WEDNESDAY l 10.5.16 OUR 67TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.
Biologist stresses support
CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE
Inspiring stories of STEM success headline lecture series
BY Benjamin Bassham NEWS EDITOR
bbassham.theadvocate@gmail.com
Molecular and cell biologist Malik Francis said the path to educational success is social support and confidence in the face of obstacles, on Sept. 28 at the second of the Adelante STEM Academy’s STEM Cafés this semester. The Cafés bring professionals in STEM fields in to talk with students at Contra Costa College. This one, in the Fireside Hall at 1 p.m., featured Dr. Francis, a research scientist at UC Berkeley. Minority Student Retention Specialist Kelly Ramos, the HSI (Hispanic Serving Institute) STEM program’s coordinator introduced Francis and guided the discussion, but opened the floor to audience questions as well.
“I’d wanted to be a physician since age 6 and my mom steered me toward programs that would further that.” — Malik Francis , UC Berkeley research scientist
She said, “(the Café is an opportunity) to get to know (professionals) their career and life journey.” Emiliano Ruiz, who is interested in a molecular biology major said, “The school provided a really good opportunity to have a connection with a professional. That’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to someone who works in (that field).” Francis said he is a postgraduate researcher at UC Berkeley, which is
a position doing additional research after finishing his Ph.D. He said he wants to be a professor eventually, though “that’s a long way down the road,” and postgraduate work helps with that goal. Francis said he was born in Los Angeles and lived there until age 9 with his mother and four older brothers after his parent’s divorce. He said he attended public schools until eighth grade and then went to an all boys Catholic school, Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, though he isn’t Catholic. “I’d wanted to be a physician since age 6, and my mom steered me toward programs that would further that,” he said. He said that as a high school junior he started volunteering at
ABOVE: Molecular and cell biologist Malik Francis speaks to students during the second installment of the Adelante STEM Academy’s STEM Café series.
SEE CAFE, PAGE 3
Workshop gives advice to ease stress
PROFESSOR ANALYZES POLITICAL MOVEMENT Black Panther talks raise more inquiries BY Lorenzo Morotti
PAGE 7
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com
CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE
Police aide Jagrwop Singh makes his rounds in the basement of the LA Building on Monday. The building is empty but remains open to provide elevator access to students with disabilities.
Measures taken to prevent loitering, potential crime Building to remain partially open to meet ADA state law
BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR
lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com
Police Services has increased student aide patrols at the partially closed Liberal Arts Building since finding more students loitering inside the empty hallways and classrooms. Contra Costa College Police Services Lt. Tom Holt said he reset the lock system to the interior doors inside the LA Building on Wednesday after police aides found students in the basement hallway. Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said police aides interrupted some “hanky-panky” between students on Wednesday. While Holt said no students were
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caught having sex in the building, he confirmed that this encounter is why he scheduled constant patrols. He said the patrols are to prevent any possibility of criminal activity or unacceptable behavior in an unused and unlocked building on campus. He said, “That is why I sent out the (campuswide) email and scheduled a police aide to be in or around the building at all times.” He said when officers or police aides have found people loitering in the LA Building since the semester began they have asked them to leave. “Most of time these kids are looking for
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To honor its 50th anniversary, a former Black Panther Party member returned to explain his dissertation research about the organization’s decline and local origins. Former Virginia State University history professor Paul Alkebulan led his second discussion at Contra Costa College in a year with a group of about 100 students during, “The Black Panther Party and Its Legacy: A Seminar” on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in GE-224. Sociology department Chairperson Vern Cromartie said he invited Dr. Alkebulan as part of the W.E.B. DuBois Lecture Series to discuss his first-hand experience with the Black Panther Party. The discussion was planned to remain focused on the political context of the 1960s and 1970s and his dissertation research. After the keynote speech, Alkebulan took the floor to respond to questions directly related to the Black Panthers’ movement because the DVD for the film “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” (billed as part of the presentation) cracked in half in its case. “The film is two hours long so it goes into a lot more detail about the party. The last movie I screened was shorter and focused on the Black Panthers at Merritt College,” Dr. Cromartie said. SEE PANTHERS, PAGE 3
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Quotable “You can’t describe the feeling of satisfaction that comes from no censorship.” Danka Novovic, Serbian editor 2000 Roxana Amparo editor-in-chief Christian Urrutia web editor Marci Suela art director social media editor Lorenzo Morotti associate editor Benjamin Bassham news editor Robert Clinton opinion editor sports editor Xavier Johnson scene editor Cody Casares photo editor Denis Perez assistant photo editor Tashi Wangchuk multimedia editor Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Advocate staff Sean Austin Vianney Carrillo Jose Chavez Dylan Collier Salvador Godoy Naylea Hernandez Edwin Herrera Karla Juarez Perla Juarez Anthony Kinney Jaleel Perry Julian Robinson Reggie Santini Michael Santone Jessica Suico Efrain Valdez Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2013 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Member Associated Collegiate Press California Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.215.3852 Fax: 510.235.NEWS Email: accent.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
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5, 2016 VOL. 104, NO. 6
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EDITORIAL WALKING BACKWARD
Meaningful comparisons overshadowed by curriculum
‘T
he Black Panther Party and Its Legacy: A Seminar,” missed the chance to compare and contrast the racially charged political climate that created the revolutionary party 50 years ago to present-day social movements. The event was held on Saturday in the General Education Building as part of the W.E.B. DuBois Lecture Series at Contra Costa College to celebrate the birth of the Black Panther Party with guest speaker Dr. Paul Alkebulan. Hosted by sociology department Chairperson Vern Cromartie, Dr. Alkebulan talked in detail of the Black Panthers’ accomplishments, internal power struggles, battles with the FBI and local police departments, shifts in ideologies, and state and federal legislation that broke the movement apart. But the organizers failed to establish an open dialogue with the 100 students in attendance, and others from East Bay communities, who had questions about how the Black Panthers’ ideology is reflected in modern social movements. Instead of seizing this chance to compare past social conditions in low-income, urban communities to now, Dr. Cromartie instructed Dr. Alkebulan to only answer questions about the party within the context of its 16-year life span and Alkebulan’s scholarly research. When asked to draw comparison of the Black Panthers’ ideologies to present-day groups like Black Lives Matter, Alkebulan said the social conditions placed on minority groups in America during the 1960s and 70s are vastly different than now. After the event, Dr. Cromartie said he made sure discussions were contained to the Black Panther Party in the historical time period for the sake of his students’ extra credit assignment. “I want students to hear voices of people like (Alkebulan). People who have made the shift from a social movement to academia,” Cromartie said. “You have one chance to hear about the Black Panther Party. You can hear about the Black Lives Matter on Channel 7 or 2. You rarely hear about social movements of the past.” We disagree because the coverage of Black Lives Matter on local and 24/7 broadcast news channels is partial, biased and conflict-oriented. Refusing to relate present-day groups to the Black Panthers infers that no new information could contribute to the discussion of social injustice and de facto racism that pervades the lives of many African-Americans. While the seminar was informational, restricting people in the audience from asking questions that provide a relatable context does little to inspire solutions for police brutality, the disproportionate incarceration rate of African Americans, unequal access to education, corruption and bias within the election process and the marginalization of the middle class through outsourced labor. Many would argue that the Jim Crow era is over and the only bastions of racial inequality are small towns in rural areas. But not talking about current social injustices has allowed racism to thrive under the surface of mainstream American society. For example, the speaker was unaware that there are still people who are using the Black Panthers’ 10-point program, and legacy, to promote their own version of the movement called the Black Riders Liberation Party in Oakland and Berkeley. Resorting to only talking about the Panthers in their historical time period and not comparing them to protests or movements existing today in similar social conditions is missing an opportunity to lead present-day activists. The Black Panther revolution is not dead. The problem is that social inequities have been muffled by mainstream media organizations and, in turn, misunderstood by everyday Americans with too much to lose.
LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE
■ LIFESTYLE
Snap judgments on race affects psyche D iscrimination against interracial couples can have a lasting negative effect on a relationship and the emotional well being of children born into those relationships. On more than one occasion, while playing with our son at the playground, mothers have come up to my wife and asked how much she charges to babysit. My wife is the daughter of a black father and a white mother. Bi-racial kids can begin to feel disconnected from the parent with which they share fewer physical traits after having their lives relentlessly bombarded with this type of discrimination. Constant reminders from society force children to grow up doubting their own identity and feeling like they don’t belong. As the parent of a multiracial child, I have experienced this discrimination firsthand and have heard the horror stories from colleagues who have also been affected by it. While growing up, my wife dealt with typical racist remarks you would expect to hear from those who did not approve of her parents’ interracial marriage. She also remembers how unaccepted it made her feel. Discrimination can come from the people you least expect. It can even come from one’s own family. Interracial kids often endure racist “jokes” made by family members on both sides. My son, who is 2 years old, is already the subject of racial debate based on his blue eyes and white skin. “Good thing he didn’t
while being treated like the average black stranger by Caucasian family members. By their teens, mixed kids have experienced everything from racial slurs to jokes made about their natural hair. And this is before dealing with feelings of inadequacy in college or take after his mother or her romantically. father. He looks a lot more Once, when visiting our like us so he won’t have to doctor’s office for a vaccideal with racism,” I would nation appointment, the hear family members say nurse told my wife to come as my son’s back with one of the child’s features parents in order to have him My wife became vaccinated. more is the It is completely unacceptdefined. able to have to be forced to It is daughter of provide paperwork to prove situations she is the mother of our son, like this a black especially from a medical that cause practitioner whose primary children father and job is to ensure families feel to grow up supported. understand- a white The strain placed on a ing that couple’s relationship can there is a mother. cause a rift between family difference members. between the Usually, it is the older treatment generation of people that of black people and white still clutches tightly to insepeople. curities and bigoted opinThis cements the thought ions surrounding interracial in their heads that if they marriages. can identify as white, their Raising awareness about lives will immediately be the ongoing socially acceptimpacted for the better. able discrimination that When the word “racism” interracial families face is is used, people immediately important to put a stop to it associate it to Caucasianfor future generations. Americans being racist A friend of mine martoward African-Americans. ried an African-American Yet we forget to think of woman and was scared of the children who come from telling his Filipino family. mixed families and experiCouples should not have ence racism on both sides of to hide who they marry out the spectrum. of fear of offending someone Many people with mixed or to avoid disapproval by a African-American and family member. Caucasian backgrounds tell stories of being treated Reggie Santini is a staff poorly for not being “black member of The Advocate. enough” for their AfricanContact him at rsantini. American side of the family, theadvocate@gmail.com.
reggiesantini
CAMPUS COMMENT
What stresses you out and how do you deal with it?
“Spending time with my child helps me deal with the stress of parenting and being a student.”
