WEDNESDAY l 2.15.17 OUR 67TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.
Percussion, language laud African heritage CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE
Event showcases link between ancient, current African people
BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR
rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com
Ingenuity, expression and the persistent spirit of black excellence merged to explore the long lasting impact that African culture has on American society at the African Heritage Month celebration held Feb. 9 in the Knox Center. While most Black History Month celebrations focus on African-American life post-slavery, this program, titled “From African Empires to Congo Square in the U.S.,” explained the unique cultural influences that blended to become the modern African-American experience. “Often times people focus on slavery and nothing beyond that,” history department Chairperson Manu Ampim said. “But like a good student activist said — ‘If you start your history at slavery the best you can be is a good slave.’” Ampim gave a presentation on his archaeological studies in Central Africa and offered primary source information about the “cultural
complex” that still exists there in many regions. He then bridged the gap between ancient Africa and the experiences and contributions by blacks after slavery. Congo Square, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a meeting place for enslaved Africans in the colonial era of the 18th century. Although public gatherings were forbidden, people braved beatings and threats of death to congregate and share experiences, accompanied with food, music and dance. The area was given the name because of the large number of Africans from the Congo Kingdom who were bought and sold in the small French settlement. Mistress of ceremonies, Contra Costa College student and African-American studies major Lavonia Bobo, seamlessly steered the celebration between presenters who ranged from current and former students, staff members, traditional performers and professors. As a tutorial on the origin of Black History
Month, CCC graduate and Cal State-East Bay master’s program participant Lacretia Robinson explained Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s vision for creating the now month-long recognition of the contributions that black people made and continue to make in society. Robinson also cited the calming influence Africana/Chicano/ethnic studies department Chairperson Carolyn Hodge provided her as a professional returning to school later in life to foster a career change. Before examining the cultural melting pot that was Congo Square, Ampim reflected on the similarities between ancient African empires through his first person experiences while on sabbatical in Northern and Central Africa. The professor returned from Africa three days before the spring semester began. “We’re going beyond the slavery barrier, in fact, beyond the Atlantic Ocean,” he said. “We SEE HERITAGE, PAGE 3
UNITED FACULTY SUES DISTRICT OVER UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE Employee union submits lawsuit, cites misconduct procedures as biased BY Anthony Kinney NEWS EDITOR
akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com
The United Faculty filed an “Unfair Labor Practice” claim in November 2016 with the Public Employee Relations Board against the Contra Costa Community College District after years of failed attempts to modify how investigations into faculty misconduct allegations are conducted. Going in blind According to the UF’s newsletter, An unfair labor lawsuit “Table Talk,” faculty members who have filed in November been involved in 2016 demands professors under investi- misconduct investigations through the gation of misconduct years often complain be given right to know of feeling disrespectallegations in policy. ed, frustrated and PAGE 2 scared after meeting with district lawyers. UF Executive Director Jeffery Michels said alleged faculty members and their union representatives are oblivious of what to expect until they’re met by an abundance of accusations and incriminating questions. Michels, the lead UF negotiator, said student confidentiality and attorney-client privilege clauses are the usual ostensible reason district
editorial
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Food pantry offers relief for community Student group operates on-campus canned, nonperishable goods
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BY Reggie Santini SPOTLIGHT EDITOR
rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Associated Student Union has helped create and open a food pantry for Contra Costa College students who can’t afford to feed themselves. Located in SA-234 and open three times a week, Mondays and Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the student staffed food pantry provides students with enough food to make one meal on each day of the week for up to seven days. Students can withdraw food from the food pantry twice a week. “We know that about
one out of five students at CCC suffers from food insecurities,” Student Services and Instructional Support Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks said. “With the opening of our food pantry we will be able to impact students on our campus.” Students must come to the Student Life Office in SA-109 and log in with their student ID numbers before heading to the Food Pantry to pick up a bag of groceries. Political science major Jose Arebalo said, “I have worked at different food pantries before and ours is very diverse. The people
ABOVE: Computer science major Amante Nepomaceno (right) and sociology major Minerva Arebalo (center) fill undecided major Susana Ponce’s bag during her visit to the food pantry in SA-234 on Monday.
‘Face blindness’ rendered using paint, canvas, mannequins PAGE 5
Comets dominate road game at Marin Despite only having five players suited up, CCC won comfortably at College of Marin. PAGE 7
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ABOVE: Kiazi Malonga (right) with Fua Dia Congo (left) plays his drum during the annual African Heritage Month celebration in the Knox Center on Thursday.
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opinion
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15, 2017 VOL. 104, NO. 14
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM
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EDITORIAL WE’RE GOING IN BLIND
United Faculty files claim against years of district abuse
A
lawsuit filed against the Contra Costa Community College District intends to fight how its lawyers handle misconduct allegations against professors at each of its three campuses. The United Faculty (UF), a union that represents tenured and part-time professors within the district, announced in November 2016 that it filed a suit challenging the nondisclosure of documents containing personal student information and allegations against professors who are under investigation for misconduct. While there has not been a date set for a court appearance, the UF’s decision to challenge the district is a resort that could finally bring clarity to a vague, misleading board policy. According to the district’s Human Resources Procedure 2070.01, “Academic Employee Discipline/Dismissal,” a tenured or part-time professor can only be dismissed or suspended if there is extensive documentation and evaluation of the misconduct or unsatisfactory performance. The procedure does not explicitly state how the district should handle a professor’s request to see the allegations, and according to the UF’s lead negotiator, this fact has been exploited. United Faculty Executive Director Jeffrey Michels said student confidentiality and attorney-client privilege clauses are the usual ostensible reasons district lawyers claim to leave union representatives, and the accused, in the dark during an investigation. “We’re not asking for investigations to be less vigorous,” Michels said. “But we are asking that teachers be treated more respectfully during these investigations.” He said the UF filed the lawsuit after a series of meetings at the District Office in which professors who were accused of misconduct were not provided proper briefing or the accusations in writing prior to, during or after the investigations. Lawyers at the District Office blindly use the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) whenever they want to restrict access to information. But FERPA is misused by many and understood by few. While it does restrict the district from disclosing personal information like name, address, transcripts, gender, race and age, it does not restrict providing the document with this information redacted. And when the UF brought examples of court ruling precedents to the district’s attention in November 2016, district lawyers refuted the case precedents. Taking a dispute before a judge is a measure that Michels said the UF has not resorted to in almost 11 years. While an investigation is ongoing, implementing transparency and fairness during disciplinary investigations for employees and students can only be beneficial. Misconduct should be punished, but it must be a fair process that gives the UF the right to access sensitive case files with the names and personal information of the accusers redacted per FERPA mandate. Furthermore, the board policy states disciplinary actions for classified managers, supervisors and classified staff are given the luxury of a letter with allegations from district Chancellor Fred Wood. It goes to show that even in a diverse district that touts equality, some employees are more equal than others.
LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE
■ SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Executive orders breed more racism, denial I
n lieu of recent executive orders by President Trump, it has become abundantly clear that the nearly 60 million people who voted for him weren’t after a referendum on economic policy, but an outlet for racial restructuring. It wasn’t the rural uneducated working class whites who gobbled up the nationalistic message born of the alt right, fostered by National Security Council member and former Breitbart media editor Steve Bannon, and then disseminated to the masses in the form of political red meat. To the contrary, it was college educated whites who switched out their Obama/Biden ’08 bumper stickers for a chance to witness morning in Reagan’s America, experience Kennedy’s Camelot or just make America great again. Exit polls from over 20 states during the primary elections showed Trump supporters bring home a higher income than the national average at roughly $70,000 per household. The new car smell was gone from this administration the moment Trump signed his second executive order on Jan. 24. It cleared a path to continue construction on the Dakota Access oil pipeline, disenfranchising thousands of Native Americans in the process. His first order was to begin the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act. On the following day, Jan. 25, Trump signed the order beginning the exploratory process of building the border wall and to add 10,000
robertclinton immigration agents to the federal roster. As the economic issues that conservative policy wonks championed during the campaign moved from the backseat to These people the trunk, the overurging to give whelmTrump a ingly white chance aren’t voting base still the ones denied blatant whose lives racebased could be legislation was turned upside coming from the down in an administration in instant. the form of executive orders. Public sentiment shifted following the travel ban executive order that unconstitutionally restricted the emigration of people from seven majority Muslim nations, fueling protests at airports and courthouses across the country. Proponents of Trump’s order argued the ban was only about combating terrorism and that it had little to do with race or religion. Targeted hate was again on display last week in what Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) calls a five-day targeted enforcement of immigration laws that saw 160 immigrants gathered and deported from Southern California, not to mention an Arizona mother of two whose crime was attempting to work by fraudulently paying into a system (Social Security) she could never collect from. But if you ask Trump supporters, targeted deportations in immigrant communities while thousands of visa violators exist is not racist though, just protecting our borders. How about the nomination and subsequent confirmation of Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions as the 84th attorney general of the U.S.? Sessions’ claim to fame is being too racist to be appointed to the U.S. district court while also saying that the Voting Rights Act is an intrusive piece of legislation. I suppose his support of voter disenfranchisement laws like the one in North Carolina that was deemed by the courts to target black people with “surgical precision” is not racist either. These people urging others to give Trump a chance aren’t the ones whose lives could be turned upside down in an instant. So yes, affected groups are justified if emotions are worn proudly on both sleeves. The unthinkable things that might never happen to you can happen to any of us with just the swipe of a pen. Robert Clinton is the opinion editor of The Advocate. Contact him at @Rclinton3 on Twitter.
CAMPUS COMMENT
Were there any classes you wanted to take that were not offered here?
“Yes. I wish they offered legal aid and more law classes.”
“I wanted to take Portuguese because I saw it in the catalog, but the college doesn’t offer it.”
“No. It doesn’t affect me just yet because I am a Middle College High School student.”
“No, not that I have encountered. I think they offer good courses here.”
“I think they need to offer sign language classes.”
“I actually don’t know because I am part of Gateway to College program here, and we have assigned courses.”
Monica Zajac
Analia Graub
Mia Sarmiento
Timothy Vaughn
Leitasiua Faumuina
Zahraa Kamran
business
undecided
ALLISON SNIATH, JESSICA SUICO AND DESMOND SYLVA/THE ADVOCATE
MCHS
undecided
administrative of justice
undecided
campus beat
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.15.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
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NEWSLINE HERITAGE | Performance honors cultural ancestry Continued from Page 1
PARKING
CARPOOL PROGRAM OFFERS FREE PERMIT With three or more student riders, including the driver, students can apply for a free carpool parking permit at the Student Life Office. An application requires students to prove verification of current semester registration, a valid photo identification, vehicle registration and license plate information. Carpool permit stickers will be issued by Police Services once the application is approved. One sticker will be issued per application. Only 11 carpool parking permits will be issued each semester. Students issued with a carpool permit are also given reserved parking in Lot 4. Signs will be posted. For more information, contact Student Life Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks at jnickelsonshanks@contracosta.edu.
AFRICAN HERITAGE
LECTURE PROVIDES INSIGHT ON SLAVERY In commemoration of African Heritage Month, a lecture titled “Out of Slavery” will be presented on Feb. 22 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Fireside Hall. EOPS/CARE & CalWORKs Manager George Mills will discuss the history of Africans and AfricanAmericans and their accomplishments in paving the path for transforming the African continent. His discussion will also explore African-Americans building a legacy in the future. The event is free. For more information, contact EOPS/CARE & CalWORKs Manager George Mills at gmills@ contracosta.edu.
are going to look at African high culture. Documentation beats conversation every day of the week.” His photo documentation of current tribesmen adorned with leopard skins and ostrich feathers, coupled with his collection of millennia-old artifacts depicting similar traditional garb, highlighted a history of merging African cultures over vast time and distance. Following Ampim’s presentation, Bobo spoke to the importance of learning in an environment in which the professor has first hand knowledge of his subject. Many of the photos that Ampim uses as teaching aides are often stills from his own fieldwork at actual archeological sites. Crowd favorites and staples of the African Heritage Month celebration, the drum and dance performers Kiazi Malonga and the Fua Dia Congo, filled the Knox Center with an infectious rhythm and energy that left no attendee sitting still. Always an inspiration for crowd participation, the group enlisted 16 members of the audience to join the stage show. The mix of students and instructors swayed rhythmically as the drummers put on a display of traditional African showmanship that left the crowd in awe and the performers drenched in sweat. As the intertwining traditions of ancient African kingdoms and current African kings of today were explained by Ampim, the link to Congo Square and the continued exchange of culture was explained by Louisiana native and CCC dance instructor, Latanya Tigner. Tigner, a choreographer by trade, has intimate knowledge of African dance and used the traditional dances by women from the
CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE
Kiazi Malonga (center) with Fua Dia Congo demonstrates dance moves to participants on stage during the annual African Heritage Month celebration event in the Knox Center on Thursday.
“We are going beyond the slavery barrier, in fact, beyond the Atlantic Ocean.” — Manu Ampim, history department chairperson
Congo kingdom and Uganda to highlight the way merging cultures create fresh ideas. “They often gathered on levees, in backyards, on plantations or in other public parks,” Tigner said. “Through numerous permitting and forbidding circles, city ordinances that dated back to the colony’s inception, despite the hangings and harassment — they
Tuesday, Jan. 10: An officer assisted an outside agency. Thursday, Jan. 12: A student worker reported being uncomfortable with the way another student interacted with them. Tuesday, Jan. 17: An officer assisted the San Pablo Police department. Wednesday, Jan. 18: An officer responded to an unattended vehicle blocking traffic. The vehicle was towed by an officer. Friday, Jan. 20: An officer towed a vehicle that was left abandoned for several days in Lot 3. Wednesday, Jan. 25: A battery was reported in the Campus Center Plaza. Thursday, Jan. 26: A Middle College High School student reported other students threatened to fight her. Wednesday, Feb. 1: An officer received a report of a theft that occured in the Library and Learning Resource Center. Thursday, Feb. 2: A student reported an unknown suspect broke the window of the student’s vehicle. Friday, Feb. 3: An officer responded to a report of a verbal altercation in the Gymnasium. — Marci Suela
— 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.
courses. While dance volunteers found their seats, Hodge emerged at the podium and students froze as if unprepared for a pop quiz. She reminded students to apply for scholarships like the AASA scholarship, the B. Wayne Daniels or African-American Studies Scholarship, all of which have a March 2 application deadline. The professor also encouraged attendees to speak with Dr. Ampim about the study abroad trip to ancient Egypt happening July 14-28. Hodge’s last announcement, which got an unexpectedly boisterous applause, was for “Celebrating Success” CCC’s black graduation which takes place on May 20.
