The Advocate 2-8

WEDNESDAY l 2.8.17 OUR 67TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.

2001-02: 15,969 students On the cusp of the recession, when Wall Street collapsed, enrollment was at an all time. But, Contra Costa College has not seen a similar annual headcount since.

Counting heads, money Headcount: This metric counts the students at each campus who remained enrolled through the semester. A student counts even though he or she has dropped, or failed.

15,000 2009-10: 14,056 students Enrollment spiked for one year and has steadily dropped since then.

Full Time Equivalency: The amount of time a student spends in a course. It is the metric that funds the district per 15 course units completed.

10,000 2004-05: 12,577 students In the midst of the recession, headcount keeps dropping statewide.

5,000

2015-16: 9,911 students Last year was one of the worst years in enrollment in the college’s history.

Headcount per academic year SOURCE: CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE DATA MART

Downward trend fuels enrollment discussions Headcount remains below projections, funding still trickles

BY Reggie Santini SPOTLIGHT EDITOR

rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com

The student headcount at Contra Costa College for the spring 2017 semester is close enough to its spring 2016 figure, keeping the college on financial stability for another semester.

According to CCC’s Admissions and Records Enrollment Report, 6,941 students are enrolled before the Feb. 6 census date.

Despite an increase of 343 enrolled students, the number of Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES), a headcount/time metric by which the college is funded, at CCC has dropped by 0.4 percent since last year.

Expecting a similar headcount fig-

ure from last semester, CCC Dean of Enrollment Services Dennis Franco said the college will remain on stability status with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

Financial stability gives CCC extra time to reach its FTES goal by borrowing from other semesters.

“We pretty much leveled off,” Dr. Franco said. “It shows a small decline but it’s negligible since it’s less than half of a percent. Our headcount is up quite a bit, but a rise in headcount sadly doesn’t mean more funding.

“We won’t completely know until we hit census and that will be the numbers we use to go to the state for funding.”

Community colleges in the state of California receive funding from the state depending on the number of FTES. A single FTES is awarded to the district per 15 units worth of time a student devotes to in-class instruc-

tion. So, multiple students enrolled in different courses at separate campuses can make up the FTES for different colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District.

“We won’t lose any funding for being on (financial) stability or leveling out with our numbers,” Franco said. “But we are still borrowing from the summer (semester) to reach our (FTES) goal.”

District Communications and Community Relations Director Tim Leong said borrowing FTES from the summer semester allows the college to continue to operations despite not reaching the state mandated goal.

He said financial stability is essentially a promise to the state that administration will work to raise enrollment to the state benchmark.

“Financial stability gives colleges the funding it needs to come up with mechanism to reach its FTES goals

Spiraling comet

The Advocate explains how Contra Costa College’s low headcount affects its funding. Enrollment has been a chief concern for the district since 2004-05, when funding deficits forced it to cut programs and departments at CCC. Enrollment has suffered, and now students cope with an uncertain future under Trump’s administration.

SEE ENROLLMENT, PAGE 3

TUITION FEE INCREASES FOR NON RESIDENTS

Chief sets precedent with picks, orders

BY Michael Santone ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Advocate traces President Trump’s activity during tense political climate

msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com

DENIS PEREZ-BRAVO / THE ADVOCATE

PAGE 4 & 5

A few thousand people gather at San Francisco, Calif. Civic Center Plaza to rally against President Trump’s executive orders on immigration on Saturday.

Ban fails, city roars

BY Anthony Kinney NEWS EDITOR

akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com

Baseball team seeks to resurge mid-season The Comets remain optimistic despite rocky start to 2017 season; seek to improve bullpen efficiency, confidence PAGE 7 FACEBOOK: /accentadvocate

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza Saturday afternoon to rally against President Trump’s immigration policies and southern border wall plans.

The sea of people cheered as over a dozen of immigrants and children of immigrants voiced their opinions and concerns on the new president’s plans for America.

The turnout was immensely diverse; full of people of all ethnicities, families with small children and large groups of Middle-Eastern immigrants, some who took the liberty to practice their religion directly in front of City Hall.

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Amongst the crowd hundreds of protesters held up signs that read phases like, “Immigrants make America great” and “No human is illegal,” as well as many others expressing acceptance for refugees and denouncing President Trump’s plans for America.

Demonstrators of all ages chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has to go!”

Among the speakers were former Democratic Representative Mike Honda, who shared his family’s experience in Japanese internment camps during World War II. “A s i a n - A m e r i c a n s , Japanese-Americans have not forgotten what happened to us. We can’t allow it to happen again,” Honda said to the crowd chanting the phase, “Say

it loud, say it clear. Immigrants are welcomed here.”

“If we remain vigilant, if we remain strong, if we remain together, it won’t happen again,” said Honda.

Organizers said the rally’s objective was to bring people together to oppose two of Trump’s newly signed executive orders. One is to ban travel and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries and the second mandates the construction of a southern border wall between the United States and Mexico.

With over 9,000 users on Facebook expressing their intent to attend, several thousands of citizens came out to show their support against the

After six years the University of California and California State University plan to increase their tuition by more than $200, threatening the future of transfer students, but nonresidents throughout the Contra Costa Community College District are no stranger to tuition increase, having to endure a continuous increase each year.

Although the district has seen a five-year freeze at $46 a unit for residents of California, fees for nonresidents continued to increase over the last five years.

Alami Afilal an international student from Morocco majoring in civil engineering said when he got to CCC in the spring of 2013 the tuition was in the range of $250-260 per semester unit.

It doesn’t look fair if you compare it with how much a resident pays, he said, “but we accepted this reality the day we decided to come study in the US.” For the 2010-11 academic year the governing board approved an increase in nonresident tuition by $10, bringing it to $185, with an overlay fee of $5, for a total of $190 per semester unit.

District Community Relations and Communications Director Tim Leong said “There are two fees the district can charge to balance out the total costs for the academic year.”

Fees like the capital outlay fee, which is an SEE TUITION, PAGE 3

SEE RALLY PAGE 3

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Quotable “In our zeal to exercise our First Amendment rights... we have terrorized innocent victims..”

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Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.215.3852 Fax: 510.235.NEWS Email: accentadvocate@ 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, FEB. 8, 2017 VOL. 104, NO. 13

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM

●

EDITORIAL TREADING WATER

Administrators say economy boon fuels downward trend

A

ccording to pre-census day enrollment data for the spring 2017 semester, Contra Costa College is nearly on par with its student headcount recorded at this time last year.

But this not a fact to celebrate.

Instead, let us examine why the Contra Costa Community College District should work with the community to implement an alternative funding metric that is not dependent on headcount, retention and a soulless definition of success.

CCC’s Admissions and Records Enrollment Report recorded 6,342 enrolled students by the end of the 2016 spring semester.

As of press time Tuesday, CCC’s student headcount for this semester is 6,941. That is a projected increase of 599 students by the Feb. 6 (Monday) census date.

An increased headcount is great, but our college still won’t see an increase in its funding.

Instead, departments at CCC are more likely to be “pruned” as funding bypasses smaller districts like ours in favor of larger districts in Southern California as well-meaning administrators cite a booming economy when faced with the question “why?”

Enrollment trends are a necessary and important discussion because: Headcount for the spring semester has not exceeded 8,000 in six years — since 2011. We are the smallest campus in the district, but our headcounts over the last few years have been lower than the 2000 spring semester.

