition to $15 per unit set for ’08 ballot By OMER AHMED News editor
Photo by Jack Husting
The freeze is not total and essential positions can get approval directly from Treadway and the school administration. For example, departments that need new people to replace the current and only instructors who are leaving, such as the Japanese and Ethnic Studies departments, will likely have their hiring request approved. Treadway stated that funds for the currently under-construction Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology are able to be secured from state funds and Ohlone reserves but that this is not
A measure to lower community college tuition from $20 per unit to $15 has qualified for the Feb. 5, 2008 ballot. The measure also includes a minimum amount of funding for community colleges and would limit how much tuition could rise in the future. Officially titled the Community College Governance, Funding Stabilization, and Student Fee Reduction Act or, unofficially, the California Community College Initiative, the measure follows on the heels of a drop from $26 per unit to $20 that was part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ’05-’06 state budget. Originally, the initiative was to be on the November 2006 ballot ,but the Community College League
of California (CCLC), who is lobbying and managing the measure, was unable to confirm the validity of all the signatures in time. Now that the 901,308 signatures have been verified, the initiative has been given approval for 2008, as it only needed 500,000 signatures. The act is part of a more general movement to lower the cost of tuition at California community colleges, which is already the lowest in the country. The president of another group promoting the measure, the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC), Dennis Smith said, “It’s the goal of the FACCC and other major teacher unions to see the day when community colleges will have no fees at all.” Before 1984, community college tuition was free, and as recently as
1993, tuition was $13 per unit. In addition to lowering tuition, the measure seeks to ensure that fees are not unreasonably raised. If passed, it would peg fee increases to the cost of living in California. That way, the cost of community college would match the market. The act would also stop community colleges funding sources from being lumped together with kindergarten though 12th-grade education, which is often the normal process when community college funding is allocated. Organizations supporting the measure include the CCLC, FACCC, California Federation of Teachers, the California School Employees Association and the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild. The entirety of the measure is available online at caag.state.ca.us/initiatives/pdf/06-0030.pdf.
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Opinion
monitor May 3, 2007
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 General Excellence Fall 1994 General Excellence Fall 2000 General Excellence Fall 2004 General Excellence Fall 2005
Editor in chief: Anna Nemchuk News editor: Omer Ahmed Opinion editor: Matthew So Features editor: Eric Dorman Sports editors: Jeff Weisinger Nick Zambrano Photo editor: Jack Husting Online editor: TBA Staff writers: Sandeep Abraham, Michael Aburas, Manika Casterline, Brian Chu, Kanya Goldman, Krista Imus, Margarita Kitova, Noah Levin, Cheyenne Martin, Tomas Ortega, Kevin Protz, Kyle Stephens Ad manager: Danelle Meyer Ad staff: TBA Adviser: Bill Parks Printer: F-P Press
Offices are located in Room 5310 on campus, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont 945395884. Call (510) 659-6075. Fax: (510) 659-6076. E-mail: monitor@ohlone.cc.ca.us Opinions expressed in the Monitor are those of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of the staff, the college or the Associated Students of Ohlone College. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of staff members. Advertising material is printed herein for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an expression of endorsement or verification of such commercial ventures by the staff or college. The Monitor is funded by the district, by the Associated Students of Ohlone College, and through advertising revenue. 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
Beauty is skin-deep, and so is the color of skin By Sandeep Abraham Staff writer The days are finally getting warmer, and I know this not just from my sweat-drenched socks or the blinding glare on my windshield in the afternoon, but also from the aches and groans of sunburned youth. Those paler, more “pigmentally” challenged individuals find themselves overjoyed at the opportunity to deepen their complexion, but not too much. Those who dwell on the other end of the color spectrum despise the sun and
its determination to make them darker. But just what is wrong with being darker? I’m always amused when I hear the responses people have to this question. Most laugh it off, as if the answer was obvious or as if answering truthfully would destroy the façade of political correctness they’ve worked so hard at maintaining. But don’t worry. As a person of color myself, I understand where you’re coming from. We, as a society, are constantly bombarded with images of porcelain beauty. Of course, this isn’t to say that darker
models and celebrities don’t exist. On the contrary, they have gained more notoriety in the last few decades and their beauty has been acknowledged. However, darker skin is still seen as some sort of forbidden fruit, something everyone sees as exotic and sensual, but wouldn’t really go for if they had a choice. A hundred and forty two years after slavery, I am amazed that such unspoken preferences still exist. Well, no, I’m not really all that amazed. Even the symbols in our society provide hints of this. The color black usually brings to mind
images of funerals, death, sadness and desolation. Yet, it also brings to mind images of sensuous lingerie and dark chocolate. Apparently, this concept applies to and among human beings as well. Maybe I am off-base and people simply don’t want to get darker because it might lead to skin cancer. That’s understandable, but that doesn’t explain why some darkskinned people seek skin lightening treatments and techniques. Frankly, I think this is a way of thinking instilled in us at a young age, be it through what we see in
the media, what our friends may do or say even through the example our parents set. Then, when we hit adolescence (here’s looking at you, ladies), we start buying all sorts of cosmetic products designed to make us look fair and appealing. It makes me think of a caged Hansel force-fed to fatten up for the feast of a blind, cannibalistic witch in a candy-coated house. If this makes any sort of dent in your perception of yourself or of others, please let it sink in and realize – yes, this is clichéd – that beauty is only skin deep.
