The Advocate - May 11, 2011 by The Advocate

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‘Richmond’ play excites

Drama department hosts successful performance

spotlight ◆ page 6

Legacy ‘Miss O’ remembered

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scene ◆ page 8

sports ◆ page 7

Athletic success Football players receive scholarships

VOL. 96, NO. 21

SINCE 1950 8 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011 ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

THE STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.

Association aims to save sports funds

DISAPPEARING ACT

Proposed changes face state athletic programs By Malcolm Lastra SPORTS EDITOR

mlastra.advocate@gmail.com

This year has been a hectic one for athletic programs, with teams throughout the state being threatened with elimination. As the 2011-12 fiscal year is quickly approaching with its large financial cuts planned for California community colleges, the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is trying to find alternatives to alleviate the current budget crisis with cuts to be made toward team schedules and roster size. If passed, a proposal made by college President McKinley Williams on Feb. 23 in a CCCAA board meeting would reduce the number of players who can be on a travel roster in all sports, and with it, a survey will be required to show if a sport is being funded by the institution or through fundraising. The proposal will be voted upon in July. Community colleges in California are looking for new ways to save money and maintain their athletic programs, said Tom Kinnard, former Contra Costa College football coach and current director of operations for the Northern California Football Association (NCFA). “The NCFA will have to cut back at least $50,000 as teams are limiting the number of players who can attend a road game.” Despite the proposal to downsize travel rosters, colleges will have to be aware of Title V of the Education Amendments of 1972. Section 55220 states regulations under which the district may conduct field trips and excursions for students in connection with courses of instruction or college-related social, educational, cultural, athletic, or musical activities to and from places in California.

Carter The current President of the California Community College Athletic Association is proposing more solutions to help keep athletic teams alive. One solution is to limit team travel rosters, which would save colleges money on transportation costs.

■ SEE ATHLETICS: Page 4

Administration sees reshaping

College employees to face hour reductions, layoffs beginning July 1

By Alexandra Waite NEWS EDITOR

awaite.advocate@gmail.com

The friendly face and warm disposition of mail clerk Sheri Hintz is known to almost all faculty and staff at Contra Costa College. A strong presence on the campus, she delivers mail and packages every day to reduce the number of classified staff members. each building. As of press time Tuesday, the list of those Hintz, who has worked at the college for positions being affected had not yet been made almost five years, said she was notified on public. May 5 that she will be Maga said the state cuts transferred from CCC to community colleges are “We don’t want to be causing the college to downto the Diablo Valley College-San Ramon its staffing. doing this. We wish size“The Valley Center July 1. decision was made More job reassign- this wasn’t happening.” in response to the incredible ments like Hintz’s, posifinancial losses the college tion cutbacks and furis experiencing,” she said. Carol Maga, vice president loughs are set to go into “We are forced to make these effect on July 1 as part decisions.” of classified staff and management reducDirector of Business Services Mariles tions at the college, Vice President Carol Magalong said that the cuts are needed in order Maga said. for the college to balance its 2011-12 budget. Specific information, such as how many As a result of the reductions, students will positions will be affected amidst the cuts also be affected through a loss in essential serwere not publicly disclosed until Tuesday’s vices at the college. special Governing Board meeting where “The college will no longer be able to offer trustees voted to approve the motion to the same level of instruction and student-level ■ SEE LAYOFFS: Page 4

By Hilberth Ibarra NEWS EDITOR

hibarra.advocate@gmail.com

With the budget crisis affecting higher education statewide, the district chancellor passed a proposal to significantly restructure the administrative organization of the District Office in an effort to save the district money for the upcoming year. This proposal was passed on May 1 by the district Governing Board and will be implemented at the beginning of the next fiscal year starting on July 1. The restructuring outlined in the proposal includes the elimination of two contract administrator positions, restructuring of the administrative service areas, combining of technology and educational services areas and the consolidation of research and planning functions, district Chancellor Helen Benjamin said. A component of this proposal is the elimination of the associate vice chancellor/chief financial officer, vice chancellor, districtwide planning and educational services positions. With the elimination of these

positions, some duties will be redistributed in the administrative services area and the chancellor will take on other duties, Benjamin said. “We took away the whole associate vice chancellor level (of the administra“These tive organization) and changes combined will allow the two vice chancellors us to lead into one the disvice chancellor,” she trict with said. O t h e r a slimmer changes admininclude restrucistrative turing the structure administrative servic- here at the es area and District combining the techOffice.” nology and educational Tim Leong, s e r v i c e s director of commuareas. nictions and community relations These changes will create new positions with clear accountabilities as well as redistributing duties to existing administrators. “These changes will allow us to lead the district with a slimmer administrative structure here at the District Office,”

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Staffing positions cut PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DARIUSH AZMOUDEH / THE ADVOCATE

District Office structure to see reconstruction

■ SEE STRUCTURE: Page 4

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2 THE ADVOCATE Quotable “News is like food; it is the cooking and serving that makes it acceptable, not the material itself.” Rose Macaulay English writer 1926 Sam Attal editor-in-chief George Morin art director Dariush Azmoudeh online editor Lamar James associate editor Cassidy Gooding opinion editor Malcolm Lastra sports editor Hilberth Ibarra Adam Oliver Alexandra Waite news editors Jermaine Harrison circulation manager Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Staff writers Christopher Clausen April Halog Iris Jett Horace Jordan Angelina Rucobo Janit Saechao Jesslyn Sherrod Rodney Woodson Staff photographers Qing Huang Jesse Sutherland Christian Urrutia Roman Young Staff illustrators Jared Amdahl Faythe Del Rosario Jon Running Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Member Associated Collegiate Press California Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.235.7800 ext. 4315 Fax: 510.235.NEWS E-mail: advocate@ contracosta.edu or letters.advocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

OPINION

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011 VOL. 96, NO. 21 ●

Editorial Necessary presence Student publication serves as vital gem

uring its 61-year existence, The Advocate has been a vital source of news across campus and throughout the district. The paper delivers timely information about what’s happening on campus and in the community on a weekly basis. Its goal is to find facts, speak to sources and report news that is important to students as soon as the paper’s staff hears about it. It also serves an equally important purpose as a campus watchdog. Newspaper staff members and editors are responsible for publishing factual stories about decisions made by college or district employees that affect students. Throughout the paper’s tenure, many of these articles have brought about positive change. It is the responsibility of Advocate reporters to do gritty journalism and get to the core of stories, even when they are asked to avoid reporting on topics that may make the college look bad. The students who have practiced and continue to practice solid journalism are responsible for making The Advocate stand out. It is not the large number of awards that fill the walls of the newsroom that make the paper great, but it is the willingness of students to carry the torch and continue covering the campus with vigilance and integrity. The days of censorship are long gone for The Advocate after students fought to keep administrators from censoring their stories prior to publication in the 60s. Back then, when students wrote stories that administrators did not approve of, they were often berated and pressured not to publish the information administrators did not want seen by the public. In their defense, former adviser Alma Oberst Holmgren helped students fight censorship by teaching them to stand up for themselves and know their rights. Oberst Holmgren, who recently died at the age of 95, required that her students report with a standard of professionalism that The Advocate had held since the mid-60s. As a former newswoman, Oberst Holmgren would want The Advocate to continue pursuing stories about the budget crisis that has drastically hurt this campus recently. She exposed her students to a realworld experience of how professional newsrooms are run. She even fought for the creation of a state-of-the-art newsroom on campus that would end up being one of the largest community college newsrooms in the country. For all her dedication and love for the journalism department at this college, The Advocate staff would like to honor Oberst Holmgren. The newsroom will be dedicated to her during the fall semester.

JON RUNNING / THE ADVOCATE

■ Empathy

Apathetic generation should give a hand

admit that I am not exactly an optimistic person. Some of my friends tell me that I can be a little harsh from time to time. I lack some empathy, but I do my best to try and push aside my cynicism when I listen to the concerns of my friends and family. Though it is a bit of a struggle, I try to give them my full attention and keep more smarmy remarks to myself. Difficult as this may be, there is a payoff. Attempting this patience makes good practice in dealing with strangers encountered in everyday life. It is easy to get caught up in your own affairs, but once in a while it is worth the potential aggravation to try to understand others. Recently, I read a news article that opened my eyes. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that today’s college students have a lack of empathy in comparison to previous generations. The research continued to state that this generation is generally apathetic to their surroundings. Today’s generation is less likely to understand the emotions of others and express concern for the less fortunate. The meta-analysis reviewed the results of 72 different studies that were conducted between 1979 and 2009 of 14,000 American college students. It revealed that the biggest drop in empathy occurred after 2000, and college students today are about 40 percent lower in empathy when compared to

as? Is our generation really comprised of selfish, spoiled brats? While the study made me more aware of the problems with my generation, I was resistant to fully believe in what the article said. college students in the 1980s Was it because of cyniand 1990s. cism like the study pointed The researchers said that out? there are several No. I just don’t Try to take possible reasons believe that empaas to why they disthy is dead. Even covered such a big time and though it is on a drop in empathy. decline, empathy They claim is not completely learn to social networkmissing from this ing as one of generation. listen by the big culprits Unfortunately, among college there is less putting students. With emphasis on learnthe ease of having empathy these ing friends online yourself days, which is and responding to another possible messages at their in someone reason for the own convenience, drop. What ever today’s generahappened to treattion is more likely else’s shoes ing others how to ignore others’ they liked to be problems or con- and by trying treated? cerns and spend It takes time less time on face- to be more and practice to to-face interaction. learn empathy. The study it next time understanding. Try also points out when your friend that due to our comes to you with fast-paced environment and a problem. Try to take time hypercompetitive society, and learn to listen by putting which focuses on success, we yourself in someone else’s become more wrapped up in shoes and by trying to be our own problems and needs more understanding. as we become less aware of Yes, it is so much easier the concerns of others. to tune someone out, but it It seems that our gentakes a bigger person to try eration comes off as being to understand what others are self-centered, narcissistic, going through. individualistic and uncaring, making our elders dub us as April Halog is a staff “Generation Me.” writer of The Advocate. Is that what you want Contact her at ahalog. our generation to be known advocate@gmail.com.

aprilhalog

CampusComment

What did you do for Mother’s Day?

“I am in a traditional Mexican music band, so i sang a song to my mom.” Ruby Esparza

“I cooked my mother breakfast and bought her a camera.”

“I wrote my mom a poem and decorated the house.”

Billy Doty

Rebecca Guiterrez

“I gave my mother roses for Mother’s Day.” Darrel Andrews

psychology and criminal justice

undecided

liberal arts

“I spent it with my family. We went to the marina and ate dinner. I got her a pedicure and we watched ‘The Karate Kid.’ It was a good day” Kim Laine nursing

FAYTHE DELROSARIO AND JESSE SUTHERLAND / THE ADVOCATE

“I ate a lot and chilled with my mom. We made a webcam video together. It’s on Youtube.com.” Ariana Lazo nursing

FORUM ■ Religion

christianurrutia

Most-read book open to interpretation

his month marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Holy Bible and according to the Washington Times, the Bible is the most read book throughout history, as well as being the best-selling book ever published with more than 6 billion copies produced. However, this is not to say that its internal consistency has not been questioned or that the Bible itself is not subjected to high levels of criticism. There is no single book of the Bible, because the individual books, which are considered Biblical Canon, are defined as a list of books considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular religious community, and often vary from one denomination to another. Due to this fact, the contents of these books do not share some of the same information, a lot of the time leading to inaccuracies and often mistranslations of what was originally written compared to newer versions of the text. Undeniably, the Bible is an incredibly powerful doctrine of faith and those who see it as such cannot change their perspective toward the Holy Book to see the rumored riddling of mistakes, but criticism of it has given validity to inconsistency within the various Biblical manuscripts and the Biblical Canon as a whole. In regards to Biblical criticism, there are two types: textual criticism and higher criticism. With old or original manuscripts, they were copied by hand by ancient scholars or scribes, which increased the number of errors made from copying long extensive works that were sometimes misinterpreted. In textual criticism, the goal is to spot the errors, correct them and then try to mimic the original source material using copies of manuscripts, but usually not the original document itself. All of the scriptures comprising the entire Christian Biblical Canon were copied from one scribe to another over the span of hundreds of years by hand. Many of the inconsistencies lie within the fact that the scriptures weren’t written until years later, after most of the subject matter had taken place, or from stories that were told orally and then converted into text. Translation has also led to a number of issues, as the original languages are often quite different in grammar and word meaning than the ones the scripture is translated into. For readability, clarity or other reasons, translators may choose different wording or sentence structure. More recently, several discoveries of ancient manuscripts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, have led to modern translations like the “New International Version” that differs somewhat from the older ones. Furthermore, some scholars suggest that none of the original Biblical manuscripts still exist. Summing up the inaccuracies located throughout the bible, comedian David Cross said, “The Bible may literally be the oldest game of telephone.” Christian Urrutia is a staff writer of The Advocate. Contact him at currutia. advocate@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011 l THE ADVOCATE

■ Accessibility

Student feels campus woes

have several pet peeves associated with being in a wheelchair. The two most important school-related issues on my list involve campus parking and the elevators here at Contra Costa College. I have been in a wheelchair for the last 13 years and I always display a disabled placard in my car window. This allows me the privilege of parking my car in specially designated parking spaces. The most important place for me to have access to parking now is on campus, as I am an English as a Second Language student. I need these spaces every day. However, it seems like every day when I arrive all these disabled spaces have already been taken. In many cases, I see people parking in these spaces who do not appear to have any mobility problems. This kind of behavior makes me angry. Maybe these people

another car arrives and parks right next to mine. Usually there are two disabled spots together in a parking lot and in between them is an area with blue stripes. It’s not legal to park there, but some students do. GUEST COMMENTARY That’s a problem, because are in a hurry and just aren’t when I return from class and want to get into my car, I thinking, but they really can’t because I need my car complicate my life. doors wide open, but an illeI wonder if people know gally parked car is too close. that the minimum fine for So I have to wait and ask parking in a disabled space is $250 and it’s the one park- for help to move my car. Sometimes I feel sad ing offense that a judge can’t change, even if you appeal it. about this because these The parking lots are more spaces are designed for people like me who really need full than ever this semesthem. If mobile students paid ter. Consequently, I have to arrive at school earlier in the more attention and didn’t occupy those blue handimorning to find a disabled space. Sometimes, it is hard capped spaces, my life would be a lot easier at school. finding one; as a result, I Another inconvenience have to park my car a long is the elevators on campus. way from my classroom The Liberal Arts Building, buildings. for instance, has only one This creates difficulelevator for its three floors. ties for me because some I happen to have a class on buildings are on the hill, the third floor, which poses a and sometimes it is raining. challenge. Occasionally I’m lucky and Quite often, the elevator is I find a disabled spot, but

ramonchavez

out of order, so to get to my class, I need to ask someone for help pushing me up the hill. We have to exit the building and go the long way around. Sometimes I’m out of luck because there isn’t anyone around to help me. This is especially not fun when it rains. I believe our college administration needs to have periodic inspections of the elevator and other facilities like automatic doors. The college needs to ensure that these services are in proper working order to meet the needs of students like myself who cannot attend class without them. While I appreciate all the ramps here, the newly remodeled bathrooms and my thoughtful friends who are so willing to lend me a hand, life at CCC would be a more enjoyable experience for all disabled students if these issues were addressed. Ramon Chavez is a CCC student.

Undead threat With rapture nearing, zombie danger looms

are also predicting a zombie apocalypse. And though a claim like this is refuted by all manners of nature and logic, the conjecture tempts the imagination. Despite the sheer impossibility of the situation, the Internet has scores of zombie survival sites, noting not By Cassidy Gooding OPINION EDITOR only the best ways to destroy the cgooding.advocate@gmail.com walking dead, but the sorts of items and people you’ll want to travel with, as well. n May 21, Judgment Day On nearly every one of these will hit Earth and God will forums, as well as in Max Brooks’ begin to take only the most virtuous book, “The Zombie Survival Guide,” up to heaven’s paradise. By Oct. 21, the main solution to a pesky undead the entire planet will be in flames and is to damage its brain. Apparently, the the unsaved will perish in the fire. rest of its organs are not vital to its These dates are according to the animation. schedule presented by the eBible The most efficient way to do this is Fellowship, just one of the fanatically with a bullet to the zombie’s head. pessimistic Christian groups that has However, as ammunition can be taken bits of Bible scripture and precumbersome to carry and difficult to dicted the world will end in five short locate, a swift hit with a crowbar or months. baseball bat also suffices. On its Web page describing the Other more outlandish strategies, rapture, the congregation claims that including feeding zombies through God has lost faith in mankind, and wood chippers or submerging them in that for the past 23 years, Satan has been reigning in churches and all over vats of acid, are also explored as fun the world. On May 21, God will start alternatives to the norm. Carrying food and clean water is the process of scrapping his creation, obviously an essential part of survivEarth, only saving those that have ing any sort of emergency situation, pledged their souls to him. In the months between May 21 and but when dealing with terOct. 21, those who haven’t heeded the rain full of roaming Internet and billboard warnings adver- zombies, other things also tising the ultimatum of confess or have to be burn will be “tormented” by all sorts of vengeful amusements God has in store for sinners. Earthquakes, freeing the corpses of all the world’s dead, will, as stated by eBible’s website, ravage all seven continents to ensure that, while the unsaved await an eternal flame, “Death will be everywhere.” Though this particular piece doesn’t say whether the unearthed corpses will be reanimated, many zealots

taken into account. Many of the online plans suggest also carrying grenades in case of zombie hordes, and cite bite-proof clothing, such as leather or canvas, as the best to use. Traveling with a trusted dog that can sniff out danger zones or warn of nearby zombie footfalls is another way to stay safe. Setting a zombie on fire, though seemingly effective and perhaps entertaining, is one thing many “experts” do not recommend. The heat will eventually liquefy the zombie’s brain, but before that, it will still chase you, setting its path on fire. Doctors, soldiers or former Boy Scouts make the most sensical teammates against zombies, as these are the people in the average community who will be of the most use in hazardous and stressful conditions. Fire fighters and police officers are commendable choices, as well, for their experience with firearms and rescue situations. Hiding out until the zombies’ bodies deteriorate is another option for those who cannot stomach the carnage. Some plans that feature this tactic postulate that once the zombie food supply — humans — becomes scarce, they will die out within a decade or two. Since the end of the world is slotted for October, though, we all may as well jump in feet first next month and get to killing some zombies.

JARED AMDAHL / THE ADVOCATE

4 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011

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Newsline ■ TOURNAMENT

Students to give speeches The speech department will host the Speech Intramural Tournament on Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. in the LA Building. The staging area at the beginning of the tournament will be in LA-100, and when the competition begins, rounds will take place in classrooms all over the LA Building from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. From 5:30 to 6 p.m., featured speakers and speech team members will perform speeches and answer questions about the team and speech team courses. For more information, contact Connie Anderson at 510-235-7800, ext. 4544.

■ PERFORMANCE

Dance exhibition showcases skills The CCC dance program will put on the Dance Jam 2011 on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Knox Center. Tickets for general admission are $15 and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the college Bookstore or at the door. The performance will include Egyptian belly dancing, hip-hop, urban jazz, Argentine tango and many more styles of dance. For more information, contact Latanya Tigner at 510-235-7800, ext. 4406.

■ TRANSFER

Reception gives recognition The CCC Transfer Center is hosting its annual Transfer Reception on May 19 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room. The event will recognize students completing their educational goals and transferring to four-year colleges next semester. For information on how to be included in the program, see Robin Harrison in SSC-106.

■ CEREMONY

Scholarship winners honored The annual Kennedy-King Scholarship Banquet will take place on May 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Concord Crowne Plaza Hotel. The event will acknowledge and congratulate the 2011 winners of the $8,000 scholarship, 11 of whom are from CCC.

■ GRADUATION

Scholars receive acknowledgment The annual CCC Graduation Commencement Ceremony will be on May 27 from 7 to 8:45 p.m. in the Gymnasium.

CrimeWatch Saturday, April 30: An officer conducted a traffic stop of a person on a bicycle riding the wrong way on a campus street. The suspect was found to be in possession of about 28.5 grams or less of marijuana. The suspect received a citation and was released from the scene. — Alexandra Waite

CAMPUS BEAT

Layoffs | Staff positions will see reductions ■ FROM: Page 1

support programs and services,” Magalong said. Maga said once the changes are put in effect, the college hopes to consolidate as many positions as possible to make up for the loss in employees and services. “We are going to be a smaller college, but still a comprehensive college,” Maga said. Hintz’s work hours will see a change, and the great distance to the San Ramon Center will create

a large inconvenience for Hintz in her daily commute. She said she may need to take public transit to cope with transportation costs. Hintz said she doesn’t feel good about the change in her job, and is sad to leave CCC. “It’s not good, but it is what it is,” she said. “I’m happy to have a job.” Scheduling specialist Shannon Beckham is another employee whose position will be affected by the reductions. Hired as a student worker in 1993 and a full-time

employee in 1997, Beckham confirmed her position will be one of those cut come the beginning of July. She declined to comment further about the circumstances of the reduction other than a confirmation of its happening until the knowledge was made public at the Governing Board meeting. Maga said the reductions are a difficult subject to tackle and no one at the college wants to cutback. “We don’t want to be doing this.

“The college will no longer be able to offer the same level of instruction and student-level support programs and services.” Mariles Magalong,

director of business services

Structure | Changes Athletics | Proposal ■ FROM: Page 1

Tim Leong, director of communications and community relations said. Another component of the approved proposal is the consolidation of research and planning functions from Contra Costa College, Los Medanos College and Diablo Valley College to be centralized at the District Office. Benjamin and Leong agreed the potential benefits to the district will be from the savings it sees from the administrative restructuring. The District Office needs to reduce its budget by an estimated $1.4 million for 2011-12 and this proposal helps move toward that goal by saving the district an estimated $432,644, Benjamin said. CCC Vice President Carol Maga said savings will come from the fact that there will be fewer people in charge of doing the same amount of work. “This is what happens when you have a budget reduction — everyone is multi-tasking,” Maga said. “The first step is eliminating positions and then restructuring so that the work stills gets done.” Leong agreed. He said, “Any time that you eliminate positions, the challenge will always be how do you get the work done. “How do you get the work done in a satisfactory time period? The challenge will be just trying to manage the work in a way that it

“The problem is that we have to make cuts, and the question is, ‘Where do we make them?’ We try to keep them as far away from the students as possible.” Timothy Leong,

director of communictions and community relations

still gets done correctly, efficiently and on time.” In the face of increasing pressure from the state and a budget crisis that is in full swing, the district restructuring is just one piece in trying to solve the problem. Officials at the colleges and the District Office said they are trying to implement cuts that will least affect students. Leong said, “The problem is that we have to make cuts, and the question is, ‘Where do we make them?’ “We try to keep them as far away from the students as possible,” he said. “We hope that the restructuring will allow us to achieve the cost savings that we need without impacting our students because that prevents them from meeting their educational goals.”

Book sale helps fund resources

■ FROM: Page 1

Under Title V, a school cannot limit the number of student-athletes who will be able to travel to away games. The teams are forced to bring their entire roster, CCCAA President Carlyle Carter said. Since football and baseball carry the most players on their rosters with 70 and 29 respectively, the proposal, if passed on July 1, would cut 15 players from the football team’s away-game roster and 6 from the baseball’s. “The biggest cost for athletics is travel,” Carter said. “If you have 100 football players, a school would need two buses, so if you can eliminate those costs an athletic team could save money.” Current CCC football coach Alonzo Carter, no relation to Carlyle, said that his team is already in compliance to the proposal as the squad only uses one bus to travel on the road. “(The roster cuts) is an act showing that the conferences are supporting cutting back to save a program,” Alonzo said. “Even though football generates the highest revenue compared to the other programs offered, it costs the most.” Several players on the CCC football team have mixed feelings toward the potential travel roster cut as it will place the best players on the field, yet not everybody will have a chance to play. “(The cut) is going to make

us work harder in practice to get a spot on the bus,” Comet defensive back Phillip Henderson said. “However, somebody will be left out and won’t be able to develop their skills.” Along with the travel cuts, Carlyle Carter said that colleges have already made cuts on the number of games teams are able to play in a season. “By making these cuts, a team could be prepared to absorb whatever blow hits them,” he said. “So far, all teams in California have a combined total of 4,000 games reduced. “Football didn’t have to reduce much though since they only play 10 games, so instead a scrimmage was canceled,” he said. While these proposals are being looked over by officials, the CCC athletic department is still trying to find more ways to help fund its teams. Athletic Director John Wade said the college is looking at a new fee proposal to generate revenue. “Currently, we are trying to have a $2 activity fee which allows students to get discounts to sporting events on campus,” Wade said. While the fee was proposed to the Associated Students Union by men’s basketball coach Miguel Johnson, district officials said that the fee will have to be an agreement between all the colleges in the district.

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By Janit Saechao STAFF WRITER

jsaechao.advocate@gmail.com

From Tuesday to Thursday, Contra Costa College’s Friends of the Library (FOL) will be hosting a low-priced book sale in the Library and Learning Resource Center that will give students a chance to dig for gems. On Tuesday, the book sale opened to FOL members only from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., then later opened to all students until 6 p.m. Today, the book sale will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursday, books will be sold from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Books and videos will cost from 50 cents to $5. All the money from the book sale will go toward buying new books and supplies for the library. FOL President Janis Walsh said, “The Library keeps getting its funds cut. Friends of the Library is the fundraising arm of the library. We raise money to supplement the Library. This money goes toward purchasing books, equipment, and online databases.” This year, the Library is on a low budget for books and supplies. “Raising money is twice as important this year,” said Ellen Geringer, secretary and treasurer of FOL. Last year, FOL made more than $1,400 through the book sale. The money was used to pay for the databases available on the Library’s website. “This certainly provides an essential service, enabling us to give students their needed resources,” Geringer said. Most books in the sale are from CCC instructors and faculty, donated once a year. Some are older Library books. Librarian Judy Flum said, “There is a lot of academic stuff, but there is also a lot of fiction and a few DVDs and CDs.” Flum said, “It’s nice to give students on tight budgets the opportunity to get books for cheap. The books make for great summer reading and students are able to walk out with a pile of books for just a few dollars.” FOL will also be offering students the opportunity to become a member. For $12, students are categorized as “bookworms.” Members are given book sale previews and a semi-annual FOL newsletter, Walsh said. They are also able to attend FOL board meetings, which are held seven times a year where the group decides how to allocate the fundraised money for the purchase of books and library equipment, she said. “I hope we make more money and get more members. It’s a lot more important this year than it was last year, or any of the years before,” Geringer said.

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Faculty, staff appreciated “These are hard fiscal times. It’s nice to see the (police) chief and president (McKinley Williams) serve food. It adds levity,” Gibson said. Student Life Coordinator Kelly Ramos agreed. “Layoffs are happening right By Faythe Del Rosario now. When it comes to who is left, STAFF ILLUSTRATOR frosario.advocate@gmail.com at this point it will help us come together,” she said. “It’s hard tryContra Costa College employ- ing to console the people leaving ees were offered praise as a side while at the same time helping the dish with their luncheon at the students, but we have to do what we have to.” annual Staff Appreciation “Layoffs are happen- saidR athatm oshes Day in the Staff Fireside Room ing right now. When it hopes on Friday. Appreciation Most of comes to who is left, at Day would boost the food was this point (the event) the morale of the staff memcatered by the will help us come culinary arts bers. department, but “It’s nice together.” at the beginning to break bread of the lunch, it with co-workKelly Ramos, was staff memers,” she said. student life coordinator bers who dished “It will lighten out the cuisine. the load, and make things less Police Services Chief Charles nerve-wracking.” Gibson said, “I’m here to serve, With the end of the spring and it’s an opportunity to take on semester nearing, Ramos said that there is a large amount of work to different roles.

CAMPUS BEAT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011 l THE ADVOCATE

Annual luncheon brings workers recognition, joy

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Food and smiles — Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King (right) serves food to Transfer/ Career Center assistant LaTonia Jackson (left) during the Staff Appreciation Day in the Fireside Room Friday. The event honored college employees for their service. be done. “The next three weeks are going to be stressful, because we’re going to be closing out the year. Students are graduating and we have to put a smile on and congratulate them, but it’s hard because of what’s happening financially,” she said. Chef Dinari Brown, whose class prepared the majority of the food for the banquet, enjoyed the senti-

ment of the afternoon. “I think every day should be Staff Appreciation Day, or at least once every (so often). CCC students are going really far, and it’s the staff that makes that possible,” he said. “Some things slipped through the cracks, but overall today went fine,” he said. The lunch was a job for many culinary students.

Custodian Jeryl Landers enjoyed the meal. “I saw a lot of smiles. Many of these people do not get to see each other in scenes like this very often. The lunch is a chance for everyone to congregate and talk,” he said. “The lunch is beautiful,” Landers added with a huge grin. “The variety of different food and desserts is perfect.”

Pottery sale raises funds for art program Student-made pieces help generate money By Angelina Rucobo STAFF WRITER

arucobo.advocate@gmail.com

To raise funds for supplies for the art department, an assortment of sculptures, vases and other ceramic items went up for sale May 2-10 in the Art Building atrium at this semester’s pottery sale. Ceramics instructor Mary Law explained the need for the fundraiser, saying the money goes right back to the department and is used for supplies that the students need. “The students pay a material fee to take

the class but it doesn’t cover much. This fundraiser is how we buy our clay,” she said. The prices of the items ranged from 50 cents up to $30. The types of pottery that were found at the fundraiser included sculptures, vases, bowls, mugs and plates, along with other items used daily. The ceramic items were all made by the students and faculty in the ceramics classes, and each piece was chosen by the maker and contributed to help provide funds. Law said that the items contributed were mainly earlier pieces students created and donated. Customers who came to the fundraiser found inexpensive, handmade objects that could be used for gifts. Many came to purchase ceramic gifts for

Mother’s Day, she said. Paola Merino, a ceramics student, was amazed at how great the pottery was and said, “The students here are amazing at pottery making. This shows that students take it seriously.” Merino said all those on campus who visited the Art Building during the fundraiser helped inspire students to continue in their pottery-making work. She said her reason for coming to the fundraiser was to support the arts. “If people are here to support it, it shows that art is important,” Merino said. Student Ray Jeffre, who also helped with the fundraiser, said that Contra Costa College is one of few colleges to supply students with free clay, and that events like the pottery sale should be supported so that

“The students here are amazing at pottery making. This shows that students take it seriously.” Paola Merino, student

it remains free for students. Jeffre also said that the silent auction had some pieces selling for as much as $150. Ann VanBlaricom, a ceramics student who contributed some of her pottery to the fundraiser, said, “It feels like a privilege to have people buy your stuff. This is the first stuff I ever sold.”

Get up to

50%

of what you paid! We’re giving cash for textbooks from May 23-27 *Photo identification required*

www.contracostabooks.com 510-233-6641

Support the

CCC Bookstore

6 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011

SPOTLIGHT

TRUE NEWSWOMAN “There’s never a day I don’t think about her.” — Paul DeBolt

By Sam Attal

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

sattal.advocate@gmail.com

“She was my adviser when I was 17 years old and she was my adviser when I was 62 years old. She remained my adviser for 45 years.” — John Stark

The college newspaper has seen many advisers during its 61-year tenure, but perhaps none more influential in the development of professional journalistic standards than Alma Oberst Holmgren. A former newswoman, Oberst Holmgren brought with her the experience of working for multiple news organizations that would later help in introducing great changes to The Advocate when she took the faculty adviser job at Contra Costa College in 1964. Although many of her former students were shocked to hear that she died of pneumonia at the age of 95 on March 15, they still carry with them the lessons she taught and the values she appreciated. “She was an experienced journalist to start with,” 1968 editor-in-chief John Stark, currently working as a magazine editor in Minnesota, said. “She was the real thing. She lived in journalism.” Through her rigorous standards, she expected professional work from students who were willing to cover the campus, former student Catherine Moss said. “She insisted that everything from our fact-finding to our fact-checking to our paper’s layout to our deadlines mirrored the way a real news operation worked,” said Moss, who was editor-in-chief in 1969. “She had come up through the ranks in newspapers. She brought a fundamental knowledge in not only how newspapers worked, but what it took to work on them.” During her 16-year tenure, Oberst Holmgren would help shape The Advocate into a gem for many students to come and the image of the college. A love for students Those who were enrolled in Oberst Holmgren’s Newspaper Production class found out that she preferred to be called “Miss. O” by her students instead of Miss Oberst, which was her name before marriage. They also learned that after she was done teaching her hour-long Monday, Wednesday, Friday Newspaper Production class, she would expect her students to continue their days on task with their assignments. “When you’re on a student paper it doesn’t end at 11 o’clock when the class is over. It oozes into everything,” Moss said. “The thing with journalism is that it easily becomes a job.” She would spend time outside of class with staff members individually to help them improve their skill set, current Faculty Adviser Paul DeBolt said. “She was interested in you individually,” said DeBolt, a former student and editor-in-chief. “You got to know her more than other teachers.” Moss said Oberst Holmgren invested time in her students to help them get a taste of the newspaper business and aid them in producing a “quality” newspaper every week. “Quality for her meant going after the stories we thought were important and expecting that this was not going to be a popularity contest,” Moss said. “She taught us how newsrooms worked (and) insisted that as students we’d act as professionals.” DeBolt said he remembers when he was pulled aside by Oberst Holmgren after class for not completing a story for a few weeks. “She gave me that little extra kick in the butt,” he said. “She knew I could write.” Oberst Holmgren was also known as a “stickler” for proper use of the English language and rules of reporting, DeBolt said. “She was real serious about teaching English skills and journalistic style. Accuracy was everything,” he said. “If you made a grammatical mistake she would let you know.” DeBolt said one of the last things Oberst Holmgren told him before he transferred to San Diego State was that she was disappointed she was not be able to teach him the difference between “its” and “it’s.” Some students became acquainted with Oberst Holmgren outside of school as well. Stark said he thanks her for setting him up to have lunch with then Gov. Ronald Reagan in Sacramento. “She drove me to Sacramento and drove around while I had lunch with Gov. Ronald Reagan,” Stark said. “How many teachers do that? Moss said Oberst Holmgren took students to speeches against the

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Life-long motivator — The Advocate’s newspaper adviser from 1964-80, Alma Oberst Holmgren, is remembered by former Advocate staffers as a kind woman who embodied and taught the standards of professional journalism. Oberst Holmgren died of pneumonia at the age of 95 on March 15. Vietnam War. “It didn’t stop in the classroom and it didn’t stop in The Advocate,” Moss said. “She took us everywhere. This was the era of Vietnam. There were people in the Bay Area making major speeches and she took us to cover them.” Moss said she was often invited by Oberst Holmgren to partake in her favorite activities, such as hiking and attending museums. “She showed us a way of living that was beyond the exposure of most of her students. Her way of teaching was through these expeditions,” Moss said. “Her love for the world and the love for us was boundless.” She would also invite her students to dinners and parties with people from the professional news world. She, however, did not want her students to be star-struck. “She expected us to participate, to ask questions, to engage,” Moss said. “She expected us to be part of the party, not witnesses.” She treated her students like they were her family, DeBolt said. “She didn’t have kids, she didn’t have a husband — we were her family,” DeBolt said. DeBolt said he remembers Oberst Holmgren as “a sophisticated woman” who served her students fancy meals at her home during dinner parties. She even published a weekly column called “Good Food” in the West County Times. Fighting for a cause Born and raised in Owensboro, Ky, Oberst Holmgren eventually moved to Evansville, Ind. where she lived for nearly 15 years. It was there where she began her news work at the Evansville Indiana Press. She came to the Bay Area in 1955 and obtained a job for a sister publication called the San Francisco News, where she served as a book editor. She fell in love with the arts, nature and culture of San Francisco, her niece Stephanie Henrikson said. She worked for the paper through its merger with the San Francisco Call-Bulletin. After the paper went through a consolidation process and Oberst Holmgren was laid off, she opted to pursue an education. She received her undergraduate degree in journalism from San Francisco State and went on

to complete the graduate journalism program at UC Berkeley, earning her master’s, before coming to CCC to teach and cause a ruckus. Previously, college administrators were used to censoring the paper, but when Oberst Holmgren’s students began publishing articles that the college administration tried to censor, she was there to back the writers, Moss said. “She would never let us back down,” Moss said. “She would insist we should stand up for ourselves and she stood up for (us).” After the administration stopped interfering with the paper, another problem came up. DeBolt said during his year as editor-in-chief in 1974-75, the Associated Students Union, which controlled the finances for the paper, decided not to fund it. Immediately, Oberst Holmgren began to fight for the students and established funding through the district for the program. During her first two years on campus she established the first journalism department for the college and its associate degree and certificate of achievement in journalism. Before she retired from the college in 1980, Oberst Holmgren fought to have a bigger newsroom for students to produce the paper. The newsroom, which was previously located in A-5, now the Eddie Rhodes Gallery, was a crammed work area for students. Through much patience and persistence, Oberst Holmgren was able to persuade college administrators to build a state-of-the-art newsroom of her design in the Applied Arts Building, even though she would be retired by the time it was first occupied in 1983. The facility, to this day, remains one the most equipped and spacious student newsrooms in the country. Living legacy Former Advocate staffers agree that Oberst Holmgren’s legacy will live on through the generations of successful reporters The Advocate has produced throughout the years. “Her legacy is a string of great students who have come out of this program since she got here,” DeBolt said. “You couldn’t even put a number on it. “She will be here as long as the program’s going,” DeBolt said. “She

will have an influence.” Stark said every issue of The Advocate represents Oberst Holmgren’s legacy. “What (The Advocate) has evolved into is her legacy (as) one of the best college newspapers in the country,” he said. Henrikson said her aunt represented a standard of professionalism and independence up until her death. “She was sharp as a tack to the very end,” Henrikson said. “She wanted to do things on her own. Henrikson told a story of when she was 20 years old and Oberst Holmgren was nearly 60. She said the two went on a hiking trip and Oberst Holmgren quickly left her behind. She agreed with Oberst Holmgren’s former students about her legacy, and said those who met her and knew her well will always remember her. “You live on through people who you’ve left behind,” Henrikson said. Always an adviser Moss, DeBolt and Stark said Oberst Holmgren remained their adviser even after they left CCC. “This is a rare relationship,” Moss said. “I stayed extremely close to her and this is certainly one of the greatest gifts of my life.” DeBolt said he continued to ask Oberst Holmgren for advice with problems that came up during his career. He said she continued to remain a strong supporter of The Advocate. “She was our biggest cheerleader for a lot of years,” he said. DeBolt still looks up to her and will not let her lessons slip in his mind. “I just wanted to please her. Wanting her to be proud (of the paper and program) was always important to me,” he said. “There’s never a day I don’t think about her.” Stark said he would call her for career advice often, right up until she passed away. “Once you were her student, you were always her student,” he said. “She was my adviser when I was 17 years old and she was my adviser when I was 62 years old. She remained my adviser for 45 years.” Oberst Holmgren is survived by her husband Roderick Holmgren, sisters Margie Furlong and Mary Emma Mellen, stepson Jack Holmgren and her 24 nieces and nephews.

“She was sharp as a tack till the very end.” — Stephanie Henrikson

“She showed us a way of living that was beyond the exposure of most of her students. Her love for the world and the love for us was boundless.” — Catherine Moss

Adviser remains in hearts of many

SPORTS

Athletes granted entrance

Aumua Washington State University

Hogan Central Washington University

10 football players awarded scholarships

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011 l THE ADVOCATE

Burden Allen Notre Dame College of Ohio

Vega Lincoln University

By Malcolm Lastra SPORTS EDITOR

Denchukwu Southern Oregon University

mlastra.advocate@gmail.com

Before coming to Contra Costa College, football coach Alonzo Carter was known throughout the Bay Area for sending his high school players off to four-year universities. After completing his first year coaching the Comet football team, Carter is sending 10 players off to seven different four-year colleges on full ride and academic scholarships. Coogler “I feel good about sending these guys off to the (next level),” Carter said. “(Moving Menlo McClarty Kehinde Hal, Jr. players on) is what I do and it’s what the College University Highlands Mexico New college brought me in to do.” Sophomores Edgar Vega (Lincoln INFORMATIONAL GRAPHIC BY DARIUSH AZMOUDEH / THE ADVOCATE University of Missouri), Donnie Hogan (Central Washington), Niko Aumua The Comet football team, under coach Alonzo Carter, will send 10 players to four-year colleges on full-ride and academic (Washington State University), Noah Coogler scholarships this fall. Carter hopes to contnue his success of moving players on to the next level of play as he said he (Menlo College), Sherard Allen (Notre Dame currently has 12 returning players being scouted by NCAA Division I universities. College of Ohio), Keon Burden (Notre Dame Carter backed up his goal well as he ing players to Division I, he has begun to one, sending 10 of us to four-year schools in College of Ohio), Kevin Hall (New Mexico Highlands University), Chris Denchukwu made an impact to the football program appreciate the D-II and National Association only his first year,” running back Allen said. (Southern Oregon), Adewale Kehinde by having coaches and scouts from NCAA of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) colleges “Knowing that my name is in that group will be a part of CCC history.” (New Mexico Highlands University) and Division I schools come to spring practices that give his players a chance. Coogler said with him and his fellow “I’m not too caught up on where these Marcus McClarty (New Mexico Highlands to check out his players. “Every day, we (the kids go. I just want them to move on to the teammates moving on to four-year schools, University) are the playthey will hopefully help motivate younger football team) would get next level,” he said. ers to receive scholar“I went over my expec- about three to four D-I Despite the players going to four-year athletes to aspire the same goal. ships. “We’re setting an example for future guys “I’ve had faith in tations (this year) and scouts to watch us prac- colleges, Carter said that what solidifies (coming into the program) by showing them their signing is their academic ability. tice,” Carter said. Carter (since he came all it does is benefit According to Carter, he was able to get that you can go places through CCC,” he The players agree that to CCC) and I wouldn’t the scouts’ presence made 13 players from his team on the dean’s list said. “I just hope coach Carter can continue put my future in anyone and helped 28 players receive a GPA of 3.0 to do what he does best (by giving players a else’s hands but his,” the kids. I’m proud of them practice harder. second chance).” “It was the first time or higher. linebacker Coogler said. being here and being According to Carter, he is still work“(Carter) always told us to study first that I saw football in a “I’m sure after this year, people’s negative (per- able to do what I do.” different way (when the and play hard second,” Kehinde said. “He ing with sophomore wide receiver Kenneth scouts were around),” wanted us to do what we needed to do in the Green, who is waiting to be signed by a ception) of the college Alonzo Carter, four-year college. defensive end Aumua classroom and finish strong.” will not exist.” football coach Carter said that he is continuing to move Other players agreed. said. “Seeing scouts from Prior to the 2010-11 “Our hard work really paid off,” defen- players on to four-year colleges as he curdifferent schools checkseason, Carter said he wanted to make it clear to his players that ing us out and talking to us was definitely sive lineman Denchukwu. “I learned that it rently has 12 returning players being looked is the grades that turn colleges on to you, not at by D-I colleges. he not only wanted them to improve their motivating.” “I went over my expectations (this year) While 10 players were able to get schol- just football.” efforts on the field, but more importantly in Several players were excited that they and all it does is benefit the kids,” he said. arships, Aumua was the only one from the the classroom. “My biggest goal is for 95 percent of group to go to a D-I college, as the remain- were the first group under Carter to take “I’m proud of being here and being able to do what I do.” their talents to the next level. my sophomores to graduate in the spring,” ing nine got into D-II schools. “Carter turned a bad program into a good Carter said that while he is used to sendCarter told The Advocate in September.

Well to help reduce field upkeep costs By Dariush Azmoudeh ONLINE EDITOR

dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com

With the new water well activated at the soccer field, Contra Costa College should begin spending less on its utility bills. The well was completed in February and the water generated from it will be used to water the fields to reduce spending during the summer. “It’s an idea that was brought up four years ago by the Sustainability Committee, to drill a well and irrigate the athletic fields,” Building and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. The plan is to pump water from an underground deposit into six storage containers

that hold 30,000 gallons to water the fields, and cut from the extra $50,000 the college spends on water every summer, King said. Brian Adair, director of facility support of the district, said, “The Sustainability Committee came up with several ideas and this was one of them, to bring water from the well. The basic idea was to use ground water, rather than domestic water, which will save the district on costs.” For the well, a hole was dug more than 300 feet underground and water was obtained at around 200 feet. The storage containers take 18 hours to fill, pumping 30 gallons a minute, and have two pumps connected to water the fields. The entire system can last up to 50 years except for the pump, which can last up to 15 years, Adair said.

Adair said that including the hard and soft costs of the project, the total was $350,000. But the college could see a saving of up to $20,000 to $30,000 a year. “From concept to finish, construction took two years. Now, we’re trying to work out the last bugs,” he said. Sustainability Committee member and Interim Natural, Social and Applied Sciences Division Dean Leverett Smith said, “I think it’s a good idea to use it as an alternative to watering the field instead of using drinking water.” Smith was a member of the committee when the idea for the well was pitched to the district four years ago. “It took longer than expected, but it will be interesting to see how much water it will give,” he said. On Monday, Adair was on campus to check on the well and had tarps installed over the storage containers.

King said the tarps were being placed over the containers to prevent the formation of algae inside. “I’m very green, so if we can save some utility cost, it will help the budget and help us be sustainable,” King said. “It will benefit the school for years to come.” Adair said that other colleges in the district have different methods of irrigating their fields. Los Medanos College uses water from the Delta Canal and Diablo Valley College uses treated sewer water. “Before, (CCC was) buying water from the city. We paid quite a bit,” Adair said. “So pumping our own water will save us the cost.” He said in the future the college hopes to improve the air conditioning and heating units on campus and to propose projects to the district to help conserve energy.

A n A f f i l i a t e o f t h e Na t i o n a l Un i v e r s i t y S y s t e m

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8 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011

SCENE

Joyous celebration — Laverne Defozzio (left), played by Stefanie Cervantes, celebrates winning an award during the “Rockin’ in Richmond High 1966” play in the Knox Center on Saturday. Drama department Chairman Clay David’s play was well received by the audience members on the play’s closing night on Saturday.

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Play excites, revisits turbulent Richmond David’s musical informs crowd about rich past By George Morin ART DIRECTOR

gmorin.advocate@gmail.com

The drama department presented a lively and exciting performance that celebrated the city of Richmond and its residents May 4 through Saturday at the Knox Center. Written by drama department Chairman Clay David and directed by professor Kathryn McCarty, “Rockin’ in Richmond High 1966” was a grand musical experience. The musical followed the lives of 14 seniors attending Richmond High School in 1966. The issues of marriage, the Vietnam War draft and the student graduation were the main themes of the plot. The play was narrated by 71-year-old Odetta Jones, the first Bay Area disc jockey and a former Richmond High School counselor who worked at the school in 1966. She narrates the students’ journey through this critical time in history. Jones, herself, spent time protesting during the Free Speech Movement

at UC Berkeley in 1964 and found it important for her students to be engaged in the politics of their time. The students in the play go to Berkeley and witness the protests and activists of the time. The underlying theme of the play seemed to place importance on informing the audience about life in playreview Richmond during 1966, because it was not the same “Rockin’ in of Berkeley Richmond High or New York 1966” City. ★★★★★ There was Venue: Knox a much difCenter ferent face to Directed by: Kathryn McCarty Richmond at Open Until: that time. Closed From the beginning of the play, character development was very strong. The actors’ expressions and personalities came out through the musical. Miranda Romero fully immersed herself in her character, Pinky Tuscuderro, a pompous, but loving, young woman. Her love and despair at her senior ball when she finds out her sweetheart, Rocko Romero,

played by Jacob Manib, is being drafted into the Army to go to Vietnam made audience members feel as if this couple, along with the other seven couples, were truly high school sweethearts in love. The musical cues throughout the play were used efficiently and not overdone. The musical acts were engaging, from the actors’ eye contact with the crowd to their vocal range, and the volume made the singing parts easy to hear and follow. The lighting remained a largely important tool in being able to tell apart the different scenes that were happening on stage as they would otherwise be confusing for the audience to follow. And the actors did a great job acting out scenes with their body language. Due to the lack of a set or props available on stage, actors had to rely on their performance to make the storylines believable. David’s use of costumes was exceptional at representing the style of dress for high school students in the 1960s. The choreography was simple, yet engaging, to the audience. At times the actors stumbled and bounced into each

Graduation day — Buzz, played by Jay Lopez, sings to the crowd on his graduation day during the “Rockin’ in Richmond High 1966” musical in the Knox Center on Saturday.

other, but these mistakes seemed to happen because of the large number of actors on stage rather than their ability to remember their assigned places and actions. David’s play, “Rockin’ in Richmond High 1966,” was a unique and captivating experience. The only complaint was the

length of the musical. With an overall longer stage performance, the play could have been stronger, since there would have been more time to connect with the audience. However, it was another interesting and rare play put together by David.

‘Country Grammar’ still able to delight Girl” and “For My,” featuring then 18-year-old Lil Wayne, to unforgettable party songs like “E.I.” and “Ride Wit Me.” In the rap music world of the early 21st century that was being By Rodney Woodson STAFF WRITER dominated by the sound of Cash rwoodson.advocate@gmail.com Money Records and the proWhile scrolling through my duction style of Mannie Fresh, iTunes library one evening, find- “Country Grammar” offered an ing it hard to decide what to alternative sound — and a sound listen to, I picked a random song that is still relevant today. to hear. Producers Jay E and City Spud The song was “Country developed a unique blend of Grammar,” the title track from mostly quick drum patterns, funky Nelly’s debut album. bass lines and I was immediately reminded melodic keyboard of the summer of 2000 when the sound effects. All CD was released. I was workthese together still ing at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza keep heads bobin El Cerrito and if I had theme bing throughout music for that period in my life, the entire listening it would have been the album experience. “Country Grammar.” Not only does Nelly provide Today, with more than 8 milsomething nice to listen to, he lion records sold, this is one of also gives his audience music that the best selling rap albums of all lets listeners know who he is as a time. member of society. Nelly’s rap style gives listeners In “Utha Side,” he gives listena unique combination of rapping ers three situations illustrating the downside of selling drugs, prosand singing, perfectly meshed and delivered through urban lyr- titution and gang-banging while ics and scenarios that both enter- offering positive alternatives to SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE them. tain and provoke thought. In your face — Rapper Nelly has continued to make For example, he says, “I ain’t This album has it all — from hit hip-hop music for the past 12 years. street bangers like, “Thicky Thick tryna sell you dreams, just tryna

Album maintains strength in lyrics

show you that there’s other ways of gettin’ cream (money), just go to school and make something of your young life and watch it blow up.” The final song on the album is a track called “Luven Me” that illustrates some of the mistakes he made with his mother, his girlfriend and his buddies, and how he will always be indebted to them. Nelly shows a side of himself that is rarely seen from other rappers and this song, among others, gives authenticity and personality to his music. But if there is one thing that could be changed about this CD it would be the title. It’s not that it’s a bad title, but a self-titled album was warranted. Nelly expresses different sides of himself. He also expresses his detailed life experiences, which suggest a personal connection to his lyrics. In addition to highly entertaining music with beats that will get one’s body moving, he introduced us to his St. Louis style in this hip-hop classic.

Lost Treasure