While a .04 percent drop in the figure that determines the college’s funding, Full Time Equivalent student (FTES) metric, is miniscule, it represents a continuing downward trend.

We have not stopped borrowing funding from the summer semesters to meet state FTES benchmarks.

CCC is projected to file for stability status again, district Communications and Community Relations Director Tim Leong said.

When a college cannot meet the FTES benchmark set by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, schools can take on stability status as a promise to create strategic plans that would increase enrollment, retention, and transfer.

A single FTES is awarded to the district per 15 course units a student completes. So an FTES can be achieved by multiple students enrolled in different courses, but only if the student remains in the course and does not drop.

While hiring 10 full-time professors this spring for fall 2017 in various departments is a necessary step in increasing student success and our funding in theory, the hiring committees tasked with vetting applicants must be diligent about who they choose to hire.

Who is teaching a class is just as, if not more, important than getting students to pay for the $46 tuition cost.

While we must be decisive and show leadership, any group that never asks the question, “Could we be wrong?” is doomed for failure.

Do you want students to sign up for classes? Then work with groups like Reclaim California’s Higher Education who don’t want to make college affordable — they want to make it free.

LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE

2

■ HEALTH

Medicating children equivalent to abuse T

he number of times that a parent or pediatrician has recommended that my son be medicated or analyzed during the short amount of time he has spent on this earth is terrifying.

I see a happy child running around the living room at 10 p.m. as his parents talk with their guests.

Others see something entirely different.

“Have you thought about giving your son some cough medicine to help him sleep?

Whenever our daughter gets like that we give her a few sips and down she goes.”

This is the type of advice that I have heard from other parents as my son developed into a rambunctious 2-yearold.

Pediatrician Shan Yin wrote in the “Journal of Pediatrics” that “drugging children with over-thecounter or prescription medications can have unintended consequences.”

Yin said, “Anytime you’re giving medication for any purpose other than what it’s explicitly prescribed for, you run the risk of harming your child.”

The sad reality is that we do not need a doctor to tell us this.

We know what each medication is prescribed for and we know that we should use them as directed.

So why do parents seem to forget that when it comes to their children?

From 2000 through 2008, Yin found 1,439 cases of children dying or being seriously injured from being drugged. More than half of these cases involved sedatives.

After speaking to a few parents, many mentioned hearing the same question from their own family members.

We all agreed — why are we looking for reasons to medicate our children?

In 2003, ADHD affected about 7 percent of children Parents usually turn to in the Unites States. these extreme methods As of 2011, approximately when they are feeling over11 percent of children in whelmed by their children America had been diagor when they just need some nosed with ADHD. “me time.”

As the number of kids The with ADHD rises, so has the problem Parents cost of the medication. with From 2005 to 2009 the drugging usually turn sales of behavioral medicayour child tion jumped from $3 billion to sleep so to these to $5.9 billion, annually. that you Kids all develop and grow can sit extreme in different ways and it is on your wrong for us to hold every couch methods child to uniform standards and watch when every child is unique. when they Netflix If parents put more time without aside to spend with their are feeling them is children, we wouldn’t have that the overwhelmed such a high number of kids child doped up on unneeded might not medication. by their wake up Parents know their kids from his better than anyone else. children. cough If you have taken the time syrup to get to know your child, induced slumber. then you know when someIn 2005, a daycare owner thing is wrong with them. in Montana was convicted Before we start turning to of killing a 1-year-old after drugs and psychiatric evalgiving the child a fatal dose uations, we should give our of cough syrup to help the children the opportunity to child get to sleep.

Situations like these often just be children.

Medication should only garner national attention, be given to children when but what about all the famthey are sick and the medilies that get away with this icine is specifically pretype of behavior? scribed to them.

I have been asked many times if I have taken my son Reggie Santini is the spotto a doctor to see if he suflight editor of The Advocate. fers from Attention Deficit Contact him at rsantini.

Hyperactivity Disorder — theadvocate@gmail.com.

ADHD.

reggiesantini

CAMPUS COMMENT How do you pay for college?

“I work a part-time job and receive financial aid.”

“Thanks to financial aid and EOPS, I’m able to go to school”

“My parents and I. I’m working, and my parents help pay the rest.”

“I get the Board of Governors Fee Waiver and partially pay out of pocket.”

“My parents pay for my classes and books.”

“I pay with my own money since I didn’t apply for financial aid.”

Jonae McDonald

Mauricio Duarte

Haley Aronson

Joe Villavicencio

Tyler Johnson

Natalie Ebojo

broadcast journalism

psychology

JOSE CHAVEZ AND ANTHONY KINNEY / THE ADVOCATE

nursing

engineering

political science

nursing

campus beat

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.8.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

3

NEWSLINE ENROLLMENT | Declining numbers spur concerns CULINARY ARTS

FUNDRAISER OFFERS MULTI-COURSE MEAL The culinary arts department will host the third annual Cupid’s Season dinner on Feb. 14. The event will start from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Aqua Terra Grill.

A five-course menu will be served.

The menu consists of scallop martini with vodka vinaigrette, winter greens with salmon and goat cheese rigotte, braised short ribs with tiger prawns, soft polenta and butternut squash, chocolate pyramid with strawberry purée and an assorted cheese plate. Vegetarian options will also be available.

Guests will receive one complimentary glass of champagne upon arrival. Guests can also bring their own bottle if desired.

Tickets cost $35 and are available online at ccc_culinaryarts. evenbrite.com.

CAREER

WORKSHOP ASSISTS IN SEARCH FOR JOB An online job search workshop will be held in the Career/Transfer Center from 4 to 5 p.m. in SA-227 on Feb. 13.

The workshop will highlight online resources and how to use social media as a tool in getting a job.

For more details, contact SparkPoint Coordinator Bill Bankhead at bbankhead@contracosta.edu.

AFRICAN HERITAGE

DANCE, DRUM EVENT HIGHLIGHTS CULTURE The free annual cultural event “From African Empires to Congo Square in the U.S.” will be held at the Knox Center to commemorate African Heritage Month.

The performance is scheduled for Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.

The performance will feature dance professor LaTanya Tigner’s choreography, a slide presentation on the African empires, a Congo Square video clip, commentary, Contra Costa College student presentations and live performances.

For more information, contact African-American studies department Chairperson Carolyn Hodge at chodge@contracosta.edu.

CRIMEWATCH Monday, Dec. 12: An employee reported vandalism on the Knox Center’s exterior lights. During the investigation, the employee stated no items were taken.

Monday, Dec. 12: An officer responded to the CTC regarding an instructor that fainted.

Wednesday, Dec. 14: A student’s wallet was stolen.

Wednesday, Dec. 14: A student’s laptop was stolen.

— Reggie Santini

— 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.

Continued from Page 1

despite the college not currently being able to meet it,” Leong said. “ Earning back FTES is hard so the stability funding was made to give colleges time come up with a game plan.”

According to the Enrollment Report as of press time Tuesday, 2,158 FTES. Franco said this places the college slightly under their state goal of 2,252 FTES. Franco said the report provides a snapshot and determining exact numbers is challenging because one day a student could be at CCC and the other day taking courses at Diablo Valley College or Los Medanos College.

But Franco said that even if CCC surpasses its FTES goal it will not receive extra funding because the state sets the amount of funding per each college based on projections.

CCC President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh said now that the Campus Center and Classroom Project is complete (2013-2016) enrollment should rise.

“We have noticed that when the economy is doing good the more students go out and work, and therefore have less time and attend class less.”

