Unhappy ending for volleyball. – Page 8
– Page 3
Fremont, California
Vol. XXXVIII No. 12
OPINION
Special student enrollment under fire.
SPORTS
NEWS
No classes or Monitor for Thanksgiving break: Nov. 27-30.
Don’t discount the misfits. – Page 2
November 20, 2008
NASA scientist expounds on ‘last frontier’ By Japneet Kaur Staff writer NASA’s noble goal: to “put footprints next to the tire prints on Mars.” At Ohlone’s NASA Science Seminar last night, Dr. Anupa Bajwa of the Ames Research Center related to a large audience NASA’s continuing efforts to send men and women to explore the “last frontier”: space. Bajwa never neglected to emphasize traveling to Mars as much as traveling to the moon. The goal, she said, is “to put people on Mars. We have the rover there, but it’s a completely different thing to actually have people up there. We want to find a way to live off the land, to harvest the land.” Bajwa’s presentation focused on the development of Project Constellation. There are three components to the project – Orion, Ares I, and Ares V. Orion is intended to succeed the Space Shuttle, which is retiring in 2010, as a spacecraft designed for human spaceflight missions. Ares I (previously known as the Crew Launch Vehicle or CLV) is meant to launch Orion, and Ares V is complementary to Ares I as the cargo launch vehicle. Project Constellation falls under NASA’s larger plan for space exploration, which includes completing the International Space Station, safely flying the Space Shuttle until 2010, developing and flying the Orion crew exploration vehicle no later than 2015, and returning to the moon no later than 2020. Continued on Page 6
Photo by Japneet Kaur
NASA Computer Engineer Anupa Bajwa described NASA’s continuing efforts to send astronauts to Mars at Wednesday’s NASA Science Night.
Students take part in gay marriage ban protests By Farnoosh vahedi Staff writer Ever since its passage Nov. 4, California’s constitutional ban on gay marriage has been protested at rallies across the state. Last Sunday, several Ohlone students joined the ranks of protesters, notably several members of Ohlone’s Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) and Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC). The San Francisco rally con-
sisted of some 10,000 people from all walks of life. There were gay couples, straight couples, families, senior citizens an even some religious leaders protesting the passage of Proposition 8. The protest was organized by the “Join the Impact” group and was scheduled to last from 10:30 a.m to noon. However, the protesters formed an impromptu march afterward and extended the rally until 4 p.m.
The rally started at city hall and snaked all through the city, circling back to city hall. When asked what it was like to be in this massive rally, students Grace Ye and Louise Macabitas said “it was remarkable, it was nice to see such a diverse group fighting for the civil rights of our time.” The rally went through all of San Francisco and remained peaceful throughout—the opposition exchanged no harsh words or insults,
“We may not realize it now but wait until you feel the effects and your tuition fees go up,” McCulley said as she explained the negative effects that an increase in tuition fees would impose on students. McCulley further spoke of the “domino effect” that will arise from increases in enrollment fees – students otherwise bound for UCs and CSUs will go to community colleges instead. Meanwhile, rates at community colleges will be raised as well, but they will remain significantly less than UC or CSU tuition. The unexpectedly larger number of students puts excess strain on community college programs, an exacerbation of woes previously caused by the increased tuition fees. ASOC adviser and Director of Campus Activities & EOPS Debbie Trigg added some more input
on the letter writing protest matter, bringing up how students made a difference in 2003 by marching in protest of proposed rate hikes then, which would have had the same domino effect impact (an increase in enrollment having a disproportional net benefit). Trigg mentioned how this helped many staff members from departments that are often hit first by budget cuts, like the EOPS and CARE, keep their jobs. She emphasized on the importance of student involvement. According to McCulley, the letter campaign has a good chance of succeeding but the ASOC must see to it that they get as many students as possible to sign letters to Torrico. Mark Robbins, director of Purchasing, Contracts, and Auxiliary Services presented issues concerning the school cafeteria. Continued on Page 3
and there seemed to be a mutual respect among the two sides. Though they disagreed, they still respected each other, said the students. It was not uncommon during the march to get honks of approval from passing cars or shouts of support from passing San Franciscans. When asked about the passage of Prop 8, Ye and Macabitas said they were shocked and incredulous when it passed. Prop. 8 amended the Califor-
nia constitution to state that only marriage “between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California,” but it did not affect the way the state views gay civil unions. Ye and Macabitas said that the fact that it does not affect civil unions is beside the point; they said that first of all, a civil union does not constitute marriage, and more importantly, that it is discriminatory to not allow every American the right to marry.
ASOC discusses budget crunch’s college impact By Anna Biaritz Roldan Staff writer The Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) discussed the California Legislative Analyst’s Office support for increasing tuition fees for UCs, USCs and community colleges at its meeting Tuesday. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a “nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis for the California Legislature,” according to their website www. lao.ca.gov/. ASOC president Jackie McCulley updated the rest of the ASOC executives and senators on their campaign that started last week to send letters to state Assemblyman Alberto Torrico. McCulley mentioned how this strategy has been used before and has been effective in previous years.