The bike has been invented -- did you know? By Eric Dorman Features editor Suppose I told you that I had designed an inexpensive vehicle that would transport you the same places a car would, but for a small fraction of the price. Suppose that unlike a car, this vehicle needed no fuel and had zero carbon emissions. Then, as an added bonus, not only would this vehicle get you to where you needed to go, but it would also help you shed pounds, tone muscle and increase your endurance en route to your destination.
Intrigued? Well, as much as I would like to claim ownership of this particular piece of intellectual property, it’s actually already been invented. It’s called a bicycle. At the risk of sounding romantic, the bicycle is America’s last undiscovered gem of transportation. It’s simple conceptually—two wheels, two pedals, with a metal chain connecting them—but brilliant in execution. As much as 90 percent of the power applied to the pedals is transmitted to forward movement, making it the most efficient selfpropelled mode of transportation available. Not only are bicycles efficient
in terms of energy, but they are efficient in terms of money as well. No $3 gas or upkeep fees to pay for. Just oil your chain every now and then, and you’re good to go. Still, America doesn’t seem to be catching on to the benefits of riding on two wheels. Despite the fact that the number of bikes today numbers approximately 1 billion and worldwide bicycle use has climbed steadily, particularly in Asia (China alone has 500 million bikes), the number of bicycle sales in America has declined over the past 10 years. Interestingly enough, over that same period of time, American
auto sales have grown rapidly, as has the exercise machine industry, which was worth an impressive $3.8 billion in 2004. It seems that rather than simply riding their bikes to the grocery story, today Americans must step into their GMC Yukons and Denalis in order to get to the Stairmaster at 24 Hour Fitness. Creating a bike-friendly environment is by no means impossible, and carries substantial health benefits. The inhabitants of the Netherlands take about 30 percent of their daily trips by bike—compared with America’s lowly 1 percent—and their health statistics reflect that. The Netherlands’s obesity rate is at
10 percent. America’s rate is three times that. It would be fair to say that Uncle Sam has not done his full share toward promoting bike use in America. Between 1998 and 2003, the government spent $600 million a year on bicycle projects—a sizable sum, to be sure, but little more than a drop in the bucket compared to the $2 billion in tax breaks the U.S. government gives the oil industry every year. Such little funding for bicycles is definitely a mistake. Encouraging light, road-friendly bikes could ultimately save billions of dollars in road upkeep fees over Continued on Page 3
Campus Comment > > Why are you taking classes at Ohlone?
Walter chu Carlos Smothers Singing Undecided “My friends are here, and there’s more opportunities than Chabot.”
“My mom’s a counselor here. She helps me pick my classes.”
Andre Bishop Business “The business program and the music classes.”
Jackie Rich Undecided “My mom wanted me to go here.”
Jennifer Havis
Undecided “It’s easy to get an AA and transfer here.”
May 3, 2007 MONITOR
News
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Unity week to feature Black Panther founder By Noah Levin Staff writer Art shows, celebration, fun events and a Black Panther are all going to be part of Ohlone’s Unity Week. Starting on Monday, May 7 and lasting until Friday, May 11, Unity Week is a series of festivities, speakers, games and competitions aimed at bringing the Ohlone College community together. Unity Week is organized by the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) and has been in the works
this whole semester. The week kicks off Monday at noon in the Quad with an opening celebration that will feature free food and music. Tuesday’s activities will be centered around an art show open to student and staff entries, a “blind experience,” and, once again, free food and music. Wednesday, beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting through 1 p.m. in the Jackson Theater, the ASOC will be hosting Pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement. Most notable will be the presence of Dr. Bobby
Mayor leads Foundation Continued from Page 3 funds to furnish and develop Ohlone’s new Newark campus. Specific contributors could not be named, but Smith confirmed that a local foundation will match up to $2.5 million of the money raised to furnish and equip Ohlone’s new Newark campus. There are many more companies that contribute to the Foundation in addition to the unnamed benefactor of the Capital Campaign. “Fremont Bank has been really good to us,” said Thomas Hsu, the Foundation’s executive assistant. Other significant contributors include Verizon, PG&E and Washington Hospital. In addition to the Campaign, there are two major fundraising projects Smith has invested in this year. The first was the Citizen of the Year luncheon that took place in March and the other is the 23rd Annual College Golf Tournament, which will take place in the fall of 2007. After that, Smith and the Foundation will begin working on funds for the new Student Services building. There will be a community forum on May 30 to discuss fundraising methods for the Capital Campaign and Ohlone’s Newark Campus.
