Monitor 2008-4-17

– Page 4

Softball team wins big one.

OPINION

ASOC gives Midnight approval.

SPORTS

NEWS

FEATURES

Speaker offers tips to avoid suicide.

– Page 8

– Page 3

Fremont, California

Vol. XXXVII No. 11

Born all right the first time, thanks.

– Page 2

April 17, 2008

Student held after threats

By ANNA NEMCHUK Editor-in-chief and BARRY KEARNS Features editor

Photos by Japneet Kaur and Eric Dorman

Finalists Gari Browning, left, Cecilia Cervantes and Laurence Spraggs outlined their visions for Ohlone at the presidential forums Monday.

Presidential finalists speak out

By Andrew Le Staff writer Three candidates seeking the position of Ohlone president spoke to a room filled with faculty members in order to introduce themselves as the best option at the presidential forums on Monday.

The first candidate to speak was Dr. Cecilia Cervantes, president of College of Alameda. Cervantes has been in higher education for more than 30 years and has been a community college administrator for over 25 years.

Diversity, as evidenced by her quote “diversity is at the heart of who I am,” was the primary emphasis of her introduction. She said her current school and Ohlone were similar in some respects due to their diverse populations. As for Ohlone, she plans on supporting our international programs in order “to continue to support the excellence that relates to international education, diversity and the learning college that comprises Ohlone College.”

The second candidate was Dr. Laurence Spraggs, president of Broome College in New York. Spraggs has

worked in community colleges for over 30 years and is quite passionate about the role of community colleges, stating that “community college is the Ellis Island of opportunity.”

A big proponent of “smart classrooms,” Spraggs has plenty of experience regarding reaching students through technology. Under Spraggs, Broome College was one of the first schools to post lectures through iTunes, and also helped develop a “Real World”type reality show at his campus in order to attract more students.

When asked about his priorities when confronted with a limited budget, Spraggs was firm in placing “the utmost importance” on safety and mental health counselors. When asked what he would cut, if he had no alternatives, Spraggs merely smiled and said, “probably something like the amount of junk (mail) we send out.”

The final candidate was Dr. Gari Browning, currently serving her fifth year as vice president at College of the Desert. Browning started her introduction by saying that she was once a community college student and thanks the

community college system for giving her a “strong foundation.”

Browning’s credentials, besides teaching on “nearly every educational level,” are extensive, particularly in regard to consultation and ESL-related positions.

To illustrate some of the reasons for her championing of the ESL cause, Browning shared a story that dated back to when she was younger, when she had the responsibility of teaching some immigrant students English. The students would regularly disappear from the class, and it was only later that she found out that the school would periodically test them and, if they fell beneath certain guidelines, send them to a school designated as “Educable but Mentally Retarded.” These children were just like everyone else, said Browning, which caused her to be particularly sensitive to the problems facing English as a Second Language students.

After each presentation, the attendees were asked to fill out forms that would be viewed by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have the final say on who will become the next president of Ohlone.

An Ohlone student threatened to harm fellow Student Repertory Theatre classmates during a session with his doctor Wednesday, April 9. The doctor reported the student’s intentions to campus police at approximately 1 p.m.

The student was subsequently detained for more than 72 hours and Officer Gweneth Murphy warned the class.

According to a campus police report made by Murphy, she visited Room SC-120 and spoke with the students identified as targets by the detained student, informing them of the threats. She specifically spoke with the classmate the student identified, asking “if he was aware of any reason why [the student] would make those statements. The classmate “said he makes fun of everyone in the class including himself.”

She then met with the entire Student Repertory class inside the Nummi Theatre and informed them that the student “had threatened to bring a gun to class and shoot everyone there.” She “advised them to be aware of their surroundings and that if [the student were to] approach them to leave the area very peacefully and contact Campus police as soon as possible.”

The campus police report described the student “as a male adult, approximately 6’00” in height, weighing approximately 240 lbs.” with short, dark hair, dark eyes and a lisp.

According to the report, the student had spoken with his doctor, “who told her he wanted to take a knife and stab a student in his Student Repertoire class” and “to bring a gun to his Student Repertoire class and shoot everyone in class because he felt no one in the class understood him. [The doctor] said under the Tarasoff Report, she was reporting this incident to Campus Police Services in order for us to warn the potential victims.”

In the Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California 1976 case, heard by the California Supreme Court, the Court concluded “that the public policy favoring protection of the confidential character of patient-psychotherapist communications must yield to the extent to which disclosure is essential to avert danger to others. The protective privilege ends where the public peril begins.” www.stanford.edu/group/ psylawseminar/Tarsoff%20I.htm When asked to comment, Ohlone Personal Counselor Rosemary O’Neill stated that a mental health care professional would make a judgment call as to the validity of the Continued on Page 5

Floor-laying to blame for noisy SSB construction

By Tseten Dolkar Staff writer The Student Services Building (SSB) completion date has been pushed from February to May 2009.

The postponement is due to recent developments, including the loss of time in January, when heavy rain temporarily stalled construction.

The crew is currently laying the basic floor layer, which is the cause for the construction’s cacophony.

They are also placing the utility lines. The next phase will be flooring. Today marks the 325th day of 655 days of construction.

The crew ran into water lines during a recent excavation of the site, which led to some changes in

design. There will also be additions to power lines.

In trying to follow Ohlone College Newark Campus’s achievement of Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the college is aiming for a Silver LEED certification for the SSB. To be LEED certified, a building site at a school must earn a minimum of 29 out of 79 possible points, and to be Silver LEED certified, one must earn at least 37 points. Those points can be earned by using recycled resources to build, maximizing water and energy efficiency during construction and post-occupancy and through diversion of waste.

Project Engineer Jose A. Castro

of construction managing company Consolidated CM, the firm conducting the SSB construction, said the college and the builders are making a joint effort for environmentally friendly and green building. Castro stated that the SSB “will have 22 to 30 percent recycled matter [in its construction]” in addition to skylights, which would save electricity.