LABOR | UF fights handling of disciplinary action Continued from Page 1
CRIMEWATCH
gathered.” From French occupation to Spanish rule and then American domination, it has always been known to us as Congo Square, she said. Following her presentation, Tigner summoned 11 volunteers along with Fua Dia Congo to the stage, putting into practice the moves that were explained to the crowd. “I went up to the stage because that’s what I do — dance,” biology major Iyannah Watt said. “When I heard the drums I was moving in my seat, so why not go up.” Some seemed perfectly in touch with their African roots while other volunteers should look to enroll in one of Tigner’s dance
lawyers claim for leaving the alleged and their union representatives in the dark during investigations. He said he strongly believes student confidentiality should be treated with the utmost importance, but it’s not fair that union representatives are unable to see the complaints filed against their members to appropriately advise and represent them during allegation meetings. There is no writing in the board policies that explicitly grants professors the right to access case files, even with the names and personal information of the accusers blacked out. According to the district’s Human Resources Procedure 2070.01 “Academic Employee Discipline/Dismissal,” a tenured or part-time professor can only be dismissed or suspended if there is extensive documentation and evaluation of the misconduct or unsatisfactory performance. Disciplinary actions for classified managers, supervisors and classified staff, represented by Local One, has a slightly different procedure. According to Board Policy 2040, the district’s chancellor, Dr. Fred Wood, must provide the accused manager, supervisor or classified staff member with a written notice that describes specific acts and omissions on which the proposed disciplinary action is based, as well as the disciplinary action recommended.
“Such practices leave the union and its members at a disadvantage.” Jeffrey Michels, UF vice president
All employees, however, have the right to demand a preliminary hearing before district Chief Human Resources Officer Eugene Huff, on the alleged charges leading up to the evidentiary hearing with the Governing Board. Michels said that UF representatives, or the accused professor, are never granted access to the full investigation report during or after the investigation concludes. “Such practices leave the union and its members at a disadvantage,” he said. During a California Community College Independents conference, UF executive boards members met with people in faculty unions who have established the right to see complaints made against them using precedents set by past judge rulings. Michels said when this information was brought to the district’s attention in November 2016, their lawyers refuted the cases’ precedents and claimed the information the UF gathered was wrong. The UF lawyers disagreed with the district lawyer’s denial and filed an unfair labor practice claim last November to argue the dispute before a judge — a measure that Michels said the UF has not resorted to in almost 11 years.
UF President Donna Wapner laid out the dispute in a letter she wrote for the Dec. 12, 2016 issue of “Table Talk.” “While the district experimented a bit recently with using different inves- Michels tigators,” Wapner said, “we still lack protocols that should be in place to ensure that investigations don’t turn into witch hunts and that faculty being questioned are treated as we would all want to be treated by our employers.” Wapner said misconduct investigations often extend from the original allegation and lead to dozen-, even hundred-page disciplinary documents with inaccuracies and falsehoods. She said the lawsuit aims to end the district’s reprimand of “falsely-accused” faculty, while still protecting the students’ right to privacy. “We’re not asking for investigations to be less vigorous,” Michels said. “But we are asking that teachers be treated more respectfully during these investigations.” Michels, who has been working closely with district officials for the past 11 years, said the claim doesn’t indicate a breakdown in the relationship between teachers and the district. But he hopes it will finally address enduring disagreements regarding faculty misconduct investigations.
PANTRY| ASU gives free support to those in need Continued from Page 1 at the food bank know we are from a community college so they provide us with a wide variety of foods. We even have baby food in there.” Nickelson-Shanks said students will receive a pre-made bag and will also be able to pick between two to three more items. Arebalo said he’s happy with how diverse the food pantry. He said he can now tell a single mom, “‘I know you are struggling so why don’t you go to the food pantry and get some food for your baby.’” “Some of the items students will receive are rice, beans, fruit, vegetables and tuna,” NickelsonShanks said. He said despite there not being any meat options at the moment, the ASU is currently working on a way to provide hot dogs for students, but the lack of a refrigerator stands in the way. “We want to provide students with meat options, but meat goes
“We know that about one out of five students at CCC suffers from food insecurities.” — Joel Nickelson-Shanks, student services and instructional support instructor
bad very quickly. We need food with a long shelf life,” NickelsonShanks said. Students have the option of selecting organic items as well, like organic peanut butter or jelly. Arebalo said the food pantry idea was first brought up in an ASU meeting by NickelsonShanks last semester. During the meeting ASU members voted on the budget and on price points for the program. Nickelson-Shanks said, “After we settled on the $400 a month budget we reached out to the CCC Foundation to help us partner with a food bank.” Foundation Development Officer Sara Marcellino said the ASU reached out to the
Fou n d at i on b e c au s e they needed a 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization to go in partnership with Nickelson the Contra Costa and -Shanks Solano Food Bank. “Our mission is to support the college and its students,” Marcellino said. With the Foundation’s partnership, the ASU was able to purchase the food at a wholesale price. A 501 (C)(3) is a nonprofit organization that is exempt from paying federal income taxes if its activities are religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children or animals. For years the Foundation’s main purpose was to raise money for student scholarships, but in the last year they have begun funding
different projects around campus. When purchasing food for the pantry, Arebalo said the ASU gives money to the Foundation and the Foundation pays the Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank for the food orders they place. Nickelson-Shanks said once everything was ready, the culinary arts department, and its Chairperson Nader Sharkes, donated food and shelves to help the ASU kick-start the food pantry project. In support of the pantry, district Chancellor Fred Wood said he wants to place a food barrel in the lobby of the District Office in Martinez so that district employees and trustees can contribute to the food pantry. SparkPoint Coordinator Bill Bankhead said he has noticed many schools on the San Francisco Peninsula have food pantries and is happy CCC has one available for its students. Nickelson-Shanks said, “We don’t want to be biased, so the food pantry is open to all students.”
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campusbeat
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COMPETITORS SERVE COMFORT FOOD Iron Chef offered home-cooked style BY Anthony Kinney NEWS EDITOR
akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com
Team “Silent Killers” won first place in Contra Costa College’s “End of Winter Iron Chef ” competition for their champagne chicken with rice plate at the Aqua Terra Grill on Feb. 6. The Iron Chef competition was the first event hosted by the culinary arts department this year. Culinary arts department Chairperson Nader Sharkes said the competition, with winners determined by guests’ votes, is practice for students before the Aqua Terra Grill and Pronto café opened for service on Tuesday. Guests who participated paid a $5 entry fee, grabbed their voting ticket and plate, then filed in line for the buffet-style feast. There were about 100 guests tasting the five different plates of food prepared by culinary students. The five teams, comprised of four students each, formulated their own recipes for dishes that embodied the theme of this year’s cook-off — “winter is over.” “Students make their own teams and use their own recipes,” Sharkes said. “It’s great practice for the students.” The “winter comfort food” style menu consisted of Cajun lasagna, cheesy mashed potato topped beef stew, crunchy taco bowls, cod medallions and loaded deep-fried chicken drumsticks. Sociology major Shelby Wichner was one of the guests who paid $5 for an assortment of foods that included over five dishes. Wichner said the teams delivered an array of delicious flavors while staying on the seasonal theme. “I loved it,” she said. “It was such a great price and the food felt so comforting.” Although every dish was enjoyed by the guests, team “Silent Killer” was crowned the crowd favorite with about 25 votes. Wichner also attended last year’s Iron Chef event. She said she thought the champagne chicken was “cooked to perfection,” and she said it was its sweet savory flavor that won her over. “You could just pull the meat apart,” Wichner said. “The taste of the champagne
JALEEL PERRY / THE ADVOCATE
Culinary arts student Shirley Blair (left) serves guests in the buffet line during the Iron Chef competition in Aqua Terra Grill on Feb. 7.
