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Sports
Never too early to learn about money
features
OPINION
NewS
Trustees declare Black History Month
Ohlone grad makes film on Berlin Wall
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Fremont, California
Vol. XLI No. 2
Renegades still lead conference
Feburary 11, 2010
Students plan to march against budget cuts By DENISE ANN BURGAN
Staff writer Ohlone College suffered an overall $3 million budget cut last year because of the lack of state funding for all community colleges. And on the precipice of more cuts, a movemebnt called “No Cuts to Education” continues to gain momentum, with two mass rallies slated for March. New organizations have formed in defense of equal access to quality education. During the first week of classes,
the Civic Engagement Club set up a table in the Quad and asked students and faculty to write down how the budget crisis has impacted them. According to Andie Morehous, president of the Civic Engagement Club,“We are trying to raise the awareness of students regarding the budget cuts.” She went on to emphasize that students need to put pressure on our state legislators. Most students wrote about how their classes are overcrowded or that they were unable to get into specific ones they need in order to transfer
to a four-year institution. “My plans to transfer to Berkeley have been postponed because the few remaining classes that are necessary for me to take are no longer available,” Civic Engagement Club V.P Joshua Quinterez said. The college cut 110 classes during the fall 2009 semester and also removed 110 this academic semester. Approximately 50 percent of summer sessions courses are scheduled to be cut as well. Salaries were cut across the board. The Student Senate for California
Community Colleges has provided funding for the upcoming protest in Sacramento, expecting more than 5,000 to participate. The governing body for the 110 community colleges throughout the state anticipates a marked increase in attendance over the March 2009 march. “Our goal is to have students march at the Capitol before the legislature does its May revision, in hopes that they will not cut community college funds,” Morehous said. The California state budget will not be finalized until after July.
Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) and State Assembly member Alberto Torrico have agreed to meet with Ohlone students who participate in the march in Sacramento. Students, faculty and administrators are strongly encouraged to join forces by marching March 4 at 5 p.m at the Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco or in Sacramento on March 22. For more information, contact the Civic Engagement Club at nocuts2edu@gmail.com Staff writer Kathryn Dixon also contributed to this report.
New job for Feliciano as statewide senator By EAN TAJERON Staff writer
Civic Engagement Club President Andie Morehous, left, and club member Yoesbelia Ramirez last week asked students and faculty to share their stories of how the budgets cuts have affected them. Their table in the Quad drew many responses.
As spring semester begins, Associated Students of Ohlone College President Kevin Feliciano has been sworn into a new legislative position, for the student body of California Community Colleges. He is now one of 13 regional senators in our region, as well as one of 30 representatives of community colleges statewide. Feliciano said, “I am super excited to do this job and the people there are very nice.” His job will include attending the General Assembly and voting on important decisions that will affect our schools. The majority of the CCC’s student body’s focus is aimed at the March in March protest.
three or four disbursements per year. A student must complete at least 66 percent of his or her total course load per semester to continue to receive aid. If a student falls below that percentage, he or she must pass a probation period. According to Travenick, before the second disbursement of federal funds last semester, the administration reviewed student files and discovered students who did not attend any courses, although they were registered. An internal investigation revealed misrepresentations by some loan recipients. When these recipients went to the cashier’s desk to obtain their loan proceeds, they were stopped. Travenick said, “This prompted the Financial Aid office to report possible fraud to the Department of
ness Services, said, “We caught the scammers early and the college did not lose any money. “However, the student body was hurt in that the scammers took seats in classes, which other students could have taken,” Schultz elaborated. Travenick said those who allegedly committed this scam ultimately hurt Ohlone and the student body. The State of California looks at the student census data for the first two weeks of classes to determine Ohlone’s proportionate share of the total state budget for community colleges. The state requires attendance be taken for at least the first two weeks of class. The “no shows “ caused by this scam will decrease the total number of students Ohlone submits to the state in order to obtain budget
Andie Morehous Yoesbelia Ramirez
Photo by Alex Glanville
The protest will be held in Sacramento on March 22 against the budget cuts in California schools. In other ASOC action, the student government has “updated” the cafeteria with new chairs and tables under the Cafeteria Modernization Program. The official grand opening for the newly refurbished cafeteria in Building 5 took place Wednesday. ASOC allocated $100,000 to this project. The cafeteria has been repainted and there are new furnishings. The district has already sold the old furniture. Campus Activity’s Bingo Ballin’ took place after the grand opening at noon in Building 5. Campus Activities Coordinator Renee Gonzales said, “The purpose of this event is to bring the campus Continued on Page 3
53 investigated in student loan scam By KATHRYN DIXON Staff writer Fifty-three people are under investigation for trying to obtain a total of $450,000 in fraudulent federal student loans during the fall 2009 semester at Ohlone College. According to authorities, an individual would enroll for a course, obtain a Stafford loan, and then fail to attend classes, with the intention of keeping the money from the loan. The federal Stafford loan provides about $4,500 to a student for a single semester. “Discrepancies and similarities were noticed last term regarding 53 student financial aid applications,” said Ron Travenick, vice president of Student Services. Federal loans are divided into
Education. Ohlone held disbursements to all students pending the investigation. “The students involved were notified of this action. Stopping these loans at this point meant saving about $600,000 in future loan proceeds that these people could have obtained.’’ These cases are under investigation by Natalie Forbot, who is a special agent in charge of the Long Beach branch of the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education. An officer from that agency was on campus last week conducting an investigation. According to Department of Education spokesperson Kathryn Grant, the Office of the Inspector General cannot comment on this matter. Joanne Schultz, Dean of Bus-
