THURSDAY
MAY 15, 2014
Vol. XLVII No. 10
Need some travel destination ideas for the summer break? See photos on page 5
POLITICS
State race has college connection
STUDENT PROFILE
Poetry: A business model
SHANNON SORGE News editor
The June 3 primary election for the 25th Assembly District has an Ohlone flavor to it – two of the five candidates have ties to the college. Trustee Teresa Cox has served on the Ohlone College Board of Trustees for nearly six years, and former trustee Bob Brunton served on the board for 12 years. The other candidates in the race are San Jose Councilman Kansen Chu, Milpitas Councilman Armando Gomez, and retired Fremont police chief Craig Steckler. The 25th Assembly District includes southern Fremont, Newark, Milpitas, Santa Clara and part of San Jose. Under California’s openprimary system, all candidates for statewide offices, regardless of party affiliation, will appear on a single ballot, and voters can choose a candidate from any political party. The two candidates who garner the highest number of votes in the June primary will qualify for the Nov. 4 general election. Brunton, a Republican, said he decided to run because he wants to make a positive change for students’ future. “I really feel our state government is failing us; our state government is hurting Continued on Page 3
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
TRUSTEES
Board appoints member Ishan Shah chosen to replace Kevin Bristow MONITOR STAFF
groups was poetry,” Bartolome said. “That was really the first time I was sort of formally introduced to poetry.” Her older sister Joanna Bartolome always noticed her younger sister’s love for the arts. “She has always been very creative and in tune with her feelings,” Joanna Bartolome said. “Marjorie expresses herself in artistic ways, like painting and writing in a journal.” As she has gotten older and more accustomed to
The Ohlone College Board of Trustees on Wednesday night appointed Ishan Shah to serve on the board until the November election. Shah will replace former trustee Kevin Bristow, who stepped down in March after he got a new job outside the district. Shah was appointed to fill the vacant seat following two rounds of voting that ended with him narrowly edging out candidates Steven Chan and Rakesh Sharma on the final ballot. “I ran in 2010 for the same office, and it feels like I have been campaigning ever since,” Shah said. “This is a lot of hard work paying off in a big way.” The five candidates – Shah, Chan, Sharma, Donald Jedlovec and Taha Champsi – were ranked in order of preference, and the totals were added up. The first round of voting narrowed the field to three, and in the second round Shah obtained 14 points, while Chan and Sharma each received 11.
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RYAN PARCHER / MONITOR
Ohlone College student Marjorie Bartolome writes poetry near the pond on the Fremont campus.
LOUIS LAVENTURE Editor-in-chief When you think of an awakening, poetry usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, Ohlone College student Marjorie Bartolome has taken it upon herself to make sure that poetry is awakened and becomes alive again – not just in our community, but everywhere. Earlier this month, Bartolome filed paperwork to get a business license for her new venture, Poetic Awakening. The mission statement for the business is, “To enlighten the souls of artists, poets, listeners alike through poetic expression. I want to have events at art galleries and coffee shops where people
SRUTHIE KONDAMOORI / MONITOR
can socialize, perform and network with one another.” Poetry and performing have been a part of Bartolome’s life for years. “My sister was into drawing,” she said. “My dad was a construction worker, but he did a lot of drawing and my aunt liked to paint. Ever since I was younger, I always leaned toward the arts. It was a good way to release and express anything in me.” Bartolome did just that and let it all out, performing for the first time at age 13. “It was a winter church camp and one of the interest
MEASURE G
Browning: Ohlone still great, despite construction LOUIS LAVENTURE Editor-in-chief Whether you’re a new or returning student this fall, you’ll have a new Ohlone experience to look forward to. With demolition and construction already under way, the installation of portables next to Hyman Hall last week was a clear indication of what is to come. Yet Ohlone College President Gari Browning sees a lot of upside for students and faculty. “Is it going to be a little noisy, messy and dusty? Yeah, probably,” she said. “Everything that has made this school great is not going
anywhere. Sure, relocated, but nothing is leaving.” Browning was referring to many of the prestigious and award-winning programs that the school has to offer. “I do not think that this should discourage anybody from coming here,” she said. “Ohlone is a great school and is continually improving.” Student Kim Sue disagreed, though. “I do not like the idea of the college being under construction while I am here,” Sue said. “Is it going to be loud?” The Measure G initiative and all of the demolition and construction that come along with it are scheduled
to be completed in 2018, creating more than four years of unrest on the Fremont campus. Being college president keeps Browning busy, but between Measure G and the impending frontage property development deal, things have been hectic in a really good way. “We really do not want to depend on the state of California for funding, especially in bad economic times,” Browning said. “The main factor in pushing the frontage deal forward was to become a self-sustaining institution, like many others Continued on Page 3
RYAN PARCHER / MONITOR
Workers install portable buildings near Hyman Hall last week.