Photo by Kyle Stephens
At least 400 people this year, including staff and students, attended the ASOC’s Ohlone Thanksgiving Feast Wednesday. ASOC Adviser Debbie Trigg cited the better variety of food as an upgrade for this year over previous ones.
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monitor November 20, 2008
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
Opinion
Editor in chief: Eric Dorman News editor: Kyle Stephens Opinion editor: Nicole Johnson Features editor: Andrew Le Sports editor: Jeff Weisinger Photo editor: Japneet Kaur Graphics staff: Amanda Sheppard Staff writers: Jacque Orvis, Ankita Chhabra, Suchi Gupta, Nicole Johnson, Tomás Ortega, Anna Biaritz Roldan, Farnoosh Vahedi Photographers: TBA Ad manager: Jacque Orvis 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
Dropped but not broken: survivors stay strong By Nicole Johnson Opinion editor Damaged folks are viewed as “dangerous” and “broken,” but we know we can survive. How does that work? Yes, we may be damaged, but does that mean we’re “dangerous” because we’re fighters and survivors? Or are we “broken” because we’ve been through tough times in our life and people just don’t accept or understand that concept because they could never imagine that sort of thing happening to them? We damaged folks are “broken dolls.” So, what is a “broken doll?” A broken doll is someone who creates art with his or her presence in daily life. Some would deem this as not our place, therefore making
us “broken” to society’s standards. We are less socially accepted, but contradict their judgments. We are judged even more than your average person by those around us. Why? Because society fails to see us as actual people. They fail to see us as human beings with a purpose. They only see us as a threat. We are simply people who have been through hard times, come from difficult backgrounds, and do everything in our power to survive. People already have their preconceived notions about those who struggle to survive. They think we’re somehow not worthy enough to mingle with them. They feel we need to be confined or sent away. They think something is wrong with us, that we have “issues.” I don’t see anything wrong because “every
flower that has ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there.” Think about it. The thing about we “dangerous” people is that we are secure in ourselves and we do as we please. We are unrestricted by rules and regulations of the world around us. We’ve built strength, charisma and personality from the things that would make most people spiral downward into depression. We don’t worry about what society thinks and that brings each “doll” here for the entire world to taste our creation. Our creation is our survival. Our creation is how we have shown that we are beautiful and show our beauty to the world. Our creation is the knowledge we have gained and how we use that to help others,
and help them see the strength in themselves. If living through some of the worst things that have happened to me and watching my friends struggle with their own tragedies, somehow makes me broken, then by all means, I accept it. If being “broken” means not crumbling under the pressure and stress and anxiety of everything that’s been handed to me, then I accept that, too. I am now “broken” because I am not afraid of the curve balls life throws at me. I am now “dangerous” because I can throw one right back. I am “broken” because I know how to carry myself through tough situations. I am broken because I am the flower that had to push itself through a whole lot of dirt to get to where I am today. And since that’s
what makes me “dangerous,” that is perfectly okay. I just have one last thing to say. Next time you perceive damaged people in a negative way, try seeing things from their point of view and place yourself in their shoes. We know how to handle ourselves and we know we won’t break. If it weren’t for us being “damaged”, we wouldn’t even have strength to live. We could be weak and run away from every problem we encounter. But we don’t. Because we are the “broken dolls” that can make all the difference when you finally realize how hard life really is, and when you’ve thought you had enough, and you want to give up, you go to the only people that know how to deal with that sort of thing. Us.
This above all: To thine own self be true By japneet kaur Staff writer I don’t know if anyone could know this from looking at me, but I don’t really care what people think about me. Few opinions matter, mostly those of family and friends, and there is a good reason behind this. The opinions that my family members and my friends have about me are based on actual experience with me as a person, and not on my
style of clothing, or my manner of speaking – or even my turban. This is an anomaly in one of the societies I’m a part of. The Punjabi community of Fremont and the greater Bay Area is made up of people who care (almost more than anything else) about what other Punjabi’s think of them, and 98.749 percent of the time, they allow this to dictate what they do or don’t do, and what they will allow their children to do. This doesn’t mean that the trend of molding one’s lifestyle to impress others isn’t rampant in
“Western” society. It just means that there are more people who are like me and don’t allow others’ opinions to control their wardrobe or their behavior. I’m sure you’re wondering by now what my point is. Well, I think people shouldn’t worry so much about what others think of them. When you go shopping, don’t always go toward the stores that you know everyone else shops at. Go toward the store that sells what you’d really like to use or wear. You might even save some
money by avoiding the top brands, because those popular styles don’t come cheap. When you’re walking around campus, don’t worry about the person who’s giving you a look that’s saying, “you look like you got dressed in the dark.” It really doesn’t matter what that person thinks about your clothes, as long as you like them. This applies to so many things far beyond clothes. As you read this, take a minute to think about the kind of music you listen to, what movies or television
shows you watch, what kind of recreational activities you engage in – all because you think that those are what your friends like, or those are the things that will make people think you’re cool. Maybe you listen to rap or hip-hop because that’s what everyone is listening to, or maybe you watch American Idol just so when the group of cool kids talks about who got booted, you can join the conversation and be “in on it.” Maybe you don’t want to, but you drink or smoke because it’ll Continued on Page 3
Campus Comment > > > What was your strangest Thanksgiving?
