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PALOMAR WRESTLER Alex Graves is currently undefeated in the 184-pound weight class, placing him first in the state. • Page 20

CLOCK TOWER A feature on the history of the clock tower on campus • Page 15

the telescope

Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper • the-telescope.com • Vol. 68, No. 7 • Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

Who will choose our next president?

Photo Illustration by Harim Arjon and Brian O’Malley

SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE

The dilemma to find a new Palomar College president has begun even before the selection committee is in place.

The current president and the student government president are already at odds with the faculty over who should serve on the 26-person committee that will replace President Robert Deegan when he retires in June 2015.

The first issue is a decrease of student representatives. The second is whether school officials who are retiring next summer can serve on the selection committee before they leave. The third issue is whether to immediately find Deegan’s replacement or go with an interim president before making a final decision.

The committee to select the next president of Palomar College will be comprised of 26 voting members and one non-voting member from different areas on campus and one outside community member.

A few of the changes the Governing Board made from the 2003 Presidential Selection Committee include adding two more Palomar Faculty Federation members, one more adjunct faculty and the student selected by the Associated Student Government was reduced from two down to one. Another stipulation created by the Governing Board was this student must be a returning student in the Fall 2015.

“I’m disappointed the board felt student representation on the selection committee should be de-prioritized, especially when they added additional faculty seats,” ASG President Jason Hosfield said.

Hosfield decided to take one class next Fall semester so he could qualify to be the student representative on the committee.

‘I don’t love this option ... I want to be done with

Palomar,” Hosfield said during a Nov. 19 ASG meeting.

“If I don’t, there is no one else,” he added.

The ASG unanimously voted for Hosfield to sit on the search committee as the student representative during the Nov. 19 meeting.

Hosfield initially tried to run as the community member but the Governing Board decided the community member chosen cannot be a student or employed by Palomar during a Nov. 12 Governing Board meeting. Hosfield did not take this lightly. As he left the meeting he said the Governing Board members are not taking the students’ voices seriously.

The college sent out a press release looking for a member of the community to take part in the process that could last up to a year. All members of the committee cannot miss one meeting or their place on the board will be depleted and not replaced.

Faculty who decide to take part in an early retirement incentive early next year, also referred to as the golden handshake, can not take part in the selection committee.

Some have taken issue with that rule, including Deegan, who said that prohibiting those who will retire from the committee is a form of discrimination.

The Faculty Senate disagreed at a meeting Oct. 27 and voted for the stipulation that potential retirees can’t serve on the committee.

The last Presidential Search Committee in 2003 took 14 months. The Faculty Senate felt that the timeline proposed by Deegan, having a new president in

by July 1, 2015, created problems. “(It) is not realistic, would not be beneficial to faculty, staff or students and could be a short-sighted solution with long-term consequences,” according to meeting minutes from Oct. 27. They voted to request the District hire an outside interim president effective July 1, 2015.

Palomar’s Faculty Senate members voted Dec. 1 for which nine faculty members will be part of the Presidential Search Committee.

JUMP TO PRESIDENT PAGE 15

Landscape Annual black-tie dinner raises money for student scholarships photography class MIKE PETERSON SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE

A night of food and festivities to raise money for education was held on Nov. 22 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. The Palomar College President’s Associates 23rd Annual Gala, raises funds that benefit the college’s students and programs.

The theme of this year’s event was Discovering the Magic of Education. Tickets cost $300 and over 350 people attended.

“We have been told that it was the most exciting, well-paced and entertaining one in (Palomar) gala history,” Richard Talmo, executive director of the Foundation, said.

The Foundation raised around

$150,000 this year, according to Talmo. The money raised goes toward scholarships, equipment, learning services and educational programs, according to the Foundation’s website.

“The Foundation does amazing work for Palomar students,” Associated Student Government president Jason Hosfield said. “If this is how the Foundation gets their money, then I’m all for it.”

The evening started out with guests arriving for cocktails and a silent auction. After a welcome, acknowledgement speech and dinner service, student entertainers from Palomar’s performing arts department performed as a group called Encore.

Other events for the evening included a contest in which one person from each table tried to sell a bottle of wine to their table-

mates, with an award going to the highest price sold. Table 12 won this contest with a final bid of $1,001, outbidding another table by $1.

There was also a live auction which included various trips such as Puerto Vallarta and a week in Hawaii. The trips were valued anywhere between $1,000 and $9,500.

Each year, the Foundation gives the Comet Award to individuals who make noteworthy contributions to the local community.

This year’s award recipients were Major General Anthony Jackson, U.S. Marine Corps, and World War II Veteran Jack Port, who landed at Normandy on DDay.

JUMP TO GALA PAGE 2

captures Las Vegas TURN TO PAGES 9, 10 & 11

The Neon Museum, also famously known as the Boneyard, is where many outdated casino signs in Las Vegas go for renovations or historical storage. • Lucas Spencer

2 • NEWS

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

GALA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Performers from The Xceptional Tribute to Abba during Palomar’s 23rd Annual Gala on Nov. 22. • Casey Cousins/The Telescope

“It’s an honor,” Jackson said.

“If you commit yourself to a life of service, you really don’t expect a physical award.”

“It’s very nice when people recognize (you), but it’s not something you expect,” he added.

One of the live auction items was a 7-day trip to Normandy, France with Jack Port on the anniversary of D-Day. Called a “oncein-a-lifetime opportunity” by the Foundation, two of the trips were auctioned off at $4,000 and $3,600.

Port is known locally for his contributions to the community and for serving 28 years on the San Diego Board of Education. In 1974, he was awarded an honorary degree in humane arts from Palomar.

“I am a product of public education,” Port said.

Former students that have received scholarships from the Foundation also spoke at the podium during the Gala.

Jonathan Farmer, former ASG president and currently a USD student, said “For a moment I thought I would have to choose between text books and groceries.”

He said he didn’t have to choose thanks to the help from Palomar. He ended with “I am still a Comet.”

The night concluded with dancing and music performed by The Xceptional Tribute to Abba.

Sponsors of the event included Balfour Beatty Construction, TriCity Medical Center and the Stone Brewing Company.

MPETERSON@THE-TELESCOPE.COM SWHALEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Students, faculty at odds over naming the Student Union CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE

There is a growing disconnect between faculty and the student leaders over how the Student Union is valued by the school.

For the right price, potential donors can have their name placed on a select number of facilities at Palomar College. And, for a select number of students, that doesn’t sit quite right.

According to AP 3830 (Naming of Facilities), adopted by the Governing Board in May 2013, for a financial gift of $1 million or more, a donor can have their name placed on a new or existing building.

However, since most of the buildings have already been built, the donors will have their name placed on one of the 10 newest buildings at the San Marcos campus and the Escondido campus.

Rich Talmo, executive director of the Foundation, is one of the

individuals who has spearheaded the movement for the naming opportunities. He said that the old policy (AP 7.135) originally stated that any monetary gift had to be at least 20 percent of the worth of the building.

However, since these buildings are already built, the school needed a better way to fundraise the opportunity.

“We felt that we could provide a more user-friendly policy that would allow buildings to be named for a flexible amount of money,” Talmo said.

To get an idea of how much each building was worth, Talmo, along with the Facilities Review Committee, created a rubric for rating the value of each building.

The rubric was based off of the following criteria: value to the community, level of academic and career readiness, level of visibility for the students and cost of construction for the building.

The issue at hand, however, is

not the names being sold off in particular. The issue, according to Associated Student Government Senator Meeko Moore, is how the Student Union (or The Commons as it is referred to in the rubric) is valued compared to other, newer facilities.

At an asking price of $1 million, it is the lowest valued building.

According to Moore, the faculty doesn’t have a fair understanding of what the Student Union really brings to Palomar.

“Next to the athletic department, the Student Union is where a lot of our campus happens, so it is the personal belief of the ASG that it should be (valued) a little more,” Moore said.

As the first student representative of the Facilities Review Committee, she said feels that the students didn’t really have a say on what the Student Union is really worth.

“The faculty are not the students, and they are not in the Stu-

New program at Palomar is hiring students to visit high schools BROOKE CRAWFORD THE TELESCOPE

When you decided to take the plunge and apply for Palomar College, what was your experience? Did you have someone you know to help guide you through the process?

In recent Student Services Planning Council meetings, there has been talk about implementing a new system of integrating incoming students into Palomar.

SSPC members want the implementation of a student ambassador program as one of their goals in a two-year action plan drafted in October.

The past has shown that the current methods are not as inclusive as many college students need.

College officials have made note that the more hands-on approach to orientation of incoming freshmen is more helpful to students.

Palomar sends out counselors to talk with students about the college and the benefits that can be seen from attending. The SSPC among various on-campus committees and administrators have decided to implement a new job force to help aide incoming freshmen.

This new force is called Student Ambassadors.

This position has opened up and applicants are screened for qualifications to go out to high schools and talk with potential students about all that Palomar has to offer.

They will be there to answer questions, give information and be a point-of-contact for those who need or want it.

These students will be screened, trained and will represent Palomar College. A second hiring process is due to happen in Spring of 2015.

Student Ambassadors will also

help with orientation days where students tour the campus, talk with department heads, visit with counselors and ultimately come up with an education plan that fits their needs.

Kendyl Magnuson, director of Enrollment Services, has been pushing for changes such as this to go into effect so that incoming students in the future feel as though the college is invested in their future.

He said he feels that to get an increase in enrollment as well as student participation, there must be an initial investment from Palomar to put students and their educational needs first.

Although the applications are currently closed, be on the lookout for the second hiring process early next semester at www2. palomar.edu/pages/hr/studentemployment/.

BCRAWFORD@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

dent Union,” Moore added. “They don’t see or realize that so much happens here; they didn’t have anyone to speak up and emphasize how important this area is.”

According to Talmo, it’s not that the Student Union isn’t important.

But based on their rubric, it isn’t as valuable as a building such as the Performing Arts Center, which has a $3 million asking price.

“The Commons is a student environment and probably wouldn’t command the same visibility that the theater would, or even the Planetarium,” Talmo said. “Our logic said that the Commons is not a high-priced facility; it’s not very notable to the community.”

That doesn’t mean however, that the committee will only accept $1 million for the naming rights to the Student Union.

According to the policy, each request has to go through the president (in this case, Robert Deegan) first. The request then goes to the Facilities Review Com-

mittee, which then forwards it to the Finance and Administrative Services Planning Council. From there, it goes to the Strategic Planning Council. If the request passes through all those channels, then it goes to the Governing Board for final approval.

Talmo said they are currently talking to potential donors, but if a bigger offer comes up, they will take it into consideration.

“If we can find a donor that will give us $2 million (for the Student Union) then we will hear it out,” Talmo said.

The biggest concern, according to Moore, is that the students don’t have a say in what the Student Union is named.

“We want more of a say about what our building is named as; this is our Student Union. We don’t want some business that the students don’t approve of,” Moore said.

CBULLOCK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

NEWS • 3

the telescope

Hannah Bassett (left) and Tiffany Schwartz (right) working to set up a fashion display in the library. The Christmas exhibit was done by students in the visual merchandising class on Nov.18. • Yoshikazu Yamashita/The Telescope

Christmas fashion on display in library HAYLEY ULLE THE TELESCOPE

Mariana Gavaghan (left) and Abigail Anna Dixon (right) working together on a mannequin to set up a fashion display. The exhibit was done in the library by students in the visual merchandising class on Nov. 18. • Yoshikazu Yamashita/The Telescope

Rita Campo Griggs, a professor who is teaching the visual merchandising class, stands in front of the student holiday exhibit titled “Sweet Seasons” set up by her students on Nov. 18. • Yoshikazu Yamashita / The Telescope

Visual merchandising students recently brought some holiday spirit to the San Marcos campus with a festive display in Palomar’s library.

The beginning and advanced visual merchandising classes worked for about three hours on Nov. 18 to set up the display, which includes five, full-size Christmas trees, two vitrines, and five mannequins dressed in student designs. There is also a white wooden box with a sign that reads, “Sweet Seasons.”

Kendell Dolinsky, 19, said they were thinking of themes to go off of and then they had an idea for a candy land theme.

The planning process began as a collaboration from the advanced visual merchandising students.

Fatima Ramirez, 20, is one of four advanced students who helped prepare the display.

“For this display, we have been planning for 2 to 3 weeks and that includes brainstorming, sketching and preparing props,” Ramirez said in an email.

According to Ramirez, the advanced students first brainstormed ideas and themes for inspiration.