According to the enrollment report CCC has lost 4,145 students between the 2009 and 2016 academic school years.

“Our enrollment and finances fluctuate,” Leong said. “When we are in a time of recession everyone wants to comeback, but because the state is also in recession so it dolls out less money.”

District Administrative Services Executive Vice Chancellor Eugene Huff said the deficit in enrollment figures could be cushioned through a compressed academic calendar.

“Financial stability gives colleges the funding it needs to come up with mechanisms to reach its FTE goals despite the college not currently being able to meet it.”

Tim Leong

District communications and community director

“It would give us time to hold a winter intersession,” Huff said. “With 16 weeks instead of 18, we trim off 10 days and it gives us two weeks to play around with so we could offer more courses.”

Franco said that they saw very high senses numbers and success levels for their winter break Cyber Sessions.

“It’s one thing to get people here and it’s another thing to get them to be a full time student given all the things people have to balance,” Franco said. “As the increase in our headcount indicates, we are in an upswing. I think it’s important that we continue to focus on increasing our enrollment through innovations like our winter break Cyber Session.”

Despite the increase in headcount many different class sections were cut this semester.

Admissions & Records Director Catherine Frost said that when you have half full classes the college is breaking even and not making any revenue.

“So to increase productivity they had to reduce some sections,” Frost said. “We are trying to make a lean schedule so we are not offering too much. We are trying to find the right balance so that every class fills up instead

of having half full classes.”

Mehdizadeh said CCC’s fill-rate for classes has been declining, so they had to reevaluate and cut back certain class sections.

She said the most challenging question since taking on the role of college Franco president is “how do we prune while managing to keep our array of classes?”

Franco said the college administration has been using various marketing techniques in the surrounding communities to increase enrollment.

“We been reaching out to students who applied but never attended and highlighting different programs to those students,” he said.

“We also have been looking into students who completed some progress like transfer math and English but didn’t graduate and trying to bring them back to work on degree or certificate.

He said marketing efforts include showing advertisements during trailers at Century 16 theater in Richmond, being active on social media apps, sending mass texts, emails, magazine and the “Ellucian Go” mobile app.

“The numbers show that our marketing efforts are working,” Franco said.

CCC Assistant Counselor Leticia Mendoza, who is in the building with the highest foot traffic— the Student Services Center — said she agrees.

“I definitely feel like we have been busier since the last two semesters and our numbers definitely show that.”

RALLY | Diverse people rally for immigrant rights Continued from Page 1 new administration.

Speakers took the stage, giving horrific stories of the daily struggles of living in war-torn countries such as Syria and the extreme mistreatment asylum seekers endure during the vetting process to legally enter America.

The list of speakers also touched on topics like the representation of immigrants as terrorists, rapists and criminals.

Former Google employee speaker Omid Scheybani, Germanborn Iranian immigrant pointed out to the culturally diverse crowd of demonstrators and said, “This is what America looks like, not Trump’s vision of America.”

The crowd responded by chanting, “No ban, no wall! Equality for all!”

Gregory Johnson, now an organizer for refusefascism.org, a Bay Area activist group, is more known for his role as the defendant in the Texas v. Johnson flag burning case.

He was arrested and sentenced to one year in prison for desecrating an American flag during the 1984 Republican convention in Dallas, Texas.

After a series of appeals the case made its way to the Supreme Court where the Texas law was found to infringe on citizens’ first amendment rights.

Johnson said he believes Trump’s administration is a “blatant” fascist regime that the public is yet to fathom.

“We can’t sit around and toler-

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

A woman covers her face during a rally in Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Calif. to rally against President Trump’s executive orders on immigration on Saturday.

Soleimani urged the audience to call their district representatives.

“Let them know America won’t stand for Trump’s xenophobic policies,” she said.

Johnson said that even though Gregory Johnson Trump’s ban on immigrants from organizer the seven Muslim countries seems ate this for 4 years. We should be surprising to most citizens, he trying to drive it from power,”- said that there is “logic to Trump’s Johnson said. madness”.

“There’s no telling where that “Every country this ban man (Trump) is going to lead us, includes is a country America has but I know its nowhere good.” attacked before,” Johnson said.

Corporate Communications “Its something very strange about Manager at Google and Iranian- that.”

American immigrant Roya After about three hours the

“We can’t sit around for 4 years. We should be trying to drive power.”

protest ended peacefully without a sign of violence.

Instead it concluded with a dance circle where dozens of the attendees danced and laughed together to the sounds of Middle Eastern horns and drums.

The event was the latest in the continuous string of protests that have been erupting across the bay area, as well as other major cities around the country since President Trump’s inauguration.

TUITION | Non-residents pay extra costs to attend Continued from Page 1 added charge to nonresidents to make up for expenses such as maintenance to the building and grounds, lights, gas and water, as well as for paying the instructor, Leong said.

California residents are not charged this fee because of the taxes paid to the state, he said “Residents pay just the $46 fee because of the money in state taxes that the college receives for that student attending.”

During the 2012-13 academic year, nonresidents saw a 3.1 percent increase in tuition, to $195 per semester unit, with an overlay fee of $6, bringing the total to $201 per semester unit.

But the governing board also approved the addition of the $46 resident semester fee per unit, on top of the nonresident fee and capital overlay fee, which took effect summer 2013 and totals $247 per semester unit.

Nonresidents saw a 7.2 percent increase in tuition for the 2014-15 academic year, the most substantial increase in five years, from $198 to $205 per semester unit, while the capital overlay fee increased from $7 to $18.

The increase in tuition for the 2016-17 academic year was approved by the governing board last January and increased from $205 to $211 per semester unit, plus an increase in the capital overlay fee from $18 to $26, with a combined fee representing a 6.3 percent increase.

Including the resident fee of $46 per unit, the total cost for the 2017 academic year is $283 per semester unit.

“I think it’s mainly that inflation affect everything, so it tuition increases from $250 to $280 in five years, that’s almost guaranteed 2 percent yearly increase in tuition.” civil engineering

Afilal said, “I think it’s mainly that inflation affects everything, so if tuition increases from $250 to $280 in five years, that’s almost guaranteed 2 percent yearly increase in tuition.”

It can be really hard on students coming to study in the US, but it’s for our future, so it must be done,” he said.

“Students should have their financial situation checked and evaluated so that they have a relatively fun and free of worry experience,” Afilal said.

District Chief Financial Officer Jonah Nicholas said, “Tuition increase for nonresidents is a local assessment done by the district board throughout the community colleges.”

The information that is gathered is then sent off to the chancellor’s business office, who then sends back recommendations on the parameters in which to set the nonresident tuition, he said, community colleges don’t receive funding for nonresident students, so the cost is much higher to compensate for that lack of funding and the resources spent to accommo-

date the students.

Diablo Valley College has 90 percent of nonresident student in the district, so they set the tuition for the district and then the governing board votes.

Nicholas said, “calculations done by the state for cost of infrastructure and FTES must meet the threshold, which forces us to raise tuition to be in compliance with the education code.”

There were a total of 243 nonresidents on the CCC campus last fall that were taking on a full time schedule, and at DVC there were a total of 1,664 nonresident students taking on a full time schedule.

Nicholas said, “The parameters set forth by the governing board for the 2016-17 semester was based on the average FTES for the 201415 academic year, which increased on average throughout the district by 4 percent.”

