OHLONE COLLEGE
MONITOR
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2014 Vol. XLVIII No. 8
What can we learn from the Free Speech Movement? Read opinion on Page 6.
NILES ALIVE WITH DAY OF THE DEAD
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
GOVERNMENT
Students elect new ASOC reps
RYAN PARCHER Editor-in-chief
Above: The Ollin Anahuac Aztec Dancing Group performs during the Niles Altar Walk. Left: The Day of the Dead celebration displays altars which are freely displayed to the public. Right: Ballet de Folklorico de James Logan High School performs in traditional garb for the Mexican holiday.
See photo essay of Ohlone and Niles Day of the Dead festivals on Page 4.
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Ohlone board retains incumbents Lonsdale not to be a trustee
RYAN PARCHER Editor-in-chief Incumbents Garrett Yee and Jan Giovannini-Hill were re-elected Tuesday to the Ohlone College Board of Trustees, according to
unofficial results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. Yee garnered 41.2 percent of the vote and GiovanniniHill 37 percent, while challenger Joseph Lonsdale received 21.4 percent. Yee ran much of his campaign while serving as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve in Kuwait. Yee is still currently on deployment and is expected to return back to Fremont, and his duties as a board
member next summer In her campaign, Giovannini-Hill touted her 47 years of experience working in higher education and work as a financial anaGarrett Yee, left and Jan Giovannini-Hill, center lyst as what made her the right fiscal responsibility and person for the job. She ran transparency on the board. on a general platform of Continued on Page 3
Ohlone students this week cast their ballots for three new representatives to the Associated Students of Ohlone College Council, after the president and two other officers resigned. Students cast their ballots Tuesday and Wednesday online or in person on the Fremont and Newark campuses. Results will be available today, ASOC officials said. John Collan and Nadia Khan were the candidates for treasurer, and Raveena Chahal and Alina Farooq competed to be the marketing and communications representative. Bubba Manzo is the lone candidate for Newark representative. Wr i t e - i n c a n d i d a t e s could seek election to any of the positions if they got at least 50 votes. A m i t o j Sa n d h u w a s elected in April to serve as ASOC president for Continued on Page 2
FOR ASOC STUDENT ELECTION RESULTS, CHECK ONLINE AT OHLONEMONITOR.COM
STATE RACE
Democrat Chu takes 25th Assembly seat
Former trustee denied in bid for state office RYAN PARCHER Editor-in-chief San Jose City Council member Kansen Chu defeated former Ohlone Trustee Bob Brunton on Tuesday in the election for the 25th State Assembly District seat,
according to unofficial results from Kansen Chu Bob Brunton the Alameda ton was second in the June County Registrar of Voters. Chu, a Democrat, received primary. The candidates were vying 68 percent of the vote against his Republican opponent. for the seat left vacant by Chu finished first and Brun- Democrat Bob Wieckowski,
who won the 10th State Senate District seat with 69 percent of the vote on Tuesday. The 25th Assembly District includes southern Fremont, Newark, Milpitas, Santa Clara and part of San Jose. Brunton received 23.7 percent of the vote in the primary election, in which he was the only Republican on the ballot. Chu, who received 30.4 percent of the vote, was competing not just against Brunton, but also against three other Democrats.
Two of the other candidates, Ohlone Trustee Teresa Cox and Craig Steckler, endorsed Chu after their defeat, according to Chu’s campaign website. Running in a traditionally Democratic district was not the only obstacle in Brunton’s path. According to state campaign finance reports, Chu raised more than half a million dollars for his campaign. Meanwhile, Brunton’s campaign only took in the $8,000 he donated to himself.
2
NEWS
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
NEWS BITES
Special election held to fill ASOC posts
O’Connell honored Math Professor Jeff O’Connell has been named the faculty member of the month for November. O’Connell taught at San Jose State, San Jose City College and Diablo Valley College before coming to Ohlone as a part-time instructor in Fall 1995. He was hired as a full-time instructor the following year. In the past two decades, O’Connell has taught all of the classes offered by the math department, mostly statistics, calculus, differential equations and linear algebra.
Instructor to discuss Ebola Instructor Dr. Gessica Johnston will discuss the science behind the Ebola virus Nov. 21 during the final Science Seminar of the semester. Johnston has a doctorate in virology and is a retired emergency physician. The free seminar, sponsored by the Math/Science/Engineering Division and the Associated Students of Ohlone College, will be from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 3201 on the Fremont campus. A sign-in sheet will be provided for the first 15 minutes of the seminar, for students receiving extra credit.
Seminar held on conversion therapy Psychology Professor Sheldon Helms will discuss gay conversion therapy in a seminar Nov. 14 on the Fremont campus. Conversion therapy, which aims to change sexual orientation, has been criticized by the American Psychiatric Association and other medical and scientific groups. Helms will outline its history, the procedures used, and why he believes it’s ineffective. The seminar, presented by the Math/Science/Engineering Division, will be from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 3201. Sign-in sheets will be available for the first 15 minutes of the seminar, for students receiving extra credit. – Compiled by Monitor staff
TREASURER
Nadia Khan, left, and John Collan, right, ran for the position of treasurer.
Summer resignations leave seats vacant on student council Continued from Page 1 the 2014-2015 school year. However, he resigned in July along with newly elected Treasurer Dennis Yang. The council appointed Vice President Sonam Babu to replace Sandhu and Newark representative
Rajbir Rai to take Babu’s place. Marketing and communications representative Surina Gulati also stepped down, leaving her position and those of treasurer and Newark representative to be filled.
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION
Alina Farooq, left, and Raveena Chahal, right, ran to be marketing and communication representative.
NEWARK REPRESENTATIVE
Bubba Manzo ran unopposed to represent Newark.
Wrights pledge $38K for faculty development MONITOR STAFF Jim and Nancy Wright have pledged $38,000 to establish the Wright Family Fund with the Ohlone College Foundation. The fund will provide an annual employee challenge grant to encourage contributions and expand professional development for fulltime and part-time faculty. The second focus of the fund is to establish a permanent endowment to provide annual money to help Ohlone with operations and maintenance. The foundation plans to seek additional donations from businesses, organizations and individuals to build the endowment. Foundation Director Paul Iannaccone said another $2,500 already has been donated or pledged by current and retired faculty. “Jim and Nancy’s challenge is already paying dividends, almost before the announcement was made public,” he said in a statement. Jim Wright recently retired as vice president of academic affairs after 19 years at Ohlone. Nancy Wright also worked in the community college system, as a counselor at Las Positas College.
AVAILABLE NOW
Transfer to Success Scholarship Up to $5,000 Award Automatically Awarded to Qualified Students Transfer Friendly Year-Round Enrollment A Private Nonprofit University Serving the Public Good™
Call Today • (408) 236-1100 Applicants must meet eligibility requirements and be formally accepted to National University. Funds paid in accordance to the scholarship terms. Some restrictions may apply.
nu.edu/transfer © 2014 National University_1403
NEWS
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
3
OHLONE COLLEGE
MONITOR STAFF: Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Parcher Features editor: Mitchell Walther Sports editor: Albert Rebosura Photo editor: Laura Gonsalves Online editor: Alizaib Lodhi Staff writer: Abigail Moneda Graphic designers: Emily Burkhardt Payal Gupta RYAN PARCHER / MONITOR
Adviser: Rob Dennis
Joseph Lonsdale said he ran for the Board of Trustees after board members voted in April to allow the Fremont frontage property to be developed.
Printer: FP Press
Frontage development inspires candidate THE ONLY REASON I AM HERE IS BECAUSE OF THE PLAN TO PUT 314 APARTMENTS ON MISSION (BOULEVARD)
California Newspaper Publishers Association
General Excellence
- JOSEPH LONSDALE
1971
Journalism Association of Community Colleges
General Excellence State 1987 1991 1994 1998 2002 2003 2014
NorCal
1984 1988 1994 2000 2003 2004 2005 2013
Online: 2005, 2013 CONTACT US: Offices: Room 5310 Call: 510.659.6075 E-mail: monitor@ohlone. edu Website: www.ohlonemonitor.com Facebook: www.facebook. com/OhloneCollegeMonitor Twitter: @OhloneMonitor 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.
Punjabi students hold Diwali festival MONITOR STAFF The Punjabi Student Association will celebrate the Diwali festival of lights tonight in the Newark campus courtyard. The event will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $5. Diwali – also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights” – is an ancient Indian festival signifying the victory of light over darkness. It falls between mid-October and midNovember every year. Diwali celebrations include dressing up, lighting lamps and candles, praying, a feast, and the exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.
ASL I NTE R PR ETE D N OV E M B E R 7
Continued from Page 1 ness executive, ran against Yee and Giovannini-Hill for one of the two seats on the board allotted for Area 2, representing Fremont and Union City east of Interstate 880. “The only reason I am here is because of the plan to put 314 apartments on Mission (Boulevard),” Lonsdale saidsaid at a forum last month.
He voiced concerns about possible overcrowding at area schools and increased traffic in the community. Yee and Giovannini-Hill both voted for the plan. At the forum Lonsdale predicted his defeat in the elections but had pledged to continue fighting against the frontage development through the Fremont City Council.
4
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
FEATURES
Poems, skulls, altars mark Day of the Dead events
PHOTOS BY LAURA GONSALVES Top-left: Anthony Razon attends the Day of the Dead Festival at the Newark Campus on Oct. 30. M.E.Ch.A, Ohlone Puente and the Associated Students of Ohlone College organized the festival, which included Calaveras poems, sugar skulls, an altar exhibit and face-painting. Above: Estefany Cabrera checks her face-painting in a mirror. Bottom-left: Sarah Groulan, right, and Cabrera show off their face-paintings. Residents of the Niles District in Fremont (middle-left, middle-right and bottom-right) celebrate their Altar Walk and Day of the Dead event on Saturday, the first of two days devoted to the holiday in the neighborhood.
REVIEW
FEATURES
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
5
Weezer still rocks on with ‘Everything’ album
MITCHELL WALTHER Features editor People grow up and move on. When it comes to music and bands, this statement couldn’t be truer. Gone are the days of “Red,” “Blue” or “Green” albums for Weezer. The past five years have seen a slew of below-average records from our Weezer boys. “Hurley,” “Raditude” and even “Death to False Metal” were boring albums at best, and trying far too hard to be young at worst. But Weezer was never a band to stay down for long, and with their 11th record, “Everything will be Alright in the End,” they’ve made it clear they won’t go down easy. A m i d c r u n c h y b a s s, beyond-honest lyrics and undeniably catchy melodies, Weezer deals out an introspective masterpiece. Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo used to have a tendency toward soulbaring, and it seems after getting tired of the marketing game, he’s back at it. From the first track, “Ain’t Got Nobody,” the band launches back into
their rough anthems of loneliness mixed with angst and hope. Going so far as to apologize for the latest series of records, their second single “Back to the Shack” points out the flaws: “Sorry guys, I didn’t realize that I needed you so much, I thought I’d get a new audience, I forgot that disco sucks.” Tracks such as “Eulogy for a Rock Band” and the grungy Queen-esque “I’ve Had it Up to Here” also lament the past failings of Cuomo’s musical efforts. They also call back to the rawne s s o f t h e album “Pinkerton” and the critical hatred for it that scared the band so long ago. Not to be held down by the past, the band also dives right into a revolution-era protest anthem with “The British Are Coming” and periodpiece love songs like “Da Vinci” and “Cleopatra.” Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino also takes a spin with Cuomo on the break-up duet “Go Away,” with a melody almost reminiscent of The Muppets. While all these tracks show the revival of Wee-
zer’s edge and honesty, the track “Foolish Father” and c o n c l u d i n g t h re e - p a r t epic “I. The Waste Land” “II. Anonymous,” “III. Return to Ithaka” really allow Cuomo’s growth to shine. “Foolish Father” tackles the regret of a dad who’s done wrong: “Forgive your foolish father, he did the best that he could do, you are his daughter, he’d do anything for you.” Whether this speaks of Cuomo’s family relationship or simply communicates his own insecurities, the song stands as a
poignant apology. The three-part ending track shows off Weezer’s musicality, though the harmonies and melodies throughout the album do that as well. A spiraling instrumental swings from metal-rock to classical with ease, and ends the record on an unbelievably high note. It’s amazing to see this band from our high school days grow up as real adults a n d c o n t i n u e t o ro c k out about it. While most bands tend to swing to the poppy side to maintain relevance, Weezer seems to have finally decided they have no interest in
that. T h e y ’re n o t s i n g i n g about the issues of being young, poor, and living in Beverly Hills anymore because they’re not. They’ve chosen to write about what they’re living instead, and that honesty couldn’t make a record any more attractive than it already is. They made their revived passion clear in the last lines of “Back to the Shack”: “We belong in the rock world, there is so much left to do, if we die in obscurity, oh well, at least we raised some hell.”
Sorry guys I didn’t realize That I needed you so much I thought I’d get a new audience I forgot that disco sucks -Rivers Cuomo, ‘Back to the Shack’
Theater lovers can sign up for annual trip to NYC RYAN PARCHER Editor-in-chief The Ohlone Theatre Department is gearing up for its annual trip to New York City. This year’s destination ... Las Vegas, maybe. Mark Nelson, a member of the theater faculty and teacher of the Survey of the Arts course, leads the trips to New York. The trip is a part of TD102 Theater Appreciation course, offered during the summer semester. The summer of 2015 with be the 14th trip. “Because of skyrocketing costs we might actually divert to Las Vegas, which has over 25 Broadway productions,” he said. The current base price for students to New York is $1,620. This would cover airfare, a hotel room (shared with three other students), a subway pass and a three-day tour-bus pass. In addition to frequenting Broadway plays, past groups have visited Ground Zero, gone on evening river cruises, and scored free tickets to see big-name summer concerts in the park. A Las Vegas trip would
COURTESY OF MARK NELSON
Ohlone College students enrolled in TD-102 Theater Appreciation hang out in Times Square on a previous trip to New York City.
include a side trip to the Grand Canyon and cost students $1,100, assuming they went four to a room. “I usually take about 30 students,” Nelson said.
“(But) anyone can join us. Family, friends, spouses.” Non-student travelers will need to fill out an application and be approved by Nelson to join
the trip, and a $200, nonrefundable deposit is due before Dec. 1. All travelers also are expected to attend three meetings in April and May.
“It’s a great adventure” said Nelson, and slots are filling up fast. For more information, contact Mark Nelson at mnelson@ohlone.edu.
6
OPINIONS
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
Superman
in
Retail
EMILY BURKHARDT/ MONITOR
We should learn from 1964 MITCHELL WALTHER Features editor Our future is dictated by whether or not we can learn from our history. That’s a very simple thing to say, and much harder to remember. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Berkeley free speech movement of the fall of 1964. The movement began on Sept. 21 with the first rally protesting the ban on political advocacy and informational tables at UC Berkeley. Between 800-person sit-ins and 6,000-person rallies, the movement finally concluded on Dec. 6 when the Academic Senate voted 842-115 that regulation of speech and advocacy is a function of the state, not the university. One of the early sparks of the social movement of the 1960s, these several months of student activism actually got something done, and we
should be quick to learn from them. The words of Mario Savio have been immortalized. From songs to band names, and even quoted in TV shows such as “Battlestar Galactica,” their importance has never faded. “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part!You can’t even passively take part! And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels … upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop! And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!” The main thing I take away from this anniversary
CAMPUS COMMENT
is how plastic it all is now. In just one example, “Free Speech Movement:The Play” is being produced this year. It’s a scary thought: maybe we’ve lost sight of it all. Has the passion that stirred minds and hearts dissipated to such a low burn that we’re unable even to grab onto an issue? Ohlone Professor Geoffrey Hirsch, who took part in the Free Speech Movement when he was at UC Berkeley, reminds us that it “was youthful rebellion with a cause. It was questioning authority. It was a co-mingling of our thoughts with the Founding Fathers.’” The closest we come to that is dumping buckets of ice water on our head. And while I have a moment to mention that, it’s sad to me that most people I talked to who took part Continued on Page 7
PAYAL GUPTA / MONITOR
If you were rich, what would you still not buy? ESTEBAN SANTILLAN Broadcasting
“A shake-weight.”
AMIN ENTEASYAM Biology
“A Tyler Perry movie. I just don’t laugh.” ALEX DORNFEST Mechanical Engineering
“A haircut, because I cut my own hair.” ZACH DEPRATTI Mechanical Engineering
“A pair of Nikes.”