money. This type of fraud could have possibly damaged the excellent credit rating and credibility of Ohlone regarding federal loans because the scam has created an inaccurate account of how many pupils were enrolled in particular courses. The scam also negatively impacts the U.S. Treasury because the defrauded lenders were backed by federal funding and are unlikely to obtain repayment of the loans. the interest on them from those committing the fraud. According to Travenick, Ohlone has never before experienced people committing federal loan fraud. Ohlone has a system in place to check paperwork for truth and accuracy and to detect loan fraud. To obtain Stafford loans, the Continued on Page 3
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Opinion
monitor February 11, 2010
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Opinion
Learning about money starts early By Anna Biaritz B. Roldan Opinion Editor During these tough economic times, it’s really important to teach your children about money. I am not a parent myself, but I have grown up seeing how much difference it makes when you know what money is worth and how to use it wisely. The other day I came across an article from modernmoms.com on Yahoo. The article was entitled, “How to Talk to Kids About Money,” and it gave me an answer to that nagging question: “Why are we in these tough times and why do many have such a hard time coping with it?” I am from a middle-class family. We lived in the suburbs. We weren’t rich, but then again we weren’t poor. Being in the economic status we were in, my parents could have easily given me whatever I wanted, but they didn’t go for that parenting style. My parents knew what every parent should know too, that no matter how much you can give your child, there should always be a limit, or else your child will end up thinking that spending for unnecessary things is okay. I like to give the example of how I grew up not getting an allowance each day for school and I didn’t get all those video games the other children my age had. My parents made sure they taught me how save for a rainy day and how to separate “needs” from “wants.” Some of you may be wondering how you can accomplish this task of teaching your kids about money. Here is a guide that may help you out: To start your kids off on how to save money, it’s a good idea to buy them a piggy bank. At an early age my mother bought me a coin bank and helped me fill it up everyday for a year. Eventually I was able to open a bank account and the experience made me feel so accomplished and I learned that patience has its rewards. After you teach your kids how to save money, a good next step would be to teach them how to make money. As early as 10 years old my mother helped me to start a mini business. My mom helped me shop for the things I wanted to sell and taught me to find bargains. Each year I sold something different. I started selling colored elastic strings for making friendship bracelets to my female classmates in 2001. Then I sold plastic jewelry, anklets, icicles and I later moved into selling chips and bottled drinks.
During those years five to six years I earned roughly 9,000 Philippine Pesos. If anything, the experience taught me how much work a person had to put into earning money. I learned how to persevere, how to budget money, and how to value money. You don’t need to do the same thing my parents did to teach them a lesson on making money. As mentioned in modernmoms.com, an alternative would be to pay them for chores like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash. When you’ve taught your kids how to save and make money, you can move along your lesson plan. The next step is to teach your kids how to spend their money wisely. Make sure you don’t follow the trend where parents give their kids everything. Take my experience, for example. I was different from most of my peers. My parents made sure that when I wanted something I had to save up and buy it myself. I always weighed whether it was a need or a want and if it were a want, I measured just how much I wanted it. I have gone through the three most important and basic lessons you should teach your child: how to save money, make money and spend money wisely. It is now up to you to add to this list and to make your own teaching style. As modernmoms.com suggests, just make sure you: • Allow them to gain an understanding of how much money is spent toward bills on a monthly basis, • Allow them to grasp the value of a dollar, • Teach them to budget, • Play games that teach about money, like Monopoly or Life, • Eventually encourage them to get a part-time job. It’s hard to discipline your children, money-wise, when they’re in their teens or worse, when they’re adults. My advice is to start when they’re young and set a good example. Remember when you teach your kids about money, the lessons go beyond just finances. You teach them to become self-sufficient and to have self-discipline, goals, and perseverance that will help them build good character. If you think you can’t teach these lessons to your kids because you were not taught these important lessons, start teaching yourself now. The same goes for those who are not parents yet, because eventually you will influence the next generation who might just be able to solve the problems we will leave them.
Back in 10 minutes DEAR EDITOR: On Tuesday, Feb. 2, I received a voice message about a class that I wanted to add , which requires the approval of a counselor. I called the counselor’s office and found out that the office was not open until 6:30 p.m. I rushed to the administration building by 6:00 p.m. and found a sign that said, “Be back in ten minutes” on the counter. There were students ahead of me and I figured that they must have been there for at least 10 minutes before I arrived. The person got back to the office by 6:15 p.m. Because of this incident, I had no choice but to be late for my 6:30 p.m class. I understand that because of the budget cuts there is now less staff to address student concerns. However, it is a disservice to the students when the administrative assistant took an extended leave from her post since it caused an unnecessary delay for others. I suggest next time when leaving the post, the sign should say “Be back at 6:15 p.m,” instead of “Be back in 10 minutes,” as nobody can figure out how long is the “10 minutes.” Regards, Jackson Chang
Campus Comment > > > What is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?
Lawrence Chu CRIMINAL JUSTICE
“A check for a million dollars!”
Lorena Machuca NURSING/RESPIRATORY THERAPY
“Flowers.”
John Bartolome NURSING
“Red flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.”
Jacklynn Martinez
Tom Zhou
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
BUSINESS ECONOMICS
“Flowers, chocolates and a teddy bear.”
“A corset.”
