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DJ LILLY LOPEZ MIXES AT PALOMAR Read about the life and music choices of student Lilly Lopez, who DJs for KKSM on her show “Take a break with Lilly Lopez” Page 4

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Vol. 68, No. 13 • Monday, April 13, 2015

Students hired to retain, increase enrollment New priority registration available

JOEL VAUGHN THE TELESCOPE

Palomar officials have started a student ambassador program geared toward success for Palomar’s new and current students.

With funding Palomar College has received from the Student Success and Support program, the faculty has invested in a student ambassador program.

“Me being part of the student ambassador program is probably the best thing I’ve done at Palomar,” said Lisa Filice, the acting manager of orientation and follow up services at Palomar.

She spoke on the importance of the student ambassadors not only trying to bring in new students, but also to keep the ones that Palomar currently has.

“It’s really important for us to make sure that the community college helps as much as we can so that it brings those high school students and keeps the students that we have, but really helps prepare people in any stage of their life,” she said in reference to how the student ambassador program is working to help students.

On what the requirements for being an ambassador are she referenced that, “you have to be awesome.”

What being “awesome” entails is a focus on being both welcoming and willing to step out of your comfort zone.

As she described it, “They have to be willing to say, ‘How

FAYE NOUROLLAHI THE TELESCOPE

Student Ambassador Edgar Garcia (left) reviews the current schedule with Lisa Filice (right), acting manager of orientation and follow up services at Palomar College. • Stephen Davis/The Telescope

can I help you?’ and step out of their comfort zone. We really wanted to make sure that student ambassador team was very diverse.“ The diversity was a key factor for deciding who they would take on to the team, this being that the student body at Palomar itself is

very diverse.

The importance of not only reaching out to new students, but also helping and retaining the students that Palomar currently has is the main focus of the program. The ambassadors are striving to help Palomar’s current students get from their first steps

on campus to walking for graduation.

This is achieved by the ambassadors being the in-between for individual students and faculty on a student-to-student level.

JUMP TO AMBASSADOR PAGE 2

Palomar has plans to stop deficit spending MIKE PETERSON THE TELESCOPE

Palomar officials are implementing measures to stop the college’s streak of deficit spending.

Since 2011, Palomar has dipped into its Ending Fund Balance, which is the amount of money the college has leftover from a fiscal year, to pay for various expenditures. The balance has dropped from $18.4 million to about $8 million.

The college staff has several cost cutting initiatives planned, including the Supplemental Employee Retirement Program, also known as a “golden handshake.” The SERP is offering an incentive for employees who want to retire early.

The SERP is expected to save the district about $2.7 million, according to Ron Perez, vice presi-

dent of finance and administrative services.

College officials are also looking at moving their health care services to another firm, which would save them around $600,000 to $1 million a calendar year.

Palomar is also reworking their enrollment management, which is essentially cutting classes with lower enrollment numbers and increasing class sections with a higher demand.

Palomar receives much of its funding from the state, according to how many full-time students are enrolled. The higher the number of credit hours taken, the more money Palomar is allocated.

From 2010 to 2012, the state went through a budget crisis that forced them to cut funding for colleges across California. The college started deficit spending to avoid

Palomar College’s fund balance history. Mike Peterson/The Telescope

layoffs of faculty and staff, salary pay cuts or requiring staff to pay for health care.

“We actually offered more classes than what the state gave us money for,” Perez said. “So we used our ending fund balance to offer those additional class sections.”

The school was “way underfunded” for the classes they offered, according to Phyllis Laderman, di-

rector of Fiscal Services.

Perez said that to meet the needs of students, it’s preferable to have more unfunded FTES if the college has the finances to cover it.

Perez stated that the college’s fiscal future is looking good, but that “we’re not out of the woods yet.”

MPETERSON@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

If you are a semester away from graduating or transferring out of Palomar College, then the college has a going-away present for you: priority registration.

For the rest of Palomar students, Fall 2015 registration is moving from early July to May 26.

A new priority registration group has been created, referred to as “Group 2.” This group is comprised of students in their last term of attendance prior to graduation or transfer.

They will have the ability to register second only to Group 1 priority students, which is comprised of students from the Disability Resource Center, EOP&S, foster youth, CalWORKS, eligible veterans, and active duty military personnel.

There are a total of eight priority registration groups at Palomar.

Group 2 began in the fall 2014, Kendyl Magnuson, director of Enrollment Services said in an email.

He added that the intention of creating this group was to allow students the best possible opportunity to finish up classes before they graduate or need to transfer, and thus is only offered, “one time in a lifetime.”

A student looking to finish their final classes can submit an “Enrollment Priority Petition” form, available at the Records and Evaluations Office and/or at Counseling Services in the SSC Building, to apply to be in the Group 2 category.

Magnuson stated that on the petition, the student will need to demonstrate they are about to enter their final semester at Palomar and list the specific courses needed to graduate and/or transfer. If approved, they will be assigned Group 2 priority for their last term. The form needs to be submitted no less than two weeks before the beginning of priority registration for that term.

Magnuson added that regardless of how the last semester goes for the student, if they ever return to Palomar for additional classes they will not be eligible for Group 2 status again, though they are welcome to take more classes.