Once they came up with several possibilities, their ideas were presented to the beginning visual merchandising class, who voted on their favorites.

Ramirez added that the advanced students’ ideas were combined with ideas from beginning students to produce the concept for the actual display.

“Once we have the idea for the project we sketch it out to scale and add all the important details,” she said.

Some of “the important details” of this display include red gift boxes, candy canes, and handmade candy props that are nestled in the branches of the Christmas trees.

Izabella Latrach, 18, said she folded many of the boxes and provided her input regarding the vitrines and mannequins.

Dolinsky also described how she and some of her classmates painted and wrapped the candy with ribbon.

She added that the class also relied on props from their storage shed. She said she was thankful that Nordstrom donated the trees.

Two mannequins in front feature white and tan dresses designed by student Nicola Hopwood. Toward the back of the display, three more mannequins were dressed temporarily in floor-length gowns, but have since been replaced with designs by Sayra Gonzales, instructor Rita Campo-Griggs said in an email.

On the day they set up the display, students received guidance from Campo-Griggs to stay in accordance with their chosen theme.

Several students dressed mannequins, arranged props, tied ribbons and painted a wooden box white.

Others returned to the classroom to make additional candy props.

“We don’t want it looking sloppy because it reflects not only ... us but the program itself and the class itself,” Dolinsky said.

Both Dolinsky and Latrach said they felt that the display had turned out well.

The display will stay up until Dec. 15.

HULLE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

4 • NEWS

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Food bank helps students in need SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE

the telescope

Focused On Palomar Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 Vol. 68, No. 7 Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif.

SUSAN WHALEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MIKE PETERSON OPINION EDITOR MEGAN BUBAK A&E EDITOR CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK SPORTS EDITOR EMILY RODRIGUEZ ONLINE EDITOR BRIAN O’MALLEY PHOTO EDITOR ERIN HIRO ADVISER DEB HELLMAN BUSINESS MANAGER STAFF WRITERS MIKE ADAMS, LEAH BAENA, HANNAH BARKER, STEVEN BURIEK, BROOKE CRAWFORD, CHRISTIAN GAXIOLA, SEAN HORGAN, KIRK MATTU, FERN MENEZES, GERALD TOVAR, HAYLEY ULLE PHOTOGRAPHERS MARCELA ALAUIE, HARIM ARJON, EVAN CAST, CASEY COUSINS, DIRK CALLUM, JOSEPH DAVIS, CERISSA FARIN, PHILIP FARRY, ADAM HAAS, MEREDITH JAMES, PAUL NELSON, ANGELA MARIE SAMORA, ERIKA SHASKY, JUSTIN SUMSTINE, GARY WEST, YOSHIKAZU YAMASHITA ADDRESS THE TELESCOPE PALOMAR COLLEGE 1140 W. MISSION ROAD, SAN MARCOS, CA 92069 PHONE / 760-891-7865 NEWSROOM / H-103 WEBSITE/ WWW.THE-TELESCOPE.COM FACEBOOK/ SEARCH “THE TELESCOPE” TWITTER/ @TELESCOPENEWS EMAIL/ EDITOR@THE-TELESCOPE.COM AD EMAIL/ ADS@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

THE TELESCOPE WELCOMES ALL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. LETTERS MUST BE TYPEWRITTEN, UNDER 300 WORDS AND INCLUDE THE AUTHOR’S FIRST AND LAST NAMES, MAJOR AND PHONE NUMBER. PHONE NUMBERS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. LETTERS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@THE-TELESCOPE.COM. THE TELESCOPE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS FOR SPACE AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS AND NOT TO PRINT LEWD OR LIBELOUS LETTERS. LETTERS MUST BE RECEIVED ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE NEWSPAPER’S PUBLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION. THE TELESCOPE IS PUBLISHED 8 TIMES PER SEMESTER. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE NEWSPAPER ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL WRITERS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE ENTIRE NEWSPAPER STAFF, PALOMAR FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS OR THE GOVERNING BOARD TRUSTEES.

ASSOCIATED COLLEGE PRESS

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER’S ASSOCIATION

Palomar students and staff donated 1,503 items and $105 in cash in only three hours during an event that helps stock the campus food bank.

That is a big jump from 2013, where only 382 items and $76 in cash were donated during the Stock the Bank event, formally known as Food 4 Food, according to Lindsay Kretchman, activities coordinator for the Office of Student Activities.

The OSA hosts the Stock the Bank event every November, encouraging students and faculty to bring 3 non-perishable food items.

Kretchman said they like to keep the food bank filled for the holidays.

The Associated Student Government and various clubs on campus helped raised 841 items during Stock the Bank. The OSA staff and student workers raised 587.

“We keep getting bigger,” Kretchman said.

The food bank serves nearly 400 students every year.

The food bank is open to Palomar College students who take up to one unit and fill out a specific form available through the counseling department, EOPS or Health Services.

The referral form can be turned

Thomas Hinch and Lindsey Kretchman collect food and money at the Student Union on Palomar College’s San Marcos campus as part of the Office of Student Affairs “Stock the Bank” event on Nov. 20. • Yoshikazu Yamashita/The Telescope

in once a month to the Office of Student Affairs to use the food bank services, which include a week worth of food with three meals a day.

Kretchman said it is to help tide students over when they are short on money such as waiting for a paycheck. Although there are some

students in need who regularly benefit from the service.

“We are happy to do that,” Kretchman said about helping students who need assistance. She said she remembers being a student: it’s expensive and sometimes buying groceries can be difficult.

She added that it is specifically

only for Palomar students. Sometimes people come in and ask to use the service without being an enrolled student.

“I do like it’s only for Palomar students,” Kretchman said. “There are other sources for non-students.”

SWHALEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Pedestrian bridge in design process for Palomar College KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

The city of San Marcos is in the design phase of constructing a pedestrian bridge right outside the main entrance of Palomar College on West Mission Road, according to officials.

The construction project is one of many improvements and additions planned for the urbanization of the city with an emphasis on walkability and public transit.

The pedestrian bridge caught public attention with the city’s announcement of a $300,000 design contract awarded to Simon Wong Engineering in early 2013. Now almost two years later, students racing the red light across Mission Road to catch the Sprinter may wonder what happened.

The bulk of the work is being done behind the scenes where 30 percent of the design has been completed in partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission and North County Transit District, according to Deputy City Manager Lydia Romero.

The bridge was brought to the San Marcos City Council with the Palomar Station mixed-used development in 2006. That includes a Sprinter and bus stop across the street from Palomar’s main entrance.

The transit center attracts hundreds of students who daily cross the busy, 4-lane Mission Road during hightraffic times.

While the project was privately funded by developers and the bridge was an essential structure to continue the project, the developers propositioned the city to seek out a federal grant specific to the project.

A student races across the crosswalk in an attempt to make it before traffic starts moving down West Mission Road next to Palomar College. • Gary West/The Telescope

Due to the location of the pedestrian bridge, it helped secure a federal grant in 2009.

One of the conditions of this specific federal grant, according to the city’s Communications Officer Sarah Divan, is how transit-oriented the area is and in part due to the city’s drive to become pedestrian friendly.

Students who cross the street said the bridge is necessary to keep pedestrians safe.

“Because it is a transit center you see a lot of parents with their children,” said Sarah Jumper, a 29-yearold freshman at Palomar who rides both the Sprinter and the Breeze at the college transit center with her

daughter. “It would be a lot safer (having the bridge) so you don’t have to wait so long for the light,” Jumper said.

Freshman Alendria O’Connor, 18, said she is a little wary of the project and doesn’t see a need since students generally cross the street altogether and that it would only “cause less traffic for the cars.”

However, Ramos counters that West Mission Road is a major thoroughfare for the city connecting Escondido, San Marcos and Vista to the rest of the county.

The heavy congestion and traffic on the street currently creates a dangerous environment for students

who occasionally jaywalk to make it onto an arriving train. Romero said she has witnessed such a scene while riding the Sprinter.

O’Connor, who rides the Sprinter three times a week and said it’s a lot more convenient than driving with its location a mile away from her home, is a prime example of the cities initiative for pedestrian-friendly environments.

Divan said that the pedestrian bridge is safer for pedestrians and that that it will create more traffic efficiency where pedestrian traffic and automobile traffic won’t have to stop for the other.

While the pedestrian bridge is connecting the community to public transit from Palomar Station to Palomar College, it’s the beginning stages in how the city plans on urbanizing the city.

The city is in works to create a complete street on Armorlite Drive, just south of the Sprinter station, where the pedestrian friendly corridor will de-emphasize automobiles and emphasize other modes of transit, such as bikes and Segways.

Armorlite will create an atmosphere where people will want to walk and get out of their cars, Romero added.

“It’s connecting the community and creating more opportunities to live, work and play in one space,” Divan said.

City officials added that the public can register with e-alerts on the city website, www.san-marcos.net/ cip, to get automatic email updates and news releases on the project. The project is also available on Facebook and Twitter.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

OPINION • 5

the-telescope.com

Petroleum is used in almost everything FERN MENEZES THE TELESCOPE

ing capacity. And yet, according to the Energy Almanac on CA.gov, the state still imports 62.8 percent of the petroleum it needs. California spent $59.7 billion to import gasoline and diesel in 2007. The state government must be breathing a sigh of relief with the lower gas prices. But how long will it last?

Supply and demand. We have an overabundance of oil available thus helping to create the falling prices. Unfortunately this has a trickling affect in the oil industry leaving us with many unstable factors to consider.

Will U.S. oil producers have to shut down if the prices continue to drop? The big producers say in order to maintain productivity, the price of oil needs to stay above $80 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia oil producers need only $50 per barrel to remain profitable, and they currently have an abundance of oil too.

If U.S. producers stop drilling, then we start to lose refineries, which will decrease the amount of gasoline available, creating a shortage and driving prices back up again.

Also, without getting too deep into the political aspects of oil productions and the fight to obtain wealth, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has the ability to manipulate the cost of oil using production quotas. A change in quota

should be on the agenda.

OPEC, an intergovernmental organization formed in 1960, now has 12 countries to represent. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Venezuela are the founding countries. The goal of OPEC is to keep prices fair and stable for its members and unify petroleum policies along with assuring a fair return on their investments. They act essentially as a union. To belong to OPEC, a country must have a substantial net export of crude petroleum, and have fundamentally similar interests.

With everyday usages of this black gold, the prices of our products made using LPG and NGL don’t fluctuate with barrels of oil because getting them to market is more than just gas for the transport and delivery trucks. In fact you’ll see these prices begin to rise, especially with wage increases, production costs and rising energy costs.

It is amazing how the making of a simple tube of Maybelline lipstick took such a complicated journey to the department store just to be sold for $5.

FMENEZES@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

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Finally, the price of gasoline is falling. That’s always a big relief and an effective way to stimulate the economy.

We are too busy to stop and think about the daily consumption of oil and gas, but almost everything we use or do has been produced using petroleum.

Our ordinary day-to-day products have been made using plastic or wax in some form. Some of these might be clothes (all permanent press), sports equipment, office supplies, electronics, toys, baby items, medications, household items, beauty items (including cologne and lipstick), building supplies, automotive materials, and foods (additives). The complete list is extensive but you get the picture.

Crude oil, also known as petroleum, is extracted from the ground via an oil rig and gets sent to a refinery. At the refinery the crude oil goes through a process called fraction distillation, from this we get liquid fractions that have distilled at different temperatures.

The distilled chemicals are cooled, sent to storage and then are used to make gasoline, lubricating oil, jet fuel, diesel and kerosene. Another byproduct is liquid petroleum gas (LPG);

this is used to make plastics and resins along with natural gas liquids (NGL).

Some fun facts about our consumption of oil and energy from U.S. Energy Information: · About 191 million barrels of LPG and NGL were used in the making of plastics and resins in 2010, a million barrels of this was used as fuel. This amounted to a total 2.7 percent of the yearly consumption in the U.S. · In 2010, about 65 billion kilowatt hours of electricity were used to make plastics, equal to 1.7 percent of the yearly total used in the U.S., the average home in California uses 6.9 megawatt hours per year. · Additionally, 412 billion cubic feet of natural gas was used in making plastics and resins, this was about 1.7 percent of the total used in the U.S. in 2010.

Today there are 219 countries that produce oil, the top three being Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States. According to the International Energy Agency the world consumes almost 90 million barrels of oil and liquid fuels on a daily basis – that’s 32 billion barrels for the year worldwide.

