OHLONE COLLEGE
MONITOR SPECTACULAR SUNSET
THURSDAY OCTOBER 1, 2015 Vol. L No. 3
Students meet with college reps at Transfer Day. See story on Page 5.
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
Chief opens discussion on armed police BRIANNE O’SULLIVAN News editor Campus police Chief John Worley opened discussion at the College Council meeting Tuesday on whether officers should be armed, and if so, in what ways. One possibility,Worley suggested, would be to arm only sworn officers; there are currently two sworn officers on staff for both campuses. He pointed out that this option poses some scheduling and financial obstacles. Another option is to train and arm campus safety officers. Sworn officers go through intense and regular firearms training and an extensive background check, including a psychological test. Alternatively, safety officers’ training is less thorough, but this option is more costefficient. Continued on Page 3
Ohlone presents fall concert series VANESSA LUIS Editor-in-chief LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
The Ohlone Bands are presenting three concerts this fall, all in the Smith Center on the Fremont campus. The Ohlone Wind Orchestra will present “A tour of passion” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18. The orchestra will play a series of folk songs from around the world, including Boris Kozhevnikov’s “Slavyanskya” Symphony No. 3, the overture from Gioachino Rossini’s “Italian in Algiers,” Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2”
A day of dreary weather ended with a glorious sunset Wednesday evening. These photos were taken outside the Epler Gymnasium on the Fremont campus.
Continued on Page 3
Ethics committee investigates Fremont congressman BRIANNE O’SULLIVAN News editor The House Ethics Committee recently extended its investigation into allegations that Congressman Mike Honda and his staffers violated federal law and House rules. Honda represents the 17th California District, which includes the Ohlone campus and the rest of southern Fremont. In an official statement, Honda campaign spokesman Adam Alberti said, “The Congressman and his staff have fully cooperated with OCE in its review of allegations fueled by Rep. Honda’s political opponent in the last election, after being raised by former disgruntled staffer.”
The complaint was filed by supporters of Ro Khanna, Honda’s challenger in the 2014 Democratic primary. A former Honda staffer provided the documents and evidence that was used to file the complaint. In the costly 2014 race, Khanna lost by a slim, 4-point margin. Khanna recently announced that he will be running again next year. There is no doubt that the ethics investigation (and a video of Honda napping on the House floor while his colleagues debated Homeland Security funding) will be used as political leverage by Honda’s fellow candidates in 2016. The Ethics Committee, a nonpartisan group, has been
quietly investigating the allegations against Honda for months. The 41-page report, which calls for a “full-fledged investigation,” was not made available to the public until the beginning of September. The report investigates multiple allegations that staff discussed campaign and fundraising activities at congressional retreats and other official times, made campaign calls while in the district office, and orchestrated “pay-to-play arrangements” at a State Department roundtable. There are also emails suggesting that Honda’s former district director tried to turn acquiring a visa for a constituent (which is a constituent service offered by members
of Congress) into an opening for a campaign contribution, according to the report. Honda’s chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, sent an email to staffers with the subject line: “Required Reading: Entrepreneurial National by Ro Khanna,” according to the report. Investigators asked Van der Heide about this email, and she said her use of the word “required” was simply “facetious.” However, one staffer disagreed, telling investigators “I considered it part of my duties as someone that was working for Congressman Honda.” Federal law, House rules, and standards of conduct all prohibit the intermingling of congressional responsibili-
Rep. Mike Honda, D-Fremont.
ties and campaign activities. While, at times, these rules and regulations may seem like unnecessary red tape, Continued on Page 2