Ride, don’t drive Continued from Page 2 heavy asphalt-damaging cars. Still, America’s lowly bicycle statistics are all numbers you can change. Drag that dusty bike out of your garage and try pedaling through a few errands around town. While it might not be physically as easy as relaxing in the air-conditioned comfort of your car, mentally it’s not nearly as tiring as jockeying for road position, calculating your chances of getting through that yellow light a block away and craning your neck
to see the drivers hovering in your blind spot. Is your commute too long to cover on the miles on bike? The combination of your bike and public transit is often enough to get you where you need to go. If you don’t want to put your bike on the bike rack of a bus or train, fold-up bikes that fit in your backpack might serve your needs. Whether for stress relief, exercise, to save gas or to reduce pollution, biking deserves greater consideration as a mode of transportation.
Seale, founder of the Black Panthers. Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) in 1966 with Dr. Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. Leaders from civil rights groups - the Brown Berets, SF State Strike and others - will also be present to give speeches to the Ohlone students and staff. The Brown Berets were a Chicano civil rights group from the Los Angeles area modeled after the legendary Black Panthers. The Brown Berets similarly focused on equality in
education and protection against police brutality. Jackson Theater will again play host to Unity Week activities on Thursday, with a student forum entitled “Stand Up for Peace.” Political activist and humanitarian David Dionisi will moderate the forum, which will have a panel made up of students from Ohlone. The forum will take place from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The Unity Week celebrations will reach a head on Friday, with two events taking place earlier in the
day and then later on in the evening. Beginning at noon at the campus pool, the ASOC will be hosting a cardboard boat race. Students and faculty are encouraged to make teams and compete in the race, with prizes to be won. Later in the evening, faculty band Chalkdust & Friends will fill the campus amphitheater with music at 7:30 p.m. The concert performance comes as an event to replace the original idea to set up a large, outdoor movie night somewhere on campus.
By Matthew So Opinions editor
The date and time are currently undecided but updates will be available on the Midnight website. Midnight is a revival of Ohlone’s old magazine, the Legend. It will have photography, writing, poetry, and articles created by students and related to local culture. The magazines will be distrib-
uted at on and off-campus locations. Despite the high print quality and cost of production, they will be distributed free of charge. To support Ohlone’s new publication with donations and feedback or inquire about joining next year’s staff, you can contact the Midnight staff at ohlonemidnight.com.
Midnight comes to Ohlone Ohlone’s new arts, culture and literature magazine, Midnight, will be releasing its first issue on May 11. To celebrate, the staff and writers will be hosting a party on campus.
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Features
monitor May 3, 2007
Culture Pirate By OMER AHMED News editor
Last say on journalism I won’t be a journalism major next semester, so this is going to be my last say on the industry. If I write this later, I will be like a viticulture major commenting on superstring physics. Journalism gets a lot of criticism nowadays. It seems like journalists are thought of on the same level as car salesmen, real estate agents, politicians and lawyers. As Society of Professional Journalists President Christine Tatum has said, “the only folks struggling with believability issues more than the Bush administration are journalists.” Gone are the days when everything written in a paper was believed to be true. Readers and viewers now assume that there is a significant amount of purposeful, deliberate bias in each and every story. This is a valid concern as journalism has fallen to a low level in many places. You only need to turn on FoxNews to find agenda-driven, unsourced, badly told near-propaganda pieces. And if you think I’m just bashing Fox, you can do the same to CNN and MSNBC. It’s just not as bad. Luckily, not all journalism has failed. While working on the Monitor, I have had the chance to meet a number of people who have worked in the media. Most obvious is the adviser Bill Parks but I have also met Argus, San Jose Mercury News, Yahoo News, alternative press and foreign journalists. None of these people were bias-infused crazed liberals or hard-line Bushies. They were just writers and had the same concerns regarding mass media that I hear from non-journalists. Most reporters are just out to tell a story accurately. Even at FoxNews there are people like this, though they tend to get fired like Jane Akre and Steve Wilson. The problems plaguing journalism don’t come from the individuals reporting but from the effect of business and politics on what is supposed to be an independent factual endeavor. For example, the two reporters I mentioned were fired for reporting the dangers of one of the products advertised on the FoxNews channel. If you look for smaller news outlets that minimize how business-controlled they are, you are going to find what journalism is supposed to be like. This is because most journalists just want to accurately pass on information. That is all news really is after all, information. Not opinion, not commentary. Just the facts and context. You still have to look at it critically, as you should with all things, but real news is supposed to be as honest as possible. Hopefully, mass media can return to this but, for now, don’t judge journalists by how the business is run; judge businessmen by how they run big new media.
