CityTimes
www.sdcitytimes.com
Volume 61, Number 9
Focus on the world
Photography students travel to Europe Arts, page 7
Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
March 20, 2007
Report targets community colleges By Rosemarie Davis City Times A report released last month by California State University Sacramento asserts that there are five state policies keeping California Community College (CCC) students from degree or transfer completion. San Diego Community College District Chancellor, Constance M. Carroll wrote a response in The San Diego Union Tribune on Feb. 13 calling the report a “mixed bag of helpful analysis and misleading data coupled with prudent recommendations for policy change and naive suggestions.” “California Community Colleges are not simple organisms, they are complex, just as the lives of the students that attend are complex. Many students attend part time, because they have full time jobs, need child care, or are affected by poverty,” Carroll said in an interview with City Times. The report states that 73 percent of all undergraduate students in California attend community college and of the 73 percent, only 60 percent are seeking a degree. The 60 percent that are seeking a degree, only 1 out of 4 go onto to degree completion or transfer to a fouryear institution. The methodology used to gather these statistics is of great concern to college administrators because important funding is at stake if changes are made to state policy based
Carrier Johnson / Courtesy Illustration An architectural rendering of the proposed Vocational Technology Center as seen from C Street and 16th Avenue.
HiTech VoTech
City College unveils design for new Vocational Technology Center By Rosemarie Davis and Cameron Mason City Times City College unveiled the design for its new Vocational Technology Center (VTC) that will be built on the southeast corner of campus between 16th and 17th Avenues and Broadway and C Street beginning in 2008. The VTC is a five story, ultra-modern building that will house the cosmetology, nursing and photography programs.
“City College is recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation, especially for some of its unique vocational programs,” said Chancellor Constance Carroll in the San Diego Community College District newsletter. “The nursing, cosmetology and photography departments are excellent and deserve high quality facilities to match the high quality of instruction provided.” The first two levels will house the cosmetology department, and a salon will be built See VOTECH, Page 2
See REPORT, Page 2
Debra Wright-Howard joins Disability Support Programs & Services By Stephen Burgers City Times Debra Wright-Howard joined the City College staff in January and heads the High Tech Center for Disability Support Programs & Services (DSPS). She said she wants to “optimize the use of available tools which allow disabled students accessibility and accommodation in the educational challenge.” Wright-Howard brings with her
an extensive resume, which includes a degree in educational leadership at SDSU, a doctoral degree from USD in leadership studies and a postdoctoral in Debra online accessibility and Wright-Howard teaching. If she is “providing tools or resources to be successful then I’ve been successful,” Wright-Howard
said. She enjoys the community college level because it is about teaching and seeing students succeed, and finds her inspiration from people who celebrate education, challenge life and will not accept mediocrity. According to City student Lawrence Walker, Wright-Howard deserves a lot of credit for teaching the adaptive computer services, which are helping him to succeed in furthering his education.
Police help create pedestrian safety
San Diego City College/East Village Traffic Safety Project holds enforcement operation at San Diego High Educational Complex News, page 3
She is encouraging students to take classes to learn the usability of alternative media programs. Another role of her new position is working with faculty to minimize any impediments or disadvantages in the learning process that are linked to disability. The alternative media individualizes learning to meet the needs of students.
See JOINS, Page 2
Index
Calendar ....................................2 News .........................................3 Opinion .....................................6 Arts ...........................................7 Sports .....................................11
2
March 20, 2007
NEWS / CALENDAR
City Times
Report Continued from Page 1 on the recommendations in the report. For example, if a nineteen year old student, who does not plan on attending college for a degree, but wanted to take a French course (which is a transferable course) for self enrichment and passed, the report would place this student in the portion that did not complete a degree program. According to administrators, the statistics for the report were not interpreted thoroughly enough. Here is a summary of the report’s recommendations for changes to current state policies: ■ State funding based on completion rates, with bonus funding for completions by disadvantaged and under prepared students, instead of enrollment based funding. ■ Allow colleges to customize their spending needs that enhance student completion instead of the current CCC expenditure regulations. ■ Grant colleges more flexibility to hire faculty based on student and workforce needs rather than the current hiring restrictions. ■ Allow colleges to benefit from fee revenue rather than fees going to the state and funds are then allocated back to the CCC after the state computes money into a specialized formula. Also, modify financial aid services to allow
Joins Continued from Page 1 “The DSPS first became a part of City College in the 70s to help students use all available resources to achieve educational goals,” said professor and counselor Pamela Finkel. The staff consists of 15 members, five counselors and six support clinicians with each specializing in one facet or more of disability services. The services range from simple accessibility, such as elevators to more complex services, such as E-texts, and other adaptive hardware specifically designed to ease disadvantages that might otherwise discourage education.
more students to attend full time rather than granting only low fees and fee waivers. ■ Revise assessment and placement policies that make assessment mandatory for degree seeking students and for mandatory placement for students with remedial needs. Also, for CCC to support students more by granting more counseling geared toward degree completion. One section, titled “Race Matters,” states Latino and Black students have the lowest numbers of completion rates among degree-seekers. When asked if state policy reform should focus on the needs of these two groups more, Colleen Moore, an author of the report responded by saying that the policy reforms would help all students and may be especially helpful for those groups. “For example, the barrier to providing enough counselors, financial aid, and academic advisors, posed by the 50 percent rule (spending regulation) likely has a particularly negative impact on minority students who are more likely to be under prepared, low-income, and first generation college students in need of those services,” Moore continued. She also said that full time students have a greater likelihood of completion. If state policies can support changes to increase the number of full time students, that would be a valuable thing. To read the report, go to http://www. csus.edu/ihe Chancellor Carroll’s editorial response to the report can be found at http://www.signonsandiego.com.
The goal of DSPS is “to help students use all available resources to achieve educational goals,” according to Finkel, who also teaches Personal Growth 127 and Career Planning 027 which “create realistic career choices.” The counseling services are geared toward assisting students to be independent and able to achieve the goals they seek. “The program helped between 550600 students last semester,” said Darwin Browne, a staff member who explained some of the benefits that are available to students. He also feels the programs is generally successful and knows one graduate who is now a counselor at SDSU. These services are a proven and welcomed method of educational facilitation for students who participate.
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CityCalendar Compiled by Rebecca Saffran Send items to City Times, 1313 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101, e-mail citytimes@gmail.com, call (619) 388-3880, or fax (619) 388-3814 MARCH ■ 20 Third Anniversary of Iraq Occupation ■ 21 @ 11 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. “Free Speech” AASU presents Open Mic Location: Gorton Quad ■ 22 @ 12:45 p.m. “From Theodore Herzel to George W Bush: the modern history of Palestine” with keynote speaker Dr. Zahi Damuni Location: C103, Free APRIL ■ 2-7 SPRING BREAK ■ 18 @ 7 p.m. “Dispatches from Rebel Mexico”, film and discussion with lecturer Gregory Berger Location: B103, Free ■ 20, 21, 27, 28 @ 8 p.m. “GYPSY, a Musical Fable”, loosely based on the
MAPA and HOT MONKEY LOVE Present the first “Null Society” Live Band Event of the Year Thursday, March 22, 2007 @ Hot Monkey Love Café, 6 PM to 8:30 PM Bands: LINEA ZERO - MAITHREYA - POETRY And from 8:30 PM until 10:30! KANARI — and — MONOVOX 10:30 until ??? Live - Open Latin Jazz Hot Monkey Love Café 6875 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego California 92115 Gregory T. Morales Chapter Coordinator MAPA San Diego County (619) 266-4324 Local Office P.O. Box 86955 San Diego, CA 92138 www.mapa.org
■ 13 @ 11:15 a.m. “Human Trafficking Child Sexual Tourism”, film and discussion with Director Randi Beckman Location: Room L110, Free ■ 14 @ 11:15 a.m. “Evil Hour in Columbia”, film and discussion with Director Forrest Hilton Location: Saville Theatre, Free ■ 26 @ 7 p.m. City Film Fest Location: Saville Theatre ■ 19 @ 11:15 a.m. “Mexico: Political Change and Social Movements”, lecture on social change in Mexico/Central America Location: Room A213, Free
By Brittany Arquette City Times
quality childcare and educating parents as consumers of childcare services.
Today’s children are tomorrow’s future. We’ve all heard the saying, but no one understands it better than our very own Child Development Center. Recently, the Child Development Center was recognized by the San Diego Association for the Education of Young Children for their outstanding work in providing services for families and children. “We’ve done a lot of work with San Diego CARES, a retention program that helps childcare workers who are unstable in their jobs due to lack of pay or personal issues, stay working,” said Child Development Director Gloria Lyon. “It’s not a stable environment for children if adults are constantly quitting and they’re seeing new faces every couple months.” They also work with the YMCA Childcare Resource Service, which provides assistance to families in finding
Though they already have a busy schedule, they’re also taking time to work on the Traffic Safety Project with the Institute for Public Strategies to make the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods safer. “I was almost hit. We were surveying the campus, and I went to walk and all of a sudden I hear: honk. I thought, what’s that noise? A big bus was coming at me,” said Shontey Hambrick, the Institute for Public Strategies Community Organizer. To enroll your child in the child development program, you must be a City College student and participate at the center at least three hours a week. But if you’re looking for convenient childcare, look no further than your own campus. For more information about the Child Development Center, call (619) 388-3205.
Continued from Page 1
Full/Part-time — Flexible hours Call Jacki Betterton: (858) 565-2144
■ 23 WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE
College’s Child Development Center honored
Votech
Preschool substitute programs need aids & teachers! Pay from $8 to Pay from $8.50 to$9.75 $10.25
memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist Location: Saville Theatre
on the first floor for cosmetology students to provide service to the public. A large plaza will be constructed in the middle to allow for a student gathering area and refreshment station. The nursing department, which badly needs an expansion, will be located on the third story. There is currently a twoyear waiting list to gain entry into the program. “The programs and the VTC building will be very technologically advanced,” Debbie Berg, the nursing director at City said. “It will have more faculty and more faculty offices. It will be our new home and better place.” Currently, nursing students are able to act out patient-nurse interactions with simulated patients that can cough and have heart rates.The VTC building will give each of the simulated patients its own room and in the rooms cameras will record the reactions of the students to the patients. This will all be broadcast to other rooms so students can critique techniques and learn from them. The VTC will be a venue where the nursing department can enhance and grow from all the high tech equipment that will be
offered. The photography department will be on the fourth and fifth levels. In addition to several classrooms, the photography department will have a display gallery for showcasing their works. For photography students, the new building can’t be built soon enough. “It’s cramped as hell, and we need the space,” said Rebecca Saffran, photography major. This 88,000 square foot building will also make available 700 parking spaces and provide a new center of operations for the campus police. The VTC project is funded by the Proposition S bond, and the construction costs are estimated between $51.5 to 54.5 million. Currently, there are 16,000 students attending City College and those numbers are expected to rise in the next decade to 25,000 students, according to administrators, so the VTC is a facility that will accommodate the growing student population. “At 93-years young, City College has begun a historic development era to help meet the demands of our growing campus,” said City College President Terrence Burgess in the district newsletter. To view the complete schematic design, visit http://www.sdcity.edu/facilities/vtc.asp.
March 20, 2007
CityNews
City Times 3
Police officers bust traffic law violators By Scott Landheer City Times The San Diego City College/ East Village Community Traffic Safety Project’s Enforcement Operation took place on March 7 at the San Diego High Educational Complex. Officers from the City of San Diego, City College and the high school arrived on foot, on horseback, in cars and on motorcycles to make their presence known, issue warnings and enforce traffic safety laws. During the operation, about 26 citations were handed out, along with 24 warnings. “Today we want to support law enforcement operations and raise awareness,” said Shontey Hambrick, community organizer for the Institute for Public Strategies, as she waited for the high school students to be let out at 2:50 p.m. “Given the perils students face every day with speeding traffic and jay walking, we want to help them to change their habits and behaviors.” Volunteers handed flyers to students as they left school to inform them on ways for pedestrians to be safe and how to participate in making the area safer. The flyer can be redeemed for a free gift at the pedestrian safety table in the Quad at the high school on April 11. Volunteers included high school seniors that are part of the LEADS (Lead, Explore, Achieve, Discover and Serve) Academy, which focuses on post-secondary education and students’ roles as leaders in their community.
Members of City College’s Outreach Program, including real estate major Ilda Castrejon and America Molina, undecided, were posted on corners to hand out flyers to students passing by. Pairing with the LEADS students was a perfect fit for Castrejon, who said she joined Outreach to “help with student retention, get students to stay in college and come to college.” City College Student Ambassador Larry Byrd has been involved in student government and has spent the last couple of years working in prevention. He said he wanted to get on board with the pedestrian safety project after seeing a lot of accidents around campus. “As a bicyclist myself, I have seen a lot of things going on that aren’t safe,” Byrd said. “I just want to see our kids safe.” News crews from KUTV, KFMB, KBNT, KUSI and City College’s Newscene came out to cover the event. The project is facilitated by the Institute for Public Strategies and is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety. As traffic continues to increase along with the number of students enrolled at City and downtown development near campus, the vision for the project is “a City College/East Village environment that is safe, welcoming and accommodating for pedestrians, bicyclists and persons in wheelchairs.” To volunteer or learn more about the project, please contact Shontey Hambrick at sha mbrick@publicstrategies.org or (619) 296-3311, ext. 26.
Scott Landheer / City Times A San Diego Police officer takes speeding measurments of passing cars in front of the Harry West Gym on March 7.
Rebecca Saffran / City Times Sonia Nazario, left, signs one of three copies of her book for Karenth Diaz-Parlet, a buisnness major. Nazario’s book is based on a series of articles she wrote for the L.A. Times depicting a true account of a young Honduran boy riding the “death trains” to find his mother.
Speaker shares story about perils of immigrants By Josie Salazar and Rebecca Saffran City Times Award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario was invited by City College’s Chicano Studies department as part of World Cultures Spring 2007 to talk to students about immigration issues and her new book “Enrique’s Journey,” which is based on her L.A. Times articles in the Saville Theatre March 8. Nazario won several awards for her series of articles and her book, including two Pulitzer Prizes and the Grand Prize at the Robert F. Kennedy Journalist Awards. She is now a projects reporter for the L.A. Times, and has written intensively about issues in Latin America and in the United States. In her presentation, Nazario discussed immigration issues relating to her book. She reported in addition to the one million immigrants each year who come to the U.S., woman and children make up more then half of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants from Latin America in the U.S. today. She stated that one in four of the estimated 850 thousand each year, who come across illegally are in California. “That’s doubled the rate then in the 1980s and 1990s,” she said, “We really are experiencing the largest wave of immigration in this Nation’s history.” Nazario said that one in four children in public schools nation-wide is an immigrant or a child of an immigrant. “A big part of who these migrants are, are these single mothers,” she said. Nazario explained that her book is based on her experiences of traveling through Latin American countries tracing routes that young Latin American children take alone in order to find their often-time single mothers whom left them with other family members years before in search for better paying jobs in the U.S. They promise their children that they will come back in one or two years, but often stay away for several. She said that many of these mothers make this difficult choice based on poor living conditions, living in what she called “shacks” with no running water, dirt floors and starvation, not
being able to feed their children more then once a day. Her book depicts a true account of an 11year-old Honduran boy who braves many perils of danger in crossing thousands of miles to the U.S. border to find his mother in North Carolina with only the clothes on his back and the phone number for his mother on a little piece of paper. She said that there is an “army of children” who make the journey every year, and that 48,000 children traveled in this way in 2001. And that approximately 100,000 had crossed in 2006, ranging from teenagers to as young as seven years old. She reported that many of the single mothers, children and other migrants travel on tops of trains and face peril, in places like Chiapas that
See STORY, Page 4
4
March 20, 2007
NEWS
City Times
Transfer fair focuses on historically black colleges By Shanika Whaley City Times
at the event had informational pamphlets, admission applications for those already interested and essential information that every student should know when entering a four-year institute. One of the colleges at the event was Dillard University. Dillard is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school offers an array of majors and activities. Some majors include accounting, business management, international business and a variety
City College hosted an array of different Black colleges at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Day in Gorton Quad Feb. 28. Students from around San Diego County came to see what these colleges had to offer. At the event, students, a majority of them Black, delved into the interesting facts about some of the schools. A lot of the schools that were
of languages including French, German, or Japanese. The school also features activities such as a Black Heritage Ball, a Foreign Relations Club and a Miss Dillard University. SojournerAbdulah, the community director for Dillard University was representing the institution and getting people involved. “I don’t try to recruit people,” replied SojournerAbdulah. “I do.” The next college was San
Diego’s very own San Diego State University. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was gathering people to join the sisterhood. The Delta sorority was founded Jan. 13, 1913. At the beginning there were only 22 women involved. Even though there are many more women now, that doesn’t mean they can’t have more. Interested in joining the sorority was Acheish Johnson, a student enrolled in cosmetology. “I’ve always wanted to join
a sorority, particularly Delta,” said Acheish. “Also, I’ve been interested in going to an all Black college; Grambling University in Louisiana has been a choice for me.” The colleges all offered something different for the students. Each one of these colleges had very interesting facts and information that were needed for students to make up their minds about where they want to go, and which school will help them go further.
College costs prompt student rally in Washington, D.C. By Sally Dadisman MCT Campus
“It’s empowering to have students coming to fight for their rights,” said Carmen Berkley, who is the grassroots legislative liaison for USSA’s executive board. “(The rally) being in front of the Capitol building, it says a lot that ... we’re the ones representing all students from every walk of life all across the country” Berkley and Pae, who is president of the USSA, along with many others, held the rally to celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary and to launch National Student Lobby Day.Fighting the bitter cold, students came to voice their concern over the rising cost of education. “Although the weather made it extremely cold, for all of the students it’s a deep issue many students are impacted by,” Pae said. A main reason for having it on Capitol Hill was to get the message to the public, but also to members of Congress, she said. Pae highlighted the fact that almost two-thirds of the 15 million students
With almost $40,000 of debt in student loans after graduating from UC San Diego in 2005, Jennifer Pae has had enough. Pae, along with around 400 other students rallied in Washington, D.C., last week to protest what they see as a major problem in higher education funding: There isn’t enough. “College is quickly becoming out of reach,” Pae said. “Four hundred thousand qualified high school students can’t go due to costs. We need to ensure education must be a legislative priority this congressional year.” While convening at the Capitol, United States Student Association delegates, who came from 20 states and almost 300 campuses, had the chance to make 150 Congressional visits. Congressman George Miller (D-CA), the current chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, joined the students.
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graduating college will, on average, be leaving with almost $20,000 in debt. Also during the rally, students were able to meet with congressional representatives and staffers. “All of the people we went to were very receptive,” said Berkley, who is a senior studying political science and communication at the University of Pittsburgh. “They knew about their education policy, but they weren’t as well-versed on higher education. We were able to give them stories from the constituents, and they said things like, `We never thought of that way.’” The newly elected Democratic Congress has made recent steps toward raising the Pell grant, the federal government’s main financial aid program for low-income students, but Berkley wants to remind Congress not to let other programs suffer in return. “It’s important that we are not cutting programs in place of others,” she said. “Yes, students had a major victory with the increased Pell grant, but if we get $250 more for the Pell grant that doesn’t mean we should lose millions of dollars in other programs.” Berkley, who says she will be at least $60,000 in debt when she graduates this year, notes what she calls a “change in tone” with Congress’ new Democratic majority. “With the Democratic congress things haven’t changed as fast as everyone would like, but at least the conversations with staffers we’re having is different,” she said. “Last year, a lot of the people who were in office would say, `We understand what you’re saying, but we’re not really interested,’ or, `Students aren’t really our constituents.’ But this year
Story Continued from Page 3 the migrants call the “heart of darkness,” bandits with machetes ready to rob, rape , or throw them off the trains. She reported that many of the migrants do not make it to the border, being killed by the bandits, or from jumping off the trains and getting stuck under the wheels. She talked about how she saw several shelters ran by local villagers along the railways who have taken wounded migrants in to care for them, often in a one-room home. She said that many of the wounded are mothers and children, and many have lost limbs. She also said that many villagers in
we heard, `We understand what you’re saying students, and we’re on your side. We realize that you vote us into office and we’re going to listen to you.’” Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman, is contributing to this change by pushing his Student Debt Relief Act Bill. The bill would provide a raise in Pell grants, lower interest rates, debt relief and extends the college student tax deduction among other things. In his blog on The Huffington Post, Edwards, calling the new Congress the “Do-Something Democrats,” states his support for increased education funding. “We need to get the priorities of Congress straight, and one way to do so is to insist that a college education be a basic right for all, not just an expensive privilege for the few,” he wrote. In the end, Berkley hopes there is more awareness of higher education issues. “We should all be very cognizant of how the legislative bodies are responding to legislature on higher education,” she said. Pae also notes the difference a little time makes. “Looking at high levels of debt 20 years ago, student financial aid packages were predominantly grants,” Pae said. “Now they’re predominantly loans.” A first generation college graduate in her family, Pae puts a face on the struggle. “I wouldn’t have gone to school had it not been for federal financial aid programs,” she said. “We need to make sure these programs are secure, otherwise we’re shutting the door to many qualified students.”
many Latin American countries will line up as the trains pass just to pass out what little food and water that they can and sometimes blankets to the migrants traveling on top. A woman in Vera Cruz, who claims to be 100, told Nazario she gathers food baskets daily so her 70year-old daughter can take them to the tracks. She discussed that many of the migrant single mothers that are now working in the U.S. such as nannies or housekeepers, have often left their own children, faced the perils of the trains just to come here hoping for a better chance of helping their families survive. However, many do not realize that it is harder then they thought, and most often, these single mothers don’t see their children for 10 years or more, unless their children make it, traveling the same routes, facing the same peril.