In the U.S., we consume a yearly average of 6.89 billion barrels of petroleum products.

California has 18 refineries and is ranked third in the nation for its refin-

Water restrictions are a good idea to help conserve resources BROOKE CRAWFORD THE TELESCOPE

The numbers are scary. This is California’s third driest year in 119 years on record. Students need to get serious about saving water.

The California Department of Water Resources reported that the state’s major reservoirs collectively holds only 60 percent of average storage for the date, or about 41 percent of capacity. It is not much more water than in 1977, California’s driest calendar year on record, where the state had 16 million fewer people.

Students should take an active

role in supporting the implementation of the new water restriction.

The younger generation has the responsibility to abide by and inform others of changes to sustain the environment. The current system of living is not conducive for the environment to continue providing the nutrients we receive.

This change calls for Californians to become aware of the impending and lasting effects of overuse of water. If this issue is not taken seriously, the generations to come will be less off than the current state of things. What would they have to look forward to? How will they have the same luxuries

that previous generations have been afforded?

Effective Nov. 1, the city of San Diego has issued a water restriction for residences, apartments, condominiums and businesses.

Not only has the city implemented a Drought Alert restriction, but there is also a permanent restriction that is in effect regardless of an alert. City officials were prompted to mandate the voluntary restriction, made effective in July, so as to reduce the use of water by at least 20 percent.

San Diego residents and businesses need to be aware of the impending issues surrounding the flippant use of water.

Overuse of water poses as a statewide problem that could lead to a deficit that can not be easily rectified. The mandatory restrictions will include limiting watering

lawns to only three days a week and limiting watering to seven minutes per station during the cooler months. People must also use water hoses with shut-off nozzles or timed sprinkler systems, time limits and full restriction on rainy days.

People don’t always realize how much they overuse water, so this new retraction is a helpful way for people to become mindful and conservative. From June of 2009 to May of 2011, there was a water restriction set in place and only one person was fined for violations, according to Fox5sandiego.com BCRAWFORD@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

6 • OPINION

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

The Internet isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be

SPEAK OUT

What are you doing for winter break?

HANNAH BARKER THE TELESCOPE

In today’s society it almost seems that being apart of at least one social media site is an unwritten rule to thriving in the 21st Century. The public wouldn’t be able to survive in a world without the internet. Not only has society become addicted to the world wide web, but it has also brought a lot of other drawbacks along the way.

The internet has become a part of daily life. With access to the web on smart phones, people are constantly checking social media accounts or other websites.

Logging into cyberspace is a routine for most, so much that the world would not know how to act without its presence. There is no way of going back to the old days before the Internet existed.

Plato stated in his short story “The Allegory of the Cave,” “(...) such one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situations; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?” This means that if mankind were brought back to the way life used to be, he would not be able to cope with the drawback, which is completely valid for today’s society.

Not only has the Internet caused the public to disengage themselves from society but it has also introduced a new form of bullying: cyberbullying. According to The Dynamics of Mass Communications “One in three teenagers had experienced some form of cyberbullying.” Cyberbullies use the internet, a device that has furthered society and provided so many benefits to intentionally emotionally harm the mind of another person. This can lead to depression and even suicide.

Almost everyone can start their own website or blog page on the Internet. The issue with that is the type of content that ends up on these websites. The owners of the web pages don’t always have the best intentions.

One of the outcomes of this fact are pro anorexia, more commonly

“Mostly work, possibly a trip up to Big Bear. But, celebrating Christmas with my family is the main thing.”

AUSTIN REISS, HISTORY MAJOR

“Spending time with my family, getting schoolwork done, and preparing for next semester.”

ALI PEASE, ZOOLOGY MAJOR Photo illustration by Phil Geib / MCT Campus

known as “pro-ana”, websites. These blogs promote unhealthy eating habits and negative body image by posting photos of women so skinny that each bone in their body is incredibly defined under their skin and calling it “thinspiration.”

Pro-ana websites also offer tips and tricks on how to hide anorexic behavior; a blog called “The ProAna Lifestyle Forever” offers advice such as “eat in front of the mirror, naked or in underwear if possible” to stop food cravings. With the lack of gatekeepers online it isn’t possible to block this kind of content from the minds of young girls and boys.

The lack of privacy is another downside to the Internet. Any tweet that has ever been tweeted or any location that has been checked in on Facebook is easily accessible by anyone. Even though an individual’s social media account is their own and he/she should be able to post any content they please without consequence, it doesn’t always end up that way.

In the film The Facebook Obsession, a woman with over 30 years of

experience in her career decided to post her opinions of her students to her Facebook, not knowing that Facebook’s privacy settings had changed her posts to public. The parents of her students eventually saw the post resulting in her losing her job at the school.

It is incredibly alarming how Facebook can change someones privacy setting without them being aware of it. What else can they do with our accounts and information without us knowing?

While the Internet has blossomed a whole new way of life, it comes with many disadvantages. So many of us have become glued to our laptops and cell phones, constantly checking our social media accounts. We seem to be unaware of what is going in the world around us.

The public also trusts social media websites such as Facebook with all their information although no one is certain of what can go wrong with all that trust. With all these issues, the Internet may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

“Taking programming classes down at UCSD and hanging out with my family and friends.”

EDUARDO REYES, COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR

“Spending time with my family and traveling with my mother to Canada.”

SEMIRA SALAMI, POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR

HBARKER@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

EDITORIAL

Student voice not properly represented in choosing next president The committee to hire the next president of Palomar College was dropped from two student representatives down to one.

We at the Telescope think this is irresponsible of both the Governing Board and the student government president.

The last Presidential Search Committee in 2003 consisted of two student representatives. The Governing Board decided to decrease that student number without any good reason and add more faculty members for the current search committee.

We believe that decision was irresponsible because students are more affected by who the new president will be than any one else

on campus. A school of 30,000 students deserves to have more than just one person representing their needs as students.

The second problem with this matter is Associated Student Government President Jason Hosfield.

He was absent as the student trustee on the Oct. 28 Governing Board meeting when they decided on the composition of the search committee.

He failed to be the voice for Palomar students and could not request that there be more than one student representative. We believe, since the student voice was not represented, it was not made important to the Governing Board and they went on with their unin-

formed decision.

Further problems were created in the search committee composition when restraints were placed on who the one student representative can be. That person usually comes from the ASG and the Governing Board decided the student must be a returning student in Fall 2015.

This is another byproduct from lack of student representation at the Governing Board meeting. We think that if Hosfield was at that meeting, serving as the student trustee, then this would not have happened.

Because of the further restraints, the Governing Board’s decision is very contradictory. To be in ASG, a student has to be in their second

semester, which leaves no room for a returning ASG member to be on the committee since they will all be transferring next Fall.

That is why Hosfield has decided to take one class in Fall 2015; so he could qualify to be on the committee. The ASG voted unanimously for him to serve on the search committee.

Since the Governing Board did not leave many options for other qualified students on campus to apply for the committee, we believe Hosfield is the only reasonable option from the ASG. During a Nov. 19 ASG meeting, Hosfield said a schedule of meeting dates and times have not been released yet and was worried it may

interfere with his schedule.

This is worrying because student representation on the hiring committee is important for choosing the best possible president for the students. The student representative needs to care and be completely focused because this affects all of the 30,000 students at Palomar.

But no matter what is said, the Governing Board has already made their decision to have only one student representative on the hiring committee, for better or for worse.

Our opinion? We just want the job done efficiently by the one representative we do have.

EDITOR@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

OPINION • 7

the-telescope.com

No guns on campus, please KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

As gun control has become a major political topic within the past few years and mass shootings have rocked the nation from movie theaters to elementary schools, college campuses are questioning whether individuals should be allowed to carry within school zones. For everyone’s safety, they shouldn’t.

The Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995, California Penal Code 626.9 PC, prohibits the possession of firearms within school zones, unless written permission is granted from “the school district superintendent, his or her designee, or equivalent school authority.”

As one can surmise, this act means an individual cannot be in possession of a firearm within a school zone unless granted written permission from a school authority (in this case Palomar College’s President or Chief of Police) and it pertains only to concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit holders.

Now gun-free school zones can make logical sense to many especially when taking into account the devastating occurrences where individuals have gone on shooting

rampages in recent years and murdered many innocent victims with a firearm.

We see recent cases of this in May 2014 at UC Santa Barbara, where 19 men and women were either killed or injured during a shooting spree. High profile shootings in recent years such as Virginia Tech in 2007, where 49 men and women were either killed or injured and at Northern Illinois University in 2008 where 26 men and women were either killed or injured. These events shows how a tragedy on a university campus can affect the whole nation and where stricter gun laws can come into question.

However, when we look closer to home, specifically California community colleges, again we see these same occurrences.

In Jan. 2014, a man was shot and killed in the parking lot of Los Angeles Valley College, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a CNN report from June 2013, a shooting spree at Santa Monica College resulted in the death of four individuals.

Now even with all these cases of gun shootings, the concern is with the allowance of CCW on college campuses.

One of the biggest concerns is

the sight of a CCW on a college campus. Even though concealed, an individual with a CCW runs the risk of any individual witnessing the possession of a firearm, whether that may be from a quick body shift of garments or the observable view within someone’s bag, the concern of the viewer will go straight to the fear of the above cases.

This fear, according to an article in the International Human Press

by Alex Mesoudi PhD, results from the media frenzy over mass gun shootings and the fear of a copycat shooter. Someone witnessing another individual in possession of a concealed weapon can spur this fear and result in a widespread campus panic.

This type of panic was recently showcased when California State University San Marcos was temporarily locked down due to witness reports of a man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun in August 2014. According to U-T San Diego, the weapon was actually an umbrella after city sheriff ’s deputies made contact with the individual and the lockdown was lifted.

When interviewed by a Telescope staff writer, Palomar College Chief of Police, Mark DiMiaggio, said he

would like to prevent a campus panic like the one that occurred just a few miles away from the community college campus.

There are provisions within the penal code that allow individuals who are gung-ho for their Second Amendment rights to bear arms on California college campuses. The provision is for those CCW owners to keep the firearm locked and unloaded in the trunk of ones car or lock box pursuant to Penal Code Section 25610. As well as those who feel there is a clear and present danger toward themselves.

According to an article by The Guardian, individuals in possession of a firearm are 4.5 times more likely to be shot than those who don’t carry at all. On top of this, an article from the Chicago Tribune presents a study that links a greater risk of a shooting near liquor stores and bars where individuals are mixing the influence of alcohol in volatile environments rich with heavy emotions.

College can be a stressful environment with the pressure of mak-

ing grades, student loan debt, and an increased prevalence of anxiety and depression.

Adding concealed weapons into the mix can create a hostile and dangerous environment that stifles the inherent intent of college: to feel safe amongst your peers when receiving an education you paid for to hopefully have a better future.

CCW permit owners can always take a shot with the Chief of Police or college president to hear out their case as to why they need their firearm with them amongst there unarmed peers.

College can be stressful enough; lets keep unneeded firearms away from college campuses and with the trained peace officers that look out for student’s safety.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Parking lot 12 at Palomar College. Paul Nelson / The Telescope

The perils of parking at Palomar: a first-person account HAYLEY ULLE THE TELESCOPE

As we all know, finding parking at Palomar College is a daily struggle for students. We all seem to acquire infamous parking nightmare stories at one point or another in our careers here. This story is not only highly relatable, but also explanatory of the parking issue that needs to be addressed more seriously.

9:32 a.m.: You arrive on campus already two minutes late to your 9:30 a.m. class. You longingly reminisce about those carefree, less sleep-deprived days of summer and wonder for the thousandth time what could possibly have inspired you to sign up for a math class that starts at the prime parking time. If you could just find a parking space quickly now, you think, maybe you will only miss the first ten minutes.

Haha ... yeah, right. You turn down the first aisle in Lot 11 and begin the hunt.

9:36 a.m.: You see a parked car with its lights on ahead. Yes! They must be pulling out! And the space is close to the crosswalk! You race forward and click on your turn signal to claim the space before anyone else can beat you to it. It must be your lucky day, you think to yourself.

9:41 a.m.: ...Or not. The car’s lights have been on for who knows how long, and you just wasted five precious minutes of class time idling in the aisle when there are no other signs to indicate that the car is going anywhere anytime soon. For all you know, the person in the car could be taking her daily nap between classes. With a sigh of frustration, you click off your turn signal and move on to the next aisle.