Raza Day: bringing Latinos to college By Brian Chu Staff writer Raza Day, and event designed to encourage higher education among Latino and Hispanic high school students, took place on Friday, April 27 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Raza Day targeted Hispanic and Latino high school students, mostly juniors and seniors who had not considered the prospect of college before. One of the main goals of Raza Day was to make such students more aware of what Ohlone had to offer them. The event was sponsored by MEChA, the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) and Tech Prep. Transportation was provided from many nearby high schools
to Ohlone. Two hundred students, teachers, and other faculty from Newark Memorial, James Logan, Irvington, John F. Kennedy, American and Robertson Continuation school attended. Through the day, students attended workshops about the admissions process, how to acquire financial aid and information about the benefits of higher education. The high school students were given a tour of the campus. “The students were very ‘wow’ed by the broadcasting lab and the biotech rooms; they talked excitedly about the cadavers and other things to each other,” said Stephanie Ramos, an Ohlone counselor who helped plan Raza Day. “I was impressed about how sup-
portive all of the student services offices and offers,” said Ramos. “EOPs, Financial Aid, Admissions and Records, Student Athletes, Counseling department, Transfer services, Asessment centers, even the health center was there. The faculty and staff that helped out with Raza Day stayed through the entire five hours, helping to answer all the students questions. They really welcomed the students.” The keynote speaker for the event was Nina Genera, an Ohlone counselor of 30 years. J.J. Amaya from “Lowriding with J.J.,” a radio show broadcast on Tuesdays on KOHL, and Ohlone President Doug Treadway were also present to speak. Genera was honored with a
Latino Leadership Network of the California Community Colleges award for Region 1. She was recognized for being an outstanding leader, public speaker, and community activist. Genera has been an activist in the Ohlone community for more than 31 years. Since Raza Day began in 2005, there has been a 17 percent increase in enrollment of Latino students under the age of 19. “We hope and believe that Raza day has been a major influence in this,” said Ramos. The mission of Raza Day was summarized by a headline projected in one of the organized speeches for the visiting students. The message read, “We are the youth of the nation and we take our place as the future leaders of the world.”
Science and has designed one-third of all the livestock handling machinery in the United States. But that is only half of what makes her so amazing, the other half being the fact that she is autistic. The world she sees and experiences is one that few of us could ever hope to grasp, much less relate to. Yet, in her book Thinking in Pictures, she brings us into this world and guides the reader through its intricacies and struggles. Whereas most of us understand the world through words and verbally make sense of it in our minds, Temple thinks in pictures and even converts speech into pictures. She discusses how hard it was growing up and in school, when she had to deal with a curriculum designed for verbal thinkers. However, this
type of thinking is also what helped her design all the machines she’s created. She covers a wide range of topics concerning autistics and the lives they live. She talks about difficulties of dating, as autistics are, by nature, averse to human contact. Autistics must work to find common interests in other people and must often be manually taught the rules and norms of society. She covers what she calls the autistic spectrum, along which lie conditions like classical autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Kanner’s syndrome and disintegrative disorder. One of the more interesting topics she covers is the biology behind autism. Because the autistic brain works so differently from a normal brain and autistics often have ex-
tremely high intelligence in a certain area, some scientists speculate that genius may arise from a disorder. She also writes about the connection between autism and depression. Poets, creative writers and artists have often exhibited symptoms of autistic people and have simultaneously experienced a great deal of heartache and depression. What I loved most about this book was how she humanized autism by discussing her own experiences growing up. She mentions her achievements and inventions, almost sneering at all the people who teased her and laughed at her potential. But as much sneering is served as is her compassion for other autistics and their common struggle to survive in a world that doesn’t understand them.
Book club discusses autism, thinking By Sandeep Abraham Staff writer The Ohlone book club featured Temple Grandin’s book, Thinking in Pictures, last Friday. Terry Taskey, a counselor in Disabled Students Programs and Services, led the discussion between five people, all of whom were Ohlone faculty members. Taskey had met Grandin last fall at a conference, prompting the discussion on what Taskey felt was a very important book. “We talked about her incredible life and her coping mechanisms and how important mentors were in her life,” said Taskey. That was particularly pertinent to the teaching styles and instructional methods of faculty. Grandin holds a Ph.D. in Animal
Theater staff creates theme park set By Margarita Kitova Staff writer Ohlone’s theater department has created a set for Great America theme park’s Paramount Theater, which will be shown in the park this season. The last of the set will be shipped today. The project is bringing the college about $10,000, all of which was paid by Great America and will go toward the Smith Center, said Director of Smith Center Operations Christopher Booras. The set will be used in the park’s new show, called “Twistin’ to the 60’s.” Booras, supervising student James Isaac, and Smith Center Technical Director Jasper Gong worked together for a month to build the set. Ohlone alumnus Lacey Bryant painted it and student Clayton Lawrence was the liason between the set designer, park management and Ohlone’s construction crew, headed by Booras. When Great America decided to outsource the set project, it began looking for a to a team that could get it done in a timely fashion and had all of the equipment to handle the project. It was Lawrence, part of the entertainment management team at Great America, who suggested Booras and Ohlone after working with them on previous shows. Great America actually outsourced the project to another creator about two months ago. However, that creater waited a month before telling the park it would be unable to create the project. So, with only a month left to complete it, Great America turned to Ohlone and Booras. It was tight, but Booras and his team were able to get the set done in time. Lawrence’s official role at the park is manager of characters, shows, parades and Halloween. Concerning the set, he commented that “Chris has attention to detail...and did a great job.” Cedar Fair Entertainment company, which owns Great America, has done the show before, and is remounting it in a few parks across the nation. The design came from a designer at Knott’s Berry Farm who has been working with Great America and the other parks showing “Twistin’ ” to get the show up. The show will open on May 19 and is free with park admission. It will run through the summer. For those interested in “Twistin’,” Great America discribes it as a “crazy rockin’ and rollin’ dance party featuring the best sounds and moves of the 1960’s.”