“I try to keep up with my assignments so i don’t stress out about coming home after work to study.”
“When exams stress me out, I usually work out.”
“I listen to music or play video games to deal with the stress of having a lot of school work.”
“I don’t usually get stressed out but when I do, I pray.”
Emmalyn Millan
Marina Mendoza
Kaiwen Yang
Anoukhan Kittirath
Shanyna Smith
dental hygiene
administration of justice
ROXANA AMPARO, ROBERT CLINTON AND JESSICA SUICO / THE ADVOCATE
undecided
art
liberal arts
“Working late and going to school early can be stressful, so I try to have good sleeping habits to (lessen) my stress.” Vanessa Pallera biochemistry
campusbeat
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NEWSLINE CAFE | Obstacles, triumph outline biologists’ rise Continued from Page 1
TRANSFER
CENTER OFFERS UC BERKELEY INSIGHT The Transfer/Career Center will host scheduled appointments with a UC Berkeley transfer representatives in SA-227. All appointments for students to meet with representatives will be held between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and on Oct. 24 and Nov. 3. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting the Counseling Office at 510-215-3936.
DRAMA
‘ACHILLES IN SPARTA’ ACT TO OPEN FRIDAY “Achilles in Sparta,” directed by drama department Chairperson Carlos Manuel-Chavarria, will have its first performance on Oct. 6 and all showings will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Knox Center. General admission tickets will cost $15. Tickets for students with ID and senior citizens will be $10. Tickets will be sold at the Knox Center box office. Other performances will be held on Oct. 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15.
FUNDRAISER
DELICACIES TO FUND STUDY ABROAD TRIP The Chocolate and Champagne fundraiser for the culinary arts department will take place on Oct. 8 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Aqua Terra Grill in SA-130. Tickets will be $30 at the door and $25 for advanced tickets at the culinary arts department in SA-138. The funds collected go toward a trip to Italy for culinary students to study abroad. The fundraiser will feature champagne, wine, beer, coffee, cookies, cakes, truffles, ice cream, cheeses, raffles, and a performance by the ballroom dance class.
CRIMEWATCH Wednesday, Sept. 21: A staff member met with an officer to discuss a conduct referral report. Wednesday, Sept. 21: Officers responded to a brawl in Lot 6, but the subjects fled before they arrived. A few hours later the same subjects returned and caused a disturbance near the Gym Annex. Monday, Sept. 26: An officer responded to a report of vandalism in the Fitness Center. Wednesday, Sept. 28: A subject was arrested for fighting at the Student Center Plaza. The officers cited and released the suspect. Wednesday, Sept. 28: Two students were found in the partially closed Liberal Arts Building. The responding officer escorted them to Police Services and they were later released to their parents. — Lorenzo Morotti and Reggie Santini
CORRECTION On the front page of the Sept. 28 issue of The Advocate in the story titled “Money talks, fear mutes opportunity,” the nonresident fee is actually $283 per unit, not $269. The Advocate regrets this error. — The Contra Costa Community College District is committed to equal opportunity in educational programs, employment, and campus life. The District does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, parental status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any access to and treatment in College programs, activities, and application for employment.
hospital and did other afterschool programs. His parents attended Cal StateLos Angeles, where his mother finished a sociology major — “she was terrible at science” — and his father didn’t quite finish a math major, in spite of accumulating many credits toward it. He rejected his mother’s suggestion of Ivy League schools. “I knew pretty early on I didn’t want to leave California,” he said. He said he initially attended UCLA, studying physiology and Spanish, majoring in Spanish Literature, but his intellectual pursuits then changed. He moved away from both physiology and Spanish to biology, and eventually moved his studies to UC Berkeley. He said, “The idea of sitting down with patients who won’t take their blood pressure meds seemed really infuriating to me.” On his Spanish studies he said, “I wish I’d finished my major instead of just the minor. “I started working in research labs in my fourth year. It’s fun because you get to ask questions and work with your hands,” he said. “I wasn’t the most dedicated student. The classes that really challenged me — I didn’t really want them. My GPA was below average.”
He said he advanced to graduate school in spite of his GPA because of his research work and “amazing letters of recommendation.” He said that it is important to get to visit your professor during their office hours, and get to know them personally. “The biggest thing is being confident enough to advocate for yourself, and (deal with) people saying ‘no’,” he said. “There were days in grad school where I’d work 16, 18 hours. At some point you have to be disciplined and just do it. Put on music that keeps you focused.” Francis said, “I’m of the mind that when you think about that big picture it gets really daunting. When you have a big goal it’s important to have small goals, so when you finish them you get those endorphins.” He said a university student needs mentors, friends, and a support group — people who have been through what you’re going through. “I didn’t get my Ph.D. on my own — that’s impossible,” he said. “It’s OK to have moments of doubt. There are always obstacles (but) at some point you have to trust in yourself, and believe in yourself,” he said. Francis said, “I didn’t learn as much from my professor, (as I) learned from senior post-docs, showing me techniques and (how
“If you know smart people study with them. Don’t go to a study session unprepared. Have a study group you take seriously.” — Malik Francis, UC Berkeley research scientist
to use equipment). “If you know smart people, study with them. Don’t go to study session unprepared. Have a study group you take seriously.” He said after he graduated he stayed in his Ph.D. lab because there was research he had started that he wanted to finish and publish. Francis said, “My day-to-day (routine) changes. I live in San Francisco, and taking BART every day sucks for a variety of BARTrelated reasons. “I have a flexible schedule, and I’m really not a morning person. I (usually) get in around 10 or 11. He said that while he works with some nasty chemicals, he is free to dress casually, as long as he takes sensible precautions like not wearing sandals. He said he has seen some people being disturbingly careless with phenol. “That’s the stuff that denatures protein,” he said. Humans are largely made of protein, and getting phenol on them results in
the gruesome loss of that protein. He said once during a routine radiation survey the wall behind the fume hood turned up hot. “The poor woman doing the survey. (As she got closer the radiation) meter kept getting louder.” He said he remembered thinking, “It’s like Three Mile Island in here.” He said that luckily his group doesn’t work with anything too bad in terms of radiation. He said he likes asking questions and playing with his hands and he gets a thrill when a risky experiment works. “Don’t feel pigeon-holed into doing only one thing,” he said, “People do Ph.D. for a variety of reasons. People go into law, that’s really boring, (they do) consulting.” He said he knows a microbiologist who works at a brewing company. Francis said he currently studies protein-DNA interactions in fruit flies. “Fruit flies are awesome because you can do everything with them. Classic genetics, bio-chemistry, cell biology, developmental biology and genomics.” He said he is examining the fruit fly’s capacity for DNA self-repair. DNA repair is common in nature, he said, but the fruit fly’s technique is new to science. “(In research) you never know where that next earth shattering discovery is going to come from.”
PANTHERS | Seminar celebrates 50th anniversary Continued from Page 1 “But this film talks about the Black Panthers’ expansion nationwide. That is why its is so much more powerful.” CCC nursing student Michelle Nance said while she did not know much about the party, the seminar helped her get a better understanding of the Black Panthers’ philosophy. “We didn’t get to see the video so I feel like I didn’t get the full picture of what the Black Panthers were trying to teach,” Nance said. “I didn’t know anything about the Black Panthers or black power outside of the paragraph that we all read in our history textbooks.” Alkebulan discussed his involvement with the party during his early 20s as a student activist in Oakland from 1969-72 and its internal power struggle. He examined arrests, killings and the FBI’s COINTELPRO program that contributed to shut down all of its international and domestic chapters by 1982. He said urban areas in the North and West regions of the country gave rise to the Black Panthers due to similar conditions. Average citizens united against high poverty rates, voting disenfranchisement, police brutality and high incarceration rates of African-Americans and other minority groups. Associated Student Union Vice President Alex Walker-Griffin said Alkebulan’s experience as a Black Panther and researcher is a perspective not widely available. “A lot of people distanced themselves from the Black Panther Party for over 40 years,” Walker-Griffin said. “I always asked myself, well, what do their accomplishments have to do with me. But the presentation was relatable to modern struggles people face.” Alkebulan said goals that the Black Panther Party accomplished were getting AfricanAmericans into positions of political office, police departments and representation in all forms of the democratic process. “In the 1970s, the black caucus began national organizing,” he said. “Blacks were getting elected on the local level across the nation, that was going to occur regardless of the Panther Party. And it occurred more often after the party went out of existence.” He said the main issue that activists of today should work toward is the reconstruction of the family structure that was destroyed by drugs and a culture of narcissism. “The traditional family structure made sure when a child leaves home they’re going to be prepared to learn something at school,” he said. “You have to be determined in that sense, but that is hard to do with a single parent in a household. A lot of parents don’t know how to help. You need supervision and examples to set you on the right path.” But when people in the audience asked questions that drew parallels between the Black Panther Party to modern social movements,
Alkebulan respectfully declined to answer. Cultural lines in time After the seminar, Cromartie said Alkebulan was told not to answer any questions that drew parallels Cromartie between the Black Panther Party and the Black Lives Matter movement or recent political movements. In response to questions asking to draw comparisons, Alkebulan said, “The Black Panther Party was a particular creature created under a certain set of circumstances. It was a vastly different animal than (Black Lives Matter).” He said the Black Panther Party eventually became an organization that sought sovereignty of its own communities through social programs and communal policing. Cromartie said the Black Lives Matter movement is important to its time period, but also said people in social movements should learn from mistakes made by the Black Panthers. “I want students to hear voices of people like (Alkebulan). People who have made the shift from a social movement to academia,” Cromartie said. “You have one chance to hear about the Black Panther Party, you can hear about the Black Lives Matter on channel 7 or 2. You rarely hear about social movements of the past.” While Nance and Walker-Griffin said they understand why he refused to comment on current political discourse, like the presidential election or national anthem protests, some audience members wished he would have. UC Berkeley’s International Socialist Party member Francois Hughes heard about the event through Kyle “X”, a member of the Black Riders Liberation Party — an organization inspired by the Black Panther’s 10-point program. Hughes said not answering questions that pertain to current politics does not make the Black Panthers’ message relevant for students living in a political climate that is similar to the conditions of the 1970s. “Politics is relevant to me, but not everyone can see its importance,” he said. “There needed to be more explanation about how the Black Panther’s ideology is something worth thinking about now. It was especially difficult to relate to when no parallels were drawn to current political movements and protests.” X, a former student at CCC, marched into the lecture hall wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, black boots and a black beret minutes before the seminar was over. After speaking with Alkebulan, X said he disagrees with the guest speaker’s statement that the Black Panthers are not still active. “We are the new generation of the Black Panthers,” he said. “I don’t know how
(Alkebulan) can say we don’t “The exist anymore. The BRPL Black was founded right after the Oscar Grant shooting in Panther Oakland.” He said there is not a full Party chose schedule of meetings, but Malcolm X they meet in public placas its spiries once every few months to talk about possible social tual, moral programs for the communi- and ideoty, and protests. “We inform people logical godthough different revolu- father — tionary music. A couple of members pitched in to pay no doubt.” for studio (time) to produce — Paul Alkebulan, hip-hop,” he said. “And the professor new generation also provides the community with a newspaper.” Kyle X said the BRPL uses the Black Panther’s 10-point program but added three points that address environmental racism, housing and medical restrictions in urban communities. After the meeting, X and Hughes said they plan to attend the 50th anniversary Black Panther Celebration on Oct. 20-23 at the Oakland Museum of California. He said he refused to give his full name because he said the FBI’s COINTELPRO program could still be watching. Power to the people During the question and answer period, Alkebulan said the party was initially a black power nationalist movement that started in 1966 when leaders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton followed police officers with guns and read people their Miranda rights. “One thing the Black Panther Party was created for was to deal with police brutality,” he said. Alkebulan said the Black Panther Party originally shunned the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and used the nationalistic ideologies influenced by Malcolm X. “The Black Panther Party chose Malcolm X as its spiritual, moral and ideological godfather — no doubt,” he said. In 1967, he said its members stood on the state Capitol steps with guns to oppose a bill that would restrict citizens from the right to carry loaded weapons in public. He said this high profile protest prompted the FBI COINTELPRO program to investigate the Panthers using informants and hate letters to pit people within organizations against each other. He said the Black Panthers were considered militant socialists by the mainstream media, but people in the organization and in local communities were uniting to govern their own lives.
