San Jose City College Times, Vol. 86, Issue 2, Sep 15, 2018

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018

The Voice of San Jose City College Since 1956

Volume 86 Issue 2

Guns are not the big issue It is our treatment of fellow human beings

BY MIKIE NEGRETE TIMES STAFF

Opinion

School shootings, and shootings in public places in general, have been a hot topic of discussion since the 1999 mass shooting that took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, a shooting in which 12 students and one teacher tragically lost their lives at the hands of two bullied students seeking revenge on the individuals who had tormented them throughout the course of their high school careers.

In the wake of shootings similar to the one that happened at Columbine that have become a far to common sight in the U.S., media sources are quick to depict this issue as more of a gun issue than anything else.

This is not just a gun issue; this is an issue of, more than anything, way too many individuals in our society lacking human decency and courtesy for one another.

When any individual on San Jose City College’s campus takes into account all the violence that has transpired in the country over the past two years alone, it hits close to home to know that our own campus could have easily been the sight of one of these horrific shootings.

Two summers ago, an incident transpired on campus in which a student arrived on campus with a taser on him. Further investigation of that situation revealed that the student possessed ammunition stored in his vehicle. Too often, stories are emerging of either a public shooting that took place or even a botched attempted shooting in which a lot of innocent blood could have been shed, and we are becoming increasingly desensitized to it as a

society.

When one argues that the accessibility of guns plays a bigger role in a mass shooting than the mental state and societal treatment of the perpetrator, one must ask themself how any socially content and mentally stable person could possibly want to carry out such a heinous act on fellow human beings?

Let’s take a look at the Columbine and Parkland shooters. What did Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (Columbine) and Nikolas Cruz (Parkland) all have in common? They were all bullied by their peers throughout the course of their high school careers. Harris and Klebold were common targets of the jocks at Columbine High

PHOTO BY MIKIE NEGRETE VARIOUS NEWS CLIPS OF SCHOOL SHOOTING INCIDENTS (CBS, CNN, MSNBC).

School. Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, even admitted to bullying Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz when she addressed lawmakers at a gun control rally just days after Cruz gunned down 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Gonzalez said, “Those talking about how we should have not ostracized him, you didn’t know this kid.”

These examples of the treatment of these troubled individuals are in no way trying to humanize them or their actions - it is simply trying to gain a better under-

standing of why they did what they did. At the end of the day, there are so many other factors other than the accessibility of guns to the public.

Remember going forward that words carry weight. We all heard the saying as a kid, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

We’ve seen now more than ever how invalid that statement is. Remember that your kind treatment of someone today could save countless lives tomorrow.

College survival almanac 2018

A list of on-campus services and resources

BY DANIEL Z. TIMES STAFF

San Jose City College offers programs, services and resources that are designed to help students lead healthy, productive and stress free lives.

SJCC offers a comprehensive array of health related services available to all students. Student Health Services offers general appointments with a doctor, physical examinations, birth control solutions, STI screenings and treatments, adult immunization, blood pressure checks, vision screenings and a program to quit smoking.

These services can be accessed by visiting SC-109 located in the Student Center.

Continuing on student health, SJCC Case Management Services provide help to students who are experiencing some measure of distress. Students can seek out free and confidential help if they are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, loss,

addictive behaviors, eating disorders or any mental health related issue that may potentially plague our lives.

The contact for Case Management Services is Sophia De La Fuente at (408) 288-3151. Case Management Services is located in the Health Center at SC-109C in the Student Center.

For students looking for ways to help pay for college and related expenses, SJCC has a Financial Aid department which can help you find the right programs and scholarships that will make college more affordable. The Financial Aid center is located in the Student Center at SC-103 and can be contacted at (408) 288-3741 The SJCC counseling program offers assistance to students in need of academic advice or direction. Students can seek help with academic related matters as well as career exploration and development.

SJCC’s counseling department is on the second floor of the Stu-

dent Center at SC-200 and their phone number is (408) 288-3758 The tutoring center on campus offers free assistance from peer tutors on a variety of subjects with access to resources such as course textbooks, solution manuals, graphing calculators, and computers. Each student can schedule one-hour weekly tutoring appointments to seek individualized help and instruction.

The Tutoring Center is located on the first floor of the Library at L-105 and can be reached at (408) 298-2181 SJCC also has a Reading and Writing Center on campus which is the sister lab to the tutoring center. The RWC provides similar services to the tutoring center tailored towards helping students with any assistance they may need in regards to reading or writing skills and assignments.

