– Page 5
Vol. XXXIX No. 4
Baseball continues hot streak. – Page 8
– Page 3
Fremont, California
Renegades playoff-bound
OPINION OPINION
ASOC plans a march on Sacramento.
SPORTS SPORTS
NEWS NEWS
FEATURES FEATURES
The British are coming to sing.
Lovebirds not at all like drug addicts. – Page 2
February 19, 2009
AC Transit may raise bus fares for all By Ankita Chhabra Staff writer
Photo by Tara Lynn Lanning
Seven-foot sophomore center Frank Monge and the Renegades denied Cañada points in their 69-26 blowout of the Colts. The game was their last home game of the regular season. See story, Page 8.
bus rider. Not only are the adult bus riders going to be affected by this change; “As someone who rides the bus youth, seniors and the disabled every day, I think it’s terrible that will have to pay $1 instead of the people like me have to put up with current 85-cent price. However, the hike in ticket prices. I’m not 31-day passes for youth, seniors particularly mad about the situa- and the disabled will not face a tion, because with the economy’s price increase. The major reason behind this state, everyone has it bad,” said bus rider Japneet Kaur, who, just consideration is the “catastrophic loss of state funding,” like the other bus according to AC Tranriders, shrugged ‘ I take the bus five her shoulders and or six times a week sit General Manager Rick Fernandez. The hoped that what- and depending on ever the outcome how much the raise public was asked to of AC Transit’s is set to, I might not come out to the hearing and voice their fare hike proposal take the bus anyopinions as well. is, it will not be more. ’ “I take the bus every --Michael too bad. Hart, student day, so the price I might The AC Transit be able to handle, but as Board of Directors will be meeting on Feb. 25 to discuss long as they are not cutting...which whether to increase the bus fare for [would] mean me being less mobile,” adult riders. The increase would explained another concerned bus also limit the use of the 25-cent rider, Lacy Benson. “Even though we will get some transfers and the use of TransLink cards. The board hopes to offset a new revenue from the passage of budget deficit of at least $42 mil- Measure VV last November, it is neither big nor quick enough to lion in 2010. The fares have not been increased completely offset our catastrophic in the last four years. The proposal loss of state funding,” said Fernancurrently on the table will mean dez in an AC Transit press release. a 25-cent increase in basic fare, “It is a difficult time for all of us. from $1.75 to $2. A 10-ride ticket But the board is especially sensiand $70 adult 31-day pass would tive to the burden borne by youths, seniors and people with disabilities, increase as well. “It sucks, because I take the bus and obviously has no desire to raise five or six times a week and depend- the cost of their bus passes.” The public hearing was held last ing on how much the raise is set to, I might not take the bus anymore,” May. The board will decide the matsaid Michael Hart, another student ter Feb. 25 in Oakland.
Faculty Senate works to keep Ohlone in good standing By Nazia Mastan Staff writer Ohlone will require a minimum AP score of only three instead of four to receive credit for certain classes in order to reflect changes at the UC and CSU level, the Faculty Senate decided Wednesday. An Advanced Placement Score of three will now be accepted for Ohlone credit for three courses; Art History, English Composition and Political Science. This decision was made because other California community colleges, CSU’s and UC’s now accept a score of three for their general education requirements. The minimum score of three will be accepted for Ohlone’s General Education Plan A. As of now, fours or higher will count for major requirements. However, the scores that will be considered for major requirements are still up to departments on a test-by-test basis. Many of the threes accepted may also count for a humanities requirement under our General Education Plan A. Also, new AP tests are going to be accepted, such
as Environmental Science, Chinese Language and European History, to name a few. Ohlone has been undergoing a procedural revision of the programs that we offer because our accreditation is under a warning from the Accreditation Team. This team is comprised of 12 members from various California community colleges. Last March, these representatives studied the Newark campus as well as the Fremont Ohlone campus and found faults, which explains the warning our school was put under. There are community colleges in the Bay Area that are in worse condition than Ohlone, but that does not account for the fact that Ohlone needed to clean up some areas. Our school has been working on revising and reviewing programs and composing detailed reports to send back to the team in order to reaffirm our standing in the California community college system. The progress that Ohlone is making in reaffirming our accreditation was described as good at Tuesday’s Senate meeting. But, our school is still under warning, according to Vice President of Instruction Jim Wright. He touched on the
fact that if we review our programs wisely, our “$46 million” budget will be reserved. The next accreditation report that President Gari Browning will be sending to the community college representatives is due to be completed and sent on March 15. Wright explained that our plans should encompass preserving and using our current cash wisely, and stressed the importance of “tying planning to budget.” Although other members of the Senate commented on the fact that this has been the plan for many years, now is the time that it should be taken into serious consideration because of the budget crisis. The Senate briefly discussed the possible conflict of time allotted for finals at the Newark campus. The conflict in finals time slots may occur if a student is taking both Monday through Thursday classes and a Friday class. The Senate chose not to discuss the topic further during the next meeting because teachers should alert their students ahead of time that this conflict of finals time may occur. They expect that students will have to make sure that they have time to take both finals.