“The taste of champagne chicken was so comforting that when I chewed, I imagined myself cozied up in front of the fireplace on a cold winter’s day.” — Shelby Wichner, sociology major
chicken was so comforting that when I chewed I imagined myself cozied up in front of the fireplace on a cold winter’s day.” Team “Butternut” won second place with 20 votes for its chicken potpie with roasted vegetables dish. Culinary arts student and member of “Big Mama and the Boy” Jamarei Whitelaw said her group knew what dish it wanted to prepare since the first day of class. Whitelaw said it took her team two and
Art courses fixed at three units for transfer degree Revisions of courses change art students’ path to certificate BY Roxana Amparo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com
“It ensures that we are in compliance with the (AA) transfer degree. It doesn’t really affect anyone who would want to go for the degree.” Jason Berner,
dean of liberal arts
To be in compliance with California’s associate of art degree (AA) requirements, all art courses will be set at three units, by the fall 2017 semester, Liberal Arts Division Dean Jason Berner said. The College Instruction Committee, a faculty-run committee that makes final decisions about curriculum, approved course revisions during the spring and fall 2016 semesters to implement the changes in art courses. Currently, Contra Costa College students can choose to enroll in one to four units in different art courses, but once the change is implemented, the standard will be three units, Berner said. “We changed it to fixed units, so the courses are now fixed at three units. We need to have all of our classes the same way the state requires them to be,” he said. The classes used to be “variable” units, so Gordon students could register for a different number of units depending on how much work they wanted to do, Berner said. “It ensures that we are in compliance with the (AA) transfer degree. It doesn’t really affect anyone who would want to go for the degree.” He said those people would have had to take it for three units already and it doesn’t impact them. Students who transfer out of community college with an AAT degree have a guaranteed spot at many campuses in the CSU system. The requirements include completing 60 semester units, (or 90 quarter units) including fulfilling general education — Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), completing at least 18 units in a major or area and earning at least a 2.0 GPA in all CSU transferable coursework. Art professor Anthony Gordon said the unit change has impacted the degree for the better.
“There were issues with repeatability,” he said. Part-time professor Jianun Lu, who teaches Art 095, said students taking art courses need studio time in order to work on their projects. “For sculpture and ceramics, students need more time to practice. It takes 20 minutes just to set up,” Lu said. “Students have to put the clay on the table. Then there is one hour for lecture and they also have to clean the studio.” He said students need the studio to work on their digital art, clay and painting projects and having less time restricts their craft. Lu said one of the options art students may seek is enrolling in Diablo Valley College’s art courses. “Art students get more for their cost at DVC,” he said. “An art student told me, ‘I go to DVC. I need time’.” CCC art student Pukar Khadka said, “It’s a good thing being able to choose how much work you want to put into an art class. You can choose how dedicated you want to be.” But he said it seemed like enrolling in an art course that has many choices creates more work for the student. Gordon said there are various levels of skill in one art class. As of this semester, Gordon said his art classes are “really robust,” seating up to 40 students in his Art Appreciation class, a general education requirement course any student can take even if art is not their major. Berner said a couple of basic introductory courses were added and will be offered starting fall 2017. These courses were designed to meet the requirements of the transfer degree, statewide. “We are excited and I hope this encourages students to pursue the transfer degree. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for students who are interested in art to have a rewarding experience at CCC,” he said.
a half hours to prepare its cheesy mashed potatoes topped beef stew for the cook-off. English major Joshua Saephan said his favorite dish was the chicken potpie, with the lasagna coming second. “The pot pie was perfect, but I really liked the lasagna too,” Saephan said. “It (the Cajun lasagna) had a strong kick that was full of flavor, and so creamy — it was excellently prepared. Contra Costa County welfare worker Lashanda Davis was also at the event. Davis said working with CalWORKs brings her to CCC’s campus every Tuesday, so last week she was encouraged to attend this semester’s Iron Chef competition. “The chicken pot pie is my favorite dish. It was on point,” Davis said. “I need that recipe.” The diverse crowd of students, teachers and community members seemed pleased with the culinary students’ dishes and the customer service provided by the staff.
Davis said she was blown away by the excellent customer service taught in the culinary program. “I got my drink faster than I usually get it at a typical restaurant,” she said. The only hitch of the event was team “Value Meal” and its deep fried loaded chicken being undercooked. Student chefs in the group had to refry the entire batch halfway through the competition. Saephan said he enjoyed all the dishes and that he understood the mishap with the fried chicken since the event is a learning experience for many of the culinary students. He also said he was impressed with how well the team handled the half-cooked chicken when it was brought to their attention. “They addressed the problem, refried the chicken and it was delicious,” Saephan said. “I couldn’t be mad at them.” The competition is held at the start of each semester. Revenue goes to culinary students for scholarships to study abroad.
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WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.15.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
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Gallery sheds light on disorder Cognitive condition inspires local artist
BY Matthew Robinson ADVOCATE STAFF
mrobinson.theadvocate@gmail.com
Local artist Fred Nocella debuted his exhibit “Prosopagnosia: Do I Know you?” on Friday with a reception at the Eddie Rhodes Gallery. The exhibit focuses on Nocella’s theme of prosopagnosia, a cognitive disorder where a person is unable to recognize a person’s face. The disorder is also called “face blindness.” This was the theme of the exhibit, Nocella’s inspiration for the portraits or as the exhibit statement describes it — “Probing discomfort of the unknown.” Art professor Dana Davis is a friend of Nocella’s and invited him to showcase his work on campus. Davis said he liked Nocella’s work and asked him to bring more of it to display in the gallery. “The work is unsettling, yet very intriguing and interesting. I had shown my students. They were surprised (at Nocella’s pieces) but loved it. They hadn’t seen anything like it,” Davis said. The art consists of portrait paintings of isolated mannequins. Each piece is a realistic and 3D-like painting of a single headpiece of a mannequin, with grand detail. Some pieces look more human than
CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE
Forestville resident Michael Baker and his son examine a piece of art during the opening of the “Prosopagnosia: Do I Know You?” reception at the Eddie Rhodes Gallery in the Art Building on Friday.
mannequin, and vice versa. The exhibit includes a section of “trial and error” pieces which are failed versions of pieces where viewers can see each attempt improve until the artist finished the final product. Nocella said his inspiration is random, coming from the world and what interests him. “The world is constantly changing and so are my ideas and inspirations,” he said. Nocella has been painting since the 1980s and went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
Nocella has won awards for his work. For his day job he works as a commercial artist. He gets projects from places such as museums and carnivals, and the projects he works on influence his personal growth as an artist, he said. “He’s an amazing artist,” Brian Baker, a friend and co-worker who attended the opening, said. “This is the first time I’ve seen his personal work outside of working on projects together.” Baker has worked with Nocella on art projects. “He has amazing brushstrokes and I love his contrast of realism and how blank the
mannequins look. The art is creepy, yet intriguing at the same time,” Baker said. San Francisco multimedia artist Brice Frillici, otherwise known as SEKDEK, said, “His art makes me want to paint. It needs more blood though.” Attendee Steve Newell, who is a friend of Nocella’s, said, “I like the craftsmanship. The art has good perception and looks very 3-D. At first I thought they were photos, but up close you can see they’re actually paintings.” The exhibit at the Eddie Rhodes Gallery will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be on display through March 3.