Gabriella Castillo
ANIMAL SCIENCE
Matt Ramos
Isabel Leon
Anna Maderos
COMMUNICATIONS
PSYCHOLOGY
UNDECIDED
ZOOLOGY
“My cousin dropped the whole turkey on the floor. We ordered KFC.”
“[I once] celebrated Thanksgiving in a motel.”
“One year, instead of turkey, we ordered from El Pollo Loco.”
“My cousin got drunk and ran screaming from the house with a bat.”
Bobby Heer
“Thanksgiving dinner at 4 a.m.”
News
November 20, 2008 monitor
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Asian/Pacific American Student Association auction A member of the Asian/Pacific American Student Association (APASA) works at his club’s silent auction Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the cafeteria. A snowboard and PS2 video games, left, were up for grabs, along with Samsung Helio phones, hiphop dance lessons, a typewriter, Club Sport day passes, wineglasses and a graphic equalizer, among other offerings. Proceeds from the auction, which totaled just over $200, went toward the APASA. Photo by Kyle Stephens
Senate debates special student enrollment By Ankita Chhabra Staff writer Math Instructor Bob Bradshaw addressed the Faculty Senate on concerns about limiting K-12 admission at the Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday. He reported on the issues raised by some of the Senate members on what needed to be worked on for the second presentation of the issue to the Board of Trustees. There has been debate over the admittance of special students, those from the grade levels of K-
12, who can with permission from their parents and school admintrators take college courses, which for K-12 students are free. One of the major arguments for voting against this proposal was the fact that the Ohlone mission statement does not say anywhere that there should limits on students who are eligible for college level courses, and who are unable to take them at their school. The Senate pointed out that the classes that are being filled up by K-12 students are English, high-level math courses and Chinese. Although
Live life your way Continued from Page 2 give you something to do socially or make you look cool. If you find something that you realize you do just so people will accept you, think about this – is it really worth it? Do you really want to allow your behavior or activities, or the course of your life, to be determined by people you may never get to know? There’s another way to look at it. Think about how much money you spend on clothes, shoes, hair, nails, and accessories. Think about how many people spend about as much as you do, to look the way you do. When you dress to be like everyone else, that’s exactly what happens – you become like everybody else, and can’t be picked out of a crowd. So what’s the point? In spending so much money on your wardrobe and so much time on hair and makeup in the morning? Or if you ever go a day without makeup or your hair is a little less than perfect, you walk around all day worrying what people must be thinking of you. I’m not against dressing or behaving to impress, but there’s a difference between wanting to impress a person or a group of people and trying to make that no
one ever thinks anything bad about you. Even when trying to impress, I believe that what should be exhibited is the best side of someone and not false appearances. That just leads to a pretense that has to be kept up for the sake of the job, relationship, etc. It’s not my place to tell anyone how to live their lives. I just know how much better I feel when I realize that I actually like and feel comfortable in what I’m wearing – whether it’s from a popular brand or not. I feel better knowing that even if I don’t look as good as other days, that’s not going to drag the rest of my day down. My life is so much easier and stress-free because I’m not worrying about people’s opinions when I’m getting ready in the morning. If I’m walking on campus and trip over something, I’m not going to turn red because someone was around to see me. It seems like a small thing, and I’m sure not everyone can relate to constantly worrying about others’ perceptions of them. For those of us that rely on others to feel good about ourselves, though, ask yourself if it’s worth it. I can hold my head high no matter what I’m wearing, or doing, or saying. Can you?
college students are given priority registration over special students, the latter group still vies for seats in crowded classes. It is also becoming difficult for professors to design their courses to for the wider age range. Some questions raised were about how sexuality may not pertain, be understood or be appropriate for a younger student audience. Strong support for the proposal to limit enrollment came from some members of primary subject departments, as those classes are getting over crowed or are in high demand.
The younger students also ask for more time of their professors, which they may not be able to provide. Many feel this will be the tipping point for this proposal getting passed, because the extra amount of students, students who pay no course fees, that will be added will be taking up additional resources - and considering the state of the economy right now, with budget cuts it will be extra difficult. Another point brought up was the potential psychological impact on college-age students taking classes with minors. This was not
deemed to be a substantial problem, however. The Senate saw the importance of this proposal and how much it would affect the school and admissions. Further study will be done by looking at statistics provided by the resource center. Besides the talk of revision to the special students admission proposal, the senate addressed another topic regarding the Emeritus Speaker Program, which will be further discussed and talked about in upcoming meetings, the next of which will be Dec. 3.