2
Opinion
monitor February 19, 2009
Associated Collegiate Press / National Scholastic Press Association All American 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Regional Pacemaker 1988 Journalism Association of Community Colleges General Excellence Fall 1994 General Excellence Fall 2000 General Excellence Fall 2004 General Excellence Fall 2005
Editor in chief: Eric Dorman News editor: Jake Benson Opinion editor: Noah Levin Features editor: Nicole Johnson Sports editor: Jeff Weisinger Photo editor: Japneet Kaur Online editor: Suchi Gupta Staff writers: Ankita Chhabra, Theodore Harrison III, Esmeralda Leon, Alex Lykins, Nazia Mastan, Sean Nero, Tomás Ortega, Anna Biaritz Roldan, Devery Sheffer, Zunera Syed, Farnoosh Vahedi, Isaac West Photographers: Anna Alfafara, Jorge Gomez, Tara Lynn Lanning, Dan Yuan Ad manager: Jacque Orvis Ad staff: Inez Black, Christ Marovich, Harpreet Singh 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
Call them love birds please, not love addicts By Nicole Johnson Staff writer Last time I checked I was not a drug addict. So why is it then that the article, “Brain Studies Prove It: We’re addicted to Amore,” by Seth Borenstein claims that people who are hopelessly in love are to be compared to drug addicts? Why are they saying that the brokenhearted “show more evidence of…a craving, similar to craving the drug cocaine?” The article, published in the San Jose Mercury News, states that, “in humans, there are four tiny areas of the brain that some researchers say form a circuit of love,” called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA lit up when people in
love were shown pictures of their “beloved.” I understand that love doesn’t entirely come from the heart – there is a chemical connection, as well as hormones and genetics. Of course love is addicting; anyone can tell you that. However, comparing love to drug addiction and people who are heartbroken to cocaine addicts is going too far. I’ve seen countless people pull themselves out of heartache. People bring themselves “back to normal” after falling out of love, no matter how heartbroken they were; although there are people who do kill and die for love. Drug addicts need serious attention; they need to go through rehabilitation and years of counseling,
not to mention serious withdrawal symptoms that they would never be able to handle on their own. The heartbroken and those in love do not need to take those serious steps to get better. When you are on drugs, you can have the biggest support system in the world, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get better. You can have all the support from your family and friends who offer to take you in after living on the streets, but you spurn home and family because of your altered frame of mind. Lovebirds and drug addicts think about drugs all the time. The thought and the want of drugs completely devours them, it makes them do things they would never do, had they been sober.
There are instances where people have murdered others and done terrible things in the name of love, but they are generally more levelheaded than drug addicts. There are people who will rob over drugs and those that will kill over drugs. People will snitch to the police to get closer to what they want. Drugs turn people into monstrous beings. When a person is on drugs it deteriorates their brain. Drugs eat away at the very person they were meant to be. More often than not, I’ve heard people who were in love say that they have found themselves. People in love are constantly thinking about the person they are in love with, where as drug addicts are selfish,
always serving their own needs So when love is working its magic people will notice. Those in love are going to want everybody else to know it. And when their loveydovey feelings come crashing down because their partner cheated, a few tears and helpful hands later, those who were broken hearted are back on their feet. More people have died from drugs than from love. Both love and drugs distort reality. You can crave both, and there are psychological side effects from noth as well. However, only one is a hard-to-cure illness, and the other is an easy addiction to deal with. Love is addicting, but nowhere near as addicting as drugs. Love and drugs do not even belong in the same category.
Small luxuries feel economic crunch as well By sean nero Staff writer Ten years ago I could go into a corner store and buy a small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, 20 oz. Pepsi, a Homerun apple pie and a Snickers candy bar for lunch and it would cost me a little more than $2. Nowadays that same $2 barely covers the soda and pie. A worsening economy has caused prices to inflate at alarming rates and is one of the main reasons I have cut back
on buying my usual lunch. I now have to sacrifice the things I enjoy eating for the things I can afford. Instead of that nice bottle of Tropicana OJ I used to buy I now make due with a can of Arizona Orangeade which saves me around 25-30 cents but tastes a lot worse. Some stores have even begun adding sales tax to items labeled with a specific price in order to turn a bigger profit. I’ve been told that in the ‘70s $10 would provide dinner for a seven member family; in today’s economy, $10 barely feeds
a single person. Inflation is not limited to just food; the entertainment industry is feeling the crunch as well. The cost of a weekend movie ticket is set at $10.25 compared to $7.08 ten years ago, this means no popcorn or arcade for me, instead I eat at home and take my Sony PSP gaming system to tide me over until the movie starts. To save money on movies I sometimes wait around six months for the movie to come out on DVD and go rent it. Rising movie prices have led to a very drastic increase
in bootlegging. I have turned down numerous movie day proposals due to the cost of going out which has caused my friends to label me a cheapskate. Another thing that gets me about the inflation is the fact that companies are shrinking and minimizing items as their prices as growing. For instance, I noticed that Burger King recently introduced mini burgers to their menu. You get two of the burgers for $1.39, which is a bad deal considering you can get two of their large counterparts for $2.
The cost of school supplies has gone up as well, from the price of textbooks to the cost of pens and paper. Softer toilet with a thicker ply is more expensive, as are other seemingly simple amenities. The price of entertainment remains higher for longer periods of time. It is things like this that cause me to sit back and reminisce on the good old days, when fun could be had for a small charge. I hope one day to be able to go into the store, grab some stuff and not feel cheated when I leave.
Campus Comment > > > How long until Obama's stimulus kicks in?
Angel Russell
BROADCAST JOURNALISM
“Knowing politics, probably not until next year.”