Photo by Jack Husting
The set the theater department created for Great America sits in the scene shop Friday. The set is bringing Smith Center about $10,000.
Features Tim Roberts Band rocks house By Cheyenne Martin Staff writer
The band of Music Instructor Tim Roberts performed its debut vocal set before an enthusiastic audience Tuesday night at the Smith Center. Normally Roberts plays solo guitar, but with the inspiration to do something different, the Tim Roberts Band decided to include singing this performance for the first time. “Some songs are brand new, and some are over 20 years old,” explained Roberts. You wouldn’t know it while listening to the band play in excellent harmony and timing. Roberts sang the lead and was backed up by his wife, Cathy Schneider. However, it was likely that Roberts, with excellent pitch, could have carried each song himself without effort. Still, Roberts offers that it was a “particularly nice opportunity to work with my wife.” This was their first performance singing together. Roberts, switching between an acoustic, electric and modeling guitar throughout the show, demonstrated his musical abilities flawlessly. As an Ohlone instructor since 1997, Roberts teaches History of Rock and Roll, Song Writing, Jazz/ Rock Combo, Studio Recording, Music Theory and Survey of theArts. Once every two years, Roberts brings his band to Ohlone College to share his talents with the student body. However, never within his classes does he allude to his skills.
Devil’s Advocate
Sun, sun, go away
Photo by Kevin Protz
Music instructor Tim Roberts, center, leads the Tim Roberts Band in concert Tuesday. At left is guitarist Grant Pierce and at right, Eric Wilson on bass guitar. Opening the show with audience participation, Roberts held a “guess that tune” session, which resulted in an audience member losing points for knowing the answer to a question before it was asked. Following this, Roberts shared with the audience that his first band was in the 4th grade, called Scavenger 5. Scavenger 5 was a Monkies cover band, so Roberts played a Monkies medley that made audience members of all ages smile. Some highlights from the show were the original songs by Rob-
Chalkdust, a band made up of Math Instructor Jeff O’Connell and English Instructor Mark Brosamer, will team up with students and instructors to perform its annual “Chalkdust and Friends” benefit concert Friday, May 11 at 8:00 p.m. in the outdoor amphitheater. Tickets are $7 and are available at the box office. O’Connell described Chalkdust’s genre as “rock/pop/country/disco/hip/groove and Sunny and Sher.” For more information, go to myspace.com/chalkdustband.
erts, such as “Michelle 2,” a jazzy, slower version of Paul McCartney’s “Michelle.” Another hit was a ballad called “Slow Dancing on a Dusty Road,” sung by Roberts and Schneider. The two favorite Tim Roberts originals were “Slow Poison” about a girl you know is trouble but you can’t stay away, and “Goodbye Rigor,” about a “wayward nephew” whose party days are over. The song that made the most feet tap and heads bob was actually a Led Zeppelin medley. Roberts called Led Zeppelin the “most influential band in the early 7 0 ’s ” a n d p l a y e d a n e x quisite tribute, especially with “Stairway to Heaven.” Throughout the show, the Tim Roberts Band offered many different musical selections, such as jazz, rock and ballads, each one better than the last. Roberts started music at an early age; at 7, he began playing the guitar. Roberts has since switched
from an electric to a modeling guitar. “It’s basically a computer with strings; it allows different tunings without having to change guitars,” explained Roberts. Shaped like an acoustic yet as thin as an electric, it attempts to bridge the best of both guitar worlds. Roberts’ main influences growing up were Jimmi Hendrix, Santana and, most of all, Kenny Loggins. As time went on, Roberts created his own style of classical and 60’s and 70’s music to create a modern twist on classics he loves. The Tim Roberts band, now on its fifteenth year, consists of Tim Roberts on lead guitar, Grant Pierce on guitar, Ken Marine on drums, Eric Wilson on Bass and Cathy Schneider on keyboard and backup vocals. “We’re all old friends,” said Roberts. What’s next for the Tim Roberts Band? “Getting these vocals recorded on a new album,” said Roberts. The album will be released this summer.