ASOC mulls over free speech Continued from Page 1 The cafeteria is in need of new refrigerators and freezers and other equipment that will cost over $15,000. This is pertinent to the ASOC because 7 percent of the revenue that the cafeteria gets goes to the ASOC. Trigg said that this must be addressed (by the ASOC or otherwise), or the cafeteria cannot continue to do business – without freezers and other key pieces equipment, food simply cannot be prepared or stored. Robbins said that the ASOC has been doing well these past few years because they don’t spend money on maintenance but still get revenue. It seemingly came as a surprise to the ASOC - they have been unaware of this and have not been updated on the status of the cafeteria for a while. Robbins explained that as of now, the freezers, both the walk-in and regular, along with the grills, fume hoods and steamers are deteriorating, or even already broken down. Most of the facilities have been around 30 years already, and thus Robbins advised the ASOC to plan a budget to be set aside for the cafeteria for the next couple of years. Robbins said this may just be the “tip of the iceberg,” as many of the facilities will slowly need to be replaced. ASOC Treasurer Kevin Feliciano voiced the opinion that everything that needs replacing be done now, as it would be more costly in the long run to slowly upgrade as equipment breaks down. The ASOC opened a discussion on what to do about this and other prospective projects on
upgrading the cafeteria, such as making it more attractive by purchasing display racks, painting the walls and making new signage. An analysis of paperwork will be done to see if the revenue is worth a financial intervention on their behalf. Robbins told the ASOC that if they put in more money the district may match their contribution, hopefully covering all expenses. There have been additional advances for the campaign to reassess the free speech area at Ohlone. A committee has been formed to address the issue, headed by Zuhal Bahaduri. Two topics were addressed at the meeting: one, geography and two, policy. The free speech area is to be relocated to a courtyard near the under-construction Student Services Building. More details abound in policy: the free speech area is to be divided in half, one side for students and one for outside parties. This arrangement has been enacted at various other colleges, and was also suggested by Trustee John Weed. As is there are two, non-overlapping policies regarding the free speech area. The first, older policy from 1997 in the Interclub Council constitution is more vague than the more complete 2005 manifestation in the “Time Place and Manner Policy.” The committee seeks to revise the latter policy, and include specific versus implied caveats for who is allowed use of the free speech area – students and non-students alike. There will be a free speech committee meeting open to everyone today at 3 p.m. in the lobby of Building 1.
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Features Sustainability draws thousands
monitor November 20, 2008
The view from here By Andrew Le Features editor
The decline and fall It was not until February that Michelle Obama was, for the first time in her adult life, proud of America. On January 20th, we will have a first lady that does not even like the country all that much, but then again, neither do most people I know. Like Michelle Obama, a lot of my peers are not fond of America. They were perpetually threatening to move to “Canada” or trying to convince me that Marxism would solve all the world’s problems. And I let my friends talk. They pretend to understand Marxist theory but they never read “Das Kapital.” They never saw how communism decimated countries like Vietnam. They call my president a Fascist, but they don’t even understand the iconic significance of a bundle of sticks. They just parrot like mindless zombies what they’ve heard on Chris Matthews. What people do not understand is that the U.S. is exceptional and because of this we have a special place in world affairs. I hear revisionists accuse the U.S. as being an unprecedented evil. They cite the nuking of Japan as an example of our evil. But in making that difficult decision, we stopped a greater evil from happening. In Nanking, the Japanese Army forced fathers to rape their daughters and used children as bayonet practice. There were over 300,000 civilian deaths and it would have been 3,000,000 if Imperial Japan had their way. What kept these rape happy soldiers from doing to all of China what transpired in Nanking was America, the only country with the resolve to stop the worst of humanity from spreading like cancer. So when someone calls the U.S. an imperialist empire, I get angry. If we desired, it could be the United World of America and every nation that disagreed would be swept underneath a mushroom cloud. But this is not the case, even though we have the power, we choose not to use it, because we have a moral restraint. But the era of American supremacy is over. We are on the decline and Obamunism is not interested in re-asserting our authority. But people elect who they deserve. We desecrated the honor of our great nation by not respecting America. As a result, we now have a first lady who also does not respect America. People call the United States an evil empire but my generation does not understand true evil. So when China overtakes the US in power and influence, does anyone truly believe they will show the same moral and military restraint that we as a nation showed? Only when people experience the re-education camps and gulags that come with real evil, will people truly understand, what a glorious thing we once had.