JUMP TO REGISTER PAGE 2

2 • NEWS

Monday, April 13, 2015

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES SERVE FOOD ON CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

UPCOMING EVENTS

CSUSM representative will be on campus

An admissions representative from Cal State San Marcos will be on campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 13 in the Transfer Center, located in SSC-24A. The representative will be there to discuss with students how to plan for their future at CSUSM. This is a great chance to get some one-on-one help in preparing for the transferring process. To set up an appointment, call (760) 744-1150 ext. 2552 and for more information, visit www. palomar.edu/counseling/transfercenter or contact Brittany Wong at BWong@palomar.edu.

Pianist to perform at Palomar for Concert

Associated Student Government President Mario Gaspar (center) and Vice President Michael Dentoni (right) serve Palomar students enchiladas during Cesar Chavez Day on March 31 in the Student Union. • Seth Jones/The Telescope

REGISTER

AMBASSADOR

If they do, they will need to sign up earlier this fall. Magnuson said that moving up the registration dates was a way to give students more time to access student counseling and to register for classes.

By enrolling in classes earlier, students are able to resolve any issues that might come up by the time the class actually begins.

In terms of possible future changes to the registration process, Magnuson said Palomar officials are currently exploring the option of moving the fall registration time to be concurrent with summer registration. These registration times are currently a month apart, but Palomar is looking for feedback from students to gauge how much students would want the option of being able to register for two semesters at the same time.

For example, during the first two weeks of this semester the student ambassadors went down and worked the line at enrollment office to provide support to the incoming and returning students.

“They reported 50 percent improvement,” Filice said. “We got through students 50 percent faster.”

Kendyl Magnuson, director of Enrollment Services, agreed the ambassadors are essential to helping students at Palomar.

“One of our philosophies was rather than saying that’s a question for someone else, we tried to make sure that our ambassadors knew the answer and if they needed to be somewhere else we walked them to that place,” he said.

One of the ambassadors who is involved in this initiative is Edgar Garcia.

Garcia is not only an ambassador, but also part of the Explorer Program

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FNOUROLLAHI@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

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for Palomar’s Campus Police. His experience with them gave him experience in community service, public speaking, and more than anything else, leadership that made him a good fit for the student ambassador program, he said.

What drew him toward being a student ambassador was, “the fact that I always wanted to help people.

That has always been a passion for me and I’m very motivated to do so.”

This is shown in an anecdote he shared about his experience with a high school student during an outreach event.

“One of the kids told me that his dad told him he was too dumb to go to college. I personally felt like I connected with him, because a lot of the time you grow up and think maybe college isn’t for me and I thought it was important for us to explain to him no one is too dumb for school. You do what you want in life and that has an impact on kids,” Garcia said.

His goal in the program is to show everybody what Palomar offers. He said he wants to help students get to where they want to be, by showing them all of Palomar’s resources.

Magnuson stressed that this isn’t just a great opportunity to help students but it’s also a way to help the ambassadors themselves with indepth training on how the college works.

As he put it, “I like seeing students work on campus. It creates a double win, the students make connections that they wouldn’t otherwise make.

In my experience students who work on campus get several benefits.”

These benefits were that it makes it easier for them to make connections within the college that makes it easier for them to stay at the college. Magnuson stressed the importance of being involved with the campus in some capacity.

“A guy like Edgar, if he has trouble on a test he has us to fall back on,” he said.

The student ambassador program is currently looking for four more members for its team of 12 people. If you feel you have what it takes to be an ambassador, email Lisa A. Filice at lfilice@palomar.edu.

JVAUGHN@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

The Palomar Performing Arts Department is bringing celebrated pianist Ching-Ming Cheng to the Howard Brubeck Theatre as part of the Steinway Series.

Equal parts performer and educator, Cheng comes to the series by way of Cal State San Marcos, where she is a full-time faculty member.

Cheng will pull from her broad classical and romantic background for a program of rare delights. The Steinway Series features solo performances on the crown jewel of the Palomar College music department: the Peter Gach Steinway.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. on April 19 in the Howard Brubeck Theatre. Ticket cost $25 general and $15 students. For more information contact (760) 744-1150 ext. 2317 or visit www.palomarperforms.com.

Learn to ace your finals during free workshop

The Teaching and Learning Center will be hosting a free workshop to assist students with upcoming finals.

The event will occur between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on April 20 at the Escondido campus. The provided staff will guide students through a variation of techniques to prepare for questions on final exams. To reserve a spot, email the TLC at EscondidoTLC@palomar.edu with your full name, email address, student ID number and telephone number.

The Escondido Campus is located at 1951 East Valley Pkwy. For additional information regarding this event or future workshops, call (760) 744-1150 ext. 8171.

Concert Hour brings electro music to the mix

The Palomar Performing Arts Department will be hosting the Electronic Music Ensemble for the next weekly Concert Hour. The event will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on April 23 in the Performance Lab, D-10.

The concert is free and will showcase a variety of student created electronic music and a variety of other electronic compositions.

For more information contact Randy Hoffman at (760) 744-1150 ext. 2317 or email at rhoffman@ palomar.edu.

Learn about gardens to start the spring season

It’s officially spring and to usher in the new season, Palomar will be putting on Spring Garden Days. The Friends of Palomar’s Arboretum will be having several free workshops to educate people about plant-based foods, how to grow it and the benefits of growing your own. Anyone in the community is invited.

Spring Garden Days will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 25 in the Natural Sciences Building.