News
February 11, 2010 monitor
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ASOC growing Continued from Page 1 together and have fun.” Prizes included gift certificates to the Ohlone Bookstore. As of now, there are 55 new applicants that are running for an ASOC Senatorial position. Currently there are 28 students serving as either senators or executives. Campus Activities Director Debbie Trigg said, “Since I’ve been ASOC’s adviser, I have never seen more people interested in our student body, and I think we have all these new applicants now, because we have had a bigger impact on the students.” In order to apply for ASOC, an individual must meet specific requirements. The first part of their responsibility is that they must serve on at
least two ASOC or campuswide committees. ASOC members also hold a mandatory amount of three office hours per week and have at least a 2.0 GPA . ASOC’s primary concern is to be the voice of the student body and represent their constituents accordingly. This means everyday interaction with fellow students. The ASOC also has been working in conjunction with the Civic Engagement Club in the fight against the statewide education budget cuts. Isabella Ohlmeyer is the new ASOC Rep-at-Large. And Charyln Gonda will serve this term as ASOC Secretary. ASOC meetings are on Tuesdays, from 4 to 6 p.m. in 7101.
Photo by David Epperson
Director of the Health center, Sally Bratton, conducts the Bingo Ballin’ event following the cafeteria’s grand opening ceremony on Feb. 10.
Club Days to be more personal than in the past By NOAH LEVIN Staff writer Representatives from each club sat in the stately meeting room in Building Seven and took down information ranging from regulations for reserving classrooms for club meetings and how to best recruit students to clubs. The tone for the spring semester’s first meeting of the Ohlone Inter Club Council (ICC) was largely set by the orientation speeches given by ICC Chairperson Ngan Vu and Campus Activities Program Coordinator Renee Gonzales. A new club, the Global Leadership Program, made its case to the
ICC to be granted official club status, though no consensus has been made about the new club at the time of this publication. Gonzales then stressed the importance of clubs actually reserving the rooms they plan to meet in before advertising their meetings. She noted to ICC representatives that reservation requests would take a minimum of two weeks, due in part to the recent resignation of staff member Julie Polk. According to Gonzales, it was previously Polk who dealt with classroom reservation requests from clubs, and now there are fewer hands to handle the considerable bureaucratic workload.
Student scam Continued from Page 1 federal government requires that students fill out an extensive Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the college to certify that information through the process the loan. Ohlone assigns one person to handle the financial aid for each student throughout their education at Ohlone, thus one person knows a student’s files from A to Z. This helps to prevent widespread fraud. Another safeguard that Ohlone has in place to prevent fraud is that faculty is supposed to check daily attendance and report any and all discrepancies to the administration. However some professors have varying policies when it comes taking attendance for the courses that they teach. Some choose to be more strict by assigning a grade percentage for coming to class. While there are a handful of professors who only take roll on the first few days of classhe rest of the semester, they believe that it is a student’s whether or not they show up. A conviction for federal student loan fraud in an amount over $200 under United States Code 20, section 1097 (a) is a maximum fine of $20,000 and a maximum prison term of five years.
Gonzales commented that the system was, “not yet a well-oiled machine.” And she said she hoped that things will run smoothly. Gonzales also mentioned that the main advisers for any given club, and not the club’s event coordinator or the ICC representative, were to be the primary contact for all events being planned on campus. ICC Chair, Vu, added that each club needed to send a consistent representative to each ICC meeting. The meeting was then brought to a head with the orientation for the upcoming Spring Club Days event running Feb. 23 and 24. This event is an opportunity for the Ohlone clubs to put their best
feet forward in hopes of recruiting new and returning Ohlone students to their organizations. This semester’s Club Days will be loosely focused around a “casino” theme and the clubs are being encouraged to decorate their tables accordingly. The ICC is set to run a blackjack and roulette table, with the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) planning to hand out free popcorn and stamp cards to students participating in the festivities. “This Club Day is going to be centered more around the individual clubs and their tables this time around,” said Vu.
She was referencing how in the past Club Days were held outside it was easier to recieve more participation from the student body. Also there would be attractions such as radio stations or having an inflatable jump house in order to increase the Club Day attendance and raise the profile of the event. Upcoming events of note that were mentioned at the meeting included the African-American Club’s Black History Ceremony on Feb. 11 at noon in the cafeteria of the main campus. Also the Student Reperatory’s annual performance of one-act plays will take place in the NUMMI Theater on March 18 and 19.
Ohlone running over 80 percent By Tina Karimi Staff writer Classes are currently running at 80 percent capacity, the highest ever at this point in the term, and they are projected to run at 86 to 87 percent capacity by the end of the semester. The College Council presented the overall picture of enrollment during the current term at its first meeting on Feb 8. Increasing demand for classes and a 30 percent reduction in class offerings for the spring term due to the budget cuts have led to very slim class availability.
The increase in demand and the decrease in flexibility has led to far fewer add-and-drops. As of Feb. 8, only about 60 students have dropped classes. Prior to the budget cuts, it was not uncommon to see up to 250 students drop their classes within the first week of school, This drastic change illustrates the current state of the college, which has suffered because of the economic crisis and lack of overall funding. In order to compensate for the decreased funding from the state, the Council is considering cutting summer school offerings signifi-
cantly aside from the courses that have been previously slashed. College Council co-chair Tim Roberts said, “The decreased availability of classes and sections for our students is very unfortunate. But, that’s a prudent way to save funds and hedge our bets against future unforeseen problems and delays in funding.’’ “But you’ll see most of this change during summer semester, in order that the fall and spring terms remain more robust,” Roberts continued. The emphasis has been placed on protecting future fall and spring Continued on Page 6
Features In a world of acid rain and methane gas 4
monitor February 11, 2010
By Jessie Worden Staff writer A world full of gaseous smog and acid rain is in the future. Are future families to live in a toxic world where children can’t even walk to school due to acid rain? At this rate, grandchildren won’t even be able to go out into the sun without protective equipment because of our diminishing ozone layer due to the growth of methane gas. Recycling can’t completely stop this from happening, but may slow down the process. Ohlone does a great part in the recycling of their waste, meeting the California State goal of 50 percent being diverted from landfill. Manmohan Gill, custodian at Ohlone, is in charge of the recycling program. Gill said that “Ohlone has been recycling for 12 years.” Gill also stated that the recy-
cessful with cling of different our current products goes to program “different destinabut there is tions. Mixed recymuch w e cling goes to Allied can improve waste, scrap metal on.” to DC metal, [and] Students green waste is recurrently used on campus.” attending Proper disposal both Ohlone of Ohlone’s 103 College tons of waste each campuses year is taken care of do actively by disposal comparecycle. nies and is reused This is due by consumers. According to to the availPhoto by Allie Drago ability of Gill, “the current Ohlone’s recycling efforts have been successful in recycling process [of recybins and cling] is dependent reaching statewide goals. the growing upon end users to The amount of money spent per separate their waste and recyclables year comes close to the sum of spread of knowledge about living into the correct containers which $12,000. Gill explained that through more environmentally friendly. Ohlone student Nick Bakovic custodians pick up and consolidate the active use of recycling on caminto the proper bins.” pus, Ohlone has been, “very suc- recycles at school and at home.