By ANNA BIARITZ ROLDAN Staff writer Environmentalists educated thousands in the largest sustainability event in the world at the San Francisco Green Festival held over the weekend at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center. Ohlone students from various science classes took part in this festival that showcased talks on different ways to reduce, reuse and recycle various products, all made from organic ingredients and sustainable materials. For example, the all-organic company Earth Bound Farm, which sells salads, dried fruits, jam, cookies and more. They also sell cookbooks and they donate part of their profits to the food bank. In fact, according to company employee Janna Jo Williams, they were able to raise $1,800 for the food bank at the last green festival in Washington, D.C. Their products are found in 75 percent of all major groceries nationwide and may also be ordered online. For two years now, Earth Bound Farms has been successful as a high-level sponsor of the green festival. Now if you like milk, there’s also some to be found at the green festival. I spoke with Dane Thompson who introduced me to Organic Valley, a milk farmer corporation that sells 100 percent organic dairy from cows’ milk. Organic Valley is a regional brand whose products can be bought all over California at Rainbow Grocery, Mollie Stone’s, Raley’s, Lunardi’s, Berkeley Bowl and Savemart super markets. The company has been with the green festival for four years now. They give out samples of their products and are able to promote drinking healthy by marketing their product. Aside from Organic Valley and Earthbound Farms, there was also Big Tree Farms another all-organic company but one which sells honey
palm sugar and other cacao products from the flower of palm trees. They also sample their products and promote healthy eating - but food is not the only thing found in the festival. Organizations promoting all sorts of activity were also there. Some organizations there were Micro Place, Co-op America and The Rebuilding Alliance. MicroPlace is an organization that welcomes anyone 18 years of age or older who wants to donate or invest $20 or more to poor workers from certain countries in Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, Middle East, North America, South Asia or Southeast Asia. They work in such a way that whoever wants to invest money may sign up online and become a member. This works like a loan, where members donate a given amount of money above $20 that directly goes to the worker chosen. That worker will be given a chance to put up his or her own business and once he or she starts earning the donor is paid back with interest. It’s a way to earn money and at the same time help the impoverished, as in their mission statement found in their website, “MicroPlace’s mission is to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world’s working poor.” Co-op America, a major sponsor of the Green Festival is a nonprofit organization that helps “green” the market. According to Screening Director Rebeca Shaloff, Co-op America informs individuals and companies how to be sustainable and finds partners to work with it on this campaign. Founded by Paul Freundlich in 1982, Co-op America makes sure they reach every part of society, in their homes, at work and at play. They have many types of programs, each with a different function, such as magazines that give out tips on how to live sustainably and
their Fair Trade program, which tries to ensure that the farmers get the right price for their labor and produce. According to Shaloff, Co-op America currently has 45 staff members, 35,000 businesses, 75 active individual members and 5 million publications printed on recycled paper and sent out to millions of people. Their numbers are continuously growing, especially when anyone at the green festival and anyone with access to Internet can join their organization by simply signing up. Another unique organization I found while walking around the festival was The Rebuilding Alliance, which started in 2003. It’s an organization whose main goal is to support communities from war zones. One example of The Rebuilding Alliance in action was when they helped a family from Jerusalem to file a report to human rights of their 10-year-old little girl, Amir Aramin’s death. They did this by putting up a playground in memory of her and accepting donations for the playground. The Rebuilding Alliance tries to fight injustice and violence in the world today by helping people such as these rebuild their communities and live a normal life once more. One of their ways of funding for their products is also by selling olive oil from these places. Moving on, not only were there vendors and organizations at the SF Green Festival, there were also lectures. I was able to attend one of them on Saturday at noon. The lecture/presentation was entitled “Ecological Architecture: For Maximum Kick with Minimum Impact,” which mainly talked about the effectiveness of using sustainable materials for the construction of structures:buildings and homes. David Arkin, who has talked and lectured about ecological design for more than 12 years, presented the
lecture. He gave information on how creative and beautiful structures can be when eco-friendly materials are used. The San Francisco Green Festival was popular among Ohlone students. With thousands of visitors and so many activities that went on, it represented an effective way of disseminating information on keeping the Earth healthy, according to Ohlone student Jonathan Varquez. Varquez admitted that he went to the event to get credits for his Human Ecology class, but more importantly, he wanted to learn what and how it is to be “green.” He said, “I’ve always been interested in helping the environment. There are many alternative ways of living in respect to being more organic and “green.” “Everyone should be more aware of our environment and become more ‘green’ from buying organic food to using environment friendly energy sources.” Varquez added that the food was expensive but the music along with the food being sold and given away was interesting and could be a reason for him to come again next year. This truly is an event worth coming back to, several students agreed. “I went to the green festival with a handful of friends to further my knowledge in trying to find different ways to sustain the earth,” said Ohlone student Patrick Rebosura. He admits that extra credit for his Geography class with George Rodgers was another reason that pushed him to go, but he also said that “it opened my eyes to different methods and ways to reuse recyclable items in everyday life. “For example, I never thought you could make a bag out of tetra pack material and sandals out of used rope. I actually enjoyed the festival a lot. It was very informative. I was also able to try many organic foods and for the first time and I liked them a lot.”
Escape the Hill: study Down Under By Suchi Gupta Staff writer Ohlone is organizing a study abroad program to Sydney, Australia in the fall of 2009. Mark Brosamer, associate professor of English, is in charge of the event. The trip to Sydney will leave next August and return in December. The study abroad program is designed to provide a way for students to become exposed to Australian culture firsthand. This is accomplished by arranging it so that students stay with Australian families and take classes with Australian professors as well as Brosamer. Although the exact cost of the trip has yet to be determined, the estimated cost will be $7,000 per student. The Australian families are expected to provide breakfasts and dinners for the students who they are hosting. Brosamer said that this trip will give them an opportunity to experience a new culture and visit different places in and around Australia. Culturally Australia is a diverse, urban and a lively country with excellent weather. Its aqua blue ocean beaches, exotic inland loca-
tions, pubs, street-side cafes and good public transportation makesit a very attractive location. The study group will leave in time to experience the spring season of Australia. Brosamer is no stranger to study abroad programs - he led a study group to Cambridge, England back in 2001. When talking about the trip, he said, “This will allow the students to live like adults, with absolute freedom of movement. They can choose their own activities, have freedom to stop in a pub and have a beer,” the drinking age being only 18 years old. He also recommended these trips as providing valuable international experience to students, which is a plus when applying for colleges and jobs. Even as students are soaking up the Aussie culture, though, they still won’t miss out on studying. Five courses taught by Brosamer, Speech Professor Kay Harrison and Australian professors will be offered. The study abroad group has already had three meetings in regard to the trip. For more information about the program and questions about financial aid, contact Brosomer at mbrosamer@ohlone.edu.
