Vol. 72, No. 2
Monday, October 1, 2018 and
Passion leads Comets to State championships Relief Pitcher Allie Hughen starts her windup to deliver a pitch in Palomar’s 19-0 win against Saddleback College. Feb. 26. Krista Moore / The Telescope
KRISTA MOORE STAFF EDITOR
Walking across the parking lot toward the softball field you can hear the shouts of the women’s soft-
ball team practicing in the morning sun. After falling to Mt. San Antonio College in the finals to place second in the state the team is back at work eyeing a first place finish.
Divisions in college community escalate LINUS SMITH STAFF EDITOR
Divisions within the Palomar community have been intensifying over the last few months; apexing during the Sept. 11 Governing Board meeting after one faculty member asserted vice presidents may be lying on behalf of Superintendent/President Joi Lin Blake, for fear of losing their jobs. Other causes for division
range from apparent distrust by faculty toward administration and the Governing Board in matters relating to transparency, as well as a ill-received comments by some administrators. One such comment made by Dr. Blake during plenary before the semester had begun was a matter of especial contention, in which she insinuated some criticism toward her may be due to being an African-American woman.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
With an impressive record of 41-6 and nearly going undefeated in the postseason, Coach Lacey Craft and the Comets finished the season second in the state falling to Mt. SAC 5-4
placed fourteenth in the National Alliance of TwoYear College Athletic Administors’ 2017-18 Cup, after walking off Cypress College 7-6. Starting at 7 a.m. with
weights and ending with practice on the field at 11 a.m., the team is determined to make it back to postseason play next year. Shortstop and relief pitcher Allie Hughen said, “It feels like unfinished business.” The team had swept their way into the finals behind dazzling performances from players like Alicia Garcia, now playing for San Diego State , who pitched a no hitter in the CCCAA State Tournament Finals. As a freshman Hughen had to adjust to playing collegiate softball. The All State player said, “It’s mentally and physically demanding.” Hughen’s teammate Sarah Fisher agreed saying, “Time management is important.” the All American outfielder who has put together a remarkable resume as a player so far added, “You are stronger than you think.” The team has a passion for the program that is visible in the way they practice. The hard work they put in
doesn’t only result in team success but in individual success as well. Fisher ended the season as the Player of the Year for both the conference and the State of California as well as MVP of the tournament. She also took home the Outstanding Hitter award and led the state with a .594 batting average. Long time teammate and friend Hughen also had a breakout season earning the reputation as an ace closer by having lowest earned run average (ERA) at 0.00 with a streak of 48 innings without allowing a run all in a relief appearance. Coach Craft alongside assistant coach Mark Eldridge have created an environment in which winning is expected each and every time the team steps onto the field. “There is a lot of tradition in the organization,” Fisher said, “You respect the work you put in.” KMOORE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
New library delayed until spring The new Learning & Resource center was expected to open during summer, but has been pushed back to open in January of next year. Taylor Hardey / The Telescope
SEE PAGE 2
AMBITION MADE OF NEGATIVITY RAP ALLEY SPREADS LOVE PAGE 10
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Telescopenews
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2 • NEWS
October 1, 2018
t BRIEFLY t PLANNED PARENTHOOD
CORRECTIONS SEPT. 10
SAN MARCOS --Planned Parenthood is coming to campus to give you the health services you might need. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 3 at the SU-Quad, San Marcos campus. Services include: birth control, STI screening, evaluations and referrals for advance care, education about your sexual and reproductive health, no-cost to low-cost services. Appointments are first come, first served. To make appointment at the Vista or Escondido Planned Parenthood health Centers call 1-888- 743-7526. For additional information, visit Planned Parenthood website: www.planned.org. — Lesli Kaddin Ratto
The votes for Governing Board Trustees Nina Deerfield and Nancy Hensch were incorrect on the front page below the headline “how governing board members voted on the amended contract.” Nina Deerfield voted no the the amended contract, Nancy Hensch voted Yes.
DR. BLAKE RECEIVES AWARD
In our editorial “We are watching our Palomar community corrode into tribalism,” it said Dr. Joi Lin Blake’s annual salary has risen $32,027 since her original contract. The correct number is $62,027. We regret the errors made.
MASSAGE DAY
BREAST HEALTH WORKSHOP SAN MARCOS---An estimated 41,400 people are expected to die from breast cancer in the year 2018 according to Cancer. Net. It is for this reason that the San Diego Black Nurses Association will be holding a free breast cancer workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 6, at the San Marcos campus in room D-10. Titled “Keeping Abreast of Our Needs,” the workshop will include important information on breast cancer and why it is important to get screened. Also, various resources will be given to the attendees about where they can learn more about breast cancer in the North County area. Those who are age 40 and above are highly encouraged by the Association to attend. Anyone who is interested in attending must register online at Eventbrite. com. Just search “Keeping Abreast of Our Needs” in the search bar. Feel free to contact the Association at (619) 354-6969 with any questions. — Ryan Davis
THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1992
Cartoon Network begins broadcasting
Dr. Joi Lin Blake receives award from representatives of the North County African American Women’s Assocation for her service to the community during the Sept. 11 Governing Board meeting. Linus Smith / The Telescope
SAN MARCOS --- Dr. Joi Lin Blake was embraced and presented with a bouquet of flowers from representatives of the North County African American Women’s Association, as she was honored for her role in strengthening Palomar’s message to the community. The Association is a
non-profit organization who support women and girls in North County through various networking events, fundraisers and community activities in an effort to give them the tools necessary for increasing their self sufficiency. “We are here tonight to pay tribute to Palomar College, and to Dr. Blake
for the work that has been happening [these last two years] with our organization,” President Raye Clendening of the Society said. “We would like to present to Dr. Blake a salute to community service from the North County African American Women’s Association.” “One of my goals is to
engage the college in the more diverse communities that we have,” Dr. Blake said during an interview after the meeting. “[The award] kind of speaks to the work that the college has been doing to be more engaging, and invite our community partners in so I was honored.” — Linus Smith
ANNUAL COASTAL CLEANUP SAN MARCOS --- The San Marcos community came together on Sept. 15 for San Diego’s annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Volunteers helped clean a vacant parcel of land along San Marcos Boulevard. Over 70 participants showed up with their own reusable water bottles, work gloves, buckets and bags to brave the end-of-summer heat and help clean the greater San Marcos area. Those who did not bring their own supplies were provided with them. San Marcos wasn’t the only city to participate in the event, but 108 other San Diego county communities came out to help advocate for a sustainable coastal and inland environment. According to Coastal Cleanup Day’s website, over 7,000 participants across the 108 clean up sites collected
over 130,000 pounds of debris overall. Everyone was asked to keep track of the trash they collected using data sheets provided by the ILACSD (I Love a Clean San Diego). From plastic cups to glass to cigarette butts, all garbage was to be picked up and documented. Vegetal debris were also removed making the area less prone to wildfires. There were dumpsters on site to isolate and remove collected rubbish. The event didn’t only consist of cleaning however, there were also drawings and contests held such as the “Bling Your Bucket Contest” and the “Costal Cleanup Day Sony Contest”. The winners received a variety of prizes and even the chance to win a Sony Cybershot Camera. With a hundred plus sites
Volunteer cleaning up at the “California Coastal Cleanup Day” event. Sept. 15. Kimberly Barber / The Telescope
across San Diego County, it should be easy for anyone who wishes to volunteer at next year’s event to find a site them. You can visit http://cleanupday.org/ to locate a site near you and to stay updated on when the
next cleanup day is. You can also visit https:// www.ilacsd.org/ for information on how to volunteer and participate in other events hosted by ILACSD. — Jeremiah Tatola
SAN MARCOS---The Healing Hands School of Wholistic Health (HHSWH) gave 10 minute massages on campus, Sept. 17, for students who needed to destress and unwind as Palomar approaches mid-semester. After asking a few students who signed up for a massage where their stress levels are on a scale of 1-10, ten being the highest stress, they all said they were at a ten. They all mainly attributed it to school, believing that regular massages could help reduce these stress levels. Wholistic Health Practitioner student, Aria Palmieri, one of the five massage therapists at the event, agreed that regular massages for students would benefit them. “I think I would see a significant difference (in stress levels) if I got to see clients once a week,” Palmieri said. Paula Cutriss, owner of HHSWH and director of campus massage days, explained massage therapy is “a doorway into the emotional wellbeing.” Curtiss’s wholistic health students will be back two more times this semester. The next two Massage Monday events will be held Oct. 17 and Dec. 10 Be sure to stop by and get yours the next time they are on campus. Students interested in massages to destress, or to attend classes at Curtiss’s HHSWH can get more information by going to healinghandsschool.com. — Jeremiah Tatola
OPINION • 3
the-telescope.com
The Governing Board needs to make some changes EDITORIAL
The Telescope Focused On Palomar Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 Vol. 72, No. 2 Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif.
