Monitor 2011-3-31

Page 1

Over $3,000 raised for Japan

monitor

-Page 4

-Page 8

-Page 6

opinions

Baseball team wins 16 to 3

News

Sports

FEATURES

We are not in Kansas anymore: High school festival comes to Ohlone

Are nuclear power plants really safe?

-Page 2

ohlone college Vol. XLII No. 5

ohlonemonitoronline.com Fremont, California

March 31, 2011

McMillin, dies from two year leukemia battle While at Syracuse University, McMillin completed doctoral coursework in educational administration. McMillin moved to Newark, California in 1976 and from 1994 to 2002, McMillin was a member of

well as three grandchildren: Marissa, Tyler and Kayla. McMillin left his grandchildren the following letter. According to McMillin, “The important things in life I’ve learned are love, hope, dreams and pride.” “Love your parents, your family, your children and each other. If you are going to love others you have to start with loving yourself. And when you love yourself and others its easier to dream and have the support and encouragement to achieve your dreams. Dreams are what you want to do, and hope is the belief you need to have to follow those dreams” he wrote. McMillin said,“Have pride in what you do, and live your life so that others can be proud of you.” He closed with the remark,“If I was giving advice, I’d say... Live your life by the golden rule, do unto others as Photos courtesy of Maya McMillin you would want done to you. Strive to live your life so that you leave the world William “Bill” McMillin served on the Ohlone College board of Trustees since 2002 and in 2008 was a better place than it was selected as one 20 local trustees to be on the California Community College Trustees board. when you came into it.” A memorial service for Mc7, 1942 and moved from his He then served as a the Newark School Board. McMillin leaves behind Millin was held on March home state of Ohio in 1963 middle school principal in In November 2002, Mc- his daughter Maya Marcus in order to attend Stanford New York for seven years. Millin was elected to a seat and his son Mike McMillin as 17 at the Newark campus.

University, where he went on to attain a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and Ohlone board of trustees a master’s in education. member William “Bill” McMcMillin taught mathematMillin died after a two year bat- ics and aviation from 1964 to tle with leukemia on March 12. 1970 as a part of the San FranMcMillin was born on July cisco Unified School District. By MANIKA CASTERLINE Editor-in-Chief

on the Ohlone College board of trustees and was elected for three consecutive terms. In 2008, McMillin was elected to serve on the California Community College Trustees board, which recognizes leadership in the community/

Fiscal scenerios explained To the land of Oz leaving Ohlone with a $3.9 million deficit and a decrease of 480 full time stuOne of many the financial dents, also known as FTS. issues discussed at Tuesday’s This option was the best budget forum held by Presi- out of all the worst-case scedent Gari Browning and V.P. narios that were being offered of Administrative Services by the state government. Mike Calegari was that However, due to Sacrathe status of Ohlone hinges mento legislature grid lock upon California’s budget the possibility of there being deficit of 2.6 billion dollars. an initiative on the June balThe California state leg- lot to extend current tax rates islature recently approved a is out of the question thereproposed hike to the tuition for by nullifying scenario one. community college students. Calegari said, “That opEffective next semes- portunity looks like it is ter the cost will be $36 becoming very remote. The per unit instead of $26. reason is mostly the polarIn January, Governor Jerry ization of the two parties.” Brown proposed $12.5 bilScenario two is a $510 million in education budget cuts, lion cut or 9.1 percent, which which would be vital in fixing could lead to adeficit of $5.5 the deficit, and there were three million and an 850 FTS loss. scenarios given regarding the While scenario three, the apportionment revenue cuts. most dramatic situation, means Projected scenario one $975millioncutor14.4percent. would equate to a 5.2 perScenario three is the cent cut ($290 million), most drastic of all. It wouldBy MANIKA CASTERLINE Editor-in-Chief

mean a loss of 1,335 FTS. “We are between scenario two and three when the dust settles,” Calegari explained. As it is roughly 87 to 92 percent of Ohlone budget is fixed into expenditures while the remaining 8 to 10 percent is used toward discretionary spending. Calegari joked, “We aren’t going to get there by reducing the chalk in the classrom if that’s your point.” “We’re still going to need chalk,” Browning added. Browning said, “We want to remain a viable institution,” and admits that there will be a reduction in class offerings and services. The state Legislative Analyst’s office had discussed the possibly cutting certain programs, changing the census date or denying admittance to students who had acheived over 90 units. Another budget forum will be held tomorow at 10 a.m. in 7101.

By ISABELLA OHLMEYER Staff writer

The yellow brick road led to Ohlone College in a Wizard of Oz themed seventeenth Annual Ohlone College Theatre Festival from 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Mar. 18 and 19. From Amador High School in Pleasanton to Bishop O’ Dowd in Oakland, over 800 high schools competed in the festival. Students competed in various areas in the competition including: maxi mus cals, mini musicals, men’s contemporary dramatic monologues, women’s contemporary humorous monologues, one act plays and many more. Amador Valley High School student and festival participant Kelsey Goldstein said, “I competed in the Contemporary Humorous Ensemble category.