Photo by Eric Dorman
English Associate Professor Mark Brosamer shows off an Australian boomerang. Contact Brosamer to join the group of students traveling to Sydney, Australia next August.
Features
November 20, 2008
monitor
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Weighing Anchor
Got needs for beads?
By Eric dorman Editor-in-chief
Restoring the dream Images courtesy of Chops Big Band
CDs by Chops are available at chopsjazz.com
Jazz Band aims to rock theater By Andrew Le Features editor
Photo by Kyle Stephens
Featured at this year’s holiday boutique in the cafeteria Wednesday, fashion purse and pearl embroider Tai Loy Hong Co. has been designing and making bags for about three years now. The boutique featured a variety of vendors and wares.
An 18-piece Big Band will be performing jazz and swing classics that the audience can dance to at Ohlone’s Nummi Theater this Friday. Chops Big Band is directed by Ohlone Adjunct Instructor Ken Crowell. The band will be performing songs made famous by vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, and Crowell’s favorite, Harry Connick Jr. For those who want to dance
with the music, organizers of the event have positioned the band and chairs against the wall, leaving a large space in the middle for dancing. People interested in attending are encouraged to arrive early, as Chops Big Band events have been known to sell out. The cost of admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, staff, and students. Children under the age of 12 get in for $8. Tickets are available at the door or can be purchased in advance at the Smith Center box office. The event starts at 8:30 p.m.
“The American way of life is non-negotiable.” No matter what your views or political affiliation, it’s hard to disagree with George Bush Sr.’s 1992 statement. As Americans, we’ve come to see our way of life as an entitlement rather than a privilege, a right both unalienable and untouchable. As we watch one crisis after another unfold at home and abroad, though, it may be time to re-think that stance—or risk losing our way of life altogether. If you think this sounds extreme, open a newspaper. In this year alone, the nation has shed 1.2 million jobs, our housing market has collapsed and the stock market has lost over a third of its value. We’ve seen venerable financial institutions come crawling to the government for massive bailouts. We’ve seen an industry pioneered by America teetering on the edge of financial ruin, as GM begs the government for a $50 billion handout just to stay afloat. We live in a bankrupt state in a country with a budget deficit approaching $10 trillion. You and I didn’t directly create these problems; they stem from bad decisions by lawmakers and executives, and as well as some bad luck. But if you take a look at the root issues behind these crises, you can’t help but trace them back to an outdated but stubbornly-held ideology about the American way of life. From government to the private sector, we’ve become so transfixed with the American Dream that in many ways we’ve failed to wake up to the harsh realities of life. The American way of life has made us come to believe that we should be able to own a house at any age, regardless of whether we have the money to buy it. It’s convinced us that mortgaging the future is okay, so long as our lives stay comfortable today. It’s given us a taste of something so fine that we instantly crave more—but forget the sacrifice that made it possible. It’s here that the answer to our problems lies. Not in cutting taxes or welfare or education, not in giving up on the dream of a house and a piece of land and not in putting an end to borrowing. No, if we truly want to resurrect the American Dream, we need to remind ourselves of the qualities that built that dream into a reality: discipline, work and sacrifice. It’s these qualities GM lacked in the 90’s as it reached for the easy buck, and it’s because of a loss of sight of these principles that our state chose to borrow against the future rather than make sacrifices for a balanced budget. If we want real fixes for our problems, we need to make real changes to our thinking when it comes to the American way of life. If we want to preserve that for our children, it’s time to renegotiate.
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November 20, 2008
News
NASA touches down at Ohlone Continued from Page 1 The audience posed several questions concerning some of Bajwa’s points, and her answers put the scale of NASA’s projects into perspective. NASA’s budget is about one percent of the federal budget, and the cost of a launch is $10,000 per pound. With NASA recycling old technology, however, their efforts become more affordable – and reliable. The design is based on Apollo, shuttle boosters and commercial launch vehicles. Bajwa also introduced the new launch abort system, which allows for the crew to evacuate in case of some malfunction in the first phase of the launch. Orion is designed for lunar missions with a crew, and to operate for up to 210 days in Earth or lunar orbit. It can be linked with Mars and space stations, and faces the same re-entry speeds, temperatures, and structural stress as Apollo. It is also equipped with a lifeboat for the entire International Space Station (ISS) crew, and delivers cargo to the ISS. NASA is also planning to establish outposts on the moon and Mars. On the moon, a south pole outpost is likeliest, as there are several areas with greater than 80 percent sunlight and less extreme temperature swings. There are also elevated quantities of hydrogen, and possibly water ice in craters that are permanently in shadow. Bajwa is a computer engineer at the research center, and a specialist in Integrated Systems Health Management. She has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Her current major project is work on Ares abort simulations, working with the Launch Abort System. She talked about her experiences work-
Photo by Japneet Kaur
Human space exploration isn’t dead yet, said NASA scientist Anupa Bajwa. ing at the NASA Ames Research Center, and said she has enjoyed every minute of her 12 years there. “There are so many, many projects to work on, and amazing people to work with.” After taking a moment to thank her colleagues and her children, she talked about how her work tied in with volunteering through the Ames Speaker Bureau, organizing school visits to Ames, and visiting libraries and children’s
classrooms. When asked how much she makes, Bajwa smiled and replied to much applause, “enough to feed my family. There’s fortune, and there’s fame, and then there’s job satisfaction.” NASA offers educational, internship, and award opportunities for students of all ages, from kindergarten to college and postdoctoral pursuits. For more information, visit http://education.nasa.gov.