Student cautions about teen pregnancies “America has the worse numbers for STDs and pregnancies of any industrialized country in the world,” according to Lisa Beck, psychology club member and ICC representative. Beck has helped organize a presentation scheduled for today from 2 to 3:30 p.m. entitled “True Confessions,” featuring such speakers as Professor of Psychology Tom McMahon and student Ninette Hoehne, who will be speaking from firsthand experience with teen pregnancy. The presentation, which will take place in Jackson Theater in the Smith Center, is designed to promote awareness of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The intent of Beck and Hoehne is to help bring the statistics of teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) down. For instance, Hoehne explained that when she attended Horizons, a school for
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By Anna Nemchuk Editor-in-chief
Faculty band to play
By Michael Aburas Staff writer
May 3, 2007 monitor
pregnant teens in Pleasanton, there were only 32 mothers enrolled. “When I went back to visit in January ‘07 there were around 52-58 girls enrolled,” said Hoehne. Hoehne became pregnant at the age of 14 (she is currently 18) and her parents did not become aware of her pregnancy until she was seven months into her pregnancy. “A lot of girls just have these babies as toys – ‘oh look what I have’ - it’s for attention, it’s for love. Having a baby doesn’t make you a woman,” explained Hoehne. The families also suffer, according to Hoehne, who has not allowed her son’s father or family to see his child. Hoehne explained that her son’s father is an abusive drug dealer who has been incarcerated many times. In addition, the family continues to support his actions and has not provided any support to Hoehne or her child. “You can’t just put your head in the sand and say ‘it won’t happen to me,’ ” said Beck. “Girls and
guys in the heat of the moment think they’re not going to get hurt. “We want to get the message out that one time will hurt.” According to Beck, in America there are 900,000 pregnancies between the ages of 15 and 19. Additionally, STDs are in the millions among people between 15 to 24. “These numbers are disgusting,” added Beck. “If this presentation gets at least one student to stop and think in the heat of the moment it will have been worth it.”
Photo by Jack Husting
Student Ninette Hoehne, 18, sits with her son, Stephan, 4. Hoehne will speak in a presentation today concerning teen pregnancy.
Nothing in the world makes me appreciate life as much as rain. Reading Bradbury’s “All Summer In A Day” made me want to move to Venus, to live in a torrential, perpetual downpour. I’d be perfectly fine glimpsing the sun only once every seven years for two hours. Granted, I was born in a country where the sun makes its presence felt as more than a giant, oatmeal-colored coin for about three weeks in August, but plenty of Russians are sun whores. (And with global warming, I’m afraid St. Petersburg will soon have LA’s climate.) Rain. Cool, wet velvety streams. After a few days of unexpected heat the past week, I walked out the door yesterday morning to a steel-grey sky, crisp, clean air and a vast blueness of descending water. I had an umbrella, but where’s the fun in that? No, I arrived at my morning class with drenched hair, bare, slippery feet and a sweatshirt that could have doubled as a sea anemone. To move through ribbons of rain, face upturned to the gently drumming droplets, muscles springy at the squashiness of the lubricated soil...I can go into a trance just standing in the rain. Have you ever looked between the droplets? You can, you know. Light bends around them, and all the world acquires a certain glassiness - like walking through a looking glass, to find you’ve arrived in Alice’s world. Everyone looks better in the rain. Forget candlelight - the soft phosphorescence of the azureslate of rain softens outlines, intensifies other hues and lends a dreamy, impressionistic feel to the world. The sun harshens and dries, whether soil, skin or tempers while rain feeds and cools, soothes and energizes, though it does transform already bad drivers into stupendously inept ones. Yes, without the sun there would be no life on the Earth; it’s a necessary evil. But an evil it is. Which is why my ongoing search for vampires continues - after all, what better excuse never to see the sun again? The bare, flat sky is a like a cheerleader with a 2.0 GPA - attractive, perhaps, but shallow and rather plastic-looking. But a sky teeming, roiling, positively seething with those fluffy pillows of pure joy known as storm clouds - that sight is a 36C Ph.D. with thigh-high leather boots bearing Parisian chocolate cake. My problem is that living in California for upward of 15 years now and having collected an inconvenient amount of friends, family and connections here, my plan to move to England where rain is purportedly what’s always for breakfast has been somewhat complicated. We have GOT to come up with a workable teleporter.
6 MONITOR
May 3, 2007
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May 3 UCLA Transfer Workshop -- 1 to 2 p.m. in Room 4202. Topics include applying to UCLA, preparing a strong application and personal statement, campus life and housing, and Q&A. 3 True Confessions -- 2
May 3, 2007 monitor
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to 2:30 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. True Confessions is a student-organized presentation on the realities of teen sexuality. It has the support of Campus Activities, Health Services and Professor Tom McMahon.
for the Environment.” Everyone is welcome.
on display and outstanding pieces will win prizes.
sion is free.
7 M.E.Ch.A Meeting -- 1 to 2 p.m. in Room 14A. Come check out the M.E.Ch.A club, meets every Monday and everyone is welcome.
3 New Art Display -- Annual Fine Art and Design Student Show. In the Louie Meager Art Gallery. Can be seen through May 15. More than 200 pieces of student excellent artworks are chosen to be in the gallery. Over $2,500 in prizes and scholarships are donated by local venues and benefactors which are awarded to the outstanding students in each category. Gallery is open Monday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m.
7-11 Unity Week 2007 -Noon to 1 p.m. in the Quad on May 7; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 8; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre on May 9 and 10 and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the pool on May 11. Week includes all sorts of fun, free activities including boat racing, forums, art gallery displays, movies, cultural food, dance and more. If you have questions, contact Renee Gonzales at (510) 659-7311 or rgonzales@ ohlone.edu.
11 EOPS Annual Awards Ceremony -- 3 to 5 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. Evening will include exciting acknowledgment of outstanding students. Please RSVP by May 7 by calling (510) 659-6152.
13 Chamber Orchestra -- 5 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. The Chamber Orchestra presents a Mother’s Day concert featuring music by Beethoven and more. For information or to buy tickets, call (510) 659-6031 or visit the box office.
12 Super Flea Market -- From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in parking lots E and H. Admission is free and some of the merchandise sold includes: antiques, collectibles, jewelry, clothes, food, arts, crafts, comics and more. Parking is $2 per car. Flea market is held on the second Saturday of each month.
14 Transfer Event: UC Berkeley -- 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment. Come meet with a representative to talk about transferring. To get more information or to make an appointment call the Transfer Center at (510) 659-6241.
12 Ohlone Community Band -- Noon at Central Park, Lake Elizabeth in Fremont. The Ohlone Community Band will showcase live entertainment at Central Park’s gorgeous new outdoor venue, the Performance Pavilion. This event celebrates the dedication of the new pavilion and marks the final performance of Steve Barnhill, conductor of the Community Band. Admis-
15-16 Auditions for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing -- 6 to 9 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre on May 15, and 6 to 7 p.m. on May 16. Jump on the BARD Wagon in a wild, Vaudeville-esque version of the battle between the sexes in turn-of-the-century olde San Francisco. There will be nine performances from Nov. 8-17. For more information, contact Tom Blank at (510) 659-6209.
3-5 Men and Women’s Swimming -- 10 a.m. State Championships here at Ohlone’s pool. 4 Brown Bag Seminar -11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Room 3201. Presented by: George Wong, Professor, Ohlone. Come learn how robotics serves to excite learners about math, science, and programming. What is a MEM? What are tomorrow’s emerging technologies? Join us and find out more. Brown Bag Science Seminars is a speaker series designed to stimulate interest in and awareness of topics, trends, and careers in science. This event is free. 5-6 Women’s Softball -Regionals, round 1. Here at Ohlone all day. 7 LIFE Meeting -- 1 to 2 p.m. in Room 14B. LIFE is an exciting new club that meets on Mondays. Come join the fun and take part in “Liberated Individuals
8 Reception and Award Ceremony -- For the Annual Fine Art and Design Student Show. 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Smith Center. All students featured in the show compete for over $2,500 in prizes. 9 Annual Pottery Sale -- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Building 5. All sizes, shapes, kinds of pottery by Ohlone students. 10-12 Student Repertory II -- 8 p.m. in the NUMMI Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for adults. They can be purchased by visiting the box office or calling (510) 659-6031. 10 Multimedia Festival 2007 -- 4 to 9 p.m. in Hyman Hall. Entries selected from previous submissions by students enrolled in Multimedia classes will be
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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, May 3, 2007
Page 8
Ladies reload ammo for postseason hunt By Nick Zambrano Sports editor By the blaring music and pleasant sounds of laughter, it would be rather hard to believe that the Ohlone Lady Renegades were preparing for another post-season push. After clinching a share of the Coast Conference title - Ohlone’s sixth straight - with San Jose City College, Ohlone’s ladies of the diamond earned a well-deserved day off last Tuesday, to take team photos and honor those who were selected to the All Coast Conference First and Second Teams. “Today will probably be lighter than other days,” said Head Coach Donna Runyon. Center fielder Valerie Briones, utility player Tiffany Chan, slugging first baseman Cassandra Ortega, pitcher Isabel Ramos and second baseman Kassy Winger were those selected for the All Conference First Team. Selected for the Second Team were Meredith Ang, Danielle Cameron, Jessica Soderholm, Raquel Torres and Danielle Yee. Chan and Ortega also received Regional honors. That makes 10 out of 14 players on Ohlone’s roster to receive
an award. Ohlone is the sixth seed in the Nor Cal Region and will be taking on number 11 seed, College of the Sequoias, in the two out of three series. Ohlone will play host to its first regional playoff game in as long as Runyon can remember. The game is scheduled for this Saturday at 2 p.m.. If Ohlone loses game one, they will be staring elimination in the eye. “It’s always important, especially in a short series. to go out and win (the first game),” said Runyon. “We are home and we haven’t hosted regionals in a very long time, so it’s kind of fun to be host. I say it’s an advantage to be the home team.” Runyon will put ace Isabel Ramos for game one so the chances of a game one defeat are very slim. Despite the loss to San Jose last week, Ramos has been lights out. Since her start against Chabot back on April 14, Ramos has given up a total of only six runs. Ohlone’s aggressive tactics on the bases will definitely be in full effect. Look for lead-off hitter Valerie Briones to set that tone. If she and other speedsters can put pressure on the pitcher and defense, the dynamic
Photos by Jack Husting
Two of the All Coast Conference First Team: Tiffany Chan and Isabel Ramos 3-4 duo of Cassandra Ortega and Tiffany Chan could really do some damage. After “kick-back Tuesday,” the
rest of the week will go on like usual. Hitters will hit. Pitchers will pitch. Defense and base running will be preached. That same regi-
ment that Runyon has put into her practices will have extra assistance from former San Francisco Giant Shawon Dunston.