I was a little nervous when I learned that the category was so large, but overall it was not too stressful. The festival was an incredible experience and I realized that the audience always want the performers to do well.” While the competitors focused on implementing their heart and soul into their performances, the Ohlone College student volunteers did the same in their particular jobs for the weekend. During a volunteer meeting prior to the festival, coordinator Tom Blankstated, “The main reason why parents, teachers and the competitors return is because of the organization and drive of the festival that the volunteers uphold each year and their dedication to the arts.” Continued on Page 4


OPINIONS

2 monitor March 31, 2011

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

Editors-in-chief: Manika Casterline & Jillian Sanchez News editor: Tina Karimi Features editor: Sarah Hashemi Sports editor: Kyle Nordeen Opinions editor: Hassina Obaidy Online editor: Kol Parsons Photo editor: David Epperson Staff writers: Kathryn Dixon, Kevin Yin, Dion Baker Jr., Derek Stevens, Isabella Ohlmeyer, Erika Aguirre, Kayla Quock, Nawid Ahrary, Daniel Choe. Distribution Manager: Derek Stevens Photographers: Thao Do, Kyoungsu Cho, Eman Khateeb. Ad manager: David Epperson Adviser: William E. Wallace Printer: FP Press

Offices are located in Room 5310 on campus, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont 94539-5884. 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.

Opinions

Questions of safety arise over nuclear power plants By DEREK Staff writer

STEVENS

At the moment, I have no trust in the nuclear power industry. With the recent emission of radioactivity at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, a good amount of us have questioned the safety of nuclear power complexes worldwide and around us. The current situation in North-East Japan, coupled with the devastation and horror of Japan’s most recent natural disaster, has re-ignited a long-held concern over nuclear power and its looming threat to our world’s safety. The nuclear crisis seen in Japan has simply been a recent confirmation to some, including myself, in regards to the unsafe nature of harnessing such an unsafe energy source. The radiation emitted from nuclear meltdowns or leaks poses short and long term health risks including the possibility of death for an unforeseeable and unpredict-

able mass of people. For me, the constant news coverage and uncertainty of the incident has thrown out my previous uncaring and assured attitude towards nuclear energy. I currently fear for the lives and health of those in Japan whom face imminent radiation exposure and have already been devastated by the string of natural disasters. However, I also possess a personal fear of such an incidence occurring closer to home. I am convinced of the real threat that nuclear energy poses on our world. Living in the East Bay, I was curious to find out what nuclear facilities are located near or around home, in case a similar disastrous scenario is to occur. While browsing the Internet I found that there are two operational nuclear power plants in California-Diablo Canyon and San Onofre. I also discovered that there are four non-operational plants, as well as another abandoned experimental site. The experimental site, the

Santa Susana SRE had experienced a malfunction in its core and released radiation into California in 1959. Luckily, there were no deaths or serious cases of radiation poisoning, but there is still a loss of trust on my part. Also, contributing to my lack of trust is the fact that both of our active fission nuclear plants are similar to the Japan site. They both were made in the same generation, nearly 20 years old by General Electric. According to my knowledge, G.E. was responsible for the construction of the now dangerous plant in Japan. I won’t forget to mention that the Diablo Canyon site is located dangerously near an unpredictable fault line. Those that operate the plants tell us that there is no need to worry about the safety of these plants, but from the beginning of these plants operations, we’ve been told this. Even with constant reassurance we still find nuclear accidents occurring. Over the span of nuclear energy’s existence, there have

been 33 identified or rather official, nuclear accidents since 1952. It is noted that the catalog of events is incomplete. The scale system, which was created by the International Atomic Energy Authority is called The International Nuclear Events Scale. At the current moment, the Fukushima incident is currently set at a level seven of severity, much like the nuclear incident in Chernobyl, which occurred nearly 25 years ago. Even though there have only been two catalogued major events so far and most have been minor incidents, I still have no reassurance towards the industry. The smallest of events still count as failure on the industry’s part. Focusing on the level of reoccurrences, I noticed that some type of nuclear accident appeared to occur on average of at least two years after each other. I will make the point that I am no expert in such occurrences or nuclear power in general, but I intuitively feel

as if we have been gambling with our safety for a long time. The level of error is too high considering that the benefits of nuclear energy do not outweigh the risks. Billions of dollars are spent on trying to make nuclear energy safe and even more is spent trying to recover from the industry’s mishaps. There is also no fool-proof way of disposing nuclear waste. This could result to the possibility of radiation leaking even after the plants shutdown. Nuclear energy, simply put, gambles with all of our lives. Nuclear power plants will consistently pose a threat; there is no fool-proof way to make the risky process completely safe for any place on this planet. Various experts on the safety of such plants may reassure us, but we need to keep up a wary suspicion of the possibility of error. In my eyes nuclear energy is a mistake and will always be until we find a way around it.

Campus Comment > > > What did you do during your spring break?

Chulhee Kim BUSINESS

“I went to Lake Tahoe and was stuck on the road for 7 hours.”