Brian Helt
Matt Wittbrodt
EDUCATION
BUSINESS
“As long as the stupid Republicans take to shut up about it.”
“Those who get the money directly will get immediate help.”
Nayyara Shaik
Quynh Pham
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
MARINE BIOLOGY
“It will take a while, because Obama is new.”
“At least a year — and it is Obama.”
News
February 19, 2009 monitor
3
Professor to introduce global business By Esmeralda Leon Staff writer
Staff photo
Professor Chris Bolt
Economics Professor Chris Bolt will be teaching two new classes this semester aimed at offering students a global focus on business and marketing. The two new classes, Introduction to International Business and Introduction to International Marketing, are funded by a two-year, $163,327 federal grant. The grant was first proposed by International Programs and Services Director Eddie West. He came up with the proposal and decided to apply for a federal grant in fall 2007 with the help of other faculty members. The Introduction to International Business course will be offered in fall 2009 and Introduction to International Marketing will be offered in 2010. When West offered Bolt the position to
teach the new courses, she willingly agreed. A faculty member at Ohlone for 23 years, Bolt has a bachelor’s degree in economics and mainly teaches economics and macroeconomics. “I have to give a lot of credit to Eddie and all the people who were involved in making a strong proposal,” said Bolt. Bolt was in Australia in a study abroad program when she received the news that the proposal had been approved for the grant. The proposal included the revisions on international law, international economics, and a minor revision for speech courses. The courses were revised in order to be included in the college’s Introduction to International Business certificate. “Ultimately, we hope to have an associate’s degree program in international business,” said Bolt. These courses were approved for certificates.
There are no pre-requisites. Regarding transferability to a UC or CSU, Bolt explained that it varies, although most classes are transferable at least as electives. These new courses will provide students a new market segment where they could prepare for the CGBP exam, certifying them as global business professionals. Bolt explained how vital it is to offer students an opportunity to learn the relationships between other countries. “California and Ohlone in particular is situated in a perfect place for international business,” said Bolt, “Our student population is from all over the world. It’s like a big gap that we don’t have international business. In this global market, how do we not have that?” The essential goal of the new courses, said Bolt, is to provide education for those who want to get a designation as a certified professional in global business.
ASOC plans to protest budget cuts to colleges By Devery Sheffer Staff writer The Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) planned their participation in a budget cut protest in Sacramento and approved a $2,000 request at their meeting Tuesday. Vice President of Student Services Ron Travenick sat in for Campus Activities Director Debbie Trigg and Program Coordinator
Renee Gonzales as the adviser. Six new senators were sworn in at this meeting. ASOC Vice President Kevin Feliciano, along with other council members, have planned the March of March, a rally in Sacramento against budget cuts to California’s community colleges. Provided that a budget doesn’t pass, the rally will be on Monday, March 16. Due to severe budget cuts, the ASOC said it is likely that
students will be paying $30 a unit this summer semester. A combination of about 270 Ohlone and Chabot students and faculty will take busses up to our state capitol for a protest march from noon to 2 p.m. Students will need to pre-register and pay about $10 for the cost of transportation and food. The event will cost Ohlone and Chabot about $2,500 to $3,000 each. Because this event is still in its planning stages, nothing
Spill swamps Hyman Hall
is official. Justin Reyes and Jessica Gutierrez sat in on the meeting as representatives from the Associated Students of Chabot College. They thanked the ASOC for their planning of this event and for the invitation to join it. The council passed a $2,000 money request for an “Orientation Mega Day” from Allison Bly and Jesse MacEwen. The “Orientation Mega Day” is an opportunity for
approximately 300 high school seniors and their parents to attend as an extended orientation and early registration. Peer mentors will be actively involved in planning activities and food for the event. According to Travenick this event will be a “big recruiting tool” for clubs and the ASOC. It will be an all-day event. Next week, the ASOC will vote on a money request for $240 for the Brown Bag Seminar series.
Theme for Brown Bag Seminar: Up, up and away By Sean Nero Staff writer
Photo by Jorge Gomez
A backed-up toilet flooded the upper floor of Hyman Hall in several inches of water Wednesday afternoon. The water cascaded down the steps to the lower story, but did not reach the carpeting on either floor. Maintenance staff is working to clean up the spill.
An Alsion Montessori Middle/ High School faculty member will discuss the art and physics behind soaring alongside eagles this Friday. Karl Allmendinger will also demonstrate how to assemble and disassemble a glider at Friday’s Brown Bag Science Seminar from noon to 12:45 p.m. in Room 3201. Allmendinger, an aeronautical engineer, rocket scientist and longtime glider pilot will discuss the art of “soaring,” which is similar to hang gliding, and how air currents and altitude adjustment allow you to rise above the ground. Allmendinger previously headed a seminar in fall 2008 discussing his role in building and programming the Hubble Space Telescope. According to Math, Science and Technology Coordinator Yvette Niccolls, Allmendinger will “bring one of his gliders in to illustrate the components and show how to put it together and take it apart” as well as discuss “glider tours.” The seminar is geared toward non-science majors interested in expanding their knowledge of science and anyone hoping to discover something new. Niccolls said that the speaker “is very knowledgeable” and “hands-on.” The Brown Bag Seminar series was started in 2000 as a way to “stimulate interest and awareness of current topics, trends and careers in science. The speakers are distinguished individuals in their field and present interesting topics related to
Photo courtesy of Alsion Montessori
Karl Allmendinger science and technology.” The events are always free of charge and open to the general public. Refreshments are provided and afterward the audience is encouraged to ask questions and meet the speaker on a one to one basis. According to Speech and Communications professor Brenda Ahntholtz, “The Speech & Communication Studies Department Brown Bag Speaker for Friday, Feb. 20, Clint Pardoe, on the Four Secrets to Success in College, has been cancelled but will be rescheduled this semester.” The next Brown Bag Seminar will occur March 6, and feature Math Professor Jeff O’Connell as he discusses the Golden Ratio.