While sharing his knowledge of the renewable resources that the Newark Ohlone campus utilizes, Nick believes that, “more buildings should be as energy efficient with better insulation.” Another student at Ohlone, Kirk Gluckman, recycles not only at school but also thoroughly recycles at work in Lucky’s deli department. While working, Gluckman seperates different types of plastics, trash and food waste so it may be composted later. By recycling at school, work and at home, more people are educated and practice bettering the environment—greatly diminishing the waste produced each day. Ohlone provides the necessary resources in educating and providing a means to recycle and in using less energy creating less of a harmful impact.
Down the Rabbit Hole and on to D.C. By Anika Dokes Staff writer Students in last semester’s Dance and Theatre Department had an outstanding fall theatre production of the Rabbit Hole. Rabbit Hole is a five-character play that focuses on the tragic death of a 4-year-old named Danny who was killed in an automobile accident. Danny’s parents are trying everything in the power to put their lives back together. The play explores the quiet and painfully realistic grief that a husband and wife experience after losing their only son. However, the play not only focuses on the parents’ grief but their lives become even more complicated when the young driver who
killed their son contacts them to seek his own closure. The play is humorous, keeps its audience on its toes and there is never a dull moment. Rabbit Hole won a Pulitzer Prize for best Broadway drama from 2006 and was acknowledged and honored by the Kennedy Center. In January and February of each year, the Kennedy Center has the American College Theatre Festival, which hosts a nationwide conference in Washington, D.C. The organization encourages, recognizes and celebrates the finest and most diverse quality work produced in universities and college theatre programs. Furthermore, the festival encourages students to produce new plays that they have written to
showcase. This is an opportunity for all theatre students throughout the eight geographic regions in the United States to share their work. Students will also be given the opportunity to share their creative processes as well as learn new material, develop their own theatre skills and achieve professionalism in their field. Tom Blank, the director of the Theatre and Dance Department at Ohlone, said the, “Mission of the organization is to promote theatre and communication dialogue between schools and just allows an arena specifically dedicated to college theatre programs.” “In addition, each region has their own regional conference and each school can enter as many shows
they want.” Blank also said, “If you want to participate, you enter your production that you’re doing in the organization.” “They send judicators to look at your show and respond to the work of the students and then they pick the number of student to represent school in this conference as an example of quality.” The Theatre and Dance Department has not participated in the American College Theatre Festival for over 10 years. Each play that has been produced would need to be able to tour. However, the fall production of Rabbit Hole was a smaller production, which suited the festival better. Six students from Ohlone’s
Theatre and Dance Department will be competing in this year’s Festival, along with students from Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. This is an opportunity for the Ohlone Theatre Department to engage and demonstrate their own creativity and theatre skills at the annual Theatre Festival. The Festival will have over 50 various workshops for students to attend over the week, such as physical comedy, line design, dialogue, stage managing and theatre. This is a special and exciting place for anyone who wants to see the material of other students, learn new techniques and become a bigger and better theatre student.
Clockwise from left: Jessica Stanley, Lin Shukla, Stacey Bell, Bobby August, Jessica Bettencourt. Above, a poster from last semester’s Smith Center run of Rabbit Hole.
Features
February 11, 2010
monitor
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Left: The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. It is a national symbol of the city and country respectively. Right: camerman Mark Byrne filming, ‘Beyond the Wall’ in Berlin.
Former editor shoots film in Eastern Europe By Noah Levin Staff writer It is said that when one door closes, another is sure to open. The same is true for Robert Dennis, former editor for the Ohlone Monitor and the Fremont Argus. In late 2008, Dennis, then City Editor of the Argus, left his job, and started to look to his future. Dennis got his start writing for the Ohlone Monitor, and was soon editor-in-chief, before transferring to University of California at Berkeley in 1999. Before long, Dennis was interning at The Argus, based in Fremont, and by 2004 had taken on multiple editorial positions at both the Argus and Hayward’s Daily Review. However Dennis left his post after accepting a corporate buy-out in late 2008. “I miss the newsroom, the camaraderie, the excitement of breaking news,” said Dennis, who was suddenly free to pursue his as-yet unrealized passion for filmmaking.