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March 20, 2007
City Times 5
NEWS
Passport changes, travel advisories won’t stop Spring Break revelers By Bill Hanna MCT Campus New passport requirements, violence in some Mexican resort towns, crowded airplanes and steadily increasing gasoline prices won’t keep college students from heading out of town. The passport requirements went into effect last month for travelers to Mexico and the Caribbean and appear to have done little to slow students’ demand for international travel during spring break. But one travel agent predicts that some students will be surprised by the new rule when they try to check in at airports this weekend. “It’s going to be interesting, especially with the college kids going to the Caribbean and Mexico,” said Steve Cosgrove, owner of Dynamic Travel in Southlake, Texas. “How many will show up at the airport without their passports?” Even though charter companies like Funjet and Worry-Free Vacations have offered to pay for passports for those who book packages, Cosgrove says some college students don’t know about the new requirements. “Either they’re going to be clueless or they’re going to forget it and leave it at home; there’s going to be some screaming fits at airport counters this weekend,” said Cosgrove, who just returned from a junket to the Bahamas where he saw one adult who showed up without a passport. Despite the passport concerns, college students as well as families are traveling this year. Planes are full, and hotels are booked up — both at warm-weather destinations like Florida and California as well as ski resorts in Colorado, New Mexico
and Utah. “If you’re looking at the top 10 family destinations — Florida, California, Mexico or something in that order — it would be refinance-your-home week,” said Tom Parsons of Best Fares.com. “If you can find a seat at all, you’re going to be paying $1,400 to $1,500 to get to Cancun this weekend. It doesn’t necessarily mean more people are traveling this year, just that the airlines are getting smarter with the way they do business, cutting capacity and making sure their planes are full.” South Padre Island expects to host an estimated 85,000 college students this month. It won’t be a record, but tourism officials predict it will be enough to keep the South Texas beach town firmly in its position as the second-most popular domestic destination behind Panama City, Fla., and ahead of Daytona Beach, Fla., and Lake Havasu City, Ariz. “In all of the traditional springbreak destinations, the total numbers have been declining,” said Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It doesn’t mean kids are shying away from spring break, it just means some are staying away from the larger spring break sites. There’s lot of unique competition. They can nearly fly to Paris for the week for the same price they can drive here and rent a condo. Some are simply going off on their own in smaller groups, and some are doing humanitarian efforts with groups like Habitat for Humanity.” Still, the desire to celebrate spring hasn’t diminished, said Christi Day, a spokeswoman for Lewisville, Texas-
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March 20, 2007
Perceptions through Vogue I always find myself asking the question, “How much can people find out about you by learning about what you do?” This question was most recently raised by a small assignment I had in my English class. For my English class, we were told to bring in an article to share with the class on our next meeting. We had been short on time so the teacher didn’t really announce what type of article to bring. We had read a chapter in our text book about photojournalism, so I assumed we should bring in an article that is accompanied by a picture. I hadn’t put Luis Bahena much thought into my assignment until the day before class. I was at home when I realized that I had to look for an article. I have a lot of magazines at home ranging everywhere from health and fitness, men’s fashion, electronic gaming, movies and television entertainment, and Vogue. I looked through a few magazines before I found an issue of Vogue from September. Vogue’s September issue is usually pretty big, in this case, it was around 700 pages. The cover featured Kirsten Dunst in the portrayal of the Marie Antoinette. This was in reference to Sofia Coppola’s latest film, Marie Antoinette. I got interested in the article regarding the once-queen of France. The article was about Marie Antoinette’s fashion sense and style, and how she basically revolutionized the fashion scene in Versailles back in the 18th century. I was so entranced by the article that I decided to bring this in to share with the class. It was also accompanied by beautiful pictures of the actors from the movie photographed by the famous photographer Annie Leibovitz. As a safety precaution, I decided to bring in my Vanity Fair magazine, around 500 pages, as well since it had this really nice ensemble of photographs telling a story, also photographed by Leibovitz. So there I was in class, with two huge magazines in
Live and Learn
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CityTimes Volume 61, Issue 9 March 20, 2007 Published as: The Jay Sees / 1945-1949 Fortknightly / 1949-1978 City Times / 1978Incorporating the newspapers Tecolote, Knight Owl and Flicks Scott Landheer Editor-in-Chief Josie Salazar News Editor Luis Bahena Opinion Editor & Managing Editor Nicole Burdette Arts Editor
Shanika Whaley Feature Editor Cameron Mason Sports Editor Rebecca Saffran Calendar Editor Ariana Gallegos & Rebecca Saffran Photography Editor Lauren Ciallella Copy Editor City Times Staff Brittany Arquette, Tala Bashmi, Stephen Burgers, Aysha Johnson, Emily Pfaff, Rosemarie Davis Contributor Peyri Hamada Roman S. Koenig Journalism Adviser
City Times is published twice monthly during the semester. Signed opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, City College administration, faculty and staff or the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees. How to reach us: City Times San Diego City College 1313 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 Newsroom: L-125 Phone: (619) 388-3880 Fax: (619) 388-3814 E-mail: citytimes@gmail.com Program homepage: www.sdcity.edu/citytimes
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World on Fire
Tala Bashmi / City Times
The question of global warming This may be more important to to the citizens of the future ...
When I was in third grade, we celebrated the first Earth Day. My school was in a middle class neighborhood which afforded each student a pine seedling to take home and plant. I planted my tree and it ended up being cut down by my brother wielding our lawnmower. I didn’t contemplate an environmental holocaust because this was during the cold war which taught me, “life goes on.” The concern about global warming for me is that unlike the Earth Day of third grade, time has allowed me to observe drastic environmental changes. In January an iceberg the size of Manhattan broke free from the Arctic shelf and will float into warmer waters to melt. Over the last century, 90 percent of the ice shelf has melted. Politically, South America is cornering the market on global, oxygen concerns. One consistent catalyst in
Viewpoint Stephen Burgers the colonization of the Americas from 1492 to the present has been the clear cutting of trees for agriculture and lumber. It adds up to about five hundred years of tree cutting, counting the tree my brother accidentally cut with the lawnmower. Global warming did not happen overnight. Planting trees is our only legitimate opposition. The change that one tree can produce in a single day is enough oxygen for four people, transfer 100 gallons of water from ground to air and can absorb 16.87 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. In the beginning of February I planted a second pine tree from Home Depot costing $4.95 and donated to the Arbor Day Foundation. I plant a tree a
month because it makes a difference today and also for the young people who are not aware environmental problems, but who will inherit them. The solutions will not be quick, but considering the impact of a single tree, my belief is planting one does make a difference. This may not be an instant answer, but it is a reversal in one cause of the problem. This may be more important to the citizens of the future than to baby boomers like me because the fact is “life goes on”. “Environmental problems do not arise from the natural world operating on its own. Such actions arise from the specific actions of human beings.” -Society the Basics (sociology text). Stephen Burgers is a City Times staff writer
‘Education is a right and not a privilege’ Letter to the Editor Dear Editor:
I would be most disagreeable in your “real world” of intolerance. In response to your article entitled “The liberal hippies at Berkeley need to look at the big picture...” I was shocked and appalled by the lack of compassion. In my opinion, the hippies aren’t the only ones who need to look at the “big picture”. I believe that a convicted “druggie”, as you choose to call them, might actually be someone in need just as much as anyone else on this planet. In fact, they might need
more help than your “real life is tough” puritan based dogma will ever allow. By recognizing that many economically less fortunate students often have histories related to drugs, it is my view that Berkeley continues to be at the forefront of social justice allowing opportunities to obtain higher education for individuals from all walks of life. It was said by a very prominent French leader that, “After bread, Education is the first
need of the people.” Without access to education, our world can only continue to suffer from phenomenon like substance abuse. It is in my belief, and a belief held by many others, that education is a right and not a privilege.
Jason Araujo SDCC Student
CityArts
March 20, 2007
City Times 7
Cafe Bassam adds a shot of Old World to San Diego
O
n the corner of Fourth and Market and just a hop, skip and jump away from the main street of San Diego’s Gaslamp District, Café Bassam has served coffee connoisseurs since 1991. The ambience is that of a quaint European café complete with impressionist paintings and an impressive gun collection displayed on the walls. An awe-inspiring assortment of loose leaf tea sprawls over a good deal of the counter space, and in the corner an old mahogany piano beckons musicians. Every other week, it’s put to good use for opera night. A slew of quaint tables entice customers to pull up a chair with a companion and take in the old world charm. There are an array of indie magazines and newspapers lined along the bar, giving the solo adventurer the opportunity to pick up some information along with a latte.
Review
Nicole Burdette
See CAFE, Page 8
Peyri Hamada / Contributor
This photo of a headstone in Prague was taken by Emily Tarpley on a EuroFoto trip.
EuroFoto enables students to focus abroad By Rebecca Saffran City Times A class unlike any other, City College’s EuroFoto offers students the opportunity to learn new photo techniques, earn class units, and see some amazing places. Photo department chairman, Dave Eichinger, brought the program with him from Dallas two years ago to share the experience with his San Diego students. The 2007 EuroFoto itinerary will bring students through Ireland, Scotland, and England and culminate with six weeks in the City darkroom. Travel begins June 6 and ends June 23, although students have the option to prolong their stay. Darkroom dates run from July 2 to Aug. 10. Students are expected to assemble their trip portfolios for exhibition. “Unlike many European Tours, we will not spend the majority of our time staring at the back of a motor coach headrest while trying to see nine countries in nine days. This adventure has been planned for the photographer, with ample time in most areas to explore the back streets and more,” Eichinger said on his Euro-
Foto website. Emily Tarpley, a 2006 student, traveled to Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, and Paris in what she termed “a reunion with my camera.” Tarpley had last taken photography in high school, and viewed EuroFoto as an opportunity to “get back into the groove of photography.” Tarpley, who shot black and white film her entire trip, explained she learned a lot from her fellow travelers who carried multiple cameras, tripods, and other equipment. The six weeks in the darkroom after the trip proved significant not only for her portfolio, but also in reminiscing with her friends. Tarpley recommends that new students get as much out of the experience as possible. “The money thing is not that big a deal once you’re already in Europe — just stretch your meals … I spent way more than I planned, but it was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life,” she said. For more information visit www. eurofoto.info or email Dave Eichinger at deiching@sdccd.edu.
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March 20, 2007
ARTS
City Times
‘Tango’ steps on your toes
Photos by Lauren Ciallella / City Times Audible Mainframe takes the stage at the San Diego Indie Music Festival on March 3 in North Park.
Without labels (major ones anyway) Indie Music Fest brings revolution to the streets of North Park
By Lauren Ciallella City Times Donning a scarlet burlesque, can-can dress (one of many costumes changes), an enthused Laura Jane (LJ) cruised the main stage while emceeing San Diego’s third Indie Music Festival on March 3. Tripling in size since 2004, the event’s increased volume made it necessary to move from The Abbey (2825 5th Ave.), which housed this So Cal ‘happening’ during its first two years (flowing into Kung Foods the second year). North Park was a natural fit when it came to relocating — a freshly renovated Birch Theater, a bounty of independent business owners and a newly expanding community that still operated on a ‘mom and pop’ wavelength. It was exactly what co-creators Danielle Lopresti and Alicia Champion were looking for to express what this festival was all about — the little guy, the underdog — the independent. “We wanted to utilize this neighborhood that represented so much of what the festival was about and have them part-
Cafe Continued from Page 7 Since Café Bassam is a registered smoke shop, smoking inside is allowed. This may be undesirable for non smokers, but the open layout and ceiling fans keep the air circulating and the smoke from being overwhelming and irritating. In a society where something like a “double tall two raw sugar, extra hot, no foam
Festival emcee Laura Jane. ner with us and show people that independent music is supporting independent business,” said Lopresti. University Ave. (Utah St. to Ray St.) was wedged with culture or entertainment (sometimes both) in every nook and cranny, spanning the neighborhood with seven stages- opera, acoustic, rock, spoken word and, “just about every genre of music that you can think of,” Champion proudly admitted. “Diversity is huge to us,” noted Lopresti, explaining that indie music includes all music that’s not under a major label. Bringing along their brood
latte” is common, the simplistic layout of Bassam’s menu is refreshing — coffee $2.50, lattes $3-3.50, Chai lattes $3. The pastries sit subtly to the side of the cash register, but these treats are remarkable. An elephant ear paired with a chai latte is contentment for the tummy. As of early spring, Bassam will no longer be a staple of the Gaslamp. In November of 2006, the 20th Century building was sold to Chris Eddy of San Diego. Allegedly, Eddy expressed
of hardworking talent — LJ as ‘queen bee’ emcee each year, Karen Bowen (first year) and Esta Browning (past two years) — this small infrastructure of women leaned on each other to create this unique event with little outside help. Built from the inside out, the three presenting sponsors of this grass roots movement were Lopresti’s Say it Records, Champion’s Champ Records and their coowned production company, Buddha Sound. “A big part of the whole event is advocating teamwork. As independents we don’t have the billions of dollars that big corporations do, but we do have an endless, limitless, powerful resource in each other,” said Champion. Lopresti also had strong feelings about her indie loyalties upon “getting shafted” by a major record label. After working for two years on ‘The Nutty Professor’ soundtrack and ending up with two songs in the movie, Lopresti found out in the eleventh hour that she would only receive royalties from video play in foreign coun-
See FEST, Page 10
to café owner Bassam Shamma that he wanted more than double the rent Bassam pays now. The new location will be on Cedar, a considerable distance from the established location. With an unusual flair and unfaltering quality, Café Bassam is sure to move along with some loyal customers. It’s also an opportunity to build an even larger consumer base. Whether in the area or in search of a new spot to hit the books, Bassam is a stop that is worth making.
News of this distinctive wine shop had the six of us traipsing to Little Italy for a Saturday evening at Tango. Sidestepping wine store convention, their quirky twist on potluck has customers toting their own tapas to 2161 India Street. Captivated by the thought of an indoor picnic while sipping regional wines, we arrived laden with Tupperware and nostalgic enthusiasm of tea parties past, ready to partake in this simple yet inventive realm of “dining out.” Unfortunately, our glee was short lived and resulted in one of the most sobering experiences I’ve had at a wine bar. Although Tango possessed key ingredients for a perfect night of wine tasting with friends (good wine, boutique selection, no corkage fee), they managed to ruin it with an unwelcoming and eventually abrasive attitude. Finding the establishment empty upon our arrival, we were pleased to have our choice of seating. The interior didn’t hold much appeal, dividing a cold, concrete space into two areas- one with various wine crates laying about for inspection and one with all the charm of an unfinished basement. Its painted cinder block aesthetic and an oddly placed patio set amongst the other furniture gave a disjointed ambiance to the “snacking and sipping” area. We approached the first table — a long, unfinished wood block adorned with tall stools. I would never learn if those stools were as uncomfortable as they looked because we were quickly ushered away by a woman who told us that she needed the table for a tasting group at 7 p.m. (they never showed). We were actually relieved by her detour when we noticed the large, leather bound sofa with a low, round table that was ideal for housing our impressive feast. We all took turns picking out bottles, sampling two Chiantis and two of their signature Malbec variety, a featured wine from Argentina. All were welcome additions to our palate, with bold traces of woody earthiness in the Malbecs. We ordered one last bottle to finish out the night, feeling giddy from the wine and the inner warmth it had fueled in our rosy-cheeked,
Review
Lauren Ciallella
campfire circle. After purchasing five bottles and spending over $100, our sedated lull was brought to a crashing halt -literally. The woman who shooed us away earlier had remained aloof the remainder of the evening and seemed pained to take our money for each bottle (selected with no help from her). Now she was standing right next to us and playing the garbage can lids like cymbals, asserting this hostile instrumental as our cue to leave. We checked our watches and noticed it was only 8:10 p.m. Confused, we finally figured out they close at 8 p.m., which doesn’t make much sense on a Saturday night. This also seemed strange since the “socalled” tasting began at 7 p.m. When she started performing her “tin can alley” impression, it was only 10 minutes after they were supposed to close and I’m curious as to what they’d do if someone came in at 7:45 p.m. - push them out the door in 15 minutes? If the Tango staff wants leave by 8 p.m., then they need to close at 7 p.m. It was even more infuriating since we had just dropped a c-note and were literally being chased out. In the hour or so we were there, we were their only customers and now we knew why. When I ran into my friend who had suggested it, she was shocked. She recounted her own experience, painting a picture of customers milling around and mingling, while friendly owners opened bottles, offering guests a taste of this or that. She was also told that although they usually close at 8 p.m., they’d stay open as long as there were people there. What type of Jekyll and Hyde establishment was this? I was disheartened to find that this affable alter ego existed because we had somehow missed it and instead incurred the wrath of Broom Hilda. I ended up leaving this wine-filled evening at Tango with nothing but “sour grapes.” Lauren Ciallella is City Times’ copy editor
Lauren Ciallella / City Times Tango Wine Company is located at 2161 India St.
March 20, 2007
City Times 9
NEWS
Student narcissism at all-time high, SDSU researcher finds By Kendra Stiles Kansas State Collegian MANHATTAN, Kan. (UWIRE) — Narcissism and selfcenteredness are at an all-time high among college students, according to a study conducted by researchers at San Diego State University. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at SDSU, conducted the research and had about 16,000 college students fill out a Narcissistic Personality Inventory survey between 1982 and 2006. “Far from being civically oriented, young people born after 1982 are the most narcissistic generation in recent history,” Twenge said in an SDSU press release. K-State Counseling Services director and licensed psychologist Fred Newton said he agreed with the findings though he had not conducted much research on the subject himself.
Newton said despite advances in technology and other advantages, students often arrive at college with high hopes but lacking preparation. “If you compare college students today with those of 20 years ago, students’ expectations are higher, and they believe they’ll do better,” he
said. “But as far as preparations go, they actually rate lower than they were back then.” In accordance with Twenge’s research, Newton attributed Generation Y’s narcissistic tendencies to the culture surrounding it. “Generation Y is sometimes referred to as the ‘trophy gener-
ation,’” Newton said. “So many times, kids are given trophies for basically nothing besides participating. Parents and the society around them have created the problem by overly recognizing people.” Terri Delimont, senior in public heath nutrition, said she agreed parents, and soci-
ety in general, are to blame for the rise in vanity among young people. “I think kids are spoiled rotten,” she said. “When I was growing up, my parents didn’t overdo it, but it seems like today kids get everything they want. The focus is on the kids instead of on the family.”
Alumnus Costner visits Fullerton By Johnathan Kroncke CSU Fullerton Daily Titan FULLERTON (U-WIRE) — Actor and director Kevin Costner addressed a capacity crowd at California State University at Fullerton on Wednesday with a single message in mind: Believe in yourself. “There is a lot of noise out there [in the world],” Costner said. “The signals are all wrong. You have to listen to the ticking of your own heart.” Costner spoke at the Little Theater in the old Performing Arts building to a boisterous crowd, made up of theater, business and communications majors anxious to see the Oscar winner. “I thought it would be an interesting experience to see Kevin Costner,” said Dan Duran, a 22-year-old Radio/TV/ Film major. Students were notified of the event by their professors, who took time during their classes to hand out tickets. Costner, a CSUF alumnus, was contacted by Anil Puri, dean of the College of Business and Economics, who collaborated with the Arts department, to speak. “He has a longtime relation with the university,” said Jerry Samuelson, dean of the College of the Arts, adding that Costner has spoken at the campus before. Costner was very personable with the students, receiving a tearful thank you from an exCoast Guard for his film “The Guardian.” Most showered Costner with questions about his career and the ups and downs it has taken. “It was hard for me to find my way,” Costner said. “My road to try and understand who I was was a hard one.” Costner began his college career as business major. But after ranking near the bottom of his class, he knew his future lay somewhere else. “I was overmatched, I knew it,” Costner said.
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March 20, 2007
ARTS / VOICE / NEWS
City Times
Fest Continued from Page 8 tries. “I just decided right there that I’m just done with major labels and done with corporate music,” Lopresti recalled. Meeting up with Champion in late 2003 at a San Diego music festival, the two recognized their professional chemistry and began working on several projects together. One idea developed after Champion mentioned an event she did back in Boston for Women’s History Month (March). “We decided to produce our own vision out here on the west coast,” said Lopresti and by March 2004 they had spun a female festival booking all women bands, vendors and speakers. “After we finished that event, we felt so inspired by what we had been able to create together. One of us said, ‘I’ve always had a dream of creating a huge festival that’s all about independent music’,” remembered Lopresti. Working tirelessly (for free), the women composed the first San Diego Indie Music Festival in November 2004. They did a repeat of both events the following year and decided in 2006 to combine the two. 2007 marked the first year that joined Women’s History Month and Indie Music Fest in an event together, imparting an entire slew of unknown talent on the crowd. “Most people have never heard of these bands before. Most of them are not getting any radio play at all and I just think this is really important.” Bands like Audible Mainframe, a Boston-bred blend now calling Long Beach home, offered up a richly roasted form of Old R&B, with hints of “Bobby Caldwell/ Bill Withers” mixed with some ‘Rage Against the Machine’ nuances. Trumpet and sax wailed as DJ Mutt (aka Dr. Claw) spun and front man, Exposition spat (rhymes). DJ Mutt described their sound as, “Revolutionary classic
‘The concept of independent is so much bigger than just itself. It’s not just about music and art. It’s about everything in our media and how we live our lives.’ — Danielle Lopresti, festival co-creator hip hop funk.” “It’s great to be around different musicians and like minded people to get tips and advice,” added Exposition. “It really shows the spirit of community. It’s different than a concert. People walking by can stop and listen and don’t have to pay.” Roaming from stage to stage made it easy to give every sound a chance and experience the palpable shift in mood by just walking a couple of feet. From Audible Mainframe rocking the main stage to operatic lullabies rocking infants to sleep, this wasn’t a vanilla mix of instrumentals — and that was the point. “The concept of independent is so much bigger than just itself. It’s not just about music and art. It’s about everything in our media and how we live our lives,” Lopresti observed. “It’s an activist festival masquerading as a music festival.” To learn more or how to become a sponsor for next year, go to www.sdindiemusicfest.com
Perceptions Continued from Page 6 my desk, when I decided to pull my view from my magazine to look at the room and see what my classmates had brought in. To my surprise, almost all of my classmates had brought in articles of current events. When the teacher instructed us to just introduce the type of article we had brought, I felt so out of place, being the only student who brought in an article about fashion, while all my other classmates decided to bring articles on the war in Iraq, or something regarding a suicide pilot. It was in this moment when it hit me, “what will my classmates think of me? How does this circumstance shape their perception of me?” I felt it was an interesting thought, and I realized how disconnected I was from current events. Yet at the same time, I defended my disconnectedness by formulating reasons why I was indeed so disconnected. For instance, I work full time, I’m a student part time, and I have too many
Break Continued from Page 5 based STA Travel, which has travel agencies at 70 college campuses nationwide. Bookings this year increased 18 percent over last year, she said, with the destinations as varied as the students’ interests. “It’s still a rite of passage,” Day said. “If I’m in college, I’m going to do spring break. Many will want to be actively engaged in some activity rather than driving to the beach or the mountains to party.” Just as the passport issue doesn’t appear to be curbing international travel,
worries such as car and insurance payments on top of my already plethoric amount of bills. I realized that although my article was very different from those of my peers, I was ideally content with what I had decided to share with my classmates. Sure, it was very irrelevant to what everyone else had brought in, but in a sense, it was a reflection of my interest. I wasn’t going to feel embarrassed for myself for expressing my interests and opinion on a subject that was a little unclear to begin with. It wasn’t until we began with our sharing of articles that our teacher revealed to us that she had wanted us to bring in something “controversial.” I said to myself, “My article is controversial, not many people liked Queen Marie Antoinette. She was eventually beheaded!” By the end of class I didn’t put much thought into what my classmates might have had thought about my article. Besides, somehow, the discussion in class had turned to a discussion regarding celebrities. I think I may have been responsible for steering the conversation towards that direction. neither does drug-related violence in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco, where federal troops are stationed to protect some beachfront hotels. Acapulco was STA Travel’s No. 1 destination for students at its three Texas branches at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston. That doesn’t surprise Cosgrove, the Southlake agent. “Any destination can be dangerous,” Cosgrove said. “My worry is going to be is if my kid is going to get drunk and fall off a balcony rather than get hit by a drug dealer — or if my daughter is going to be coming home and making me a grandfather. Those are the kind of things that would keep me up at night.”
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t e ac h i n g t i p # 9
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March 20, 2007
CitySports
Women’s b-ball returns to court
Soccer coach earns full time appointment By Rebecca Saffran City Times “Freeway Fliers”: part-time professors who pay their dues by commuting between two or three campuses while working to achieve a full-time appointment on one. Andi Miliburn, City’s newly appointed Assistant Professor of Health & Exercise Science, no longer makes such trips to Miramar or Mesa while coaching women’s soccer at City. Now she can relax—sort of. Since recruiting players from the City cafeteria between freeway flights four years ago, Milburn now enjoys more time with her students and players—she also enjoys learning from them. Long accustomed to players whose parents pay thousands for their kids to play soccer, Milburn found herself without enough of them at City. She learned of cultural issues keeping female students out of sports, and now meets with families to explain the opportunities available for their daughters in soccer. Her commitment doesn’t stop there. Once she has students on the field, Milburn works hard to instill in them the skills and motivation to continue in college and succeed in life. She
Knights finish first season since program ended a decade ago By Tala Bashmi City Times After a decade-long absence, the San Diego City College women’s basketball team has been reinstated. The Knights struggled during the pre-season, finishing 1-13, as well as finishing a dismal 112 during conference play, but that is only to be expected from a team so recently formed.
Rebecca Saffran / City Times Soccer coach Andi Milburn teaches students passing technique during one of her classes. encourages involvement in community service so students can better see what she termed ‘the big picture’. “Everything in my life is
related to soccer,” said Milburn. As a teacher and role model, she uses soccer as a means to instill commitment, dedication, lasting relation-
ships, positive self-image, and the ability to learn from failures. “Believe it or not” she says, “it isn’t all about soccer.”
Harry West Gym home to new sports programs By Cameron Mason City Times The Harry West Gymnasium was completed in Oct. of 2005 to accommodate indoor athletics played at San Diego City College. The facility was built to replace a previously inadequate facility in the P building along Park Boulevard. The new gymnasium provides three regulation basketball courts, eight badminton courts, and five volleyball courts- all of which are surrounded by seating for up to 2,000 spectators. “Having one of the largest community college facilities in the state, we have a unique opportunity to do a number of things here at Harry West,” said Athletic Director Cassie Macias. The Building, which stands at 55,000 sq ft provides offices for the athletic staff, four locker rooms, a weight room, and an indoor physical education classroom that seats forty students. Macias started at City College as the women’s basketball coach in 1990 and after a brief stint as the Assistant Athletic Director, became the Athletic Director of the college in 1998. Since the building’s inauguration on Oct.1 2005, Macias has been instrumen-
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Cameron Mason / City Times A state of the art facility for the growing San Diego City College athletic program. tal in bringing intercollegiate athletics back to City College. This year alone, the men’s volleyball team had its first season at City, in addition the women’s basketball team returned, which had not had a home for over a decade. “We anticipated the finishing of the gym would bring these programs on board. The women’s basketball team had been a long time coming and after such a successful club season at the gym for men’s volley ball in 2006, we found the interest for that program to be large enough to field a team,” said Marcias. “Our priority for the usage of this facility, first and foremost, is our instructional pro-
grams, health and exercise science, and our own intercollegiate athletic program,” Macias answered when asked about the future of the gymnasium and uses for the facility. “We are also excited about hosting large events such as the upcoming Badminton State Championships,” which City College won last year. The Harry West Gymnasium has in fact played host to several tournaments of late including a CIF basketball tournament game, and a National Junior College Basketball tournament over Christmas break. AAU basketball events have also been played recently, as well as ceremonies for the SDCC nursing
department graduates. The original plans for a new gymnasium were first submitted in 1990 by the Athletic Director at that time, Harry West. The state did not approve the funding. However, according to reports this hardly discouraged West in revising and pushing forward his plans. Finally in 1999, a few years after West’s retirement, the petition was approved to provide funding to construct a new facility for San Diego City College. West’s persistence and dedication was awarded in 1993 when he was inducted into the California Community
See GYM, Page 12
On Feb. 3, the team did get their first conference win at the expense of the Grossmont Griffins, with a hard earned 64-57 victory. City’s Melissa Gaines, guard, led with 20 points, 16 coming in the second half to pick up the slack after center Laura Mosqueda fouled out with 13:31 remaining. Gaines also collected five assists, while team co-captain Calissa Fletcher scored 17 points. “We’ve worked hard to get this far… the win may not mean much to anyone else, but for us it means everything,” said Tonya Alleyne, the team’s new head coach. Alleyne was a standout basketball player herself during her years at Seton Hall. Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1991 and earning her master’s degree in corporate and public communication, she has coached at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, University of South Carolina, and Fresno State. She is reinstating the women’s basketball team with the help of assistant coaches Jose De La Garma, Erin Eckenrode and Jeff Perham. From grueling practices to nursing their injuries with the help of the caring trainers, these players and coaches could be the cause of a major turnaround for the future of City’s women’s basketball team. With the season drawn to a close, the Knights, made up entirely of freshmen, ended their season with a 2-25 overall record. The Pacific Coast Conference announced that Gaines has been selected to the 2007 AllPCC First Team. In addition, Mosqueda and Fletcher were also selected by the PCC in the honorable mention category.
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City Times
SPORTS
March 20, 2007
Indoor rock climbing offers fun, fitness and adventure
Rebecca Saffran / City Times City College’s Fitness Center offers several inexpensive fitness options.
Fitness Center offers options By Brittany Arquette City Times Walk into any Bally’s or 24 Hour Fitness and it’s the same thing: for only a couple of hundred dollars down and $40 a month, you can become a member. But at that price, don’t even think about a personal trainer. If you’re a student at City, though, you have access to a workout facility with all the same equipment as a mainstream gym, plus the one on one attention you would get from a personal trainer, right here on campus. The Fitness Center, not to be confused with its neighbor the Harry West Gymnasium, offers fitness classes that focus on you individually, by focusing on the five components of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition and flexibility. “After only five weeks of being in these
classes, I’ve seen students go down 10 to 30 heart beats per minute, increase flexibility 2-4 inches and lose 2-3 percent body fat,” said Health and Exercise Professor Peter Gregory. “It all depends on how committed you are.” The best part about the classes is the price. Because fitness classes are only half a unit, the cost for the entire semester is only $10. You can only take the class four semesters, after that you would have to pay a $100 fee per semester to use the workout facilities. However, you can instead take an advanced fitness class, which combines physical strength with mental strength. “A lot of athletes have the strength to do well, but when the best of the best are competing, it comes down to mental strength,” Gregory said. For more information about the Fitness Center, visit the school website at www.sdcity.edu and click on athletics.
Do you have an adventurous streak and would like to try something new? If you’re up for a challenge then try indoor rock climbing (also known as free climbing). It’s a fun alternative sport and is a great work out. Indoor rock climbing takes upper body strength, but for total momentum one must utilize the lower half of the body and propel oneself up with the legs. This enables a person to not get as tired and makes it a better total body workout as well. Here is what you’ll need to get started, first the shoes. The shoes have a rubber sole on the bottom for better friction and usually fit a bit snug to prevent the foot from sliding around in the shoe so one has a better grip on the rock. It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but you’ll get used to it. Another thing you’ll need is the harness which is fastened around your hips and thighs. If you are the person spotting the climber then you will use a belay device. This is attached to a carabiner that is attached to the harness. The belay device allows the climber to have tension from the rope as that person climbs and allows the spotter to brake in case the climber slips off a hold. Many indoor gyms have this gear and the rope provided that can be rented for a small fee. There are a few indoor climbing techniques: bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing. Bouldering does not require a safety harness and can be easily done by the novice climber. Top roping is where the rope holds the climber at the top and the spotter (this person is called the belay partner) is standing fixed on the floor. Lead climbing is where the climber clips the rope to the rock at various points of the climb. Lead climbing is much more difficult and is done by more experienced climbers. Before you climb there are necessary safety checks that need to be done. Your harness should fit well around your hips and the straps need to be double backed (put through the loop twice). Then the figure eight knot that the climber makes needs to be secure. The belay partner also needs to make sure that the carabiner is locked. This is just a short synopsis of what safety checks need to take place, but there are short training sessions that new climbers can take at any indoor gym that go into more detail. Next the fun part….the climb! The
Gym Continued from Page 11 College Hall of Fame both as a coach and service contributor. He remains the only individual to be given an induction for both. Once the gymnasium was completed the board of trustees approved the name of Harry West gymnasium in honor of his contributions to the facility. West still hosts an annual golf tournament at Steele Canyon golf course to raise money for the Harry West Scholarship. “We supplement our existing funds each year with funds generated through the golf tournament and the current budget to meet the needs of the scholarship fund,” said Macias. The scholarship is given to two collegiate athletes each year. They are for $1,000 each and are given to students
SportsOnTheEdge
Rosemarie Davis
City Times photo Rosemarie Davis reaches the top of a climbing wall at an indoor gym. routes are done by color and the grading of difficulty ranges from 5.0 to 5.15. This way one can climb up routes at their own pace and looking at the colored route he she will take will get the climber ready to go! The closest climbing wall to City College is the Bodyworks Gym on 7th st . If you have a membership the wall is free (they have a student discount where its $99 for an enrollment fee and $39 a month). Another indoor rock climbing gym is Vertical Hold on 9580 Distribution Ave. San Diego, California 92121. Climbing is easy and builds more than physical strength; it builds confidence. It’s similar to the problems that we experience in life; we see the long journey ahead of us and it looks a bit intimidating, but with effort you can make it to the top. Rosemarie Davis is a City Times staff writer
who meet academic requirements and are on path to matriculate to a four year university. Organizing a workable schedule for all the activities at the Harry West Gymnasium has become increasingly difficult due to increased interest in the facility and limited staff available to facilitate. “We have several quickly growing programs and it is important that we have the staffing available to meet the needs of our growing athletic department”, said Macias. In addition to Harry West, the P building, which was the site for athletics prior to the new gymnasium will be undergoing a major face lift, and according to reports will be turned into a state of the art instructional facility for health and exercise. “The word is getting out about this facility, and anything is possible…. It’s only a matter of what we are able to fit in with our scheduling”, said Macias.
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