4
monitor February 19, 2009
Vaguely necessary By Japneet Kaur Photo editor
Think, then post
I’ve been active online for some years now, which has its benefits and downfalls, of course. When I was younger and much more active on forums, I was naïve about the repercussions of posting anything on the Internet. I’ve gotten older and despite all sorts of warnings and Terms of Service agreements, I still don’t think I ever realized how dangerous posting things online can be. It suddenly hit me when someone who found me online started quoting things to my parents from my Flickr account. How, I thought? When my profile is maddeningly devoid of any personal information, how did this person older than my parents (who I didn’t even realize knew how to use a computer) ever find me? I thought back and realized that over time, my fear had decreased and I had become much more comfortable with being addressed by my real name by contacts on my profile, and had even posted a few photos of myself, going so far as to explain where they were taken. The wall I’d built up around me to provide both anonymity and security had begun to crumble, and I was no longer as secure as I once was. Ironically, I felt much more comfortable at this point than I did in the beginning, when I was paranoid. Where do we draw the line, though? Take, for example, being a journalist. How do you know that the source you’re going to meet, who now has your e-mail address and cell, isn’t some deranged psycho? Or the “client” who came out to your home photography studio to see how you work is in fact waiting for the night when you’re home alone to do something unimaginably evil? I can hear warning bells going off in my head as I write this, telling me I’m overreacting. This may not seem possible in our reality, but these things are not unheard of. Besides, a reporter’s business card or the contact information displayed on a portfolio site is still much less revealing than the information people around the world display on their Myspace and Facebook profiles. True stories of how this information is misused are definitely heard of. How many of us take these as an example and are actually careful about what we post online? Thinking back on anything even slightly revealing I may have posted on a public forum anywhere, I realized that anyone could piece it all together and find me. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do about what I’ve come to realize – especially considering once something is on the Internet, it’s on the Internet forever. If not deleting what’s already there, I will at least be more careful in the future – and maybe you should be, too.
Features Newark honors visionary leader By Nazia Mastan Staff writer Doug Treadway may be an unfamiliar name to Ohlone’s newer students, but our college community’s former president was a leader in the planning of the eco-friendly Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology. His five-year post as president from 2003 to 2008 encompassed many important decisions that we are seeing enacted now. His legacy is one that is being remembered by Ohlone’s Newark campus. “Dr. Treadway’s visionary leadership brought a new consciousness to the project and inspired the college community to look beyond the traditional way of designing a college campus,” said Leta Stagnaro, Associate Vice President in charge of the Newark campus. One such decision that Treadway was a part of was the creation of Newark Campus. This is the reasoning behind Ohlone Newark dedicating a student common area to him; it is a tribute to all the hard work that he contributed to make Ohlone a better place for the community. The common area is called “Doug Treadway Court” and will feature benches and tables as well as grassy areas, which in compilation will serve as a courtyard for student leisure. “This courtyard is definitely a nice place to sit and enjoy the beauty of the Newark
Photo by Jorge Gomez
Doug Treadway has been honored with a courtyard at the Newark campus. Campus,” Ohlone student Naveen Khan said. Treadway worked on allocating the money that Ohlone received from the Measure A Bond, which was a fiscal aid of $150 million that Ohlone received in 2002. The New-
ark Campus and the new Student Services Building on the Fremont Campus, which is currently under construction, are just two of the projects that this bond money was invested in. The Newark Center opened in
January 2008 and the ribbon was cut for the campus in May. The court is a pertinent and important tribute to a president who promoted the overall value of our two campuses during his tenure here at Ohlone.
Quicker than an ambulance By anna biaritz roldan Staff writer The Tri-Cities One Stop Career Center takes action to help those who are in need of jobs. The center is open for those fresh from college, but most of all, center workers are trying to put their energy into helping those who have just lost their jobs. As we all know, the economy has severely affected the percentage of employed individuals. In this light, the Tri-Cities One Stop Career Center is participating with the county in a program called Rapid Response. Tina Dodson, director of the Tri-Cities One Stop Career Center said, “we go into the employer site and start connecting people with resources before they’ve actually been laid off.” Dodson further explained that the program helps those unemployed to search for jobs in a strategic way even as they are employed. Dodson said that despite the rampant layoffs, the center is somehow still able to give their clients jobs and a hopeful outlook today and ever since they opened their doors. The Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center opened on Sept. 19, 1996 and was known as The Center for Career Transition until it was changed into its present title in 1998. It was a partnership of three major groups, namely Ohlone College, the Alameda County Private Industry Council (PIC) and the Employment Development Department (EDD). Their website states, “The Ca-
reer Center was the primary host of the Job Fair for the first three years, which brought approximately 105 employers and 1,800 people to the Newark Ohlone Center. In 1999 and 2000, the Career Center co-hosted an annual Job Fair with the Ohlone Job Placement office, bringing in approximately 130 employers and more than 4,000 participants to the Ohlone College Fremont campus.” The website further mentioned that the program has served over 5,500 job seekers since September 1995 and has provided services to more than 25,000 times during this period with many happy clients. One of the center’s success stories as narrated by Case Manager Laura Hoffmann happened recently this year. An unnamed woman sought help from the center in looking for a job. According to Hoffmann, she was over 50 years old and had no bachelor’s degree. She was once a social worker but she was laid off. “She was one of those discouraged job seekers.” Hoffmann said. The woman had been unemployed for a year or more and had not been to an interview in years. Her resume was “bare as a bone,” as Hoffmann put it, but she was willing to get help. She enrolled in the WIA (Workforce Investment Act) program, which is under the federal government, and attended all the workshops available. Hoffmann, who was her case manager, helped her “beef up” her resume and professional portfolio and soon enough she got invited to an interview for another social service job.
The interview made the woman nervous because it was a big deal. According to Hoffmann, many don’t even get invited for interviews. In light of this news, Hoffmann helped her cram for the interview. Hoffmann said that cramming for an interview is much like cramming for a test. She said it’s easy to just go in there and tell them why you want to work for them and why they should hire you, but it’s so much better when you research their background and find out about their curriculum. “She was able to work on optimizing her answers and we were able to talk about going above and beyond in this kind of market,” Hoffmann said. Hoffmann advised her to research about their curriculum but she had so little time in her hands. “When she responded to the interview she told them, ‘I ordered a book about your curriculum and I can’t wait to read it.’And they were surprised,” Hoffmann said. When she was in her final interview they asked her about the book she said she ordered and she said she was able to read it and as she talked about it, she referred right back to her own experiences and, sure enough, she got the job. In relation to Hoffman’s client, she said that the job seeking process is all about preparation and perfecting your strategies. “It’s like practicing for the Olympics, it’s excruciating,” Hoffman said and added, “looking for a job is different from really, really looking for a job.” She said that even those who’ve
graduated with a bachelor’s degree or have worked before have never been interviewed and never had to come up with a resume since many just experienced being recruited. Hoffmann explained that going through the workshops is like going through a metamorphosis and referring back to her client she said, “she didn’t come in expecting to do all that work but she was willing.” Job hunting is not an exciting thing, especially when you have to deal with getting rejected every now and then and that is why one must learn to strategize. Hoffmann pin-pointed the crisis in our economy today and said that layoffs are happening all over the world, especially in California, where there is reportedly a higher rate of unemployment compared to the unemployment rate in the whole United States. Hoffmann expressed how glad she is that the government is doing something about the current crisis. Her advice is to stay updated on where the relief funds will go more frequently because that is most probably the field where one may find work. The center holds workshops through one-on-one counseling and with the help of faculty members; it frequently holds job search workshops and center resources to the allied health, biotech and environmental studies. On Feb. 25 the Career Center will have a workshop from 1:30 to 3 p.m. called “Exploring Your Career Options with Choices.” The Tri-Cities One Stop Career Center is located in Room 1211 at the Ohlone Newark campus.
Features
February 19, 2009
monitor
5
Weighing Anchor By Eric dorman Editor-in-chief
The sky is falling
Photo courtesy of Voices of London
The Voices of London a capella group ride a doubledecker bus. They will perform here this Friday.
A capella and a cup of tea By Devery Sheffer Staff writer Smith Center Presents welcomes the Voices of London to Ohlone College this Friday night, Feb. 20 at 8 o’clock. This quartet of a capella singers have been sharing their talent with the world since 1970.
This critically acclaimed group is well known for their performances of classical music along with their humorous commentary. The group was originally an all male group known as the Scholars of London. Two years later they added a female soprano voice to their company and changed their
name to the Voices of London. Today only one of the original group members remain, Robin Doveton, a tenor. The rest of the members have joined through out the years. This group has sung in over 2,500 concerts in over 50 countries all over the world. Their performances have been appreciated by audiences in
some of the most respected concert halls such as the Sydney Opera house and the Lincoln Center in New York. Their performance will be in the Smith Center. Ticket prices range from $15 to $25. For more information contact the Box Office at 510-659-6031 or online at www. smithcenterpresents.com.
Game brings zombies to Ohlone By Zunera Syed Staff writer The Ohlone Game Development Club is creating a mystery-thriller game called “Ghost Game,” which is still a work in progress. In the game, players work together to defeat the villain of “Ghost Game.” It is currently under planning. How are these games made? There are many ways to create a game. One way is to use a “mod,” or modification. This means that they take a pre-made game and change
aspects such as items, weapons, characters, enemies, models, textures, levels, story lines and music, among other things, to their personal liking. This increases the flexibility of the game for future changes. The Game Development Club, or OGDC, has made some changes this semester. The club has taken on a new structure, and instead of being self-ruled it is more business-like. This will show the members what it would be like working as a paid game developer. Therefore, each member of the club is assigned a task based on their talents.
Beside fabricating, video games the Game Development Club wants to inform people about the various career opportunities in the business of making games. In order to teach about the many different career opportunities they have there will be conferences that club members and other students can attend. The next conference is the Game Developers Conference from March 23 to 27. Admission is $75 per person. To send club members to the conference for free, OGDC is hold-
ing a fundraiser on Feb. 25. At the fundraiser you can play Left 4 Dead Presidents, a video game where there are four characters that need to defeat zombies. The fundraiser will be in HH-116 from 2 to 10 p.m. It is free to play, but $1 for tournaments. Food will also be provided. In addition, you can win a variety of prizes. If you are interested in joining the club meetings are held from 2-5 p.m. in Hyman Hall Room 116. For more information on the club and the events you can visit their website www.ohlonegdc.com.