Despite the college’s aim to make the SSB a green Building, however, the current roof-like structure will not support solar panels, said Castro. He did not know what the plan for the structure was.

For updates on the SSB construction, go to www.ohlone.edu/org/ bondprojects/project_sssb.html.

Photo by Japneet Kaur

A worker drills behind rebar as part of the SSB construction, which should be finished May 2009.

2

monitor April 17, 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: Anna Nemchuk News editor: Eric Dorman Features editors: Sandeep Abraham, Barry Kearns Sports editor: Tomás Ortega Opinion editor: Andrew Cavette Photo editor: TBA Online editor: Barry Kearns Staff writers: Inez Black, Brian Chu, Tseten Dolkar, Rachel Funk, Andrew Le, Elise Leon, Jerome Nepacena, Joe Nichols, Jacque Orvis, Ryan Richmond, Kyle Stephens, Max Stephens, Kathy Sung Photographers: Pei Ju Chen, Japneet Kaur, Danielle Rivers 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.

Earth Week is next week, so make sure to get most of your polluting done over the weekend.

Opinions

Christians should be protected from attacks, too

By Andrew Le Staff writer Christian prosecution didn’t end when Rome fell.

I’ve had an Ohlone professor illustrate the difference between Protestants and Catholics by saying Catholic women put out while Protestant women cannot (the ability to confess after bumpin’ uglies must make all the difference). If a professor included in his lecture the sexual tendencies of Muslim

girls, he’d be fired on the spot. But due to the fact that he was talking about Christians, it was kosher.

I’ve also heard a history professor justify the anti-Christian rhetoric of Communist workers’ unions in the 1920s with the reasoning that ministers were allied with the rich to exploit the workers.

The Muslim Student Association at Ohlone is allowed to have rallies, but last year, when someone was leaving flyers around campus with Bible verses printed on them, the ad-

ministration got all bothered. I’m not saying the MSA shouldn’t be allowed to have rallies; that would be just as ignorant as a professor saying that a religious denomination was responsible for keeping working conditions abhorrent in 1920s America.

I’m all for religions expressing themselves however they see fit, as long as they’re not promoting hate crimes.

But why are college professors allowed to say such things?

Because it’s okay to mock faith as long as

Jesus loves me, but sorry... I’m taken

By Japneet KAUR Photo staff It irks me to no end why so many people feel the need to shove their faith in my face.

This nation is rooted in safe refuge from religious persecution and yet its citizens make it nearly impossible for many disciples to practice their faiths in peace.

My complaint is not against the government or the administration, but against people, against individuals. Not a month goes by that someone doesn’t come a-knocking at the door, ready with pamphlets and tiny magazines (which now come oh-so-conveniently in my native language).

I suppose I should consider myself blessed it’s not a weekly occurrence. It’s hard to feel grateful when I’m being talked at (never

talked to) by someone who doesn’t even know the religion I practice or what that religion preaches.

My parents fled India (and certain death) to come to America, a place where they might practice their religion freely – instead, at every turn, my family and I are bombarded with insults that have nothing to do with our religion, told to go back home.

We are told that, to live in America, one should assimilate and try his or her best behavior to really become American. This often comes with noted and repeated glances in the direction of our turbans. This nation is less of a melting pot of diverse people, and more like an old soup can with all sorts of rocks and pebbles tossed in tumbling against each other; nothing but friction.

I want to know what makes Christianity so much better than Sikhism? Why is Islam so much better than Hinduism? How does having a religion trump not having one at

all? People fail to recognize the common teachings of all faiths.

None of the religions mentioned above teach its followers to lie, steal, cheat, kill or rape. People misinterpret scriptures; people take pride in their faith too far and in the wrong direction.

No religion is bad or evil – no God teaches His people to hurt. So why do some of us try so hard to make every other faith look bad, and convert everyone to their own faith?

Islam does not teach Muslims to terrorize; Hindus do not worship cows; Buddhists sometimes get ticked-off and Jesus was not the only resurrected prophet (even if he was, he wouldn’t brag about it like his followers sometimes do).

We need to stop being so scared of one another’s beliefs, and educate ourselves. We need to let go of the belief that our own faith is better than anyone else’s, or that our God is better than someone else’s God.

you only mock Christianity.

I’m not saying we’re blameless. I’ll give you the crusades, AIDS in Africa, our long history of anti-Semitism, etc. These are pretty gargantuan party fouls. But I’ve been eating your crap for a long time and I’d really appreciate if you guys would lay off my belief system, just a little.

Everyone’s always talking about how important it is to respect a diversity of culture and background. So why can’t you guys respect mine?

Monitoring Room 3201 on the main campus has no interior recycling bins.

Though this is a small oversight, it is a large lecture hall and a few bins would be well-used.

The bookstore’s small baskets of fruit look a bit ridiculous amongst the piles of candy. It’s time to expand the fruit section, or at least commit to the junk.

The information office at the Newark Center is helpful, but hard to find down the hall in Room 1312.

Perhaps a more prominent island booth, staffed with a rather brainy student, is in order.

Landscaping the Newark Center with native plants has worked well.

It’s time to try it in Fremont.

Monitoring wants your help. Point it out to us at: monitor@ohlone.edu

Campus Comment > > >

What were you doing during Tuesday’s fire drill?

Ali Ragheb

NURSING “Learning about love in Psychology.”

Viet Nguyen

Anna Mederos

Rob Kossayian

“Taking a mid-term in Business.”

“Enjoying the sunshine.”

“Learning about dominant sevenths in music class.”

BUSINESS

ZOOLOGY

HISTORY

Melody Hwang UNDECLARED

“Grading reading quizzes.”

News ASOC approves Midnight funds

By Barry Kearns Features editor The Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) made plans for upcoming activities on campus while allocating funds for Midnight magazine and considering additional cafeteria funds.