The RWC is also located on the first floor of the Library at L-103 and can be reached at (408)288-3758 Sparkpoint is a service offered

by San Jose Evergreen Community College District that provides assistance in the area of personal finance. Financial coaching, career coaching, credit and debt counseling and free legal clinics are all provided to students through Sparkpoint.

Sparkpoint can be found in the tech building at T-124 and can be reached at (408) 918-5199 SJCC plays host to clubs and student organizations that allow students to explore interests and meet others with a shared passion. Listed here are the active student organizations, American Chemical Society, Black Student Union, Cosmetology Club, Coexist Interfaith Dialogue Club, Gay/Straight Alliance, Journalism Club, MeCha, Media Club, Mental Health Client Association, Muslim Student Association, Nihon-Kai Japanese Club, Health and Science Club, San Jose City College Robotics and Automation Club,

Soccer Club, Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Students for Social Justice, Veterans Association, Vietnamese Student Association, United Worlds Student Association SJCC’s athletic program consists of ten inter-collegiate athletic teams. Teams consist of football, golf, softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field as well as men’s and women’s basketball.

To find out more about getting involved with SJCC sports you can reach the athletic counselor Veronica Harris at (408) 2982181 extension 3344

NEXT NEWSPAPER: Oct. 16 EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com

2 Lifestyle

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018

SJCC’s paw-some neighbor College’s mascot may be a Jaguar, but its pet is a kitty-cat named Socks

BY BRISSA MOLINA TIMES STAFF

It might not be well-known to students on campus that for almost 14 years, SJCC has been shelter to a little black cat with white paws named Socks. Since she was a kitten, Socks has found comfort in staying on campus; perhaps it is because, with the exception of a few, students and staff on campus rarely stop to realize she’s there.

English Professor Raymond Brennan has been in charge of Socks’ welfare for the last 14 years.

“When I first saw Socks, it was after an evening class in the fall of 2004, and as it happened, it was a cold, rainy evening,” Brennan explained on an email. “I wondered what such a little kitten was doing on its own in that kind of weather,” he wrote.

Brennan decided to care for the kitten, and has been providing for her since. “The next day, I brought some food and put it in a bowl in the bushes that used to be in front of the theatre building which is where I had first seen her,” he wrote.

When hungry, Socks visits the feeding station Brennan has set up for her.

“Where she is fed is not something that should be publicized, but I can tell you

that her feeding station has been moved several times over the years due to construction and landscaping changes,” he wrote.

Brennan also shares his interest in Socks’ well-being with a former SJCC student Herman Ybarra, who even years after leaving SJCC, has made sure Socks has food everyday.

“For several years now, Herman, even after he was no longer a student, and I have shared the responsibility of being sure Socks has food and water each day. Each of us feeds Socks a few days each week, and the other person covers the other days,” he wrote.

Regarding Socks’ personality, Brennan wrote that she is very cautious around campus. “I think Socks’ defining quality is her caution. She knows she is more safe on campus than off”.

Socks not only likes to wander around campus, sometimes she likes to sojourn in areas outside of campus, to which Brennan is already used to. Nevertheless, Socks considers SJCC’s campus her “purr-manent” residence.

“She has disappeared for as long as six weeks at a time in the past,” wrote Brennan. “So far she has always returned to campus where I think she spends most of her time because she knows it is

PHOTO BY ENGLISH PROFESSOR RAYMOND BRENNAN

Socks being photographed by Professor Raymond Brennan at SJCC campus after being fed.

Socks has been living on campus for 14 years. Professor Brennan has been taking care of her for most of that time. safe here.”

“Socks knows me -- and knows my car -- which is proven because some evenings after a class, she will be sitting under my car hoping for a treat” he wrote.

Even though Socks has been on campus for more than a decade, only few people know about her existence and only a handful know about her whereabouts.

“As far as I know,” Brennan

wrote, “ the only three people Socks trusts enough to reveal her whereabouts to if called are myself, Herman, and my wife, Carina who shares my interest in Socks’ welfare”.

Many students at SJCC were surprised to find out about Socks.

They believe it is good to raise awareness about some of the animal life that resides on campus; whether it is wild or domestic.

Student Alexis Villalpando was thrilled to hear about her. “We have a cat on campus?,” he said, “That’s awesome, it gives the school a different vibe, it makes me feel better.”

“I’m worried that she doesn’t have a permanent home, and that an evildoer could eventually abuse her,” Transfer student Quinn Morillo said, “but I think that it’s a neat quirk of the campus.”