Counselor Assistant in the Welcome Center Leticia Mendoza said there are websites like dreamersroadmap.com, which offer scholarships to nonresident students to help with the burden of such a large sum of money.

Mendoza said, “We just want to be here to help make sure they have an easy transition into our campus.”

4

spot

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.8.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

PRESIDENT’S Wilbur Ross

James Mattis

secretary of commerce

secretary of defense

Status: unconfirmed

Status: confirmed

Wilbur Ross was appointed by President Trump as the new secretary of commerce. Ross spent 24 years as a Wall Street bankruptcy adviser. He started his own firm in the year 2000, where he would make billions buying and reviving companies in failing U.S. industries, making most of his fortune off tariffs on foreign steel in the Bush era.

Retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis was sworn in on Jan. 20, to serve as secretary of defense. Mattis’ confirmation makes him the first senior military officer to hold the office since the Truman administration in the 1950s. He recently retired from the military and required a waiver to be approved for the position.

Andrew Puzder

secretary of labor

Status: unconfirmed

Andrew Puzder was raised in Cleveland, Ohio in a working-class community with an ambition to become a lawyer and now is the Trump administrations nominee for labor secretary. He attended Washington University and earned his law degree along with a bachelor’s from Cleveland State University.

Elaine Chao

secretary of transportation Status: confirmed

Elaine Chao previously served as the 24th labor secretary during the George W. Bush administration from 2001-09. Chao’s nomination was approved Jan. 31 in the Senate by a 96-6 vote and mere hours later was sworn in as transportation secretary. Chao has been married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky since 1993.

Sonny Perdue

Steven Mnuchin

secretary of agriculture

secretary of the treasury

Status: unconfirmed

In his final cabinet position nominee, President Trump chose former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue to serve as secretary of agriculture. Perdue served as the 81st governor of Georgia from 2003-11.

He gained national notoriety in 2007 when he led hundreds of Georgians in prayer.

Rick Perry

secretary of energy

Status: unconfirmed

Rick Perry was elected by President Donald Trump to serve in his cabinet as secretary of the energy department. If approved by the Senate his main responsibility will be managing the nation’s armory of nuclear weapons.

Perry ran for president as a republican in 2011, but dropped out.

Status: unconfirmed

Steven Mnuchin was nominated on Nov. 30, 2016, by President Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the treasury.

Mnuchin graduated from Yale University in 1985. He is a former partner of Golden Sachs Bank and hedge fund manager.

David Shulkin

secretary of health

Status: unconfirmed

David Shulkin is currently the undersecretary of health for the department of Veteran Affairs and is President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the department of veteran affairs. If confirmed, Shulkin will be the first secretary of veteran affairs to have not served in the military.

Fear sweeps communities as right wing ideologies gain momentum

BY Roxana Amparo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

President Donald Trump has signed more than 15 executive orders within a few days of entering office, leaving communities in fear and with questions about their future.

Trump’s continued promises to build a border wall and the possibility of more executive orders that could affect the lives of local undocumented people have raised concerns on campus.

Contra Costa College La Raza studies major Luis Ledesma said Trump’s executive orders do not promote equity and justice, but instead endanger the lives of many.

One concern students have is whether they or their family will be deported if Immigration Custom Enforcement enters the campus, Financial Aid Supervisor Monica Rodriguez said.

“My undocumented family is here to stay and resist,” Ledesma

said. But he said he is afraid he will be removed from his home by force if ICE were to raid his home.

HSI STEM Manager Mayra Padilla said when ICE knocks on the door, the person can ask for a warrant.

“Unless someone has a warrant that is signed by a judge, you do not need to allow law enforcement into your house, period,” she said.

Padilla said people should not lie, but never offer information to the immigration agent.

Ariel Toran, law clerk, said opening the door for ICE does not mean they are invited inside, but it is often thought it to be that way.

Toran said, “They (police) never like people asserting their rights.”

“If ICE is coming in and asking you, ‘we have an arrest warrant for John Smith, where is he in your classroom?’ You don’t have the duty to answer that question either, you have no duty to become law enforcement,” he said.

Padilla said one thing a lot of

Jan. 20

Trump tries to ‘Make America Great Again’ In the first three weeks following his inauguration, President Donald Trump has issued more executive orders during the same time span than any president in history. These orders dramatically reverse previous policies such as resuming construction of two contested pipelines and limiting federal funding to sanctuary cities.

“While everyone has a lot of fear, there is no reason to be fearful. There is a lot happening that is positive to those kinds of threats that are happening.”

— Mayra Padilla, HSI STEM manager

people don’t know is that anyone with a religious background, like a priest or rabbi, is allowed to go into a juvenile detention center to see those who are detained.

“If something happened, what is your plan, who are you going to contact? Have a lawyer in mind and have somebody that is in the clergy,” Padilla said.

Sociology major Marisol Contreras said, “It is not fair for anyone that is going through that.

It’s not fair for any human being to go through that. And I wanted to

change that.”

Contreras attended the board meeting where the sanctuary campus was proposed on Dec. Padilla 14 in Martinez and the special meeting held in Diablo Valley College on Jan. 12 where the vote to make the three colleges within the district (CCC, DVC, Los Medanos College) sanctuaries for their students happened.

Rodriguez said the California Community College Chancellor’s Office said any undocumented student who attends any one of the three community colleges within the district will not have their personal information released to federal authorities.

“It’s a big relief for our students,” Rodriguez said.

Students will continue to qualify for financial aid if they are undocumented and meet AB540

requirements, just as they have in the past, Rodriguez said.

“In California at large, and at the district level and the campus level, everyone is looking to support these students and make sure that we can put those fears to rest as much as possible,” she said.

CCC counselor Norma Valdez-Jimenez said students are quiet about how they feel.

“Maybe it’s hard to ask for this information,” she said. There is this “cautiousness” and it might be that they keep a lot of questions to themselves.

Padilla said, “While everyone has a lot of fear, there is no reason to be fearful. There is a lot happening that is positive in terms of responding to those kinds of threats that are happening.”

Padilla said HSI STEM posted the black and white posters around campus reading, “Refugees and immigrants welcome here. No Muslim ban. No border wall. Our cities stand tall.”

Jan. 23 Jan. 23, 2017 The executive order titled “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” was issued. According to whitehouse.gov, the order states in section 1 that, “Interior enforcement of our nation’s immigration law is critically important to national security and public safety of the United States.”

Sanctuary cities that do not abide by this order will lose federal funding. San Francisco was among the first to file a lawsuit against the action, claiming the order to be unconstitutional.

Jan. 24, 2017 Construction was scheduled to continue despite a Dec. 4 decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to halt the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Engineers also prepared to continue working on the Keystone XL pipeline following a Jan. 24 executive order signed by President Trump.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a 36-inch diameter pipeline designed to transport tar, sand and oil from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Neb. The day the executive order was signed, shares of the stock in the companies that own Keystone XL and DAPL, Trans-Canada Corp. and Energy Transfer Partners, rose 3.5 percent.

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5

S CABINET Betsy Devos

Ryan Zinke

secretary of education

secretary of the interior

Status: confirmed

Status: unconfirmed

DeVos was the chairperson for Alliance for School Choice (2003) and a leader in All Children Matter political action committee (PAC). Both organizations are her only experience in higher education and both are within the private Christian school system.

DeVos was on the verge of not getting the Senate’s majority vote.

Democrats in the Senate held an allnight filibuster, but failed to remove her.

Republican Representative from Montana Ryan Zinke has been chosen by President Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the interior. The fifth generation Montanan has represented the state of Montana for one term. Zinke served 23 years as a Navy SEAL before becoming a politician in 2008.

Rex Tillerson

Mike Pence

secretary of state

vice president

Status: confirmed

Status: elected

Rex Wayne Tillerson was sworn in as Secretary of State in President Donald Trump’s administration on Feb. 1. Tillerson is a longtime employee of ExxonMobil Corp., an oil and gas company, having joined in 1975.

Vice President Michael Richard Pence was born in Indiana in 1959. In 2011, Pence succeeded in becoming the governor of Indiana. However, Pence has found himself on shaky grounds since signing the religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015.

Ben Carson

John Kelly

secretary of housing and urban development

secretary of homeland security

Status: unconfirmed

Status: confirmed

John Kelly is a retired U.S. Marine Corps general with a distinguished military career spanning over 40 years.

Known for being a straightforward talker, Kelly maintains strict conservative principles regarding border security and immigration. The general is in favor of building the southern border wall. He believes Mexico and South America are the catalyst to problems in the U.S.

Ben Carson was nominated secretary of housing and urban development. Dr. Carson was the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1984 to 2013. He is a former Republican presidential candidate from the 2016 campaign. On Jan. 24, Carson was unanimously approved by the Senate Banking Committee and is waiting for the Senate to vote on his nomination.

Jeff Sessions

attorney general

Status: confirmed

President Donald Trump has sparked national debate and outrage as he nominated individuals from the private sector to his cabinet. Comprised of multi-millionaires and conservative activists, citizens are raising concerns for the lack of diversity and transparency in the nominees and their financial interests.

Jeff Sessions is known as one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate and has been nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney General. The senator is most known for serving as U.S. attorney in 1981 under former President Ronald Reagan.

Trump threatens deportation Southern wall proposal included in border security order

BY Rob Clinton OPINION EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

In an attempt to fulfill one of his most controversial campaign promises, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase border security capabilities by federal law enforcement agencies and also clear a path toward construction of a southern border wall.

The order, signed by Trump on Jan. 25, cites existing immigration law as its foundation, including the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (Public Law 109 367) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Public Law 104 208 Div. C) among other statutes.

Absent from the document is any mention of the 740,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) petitioners or any cost and timeline analysis of how the order would be implemented.

The purpose of this order, which can be found on whitehouse.gov, is to direct executive departments and agencies to deploy all lawful means to secure the southern border and to prevent further illegal immigration into the United States.

“The wall is completely unnecessary.

How effective can it really be?” business major Angelica Espinal asked.

Jan. 27

“Why spend the money on an idea that doesn’t work. It should be spent on public education.”

It also plans to repatriate undocumented immigrants swiftly, consistently and humanely.

Threats of the withdrawal of federal aid to Mexico, meant to encourage a cooperative effort to reduce migration, are also included in the order.

Moments after the Jan. 25 signing, Trump spoke to employees at the Department of Homeland Security about border control and his vision for American safety and economic opportunity.

“I’m asking all of you to enforce the laws of the United States of America.

They will be enforced and enforced strongly,” Trump said.

“The secretary of homeland security, working with myself and my staff, will begin immediate construction of a border wall. So badly needed, you folks know how badly needed it is.”

A complete transcript of the address is available at c-span.org.

Protests against the impending policies that Trump proposed during his campaign have become a regular occurrence due to the immediate impact immigration policy shifts can have on families.

Despite President Obama earning the moniker the “Deporter-in-Chief,”

“The wall is completely unnecessary. How effective can it really be?”

Angelica Espinal, business

his loosely knit immigration safety net of executive orders was completely untethered by the Trump administration’s actions.

From 2009 to 2015, the Obama administration deported roughly 2.5 million people.

To contrast his robust deportation figures, Obama signed five executive orders November 2014 to allow certain immigrants to apply for relief from deportation.

Aside from the nearly five million people the order was hoped to protect, it also sought to refocus the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to deporting serious criminals.

The uncertain impact that reformed immigration enforcement will have has prompted many municipalities to reaffirm the commitment to maintaining sanctuary status.

A gesture of solidarity to the immigrant community made by the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board gives sanctuary status to all of the colleges in the district,

Jan. 31

Feb. 8

Jan. 25, 2017 On Jan. 25, President Trump declared Jan. 22 until Jan. 28 “National School Choice Week.” The movement supports the idea that children and parents should be able to choose from charter, private or home schooling educational options, not just the public schooling option low-income families are usually left with.

President Trump shows support for conservative education standards by the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. DeVos has an extensive history of government lobbying for private school vouchers and education saving accounts.

including Contra Costa College.

Recognizing that some of the students and faculty members on staff will be adversely affected as a result of Trump’s Valdezexecutive order, CCC offers counsel- Jimenez ing sessions to try to help campus community members who may be dealing with difficult circumstances.

“Some folks don’t feel comfortable coming in yet because of the climate that we live in,” CCC counselor Norma Valdez said.

“I saw two students recently, one a Muslim student whose spouse was traveling, and she was afraid because of the travel ban. And a DACA student who was generally stressed and experiencing a lot of anxiety,” she said.

Personal or group sessions are available, and sessions can be scheduled by contacting the Counseling Center in room SSC-108 or by calling 510-2153935.

Drop in sessions are also available.

“We want to highlight the counseling options and let students know we are here to talk about whatever they want to talk about,” Valdez said.

Jan. 28, 2017 President Trump’s ethics pledge is similar to former President Obama’s, but tightens and loosens some restrictions. Presidential appointees are now barred from engaging in any lobbying activities for five years after the end of their term. This closes a loophole that restricts lobbying activities that by requiring formal registration when performing such action.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

A girl holds a sign as she sits on her father’s shoulders at the San Francisco International Airport during a shutdown of the International Terminal in San Francisco, Calif. on Jan. 28.

Appointees are no longer barred from every agency they lobbied within two years before their appointment.

Similarly, the five-year lobbying ban for appointees leaving office no longer applies in areas of government outside the agency they worked in.

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Brix offers vegetarian cuisine, promotes wellness on Mondays Eatery sells meatless options to spotlight health, variety

BY Michael Santone ASSOCIATE EDITOR

“Having more healthy choices and promoting vegetarianism is a great way to get people interested in something new, while spreading awareness about animals and the environment.”

msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com

— Mark Vincent, Brix general manager

This semester Brix cafe, located in the Student Dining Hall, SA-159, is providing students with a more healthy meal option to begin their week — meatless Monday, a movement motivating people to eat vegetarian each Monday.

Focused on vegetarianism, meatless Monday aims to help animals and the environment, while spreading awareness about personal health.

Brix General Manager Mark Vincent said the eatery is working on adding more healthy choices to the menu, but the dishes prepared for meatless Monday are strictly vegetarian.

“We have been very surprised by the reception it has received. A lot of students have been interested,” he said.

Vincent said when students see that it’s vegetarian, their first reaction is that it’s not going to be good, but when they try it they become fans.

Chef Jason Rogers said he is creative when it comes to the dishes for meatless Monday.

“Like with the Lo Mein. The original recipe has shrimp, but I made it vegetarian,” he said. “I normally take recipes and remove or replace the meat with something else.”

There have been a variety of different

dishes offered since the start of meatless Monday.

Rogers said there are no limits when it comes to preparing dishes. “We just want to create different meals every Monday, from different cultures.”

Business major Nguyen Ha said it’s a good thing that they are providing a vegetarian option because a lot of students on campus might be vegetarian.

“I think that there should be a vegetarian option every day and not just on Monday,” she said.

Vincent said it was a company decision and once the staff at Brix heard about it, they jumped on the idea.

“Our main goal for the future is to introduce people to eating healthier and really good tasting food,” he said.

Brix is planning to continue meatless Monday, trying new recipes and ideas.

“Having more healthy choices and promoting vegetarianism is a great way to get people interested in something new, while spreading awareness about animals and the environment,” Vincent said.

Nursing major Brett Coleman said the idea of meatless Monday is great, and if

LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE

Brix is planning to continue with it, she looks forward for what’s to come.

“Meatless Monday is a good way for students to get involved and explore the world of food while improving their diet,” she said.

Rogers said it’s about spreading awareness to vegetarianism so people can explore something new when it comes to food.

“There is nothing negative about knowledge, and when you are introducing people to something new there is never anything bad in that,” he said.

According to Dr. Edward of The Global Health Center, vegetarianism has benefits including improvements in mood and less risk of stroke and obesity.

CURRENT PROJECT LIST MIRES PARKING LOT EXPANSION Empty spaces tough to find on crowded campus

BY Jaleel Perry ADVOCATE STAFF

jperry.theadvocate@gmail.com

Parking has become an issue on campus due to enrollment increasing over the winter break, but Contra Costa College Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said it is low on the project list.

Following the construction of the new buildings on campus, more spaces for parking were made available near the former bookstore building.

Safety has been a concern to King, who wants to take action in creating more parking spots on campus.

“Well, we want to expand the parking lots and make things a lot easier and safer for people driving,” King said.

He said he wants to change the driving lanes as well, so people can drive through CCC with no hassle.

During most mornings and afternoons, many people are waiting to be picked up by relatives or friends. Cars are often parked in an inappropriate place while waiting for a student to arrive.

Completion of future construction work will make more parking available.

The upcoming demo-

lition of the Liberal Arts Building will pave the way for a new $64 million Heath and Science Complex.

“First we have to renovate the Applied Arts Building.

Then once that is done, we can start on the LA Building,” King said.

Beginning the renovation is set for July 11, but finishing everything could take as long as 18 months to two years, King said.

The current Building and Grounds and Police Services building is set to be demolished within the next two years, to be replaced with a parking

King

lot which will offer more p a r k ing opportunities for students who have a hard time finding a place to

park.

Nursing major Aryianna Miller said she often gets rides to school and that traffic can be pretty congested while being dropped off in the morning.

“The new loading area makes getting dropped off easier since I don’t have to hop out

in the middle of the street. But the times I drive here it’s a pain to find a good parking spot.”

Miller said.

Parking on the opposite side of campus from your class is something nobody wants to do.

English major Mikayla Robinson said, “If I don’t get here to school by at least 8 or 9 o’clock then I’m pretty sure I won’t have a good parking spot.”

King said he wants to get this done as quickly as possible as it would make driving and parking on campus a lot easier for students.

Free on-campus printing Center eases transfer service opens in ASU stress, provides aid share tips, aim office despite hiccups Guides to streamline processes

BY Reggie Santini SPOTLIGHT EDITOR

rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Student Life Office Free Print Program will give students the option to print up 20 black and white pages a day for free. A computer and printer will available inside of the Student Life Office for students to use as an alternative option to paying 12 cents per page at the Library and Learning Resource Center.

Student Services and Instructional Support Coordinator Joel NickelsonShanks said they are at a standstill with Contra Costa College’s information technology (IT) department at the moment.

“We have everything that’s needed but we are waiting on IT to come in here finish setting it up.”

Students can use the old printer currently set up at the Student Life Office to print while they wait to set up the new printer.

Students will have access to a computer specifically set up for the Free Print Program to print their papers.

Nickelson-Shanks said, “We are putting restrictions on the computer so students can’t just hop on and surf the Web. You will be able to get on your email and other cer-

”We are using an honesty policy, so if you print more than 20 (pages), it’s not like a red flag is going to pop up and I’m going to run outside yelling at people.”

— Joel Nickelson-Shanks, students services and instructional support coordinator

tain websites to print stuff.”

Students will not have to sign in with their ID numbers like they do in the LLRC. Nickelson-Shanks said “We are using an honesty policy, so if you print more than 20 there’s not a red flag that is going to pop up and I’m going to run outside yelling at people.”

He also said, “There will be a timer on the computer so that a single person isn’t taking too much time with a huge line forming behind them. We want this program to make things as convenient as possible for students.”

“I know the difficulty of when you either print your paper or pay for the bus ride home,” health and human services major Vernon Harvey said. He said, “This is a great

program.”

According to the district’s Acceptable Technology Use policy (Board’s Policy 4007) computer use is a privilege.

Those using them should act responsibly and the computers should only be used for school work.

Pediatric nursing major Denise Brown said, “I don’t mind going over there to print. I want to keep my change. I always have to go to my uncle’s house to print if I am low on cash, but now I have an alternative.”

Students who wish to print at the LLRC can get a free printing card. The card can only be loaded with cash by the machines inside the LLRC. Prints cost 12 cents for a black and white page and 35 cents for a color page.

By adding the HP LaserJet Pro M402dw printer in the Student Life Offices as an option for students, LLRC printing queue times are expected to go down as students will now have another option to print their work.

Nursing major Heather Arrogante said, “I might be too lazy to go all the way over there. If I have time I will make the effort, but the reason I always print here (in the LLRC) is because it’s usually last minute.

BY Yesenia Melara SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

ymelara.theadvocate@gmail.com

As students are preparing to transfer for fall 2017 they are encouraged to use the Transfer Center.

Transfer and Veterans Coordinator Andrea Phillips said she encourages students to stop by and visit her at the Transfer Center located in SA-227, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“We (at the Transfer Center) want students to come in and use the center,” she said. “We have many services that can help students with their transferring process.”

Among the services that the Transfer Center provides are college application help, workshops, one-on-one educational planning, major requirement information, university information, selected campus tours, scholarships, personal statement help and other general information for transferring.

Alysia Robinson, business administration major, applied to UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Robinson said that the resources that Phillips and the Transfer Center provided her with were very helpful.

“I was able to get help with my personal statement and with the supplemental application that UC Berkeley required of me,” Robinson said. “Ms. Phillips is a great person to go to with all those transferring questions that someone might have.

The Transfer Center is also a place where students can go and talk about their feelings about transferring.

“For many of these students, transfer-

ring can be quite overwhelming as they are new to the process,” Phillips said. “For some, they are first-generation college students, so they don’t get the kind of support they need Phillips to keep on going. I see students who have been accepted to “They don’t many great schools, but still doubt they get the kind of are good enough. support they My job is to encourage them and guide need to keep them throughout the on going. process.”

My job is to H a r r i e t Hernandez, internaencourage tional studies major, them and is hoping to go to New York University guide them and is confident that through the she will be accepted.

Her family is process.” proud of her, she Andrea Phillipa said, but because transfer and veterans they couldn’t achieve coordinator a higher education, she is the only one who pushes herself with her transferring process. She said by going to the center she was able to get the information and support she needed.

Phillips said that if students want more support for transferring, she advices students to take the course Counseling 103B, Ensuring Transfer Success. The course is currently offered and will also be offered as a short session during the summer.

“In this class, we will not only give students a closer look at what it takes to transfer, but we will also give them a transferring kit which will contain pencils, pens, notebooks, organizational tools and more.”

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“

I just try to remember the right decision I made from last year and build from there.”

7

■ OFF THE RECORD

— Brian Guinn, Comet baseball coach

efrainvaldez

MARK DAVIS’ PLANS ALIENATE EAST BAY NATIVES, FANATICS

O

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Comet infielder Elijah Smith stretches out in a head-first slide beating the throw back to first base during CCC’s 21-6 loss to Diablo Valley College at the Baseball Field on Jan. 28. The Comets’ next home game is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Baseball Field.

Hopes swell as strategy, talent merge on field Lack of scoring continues to plague team

BY Dylan Collier ASSISTANT SCENE EDITOR

dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com

The newly revitalized baseball program at Contra Costa College starts its season this spring with an optimistic and hopeful outlook, partially due a revamped coaching staff that boasts some previous professional playing experience.

Coach Brian Guinn said in practice that the team works on playing fundamental baseball in a positive setting where everyone feels good about themselves.

That kind of continuity is important to develop within a team that has real talent and potential.

The team features 17 freshman and 12 sophomores who all have the intention of going above and beyond their 12-22 record from last year.

Guinn seeks to continue to build on the accomplishments his team earned last year, his first as Comet head coach.

“One of the most rewarding things about coaching is seeing the athletes when they grow up and come back to thank me later on. I always enjoy re-connecting with them when they’re older,” Guinn said.

One downside for Comet baseball this year is that the rain has made it difficult to hold scrimmages and practice.

That limits the opportunities that players have to see live pitching, so they have been forced to improvise by spending more time in the batting cages.

“One of our strong points is hitting

“One of the most rewarding things is seeing the athletes when they grow up and come back to thank me later on. I always enjoy re-connecting with them when they’re older.”

— Brian Guinn, baseball coach

this year, but because of the rain we’ve been practicing in the cages working on timing, form and sitting back on the ball,” freshman catcher Mike Dozier said.

It’s a challenging feat to be able to produce a winning season in the fluctuating world of community college baseball where every year schools get a new crop of players.

One key ingredient in the recipe for success is recruiting top players.

“I made sure that I paid a visit to local schools. I wanted to have a presence and show our face,” Guinn said.

While the Comets do have new young talent, they also have plenty of work to do this year if they want to mirror the pitching prowess from last year’s squad.

Last spring, CCC pitchers threw a colossal 166 strikeouts, averaging sevenand-a-half per game.

Whenever anyone strives to be the best they can be, there’s always room for improvement, which is why coach Guinn utilizes self-evaluation at the end

of the year, so he knows how he can improve.

“I just try to remember the right decision I made from last year and build from there,” Guinn said.

Every athlete has his own techniques he uses for improving within his discipline, but none that are quite as unique as sophomore outfielder Rabonnie Carter.

“What I do to work on improving my base running is watch the Rickey Henderson documentary, because it shows exactly what he did and how he Guinn maintained the stolen base record. A lot of pitchers do different things, but the movie shows the specific importance of paying close attention to the face and shoulders. I watch it over and over,” Carter said.

They say that the higher you set the bar, the better you’ll do in the long run and Carter has done just that with his grandiose goals.

“In five years I hope to be playing professional baseball,” he said.

With the recent storms that struck the Bay Area last week, three of the team’s recent games have been rescheduled because of weather.

The Comets are slated to return to action Thursday at home to play Sacramento City College at 2 p.m. at the Baseball Field.

Streak continues for struggling Comets Team loses sixth in a row as BVC play nears end

BY Jaleel Perry ADVOCATE STAFF

jperry.theadvocate@gmail.com

The men’s basketball team extended its losing streak to six games after falling to Yuba College (22-2 overall and 12-0 in the Bay Valley Conference) 63-43 Friday night at the Gymnasium.

Despite trailing by only three points at halftime, the size and depth of the Yuba lineup eventually wore on the Comets allowing the 49ers to put the game away in the second half.

“Their size just wore us down over the course of the game. They pound the ball inside and got guys in foul trouble,” Comet assistant coach Jason Maples said. “Sixfoot-9-inches, 6-foot-10-inches, 6-foot-9 coming off of the bench — things you don’t usually see at this level.”

The Comets get another chance to break their losing streak Friday against the College of Marin in Kentfield.

The Comets (7-17 overall, 5-8 in the BVC) kept pace with the first place 49ers from the tip.

Freshman guard Demar Dunn knotted the game at two after drawing a foul on a spinning layup into the lane and netting both free throws.

Although the Comets scored both foul shots, the tone was set by the 49ers that driving for points in the paint would be no easy task.

For CCC to be successful against Yuba, some outside shots would have to be made to soften the interior defense.

The Comets only shot 4-23 from the 3-point line in the contest.

Despite holding a 12-7 lead midway through first half, small mistakes like missing a block out assignment to allow an easy score, would be the easy buckets the 49ers took advantage of to claw back into the lead.

“We’re a young team. We just

“We’re still fighting.

Our coaches haven’t given up on us, so we aren’t either.”

— Jalen Walton, comet guard

didn’t play hard for the whole 40 minutes,” sophomore guard Jalen Walton said. “We’re still fighting.

Our coaches haven’t given up on us, so we aren’t either.”

For CCC, the loss is the third in a row at home after winning its previous four at home before that.

Holding on to a 12-9 lead, CCC continued to fight back Yuba attempts to assert its presence inside. The 49ers finally pulled ahead with under 10 minutes to play in the first half on a simple jump hook in the paint by one of Yuba’s many towering frontcourt players.

A Comet turnover followed by another Yuba 3-pointer gave the visiting team the momentum it needed to take control of the half.

At halftime, Yuba led the

Comets 26-23.

49ERS Out of the break, a missed floater by the Comets translated quickly into a 49er COMETS layup followed by another foul in the paint.

The momentum stayed with Yuba for the rest of the game.

“We go into every game with the intention of playing hard, but some things just don’t fall into place,” freshman guard Kolman Kelly said.

“Playing at this level the speed is a little quicker and the players are a little stronger. I had to get used to that.”

The freshman-heavy squad has just three conference games left on its schedule.

“You (freshman players) have to show this coaching staff something in these next few games,” Maples said.

“The last team that finished like this had only three players return the following year,” he said.

63 43

n Jan. 19, 2017, the Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis filed for relocation to Las Vegas on the 15th anniversary of the “Tuck Rule” game in 2001 against the New England Patriots.

This news, on this infamous day in team history, hurt Oakland Raider fans in the East Bay. Not only because it almost assures the relocation, but in how the franchise’s owner has treated the local fan-base — people who have supported his family for decades.

A few days after the relocation was filed, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson pulled out of the deal that would have funded half of the relocation and stadium building costs in Las Vegas.

Even though this news blanketed the prospect of the Las Vegas deal in a shroud of skepticism, it brought hope to Oakland.

The ownership has disrespected the Oakland and East Bay community in the most absurd ways possible.

Talk of relocation is never easy for a region, but Davis has tortured fans by flirting with multiple cities like Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Diego and of course Las Vegas.

Davis has been asking the city of Oakland to provide the land for a new stadium and to fund a huge portion of the project, worth $750 million, with public finances.

Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf has informed the Raiders and the media that the city will not use public funds for an NFL team.

So, why does Davis believe that the residents of Oakland should pick up the tab for the new stadium his team desperately needs?

The residents of Oakland have been robbed by the Raiders more than once. In the 1980s Al Davis (Mark Davis’ father) pushed for the city of Oakland to fund renovations to the OaklandAlameda County Coliseum.

When the city and county denied him, he relocated the team to Los Angeles.

The Davis family played the city of Oakland once again in 1994 when they moved back from Los Angeles.

In the deal, Al Davis made the city pay for the relocation fee and the stadium renovations. Davis also strongarmed the county into giving the team $525,000 yearly rent (which is cheap).

For decades now, Oakland has been one of the cities with the highest poverty rates in the country. The loyalty that the residents of the East Bay have shown the Davis family and the Raiders organization is something that Mark Davis should take into account before deciding to leave Oakland.

The taxpayers in Oakland and Alameda County should not pick up the tab for the Raiders because they have already given up enough money and respect to keep this team in town.

The residents of this community deserve to be invested in, not extorted of their money.

Efrain Valdez is a social media editor of The Advocate.

Contact him at evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com.

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Team fails to maintain rhythm, lead

BY Xavier Johnson SCENE EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Contra Costa College women’s basketball team was handed its second defeat in a row following a tumultuous game Friday against Yuba College in the Gymnasium.

The Comets (12-12 overall, 7-5 in Bay Valley Conference) faced a 3-point barrage by the 49ers from beyond the arc with Yuba making 15 out of 35 of its 3-point attempts.

After leading for most of the game, CCC lost to the 49ers 85-71.

Yuba guard Kylee Daniels scored 45 points and drained 10 COMETS 3-point shots, dominating the Comets from the outside.

“It’s poor defen49ERS sive effort and lack of attention to detail, but you have to give Yuba credit. Some of those shots were just big shots,” Comet coach Vince Shaw said.

At the beginning of the game CCC took an early lead that was maintained for the majority of the first half of the contest.

Shaw said when the other team is shooting that well, like Yuba (1413 overall, 6-5 BVC) did, it’s a combination of factors that led to it.

After a heated sideline conversation with Shaw, Comet guard Julian Robinson was taken out of the game in the latter portion of the third quarter.

Yuba struggled to stop Robinson from scoring early in the game, but once she was taken out Yuba capitalized and eventually took the lead. “It’s a coaching (decision),” Robinson said on her being subbed out of the game.

CCC was able to maintain its control over the 49ers until the lack of substitutions or a dominant inside presence finally took its toll.

The Comet lead dwindled as the game continued, after CCC had taken a 42-38 lead into halftime.

85 71

“

I want them to go out and compete for 40 minutes, win, lose, or draw.”

— Vince Shaw, Comet coach

“It’s poor defensive effort and lack of attention to detail but you have to give Yuba credit, some of those shots were just big shots.”

— Vince Shaw, women’s basketball coach

Despite losing its last two contests, CCC is 3-3 in its last six matchups in the BVC. CCC failed to consistently make their shots while the 49ers were nailing 3-point shots from all areas of the court. Robinson said when she was taken out of the game it broke the rhythm the team had built up over the course of the game.

Early on, Yuba had trouble passing due to CCC filling the lanes and getting steals. Yuba also struggled to stop Robinson.

“We drove the ball really well and talked a lot on offense and defense,” Robinson said.

Yuba’s focus on shooting from the outside was a familiar strategy because they implemented it in the BVC competitors’ previous matchup on Jan. 7.

Shaw said the plan was to get out on the shooters defensively and push the ball in transition.

He said they had a lack of energy to execute the plan throughout the whole game and couldn’t push the ball effectively.

“When we stop playing team ball and stray from the game plan, we can’t win,” Shaw said.

When the Comets were able to get rebounds and push the ball in transition Yuba had little answer defensively. The Comets’ offense was too fast for Yuba and they were able to get layups at will.

“I want them to go out and compete for 40 minutes, win, lose or draw,” Shaw said. “I want them to compete and, you know, have some pride. They need to finish the season on a good note by competing.”

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Comet guard Julian Robinson jumps into the air for a layup past 49ers center Taylor Galli during CCC’s 85-71 loss to Yuba College at the Gymnasium on Friday.

SQUAD, CONFERENCE SEES LOW PARTICIPATION Players

enthused about upcoming season despite low numbers

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

On the heels of a lackluster 2016 season in which the softball team finished in the cellar of the Bay Valley Conference with a 0-22 record, expectations of a turnaround season remain tempered.

Last season, CCC was one of only three teams in Northern California to finish the season without a win in conference play. Modesto Junior College 0-22 and De Anza College 0-11 also join the Comets in looking to erase the memory of last season.

The problems of last season seem to pale in comparison to what is already a rocky start for BVC softball.

With just two week left before teams begin non-conference action, the BVC has only four teams slated to participate in its conference — the fewest in the state.

“We really want it to work but in the same breath, what are we supposed to do?” Comet Athletic Director John Wade asked. “Everybody in the BVC is trying, but it’s (getting participation numbers up) like pulling teeth.”

Only CCC, Mendocino College, Los Medanos College and Yuba College have schedules posted on the California Community College Athletic Association cccaa.org website.

Leaving Solano College, Folsom Lake College and Napa Valley College as the teams on the outside looking in this year.

The four-team conference season for BVC softball is scheduled to begin March 7 when CCC travels to Marysville to play Yuba College at 1 p.m.

The lull in participation in women’s athletics, which at times felt directed at this campus, has continued to expand throughout the Bay Area and spans athletic teams.

Last season CCC canceled its women’s soccer program, the women’s basketball team finished with just six play-

FILE PHOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Comet infielder Zuleyma Higareda takes some swings during batting practicing at the Softball Field on Feb. 8, 2016.

ers and the 2017 basketball team is hovering at or near those same numbers.

Add to that list, the BVC’s top two softball teams from 2016, Solano (first place) and Napa Valley (second place).

Solano even finished with over 11 freshmen on its roster and four freshman pitchers.

Neither program, considered softball standards in the area, could field a complete team.

“It’s a crapshoot. We’re working just to have a league, I’ve never seen anything like this before” coach Karolyn Gubbine said. “It’s a struggle starting from the ground up again but who’s to say that the other teams aren’t hurting as badly as we are.”

For Comet softball, the lack of depth over the past two seasons is not a reflec-

tion of apathetic athletes on campus.

CCC was at the epicenter of the outbreak and now the signs of a larger problem are spreading throughout conference.

Despite the league-wide problem, Comet players are enthused about the prospects of playing Comet softball.

“I hope that we show the same growth in softball that we did in volleyball this season,” sophomore catcher Amy Palomares said.

“We had a good vibe in volleyball and for the most part in softball last year. I hope we get to know each other early in the season.”

This season, CCC will be without its anchor All-BVC pitcher Anna Palter.

Despite not earning a win for the Comets in 2016, Palter ranked fifth in

the BVC in strikeouts (28) and second in conference in strikeouts per game (5.60).

Palter, along with catcher Sidney Davis, provided leadership for last season’s young Comet team that hopefully was absorbed by players who are returning to play this season.

As the four remaining teams scrape together regulation lineups in hopes of salvaging the student’s season, players still undergo the rigors of practice in preparation of playing a full season.

“I set personal goals to better myself throughout the season as opposed to just going out there to play,” Comet sophomore fielder Zuleyma Higareda said.

“This season I expect to get some wins and hopefully to have fun.”