“Watch out for falling space debris...” It sounds like the denouement of an apocalypse-themed B movie, or maybe the name of an up-and-coming rock band. It could be a static-damaged transmission played on top of some John Williams bassoon score. Certainly, we should never hear it as an official FAA warning. So it was mildly disconcerting when the Federal Aviation Administration issued the above advisory to U.S. pilots last week, following the collision of an American communications satellite and a defunct Russian military satellite 500 miles above Siberia in the first-ever satellite collision. On Sunday, Texans reported a fireball in the sky and a sonic boom, possibly the coda of one of the 500 to 600 pieces of space debris generated by the collision. The take-home message from this disturbing saga isn’t that the world is a dangerous place nowadays, or that Texas is an undesirable tourist destination, or even that John Williams relies on bassoons too much (although these facts are all true). Rather, the message is that it’s time we realized our footprint as a species stretches considerably beyond the ground beneath our feet. And if we don’t start picking up after ourselves in space as well as at home, we’re going to suffer the same consequences from our littering ways that we’re suffering on terra firma right now. Just like tossing that McDonald’s wrapper out the window in the fast lane doesn’t make it disappear, the junk we toss into the atmosphere every time we launch something into space is still right where we left it: hurtling through space in orbit around Earth at thousands of miles per hour. Millions of pieces of debris swirl around our planet, the remnants of jettisoned launch equipment. More sobering even than our debris, though, is our deliberately created junk: although we have about 3,000 functional satellites orbiting the Earth, thousands more defunct ones orbit freely. Once a satellite outlives its useful life, few solutions remain to bring it back to earth—one can fire a rocket at it and hope the ensuing debris field doesn’t threaten other satellites (as it did when China destroyed a satellite last year), or one can wait for the satellite to fall out of orbit on its own. Neither solution so far holds any real promise for tidying the skies. Officials say that the debris cloud from last week’s collision will be a threat to nearby satellites for at least the next ten years. During that time, our nation and world would do well to realize that our atmosphere, like our earth, needs to be kept clean. If nothing else, the Texans will thank us.
6 MONITOR
News
February 19, 2009
Final headcount in By Nazia Mastan Staff writer Ohlone enrollment has been finalized at a 13-14 percent increase over last semester, placing the college on track to serve considerably more students than will be paid for by the state. Ohlone currently has 11,000 enrolled students total, with about 3,800 full-time students. Ohlone receives $4,000 from the state for each Full Time Student Equivalent, or FTSE. A full-time student equivalent is the compilation of various students taking a total of 15 units for two consecutive semesters; fall and spring. This semester’s enrollment increase is considerably greater than the 1.21 percent cap the state has set on funded enrollment; however, because of the state budget crisis Ohlone is deterring itself from giving solid numbers for the student enrollment cap. After much “gambling with numbers,” Ron Travenick, Vice President of Student Development explained that we have no other choice until the state budget has been decided by California’s Legislature.
The current estimated cap for the whole year (including summer) is 8,404 FTSE, after taking the into consideration the enrollment increase. Travenick explained that the college is making “conservative estimates” in order to allow next year’s fiscal numbers to work out without putting a large financial strain on Ohlone. Ohlone is only paid state apportionment payments for state resident students and not International or out of state students. This is another reason why the college should come up with accurate numbers that represent our enrollment cap, yet nothing can be done because California has yet to come up with a budget. Travenick stressed the importance of registering early because of the high demand for classes that is projected. Students should take into consideration the fact that Ohlone will be enacting a new financial plan. The plan includes a reduced number of offered classes. This policy is evident in the 18 percent reduction in summer offerings. Although this may seem harsh Travenick explained, “We [do] want to protect our continuing student[s].”
Sports/Campus Events The Renegades march into the playoffs
February 19, 2009 monitor
Continued from Page 8 beginning of the first half, as the Renegades were up 14 points at the after the first eight minutes, taking a 32-8 lead at halftime. The second half only got better for the team, as Frank Monge, Simba Gwanyanya, Carlos Johnson and Jamaal Blalock stepped up for their team and put up buckets. “I was really hoping we would win because we all want to make it to the playoffs,” said Monge. However, freshman Kevan West stole the spotlight with his amazing performance as his numerous threepointers helped him finish with a total of 12 points on the night. Teammate Isaiah Moore followed West with his 10 points on the night.
The 69-26 Ohlone win ended with big smiles for the Renegades as they walked back onto the court with congratulations for the transferring sophomores. “This was just a close game to me and it feels good to have been part of this family and it’s going to be sad leaving them,” said sophomore guard Eric Pitts. Looking forward to the playoffs now, the Renegades will be playing one last game against San Jose City College this Saturday, closing this 2008-’09 basketball season. With the team pumped for winning another title, Peterson told them that “it’s not over,” even though he is more than pleased with his squad this season, and excited for the playoffs as well.