Dan Pham

Emily Kim

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Jean Pierre Guedon

Justin Teruel

DIGITAL ART

“I went to do community service in LA.”

“I went to SF for fun.”

“I worked.”

“I hung around with my friends.”

BIOCHEMISTRY

ANIMATION


NEWS

March 31, 2011 monitor 3

College fair provides untraditional options By CAMERON TAPP Staff writer

Eleven academic institutions attended Ohlone’s evening college fair, which aimed to expose older and working students to colleges offering flexible schedules, weekend classes and online courses, on March 9. On the subject of the college fair, Frances Fon, the Ohlone transfer center specialist, said “the idea [of the college fair] is that if we have students on campus who are full time employees, and they can only take classes at night or on weekends, or if they have certain obligations at home, then they can go check out some of the programs or degrees of the

Meanschools that are offering while, the degrees in the evenings, California weekends, or online.” Institute Unlike a public four of Integral year university, these Studies ofcolleges offer different fers a proschedules entirely. gram in “It’s different from a which stutraditional college or dents with university where you’re at least 60 either on a quarter or units are semester system,” said allowed to Fon. “This is really meet one meant for either older weekend a students, or students month for who are full time ema single ployees.” Photo by Kyoungsu Cho class. Palo Alto University, T h e one of the colleges that Yixia Liang attended the evening college fair, u n iverattended the event, has which offered flexible options for students. sity offers a program consisting of campus and meets just once weekend online classes. Comthree courses. a week, while the remaining pletely online classes are not One course is attended on two are taught online.

March in March protests budget cuts to education

By CAMERON TAPP Staff writer

The streets of Sacramento were packed with protesting students on March 14, as part of the 2011 “March in March” protests. The protest, which attracted thousands of students from across the state, was formed to oppose tuition hikes and canceled classes, both of which are a direct result of California’s budget cuts. Indeed, both the state Senate and Assembly Budget Committees have voted to increase student fees for community colleges from $26 to $36 per unit. This budget bill, which passed on March 17, will also cut about $290 million from California community colleges. The fee hikes would make college attendance difficult for even more of California’s students. In response, thousands of frustrated students headed to Sacramento to protest. Buses began driving to the state capital at 7:30 a.m. and arrived at the Sacramento automobile museum at 10. From there, the group of students marched one mile to the California state capitol building, where they spent the next three hours railing against state lawmakers. The slogans on the protesters’ picket signs ranged from “We are the future, invest in us,” to appeals for the preservation of “the American dream.” Surprisingly, the student protesters were not all from

community colleges. According to Professor Heather McCarty, the adviser of Ohlone’s Civic Engagement Club, there appeared to be “a lot more participation from K through 12, CSUs and UC schools” this year, and overall, “there was a greater turnout than the previous year.” Twenty eight Ohlone students attended this year’s “March in March” protest. Last year’s “March in March” event, on the other hand, was anticipated weeks in advance and eight buses were available to take Ohlone students to the event. Despite the lack of attention from many Ohlone students, the event is still an important one. On the topic of the event’s importance, McCarty said, “I think the lobbying part of the event is more important than the march is, per se, but I think it is important for students to be engaged in the political process.” “In terms of being at a college, one of our missions is to create an informed citizenry, and to encourage and inspire students to be engaged and aware of the world around them, and I feel like going to Sacramento, meeting with your legislator, lobbying them and presenting arguments to them about your position and what your particular interests are, is a particularly important part of the learning process,” McCarty continued. Those who missed the event can still write their state Assembly representative and Senator to voice their opinions.

offered, however. Of course, these were not the only colleges present. Although California State University East Bay was unexpectedly absent at the college fair, the school is still worth mentioning for its myriad of offered programs. In addition to its traditional degree programs, including a B.A. degree in Human Development and B.S. degrees offered in Business Administration, Recreation and Hospitality and Tourism, CSU East Bay offers its unique PACE program for working adults. Fon said, “Basically, PACE is a way for students to earn their degrees as a cohort.” Continued online


FEATURES

4 monitor March 31, 2011

The thing is... By anh

huynh Columnist

Love they neighbor That’s easier said than done. Hypocrisy grows in the gap between what we say and we do. Just over a year ago, Haiti suffered from an earthquake that killed roughly 300,000 people and displaced nearly 1,500,000 people. Today, make-shift tents have become part of the Port-au-Prince landscape. In addition, a cholera epidemic is sweeping the nation. It’s a testament to our hospitality that countries like Iceland and China sent help before the U.S. took action despite our proximity. At least we stopped deportation of Haitians. However, deportation has resumed. We are expatriating people into a ravaged country that lacks shelter, food, clean water, and medical care while undergoing an epidemic. Laura Raymond with the Center for Constitutional Rights described, “some of the colleagues at University of Miami came down here and talked to [the deportees] afterwards and found that the walls of the detention center here were covered in feces and vomit, and the bathrooms weren’t working, so men had to go to the bathroom in trash bags. And these conditions, during a cholera epidemic, are literally deadly.” Imagine if Haiti asked to borrow some sugar from us. While we had a week off to recuperate, headlines around the world continue to unfold. Here’s a poem I wrote over the rainy spring break while digesting the news: In the eyes of the children running after the soldiers taunting them with a bottle of water. In the ears of the woman standing too close to the detonating suicide bomber. In the dark pit of glittering diamond caves where miners are trapped. In the stomach of a hungry Haitian man. In the arms of an Ecuadorean mother, her son’s lifeless body. In the radiating cells of Fukushima residents. In the nuclear plants boiling water. In the shiny lobby of a financial consulting firm. In the civilized offices of policymakers. In the handshakes that shake the world.