Campus Events CLASSIFIEDS
JOBS
PIANO FOR SALE -- Upright, rosewood Chappell piano in excellent condition. Made in England. $1,200. Call 510-790-1139 or email souzafive@comcast.net.
For information on Jobs an Career Resources, visit the Student Success Center in Room 1403 or go online at www.ohlone.edu/org/ssc/
November
Nor-Cal playoffs, round one. Away, time and location TBA.
20 Campus Tour - Join the free tour of Fremont main campus at 4 p.m. in Building 1. 21 Kakuro Competition – The Math Club will host instruction and a competition using Kakuro puzzles (similar to Sudoku) at its meeting from 5 to 6 p.m. in HH-218. 21-22 Women’s Water Polo - State championships. Location TBA. 21 Men’s Water Polo - State championships. Location TBA 21-23 Men’s Basketball - Home tournament vs. Shasta College
25 College Hour - A Smorgasborg of LRC Services, including Source Selection, Search Embedding, E-Book How-To, Database Search Tips, and more. Will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in Room NC-1100 at the Newark campus. 25 Gay Straight Alliance Meeting at 2 p.m. in Room SC-116. 25 ASOC - Meeting at 4 p.m. in Room 6105. 25 Women’s Basketball - At San Joaquin Delta at 4 p.m. 26 Men’s Basketball -
Home vs. DeAnza at 6 p.m. 27-30 Thanksgiving Holiday - No classes, campus closed. 29 Men’s Soccer - Third round of playoffs. Time and location TBA.
2 ASOC - Meeting at 4 p.m. in Room 6105. 2 Women’s Basketball Away vs. Lassen College at 5:30 p.m. 3 Faculty Senate - Meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Room 1307.
29 Women’s Soccer - Third round of playoffs. Time and location TBA.
3 Women’s Basketball Away vs. Feather River College at 5:30 p.m.
29 Women’s Volleyball - Nor-Cal playoffs, round two. Away, time and location TBA.
4 Blue Ribbon Appreciation Luncheon – Hosted by EOPS/CARE students. 1-2 p.m. in 5209.
November 20, 2008 monitor
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4-6 Winter Dance Showcase - 8 p.m. in the Smith Center’s NUMMI Theater. 5 Men’s Soccer - State Final Four. Time and location TBA. 5 Women’s Soccer - State Final Four. Time, place TBA. 5 The Nutcracker Ballet - 7 p.m. in Jackson Theater. 5 Women’s Volleyball State Playoffs.
29 Men’s Basketball - Away vs. West Valley College at 5 p.m.
December 1 Registration Begins Spring 2009 registration begins for new and former students. 2 College Hour - Tim Roberts plays guitar. Noon to 1 p.m. in lobby of Newark Center. 2 Gay Straight Alliance Meet at 2 p.m. in SC-116.
21 Women’s Basketball - Home vs. Butte College at 6 p.m. 21 LIFE Club - Meeting at noon on the Palm Bosque. 22 Men’s Soccer - First round of playoffs. Time and location TBA. 22 Women’s Soccer - First round of playoffs. Time and location TBA. 23 Ohlone Orchestra - Entertainment in the Jackson Theatre at 2 p.m. 24 Academics - Spring 2009 registration begins for continuing students. Registrar's office is on the first floor of Building 1 on Fremont campus. 25 Men’s Soccer - Second round of playoffs. Time and location TBA. 25 Women’s Soccer Second round of playoffs. Time and location TBA. 25 Women’s Volleyball –
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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 Jacque Orvis at (510) 659-6075 or e-mail monitorads@ohlone.edu
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Page 8
No happy ending for volleyball Peñaflor’s first year as head coach results in 2-14 record after losing at home Wednesday
By Jeff Weisinger Sports editor
Tenn and whoa
By Ankita Chhabra Sports writer The Women’s volleyball season closed its curtains on the Lady Renegades last night as San Jose City came in and swept Ohlone 3-0. Ohlone went through one heck of a roller coaster ride this year with a bench that was anything but full, players who were in and out of the game due to various reasons and a new coach who learned a lot about his team in his first year. Riding a 2-13 record, the girls took on the San Jose City College Jaguars in a game that Ohlone thought they could win. “Everything that could go wrong today went wrong,” said Volleyball Head Coach Jeremy Peñaflor who, with his girls, saw their season crashing down from their much improved second half of the year. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose,” said Lady Renegades Susana Bumb, who, along with Lean Vanessa Ridao and Angelica Benjamin were honored during Sophomore Night in Epler Gymnasium. “It wasn’t our best game... we could’ve played better,” Bumb said after the game. This was an unfortunate loss for the Lady Renegades because this game was absolutely no clear indication of their growth and improvement throughout the season. All three games were dominated by the Jaguars as they started strong, taking as much as an early eight-point lead and never looking back. Despite the strong effort by the Lady Renegades to claw their way back, the Jaguars just simply overpowered Ohlone in almost every way. The constant miscommunication by the Lady Renegades is mainly what shot down any chance at an Ohlone comeback. Starring for Ohlone once again was Angelica Benjamin. The freshman tried everything
Photos by Jeff Weisinger
Michelle Cruz, Angelica Benjamin and Stephanie Phan, above, from left, couldn’t stop San Jose City; below, Lean Vanessa Ridao, Angelica Benjamin and Susana Bumb were honored on sophomore night.