Some of the workshops that will be taking place are: Growing a Vegetable Garden, Plants and People, and Mushrooms and Health. So, if you have a green thumb or just want to know more about plant-based foods come take part in Spring Garden Days.

For more information contact Tony Rangel at arangel@palomar. edu orvisitwww2.palomar.edu/pages/arboretum/.

Tarde de Familia event will focus on success

Tarde De Familia will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 17 in the Student Union. This event hosts professionals from disadvantaged and socio-economically tough backgrounds to speak to students about breaking through social barriers and creating success for themselves.

The event is directed toward the Latin community here on campus, but everyone is invited to come and listen.

Tarde de Familia is not only for students, but also for their parents and families. In the past, Tarde De Familia has hosted several Palomar staff members as speakers, and the presentations have been in both Spanish and English.

This year it will host two Latino professionals who have achieved success in the engineering field. The event emphasizes the importance of education and motivation in the pursuit of success, and how social disadvantage doesn’t make certain professions unreachable.

In addition, attendees will learn about the various academic resources Palomar College has to offer, such as ESL programs and the STEM center. The event will have complimentary dinner and Lots 1 and Lot 2 will be open to the public for parking during the event.

For more information about the event, contact ccruz@palomar.edu or call (760) 744-1150 ext. 2262.

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OPINION • 3

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Will robots be the death of us?

ROMA WATKINS THE TELESCOPE

the telescope

Focused On Palomar Monday, April 13, 2015 Vol. 68, No. 13 Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif.

SUSAN WHALEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MIKE PETERSON MANAGING EDITOR & OPINION EDITOR CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK SPORTS EDITOR JOEL VAUGHN CO-A&E EDITOR STEVEN BURIEK CO-A&E EDITOR KIRK MATTU ONLINE EDITOR STEPHEN DAVIS PHOTO EDITOR JOHN LUCIA CARTOONIST ERIN HIRO ADVISER DEB HELLMAN BUSINESS MANAGER STAFF WRITERS MIKE ADAMS, LEAH BAENA, PETER BRIGHT, BROOKE CRAWFORD, TAMARA EAKINS, RODNEY FIGUEROA, JODY JOHNSON, FERN MENEZES, JASMINE MONROY, FAYE NOUROLLAHI, CLAUDIA RODRIGUEZ, ED ROSA, AMBER ROSARIO, ALEXANDRA ROTHMAN, ROBERT RUKAVINA, JOE SANDOVAL, ROMA WATKINS, KRISTINA WALTON, ZACHARY WATSON PHOTOGRAPHERS JACOB BANKS, EVAN CAST, CASEY COUSINS, DIRK CALLUM, PHILIP FARRY, ADAM GUERRERO, MEREDITH JAMES, SETH JONES, MICHAEL KAPLAN, DANIEL KRESGE, BELEN LADD, PAUL NELSON, JUSTIN SUMSTINE, RICARDO TORRES 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

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Are we in danger of being enslaved by intelligent computer programs? Will our own creations rise up against us and spell the end of humanity? Not any time soon, although it is a foreseeable possibility if we don’t heed the warnings given by our technological leaders.

Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. In the course of a single day you might use an alarm clock, television, microwave, computer, laptop, smartphone, and handheld music player.

Savvy technology users could add a smart watch, Fitbit or other exercise device, and Google Glass or Oculus device to their everyday arsenal of technology.

Within the last 15 years we have seen technology usage and sales increase from being practically negligible to an integral part of daily life for most humans. For example, 40 million iPhones were sold worldwide in 2010 with sales increasing to 169 million sold worldwide in 2014, only four years later.

With technology so ubiquitously available it requires no stretch of the imagination to see how our lives are made easier through a partnership with technology. Why shouldn’t we take it to the next level? Google, Apple, and IBM have been working on artificial intelligence, or A.I., for over five years with projects such as Google DeepMind, IBM’s Watson and Apple’s self-driving car.

A.I. is the next step to having a fully automated world. A world where your alarm clock tells your coffee maker to start a fresh pot when you get out of bed. A world where you can climb into your car and it will deliver you to your exact location without the need for a steering wheel or gas and brake pedals.

However, in a world where humans wouldn’t have to perform basic tasks for themselves, would this open up time for higher thinking or merely create dependency on the machines we create?

Individuals working at some of the foremost A.I. companies and universities have attached their

Photo courtesy of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory/MCT Campus

names to an open letter advising possible research strategies to utilize A.I. in a way that is safe for humanity. The letter states that “because of the great potential of AI, it is important to research how to reap its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.” This statement sounds innocuous enough, but heralds some serious thought about the nature of human intent and possible dealings with A.I. Those who have signed the letter work at companies and research schools such as Berkeley, Harvard, Microsoft, DeepMind (acquired

by Google), IBM, Oxford, MIT, Google, Cambridge, Tesla and SpaceX. Elon Musk (of Tesla and SpaceX) and Stephen Hawking are among those who support the letter openly.

The dialogue around A.I. has been building up for some time now. Back in August 2014 Elon Musk tweeted that “we need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.” In December 2014 Professor Stephen Hawking told the BBC “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” But what does he mean by ‘full artificial intelligence’?

Michael Gazzaniga, a leading

researcher in cognitive neuroscience, mentioned two years ago that researchers “can barely figure out the C. Elegans, a little worm that has only around five or six hundred neurons.” Currently the best laboratories in the world have been able to simulate about one billion neurons.