LOITERING | LA Building remains ADA pathway Continued from Page 1 place to hang out. Not every person going into (the LA Building) is a criminal. I mean I get it. It’s a convenient place to hang out,” Lt. Holt said. “But the criminal element is there. Someone can see someone going in there and see a potential target.” He said if it were up to him the building would be closed completely, but because of college policy the main doors have to remain unlocked.
Contra Costa Community College District Facilities Planner Ray Pyle said it is impossible to make the building completely off limits because the college must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Pyle said ADA access cannot be closed because its elevator is needed to bring people with disabilities from the lower part of campus up to the Physical Science and Biology buildings using the elevated walkway that connects to the second floor of the LA Building.
“Because the college is built on a hillside the sky-bridge is a major path of travel for people with disabilities,” he said. Business Services Manager Mariles Magalong said President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh held a meeting to figure out how to provide ADA access once the Allied Science and Health Project’s construction begins and the LA Building is torn down. “(This) week we are going to be meeting to start the discussion about implementing a shuttle ser-
vice as an option,” Magalong said. King said the college plans to tear down the LA Building within two years using about $56 million out of the $95 million available through 2014 Measure E funding. Pyle said while there are no finalized plans, he and his team are analyzing the campus for alternate ADA access routes with architects. “With any building not in use we would like to get people out and tear it down as soon as possible, but we cannot do that without an ADA access plan,” he said.
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Garden yields fresh herbs Vegetable patch offers unprocessed produce BY Dylan Collier ADVOCATE STAFF
dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com
The culinary arts department at Contra Costa College has one aspect that is overlooked by a lot of students but that contributes heavily to the day-to-day functioning of the kitchen: the garden behind the old Three Season’s restaurant. The culinary garden is not only doing well, but thriving even better than when the Three Seasons still provided food to the students last spring. “We have no plans to get rid of it, and I’d like to expand it if we can,” culinary arts department Chairperson Nader Sharkes said. Sharkes said the department grows mainly vegetables, herbs and roses in the garden, and about 60 percent of their dishes contain fresh herbs and vegetables directly from the garden. Additionally, the idea of growing fresh vegetables here on campus has whetted the appetite for discussion of healthy eating. “I really have an appreciation for growing some of your own vegetables, and I prefer that because then you know there’s no GMOs and it’s healthier,” second semester culinary student Jamarei Whelan said. Whelan said that the most common herbs the culinary department uses from the garden are basil and mint, and last week they used both items on one of their specialty salads, topped off with a vinaigrette dressing. “My favorite herb from the garden is basil, and this week we paired it with mozzarella and plum tomatoes for our Caprese salad. As you can see, basil is a very prominent ingredient, which we pick frequently,” Whelan said. “To make sure the vegetables and herbs get enough water, we have a drip irrigation system in addition to people watering them by hand,” culinary student Troy Yonke said.
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The culinary arts department plans to maximize its garden space near the Applied Arts Building to increase the variety of crops. The garden currently supplies Aqua Terra Grill and Pronto with roses for centerpieces and fresh herbs for meals.
Yonke said that Monday is when he picks the most herbs and vegetables, because Tuesday is their prep day for the rest of the week. Liberal arts student Deshaun Roberts said he didn’t even know there was a garden on campus, but it is great because then students might make lifestyle changes that involve staying away from processed foods. He said he didn’t know that the same tomatoes they put on their salads and hamburgers come from the school garden. Roberts said that people should be aware of eating vegetables naturally, because that’s how it started out years ago when everyone grew their own produce.
In terms of integrating the concept of quality produce at an urban community college, Roberts said using tomatoes from the garden contributes to the authenticity of the food. He said that they should branch out and make it bigger, so it is open to the public. Roberts said they should grow potatoes in the largest quantity because he eats a lot of French fries. Other students thought it would be great if the culinary garden could grow vegetables like corn, spinach, cabbage, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, and green beans. “I’m from San Rafael and there are gorgeous areas there to grow your own vege-
tables, and now we have that appreciation for freshness in an urban area. It’s a growing trend,” Roberts said. A bunch of weeds have been pulled out and the culinary department has made more space for more crops, so it isn’t a far-fetched idea to start growing new produce. Chef Elisabeth Schwarz said that it is important to appreciate the luxury of having a garden here on campus, because people don’t always realize that even the roses from the garden are used in dishes for garnish and decoration. “Roses are a plentiful item that grow in our garden that we are lucky to produce and have access to,” Schwarz said.
Annual function recognizes disabilities Month long discussion series illuminates hardships, disorders
BY Michael Santone ADVOCATE STAFF
msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com
October is national Disability Employment Awareness Month, and in honor of it the Library and Learning Resource Center, along with faculty and staff, will be screening its annual disability awareness film series which highlights and details six different disabilities in an open forum of question and discussion. The series will run all month long in LLRC-107 (it started Tuesday) and includes seven films which focus on delusional disorder, autism, blindness, female veterans, and ethnically diverse students with learning disabilities. The films aim to answer questions including what is a disability, how do they affect our lives and our interactions with each other, and how do people who are disabled view themselves? Librarian Megan Kinney, who is leading the organizational efforts, said
she sent out an e-mail in the middle of September asking for volunteers who would like to be moderators. This job includes choosing the film and leading a 15-minute discussion afterward. She said, “We are creating a comfortable place to have safe conversation.” Kinney will also be the moderator on Oct. 13 for the film “Lives Worth Living,” which is an oral history of key figures who have fought for equal rights, access and opportunity for the disabled. She said, “People can become disabled at any time in their lives, and even temporarily. (The film series) is to make it a lot easier to discuss hard topics.” During the spring 2016 there were a total of 356 students who were registered for Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) on campus. Their goal is to provide students with learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities with access to vocational and educational programs and
opportunities. DSPS counselor Ruth Gorman said there has been a rise in students with autism enrolling. She said, “It is important to educate and support students and faculty to advance understanding various disabilities through film and discussion.” Gorman said she tries to present a different disability each year. This year she will be closing out the series on Oct. 27 with the film titled “Oops, Wrong Planet,” which explores the world of autism. English professor Lucinda Ray said she has been a part of the series for about four years. This year Ray will be the moderator on Oct. 24 for the film “A Place in the World: Adults with Autism Finding Their Way,” which follows two adults with autism who enjoy the support of their parents, life coaches and others. Ray said, “I believe it’s important for the college community to devel-
op awareness for the rich variety of human abilities, and to be sensitive to the ways we can be welcoming and accommodating to all.” Kinney The film series also includes “So You’re Going Crazy: Living with a Delusional Disorder,” which details the hallucinations and disturbing situations the director’s own delusional disorder causes. “A Culture Undiscovered: The Impact of Learning Disabilities on Racially and Ethnically Diverse Students” this Tuesday will discuss topics such as cultural values, stereotypes and the positive steps students can take. The film “We Also Dance” will be shown on Oct. 17. It follows five blind dancers who introduce viewers to their world of dance.
NATIONAL PROGRAM PROMOTES EDUCATION, SUCCESS Club allows space to fulfill dreams, plan for future BY Jose Chavez ADVOCATE STAFF
jchavez.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Puente Club aims to support students with their educational goals while providing a family support system for its members. The club branched out of the Puente Project, a nationally recognized program focused on increasing transfer rates for underrepresented students. “Honestly, if it weren’t for the Puente Club, I would have dropped out,” Esmeralda Madriz, Puente Club president and undecided major, said. Madriz is currently president of the Puente Club for the 2016-17 academic year. She said the environment that the Puente Club offers is comforting since its members share similar goals and work together to plan activities and trips to universities. They also participate in activities that support their local communities, like tutoring elementary school students or becoming writing coaches for K-12 students.
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Psychology major Mauricio Duarte (left) and computer science major Marcella Navas (right) listen to club President Esmeralda Martinez during the Puente Club meeting on Sept. 21 in the SA-100.
The club meets from 2-3 p.m. in the Student and Administration Building on Wednesdays and is open for any Contra Costa College student who is looking forward to transferring or participating in on-campus events.
The club is made up of more than 10 members. Psychology major Mauricio Duarte said, “I think it adds to your success in college. We all share a common goal — to transfer.” Duarte said he’s been to three
meetings this semester and joining Puente has been the “best decision” he has made so far while at the college. He is a student in the current Puente Project class. Counselor and club adviser Norma Valdez-Jimenez said the
club offers a space for students to be able to share ideas as well as visit college campuses. Valdez-Jimenez joins the Puente Club during its meetings to help plan events and guides them through discussion during weekly meetings. Members of the club come together and fundraise to visit college campuses across the state, plan social events where all members can spend time with one another, and even do community service together. “The Puente Club has always been really good at fundraising and saving money throughout the semesters,” Valdez-Jimenez said. She said she wants club members to plan a number of ways to put the money to use, as well as set fundraising goals. Madriz said she wants students to bring ideas to the club. She said one of her goals for this semester is to make sure that members have a fun experience. Political science major and Inter Club Council (ICC) Chairperson Jose Arebalo said the Puente Club has a lot of ideas to bring to the campus and so far have been active and present during the ICC meetings.
campus beat
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CULINARY PREPARES TO FUNDRAISE Chocolate and Champagne event to fund Italy trip
BY Jose Chavez ADVOCATE STAFF
jchavez.theadvocate@gmail.com
Chocolate and champagne, pastries, pork belly and mole will be served during the annual Chocolate and Champagne event happening on Friday from noon to 3 p.m. in the Aqua Terra Grill. Tickets bought in advance are $25 and $30 at the door and will fund a trip to send selected culinary arts student to study in Italy
for 17 days over the summer. Culinary arts students will prepare tasty platters and serve champagne from different brands during the event. Culinary arts department Chairperson Nader Sharkes said they will have multiple stations in the kitchen, where the guests can meet culinary arts students. Sharkes said guests must be 21 or older to drink alcoholic beverages. Sharkes said the culinary arts department is also collaborating with ballroom dancers who will perform to provide some entertainment for the guests. Culinary arts student Genalyn Sabinano said she attended the Italy trip during summer 2015
and said he appreciates having the Chocolate and Champagne fundraiser. She said everything from flight to hotel was paid for and she said was able to “learn the Italian way.” However, she said the trip was not just about learning different cooking techniques in Italy. It was about the experience and bonding with each and every one of the students as a family. All culinary students will participate in Friday’s event. Culinary arts major Carissa Garcia said she hopes more people will attend as the event will be held in a brand new venue, as last year’s event was held in the Three Seasons Restaurant, which
no longer exists after the Campus C e n t e r Project allowed for an updated Sharkes location. Sharkes said each culinary class will have different tasks to focus on during the event. Students in Culinary 120, Introduction to Fundamentals in Food Service, will work the front, serving and helping the guests. The rest of the students will be working in the kitchen, preparing dishes for the guests to enjoy. The Chocolate and Champagne
event also received private donations and help from sponsors. Culinary arts instructional assistant Angel Chau said some of the sponsors are U.S. Foods, Purity Organic, which will donate champagne and wine, and Elite Associate, which will provide a chocolate tower for the guest to enjoy. She said one of the sponsors donated a Kindle Fire tablet which will be raffled at the event. The event has been advertised through social media outlets like Facebook, CCC’s website and even on websites like Eventbrite. com to purchase tickets in advance for $25.
Council budgets club’s agendas Inter-Club Council talks upcoming events, allowance for groups BY Dylan Collier ADVOCATE STAFF
dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Inter-Club Council held a meeting where attendees covered much ground about funding events for the year, Club Rush, which will be on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, and a few different clubs gave a glimpse into what is on their agendas. The Inter-Club Council meetings provide a chance for all clubs to communicate with each other and be supportive of each clubs ideas for the year. “It’s important that clubs speak up and advocate for each other,” Student Life Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks said. Last year, Club Rush was held on the Tennis Courts, but since the Campus Center Plaza is finished, they will be holding it there right next to the Fireside Hall, which is more conveniently located for students. During the meeting the committee came to the decision to allot $2,500 per semester to be spent on all events including Club Rush. “In order for a club to stay active, you must not miss more than three meetings, or else you’re suspended, and you must hold events that benefit the Contra Costa College campus,” Vice President of Club Affairs Jose Arebalo said. Multiple club presidents agreed that last spring semester had too many inflatable kids’ jumpers and that’s not the demographic that they want to be reaching out to and it wasn’t beneficial. So this year Club Rush will only have one
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Student Life Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks talks to club representatives during the Inter-Club Council (ICC) meeting in the SA-100 on Sept. 27. The ICC meets every Tuesday to discuss club activities and other agenda items.
“We plan on having a couple of fundraisers with vendors, and we are still waiting to get our food licenses, so we’re contacting people for that.” —Ron Huntington, president of the armed forces and service support group club
jumper and they decided to stick with the theme of Halloween. Clubs have to follow the theme of the event and decorate their booths accordingly. This year during Club Rush they are going to give away three prizes in amounts of $300, $150 and $75, to be awarded to the tables that have the best displays, which will be judged by which receive the most signatures from visitors. A viewing party for the presidential debate will happen on Oct. 19 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Student Lounge. The Community Organizing Political Action club (COPA) as well as the debate
team will be there, and during the commercial breaks the debate team will give two members approximately one minute each to debate about the issues brought up between Clinton and Trump. President of the Armed Forces and Service Support Group club Ron Huntington said they are focused on student veterans connecting with one another. “We build reliable veteran camaraderie and comprehensive platforms, while providing strong community resources,” Huntington said. Their mission is to foster veteran aid, veteran’s resources, to provide guest speakers, schedule community events and do a lot of fundraising. Nonveterans are also allowed to be in the club and attend the weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Monthly meetings for all members are on the first Thursday of every month. “We plan on having a couple of fundraisers with vendors, and we are still waiting to get our food licenses, so we’re contacting people for that. It’s only been two weeks since we’ve started organizing everything,” Huntington said.
“We’re working on getting food cards for people with no money and clipper cards for veterans in need of public transportation. One issue is that there are a lot of homeless veterans in this area, so we help with what we can,” Huntington said. He said that the Student Dining Hall and Bookstore give a 5 percent discount to veterans on various items. Although the ICC does print out a catalog for people to read, they rely heavily on word of mouth to get help with putting on events and organizing fundraisers. “This semester our catalogs are advertised a lot more than previous semesters,” Arebalo said. Nickelson-Shanks said that there are a few clubs that are planning on organizing field trips off campus, and ICC wants to make sure there is enough money to help out this cause. Furthermore, taking field trips is something he’d like clubs to do more of because, he said, it will expand students’ horizons and motivate them to want to transfer to universities that they may not have believed they could get into before.
Institute serves underrepresented population STEM provides help developing academic skills
BY Karla Juarez ADVOCATE STAFF
kjuarez.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Hispanic Serving Institute STEM program provides support and opportunities for Hispanic and other underrepresented students who find education a difficult way to reach success. Through programs provided by HSI STEM, Hispanic students improve their academic skills by receiving the help they need. HSI STEM focuses on the Hispanic population since although they are the largest minority population, they are underrepresented, Contra Costa College’s HSI STEM Grant and METAS Director Mayra Padilla said. The HSI STEM Program Coordinator Kelly Ramos said, “Given that less than 2 percent of the STEM workforce is Hispanic while almost 20 percent of the country’s youth population is Hispanic, this gives us cause to increase awareness and access to STEM with a focus on our Hispanic/Latino students.” Dr. Padilla said, “The question is, how are those (Hispanic) students doing compared to those others.” A college is in the Hispanic serving category when it reaches 25 percent of the Hispanic population, Dr. Padilla said.
HSI STEM is connected with Math Jam, METAS, the Center for Science Excellence and Adelante STEM Academy programs. Each program Padilla has its goal to help students to get confidence in themselves. Padilla said, “In order to help them (students), we have to change the culture of the college.” “If we find that they are not doing well, the issue is not the students. The issue is the institute,” Padilla said. HSI STEM is in CCC to provide the Hispanic community opportunities to grow as part of its programs, Padilla said. The Math Jam program offers help for those students who have struggled with math. “They help students to have a better relationship and outlook with math,” Padilla said. Earth science major Lorena Mendel said, “Math Jam offered me more confidence in myself and my capabilities of doing math. I received a great deal of emotional support and self-help skills. I did better at school.” Math Jam helps students to have confidence doing Math and to prepare them for a successful completion of
their math classes through workshops. Ramos said, “Our STEM smarts workshops focus on building student success skills applicable to STEM courses.” She said examples of workshop topics are: successful math note-taking and textbook learning, overcoming math test anxiety, developing a task management style and creating a final exam schedule. HSI STEM offers tutoring and leadership opportunities through METAS, Padilla said. METAS provides tutoring for students from preschooler to high school seniors, so this program is not only for college students, but also for the whole community, Ramos said. Ramos said, “It assists in outreach activities for preschool-12th grade students and foster success and STEM interest.” Mendel said she experienced what it was like to be a student in METAS and the benefits that came with it helped her son. The Center for Science Excellence is another program that supports students majoring in astronomy, biology, earth science, engineering, chemistry or mathematics. The CSE provides students mentoring, tutoring, workshops, transfer guidance and activities like field trips,
Padilla said. Ramos said mentoring provides students with connections to prepare them to transfer, campus faculty and individuals working in the STEM fields. Padilla said, “The CSE offers conversations with students in order to talk about their backgrounds.” Not only does the CSE help students with their academic skills, but also with the obstacles outside of school, Padilla said. HSI STEM also helps the Adelante STEM Academy program, which focuses on students who are majored in STEM fields. The Adelante program provides students workshops to guide them to a successful major. “They offer workshops like STEM Café, so students can hang with graduate students,” Padilla said. Ramos said STEM Café offers a series of talks between successful individuals working in the STEM field as well as STEM majors at CCC. “These professionals will share their personal and professional journeys in STEM, and students will have the chance to relate, connect and be inspired in their own journeys,” Ramos said. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions and network at each of these events, Ramos said.
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spotlight
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CENTER NURTURES YOUNG LEADERS, SUPPORTS COMMUNITY JUSTICE RYSE Center exposes youth to a leadership pipeline, enables social development BY Denis Perez ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
dperez.theadvocate@gmail.com
RIGHT: Career Pathway Education Coordinator Andrew Yeung (right) works with a RYSE member on a marshmallow game challenge in the Career Room during the RYSE Center’s open house on Sept. 16.
RIGHT: Webster Nguyen prints pictures of skulls for visitors to fill in with color during the RYSE Center’s Open House on Sept. 16.
RIGHT: Director of Finance Kea Everett serves food during the RYSE Center’s Open House on Sept. 16.
RIGHT: A Ryse member hulahoops in the backyard during the RYSE Center’s Open House on Sept. 16.
PHOTOS BY DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
RICHMOND — The RYSE Center aims to be a free and safe space for the city’s youth grounded in community healing and social justice that empowers them to be able to love, learn, educate, empower and transform their lives and c om mu n i ties. Clinical Counselor Joe Kim, of the center’s Community Health and Wellness Department, said the concept for the center is to help 13- to 21-year-olds develop their social and academic character while “kicking it” in a safe and comfortable place with peers from their community. He said the center’s programs are c r e a t ed with youth empowerment in mind a n d w it h youthful perspectives, as young participants are involved in the actual planning of classes and activities. The RYSE Center’s programs expose youth to the reality that they can change their city, state and country by engaging themselves in positive activities with various people at the center. “The youth will not get out of the streets if they don’t know anything but the streets,” Kim said. He said the center has four departments that use an integrative program model allowing members to participate in any part of any department they want. The advantage of participating at the RYSE Center is that there are many entry points where members can come for one program or class and get involved in another easily as well. To become a member of the center, a person between 13 and 21 years old must come to the center and be registered in its online system free of charge. Tours are available prior to registering and members do not have to live within the city of Richmond. The center’s C o m mu n i t y H e a l t h Coordinator Tania Palido said the great thing about the center’s program is that it is patient and gentle. “It (the center) really helps (students who are) going into the world,” Palido said. She said when she was a member of the center, her participation allowed her to deepen her political education.