“I started to think about my past and then to look to the future.” Thinking back to his days living in Ireland during the collapse of the USSR in 1989, Dennis began to consider the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. “I was living in Ireland when the Wall came down,” Dennis noted, meaning he was not far from the socio-political action occurring on the mainland. With the aid of his friends Petra Pasternak, also a former Ohlone editor, and Irish national Mark Byrne, Dennis set out across Eastern Europe. With Byrne working as director of photography and Pasternak acting as translator, Dennis was free to helm interviews. “We worked through a lot email and online translators,” said Dennis. The team recorded interviews in cities as diverse as Prague, Berlin and Moscow, where Dennis met former dissidents and political
Robert Dennis
Petra Pasternak
Mark Byrne
prisoners. The trio had a plethora of logistical problems as they traveled the former Eastern Bloc - from language problems to paper work compounded by foreign bureaucracy to the anxiety a camera can stir in people at certain locations, Dennis and his friends found no lack of challenges. “Language was a big barrier,” says Dennis. “Thank god Petra was on board! It was much harder than [I] expected.” “We wound up being really
lucky,” said Dennis of meeting and speaking with Czech dissident John Bok. Bok was present in Prague in the spring of 1968 when Soviet troops invaded the city to put a halt to political and social reformations. The resulting attack by the Soviets killed 72 Czech and Slovak demonstrators. Dennis noted that, “It was a really poignant moment... [Bok] is a fighter... fiery!” In Berlin, Dennis spoke with Ralph Kapisch, a man who dug
tunnels out of East Germany to help others escape Soviet oppression. Kapisch was eventually captured and arrested for his dissident efforts, and ended up serving seven years in solitary confinement. Dennis said the stories captured on tape “…[leave] an impression on you,” and Dennis hopes the film will leave an impression with film festival heads as well. “We’ve been applying to several festivals… We are taking a traditional path to distribution, hopefully ending up with a theatrical run.”
V-Day dinner highlights day Life & Style By Ashley Mckenzie Culture Columnist
As a female, what comes to mind when one thinks of Valentine’s Day? Traditionally, images of bouquets of roses, heart-shaped boxes containing various chocolates, gift boxes filled with sparkling jewelry and a romantic, candle-lit dinner at a fancy restaurant dance around in our minds. I have to admit that though flowers, candy and bling are nothing to laugh at, my absolute favorite part of Valentine’s Day would have to be dinner. I love going out to the fancy restaurant on that special day, every romantic feeling becomes heightened, as if there is a scent of adoration and affection in the air. A simple meal becomes something out of a Nabokov novel; elegant, beautiful and a little over the top. It encompasses you sitting across the table from your sweetheart, gazing into his eyes over a gentle flickering candlelight, the soft melody coming from the musician’s
instruments creating the urge to wrap your arms around your partner and sway to the music, all-the-while enjoying an incredibly delectable, romantically themed meal. Valentine’s Day dinner is almost like being in a Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn movie; light, fun, and delectable, with a guaranteed sweet ending. However, the fancy restaurant is not a necessary ingredient when it comes to the recipe of making the perfect Valentine’s Day. It’s been my experience that having a romantic dinner at home is better and more personal than going out to eat. With that in mind, I searched until I found the perfect homemade three-course dinner for you and your Valentine. This dinner includes green beans wrapped in bacon, otherwise known as green bean bundles to start, almond-crusted pork with an apple rosemary sauce as a main course, and for a sweet finish, fresh raspberry almond truffles. Green Bean Bundles By: Boys n’ Biscuits Ingredients I lb fresh green beans 1 package partially cooked bacon (microwave)
Salt Pepper Rinse a pound of fresh green beans and snap off the ends. Bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch the beans, about 3 minutes. They should still be crisp, and take on a beautiful, bright green hue. After you drain the water, place the beans in a mixing bowl and then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pick up about 6 or 7 green beans and bundle them together with a partially cooked piece of bacon (Secure with toothpicks if need be). Place on broiler pan, seam side down. Roast at 350 degrees for 1015 minutes, until bacon is crisp and beans are crisp-tender. Done! Almond Crusted Pork with an Apple-Rosemary Sauce By: Hilary From: Allrecipes.com Ingredients: 1/4 cup ground almonds 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon heavy cream 1-1/2 teaspoons honey mustard 1/8 teaspoon ground dried rosemary Continued on Page 6
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News
February 11, 2010
Food for Thought By Nazia mastan Columnist The youth of America is on the political rise once again. California had its most marginal vote for President Obama largely due to the massive voting turnout of the youth demographic. And in my eyes, the biggest proponents of this turnaround are the high school and college students across America. You may be thinking, what can I do? Why would anyone listen to me? But I’m sure you have heard the conscientious lyrics of The Beatles, Bob Marley, just two of the numerous artists that influenced the baby boomer generation to take action during the late ’60s. I know a thing or two about how politicians perceive students because having worked with Mayor Wasserman and in the offices of Congressman Stark and Senator Feinstein, I’ve come to see that the opinions of active young individuals are highly valued because we’re the ones who will really go out on a limb to get the facts straight and the truth about issues. It’s because we are the future of America and we’re slowly opening our eyes to a vision of a country run by our own ideals. There are a lot of things we should be thinking about and we do have a say. Let’s start really small, local; things that affect us every day. Where? Ohlone. If you are an Ohlone student, you’re bound to see budget cuts taking a deep toll on our scholastic environment. There are students sitting on the floor in classrooms. Class sections have been cut, which has prevented our ability to choose from the plethora of classes we deserve to have. It also affects those students who are trying to transfer because the reduction of sections may reduce the number of units we can take and whether we get our 60 units in a timely manner to be able to transfer. Professors sometimes refuse to take in more students because it affects their ability to effectively teach such a large number. I mean how many tests and quizzes can one person really grade? I’m sure you also remember the debacle surrounding the potential firing of an essential member of Ohlone’s staff from theTransfer Center. I really liked Ohlone’s approach to handling these situations, speaking out. Administrative decisions are made by a group of people that have Ohlone’s best interests at heart, but students should have a say in how our money is spent, and methods to curb spending as well. The activity that the Civic Engagement Club did last week was great and hopefully they will have an impact on California legislators. I really hope there were things that students suggested should be done, instead of just explaining how the cuts are affecting them. Speaking out is the first step, however there are many more steps to climb at Ohlone...“To Be Continued.”