Club helps athletes get closer with God By Jeff Weisinger Sports editor If it’s one thing that makes sports so special, especially in today’s world is that the sports world is very diverse. People from every different race, religion, ethnicity, background and lifestyle play sports. Whether it be soccer, football, baseball, softball, cricket or basketball, each sport league is so diverse. And most know that religion plays a big role in the lives of most athletes. One of those people is Ohlone’s Volleyball Coach Jamie Cortez. Coach Cortez held the first Ohlone FCA meeting yesterday in Room 9103. The FCA (Fellowship for Christian Athletes) was established back in 1954 by Don Mclannen, a former coach at Eastern Oklahoma State College. It is now the largest inter-denominational, school-based Christian organization in America. Its goal is to encourage coaches and players alike on all levels to “impact the world through their faith and example.” It is highly recognized
by the professional sports leagues. Many players and coaches from the NBA, NFL, AFL, MLB and the NHL are a part of FCA. The list includes Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, Atlanta Braves right-fielder Jeff Francoeur and Seattle Seahawks runningback Shaun Alexander. Coach Cortez first discovered the program through her father back when she was a child growing up in Texas, and has been with it since. Her father was a football coach for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Oregon and SFSU. She finally decided to bring the program to Ohlone this year, and will have it going into the 2007 fall semester and beyond. So, what is her main reason for bringing a “religious group” to a culturally-diverse school like Ohlone? “There’s a number of athletes that are Christian, but they don’t know who to talk to,” said Cortez. But don’t get the wrong impression - FCA is not just for athletes, everyone’s welcome. Whether you’re a student-athlete or just stu-
Photo by Jack Husting
FCA adviser Jamie Cortez, center, with Courtney Vijeh, left and Gayle Rusch dent, Christian or non-Christian, the club is open to any and everyone. Cortez hopes that with the help of FCA, that she can help Ohlone give
back to the city of Fremont, and at the same time have Fremont and cities beyond Fremont recognize Ohlone. “We have awesome students and
athletes at Ohlone,” said Cortez. The Ohlone FCA meets every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in Room 9103.
then drove Ricketts’ next pitch into the right field gap, scoring all three runners on base. Ohlone would eventually get out of the inning, but the damage had been done. Skyline led 4-2. Coach Eric Kahoalii later described that inning, mentioning that, “had we made those play on defense we would have been out of that inning.” Skyline went on to score two more runs in the eighth on a tworun single. Ohlone, on the other hand, scored only one the rest of the way. Kevin Ricketts wound up pitching all nine innings of the game.
According to Kahoalii, Ricketts had a relatively low pitch count throughout the game, which may have attributed to leaving him in the game after his sixth inning woes. Coach K. also added that, “with Kevin [Ricketts], he always gives [them] a chance to come back.” Ohlone’s next game will be later today at West Valley College in Saratoga at 2 p.m. The way the standings are looking, Ohlone is going to end up in third place in their division. However, according to their current RPI (statistic that calculates different factors for
playoff seeding) Ohlone looks to be heading into the playoffs later next week. As of Tuesday night, Chabot and West Valley held the number one and two spots respectively. This game against West Valley will not dent Ohlone’s RPI very much. But with selection Sunday coming up this weekend, it would be a good idea for the Renegades to end their season on a high note. They sure don’t want to leave too much in the hands of the selection committee. It is always best to take care of business. The playoff first round will begin Tuesday, May 8. Good luck, Renegades.
Renegades suffer another close defeat By Tomas Ortega Staff writer
Tuesday afternoon the Ohlone Men’s Baseball team took on Skyline College but ended up in the loss column with a score of 63. Ohlone drew first blood in the second inning with back-to-back bunt singles by Jared Berrier and Matt Langseth after a double by Andrew Ham. They took an early 1-0 lead. The Renegades tallied an extra run in the bottom of four on a two out base hit from Andrew Ham, putting them ahead by two.
On the hill, Ohlone had Kevin Ricketts, who cruised through the first four innings with no sign of trouble. Trouble came though in the sixth inning. After a lead-off single from Skyline, Ricketts induced a should-be double play ball that ended up being held onto by shortstop Derek Helenihi after a well-timed dive by Matt Wismann. The next Skyline batter hit one into right field that looked as though it should have been gloved on a simple dive. A single and walk later, Skyline had the bases loaded with one out. The following hitter