The human brain has around 100 billion.

There is no need to worry about A.I. becoming smart enough to overpower its human creators in the near future. However, at the rate that technology is growing it is sensible to put measures in place for research and development of AI. Some worry that A.I. will become a problem if put in charge of intelligence databases and weapons of mass destruction at the governmental level. We can only speculate how long research has been going on, but we do know that the government has been working on A.I. with regards to military benefits and weaponization.

“There is no guarantee that a future, in which robots and computers will become so smart and clever that they will be able to manipulate us to their own ends, will never occur,” said Paul Benioff, who is credited with creating the quantum computer.

We have been trained to equate A.I. with danger. Some of Hollywood’s most successful science fiction films deal with the computer-centric topic. Movies such as “Artificial Intelligence (A.I.),” “The Matrix,” “Transformers” and “I, Robot” show us how the beneficial robots that we create can easily turn bad.

We only have need to worry about machines once they begin to change their own programming organically, and if they begin to have complex thoughts and agendas. Most of the machinery that is currently available to consumers runs on simple yes-or-no programs.

Films show us through the lens of cinema how these machines can take further steps. There is a fine line between beneficial and malevolent, a line that we have the potential to cross within the next 10 to 15 years.

For now the human race is safe from the threat of robot overlords.

Sensibility and pragmatism is always helpful in these types of situations. We should be glad that the world’s leaders in A.I. have put practices in place to safeguard against malevolent robots and, most importantly, against ourselves.

RWATKINS@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

EDITORIAL

Students should be priority during golden handshake We at The Telescope would like more answers concerning our future at Palomar next semester. With so many vacant seats, we wonder what our education will look like in Fall 2015.

Faculty and staff had the opportunity to retire early and receive a bonus amounting to 75 percent of their annual salary, also known as “a golden handshake.” The last day to sign up was April 3, with a retirement date set for July 1.

Our college president, vice president of instruction and vice president of human resources have already announced their decision to retire, as well as a few deans. But, that’s all we know.

With so many important people

retiring, we not only want to know who will be leaving, but how Palomar intends to fill those seats with the most qualified people. We also want to make sure our professors can handle the extra workload and still be available during class and office hours so our education is not jeopardized.

Since April 3 was the deadline to formally accept the golden handshake, that doesn’t leave much time to fill all those positions.

Our education should be the most important topic of conversation, rather than how much money can be pocketed.

Search committees are time-consuming and require energy, which means less of that time for students.

So if a significant amount of faculty

and staff retire, the remaining faculty will be burdened with an increased workload, because the positions won’t be filled in time.

Some search committees haven’t even made much progress and others can’t even be created yet.

The vice president of instruction search was announced as failed because only one person applied. Due to lack of interest within the college, school officials branched beyond Palomar’s walls.

We wonder how long finding replacements will take and, with such a rushed timeline, we worry positions will not be filled with the most qualified person.

The official timeline for the next president of Palomar to begin is not

until January 2016. That’s a long time to have an interim president, a person who may not even care because the job is temporary.

Professor positions will not be filled in time for the start of next semester either, which will leave a void in some departments. In others, it will be devastating.

Not being informed of a plan for next semester is unacceptable. As students, we can demand to know what our school intends to do to stabilize our education next semester. We need to write the president and five elected, governing board members and demand that Palomar is staffed in such a way to keep students first.

EDITOR@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

4 • A&E

Monday, April 13, 2015

‘Taking a break’ with KKSM student radio personality PETER BRIGHT THE TELESCOPE

Smile.

It’ll only take you a few seconds to start smiling when listening to the “Take a Break with Lilly López” radio show, and it takes even less time talking to her in person.

Lilly López is a highly active DJ for Palomar College’s radio station KKSM, as well as a musician and activist. While predominantly sticking to the reggae genre, she branches out featuring various artist for interviews and acoustic sets during her show.

Among other local and international artists, López has interviewed Gondwana, Slightly Stoopid, Cultura Profética, Tribal Seeds, among others. López said she interviews the members live on the air, then has them play acoustic renditions of some of their songs.

When asked how she gets such popular bands to come interview on her show, she smiled and said “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Perhaps learning from life with her five older brothers and sisters, López seems to have no reluctance to be proactive and speak for herself.

López started into radio halfheartedly but soon fell in love with the idea of broadcasting her own musical tastes and feelings of love to everyone. Starting as an alternative rock DJ in 2013, she proposed her idea of a reggae show soon after that, and things started to snowball for her.

She started interviewing artists in fall 2014, was guest DJ’ing in January, became a finalist in the “best specialty music program in the country” awards by an intercollegiate radio society, and by spring 2015 she was arranging music festivals in her hometown of Fallbrook.

The festival was called “Fallbrook World Music Festival.” It featured lo-

KKSM DJ Lilly Lopez adjusts the sound levels for her guest band, Melapelus, during an acoustic session. • Ricardo Torres/The Telescope

cal as well as bigger bands, and perhaps paved the way for López to create future events.

“It was the first time I put an event together,” she said. “It was myself and two other people.”

Along with being a KKSM DJ, López will begin a show in April for the InternationalReggaeStation.com.

She was picked up by the group after guest DJ’ing for them at the “Uplift Winter Sessions” music festival

in San Bernandino in January. She is going to continue using the title “Take a Break with Lilly López” in hopes of creating a following. Her first show is on April 20.

López is originally from Tijuana,

but grew up in Fallbrook. Along with giving her the benefit of being bilingual, she has connections in Tijuana, she writes for an online events magazine in there called tijuanaeventos. com. She is one of the bilingual writers on staff, and she generally reports on Spanish reggae concerts and festivals, channeling her passion.

On top of all of her accomplishments, Lopez is a Palomar student, spending almost all of her Tuesdays and Thursdays completing her general education requirements. She eventually wants to get her degree in Digital Broadcasting Arts, and continue on with her path in music.

When asked where she sees her passion taking her, she seemed a little uncertain. “I wanna be able to go places,” she said. “I want to make enough for a tiny house, and be free.”

López added that she wants to see the world, and particularly travel the less beaten path. Believe it or not, the top three reggae loving countries in the world are Jamaica, France and Japan. She mentioned that the idea of Japanese reggae really interests her, and she’d love to check it out if she ever got the chance.

Past that, she wants to have her own broadcasting system, and start traveling and broadcasting from around the world. Her happy and earthy personality is fueled by the spiritual connection she has with the world, and she has found a way to share it.

“Take a Break with Lilly López” broadcasts on KKSM every Thursday from 6-9 p.m. You can catch her on the Live 365 app, or go online to palomarcollegeradio.com. Be sure to also check out her band, the Iways on Soundcloud, and don’t miss her opening show for InternationalReggaeStation.com on April 20.

PBRIGHT@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

MOVIE REVIEW

Cranking up a ‘High Voltage’ retrospective movie review EDWARD ROSA THE TELESCOPE

The films “Crank” and “Crank: High Voltage” are like mainlining insanity while flying blind on a rocket cycle.

“Crank” (Neveldine/Taylor, 2006) and “Crank: High Voltage” (Neveldine/Taylor, 2009) were modestly received upon release, then quickly forgotten. However, look back on them now, and you will find that not only are they two of the best action films of the last 10 years, but they are also two of the most important.

Let’s get something out of the way right off the bat. Despite the fact that they were released three years apart, these two films are really two halves of one film. Although the films were made with enough forethought that one needn’t necessarily see both films to fully enjoy just one of them. But to really get the complete experience, a double feature is definitely in order.

In terms of why these films are great, let’s start with the star: Jason

Statham. Statham is clearly one of the biggest action stars of the current era. Many of his films are regarded as modern classics of the genre. His performances in films like “Snatch,” “The Transporter” and “The Italian Job” solidified him as a cinematic badass.

In the Crank films, Statham gets to take things to another level as Chev Chelios; a man on a mission to save his own life, with a side quest of revenge. The breakneck pacing of the films gave Statham an opportunity to bring the intensity like never before. Consequently, he turns in a career performance, as he carries the entire three plus hours of this adrenaline-fueled bullet train.

There are also plenty of fantastic performances from the ensembles supporting cast. Amy Smart, Dwight Yokham, Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Clifton Collins Jr. and Corey Haim (in his final role) all turn in great performances that really keep the films buoyant and fun.

Cantillo is particularly screenchewing as Ricky Verona. He is al-

most as much a force of nature as Statham is himself.

Beyond the performances, the way the films were shot was absolutely revolutionary. Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (usually credited as Neveldine/Taylor) have an almost guerilla-style approach to the way they shoot their films.

Lots of hand-held camera work, lots of movement, both the cameras, as well as within the frame, and lots of rapid-fire editing. However, these techniques are employed by other filmmakers as well.

What Neveldine and Taylor do in these films that separates them from the rest of the pack is add a sort of cultural zeitgeisty-ness (a perfectly cromulent word) to flavor it.

The Internet and its related technologies have become a completely interwoven component of the lives of the first generations of children and adults to be diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. We are a society of people who want things fast and immediate.

Email is putting nails in the cof-

Photo courtesy Flickr Commons

fins of “snail mail.” Streaming and downloading have replaced disc rental. Ritalin and Adderall have replaced cocaine and speed.

These are all markers along the road of society’s continual evolution. Somehow, Neveldine and Taylor managed to capture the essence of this metamorphosis into the way they shot these films.

And that is what aids these two films in transcending their genre, and becoming artistic statements worthy of further consideration, after you have been sated by the blood, gunshots, car chases, and killings, which are the primary lures of the beloved action film.

Somehow, Neveldine/Taylor have been able to craft a dramatic representation of this cultural transmogrification: a snapshot of a society in transition, whose milea-minute insanity is as exciting and fun as it is prescient and astute.

That is why, if you haven’t seen “Crank” and “Crank: High Voltage,” you need to. And if you have already, then you need to again.

They are a valuable set of the most over-the-top and balls-to-the-wall fun films.

EROSA@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

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6 • NEWS

Monday, April 13, 2015

Two student veterans share their life stories ZACHARY WATSON

He was born in Redding, Calif. and is married with two children who are ages 16 and 20. Both of his There are 1,300 veterans using children attend Palomar College, benefits at Palomar. But there are while the younger is still in high 4,500 students at Palomar between school. They all shared a class toactive-duty, veterans and depen- gether at one point. dents both using benefits and not.