SHAYAAN KARIMI Political Science
“I’d still buy it all.”
OPINION/SPORTS
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
7
What’s our FSM? Continued from Page 6 in the ice bucket challenge didn’t really know much about the disease they were benefitting. The activism of the past 50 years has petered out to a simple “slack-tivism” that requires no risk to the individual beyond slight discomfort. The main concern may be the absence of a cause. Those rebels had a cause; the young adults of today struggle to find a wheel to grind their gears. That’s not to say we don’t have our problems. The Occupy Wall Street movement of the past few years showed there is still passion; the focus was just a bit too aimless. Money is in the wrong hands, the wrong people are in charge, and everyday people aren’t having their rights respected. There is not lack of movements to join or causes to fight for. So what is the difference between then and now? I think the devil is certainly in the details on this one. Those 1964 protestors had a specific focus. They didn’t have the right to free
speech per the university’s regulations, and they got the government to write a law to change that. People today want to be superheroes, fixing the evils of the world with one big sit-in. While assembly and protest are good, without a specific goal even the men in charge don’t know what to do about the picket signs. Change is a hard process. It can’t be solved with a chant, a campaign slogan or even a protest song. Those heroes who changed Berkeley in 1964 were determined. “It was Mark Bravo, David Goines, Donald Hatch, Elizabeth Gardner Stapleton, Brian Turner, students committed to the civil rights struggle who risked their futures sitting at tables in defiance of the ban” on students’ right to free speech, Hirsch said. The best way to remember these folks is to move forward with goals. In a speech that Hirsch wrote about that time in 1964, he asks, “What was the free speech movement?” But we need to remember to look at ourselves and ask, “What will the free speech movement be?”
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Renegades No. 2 Jesse Wilesmith and his teammates work on a dribbling drill with two balls in practice.
Coach Fisher: `I like this group’ Continued from Page 8 in the half-court five on five,” Fisher said about not pressing on defense. Offensively, he will implement a motion offense, which he believes will make players improve faster and give them freedom on offense. “I like this group,” he said. “They play hard, they are unselfish and they are smart. They’re not the most athlet-
ic team I’ve ever seen but I think there’s enough there to win a majority of our games. Anything beyond that is gravy, but I’ve got a suspicion that we’ll do better than just the majority.” When asked if his team can have a better season and advance further in the tournament than last year, Fisher replied, “I would hope so.” “Not having coached at this level before it’s hard
to say how good this team is going to compare to any others here (previous Ohlone teams) or at another school,” he said. “I’ll probably have a better idea after this weekend.” Fisher and the new-look Renegades basketball team will get their first taste of CCCAA competition this weekend at Ohlone’s 11th annual Jonathan Wallace Memorial Tournament.
8
SPORTS
MONITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
It’s a whole new ball game The new-look men’s basketball team debuts Thursday ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor With a new coaching staff and a roster comprised of new players, the Ohlone College men’s basketball program is completely different than last season’s squad. Under former head coach John Peterson, Ohlone finished with a 23-7 overall record and an 8-4 conference record, earning the sixth seed in the Northern California Regional Tournament. Their tournament dreams ended in the third round when they lost 67-60 to the Santa Rosa Junior College team that eventually won the state championship. Replacing Peterson this season is Fremont-native Scott Fisher. Fisher’s basketball background includes a 16-year playing career overseas – most notably his hall-offame career in Australia’s National Basketball League. As a coach, he spent five years as the head coach of the Perth Wildcats in the NBL and four years as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii. “My expectations are: we’ll represent Ohlone in a positive way,” Fisher said. “We’ll play hard. We’ll play unselfish. We’ll play basketball the right way and in doing so, we’ll probably win more than we lose.” The Renegades have 17 players in the program, including three transfers and two red shirts who practice with the team but have to wait until next season for game action. There are only four players returning from last season. Guards Mike Bethea and Ryo Tawatari played 15.8 minutes per game. The other two are forwards Guru Sanghera and Javier De La Blanca, both of whom had stints as starters last year. The squad has a collection of interesting freshmen who had success prior to joining Ohlone. Among them is a trio of Australians: point guard
Offensive offense
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Above: Head Coach Scott Fisher, left, watches freshman Eliot Warren shoot a contested layup. Below: The Renegades get warmed up with running drills during practice.
Jessie Wilesmith, guard Marcus Holmquist-Pollock and swingman Elliot Warren. Guard Taylor Meeker won Junior of the Year and MVP in the Blossom Valley Athletic League with Willow Glen High School in his junior and senior season. Guard Kamar Reece was a high-scoring combo guard at Dougherty Valley High School and a twotime MVP of the Ukiah tourney. Playing time will be spread among all 12 players, Fisher said. “Our starters are going to be a game-time decision,” he said. “But I feel very confident with every guy who’s going to hit the floor this year. I think everybody can play and everybody can contribute. What I’ll be looking for is the best combinations of five at a time.” On defense, Fisher plans to defend man-to-man and not press the opponent’s offense. “It’s hard to score on a team Continued on Page 7
Upcoming Renegades games MEN’S SOCCER
College, Tak Stadium, Fremont
Friday, 1:30 p.m. vs. West Valley College, Accinelli Park, Union City
Nov. 14, 2:45 p.m. @ Skyline College
Tuesday, 3 p.m. @ City College of San Francisco Nov. 14, 3 p.m. @ Evergreen Valley College
WOMEN’S SOCCER Friday, 3 p.m. @ City College of San Francisco Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. vs. Cañada
VOLLEYBALL Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. vs. Skyline College, Epler Gymnasium, Fremont campus Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m. vs. Foothill College, Epler Gymnasium, Fremont campus Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. vs. West Valley College, Epler Gymnasium, Fremont campus
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Ohlone to host men’s basketball tournament ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor The 11th annual Jonathan Wallace Memorial Basketball Tournament takes place this weekend at Ohlone’s Epler Gymnasium. Four first-round games will be played, starting at 1 p.m. Thursday. The following three games will start at 3, 5 and 7. Friday’s semifinal games have the same start times as Thursday: 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. The tournament ends Saturday with the consolation games being played at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The championship game will be at 3 p.m. The tournament honors former player Jonathan Wal-
lace, who was a Renegade from 2002 to 2004. Wallace excelled on the court and in the classroom, earning a basketball scholarship at Adams State College. He died in a car accident – two weeks after accepting the scholarship. According to Ohlone’s website, a portion of the tournament’s proceeds go to the Ohlone College Jonathan Wallace Memorial Scholarship Fund, established by his parents after his death. The Ohlone men’s basketball team will play at 7 p.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday. Their performance on Thursday and Friday will determine when they play on Saturday.
The San Francisco 49ers sucked on Sunday. They lost 13-10 to the last-place St. Louis Rams in controversial fashion – Colin Kaepernick fumbled the ball on a quarterback-sneak at the goal line with two seconds remaining. You would think the 49ers – who had an extra week of preparation from their bye-week – would beat the Rams, who have more key players injured. I took some time to analyze the game and, after further review, the ruling on the field is that the entire offense is at fault for another lackluster performance. The play calling by Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman has been questionable. The Rams’ defense had eight sacks, forcing two turnovers. That’s unacceptable for an offensive line that was arguably the best in the league since Harbaugh’s arrival. Kaepernick’s inconsistent play has been partly due to the coaching staff holding him back, but mostly because of his poor decision-making. What I’ve seen from him this season is lack of touch on throws and his decision to force throws downfield – passes that are often incomplete – rather than throw short to gain positive yards. His lack of pocket awareness and his trouble reading defenses doesn’t help an injured offensive line. Frank Gore and a smashmouth mentality led the offense’s success in previous seasons. For some odd reason, the coaching staff ditched a scheme that worked for an unpredictable offense that lacks an identity. I suggest the 49ers revert to that style of offense. More importantly, let Kaepernick run – I was at Candlestick during the 2012 playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, and I saw him single-handedly win that game with his running abilities. The 49ers’ 4-4 record is mediocre for a team of this caliber, and the lack of offense is killing them. Their defense is second in the league despite missing key players to injury. With a division as tough as the NFC West, the 49ers better hope the offense doesn’t fumble away their playoff chances.