LINUS SMITH
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
BETHANY NASH
MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR
JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ MONICA NAVARRETE
Faculty’s trust in the Governing Board has been deteriorating for the last few months, and it seems some members of the Board don’t care enough to do anything about it. At the Sept. 11 Governing Board meeting, Co President of the Palomar Faculty Federation, Teresa Laughlin, addressed the Board regarding faculty concerns over the lack of free flowing information. She noted how she’s emailed numerous Board members several times, and she’s only received one response from Trustee Mark Evilsizer, which said only he had received the email.
Board President Paul McNamara’s response to this during his report was underwhelming at best. “I appreciate all of the feedback, the Board considers everything that you said. Even if you don’t think we do, we do.” McNamara said. “Please send us your remarks, then we usually forward them to appropriate people within the campus for action.” This is not an appropriate way to communicate with any stakeholder of the campus. Being responsive is not a choice, it is a responsibility. The Board must respond to inquiry, and do so consistently so that no group seeking answers are left unin-
formed about the direction of the college. It’s not fair to assume faculty, or any other member of the community will simply have to trust actions are being taken in response to their concern, Board members should be willing to communicate the various stakeholders actively. “We wan’t responsiveness, and right now the Board is not very responsive to the Faculty Federation, but also to other faculty interests,” Laughlin said in a recent interview with the Telescope. “We try to reach out, and we’re kind of ignored to be honest.” This is no small matter, which is made further
evident by the endorsements from both the Faculty Federation and Council of Classified Employees for two new candidates this Novermber Goerning Board election, as opposed to an incumbent of over 15 years. Faculty member Lesley Blankenship-Williams also addressed the Board at the Sept. 11 meeting. She expressed she was empathetic to the difficult time Board members are facing, but also correctly noted it is the job they were elected to do. Administration has not been blameless for the lack of information flowing through the campus either, but the Superintendent/ President Joi Lin Blake is be-
ginning to respond to frustration. She will be introducing “meet-ups” on campus so that anyone can approach her on campus with concerns they have, this small step toward building a line of communication with the community is a recognition of the problem, and shows a willingness to move forward with the better together motto. The Board should do the same. At this time where distrust in the Palomar community is running rampant, it is important that changes are being made, and dialogues are being opened. EDITOR@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
OPINION EDITORS
SKYLAR MILLER VICTORIA PRICE
ARTS & CULTURE EDITORS KRISTA MOORE
SPORTS EDITOR
GEHRIG ROSEN SAMANTHA COX
BLOG EDITORS
SAVHANNA VARGAS TAYLOR HARDEY
PHOTO EDITORS ERIN HIRO
ADVISOR
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STAFF WRITERS
ANA ACOSTA, SUMMER AGUIRRE, ANGILI BEHARRY, BRIAN BELTRAN, CHEYENNE CYR, RYAN DAVIS,ALEX GARCIA, PUCHIE GRUPEE, PAT HARTLEY, GERALD LIGERALDE, NATHAN NAVIDA, JOSEPH RENTERIA, ASHLEY ROMERO, JEREMIAH TATOLA, ERIC CANTU, RHEA MARSALIN, LUCIO ALBERGO DI PACE
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Hammer and Trickle: Trickle down economics is an archaic policy that needs to end PATRICK HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
“Trickle down economics’’ is a one sided fascist philosophy that consolidates wealth and power in the hands of corrupt. Franklin Roosevelt’s 1938 warning against corporate power wielding excessive power has become a reality. “A democracy is not safe if the people tolerate private power where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism, ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or private power.” Trump’s pledged to reduce the income inequality gap and bring good paying jobs to America. Fascism has been defined as a government that is the master of the people, not the servant.
Despite his masquerading as a hero of the working class “forgotten man”, Trump and the GOP policies seem to be serving mostly the wealthy class, not we the people.
Stagnant, low wages. Trump promises the tax cuts will trickle down to workers and boost wages. But the Union Tribune stated that over the last decade wages grew 2.9 percent while inflation grew 2.5 percent, meaning we are barely breaking even. In fact under the new tax plan companies save money by moving jobs overseas. They are only charged a 10 percent tax on profits from factories abroad as opposed to a 20 percent tax on profits from factories in the U.S.
Poverty Trump promises Trickle down will boost Americans quality of life, so where are the results? According to Forbes 40 percent of Americans make less than $31,000 and 45 million of Americans live below the poverty line of earning only $12,000 per year.
Corporate welfare If Trickle down’s promise of a better life was true, then why would so many workers need public assistance? According to Forbes, so many Wal-Mart workers are on public assistance it cost taxpayers over 6 billion last year, while its estimated that 10 to 30 perecent of Amazon workers receive federal relief.
Health care costs up If the GOP tax bill helps the middle class why is Medicare and health care premiums projected to increase 20 percent next year? Republican lawmakers have already proposed cutting $537 billion from Medicare over the next years to pay back the increasing deficit. This because the new Trickle down plan brings in no revenue and gives most of the breaks to the wealthiest 1 percent. This raises the deficit by almost $2 trillion. ”The effectiveness of trickle down economics is debatable but most economists who are non-partisan will tell you that it really has not worked the way it was expected to,” Palomar College Economics Professor, Jose Esteban said.
To be honest even Neoliberalists have promoted some of these corporate policies. But Americans so desperate for help fall prey to the polarizing tribal fascist chants of “Build that wall” or “lock her up”. Trump had a history of cutting wages and outsourcing jobs and ignoring the rights of the individual even before he was elected. The only wall Trump is building is the one to keep the middle class out of the ruling class. Trump blames the bad economy on people with brown skin while defending the brown shirts. This coming election, we need to vote for candidates that won’t bow to corporate influence. PHARTLEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
4 • OPINION
October 1, 2018
Photo courtesy of Florian64190 / Wikipedia Commons
MONICA NAVARRETE STAFF EDITOR
Parks and Recreation reigns as the supreme tv sitcom that makes The Office as equal to a pile of trash. This sitcom uses comedic elements in unique ways that stands above The Office. Parks and Recreation holds the title of supremacy for a variety of reasons, most specifically, however, the way it develops the characters in its story. An emotional connection between both the characters and audience is what The Office cannot meet.
BRIAN BELTRAN STAFF WRITER
The American rendition of The Office is the most memorable show in the sitcom genre making Parks and Recreation an afterthought. Programs like Parks and Recreation have tried mimicking the magic that The Office created, but don’t quite match up. Steve Carrell’s iconic performance as Michael Scott almost single-handedly shames the gimmicky style of knockoff sitcom, Parks and Recreation. Fans of NBC’s hit show The Office are constantly at war
The characters in Parks and Recreation complete the full cycle of the storytelling element,“The Hero’s Journey.” That is each character individually; starts from humble beginnings, discovers a hidden talent that has been overlooked, begins to find favor, loses that favor to then overcome a great struggle, change how they felt before, and in the end find happiness through the completion of the story. When broken down these characters all had meaningful development in a shorter
with the fanbase of Parks over which show is better. Only one came first and has had a larger and longer-lasting impact though. Despite strong performances by Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt and other actors on Parks, the show has been criticized for feeling campy and trying too hard to be funny. The comedy in The Office comes naturally, however, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of characters like Scott and Dwight Schrute. NBC was forced to rewrite Parks main character Leslie Knope (played by Poehler) after the show did not bring in the viewers it
amount of time. Michael Scott in The Office did not evolve in his time throughout the show. This selfish, awkward and sometimes a sympathetic dummy started from the pilot and wasn’t seen much until he left engaged. Pam and Jim had much more screen time that took away from the rest of the characters to develop a relationship in which its audience were attracted to more than its supporting characters. Parks delivered its audience a chance to view a public service that many overlook from a day to day basis to wit-
nessing these passionate individuals drive, such as the city Pawnee to success. Parks emphasizing a unity within the department where collaboration and deep friendship are crucial. Parks offers more layers, better jokes and crazier development of characters than The Office. One of the characters that embody this example is Ron Swanson. It is near to impossible to have one character single-handedly run an entire series with compassion and comedy, however, Ron Swanson is a character that does just that.
He is stern yet loveable and leaves the audience wanting more from him. Every characteristic from his hatred of Canada and Europe, to his double-life as a sexy saxophonist makes him a fan favorite. This sitcom leaves a strong desire to sit and watch Parks and Rec rather than leave The Office as background noise while doing homework. The screenwriters and producers behind the magic of both these sitcom (NBC), dominated when producing Parks and Rec and viewers could connect the dots that Mark Schur made between them both. However, there is consistency that Parks gives throughout its seasons. Screenwriters stumbled in Season 5 and 6 but left with a bang in Season 7. The Office, on the other hand, lost its momentum as a whole after Season 4 making it a difficult sitcom to continue watching.
The reason being is Parks had their characters improvise throughout the sitcom that challenged the screenwriters to input jokes that best resonated with its audience. When looking at comedians as a whole this skill is something very few succeed with and what deciphers true comedians to scripted ones. Therefore those who compare Parks and Recreation different from The Office is incomparable sense, it provides easy comedy when utilizing a public service as a mode of reflection to provide people to go about their day to day. Parks a n d R e c r e a t i o n stands alone as the only show in which all characters even supporting ones are given the opportunity to complete the hero’s journey and find happiness by the end of the series
that they are not the best of friends. They really have a soft spot for each other though, and that becomes clear when they help each other in times of need. The Parks friends are always happy and campy with each other. There’s hardly any depth to the relationships because everyone differs to Knope’s agenda without much dispute.
The Office is sometimes criticized for going on longer than it should have, but Parks and Recreation are not exempt from this same critique. NBC’s earlier show is more memorable, however, with one of the most heartwarming and satisfying series finales in tv history.
MNAVARRETE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Photo courtesy of Jo9100 / Wikipedia Commons
was expecting. Viewers did not gravitate to her character’s abrasive and overzealous nature, especially when compared to the witty and bold style of Scott. The Office delivers more complex and engaging relationships with characters like Jim and Pam Halpert. Parks’ romantic couples are often shallow or uninteresting.
The Halpert’s go through various ups and downs throughout the series that lead to a much more fulfilling payoff when the two of them finally end up together. The non-romantic bonds are also much stronger in Office as well. Dwight and Jim’s history of back and forth pranks and bickering would indicate
BBELTRAN@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
BLOG SPOT
Animals are free from cosmetic testing SAMANTHA COX STAFF EDITOR
Animals no longer need to die for our aesthetics. Each year, more than 100 million animals die from chemical, drug, and cosmetic testing, says PETA.
Most people know that animal testing is dangerous, but what they do not know is that it fails 90 percent of the time, causing pain and suffering of animals. Research has shown that animal testing is outdated, and does very little for con-
sumers. Since animals and humans are different species, testing on animals is not as effective as testing on humans, making these “tests” irrelevant to humans. In the first week of September, California Legislature passed a bill that will
Guine pigs in Research for Animal Testing. Photo courtesy of Understanding Animal Research / Flickr Commons
ban the sale animal-tested products in the state. This law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. With the uprising of animal activism in recent years, the demand for ethical products has skyrocketed. The California bill, known as SB-1249, bans cosmetic products defined as “any article intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduce into, or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, including, but not limited to, personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, or conditioner.” Not only will products tested on animals be banned, but also products that contain animal ingre-
dients, making every brand vegan by default. Vegans and animal lovers will no longer have to spend time trying to figure out the microscopic symbols on the back of packaging. This means less work for the consumer, and more money for the business, as the consumer will be more eager to spend money on said product. So whether or not you feel strongly about animal activism, you no longer have a choice. Brands like L’oreal, Clinique, and Makeup Forever will either have to stop testing on animals, or stop selling their products in California, which would be a terrible business choice. Even prestige brands like Gucci and Versace have taken the step to ditch animal fur.
Before now, cosmetics have been largely unregulated in the U.S. There is not currently an official agency in charge of ensuring beauty products are safe to use and ethically produced, according to Allure. So not only have we been killing animals, but we have also been doing a disservice to our own health. This bill will make makeup safer for both humans and animals involved. California Senator Cathleen Galgiani said in a statement, “I’m proud of California lawmakers for moving science, industry, and ethics forward today. Cruelty-free cosmetics are good for business, safe for humans and don’t harm animals.” SCOX@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
The Telescope publishes on its website blogs that cover a variety of sections the are not included in the print edition, to see more articles like this visit our website at www.the-telescope.com and search under the “blogs” tab.
OPINION • 5
the-telescope.com
What’s wrong with gay blood?
The New Frontier of Democracy
JEREMIAH TATOLA
The Democratic Party is under rebranding by the Democratic Socialists, and this is a good thing. In New York’s 14th congressional district, up and coming democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeated veteran politician Joe Crowley in party’s primary election, who was expected to replace House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The win was big to shock the world, however, for the ignorant, the question remains: What is democratic Socialism? Democratic socialism is the economic philosophy of the people collectively owning the resources of a society, while still holding to familiar ideas of self-management. Though most of American citizens will inherently believe democratic socialism is tied to the traditional definition of socialism and communism during the era of the Soviet Union. Democratic socialism does in fact directly contrast communism. The philosophy advocates for more direct democracy, for example, open primaries, Medicare for all, free college, a better wage for workers, strong labor unions, etc... Democratic socialist’s platform will seem familiar to those who’ve brushed up on WWII history. The U.S. government during the turn of the 20th century dabbled with democratic socialism with policies like Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal.” The Square Deal shielded consumers and small business owners from large monopolies, such as the Rockefellers and J.P. Morgan. During the 1930’s, Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” enhanced the rights of workers. The Great Depression had crashed the global stock market leaving workers homeless and without a job, the people seeking an answer to this catastrophe. With the New Deal came a strong unionization, better wages for workers. When
STAFF WRITER
The American Red Cross (ARC) invites students every semester to donate blood, unless you’re a sexually active member of the homosexual community because of an outdated policy imposed by the FDA. Between Sept. 17 and 21, the American Red Cross was on campus taking blood donations from anyone willing to donate a pint. However, according to the ARC website, they will refuse blood from sexually active gay men willing to donate. Following FDA recommendation, the ARC will “Defer for 12 months from the most recent sexual contact, a man who has had sex with another man during the past 12 months,” even though they are desperate for blood. After speaking to volunteers working at the signup-table on campus, they reaffirmed this repugnant discriminatory sentiment. Daniel Preciado a volunteer at the blood drive said, “We’re always in need of blood. Any donation helps and we’re trying to get as many people here as possible.” Preciado continued, “The ARC will prevent [gay men] from [donating blood].” Another volunteer Rachel Alazar said, “Unfortunately in the 80’s the AIDs crisis ended up increasing and right now, [the ARC] wants to be cautious about that.” According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in a 2015 study, Homosexuals make up 67 percent of all HIV cases. This figure, however, instills an irrational fear that HIV is a huge epidemic and that a large amount of gay people have it. In reality New HIV infections have dropped 18 percent in the past six years according to HIV.gov and the rate is continuing to de-
crease. After the Aids crisis was an actual epidemic in the 1980’s, the FDA deferral was written in 1992 when the most cases were being reported. Since then, the rate has dropped significantly. This policy imposed on caring blood donors needs to be reevaluated considering that most gay people in the United States do not have HIV or AIDs. As a matter of fact, there is a drug available to those who frequent barebacking sessions with multiple partners called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). According to the CDC, “Daily PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90 percent.” This drug will, in fact, reduce the HIV rate significantly in the U.S. making the current policies the FDA imposes and the ARC upholds totally outdated. 33 percent of all HIV cases come from heterosexuals, yet the Red Cross allows sexually active heterosexuals to give blood. One can surmise that the real tea is heterosexuals as opposed to homosexuals, who have higher rates of STDs per capita seeing as gay people only make up about 11 percent of the total population according to the National Survey of Family Growth. This is a blatant disregard of statistical evidence and perpetrates discrimination based on sexual orientation. Discrimination on campus will not be tolerated and students should take a stand. The Red Cross needs our blood, and beggars can’t be choosers. By upholding these policies the state is upholding discrimination based on sexuality and because the campus is allowing the blood drive to happen on school property so are they. JTATOLA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ STAFF EDITOR
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont speaking at a town meeting at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore / Flickr Commons
the workers lost their job from the private sector, the federal government offered itself as an employer. It was the New Deal that conceived programs for the working class such as social security and workers compensation. In lamens terms, democratic socialism is the New Deal of the 21st century. But with today’s pangs of worry of wage stagnation, the deregulation of unions, trade wars, overpriced medical drugs, student loan debt, and economic inflation. To have economic growth is to provide satisfaction to workers as well as consumers. To satisfy our workers we must provide more benefits to further spur economic growth. We as citizens have become increasingly misin-
formed and manipulated into thinking unions are economically unfriendly. For instance, the Supreme Court case “Janus v. American Federation of State County”, stated that “government workers who choose not to join unions may not be required to help pay for collective bargaining.” This case gave a huge blow to the unions and the working class. The conservatives all praised the decision including President Trump who didn’t hold back on Twitter, “Supreme Court rules in favor of non-union workers who are now, as an example, able to support a candidate of his or her choice without having those who control the Union deciding for them. Big loss for the coffers of the Democrats!”
Therefore believing that unions are unfriendly and spending money on free college and Medicare for all is too expensive, is false in that is does not take into account the economic boom that will result. According to a study by George Mason University, “total health spending would come in $303 billion lower in 2031 than under current projections, with $7.35 trillion going to healthcare that year versus $7.65 trillion expected now.” With the idea of democratic socialism is that we must move past the fear of ideology. As Franklin Roosevelt famously stated, “For we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” JENRIQUEZ@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
SPEAKOUT
Thoughts on Campus Food? “I miss the meals. I’ve been here since the 90s and they used to have meal plans. I wish they’d have more variety now.” - Jennifer Knapic
“I wish they had healthier food. Something like Panera.” - Jailen Shackleford
Photos By: Monica Navarrete Blood draw image provided by BotMUltichillT/ Wikimedia Commons
6 • NEWS
October 1, 2018
CAMPUS DIVISIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Efforts to mend these divisions has seemed to begin taking shape. With the various groups having apparent differences in how to approach fixing the problem. Below is a look at how campus divisions have evolved over time, beginning with their origins in last year’s dean controversy, and ending with last week’s interviews on how the college needs to progress to fix the issues.
Where did it begin? (March 2017 - July 2018) To understand some faculty concerns in the present, it is necessary to first go back to spring of last year, when then Co President of the Palomar Faculty Federation Shannon Lienhart handed out fliers titled “Toxic Dean” at a Faculty Senate meeting. The fliers were in reference to Syed “Khaled” Hussain, a probationary dean hired in fall of 2016 who oversaw the arts, media, business and computer sciences division. Allegedly, Hussain engaged in unwanted touching of colleagues and abusive verbal behavior. A rally was organized on March 14, 2017 by faculty in an effort to get the Governing Board to terminate the dean’s contract. During which, theater arts professor, Michael Mufson spoke saying “We, as the faculty, have been totally dismissed by this administration in this situation and it’s not acceptable.” The Governing Board did not end up terminating Hussain’s contract, but after continued objections by faculty, his contract was bought out at cost to the District. The Hussain controversy was a highly combative ordeal between faculty and higher ups, which inevitably left some scars. Fast forward to the Governing Board meeting last July, where the Board approved an amended contract for Dr. Blake. In addition to the contract securing an extension of Dr. Blake’s contract by two additional years, a salary increase bringing it up to $292,027 a year, it also included a clause which guaranteed $15,000 annuity upon separation from District employment. This was considered a risky move by some faculty, and overly generous by others. “To award any Superintendent a 4-year contract this early in their tenure is financially irresponsible. As an example, please remember the painful case of Syed Hussain,” Palomar Profes-
(Top) Palomar Governing Board Members listening to speakers during public comment. From left to right, Student Trustee Amber Bancroft, Superintendent/President Joi Lin Blake, Board Presi John Halcon, Board Secretary Mark Evilsizer. (Bottom Right) Board Trustee Nina Deerfield. Sept. 11. Linus Smith / The Telescope
sor Lesley BlankenshipWilliams wrote to the Board before they made their decision to amend the contract. “[The] most egregious part of the contract is lifetime benefits and $15,000 a year lifetime annuity granted after only two years of service at Palomar College,” Teresa Laughlin, Palomar Faculty Federation Co President wrote in an email. She later noted she was also deeply troubled the Board did not have any open discussion before voting to approve the contract.
What came next? (Aug. 17 - Aug. 21) During plenary on Aug. 17, Dr. Blake addressed some criticism she’d received from the community. “[They] don’t want me here, for several reasons, that I’m making drastic change. I’ve been told they don’t want me here because I’m AfricanAmerican. I’ve been told they don’t want me here because I’m a woman, and I’m okay with that too. I’ve lived
with that all my life.” This statement took many in the community by surprise, and it was one of the topics addressed during the Faculty Senate meeting on Aug. 20 “Being the husband of a black female, and [father of] biracial children, I took so much offense to what [Blake] said,” Patrick O’Brien, the department chair for counselling said during the meeting. O’Brien finished, clearly distraught, “I know it wasn’t directed at me … but for me as a counselor who actually facilitated basic dialogues on racial issues in Los Angeles, I’m really offended by what she said.” Several more faculty followed O’Brien in voicing the offense they took from the comment made at plenary by Dr. Blake. Political science professor Peter Bowman also expressed concern with what he perceives to be Dr. Blake’s leadership style, which he described as “very Trumpian.” “It seems that she was
saying at the very end (of plenary) ‘just trust me,’” Bowman said. “‘Dont criticize, don’t questions, just trust your administrators, trust me your President, and we’ll get there without you being hurt.’” Both Governing Board Trustees, Mark Evilsizer, and John Halcon attended the meeting. Both noted they were always open to hear community concerns.
Governing Board (Sept. 11) This moves us forward to the Sept. 11 Governing Board meeting. At which numerous faculty presented to the Board during public comment. Most notably, however, Laughlin and Blankenship-Williams. Laughlin addressed the Board over matters relating to their lack of transparency and willingness to discuss openly matters of great concern to the community. Laughlin further noted she’s emailed the Board on many occasions, and has only re-
ceived one response from Evilsizer which stated “Hi Teresa, I’ve acknowledged the receipt of your email. Thank you for sharing your concern.” “This non-responsive response to valid questions is emblematic of the concerns many of our bargaining members are feeling,” Laughlin said. “They are concerned about the lack of transparency, and the lack of discussion by the Board in open session about issues of great importance to them.” After Laughlin, Blankenship-Williams stood up to the podium. She addressed the Board to vocalize her concerns about the $15,000 annuity clause in Dr. Blake’s amended contract. She noted Trustee Evilsizer, along with several vice presidents had said the annuity would be a one time payment given to Dr. Blake upon separation from Palomar. She asked for everyone in the room to pull out their phone to look up the word annuity: “a fixed sum of money paid to someone
each year, typically for the rest of their life.” She asserted there was no ambiguity in the definition, and the language used in the contract would almost certainly be defined by any lawyer as an annual payment. She therefore concluded there were only two possibilities for the Board to approve this clause. The first being they failed to do their due diligence by not taking the time to search up the definition for annuity, the second being that they’re lying and it was always meant to be an annual payment. She also expressed her concern of vice presidents reiteration of the annuity one-time-payment message. “Vice Presidents serve at the pleasure of the President, and administrators might be saying what the President wants them to say,” Blankenship-Williams said. “I suspect that at least some administrators are being forced to choose accuracy, I might even go so far as to say the truth, and their jobs.”
NEWS • 7
the-telescope.com
The colors of Pride on campus PATRICK HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
ident Paul McNamara, Board Vice President
Dr. Blake’s response (Sept. 21) Dr. Blake addressed several of these concerns during an interview with the Telescope. Plenary comment: Dr. Blake explained that the reasoning behind her comment at plenary was to open a dialogue about diversity on campus, and also that it was not targeted at any specific individual or group on campus. “One of our strategic goals here at the college, one of the Board’s goals, is to build a cultural fluency of the campus,” Dr. Blake said. “So it’s a larger college conversation, so I don’t want to make it about me. I referenced it, because I think it was something that needed to be addressed, but it’s a big conversation, because there’s more diversity than just African American women.” Comments at Governing Board: Dr. Blake, when asked her reaction to Blankenship-Williams’ comments made at Govern-
ing Board, said she has the right to make those comments at Governing Board, but the relationship she has with vice presidents does not need to be justified. “My relationship with the vice presidents, is my relationship with the vice presidents,” Dr. Blake said. “When I work with different constituent groups with campus, we all have different types of relationships … she has a right to say what she thinks, but I know what’s true.” Administrative Transparency: In response to perceptions of her leadership style, Dr. Blake said “my leadership style is collaborative and open, I have an open door policy, I’m accessible.” She further noted various ways she has, and will continue to foster opportunities for open communications. Such as Palomar News, town halls, and “meet-ups” which will be announced times that she will be at some location on campus, and anyone can talk to her in an un intimidating environment about anything on their mind. Governing Board Paul McNamara said of Dr. Blake in an email “I [have] every confidence that Dr. Blake is leading this college in the direction it needs to go,” Governing Board President Paul McNamara said of Dr. Blake in an email. “Change is always difficult for some in any institution, and I’m sure Palomar is no exception. It also takes time to see the benefits of the change. But I would like the college community to know that their president has a holistic approach to improving the various elements of the college and those improvements will benefit the stakeholders, students, and district at large.”