The yellow brick road leads to Ohlone Current intermediate act- each year to volunteer at the given before each round starts, Each volunteer was as- ing student Elise Scarlott festival because I support and then the room hosts advises signed, while some specifical- dressed the role of Dorothy, admire the talent of the high the high school monitors of ly mentioned, what role they “TimeMachine-Love Among schoolers and the welcoming the room to inform the buildwould like to bring leadership the Eloi” actor Mike Tran environment they are given to ing captain that there is a problem. to in the volunteering arena. portrayed the role of the Tin showcase their talent.” “The key to succeeding in Other building captains The roles included build- Man and Festival veterans ing captains, room hosts, Jessica Stanley and Stacey including the Scarecrow this festival is communication” Blank said. festival central, The room tabulations and hosts stay in a weapons. particular room Building capfrom various time tains were reframes such as 8 quired to abide a.m.- noon or 1-4 by the Wizard p.m. of Oz theme and The host exdress up as one plains the rules of the characters, of the festival inwhile the rest of cluding turning the volunteers off all cell phones, have the option of only a person with wearing Wizard of a conflicted perOz themed accesformance time sories to correlate may leave the with the spirit and room within the theme of the feshour time frame tival. and there is no There has been a different theme Photo by Kyoungsu Cho disqualification for foul language each year at the Left, Mike Tran played the Tin Man and at right, Jessica Stanely and used in a scene. theater festival, Ohlone stulast year being Stacey Lynn Bell played the Wicked Witch and Dorothy in the festival. dent Karen Ordaz Alice in WonderLynn Bell helped out at the portrayed by former Stu- was jazzed about her first year land. Regarding the importance information both of festival dent Repertory actor Wesley volunteering as a room host of a reoccurring theme each central in which they were Rou and the Cowardly Lion and appreciated the talent year Blank said, “Ohlone dressed in the roles of Elphaba by newcomer director in by saying, “There were some College’s Theatre Department the bad witch and Glinda the Student Repertory Adam students with a lot of talent that I could see that they were Rabinovitz. encourages the participants to good witch. The role of the building going to go far if they pursued Having been a room host, feel a sense of wonder, amazement and a dreamlike setting judge, building captain and captain is to monitor and a career in acting. Others when they enter the festival. a volunteer at festival central check up on all of the room seemed as if they needed a We also want the volunteers for the past five years, Stacey host volunteers who are in a bit more training but overall, to feel the energy and ex- Lynn Bell was excited to por- particular building such as I saw a lot of talented young students.” citement in their leadership tray Glinda and get back into Building 7. Continued online at If there is a wrong category the familiarity of the festival. as role models for the high ohlonemonitoronline.com She said, “I come back in the form the judges are schoolers.” Continued from Page 1

Learning to deal with natural disasters By DION BAKER JR. Staff writer

It’s fascinating how Mother Nature and Mother Earth, like many scorned women, can be so beauteous, yet so nightmarishly Draconian. If one has been paying attention to current events, one would be aware of the natural disasters that have recently occurred in Japan. With tsunamis, earthquakes and even more catastrophes happening, it is perfectly understandable for fear frolic through the minds and hearts of many in our country. After all, with extremely rare tsunami warnings being broadcasted in California, can one be blamed for being slightly more paranoid? An Ohone student Anna Harren says, “I think we should do more to help Japan. We should have more people volunteer to help them.” Natural disasters occur in an instant and can have devastatContinued online at ing results. ohlonemonitoronline.com Helping other countries in

times of distress may prove beneficial if we are ever struck by such a catastrophe. ‘What if something like that happens here?’ ‘What can I do to survive?’ ‘Is it even possible to live through something like that?’ These are some of the questions that have run through the minds of many; some of the answers will be provided here. Earthquakes are one of the most prominent natural disasters in California. Although, they rarely ever occur, when they do occur it can be quite frightening and easy to panic. Here are some survival tips in case one is caught in an earthquake. Position oneself under a sturdy desk or a doorway and hold onto it until the trembling ceases. If one isn’t near any of these things, avoid being near any loose objects that could fall and cause bodily harm; also make sure to cover one’s head with one’s hands for protection. If possible, avoid windows and walls that could fall as

well. If one is outside, move to an open area away from buildings and tall structures that can fall as well. The chance of fires occurring is also present. A simple spark from an electrical outlet could start a potentially fatal disaster. If one catches fire, it would be best to stop, drop to the floor and then roll around until the fire is out. If the fire has been caused by any grease substance, such as cooking oil, DO NOT attempt to put it out with water. The water will cause the grease fire to flare up dramatically and will consume the room with one still inside of it instantly. If a grease fire occurs, one must either immediately place a non-glass lid on the pan or pot to stop it, or evacuate the building. Not the just the room, the building; grease fires can spread quite quickly. Calling the fire department is crucial as well, for they are trained in extinguishing fires safely. The other type of fire to not

use water on is an electrical fire. If the fire was caused by anything pertaining with electricity, pouring water onto that fire will simply cause the electricity to travel through that water and zap whoever poured it. One can attempt to shut off the main breaker to stop the flow of electricity. Fire extinguishers can be helpful in this situation as well; or simply calling the fire department once the building is evacuated will definitely get the job done also. These are just two examples of disasters and a few options of what one may do to increase one’s survival. There are many other disasters that can occur, and not enough space in this article to go over them all. For more information on survival tips please visit http://www.fema.gov/index. shtm or another site of this nature. Remember: knowledge is power, and knowing what to do in these situations could save your life one day.


FEATURES

March 31, 2011 monitor 5

New club aims to help students with disabilities By DEREK STEVENS Staff writer

There is no doubt that it is not easy being a student with any type of disability. Instead it is an understatement. Our campus provides programs and faculty to help these students out, but unfortunately these individuals are often unnoticed by their fellow peers. A new club is hoping to tighten this gap between the disabled and their fellow peers. Friends of Students with Disabilities, of which was chartered as an official club as of the previous fall semester, is an alliance of Ohlone students who plan to provide events and activities geared towards members of Ohlone’s disabled community. The planned events not only involve members of Ohlone’s disabled community, but their fellow peers as well. In holding such avocational events, the emerging club plans to highlight and demonstrate the sometimes ignored or misunderstood potential of the disabled community within the Ohlone campus. The club’s main purpose is to increase the visibility of

disabled students on campus through creating their events. With this goal in mind, Friends of Students with Disabilities is now going by its currently unofficial “Students Unlimited” title in order to emphasize the message that disabled students are capable of possessing unlimited potential. Fiona Tang, founder and club president, was inspired to create this new club out of her interest and involvement with members of the disabled community. Fiona has, and still currently volunteers alongside Friends of Children with Special Needs, a non-profit organization that helps to serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Also, during Fiona Tang’s senior year in high school, she was given the opportunity to tudor a member of the Autistic community. She makes the point that such experiences attributed greatly towards the founding of Ohlone’s Students Unlimited club. Fiona Tang also establishes that the club is similar in regards to De Anza’s Students Unlimited club, of which was established in 1981.

De Anza’s Students Unlimited, having a similar goal in reaching out to its campus’s disabled community. It has been recognized not only for its support towards the disabled community at De Anza college, but for its efforts statewide, extending their disability awareness message all the way out to Sacramento. Ohlone’s Students Unlimited hopes to mirror the success of De Anza’s version of the club. Having done some recruit-

Photo by Thao Do Scion joined teams with local graffiti artists to spray paint a Scion tC. The event, hosted by Campus Activities, offered free food to the students.

musicians garnered dozens of smiles from rain soaked pedestrians. Each performer took turns “Charity concert. That is singing while the others the best we musicians can do played in the background. As right now,” said Darrell Recothey played, people dropped nose of UC Davis in response their donations in a little black to hearing of the devastating box with the Japanese flag earthquake and tsunami that charmingly taped on the side. has affected Japan. At the end of the concert, With one microphone, they were all surprised at the two battery powered amps, staggering amount a bass guitar, an of money that they electric guitar, three were able to raise in acoustic guitars, a such a short amount ukelele, two hand of time. drums and a whole “We didn’t expect lot of heart, ten to make so much students/musicians money and our group from all over the Bay of musicians are Area gathered in thankful to everyone the center of Japantown on Mar. 13 in Photo courtesy of University of Edinburg who donated money which will go diSan Francisco and rectly to Red Cross”. One of ten musicians who “jammed for Japan.” The Jam for Japan group is Coordinated by Tetsuro responded was Ohlone ColMori, a student at San Fran- lege student, Christian Va- planning to hold more charity events in the near future. cisco State, the four hour long liente. On campus, the Interna“I just had to be a part of charity concert managed to this. When I first heard of tional Club had a donation raise $911 and 100 yen. Having family members what happened in Japan, I was event for Japan Mar. 15-18 in Japan, Mori was greatly stricken with such grief, that from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in front concerned for all of their well I immediately wrote a song of the bookstore. A person who paid a $1 dobeings. Due to the distance, for them called ‘Sanctuary Mori felt that there was only Sheen’. I figured this event nation received a handmade would help put that song into origami crane, $2 is a crane so much that he could do. He then decided to raise as good use” explains Valiente. and candy and lastly $5 a Playing everything from person would get five cranes. much money as he could to All donations will go to donate to the Red Cross and original songs to J-Rock to the Japan Earthquake Relief an eight minute long medhelp their efforts to aid Japan. Fund. Being a musician, he felt ley of Top 40 radio hits, the that the best way he could share his talent is to gather donations than to hold a charity concert in the appropriate location of Japan town. After inquiring about permit issues, Mori posted a brief message on Facebook about the event, asking if anybody would like to join him either by performing or supporting the cause.

Unlimited is currently brainstorming upcoming events, and they plan to have several meetings sometime within April to discuss such possible events and socials. Students Unlimited is looking forward to growing and spreading their message. To get in contact with their advisor, you will want to get a hold of Michael De Unamuno, a member of Ohlone’s counseling department. You are welcome to email him at mdeunamuno@ohlone.edu.

Scion rolls onto campus

Jamming for Japan relief By ISABELLA OHLMEYER Staff writer

ment at Club Days last Feb., the club is still in the recruitment process. Ohlone’s Students Unlimited has roughly forty committed members so far and the club would like to extend a warm welcome to anyone willing to participate in their events. Students with disabilities as well as other students interested in disability issues are both encouraged to participate in this club. At the moment, Students


NEWS

6 monitor March 31, 2011

Over $3,000 raised for Japan relief White Crane Photo by Kyoungsu Cho Wai Yan Tu, Dianna Lin, Ann Hsu and Mandy Yip sold paper cranes in order to raise money in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that caused widespread damage throughout Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake was one of the most powerful since 1900, even surpassing the one that struck Haiti last winter. By TINA KARIMI News editor

The International Club’s fundraising effort for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief has raised $3,343.54, which will be donated to the American Red Cross. According to the club’s adviser, Mandy Yip, the club

raised $500 the first day of the event, and originally hoped to raise about $1,000, although there was never a set monetary goal. The effort spanned about a week, with International Club students setting up tables at the Fremont and Newark campuses in order to sell paper cranes. The club has

sold over 1,000 of the paper cranes, which are symbols of good luck in Japanese culture. In addition, according to Japanese legend, folding a thousand paper cranes means that one will receive one’s heart’s desire. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which occurred on March 11, triggered tsunami

waves that reached up to 98 feet. Tsunami warnings were issued to about 20 other countries, including the United States (along the Pacific coast). The earthquake was one of the top five most powerful since 1900, more powerful even than the earthquake that devastated Haiti last year.

Program gives students opportunity By KAYLA QUOCK Staff writer

Ohlone College is offering concurrent enrollment, a program allowing students to take classes concurrently at Ohlone and at their choice of UC Berkeley or CSU East Bay. Transfer Center Specialist Frances Fon said that the purpose of this program is, “to give Ohlone College students an opportunity to progress through or further their education and better refine their transfer options through the taking of university level courses and/or experiencing a university level education.”

She said that the benefits of participating in the concurrent enrollment programs are that, “[UC Berkeley and CSU East Bay programs] include access to courses that Ohlone College may not offer, studying with renowned faculty and gaining experience taking courses in a university environment.” Fon said that it is important to note that participation in the program does not necessarily guarantee admission to UC Berkeley or CSU East Bay, or, “somehow make it easier for one to gain admissions to the university.” Nevertheless, Fon did say

that just like any other college course, “how one performs in the course just like any other course will speak to the strength and fit of the student for the program to which [they are] applying.” However, both UC Berkeley and CSU East Bay have separate specific requirements any hopeful applicants must meet before applying for the program. UC Berkeley, which only offers this program during the Fall and Spring semesters, has requirements that range from being a full-time student at Ohlone College (during the semester you would be par-

ticipating in the concurrent enrollment program) to having a 2.4 grade point average. CSU East Bay (which offers the program during the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters) has requirements ranging from being enrolled in at least six units at Ohlone to maintaining a 2.0 grade point average. Both UC Berkeley and CSU East Bay limit participants to two courses per academic period. Concurrent enrollment students are given last priority to enroll and participate in the program at the instructor’s discretion. Continued online

One quotation, “home is where the heart is,” can easily be applied to the failures in supposed leadership that we are experiencing here at Ohlone. On Friday, The Argus reported that Ohlone College board trustee Nick Nardolillo has been living at his Livermore vineyard where he co-owns and operates White Crane Winery, despite being elected to serve in the city of Fremont. This allegation would be a violation of state election law although Nardollilo rents a room in Fremont located on Oak Street. The District Attorney’s office confirmed yesterday that they are investigating the matter and it has been suggested that the Ohlone board investigate if Nardollio has violated board ethics policies. While Nardollio claims that he is a Fremont resident since he votes here and attends board meetings here, it is well documented that his home and his heart is where the grapes are. The hustle and bustle of having to actually face things such as budget problems is such a taxing concept to imagine. Except isn’t that is what he was elected to do? I don’t necessarily blame him for venturing off to the vineyard and it is not as if he isn’t carrying out his duties as a member of the board of trustees. However, I do consider the picturesque lifestyle that he must live when metaphorically flying away to White Crane. It must be a place of respite to rest his weary head down on a feather filled goose down pillow or the preferable option, which is to sit around and have countless glasses of wine at your disposal. The problem doesn’t derive from his owning the Livermore residence, but rather the fact that according to almost every piece of documentation from Nardollillo’s drivers license to his entry in the White Pages, he is by and large a Livermore resident who seems to rent a room in Fremont for the sake of keeping up appearances. So, maybe that’s the type of guy Nardollilo is. The type that can’t man up to where his loyalty is since he clearly prefers to dwell outside of the district boundaries. Or maybe in terms of being a part of the Ohlone community, he likes to duck that responsibility .


FEATURES/EVENTS

March 31, 2011 monitor 7

New club founded in Fremont St. Patrick’s Day Chang has been to places such as Montreal, New York, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City for national conventions and says that it is a great opportunity for networking and to know other people with the same interests and the same mentality towards business and the likes of it. The Rotaract Club prides themselves in being a good way to learn how to be a great person from great people. They prefer college students from 18 to 30 that want to be involved with community service events, international student events, job shadowing, mentoring systems and overall career development. In addition to Fremont, they will be starting clubs in

Milpitas and Newark. There are currently 39 potential Rotaractors in Fremont with the numbers surely growing. Their next club meeting is on Wed. April 6 at 7 p.m., the location has yet to be announced. The meeting will be dedicated to officer elections and is open to all potential members and guests. They also offer carpooling if transportation is to and from the meetings in an issue. For more information on The Rotaract Club, their website is http://www.meetup.com/ rotaract/. Chang’s contact information is also available on the website if further information on this club is needed.

March 31 - Soul Surge in the Cafeteria at 11 a.m.

4 - Men’s Baseball vs Monterey (Away) at 2:30 p.m.

7 - Women’s Softball vs San Jose (Away) at 3 p.m.

9 - Women’s Softball vs CCSF (Away) at 1 p.m.

12 - HIV Testing Clinic in Room 7302 at 11 a.m.

31 - Men’s Baseball vs Skyline (Away) at 2:30 p.m.

5 - HIV Testing Clinic in Room 7302 at 11 a.m.

7 - GSA Meeting in SC-116 at 4 p.m.

9 - Men’s Baseball vs Cabrillo (Home) at 1 p.m.

5 - Men’s Baseball vs De Anza (Home) at 2:30 p.m.

8 - Speech Speaker Seminar: How to Read Poetry Aloud in Room 2133 at 1 p.m.

11 - Men’s Baseball vs Monterey (Home) at 2:30 p.m.

12 - Out-of-State College Fair Spring 2011 in Building 7 Lobby at 11 a.m.

By ERIKA AGUIRRE Staff writer

On Feb. 17 a division of The Rotaract Club was founded in Fremont. They aim for community service, professional development and business networking by recruiting young professionals. Mitty Chang, one of the chief organizers of the club says “Its part of rotary international, one of the world’s largest service organizations with 1.2 million members in over 160 different countries. Members are actually business professionals who are already established in the business world and are community leaders too.”

March/April

31 - Women’s Softball vs Gavilian (Away) at 3 p.m. 31 - GSA Meeting in SC116 at 4 p.m. April 1 - Science Seminar: Japan Earthquake Disaster and Lessons for California in the Jackson Theatre at 12 p.m.

5 - ICC Meeting at 2:30 p.m. 5 - Women’s Softball vs San Jose (Away) at 3 p.m. 5 - ASOC Meeting in Room 7101 at 4 p.m.

2 - Women’s Softball vs San Mateo (Away) at 1 p.m.

7 - Last day to apply for International Business Study Abroad to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore

2 - Men’s Baseball vs Canada (Away) at 1 p.m.

7 - OSUC Meeting in Room 7101 at 12 p.m.

8 - Men and Women’s Swim/Dive Meet with De Anza/Fullerton (Away) at 2 p.m. 8 - Smith Center Presents! Spotlight Buster Keaton with Live Organ by Jerry Nagano in the Jackson Theatre at 8 p.m. 9 - Ohlone College Super Flea Market in the Parking Lot at 8 a.m.

Photo by Isabella Ohlmeyer Ohlone students, Amit Patel, at right, and Claudia Lam, at left, joined the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the cafeteria on March 17. More photos and article on the event are located on ohlonemonitoronline.com.

12 - Men’s Baseball vs San Mateo (Away) at 2:30 p.m.


SPORTS

8 monitor March 31, 2011

Softball team’s pitching, defense defeat Hartnell By KEVIN YIN Sports writer

In a contest between two of the top softball teams in the Coast Conference, Ohlone defeated visiting Hartnell, 2-0, on Tuesday afternoon, March 29. Hartnell came into the game with the second best overall record in the Coast Conference at 21-7, while Ohlone at 18-5, 6-1 in conference play, was a full game behind San Mateo out of first place in the Coast Conference’s North Division. As Ohlone’s match on

March 4 against Monterey having been rained out, Tuesday’s game was the first time Ohlone had taken the field in seven days. Yet the layoff had little ill-effect on the Renegades defense, as Ohlone turned in a sharp performance behind the strong pitching of sophomore Jessica Varady. “Overall, I liked the effort that I saw. I didn’t like the lack of hits, but the hits that we got were timely,” Ohlone head coach Donna Runyon said. “We haven’t played since last Tuesday—haven’t been on the field since Tuesday, so it

certainly makes a difference.” Varady went the full seven innings. She surrendered just five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Varady kept a rigid control on the contest, never allowing more than one Hartnell batter to reach a base in an inning until the seventh. Offensively, Ohlone’s production was a somewhat ramshackle affair. Ohlone stranded two runners in the first, but got on board in the second. Brittney Hillman drove catcher Shelby Fowler all

the way home from first base with an RBI double that put Ohlone up 1-0. The Renegades second score came in the third inning, with Lauren Ermitano scoring off a Sara Ragusa single, making the score 2-0. It didn’t appear that Hartnell would be able to challenge that lead until the seventh inning, when Hartnell’s first two batters managed singles. An errant pitch by Varady advanced those runners to second and third base, putting Ohlone in a precarious situation with still no outs. Varady remained calm,

however, grounding out Hartnell’s two following batters before striking out center fielder Brittnay Flores to end the game. With the win, Ohlone’s record now stands at 19-5, 7-1 in Coast Conference play, while Varady improves to 16-3 on the season. The Renegades are now only a half game out of first, and hosted Monterey Peninsula College in a make-up game on Wednesday. The results of that contest were not known at the time this article was written.

Ohlone crushes Gavilan in one-sided affair By KYLE NORDEEN Sports editor

On a day finally blessed with sunshine, Ohlone decided to break out the big bats against the visiting Gavilan Rams. It was a fitting display for the beautiful weather. The Renegades scored at least two runs in four of the first five innings en route to an easy 16-3 home victory over the bottom-dwelling Coast Pacific Conference Rams Tuesday, March 29. In two games against Gavilan this season, Ohlone has pounded out 29 runs while only allowing three. “We’ve just seemed to play well against Gavilan these past two games,” said head coach Julian Russell. “It’s probably a combination of things, but they’re a wellcoached team.” The Renegades made it obvious from the get-go that this game wasn’t going to be a close one. Ryan Tella lead the game off with a scorching double in the left-center field gap before scoring on a Kainoa Crowell single. Everything off of the Ohlone bats was hit hard, and before you knew it, the score was 3-0 after the bottom half of the first. While there are still technical aspects to try and improve on for a game like this, Russell made it a point to focus on how the players stayed in the game mentally. “Just the ability for the guys to stay focused throughout the game,” he said. “It’s definitely always tough to keep a group focused when a game kind of gets out of control like that... How focused can you be in situations where it might not be the biggest pressure situation.” Ohlone had 17 hits on the day, and while none of them were home runs, everything squared-up well.

Photo by Kyle Nordeen Cody Demera laces a single during Ohlone’s three-run first inning against Gavilan on Tuesday. The Renegades had four innings with atleast three runs on the way to a 16-3 victory.

In what looked like a good session of batting practice, the Renegades banged out nine extra base hits, including a pair of triples. On a day filled with offense, the quality pitching from the Ohlone staff may get overlooked. That’s not the case here. Sophomore Ryan Devencenzi got the start for the Renegades yesterday, and despite a rough fourth inning, absolutely shut down the Rams. Devencenzi had six strikeouts through the first three innings, and didn’t surrender his first hit until one out was gone in the fourth. Devencenzi racked up seven strikeouts in his five innings of work and was pulled with Ohlone up 8-3 to give work to other guys on the staff like Cody Wilson, Joel Deporte, and Brandon Arata. None of the relievers allowed a hit, and when all was said and done, the pitchers had only given up three hits the entire game. “Yeah, the pitching’s been great throughout the whole year,” said Russell. “They’re the ones whose gonna ultimately give us the

best chance to win a championship. I think our ERA right now is at 2.6, just fantastic.” The win over Gavilan on Tuesday marks the second time this season that the Renegades enjoyed a four-game winning streak. Ohlone has won six out of its last seven and is playing their best ball the team has played all season. The offense has put up an astonishing 41 runs over their past four games while the pitching has allowed only a mere eight runs. “They have more confidence and the chemistry is really starting to come together, and you can see that in the way they’re playing and acting in practice, and in the games, and in the dugout.” After a surprisingly slow start out of the gates this season, Ohlone now sits at 12-9 overall, giving them an impressive 11-4 record over the course of their past 15 games. Their 7-3 conference record puts them a half game at the top of the Coast Pacific Conference standings heading into their away game against Skyline today at 2:30 p.m.

Photos by Kyle Nordeen Top: Kainoa Crowell and Matt Silvernale celebrate after scoring another run during Ohlone’s offensive merry-go-round. Bottom: Matt Devencenzi started and gave the Renegades five strong innings against Gavilan on Tuesday. He allowed only three runs on three hits through his five innings of work.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.