Council struggles with budget cuts Continued from Page 3 semesters since they are considered to be more important to full-time students. In this way, the college would be able to preserve the “bread and butter classes” that students need. The budget cuts may affect deaf students in particular because it might mean a reduction of resources. This year, based on the services Ohlone provides to deaf students,
the college qualified for $1,162,252 in funding from the state. Instead, it received only $218,942, a 49 percent cut that leaves a large hole in the budget. These are not cuts that Ohlone can absorb by cutting classes, and it is required by law to provide services to the deaf community, such as interpreters. According to Roberts, “We remain committed to offering these programs, however, and the fund-
ing will have to come from another source on campus.” One way that Ohlone plans to deal with the problem is by encouraging deaf and hard of hearing students to take classes together in order to share interpreters. However, due to the number of deaf students, the limited amount of interpreters, the variety of classes, and the necessity of juggling the schedules of students who take
classes at different campuses, it promises to be challenging to organize the services. Demand for classes is growing within the deaf community on campus as well, since students are often redirected from other community colleges to Ohlone. Across the board, high demand for classes and limited supply promises to be a problem that students and Council members will have to face at their next meeting on Feb. 22.
Photo by Paul Mueller
Paul Mueller shot this picture of his daughter prior to her surgery for hip dysplasia.
Photography professor, published By DAVE SHEFFER Staff writer Professor Paul Mueller was given his first camera at the age of 15 and hasn’t stopped taking photographs for more than 30 years. He has taught photography at Ohlone for 10 years. And as a parent, he loves taking pictures of his daughter Sadie, just as any parent does. His 3-year-old daughter Sadie had hip dysplasia; her left femur was not connected to her hip socket. The surgery involved reshaping both the femur and the hip socket and then connecting the two. Mueller said he took pictures because it seemed to be a story to tell.
He found out about the Emery University photo contest while his daughter was recovering from the surgery. He edited the book into a pdf file that he sent off to Emery University to give himself a deadline on finishing the book, which is so important in the field of photography when so often photographers don’t have any kind of deadline at all. The contest was about the essence of home and so he felt that home is family and difficulty is a reminder of how important things are. Mueller won second place out of more than 130 photographers and 700 photos that were submitted to Picturing Home: Friends of Emory Visual Arts Juried Photography Exhibition. Mueller said he did
not expect to win second place; he didn’t think the contest was more than an exhibition at Emory University. The staff of Ohlone has been very supportive of his award due to an announcement going out to teachers, however his students are generally unaware that he won an award, so he is happy that this article will inform so he will not have to. His wife has been supportive of the project throughout the entire process, which is a good thing since she is in most of the pictures and his daughter being 3 years old, has yet to grasp the concept that there are pictures of her in the book. Only three copies of the book were made since they were handmade; one is for Mueller and his
wife, one is for his daughter Sadie and the third was sent into Emery University Gallery. The book sent to Emery University will be returned to him and he will end up with an extra copy of the book that he is unsure about what to do with. Mueller’s advice for budding photographers is to photograph constantly, ask for honest advice, look at photos constantly, and do not get hung up because it takes a lot of bad photos to make good ones. Mueller says that one of the best things to come out of this experience is his new love of hand printed books. He said that it is great to have something to hold that is tangible and that it was a humbling experience.
Board discusses Deaf Center By EAN TAIJERON Staff writer One of the first items of the Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday was to pass a proclamation to recognize Black History Month. Then, Malik Erin, a representative to the African American Club, accepted the proclamation from Trustee Teresa Cox. Erin said, “I would like to thank you all for this recognition of Black History Month, because it is not only
African history, but also American history.’’ There will be a ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 11 honoring Black History Month at noon, in the Cafeteria. Discussions on the Ohlone College budget update for Ohlone term 2010-’11 included government plans to subtract large sums of funds at the state level, such as billions of dollars from the prison system, and a vast cut from welfare; to assist relieving current and future cuts on
education in California. Dean Genie Gertz, of the Deaf Students Division, charted the evolution of her department to the Board. Gertz gave a brief history of the deaf students at Ohlone. The Deaf Students Division first began with 30 students in the 1970’s. As the division continued to blossom, Ohlone became more recognized locally and eventually on a worldwide level due to our excellence in the field of Deaf studies.
Gertz analyzed some of the net benefits and aspirations of the deaf studies department here at Ohlone. Gertz continued that another advantage of this division is that the ASL Interpreters Preparatory Program (IPP), which instructs hearing students to be interpreters, also provides practical work experience for deaf students. The Board will continue to address the on-going budget concerns at their next meeting in March.
Campus Events noon to 12:50 p.m.
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February 11 Men’s Baseball away vs. Santa Rosa College at 2 p.m. 12-15 President’s Weekend holiday. No classes 13 Ohlone College Super Flea Market. (at Parking Lots E and H, Ohlone College, Fremont campus) The regular Flea Market is held the second Saturday of each month throughout the year from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. 13 Men’s Baseball away vs. Cosumnes River College in Sacramento at noon. 13 Men’s Basketball home vs. San Francisco City College at 3 p.m. 13 Women’s Basketball home vs. Mission College at 3 p.m. 13-14 Women’s Softball Stars and Stripes Tournament, all day in Visalia 15 Last day to add fullterm class with instructor's signature 15 Last day to submit petition to audit full-term class
17 Men’s Baseball home vs. Diablo Valley College at 2 p.m. 17 Faculty Senate meeting in Room 7101 at 3:30 p.m. 17 Campus Tour sign up at the campus tour web page to reserve a space. Wear comfortable shoes. Each campus tour starts on the second floor of Building 7 at exactly 4 p.m. 17 Men’s Basketball home vs. Las Positas College at 5:30 p.m. 17 Women’s Basketball home vs. De Anza College at 7:30 p.m. 17-18 Chinese New Year Celebration with Entertainment, music, games, etc. in the Cafeteria, Building 5, second floor at 11 a.m. 18 Women’s Softball home vs. Foothill College at 3 p.m. 18 Safety Committee in Room 5209 at 3 p.m. 19 Science Seminar:Internships Ohlone Students Describe Their Experience at Genencor Biotechnology Inc. in Room 3201, from
19 Men’s and Women’s Swim/Dive - Away vs. Chabot / West Valley TriMeet, Room 3201 at noon. 19 Women’s Basketball away vs. Foothill College at Los Altos Hills at 7 p.m.
19 Men’s Basketball away vs. Chabot College at 7:30 p.m. 20 Men’s Baseball home vs. Sacramento City College at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 22 Curriculum Committee Screening meeting in Room 1407 / NC-1102 at 3 p.m. 22 College Council meeting in Room 7101, Fremont campus; Video conference from Room NC1219, Newark campus at 3 p.m.
Tuesday during spring semester, 2:30- 3:30 p.m. 23 Women’s Softball, City College of San Francisco at home. 23 ASOC Meeting every Tuesday during spring semester from 4 to 5 p.m. 24 Foundation Finance Committee Meeting 24 Women’s Basketball, Nor Cal Play-In Game 25 Soul Surge - Open Mic
25 Men’s Baseball Solano College at home 25 Women’s Softball, Mission College, away. 26 Men’s Basketball,
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regional semifinal playoffs. 26 Women’s Basketball, regional semifinal playoffs. 26 Last day to petition to complete a class on a credit/ no credit basis. 26 Men’s and Women’s Swim/Dive, College of San Mateo, at home. 27 Men’s Basketball, regional semifinal playoffs. 27 Women’s Basketball, Regional Semifinal Playoffs 27 Women’s Softball, Solano College/College of the Siskiyous, away. 27 Men’s and Women’s Swim/Dive - NorCal Pentathlon, at home.
23 Men’s Basketball Norcal Play-In Game, all day 23 HIV Testing Clinic at the Student Health Center, Room 7302, Building 7, third floor, Fremont campus, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 23 Club Days Casino in the Cafeteria, Building 5, second floor from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 23 Rock Band Tournament (guitar only) in the ASOC Room, Room NC-1200, noon to 1 p.m. 23 Men’s Baseball away vs. College of San Mateo at 2 p.m. 23 Inter Club Council (ICC) meeting every
15 Last day to drop fullterm class without a W grade 16 HIV Testing Clinic at the Student Health Center, Room 7302, Building 7, third floor, Fremont campus, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 16 Men’s Baseball home vs. Los Medanos College at 2 p.m. 16 TechComm meeting in Room 1407 at 2 p.m. 16 Inter Club Council (ICC) meeting every Tuesday during spring semester, 2:30- 3:30 p.m. 16 Women’s Softball away vs. College of San Mateo at 3 p.m. 16 ASOC meeting every Tuesday during spring semester from 4 to 5 p.m.
Read the Monitor Online at http://ohlone.edu/org/monitor or www.ohlonemonitoronline.com 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 Bia Roldan at (510) 659-6075 or e-mail monitorads@ohlone.edu
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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Renegades avert disaster, defeat lowly Cañada Center Reggie Jones blows up for 33 points. By NIck Zambrano Sports editor On paper, it seemed like the Ohlone Renegades would just walk over lowly Cañada College on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Renegades came into their weekend match-up with the Colts ranked fourth in the state and owners of a 18-4 record. Cañada on the other hand, came in at 9-11, while holding a 1-7 record in Coast Conference play. However, it was far from a walk and more like a track meet as the Renegades narrowly pulled out the win, 66-60. To open up the game, Cañada sank two straight three-pointers and would actually finish the half shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. “That’s what they (Cañada) do,” said Ohlone head coach John Peterson. “We wanted to make sure that if they were going to make threes, we didn’t want to give them points on the free-throw line, so if they were going to beat us they were going to have to make a lot of threes.” Colts’ guard Peter Pappageorge went five for nine from over the three-point stripe and finished the night with 16 points; fellow guard Kyle McIntyre finished with 15
points, all from the land of threes. At the end of the first half it seemed like Cañada had full control of Ohlone with a 28-22 lead. Eighteen of those points came by way of the three. Going into the second half, Peterson gave his squad a little advice. “Just loosen up out there against the zone,” Peterson told his young group. “We were hesitant to shoot it early in the clock. We told them once
SCOREBOARD Cañada: 60 Ohlone: 66 Next game: Sat. Feb. 13, vs. CCSF 3 p.m. the ball hits the paint, let it fly.” And flying they went. Ohlone center Reggie Jones broke out in the second half and brought the battle down to the post. In the second half, the sophomore lit up the scoreboard for 16 points while also going a perfect four for four from the charity stripe. Jones fell short of a double-double for the game but still finished with 29 points and nine rebounds. “It could have been 33,” Jones kidded, referring to the 33 points he had against Foothill College back on Jan. 29. Due in part to Jones’ surge,
Ohlone found themselves exchanging one-to-two point leads for the final eight minutes of the game. The Renegades did have some production from the land of three, and it came at the most crucial of moments. With the game now in the final minutes, Scott Clark sank one of only two Ohlone three-pointers, to finally create some separation from the Colts. “Scott hit a couple of threes and it really opened it up for us,” said Peterson of Clark’s clutch threepoint shooting. Clark would go on to finish the game with 10 points, he was also two for three from beyond the arc. Lavon Gray dominated on the rebounds, as he collected 15 boards. 11 of those 15 came off the opponent’s backboards and in turn created more opportunities for the Renegades on the other end of the floor. The notch in the win column puts Ohlone at 18-4 overall and 7-1 in Coast Conference play. The Renegades remain in first place in conference play with the win, while still holding a one-game lead over Foothill, who sits at 7-2. After Cañada, Ohlone traveled to San Bruno last night to take on Skyline College. The results of that game were unknown at press time. The Renegades return home Saturday, Feb. 13 when they take on City College of San Francisco, tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Lavon Gray, right, pulls up for the jumper. Gray finished with a game-high 15 rebounds and seven points.
The first half was unusually physical, with the Lady Renegades being whistled for 11 team fouls. Monterey seemed determined to attack down low, and were well equipped to do so with a front court measuring 5’9”, 5’9” and 5’11”. Ohlone was equally determined to defend the paint, and the game’s favorable outcome was owed in no small measure to the rugged paint defense supplied by Elise Spain and Jayme Leftridge. “We really worked hard on that the last few weeks, not letting players catch
down low,” Allender said. “They do a great job. It’s a tough position to play and they really work hard.” Monterey’s Natasha Ray would also open the second half’s scoring with a basket that cut Ohlone’s lead to 14, but Rubin and Rogers would ensure that was as close as the Lobos would get. Ohlone did not neglect their defense in the second half either. With Spain and Leftridge controlling the paint, and Rubin, Rogers and McLaughlin hounding the passing lanes, Ohlone surrendered only
By Jeff Weisinger Editor-in-chief
2009 when the Renegades fell to the Vikes, 12-8. Padilla’s pitching was overshadowed by a Renegades lineup that exploded for 14 runs on 17 hits against a Diablo Valley pitching staff that has struggled to start the season.
Photo by Alex Glanville
Ladies remain perfect in league play By Kevin Yin Staff writer The Ohlone Lady Renegades maintained their perfect conference record on Friday, Feb. 5 with a 7855 blowout win over the Monterey Peninsula College Lobos at home. Jasmine Rubin scored 26 points on 12 of 23 shooting and Ganeaya Rogers added 17 points and nine assists as Ohlone improved to 14-6 overall and 9-0 in conference play. The 78 points scored by the Lady Renegades tied a season high. “[Rubin] can play,” Ohlone head coach Julia Allender said. “She and Janea can just flat out put the ball in the basket. They’re both playing really well right now.” Rubin set an aggressive tone for Ohlone on the opening possession, stealing a Lobo pass right in front of
SCOREBOARD MPC: 55 Ohlone: 78 Next game: Sat. Feb. 13, vs. Mission 5 p.m. the scorer’s table and racing ahead of two defenders to draw first blood for the Lady Renegades. Yet the early minutes of the first half gave no indication that the final result would be so lopsided. Just inside the 14-minute mark, the Lobos held a 13-11 lead, but a 15-2 Ohlone blitz over the next two and a half minutes gave the Lady Renegades a 26-15 lead and established a hold on the contest that Ohlone would not yield again.
Photo by Joseph Florez
Freshman Crystal McLaughlin looks to pass with a Monterey defender giving pressure.
seven points in the first ten minutes of the second half. The lead ballooned to 27 on Leftridge’s 15-foot baseline jumper with 9:31 remaining. With the postseason approaching, Allender praised her team’s effort and focus. “We’re just getting ready for the playoffs now,” Allender said. “I’m proud that they get in here every night and put wins together. It’s not easy to do.” The Lady Renegades traveled to Aptos to face Cabrillo College last night. The results of the game were not known at press time.
Padilla, #2 Ohlone baseball start season with a bang
How does a team prove that last season was not a fluke? For the #2 Ohlone Baseball team, winning your season opener in a blowout is a pretty good start. The Renegades, fresh off their first Coast Conference Pacific championship in nearly 20 years, let alone starting the season nationally ranked for the first time in the team’s 40-year history, traveled to #5 Diablo Valley and manhandled the Vikings 14-2 on Monday. Sophomore left-hander Roberto Padilla (1-0, 0.00 ERA) took the mound for the Renegades, pitching a solid 5 1/3 innings, allowing just four hits while striking out seven. Padilla’s performance Monday is much improved after he struggled through just four-plus innings in his first career start at Diablo Valley in
UP NEXT: Thurs. Feb. 11 at Santa Rosa 2 p.m. Ohlone began the scoring fest in the top of the second inning, sparked by sophomore Kyle Holmstrom’s one-out double down the left field line. Holmstrom scored from second base one batter later as Ryan Walterhouse hit a double of his own to put Ohlone up 1-0. Sophomore Michael Di Rocco laced a single to shortstop, moving Walterhouse to third. On the next
pitch, Di Rocco stole second while Walterhouse stole home, putting Ohlone up 2-0. Steven Ramos struck out with two outs, however reached first on a throwing error, allowing Di Rocco to score from third, capping a three-run, second inning for Ohlone. The Renegades would strike again in the sixth inning, blowing the game wide open, scoring six runs in the sixth to lead 9-0, highlighted by Jeff Johnson’s two-RBI double, scoring Ramos and Zach Johnson with one out. Freshman pitchers George Asmus and Alika Pruett also made their Renegade debuts, pitching a combined 3.2 innings to close the game out. Pruett entered the game to relieve Padilla, pitching a perfect two innings with two strikeouts. The Renegades will look to go 20 today when they travel up to Santa Rosa to take on the Bear Cubs.