to close the gap for the Renegades, but even her powerful spikes that got the team most of their points in each of their comebacks resulted in the disappointing loss in each and every set.
With the season coming to an end and their disappointing record of 2-14, Coach Peñaflor is looking forward to next season and his returning freshmen as well as the off season, when assistant coaches
Jackie Acruri and Kevin Corral and he will be heavily recruiting in the last week of the high school season, along with going to club games to improve the Ohlone volleyball program.
Ohlone didn’t do too well in their three games, losing all three. However, they played very well to open up the tournament as they lost to host Salt Lake City College 70-65. Ohlone also lost the second game against the College of Southern Idaho 87-44 and lost the third game 76-41 to Snow College of Ephraim, Utah. The turnover count for the Renegades was high in the first two match ups as Ohlone had about 20 turnovers in the first half of both games. “They were exhibition games,”
said Stanley. “We played over our head and it was a little intimidating for our young team. We did learn a lot of lessons though.” The Renegades may have started the season on a relatively sour note, however they can’t go the rest of the year and say they are yet to be tested. Unfortunately for the Lady Renegades, last night against Skyline College they “stopped playing hard.” Stanley said her team played at a competitive level for just over the last three minutes on the road, losing 62-54.
“We just haven’t gone hard enough in practice. We need to get our players healthy so we can start moving at a faster pace.” With only five players returning from last year’s team, Stanley is counting on someone to step up and be a “killer to demand respect” in ball games. However, with such a young team assembled it may take a while to find that player who can step in and demand that respect. The Lady Renegades have their first home game of the season on Friday at 6 p.m. as they take on Butte College.
Swept in Salt Lake, lost to Skyline; Lady Renegades struggle on road By Tomás Ortega Sports writer Women’s Basketball Head Coach Elizabeth Stanley and her new squad of young freshmen are back to light up the Coast Conference south. Last year, the Lady Renegades finished second in their conference behind the undefeated DeAnza Dons. Over the weekend, Ohlone entered the Salt Lake City College tournament in Utah after Foothill College pulled out because they couldn’t make the trip.
Third and Five
Becoming just the 10th team to start 10-0 since the AFL-NFL merger, the Tennessee Titans are anything but perfect. But don’t tell that to Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher, who told The Tennessean newspaper that his team’s a “perfect 10.” However, despite lack of “household name” players, the Titans do something that nobody else in the NFL is able to do week in and week out… find a way to win. With a former Chicago Bear castoff in Justin Gage, a former Raiders third-string cornerback and kick returner in Chris Carr, a standout rookie runningback in Chris Johnson and Reggie Bush’s former backup at USC, LenDale White, the Titans offense is nothing like the “perfect” Patriots of a year ago. Then there’s their quarterback. With Vince Young dealing with his issues, the Titans turned to 35-year-old Kerry Collins to “get ‘er done.” Although he doesn’t have the talent that Tom Brady had around him (nor the numbers Brady had at this point last season), or the legs that Vince Young has, not to mention the fact that the Titans are only ranked 20th in total offense, the former Raider and New York Giant has done enough to be undefeated. However, the one thing Collins has done, despite throwing only eight touchdowns so far this year with just under 2,000 yards passing, is manage the game. And then the main reason of Tennessee’s surprising success this year, their defense. Tennessee finished fifth in the NFL last season in yards allowed per game, allowing just over 290 yards per game. This year, they are slightly better, allowing just over 280 yards per game which is sixth in the NFL. They are ranked first in total points allowed with 131 and have allowed an average of 13.1 points a game which is best in the league. The Titans’ upcoming schedule does give them the chance to become the second team ever to finish the season 16-0, and the third team to finish the regular season undefeated. The only challenge would be the last two games of the season when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts. Nine years ago the Titans made it to the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams and were a yard short of sending the game into overtime and possibly winning it. Maybe this time around they will get that final yard.