An EOD tech like Lewis disThat means approximately 20 arms and disposes of bombs like percent of the students at Palo- the deadly IEDs (Improvised Exmar are affiliated with the military. plosive Devices) terrorists have Palomar serves more veterans us- used for decades against U.S. forces ing V.A. education benefits than in areas of the Middle East. These any other college in California, in- combat techniques are enough cluding 4-year universities. to intimidate even the bravest of Two such veterans are students men and women, and an EOD tech at Palomar College; one spending carries the reputation of the most more than two decades in service deadly occupation anyone could while the other spent four years. possibly have, but Lewis speaks Each have returned to school as about what he did as if it were a veterans. normal day job.

“We never go up and cut the red wire,” he said jokingly. It’s “not really scary”, he added because of all the training he and his teammates had.

Lewis responded to over 600 IEDs during his 15-month-long deployments in Iraq. There were many close calls, but he said they always felt safe because of the poise JOHN LEWIS • STUDENT VETERAN they possessed.

After Lewis retired from the service he continued to work with the military, conducting techniVeteran John Lewis, the bomb cal training in the EOD field as a expert contractor. He said he retired beThe first is John Lewis, who re- cause he was tired of the back-totired after 21 years of service with back,15-month-long deployments. the U. S. Air Force. Lewis said he Lewis does reminisce though. served as an EOD (Explosive Ord- “I miss the military life, living on nance Disposal) technician, and base and the camaraderie,” he said. has done multiple deployments to He quickly reminds himself of Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts his favorite part of life now though, of the world. He joined when he “getting up whenever I want.” was 17 years old.

It had been 30 years since Lewis THE TELESCOPE

I miss the military life, living on base and the camaraderie.

Sid Matlock • Stephen Davis/The Telescope

has been to school when he enrolled at Palomar. After four semesters he maintains a 3.0 GPA and said he enjoys school and appreciates the Veteran Resource Center, which is usually where he can be found if not in the Veterans Affairs Office.

Lewis said he is positive about his future, aiming to transfer to

San Diego State University to become a mechanical engineer. He aspires to work with NASA where he hopes to see his robotics put to use on space missions.

Veteran Sid Matlock, monitoring classified information Another standout veteran at Palomar is “Big” Sid Matlock, which is a perfectly fitting nickname because he is impossible to miss on campus, easily standing six feet tall and built like a house.

Matlock was a one-termer, serving four years with the U. S. Marine Corps.

As a Marine, Matlock originally trained as a field wireman but never worked as one, receiving TAD (Temporary Additional Duty) orders to a 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. While there, Matlock worked for the command element, breaking down and monitoring classified material.

Matlock was never deployed, but it never bothered him despite being the reason he joined the Marine Corps. He said he was “indifferent” to it and he “never had anything to prove.”

He does not miss the everyday life of a Marine, but the “people are what I miss the most, I didn’t understand true friendship and loyalty until the Marine Corps,” Matlock said.

He has two daughters, Brooklyn, 7, and Madison, 5. When asked if his kids were with him he replied, “not yet” with a confidence in his voice that makes you believe they will be soon.

“I wasn’t always a good guy, and I made mistakes that I have to pay for,” Matlock said.

Palomar is a home to Matlock, and he spends most of his time at the campus. He is quite the celebrity at Palomar, many students know who he is, and he has taken on a fatherly role at the Veteran’s

Photo courtesy of John Lewis

Resource Center.

The VRC becomes a lively place and erupts with emotion when Matlock walks in. He makes his rounds through the room, shaking hands, and greeting everyone with energy and enthusiasm. He has a unique ability to communicate with people and has a keen sense for people who need someone to talk to. He is frequently requested for advice, and calls individuals to his side to catch up on their lives.

Matlock said he cares deeply for others, and he is a community man believing that serving his fellow students ultimately makes him a better person.

“I take care of my vets, fellow students and fellow man,” he said.

“Palomar has made me become a better person, father, and mentor.

I love Palomar.”

Matlock has coached Pop Warner football, is currently a member of the Active Minds club where he promotes thinking in different perspectives. He is also a member of the Student Veterans Organization.

SPORTS • 7

the-telescope.com THE COFFEE BREAK

Schools have forgotten the order of the ‘student-athlete’ CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE

Being a student-athlete is a privilege, and not a right. But some colleges apparently have forgotten what that means.

Look at the term again ... “studentathlete.” Which word comes first?

If the individual student cannot perform the simple capabilities they have been performing since they were a preschooler, then they do not deserve the right to be an athlete for the school.

The school, in return, should set the example for how a student-athlete should do in class ... not give them an easy way out so that they can make their sports teams look good.

Recently, three high-profile cases of academic fraudulence have been on the news, from three very high-profile schools: University of North CarolinaChapel Hill (popularly known as University of North Carolina), Dartmouth University and The University of Syracuse.

The more publicized scandal, coming from UNC, was a big ordeal. Starting in 1993, and continuing on until 2011, the school repeatedly had athletes from its football and basketball programs sign up for fake classes and gave them “watered-down” requirements for the classes, i.e. only having to turn in one research paper to pass, to keep them eligible to play.

None of this became public until a 2010 NCAA investigation into UNC’s football program brought all this to light. It wasn’t until 2013, however, when former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein opened up his own investigation, which implicated the long-term scandal.

The two school officlals in the center of it all were office administrator Deborah Crowder, now retired, and former department chairman Julius Nyang’oro.

Crowder started creating paper classes, registering student-athletes for the courses, and also assigned the topics and handed out high grades regardless of the quality of work submitted. Once the semesters were over, she would sign Nyang’oro’s name to the grade rolls. In the years to come, Crowder would start offering lecture classes that would never meet.

Once she retired in 2009, football counselors, who were concerned about their athletes becoming ineligible to play, urged Nyang’oro to continue with the sham classes. In 2011, he stepped down due to increased scrutiny by the initial investigation. He was eventually charged with one count of felony fraud in Wainstein’s investigation, but had the charges dropped due to cooperating with Wainstein during the investigation. Crowder was not charged at all.

During the 18-year cheating fix, around 3,100 students, half of them athletes, were affected by the automatic grades and sham classes. Some of those athletes, like former guard Rashad McCants (2005), were members of UNC’s national championship basketball teams in 1993, 2005 and 2009.

How does a university as prestigious as UNC look at something like that and just sweep it under the rug? Somebody had to have seen it. Somebody with the right moral fortitude should’ve been able to see through the smoke and say, “Hey, this football player travels

throughout the country and is managing to attend ALL THESE CLASSES???

And is PASSING???”

Seriously? UNC should’ve known better.

Dartmouth University is just as guilty, though their transgressions didn’t last nearly as long. During the Fall 2014 semester, more than 270 students were enrolled in a “Sports, Ethics and Religion” course specifically designed for student athletes. The class, taught by religion professor Randall Balmer, was the largest in all of Dartmouth. Close to 70 percent of the class was, you guessed it, varsity athletes.

To be exact, here is the breakdown: The class had 61 football players, 16 men’s hockey players, 12 men’s basketball players, 10 men’s soccer players, and nine players each from the baseball, women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams. In all, 24 of Dartmouth’s varsity teams were represented in the class, and according to a recent report published on Forbes.com, 24.6 percent of the Dartmouth student population (6,244) is represented by athletes.

According to reports, 64 students in the class had been accused of cheating for allegedly using electronic clickers to answer in-class questions for absent students. Balmer started investigating when he saw that the number of answers received outweighed the number of students he had in his class.

The end result: most of the students were suspended for a semester, and were docked one letter grade.

In the case of Syracuse, they received a punishment from the NCAA that was so severe, that their football and basketball teams had to vacate what is most important to them: wins.

In a seven-year investigation by the NCAA, the longest such investigation for any cheating scandal in NCAA history, it was found that Syracuse University, primarily the football and basketball teams, received improper assistance from staffers in coursework, and falsified internship hours for credit in the child and family services major over the last decade.

On March 6, the school received their punishment. The men’s basketball team had to vacate 108 wins between 2004 and 2012 due to using academically ineligible players; this was the second most vacated wins in NCAA history.

The men’s basketball coach, Jim Boeheim, who was second all-time in overall wins with 966, was dropped to 858, which now places him sixth alltime. He was also suspended for the first nine games of next season.

The football team voluntarily vacated all 11 wins from their 2004 to 2006 seasons, and was placed on probation until the 2020 season, which restricts them from any postseason participation.

What is the life lesson we are teaching our student-athletes? Since when did higher learning become all about athletic prowess?

It’s a shame when you see the average student slaving away to EARN their degree. Yet the student-athlete, who is held to a higher standard [and rightfully so], is given a hall pass.

Being a student-athlete is a privilege, and not a right.

CBULLOCK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

The 2015 2-year Small Coed Show Cheer Champion Palomar College Comets. File photo courtesy of Palomar Cheerleading Team.

Cheer team repeats as champs

ROMA WATKINS THE TELESCOPE

Palomar’s cheer team successfully defended its title as best small cheer team in the nation after winning the USA Collegiate Nationals in late March.

The Palomar Small Coed cheer team competed March 22-23 at the United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championships in Anaheim, Calif., participating in the 2-year Small Coed Show Cheer competition.

The team of 16 girls and four boys spent two days at the Anaheim Convention Center competing against other two and four-year schools from around the state.

Jordyn Perry, a member of last year’s winning team, said “the pressure of competition definitely got to me on the mat. Plus as a returner, I

felt like I had to lead the team and show the rookies there is nothing to be nervous about; I wanted the best for my team more than they could understand.”

A member of this year’s winning team, Hannah Bourasa, said they were up against three other teams in their division. The members weren’t worried because they had won the competition last year and knew they had one of “the best routines” going in to the competition, according to Bourasa.

The team performed once on Sunday and once on Monday.

Bourasa said that after their first performance on Sunday they felt that they stood a good chance of winning. Their speculation was confirmed after the total combined scores were announced on Monday after their second performance.

Palomar’s cheer squad had the

best score in its division, beating out three other teams from 2-year schools for the win. Not all members on the cheer team had competed before, so they were focusing on getting exposure and experience as opposed to getting a trophy.

The cheer team spends close to 10 hours a week together practicing and they have become a tightknit group of athletes.

“You pretty much make a family out of it because you’re practicing all the time together,” Bourasa said.

Palomar’s win at the USA Collegiate Nationals has catapulted them into more rigorous training in preparation for their next and final competition of the semester, the Daytona, Fla. Collegiate Nationals in mid-April.

RWATKINS@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

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8 • SPORTS

Monday, April 13, 2015

Myers Field: a retrospective

Palomar College’s Myers Field. Built in 1955, the scoreboard, which has always been misspelled as “Meyers Field,” has served as the landmark of the field. Stephen Davis/The Telescope

KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE

The Spring 2015 season marks the final year Palomar Baseball will play on the 60-year-old baseball facility, Myers Field.

Throughout the years, the field has seen season after season of fresh and ambitious athletes compete on its grounds. At the end of the current season, it will be razed for a future expansion of parking and replaced with a new, Division I-level baseball field that will finish construction within the coming months, located above Student Parking Lot 9.

Baseball Head Coach Buck Taylor said that the new facility is well deserved and will strengthen Palomar College’s baseball.

“I take pride in what we do and being successful. I think in having this field our next step is making state final four and giving our-

selves the opportunity to win a championship,” Taylor said.

With the new facility and a baseball team on its way to hopefully achieving a 5th consecutive Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) title (14-2 conference record so far this season), Palomar College baseball has become a figure within the college and the state, currently ranked 12th in the nation.

In Palomar’s modern era, Palomar Baseball has gone on to win the PCAC in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, all while playing on Myers Field.

Myers Field’s history can be traced back into the “Golden Jubilee,” a book published in 1995 that compiled Palomar College’s history for its 50th Anniversary of the same year.

Myers Field was constructed in 1955 by then Athletic Director, Ward “Rusty” Myers, his players, and the college’s maintenance crew, according to the Golden Jubilee.

George Cord, a retired newspaperman and former baseball player under Myers’ tenure, recalled Myers Field’s humble beginnings in the Jubilee.

“I can still remember (Myers) out there on a tractor grading the site for the field,” Cord said.

The famous scoreboard above center field was named after Myers, but was misspelled “Meyers Field.”

To this day, the reasons behind that are unknown. The Telescope went through multiple sources; none of which could provide an answer.

With the new baseball facility, Coach Taylor said he hopes for better-trained and prepared athletes that will come from the enhanced field compared to the aged Myers Field.

“I think this facility will bring in, maybe, a higher caliber athlete,” Taylor said.

While Palomar College may see better-trained athletes to compete in today’s competitive world of athlet-

ics, in 1980 Palomar had sent four players to the major leagues and many players into the minor leagues as well.

Palomar players Randy Johnson went on to play for the Atlanta Braves, George Himshaw to the San Diego Padres, Jim Scranton to the Kansas City Royals, and Troy Afenir to the Houston Astros. They all played on Myers Field.

Nick Vincent is another product of Palomar College who is currently playing for the major leagues with the San Diego Padres. He played for the Comets in both its 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Bob Vetter, who became Palomar Baseball’s Head Coach in 1982, led Palomar baseball to its first three conference titles in 1988, 1989, 1993 – all in the PCAC. According to the Golden Jubilee, Palomar witnessed its two greatest winning teams under Vetter, the 1988 season with 29 wins and the

1973 season with 27.

In Palomar’s modern era, Palomar has witnessed again its two greatest winning teams thus far. Palomar baseball’s 2009 season had a record of 36 wins and its 2006 season with 31 wins, all while under the tenure of Coach Taylor.

While history will be lost with the removal of Myers Field, Palomar’s new baseball field will usher in a new era for Palomar Baseball and a greater appreciation for its supporters and athletes.

“I’m so happy for our fans that they can sit in a nice seat, in a nice environment and watch a game and not be deaf when they leave there from the cars driving by,” Taylor said.

“We’ll definitely miss (Myers Field), there’s a lot of memories down there for myself and all the past coaches and the past players,” he added.

KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

YOGA POSE OF THE WEEK

Sowing the seeds of sleep with the ‘Plow’ pose SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE

Now that Spring Break has passed and the semester is more than half way over, that means final exams are almost here. This is the time to be getting enough sleep, not staying up all night cramming in study sessions.

Although the days never seem long enough to get everything done, there isn’t anything more important than getting a good night sleep. It is difficult to turn the thought-switch off at night with everything going on in the tornado of college. Sleeping doesn’t always come easily. That is why this week’s yoga pose is focused on catching more Z’s.

The Plow Pose is beneficial to beat insomnia. According to Yoga Journal, it is therapeutic for backaches and headaches as well.

Begin by laying flat on your back. Slowly lift your legs up while your spine remains rested on the floor. Keep your knees straight and

begin to round your back as your legs stay parallel with the floor.

Keep breathing as you lower your legs across over your head, toes reaching for the floor. It may be difficult to get your feet all the way to floor. Don’t force it if you aren’t ready as this will only cause injury. Keep doing the pose for a few weeks and gradually your body will become more flexible to ease into the Plow.

To come out of the pose, hug your back with your palms for support and gently lower yourself to the floor.

When you lack sleep, it can have serious effects on your life.

Some repercussions from sleep loss are forgetfulness, depression and a weaker sex drive, according to WebMD. Those things are definitely more important than trying to stay up all night doing homework.

Try not to put on any electronics after a winding down session of yoga before bed. Television, computer and even music can wind

Columnist Susan Whaley demonstrates the mid form of the Plow Pose on top of the “P” Mountan •. Belen Ladd/The Telescope

your energy up again. And definitely don’t do homework right before or in bed.

Don’t even leave your homework next to you in bed. When

you do this you begin to associate your place of repose with work, stress and responsibility. The bed should only be your sleeping and relaxation grounds.

Drink a cup of non-caffeinated tea and read a book to fall asleep more easily.

SWHALEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM