CityTimes
www.sdcity.edu/citytimes
Volume 60, Number 9
During valve repairs on City College’s subterranean water system in January, construction crews discovered another leak in the hot/cold loop system which provides heat for the C, D, L and M buildings. After excavating the area near the stairwell between the A and L buildings, crews isolated the problem to one of the hot water pipelines. Aside from the age of the pipes, which were originally installed in the 1950s, the hot water lines are more susceptible to rust and corrosion because of “sweating.” This occurs when hot water passes through the pipes creating condensation on the outer walls of the pipes. As a precaution, the original pipes were covered with a fibrous material to protect the steel from deteriorating. However, after unearthing the pipes crews discovered that areas where the pipe turns were not covered with this protective material. These vulnerable areas or “joints” in the pipe are the exact location of the current leak. Current industry standards have changed requiring
Courtesy Photo Dr. Jo-Ann Rossitto, who died last month, is shown here working at her desk in City College’s nursing program. Rossitto was director and associate dean of the program.
Nursing program director dies
Jay Sees Fortknightly
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and made it a point to know each and every one of them by name. Born March 8, 1951, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Rossitto earned her vocational nurse certification at Mesa College in 1970. In 1971 she became a student at City College and graduated in the first class of nursing students in 1972. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UCSD in 1976 and then her master’s in education with an emphasis in nursing from NYU in 1981. In 1997 she received her doctorate of nursing science from USD. The measure of her achievement may be
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Repairs uncover more problems with water pipes By Natalie Perino-Terashima City Times
Dr. Jo-Ann Rossitto, director and associate dean of San Diego City College’s nursing program, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 25 of a pulmonary embolism following a biopsy. Highly respected in the health care field, Dr. Rossitto was recognized for her efforts to improve nursing training and for helping every student reach their personal and professional goals. Rossitto was known and loved by many of City College’s staff and students for her warmth and dedication. She worked tirelessly to attract and retain nursing students,
Pro basketball team wins first home game Sports, page 4
Serving the San Diego City College community since 1945
JO-ANN ROSSITTO 1951-2006
By Manny Lopez Contributor
Slam dunk
all sections of underground pipe to be protected. However, district Facilities Supervisor Paul Priser is exploring other options. “It is not cost or time effective to continue repairs on these pipes,” Priser said. His plan to remedy this issue includes bypassing the section of pipe experiencing problems by installing an above ground loop and rerouting it to the rest of the system. While construction is being completed the entire system must be drained, and as a result heat and air conditioning has been lost in the C, D, L and M buildings. Since the pipes under discussion were being repaired in January, approximately 31 classes were moved during intersession to other areas on campus. Classes that could not be moved were provided space heaters by PlantOps in room T211. “We were fully communicative during this process and as responsive as we could be,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Carol Dexheimer. “We just appreciate everyone’s patience,” added Priser, who compliments City College students on their conduct surrounding this issue.
Fire sets smoky start to spring semester By Josie Salazar City Times San Diego City College started its spring 2006 semester surrounded in smoke when a bathroom trash can caught on fire about 1p.m. Monday, Feb. 2. The fire, which caused an estimated $8,000 to $10,000, started in the lower men’s restroom of the Educational Technology Center located in building B adjacent to Gorton Quad. SDCC Police Officer Lt. Marco Garza reported the building was evacuated after two students noticed smoke
coming from the restroom and notified campus police, resulting in a response from the San Diego Fire Department. Both Campus police and SD Fire Department reported damage to the floors and tiled walls. Also, the Fire Department’s preliminary report stated that there were no suspects and the cause of damage is unknown. “We could speculate, but if it’s not in the report, then it could be a number of things,” Garza said. But both police and fire departments suggest that smoking could have been a factor.
Dedicated to sports Harry West Gym dedication set Page 2
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College home to Summer Youth Sports Program By Angela Kosteliz Contributor At San Diego City College, the National Youth Sports Programs’ economically disadvantaged youth summer camp is designed to offer the participants expert mentoring to promote mental health and physical well-being. The NYSP program began 36 years ago and is a community partnership comprised of more than 200 colleges and universities, the U.S. Department of Human Services for children and families, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NYSP program targets children ages 10-16 from underserved families and those who reside in economically disadvantage areas. Ninety percent of the participants must meet federal economic guidelines to participate in the program. “It’s a chance of a lifetime to be able
Rossitto Continued from Page 1 seen from the fact that her nursing program has maintained an excellent reputation and her students are aggressively recruited by major medical centers in the area and almost all of them secure positions before their graduation. The nursing program at City College currently has a minimum two-year waiting period and a new building is slated for construction early next year to house
to impact the future generation. While 1 may not be working directly with the children, 1 will be working for the children, and that’s important work,” said Rochelle Taylor, the president of NYSP. One of the goals of NYSP is to provide a positive environment guided by professional instruction that is both engaging and educational. Every July since 1989, San Diego City College has provided a 25-day summer camp for 300 NYSP participants. Paulette Hopkins, Ph.D., has been the program director for the NYSP summer camp at City since 1991. “The kids are comfortable here. We treat them like students and were hoping that they will come back and go to school here,” Hopkins said. Hopkins is responsible for hiring the staff that includes coaches, student athletes and higher-education person-
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the nursing department. While administrative duties inevitably limited her time in the classroom, Dr. Rossitto always believed she could make a difference as an educator. She worked to ensure that nurses had a “voice” in the decision-making process. Rossitto was a fervent advocate of community colleges and readily offered her time, expertise and membership to professional groups. Dr. Rossitto is survived by her mother, Annette Rossitto, aunt Josephine Rossitto, and her family of colleagues and students at City College.
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CityCalendar Compiled by Gwendolyn Kesler 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 ■ FEBRUARY 21 African Holocaust — Presented by Donna Watson, 9:45 am, Saville Theatre City College ■ FEBRUARY 22 Business Connections Networking Breakfast, 7:30 am to 9:00 am, Room D-121 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Fair, 9:00 AM - 1:00 pm, Mesa College Gymnasium. Call (619) 388-3722 or visit A-111 Film: Asiento — Exploring African Diaspora, 11:20 am, Room A 123 ■ FEBRUARY 23 and every Thursday FREE HIV Testing. Oral Test, no needles, confidential. No appointment necessary. 8:30 am to Noon, Room A-116 ■ FEBRUARY 27 Lessons on Immigration Policies West Coast Tour – The Bracero Guest Workers program, 8:00 am, Room TBA (for more info call (619) 388-3676 or 619-388-3552) ■ FEBRUARY 28 Afro/Latino Oaxacan Dancers. Experience the culture of African Mexicans through ancient dance and rhythm. 12:30 pm, Gorton Quad
■ MARCH 2 Harry West Gymnasium dedication. Tours 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. 1313 Park Blvd., across the street from campus.
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City Times 3
SPORTS / NEWS
City baseball coach entering 16th season By Josh Liebenow Contributor City baseball coach Chris Brown knows what he’s doing by now. He is entering his 16th season as a college baseball coach, beginning his career in 1990 as assistant and quickly moving up the ranks. A native of Ohio, Brown attended Mount Vernon Nazarene College and obtained a bachelor’s degree in history as well as a Master of Science degree in physical education. He began his coaching career at Mission Viejo’s Saddleback College. During his tenure there, Saddleback won two conference championships. In 1995,
Brown became the first head coach at El Paso Community College and is given a lot of credit for helping to build that school into a winner. Brown is well known for his no-nonsense coaching methods. “I’ve heard some people say he is very straight-laced, but that’s good. You need somebody to drill the fundamentals in your head before they teach you more advanced things,” said former City student Chris Weeks. “He’s very good at what he does.” Brown is also recognized outside the United States because of his commitment to USA Baseball. He was the head coach of the 2001 World Champion Youth National Team posting a perfect
8-0 record defeating Venezuela 6-2 for the Gold Medal. Brown now enters his seventh season as the head coach at San Diego City College. Over the past few seasons the Knights have continually improved and have regained some of the respect the school had lost in recent years. “He’s a terrific coach who knows how to motivate,” former City student John Baker said. Seven players from the City program have been drafted, including Sergio Mitre, who was called up to the Chicago Cubs in 2003. He is just one of the many reasons why Brown continues to do what he does. “It’s a gratifying thing to see one of
these kids make it,” he said. But Brown also remembers some athletes who tried too hard to be big leaguers and it almost cost them in school. “When I was in Saddleback, Nick Punto, who currently plays with the Minnesota Twins, was a terrific little player,” he said. “But he would never go to class and because of it, he didn’t graduate on time. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.”
New bill may help support California students LONG BEACH (U-WIRE) — The Campaign for College Opportunity introduced a new bill Wednesday, paving the way for what it considers a strong approach to improve student access to California’s community colleges and universities. Assembly Bill 652 was presented in a teleconference from Sacramento by State Sen. Jack Scott and Assemblywoman Carol Liu. Scott said the bill calls for a renewed interest in the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, which intends to provide eligible students the opportunity to attend college. He said the bill has
Program Continued from Page 2 nel along with medical professionals, public school teachers and volunteers from the community. In addition, Hopkins employs 15 full-time students at City to be the participants’ role models. For two years, Charvella Norris has been a staff member working at the summer camp teaching fitness rhythm, which involves dancing and stretching. “I really love this program and what it does for kids in poverty situations. It gives the kids self-esteem and keeps them out of trouble,” Norris said. The conduct NYSP offers the youths
the ability to improve completion rates, increase state progress and leadership, and heighten family knowledge of college education. “We don’t just have to get students in college, we have to keep students in college and I know it will take funding and commitment but the wolf is at the door,” he said. “If we don’t do something now, we will fail the students and the state of California.” As a result of the new Higher Education Compact passed earlier this year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California universities will have a 2.5 percent enrollment growth increase and California community colleges will have a 3 percent enrollment increase effective fall 2006. The CCO is taking full advantage of
the enrollment increase in the Higher Education Compact by making the increase in enrollment the main source of funding for AB 652, Scott said.In 2020, about 39 percent of Californians will need college degrees and it is projected that 33 percent will obtain this goal, Scott said. “You have to think about it as an investment because for every dollar the state invests in a student, it gets $3 in return due to increased taxes,” he said. Liu, the co-author of the bill, said improved state education is a statewide goal Schwarzenegger needs to focus on because it will improve access to higher education, make tuition more affordable, increase the degree completion rate and increase efficiency and accountability.
includes proper behavior and citizenship activities. The program also mixes athletics with 15 hours of education programming including life skills, covering career opportunities, higher education and job responsibilities. The educational components of the program are specifically tailored to fit each age group and development level of participants. The curriculum takes aim at many national health problems, particularly childhood obesity. “You cannot control what happens in the there homes, but you can control what goes on in school,” Hopkins said. According to Hopkins, the NYSP is facing funding issues for summer 2006. In order for the program to continue, the government would be required to pass a $13 million grant in December, which
would need support from the California Legislature and Congress. Approximately $88,000 of the grant is essential to maintain the program at City. “If they don’t receive this funding the program will not last... it’s done and probably won’t be back next year,” Hopkins said.
Volume 60, Issue 9 February 21, 2006 Published as: The Jay Sees / 1945-1949 Fortknightly / 1949-1978 City Times / 1978Incorporating the newspapers Tecolote, Knight Owl and Flicks Letters to the editor welcome Letters must be typewritten (no more than 300 words) and must be signed with the author’s first and last names, major and phone number. Send them to the mail addresses below. 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) 388-3437 E-mail: citytimes@gmail.com Member: Journalism Association of Community Colleges, Associated Collegiate Press and California Newspaper Publishers Association
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Feb. 21, 2006
Home game a slam dunk Pro-league San Diego Siege wins first game in Harry West gym By Shane Crumrine City Times In their first home game in their inaugural season in the NWBL the San Diego Siege defeated the San Jose Spiders 89-80 on Feb. 19 at the new Harry West Gymnasium. The Siege started their inaugural season with a three game road trip, which began with a thrilling overtime victory against the San Francisco Legacy 84-91 on Feb.11. The Siege were led by Jessica Cheeks’ 19 points and 5 rebounds. In their second game the Siege lost a heartbreaker to San Jose Spiders 72-70 on Feb.12. With twenty seconds remaining and a one point lead San Diego’s Tera Bjorklund turned the ball over to San Jose’s Constance Jinks, who took the ball the length of the court to score the winning basket, according to the NWBL’s Web site. Despite the turnover Bjorklund had a solid game scoring 17 points and pulling down 9 rebounds in the loss. After the disappointing loss in San Jose, the Siege traveled to Colorado to face the defending champions Colorado Chill, a game in which the Siege halted the Chill’s 26 game home winning streak, defeating them 81-70. Led by 6ft. 4in. forward Cathrine Kraayeveld of the WNBA’s New York Liberty and
6ft. 4in. center Tera Bjorklund, who combined for 46 points in the victory, the Siege fought off WNBA and NWBL all-star Becky Hammon’s 27 points, 8 assists and 4 steals. The Siege boast three players who are currently in the WNBA, as well as Tynesha Lewis of the Minnesota Lynx; joining Kraayeveld on the New York Liberty is guard Loree Moore, which is the most in any starting lineup in this four-team league. In their home opener, the Siege got off to a fast start behind Bjorklund’s 8 point first quarter and took a 257 lead over the San Jose Spiders at the end of the first period. The Spiders refused to go down easily, closing the gap to 36-34 at halftime. Once the Siege got away from running their offense through the post the Spiders took advantage led by the scrappy play of guard Julie McBride, who had 14 points in the first half and hit 5 of 6 three pointers on the game. The Siege proved to be too strong though, retaking the lead 60-46 at the end of the third quarter. Tynesha Lewis scored a team high 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting including two from three point land. In the second half the Siege went back to working the ball in the post and using good ball movement to find the open shot which led them to the
89-80 victory. Although there was no official attendance numbers released, it was a packed house at the new San Diego City College Harry West Gymnasium for the first home game for the San Diego Siege. The WNBL is in it’s sixth season and boasts some of the best women players in the country. “The twelve players we field are from all over the country and a diverse group of personalities. We did scout and approach eight of our players with contracts, as Coach (Fred) Williams’ legacy as a coach is well sought,” said the San Diego Siege’s public relations director ,Ronnie Singh. “These eight players came from college, the WNBA or were on the coach’s radar for a while. Our other players came from our national tryouts which were held in December where we drafted players who had not been on our radar previously. It’s brought together a wonderful group of players who are world class athletes and primed for the championship,” said Singh. Despite being a first year franchise, this team might live up to their championship expectations. After winning their last two games they currently sit in first place with a record of 3-1 so far in this young season. If you want to learn more about the Siege or the NWBL, you can visit their Web site at NWBL.com.
Mike Sullivan / Contributor San Diego Siege guard Tynesha Lewis passes out of a double team put on by two San Jose Spiders during the second half of the Siege’s home opener on February 18. The Siege won 89-80.
UC Davis hands USD Toreros first loss of the season By Adam Foster UC Davis California Aggie DAVIS (U-WIRE) — The University of San Diego Toreros (5-1) entered last weekend’s series against UC Davis (3-2) ranked No. 13 in the Collegiate Baseball top-25 poll, the highest the Toreros have been ranked in program history. USD obtained that ranking by sweeping defending national champion Texas two weekends ago. Handing USD its first loss of the season on Sunday, the Aggies showed that they can compete with one of the best teams in the nation. “Last year we struggled quite a bit against top-tier teams,” said sophomore Aaron Hanke. “To come in today down 0-2 for the weekend and get a win is really big.” With the game tied 2-2 in bottom of the seventh, Hanke entered as a pinch hitter and delivered a bases-loaded two-
RBI double down the left-field line to put UC Davis up 4-2. The Torero bats could not bring USD back into the game, and the Aggies went on to win the finale of the three-game series 6-2. Starting pitcher sophomore Justin Fitzgerald kept the ball down in the strike zone all afternoon, resulting in a magnificent six-inning, two-hit outing that should boost him well on his way to becoming the numberthree starter for UC Davis. Freshman Bryan Evans followed Fitzgerald with 2.2 solid innings, giving up only one hit while striking out three. “If you limit that club to three hits, you’re doing something right on the mound,” Peters said. Batting second, sophomore Evan Hudson went 4-5 with two runs and an RBI. Feb.10, 11-4 loss When USD scored eight runs
in the first three innings Saturday with left-handed freshman pitching phenom Brian Matusz on the hill, UC Davis fans knew they would be in for a long afternoon. Matusz, who was drafted in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Angels out of high school, struck out five of the first six batters he faced - three looking - with a low-90s fastball and wicked curveball. He finished the day allowing one run on five hits in five innings while striking out six and walking none. “He mixed it up well,” said junior Aggie shortstop Brandon Oliver. “He’s definitely good ? definitely one of the better pitchers we’re probably going to face.” Offensively for the Aggies, junior transfer Michael Hernandez saw his first action of the season and didn’t disappoint. Hernandez went 2-4,
driving in three of the Aggies’ four runs with a sixth-inning home run. He also scored the team’s only other run back in the fifth inning after doubling to left. A four-inning shutout performance from freshman Brad McAtee to finish out the game was another bright spot for UC Davis. Feb.11, 4-2 loss Senior lefty Michael Potter limited the Toreros to one run on one hit in six innings while striking out seven in the series opener. Perhaps the most telling moment of Potter’s start came when he had USD junior catcher Jordan Abruzzo so offbalance in the fourth inning that fans couldn’t help but laugh out of pity for the Torero number-five hitter. “That was so fun,” said Aggie senior catcher Tyler LaTorre. “I love calling games just for that purpose.”
But USD ace junior Josh Butler was baffling UC Davis batters all afternoon as well, pitching seven shutout innings in which he only gave up three hits and walked one batter while striking out five. The Toreros carried a 1-0 lead into the top of the ninth, then added three more runs that inning. UC Davis rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t overcome the fourrun Torero lead. “The positive thing is that we came back to score two runs,” said Peters. “It was a wellpitched game and offensively we couldn’t really get anything going against Butler.” After giving his team a good opportunity to win, Potter ended up taking the loss. “It’s a job, right?just to keep us in the game; give us a chance to win,” Potter said. “I’m upset about walking four guys; that’s a little uncharacteristic of me.”