Remaining Faculty Concerns (Sept. 16 - Sept. 23) “I’ve been at Palomar for
27 years, I have never seen it this bad,” Lienhart said. “I believe that if we can’t get good board members elected, many of our really great administrators will be looking for work elsewhere.” Blankenship-Williams echoed a similar concern. She referenced a Governing Board meeting last semester when several administrators had their contracts shortened without notice. “They had no idea what happened,” she said in an email. “That type of uncertainty indicates that ‘anyone’ could be the next person on the chopping block.” She further expressed her belief that several administrators may be waiting for the Governing Board election in November to see if the Faculty Federation endorsed candidates, Lee Dulgeroff and Norma Miyamoto, win the election. “I predict that 20 percent of our administrators will leave by November 2019 if we don’t get both Lee Dulgeroff and Norma Miyamoto elected to the Governing Board.” Governing Board Trustee Nina Deerfield, who seems to be the one Board member these faculty members are currently pleased with, expressed how she believes the Board can better serve the community. “I think we can do a better job of welcoming comments by having everything on open agendas, so people know that a subject is coming up then they have the chance to come in contact with the Board,” Deerfield said. “So I think we need to slow down, I think things go very quickly sometimes and I don’t think that is necessarily good. I think we need to go slow enough to include everybody so they know clearly what’s going on.” LSMITH@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
The North County LGBTQ Resource Center connects with Palomar College Pride Center. Palomar’s Pride Center, which started in 2011, is the only community college Pride Center in San Diego County. They collaborate with the North County LGBTQ Resource Center on many events and is helping people of all ages, races and genders find their voice by connecting them to supportive services and resources. “I felt that LGBT people needed to be more visible in North San Diego County, there was nothing there that could represent our families,” Max Disposti, Executive Director and founder of the North County LGBTQ Resource center said. The center works hard to ensure the rights of people of all races and sexual orientation are respected. “There are a lot of challenges that are unique to LGBT people. Say if you are transgender women of color, you have challenges from left and right, up and down. What does your voice and your visibility means to
you? Your survival. It’s a statement every single day you walk out of your house,” Disposti said. The resource centers are not just for LGBTQ, but aim to serve anyone facing everyday challenges such as a lack of access to healthcare, poverty, job resources, discriminatory practices and/ or mental health. “They really have expanded their services, it’s really great,” Abbie Cory Co-Director of the Palomar College Pride Center said. The AmericanJournalConstitution.com (AJC. com) says that gay-queer teens are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Many states have Anti- Bullying and hate crime laws but some of these laws are under attack by conservatives. The support groups help kids not feel alone. The North County Resource Center has support groups for people that are young, old, Trans, people of color as well as free HIV testing and mental health referrals. They also have activities for all ages like a book club a walk/run club, youth salon and movie night, and talent shows. “When I started here I kept wondering, where are
all the LGBTQ students were,” Cory said. The Pride center located ST-72 in the center of campus. “Now its not uncommon to see same sex couples holding hands and so I think the vibe across campus has really changed as a result of the Pride Center and many of our students go to their youth support group on Thursday evenings” added Cory. A mural on the wall of Disposti’s office depicts a human figure with a rainbow flowing out from its heart; below it are handprints of children. “ We lost three kids to suicide, the youth wanted to have a place to remember the people they lost. The kids painted on the wall in one of the rooms, you can see the handprints, the kids wanted to leave an impression of their personal journey” said Disposti. The Pride Center students will have a booth at Pride by the Beach on Oct. 13 at the Oceanside Civic Center. It will be an all ages event hosted by the North County Resource Center with music, food and games. PHARTLEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
LIBRARY DELAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
ANA ACOSTA STAFF WRITER
The new Library and Language Resource Center has been delayed for another six months, due to failing state safety inspections. The library was expected to open by the Fall 2018 semester but has been delayed until Spring 2019. Since construction began in summer 2015, the new library has been eagerly anticipated by the college community. Some in the Palomar community have speculated the delay is due to the implementation of an expanded presidential suite intended for Superintendent/ President Joi Lin Blake. In an email by Vice President of Finance, Ron Perez, that rumor was said to be false. In an email, Perez explained the main reason for the delay is structural. Clarifying the major issue was the “ceiling support systems required additional work as it failed DSA safety inspection.”
Other minor issues such as landscaping, furnishing, and technology installment were also included as reasons for the delay. “DSA final inspection and certification... is needed in order to allow occupancy,” Perez said. Director of Communications Laura Gropen further noted the Spring deadline was necessary as it wouldn’t be practical to transfer the large amount of occupants and resources to the new library mid semester.There was also concerns voice during a Faculty Senate meeting on Aug. 20, regarding the expected cost of the remodel with the expanded suite. A response was sent on behalf of Perez, on Aug. 20, that detailed the plans for the remodel, as well as how much it would cost. The email explained the suite would include the office of the Superintendent/ President, a conference room, restroom, executive assistant office and wait-
ing area, and more. It also explained the expected cost would be $700,000. Once completed, the new four story building will feature various meeting and study areas, as well as tutoring and computer services for students. Librarian April Cunningham mentioned the moving process in preparation for entering the new building has been lengthy, but noted “It’ll be worth the wait.” Throughout the process of designing the library, Cunningham said they toured other libraries to see what students were utilizing most. Their main focus was to create a workspace that would foster effective learning for students. It will be, “a space that students are going to make their own. They’re really going to be able to find ‘their’ spot,” Cunningham said. “It’s going to give a whole new life to that part of campus.” AACOSTA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
8 • ARTS & CULTURE
October 1, 2018
Above: Game sreenshot provided by @evisualcomunic/ pxhere Below: Screenshot provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited
Marvel’s Spider-Man swings his way into gamer’s hearts GERALD LIGERALDE STAFF WRITER
With great power comes great responsibility. In this case the brand name “Spider-Man” is the “power” and Insomniac Games handled it with great responsibility. Insomniac Games has a reputation for making fun, wacky, and unique games such as Ratchet and Clank
and Sunset Overdrive. Marvel’s Spider-Man integrates many core ideals from Insomniac’s previous titles yet adds many delightful twists and fun surprises to our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s recent adventure. Within the first 30 minutes Insomniac introduces the basic mechanics of the game that may present a steep learning curve at first
but gradually begin to sink in as you get comfortable with the controls. Web slinging is the most basic yet important skill that you learn throughout the game and having a deep understanding of the mechanics will really help you in the long run. Whether you’re running up the Empire State Building at full speed, casually
swinging from skyscraper to skyscraper, leaping off buildings, or lunging off lampposts through the crowded streets of New York, the web slinging controls are fast, fluid, and responsive, making you feel like Spider-Man with every swing. Combat is also quick, reactive, and focused with an array of different combos and abilities at your disposal. Acrobatic punches, kicks, and flips, in combination with the many unique gadgets, suits, and skills makes thousands of unique combinations for Spider-Man to pummel his enemies. Spider-Man and his array of gadgets such as his basic web shooters all the way down way to the more advanced gadgets such as the suspension matrix provide many different ways of tackling missions and fights accordingly. One joyous aspect of the game that can’t be overstated is the concrete jungle gym playground that is, New York City. It’s a living, breathing character in its own right, with hundreds of small details scattered throughout the city. The city itself is well detailed with iconic landmarks, realistic shops, towering skyscrapers, and hundreds of people littered all
around the city. The game does feature a day and night cycle showing off the city with its beautiful night lit streets of time square and its gorgeous sunsets overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. Speaking of missions, whether you’re in Harlem stopping thugs, Central Park helping civilians, or the Greenwhich district for your part-time job there is so much to do while you’re swinging around. With hundreds of collectibles to find, dozens of pictures to take, and numerous mini games and side missions to play. We can’t talk about Spider-Man without talking about Peter Parker and the overall narrative of this established universe. Unlike past Spider-Man games, and even Spider-Man movies, this game is not an origin story. The game begins with an adult Peter Parker already having the experience and knowledge of being SpiderMan for years. Peter Parker is still his same old nerdy self from high school; however, he’s graduated college and is living on his own trying to make ends meet. Many of the core cast is also already established such as Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May along with other nice surprises which will remain unspoiled.
Peter Parker’s interactions with Mary Jane are genuine and funny, the dynamic between them is personal which creates awkward yet relatable moments throughout the 20 hour campaign. Along with Peter’s friends there are also Spider-Man’s foes, and Insomniac was very clever to integrate many iconic villains within the game. Which will once again, be kept secret for the sake of spoilers. Overall the main story is is nothing short of amazing. Sharing with the player Peter Parker’s triumphs, frustrations, and sadness. If you had the opportunity to watch Spider-Man or be Spider-Man which would you choose? If you chose the latter then Insomniac Games’ Marvel Spider-Man gives you that opportunity and then some. Staying true to its comic book roots yet branching off in its own unique story, Marvel’s Spider-Man lives up to expectations providing a fun experience to watch and an even greater experience to play delivering the best superhero game this year and a new gold standard for Insomniac Games for years to come. GLIGERALDE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
The music industry loses another star NATHAN NAVIDA STAFF WRITER
American rapper Mac Miller at the splash! Festival 20 in 2017. Photo courtesy of Nicolas Völcker.
The music world lost another young great artist nearly one month ago. Malcolm James McCormick, more commonly known as Mac Miller, died of an overdose in his San Fernando Valley home in California according to a TMZ article. Miller was a major icon in the rap and hip hop industry who began his rise during his teens. His rhymes of party culture, depression, and drug abuse connected millions of his followers over the years. The Pittsburgh native began rapping at the age of 14 with his friends, according to TMZ. Miller was inspired by artists such as the Beastie Boys and Outkast, accord-
ing to an article on Rostrum Records. He would eventually get his name known by releasing mixtapes such as, “But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy”, in 2007. His success snowballed from his humble Pittsburgh beginnings as he released hits like “Best Day Ever” and “Donald Trump”. He was able to inspire well-known artists such as Chance the Rapper and Post Malone. Chance took to twitter to say, “I don’t know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. Great man. I loved him for real.” Post Malone also took to twitter and said, “You were such an incredible per-
son. You changed so many lives. Had so much love in your heart. You inspired me throughout highschool, and I wouldn’t be where I was today without you.” Miller’s lyrics were smooth, creative, and relatable to millions of his fans. He had a way with connecting with this generation of young adults that used his music to not only party to but to also get through times of hardship. While Miller’s death was felt and seen throughout the world, it also hit close to home as Palomar College students were also affected by this loss. “Mac Miller’s death was something no one expected so when I heard the news I was in shock since listening to his music was a part
of my childhood and in a way he was relatable to me” said sophomore Kevin Gonzalez. Gonzalez also said, “...he had a big impact on my life and others by rapping about how he felt about school and his social life.” Freshman Jesus Hernandez said “... his death impacted me because he was one of the rappers I listened to and helped expand the genres of music I was exposed to.” Although Miller’s life was cut short his legacy will live on forever. His lyrical expertise will continue to touch and inspire future generations of people in ways that other great artists have. NNAVIDA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
ARTS & CULTURE • 9
the-telescope.com
The new era of YouTube VICTORIA PRICE STAFF EDITOR
YouTube’s most popular content is no longer two minute long videos of cats or cheesy skits made on grainy laptop cameras. It has become a place where creators can upload longer, more in depth videos like documentaries and shows. For the past few years, YouTube has been more focused on creating longer, monetized content made by their creators. This change has allowed creators to either thrive and gain millions of views, or to fall short, not meeting YouTube demands. In essence, this is pushing YouTube more in the direction of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. In recent months, they’ve been promoting longer videos, multi-episode series, and documentary style features, and those have been getting the views. In August 2018, creator Shane Dawson uploaded a five part series that gave an inside look to the world of beauty guru and entrepreneur Jeffree Star, each
installment lasting about 30 minutes, totaling nearly three hours of content. The series was shot like a documentary, with in depth interviews and a look inside of a world most people don’t know. Since being posted in early August, the series has racked up over 86 million views collectively. Content like this wbeing posted on YouTube for free makes it accessible to viewers around the world, creating money for not only the content creators but for the company itself. Since YouTube was bought out by Google in 2006, the company has reached a net worth of $70 billion as reported by Bank of America in 2015. Top creators have been given crews and have created consistent production and release schedules, making the release of their videos more like a daily or weekly episode of something you’d watch on TV. Creators are producing videos that become part of a series, and are high quality and entertaining. In 2015, YouTube
launched YouTube Red (now called YouTube Premium), a subscription service that allows subscribers to view all content ad-free, save videos for later offline viewing, and ad-free music streaming. The most desired feature of YouTube Premium is the exclusive series made by the biggest creators on the platform. Currently, the service costs $10/month, which is pretty standard for other streaming services. But how does it compare? While Netflix and Hulu require payment for all of their content, YouTube still allows viewers to watch for free, making the Premium service more like an upgrade. However, if you spend a lot of time on the platform and enjoy content from the creators, it’s a good deal. The shows included in the subscription vary in content, from drama series, documentaries, gaming, and talk shows. One of the bigger series on the service is Escape the Night, a murder mystery show created by Joey Graceffa. This year saw the
Logo courtesy of Youtube/ Wikimedia Commons
release of the third season. Each season features a brand new cast of other YouTubers, with a different theme and different characters. The website has even created a way for creators to add videos to seasons and series, making a series of videos easily accessible
and allows for consistent streaming and viewing. This new era of YouTube content is making it competitive for streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, and is giving creators a chance to expand their boundaries in the world of online video making, and giving viewers well done
and creative content. If you enjoy seeing a constant flow of exclusive content from your favorite creators, it might be in your interest to check out YouTube Premium, and maybe reconsider Netflix and Hulu. VPRICE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Book Review: “Small Fry” by Lisa Brennan-Jobs SAVHANNA VARGAS STAFF EDITOR
“You smell like a toilet” was the opening introduction to what the man behind the tech giant Apple was like and an inkling of what the odyssey of father and daughter would be like. Lisa Brennan-Jobs was born to one soon to be known computer developer Steve Jobs and a student artist named Chrisann
Brennan on a farm commune in Oregon. At the time of her birth her father named her despite claiming she wasn’t his. Lisa’s writing is a unique cadence between classic AP style and her own tonality when speaking. It is like butter being placed on toast with lavishments that carry the reader through every phase to create a complex and yet easy accessible read. Accessibility is one of
her book’s strong points. Easily drawing parallels to every childhood where both the memories of wonderment along with the horrors underlying growth are illuminated. One moment you are angered even horrified by many of the key character’s behaviors and actions and the next entrenched in sympathy for those who really knew no better. Some a product of bad advice others never really had a role
Small Fry book cover. Savhanna Vargas/ The Telescope
model to understand much needed social behavior. This is the other book’s strength. It’s treatment of key players not as legendary childhood pedestals but crudely drawn with the maturity that each person in her life had both benevolent and subversive flaws that lent to her strengthening. Further she weaves the tale with an underlying conspiracy of angels, the ones routing for her and
uplifting her life and devils, the ones who behind close doors and in conversation steered her trajectory towards loneliness and a lack of a father in childhood. We even begin to see Steve Jobs borderline neglectful and often harsh actions of disowning her rooted deep in a conversation with a spiritual advisor years before. Depending on the baby’s gender he would either be tied to its care or would have no obli-
gation to even claim it. For every bit of cruelty given out there was a memory that showed either the awkwardness or the fun side that gave her father a place in her heart. From making sex talks an unashamed event to skating along the streets of Palo Alto there was redemption for Jobs at the end of his life. TELESCOPEPHOTO @THE-TELESCOPE.COM
10 • ARTS & CULTURE
October 1, 2018
Ambition Made of Negativity BETHANY NASH STAFF EDITOR
Suspended from high school at 14, Ruben Moreno (Amon) found solid ground in rapping. Moreno began writing his own raps at 14 after being suspended. When he was 17, he began to take his love of rapping more seriously. He created a Soundcloud and began promoting his music. During senior year at high school, he began putting up posters on construc-
tion paper advertising his lyrics and Soundcloud. “I posted it all over the classrooms and above water fountains where people could see it,” Moreno said. “That’s when I knew I was taking it to the next level.” Now 20-years-old, Moreno is getting up to 5,000+ listens on his music. “Everybody thinks ‘oh that’s just like a thousand people and people get millions,’ but I like to picture it like a thousand people in a room is a lot of people, and
if I can get a thousand at a show than that would be a hell of an experience,” Moreno explained. When Moreno is rapping or acting as an MC at an event he goes by the name Amon, which stands for “Ambition Made of Negativity.” When Moreno began pursuing his rap, a family member of his, who Moreno preferred to keep unnamed, did not support his career. In the past, Moreno said he used this as an excuse as to why he wasn’t further in his
career, allowing the negativity to bring him down. “But at the end of the day I realized it’s all me. I am the only one stopping me from my dreams ... I was able to use the negative energy instead of bringing me down, to bring me up,” Moreno said. An unsupportive family member has not been Moreno’s only barrier to hurdle in his rap career pursuit. He is currently a full time student studying business with a minor in marketing, while
Rap Alley spreads love BETHANY NASH STAFF EDITOR
Palomar student brings a community of underground rappers and hip hop heads to celebrate a community of raw and authentic talent. Amon the MC (Master of Ceremonies), which is his stage name that stands for Ambition Made of Negativity, is a Palomar student that began his rapping career at the age of 14, he now currently works to provide performance platforms for underground artists to come and celebrate their community together. The event is called Hip Hop Alley, and is sponsored by the PaintBooth located in the local North County Area. Attracting well known artists from all over Southern California such as, No1mc, Brother Cuban, and Verde. With an estimated number of around 100 hip hop heads that showed up to show their love and support in the back ally behind the PaintBooth, bringing the hip hop community back to its roots in the street, creating a down to earth feel and embracing all elements of hip hop culture. When asked how he felt about seeing so many people show up to the event, Amon the MC simply stated, “No words, love.” Brother Cuban, a stage name for another MC at Hip Hop Alley, began his path when rapping was the only way he felt he could get out his truth and what he was experiencing at that time in his life. Today, Brother Cuban views this community of underground rappers as family, and feels it is something special more people should be a part of. “If you want to find yourself a little bit... If you want to be a part of something, especially something organic, this is something you should come out and be a part of,” Brother Cuban said. Many of the artists feel hip hop today is being loudly defined by mainstream mu-
