Tuesday, May 16, 2017
The Voice of San Jose City College Since 1956
City College dancers move audience
Volume 83 Issue 6
Delay in science building repairs raise questions regarding safety Broken hoods and lack of communication cause possible danger BY LAUREN QUILTY TIMES STAFF
Exclusive photo spread Page 5 PHOTO BY BENJAMIN CASTRO/ TIMES STAFF
L to R front row Evelyn Koh, Jessie Padilla, Melissa Mendez, Sammie Gilmore. Back row (two faces) Tashi Baisy and Jocelyn Apaiz tap dance to the song “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder during ‘On the Double’ choreographed by dance instructor Holly Lampe Brosius for the spring 2017 “We Are Moved” faculty dance concert May, 3.
Late night study offered Library extends hours for students BY MELISSA MARIA MARTINEZ TIMES STAFF
Cesar Chavez Library will be open until 11 p.m. for finals. The decision to extend the hours came after King Library announced they would not be renewing the contract that allowed San Jose City College students access to their late night study hours. “We were very concerned about the lack of study area, especially during finals,” City College librarian Linda Meyer said. “We are open till 9 p.m. normally, but during finals people tend to want to stay longer.” Meyer said students made a compelling case for keeping the library open later at the Academic Senate meeting April 18.
President of the Associated Student Government, Iriana Luna was at the meeting advocating on behalf of students. “We surveyed 157 students,” Luna said, “and a lot of them said they did want it (the library) open till 11 or 12.” Luna said she presented the survey’s findings to the Academic Senate who ultimately decided to offer the late night study hours during finals on a trial basis. Academic Senate committee member and City College librarian Robert Wing said he supports the decision to keep the library open for students who need a place to study during finals. “We want to be here for the students,” Wing said, “to provide them the resources they need for their student success.” Meyer said the library is funding this preliminary access with funds from an Library Page 6
SJCC student identity theft risk mediately and contacted
Security breach affects college website for two years BY ANNE CAILLAT TIMES STAFF
A data breach running since spring 2014 on the district security system was discovered in November. The names, date of birth and social security numbers of about 1,000 of spring 2013 students and about 150 employees in San Jose City and Evergreen colleges had been accessible on the district website for more than two years, public information officer at the Chancellor’s office Ryan Brown said. After the discovery, Brown said that the district removed the file im-
every individual whose information was on the file, notifying them that the district would offer a free service providing identity repair and credit monitoring service with the company AllClear ID during a year. “The only way to find the file was doing a search” Brown said, “there never was a hyperlink to the website.” At the April 4 academic senate meeting, Vice Chancellor Ben Seaberry said that the district’s estimated cost for the breach was about $45,000 and was not covered by its insurance. David Lomax, a SJCC construction instructor who took plumbing class in spring 2013, received the letter from the district informing him he was part of the file exposed to the security breach: he said he didn’t understand
Students and faculty were potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals because of broken fume hoods in the Science Building between 2015 and October 2016, before they were repaired last week. This comes seven months after students and chemistry staff discovered, by chance, a broken hood during a lab experiment back in October 2016. “There was no communication from the administration at all regarding those stickers having changed status,” Chemistry professor Dr. Iyun Lazik said of the hoods that were broken. The said stickers Science Page 7
Lady Jags play in Regional finals
Page 7 Online exclusive: A look at the cosmetology hair show
Data Breach Page 6
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2 Opinion
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Scales of voting and campus leadership Students can’t give up their right to elect student government
The importance of the Associated Student Government at San Jose City College can’t be overlooked. It is largely controlled by students and largely affected by students. As a platform for change and student leadership, the ability to vote for the elected officials is a necessity. After four emails of a wrongly sent link to vote for ASG president, it is a rather anticlimactic response to give students a failed platform to vote. The ASG at SJCC may be one of the last few resorts for the working class population to have a voice. Any student government at any institution, in fact, holds an immense power to actually be touched by students, as the government of the United States sits vastly out of reach. It doesn’t feel absurd to expect that such an important opportunity, such as the voting for ASG’s elected officials, be handled with care.
sen institutions.
Maybe you wanted to be at Stanford, but your grades didn’t allow it or your grandmother died several times, ultimately preventing you from completing your goals. Or maybe you were one of the few intelligent high school grads who realized that community college is the most cost effective and practical start to an education. Either way, it should be understood that the ASG of SJCC is in the hands of its students. In a maddeningly conflicted time, as America is being ignored by the electorate college, it is more important than ever for citizens to be heard in every way possible. This is especially true for the young college students of California, who, by sheer demographic and ethnic stature, feel personally attacked by the presidential election and current political climate: so much so that we can’t shut up about the topic in college newspapers. The Bay Area has been a very vocal space for citizens to participate in the March for Science, the Women’s March, anti-Trump rallies, the Women’s Strike and countless
other observances of dissatisfaction with the current system. Therefore, why stop at something as intimate to students as their own college campus? With one person competing against herself for the presidential role of the ASG, City College presents yet another rather anticlimatic statement about the handling of its government system. This system, of course, is only as good as the students permit it to be. It is vital for students to understand that even if they want to complete their community college credits as soon as humanly possible, they are the only voices to provide control and make changes within their cho-
If President Trump isn’t listening to the needs of the people, the individuals who are currently perusing an education must understand the responsibility and privilege they have to elect their own government; one that can listen to the needs of the community, influence people at a local level and provide change. Even if the voting link is suspiciously incapable of being sent correctly the first four times, students must take it upon themselves to vote in person. If only one person is running for president, students must have the courage to enter the race. Only in active participation can students have the right to complain and criticize their institution.
Coulter is offending the First Amendment Republican students at Berkeley push limits of tolerance Reginald Webb Times Staff
The republican students at UC Berkeley are undoubtedly crafty in sparking a debate about free speech on their campus, but they are completely wrong about the First Amendment as it relates to them as students and the college’s obligation. Many, like Bernie Sanders, mistakenly believe as progressives they have to agree in their freedom to have whomever they want on campus to speak. On the contrary, institutions should have some discretion as far as criteria for speaking at institutions of higher learning. Tim Wise, who spoke April 20 at San Jose City College, is an example of one who has certainly had his share of controversy, nevertheless was a wonderful choice to speak on a college campus. Despite his admirers and detractors, he starts a conversation on a campus about timely issues of race and inequality that should take place in robust fashion on a college campus. While, he frames a lot of historical facts and statistics to argue his point of view, he is dealing with facts that require critical analysis of students. There is a base of facts from which the debate is being carried on. Ann Coulter is not a reliable source of inspiration for healthy debate. She chooses to use shock and offensive rhetoric to incite anger and bigotry. Identity politics and dividing people is her priority as it sells her books and maintains her presence in the news and on television. Entertainment is good and even on campus di-
Technology Center, Room 302 San Jose City College 2100 Moorpark Avenue San Jose, CA 95128 (408) 298-2181 x3213
verse entertainment should be allowed. However, Coulter’s brand of it can be so toxic. It instigates anger and potential violence deliberately. Free Speech was not meant to protect speech for the sake of insult and offense. First Amendment rights explicitly protects the American public from government censure it relates to religious freedom and worship, freedom of the press, and assembly. It does not mandate that as a result of these protections a University has to simply accept anyone to speak on a campus. Safety is a legitimate consideration as is the social value the college may gain from hosting the speaker. Also,the overall well-being of the colleges students, faculty, and employees must be considered. Civility and mutual respect for one another is essential with regard to campus life. The students at UC Berkeley no full well the history of their institution as it relates to social justice and political activism. Using Ann Coulter to express hypocrisy with regard to the First Amendment really insults that legacy and reveals how polarized the greater society has become. Just the idea that the Republican student’s organizations would want to raise their profile on campus and in the news through Ann Coulter is sad and might warrant their parents getting a refund on their tuitions. If campus life there has not inspired them to strive for vigorous critical analysis and a zest to make their beliefs and points of view more concise and clear, then they are certainly not experiencing the UC Berkeley the world has come to know nor are they receiving the world class education UC Berkeley has been known to provide.
Stop interpreting free speech to mean that we have unlimited speech freedom we must remain mindful of context when speaking publicly and diligent in not offending anyone.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Campus Life 3
A dire need for bees Humans undervalue the importance of pollen By Leslie Aguilar
M Times Staff
any picnics can usually be ruined by the arrival of certain uninvited guests. They hover over heads, buzzing in people’s ears to maybe spare a piece of watermelon. Bees, in this case, are seen as a nuisance, but maybe it’s time to reconsider our feelings toward them, and quit the hand swatting for now. In an article published by the Center for Global Research, California has seen a rapid decrease in bee populations. In 2011, it was proven that California’s honey production fell by nearly half in just six years. In the last five years alone, 30 percent of the national bee population has disappeared, as well as nearly a third of all bee colonies in the U.S. Psychology major, Heba Awadalla said we should be more active in protecting the pollinators, since human activity has contributed to their dwindling numbers. It’s true that humans have played a large role in creating this dilemma. Irresponsible use of pesticides, climate change and a loss of biodiversity have resulted in unusually high rates of disappearance in honeybee colonies. “I know that we’re killing them, as we go on with our
“I know that we’re killing them, as we go on with our lives we’re putting them at risk. It’s not fair because we take a lot from them. We can’t live without them.” Heba Awadalla, SJCC psychology student
lives we’re putting them at risk. It’s not fair because we take a lot from them. We can’t live without them,” Awadalla said. Industrial agriculture and widespread use of bee-killing pesticides are the largest threat to honey bees and other pollinators, according to sos-bees.org, a website dedicated to spreading awareness about the decline in the bee population. Student Colin Phegley said he wasn’t aware of this sudden loss of bees, but acknowledges their unexpendable service to the environment. “A decline in bee populations would inevitably lead to some sort of decline in farm production, they play a huge role in pollination,” Phegley said. California, as a primarily agricultural state, would suffer the most in the event of a sharper decrease in bees. The economy is dependent on the growing and exporting of fruits and vegetables. The website Environment California.org has estimated that California has been losing twice the amount of bees that is considered economically sustainable. Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of most of the world’s food. No one wants to live in world without guacamole, much less have to endure a lifetime of zero strawberries or almonds. It’s essential that we take action against corporations that continue to use synthetic fertilizers and abuse pesticides that are riddled with dangerous chemicals. The switch to ecological farming is something that we can all do on a local level. In San Jose, the Veggielution Community Farm provides access to organic and local food, and practices sustainable, environmentally conscious methods of farming. Their website, Veggielution.org, encourages people to come work on their farm, and promotes the idea of a natural, Earth-friendly and by consequence, bee-friendly way to grow our food.
Illustration by Leslie Aguilar / Times Staff
Students pass up law school guidance opportunity Participation in pathway program admissions panel low
By Melissa Maria Martinez Times Staff
Out of the 113 Community Colleges in California, San Jose City College is one of 24 to offer the Pathway to Law school program. As part of this program, Southwestern Law School admissions associate director Mike Chavez visited SJCC with students from Santa Clara Law School to offer law school admissions guidance in April. Turnout for the event was small, but not unusual. Chavez said when admissions representatives from five different law schools visited San Jose State University, only eight students attended. “They don’t get that making the personal connections will help you get in,” third year law student Miguel Flores said. Flores said hearing a potential applicant’s story is how an applicant demonstrates he or she is a better fit than their LSAT score may indicate. “I’m almost 100 percent certain that’s how I got into Santa Clara,” second year law student Isaul Lemus said. What future law school applicants should do now to prepare All law school applications require a resume, letters of recommendation, personal essay and LSAT score. “The biggest part you can show your individuality is in that personal essay as well as your letters of recommendation,” second year law student Tereza Guzman said. Flores said one of the worst things an applicant can do is ask somebody whom the applicant has no relationship with for a letter of recommendation. “As someone who works in the admissions office at Santa Clara Law the letter is an immediate toss, it is not going to
impress anybody,” Flores said. “It shows bad judgment on you, it shows you are not an impressive candidate and law school admissions are selective.” Applying for law school is competitive and letters of recommendation go a long way in showing good judgment; a huge part of the applications process. “There should be some very strong letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak and testify to your abilities strengths and aptitudes,” Chavez said. Therefore it is important for future applicants to begin developing these relationships now. “This mean going into every single environment aiming to impress and putting in the maximum effort,” Chavez said. “How do you expect anyone to give you a strong letter of recommendation if they have no specific experiences that they can communicate or articulate about a candidate?” The takeaway Panels such as these help aspiring law students understand what it takes to be a successful law student. Pathway to Law Student Trustee Marcelo Lopez said attending these panel discussions on campus are too great to pass up. “Where can you attend an academic discussion focused on your needs, for free and in a time and place that is most convenient for you?” Lopez said. Pathway to law student Jorge Casas said these opportunities should be taken with the utmost importance. “When it comes to the field of law, there is such a lack of representation,” Casas said. “When students miss these opportunities they are missing invaluable information.”
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4 Campus life
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
What graduating students should know
Faces In The Crowd
What are your plans for summer? COMPILED BY ANNE CAILLAT / TIMES STAFF
Commencement ceremony at SJCC BY LESLIE AGUILAR TIMES STAFF
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, many SJCC students are preparing to say goodbye to this campus, signaling their transition onto a new path. This year, the SJCC graduation ceremony will be held on Friday, May 26 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, located next to Levi’s Stadium. Caps and gowns are available for sale in the student bookstore. The graduation set costs $45, while the cords, honor tassels, and stoles are between five and $30. SJCC students are required to wear academic regalia in order to participate in the commencement ceremony. The ceremony starts at 5:00 p.m., but
SJCC students are required to wear academic regalia in order to participate in the commencement ceremony.
PHOTO BY LESLIE AGUILAR / TIMES STAFF
SJCC bookstore carries any graduation attire you may need, Student Center, May 8.
students must show up at by 3:30 p.m. in order to prepare. Traffic and parking may vary, so remember to plan accordingly. Each student will be entitled to seven tickets for family and friends, which will be available at the student center. For those who will need more than seven, any leftover tickets will be available to students a week before graduation. Doors will open for seating at four, friends and family are encouraged to celebrate with their graduating students, but balloons, confetti, streamers or horns will not be allowed at the ceremony. All guests will need a SJCC graduation pass in order to participate, these will be available at the Student Information desk located in the Student Center, from now until May 25.
Ashlee Bradford Age: 21 Laboral studies I’m going back home in Bakersfield and I will take online summer classes.
Christina Dominguez Age: 26 Business I will take one online class and one here, I will be pretty busy, I won’t take any break.
Colin Phegley Age: 18 Major undecided I will take summer classes online and I am going to Italy with my family.
Jesse Fernandez Age: 29 History I will take morning classes, math or communication, and I will work, I work in a grocery store.
Jesse Kuba Age: 20 Liberal arts I’m going to transfer to SF State, so I’m going to prepare for that. And I applied at an internship at EBay.
Mena Soleimani Age: 30 Nursing I take two classes here, so I will study, and I plan to go to Cancún with friends, it will be my first time there.
Together, we’ll write the next chapter. For more than 70 years, Pacific Oaks
has prepared students to serve diverse communities throughout California. Our new San Jose campus expands our mission and offers programs that are fueled by the needs of the surrounding community.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
BY ANNE CAILLAT TIMES STAFF
and Virginia Munday. 30 dancers SJCC dance program presents ‘We performed nine are moved’ from May 4 to 6, a spring pieces of variety dance show choreographed by dance faculty styles, from tap to hipCarol Abohatab, Holly Lampe Brosius hop, through modern, contemporary, oriental or jazz dance. “They are very creative, it’s really cool,” said Chris Diaz, 22, from De Anza College who went to watch his girlfriend performing. “I loved it, she’s always amazing and everybody else is really good,” he said. Among the 30 dancers, some were performing on various pieces, showing how wide their art could be, from a fun and colourful tap dance to a serious statement on cell phone usage for instance. Three of them danced solo, on a contemporary piece with an interesting game of lights, a fascinating breakdance and a bewitching oriental Alex Barbour leaps through the air during ‘Moved,’ a group performance choreographed dance. “It’s really well by dance instructor Carol Abohatab.
Campus Life 5
PHOTOS BY: BENJAMIN CASTRO/ TIMES STAFF
put together, I wish they had more dance pieces to make it longer” said Joy Banks, 26, an online Arizona State student visiting a friend. On Saturday, the audience was enthusiastic, applauding and encouraging the dancers on all the pieces, but the most acclaimed was the last one, a rhythmic and entertaining hip-hop gathering 19 of the 30 dancers on stage, on a mix of Michael Jackson, Bell Biv Devoe, MC Hammer and 69 Boyz music. “I love the diversity of these dancers,” Abohatab said. “Each night their performances were stronger, until the final one tonight. They shined!”
Above: Koua Xiong break dances to “Mercy” (Acoustic) a song by Shawn Mendez in his self choreographed solo performance ‘Unrequited.’ Center: Lacin Keles performs ‘East in West,’ a self choreographed solo to “Sel” a song by Smadj.
In ’Spectrum,” choreographed by dance instructor Holly Lampe Brosius, Ashley Dinger dances around a lamp during her solo performance to “Distant Lights” a song by Burial.
Left: Melissa Mendez (left) and Rubi Caleron (right) lift Jessie Padilla during ‘Desensitization,’ a group performance choreographed by dance instructor Holly Lampe Brosius for the spring 2017 “We Are Moved” faculty dance concert May, 3. Right: Hip-hop dancers surround Koua Xiong as he break dances (front and center) in a group performance choreographed by dance instructor Holly Lampe Brosius titled ‘Oh Snap!’ for the spring 2017 “We Are Moved” faculty dance concert May, 3.
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6 Campus life
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
The President who used to hate politics Iriana Luna: R eelected president of the SJCC Associated Student Government BY ANNE CAILLAT TIMES STAFF
Iriana Luna, 21, political science major, was elected April 27 for her second term as President of the SJCC Associated Student Government. She talks about her life, dreams and why she changed her mind about politics. Q. Where a re you f rom? I was born in Puebla, Mexico. I imigrated here when I was one and I grew up in east San Jose. I graduated from Mount Pleasant high school. I still live there with my family. I have three younger siblings and my two parents. I am a DACA recipient, which is not easy to tell, I’m still not very comfortable with telling it publicly. Q. After three years in SJCC, you recently changed your major from premedical to political science / community studies.Why? The reason why I was pursuing a career in medicine was that I wanted to help with health policies. Then, I realized that what I wanted to fix has more to do with policy nationwide. It’s important one-by-one, but I wanted to have a bigger impact. Q. Why did you decide to run for the president position of ASG? From fall 2015 to spring 2016, I was part of an organization called MECHA, they fight for social justice and access to higher education. The president of MECHA asked me if I was interested in running for president of the ASG. At that time, I was like ‘I hate politics, this is not something I want to do.’ I thought the politicians were corrupt or they were just doing it for their own benefit. I also thought that the student government wasn’t doing a lot for the students. Then, I went to go ask my mentor, Dr. Cabrera, a SJCC teacher of chemistry, and he encouraged me to do it. With that reinsurance, I said ‘ok, I’m running.’ It was nerve-wracking because it wasn’t my major. I am a first-generation college student in my family, so I thought it was amazing to be in the position to help other students who may not have had parents or someone who could guide them. Q. You don’t come from a family involved in politics, what did yourparents think about that? My parents always encouraged me to
finish my education, whatever it was, as long as I got a college degree in the end. So when I was thinking about running they told me ‘You should do it if you think you can do a better job than other people.’ Q. What about the change in major? After the first semester being president, I went through a lot of difficulties. I became homeless and I picked up many hours at my work just to be able to live and have food. At that moment, I realized that I did not have the time or the privilege to continue with a STEM education while working so many hours. It’s difficult when you work 30 hours to come to class and then do the homework. Also, I thought science was something I wanted to do, but it’s not. I was unhappy. With science you know you’ll get a job after college and you’ll be making money. With any other degree it’s a bit open in the air. I realized I made a good decision when I felt such a relief after deciding to switch majors. Q. Did you want to prove something when you were a premedical major? You’re a minority, you’re a woman: Yes, I wanted to prove to people I was able to excel in really hard courses, the major with more prestige. To prove to people ‘yes I am a minority and I can do all this stuff.’ Now… I am still a minority. For example, I can never ever in my life be president of this country. There are a lot of offices I can’t run for. Now the challenges are different, but I feel like I could overcome those obstacles. Q. What do you think about politics now? There are some really good people out there, trying to make change, and they need support. I’ve learned to really appreciate what people in this field do. People have to not be so afraid about politics and politicians because not all of them are bad. I’ve met some really good ones. Q. How does it feel to be president of the ASG? I’ve learned a lot, it’s been a good personal and professional growth for me. It taught me so many different ways that we can impact lives. The whole student government is here to help students, it really helped me and it feels good to be able to
Data Breach
Page 1
said he didn’t understand what it was related to. “The letter was pretty cold, disturbing,” Lomax said. “I have had so many computer problems before, and nobody came back to me, and then I received a letter explaining ‘it’s not our fault,’ it was pretty upsetting.” Recently, some faculty members of the San Jose Evergreen Community College District received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service informing them that a suspicious federal tax return had been filed with their names and social security numbers. Among them, some were taking classes during spring 2013 and their names were on the file. It would be easy to relate the data breach to their potential identity theft: we tried to contact these faculty members but none of them accepted to publicly connect the two events. The district doesn’t plan on reinforcing support for student victims of this data breach, arguing that all the necessary
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BENJAMIN CASTRO / TIMES STAFF
measures had already been taken, and no evidence existed about a link between the data breach and the identity theft. “I have not heard of anyone who has experienced identity theft who can say it is for certain related to this data breach,” Brown said. “We have absolutely no evidence. We also know people who have received a letter from the IRS about a suspicious federal tax return who were not on the list. The chancellor of the district received it, for instance. From what we know, it is not related.” Brown added that identity theft had been increasing lately and that we were in a time of the year when people might discover it because it was the period of
PHOTO BY ANNE CAILLAT / TIMES STAFF
Newly reelected ASG president Iriana Luna poses in her office (Student Center) on May 3. help others. Q. Are you paid for this job? I’m paid in this position, but if you calculate the time I spend, I earn 70 cents per hour.
government and increase the number of students involved.
Q. What are the goals ofthe student government for nextyear? This upcoming year, we’re hoping to work more efficiently as a body, making Q. The vote for ASG was on May 26- sure people know who we are and to get in27. You were the only candidate for the volved. We do want to have more impact in president position, can you explain that? student life, particularly with the homeless Last year I competed against five other students, we want to make sure they keep candidates, but this year we didn’t receive succeeding. any other applications, I was the only one competing for the president position. I Q. How a re your relationshipswith the don’t know if it is because we’re having a faculty and administration? It’s great, they are very supportive, even strong restructuration: we’re transitioning into a new set up of the student govern- when we don’t agree, they’re trying to work ment. Or because I was running: some stu- with us. I think we’re making an impact. dents mentioned that they would still join student government, but not for that pres- Q. You’re opening positions in the student government. What do you want to ident position tell SJCC students? I would tell students to get involved even Q. Last year was your first term as president, what did you do and what are you if they are not able to come to the meetings, they can still come to the committees. proud of? We had a good first semester with events People who disagree with us and think we such as Thanksgiving, more than 200 stu- should do more, should be here. dents came. We also currently are in a pilot o you see yourself in ten with opening the library longer. Restructur- Q. Where d ing the ASG, personally, has been my per- years? I see myself hopefully in politics, runsonal accomplishment. It’s not glamorous, but the goal is to reduce barrier in student ning for an office. filling tax return. A disciplinary process for the district also started but the identity of the employee responsible for the data breach remained secret. The public is just told that it wasn’t an act of malice but an unintentional post. “We’ve done re-training for the employees and we’re looking at technology tools to prevent that,” Brown said. “As a district, we take very seriously protecting the personal information of our students and employees to prevent something like this never happens again.” The president of academic senate and ethnic studies professor Jesus Covarrubias said faculty was very concerned. “If students are victims from identity theft, it could be absolutely linked to the data breach, that is serious and would compromise their privacy,” Covarrubias said. Covarrubias said it will be important for the district to provide follow ups, particularly if students speak up and ask help from their teachers. “If students notice some irregularities either on their financial status or other, they should definitely come forward and consult a teacher to guide them to the
right resources,” Covarrubias said. “We don’t want students to be negatively affected by what happens in SJCC.” From the student side, the associated student government heard about the data breach, but didn’t receive any complain from students, President Iriana Luna is not planning to address that issue for now: “there is no faculty or any students coming to us to address this issue, so it’s kind of hard for us to take a stand,” she said. The student trustee at the district board Marcelo Lopez encouraged students to “speak up if and when there is a security issue, so that concern can be properly addressed.”
CALL TO WITNESS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY
If you have taken classes in spring 2013 and you received a letter from the district informing your security was at risk, or you didn’t receive any letter but you are concerned: send an email to citycollegetimes@ jaguars.sjcc.edu to testify.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Jaguars lose twice to Delta
Sports 7 4
City College women’s softball team makes errors in Regional playoffs
BY JORDAN ELLIOTT TIMES STAFF
Lady Jaguars softball team at San Jose City College were beat by San Joaquin Delta College Mustangs Friday and Saturday April 5 and 6 during Regional playoffs. Losing 10-6 Friday and 5-1 Saturday, the Jags lost best 2/3 games in Stockton. Coach Debbie Huntze-Rooney cited the mistakes the team made as the reason for the loss. “The Jags made some key errors and this allowed the four runs to score,” Huntze-Rooney said, in reference to Saturday’s game. “We played a good game on Saturday… The score was 1-1 until the top of the seventh inning when Delta scored four runs.” One of the team captains, sophmore Kaddy Pizano, social and behavioral science major, said that despite starting out strong on Friday, her team tends to lose focus when mistakes are made. “We need to execute out on our mound and have more defense in our game,” Pizano said. “The first four innings were solid, then they lose focus,” Norcal Legends Coach Bill Corillo said. Corillo said that the reason for
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Lazik said after discovering numerous hoods were broken in October 2016, the chemistry department held an emergency meeting and wrote a letter to administration to let them know they had not been informed and to ask what the status was for getting the hoods fixed. Fume hoods protect users from breathing in hazardous fumes produced by chemicals by drawing the air up into the vent and exhausting them outside the building. The flow rate of air is adjusted in conjunction to the pressure to maintain a safe parameter of airflow. Toxic chemicals breathed in during when released could cause immediate to long-term health problems. “It turns out that some of the hoods were broken since 2015 and they had failed inspection then.” Lazik said. “Administration was aware of that because they had sent out a spreadsheet denoting which ones were inspected and which ones had failed. We had to request it (the spreadsheet),” Lazik said. Lazik said maintenance disconnected the fume hood alarms sometime between the 2015-2016 academic years because one of the fume hood alarms was going off constantly. “That’s when we knew the alarm was off. So we stopped using that hood. But for all the remaining ones the alarms did not go off even though they failed OSHA inspection,” Lazik said. “The problem is that the alarms are supposed to go off when the flow rate is low so we don’t have to rely on the stickers, but none of the alarms went off,” Lazik added. “We work with toxic fumes. Especially in organic chemistry there are potential carcinogenic compounds that we breathe,” Lazik said. “We were under the assump-
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the Jag’s loss of focus was that the team had difficulty getting their heads back in the game after making a mistake. “(Huntze-Rooney) is a great coach,” he said, but suggested that the team give themselves pep-talks to keep positivity throughout the game. “Preparing was up and down,” said Pizano, who has played softball since she was four. “(Delta) is a really good talented team. We came out here ready to go.” Sophomore business major Alyssa Vidal pitched the entirety of both games. “Kaddy Pizano was behind the plate and “did a good job working well with Alyssa throughout the game,” HuntzeRooney wrote in an email. Despite their double-loss, the Jags have won several titles among their teammates. Pizano made All Northern California. Pizano also made All Conference First team, along with Mia Nowack and Tatiana Venegas. Andrea Lopez, Vidal and Danessa Augenstein made All Conference Second team. Additionally, Maddie Carlson and Vidal made All State Scholar Athlete. PHOTOS BY JORDAN ELLIOTT / TIMES STAFF “We’re doing this for us and Coach Rooney,” Pizano said. Amber Yumen swinging bat (1 and 5), Jag team members pitch ball (2), Alyssa Vidal pitches ball to teammate (3), “I’m really proud of our team.” freshman Lilliana Resendez, sophomore Danielle Carillo and team high-five Delta College opponents (4), Friday May 5.
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tion that we were being protected and if the flow rates were as low as they were it means we were breathing all of those toxic chemicals.” “Safety is at the forefront and student’s well-being is a top College interest.” Jorge Escobar, Vice President of Student Services wrote in an email in response to concerns about potential exposure to harmful chemicals. “It’s my understanding that the overall ventilation system was working at a capacity that would have not exposed students, faculty or staff to harmful chemicals,” Escobar said. Pre-med student Karyna Brandariz said she felt it was dangerous during the first lab experiment of the semester where in her chemistry lab only two of the four fume hoods were working. “The first lab we were all huddled together and took turns using them (fume hoods). We were really close to one another. We were worried things were going to spill over,” Brandariz said. “Health is a priority. It’s worrisome when we have to open the doors. That’s the only ventilation that we have,” Brandariz said. “We’re inhaling all this stuff and its spilled on me before and its pretty strong stuff because I have gotten chemical burns without realizing what has happened.”
Maintenance jumped on the issue as soon as they got the Technical Safety Services report regarding the broken hoods, Jakubowski said. He did not specify when the report was issued.
“Two of the hoods do not comply with the face velocity testing that is required. Three have other issues with the alarm control system,” Letcher said at the April 18 Senate meeting.
Aside from the health issues, providing students with adequate space and equipment for their curriculum was another concern Lazik addressed to a group of faculty members during an Academic Senate meeting on April 18. “The problem is we continue to have maximum capacity (of students) and yet we don’t have the facilities to sustain that,” Lazik said.
Action was taken in October 2016 by the district to fix the broken fume hoods. “August 2016 when the report came out again those were distributed and that began this cycle,” Letcher said at the meeting. “We had discussions on how to correct this and what can be done to not put anyone at risk.”
When there is a lack of equipment or facilities, student class size is supposed to be reduced and reflected in the registration system when students register for classes. However, spring 2017 semester the class sizes were not reduced nor reflected in the registrar prior to the beginning of the semester, Lazik said during the meeting. “I feel like having the vents are important so that we can get what we need to get done so we can learn the material,” chemistry student Brandariz said. “If they expect us to get these labs done we should have the equipment and the tools to get them done safely.”
Supervisor for the district maintenance department Anthony Jakubowski said that the exhaust connected to all the fume hoods in the building has always been working despite the hoods labeled “not certified.”
Other students shared Lazik’s and Brandariz’s frustrations. “My main concern is time wise,” said neuroscience major Madison Kite. “It’s hard especially because we’ve been using the hot plates under the fumes so trying to get everyone’s experiments there’s only so many you can fit in there.”
The fume hoods are complex, Jakubowski explained. They are connected to multiple other units that feed information. Calibration can get off and that’s when the hoods fail inspection. But they still suck up air because of the exhaust.
During this same meeting, Owen Letcher, director of Facilities and Bond Programs Management for the San Jose Evergreen College District also discussed the status of the fume hood repairs and answered questions.
The district, however, did not address the issue of the broken fume hoods dating back to 2015. “I would like to clarify on the timelines of October 2016 because that is not true since the hoods failed ahead of that time,” Lazik interjected at the meeting. “The only reason you are able to say October 2016 is when the chemistry department sent out the letter. In fact the hoods failed, some of them since 2015.” “I would really like the district to address that problem because there was no notification done and we were all working under hazardous conditions,” Lazik said at the meeting. Letcher said he could not answer the question because he did not become a district employee until November 2015. “We will ensure folks are informed of any future situations with the hoods to avoid having a similar situation,” Escobar said in an email regarding the notification issues. Letcher stated that the district is moving forward with a project to replace the valve actuator and control systems throughout all the hoods in the building. “The current system is only ser-
viced by one outside vendor and the original equipment manufacturer has changed design,” Letcher wrote in an email. Due to limited availability of parts the hoods were unable to be repaired in as timely a manner as faculty would have liked Letcher wrote. “Working with this one vendor has been a challenge for us,” Letcher had said during the senate meeting. A plan is already in motion to begin replacing the fume hood systems to ensure more timely repairs and access to parts. Letcher said we will have a more robust response plan to testing protocol. It will be implemented in phases to avoid shutting the science building down for a long period of time and to reduce impact on student learning. The extent of the potential health risks involved from exposure to the broken hoods is unknown. “Carcinogenics has long-term effects. The longer you’re exposed to it the more accumulation you have and then you have problems,” Lazik said. “If you look at the material safety data sheet of all the chemicals we worked with we’re talking about central nervous system damage, liver damage, and lung damage.” “Because it’s unknown how long we’ve been exposed, even though we do know the chemicals we were being exposed to, it’s hard to address and assess how harmful that was,” Lazik said. Another chemistry faculty member was contacted for comments but she referred the Times reporter to Lazik. “I made a joke earlier that I have been sick the entire semester,” Lazik said after coughing, “that it could be because we were exposed to all of those chemicals and no one knows for sure.”
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8 Lifestyle
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Taste of the Philippines
Chicken Adobo BY LAUREN QUILTY TIMES STAFF
Adobo is arguably the Philippines’ unofficial national dish. And every family has its own version of it and swears that theirs is the best. Adobo can be made with any kind of meat, but is most commonly made with chicken or pork, or sometimes both. The Spanish word “adobo” translates to “marinade.” Simple in its ingredients and execution, but bold in flavor, it is a comfort food staple for many Filipinos. The dish is usually served over steamed white rice or garlic rice. Adobo showcases the Philippines’ rich cultural history. What
was once an indigenous Filipino dish changed over time, influenced by trade with China and 300 years of Spanish colonialism. In the hot and humid climate of the Philippines, using soy sauce and vinegar wasn’t just a delectable concoction; it was a pragmatic means to preserve meat (through salt and acidity) that would otherwise rot quickly in the tropical climate. This dish can be enjoyed any time of year and for any occasion but is best enjoyed with family and friends, in true Filipino tradition. Ingredients: 1/2 cup Filipino vinegar 1/2 cup Filipino soy sauce
1 head of garlic – crushed 1 tsp. peppercorns (or tsp. of crushed pepper) 5 bay leaves 1 tbsp. brown sugar 3 lbs. chicken thighs and legs
Tips: Use Filipino soy sauce and Filipino vinegar – using different types of soy sauce and vinegar may yield different results. Add a little water to pot if the dish is too salty.
Top photo: Chicken Adobo served in a Filipino tribal bowl.
Brown the chicken in a large pot over medium high heat. Once browned, add vinegar, soy sauce, crushed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer over low heat for 35 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and turn to medium heat. Cook down the sauce for about 10 minutes until it covers half the chicken in the pot. Serve with steamed rice!
Bottom photo: ingredients for recipe from left to right: silver swan soy sauce, coconut vinegar, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and brown sugar. Missing garlic. PHOTOS BY LAUREN QUILTY / TIMES STAFF
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