Journalism Instructor Bill Parks appeared before the ASOC to hear the decision being made about the money request for Midnight Magazine. Parks appeared before the ASOC last week and mentioned that the magazine had won seven awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges; he said that his plan for funding would require $5,000 from the ASOC, $3,000 from the Ohlone Foundation and the remaining $2,000 from annual advertising. The ASOC approved a money request for the amount of $3,000.

Dan Zhou made a money request for the cafeteria. The money he requested would go to replace the antiquated and often filthy microwaves in the cafeteria.

In a survey taken last semester, 85 percent of the students who filled out the survey indicated that they would like to see new appliances in the cafeteria. Zhou also pointed out that it is the responsibility of the ASOC to keep the cafeteria in working order. Zhou showed some of the models that he had been considering for replacement with prices and reports on their reliability. He requested $100.96 to replace the microwaves.

ASOC President Tatyana Hamady and ASOC Advisor Debbie Trigg made corrections to their money request for the upcoming Unity Week. Unity Week is a multicultural study presented through lectures, comedy and movies to highlight various cultures. The amount of $2,100 was approved.

Yvonka Headley made a money request for the Spring Career fair.

Headley has worked in the past at the One Stop Career Center and is now in her first year as a counselor at Ohlone College. The career fair happens every May, and will occur this year on May 7.

Headley would like to have the ASOC as a sponsor, to provide gifts and prizes. Headley also asked for help at the event, mentioning that participation “can add to a resume or repertoire.” ASOC Vice President Jackie McCulley brought up the question of whether0 the campus would be busy on that day. The ASOC will vote on the money request next week.

Elections Committee Co-Chair Maria Louise Javier said the ASOC needs more publicity for their elections. Javier said that she might be planning a performance to attract attention on election day.

Farrah Naqvi spoke on behalf of the Live Music Committee and announced that Rock the Hill would have its finale next week.

The event will be longer than the previous Rock the Hill concerts and Frenchie Davis is expected to perform.

The Parking Committee announced that they have received all the requests for parking spots in Lot N and are sorting through them at the moment.

April 17, 2008 monitor

3

Fair promotes health

By Kyle Stephens Staff writer A variety of local community health and wellness-oriented organizations paid a visit to the campus Wednesday, to inform and educate students during the Spring Health Fair.

The main purpose of the event is to make Ohlone students aware of the health services in the area, which are made up of both free and commercial groups. Health concerns are often neglected by college students because of actual or perceived lack of funds and/or time to get appropriate medical attention, but ignoring those concerns can have long-term health ramifications.

Ohlone Health Center staff member Sang Trieu said the event was a good opportunity “for students to be made aware of the resources in the community.”

Among the nonprofit organizations present were the Ohlone Health Center (coordinating with the Tri-City Health Center), the American Cancer Society, Washington Hospital Community Health Center and Resource Library and SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere).

Candy, brochures, flyers, condoms, miniature breasts for understanding self breast exams better, displays, promotional trinkets and many knowledgeable table staffers abounded at the event.

For more information about these groups and Ohlone’s own health services, visit the Student Health Center in Building 16 or see their website at http://www.ohlone.edu/org/healthctr.

Ohlone hopes for some satisfaction from survey

By Kathy Sung Staff writer All students registered on the Ohlone WebAdvisor website were sent emails regarding a survey about their satisfaction with Ohlone College on April 4. Of those students, only 600 have responded so far, said Dean of Enrollment Services and Institutional Research Michael Bowman.

The student surveys are sent out every year and contain questions regarding the satisfaction of Ohlone students concerning everything on campus—from the landscaping to the level of instruction they get. According to Bowman, this survey, which is active until May 5, is a way to give “students a voice for their opinions.”

Every year, the survey is sent out to gather

student opinions in order to ensure that they have a voice for future campus planning and upgrades. These surveys also serve as a way for other public agencies to evaluate the college and to “keep concerns of the student body before the college.”

The questions in the student survey range from issues concerning student services to evening student services to campus safety.

In order to include the recently completed Newark campus in the survey, some questions were aimed at comparing the two campuses and learning whether there were any things that could be improved on either campus.

There were also some questions concerning how safe students felt on campus; the questionnaire asked students to rate how important certain topics were to them. The survey mostly asks statements like “Courses

at Ohlone are preparing me for my educational goal” and requests a rating, from a strong yes to a strong no. In addition, students are asked whether or not that is something important that should be taken into consideration.

Bowman reminded students of the importance of updating their emails on WebAdvisor, as emails are the main form of communication between the school and student.

These surveys are conducted every year, and last year’s results can be found at www. ohlone.edu/org/research/surveys.html. Bowman mentioned that “since the results are all posted on the Web, anyone can look at them.”

These surveys can be the basis for great change at Ohlone. The results help determine where money is spent and used to report to other agencies, said Bowman.

The faculty and administration use the survey as a way to allow students to directly input their opinion of what they think about the college.

The surveys are anonymous and are not based on who the students are. Bowman said the “faculty and administration consistently ask themselves ‘What do students want or need?’” The student survey allows the administration and faculty a way to answer that question.

The offering of these surveys are also useful because they allow the administration and faculty to compare student satisfaction from year to year. Bowman said “We will offer the survey every year and will start comparing gains or losses in student satisfaction levels so we can know where to focus our energy and resources.”

4

monitor April 17, 2008

Features

Woman offers tips for suicide prevention

Sunny Cynicism

By Sandeep Abraham Features editor

Do NOT Google!

2girls1cup. Eight girls bring girl home and beat her up. Goatse. Tubgirl. Fishbaby. For the love of all things sacred, do NOT Google these. You will regret it with every retina in your eyeballs.

These are just a few of the things on the internet that have come to define our generation – generation-YouTube. Why have shock videos become such a hit over the last few years? We know they’re disgusting, they make us cringe, and yet we still can’t get enough.

There’s nothing noble attached to these videos either, not a hint of anything even marginally good.

Believe me, I’ve looked. From YouTube comments, it’s obvious people don’t watch these videos for the same competitive edge that boxing offers, even if both potentially offer the same amount of gore and grotesquery. I mean, seriously, how much of a contest is it watching eight girls violently thrash the living daylights out of another girl just so they could put it on YouTube? (The video’s been discontinued by the way, in case you were interested – which you probably were.)

I have gone to parties where sometime during the course of the night, an awkward silence settles over the crowd and a light bulb will go on over someone’s head and he or she will very cheerily ask, “Hey, who hasn’t seen 2girls1cup yet?” And everyone suddenly perks up and looks around the room for the few well-adjusted individuals left untainted.

For those who don’t know, 2girls1cup is a disturbingly popular video involving two girls, obviously, a cup, bodily functions and sex fetishes. John Mayer did a parody of it with a friend titled 2guys1cup, which featured him and a friend in a frozen yogurt shop. So you get the picture.

These videos desensitize us to the point that people actually watch movies like “Hostel” and “Saw” with as much jovial alacrity as our parents watched shows like “The Jeffersons.” Is this our new culture, the new marker of urban America? In fact, this isn’t even desensitization anymore.

People have actually embraced it and come to enjoy it – the more depraved, the better. And I understand this doesn’t apply to the majority of Americans, but it is a trend I’ve noticed among younger and younger urban tech-savvy people. You know, our future.

Don’t ask how or why I’ve come to know about these videos and memes. It involves a violent maiming of my innocence through unexplainable curiosity and a lot of regrettable dares, which is exactly why I plead with you to not give in to the internet.

Get off your computer, take a walk in the park with your significant other. Whatever you do, do NOT Google those videos.

By Max Stephens Staff writer

Photo by Eric Dorman

Health professional Bettina Bepler spoke on suicide prevention last Wednesday.

The Psychology Club hosted “Suicide Prevention Strategies,” a talk by Bettina Bepler of Crisis Support Services of Alameda last Wednesday.

There was such a large gathering of Psychology and other students for this talk that the event was moved from Room 4101a to the bigger 3101. All chairs were taken, and more students gathered around the edge of the room to sit in on the talk.

Starting at 2:30 p.m., the talk was scheduled to run for an hour and forty-five minuets, and in that time Bepler talked to the audience about the statistics on suicide in youth, adults and, most important for the local population, college students. Bepler also talked about myths concerning suicide, as well as what goes on in the mind of someone who is suicidal. This informative

talk runs parrallel to the increase of suicides that happens around the spring months, where those at risk for suicide have more energy to go through with a suicide plan. Along with identifying someone who may be at risk to suicide, Bepler also talked about what can be done to talk to someone who may be at risk.

Bepler works for the Crisis Support Services of Alameda (CSS), which started over 35 years ago and has grown to a certified agency by the American Association of Suicidology. They offer such services as: 24 Hour Crisis Line, Grief Counseling, Senior Counseling, Community Education and Counseling Services.

Bepler said the Crisis Line is open for anyone who might be at risk or worried about someone who they think is at risk for suicide.

More information can be found about Crisis Support Services can be found at www.crisissupport.org/ The 24 Hour Crisis line is (800) 309-2131.

Chance to sing and win this weekend

By Kathy Sung Staff writer The International Student Club and the Chinese Student Association will be hosting the 2008 Sing Xuan Feng Singing Competition Preliminary Round this Sunday, April 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Smith Center’s Jackson Theatre. This is the first year that Ohlone has ever taken part in the competition.

The competition is co-sponsored by the Chinese Consumer Yellow Pages. They have also helped to sponsor seven other competitions at Bay Area colleges. The top three singers from each college will compete in the Final Round located in San Mateo and hosted by the Chinese Consumer Yellow Pages at the Asian American Expo

in October.

Auditions have already been held on April 5 and 6 on the Ohlone College Newark campus. The contestants at the auditions numbered 35; 13 were selected to compete onstage.

Students selected to compete include: Cynthia Chan, Kimi Chen, Melody Chen, Eric Choi, Jon Fung, Tatyana Hamady, Scott Holcom, Robin Jung, Shadow Li, Sunny Liu, Vanessa Magat, Chiman Tran and Lehu Zhang.

According to Karen Chan, president of the Chinese Student Association, “Winners will be showered with prizes: Cash prizes of $300, $500 and $1000. The champion will get a round air ticket from SFO to TPE for a studio session and interview with a Taiwan

Show to display student artwork

By Tseten Dolkar Staff writer The annual Fine Art and Design Show will begin on April 23 at the Louie-Meager Art Gallery in the Smith Center. Students submitted artwork for the competition in the areas of drawing, collage, painting, ceramics, glass arts, sculpture, graphics, computer works, interior design and photography.

Unlike previous years’ shows, this year’s jury included the Fine Arts Department’s adjunct faculty, due in part to complaints from past students, who wanted the jury to be more inclusive of the entire faculty. The jury has already selected three winners from each category.

However, whether that information will be made available to students before the Reception and Awards Ceremony on May 6 is still in discussion.

Department of Art and Art History’s Instructor Kenny Mencher

wants the student body to appreciate the show for what it is, and not pay too much heed to who won and who lost. Mencher said “losing doesn’t matter” and emphasized that “rejection teaches [you] more than getting rewarded.” Mencher would like prospective art students to come to the show and understand the expectations at a two-year college level.

The Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) Vice President and Inter-Club Council Chair Jackie McCulley remarked that the show “gives opportunity for students to show off their talents.”

ASOC contributed $1,500 to the greater $4,000 prize money to be handed out through more than 40 awards. Other contributors include the Olive Hyde Art Guild, East Bay Clay, Leslie’s Ceramics and President’s Circle.

The show will run until May 14 and the Reception and Awards Ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m.

record company. The champion will also have the once in a lif time experience to perform onstage with a guest singer from Taiwan.”

Chan added, “The Chinese Club decided to organize and be one of the participating college because we think this is a great opportunity to work with other colleges and have a singing competition together.”

Tatyana Hamady, the ASOC president will also be competing in this event.

This Sunday’s show will include a Jazz dance from the Bliss Company, a band performance by Mzao and a band performance by Frances and Hip Hop. There will be a drawing to win a free gift.

Tickets are available for $5 for Ohlone students with an ID and $7

for non-Ohlone students. People buying 10 tickets or more will get 10 percent off.

Judges will be judging based on a point system with 10 categories and 10 points for each category. They will be judging on vocal quality, technique, emotion/mood, rhythm, style, presentation, appearance and potential. The judges for this competition will be Benjamin Chen, the representative from the Chinese Consumer Yellow Pages, Frances Fon, transfer center specialist, Khuu Tu, instructor of Star Valley Children Choir and Dennis Keller, an Ohlone music professor.

Tickets can be purchased in the Jackson Theater ticket office Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Earth Week planned

By Kyle Stephens Staff writer A multitudinous plethora of events await Ohlone next week for Earth Week. A tentative list of events is as follows: Next Monday will feature judging for the LIFE Club Environmental Art Contest, open to all students, in the lobby of Hyman Hall. In the Palm Bosque, free drinks will be available to those who bring their own cup, to promote that conservation behavior. An environmental debate and board games will also be happening in the Palm Bosque. All around campus, trees and other plants will be planted as part of Gardening Day. Tuesday, April 22, will continue the free-drink-with-cup program - it will also be Energy Awareness Day, featuring information, prizes and vendors. More judging for the Environmental Art Contest will be carried out on this day, as well.

Wednesday, April 23 will have a campus-wide cleanup, a clothing drive and e-waste recycling event at the Palm Bosque.

The Environmental Art Contest will come to a conclusion in Hyman Hall this day, and a tour of the Ohlone Oak Grove behind Building 27 will be headed by Ohlone Biology Instructor Jeff Watanabe.

Thursday, April 24 will see the Environmental Art Contest entries on display in Hyman Hall, and a special Earth Week Edition of Rock the Hill, with a guest appearance from former American Idol contestant Frenchie Davis.

April 17, 2008

Features Students explore rhymes and reasons

By Rachael Funk Staff writer In honor of National Poetry Month, a published poet will be visiting the campus. Cathie Sandstrom, author of “So Luminous the Wildflowers,” will be reading her poetry Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Fremont campus library.

English Instructor Robert Mitchell, who teaches poetry classes at Ohlone, is directing the event.

“People are always surprised at how lively and exciting it is... hearing poetry read out loud is a different experience than reading it silently.”

This year marks the 7th annual poetry event that Ohlone has hosted.

This year, it is a four-day event, hosted in the Fremont campus

library. The week started with two poetry readings from the English 113 class on Monday. Wednesday’s theme was Poetry Music.

A group of about 30 people gathered to listen to the poems read by students.

With songs like “My Way” from Frank Sinatra and “Tequila” from The Champs playing in the background, the poets would read material that they wrote or a piece that spoke to them.

Thursday’s event, from 1 to 3 p.m. will be open to anyone who wants to read their own or another author’s poetry.

This portion of the event is usually the best attended. Mitchell said that last year, so many people wanted to read that they ran out of time.

Refreshments will be served.

Photo by Japneet Kaur

Angelica Boyd reads poetry as part of a fourday poetry event in honor of Poetry Month.

in the 90s, and participated heavily in the Theatre program under Craig Jackson.

“Sammy specifically invited me - I went to school here,” said Gonzalez.

Incidentally, he also competed in forensics at James Logan High as a member of that school’s first squad.

“I engaged in Forensics to the fullest,” said Gonzalez. “It was the first class that ever showed me I had a voice.”

The money raised from Comedy Night will go to purchasing food for team members at the Phi Rho Pi national tournament in Chicago, where they will be this entire week.

Before leaving, team members reported feeling optimistic about

the competition.

“I feel like dancing,” said David Taube, last year’s Gold medalist in Parliamentary Debate.

“I’m enthusiastic, because we now have money to buy food,” said Obeid.

Taube and his debate partner, Emily Burkett, finished in first place last year at Phi Rho Pi, and have consistently broken into finals for multiple event at other tournaments since.

In addition, Obeid and his partner, Athena Bringhurst, took Bronze last year. Mike Sagun, the last team member attending, broke into finals at his second tournament but has never competed at nationals.

The team will be returning from Chicago next week.

Hor Ka Fung, a member of Ohlone’s Math Club, came in third in the College Calculus section of last Saturday’s 40th Annual Monterey Mathletics.

Team members Terence Lee and David Qiu received honorable mentions, also for College Calculus.

Other members of the team include Greg Monson, Mark Abubekerov, Hai Nguyen, with reserve teammates Alekh Jha and Jun Fang.

Ohlone College is ranked third in the Western Region and fourth in the nation.

Jun Fang of the Ohlone College Math Club is tied for fifth place in the West Region Individual Stand-

ings.

“Mathletics is a math contest held annually to encourage excellence in math and recognize the achievement of individual students and the schools they represent.”

For more information, visit the Mathletics website at http:// programs.monterey.k12.ca.us/ curriculum_instruction/math_curriculum/mathcurriculum/mathletics/index.htm.

The competition extends from 6th grade math to calculus BC, equivalent to Calculus 101B at the college level.

This allows for both college and high school students to participate.

More recently, Ohlone College proctored the AMATYC (American Mathematical Association of Two-

Year Colleges) test.

Two competitors from Ohlone are in the top 20 nationwide, with Terence Lee tied with a student from Evergreen Valley College in 10th, and Jun Fang at 15th.

These figures are out of the 2,656 who took the test, though because the test in available to all two-year college students in the United States, the actual number is technically much higher.

Ohlone’s team is currently a leading force in the competition.

As Math Instructor Geoffrey Hirsch pointed out, for both rounds offered, overall Ohlone would rank first by a significant margin in any regional division other than the West coast, and in the West it stands at seventh.

For a full list of regional and

national rankings, go to “Reports” at the AMATYC rankings site, www. sml.csmd.edu.

The AMATYC organization is “the only organization exclusively devoted to providing a national forum for the improvement of mathematics instruction in the first two years of college.”

For more information on the organization, visit their website at www.amatyc.org.

The test itself is on pre-calculus alone, but questions on the AMATYC are said to be especially challenging, unlike anything one would find in a typical pre-calculus textbook for high school and college students.

Creativity and understanding on concepts are what the test is about.

Continued from Page 1 threat when deciding whether to involve the authorities under the Tarasoff decision.

An unidentified witness spoke with Murphy, confessing that the student had spoken of his feelings of alienation a few weeks ago, and the witness had tried to comfort him.

The witness added that he felt the student’s “statements were very odd and apologized to [Murphy and the identified classmate] for not bringing it to our attention sooner.”

Another witness stated that she

had spoken to the student April 4, when he “told her he felt out of place, that people in the class gave him dirty looks.”

A witness further described the student as “a special needs person, who had problems understanding what job needed to be done.” The witness then stated “he would secure all the rooms the students were in for their safety.”

Upon contacting the reporting doctor at approximately 3:13 p.m., Murphy learned the student was in the Oakland Children’s Hospital

Emergency Room “awaiting transport to an unknown location.”

Vice-Principal Ron Travenick sent out an email to faculty and staff, though not students, informing them of this event Thursday, April 10 at 5:20 p.m. He noted that the student was being held for observation and “has been suspended and forbidden entry to College property.” Travenick is working with the student’s family on this incident.

Contributing to the story were: Eric Dorman, News editor and Andrew Cavette, Opinions editor.

Math Club prepares for battle of brains

By Kyle Stephens Staff writer

Devil’s Advocate

Learn.

Work, too.

medic monologue.

Obeid was responsible for inviting most of the comedians who attended, many of whom are his friends from the San Jose Improv.

After the show, comedian Brandon Lynch reflected on his performance.

“I’d give it four stars out of five,” said Lynch. “And write that I brought two of those stars.”

Lynch’s only complaint was the lack of resfreshments, which had been promised in a press release.

He also shared details about himself, and how he prepares for his performances.

“I take a deep breath,” said Lynch. “I like to clear my mind.”

Another comedian, “Big Al” Gonzalez, was a student at Ohlone

Among the comedians who performed at Comedy Night last Friday was Justin McClure, a past competitor on the American Idolstyle reality television show “Last Comic Standing.” McClure, the headliner, performed for 30 minutes to raucous approval.

Comedy Night, hosted by the Ohlone forensics team, featured an unusually high attendance for a paid event and attracted even people who did not attend Ohlone.

The Emcee was Forensics team member Sammy Obeid, a professional comedian and a consistent first place finisher in After Dinner Speaking, a kind of 10-minute co-

5

By Anna Nemchuk Editor-in-chief

‘Last comic standing’ brings crowd to feet

By Chen Lin Staff writer

monitor

Student threatens classmates

I like to work. I like to go to school. But I do not like doing either one of these things without the other.

Whether because of the proportion of adult students, the tendency of those less affluent to attend one or perhaps a lessened workload due to a lack of time constraints, a community college like Ohlone tends to house more than its fair share of working students.

But why work? Moreover, why work at anything other than a McJob? A friend of mine lives with her mother, who is a bit of a tyrannical figure. This friend does not work. She goes to school full-time and does chores around the house. All the chores. She chauffers her mum around. She must be home before dark or field frantic, pissy phone calls. In her mid-twenties, she’s still treated like a five-year-old.

Explain to me just how mopping floors will prepare you for a career, other than as a janitor?

(Who, by the way, also probably went to school for that.)

Finding, applying for, winning and performing an actual job, however, is a bit more rigorous. It requires discipline, intelligence, perseverance, time management, people and communication skills and responsibility; i.e. all the qualities you’d like your child to possess in life. If you’re going to school at the same time, all those attributes are sharpened.

You learn to juggle the expectations of teachers and managers and how they differ. You learn that you can be late to class without anyone having heart palpitations but that dressing when late to work should be down to “Am I legally decent?” because there are 25 other people depending on you, daily.

There’s a certain relief in being able to go between an academic and a professional setting. You don’t get too sick of either. Also, the less time you have, the more wisely you tend to spend it.

School and work, far from contradictory, are the perfect foils for each other.

Scottish to gather

By Joe Nichols Staff writer The East Bay Scottish Association will host its annual Tartan Day Scottish Faire on April 19 at the Ardenwood Historical Farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The faire will include everything from bagpipe bands, historical re-enactmens, authentic Scottish food and dance, as well as many jeweler and other craft booths. Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish Independence from Britain, which stemmed from the Treaty of Northhampton in 1323.

Tartan day is the only day that William Wallace’s sword, a Scottish national treasure, is allowed to leave the country.

6 MONITOR

April 17, 2008

News

Campus Events CLASSIFIEDS PIANO FOR SALE -- Upright, rosewood Chappell piano in excellent condition. Made in England. $1,200. Call 510-790-1139 or email souzafive@comcast.net.

1 9 8 7 M er c u ry cougar $800 OBO -- Vehicle is in good working order, will get you where you need to go. Automatic transmission. Power everything.

2dr Gold. Hood and roof paint are faded. New tires, front pads, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, starter solinoid, battery, battery cables.

Asking $800 OBO. Call 510-790-1139 or email jackieorvis@gmail.com. administrative assistant needed -- Perfect for students. Part time administrative assistant needed for developing supercomputing company. Approximately 15-20 hours a week to start. Flexible times. $12-15 based on experience. Send resumé to ksenff@hotmail.com.

April The GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) -- Meetings are every Thursday @ 2 p.m. in SC-116.

Everyone is welcome.

Environmental Sustainability Meetings --Meetings are the third Thursday of each month @ 3:30 p.m. and rotate between the Fremont and Newark campuses, with the first one on February 21 at the Fremont campus.

Building of the Hubble Space Telescope @ 11:45 a.m. in Room 3201.

18 Brown Bag Speech -- A Look at Arab Americans in Mass Media Post 9/11 by Zaki Hasan @ noon in Room 3101.

18 Celebrate National Poetry Month -- Poet Cathie Sandstrom reads her poetry @ noon in the Ohlone Library.

19 Men’s and Women’s Swimming -- Nor Cal Diving in Modesto.

19 Summerfest 2008 Auditions -- Auditions for Summerfest from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Smith Center.

19 Baseball -- Home vs.

Chabot College @ 2 p.m.

20 Preliminaries -- Preliminary Round for the First Annual Bay-Area-Wide Singing Competition Community Event @ 7 p.m. on the Fremont Campus.

24-27 Women’s Tennis -Ojai Tournament in Ojai.

24-26 Men’s and Women’s Swimming -- Coast Conference Championships @ Chabot.

24 Baseball -- Away vs.

Monterey Peninsula College @ 2 p.m.

25 Last Day -- Last day to drop from semester-length courses with a W grade.

26 Baseball -- Away vs.

Gavilan College @ noon.

26 San Jose SaberCats vs.

LA Avengers at HP Pavilion-- Ohlone College and the San Jose SaberCats invite all Ohlone students, staff and faculty to come out and enjoy a night of football, fireworks and fun. Game @ 7:30 p.m.

29 Baseball -- Away vs. Skyline College @ 2 p.m.

22 Baseball -- Home vs.

Hartnell College @ 2 p.m.

29-30 ASOC Elections -9 a.m. to 2 p.m. @ Newark Campus in the Central Hub AND 5 to 7 p.m. @ Fremont Campus in the Upper Quad.

FREE Krispy Kreme donut or Chipotle burrito per vote!

22 Softball -- Away vs. Foothill College @ 3 p.m.

May

23 New art gallery exhibit -- Annual Fine Art & Design Student Show in the LouieMeager Art Gallery.

1-3 Men’s Tennis -- Nor Cal Tournament. Location TBA.

24-27 Men’s Tennis -- Ojai Tournamentin Ojai.

April 17, 2008 monitor

7

1-3 Women’s Tennis -- Nor Cal Tournament. Location TBA.

7 Multimedia Festival 2008 -- Annual festival in Hyman Hall, 12:30 to 5 p.m.

1 Baseball -- Home vs. West Valley College 2 p.m.

7 Campus Tour -- The Ohlone College Peer Mentors conduct campus tours the first and third Wednesday of every month in the lobby of Building 1 @ 4 p.m.

1-3 Spring Dance Production -- “Then and Now” 10th Anniversary Reunion @ 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theatre.

3-4 Softball Regionals -Round 1. Location TBA. 5 Graduation Gowns -Spring 2008 Graduates may purchase their cap, gown, and tassel starting today.

6 Baseball -- Nor-Cal Regional Play in Game 6 Reception and Awards Ceremony -- Annual Fine Art & Design Student Show @ 6:30 p.m. in the LouieMaeger Art Gallery.

8-10 Student Rep -- Student Repertory II in the Nummi Theatre @ 8 p.m.

8-10 Men’s Tennis -- State Tournament in Claremont 8-10 Women’s Tennis -- State Tournamentin Claremont.

9-11 Baseball -- Nor-Cal Regional I. Location TBA. 10 Ohlone Community Band -- Performance at Central Park Pavilion in Fremont @ noon.

1-3 Men’s and Women’s Swimming - State Championships in Mission Viejo

17-19 Men’s Tennis -- Conference tournament in Santa Clara.

17-19 Women’s Tennis - Conference tournament in Santa Clara.

17 Open Poetry Reading -Celebrate National Poetry Month with an Open Poetry Reading @ 1 p.m. in the Ohlone Library.

17 Baseball -- Away vs. San Jose City College @ 2 p.m.

17 Softball -- Away vs. College of San Mateo @ 3 p.m.

17 Ceremony -- 2008 Student Achievement Awards Reception @ 5:15 p.m. and ceremony @ 6 p.m.

18 Due Date -- Application deadline for fall 2008 Ohlone College Foundation Scholarships 18 Brown Bag Science Seminar -- Pioneers of Space: the

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

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

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

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Page 8

Softball slides past Chabot in the 8th

By Tomás Ortega Sports editor Even when you’re coming off back-to-back no-hitters and a weekend game in which you only allowed one run on a single hit, you can still run into trouble.

Take it from Kelly Colker, the Renegades’ softball pitcher who, after throwing the aforementioned gems, came back this past Tuesday to shut down a rival ball club, watch the lead go away in an instant and grind the rest of the game out to pick up the 8-4 road win over Chabot.

Minus an opening 12-pitch at-bat against Chabot’s lead-off batter, Colker pretty much had the first few innings under control, recording 5 strikeouts in the first two innings.

Trouble didn’t hit until the bottom of the 7th.

Ohlone was leading 4-0 when Colker looked to have picked up her 8th strikeout of the windy afternoon; instead, she had her 1-2 pitch called a ball just off the outer half of the plate to the right-handed hitting Christina Panuco of “I think Chabot. someone Colker’s once said ‘It’s next pitch never easy’” resulted into a hard, one--Head Coach hop smash Donna Runyon off the left field wall that got the wheels turning for the home Gladiators.Two batters later, Shampayne Clay hit a two-run home run to left and trailed Ohlone by only a pair.

