Monitor 2013-2-14

monitor

ohlone college

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Vol. XLV No. 1

Mr. Hirsch goes to Washington

Fremont, California

#ocmonitor

February 14, 2013

New semester construction

COURTESY OF GEOFFREY HIRSCH

Beyonce delivers the national anthem alongside President Obama and other members of the White House.

By MICHAEL DELAHOUSSAYE Staff writer

Ohlone Mathematics Professor Geoffrey Hirsch attended the second inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 21 in Washington D.C., bringing back fond memories, fulfillment and a few souvenirs.

Hirsch said he campaigned for President Obama during his second election.

“I wanted to help in Nevada, because it’s a swing state; I knew he’d win California.”

Hirsch emphasized how much he truly enjoyed campaigning.

One thing that seems very common at inaugurations is merchandise. Hirsch had an abundance of mugs, hats, and pins that he’d received from several members of Congress.

Another thing provided at the inauguration was entertainment.

“James Taylor played a song, and Beyonce sang the National anthem,” he said.

There has been even bigger entertainment at past inaugurations, such as Michael Jackson and Barbara Streisand sang at President Clinton’s 1993 inauguration. Hirsch attended Clinton’s inauguration

as well as Obama’s. Hirsch was also once invited to participate in an Inauguration Day parade, in which he held the flag of The Philippines.

Hirsch explained why he chose to stand by, and support President Obama.

“I feel like he overcame a lot of opposition,” he said. “I think he’s been a very good President.”

Some notable things that influenced Hirsch’s support were repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy against gays in the military and the demise of Osama Bin Laden.

Hirsch also listed the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi as very influential. “There are two kinds of people that aren’t happy with him: opposing party members and Liberal Democrats” Hirsch said. “Certain Republicans made it a goal to make Barack a one term president.”

Hirsch was definitely glad President Obama overcame that. Hirsch said the best part of his experience was “seeing the fruition of all the efforts spent campaigning,” he said.

“It was a terrific experience; I’m glad I did it.” Hirsch said, adding, “You have to admire Obama for pushing it better than his predecessors ever have.”

COURTESY OF GEOFFREY HIRSCH

Professor Hirsch went to President Obama’s inaguration on Jan. 21 in Washington D.C.

COURTESY OF CANNONDESIGN/ANDERSON BRULE ARCHITECTS

These digitally simulated photos created by Cannon Design and Anderson Brule Architects are conceptual drafts of what Ohlone may look like in a few years.

By ASHLEY LAM Editor-in-chief

The campus demolition for the Measure G project will start in June 2015, according to the company that is leading the project that will remake the Ohlone campus.

The demolition is scheduled to start at this time in order to avoid causing disruption during busy academic times, said Joel Heyne from the Gilbane Building Com-

pany. He has been working closely with Ohlone’s Measure G project.

Measure G was implemented to “improve and continue affordable college education,” according to Ohlone’s bond information website.

A part of Measure G specifically works to make repairs to the campus facilities in order to upgrade classrooms, science laboratories, improving earthquake and fire safety and improving the disabled access

routes around campus.

“We are moving into the design phase and we are getting close to finalizing our drafts,” said Pamela Anderson-Brule, an architect hired to draft Ohlone campus’s conceptual design of what buildings will look like.

A new concept will be used to improved disability accesses, as a sort of vertical connection throughout campus.

Continued on Page 3

Parking permits go online

By TARA INGRAHAM Staff writer

Beginning this new semester, parking passes for Ohlone students are only available through online purchasing via the Ohlone website.

The sudden change in process has created a certain amount of backlash for some students.

Before this semester, the only way students could get their parking passes for the upcoming semesters was by ordering them through the book store – usually while buying their required class books.

However selling the parking passes was not part of their original contract. Apparently the original agreement was that Ohlone’s security department would be responsible for the parking passes, but since a plausible processing system was unavailable for the security department at that time the bookstore stepped in as a favor.

Steve Osawa, chief of Ohlone campus security, specified the reasoning behind the exchange.

“The bookstore is under a different contractor that is not run by Ohlone College. It was actually costing the book store money to sell them,” he said.

Osawa said the new system working reasonably well. As of last week 2,900 passes have been sold. Only about 200 were denied.

CELIA FREIRE/MONITOR

Parking permits will be sold only online through Ohlone.

“Most students are taking it fairly well because most are computer literate. It’s the older students that aren’t computer literate that might have trouble with it,” he said.

So far, the public reaction to the change in purchasing from the bookstore to online seems mixed.

Many students agree that the new system is better. One

of the perks that many seem to appreciate is the cut in waiting time.

“I like it cause it’s faster than standing in line,” said Santiago Contreras, an Ohlone student.

Some students face some difficulties due to the change, including the initial confusion from not being given Continued on Page 3

NEWS News bites College Council talks Measure G 2 monitor February 14, 2013

Hugs and Free Treats

Students from the ASOC student government will be giving out free hugs and high fives to anybody who wants them on Valentine’s Day from noon to 1 p.m. in Hyman Hall on the Fremont campus.

People from Ohlone’s “Step Up” program will also be there with suggestions for anyone who might have questions on how to improve their physical, mental and academic wellbeing.

Renee Wong Gonzales, student activities coordinator, said there will be free cookies and brownies from the cafeteria that are absolutely delicious. “They don’t taste like your average store bought goods.”

Faculty of the Month February’s “Faculty of the Month” is Darren Bardell.

He is a history professor who started working for Ohlone College nine years ago and has had a great impact on both the faculty and students, according to Christine Bolt, who announced his award.

“He makes history come alive for his students,” Bolt said.

He helped Ohlone through five years of negotiations to improve upon the faculty contract and has always worked hard for the United Faculty of Ohlone. He just recently bought his first house and is working on its remodeling.

He is also a father with a 22-month old daughter and to Truman, their lovable dog who has been his constant companion both on campus and off.

Get Connected Day Get Connected Day is an ASOC event Feb. 19 from noon until 2 p.m. in the cafeteria offering free food including pizza, fruit and brownies. People can come and hang out with friends, and get advice from peer support specialists on how to improve their mental health.

There will also be games; such as: Jenga, Pictionary and Uno along with board games, such as Scrabble, Sorry, Cranium and Apples to Apples.

The specialists are nursing students and students that are part of the Ohlone Peer Mentor program also known as the “Step Up” program.

– Compiled by Tara Ingraham

By LOUIS LAVENTURE News editor

The Ohlone College Council held its first meeting of the spring semester Monday afternoon primarily to discuss the strategic plan for the school, which began in 2010.

The strategic plan put in place is a five-year plan that runs through 2015. It is comprised of 45 total objectives with a wide range covering all aspects of the College.

The plan is a set of eight goals each with several objectives within the goals. Thus far, eight objectives have been met, according Ohlone Vice President Jim Wright. These include an ongoing system for identifying and assessing

student learning outcomes at the program and course levels, which includes faculty dialogue and appropriate improvement plans.

Twelve objectives are currently in the process of being met with four more on track, Wright said.

The other 20 objectives need a local benchmark set, an action plan or wording changes that will possibly extend completion dates for them.

“We do these reviews once a year,” Wright said. “We will have four years of assessment input before a new five-year plan is put in place.”

Ohlone seems to be on pace to complete the strategic plan by 2015 with the exceptions of

those with extended completion dates.

“We have strategic plans set in place but to make improvements we need to set datelines and benchmarks,” Wright said.

Measure G was also a topic of the meeting, with a full outline of all dates for all aspects of construction to the school. 2013 will not see a lot of construction. However.

2014 brings with it most of the construction and improvements promised in Measure G. Measure G should be completed at Ohlone by 2018, but the majority of construction will be in 2014.

Another topic that created a lot of interest was the code of conduct, harassment and

cyber bullying issues.

The council approved a motion at the meeting to put together a team to delve deeper in to these issues that are becoming more prevalent with the expansion of social media. Shairon Zingsheim of Human Resources was tagged to head this group at the meeting.

This was initially brought up by a high school that created a Facebook page only for positive comments and support, basically an anti-cyber bullying page.

“I think it would be great to put together a team to pregauge these standards and determine if this is something that is possible here,” Zingsheim said.

Affordable College Act reviewed

By LOUIS LAVENTURE News editor

The Affordable College Act introduced by North State Assemblyman Dan Logue (R-Marysville) is meeting some resistance in its early stages of development.

The act would create a pilot program to streamline the process by which students graduate from college through better coordination among high schools, community colleges and the California State University system, allowing them to earn their bachelor’s degrees for no more than $10,000.

The program would only affect degrees in the STEM field or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The first draft of Assembly Bill 51 was submitted on Dec. 21 and was read to the Assembly on Jan. 13.

On Jan. 24 the bill was referred to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education but it was later pulled to clarify how the reimbursements would be handled.

Logue amended AB 51 and reintroduced it to

administrators have not been contacted or consulted about being a pilot school.

Chico State’s main concern is the reduced time spent on campus by students would affect the integrity of their academic programs.

“Were not a diploma mill,” McAllister said. “We’re an institution that provides a complete education.”

Another member of the Chico State faculty spoke out against Logue’s proposals.

Chris Gaffney, a professor as well as the chair of the physics department, was not supportive of the bills.

“This is a lot of hot air from someone who’s never supportCOURTESY OF/ DAN LOGUE ed education,” Gaffney said.

North State Assemblyman Dan Logue introduced the AffordWhether or not the bill will able College Acts AB 51 and AB 181 for consideration. get the backing it needs to be the Committee on High- most powerful voices when it successful is yet to be seen. er Education on Jan. 31. comes to getting involved in View the AB 51 and AB On Jan. 25 Logue also in- government,” Logue said. 181 at: troduced AB 181, which is Several people from the same design as AB 51, one of the potential pi- http://leginfo. but instead geared towards lot schools – California legislature.ca.gov/faces/ sending the students to the State University at Chico – billNavClient.xhtml?bill_ University of California seemed to oppose the bill. id=201320140AB51 system allowing students to Nicole McAllister is the http://leginfo.legislature. earn their bachelor’s degrees Associated Students director ca.gov/faces/billNavClient. for no more than $20,000. of legislative affairs at the xhtml;jsessionid=64e35640f “Students have some of the school, confirmed the school 6d3df48f3ca32ec85b1

NEWS ohlone college

monitor Editor-in-Chief: Ashley Lam News editor: Louis Laventure Features editor: Manika Casterline Sports editor: Louis Laventure Opinions editor: Norihiro Sasaki Online editor: Joshua Mobley

Monitor Staff: Frankie Addiego Michael Delahoussaye Tam Duong Celia Freire Tara Ingraham Adviser: Jeanie R. Wakeland JACC NorCal Student President: Manika A. Casterline Printer: FP Press

February 14, 2013 monitor 3

Campus reconstruction scheduled

By FRANKIE ADDIEGO Staff writer

The Ohlone College Board of Trustees approved a Project Stabilization Agreement with contractors Tuesday night for a number of projects, including a parking structure that will be completed under a design-build contract with funds generated by Measure G. Other projects are athletic fields, roof repairs and site utility infrastructure.

Members of the labor community came to the board of trustees meeting to offer favorable comments on the agreement, which includes a no strikes/no lockout provision, grievance provisions to prevent interference from possible legal action and efforts to refer local workers to projects.

“I think what you’re doing really strengthens our community,” said Byron Benton, an Ohlone graduate and training director for the Alameda County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Benton spoke about the relationship between his apprenticeships and creating jobs for college students.

“We’re not a separate pathway to the colleges. We see ourselves as a parallel,” he said.

COURTESY OF CANNONDESIGN/ANDERSON BRULE ARCHITECTS

This digitally simulated photo created by Cannon Design and Anderson Brule Architects are conceptual drafts of what the Fremont campus’s future parking lot will look like.

Rick Mangan of Sprinkler Fitters Local 483 appreciated Ohlone’s commitment to hiring local labor. Mangan’s union recently worked with a contractor who “was a good contractor… but the problem is that they were from Sacramento. Not one nickel was spent because it was all spent in Sacramento.”

Both Benton and Mangan have been Fremont residents for 51 years.

“I think it’s an exciting time and a turning point for Ohlone College,” said board of trustees member Theresa Cox. “One of the important things is that we’re providing jobs

[and that] we’re keeping the bond money here at Ohlone.”

The parking structure also discussed at the board meeting will be part of a “designbuild” contract, as opposed to a more typical “designbid-build” contract where the college would be contracting with different businesses.

In this contract, Ohlone will find a single business to design and construct the parking facility.

Also at the meeting, Ron Little, Ohlone’s Vice President for Students Services, presented the budget for the second quarter of the 20122013 school year.

“Because Prop 30 was approved… about 130 course sections were added back to our curriculum,” he said.

According to Little, Ohlone still has a $1 million “rainy day fund,” and the college is “spending about 18 percent of our fund balance to get through this year.”

Little also said that revenues from the Smith Center are down, but predicts that they will pick up in the third and fourth quarters.

The board approved Little’s budget report unanimously, as it also approved the designbuild resolution and the project stabilization agreement.

Parking permit purchasing goes online Continued from Page 1

more forewarning about the change along with California Newspaper contradicting Publishers Association i n f o r m a t i o n between the website and posters that had been put up around the Journalism Association of college.

Some also Community Colleges faced glitches JACC AWARDS with the website.

Mail in winners The weekEnterprise news writing long wait for News writing the pass to arSports game writing Feature photo Editorial cartoon On the spot winners News writing Continued from Page 1 Opinion writing Copy editing the permanent Ohlone College Newark Center and the development of the center has been Contact us: ongoing for almost 10 years, according to Ohlone’s bond Offices: Room 5310 information website.

Call: 510.659.6075 E-mail: monitor@ohlone.edu “All the physical work has Read: been completed and the projhttp://www.facebook.com/ ect will be done by the end Ohlone.Monitor www.ohlonemonitor.wordpress. of March,” said Tom Moore, Ohlone’s Director of Facilities com and Modernization.

With the start of the spring semester, spring cleaning takes Opinions expressed in the the main stage at Ohlone’s faMonitor are those of the respec- cilities. Ohlone College will tive authors and are not necessarily be adapting green chemical those of the staff, the college or alternatives soon, said Moore. the Associated Students of Ohlone Ohlone plans to start using College.

rive by mail, the uncertainty of what might come from putting their credit card information online and a lack of certain information students might normally expect on the website.

Roberto Cisneros, an Ohlone student, agreed that the shortened wait was a plus, but the concern he had was that the website had, “…no information on the discounts for low income students who qualify.”

Osawa said, “There are some glitches, but we’re working to fix it. Most problems have been user error.”

Chelsea Broderick, another Ohlone student said she was

uncomfortable with putting her credit information on the site.

“There was no clear indication where my money was going. Was it going towards the school or to the people who manufacture the passes?

I called the number on the website, which was the security department, but when I asked about the parking pass they seemed mildly agitated to be asked parking questions because they felt it was not part of their administration,” she said.

Osawa said that if students wanted they could send a check in by mail instead of paying through the website.

Campus facilities plans for future alternative chemicals such as orange oils, but more specifically CleanSource, which is a general soap that can replace up to 544 ready to use quarts of chemicals.

Within the next month or so, Ohlone will be installing electric vehicle charging stations.

Stations will first be installed at the Fremont campus and in the future Ohlone plans to install more stations at the Newark campus. There will be nine stations at the Fremont campus said Moore.

Students will be able to register online to get access cards to these stations, much like registering for a FastTrack

card. To use the stations, there to about $1 per hour, Moore will be a small fee coming out said.

COURTESY OF CANNONDESIGN/ANDERSON BRULE ARCHITECTS

This digitally simulated photo created by Cannon Design and Anderson Brule Architects are conceptual drafts of what Ohlone may look like in a few years.

FEATURES ‘Dog Sees God’ competes for national honors 4 monitor February 14, 2013

COURTESY OF / OHLONE COLLEGE

The cast of “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” heads to Sacramento to perform at the American College Theatre Festival and then flies to Washington D.C. to compete at Kennedy Center College Theatre festival.

By HEATHER HEGEMAN Contributing writer

The theater and dance department of Ohlone is receiving national recognition for its fall production “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” as the cast has been chosen to compete in the Kennedy Center College Theatre festival.

But before shipping off to Washington D.C. with a brief stop in Sacramento to win regionals, there will be one

final showing Feb 15 at 8 p.m. in the Jackson Theater.

This is the last time “Dog Sees God” will be performed at Ohlone before moving on to compete in the American College Theatre Festival in Sacramento.

Friday night’s show will be a benefit performance to help offset student and production expenses.

“Dog Sees God” is a play about the Peanuts comic strip characters as teenagers and explores the subjects of sexu-

ality, drug use and identity.

Ohlone’s production was picked out of 137 other colleges across nine states to be one of four competing for a regional title and a chance to compete on a national level.

“Dog Sees God” had a very successful premier at Ohlone in November.

“I felt like the topics that were brought up were very relevant to today,” said Michael Yee, an Ohlone student.

Maddie Singh, another Ohlone student said that she

found the play very powerful and moving.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival regional competition will take place Feb. 18-23.

The winners from each of the eight regional competitions will then move onto nationals in Washington D.C. from April 15-20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This is the second time in three years that Ohlone has been chosen for this competi-

tion. The first was for the 2010 production of “The Time Machine: Love Among the Eloi.”

For both this competition and the one in 2011, Ohlone was the only community college chosen to compete in the regional competition and will be going up against students from central Washington and Idaho as well as students from Saint Mary’s College in the Bay Area.

For more information and ticket prices call (510) 6596031.

International students mix and mingle at party and anxieties of living in the student from Afghanistan. students, the language barrier United States.

“I’m surprised everything is their biggest problem.

“I came here just a week is totally different from my “My English is not good,” New international students ago,” said Arifa Mohammad country.” said Jonathan Sack, an joined the International Club Naim, a new international For most international international student from Party Feb. 8, which promotes mutual friendship.

At the party, they enjoyed pizza, chips and cakes for free and played “Guess Where” as students listened to descriptions of some places at Ohlone College and had to guess where it is.

More than 40 international students from different regions of thw world attended the party.

Some students come from Asia. Others come from the Middle East or from Africa.

NORIHIRO SASAKI / MONITOR Although they have different Students attending Friday’s International Student reception in the Fremont Student Services cultural backgrounds, they are building include (from left) Flora Andjou; Ciming Zhang; Qian Si Tong; Jia Wenpeng; Hadi full of the same expectations Ahmed Bin Rabbaa; Yat To Hung; Parviz Latipov; Jonathan Sack and Grace Alongaboni.

By NORIHIRO SASAKI Opinions editor

Cameroon. “I feel annoyed when I can’t speak it well. ” Even if they don’t have language problem, they may have other problems.

“I’m living with my uncle, so I’m not alone,” said Parviz Latipov, who is from Tajikistan and speaks four languages.

“But sometimes, I miss my family in Tajikistan. Father, mother, sister, brother, I miss them.”

What do they do to relax in a foreign country? “I’m happy when I listen to music,” said Linda Yu, from China.

“Especially I love R&B.” Other students have different ways to refresh themselves. “I have so many hobbies, like studying, playing soccer, watching movie, so on,” said Latipov.

FEATURES

February 14, 2013 monitor 5

Love actually found in Ohlone’s workplace

By MANIKA CASTERLINE Senior editor

While some people would rather not work at the same place that their significant others do, others are capable of striking a harmonious balance between their professional and private lives.

At Ohlone College, faculty and administration exemplify that love can be found closer than most people think.

The Cavettes Back in 2009, Andrew Cavette was a student working on the Ohlone College Monitor when he first saw Shelby Foster in the hallway outside President Gari Browning’s office where she serves as an executive assistant.

Cavette hoped that Foster worked at the college because he believed then he might have a chance seeing her again.

His editor-in-chief also assigned him stories about college governance, which meant frequent visits to the President’s Office.

“He would never talk to me. He would only talk to Sarah (Daniels, who works in Browning’s office),” said Shelby Foster Cavette.

The first time they talked

‘ It’s not about

trying to keep things separate, it’s about trying to things together.’

--Andrew Cavette

was when Andrew Cavette made a comment about a space heater that was running.

Cavette said he didn’t say anything to Shelby Cavette because he’s painfully shy.

Several months went by until the Cavettes went on their first date to the Asian Art museum in San Francisco.

“It was more of an outing and at the end of the night it was like yeah that was a date,” Andrew said.

The two don’t think their courtship was a conflict of interest.

“We were so head over heels and I don’t think we thought it through,” Shelby said.

According to Cavette, he was shivering when he proposed to Shelby at a beach because he was nervous and because it was about 40 degrees and rainy.

The Cavettes have been married since 2011 and have a five-month old daughter

named Audrey.

Prior to her birth, Andrew Cavette worked at the bookstore.

“It’s not about trying to keep things separate, it’s about trying to things together,” he said about their marriage.

The Birkedahls Walt Birkedahl, who serves as dean of fine arts and humanities, met his wife Patrice, who is Ohlone’s chief information officer, through a mutual friend they had at Brigham Young University in 1999.

Walt Birkedahl was the BYU assistant director at the school of music and Patrice was finishing her master’s degree.

The two wed in 2000.

Patrice Birkedahl got a job working at the University of the Pacific in Stockton while Walt Birkedahl discovered there was a position at Ohlone.

He commuted to Stockton until she got a position here.

“Its a little more complicated working with your spouse.

It has its good points and its has its not so good points,” said Walt Birkedahl.

“Knowing someone that you work with helps with communication so that’s a big advantage.”

COURTESY OF / THE CAVETTES

(Above) Andrew and Shelby Cavette met in 2009 and wed two years later. The couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Audrey five months ago.

LOUIS LAVENTURE / MONITOR

Hallmark holiday gets homemade touch LOUIS LAVENTURE / MONITOR

(Left) Jayda Byrd and students from the film class used various art supplies to create Valentine’s Day cards on Feb. 6, which was an event hosted by Campus Activities.

(Above) Participants gave their homemade cards a dash of personal flair by adding glitter, gemstones and fur decorations alongside indivdual expressions of their love.

OPINIONS Tougher gun laws may protect children

6 monitor February 14, 2013

By LOUIS LAVENTURE News editor

It would be easy to spit out a bunch of facts about how gun control policies impact the gun violence statistics to support what side of the fence you fall on in this issue.

But the truth is whether or not a country allows its citizens to bear arms, the statistics vary too greatly to truly know which method is best.

In the wake of the Newtown school shooting tragedy, the gun control debate has become a scalding hot button topic and rightfully so. Since the 1999 Columbine school shooting, there has been 65 more like incidents in the United States alone, claiming too many innocent lives that could have been saved with stricter gun control laws.

While I am in favor of stricter gun control, I also think there needs to be a firm policy in place for what to do in the event of one of these shootings. Some will say it will never happen here but it did at Oikos University in Oakland last year, which is

very close to home.

This leads to the thought of having security officers or even instructors possess weapons in the event of one of these shootings. That opens up so many legal and morality issues that it would be very hard to employ.

I do not think that is the answer.

However, schools do need a firm policy in place so students and employees know what to do in one of these situations and minimize the damage done.

When the Second Amendment was put in place in the 1700s, America was nowhere near as advanced or secure as it is now.

Looters, outlaws and gangsters took and pillaged as they pleased with less law enforcement and consequences to fear. It was almost vital for Americans to protect their homes and families with the primitive musket style weapons of the time.

Danger and crime are still present and so is the right to bear arms, but something has to be done to prevent these

FRANKIE ADDIEGO / MONITOR

senseless killings. We need to keep guns out of the hands of people who aren’t bearing them to protect, but abusing them to kill innocent people, including children.

The Newtown shooter used his mother’s arsenal of weapons to destroy a community and the lives of so many people. While the mother had a

right to bear arms, she should not have the right to bear an arsenal with a child in her home who possibly had mental health issues.

The founders of this country did not intend to give people the right to bear automatic and semi-automatic weapons. It also wasn’t intended to allow people with mental

health issues to possess these weapons that in the wrong hands destroy families and communities.

While I do believe that we have the right to bear arms, I also believe there needs to be a lot more control and policies to ensure that the weapons used to protect are done just for that – protection.

Banning weapons is a knee-jerk response

By JOSH MOBLEY Staff writer

After the tragic shootings in Newton, Conn., the gun debate was reignited in the United States.

The gun debate itself is a very hot button issue and has a lot of emotion behind it.

Many years ago, I would have told you that I was for gun control, but after doing the research I’ve changed my mind.

The chances of any one person being killed by a firearm are very slim.

People are 68 times more likely to die from heart disease in America than they are to be killed by a gun.

It rubs me the wrong way when people say: “Think

about the children, we need to protect them.”

Of course, Americans should protect our kids, but guns aren’t even the most prevalent danger children face.

The leading causes of death for children are automobile accidents and drowning.

How is banning guns going to stop any of that?

Every state that has passed a conceal-and-carry law has seen its crime drop dramatically.

Sometimes the crime rate drops by as much as 60 percent after the law is passed, with the homicide rate also drops significantly.

The robbery rate is 58 percent higher in states that don’t issue conceal and carry

‘ Of course, Americans should protect our kids, but guns aren’t even the most prevalent danger children face. The leading causes of death for children are automobile accidents and drowning.’ permits then in states that do.

In 1992, the FBI stated in a document called FBI Uniform Crime Reports that “Violent crime rates are highest overall in states with laws severely limiting or prohibiting the carrying of concealed firearms for self-defense.”

Another thing that kind of

rubs me the wrong way in this issue is the disinformation surrounding it.

People like to claim that there are loopholes at gun shows that allow people, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to purchase a firearm, to do so.

This simply isn’t true. In an article titled “Debunking Myths About Gun-Show Loopholes” on TheJournalGazette.com, Bob Albridge wrote: “Private sales of guns (outside of gun shows) are legal in every state, just as it is perfectly legal to sell one’s car or house to another person without going through a dealer or agent.

Gun shows are subject to all gun laws without exception.

There is no loophole that allows any gun laws to be

circumvented at gun shows.”

Another myth is that banning guns will somehow stop crime.

Every time guns have been banned in a society crime increases.

England, for example, banned guns in 1998, and now it has one of the highest violent crime rates out of the 20 leading nations.

Should everyone be able to get their hands on a gun?

Of course not, but Americans have laws in place to make sure that things like that don’t happen.

We need to realize that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.

Just because someone is stabbed with a knife doesn’t mean we should ban knives.

Campus Comment >>> What is the best or the worst thing you got for Valentine’s Day?

Michelle Chang BUSINESS “The best is photo frame from my boyfriend. The worst is a flower from my boyfriend.”

Bryan La UNDECIDED “A 16×16 poster of my high school yearbook picture is the worst. The best is my girlfriend, who is my valentine.”

Danielle Santisteven THEATER “The best is huge chocolate orange by mom. The worst is ‘Candy Hearts.’ I hate it.”

Meet Bhuller COMMUNICATION “Last Valentine’s Day, which was so cold and a windy day, I got my girlfriend.”

Rebecca Soltau FINE ARTS “Giant Gummy Bear from my boyfriend is the best. Socks from my father is the worst.”

SPORTS Basketball wins again

7 monitor February 14, 2013

Schedule

Thursday Feb. 14 Men’s and Women’s Swim/ Dive Coast Conference Kickoff (away)

Continued from Page 8

maining games are at home and the Renegades are hoping to bolster their record before the first round of the playoffs begins on Feb. 27.

Ohlone will play Foothill College at home on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. Ohlone will be looking to avenge the loss they suffered to Foothill on Jan. 18 in a close 51-49 heartbreaker.

Foothill also holds the second spot in the North division of the Coast Conference with a record of 18-4 just ahead of third place Ohlone.

The final game of the regular season will be Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. at Epler Gymnasium in Fremont against Canada College.

The Renegades final four opponents have a combined record of 44-44 and are all North division Coast Conference teams.

This gives Ohlone an excellent chance to improve their playoff seeding before the CCCAA playoffs begin.

Friday Feb. 15 Women’s Softball College of the Sequoias Tournament (away) Saturday Feb. 16 Women’s Softball College of the Sequoias Tournament (away) Tuesday Feb. 19 Women’s Softball vs. City College of San Francisco (away) Wednesday Feb. 20 Women’s Basketball vs. De Anza College (away) Men’s Basketball vs. Chabot College (away) Thursday Feb. 21 Women’s Softball vs. De Anza College (home) Saturday Feb. 23 Women’s Softball vs. Solano College (home) Women’s Basketball vs.

Hartnell College (home)

Men’s Basketball vs. Canada College (home) Tuesday Feb. 26 Women’s Softball vs. Chabot College (away) Wednesday Feb. 27 Women’s BasketballCCCAA Regional Playoffs Round 1 (TBD) Men’s Basketball-CCCAA Regional Playoffs Round 1 (TBD) Thursday Feb. 28 Women’s Softball vs. Foothill College (home) Friday Mar. 1 Women’s BasketballCCCAA Regional Playoffs Round 2 (TBD) Men’s Basketball-CCCAA Regional Playoffs Round 2 (TBD) Men’s and Women’s Swim/ Dive Bulldog Invitational (away) Saturday Mar. 2 Women’s Softball Fresno College Bash Tournament (away)

Transfer without AA completion.

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TAM DUONG / MONITOR

Top: Henry McCarthy hammers home the slam dunk for the Renegades. Bottom: Berika Egberuare drives passed the San Jose City College defender for the score and two points.

March 23 | April 6 12–3:30 pm RSVP now: ndnu.edu/ugevents or (650) 508-3600

Ohlone baseball triumphs

By LOUIS LAVENTURE Sports editor

The Ohlone College baseball team defeated the visiting San Mateo College on Tuesday in Fremont 7-3.

The win improved the Renegades overall record to 2-3 early on in the spring season.

Pitcher Eric Gleese was dominant on the mound for Ohlone going eight innings and only allowing two earned runs on six hits.

Gleese also had six strikeouts while allowing just one walk for his first win of the year.

Daniel Edmondo pitched the ninth inning securing the victory for Ohlone.

Centerfielder LJ Kalawaia did most of the damage for the Renegades Tuesday.

Kalawaia collected four hits in five at bats while driving in two runs and scoring one of his own.

Shortstop Garret Everhart had two hits on the day including a double.

Tanner Robinson and Josh Egan also contributed to the offense for the Renegades both providing doubles with their bats.

Kainoa Crowell and Jake Lopez both drove in runs in

the winning effort as well.

Coach Julian Russell was able to utilize his teams depth to make several position moves throughout the game.

Before the season began Kalawaia was on Russells’ radar and early on his talent has showed through.

“LJ did great for us last year and he will probably play center or left field this year,” Russell said.

“He can hit the ball and field it which makes him a D1 type of guy.”

Russell hit the nail on the head when assessing the potential of Kalawaia as well as the rest of the team.

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SPORTS Lady Renegades fall to Sierra College 15-7 8 monitor February 14, 2013

By LOUIS LAVENTURE Sports editor

The Ohlone College softball team lost on Tuesday to Sierra College 15-7 in Fremont.

Several key errors by the Lady Renegades combined with the hot bats of the visiting Wolverines proved to be a deadly combination for Ohlone.

Tayanna Mata and Alexis Johnson both homered for the visiting Sierra College, accounting for two of the teams 17 hits in the game.

Savanna Ulloa was excellent in defeat for Ohlone, going 2 for 4 on the day with two runs batted in.

Alyssa Raguini also came through for the Lady Renegades on the offensive end with two hits of her own and three runs batted in.

The combination combined for five hits and five runs batted in for Ohlone in the losing effort.

Sierra pitcher Sarah Rasmussen went the distance on the mound for the Wolverines, allowing just three earned runs.

She also had six strikeouts allowing nine hits to the Lady Renegades.

Ohlone struggled a bit at times on the mound and in the field but with the season just

LOUIS LAVENTURE / MONITOR

Left: Pitcher Alyssa Castillo fires the ball past the Sierra College batter during the fourth inning. Right: Catcher Mackenzie Bush checks out the defense before the next batter comes to the plate for Sierra College.

beginning, there is a long way to go for the Lady Renegades.

Kelly Taylor received the loss for Ohlone and was relieved by Alyssa Castillo and Victoria Newton.

Conference play is not set to begin until Feb. 19 when the Ohlone will travel to San Francisco to take on conference foe City College of San Francisco at 1 p.m.

This will mark the beginning of a tough Coast Conference schedule culminating on April. 18 in the regular season’s final game against San Mateo College at 3 p.m. in San Mateo.

Ohlone is off to a 2-3 overall start to the 2013 season thus far, leaving much room for improvement for the perennial powerhouse of the Coast

Conference.

The Lady Renegades will also be participating in several tournaments this season, including the upcoming College of Sequoias Tourney Feb. 15-16 in Visalia.

Ohlone will also be participating in the Fresno Bash and March Madness Tournaments, both of which take place in March.

Tournaments are a great way to get a lot of game experience against several different teams in a short span of time.

Coach Donna Runyon was really positive on the outlook of this season during the fall scrimmage season.

“We have some key returners this year that will have to take a major leadership role on this team.”

Basketball season nearing end for Ohlone

By LOUIS LAVENTURE Sports editor

Women’s Basketball The Lady Renegades basketball team is no strangers to close games.

Four of their 17 victories this season have been decided by three points or less, including a total of 10 games decided by 10 points or less.

Ohlone is 17-7 overall and 4-3 in North Coast Conference play, which is good enough for third place right now. With just five games remaining before the playoffs begin, the Lady Renegades will need their close game experience down the stretch.

Red shirt sophomore Alexous Robinson has been solid on the floor for the Lady Renegades and coach Julia Allender.

The 5-foot, 11-inch Robinson has been a presence on defense for Ohlone, ranking third in blocks for the South division and ninth overall to amass 24 for the year. Robinson is 10th in the South division, averaging 12.6 points per game.

Robinson also ranks in the Top 10 in a slew of other categories, including total rebounds, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and a host of others.

Freshman point guard Madison Craig gives the Lady Renegades strong balance on the perimeter combined with the inside play of Robinson, Megan Scully and Josephine Vieira.

Craig is surgical with the ball and is in the top five in assist to turnover ratio at 2.1 per game. All four players rank in the top 20 of the South division of the Coast Conference in scoring.

All of Ohlone’s five remaining games are conference games and will heavily impact their playoff possibilities as well as seeding position.

The Lady Renegades next home game is Feb. 13 at Epler Gymnasium in Fremont at 7 p.m. against San Jose City College. SJCC is 10-13 overall and 4-4 in conference.

The team beat Ohlone the last time they played 61-47.

The final regular season game is at home Feb. 23 against Hartnell College at 1 p.m., which Ohlone defeated earlier this season 57-54.

second time this season to undefeated San Francisco City College 79-60.

SFCC broke the threegame winning streak the Renegades were riding and trying to build upon.

The Renegades are now 17-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play, with only four regular season games remaining. Ohlone is an impressive 8-1 at home Men’s Basketball in Epler Gymnasium, its the only loss coming at the Competition in the bas- hands of SFCC. The Rams ketball’s Coast Confer- are a perfect 24-0 this seaence is always tough, son, providing the only especially this year. blemish on a pristine home The Ohlone College men’s record for the Renegades. basketball team found Two of Ohlone’s four reTAM DUONG/ MONITOR that out the hard way, losTop: Jarrad Jackson looks for room against the SJCC defendContinued on Page 7 er. Bottom: Tayla Monroe sizes up the San Jose defense. ing Wednesday for the