She came into the center thinking she wanted to be a journalist but found an interest in building young leaders for her community. Kim said that when the concept of the center was conceived, community members surveyed Richmond High School students on their needs. Two repeated responses to the survey were that students wanted counseling and a recording studio. Kim said, “That tells you something when youth ask for counseling.” Community health and wellness Kim said the Community Health and Wellness Department provides support in health, housing, social and emotional needs of the community in areas both clinical and non-clinical. The department helps youth “embrace their bodies both mentally and physically.” He said the clinical division of the department focuses on treating mental health. “The Alphabet Room is a weekly group meeting (about) gender rights and gender roles,” Kim said. Members can seek counseling and join support groups if they are having (problems) or are stressed out. The non-clinical side of the department is called Food Justice, he said. He said the RYSE Center’s Food Justice department is inspired by the Black Panthers’ food program, as the RYSE Center believes in feeding the community, so it feeds its members for free. Palido said the other component of Food Justice is teaching members about proper nutrition. The food available to youth in the community is not always what they need. Kim said the center has a garden where they educate members on how to grow, cultivate and use herbs and vegetables. The center offers classes like Tasty Tuesday, which demonstrates easily accessible, healthy foods, and recipes that are also culturally appropriate, nutritiously dense and feel good. Media, arts and culture Media, Arts and Culture (MAC) Department Director Rasheed Shabazz said MAC includes instruction and participation in different types of productions. He said the department is divided into four sub-departments — visual arts, performing arts, video and music. MAC offers classes where members can learn to edit videos or take photographs. There are opportunities for students to perform at live events, direct music videos or create a mural. Visual arts assistant Francisco Rojas said MAC gives members exposure to real life work experience. Rojas said the MAC departments allowed him, a former member, opportunities to practice his skill in the center and outside of it. The department has high quality recording equipment students can use, Shabazz said. The studio is a place for young people to find and express their voices in a healthy way as opposed to unhealthy ways they could express themselves. A mural painted by the MAC visual arts department was unveiled in the Richmond Art Center last weekend. Shabazz said, “The process (to create the mural) was, we met with the people at the Richmond Art Center and then we brought in the young people and said what do you want to see up on the wall. Then they sketched some different things. After the sketching process they went and painted the mural.” MAC members have produced six musical albums that are available on their website Rysecenter.org. He said all the projects in his department are student led. “Young people’s voices are included in the artistic process.” Youth organizing and leadership Kim said the RYSE Center is committed to providing young community leaders with a platform
“The youth will not get out of the streets if they don’t know anything but the streets.” — Joe Kim, community health and wellness department clinical counselor
where they can organize events for their community peers. He said the youth organizing and leadership department supports the center’s Youth Advisory Board, Richmond Youth Organizing Team and the RYSE Leadership Team (RLT), which are all on-site youth leadership groups. Kim said the RYSE Leadership Team is a yearlong paid internship at the center. “The older members organically become leaders, but we hold RLT members to a higher standard,” he said. Youth Justice Director Stephanie Medeley said the RLT members are grounded in social justice principles and values. Kim said the RLT interns partake in leadership trainings, develop their community organizing skills and coordinate educational events. Palido said she joined the RYSE Center as an intern because she had an itch to learn. She joined in 2009 as a team member of the youth organizing and leadership cohort. She said writing articles, doing interviews and other tasks for the Richmond Post newspaper as a member of the center’s Youth Organizing Leadership department really deepened and enhanced her political knowledge. Youth Justice Coordinator Maiika Marshall said she started as an RLT intern in 2008. She said at first her position was as a recruiter for the center. She said she soon “fell in love” with RYSE, which sparked an interest in youth leadership. Marshall said she is a product of RYSE’s leadership pipeline and that the RYSE Center is a place of consistency — it’s a family and it’s a second home, she said. Education, career and youth justice Marshall said the Education Career Department recently merged with the Youth Justice Department and created a “mega mix of a department.” The merger makes a lot of sense since there are many problems around the school-to-prison pipeline that could be avoided if students are successful in their education and careers. Medeley said the department holds workshops like Justice Rysing, which teaches members about their rights at the moment of being detained by law enforcement officers. Kim said the center has a program with the Richmond Police Department that allows for firsttime detained youth to be brought into the center and participate in the programs for eight weeks. This acts as a sort of rehabilitation, he said. “The youth end up not getting their names in the system and in ways it breaks the school-to-prison pipeline,” Kim said. Youth leadership also holds group meetings that focus on young men’s and women’s concerns and issues. Medeley said the department wants to start a leadership pipeline that creates a bridge to be able to access educational support. Career Pathway Coordinator Andrew Yeung said the traditional K-12 educational system is structured in a way where many students who don’t feel like they fit into the system may fall through the cracks and drop out. The department has an open career room that helps members with anything related to getting a job or to their education. Yeung said tutoring, help building a resume or even help writing an email are all available in this department. He said they want members to know they have rights as students that will help them successfully get through the educational system.
spotlight
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Hidden dangers of stress exposed Workshop promotes healthy life BY Roxana Amparo and Sean Austin ADVOCATE STAFF
accent.advocate@gmail.com
When the heart starts pounding faster, muscles start to tighten, blood pressure rises, breaths quicken and senses become sharper causing the body to activate its “fight or flight” mode to protect itself. Stress is defined as a physical, mental or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension to an individual when put in strenuous situations. Hungarian endocrinologist János Hugo Bruno, also known as Hans Selye, conducted research and wrote in the British journal Nature in 1936 on the effects of stress on the body and developed the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), which is a theory on how individuals respond to stress. He found stress is experienced in three stages: alarm stage (“fight or flight”), resistance stage and exhaustion stage. When reaching the exhaustion stage, the body is burned out and the immune system is not working properly causing the body’s ability to fight off disease to be eliminated. Ongoing stress may lead to high blood pressure and eventually to a heart attack. Sociology major Sergio Corona, who is in his late 20s, said, “Last fall semester I went to the emergency room — my heart was pounding really hard. I couldn’t breathe right. The doctor said it was because of stress.” Adults between the ages of 18 and 33 have the highest average levels of stress, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2012 study titled “Stress in America: Our Health at Risk.” Contra Costa College Outreach Counselor Monica Nolasco said stress is a common trait for college students. “Wearing many hats can lead to stress, such as working full time, being a student or a parent returning to school,” she said. Middle College High School student Samuel Hernandez said he is stressing out over a research paper for his criminal justice class. “I like to tell myself to get over that mentality of not understanding the assignment, so I read it over (and over) until it makes sense,” Hernandez said. He said college students tend to overthink homework assignments, but taking the time to understand stressful situations they go through can help. One of the ways the CCC community helps students deal with stress is through stress management workshops. During one of these stress workshops, held on Sept. 22 in GE-104 and led by Nolasco, students tried meditation and the instant calming effects it can have on one’s body. The ambiance in the room changed noticeably as attendees closed their eyes and took deep breaths while listening to the calm meditation beat during a five-minute video played at the beginning of the workshop. The video was a binaural beat with constant dinging sound waves meant to relax the students during the workshop. Nolasco said meditation is a tool used to combat stress. She said using calming techniques like meditation can prevent serious harm to students. According to Selye’s DAS theory, when the body is in the “fight of flight” stage — the acute stage — the brain decides whether it will react in a “fight” or “flight” state. Under stress, the three major stress hormones released by the adrenal glands,
DE-STRESS THE BRAIN BY Robert Clinton OPINION EDITOR
rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com
located above the kidneys, include adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Adrenaline increases heart rate and elevates blood pressure. Norepinephrine’s primary role is to rouse the body and create sharper senses, and cortisol increases sugar in the bloodstream and enhances brain function. Cortisol keeps the body’s sugar and blood pressure up to help keep it safe. Over long periods of time, cortisol can damage and kill brain cells in the hippocampus — where the brain keeps the memory of personal experiences. During Selye’s second stage — the chronic stage (resistance) — the body tries to adapt to its discomfort and the individual may suffer fatigue and sleeping problems. Poor sleeping habits may result in becoming irritable and difficulty concentrating may arise. If the third stage, exhaustion, is reached, stress may cause the body to shut down leading to illness in the form of a viral or bacterial infection. Not everyone reaches all three stages. And if the period of stress is short-term the body can recover quicker than from long-term stress. Nolasco said stress can take its toll on an individual’s body causing behavioral symptoms such as yawning, fiddling, twitching, nail biting, grinding teeth to serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease or obesity. Nolasco said the two categories of stress include eustress and distress. Eustress is a good kind of stress, and distress is the negative stress caused by difficult life situations, she said. Corona said knowing he has a 3.3 GPA instead of a 2.4 GPA stresses him out because he has to make sure he keeps it up. “I am almost ready to transfer, and I know I have to maintain by GPA. It’s stressful,” he said. Corona said he is student at CCC working seven days a week, while providing for his family. As an outlet to relieve stress, he said he meditates and likes going to concerts where he can mosh in “mosh pits,” a type of dance where participants push and shove each other. Corona said after his health scare, he became aware of the consequences of stress and started to focus on the positives in his life. “I recommend taking some time to meditate,” he said. “It helps me think about my problems, to focus and relax. It’s as if everything is resolved (after meditating).” During her workshop Nolasco asked, “Can you imagine going to school and being a parent?” Workshop attendee and early child health development major Susana Ponce said being a parent can be stressful at times. “Before the (fall) semester started, I was worrying about my recent split up with my daughter’s father,” Ponce said. “I was really stressed out, but I knew I had to change for myself and for my 4-yearold daughter.” She said attending the workshop helped her realize the risks that come from living a stressful life. To help maintain a healthy life, individuals should find positive people and stay away from those who bring negative energy. Nolasco said, “Having a support
Billed by some as the first “digital drug” offering a safe and sane hit of mental stimulation, binaural beats give headphone listeners an auditory eavesdropping experience that expands into the far corners of the subconscious. The idea is that two different sound waves can produce natural effects on the brain, from memory enhancement to aiding with sleep and producing lucid dreams. The experience is caused by funneling different frequencies into each ear simultaneously
system is very important.” “Breathing — the way you breathe is very important to help reduce stress. Shallow breathing creates anxiety or panic attacks,” Nolasco said. She said drinking water helps as well. “ W e are 75 percent water. Your body needs water.”
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Body reactions The sympathetic nervous system signals the release of hormones adrenalin and cortisol. These hormones cause the heart to beat faster and raise blood pressure.
Blood starts to clot, which causes blockages in the circulatory system and prevents free flow through the body. Blood sugar also rises to provide more energy.
Rate and (stronger) contractions of the heart muscle increase. Blood vessels dilate and blood pressure elevates. This can lead to inflammation in the coronary arteries.
Fast, shallow chest breathing occurs and leads to hyperventilation. Anxiety and panic attacks can also accompany rapid breathing.
Muscles tense up. The contraction of muscles for long periods of time triggers other reactions such as headaches, migraines and other musculosketal conditions.
Heartburn or acid reflux may be experienced. The stomach reacts wth nausea or pain. Digestion is affected, resulting in diarrhea or constipation.
In women, stress can cause absent or irregular menstrual cycles or painful periods. In men, testosterone and sperm production are affected. Erectile dysfunction also occurs.
Skin disorders may occur as a result of stress such as acne, eczema, hives, rosacea and psoriasis. Hair loss conditions such as Alopecia areata and Telogen effluvium are also associated.
while listening through earphones. As a result, the subconscious mind fills in the gap between the frequencies, creating the illusion of a third sound — the mysterious binaural beat. For example, if 5Hz (hertz) is pumped in one ear and 7Hz into the other, the brain will simulate the 6Hz tone to balance the sound. The illusionary tone which forces the brain into “resonance entrainment,” or brainwave synchronization, is supposed to allow access to the frequencies that correspond to various
mental states. Different brain wave frequencies have been recorded by electroencephalogram (EEG) a monitoring method to detect abnormalities in patients’ brains during varying emotional states. What hasn’t been proven is that emotional state can be altered by introducing a frequency. Skeptics believe that binaural beats are no more emotionally moving or relevant than hearing your favorite song on the radio. Yet, hearing a great tune can change a bad day to good. PAGE DESIGN BY MARCI SUELA / THE ADVOCATE
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campusbeat
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Club highlights democratic rights Society looks to raise awareness of bills, measures introduced
BY Salvador Godoy ADVOCATE STAFF
sgodoy.theadvocate@gmail.com
After a year in the works, the Democratic Society Club launched this fall semester with the aim of influencing students to get involved in politics and to recognize the full extent of their democratic rights by registering to vote. “I want students to be aware of what bills and propositions are being introduced at both the state and the federal levels,” Democratic Society Club President Andrea Webb said. The club targets Middle College High School as well as Contra Costa College students and consists of roughly 20 members. The club anticipates more participants will join. Three meetings were scheduled this semester. The next one is slated to take place on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in AA-205. Democratic Society Club Inter-Club Council Representative Kwame Arhin said the club is formatted in a Socratic seminar style to discuss current political affairs. A Socratic seminar is a formal discussion where the moderator asks questions and students respond to the
“It breaks my heart to know that some students don’t vote because they don’t see the significance behind it.” — Kwame Arhin, Democratic Society Club member
question posed while also integrating the ideas of fellow students into their responses. “It gives a strong sense of inclusiveness as everyone can see each other and no one is shut out,” Arhin said. “Everybody’s voice is heard and that is what democracy is all about.” “That is what a true democrat stands for,” Kachi Onyeador, who serves as administrative assistant to the club, said. Onyeador said the organization is not only for democrats but also for independents and those with liberal ideals in general. People are provided a safe space to have discussions about the impact of politics in America and the world. “We also come up with different ways to educate ourselves and the peo-
ple around us,” Onyeador said. “From helping people register to vote to putting up posters with fun facts about politics, we definitely want to influence others about how they should start seeing politics as something that shouldn’t be thought of as boring.” Arhin said change requires an agent and wants students to know that they are that change agent. “It breaks my heart to know that some students don’t vote because they don’t see the significance behind it,” he said. “I want students to eventually learn the political system. Through the Democratic Society Club, we try to do this by having voting drives.” Onyeador said her role is not only keeping everyone connected to the club in terms of logistics but also scoping out news. “I make sure that I find news, in the political world, occurring anywhere to share with all of the members of the club,” Onyeador said. “I ensure they are informed of what’s happening around them so that they can be prepared for active discussions.” She said community elections have the power to directly change things locally, so they should be regarded as
a big deal. “I feel that the Democratic Party is the one that doesn’t want anyone to be left behind or tossed to the side while only a few people rise to the top,” Onyeador said. “I want to stand by a party that will help support others — a party that will encourage people to lift themselves up and fight for social change and the betterment for all types of people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexuality.” “When I think about democracy in this country it provides order in government. But we the people have a say on how it should be run,” Middle College High School student Britney Finley said. Arhin said the club is a powerful organization that any student, regardless of their political view, should attend — even if it is only for one meeting. “Ironically there is no strong bias in the room which enables students to truly say what is on their minds,” Arhin said. Webb said she hopes all eligible students on campus will be registered to vote by the deadline (Oct. 24) and vote in the General Election.
DRIVEWAY INCREASES DELAYS, HELPS PEDESTRIANS No projected fix to widen bottleneck on Mills Avenue Cramped quarters make navigating parking lot difficult
BY Efrain Valdez ADVOCATE STAFF
evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com
Driving into parking Lot 10 behind Buildings and Grounds is a very tight fit during school hours, especially when navigating the morning rush before classes. “The entrance is really narrow and is hard to get through when people are driving in and out in between classes,” graphic design major Edgar Gonzalez said. “It’s more narrow than it needs to be,” Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. “I don’t know if it was meant to be designed that way, even though cars were bigger 15-20 years ago when that parking lot was built.” “You can barely get two cars to fit through at the same time. I have seen a lot of folks just wait there until the other car pulls out of the parking lot to come in,” King said. The tight fit at the driveway raises the chances for accidents, slow traffic and lengthens emergency vehicle response time. “I found three, slow speed, non-injury accidents in our reports since 2010 at that intersec-
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
“You could build anoth- ing cars. “The positive to the current er driveway at the far end setup is that it helps keep traffic moving slower on a road frequentof the parking lot, but it by large numbers of pedestriultimately comes down to ed ans,” Lt. Holt said. This parking lot driveway could money.” be much more efficient when it — Bruce King, comes to getting cars in and out. Buildings and Ground manager “I spoke with Bruce King, and the general holdup is money. tion,” Police Services Lt. Tom Holt I’m sure with enough money we said. “I have no documented com- could design a more efficient and plaints about that intersection, but safe entrance and exit. Right now we wouldn’t maintain those types I believe it is safe, just not that of records. The negative would quick,” Holt said. be that for general vehicle traffic, During peak commute hours in entering and exiting is not quick the parking lot, it takes anywhere enough.” from three to six minutes to get Many students do walk across out. that driveway, but its narrowness What also makes the congesdefinitely prevents vehicles from tion worse is that the driveway is going fast, making it safer for stu- the only entrance and exit for the dents to stroll past entering or exit- parking lot.
“You could build another driveway at the far end of the parking lot, but it ultimately comes down to money,” King said. “They have talked about tearing down these modular buildings and improving this whole entranceway to make this side of the campus more appealing to the eye.” On the west side of campus new buildings brought a better image of the college to the eye. The same image revitalization would happen on the east side of campus where Lot 10 and Shane Drive are, if those plans were to go through. For now, there are no plans for parking Lot 10 to be modified to ease the congestion there. But later that whole side of campus might be revitalized and then maybe that driveway will be improved, King said.
ABOVE: A car turns into Lot 10 behind Buildings and Grounds on Monday morning.
Healthy options ignored in campus vending machines Minimal nutritious choices offered as campus goodies
BY Anthony Kinney ADVOCATE STAFF
akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com
The lack of healthy snacks offered in vending machines in the new General Education Building have raised concerns and a petition from the English department’s professors and administrative staff was even started. The petition was drafted after a number of English department faculty and administrative staff voiced their personal concerns for the lack of nutritional snacks offered to students in vending machines during the Liberal Arts Division meeting on “All College Day” earlier this semester. The petition, which was sent to Contra Costa College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, stated how having only junk food (candy, snacks and soda) as food options can negatively affect a student’s performance in the classroom. It also pointed out how sugary snacks like the ones offered in existing vending machines are linked to negative health issues. Producers of the petition say that the remodeling of the campus also grants the community an opportunity to make another significant change in the daily
“Students need to be more aware of the power they have when they voice their frustrations collectively.” — Dr. Joy Eichner Lynch, English department chairperson
lives of the students. The petition states, “While we are fully aware that should our students choose to do so, they can purchase and bring any of these items onto the campus, we strongly believe that as a ‘Premier Community College,’ we should not be putting our stamp approval on the sale of such objects on campus.” However, the petition is not calling for snacks such as candy and chips to be completely removed from campus vending machines, but for healthier snacks to be allowed as options as well. “Sugary snacks are not conducive to a learning environment,” Anoosheh Borhan, an English as a second language professor and former Oakland middle school cooking teacher, said. “There have been long studies done that show the relationship between healthy
foods and the ability to focus and the ability to learn.” Borhan said she remembers how when working with middle school students she urged the principal to change the snack policy which resulted in more engaged students and fewer classroom behavior issues. “When we implemented healthier snacks like fruits, nuts and yogurts for a week the students complained about the change, but what was amazing was all the behavioral issues went away. They were able to focus more,” Borhan said. English department Chairperson Joy Eichner Lynch signed the petition and looks at the vending machine options as a disservice to students at CCC. “There’s no choice when it comes to the vending machines, just junk food,” she said. “We need to model better eating habits. Our job as a college is to educate. This applies to nutrition and health too. “Taxpayers were more than generous to provide us with a first rate building for classes and offices, so students shouldn’t be offered second rate food. We have great students here and they deserve much better,” Dr. Eichner
Lynch said. Canteen Bay Area Vending, the company that provides all three campuses in the Contra Costa Community College District with vending machines does offer healthier snack options. Those options range from Nature Valley granola bars and Quaker mini rice cakes to Wheat Thins. Nick Dimitri, business services supervisor and manager of the Bookstore on campus, said he believes the vending machine changes will occur when students make a demand for new options. Although faculty are aware of their ability to petition and express their concerns for change, they’re even more aware that the student population is needed to get that change implemented. Eichner Lynch said the student complaints get results. “Students need to be more aware of the power they have when they voice their frustrations collectively,” she said. “There’s strength in numbers.” Faculty agree concerned students who would like to see healthier options in campus vending machines should confer with the Associated Students Union on how to get involved.
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WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 10.5.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
9
Unleashed
MOVIES
This week: “The Girl on the Train” (R) “Middle School: The Worst Year of my Life” (PG) “The Birth of a Nation” (R) “Under the Shadow” (PG-13)
BLU-RAYS
New releases: “X-Mean: Apocalypse” (PG-13) “Swiss Army Man” (R) “The Purge: Election Year” (R) “Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV” (PG-13)
MUSIC
New releases: Green Day: “Revolution Radio” Nora Jones: “Day Breaks” Goat: “Requiem” Hiss Golden Messenger: “Heart Like a Levee”
GAMES
SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE
‘Snowden’ entertains, informs moviegoers By Reggie Santini ADVOCATE STAFF
rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com
E
veryone knows what Edward Snowden did to gain his fame, or as some see it, infamy. If you haven’t yet heard of Snowden, the movie “Snowden” will teach just about everything you need to know. The movie goes over roughly 10 years in the life of Snowden, the CIA operative who leaked NSA surveillance documents to the world — beginning with his past in the United States Special Forces, his time in the CIA and his leak of classified documents. One of my biggest fears when heading to the theater to see this film was that it would be a “spy movie,” but I can happily tell you this is not “Jason Bourne” or “Mission Impossible.” Director Oliver Stone does a fantastic job of not making Snowden into an action hero but instead showing people his fears, insecurities and brilliance. Joseph Gordon Levitt is cap-
tivating as Snowden. His acting is so convincing that it is hard to believe it wasn’t actually Snowden playing himself. Levitt truly incorporates the body and mind of the whistleblower. The way Levitt changes his tone, intonation and mannerisms to match Snowden is a terrifying treat. It’s amazing to see how far the little boy from “3rd Rock from the Sun” has come. Shailene Woodley’s performance as Snowden’s girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, is fantastic. She does a great job of counteracting Levitt’s distant and stoic Snowden with her lighthearted and optimistic Mills. Woodley’s experience in dramatic movies makes us feel every part of her characters struggle to be in such a difficult relationship. The supporting cast is truly amazing and all do their part to bring the movie to life. My one gripe with “Snowden” is casting director Lucy Beven’s choice of casting Nicolas Cage into the movie.
ADVOCATE STAFF
evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com
“Paper Mario: Color Splash” (E) “Gears of War 4” (M) “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 ‘Salvation’” (M) Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week. — Reggie Santini
His performance was fine, but the actor himself is distracting to the film as most people in the audience began talking when Cage appeared on screen. Despite his role being small, there is something about Cage that takes away from the immersive nature of the project and reminds you that you are in fact in a theater watching actors play these roles. That is but a minor distraction in a great film. “Snowden” is captivating and moving and does a fantastic job of showing audiences the struggle of a man caught between the government and his desire to expose its immoral agenda. If you are worried at all about the authenticity of the film and how it measures up to what actually happened, you don’t need to. The real life counter-part was in contact with Oliver Stone throughout to answer any questions that Stone might have. In the film, Snowden’s character is so deeply developed that it doesn’t give the characters surrounding him much room to be
fleshed out. We MOVIE don’t get a chance REVIEW to see Snowden’s “Snowden” upbringing or any of his life before Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt the CIA. Directed by: The little we Oliver Stone do learn about Where: AMC Bay his childhood Street Genre: Drama is quickly mentioned in passing conversations. This is a movie that demands your full attention. Missing one sentence of dialogue can leave you confused. It is especially sad that viewers don’t get a chance to learn much about Mills’ character. Mills serves mostly as Snowden’s anchor to the world outside of the CIA and to show his transformation from CIA operative to paranoid whistleblower. Their relationship is one of the most fascinating parts of the film. We get to see how they meet, fall in love and eventually how the things Snowden is unable to tell her tear them apart.
Affordable sushi found near campus By Efrain Valdez
New releases: “Mafia 3” (M)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as NSA’s infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden in “Snowden.”
G
yoza Express is a sushi restaurant that offers a great variety of sushi rolls, food bowls and drinks in a convenient location for Contra Costa College students. It is located in the shopping center across from CCC on 14350 Laurie Lane. During my trip to the restaurant I had the Lion King roll, 49ers roll and the deep fried California roll. The most popular of the sushi rolls is the Lion King roll. It is a California roll topped with salmon and a house special sauce. It is not the cheapest place around to eat, but it is not overpriced. The price is fair considering the great quality and taste of the food. Slightly right of the counter there is a sushi bar. Right above the bar there is a screen with the menu and three high definition televisions so patrons can enjoy sporting events. The drink selection behind the counter features a variety of drinks like Snapple, canned sodas, and Mexican beer and sodas. After ordering your food and drink, you can make your way to any available seat and watch a game.
The restaurant FOOD can seat about 40 REVIEW people and is over“Gyoza Express” all fairly spacious. Cuisine: Sushi The lighting in the Rolls restaurant is dim. Where: 14350 This restaurant is Laurie Lane, San convenient for stuPablo Price Range: $6 dents because it is - $20 a five-minute walk from campus. What stands out the most is that Gyoza Express is never too busy. This is surprising because the shopping center it is located in is often busy. Even though Gyoza Express has only been open for about four years, I’m surprised it doesn’t have more clientele. Trying to explain why the restaurant isn’t busy is hard thing to figure out. The issue may be due to the owners of the restaurant failing to advertise effectively. Many people do not know that Gyoza Express is a sushi restaurant at first glance when driving by. Gyoza Express is a great option if you are trying to avoid fast food restaurants and long lines. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for good sushi, which is hard to find in the Richmond-San Pablo area.
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Gyoza Express opens its doors to offer a variety of sushi and Japanese dishes Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the College Center shopping plaza just off campus.
10
sports
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 10.5.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
Eagles wide receiver Greg Thomas (center) dives to block the fourth quarter possible go-ahead field goal attempt by Comet kicker Devin Quesada during CCC’s 21-20 loss to Laney College at Comet Stadium on Saturday.
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Penalties, clock management mar courageous effort Special teams’ miscues, mistakes guarantee loss BY Anthony Kinney STAFF WRITER
akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com
The football team (1-4) fell short in achieving its second win and ending Laney College’s two-game winning streak after leading at halftime then losing by a single point, 21-20, Saturday night at Comet Stadium. More than 400 people showed up to witness the EAGLES Comets play host to a Laney team that it has not faced on the football field in over 30 years. The game proved to COMETS be closer than the distance between the two East Bay schools. After losing their lead late in the second half, the Comets, with one last chance to win the game, trailed by one point on the 35-yard line with just six seconds to play. With the clock running, quarterback Cameron
21 20
Burston attempted to stop it but was penalized for an illegal formation after spiking the ball. A mandatory 10-second runoff ended the Comets’ chance at victory. “It’s disappointing, but it’s also a growing process,” coach Alonzo Carter said. “We came a long way. We just gotta get over this hump.” Carter called the loss “a collective breakdown on both sides of the ball.” After a bye this week, CCC has extra time to prepare for its next game Oct. 15 on the road against undefeated Santa Rosa Junior College. Penalties plagued both teams from the opening kickoff as Laney (3-1) earned the game’s first penalty on the kick return for an illegal block in the back. Both teams accumulated a staggering 18 penalties each in the contest which resulted in Laney losing 218 yards and the Comets losing 149 yards. During the first penalty-free drive of the contest, Eagles’ quarterback Andrew Ve’e (2-12, 13 yards passing and 19 rushing attempts for 94 yards and three touchdowns) scored first with a 5-yard sneak. The score gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead with eight minutes to play in the first
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
quarter. CCC’s offense answered on its following drive. A lobbed touchdown pass was delivered by Burston (12-28 for 92 yards passing and 15 yards rushing with two passing touchdowns) to heavily guarded receiver Semaj Mitchell for an 8-yard score. However, the Comets’ two-point conversion failed making the score 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. “We should have got that W. We have got to work more on stepping up during the critical times,” Burston said. “We were bracing for the pressure in the first half and we didn’t see it, so we eased up. Then in the second half when the pressure came, we were a little too late to adjust to it.” The Eagles were unable to score for the rest of the half as the Comets went on to score two more times before the first half ended. The first came on an 85-yard touchdown punt return by receiver Willie Williams after the Comet defense forced Laney to kick by shutting them down on three straight possessions. After botching its first two-point conversion attempt, CCC successfully converted its second attempt on a Burston to Phillip Huff pass connection that extended the
A referee delivers the verdict of a penalty call against the Comets during CCC’s 21-20 loss to Laney College at Comet Stadium on Saturday.
Comet lead to 14-7 after a successful twopoint conversion. Comet supporters grew louder and more confident as the defense continued to shut down the Eagles offensive attempts. CCC capped the first half with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Burston to receiver Jaylin Howard giving the Comets a 20-7 halftime lead. Linebacker Elijah Williams said, “We left money (opportunities) on the field. “We should have won,” he said, “The defense didn’t execute. We got too comfortable before the second half and gave them the win.” CCC’s offense grew colder as temperatures dipped to 52 degrees at the start of the third quarter. The Laney game marked the second time the Comets were held scoreless during the second half of a game this season. Comet fans crossed their fingers as the team drove down the field with hopes of making a field goal in the last five minutes of the game that would have given CCC a late lead and possibly the win. Those hopes were spoiled after the Eagles defense blocked CCC’s field goal attempt, leaving the chances of a comeback unfeasible and sealing the 21-20 loss.
COMETS DROP SECOND IN A ROW TO NAPA VALLEY Storm uses height to dominate CCC en route to victory
STORM DEFEAT COMETS
25-8, 25-11, 25-17
BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR
rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com
After a having its two-game winning streak snapped Wednesday at Columbia College, the volleyball team has lost two games in a row, this time in straight sets to Napa Valley College 25-8, 25-11 and 25-17 Friday in the Gymnasium. A habitually slow starting team, the Comets (2-7 overall and 1-3 in the Bay Valley Conference) started the conference game in usual fashion, falling behind early and playing catch-up for the majority of the first set. Despite strong efforts by many of the Comet players, the height of the Storm at the net proved to be too much for the home team to overcome. “At practice we are so much better than we played today. We just have to get the first set heebee-jeebees out,” Comet outside hitter Alejandra Galvez said. “I think we start slow to feel the other team out, but we should be doing that in the game.” CCC gets another chance to expel the heebee jeebees tonight against Los Medanos College in Pittsburg at
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Storm outside hitter Mariah Leal (middle left) hits the ball past Comet blockers Jacqueline Tianero and Alejandra Galvez during CCC’s 3-0 loss against Napa Valley College on Friday in the Gymnasium.
6 p.m. The Storm (3-6 overall and 2-1 in the BVC) took advantage of CCC’s lack of size and intensity early, jumping out to an 11-4 lead in the first set. Seemingly rattled by Napa’s hot start, the team made costly mental mistakes, like touching the net twice in a row, that eventually led to a 25-8 first set final. For the Comets, their best hitters are also the best blockers so as the team rotates, its help defense
becomes inconsistent. “We needed to get down low and move. We worked on everything that they did tonight in practice all week,” coach Christy Tianero said. “We’re still missing one of our best outside hitters (sophomore Deanna Craighead) due to injury, hopefully she will be cleared to play next week. That will help at the net. Craighead was in a car accident shortly before the non-conference portion of the Comet volleyball
season started. The second set began with the Comets taking an early lead. Throughout the set, CCC was able to string together points but could not find the same consistency on defense. Sophomore setter Amy Palomares, put together a cluster of scoring serves, but not enough to curb the Storm’s offensive outburst. CCC dropped the second set 25-11. Between the second and third
sets, Tianero pulled aside freshman right setter Joshleen Ayson to tell her to focus on getting serves in and not on hunting for service aces if the team falls behind in the set. Not only has CCC not beaten Napa in the past three years, the team hasn’t taken a set from the Storm over the same time-frame. The third set was knotted early, and Ayson followed Tianero’s instructions to put all serves in play which led to an early 3-3 tie in the final set. Mental errors continued to chip away at CCC’s chances for prosperity and although Ayson produced scores and scoring opportunities for the Comets, collectively, they could not take advantage of them. “We would have done better if moved more, got low and stayed on our toes like coach said,” Ayson said. After being tied early, the Storm’s offense opened up and rained a deluge of shots on the CCC, eventually extending its lead to 15-7. “In the third set we picked up our aggression and drive and played better but Napa is a good team with hard hitters.” Tianero said. From the 15-7 mark, the Comets outscored the Storm 10-8 but eventually lost the set and the match 25-17.
sports
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 10.5.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
“
Lack of finishing kills a team and lack of concentration in the final third is what has been hurting us.”
11
■ OFF THE RECORD
— Anthony Maytum,
efrainvaldez
MLS SALARIES IMPEDE STUDENTATHLETES’ DREAMS
A
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Comet midfielder George Burrows and Eagle midfielder Jose Araiza battle for possession of the ball during CCC’s 2-1 loss to Mendocino College at the Soccer Field on Friday.
Eagles down Comets in conference opener Lack of scoring continues to plague team
EAGLES
2 1
COMETS
BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR
lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com
Despite dominating in possession and shots, the Comets failed to snap a five-game losing streak or match Mendocino College’s efficiency in front of goal during a 2-1 loss at the Soccer Field on Friday. Contra Costa College men’s soccer team’s slow start in a fast-paced game let the Eagles smuggle a win and three Bay Valley Conference points away from the Comets. “We dominated in all phases of the game, but we just couldn’t score goals.” Contra Costa College men’s soccer coach Nikki Ferguson said post game. “We created a ton of chances, but our lack of finishing is frustrating because it is something we have been working on all week in training.” The Comets (0-1 in BVC and 4-7-1 overall) outshot the visiting team 13-6 by the end of the game, forcing the Eagle’s goalkeeper Luis Zavala to make nine saves. But the Eagles (1-0 in BVC, 2-7-1 overall) capitalized on half-chances created by the Comets’ defensive errors at minutes 17 and 56 to score their sixth and seventh goals in 10 games. The game-winning goal was scored 11 minutes into the second half when Comet goalkeeper Eduardo Escamilla stepped off his line in a crowded penalty area to punch away a centered pass from an Eagle free kick. But the ball deflected off of another player and then to Eagle midfielder Alejandro Cabada who tapped it just inside the far post of goal from about 5 yards out to make the score 2-0 with about 44 minutes remaining. “We didn’t challenge (the Eagles) physically in the (penalty area). They challenged our goalkeeper (Escamilla) twice only 10 minutes into the second half,” Ferguson said. “The second time we gave up a goal because he was knocked down and
STANDINGS/BOX SCORES Men’s Soccer Standings Bay Valley Conference Team GP W-L-T Merritt 1 1-0-0 Mendocino 1 1-0-0 Napa Valley 1 0-0-1 Yuba 1 0-0-1 Contra Costa 1 0-1-0 Marin 1 0-1-0 Last week Bay Valley Conference games: Mendocino 2, @Contra Costa 1 @Yuba 0, Napa Valley 0 @Merritt 2, Marin 0
Pct. 1.000 1.000 .000 .000 .000 .000
“We didn’t challenge (the Eagles) physically in the (penalty area). They challenged our goalkeeper (Escamilla) twice only ten minutes into the second half.” — Nikki Ferguson
coach
someone tapped it in — that’s the level of physicality we needed to show in the final attacking third (of the field).” MC went into the second half up 1-0 at halftime with only two shots on goal — CCC had five shots. Comet left midfielder Anthony Maytum said the first half was full of chances to score but the level of urgency mounted in the second half when the team fell down to 2-0. Maytum was substituted in minute 40 for a minor ankle sprain. Maytum said he sprained his ankle on an uneven patch of field while battling for possession of a loose ball at half field. “Lack of finishing kills a team and that lack of concentration in the final third is what has been hurting us,” Maytum said. “We are a talented group of individuals but we need to find the right chemistry moving forward into conference play.” The Comets’ best chance to tie came late in the second half when CCC was awarded a free kick from about 20 yards along the right edge of the penalty area. Midfielder Eduardo Torres smashed a curling shot toward the corner of the near post, but Zavala tallied his seventh save with his right hand. Mendocino soccer coach Shane Huff said he is proud of his young team’s ability to hold onto an important defensive win on the road, especially after a grueling non-conference schedule similar to CCC’s. “Contra Costa (College) is a good
This week Bay Valley Conference games Contra Costa @Merritt, Oct. 4, 4 p.m. Yuba @Contra Costa, Oct. 7, 4 p.m. Napa Valley @Mendocino Marin @Yuba Merritt @Mendocino Napa Valley @Marin Box Score Mendocino 2, Contra Costa 1 At San Pablo, Calif. (Sept. 30) CCC 1 0 — 1 MC 1 1 — 2
Goals/Assists 1. MC, David Castaneda, assisted by Terrance McIntyre, 17th minute. 2. MC, Alejandro Cabada, assisted by Breden Valador, 56th minute 3. CCC, George Burrows, assisted by Jahrie Gray 70th minute.
team and toward the end of game there they were knocking on our door.” Huff said. “I’m glad the game ended when it did — if there were a Ferguson couple more minutes it could have easily turned into a different result.” Two goals, scored by Eagle midfielders David Casteneda and Cabada, gave the Eagles enough leverage for its defense to keep last year’s BVC champion Comets scoreless until minute 70. “The difference between the (first and second) halves is that more of our passes were getting in behind (the Eagles’) backline,” Ferguson said. “They were able to find those defensive seams at times, but not enough — they played in front of (the Eagles’) defense instead of finding the seams with pace.” The Comets’ scoring counterattack developed during a give-and-go between center forward Jordan Fletchero and striker Jahrie Gray at half field near the right sideline. Fletchero returned Gray’s square pass with a cheeky backheel flick. Gray then burst into space toward the center of the field to draw Zavala off his line before the lay off pass to center midfielder George Burrows striding into the edge of the penalty area. Burrows rifled a low-shot to the nearpost past a lunging Zavala to put CCC within one goal. The Comets’ efforts until the final whistle however, were not enough to get all three points awarded the winner in the BVC standings. Depending on the results of Tuesday’s game at Merritt College in Oakland, the Comets could play against Yuba College on Friday at the Soccer Field at 4 p.m. with a longer losing streak, or a fresh start.
First Half Shots - CCC 5, MC 2 Corners - CCC 2, MC 2 Fouls - CCC 3, MC 2 Saves - CCC 1, MC 4 Second Half Shots - CCC 8, MC 4 Corners - CCC 5, MC 1 Fouls - CCC 5, MC 4 Saves - CCC 0, MC 5
Upcoming Comet men’s soccer schedule Contra Costa @Mendocino, Oct. 25, 4 p.m. Merritt @Contra Costa, Oct. 28, 4 p.m. Contra Costa @Yuba, Nov. 4, 4 p.m. Marin @Contra Costa, Nov. 8, 4 p.m. Napa @Contra Costa, Nov. 10, 4 p.m.
student athlete’s dream is playing his or her respective sport at a professional level to make their American dream real. Unfortunately, soccer players trying to make a living off of their talent in Major League Soccer (MLS) likely will not be getting the big bucks they dream of. Out of more than 500 players in MLS, only 23 players make more than $1 million annually. That is thanks to the designated player (DP) rule. Implemented in 2007, it allows each MLS franchise to sign players that would be considered outside of the team’s salary cap. It was designed to allow the MLS to compete with other leagues around the world when it comes to signing international stars. Another argument has been made that having a DP attracted household names like David Beckham in 2007, or the recent arrival of Andrea Pirlo to New York, which boosts the overall value of the league. Something that also can be said is that soccer is not the most popular sport in America and that leagues like the NFL, NBA and MLB bring in much more revenue. Those leagues are multi-billion-dollar corporations that have been established for more than 50 years. That does not mean the MLS is a poor league. It makes more money than the highest spending and most competitive league in the Americas, the Mexican League (Liga MX). As for the MLS, there are players who have to work two jobs to support their families when they are considered “professional” athletes. ESPN took an anonymous survey of 123 MLS players and 84 percent of them said they are dissatisfied with their current salary. This deters college athletes from pursuing a professional soccer career. RJ Allen from New York City FC is getting paid an annual salary of $63,000, while his fellow starting midfielder Frank Lampard makes an annual salary of $6 million. This wage gap hurts the MLS’ quality of play and it hurts the level of talent that is coming from universities into the draft. It discourages student-athletes from pursuing their dreams of being professional soccer players in America. Instead, these very talented soccer players are pursuing careers through school, which is not bad, but it hurts the national soccer team and the MLS. “Almost every single player in this league (MLS) knows that this is one of two or four careers that we’re going to have in our lives,” an MLS player from ESPN’s anonymous survey said. The MLS makes enough revenue to raise the salary cap to make a player’s minimum salary at least $100,000 annually. But for now, the MLS will continue to dump money on over-paid players like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard thanks to the DP rule. Efrain Valdez is a staff member of The Advocate. Contact him at evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com.
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The San Jose Earthquakes applaud the San Jose Ultras supporters after their 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake in San Jose at Avaya Stadium on Saturday.
ABOVE: A San Jose Earthquakes’ fan cheers after Earthquake forward Simon Dawkins scored a goal in the 34th minute against Real Salt Lake giving them a 1-0 lead at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on Saturday.
San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas dribbles the ball against Real Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran during the Earthquakes’ 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on Saturday.
San Jose Earthquake midfielder Fatai Alashe (right) headers the ball for the gamewinning goal during the Earthquakes’ 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on Saturday.
San Jose Earthquake midfielder Tommy Thompson (right) fouls Real Salt Lake defender Sunday Stephen (left) during the Earthquakes’ 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on Saturday.