Her two-run blast came after she smoked the previous pitch off the fence, but it was foul.

Colker later mentioned that she made the pitch she wanted to Clay, but was just beat on the particular swing. After the home run, Colker sat down the next two hitters in order.

Her offense gave her no support in the top half of the 7th, going down in order and sending her out to the mound again. Then, nearing 100 pitches for the day, she ran into some more trouble.

Due up were the 7-8-9 batters for Chabot. Colker managed to get the first hitter out on a grounder to Renegade second baseman Kassy Winger. Chabot’s next hitter looked to have done the same, except this time Winger booted the grounder and the runner reached safely.

Things then started to spiral out of control. The Gladiator’s center fielder, Jessica Stellato, laid down a sacrifice bunt that was fielded by Colker. But Colker threw it over the head of Winger, covering first, which allowed the runner to score from first and moved Stellato to third.

The lead-off hitter then punched a grounder to Winger, who hesitated checking the runner back to third.

She then made the throw to first, but it was too late. Winger later said she, “rushed a little bit,” on the check and throw. She also added, “she looked further off than I thought. And, of course, she had a really big smile on her face,” referring to the runner on third.

Hot Corner

By Nate Gil Sports writer

Jackie honored

Photo by Tomás Ortega

Ohlone first baseman Cassandra Ortega picks up her third hit to right field in the Renegades’ win over Chabot.

A squeeze play followed on which the runner scored and the batter was able to reach first on an overthrow at the plate. That would be all the excitement from the Chabot bench for the afternoon.

In extra innings, Winger made up for her defensive blunders and led off the inning with a hot shot past Chabot’s shortstop. She was followed up by two consecutive hits

by Cassandra Ortega, who hit the ball hard for the third time to right center, and by Jamie Miller.

Ortega and Winger both scored on Miller’s hit. Ohlone picked up two more, but they weren’t needed, as Colker went on to shut down Chabot in the bottom half of the inning in order, including her 9th strikeout of the game.

Ohlone’s Head Coach Donna Runyon, when asked about the tough last innings after the game, responded, “I think someone said one time ‘It’s never easy.’”

One may have to take Runyon’s word for it. Only because watching this ball club dominate from the scorers table all season, including a stellar undefeated conference record, makes one think otherwise.

Photo by Tomás Ortega

Freshman Kelly Colker threw 129 pitches, including 9 strikeouts, against Chabot Tuesday.

Baseball coming together

By Jerome Nepacena Sports editor The men’s baseball team is putting together a solid season this year, and Head Coach Tom Kunis is making sure that the team stays focused. With a 9-3 victory over San Mateo City College Tuesday, the Renegades look to continue a stretch of games in which they’ve picked up wins over City College of San Francisco, De Anza and Gavilan College.

Tuesday’s win came against a team that is currently in first place in the Coast North and featured top -notch defensive performances.

Ohlone’s sophomore pitcher Shane

Murchison improved to 9-2, but, according to Kunis, several other players were also able to lock down the San Mateo offense.

“Ian Hoff gave us some big outs,” Kunis explained. “And Joe Gardner, Kevin Radach and Kurtis Sherer held the potent offense of CSM down from the 7th inning on.”

But it wasn’t just the defense that was on full display in Tuesday’s game.

The offense in the 7th inning blew the game open for Ohlone after a key lead-off single from Matt Langseth. The next two Renegades, David Luna and Justin Lunday, were both walked.

Sophomore Rich Mcdowell

stepped up and hit a grand slam which, according to Kunis, “easily cleared the left wall.” Overall, the Renegades gave a solid performance, improving their record to 18-17 overall.

The Renegades’hard work can be seen through their recent stretch of games, including Tuesday’s win.

The team has been able to put together enough wins to rank third in what is widely known as one of the toughest conferences in Northern California.

The Renegades play next against San Jose City College Thursday, where they look to build on their current record and continue to climb the standings.

As Tuesday came and went, so did Jackie Robinson Day, a day honoring and remembering a man who broke baseball’s color barrier and paved the way for the future African-Americans in the sport.

Although Major League Baseball has dedicated an entire day to honor Jackie Robinson, did they really celebrate his legacy in a way that was befitting?

In 2007, Major League Baseball gave players permission to wear Robinson’s retired jersey, #42, on Jackie Robinson Day. Honoring Jackie Robinson in this way is great for unifying baseball. However, no amount of recognition will change the fact that there are still Major League Baseball teams with no AfricanAmericans present on their roster.

This year, the defending National League champions, the Colorado Rockies celebrated without a single African-American player on their roster. This fact seems to negate the progress Robinson made, and what baseball attempts to honor.

Just because the Rockies do not have an African-American on their roster does not imply that they went out of their way to do so. In any sport, the best player plays; it doesn’t matter if they’re black, white, green, purple or yellow as long as they play the position best. However, having an entire ball club without a single African-American player should turn heads, especially 61 years after Jackie Robinson’s initial appearance in baseball.

African Americans only represent 8.4 percent of baseball’s athletes, a statistic that is substantially lower than it should be.

This does not just affect Major League Baseball. It also might be discouraging to kids in inner cities who dream of playing Major League Baseball.

Yes, the number of AfricanAmericans playing basketball and football is huge, but when kids look at professional basketball and football players, they see the diamond watches and fancy cars that are not linked to Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball is still The Great American Sport and, being that, it holds an unspoken responsibility to promote the importance of diversity, a key value for our country.

Dedicating a day to Jackie Robinson is only the beginning of the many steps Major League Baseball needs to take to improve the purity of the sport. It is imperative that baseball continues #42’s legacy by further integrating the sport and celebrating what Jackie Robinson stood for, not just for one day, but 365 days.