9:43 a.m.: You see a student walking down the next aisle at a determined pace. His expression is comparable to someone who has just been freed from a hostage situation. You know that feeling all too well and you think it’s safe to assume that he’s done attending classes for the day. You slow your speed to four miles per hour and trail along behind him to follow him to his car.

9:44 a.m.: You feel like a lion stalking its prey, as you are becoming kind of desperate for a parking space. When you left your house, you knew you were going to be late... just not THIS late. The student that you have been following has taken several glances over his shoulder at you and they are beginning to show some suspicion. You realize that you must look like a creeper. Really, though, can’t this guy walk any

faster? Then you wouldn’t have to inch down the aisle behind him like a stalker. You consider offering him a ride to his car to speed him up.

Sometimes it works, and sometimes a flash of alarm crosses the student’s face before he politely declines your potentially creepy offer. You disregard any old lessons from your parents about not talking to strangers, pull up next to the guy, roll down your windows, and go in for the kill.

9:45 a.m.: Unfortunately, the student declined. You zoom down to the end of the aisle and wait for a long line of oncoming cars to pass.

Finding a good parking space at Palomar is kind of like winning the lottery, you think to yourself. You turn after the last car rolls by and decide to try your luck down the next aisle.

9:48 a.m.: You experience an overwhelming case of deja vu.

Haven’t you driven down this aisle already? Didn’t you just pass that student, too? You glance at the clock and consider just skipping your class altogether. By the time you find a parking space, class will be half over anyway. Yes, it’s tempting...but then you remember that your professor promised you a grade-altering quiz at the end of class.

9:50 a.m.: You hear a car engine

start in the next aisle. SOMEONE IS LEAVING! You lunge forward to the end of the aisle and prepare to turn, but an oncoming car cuts you off and proceeds to turn down the Promised Aisle. Well, there goes your space.

9:51 a.m.: You decide to turn into the aisle anyway. You think your morning has already determined that your entire day will be luckless, but maybe, just maybe, there will be another vacant space in the aisle.

And if you see another student, you could always stalk them and ...WAIT IS THAT PERSON LEAVING?! She appears to be taking her backpack out of her trunk...or is she putting it in before she pulls out and leaves a vacant parking space in her wake?!

Once again, you click on your turn signal to claim the space. The student looks up and crushes your hopes with a shy smile and shake of her head to indicate that she is not leaving anytime soon.

9:56 a.m.: You’re nearly ready to give up. Before you leave campus, you decide to try your luck at the far end of the lot, just in case.

It’s a ten-minute walk to class from there, but maybe you will have a better chance finding parking in the blue yonder. The exercise couldn’t hurt either, since this week you’ve

downed enough Java City coffees, Subway sandwiches, and unhealthy treats from the Snack Shack to guarantee your survival in an epic world famine.

10:01 a.m.: This is it. The very last row. You tell yourself that if you don’t find a space in this row, you are actually going to leave the campus.

What else can you do? There’s literally nowhere to park! But then you see it. Two cars in from the end of the aisle on the left hand side ... A PARKING SPACE! Your car frantically leaps forward and, at long last, you shift into park. Whew, that was exhausting, you think to yourself.

You’re ready for a mid-morning nap...too bad you still have to go to class.

10:12 a.m.: You finally arrive at class. And then you notice one of those gold papers that someone always puts on the door of a classroom when class has been canceled for the day. Seriously?! You try not to think about the parking ordeal that you just endured, and how it ended up being all for nothing.

Oh, well ... at least now you’ve got a parking space and a quiet place to take a nap while you wait for your next class.

HULLE@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

8 • OPINION

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

New law does anything but provide protection LEAH BAENA THE TELESCOPE

California just banned felony charges toward crimes such as gun theft and date rape drug possession with Proposition 47. These crimes will now be charged as just misdemeanors. This is plain wrong.

Possession of the date rape drug is no longer taken seriously. When a person has the date rape drug in their possession it isn’t paired with good intentions.

“The specific crimes that would be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors include nonviolent crimes like theft, forgery and fraud (when the value of the theft/fraud is under $950), and personal possession of most illegal drugs,” according to Harry Waksberg of Ellabakercenter. org.

Prop. 47 is a gateway for crime.

The proposition is also referred to as the Safe Neighborhoods and School Zones Act. Voters saw the words “safe,” “neighborhoods,” and “act,” and assumed it would be beneficial to the precious youngins and education.

I disagree that this will ensure safety in our neighborhoods.

In San Diego County, there are 1,546,924 registered voters. Out of those voters only 692,443 casted a ballot, according to vote.sos.ca.gov.

It is asked why only 44.8 percent of voters are raising a voice in the matter of local elections. In a statewide poll of 17,803,823 voters, only 42 percent of voters participated.

The top reason for not voting, is common misunderstanding of which representative is “right”.

From a range of ambiguous stances on subject matters to the slandering of candidate A against candidate B, a slurring distraction is created, discouraging citizens to

vote for their decision makers.

Prop 47 is a prime example of this disguise, exposing the facts.

Representatives don’t care about matters that affect the citizens, all they care about is winning.

“Proposition 47 is sensible,” the voter’s guide stated, “It focuses law enforcement dollars on violent and serious crime while providing new funding for education and crime prevention programs that will make us all safer.”

What is not understood is why is the potential for a shooting to occur or for a person to be raped, not considered to be a violent or serious crime?

Thoughts reap actions, in precedent history it is seen that shootings are for the most part premeditated, as is rape, hence the need to purchase the date rape drug.

In the horrific incident of the Columbine High School Massacre, two names come to mind, Eric Har-

ris and Dylan Klebold.

The two are known for killing 13 innocent students and injuring 24 others, and committing suicide in the library afterward. What isn’t typically known is the premeditation of the two students upon this incident.

An outside source purchased the arms for the two and was not charged with any account of accomplice charges. Both Klebold and Harris altered their weapons in such ways that are considered felonies under the National Firearms Act. If an incident such as Columbine were to repeat itself now after Prop 47 has passed, the offenders caught with the possession of these weapons would be charged with only a misdemeanor.

Amongst the many controversies surrounding the passing of Prop 47 is whether the possession of the date rape drug should be a misdemeanor.

California State University San Marcos Presdient Karen Haynes responded to the sexual assaults happening at fraternity parties recently.

“The safety and well-being of our entire campus community is the highest priority for CSUSM,” Haynes said. “We will not tolerate nor ignore sexual assault and we will hold members of our campus community accountable for their actions.”

CBS8 reported “The alleged May 4 assault involved one member of the fraternity and the use of date rape drugs, such as Rohypnol, GHB and ketamine, the university said.”

The possession of these drugs is not a felony. Which makes no sense because there is no reason why a person would be carrying such things on them with honest intentions.

A stolen gun could be in the backpack of the person walking down the street, the date rape drug could be in the pocket of that cute guy giving you butterflies from across the classroom.

Be on guard, you have become your only source of protection since the voters who passed Prop 47 have failed you.

LBAENA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Marijuana is one of the many illegal substances affected by Prop. 47. Since its passage, nonviolent crimes have shorter penalties and drug possession has been reduced to a misdemeanor. • Angela Marie Samora/The Telescope

Good-looking or not, criminals are still criminals CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE

Move over, Wyatt Earp. A new wave of criminals has hit the national scene, and these felons aren’t scared to show off their looks.

In the last few months, we have seen a new trend of hot criminals: people with model looks who are committing crimes that make even a white-collar criminal blush.

Their mugshots are being spread all across social media platforms, and are gathering attention for all the wrong reasons.

One of the so-called hot criminals being fawned over is the man who started the trend: Jeremy Meeks. According to a written bio on Hollywood Life, he rose to fame after his mugshot was posted on the Facebook page of the Stockton Police Department. On June 18, he was arrested and charged with one felony count of street terrorism as well as a misdemeanor charge for

resisting arrest.

When Hollywood Life had written the bio, his mugshot had already had 75,000 likes, over 20,000 comments and 10,000 shares. To me, this is a disturbing fact. Why are we glorifying any form of crime, when we can’t even pay attention to the real issues going on around us? Is it because he happens to be an attractive male?

We don’t think about the people in his life who are affected by this tragedy. HIs mother, Katherine Angier, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his $1 million bail.

His wife, according to his friend Simone Johnson, was furious at some of the comments made about his mugshot. Some of those comments said things like, “Mama, I think I’m in love with a criminal,” and “Wow. That is one good looking mugshot!”

“Her man is in there (jail) and people are taking it as a joke, thinking it’s funny talking about about

his looks, saying all kinds of crazy things,” Johnson said.

Even Meeks has gone out of his way to try to squelch these comments, saying he isn’t who the media is portraying him as.

“I appreciate the attention, but I just want them to know that this really is not me. I’m not some kingpin,” Meeks said in an interview with ABC News10 in Stockton.

As proof that the whole trend isn’t just focused on males, even female criminals have been subjected to viral ridicule.

Angela Coates, a 22-year-old who was once a Jet Magazine “Beauty of the Week,” was arrested in Dekalb County, Ga. in August for disorderly conduct. When her mugshot was posted, people across the nation poured out support to her; with some men even offering to pay her bail of $360, according to a tweet by Star FM 91.5 Ibadan.

She was eventually released the same day, going on to Twitter to

voice her disgust at how people paid attention to her negative publicity.

“Y’all and this mugshot s---. I was released the same night lol. This is straight comedy,” Coates posted as she confirmed she was released.

Another recent example of a woman who is gathering attention for her steamy looks is 21-year-old Stephanie Beaudoin. A Montreal, Quebec, Canada native, she at one point was a nursing student.

She is now possibly facing life after pleading guilty to 30 counts stemming from 42 break-ins that she allegedly committed with three underage accomplices (ranging from ages 13 to 17). She was charged with crime including burglary and illegal possession of firearms, according to the Huffington Post.

Any normal person would be shamed and commented on in a negative manner to the point where they would probably harm themselves. However, due to some

photos of her that were leaked (including some of her clad in a bikini and holding guns), she is being celebrated. Some media outlets are naming her the World’s Sexiest Criminal.

It’s one thing to comment on a woman’s looks. But, when we are focusing on her looks in a mugshot (which isn’t meant to portray a person’s attractiveness), I think our priorities are a little screwed up.

It’s not like they are out there seeking attention. They have made mistakes like everyone else out there. The difference is that they happen to look a little more beautiful than your average criminal.

It doesn’t mean that they should be celebrated or cheered on. Nor should they be encouraged to commit more crimes.

Hot or not, these criminals are just that: criminals. Hold them accountable.

CBULLOCK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

A&E • 9

the-telescope.com

Photographers capture intersection of human and nature SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE

A landscape and culture photography class from Palomar College went on a trip to Las Vegas from Oct. 8 - 12.

The Photography 171 class, Landscape and Culture, is taught by photograhy professor Donna Cosentino. The reasons for choosing Las Vegas as a photography destination seemed apparent to Cosentino.

She said the theme of the class was to capture the intersection of human and nature together.

While Las Vegas was a base-point, there were many other locations surrounding the city for day trips. The class visited Hoover Dam, indian petroglyphs in the Valley of Fire, Red Rock canyon, Nelson Ghost Town and the Neon Museum, also famously known as the Boneyard.

The Boneyard is where “all the old signs go to die or recondition,” Cosentino said.

A lot of the students had never been to Las Vegas, but they did take a pre-trip in September to Anza-Borrego

Top left: A piano in Nelson Ghost Town, near Las Vegas. • Lucas Spenser Right: The Cleavland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, designed by architect Frank Gehry. • Brandy Sebastian Bottom: Zzyzx road off Interstate 15. • Brandy Sebastian

desert and the Salton Sea to practice shooting desert landscapes.

“It’s fun when a student discovers a place using photography,” Cosentino said.

The different between this landscape photography class and others is because this one dealt with humans as well.

“All of these places are man interacting with nature,” Cosentino said.

Hoover Dam in a man-made creation that influences nature. Humans in the past drew on rocks in the Valley of Fire. The old materials of human use have been throw away at the Neon Museum.

Cosentino said she wanted the class to capture man influencing nature and vice versa. That is what made this new class different than other landscape classes.

Next Spring, Cosentino will be teaching a photography class that will visit Yosemite National Park.

For more information on the class contact Donna Cosentino at (760) 744-1150 ext. 2440.

10 • A&E

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

the-telescope.com

Landscape photography class continued Top left: Hoover Dam • Devin Hamilton

Middle: The Las Vegas strip • Janet Fry

Top right: Spring Mountain Ranch • Brandy Sebastian

Middle right: Couple holding hands in the Valley of Fire • Ron Ham

Left: Downtown Fremont Street reflections in Las Vegas • Patty Hayton

Bottom right: Old water truck in Nelson, Nev. • Terry Hamilton

A&E • 11

10 • A&E

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

the-telescope.com

Landscape photography class continued Top left: Hoover Dam • Devin Hamilton

Middle: The Las Vegas strip • Janet Fry

Top right: Spring Mountain Ranch • Brandy Sebastian

Middle right: Couple holding hands in the Valley of Fire • Ron Ham

Left: Downtown Fremont Street reflections in Las Vegas • Patty Hayton

Bottom right: Old water truck in Nelson, Nev. • Terry Hamilton

A&E • 11

12 • A&E

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

Judging the Oscar-worthy versus the failures BROOKE CRAWFORD THE TELESCOPE

Whether it is musicals, magical battles or crime dramas you seek there is something for everyone this winter break.

With the upcoming Oscar season, it isn’t too hard to consider which films will be in the running. There were several major films that have recently come out that stand a good chance for award nominations.

Despite box office stats and reviews, “The Giver” proved to be an insightful and thought-provoking film. Directed by Phillip Noyce, the film starts off with the fundamental idea that there is order for everything and a lack of feelings.

Memories are a thing of the past and only one person of the community is gifted with the task of being the Receiver of Memory.

Switching gears and jumping head first into history and the supernatural is “Dracula Untold.” The film, directed by Gary Shore, was set in 15th Century Transylvania and based off the story of Vlad Tepes played by Luke Evans. Although he is most identified with his more colorful moniker, Vlad the Impaler. The story shows the background of how Vlad came to be Count Dracula.

The desperation of the Transylvanian Prince to protect his people prompts him to turn into a vampire to help give him the strength to protect his people from Turkish soldiers. He is warned that if he consumes human blood then he will be cursed with vampirism for eternity.

With Winter Break quickly approaching, there will be plenty of must-see films out to view after the caroling and candied yams. The movies due to come out are sure to finish the year off with a bang.

Among them are “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “The Gambler” and “Into the Woods.”

From “The Lord of the Rings” series to “The Hobbit,” once again filmmakers have gifted us with yet another chapter to this unforgettable story. “An Unexpected Journey” and “The Desolation of Smaug” exceeded expectations and kept viewers at the edge of their seats. The hope is that “The Battle of Five Armies” will follow suit and answer all doubts or questions the others have left.

The film, directed and written for the screen by Peter Jackson, will be the third and final part of “The Hobbit” trilogy. Some of the same cast from previous films as well as from “The Lord of the Rings” will return and also a few new members will be introduced. Jackson intends to make use of the appendices written in the book to expand on the story.

This final installment will be an epic conclusion of the Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves journey. Don’t miss out on the final magical film of “The Hobbit” trilogy set to premiere Dec. 17.

“The Gambler,” starring Mark Wahlberg, follows a literature college professor as he navigates between gambling, loan sharks and an affair with a student. This American crime drama, directed by Rupert Wyatt, is based off of the 1974 version of the film.

Actors Ian McKellan and Luke Evans star in the upcoming film “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” coming out Dec. 17 • Mark Pokorny/Courtesy of Warner Bros./MCT

Lizzy Caplan with James Franco and Seth Rogen in Columbia Pictures’ “The Interview” coming out on Dec. 25 • Ed Araquel/Columbia Pictures/MCT

Jim Bennett played by Wahlberg is drowning from gambling debts and impulses. After realizing he has a week to pay back $240,000 to avoid trouble, Wahlberg decides his best option is to “Borrow from Peter to pay Paul.” This film displays a man’s ability to squander any handouts and continuously dig a bigger ditch for himself. Need a gambling adrenaline rush? Be on the look out for this film that is set to premiere Dec. 19.

John Goodman may be nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “The Gambler” as well.

Every holiday season needs a good musical to lighten the mood.

“Into the Woods,” a musical fantasy film, is based off of the plots from various Grimm fairytales. Meryl

Streep plays a witch who shows each character the consequences of their wishes. Among the main fairytales are “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella.”

The cast includes major actors and actresses including Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp and Billy Magnussen. The story begins with “The Baker and his Wife” and how they must go into the woods to break the spell. The film is then tied between the original story and the other Grimm fairytales.

Even though this film has yet to come out it already has a shot at Best Picture, Best Actress for Blunt, Best Supporting Actress for Streep, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. The film premieres in theaters on Dec. 25.

“Unbroken,” directed by Angelina Jolie, will also come out the same day at “Into The Woods.”

“Unbroken” stars Jack O’ Connell as Louis Zamperini who is an Olympic athlete that joined the army during World War II. He was taken as a prisoner of war to a Japanese prison camp after his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. It’s a powerful story about not only the courage to stand up, but the will to keep going.

This movie will also be up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for O’ Connell, Best Supporting Actor for Miyavi and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other highly anticipated movies that will be coming out over Winter Break are “The Interview,” starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as Reality TV Stars who get a mission to kill Kim Jung Un. Also, A Most Vio-

lent Year, starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, is about an immigrant who fights to protect his family and business in 1981.

Then to kick off the New Year, “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” will be out on Jan. 2, 2015.

Starring Helen McCrory, this film centers on a group of children during World War II who are sent to the Eel Marsh House to avoid the bombings happening in London. However, they run into their own trouble in this house haunted by a vengeful spirit.

While, not every movie can win an Oscar, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t great works of art. However, it is safe to say that this will be a highly competitive season.

BCRAWFORD@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

A&E • 13

the-telescope.com

Faculty showcases art talent in campus gallery KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

Concluding this year’s exhibit at the Boehm Gallery is its annual faculty art exhibition, RIPE. The faculty art and photography exhibition and silent auction showcases the work of Palomar’s art department faculty. The pieces on display play on different media, ranging from wood, glass, enamel and oil with varying techniques and artistic style.

The pieces showcased in the exhibit are dropped off at the gallery with no set requirements. Any faculty within the department was given the opportunity to showcase their work.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it, we don’t know what’s coming until it gets here,” Michelle Hauswirth, a student who works at the gallery, said.

The title of the exhibition is a play on fruit, where the ripe fruit are the faculty members, aged with experience. Meanwhile the students are the fresh fruit, new with fresh ideas. The idea came from Ingram Ober, the director of the Boehm Gallery.

Sasha Jonestein, interim director of the gallery for the semester and a ceramics professor, said that the idea came about to thematically keep things together.

“It was to tie it all together and be a little more playful with the show,” Jonestein said.

Jonestein added that the show is a great opportunity for the students who are enrolling for next semester as it gives them the opportunity to come into the gallery and see the work of the faculty. From that they can better choose what classes they would like to take.

The show is also “for the community to see what talented faculty we have,” Jonestein added.

While the artists may have used the same medium, their artistic perspective and style sets one another apart.

Jonestein dominated the floor of the right portion of the gallery. Her ceramic work played on organic flowing forms and physiological shapes with often conflicting static objects.

Jonestein’s “Every Ship is Unsinkable until it Sinks,” displays a sense of pressure which is built up with compacted tissues and veins gushing upward with a pink, flowing, organic matter to support a misshapen, rock-like object covered with a metallic wrapping.

The metallic object gives off a sense of heaviness that is in contrast and conflict with the fluidity of the organic, bottom structure.

While Jonestein’s piece is one of the highest starting bids in the silent auction at $8,000, its counterpart in the opposite room had one of the lowest. “Push” by Leef Puffer has a starting bid of $40, displaying two hands fist-bumping upon a wooden block.

The ceramic and wood pieces

by Puffer, including “Sisters,” a piece of two, blue-eyed bald sisters’ faces as they pull open opposite sides of their red lips with one hand to showcase their gold-laden

Artist Lee Puffer’s “Sisters” sculpture commands visitors’ attention as a centerpiece in the Boehm Gallery on Palomar’s San Marcos Campus • Paul Nelson/The Telescope

Sasha Jonestein’s “Every ship is unsinkable until it sinks” • Paul Nelson/The Telescope

teeth, was a favorite for 19-yearold Anthony Gonzalez. The playful nature and expressive faces of Puffer’s work held the attention of Gonzalez amongst other works in the room he said.

The stand-out piece within the room and arguably within the show is Wes French’s stoneware piece titled “I was mad at him for a longtime after that…”

The art piece, which wasn’t put up for auction, is displayed at floor level and can be easily overlooked.

However, its placement played up the piece and creates a sense of smallness where the wad of broken apart bicycle pieces are thrown haphazardly onto a pile. Bicycle parts are sticking out from the top as handlebars are projecting out from the sides of the mass, that includes several seats and wheels.

The interpretation of French’s work can vary amongst viewers but the art piece may allude to family strife with its title directed at a male figure with scorn or perhaps hurt. The lowness of the piece, along with the fragility of the childlike bicycle parts accentuates the title of the work along with the viewable artistic wreck on display.

The opening of the exhibition was bumped up by two weeks, to give the faculty more time to display their work Hauswirth said.

The faculty art show was to coincide with the student art sale on Dec. 3.

Running from Nov. 20 to Dec.10, the exhibition and silent auction is open to students and the general public at no cost.

A percentage of the sales from

Lee Puffer’s “Road Rage” gets attention as a centerpiece • Paul Nelson/The Telescope

the silent auction as well as the student art sale will be donated to the Boehm Gallery and in partnership with the arts department to cover any supplemental costs.

Visit the gallery website at

www.palomar.edu/art/BoehmGallery.html for gallery hours, contact, and past and future exhibitions.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

14 • A&E

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

Critiquing the rebel symbol: ‘Mockingjay’ LEAH BAENA THE TELESCOPE

Have you ever had a half-baked pizza, the way it’s doughy and sloppy and not at all satisfying to your expectations? If so then you have experienced something similar to the response of “Hunger Games” supporters after the release of “Mockingjay.”

Author Suzanne Collin’s final book of the “Hunger Games” trilogy, split in two movies, made its cinematic premiere nationwide on Nov. 21.

“Mockingjay” was an anticipated follow-up to the second movie of the series, “Catching Fire,” which premiered on Nov. 22, 2013.

In the closing scene of “Catching Fire,” Katniss Everdeen played

by Jennifer Lawrence, shoots the arena screen, sending a shock and destroying the game’s system.

This exposed the Capitol’s intention to cause chaos and Lawrence awakens in a military compound where the fleet intends to utilize her in leading a rebellion.

Don’t expect a sound mind during any part of the film. The plot consists of an ongoing war and by the ending scene, the audience is stranded, wanting more and waiting for part two of “Mockingjay.”

The internal conflict of Lawrence throughout the film is consistent as she has not seen her district partner Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, since exposing the game’s system. She is unsure of whether or not he is actually alive during the film.

Because Lawrence is in search of her partner, an unusual love story is displayed where the female is in

Actress Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen the symbol for the rebellion as in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.” released on Nov. 22 • Murray Close/Lionsgate/MCT

pursuit of the man. However, audience members will remain confused as Lawrence shares ambiguous feelings toward her childhood friend Gale Hawthorne, played by Liam Hemsworth.

With the encouragement of characters President Coin, played

by Julianne Moore, and Plutarch Heavensbee, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Katniss agrees to be the face of the rebellion against The Capitol and embrace her role as the Mockingjay.

While there is action throughout, it is stretched, which caused

the film to roll on slowly. This decision is easily seen to be more beneficial from a business standpoint, to make more money on the series, rather than for the satisfaction of the audience.

To lighten the mood, known comedic relief character Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson, comes in to continue mentoring Lawrence as the Mockingjay and the rebellion team. Harrelson sets a familiar tone while Lawrence seems to be in foreign territory.

Unlike the series’ other films, the Katniss’s family of mom and

sister to Lawrence, accompany her on the journey. This brings a different light to Lawrence’s character as she is regularly known to be independent.

While it was a poor choice to expand little action over such a long period of time, there is an obvious message about society in this film.

An attentive audience member will be able to spot the question Collins has for our society, and its effect on individuals.

With bold moves such as casting Moore as a military leader and portraying Hutcherson as a helpless

male, Collins challenges society’s perceptions of gender roles and the assumptions of what kind of people belong in certain positions in life.

There are many discussions that can be ignited by this film, yet so many things were unanswered in regards to the actual characters.

Hopefully audiences can expect answers in the final film.