District approves LGBTQ+ degree, spurs talks Los Medanos College first to offer emphasis in the struggles of minority groups
BY Michael Santone ASSOCIATE EDITOR
msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com
Beginning next semester, Contra Costa College sister school Los Medanos College, located in Pittsburg, will be the first campus in the district to offer its students an associate of arts/ transfer degree (AAT) in social justice with an emphasis in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies. Unlike a traditional associate of arts degree, the AAT degree guarantees a student who completes the requirements enrollment at certain CSUs that offer a degree in their field of study. LMC English and LGBT studies professor Jeffrey Matthews is also spearheading the development of integrating LGBTQ issues into social justice studies. He said, “The AAT degree emphasizes many social justice issues, but the program would start with LGBTQ studies first, followed by African-American and Chicano studies.” Matthews said he started working on this years ago and, with the help of faculty, decided to go ahead and create the curriculum for a social justice degree
with areas of emphasis in the struggles of minorities. “Everything mushroomed and grew out of my initial design to create LGBTQ courses,” he said. “It’s been a long process that we had to figure out as we went along.” A traditional AA degree in social justice, which Contra Costa College offers, does not guarantee acceptance to a CSU but does provide a general education elective course outside a student’s field of study. The LGBTQ transfer degree will follow a more focused educational plan, which was approved by the state, with courses specialized to the social justice field. Matthews said there are three core overview courses, which include interdisciplinary courses for a social justice degree. “Students who major in LGBTQ studies would take courses along the lines of LGBTQ literature, and studies like gender studies, history of sexuality and social justice,” he said. “Not a lot of community colleges are offering this type of degree and study.” Matthews said faculty members at
LMC are also working on creating a social justice degree with an emphasis in Asian-American studies. “But that is a little more behind than Mehdizadeh the other areas,” he said. “These things grow out of faculty interest.” Faculty and staff throughout the district, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CCC and LMC, have the power to create programs with a specialized focus. But the curriculum must meet student learning outcome benchmarks and be approved by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and the district Governing Board. Governing Board Trustee Gary Walker-Roberts said the board approved the curriculum for the LGBTQ social justice degree to be offered at LMC on Dec. 14 at Governing Board meeting. “It will interest a new audience of high school students to go to LMC,” Walker-Roberts said, At CCC, the discussions about
establishing a social justice degree in fields of study like LGBTQ studies has yet to develop a leader. During the Associate Student Union meeting on Feb. 8, Student Life Coordinator Joel NickelsonShanks asked CCC President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh and district Chancellor Fred Wood if a LGBTQ AA transfer degree could be offered at CCC. Mehdizadeh said while it is possible, the initiative to create a program begins with students and faculty. “Our faculty manage the course and program offerings here at CCC,” she said to a ASU Board of 12 members. “I can’t say that we have a faculty leader that is ready to develop the program of study today.” She said CCC is a college that is open to look for opportunities that serve its community and she said, just the focus we have with the Alphabet+ club, and the conversations we’ve been having. “Ensuring we are not only supporting our LGBTQ community but also educating our entire community, is something that is in alignment with the college’s strategic plan and mission,” Mehdizadeh said.
UPGRADE ENHANCES LEARNING, MODERNIZES SETTING BY Dylan Collier ASSISTANT SCENE EDITOR
dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Center for Science Excellence in PS-109 was completely remodeled between the fall and spring semesters. A grant from Hispanic Serving Institution Science Technology Engineering and Math (HSI STEM) paid for the room upgrade and all the equipment. Before the room upgrade it had old outdated green carpeting, but now the floor is made out of tile. They put in a new air conditioning system, heater, all new furniture with desks that can be separated, newly painted walls and a dryerase board. “They started taking down everything in the room around Dec. 15. It was 95 percent complete by the first week of classes in late January,” CSE Coordinator Seti Sidharta said. Program assistant Abigail Serrano expressed her concern in regards to low enrollment so far this semester. Although the room has a newly-upgraded feel to it, Serrano said fewer students have shown up due to the lack of a printer, microwave, sink or any
CODY CASARES/ THE ADVOCATE
Biology major Oscar Castillo (left) listens to biology major Maria Rodriguez (right) explain a problem using the new whiteboard and equipment in PS-109 in the Physical Science Building on Monday.
computers. “There have been fewer students in the CSE, but more students are across the hall in PS-107. I think that’s largely in part because there are computers in that room and we don’t have any. As of now
the plan is to keep all the computers on the other side of the hallway, in PS-107,” Serrano said. “The highest percentage of students who come in here have most of their classes in the Physical Science and Biological Science
buildings, so it’s convenient. I’m happy we got equipment that’s more comfortable and convenient, like the chairs and tables that can split apart. Now that we have couches, the students have said they appreciate that upgrade,”
Serrano said. Dr. Sidharta said they plan on decorating the room with student pictures and achievements to give it more character and make it feel more student-oriented, rather than just like office space. With every new change come positives and negatives, with students voicing their own opinions about the transformation. Biology student Oscar Castillo said he feels like the students are still adjusting to the new room. Castillo said, “The white boards are more accessible and the layout is hit or miss. The tutoring layout on the right side of the room makes it easier to work in groups and it’s more student friendly, but you lose half the room to cubicles and desks.” Castillo said his two favorite parts of the room before the upgrade were that the computers were against the wall and that students could print from the room. But now it’s troublesome that they don’t have those options. What he likes about the room after the improvements is it has a more modernized ambiance, which makes more students to want to study there.
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scene
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.15.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
The independent documentary, “Not My Life” sheds light on the dark corners of the human trafficking industry in developing countries worldwide.
Unleashed
MOVIES
This week: “John Wick: Chapter Two” (R) “Fifty Shades Darker” (R) “The LEGO Batman Movie” (PG) “Fist Fight” (R) SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE
BLU-RAYS
New releases: “Justice League Dark” (R) “Trolls” (PG-13) “Vice Principals” (TV-MA) “Loving” (PG-13)
MUSIC
Indie film exposes human trafficking Raw documentary about dark industry sparks discussions BY Xavier Johnson SCENE EDITOR
xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com
T
he opening shot of “Not My Life,” an independent documentary produced in 2011, encapsulates the message of the film in four simple words overlaid on a black background: “Human trafficking is slavery.” The documentary, directed and produced by Robert Bilheimer, provides an uncompromising look at human trafficking. Human trafficking is a broad and complicated topic that the documentary does a solid job explaining. There is a plethora of moving parts that go into human trafficking. There are the traffickers, the variety of victims and the local efforts to stop trafficking.
There are also multiple national and global efforts to stop trafficking and the economic factors that lead to victims being vulnerable and the traffickers gaining opportunity. With many factors contributing to the problem, the documentary stretches itself thin when covering the topics. The documentary touches on human trafficking taking place in 13 countries. The countries range from involuntary servitude in the U.S. to the young girls who are sex trafficking victims in Cambodian brothels. Each topic feels like it could have had more time dedicated to it. By the end of the film, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. Wanting a deeper look at each section isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is a testament to how compelling each section was. The film doesn’t settle for simply throwing statistics disguised as a message at the viewer. In fact, the film has little in the way of sta-
tistics. There are several statistics shown on screen to give a perspective on the scale of trafficking. “Not My Life” sets the tone with the first section focusing on young boys in Ghana forced to work 14 hour days fishing in Lake Volta. It’s raw and uncompromising. The camera folMOVIE lows the boys REVIEW right alongside “Not My Life” them as they fish and the local Directed by: activists explain Robert Bilheimer the conditions Genre: Documentary these young boys endure. The camera doesn’t hesitate to show the wounds on the overworked boys. Instantly the viewer knows that this documentary won’t pull punches. The documentary crew follows a brothel raid in Mumbai, India, led by the Rescue Foundation. Ten young girls are rescued from a crawl space and closet. The footage of the raid is the
high point of the documentary. It shows the abhorrent conditions victims find themselves in, as well as the efforts people go through in order to fight against human trafficking. Another high point is the portion of the film documenting two imprisoned Romanian traffickers Traian and Ovidiu. Both men speak freely about beating the women they’ve trafficked. Ovidiu recounts his experience as a trafficker. He talks and laughs about kidnapping and beating a prostitute when he was 14 years old. These interviews are a chilling look into the eyes of the traffickers. The ability of the documentary to touch on many different topics, even if they are a little too brief, and still have each section be compelling, is a big plus. The documentary isn’t an astonishing piece of work, but it still is a must watch documentary for anyone looking to be enlightened on a topic most people don’t think about.
New releases: Designer: “Outlet”
‘XXX’ RETURNS TO THEATERS, OFFERS FANS ‘WILD RIDE’
Adam Friedman: “Green”
Sequel meets fans expectations with pure dumb fun
Various Artists: “Fifty Shades Darker” Lupe Fiasco: “DROGAS Light”
GAMES
New releases: “Nioh” (M) “8 Days” (M) “Fallout Shelter” (T)
Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week. — Xavier Johnson
By Reggie Santini SPOTLIGHT EDITOR
rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com
V
in Diesel is back with more of the same tried and true formula that can be expected from his movies in a ludicrous sequel to an old franchise. “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” is directed by D.J. Caruso and is pure dumb fun. It’s the type of movie that people can shut their brains off and just enjoy the wild ride with friends. The simple plot is easy enough to follow. Vin Diesel’s character, Xander Cage, is tasked with retrieving a stolen remote control that can knock down satellites. With the death of his old handler as the diesel powering his engine, Cage sets out looking for the group of thieves. To help him achieve his mission, Cage enlists the help of some of his friends. The movie plays out as a stream of explosive, over the top set pieces with some exposition dialogue on the consequences of not retrieving the stolen remote. The cast features a wide array of actors and actresses with varied acting abilities. Vin Diesel delivers a more charismatic and fun performance than that of his character in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. He behaves more like a wisecracking punk than a hardened criminal or spy. The supporting cast is a diverse group of actors. Ruby Rose, Kris
Wu, Nina Dobrev, and, most surprising of all, “Game of Thrones” cast member Rory McCann. Each actor brings their own bag of goodies to this unending party of set pieces. The actors do what they can with the hackneyed writing that often feels like they are reading from a list of Chuck Norris’ best one-liners. Despite the shaky dialogue each actor does a fantastic job portraying their characters in a convincing manner. The movie opens up with Cage living in the Dominican Republic skateboarding down a massive MOVIE hill. REVIEW Switch that “xXx: The Return skateboard for of Xander Cage” a Pontiac GTO Starring: Vin and it’s remarkDiesel, Samuel L. ably similar to Jackson what would be Directed by: D.J. Caruso seen in “Fast and Genre: Action Furious.” The similarities are not a bad thing for fans of the franchise, however the similarity is noteworthy. Diesel knows his audience. As one of the film’s producers, he makes sure to include some hilarious and entertaining cameos for those who have watched the other movies in this long forgotten franchise. The soundtrack is a mixture of alternative rock, hip-hop, dubstep and reggae-ton. The music is put together by Robert Lydecker and Brian Tyler who has worked on a number of Marvel Studio’s movies as well as the “Fast and Furious” franchise. For those that are old fans of Diesel’s movies or a first timer to his testosterone-filled escapades, this is an entertaining and fun movie to watch.
SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE
“xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” features Vin Diesel in a mission to retrieve a stolen remote control with the ability to disable satellites and send them crashing down to Earth.
7 sports COMETS WIN DESPITE EARLY TURNOVERS WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.15.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
Women’s squad beats Marin with five players BY Efrain Valdez SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
“We did a beautiful job on the free throw line tonight. That’s what winning basketball looks like.”
evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com
— Vincent Shaw, coach
KENTFIELD — The women’s basketball team used inspired defense and deadly outside shooting to sink the College of Marin (1-22 overall and 0-14 in the Bay Valley Conference) 71-44 here on Friday night. In a BVC game where each team played with only five players, the quality of play was not the best, but Contra Costa College (13-12 overall and 8-5 in the BVC) exerted its dominance on defense to suffocate the Mariners for the majority of the contest. “I think this was the best and most complete game we have played all year,” coach Vincent Shaw said. “The way they played hard defense from start to finish was great,” Even though his team is unlikely to get a playoff spot, Shaw was very happy with his team’s COMETS performance. The Comets will play their final game of the season game against Merritt MARINERS College in Oakland on Friday at 5:30 p.m. In the first quarter of the game the tempo was slow, with a high number of turnovers and fouls committed against CCC. “One of the disadvantages of only suiting up five players is that you have to play smart defense because if you make a few mistakes you can foul out,” freshman guard Dierra Mize said. In the second quarter, the Comet defense stepped it up and only allowed the Mariners to score eight points. The 3-pointers started to rain for CCC before the first half ended, as freshman guards Victoria Lopez, Azanae Lewis and Mize all contributed from beyond the arc. “What I think stalled our offense was that we were trying too hard in the beginning and missed a few easy buckets here and there,” Shaw said of his teams’ first half offensive inconsistencies. Shaw also said that if those small mistakes were avoided the margin of victory could have been larger. Mariner coach Tannea Nelson said, “I think CCC played very well and very smart. They were efficient on the free throw line all night and didn’t commit dumb fouls.”
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The Mariner offense came alive in the third quarter thanks to the help of freshman forward Amari Allison. The freshman led Marin in scoring, totaling 18 points for the game. The Comet offense continued to show great form following its end-of-the second quarter shooting spree. “We were pressing a little bit as far as wanting to put them away and then we finally relaxed and were able to let the game come to us,” Shaw said. The worn-out Mariner squad failed to compete in the fourth quarter. The team only scored seven points and were forced to play with only four players after a Mariner fouled out of the game. “We did a beautiful job on the free throw line tonight. That’s what winning basketball looks like. The biggest concern for us was the potential foul trouble we could get into with only five players for the game,” Shaw said. “They played really smart and they should be really proud of themselves.” Mize said that the Mariner forwards did give the team some problems but that CCC adapted well and took control of the game. “I think we started off pretty slow, we did not get a good warmup and we were not focused,” Mize said. “We knew going into the second half that the score was still close, so we came out and played hard.” Overall, the game was very sloppy for nearly the entire first half due to poorly taken shots and too many unforced turnovers. After the five-minute mark of the second quarter, when both teams were fully engaged in the competition, scoring opportunities came at a much faster pace. CCC’s defense played well throughout the game and was the determining factor in the outcome. CCC currently sits in fourth place in the BVC standings with an 8-5 record behind Merritt, Laney College and Solano Community College, and they will not have a chance to compete for the league title or state playoffs.
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
Comet forward Keyauna Harrison shoots over Mariner forward Regan Andel during a Contra Costa College away win over College of Marin on Friday.
BASKETBALL TEAM ENDS 6-GAME LOSING STREAK BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR
rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com
The men’s basketball team (8-17 overall, 6-8 in the Bay Valley Conference) climbed back into the win column for the first time in nearly a month after snapping a six-game losing streak with a 70-47 win against the College of Marin Friday in Kentfield. The Comets’ offensive pace was set by freshman trio Demar Dunn (14 points), Curtis Harris
(18 points, 13 rebounds) and Dru Solis (17 points) in the contest. “We shot the ball better from the field against Marin,” coach Miguel Johnson said. “They played zone (defense) — we made shots.” In games that the Comets lost this season, it has been when opponents applied a zone defense that the team shoots its lowest percentage from the field. After taking an early lead, CCC maintained its hot shooting leading to a 32-17 advantage at the half.
CCC shot 38 percent from the field against the Mariners (11-12 overall, 11-12 in the BVC) and 44 percent from behind the arc. “The game started slowing down for us after we started making shots and got more comfortable,” Harris said. The Comets return home to play Napa Valley College tonight at 7:30 in the Gymnasium. CCC has only won consecutive games twice this season, first, to open the conference portion
“They played zone (defense) — we made shots.” — Miguel Johnson, Comet coach
of its schedule against Mendocino College and the College of Alameda Dec. 21 and 29. The second occurred Jan. 12 and 14 against the Mariners and Napa. The Comets continued
to scorch the COMETS Mariners into the second half despite Marin’s efforts to scratch its way back MARINERS into the game. “We don’t want to go out on a losing streak,” CCC freshman Steven Evans said. If the Comets win out, the team can finish as high as third place in the BVC.
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■ OFF THE RECORD
Merits of greatest modern athlete ignored Williams’ influence in sports is eclipsed by ignorant perception
B
lack History Month, more than any of the other signature months, is a time for
lists. Talk about the “first black this, greatest black that” simultaneously enlightens the public to feats of excellence and diminishes the accomplishments of others all in the same breath. Nevertheless, this list, naming the greatest professional athlete in the post-civil rights era consists of only one name — Serena Williams. Many names are synonymous with modern-era athletic greatness. Michael Jordan earning six NBA championships and a portion of the Nike empire is the choice of many Americans as top athlete. This list is all encompassing, but Michael Phelps, Tom Brady or Joe Montana couldn’t hold a candle to the industrial-sized blow torch that symbolizes Williams’ greatness. On the tennis court, her accomplishments are unmatched. She has earned a record 23 Grand Slam titles, six U.S. Open championships, seven Wimbledon titles, seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, four Olympic gold medals, 23 doubles titles and a career Golden Slam. A Golden Slam is when a player
robertclinton wins all four major tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in one calendar year. She made her professional debut in 1995 and in 2013 she won the Golden Slam and the AP Athlete of the Year — for the third time. Williams embodies everything black people wanted Tiger Woods to become — an unapologetically black superstar in a sport dominated by other races. She is someone who excels in the face of bigotry. In 2001 at Indian Wells, a tennis tournament held in California, the match all of the fans were waiting to see — a sibling rivalry against Serena’s sister Venus — was scrubbed due to a late injury to Venus which upset fans in attendance. Angry fans hurled racist remarks at Williams and her family. The lack of response from officials, following Williams’ championshipwinning match, forced neither
sister to return to the tournament until 2015. “I play for the love of the game,” Serena wrote in a column published on Time.com. “And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015.” Where Woods faltered, Williams not only thrived but used those instances to highlight injustices at home or abroad. Off the court, the tennis star can be described as many things — an entertainer, philanthropist, mogul or any words that describe people who make life better for others. She established the Williams Foundation, which builds schools in Kenya and provides scholarships for underprivileged youth in the U.S., among other things. A picture of athletic perfection, Williams blends equal parts grace, power and confidence into one complete package. From an early age, Serena faced racial criticism from the aggression in which she approached the game to the regular little black girl beads she wore in her hair. Raised in Compton, Williams was taught to play tennis by her parents who learned the game by
reading books. As Williams developed into adulthood, she continued to dominate on the court and became a heartthrob for men worldwide. Despite her Amazonian goddess physique and unmatched talent on the court, lesser opponents were given more marketing opportunities because of traditional blonde hair-blue eyes beauty standards. Williams’ response was not to cry foul. She got even by signing a lucrative deal with Puma Athletics. She then wore the most memorable sports outfit from this or any millennia, the infamous 2002 catsuit. Google it — I’ll wait. In 2015 she became the first female athlete to appear on the cover of Vogue Magazine, alone. In the same year she accomplished, for the second time in her career, what is colloquially known as the “Serena Slam,” when a single player holds all four major championships at the same time. WIlliams is what we want all of our African-American athletic role models to be — thoughtful, empathetic and unapologetically black. Robert Clinton is the sports editor of The Advocate. Contact him at rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com.
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sports
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.15.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
“
I go there (the batting cages) when I want to free my mind from the stresses of everyday life and just have fun.”
Comet sophomore catcher and first baseman Eric Whitfield grew up around baseball with his father having played 15 years professionally.
— Eric
, Comet sophomore catcher and
Baseball, scholarly drive supported by family CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE
Sophomore catcher, first baseman rallies team for conference BY Dylan Collier ASSISTANT SCENE EDITOR
dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com
For 20-year-old Comet sophomore Eric Whitfield baseball is much more than just a pastime. His devotion to the team includes 15 hours of practice and five hours of weight training every week, on top of games. He was born in San Carlos and raised in Millbrae. He attended St. Francis High School in Mountain View, where his team won the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) his senior year. Growing up, baseball was a family tradition and his father Terry Whitfield was a first-round draft-pick by the New York Yankees in 1971. His father was later traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he played four seasons. In the middle years of his baseball career, the senior Whitfield, calibrated his focus by playing in Japan to master his techniques and become the best player he could be, bringing back what he learned to the golden state. His 15-year professional baseball career came to a close in 1986 when he finished with the Dodgers, but the love of the sport lives on through his children. Eric Whitfield plays catcher, outfield and first base for the Comets.
“I played summer ball with (baseball coach) Brian Guinn and liked the program and knew a lot of talented players on the team. I knew (former shortstop) Jamal Rutledge and a few other players here at Contra Costa College, so I already had an idea that they had talent and would be able to turn the program around,” Whitfield said. Whitfield hails from a traditional family of six: two older brothers, one younger sister and both of his parents. His father grew up in Blythe, Calif. and his mother grew up in Foster City. Following his stint with the Yankees, his father was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1977, his parents met and started their relationship that ultimately blessed them with four children. Pitching coach Joshua Cephas said right now they are focused on broadening Whitfield’s expertise so he can effectively play catcher and first baseman. “He’s getting better everyday. Just like anything you do, the more you practice, the better you get,” Cephas said. Whitfield has a personality that leans toward the quieter side, but once you start talking to him he can speak for hours, the coach said. His maturity has improved and he knows the game better and what to do at certain times in certain positions more than he did before. Cephas said that what makes Whitfield a good player is his level of focus. “Pitch-by-pitch he knows what it takes to hit, and how to get outs in certain situations,” he said. Growing up, his mother used to wake him and his siblings up to watch late
“Pitch-by-pitch, (Whitfield) knows what it takes to hit and how to get outs in certain situations.” — , Comet pitching coach
night Giants games on TV, where he would study the pitcher-hitter showdowns. Guinn said that although Whitfield is not as much of a vocal leader due to his quiet personality, he leads with his actions on the field. A major setback in Whitfield’s life was when his grandfather passed away, which catapulted him into a closer connection with God. Since then, he has been spending as much time with his grandparents on his mother’s side as he can, because he understands the importance of sharing time with his loved ones. One of Whitfield’s magical moments was last year, playing in the City College of San Francisco series for CCC, where he caught a pop fly, then doubled back throwing the runner out who strayed too far off first base. “I feel like that gave our entire team momentum and confidence moving into the season and it was the first time in many years that we started off with a winning record. It was fun to see the excitement of the entire team, and it was a special moment,” Whitfield said. Comet outfielder Rome Watson, who has known Whitfield for three years and played with him in summer leagues, said he enjoys
the fact that he’s such a positive person and tries to keep everyone’s spirits up. “Whitfield is fun to be around and he’s not serious all the time. He’s lighthearted and has a good sense of humor,” he said. Off the field, Whitfield likes to make jokes with his unique character, but still knows how to “click the switch on” to get into game mode. “He is one of those people who has been able to embrace the teachings of coaches. I’ve noticed he’s evolved into a better listener over the last year, taking more lessons from his older teammates,” Watson said. All fathers look to bond with their children in some way or another, whether that is going to the beach, taking a bike ride, or going to the park. When Whitfield wants to bond with his father he makes his way down to the Future Pro batting cages in Burlingame, which his father owns. “I go there when I want to free my mind from the stresses of everyday life and just have fun,” Whitfield said. Looking ahead, Whitfield has his sights set on following in his father’s footsteps by playing at the professional level, but when he gets the time he would like to travel to Japan and visit the Tokyo Baseball Dome and ride on the Bullet Train. Whitfield looks to touch as many lives as possible through the sport. He said he feels the strongest connection with the movie “42,” because it gave him a glimpse of what Jackie Robinson lived through. It made him grateful for the changes Robinson brought to Major League Baseball by breaking the color barrier in 1947.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT SEARCHES FOR FOOTBALL COACH Football team adapts without Carter, search underway
BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR
rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com
Following the resignation and subsequent hiring of former football coach Alonzo Carter by San Jose State University, Athletic Director John Wade has named associate head coach Pat Henderson as the interim coach for the Comet football team. Although the position has not been officially filled yet, Henderson fits the usual criteria Wade uses to find potential coaching candidates. Wade looks for candidates with extensive coaching experience and most importantly people with close ties to the East Bay community that Contra Costa College serves. “The position is still open, people have to apply, we have to get a committee together and decide who is going to be the best fit,” Wade said. “We want the best person to get our program where we have to go to compete in the conference that we are in now.” For now Henderson manages the football class and keeps the students on task and maintaining education plans. An Oakland native, Henderson graduated from McClymonds High School in 2004. He currently works mentoring kids at various campuses for the Oakland Unified School District. An accomplished athlete, he ended his high school playing career by being named to the 2004 San Francisco
“I was happy to come back. I got a chance to meet coach Pat (Henderson). I saw him around last year but since I didn’t play that season we didn’t get to talk that much. ” — Amari Mount
Chronicle All-Bay Area and AllOakland Athletic League first team. Following high school, the defensive back played all four years at Oregon State (2006-09), appearing in every game of his career for the Beavers. “My biggest attribute is discipline. I take pride in being organized,” Henderson said. “I think that’s what a lot of these guys need. They all have dreams and a vision. It’s my job to help them construct a plan that is tangible and attainable.” For the Beavers, Henderson returned kicks as a junior and senior, running back 12 kicks for 293 yards. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2010. The coach also has close ties to Contra Costa College. Henderson worked four seasons (2010-13) as an assistant to Carter prior to returning in 2016. He coached the defensive backs each year and also served as the defensive coordinator in
2013. During those years, the Comets played in the 2012 and 2013 Living Breath Foundation Bowl, winning in 2012. “Carter was really busy finishing his degree last year, so he wasn’t really hands-on because of his own school work, which is understandable,” sophomore receiver Semaj Mitchell said. “Coach Henderson is really on us about school work and everything seems to be about discipline rather than (football) ability.” In 2014, the Oakland native enrolled in the University of Southern California’s master’s program and accepted a job with the Trojan football team as a graduate assistant coach, primarily working with the defense for two seasons (2014-15). In 2014, USC’s defense was in the nation’s Top 20 in turnover margin, red zone defense and third down conversion defense. The team played in the 2014 Holiday Bowl. In 2015, USC’s defense was in the national Top 25 in turnover margin, fourth down conversion defense, sacks and defensive touchdowns. USC made a return appearance to the Holiday Bowl in 2015. In seven years of coaching, Henderson’s teams have made four bowl game appearances finishing with two wins and two losses. “Being in a coaching position here
at CCC we’re able to cast a wider net, to bring guys in and give them an opportunity to fulfill their dreams,” Henderson said. “I was one of those kids in their Henderson shoes at one time.” Carter’s acumen as a recruiter is what made him successful and is partially why he was hired at SJSU. In college athletics, players find their way to a campus usually because of a coach’s influence. “The offseason plan is more organized with more energy and just a better environment overall,” CCC sophomore linebacker Amari Mount said. “I was happy to come back. I got a chance to meet coach Pat (Henderson) I saw him around last year but since I didn’t play that season we didn’t get to talk that much. Carter leaving put a whole in my heart, but we are still going to get the job done.” With the Comet roster comprised largely of freshman, many are wondering what retention will be now that Carter’s larger-than-life presence has left the building. “Regardless if I’m here or not, these kids need help,” Henderson said. “I’m here, I’m willing and qualified to do the work, but the decision is out of my hands.”