SAN JACINTO TIMES World Represent! Coeds let freak flag fly News Briefs e student publication of the San Jacinto College District
Vol. 23, No. 8
March 25, 2013
Isreal Relations President Obama visited Israel and the West Bank on March 20. He made it clear that we was not going to propose any new peace negations for the two and instead would be going on “listening” tours. However, he did say that the creation of an independent Palestinian state remains a priority for his administration. Two missiles were fired from Gaza into the Israeli border city Sderot on the second day of Obama’s visit to the region..
Amanda Beard San Jacinto Times
Aggies, Red Raiders, and other collegians pack Panama City Beach in Florida for Spring Break 2013. In a quest for sun, sand and sitting around, students from across the country raise their school flags high to proclaim their beach territory.
Central professor, author promotes power of reading Rebeca Valdez Staff Writer
MCT Campus
Classics like Romeo and Juliet will be featured at the English Department’s annual Get-Lit Festival.
Fest showcases Shakespeare to light up students’ lit interest
Christopher Rodriguez Staff Writer
Shakespearian life is coming to San Jacinto College for a day as part of the English's Department annual Get-Lit Festival. Every year the department hosts a literary English festival to get students
engaged in literature classes. This year the theme is going to be Shakespeare, a writer who needs no introduction. English professor Joul Smith is in charge of organizing the event. "This year we're going to have a celebration of Shakespeare's expressive
See English on Page 4.
San Jacinto College Central Campus Professor Kimberly DeLauro was only fifteen when she became a published Author. DeLauro calls it a “goofy little piece,” but it was enough to get her into Seventeen magazine. For the past six and a half years, Professor DeLauro has taught classes like English 1301, Early American Literature, and Creative Writing at San Jacinto. Long before she started teaching, she was writing. “I began writing as soon as I learned how to hold a pencil to paper,” DeLauro said. Her love of writing came after reading her first book “Hop on Pop” as a little kid. She thought it was really neat that people could write from the ideas in their minds. She is currently working on getting her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. As a result, most of her writing includes “churning out academic papers,” but she does like to write for fun as well. She writes short stories in scenes and then fine-tunes them. Ever since her published piece in Sev-
enteen magazine, she has continued to write. She most recently published a short story titled “Press Two.” It was published in the May 2012 issue of the Poydras Review. She also just signed a contract to publish another short story, “Sea Glass,” in Northwind Magazine this summer. “Maybe someday I will write a novel,” DeLauro says, but that isn’t her biggest goal regarding writing. Instead, it is to get other people writing. “I feel that people who say they hate to write are missing out on something wonderful. Being able to clearly express yourself is very rewarding,” DeLauro said. DeLauro finds that reading is very important. She calls herself a “Stephen King junkie.” She also likes Diana Galbaldon’s Outlander series. “Until we can find a way to transmit thoughts into each other’s minds‘ through telepathy or osmosis, we have to be able to convey complex thoughts in a way that just isn’t possible via visual media. This is where reading comes in. People who don’t read put themselves at a great disadvantage. They miss out on these thoughts,” DeLauro said.
San Jac spotlights Houston’s human trafficking problem
Monica Davila
Department Editor
The National Honor Society of Psychology for Community and Junior colleges (PSI BETA) and Baptist of Student Ministry (BSM) joined together to raise awareness at San Jacinto College about human trafficking. PSI BETA President Noemi Sanchez and Vice President Annette Cruz were inspired by a leadership conference they attended at the University of Houston - Clear Lake where they were chosen to have their hands bound and tape put on their mouths. The word SOUL was written across the tape. In the beginning, they didn’t know what the purpose of the exercise was, but by the end, they knew it was about human trafficking. PSI Beta and the Psychology
Club hosted a round table event featuring speakers from the San Jacinto College faculty and staff. According to licensed counselor Maria Aguirre, victims of human trafficking are unwillingly subjected to, “… the recruitment, transportation, (or) transfer by means of threat or use of force.” Psychology professor Lilian Romero kicked off the roundtable introducing two competing perspectives on the subject. “There are two schools of thought about human trafficking. There are people who believe that, particularly women in the commercial sex business that is their prerogative if they want to sell their bodies... On the other hand, we have many more women who are traded and sold and trafficked and what bothers
See Human on Page 4.
New Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina, now known as Pope Francis, was the first pope to be elected from the new world in 1,200 years on March 13. He will be the first Jesuit member to lead the Catholic Church. On March 20, Pope Francis promised respect to other religious leaders, pledging cooperation with Orthodox churches, describing the bond between Catholics and Jews as “very special”, and expressing gratitude to Muslim leaders.
Foreign Policy Iran is increasing their support to Assad, the Syrian president, in an attempt to help him beat the Syrian opposition. The continued support from Iran, along with support from Russia, Hezbollah, and a Lebanese militant group has influenced Assad’s decisions to remain in power. The Obama Administration has repeatedly said the Assad regime needs to give up power and is sending food and medical supplies to the opposition, the Free Syrian Army. The CIA has also been training rebels in Jordan. Venezuela diplomacy on hold Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Elias Juana on March 20 said that “any type of contact” with American consuls has been “postponed” since President Chavez’s death earlier this month and the country prepares from a presidential election. The Venezuelan government is currently investigating his death as they believe the US may have had involvement in his death; however, it is widely believed that he died from the cancer he had.
North Korean threats One day after the mock drone strike on South Korea, North Korea threatened to attack the American military bases on Japan and the Pacific island of Guam if provoked. North Korea has also held an air raid drill and accused the US of preparing a military strike on the North with South Korea. South Korea is suspicious of the North hacking into the servers of banks and a local broadcaster on March 20. Courtesy of Katherine Swope
A disheveled bed illustrating the harsh conditions suffered by exploited victims, aims to raise awareness within the SJC community.
— Briefs compiled from multiple media sources