Part Two of “Mockingjay” is expected to be released in theaters November 2015, and will conclude “The Hunger Games” series.

LBAENA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Controversial artist brings new sound on ‘Pom Pom’ album MIKE PETERSON THE TELESCOPE

Ariel Pink is an artist known for his irreverence, his controversial antics and his skill at writing nostalgic, syrupy indie pop songs.

The Los Angeles-based singersongwriter has been consistently releasing grungy, lo-fidelity albums since the early 2000s under the name Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. This is his first record that omits the latter part of his band name.

But, whether Haunted Graffiti or just Ariel Pink, his music is noticeably influenced by elements of garage rock, glam rock, disco and synthesizer pop music. But, perhaps more interesting than his sound is his behavior: the man himself seems like a throwback to the various satirical and eccentric musicians that came before him, stuck somewhere between sincerity and acting.

His music, at its core, is pretty ridiculous, both lyrically and instrumentally. But, it’s ridiculous in a good way. It represents what it’s like to be young, stupid and brash in a city like Los Angeles. “Pom Pom” sounds like the soundtrack to a weekend bender.

“Pom Pom,” released on Nov. 17, is Ariel Pink’s newest release. It is a breath of fresh air but will still be fa-

miliar to fans of his work.

His willingness to be ridiculous is apparent even in the first opening notes of the record. “Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade” sounds like a psychedelic-pop polka piano song littered with references to cocaine, nights in Tokyo and mannequins being scared. Ariel Pink’s surrealist edge is well-known among his fans; his willingness to blur the line between what’s real and what isn’t has always been a facet of his music.

“White Freckles” starts out with a synth and guitar melody that resembles an ‘80s arcade game theme song, before abruptly shifting to Ariel Pink singing “She got them at the tanning salon, white freckles” over a groovier rhythm. The song switches speeds at the end of the song, as Ariel repeatedly sings a refrain.

The third song on the record, “Four Shadows” is noticeably darker and minor key, and features Ariel’s tenor voice layered over a menacing, pitch-shifted vocal track. It then breaks into a chorus that somehow combines what sounds like a glam metal melody, double-bass kick drums and dark synthesizers.

Ariel Pink’s knack for eclectic songwriting can be seen on “Put Your Number In My Phone,” the lead single off the album. On this song,

sunny guitars dance around a mellow chord progression under rather earnest lyrics. Ariel croons “I hope to get some time alone / I want to get to know you more, baby,” before a voice mail message starts to play during the bridge.

There are a total of 17 songs on “Pom Pom,” all of which have different flavors seemingly inspired by different points in alternative music.

“Goth Bomb,” for example, sounds like a mixture of early punk predecessors in the same vein of Iggy and the Stooges. “Nude Beach A Go-Go” is a syrupy, surf rock ditty about, unsurprisingly, a nude beach where “you can do anything,” according to the lyrics.

But nowhere is the eccentricity of this album more apparent than on “Dinosaur Carebears.” The song starts out sounding with a vaguely ethnic synth riff before delving into a child-like, candy shop melody before settling into a groovy, psychedelic chord pattern. This song is erratic, seemingly senseless but still thoroughly enjoyable.

This is much like the rest of “Pom Pom.” Certainly, this is not a revolutionary album. It probably won’t go down in history as an “Abbey Road” or a “Dark Side of the Moon.” But it is an interesting album, a good one

Ariel Pink • Photo by Sasha Eisenman

even. It’s the kind of album you can half-listen to in your car and then later, sit down with a cup of tea and an hour to kill to contemplate its deeper meaning (or lack thereof).

Ariel Pink is nothing short of an eccentricity. His music is definitely

not for everybody. But, if you can stomach some ridiculousness to see the legitimate talent for songwriting underneath, then “Pom Pom” is certainly worth a listen.

MPETERSON@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

NEWS • 15

the-telescope.com

Human trafficking still prominent in North County SEAN HORGAN THE TELESCOPE

A dark shadow currently lurks within the alley ways of Southern California.

Beaten, tortured, forced to perform hard labor and raped on a weekly basis; this is what many men, women and children have to go through in San Diego County and throughout the rest of the country.

The Victims Protection Act defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of labor or sex trafficking, and according to the San Diego District Attorney’s website, the FBI has listed San Diego as one of the 13 most intense child prostitution areas.

Palomar College’s Child Development Club hosted an event on Oct. 7 in the MD Building, where Crystal Anthony, who is the Project Coordinator for the North County Lifeline, spoke about the dangers of human trafficking, especially in San Diego and North County.

According to the State of Human Trafficking in California

2012, 56 percent of victims were sexually trafficked, while only 23 percent were trafficked for labor.

Anthony elaborated that labor trafficking can be difficult to identify.

“Labor trafficking is much harder to see,” Anthony said. “There’s way more beneath the surface there. It could be somebody that’s working, or it looks like they’re working … sex trafficking is what we have come across the most.”

In a press release from 2011, the FBI, along with many other agencies, charged 38 people, many of which were members of gangs, for the prostitution of minors and adults, with the addition of other gang related crimes at the Oceanside Travel Lodge in Oceanside.

Many of these young women were recruited through social media and they suffered many forms of abuse while they were held captive.

Susan Munsey is a survivor of human trafficking, and the executive and founder of Generate Hope, which is an organization that assists survivors of human trafficking in the long term. Munsey said that most victims are raped at least once a week, 64 percent are threat-

Palomar’s Clock Tower ticks with elusive history MEGAN BUBAK THE TELESCOPE

The Clock Tower at Palomar College has become one of the main focal points for the San Marcos campus, but few know where it came and why.

At one point or another, we have met a friend or a group by the Clock Tower. Students there see and hear it every day; it often reminds us how late to class we are. But, few people know much about how it came to be one of the main meeting points The Clock Tower was erected in 1975.

That’s where Google stopped being helpful. It was clear very early on that the Clock Tower was not only shrouded in mystery, but had a deep history in Palomar College.

It was paid through fundraising by the Patrons of Palomar College, a non-profit organization of volunteers that was created in 1947. From serving Mexican Food at a Fallbrook High to outfitting The Telescope, their influence was diverse and well-spread throughout Palomar.

The Patrons were disbanded in July 2007 due to no more younger people being interested in continuing the group’s work, according to UT San Diego journalist Noelle Ibrahim.

In 1972, the Patrons decided to start raising money to design and build the Carillon Clock Tower.

One member, Edna Pulver, told the UT her volunteer efforts managed to save Palomar from spending an additional $7,000, which amounts to roughly $33,700 in 2014 standards. The final cost of the Clock Tower came to $10,000.

“I didn’t think I could do it, but I did,” Pulver said, when she was interviewed in March 2004 by UT San Diego journalist Cheryl Walker.

The Patrons were an important group to Palomar, not only did they help with fundraisers by putting together cookbooks or selling potted plants, but they also helped provided several thousand students with scholarships.

Students, faculty, staff and Patrons with their families came together and, instead of hiring a construction crew, they built it themselves, according to the Escondido Times-Advocate in an article printed Dec. 22, 1974.

In 1995, for the 50th Anniversary of Palomar College, a professor put together a book called the “Golden Jubilee” that compiled the entire history of Palomar up to that point.

Melinda Finn photographer and communications specialist said there’s not an index but it will tell you what you need.

While the book is very informative and captures the history about all aspects of Palomar College, there was little it could tell about the Clock Tower.

However, it did mention the the seating around the Clock Tower was added later, designed

by Rick Kratcoski, supervisor of Grounds Services.

The Clock Tower may be the most obvious structure on the San Marcos Campus, but its story is anything but that.

No matter what its history is though, it remains a North County Landmark and the identifier for Palomar College.

MBUBAK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

ened at some point with a weapon and 70-90 percent have been physically assaulted.

According to Anthony, many times in colleges and universities, students who are struggling with paying for school, and other finances, tend to be vulnerable to being trafficked.

The U.S. should decriminalize the exploited individual and criminalize the sex buyer.

AUTUMN BURRIS • SURVIVORS FOR SOLUTIONS

Traffickers will send recruiters to colleges and universities to entice students into trafficking with the promise that they will make money.

In an attempt to combat this issue, many countries, like Germany have legalized prostitution.

PRESIDENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

There are seven full-time faculty, one member from each of the seven departments on campus, and two part-time faculty on the committee.

Since no one volunteered from the math department or the career and technical department, two atlarge faculty members were voted on as replacements to those empty department seats. PFF Lead Negotiator Teresa Laughlin and Bill Jahnel, both from the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, will

But Autumn Burris, founder and director of the for-profit organization called Survivors for Solutions and a former graduate of Palomar College, disagrees with this stance.

Burris, who is also a survivor of sexual exploitation, stated that prostitution in all forms is considered rape.

“The simple fact alone that you’re performing a sex act, or having one performed on you, without consent, with money is compensated rape,” Burris said.

Burris proposes another alternative which is, instead of legalizing prostitution, the U.S. should decriminalize the exploited individual and criminalize of the sex buyer. This method is what Burris describes as the Nordic Model.

Burris explained that this would decrease the demand of prostitution, which would ultimately diminish the supply.

As a survivor of sexual exploitation, Burris explained what happened to her personally. She was taken to her first strip club by organized crime, where she eventually became desensitized and a prostituted woman.

Burris explained the horrible conditions that she was in as a prostituted woman. On one occasion, she got into a truck with a sex buyer who, according to Burris, seemed unstable. She said that she tried to escape, but the door handle didn’t work.

According to Burris, the man went on to beat, rape and throw her on the street for dead. Within an hour she was being bought by another sex buyer.

Yuriko Farrel, 25, was one of the many people who went to the human trafficking event at Palomar.

She expressed how shocked she was about the many different types of people who are drawn into the world of human trafficking.

“It’s not just women, it’s all kinds of people,” Farrel said. “Children as young as nine years old being exploited by these pimps, it’s just disgusting.

“So I just don’t understand how people get to these kids like that. I have kids of my own. I would never want to see them in this kind of situation.”

sit on the committee in place of the math and technical departments.

Other full-time faculty who will serve on the search committee are: Jenny Fererro from Child Development, Rocco Versaci from English, Lily Glass from Arts, Media, Business and Computer Science, Jose Fernandez from Counseling and Greg Larson, Faculty Senate president, as the committee co-chair.

The part-time faculty are Will Dalrymple from English and Susan Johnson from Speech Communications.Other members of the search committee consist of: three PFF members, four Classified staff

members, one community member, one Foundation member, one confidential and supervisory team member, two deans, two Administrative Association members, Vice President of Instruction which is also the committee co-chair, one member appointed by the president, one student representative appointed by the ASG and one non-voting compliance officer.

A list of search committee members should be announced at the next Governing Board meeting on Dec. 9.

SHORGAN@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

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16 • NEWS

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

New library set for ground breaking Spring 2015 KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

As the semester winds down toward Winter Break, students will be welcomed back next spring with the groundbreaking of the college’s new library.

The next campus project slated for construction will be the new library and Learning Resource Center. The $49 million project will commence sometime in Spring 2015, according to Chris Miller, director of Facilities.

The 2006 voter-approved construction bond, Prop. M, is funding for this project.

The four-story structure will be twice the size of the campus’ current

library, President Robert Deegan said.

The first and fourth floor of the LRC will be a traditional library setup. The second floor will hold academic technology, while the third will house the tutoring center and additional library space.

Linda Morrow, library department chairwoman, said that the new LRC is an exciting addition for the college and that they’re very optimistic about the enhanced services that will be provided for the students.

One of the deprived elements the current library has is its lack of instructional space and its aged technology, Morrow said.

Before the library staff posted its orange and red signs declaring what

electrical outlets were usable, students were left foraging for these outlets scattered around the library walls.

Once connected to an outlet, students are found sitting in the middle of hallways and the cords connecting to their electronic device laid out haphazardly across tabletops and walkways. This has created a dangerous and inconvenient environment for students and will be resolved in the new LRC. There are currently two library classrooms and three private student group spaces available in the library.

One thing Morrow would like to see in the LRC is an expansion on these services and some adaptability for the long-term.

The LRC will have its opening debut Fall 2017 and the current campus library, built in 1983, will see a $20-million renovation the following spring, Miller said.

The Spring 2018 renovation will create a one-stop student services center housing Admissions and Records, Student Assessment, Counseling, the Transfer and Career Centers, International Student Services, Veterans Services, College Health Services, GEAR-UP, TRIO, EOPS and DRC services under one central location for students.