Bay Area sports report

A week in review

BY MIKIE NEGRETE TIMES STAFF

Growing up and still living in a household where the only things that are more important than sports are God, family, and education. We would often call this time, “the most wonderful time of the year” instead of December.

This is so because this is the time of the year when all the sports begin to overlap.

Major League Baseball’s regular season is coming to an end and teams who haven’t yet clinched a playoff berth are fighting for one if they haven’t already been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Locally, the Giants have had a dreadful season for the second year in a row now, and

general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy will be looking to shake things up this offseason and get the Giants back on track come next season.

The other side of the Bay has experienced better fortunes, as the A’s chances of clinching a playoff spot seem to increase as the days go by. Nobody saw the green and gold coming this year, and what a great Cinderella story it would be for the team that consistently possesses the lowest payroll in all of Major League Baseball to not only get into the postseason, but potentially make a deep postseason run, dare I say, a World Series run.

In addition to all the excitement surrounding baseball at the moment, the NFL is back underway, and as in baseball, there are two very different stories to tell

when it comes to the two different sides of the Bay. A lot of optimism surrounds the 49ers this year as second year head coach Kyle Shanahan leads a revamped Niners squad onto the field. 49ers Faithful hope that Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can continue to have the success he found at the end of last year, when after being traded from the Patriots to the 49ers, Garoppolo lead the Niners on a five game tear, a campaign that included putting up 44 points against an NFL Top 3 defense last year in the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As for the Raiders, Oakland has definitely seen brighter days to say the least. After having fans ecstatic for the return of former head coach and most recently long time analyst Jon Gruden, many football pundits now are

PHOTO BY MIKIE NEGRETE/TIMES STAFF

Shot of O.Co Coliseum Home of the Oakland Raiders and Athletics. questioning Gruden’s ability to coach and lead the team and his ability to make football decisions for the team, as the team has struggled to start the year after trading away the player many

considered to be the face and future of the franchise, Khalil Mack.

As we can see, when it comes to both professional baseball and football, it is a different story to tell for both sides of the bay.

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018

Opinion 3

Spiderman swings past all expectations Gameplay is fluid but pacing sometimes feels like a sprint and not a marathon

BY HAROLD HUTSON TIMES STAFF

Insomniac Studios interpretation of the Spiderman story telling formula and their shot at the superhero genre is surprising and refreshing for true believers and newcomers alike. The game’s combination of a fluid movement system and web-based combination works like a well-oiled machine; with the occasional classic Spiderman puns.

My roughly 15-hour narrative follows Spiderman and some of his most fearsome foes and Peter Parker as he struggles with becoming a young adult and the responsibilities that come along with it; A true when worlds collide gripping action adventure for everyone to experience.

The games huge set pieces are spectacular and adrenaline filled as New York’s wall crawler swings, webs, and takes down the biggest challenge of his 26-yearold life.

To my disappointment story progression has a few pacing issues when you are forced out of the story action to do any of the side optional content in the open world provided.

When you are doing the optional diversionary activities, it never feels like they are useless to the broader universe Spiderman inhabits.

From Black Cat’s frequency finders to catching Task Master’s drones dropping surveillance cameras around the city, they all come together to achieve Spidey’s biggest goal of having a safer Manhattan without the threat of super villains.

Aside from the challenge activities the many side missions flush out the less super of Spiderman’s companions but all tie into the larger narrative being told.

Combat gracefully keeps itself fresh with the different web strikes, dodges, and gadgets you can use to best even the hardest enemies.

The depth in the combat system gives great satisfaction when you are able to string together the perfect combo throughout an entire fight sequence.

The main story, however, has a few pacing issues when you are forced out of the narrative to do side content. Villains are present constantly, but don’t expect to fight one of Spidey’s adversaries

PHOTO BY HAROLD HUTSON/TIMES STAFF

Harold Hutson’s wife Amira Sandoval enjoys swinging around Manhattan before starting her work for the day. every handful of tasks you have completed.

The unique way the story is presented works especially when taking the POV of Peter Parker in is regular everyday life and his struggles of becoming a young adult; or when the tone switches and you wind up playing as Mary Jane as she does whatever it takes to get the best coverage of her story for the Daily Bugle.

It is rare for a game to come out about Spiderman and makes you just as excited to play Peter just as much as the webslinger

himself.

The struggle of Peter’s mentorship with the infamous Doctor Octavius has weight and really shows the chemistry and dynamic they have together; it also shows Peter’s mentorship of Miles Morales as he goes through the same hardship that Peter faced when his uncle died and first became Spiderman.

The romance of Peter and MJ from awkward phone calls and just friends’ conversations over dinner, to the worrying about misinterpretation of text

messages, is the best iteration of modern dating at its finest. It all just works and feels like a real relationship with complications and challenges to overcome.

Marvel’s Spiderman is a game that comes around once every so often that touches all the bases of gameplay ingenuity and narrative storytelling.

In an industry infested with online gaming and live platform games it doesn’t disappoint. It is a true gem worthy of this generation of gaming and a game no one should fail to experience. 9/10

Burgers around campus: Which one is the best?

Wendy’s ‘4 for $4’ deal is comparable to homemade food

BY KAYNE GALLEGOS TIMES STAFF

In a head-to-head comparison between Wendy’s and McDonald’s, Wendy’s should be the preferred restaurant.

As for why, these were the orders that were compared: a McDouble from McDonald’s, and its Wendy’s equivalent the Double Stack. Each sandwich had a small side of fries, 10 chicken nuggets (or McNuggets) and a small Dr. Pepper.

Nutrition is a something often considered when deciding what to eat, and while no one expects “Fast Food” to be healthy, it is a good idea to watch what you eat so you don’t become unhealthy.

The nutritional information was taken from the websites of the respective restaurants, and is in the table below.

The three factors that both had listed were calories, protein and fat. For the nutritional values, the two only had minor differences, possibly because of the similarity of the food served and industry standardized ways of processing it.

Next thing up is cost, and the two meals are once again close.

Money wise, there is nothing that sets the two apart. One thing of note, at Wendy’s, the cashier combined the order into a combo meal without prompting, so if all

Food

Double Stack

McDouble

Calories g Protine g Fat g

390 25 21

390 22 18

Food

PHOTO BY KAYNE GALLEGOS/TIMES STAFF

Times Staff Kayne Gallegos at Wendy's, eating a Double Stack, Sept. 18. of the items are bought individuburger patties. The bacon also ally, its price may vary. had to be cooked, but all other There is one more thing to ingredients were prepackaged and consider, however. Wendy’s has preprocessed. this value meal, the “4 for $4”. It The cost was nearly $35, but gets you a burger from a variety the homemade burgers had a (examples include a Baconator, larger degree of customization. a Double Stack or a Chicken Avocados and bacon, pepper jack Sandwich) along with small fries, cheese and sourdough were what a small drink and four chicken made those custom sandwiches. nuggets.

They were more expensive You give up six chicken nugand I had to cook and put them togets, but you cut the costs of your gether, but I got nine thick burger meal by about 50 percent, as well patties from it, roughly brining as get options for its composition. the costs of each individual The franchises were so close that burger to about four dollars. The the “4 for $4” put Wendy’s ahead nutrition and cost is going to vary of McDonalds. While McDonalds based on ingredients. However, do have combo meals available, they are more cost effective than they don’t have anything really eating fast food. comparable.

A final factor to consider Also, I bought and cooked my is convenience. At San Jose own burgers from a grocery store. City College, it is not really an A beef log was chosen and I had issue. Food is readily and easily to make the size and shape of my available, as Bascom Avenue has

10pc Chicken Nuggets 10pc McNuggets

Calories g Protine g Fat g

420 22 27

440 24 27

Food

Small Dr. Pepper

Small Dr. Pepper

Calories g Protine g Fat g

120 0 0

140 0 0

Food

Small Fries

Small Fries

Calories g Protine g Fat g

320 5 15

230 3 11

Totals

Wendy's Meal

Mcdonalds Meal

Cost $ Calories g Protine g Fat g

10.33 1250 52 63

10.56 1200 49 56

various food joints that are on the same block as City College.

Wendy’s and McDonalds are both within walking distance from college, so they are rather convenient and easy.

Wendy’s has the edge over the

McDonalds, but the homemade burgers are a good option for individuals who are really concerned with money more than time and convenience. *Note: I am not affiliated nor paid

by McDonald’s or Wendy’s*

NEXT NEWSPAPER: OCT. 16 EMAIL US: CITYCOLLEGETIMES@JAGUARS.SJCC.EDU CHECK US OUT ONLINE: SJCCTIMES.COM

4 A&E

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018

BY MAGNOLIA JAMES LONERO/TIMES STAFF

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