sic, which contains a lack of texture compared to their underground community. To them Hip Hop Alley is just one of many platforms to come and celebrate the validity of their family. No1mc, another performer at Hip Hop Alley who preferred to be referred to by his stage name explained, “It’s real and their is substance to it. Mainstream is kind of simple minded stuff and underground is where the real stuff is at.” Mainstream rappers such as Lil Xanny, Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Peep tend to rap about getting drunk, partying, money, women, drugs, and life with a negative perspective. Verde, another stage name and the only girl MC at Hip Hop Alley, expressed her passion to change this perception in rap culture, and begin to use hip hop as a way to better the world rather than destroy it. In the final song of her set, Verde advocated recently passed artist Mac Miller, explaining that the idea of drugs then begins to be glorified rather than using the tragedy and their musical platforms to make a change. Verde now believes that it is time to begin to move these stereotypical ideas in hip hop off of the mainstream platforms and begin promoting world change through the hip hop community. “I feel like they need to know that love is greater than hate. Everything that is mainstream right now is egotistic and hateful. We need to turn towards the light,” Verde said. Sept. 22 Hip Hop Alley Jam was just one of many examples of a community coming together to celebrate the culture of real hip hop and the voices that bring it together. For links to the artists mentioned in this article and future events refer to the online article at the-telescope. com. BNASH@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
working 30 hours a week as a landscaper. This leaves him often working on his raps beginning in the late night and continuing into the early hours of the morning. Longtime friend and fellow MC (Master of Ceremonies), No1mc, who asked to go by his stage name expressed his admiration and support for all that Moreno works to accomplish stating, “He is my boy. I love that he pushed his music real good, he is a hustler.” When Moreno isn’t rap-
ping he spends his free time Hosting/MC-ing events starring local talent, bringing out local vendors, and promoting events. Moreno aspires to give artists a platform to perform and get their art out into the open, the kind of platform he didn’t have when he began his career. “Apart from just following my dream of being an artist, I also like to help other artists succeed” Moreno said. BNASH@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Daring Jazz trio tips the scales PATRICK HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
(Top) Amon the MC (Second from Bottom) Anthony Colon performing at Hip Hop Alley rap event. (Bottom) Epyk Saga performing at Hip Hop Alley rap event. Photos by Bethany Nash / The Telescope
The West Coast Chamber Jazz Trio toe-tapped into Palomar college’s Howard Brubeck Theatre concert hour for a delightful collection of mash-ups ranging from traditional to improvised “free jazz”. The Trio consisting of Andrea Centazzo (percussion), Ellen Burr (Flutes) and Jeff Schwartz (bass) dazzled with traditional and eclectic original compositions by Centazzo. “Most of my compositions have been done by orchestras, but it felt very intriguing to have a just a flute, bass and percussion” said Centazzo “The music is pure genius, unbelievable, I never heard anything like that before,” said a concertgoer named Cynthia. The trio performed five songs. “Kirimia on Sunset Strip” started out as a bouncy traditional slide but soon turn gritty and raspy with jumbled sounds and notes clashing like a crowded downtown sidewalk. The melodic pulse of rush hour rumbling through the streets slowly weaving across town. Centazzo’s thick Italian accent described the variety of styles they played. “You can just explore several situations and atmospheres, it’s fun playing this way because you are not strictly forced to play in a style, so we have this free plans where we can interact with weird sounds, it adds colors” said Centazzo. Next was “Painful obsession” a rhythmic climb up and down the urban rooftops. Ellen Burr’s flute drifting above like a pigeon that flew the coop. Suspenseful interludes with ominous bass-lines and intrepid pattering percussion led to a frantic scurry down wthe
fire escape to the not so safe survival of the streets Burrs extended flute techniques added flavor to the recipe. “Yes, That’s one of the things I love doing singing and playing the effects unit added a different pitch as well, it was either a fifth for an octave up” said Burr. “No more drama” Felt like a misty journey down a Himalayan river. The flute seemed to guide as through the shimmering fog. The bass-line pulled us into an underground river while the drums pushed us along to a swirling lush oasis beyond. “It was like the twilight zone and at the same time it kept you on the same theme, it was so intriguing, it was a real journey” added Cynthia. “Ellen is here” is Centazzo’s melodic tribute to his spunky band-mate; honoring the women he says “specializes in all kinds of tubes”. As the music played I envisioned dancers in Zoot suits jiving and jitterbugging on the dance floor. The sounds conclude as if the dancing spills out into the streets of Harlem. Burr also held a Master class for Palomar’s Music dept. After the show teaching students on the extended flute techniques that cause the vibrato or fluttering tones, clicks and bends. She encouraged the class( )to explore and collaborate with new groups and styles. “What I get from collaboration is new ideas and I go places I would not have thought of going.” Burr related the challenge of improvisation to life. “My goal is just to be present and open, but it’s also really important to keep our own voice. Be careful you don’t get into being nourished by what other people do.” PHARTLEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
SPORTS OPINION • 11
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Just Do It: Nike’s Million Dollar Touchdown BRIAN BELTRAN STAFF WRITER
Kneeling was never about the military. It was never about disrespecting the flag. It was always about speaking out about racial injustice in America. Nike’s legendary status in the world of sports and media has never been bound by the expectations of society to fit an agenda. They are constantly pushing the envelope by endorsing outspoken activists that fit their iconic motto “Just Do It.” While critics thought they had heard the last of Colin Kaepernick’s campaign, Nike just reignited the discussion with their latest promotion of his journey as a player, and more importantly, as a social figure. In 2016, former pro football star Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem of an NFL preseason game. The immediate backlash he received would not silence him though. He is now the face of Nike’s latest “Just Do It” campaign. When the former football star initially began his infamous protest of the anthem, he sat on the bench instead of standing, an action that was met with outrage. After advice from Army Special Forces Veteran, Nate Boyer, Kaepernick began to kneel instead. Critics of the action were so caught up in the football player’s blatant
Illustration provided by SheaDayGraffix/ Flickr.
disrespect for the military that they failed to realize the motives and ideas behind it. “Soldiers take a knee in front of a fallen brother’s grave, you know, to show respect,” said Boyer. Kaepernick attested that he meant no disrespect towards military veterans, who he has great respect for. While angry fans and
even owners of the NFL spoke about their disapproval towards the former 49ers quarterback, he rallied many teammates and other athletes to speak out on the same issue-- racial injustice. Although his efforts were noble, he was ultimately dismissed by his team and garnered no interest from other NFL organizations. He has since
sued the NFL for collusion after he was seemingly blacklisted from the league for his protest of racism by American politicians. And so his name became a sour topic. He had lost. No more noise about kneeling or protesting during professional sporting events were being tolerated. Until Nike resurfaced the issue by making Kaepernick the star of their
most recognizable ad. Nike released the 30th anniversary rendition of their “Just Do It” campaign on Labor Day this year. The tv spot features the former NFL star as the narrator who follows the unlikely journeys of global sports icons like Serena Williams and LeBron James. “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just Do It,”
Kaepernick said. Since the release of the ad, disgruntled people have began boycotting Nike. Several cases of people burning their shoes have been documented across social media. However, this hasn’t had a large impact on Nike’s success, as the company grossed $6 billion since the release of the ad. Kaepernick and his supporters continue to maintain that they are targeting police brutality against people of color as the main cause of their movement. President Donald Trump and other naysayers continue to claim they are disrespecting the flag and what it symbolizes. Although Kaepernick may not be on an NFL roster for the 2018 season, jerseys with his name have sold by the masses. He had the most selling jersey of 2017, and has since launched his own jersey independent of the NFL brand that quickly sold out. “We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward,” said Nike executive Gino Fisanotti. Nike’s faith in him as their lead man may have been a bold move, but it is proving to be a sensational success. BBELTRAN@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
Thanks for Nothing: NCAA leaving athletes hurt and hungry MONICA NAVARRETE STAFF EDITOR
The actions of the NCAA and the treatment of student athletes has long been a major issue. The rise of the NCAA from a small overlooked office into the most powerful, non-profit governing bodies in the world of sport is tracked , as we are shown the evolution of sponsorship and media rights , worth fortunes , in which the students receive nothing in compensation for their service except a degree. But this questions the ethical side of some colleges , leading to the comment “ These kids get a degree but not an education.” According to Qina Liu from the Pro Player Insider college sports generate billions of dollars worth of ticket sales ($1.6 billion), corporate sponsorships ($1.5 billion), TV contracts ($1.2 billion), donations ($1.5 billion), and royalties
for licensing and merchandise ($0.5 billion) and none goes to support the daily needs. Players simply receive a degree in exchange in a field that does not promise success but instead is an education that revolves around the world of their sport. And what bigger sport than football to set our example. University of North Carolina , ranked top 100 for football, recently announced that “they could not conclude nor comment on” their recent scandal with decades of allowing athletes slide with “paper classes.” “Paper classes” are courses that allow athletes to skim through their classwork, illegally covered by professors and administration, in order to meet its requirements. These struggling athletes are instead directed to focus on their performance on the field rather than their academic success in the classroom in order to keep them eligible.
The hypocrisy from these colleges such as UNC bleeds through their supposed intention to truly help these athletes succeed beyond the field. The NCAA and universities all around run their athletes as a cartel in which only bring in money the players do not see. Houston Texans’ running back Arian Foster commented on his time at the University of Tennessee and said “There was plenty of times where throughout the month I didn’t have enough food.” An issue universities put athletes through everyday leaving them without a way of accessing food. Many universities succeed in filling their responsibility of feeding these athletes by giving them an inadequate meal plan that doesn’t cover their appetite. Thus leading most into a state of ambiguity not knowing where their next meal will come from. “I called my coach after
opening an empty fridge and told him “Coach I ain’t got no food , no money , I’m about to do something stupid.” Arian Foster added. “Our stadium had like 107,000 seats, 107,000 people buying the ticket to come and watch us play...I go to my dorm, open the fridge and there’s nothing in the fridge.… Why don’t I have something to show for what I did…. It’s total bullshit, but you don’t say anything because if you say anything, you step out of line and that will hurt your chances of getting to that next level.” As shocking as the reality is we as consumers of these games and merchandise result in the rape of these student athletes liberty to speak the truth. The truth being that the NCAA and universities are in a gambling play in which deliberately exclude these athletes for having a say in their in their own future as not only an athlete but as a student.
The NCAA has these student athletes by the throat filling them with pride with the amateur level in which they play with. And of course, Amateurs aren’t paid. Amateurism is just what the NCAA held onto when Alvis Kent Waldrep sued Texas Christian University for his permanent paralysis as a running back when playing for Alabama’s Crimson Tide. TCU claimed to not be responsible for the injuries that he was affected with and later took him off his football scholarship leaving him with no possibility of staying in school. Waldrep is among many athletes that year after year get affected by the NCAA’s infidelity towards their athletes. Let’s take a more recent athlete as an example, San Diego State University’s very own full back Isaac Lessard. Lessard recently suffered a number of concussions
during his junior training camp in which he was deemed unavailable to play for his upcoming season. His medical consultants advised to terminate his time playing football as another concussion would result in fatal results. Regardless of his medical diagnosis Lessard still continues to play as the starting fullback at SDSU nevertheless still pursuing his “free education” the NCAA trades in turn for his devoted labor. Despite the pedestals in which we admire these athletes, they are ferociously suffering at the hands of this brutal dictatorship. A cartel in which they can’t escape without sacrificing their minds and bodies. So are we leaving a legacy for the fans or the athletes that are sacrificing themselves for those fans? Think about that the next time you watch a football game. MNAVARRETE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
12 • SPORTS
Recruiting: The Foundation of Sports KRISTA MOORE STAFF EDITOR
A good team is formed on a strong foundation of young talented athletes often brought into an organization through the recruitment process. Considered to be one of the most important aspects of collegiate sports recruiting is often connected to a scholarship. A community college, such as Palomar, can’t offer the same thing as a university, but they can offer them a different kind of experience. ..Like a contractor, head coaches are in charge of putting together a team, and putting them in the best position to succeed. With more than 8 million high school athletes in the United States, coaches search for the best athletes in their senior year looking to move onto collegiate level sports. “A college program lives and dies by it’s recruiting!” David Linenberger said. As the head coach of the men’s soccer team coach Linenberger develops and maintains relationships with the local high school coaches. “ Last winter I watched over 20 games all on my own dime.” Linenberger said. In the case of baseball Coach Ben Adams said, “ We recruit by scouting local high schools and also youth tournaments and showcases.” Unlike a big university the coaches at palomar are left to do a majority of the leg work themselves. One way Palomar helps coaches find players is an interest form found on the athletic websites. Depending on the sport most coaches to look to bring in about 20-30 players each season. “ I contacted over 50 players, had 20 commit to coming with 14 showing up. It is a great deal of work, but it has to be done.”Linenberger said. Because of the high turnover rate Palomar has, only a handful of athletes return each season. In the case of men’s soccer only 3 players returned. “ Of the 26 players on our roster 14 were recruited and 9 were walkons.” Linenberger said. The recruiting process is not one to be taken lightly. Athletic Director Scott Cathcart said, “ It is the life-blood of our intercollegiate athletic program.” KMOORE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
October 1, 2018
It’s not how you start... KRISTA MOORE STAFF EDITOR
With multiple sports teams on campus there is a lot happening on any given day. A majority of the teams started off struggling to put together a win, but have begun to find their identity as a team a month into their respective seasons. FOOTBALL Palomar football has gotten off to a rough start pulling out wins late in games. The freshman heavy team has struggled with having a multitude of penalty calls in each game and because of injury keeping key players on the sidelines it has been hard for the team to find bright spots in the midst of the up and down season. One area the team has found some stability in the quarterback position. Freshman Shea Morales who started as one of the backup quaterbacks passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns in his last start against Ventura. Another player who has stepped up is punter Jacob Stepanek who has 27 punts for 992 yards. The team will take on number one ranked Fullerton College at 6 p.m. on Oct. 6 at Escondido High School. WATER POLO MEN The Palomar men’s water polo team has had trouble with consistency. The young team composed of a majority first year players is struggling to find their rhythm as a team. The team started off strong rattling of four consecutive wins the proceeded to loose the next seven. Coach Kody Moffatt is looking to his returning players to guide the freshman in their first year of collegiate water polo. The team will be back home taking on Miramar at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. WOMEN Like the men’s water polo team the woman have struggled to find consistency in their season. The team has held their own against tough opponents such as Grossmont College who have a high success rate in water polo. Behind returning sophmores Kelly Rowan and Emma Thomas the team is slowly developing into what could be one of the more successful teams this season. The team will be home to take on Miramar at 2 pm on Oct. 22. SOCCER MEN The team has struggled early on trying to find their rhythm as a team with few bright spots. Freshman goalie Daniel Bukari had an impressive 15 save performance that got overshadowed by a loss. In the Comets second conference game, the team shutout Southwestern 2-0 with goals from Bryan Covarrubias and Joseph Renteria. The teams next home game will be against College of the Desert at 3 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Minkoff Field. WOMEN Women’s soccer has struggled to pull out a win in the first month of the season. The team has a handful of returning players one of which is Yuliana Sanchez who gave the Comets an offensive jolt in their tie with Pasadena City College by scoring a pair of goals. The teams defense has been a bright spot in an otherwise dim season. The team has their next home game at 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 against San Diego City College at Minkoff Field. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Women’s volleyball has gotten off to a rough start this season. After dropping eight straight games the team got their first win against Southwestern College sweeping the three set match. The team continues to be positive throughout their matches hoping to build on their success. Their next home match will be at 5 p.m on Oct. 3 in the Dome. WRESTLING Palomar’s wrestling went 4-0 in the season opening Mt. SAC Duels on sept. 15. beating Modesto College from Northern California in the championship match. Raul Ortiz, and Mace Anderson both went unbeaten for Palomar in the tournament. Comets wrestling will look to continue success as they open the home season against Cerritos College at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in the Dome. KMOORE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM
(Top): Jacob Stepanek in Palomar 14-10 win over Citrus College Sept. 15. Krista Moore/ The Telescope (Second from top): Samanthanl Kaye -Toral taking a shot on goal during Palomars’ 2-1 loss against College of the Desert on Sept. 18. Krista Moore/ The Telescope (Middle): Quarterback Adam Carr handing the ball off in the Comets’ 42-6 loss against Southwestern. Sept. 8. Krista Moore/ The Telescope. (Second from Bottom): Kelly Rowan passing the ball in Palomars 7-6 loss against Grossmont Sept. 12. Krista Moore/ The Telescope (Bottom): Freshman Jessi Piazza in the Comets 4-1 loss to the San Bernardino Wolverines Sept. 18. Krista Moore/ The Telescope