Miller stated that the renovation to the 31-year-old library will have to meet current earthquake codes and be structurally enhanced to do so.

While the renovation is still in the design phase and no renderings or blue prints have become available, President Deegan was able to provide a glimpse of what the library will have in store for its future.

According to Deegan, students and faculty will say farewell to the 38step staircase that lead to the second floor of the library.

Once the project is completed in Fall 2020, students will be met with a more inviting entrance with an updated stairway and elevator system.

The new entry way will solve the accessibility problem currently faced by students and faculty.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Prop. M buildings opening dates and cost

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Prop. M was a voter-approved bond passed in 2006 for $694 million

Photo illustration by Brian O’Malley and Susan Whaley

Speech and Debate Team hosts tournament, finishes fifth EMILY RODRIGUEZ THE TELESCOPE

Palomar’s Speech and Debate team visited Grossmont College Nov. 14, 15 and 16 to host the annual Ray Dahlin Invitational and compete in the Griffin Invitational, hosted by Grossmont.

Overall, Palomar’s Speech and Debate Team took fifth place Sweepstakes.

Forensics Director Dewi Hokett and speech communications professors Chris Lowry and Brandan Whearty organized the event, which took place on Nov. 14. The event consisted of two preliminary rounds of competition followed by the final rounds at the end of the night.

According to Whearty, a total of 16 schools competed in the event hosted by the Palomar Forensics

faculty and there were 236 separate events, with the farthest competitors traveling from El Paso, Texas.

“It’s a neat chance for us to get out and host this event, which in turn helps our budget,” Whearty said.

Associated Student Government President Jason Hosfield, a former Speech and Debate competitor at Palomar, also attended the event and helped coach the students.

Hosfield said that preparing the event consisted of six weeks of planning, sending invitations to different colleges and confirming at least 10 competing schools.

At the invitational, students rotated classrooms, depending on which competition they were participating in.

At the drama competition, students performed 10-minute monologues in various genres such as

comedy and drama.

Camille Acosta, an El Paso Community College theater major student, portrayed the deceased British musician Amy Winehouse. Her performance included speaking in a British accent, drinking from an imaginary bottle of alcohol and smoking an imaginary cigarette.

“It’s a lot of online work,” Acosta said about her preparation for her performance She added that she went on sites such as YouTube to research the artist. “I’ve got to copy everything,” she said.

She took home second place at the awards ceremony. “(The event) was a blast. Everything went thoroughly smooth ...

I’ve been to a lot of events but this one was awesome,” Acosta said.

Palomar’s Speech and Debate students also took home awards from the Griffin Invitational, in

which students competed in Speech on Nov. 15 and Debate on Nov. 16.

In Speech competition: • Three Palomar students became finalists: Alexandra Rothman in Novice Informative and Novice Prose, Andrea Sanchez in Novice Prose and Jared Kelley in Novice Impromptu.

• Appolinio Rosas took home second place in Novice Prose, Johanna Mall took second place in Novice Persuasive, and Brandon Newton got first place in Novice Impromptu.

• Andrea Sanchez came in as seventh speaker in Junior Parliamentary and Monica Eslamian came in as sixth speaker in Open Parliamentary.

Monica Eslamain, a secondyear Speech and Debate member at Palomar, said she plans to transfer to either San Diego State University, Northern Arizona University or UC San Diego to major in political science and intends to continue participating in speech and debate.

In Debate competition: • Sinny Stenberg and James Williams took bronze in Novice Parliamentary Debate • Johanna Mall and Genevieve Mason took bronze in Junior Parliamentary Debate • Appolonio Rosas and Jared Kelley took bronze in Junior Parliamentary Debate ERODRIGUEZ@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

SPORTS • 17

the-telescope.com

Palomar College women’s basketball Head Coach Leigh Marshall on during the teams afternoon practice in the Dome on Dec. 3 • Brian O’Malley/The Telescope

Marshall leads women’s b-ball from worst to first SEAN HORGAN THE TELESCOPE

She has led her team to victory, and she has brought her team back from loss. As a person and a coach, she has guided her players to understand the sport of basketball.

Leigh Marshall has been coaching Palomar women’s basketball team for five years, and during that time has brought the team from the brink of elimination to claiming its own spot as champions of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Marshall grew up in Orange County. where she enjoyed playing team sports. She has been playing sports ever since she was a small

child, so when the opportunity for coaching Palomar women’s basketball team came up, she took it.

Marshall expressed her desire for her players to apply her teachings to their own lives. She said that hard work, a strong work ethic and a sense of family within her teammates is important to her.

Coach Marshall helped lead her team to win the 2012-13 PCAC championship, but this year has proven to be more of a challenge for Marshall. After the championship, the team suffered a few losses and missed the regional playoffs.

In addition to that, the team has lost a few of their sophomore members when they transferred to four-

year institutions.

Even though this is a tough year for the women’s basketball team, Marshall’s players are still loyal to her and many of them have expressed their high admiration toward her as a coach and as a human being.

Basketball player Lee Lee Tomlinson, 20, said Marshall taught her everything from defensive to offensive tactics. Above everything else though, Tomlinson explained her deep admiration for Marshall’s character on and off the court. “(She is a) great coach and a great person,” Tomlinson said. “She pushes us, she helps us build character and she’s always there for us.”

Tessa Balcom, 22, said that she holds Marshall in great reverence, especially in her ability to motivate the team. Balcom also said that Coach Marshall resurrected her passion for playing sports.

“She’s the best coach I have ever had,” Balcom said. “She’s always there to motivate me and inspire me … She inspired me to fall back in love with the sport.”

Assistant Coach Chris Kroesch also mentioned his admiration for her ability to motivate players to put out their best effort. Kroesch, who has been coaching for about 11 years, has known Marshall for four years. He said she is very caring, competitive, intense and a

great mentor to her players.

When asked how Marshall has influenced him as a coach, Kroesch said that Marshall was a great coach on and off of the court, and that many of her attributes have rubbed onto him.

Kroesch said that her organizational abilities were phenomenal, and that she excelled at organizing different workouts for the on and off seasons to keep her players in shape.

Besides coaching, Marshall mentioned that she also enjoys watching sports, going to the beach and trying new foods.

SHORGAN@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Comets football team has best season in three years CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE

Head Coach Joe Early and his Palomar Comets football team enjoyed greater success this year than they did last season, when they finished with their worst record in 32 years.

After going 2-8 in 2013, the team started 2014 with new quarterback coach, Bill Diedrick. The team also lacked a clearcut choice at quarterback, with three people vying for the job.

After all was said and done, however, the Comets finished with a 7-4 record and a win in the CCCFCA Patriotic Bowl over the Glendale College team that was ranked 22nd in the state. Palomar won the game 30-22, securing the best season since 2011 and tying for 25th in the state.

The Comets offense was led by Mitch Bartram, a sophomore who transferred from McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill. Originally a

product of Escondido High School, Bartram wasn’t the team’s first choice at starting quarterback; that was Brett Hollingsworth, the freshman from Citrus Hills High School in Perris, Calif., who was the CIF Southern Section Inland Division Player of the Year.

However, after Hollingworth suffered a concussion in the team’s second game against Long Beach City College, Bartram made the most of his time on the field, eventually being anointed the team’s starting quarterback. Bartram finished the season with 12 touchdowns and 1,221 passing yards in his nine games played.

As far as the defense, sophomore defensive end Dylan Donahue, from University of Southern Montana led the team with 10.5 sacks, where sophomore linebacker Drew Miranda from Chaparral High School finished the season with 43 tackles, good enough for 47th in the state.

CBULLOCK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Members of the 2014 Palomar College football team hold up the Patriotic Bowl trophy at Wilson Stadium in Escondido Nov.22. The Comets defeated the Glendale Vaqueros 30-22 in their first bowl game since 2011. • Philip Farry/The Telescope

18 • SPORTS

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

FALL 2014 SPORTS IN RETROSPECT

Water polo players, coaches earn top awards After a rough 2013 season, the Palomar men’s and women’s water polo teams looked to the 2014 season with high expectations. And while they didn’t quite get where they wanted, both teams made their mark on the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

The men’s team, led by second-year Head Coach Chad Aronen, turned a 6-18 fourth place finish into a 18-9 record (6-3 conference), crowning the team as PCAC champions.

Sophomore utility player Evan Dean was named not only PCAC Co-Player of the Year, but was named First Team Community College AllAmerican and All-State. Dean, along with teammates Rich Farley, Kody Moffatt, Ryan Lozano and Cameron Rath, were named All-PCAC First Team players; with four other teammates being named All-PCAC Sec-

ond Team and honorable mention.

Aronen was named PCAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, and missed being named state Co-Coach of the Year by one vote. The team eventually lost in the first round of the Southern California Regionals to Los Angeles Valley College.

The women’s team had to regroup this season from the loss of longtime Head Coach Kathy “Gubba” Sheehy, who missed this season to recover from surgery. In her place was longtime swim Coach Jem McAdams and Assistant Coach Jackie Puccino.

Though the team finished 1216 (3-6 conference), good enough for third in the conference, Puccino claimed the PCAC Coach of the Year for the women’s side. Sophomore Kelly Harris and freshman teammate Emilee Foltz were named as AllPCAC First Team members.

Top left: Utility player Kelly Harris scores a goal against Southwestern College on Oct.3. Harris was named All-PCAC First Team. Above: Palomar men’s water polo team huddles during its game against Southwestern College on Oct. 3. • Meredith James/The Telescope

Cross country stumbles on the track The Comets cross country teams suffered a small setback from last season, when both teams placed in the top 15 regionally.

The women’s team, which finished as Pacific Coast Athletic Conference co-champions last year, finished fourth out of the six teams in the PCAC cross country finals this season, and finished the season 20th in Southern California.

However, the women’s team did have two of its athletes, Jessica Betancourt and Jessica Steinhoff, qualify for the state champion-

ship meet. Steinhoff, with a time of 18:51, claimed 15th place in the state meet, with Betancourt placing 93rd.

The men’s team also slipped this season, finishing fourth in the PCAC. Matthew Bellah, the team’s top finisher all season, placed 11th in the conference individual meet.

Regionally, the team finished 20th but ultimately failed to have any runners represent Palomar at the state meet..

ALL STORIES BY CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK.

The Palomar women’s soccer team rallies together before a game against Victor Valley on Oct. 3. The women’s soccer team improved from a 3-14-3 record in 2013 to a 9-9-2 record this Fall. • Casey Cousins/The Telescope

Soccer teams show great improvement Palomar men’s and women’s soccer teams had an improved season compared to 2013, when the two teams combined for a grand total of three wins.

The men’s team, coached by one-time Palomar soccer player Carlos Hernandez, finished 6-114 on the season (3-7-2 in the Pa-

cific Coast Athletic Conference), a big jump from last season when they went 0-18-3. Midfielder Miguel Pineda, a freshman out of Escondido High School, led the team with seven goals and 19 points.

The women’s team, lead by fourth-year Head Coach Hector

Hernandez, finished the season 9-9-2 (2-6 PCAC), good enough for fourth in the conference.

Sophomore midfielder Kiatlyn Crone lead the team with 8 goals, while freshman goalie Valentina Zito finished second in the state with 163 saves and seven shutouts.

Palomar cross country athlete Jessica Steinhoff (#161) finishes first place at the Palomar College Invitational Sept. 5 at Guajome Park in Oceanside. • Paul Nelson/The Telescope

SPORTS • 19

the-telescope.com

Palomar gets its turn to play in the sand KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

Sophomore middle blocker Madi Stark prepares to block a shot against College of the Canyons at the Dome Nov. 25. Palomar will field its first-ever competitive sand volleyball team in Spring 2015, along with five other local colleges. • Philip Farry/The Telescope

Sand volleyball is coming to Palomar College as a competitive sport.

The March 2014 convention of California Community Colleges Athletic Association saw the adoption of women’s intercollegiate sand volleyball among 16 colleges throughout the state.

Scott Cathcart, director of Athletics, said this historic decision has leveled out men’s and women’s programs to 11 each. This decision has brought the college into compliance with federal Title IX, the first time in the athletic department’s history where there is an even amount of sports offerings.

This need helped secure the addition of the program.

Ashli Pardi, a freshman on the volleyball team, said that it’s amazing to watch as the sport becomes more recognized with its adoption among colleges.

As for the college’s adoption Pardi had a simple reply, “We’re right by the beach, why wouldn’t we have (it)?”