By jeff weisinger Sports editor
be lying if I didn’t say I am much honored to receive this award.” Ramos currently has 16 hits on the season, posting a .533 batting average with nine RBI’s and seven stolen bases. Yesterday at West Hill, Ramos went 2-4 with a double and two RBI’s. He also had three stolen bases in the Renegades’ 7-4 win in Coalinga. “Ramos works hard on the field, providing himself in the leadoff spot through the short season thus far,” said Renegades Head Baseball Coach Jordon Twohig. “His speed on the base paths is creating opportunities for our offense, which is a big plus.”
7
Photo by Tara Lynn Lanning
Renegades Head Basketball Coach John Peterson recieves the classic Gatorade shower after his team’s 69-26 win over the Colts.
Ramos makes Ohlone baseball history The Ohlone Baseball team is on a complete turnaround from their dismal season in 2008. Renegades freshman outfielder and leadoff hitter Steven Ramos is a key part in that turnaround. Last Wednesday, Ramos was named the Male Athlete of the Month by the California Community College Athletic Association, becoming the first Ohlone baseball player to ever win the state-wide award. “I am just concerned about winning ball games and championships,” Ramos said. “But I would
Photo by Tara Lynn Lanning
Ramos’ clutch hitting has been a key in the Renegades’ success.
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
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 more information visit Transfer & Career Services. For more information on Jobs & Internships visit Transfer & Career Services in Building 1, 4th Floor, Rm 1405A. Hours: Monday Thru Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Friday.
February 19 Women’s Softball - Away vs. Foothill College at 3 p.m. 20 Academics - Last day to petition to complete a class on a credit or no-credit basis. 20 Meeting - Professional Development Committee
Center Presents Voices of London in the Jackson Theater at 8 p.m. 21-22 Women’s Softball - Stormfest Tournament in Napa. 21 Men’s Baseball - Away vs. DeAnza College at 11 a.m.
meeting in Room 1407 on Fremont Campus at 12:30 p.m.
21 Men’s Baseball - Away vs. DeAnza College at 2 p.m.
20 Men’s Baseball - Home vs. DeAnza College at 2 p.m.
21 Men’s Basketball - Away vs. San Jose City College, 3 p.m.
20 Women’s Basketball - Away vs. San Jose City College at 7 p.m.
23 Meeting - Facilities Committee meeting in Room 6104 at 12:30 p.m.
20 Performance - Smith
23 Meeting - College
Council meetings at Fremont Campus in Room 1407 and Newark Campus in Room NC-1219 from 3 until 4:30 p.m.
26 Women’s Softball Home vs. Mission College at 3 p.m.
24 Women’s Softball - Away vs. City College of San Francisco at 2 p.m.
27 Art - New art gallery exhibit Design Show in the Louie-Meager Art Gallery. The exhibit runs from Feb. 27 until April 4.
24 Men’s Baseball Home vs. Sacramento City College at 2 p.m.
27-28 Women’s Basketball - Regional semifinal playoffs. Location TBA
25 Women’s Basketball - Nor Cal Play-In Game. Location TBA
28 Women’s Softball Home vs. Solano College at 10 a.m.
25 Meeting - Board of Trustees workshop at the Newark Center at 6:30 p.m.
28 Men’s Baseball - Home vs. Hartnell College at noon.
26 Men’s Baseball - Away vs. Gavilan College at 2 p.m.
28 Women’s Softball - Home vs. College of the Siskiyous 2 p.m.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Inside the lines By Jeff Weisinger Sports editor
Two of a kind Ever since they were little leaguers, Renegades third baseman Zach Johnson and outfielder Jeff Johnson have played baseball on the same team. “It’s actually really cool because you always got somebody to talk to after the game,” said Jeff Johnson. “He’s pretty straightforward with me, too. If I’m struggling, he’s right on it.” “We’ve always been playing together, so we’re used to it,” said Zach Johnson. However, the story of the Renegade twins goes further than just being twin brothers playing for their junior college baseball team. Their story actually begins just as their baseball careers seemed to end. After high school, Zach tore a ligament in his throwing elbow, preventing him from playing baseball after graduation. He would be out of the game for the next two years, simply working during his time off. Zach’s injury affected not just his throwing arm, but affected his hitting too. After resting for a year, Zach began rehabilitation, working with light weights to strengthen the elbow and his shoulder. However, the time off also matured the young third-baseman. “I’m more mature about training and rehabing so I don’t get hurt again.” “I honestly didn’t think I’d play baseball ever again,” Zach said back in January, as Ohlone prepared for the incoming season. The time off was a complete change of pace for the Johnsons, who’ve played and been around baseball their entire lives. “It was actually pretty tough,” Jeff said. “Our whole lives have been centered around baseball and then not playing it. I kind of instantly missed it.” Yet despite missing two years of the game, both Zach and Jeff actually became better players during the time off, despite the challenge of having to get their game back. “Personally, I like where I’ve gotten in the past two years. I’m in better shape, more athletic and faster,” Jeff added. “The last two years was tough not playing from playing for so many years, then thinking I’m never going to play again,” said Zach. “But having the opportunity to come out here and play again is great. It just makes me want to work harder to keep playing.” Zach and Jeff Johnson’s hard work and determination in their return to the baseball diamond proves Kevin Garnett’s famous inspirational quote that “Anything is possible.”
Page 8
Renegades marching to playoffs Men’s basketball playoff-bound after 6926 blowout of Cañada By Ankita Chhabra Sports writer “CCSF was a wake-up call for us, and we had practice that same night when we got back. And now we are on a roll because we play every game like had to win,” said sophomore James Hancock after defeating their rival team, the Chabot Gladiators, Friday night at Chabot. Despite losing to the Gladiators on their home court, they traveled over to Hayward hungry to get back the win they were looking for. Even on Friday the 13th, the Renegades dominated throughout the whole entire game. Alpha N’Diaye led the scoreboard with nine points and he showed no signs of stopping there as the Renegades led 32-18 at halftime. Ronnie Sawyer, who finished the game with eight points, explained what went right this time around. “We weren’t selfish with the ball and we played harder defense.” After a long season of committing numerous turnovers, the Renegades have become a solid squad on the defensive levels. Chabot Coach Denny Aye was more than disappointed with his team’s performance, but admitted that, “Ohlone came out strong tonight and was tough on our offense. We were shooting like we usually do, and that killed us.”
“We hustled them tonight, and that was a great win for us,” said guard Kevan West as the Renegades shut down the Gladiators 63-43. Coach John Peterson agreed with Hancock that “[CCSF] did us a favor by beating us because it helped us adjust our offensive game,” and with that improvement he gave the winning cause title to the “team’s defense” against Chabot. Ohlone is now looking at 1st place in conference above CCSF, with a record of 9-2 with CCSF following them with 8-2. Considering that Ohlone has no more conference games and CCSF has two more to go, there still might a chance that Ohlone will have to share the conference championship title. After the Chabot game the Renegades improved their league record to 22-8, and then returned back at home for a rematch against Cañada College to bag in another victory. As the Renegades got ready for their rematch against the Colts, they also prepared for their regular season finale at home, along with sophomore night. Even though Ohlone is hoping to play “seven more games,” according to Peterson, last night was a special one for the leaving sophomores. “Almost very single one of them is looking at a scholarship and my only wish for them is that they pick a great school for themselves to play in the future with,” said Peterson after the game. Ohlone dominated from the Continued on Page 7
Photos by Tara Lynn Lanning
Sophomore captain A.J. Flournoy, above, cuts the net to celebrate their playoff berth. Below, Ronnie Sawyer saves the ball from going out.
Padilla gets first win as Ohlone rolls on
By jeff weisinger Sports editor Renegades freshman left-hander Roberto Padilla has struggled so far to earn his first win of the season. After losing at Diablo Valley back on Feb. 10, the Renegades traveled to Southern California to take on Cuesta College and the College of the Canyons. Padilla watched as sophomore David Luna earned his second win of the season against Cuesta and fellow freshman Sean Martin earned his third win of the season against
the College of the Canyons. Padilla’s wait for win number one would finally come to an end yesterday in the Renegades’ 7-4 win at West Hills College. His first win of the season marks Ohlone’s third in a row, and their eighth win in the last nine games. Padilla (1-2) pitched a strong six innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on just four hits with three strikeouts. Daniel Buffington relieved Padilla in the seventh, allowing one hit and two walks in his lone inning of work.
Freshman right-hander Jon Sa came in the ninth inning to close the door on West Hills to earn his first save of the season. Ohlone trailed by two runs going into the third inning until centerfielder Cody Foster’s sacrifice bunt brought in Aaron Chavez from third. Chavez reached base on a one-out walk and advanced as he earned second off an error and stole third. The Renegades broke out to take the lead as they scored four runs with two outs in the fourth inning.
games ended up being played. Cypress College and College of the Sequoias, both ended in losses for the Lady Renegades. The first two games Saturday were rained out due to the storm. At press time, there has been no word whether the games against Butte College and Cosumnes River College will be rescheduled. For the Cypress College game, the Renegades threw ace right-hander Kelly Colker on the mound. Colker again went a full seven innings, though she gave up six runs on eleven hits. Colker cruised
through the first six innings, allowing only one run up to that point. With her team up one run entering the top of the seventh inning, Cypress lashed out for five runs on Colker, giving them a 6-2 lead that would prove to be enough for the victory. The Renegades managed to score only one run in the bottom half of the inning, for a final score of 6-3. In the second game, Ohlone gave College of Sequoias a dose of Kendall Beerman. Unfortunately, Beerman was pulled in the fourth inning, in favor of Colker after allowing five runs,
After David Luna flew out to right field and Brad Reeves struck out, second baseman Ryan Harmon drew the walk. Moments later, Kyle Holmstrom singled to right, then Chavez sent Harmon home with his RBI single, tying the score at two. Steven Ramos’ two-RBI double to center gave the Renegades the go-ahead lead which Ohlone would never look back on. Ohlone would build on their lead in the late innings off Foster’s RBI single in the sixth and Ryan Kanzaki’s RBI single in the seventh.
Lady Renegades cool off after 4-0 start
By Tomás Ortega Sports writer The Ohlone Softball team isn’t living up to the standards it has set the past handful of years. After starting the 2009 season 4-0, the Lady Renegades are one game over .500 (5-4). Their first two losses came on the second Sunday of February when they hosted Fresno City College and Delta College. A similar thing happened this past weekend when the softball squad traveled to Visalia to play four games. However, only two
three earned, on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. She also had seven strikeouts in the game and allowed one walk. Colker finished with 3.1 innings pitched, allowing only one run, on three hits and one walk. But Colker’s performance in relief was not enough to give the Renegades the push they needed for a victory, losing 6-4. The Renegades only scored four runs in the fifth inning off Sequoia’s pitcher Alycia Campos. The Lady Renegades still stand at the top of the Coast Conference North, ahead of DeAnza.