Cathcart echoed these sentiments and said that volleyball is already in line here at the college and is indigenous to the region.

“It has a lot to do with the beach and the West Coast and our geographic location here in San Diego County, it makes a lot of sense,” Cathcart said.

Sand volleyball will have 12 colleges participate for the Southern California regionals, while four will participate in Northern California. Among those 12, six colleges in San Diego County have shown

a commitment to the first season of the sport. Grossmont College, MiraCosta College, San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College and Southwestern College will join Palomar College in Spring 2015.

Heading the first season of sand volleyball will be women’s volleyball Head Coach Karl Seiler.

“I’ve been in the Dome for a long time and it’s about time I got out of the Dome and be out in the air,” Seiler joked, who’s currently in his 19th season coaching women’s indoor volleyball at Palomar.

“I’m really excited because that’s where I grew up and learned playing before moving indoors. It’s kind of going back to the beginning,” he added.

Seiler said.

Rylee Zimmerman, a sophomore on the volleyball team who has been playing sand for the last three years, said sand volleyball is a much more competitive and independent sport.

“You have to deal with the sand, the sun, the wind, and you have to deal with aggressive players on the other side who Lord knows how tall they are,” Zimmerman said.

The athletes, who will be the first to play the sport at the college, are being pooled from the college’s indoor volleyball team.

While some of the women who haven’t previously played in sand might find it difficult starting out, Pardi said she believes they’ll be able to keep the momentum of their successful season thus far going into the spring season.

As the college and athletes are It’s exciting for the (sports) eager to see how the spring competition will unfold, the commitment program...and we know that from the institution to the athletic the sport is growing among department can’t be overlooked.

The department staff said they other community colleges. are really appreciative of the adminSCOTT CATHCART • ATHLETIC DIRECTOR istration for their support and effort to initiate sand volleyball and their overall support for the athletic proAlthough the two sports appear gram, according to Cathcart. to be similar, both have major difPalomar’s athletic department is ferences other than the surface on among the largest and most diverse which the matches are held. and comprehensive inter-collegiate “They’re two completely differ- athletic program amongst the Calient games. There’s a lot more fi- fornia community colleges with 22 nesse and control when there’s only sports. two of you,” Seiler said.

“It’s exciting for the program, it The two athletes have a lot more meets with our indigenous region, contacts to make and a lot more and we know that the sport is growground to cover versus indoor vol- ing among other community colleyball where there are six women leges,” Cathcart said. on a team and each has the ability to specialize in a certain spot, KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Basketball: A Thanksgiving tradition MEGAN BUBAK THE TELESCOPE

“What is your main goal for the Tournament?” the team was asked after critiquing their last game.

“Winning!” they yelled in unison, laughing and giving high fives.

While they celebrated with every score and critiqued every accidentally bad move, they prepared for the Thanksgiving Tournament.

“I love this team, they’re so much fun to be around,” Head Coach John O’Neil said. “This is a very unique group, we’re very blessed with these kids.”

During Thanksgiving Break, the team hosted its 10th Annual Thanksgiving Tournament where teams from various schools come to compete against the Comets.

The Tournament started in 2004 with O’Neil. He had been head coach for roughly two years and had lead the 2002-2003 team to its third Pacific Coast Conference Championship in four years.

“There was a long break between the tournaments were in until December,” O’Neil said. “So we just thought ‘Why don’t we see if we can start a Thanksgiving Tournament?’ So we did.”

This simple whim of a decision has

led to a rare tradition here at Palomar College.

However, like most traditions, it had a rocky and comical start.

Coach O’Neil stated that one of the most memorable moments of the tournament was from the first tournament, when they couldn’t get eight community college teams together.

They managed to get a team together with people from Vandenberg Air Force Base, they came down and played.

Then the coach asked one of the former players if he could get a team together.

That makeshift team for the first tournament consisted of former players from Palomar College: Dante Carey, who is now a basketball coach at San Marcos High School. Chris Featherly, the head coach at Orange Glen High School. Chris Crouch who is a girl’s basketball high school coach at Mission Hills. Finally, Jeremy Vague who played at San Marcos went on to play for Utah State.

This team didn’t pay anything when they played the first Thanksgiving Tournament, they were just there as a filler team to play against the Comets.

The makeshift team agreed to lose so the Comets could move forward in the Tournament which was the only condition made.

However, things didn’t go quite according to plan.

“They got so competitive, it was a pretty close game and they said ‘No coach, we’re not losing,’” Coach O’Neil said. “They beat us, and I was so pissed.”

After they beat the Comets, the makeshift team went on to play Fresno, who had won the State Championship the year before and had hardly suffered any losses in 2004.

They beat Fresno by double digits.

“They ended up winning the whole thing,” he said.

While there haven’t been as many moments to compete with the memory of the first game, the Palomar Thanksgiving Tournament is still a huge deal every year.

Even though other schools have started offering the same kind of tournaments, such as Bakersfield and Riverside, to fill the awkward space in the season, Palomar still has several teams that come back.

Los Angeles Trade Tech has been a regular particpant since the Tournament’s conception, and the Pasadena and Fullerton community colleges were always in until last year. Saddleback, Miramar and Southwestern have been regular participants in the past few years as well.

For this year, Palomar’s team was so

Palomar forward Carsten Nyenhaus tips off against Southwestern College forward Yobby Williams at the Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 28. • Philip Farry/The Telescope

energetic and excited about working together to win the tournament players said.

“This is our house, this is our gym,” Jeremy Franklin, who is majoring in kinesiology, said. “You can’t come into our house and win. It doesn’t work like that.”

James Sampson and Keith Houston agreed, saying how they were definitely going to win. It was not up for debate.

In the end, the Comets won three out of four games during the tournament.

On Nov. 27, the Comets won 84-48 against St. Katherine but the following day they lost 50-52 against Southwestern.

Palomar’s last game on Nov. 30 against Trade Tech came close during halftime, but Franklin, Matt Dunipan, Chris Sorapuru and Sampson combined for seven points in the last two minutes, sealing their victory.

The Comets finished in third place for the Thanksgiving Tournament.

MBUBAK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

20 • SPORTS Catching up with Cathcart CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE

As the athletic director of Palomar College, Scott Cathcart keep a watchful eye on every sport, and cares deeply for his student athletes.

When asked about how the athletic program performed this Fall season, Cathcart spoke proudly of the progress each team has made.

“I think we had a good Fall for athletics, better than last year,” Cathcart said while adding, “On the top of that list is our football team.”

The Comets football team, which finished last season at 2-8 (its worst record in 32 years), turned around to finish 7-4 this season, with a win in the Patriotic Bowl over Glendale College.

He also spoke highly of the water polo program, which saw men’s Head Coach Chad Aronen and women’s Assistant Coach Jackie Puccino take home the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference’s Coach of the Year for their respective sports.

One of the sports he really looks forward to seeing this winter season is women’s basketball.

“Our women’s team just won their first tournament since Head Coach Leigh Marshall took over, and we’re excited about their prospects,” Cathcart said.

Even though the Fall season turned out well for most of the sports, Cathcart said he is looking forward to the future of Palomar’s athletic program. Most importantly, the addition of sand volleyball to the program, which now levels the playing field at 11 teams each for men’s and women’s sports for the first time in the school’s history.

“It’s been a lot of growth and a lot of progress,” Cathcart said.

The sand volleyball, which starts its first season in Spring 2015, will be playing its home games on its new court, which is part of the new Kinesiology Complex that is currently in the process of being built. Though the sand volleyball court and baseball field are scheduled to be completed by the end of the Spring 2015 season, the entire project is set for a Fall 2020 completion.

“For a program that, for a long time, has been waiting for facilities that are functional and meet the scope and quality of our athletic program, we’re tremendously excited to have those in the planning stages,” Cathcart said. “We’re really excited that at long last we’re going to be able to play football games on campus.”

The football team currently plays its home games at Wilson Stadium at Escondido High School.

When asked about how he feels the new complex is going to benefit Palomar, Cathcart was frank.

“To be honest, currently, when you look at our facilities now ... it’s a step down for the high school students that are coming from our regional high schools,” Cathcart said.

He is hoping that the new Kinesiology Complex will draw more prospective athletes to Palomar for years to come.

“We’re looking forward to being a destination for those students rather than a second thought or fallback position, and that’ll put us in a great place to get there,” Cathcart said.

CBULLOCK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

Taking his opponents straight to the mat A look inside the mind of California’s No.1 ranked 184-lb wrestler, Alex Graves KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

Taking names and marking graves, Alex Graves is making an impact in his college wrestling debut with his serious pre-game demeanor and his consistent takedowns of his opponents. ”I just think, I’m gunna kill him,” Graves says before he enters each match to get the nerves out of his mind and prepare for his takedown.

“I always get nervous before matches, and if I can get that out of the way, or that out of my mind, I know that’ll help me,” Graves added.

As the season is coming to an end, Graves will look to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Judo by finding a club within the region and competing and placing in tournaments as either a junior or senior member this upcoming spring.

Beginning in May 2015, placing within the top 22 males on the International Judo Federation World Ranking list in his respective weight class will qualify him into the Olympic Games for Team USA. While his Judo training sets him apart from most wrestlers as he attempts for more throws akin to Judo than the dominating submissions of wrestling, the love he has for the sport has led him to take it to the highest level possible.

Graves is no stranger to the sport of wrestling. Starting in his freshman year at San Marcos High School in 2010, Graves ended his high school wrestling career on a high note, placing third at CIF State Championships in the 160-weight class last spring.

Entering the fall wrestling season at Palomar as a freshman, Graves is currently undefeated in the 184-weight class placing him first in the state.

Wrestling Head Coach Brody Barrios said Graves has made major contributions to the team and has made him a rival for other athletes. “(He is) definitely a D1 talent, his wrestling skills aren’t holding him back and athletically has what it takes to compete at that level. As an athlete he’s super gifted and has great balance,” Barrios said.

While undefeated at 184, Graves entered the 174-weight class during the second meet of the Southwest Conference and ended his winning streak with his loss against the No. 2 ranked Daniel Allen of Rio Hondo College.

“Physically I was pretty down,” Graves said after the loss.

Confident going into the match, Graves said what led to his demise was due to the lack of balancing his own weight; cutting too much too fast.

Even with that loss however, his previous first place win at the Meathead Movers Invitational on Oct. 25 landed him No. 3 in the state for the 174-weight class. His competitive spirit has also put him in a tough spot on deciding which weight class to compete in.

“I like being competitive. If it’s not a challenge then I kind of don’t look forward to it,” Graves said.

Alex Graves on the mat with opponent Max Kumashiro from Cerritos College. Graves won the match 7-3 at the Dome on Nov. 5. • Paul Nelson/The Telescope

STATISTICS (He’s) definitely a D1 talent, his wrestling skills aren’t holding him back and athletically has what it takes to compete at that level.

• Ranked #1 in the 184-lb weight-class for California Community College Athletic Association Wrestling • Ranked #3 in the 174-lb weight class category for CCCAA Wrestling

BRODY BARRIOS • HEAD COACH

His two choices are between the 184-weight class where he’s No. 1 ranked in the state, or 174 where he’s currently placed at No. 3.

“I want to go into the 74’s because I’m not number one in that weight class and so while it’s good to be number one (in the 84’s), it’s always better and more fun to be the underdog and come on top,” Graves said.

While he’s torn between making a name for himself in either of the weight classes, his ability to carry points for the team with his fusion of Judo into his wrestling hasn’t gone unnoticed by his coach or

teammates.

“He has a good base in Judo, and gets a lot of opportunities to get pins which are bonus points for the team.

So he’s been a big contributor,” Barrios said.

Erik Collin, a freshman on the wrestling team, included that his athleticism has helped get a majority of the pins on the team and in part due to his strength and hard work.

Despite his intense competitive nature, Graves is still an everyday college student who likes to hangout with his friends, play games and partake in grappling sports on his free time.

“He’s always positive, if he could have a duel meet or tournament ev-

eryday that would be what he would choose to do,” Barrios said.

While a freshman at Palomar, Graves is currently majoring in human biology. He has his eyes set on transferring to University of California San Diego where he’ll figure out where in the field of medicine he wants to pursue, for now.

As Graves is advancing in his academic and athletic career, he has a few choice words of advice for those looking to accomplish whatever aims they currently have.

“Make everything a challenge.

Put everything into it. If you have something to go for, then you have the drive to do it,” Graves said.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM