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VOL. 101, NO. 22 WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

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

Who are we?

REVISITED 5 y e a r s l a t e r Special report | Pages A4-A5

Identifying us Series explores campus identity, misconceptions

T

he Advocate takes an indepth look at the college’s student demographics, staff, faculty, services and programs in an attempt to answer the question, “Who are we?”

Nestled partly in Richmond and partly in San Pablo, a geography impacted by low socioeconomic standing and urban sprawl, Contra Costa College is the source of the community’s empowerment through education.

Shaking off the rusty shackles of an entirely ignorant perception, The Advocate hopes to dispel the stigma of CCC being a college in an impoverished area.

Braced to flex what limited resources the college has in the face of imminent changes to the system, college staff continue to uphold the standard of excellence and dedication to students and their success that makes CCC a premier community college.

Now, the responsibility falls on those affiliated with the college to defend our quality institution.

editorial A strong college community Contra Costa College is the perfect example of a true community college.

page A2

Ethnic breakdown This pie graph displays the ethnic breakdown of CCC students. The three largest groups are Hispanics at 37 percent, African-Americans at 25 percent and Asians at 20 percent.

Other

5% White

13%

Hispanic

37%

AfricanAmerican

25% Asian

20%

Q SEE IDENTITY: Pages A4-A5

College quick facts Student enrollment

7,021

Ratio of male/female

38 / 62 percent

Average student age

24

source: Contra Costa Community College District

PAGE DESIGNED BY GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

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A2 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

OPINION

Quotable “Truth is proper and beautiful at all times and in all places.”

Frederick Douglas, abolitionist, journalist 1876 George Morin editor-in-chief Cody McFarland Lorenzo Morotti Rodney Woodson associate editors Brian Boyle news editor Mike Thomas sports editor Veronica Santos scene editor Qing Huang Christian Urrutia photo editors Janae Harris assistant photo editor Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Staff writers Jared Amdahl Fanisha Ayatch Joseph Bennett Nina Cestaro Daniel Cifuentes Sharrell Duncan Florinda Hershey Ryan Holloway Sinoti Iosua Jose Jimenez Van Ly Ryan Margason Manning Peterson Mark Wassberg Sean Whatley Madisen William Staff photographers Cody Casares Jordan Khoo Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2014 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Member Associated Collegiate Press California Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.215.3852 Fax: 510.235.NEWS Email: accent.advocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 VOL. 101, NO. 22 L

Editorial

A college community Faculty, staff, students create tight-knit family

C

ontra Costa College is more than just a community college — it is a college of community.

People love to talk about how the diversity on campus is what makes CCC unique. And while it is quite impressive, it is not just the abounding diversity that makes the college a great place.

What makes it great is how, alongside the plethora of various backgrounds of people on campus, the college has managed to not only create a community, but a lasting one.

Faculty and staff at CCC are comprised of many people who have not only lived in the area most of their lives, but many also started their college careers at CCC. There are a number of faculty and staff members who met their spouse here on campus, and even a few who work alongside their significant other.

Some faculty and staff members have even been able to watch their own children grow to attend and transfer out of the college.

The faculty and staff at CCC have a notable connection not only to the area, but also to one another.

Whether it is watching Academic Senate President Wayne Organ play the drums for whatever concert event he is putting on, or listening to history professor Manu Ampim deliver a lecture on a new discovery in his research, a number of fellow faculty members are usually present to offer support and encouragement.

This connection to their co-workers has created an environment at CCC where students can share in these deep connections and make a permanent mark on the college.

Faculty and staff involved with the Puente and La Raza programs are especially notable for the depth of their connections with their students.

The community at CCC is a strong one. Every year students leave CCC without ever having really participated in a club event, and thus have missed out on the college’s stellar community.

Those students have cheated themselves out of one of the best parts about attending CCC. At other larger colleges, many of their faculty and staff members do not know each other at all.

At other colleges, when student clubs put on events, they are isolated, garnering little attention from the rest of their campus.

At other colleges, when a specific faculty member happens to also produce music, many do not take any notice.

Yet, at CCC none of this is true.

The faculty and staff at CCC care about one another creating an environment where students in turn can feel that faculty and staff members also care about them.

LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE

N Accomplishment

College opens up doors to new life, possibilities

A

fter spending two semesters at Contra Costa College I will be transferring to a CSU to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication this fall. My college experience overall has tested my resilience and helped me handle failure and adversity.

After spending much time away from school, I made the decision in July 2013 to attend CCC in an attempt to raise my transferable GPA. I also wanted to be sure I could still handle school, having spent a significant amount of time away from studying and absorbing information. Learning has its own learning curve.

Attaining transfer status after only two semesters at a junior college obviously sounds too good to be true. Well, that’s because it is. Prior to spending what seemed like 50 years in a retail sales job, I attended San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton and transferred to Cal State-Fresno.

I moved to a new city, planned to get in and get out, and was focused, to say the least. However, being the cliché starving student eventually got to me. I hated the low wages provided by the jobs I had, even though they worked great with my school schedule.

I was discouraged by how anorexic my bank account was. I eventually got a job in retail that paid me very well on a part-time schedule, which eventually led to me obtaining a full-time position and dropping out of school.

My decision was only reinforced by watching friends

to start over. With that said, it’s amazing what happens to your mind and body when you stop “getting better” at something, stop learning or stop training. Excuses become defense mechanisms for effort. Anyone can look awesome in a comfort zone; graduate and come out of college making less than me. it’s when you leave that I figured I’d be more than comfort zone that growth OK, even though my mother, happens.

Everything I believed I who is a college graduate, would be great at or that I was constantly telling me I needed to go back to school. would really enjoy required higher education. I was able She would say, “Take at to work full-time and still least one class a year. This attain a 4.0 in the fall. I was job that you believe is the accepted to Sacramento State end all, be all will only satand three other colleges for isfy your ambition for so the 2014 fall semester. long.” But we always know I had a really great experimore than our parents, right? ence at CCC. The first time They’ve only been on the I attended college I was earth a little longer than us. anti-early morning classes.

What do they know?

“Who in their right mind Overtime and the commission at my job became lower. would come to school at 7:30 a.m.?” I’d ask. Now that I’ve We were expected to sell grown up (a little) 8 a.m. is twice as much to make less, perfect. I can find a parking all while my friends who spot and I avoid the 500 of did graduate and accepted you who are majoring in the entry level positions in their “History of Loitering.” respective fields began to Other than taking earexcel.

Suddenly I wasn’t Donald lier classes, I’d recommend Trump anymore. Yes, Kanye remaining persistent in school. Satisfying opportuniWest was right, it does all ties without an education are fall down. few and far between. The I grew resentful toward million dollar athletes who my place of employment continue to pursue higher because I was no longer learning anything new. I had education after being drafted would probably say the same grown stagnant in my company and wasn’t happy with thing.

And even though my what I was doing. I began mother has never said I told to turn my discomfort into you so, I’m still waiting. motivation.

However, I was discourRyan Holloway is staff aged from going back to writer for The Advocate. school because I left on Contact him at rholloway. academic probation and it theadvocate@gmail.com. seems to be too much work

ryanholloway

CampusComment

Why did you decide to attend Contra Costa College?

“I didn’t get into my first choice out of high school and Contra Costa College is my best bet to getting into UC Berkeley.”

“I chose it because it’s closer to home, plus CCC has a men’s soccer team.”

Maria Nunez

computer engineering

economics

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Ogheneyengbame Akpojiyovbi

“I wanted to get into physics and the professors here are great compared to (those at) Diablo Valley College.”

“It’s close to home and I love the math department here at CCC. It is much better than any other school I’ve been to.”

Anirudh Shivkumar engineering

“It is right down the hill from my house so it’s really convenient and it’s a (place to) start my college education.”

“I was going to Cal State-East Bay but CCC is cheaper and just more convenient.

It’s like a three-minute drive for me.”

Angelica Walker David Ahmad computer science

human services

Mayra Morales radiology

FORUM

N Sex

veronicasantos

Talking about sex should be guilt free

A

fter my previous article on female orgasms (The Advocate, April 30), I was told by a reader in an email to read the Bible.

I have no disrespect for people with stern religious beliefs. However, we are in college and sex is everywhere. Sex talk is not for the faint of heart. We are not junior high students who giggle at the word penis. Anal sex is real and so are blow jobs. They don’t only happen in porn, they happen in our own bedrooms.

The column was not written to shock or offend readers. I am writing on topics of sex to simply acknowledge what goes on in everyday life.

I am openly sharing my own experiences as a reminder that what we experience in the bedroom is normal.

We’re not going to learn about real sex by watching porn. A penis does not easily slide into an anus. That face the actress is making is not the face you’re going to make the first time you try it. There are so many false sexual claims in movies and books that we need to just talk about what really happens. “Fifty Shades of Grey” is fantasy and no normal woman alive can quiver every time she has sex and reach orgasm that many times.

In movies, men light candles, play soft, romantic music and spread rose petals over silk sheets. They “make love” and it’s beautiful. But that is not what sex always is.

Sometimes it’s embarrassing and disappointing. Sometimes women are portrayed to always want the romanticized version of sex when in real life some women want their hair pulled and their butts spanked. Maybe men want to make love? There is no one answer and that is why we need to talk about it. Sex is not one dimensional.

I believe it is empowering to explore our bodies and to take pleasure in knowing that we have the ability to give someone else the same pleasure. Ladies (or men — whatever your sexual orientation may be), have you ever looked at a man when you give him head? That pleasure you’re providing gives you power. You may be on your knees, but so is he.

Sex is no longer used only to procreate. It has proven mental and physical benefits.

I can sweat as much from running three miles as I can from having good sex. How else am I supposed to lose the calories from the junk they sell on campus?

We cannot deny human nature because our mothers or fathers once told us we would grow hair on our palms if we touched ourselves. One of my favorite scenes from the show “Family Guy” is a flashback of Peter Griffin asking a man, “Why did the dinosaurs die out?” The man replies, “Because you touch yourself at night.”

There should be no guilt in sex as long as both individuals agree to it. And who are you hurting by masturbating?

Absolutely no one.

So to those to flinch at the word “sex” and cower in fear when their vagina gets wet or their penis gets hard — to you, I say: Get with the times and let’s talk dirty.”

Veronica Santos is scene editor of The Advocate.

Contact her at vsantos.theadvocate@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Thoughts from the throne Should it really matter what side the roll is on?

By Manning Peterson STAFF WRITER

mpeterson.theadvocate@gmail.com

I

t is one of the many mysterious maladies and creators of controversial conversations in the U.S.A. since the invention, distribution and sale of this remarkable rectal hygienic product.

What we’re talking about here folks is the position of toilet paper in “The John.”

The history of toilet paper (aka T.P.) dates back to China in the sixth century. Commercial T.P. was first produced in the 19th century. The initial patent for roll-activated T.P. dispensers being manufactured was issued in 1883.

No written instructions or directions have ever been officially validated in English, Chinese, Hieroglyphics, Swahili, or via smoke signals, drums, carrier pigeon or American Sign Language on whether or not the up or down position of the T.P. roll is considered proper etiquette.

I called Ann Landers and Miss Manners. Each said she would get back to me with an answer.

Divorce and relationship revision status (aka Heartbreak Hotel) has been bottom line cause célèbre for countless numbers of couples. They simply could not decide to seriously give a crap and transplanted their smoothmove stations to other locations.

This situational sociopathic stress has been historically documented as the crux for children, parents, grandparents and foster families bailing out of their allegedly happy homes without any attempts at social negotiation, truce involving a third party mediator or after several years of unsuccessful, severely heated swearing sessions and other callous confrontations.

The first germane question we must ask ourselves, and each other is, “Why the hell are we allowing these unnecessary weird behavior patterns to create conflict or any angst in our lifestyle?”

The second pertinent query is, “One hundred years from today, who will really care if the T.P. was dispensed from the upper or lower deck prior to proceeding to caress the crack of the can?”

This crazy controversy is tantamount to the up or down position of the toilet seat if you are fortunate enough to have access to indoor plumbing.

Age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious affiliation, and college sports rooting preference have never been feasible factors when making the T.P.P.C. (toilet paper position choice) in the good ole U.S.A. Once in the mid-1970s after “The Great National Toilet Paper Panic,” I remember my darling 5-year-old daughter, Randall, informing me, “Daddy, you put the toilet paper on backwards.”

Socioeconomic status could possibly become a “Tissue Issue” for some Americans. For example, homeless folks (or “Outdoorsmen” as our sociallychallenged ex-president,

George W. Bush, called them) do not usually have stable toilet availability arrangements.

A majority of the members of this unfortunate culture, such as the Berkeley Peoples Park Patrol, call their city “THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TOILET!” A change of address or living location can become a chaotic casual factor in the “Derriere Duties Derby.”

When we were kids, we made an annual visit to our paternal grandmother’s home during our summer vacation from school. “Gramma P.” was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian.

Our annual catastrophic culture shock of leaving 129 Brown Street and the cozy two-bathroom home with indoor plumbing in the suave south end of Hartford and catapulting crosstown five miles over the city line to 50 Taft Avenue in the suburban wilderness of Bloomfield was not an event we remotely looked forward to.

Don’t paint us as wrong or ungrateful here. We loved visiting with Gramma Peterson, plus she was our pinch-hit child-care custodian whenever our maternal grandparents were not available.

BUT OUR SUBURBAN HOME AWAY FROM HOME DID NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY, RUNNING WATER OR INDOOR PLUMBING! The most difficult transition task for her third generation, aka moi, was the psychosocial preparation for her otherworldly Oklahoma Feng Shui outhouse, which had been sublet by a large family of hyper-hornets.

We usually trekked to Bloomfield during the last two weeks in July. It always felt like it was 90 degrees in or outside of Gramma’s house. So, using “The Loo” (proper England English for “Da John”) was a sociohygienic paradox.

If or when any of us had to make a dramatic deposit at this dumping depot, the outhouse door was always left open with unspoken prayers that all air-borne boarders would accept the invitation and relocate to Boise, Peoria or Halifax.

Trying to sit on a pine board heated to 100 degrees long enough to have a desperation dump was what could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Obviously the culture-shock shift from double ply toilet paper to single ply didn’t create any positive karma for my tender young tush.

And I never considered paying the least bit of attention to the position of the T.P. roll. All my recall realities focus is on a T.P. resin fiber-sanding disc kicking my butt.

My first outhouse outing at the age of 10 was a painful reminder to “ALWAYS BRING A ROLL OF TWO PLY TO ALL FUTURE SUMMER SOIREE SEATINGS!” Every public service toilet I ever visited, such as vehicle service stations, schools, colleges, sports arenas, stadiums, airports, military stations, porta-potties, transit stations, libraries, etc. serves those wretched single ply sandpaper shingles.

A proctologist friend advised me,

A3

“If you use that single ply stuff on a daily basis, it will make ground round out of your dumping zone door.

“My best medical suggestion is to always pack a roll of two-ply T.P. therapy when you travel and that includes visiting relatives.”

One of my U.S. Army “Ass-ociates,” who was a graduate of the University of Southern California, forgot to pack his T.P. rations before we left for field maneuvers.

Eventually, he had to answer a nature call in the woods. This genius, who did not major in botany or horticulture, unwittingly wiped his rear relief ramp with three leaflet poison ivy leaves.

Two days later, his exit area expanded to the size of an Arabian stallion’s ass. He had ultra-painful medical problems in his toilet evacuation territory for the next three months.

The end result was he received a medical discharge for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty.

You may wish to inquire what, if anything, is the remedy, answer or possible antidote to this illogical thinking and psychological myopia causing this inappropriate choice challenge?

The answer is probably nothing. You know why? Cuz as long as democracy is allegedly the prevailing paradigm in the good ole U.S.A., there will continue to be freedom of choice in the land of smooth-movers and shakers to select one ply, two ply, no ply, or poison ivy ply. Some folks don’t know or don’t want to know that they have a variety of choices.

The core problem here is the unbalanced misuse of sanity and human intelligence — pure and simple.

And to quote my all-time favorite T.V. philosopher and law enforcement icon, Lt. Theo Kojak of the NYPD, “You have the right to be stupid and it is only against the law if you get caught breaking the law while practicing your stupidity.”

There will always be one caveat involved in exercising your freedom of choice. It is: EVERY CHOICE HAS CONSEQUENCES! This includes death, permanent injury and loss of limbs, vision or auditory function.

A couple of additional observations to ponder related to this toilet tissue social scrum. If any individual makes a daily conscious or emotional decision to give ANY POWER to the angle T.P. is distributed from a roll or container, my best suggestions are: 1) GET A REAL DAMN LIFE! 2) SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP ASAP BEFORE YOU DROWN YOURSELF IN A TOILET BOWL OR A CUP OF CHICKEN BROTH The preference to serve the T.P. from the top or lower level to service your bottom is a constitutional right.

It is like choosing to play tennis with your best friend.

The most important question we must ask ourselves daily to preserve our sanity and that of future generations concerning the tissue issue is: “WHAT DAMN DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHETHER THE T.P. PRESENTS FROM ABOVE OR BELOW CUZ THE CRAP GOES DOWN THE TOILET JUST THE SAME!” If you are fortunate enough to locate a vacant functioning throne here at CCC, use it, clean your crotch area, flush the toilet and take your happy ass to class.

LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE

A4 THE ADVOCATE

CAMPUS BEAT

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

Who are we? F

ive years ago, The Advocate took a How did we acquire any negative labels, and what can we do to get rid of them? look at who we are as a college.

Which departments are hiding as diamonds in the rough, and why have they not earned more recognition for their efforts?

These questions, and many more, will be answered in an attempt to find out what exactly makes CCC a “premier community college right in your own backyard.”

Now, five years later, our staff examines what progress Contra Costa College has made and where it is heading.

In a series of stories focusing on identity and definition, diversity of all kinds receives analysis.

Why is our campus so diverse, and how does that affect us?

REVISITED 5 y e a r s l a t e r Special report | Pages A4-A5

makes you have to see things from other perspectives.”

Others, however, believe it is that ability to see things from other perspectives and work collaboratively within the community that makes CCC distinctive.

“What stands out most to me has got to be our teamwork and ability to collaborate across campuses and across constituency groups,” Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson said. “We have a strong relationship with West Contra Costa (County) and deep ties to this beautiful community.”

Deep ties, indeed.

The Contra Costa Community College District was established on Dec. 14, 1948 during a post-World War II push for higher education. The community was thrilled to erect the first of its campuses, Contra Costa Junior College, West Campus, formerly located in the Kaiser Shipyard No. 3 in Point Richmond.

The shipyard housed the institution from 1950 to 1956, before the college was renamed CCC and moved to its present location in San Pablo.

From its beginnings up to the early 1980s, tuition costs at CCC were non-existent. It was not until 1983 that the first in a long series of fees and increases was instituted.

As is expected of any face, CCC’s has changed dramatically over its 65 years.

In spite of budget cuts and the consecutive section and program cuts, CCC continues to push forward, making the most of its limited resources to serve all of its students to the best of its ability, President Denise Noldon said.

Dr. Noldon, like many others, believes CCC’s identity lies in the quality of its employees and their dedication to their students.

“What stands out to me about the college is the strength and dedication across the

Campus diversity most outstanding feature

By Cody McFarland ASSOCIATE EDITOR

cmcfarland.theadvocate@gmail.com

During a time when change is the only certainty, students at community colleges might find themselves in a state of identity crisis.

Largely looked upon as centers for lifelong learning, skills improvement, certificate completion and as stepping stones on students’ paths to a university, community colleges mean different things to everyone affiliated with one.

To attempt to answer, “Who is Contra Costa College?” is an insightful endeavor, but at the end of the day inconclusive. Some say the institution is a culmination of its many parts, identifiable as one cohesive body and, in part, by geography and infrastructure. Others contend it is not the form of the college that defines it, but how it functions as an institution.

It is widely believed the most profound aspect of the campus is its level of ethnic diversity. In a recent anonymous survey of 100 students conducted by The Advocate, 36 percent said that cultural diversity is the defining quality of CCC. “Diversity has got to be the first word that comes to mind,” humanities and philosophy professor and department Chairperson David Houston said. “In my classroom I see the world.”

Associated Student Union PresidentElect Antone Agnitsch said, “What makes CCC unique is how diverse our campus is; the people here comes from all walks of life.

Working with the diverse student body here

board of the staff and faculty to serve students to the best of their ability,” she said.

She said the level of quality maintained by college employees in spite of limited resources is a testament to their dedication and something to observe.

Former college president and current district Chancellor Helen Benjamin agrees that the people working at CCC represent the college’s identity more than anything.

“I’ve been away for nine years, but traditionally (CCC) has been mindful of the community it serves and its employees do all they can to make sure students succeed,” Dr. Benjamin said.

The high level of commitment on part of the college employees mirrors a quote from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

And CCC’s faculty, staff and administration are certainly in the habit of maintaining a standard 5 years of excellence and commitment to the success of their students.

Noldon said, “This is a place where students feel genuinely wanted and where those around them really care about their success.”

Benjamin agrees.

“The teachers are so committed,” she said. “Many of the professors have opportunities to work elsewhere, but they don’t.

They’re committed to the community.”

Houston said, “I don’t know of any teachers here who don’t plan to better serve students in the next semester.”

Like teachers, the student body is also recognized as a definitive portion of the college’s identity, Director of Nursing Marshall

Alameida said.

“Our students are absolutely exceptional, diverse and passionate,” Dr. Alameida said.

“Typically my (nursing) students have family and work-related obligations but still manage to succeed in the program. We also have an exceptional and gifted faculty and support staff here.”

Alameida is not only a teacher, but also an alumnus, having graduated from the nursing program in 1995, a part of his life he considers a significant transformation.

Aside from transforming lives, CCC has also been forced into a reputation, largely based on the urban areas around campus, that it is a “ghetto college.”

Unanimous among everyone interviewed, the stance is not only offensive, but also completely false.

“There are hundreds of examples of higher learning institutions being in inner city areas, and they later certainly do not let negative perceptions of their area define their institution,” Noldon said. “Why not give the city (San Pablo) its props for the ways in which it is thriving instead of focusing on negatives?”

Noldon said she hopes future college students considering attending CCC will not close the door to the many opportunities the college makes available based on a surfacelevel perception of the surrounding area.

“In the short period that I have been here (two years), I have come to love the college, the students, faculty, staff and the community, and all of their dedication to this institution,” she said. “I feel incredibly blessed to work in this capacity.”

?

How old are you?

60 60 33 Hispanic

47 Female

47%

53 Male

53%

33%

22 Asian

52

33

9%

0 Age:

1

At 33 percent, Hispanics registered as the most prominent ethnicity. African-American was the second most with 18 percent.

0

-2

9 30 -3 9 40 -4 9 50 -5 9 O ve r5 9

1

25

18 -2

nd

4

0

U

Of those polled, 53 percent, almost half were men. The district evaluation is that CCC is comprised of 58 percent women and 42 percent men.

4

9

er

28%

9 White

As expected at a two- or four-year college, the 18-24 age bracket is the most common among campus.

What is your major?

25

20 20

33

2

5 5

0 0 Major:

12

9 2

H sc ealt ie h Ph nce y sc sica ie l Bi nc olo e sc gica Li ienc l be e ra la rts Bu sin es s Vo ca tio n S sc ocia ien l Un ce de cid ed

0 0

P H ino er le c Be ule / rk s O ele Ri akla y/ ch nd

City:

Physical science was by far the most popular category of majors at 25 percent. Health science took second most with 18 percent.

20 20

50 50

21

15 15

18

16

40 40 30 30

10 10

20 20

5 5

4

5

4

7

5

0 0

21

10 10

3

0

Pinole Valley and Hercules high schools won as the plurality at 21 percent. MCHS came in second out of those polled.

2

1

4

2

6

0

Language:

En gl C ish hi ne Ta se ga l Pu og n Ja jab pa i n Sp ese Vi an et na ish m es Ko e re Bi an lin gu al

Ga t

ew Co ay lle to ge M CH S De An za Ri J ch FK m / P ond He inol e Be rcul / rk es e Al ley/ ba ny El Ce rri to Pr iva Ou te to fa re a

High School:

3

27%

31%

Strong job training

Small class sizes

Helpful student services

Rate: 2

16%

Rate: 5

10%

8%

35%

15%

Rate: 4

Rate: 3 Rate: 4

Rate: 2

30%

30%

Rate: 3

39%

87 percent of those polled said safety on campus was at least a 3. Only 13 percent polled safety as a 2 or lower.

Another divided category, job training split many of those polled, with a rating of 3 coming in as the plurality at 41 percent.

Rate: 1

5%

5%

3% Rate: 5

Rate: 1

Rate: 1

Rate: 1

Rate: 5

22% Rate: 4

30%

8%

Rate: 2

12%

8%

Rate: 5

28% Rate: 3

31%

Perhaps the most spread out of all the categories, class size garnered a significant amount of votes in each rating.

Rate: 2

Rate: 4

Rate: 3

18%

38%

The most prominent rating, 4, earned 36 percent of the votes, while a rating of 3 came in second at 21 percent.

Cultural atmosphere diverse, strong

By Lorenzo Morotti

is the most evenly spread at the

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

The diversity of age, ethnicity, and gender of students at Contra Costa College is the most varied among colleges in the district and the state.

Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson said, “CCC is a melting pot of different students who represent the Bay Area’s diversity. The whole picture is here (CCC).”

Ferguson said that the surrounding areas of Richmond and San Pablo are major contributors to the ethnic diversity on campus because its eclectic cultural influences.

“This allows for a free exchange of cultures and ideas, “ she said. “It is what makes CCC such a unique campus.”

A non-profit information analysis and advocacy association Education Center for Analysis and Research has done an undergraduate report, with the cooperation of the Contra Costa Community College District Research and Planning Department, to track and compare diversity among students at CCC, Diablo Valley College, and Los

By Christian Urrutia

58 20

34%

Safe environment

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

What was your first spoken language?

60 60

Rate: 3

Rate: 4

Fifty-five percent of those polled rated the quality of teachers at the college at least a 5, while 27 percent gave the category a 3.

PHOTO EDITOR

What high school did you attend?

Rate: 3

29%

Inexpensive cost of tuition attracts student body

Richmond was the largest single city at 36 percent. San Pablo came in second with a total of 16 percent.

25 25

32%

Rate: 4

15%

24%

Medanos College with the National Community College Benchmark.

At CCC, 31 percent of students fit within the 18 to 24 age gap and 68.5 percent are 25 and up. The males are outnumbered by more than half. ECAR reported 67.8 of those students are female, and only 25.9 were male.

In the ECAR report, CCC boasts the most evenly assorted mix of students of different ethnicities among its sister colleges and on a national level.

Last year at CCC 20.3 percent of students enrolled were African American, 23.2 percent Asian, 23.9 Latino, 23.9 white, and 8.7 were listed as other.

DVC had a student body consisting of 2.7 percent African-American, 23 percent Asian, 14.1 percent Latino, 53.6 percent white, and 6.6 percent listed as other last year.

LMC’s demographics were distributed 15.2 percent African-American, 10.3 percent Asian, 26 percent Latino, 45.1 percent white and 3.4 percent other.

Associated Student Union President Ysrael Condori said the combination of different people hailing from many cities from across the East Bay to provide CCC with a plethora of opinions and ideas.

“There is a huge mix of people who come to this campus,” Condori said.

“Students come from as far away as Albany, Berkeley, Vallejo, El Cerrito, Pinole, Rodeo and, of course, Richmond and San Pablo,” he said. “It’s what makes our campus so diverse.”

College President Denise Noldon said CCC provides equity for education among a diverse group of students.

The six high schools in the colleges’ service area unknowingly prepare students to be accepting of cultures.

“Students coming out of the public high school systems are used to being part of a diverse community,” Dr. Noldon said. “ CCC is a normal environment for them.”

Condori said the demographic group that is growing the most rapidly is Latino.

It has grown more than 20 percent since 2007 districtwide.

While CCC has the most evenly dispersed ethnic demographic, it does not have the largest Latino community at campuses in the district. Los Medanos student population is 26 percent Latino.

Administration of justice department Chairperson Rick Ramos said, “CCC, like many institutions across

?

Who are we

REVISITED 5 years later

California, is browning. Latinos have become the minor majority.”

Ramos said CCC overall has more people who derive from different cultures than any other college in the district. He said LMC is leading in student growth among Latinos, however.

“I am the son of a Mexican immigrant. I was the first in my generation to graduate from a institution of higher learning,” he said.

“Community college was my only pathway to higher education. CCC provided me with an opportunity I would not have taken if I lived anywhere but Richmond.”

?

Junior colleges gain prestige Who are we

7

5

l

6

16

13

10 10

na

5 5

15 15

io

11

10

20 20

13

at

10 10

25 25

rn

16

Rate: 4

Rate: 2

Rate: 5

Hospitality on campus was more divided than other categories. The highest category was a rating of 3, with 4 coming in second.

levels

m on El d C El err So ito br Sa ant e n Pa bl o O th In er te

15 15

36

30 30

19%

11%

Over half of those polled gave ethnic diversity at least a 4, and only 35 percent rated the category a 3 or lower.

state

35 35

3%

A full 52 percent of those polled rated the age diversity on campus as at least a 4, and only 10 percent gave it a 2 or lower.

and

In what city were you raised?

40 40

29%

36%

36%

district 25 25

Rate: 3

Rate: 5

38%

Rate: 4

at CCC

10 10

18

28 AfricanAmerican

Rate: 1

Rate: 2

Rate: 3

ethnicity

20 20

5 rating

4%

6%

16%

culture,

30 30

22%

4 rating

Rate: 1

Rate: 5

of

40 40

3 rating

Quality teachers

Rate: 2

0%

10%

Variety

50 50

Rate: 1

Rate: 2

2 rating

Hospitality

Rate: 5

REVISITED

8%

1 rating

Ethnic diversity

0%

Who are we

8 Other

Ethnicity

Those polled in The Advocate’s anonymous survey of 100 random people on campus were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, to what degree certain traits apply to Contra Costa College. These are the results.

Rate: 1

General poll demographics: The Advocate polled 100 people on campus to find out who makes up the college Gender

Rating the campus: Finding out how students, faculty and staff view the college and its quality of education

Age diversity

College’s identity explored

A5

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Outside of the expected majority of English, Spanish was the next most common first language among those polled.

A common practice today, college students are opting to attend a community college to inexpensively complete their general education requirements before transferring into a four-year university as a junior.

Medical assisting and office technician major Anthony Rosales said, “The extent of my expenses would not be as drastic here at a community college compared to if I were paying for a four-year university. I’d say the main reason why I’m at community college over a state university (for general education units) is to save money.”

Rosales, like many other students at Contra Costa College who plan to transfer to a state univer-

sity after completing their requirements toward a major, decided to first enroll at a smaller institution instead of going to a CSU immediately after graduating high school.

Computer science major Nygel Aton said, “I immediately went to Cal State-East Bay after graduation, but I didn’t like the quarter system and, because they missed my immigration file, I was charged as an international student.”

Aton said she spent $5,000 in total for that single quarter before returning to CCC. She was placed into freshman courses despite her college standing as a junior because of her associate degree.

“The tuition costs were just ridiculous,” she said.

What students also gain from attending community colleges is the preparation for challenging academia at state universities.

Engineering major Tremain Sharp said many students are not ready to adapt to the demands of higher learning and need to see which subjects interest them before springing for a university.

“I think the reason students

“I think the reason students attend community colleges is to refine certain things that you may lack as a student. Frankly, it has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do, and that goes for a lot of people. One of the reasons is that, like myself, other students don’t know what to major in at first.”

Tremain Sharp, engineering major

attend community colleges is to refine certain things that you may lack as a student,” Sharp said.

He also said, “Frankly, it has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do, and that goes for a lot of people. One of the reasons is that, like myself, other students don’t know what to major in at first.”

Counselor Robert Webster said attending community college helps students who may be changing majors more than once, by spending less money in the process.

“The first two years of college, students tend to change majors

because it is the most opportune time to do so,” Webster said.

When asked why students choose to attend junior college instead of four-year universities, EOPS Coordinator Najia Azizi said, “It’s cheaper for one; the class ratio of professors and students is smaller at CCC than at state universities and students receive more personalized attention.”

Webster said he thinks a lot of students who first come into college do not know what they are doing and require a process of trial and error.

“A lot of the time, they wouldn’t

REVISITED 5 years later

know how the subject is (taught) in college (compared to high school) until they take it and find out how rigorous it is and decide it is not going to be a good fit,” he said.

Xenia Rivera, a senior at John Swett High School, said she is going to CCC after graduation because of financial reasons.

“I feel like I’m going to be well prepared at a JC, personally, and it allows you to focus more in class, since it is smaller. Plus the college (student services) can help you on a more personal level,” she said.

Webster said students build a solid background by coming to CCC or any other community college first, adding that it is less intimidating than going into enormous lecture halls of 200 to 400 students at UC campuses for a first-time college experience.

A4 THE ADVOCATE

CAMPUS BEAT

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

Who are we? F

ive years ago, The Advocate took a How did we acquire any negative labels, and what can we do to get rid of them? look at who we are as a college.

Which departments are hiding as diamonds in the rough, and why have they not earned more recognition for their efforts?

These questions, and many more, will be answered in an attempt to find out what exactly makes CCC a “premier community college right in your own backyard.”

Now, five years later, our staff examines what progress Contra Costa College has made and where it is heading.

In a series of stories focusing on identity and definition, diversity of all kinds receives analysis.

Why is our campus so diverse, and how does that affect us?

REVISITED 5 y e a r s l a t e r Special report | Pages A4-A5

makes you have to see things from other perspectives.”

Others, however, believe it is that ability to see things from other perspectives and work collaboratively within the community that makes CCC distinctive.

“What stands out most to me has got to be our teamwork and ability to collaborate across campuses and across constituency groups,” Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson said. “We have a strong relationship with West Contra Costa (County) and deep ties to this beautiful community.”

Deep ties, indeed.

The Contra Costa Community College District was established on Dec. 14, 1948 during a post-World War II push for higher education. The community was thrilled to erect the first of its campuses, Contra Costa Junior College, West Campus, formerly located in the Kaiser Shipyard No. 3 in Point Richmond.

The shipyard housed the institution from 1950 to 1956, before the college was renamed CCC and moved to its present location in San Pablo.

From its beginnings up to the early 1980s, tuition costs at CCC were non-existent. It was not until 1983 that the first in a long series of fees and increases was instituted.

As is expected of any face, CCC’s has changed dramatically over its 65 years.

In spite of budget cuts and the consecutive section and program cuts, CCC continues to push forward, making the most of its limited resources to serve all of its students to the best of its ability, President Denise Noldon said.

Dr. Noldon, like many others, believes CCC’s identity lies in the quality of its employees and their dedication to their students.

“What stands out to me about the college is the strength and dedication across the

Campus diversity most outstanding feature

By Cody McFarland ASSOCIATE EDITOR

cmcfarland.theadvocate@gmail.com

During a time when change is the only certainty, students at community colleges might find themselves in a state of identity crisis.

Largely looked upon as centers for lifelong learning, skills improvement, certificate completion and as stepping stones on students’ paths to a university, community colleges mean different things to everyone affiliated with one.

To attempt to answer, “Who is Contra Costa College?” is an insightful endeavor, but at the end of the day inconclusive. Some say the institution is a culmination of its many parts, identifiable as one cohesive body and, in part, by geography and infrastructure. Others contend it is not the form of the college that defines it, but how it functions as an institution.

It is widely believed the most profound aspect of the campus is its level of ethnic diversity. In a recent anonymous survey of 100 students conducted by The Advocate, 36 percent said that cultural diversity is the defining quality of CCC. “Diversity has got to be the first word that comes to mind,” humanities and philosophy professor and department Chairperson David Houston said. “In my classroom I see the world.”

Associated Student Union PresidentElect Antone Agnitsch said, “What makes CCC unique is how diverse our campus is; the people here comes from all walks of life.

Working with the diverse student body here

board of the staff and faculty to serve students to the best of their ability,” she said.

She said the level of quality maintained by college employees in spite of limited resources is a testament to their dedication and something to observe.

Former college president and current district Chancellor Helen Benjamin agrees that the people working at CCC represent the college’s identity more than anything.

“I’ve been away for nine years, but traditionally (CCC) has been mindful of the community it serves and its employees do all they can to make sure students succeed,” Dr. Benjamin said.

The high level of commitment on part of the college employees mirrors a quote from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

And CCC’s faculty, staff and administration are certainly in the habit of maintaining a standard 5 years of excellence and commitment to the success of their students.

Noldon said, “This is a place where students feel genuinely wanted and where those around them really care about their success.”

Benjamin agrees.

“The teachers are so committed,” she said. “Many of the professors have opportunities to work elsewhere, but they don’t.

They’re committed to the community.”

Houston said, “I don’t know of any teachers here who don’t plan to better serve students in the next semester.”

Like teachers, the student body is also recognized as a definitive portion of the college’s identity, Director of Nursing Marshall

Alameida said.

“Our students are absolutely exceptional, diverse and passionate,” Dr. Alameida said.

“Typically my (nursing) students have family and work-related obligations but still manage to succeed in the program. We also have an exceptional and gifted faculty and support staff here.”

Alameida is not only a teacher, but also an alumnus, having graduated from the nursing program in 1995, a part of his life he considers a significant transformation.

Aside from transforming lives, CCC has also been forced into a reputation, largely based on the urban areas around campus, that it is a “ghetto college.”

Unanimous among everyone interviewed, the stance is not only offensive, but also completely false.

“There are hundreds of examples of higher learning institutions being in inner city areas, and they later certainly do not let negative perceptions of their area define their institution,” Noldon said. “Why not give the city (San Pablo) its props for the ways in which it is thriving instead of focusing on negatives?”

Noldon said she hopes future college students considering attending CCC will not close the door to the many opportunities the college makes available based on a surfacelevel perception of the surrounding area.

“In the short period that I have been here (two years), I have come to love the college, the students, faculty, staff and the community, and all of their dedication to this institution,” she said. “I feel incredibly blessed to work in this capacity.”

?

How old are you?

60 60 33 Hispanic

47 Female

47%

53 Male

53%

33%

22 Asian

52

33

9%

0 Age:

1

At 33 percent, Hispanics registered as the most prominent ethnicity. African-American was the second most with 18 percent.

0

-2

9 30 -3 9 40 -4 9 50 -5 9 O ve r5 9

1

25

18 -2

nd

4

0

U

Of those polled, 53 percent, almost half were men. The district evaluation is that CCC is comprised of 58 percent women and 42 percent men.

4

9

er

28%

9 White

As expected at a two- or four-year college, the 18-24 age bracket is the most common among campus.

What is your major?

25

20 20

33

2

5 5

0 0 Major:

12

9 2

H sc ealt ie h Ph nce y sc sica ie l Bi nc olo e sc gica Li ienc l be e ra la rts Bu sin es s Vo ca tio n S sc ocia ien l Un ce de cid ed

0 0

P H ino er le c Be ule / rk s O ele Ri akla y/ ch nd

City:

Physical science was by far the most popular category of majors at 25 percent. Health science took second most with 18 percent.

20 20

50 50

21

15 15

18

16

40 40 30 30

10 10

20 20

5 5

4

5

4

7

5

0 0

21

10 10

3

0

Pinole Valley and Hercules high schools won as the plurality at 21 percent. MCHS came in second out of those polled.

2

1

4

2

6

0

Language:

En gl C ish hi ne Ta se ga l Pu og n Ja jab pa i n Sp ese Vi an et na ish m es Ko e re Bi an lin gu al

Ga t

ew Co ay lle to ge M CH S De An za Ri J ch FK m / P ond He inol e Be rcul / rk es e Al ley/ ba ny El Ce rri to Pr iva Ou te to fa re a

High School:

3

27%

31%

Strong job training

Small class sizes

Helpful student services

Rate: 2

16%

Rate: 5

10%

8%

35%

15%

Rate: 4

Rate: 3 Rate: 4

Rate: 2

30%

30%

Rate: 3

39%

87 percent of those polled said safety on campus was at least a 3. Only 13 percent polled safety as a 2 or lower.

Another divided category, job training split many of those polled, with a rating of 3 coming in as the plurality at 41 percent.

Rate: 1

5%

5%

3% Rate: 5

Rate: 1

Rate: 1

Rate: 1

Rate: 5

22% Rate: 4

30%

8%

Rate: 2

12%

8%

Rate: 5

28% Rate: 3

31%

Perhaps the most spread out of all the categories, class size garnered a significant amount of votes in each rating.

Rate: 2

Rate: 4

Rate: 3

18%

38%

The most prominent rating, 4, earned 36 percent of the votes, while a rating of 3 came in second at 21 percent.

Cultural atmosphere diverse, strong

By Lorenzo Morotti

is the most evenly spread at the

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

The diversity of age, ethnicity, and gender of students at Contra Costa College is the most varied among colleges in the district and the state.

Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson said, “CCC is a melting pot of different students who represent the Bay Area’s diversity. The whole picture is here (CCC).”

Ferguson said that the surrounding areas of Richmond and San Pablo are major contributors to the ethnic diversity on campus because its eclectic cultural influences.

“This allows for a free exchange of cultures and ideas, “ she said. “It is what makes CCC such a unique campus.”

A non-profit information analysis and advocacy association Education Center for Analysis and Research has done an undergraduate report, with the cooperation of the Contra Costa Community College District Research and Planning Department, to track and compare diversity among students at CCC, Diablo Valley College, and Los

By Christian Urrutia

58 20

34%

Safe environment

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

What was your first spoken language?

60 60

Rate: 3

Rate: 4

Fifty-five percent of those polled rated the quality of teachers at the college at least a 5, while 27 percent gave the category a 3.

PHOTO EDITOR

What high school did you attend?

Rate: 3

29%

Inexpensive cost of tuition attracts student body

Richmond was the largest single city at 36 percent. San Pablo came in second with a total of 16 percent.

25 25

32%

Rate: 4

15%

24%

Medanos College with the National Community College Benchmark.

At CCC, 31 percent of students fit within the 18 to 24 age gap and 68.5 percent are 25 and up. The males are outnumbered by more than half. ECAR reported 67.8 of those students are female, and only 25.9 were male.

In the ECAR report, CCC boasts the most evenly assorted mix of students of different ethnicities among its sister colleges and on a national level.

Last year at CCC 20.3 percent of students enrolled were African American, 23.2 percent Asian, 23.9 Latino, 23.9 white, and 8.7 were listed as other.

DVC had a student body consisting of 2.7 percent African-American, 23 percent Asian, 14.1 percent Latino, 53.6 percent white, and 6.6 percent listed as other last year.

LMC’s demographics were distributed 15.2 percent African-American, 10.3 percent Asian, 26 percent Latino, 45.1 percent white and 3.4 percent other.

Associated Student Union President Ysrael Condori said the combination of different people hailing from many cities from across the East Bay to provide CCC with a plethora of opinions and ideas.

“There is a huge mix of people who come to this campus,” Condori said.

“Students come from as far away as Albany, Berkeley, Vallejo, El Cerrito, Pinole, Rodeo and, of course, Richmond and San Pablo,” he said. “It’s what makes our campus so diverse.”

College President Denise Noldon said CCC provides equity for education among a diverse group of students.

The six high schools in the colleges’ service area unknowingly prepare students to be accepting of cultures.

“Students coming out of the public high school systems are used to being part of a diverse community,” Dr. Noldon said. “ CCC is a normal environment for them.”

Condori said the demographic group that is growing the most rapidly is Latino.

It has grown more than 20 percent since 2007 districtwide.

While CCC has the most evenly dispersed ethnic demographic, it does not have the largest Latino community at campuses in the district. Los Medanos student population is 26 percent Latino.

Administration of justice department Chairperson Rick Ramos said, “CCC, like many institutions across

?

Who are we

REVISITED 5 years later

California, is browning. Latinos have become the minor majority.”

Ramos said CCC overall has more people who derive from different cultures than any other college in the district. He said LMC is leading in student growth among Latinos, however.

“I am the son of a Mexican immigrant. I was the first in my generation to graduate from a institution of higher learning,” he said.

“Community college was my only pathway to higher education. CCC provided me with an opportunity I would not have taken if I lived anywhere but Richmond.”

?

Junior colleges gain prestige Who are we

7

5

l

6

16

13

10 10

na

5 5

15 15

io

11

10

20 20

13

at

10 10

25 25

rn

16

Rate: 4

Rate: 2

Rate: 5

Hospitality on campus was more divided than other categories. The highest category was a rating of 3, with 4 coming in second.

levels

m on El d C El err So ito br Sa ant e n Pa bl o O th In er te

15 15

36

30 30

19%

11%

Over half of those polled gave ethnic diversity at least a 4, and only 35 percent rated the category a 3 or lower.

state

35 35

3%

A full 52 percent of those polled rated the age diversity on campus as at least a 4, and only 10 percent gave it a 2 or lower.

and

In what city were you raised?

40 40

29%

36%

36%

district 25 25

Rate: 3

Rate: 5

38%

Rate: 4

at CCC

10 10

18

28 AfricanAmerican

Rate: 1

Rate: 2

Rate: 3

ethnicity

20 20

5 rating

4%

6%

16%

culture,

30 30

22%

4 rating

Rate: 1

Rate: 5

of

40 40

3 rating

Quality teachers

Rate: 2

0%

10%

Variety

50 50

Rate: 1

Rate: 2

2 rating

Hospitality

Rate: 5

REVISITED

8%

1 rating

Ethnic diversity

0%

Who are we

8 Other

Ethnicity

Those polled in The Advocate’s anonymous survey of 100 random people on campus were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, to what degree certain traits apply to Contra Costa College. These are the results.

Rate: 1

General poll demographics: The Advocate polled 100 people on campus to find out who makes up the college Gender

Rating the campus: Finding out how students, faculty and staff view the college and its quality of education

Age diversity

College’s identity explored

A5

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Outside of the expected majority of English, Spanish was the next most common first language among those polled.

A common practice today, college students are opting to attend a community college to inexpensively complete their general education requirements before transferring into a four-year university as a junior.

Medical assisting and office technician major Anthony Rosales said, “The extent of my expenses would not be as drastic here at a community college compared to if I were paying for a four-year university. I’d say the main reason why I’m at community college over a state university (for general education units) is to save money.”

Rosales, like many other students at Contra Costa College who plan to transfer to a state univer-

sity after completing their requirements toward a major, decided to first enroll at a smaller institution instead of going to a CSU immediately after graduating high school.

Computer science major Nygel Aton said, “I immediately went to Cal State-East Bay after graduation, but I didn’t like the quarter system and, because they missed my immigration file, I was charged as an international student.”

Aton said she spent $5,000 in total for that single quarter before returning to CCC. She was placed into freshman courses despite her college standing as a junior because of her associate degree.

“The tuition costs were just ridiculous,” she said.

What students also gain from attending community colleges is the preparation for challenging academia at state universities.

Engineering major Tremain Sharp said many students are not ready to adapt to the demands of higher learning and need to see which subjects interest them before springing for a university.

“I think the reason students

“I think the reason students attend community colleges is to refine certain things that you may lack as a student. Frankly, it has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do, and that goes for a lot of people. One of the reasons is that, like myself, other students don’t know what to major in at first.”

Tremain Sharp, engineering major

attend community colleges is to refine certain things that you may lack as a student,” Sharp said.

He also said, “Frankly, it has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do, and that goes for a lot of people. One of the reasons is that, like myself, other students don’t know what to major in at first.”

Counselor Robert Webster said attending community college helps students who may be changing majors more than once, by spending less money in the process.

“The first two years of college, students tend to change majors

because it is the most opportune time to do so,” Webster said.

When asked why students choose to attend junior college instead of four-year universities, EOPS Coordinator Najia Azizi said, “It’s cheaper for one; the class ratio of professors and students is smaller at CCC than at state universities and students receive more personalized attention.”

Webster said he thinks a lot of students who first come into college do not know what they are doing and require a process of trial and error.

“A lot of the time, they wouldn’t

REVISITED 5 years later

know how the subject is (taught) in college (compared to high school) until they take it and find out how rigorous it is and decide it is not going to be a good fit,” he said.

Xenia Rivera, a senior at John Swett High School, said she is going to CCC after graduation because of financial reasons.

“I feel like I’m going to be well prepared at a JC, personally, and it allows you to focus more in class, since it is smaller. Plus the college (student services) can help you on a more personal level,” she said.

Webster said students build a solid background by coming to CCC or any other community college first, adding that it is less intimidating than going into enormous lecture halls of 200 to 400 students at UC campuses for a first-time college experience.

A6 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

Follow The Advocate

Receive breaking news and sports updates by following The Advocate on Twitter and Facebook. twitter.com/accentadvocate facebook.com/accentadvocate

Newsline Q CHEVRON

Scholarships available, open Chevron Richmond and the Contra Costa College Foundation are teaming up to offer incoming freshman the 2014 Chevron Scholars Scholarship.

The scholarship will support graduating seniors from the West Contra Costa Unified School District as they enroll into CCC. The scholarships will offer up to $2,500 to 10 seniors who will be taking a full load of classes in the fall of 2014.

The requirements are you must be entering CCC in the summer or fall semesters, maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 or higher and be a graduating senior from WCCUSD. Also you must have attended in CCC’s Super Saturday Freshman Orientation event.

You must also have applied for financial aid by completing the free application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act Application.

All application materials are due by May 29.

Mail or submit in person to AA-203.

The application can be found on www.contracosta.edu.

CAMPUS BEAT

Speech takes awards home

By Brian Boyle NEWS EDITOR

bboyle.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Contra Costa College speech and debate team took home multiple first place trophies while competing against other colleges on May 3.

In total, CCC’s speech and debate team won three first place trophies and one second place trophy while competing against not only other community colleges, but also schools like San Francisco State and UC Berkeley. “Our team did amazing and Darren Phalen, the coach, ran the event, so not only did we host the event at Ohlone, but took home a bunch of awards,� speech department Chairperson Sherry Diestler said.

Diksha Chhetri took home first place gold in Persuasive Speaking with a speech focusing on how

United States foreign aid is distributed. “I read an article about how a lot of U.S. foreign aid is being sent to regimes ran basically by dictators,� Chhetri said. “It was a pretty controversial topic but I felt like it was important to talk about.�

Chhetri said she was calm going into the event, thanks mainly to the practice and help her team and instructors gave her, but was shocked when she won first place. “I never would have imagined I’d be taking home the gold,�

Chhetri said.

Diestler said that the Persuasive Speaking event is one of the most difficult events a student can compete in. Stephon Gilmore and Faith Wright, two more members of the speech and debate team, took home first place gold in the Poetry and the Duo Interpretation event. Duo Interpretation is an event where two speakers perform a scene for

their judges. “We didn’t have anyone in the poetry event, so we had Stephon and Faith just do it. It was amazing that they took the gold in it,�

Diestler said.

Gilmore and Wright’s speech was a skit about a woman who has lost her ability to trust men, and the man who is attempting to win her heart. “(Gilmore and Wright’s) speech was extremely dramatic,� Diestler said.

Dea’Laundria Gardner took the second place silver for her Programmed Oral Interpretation speech. Diestler said Gardner’s speech was a powerful piece focusing on police brutality. She said the speech incorporated real life events and song lyrics in an evocative way.

Chhetri said the level of excitement after the award ceremony was huge.

“Everyone was cheering and Sherry (Diestler) started crying. It was amazing,� Chhetri said.

She said the speech and debate team operates a lot like a family, and that connection allows them to give each other a lot of constructive criticism and feed back, so that they are capable of perfecting their speeches. “I worked on my speech for a month,� Chhetri said. “I don’t know if I could’ve done it without my speech family.�

Diestler said one of the most exciting parts of the speech team winning the awards they won was the small number of students the team entered. The speech and debate team entered 13 competitors into the event. “We won the most awards there,� Diestler said. “Santa Clara (University) may have won the same number of awards as us, but their team is just huge.�

N CHANGE

Auditorium to host graduation Contra Costa College, for the first time in the history of the college, will hold its commencement exercises at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium located at 27th Street and Macdonald Avenue on May 21.

Tickets to the graduation are distributed by the students who will be participating, no extra tickets are available to the public.

The graduation is a closed event for the family and friends of the graduates.

For more information please contact Marketing and Communications Coordinator Michele Jackson at 510-215-3836.

Q MUSIC

Spring showcase to hit the Knox The Annual Spring Showcase will be held in the Knox Center on Friday at 8 p.m.

Contra Costa College’s music department will be featuring its Gospel Choir, JAZZ-ology, Jazzanova, classical jazz students and the college chorus group.

Tickets for the event are $10 for students with a valid ID and $15 for general admission.

For more information about the event, contact music professor Stephanie Austin at 510-215-4824.

Q AFRICAN-AMERICAN

Celebrating heritage, grads The African-American Staff Association and the Africana/ African American Studies Department are hosting the Annual Celebration Success ceremony at the Knox Center on Saturday.

For more information visit the website at www.contracosta.edu.

CrimeWatch Thursday, May 1: An officer responded to a student injury report.

A student fell while standing at the Bus Transfer Center.

Tuesday, May 6: Two students were arrested for fighting in the Physical Sciences Building. — George Morin

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Behind the scenes — High school seniors flood Admissions and Records to register as an incoming freshman for the fall 2014 semester, during the second annual Super Saturday event on Saturday.

College hosts annual orientation event

By Sinoti Iosua STAFF WRITER

siosua.theadvocate@gmail.com

A virtual paint sprayer, incoming freshmen, snacks, staff and student volunteers filled the plaza in front of the Student Services Center on Saturday for the school’s Second Annual Super Saturday event.

Super Saturday is a freshman orientation held for high school seniors planning to attend Contra Costa College. At the event, prospective students learned more about the campus, support services available and have the chance to meet faculty and new friends.

The incoming freshmen who attended the event were able to register for classes, take photos for their school IDs and become more acquainted with the programs on campus within just a few hours.

Students constantly filtered the empty spaces in line at the Student Services Center to pay for their classes as they anxiously awaited to see what booths were outside the building.

Shop Equipment Assistant James Gardner displayed the automotive services department’s

new virtual paint sprayer, which allows students to put on a helmet where they see a virtual fender that they can paint. The virtual paint sprayer is also a little game. Students were able to compete to see who wasted the most virtual paint. “It’s a real attention getter for students passing by and it gives us the opportunity to inform students about the auto repair programs,� Gardner said.

A number of booths were set up to display not only the programs the college offers, but to also give students a look at what their future could hold. Booths included one from UC Davis, the nursing department, sociology and the Athletics department.

Vista High School senior Tatiana Delicy said she was thankful for the event because with school and work she has very little time to learn about colleges. “It was really helpful. They made registering for classes easy and someone finally explained to me how many units I need to be considered a full-time student,�

Delicy said.

Student volunteers, who received extra credit for attending

the event, were impressed by the amount of help the incoming freshman were receiving.

Psychology major Jennifer Osoriah said that she didn’t expect it to be such a big event. “It was my first time volunteering. If I were a student that didn’t know the school I’d appreciate this a lot and you could tell that the students were engaged,� Osoriah said.

Vicki Ferguson, dean of student services, said a lot of people helped put this event together – from students, staff and managers to the vice president of the college. “The assessment and outreach team were the core group of people that executed this and I’m thankful for their passion to serve students in our community,� Ferguson said.

Sociology professor J. Vern Cromartie said, “This was a good initiative and I’m happy to see the school do this. It gives the staff an opportunity to meet students and tell them about how great the school is.�

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2014 spring semester Final Exam schedule Final Examination Week at Contra Costa College is May 15 through May 21. All Final Exams must be given in accordance with the following schedule.

Day classes that meet If your class begins at: 8:10 or 8:40 a.m.

9:10 or 9:40 a.m.

10:10 or 10:40 a.m.

11:10 or 11:40 a.m.

12:10 or 12:40 p.m.

1:10 or 1:40 p.m.

2:10 or 2:40 p.m.

3:10 or 3:40 p.m.

MWF, MW, WF, MTWTh, Daily Your final exam is on: Monday, May 19, 8 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Wednesday, May 21, 9 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

Monday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 11:50 p.m.

Wednesday, May 21, 11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Monday, May 19, 12 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Wednesday, May 21, 1 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Monday, May 19, 2 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Wednesday, May 21, 3 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Day classes that meet If your class begins at: 8:10 or 8:40 a.m.

9:10 or 9:40 a.m.

10:10 or 10:40 a.m.

11:10 or 11:40 a.m.

12:10 or 12:40 p.m.

1:10 or 1:40 p.m.

2:10 or 2:40 p.m.

3:10 or 3:40 p.m.

TWTh, TWThF or TTh Your final exam is on: Tuesday, May 20, 8 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Thursday, May 15, 9 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 11:50 p.m.

Thursday, May 15, 11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Tuesday, May 20, 12 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Thursday, May 15, 1 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Tuesday, May 20, 2 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Thursday, May 15, 3 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Night classes All night classes that meet after 4 p.m. will hold Final Exams during regular class hours and will meet only once during finals week.

Conflict resolution day Final Exam times which conflict may be held on Friday, May 25.

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Library to receive new funds

COURAGEOUS

County library plans to donate surplus to campus

By Van Ly STAFF WRITER

vly.theadvocate@gmail.com

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Coming in hot — 2014-15 Editor-in-Chief Lorenzo Morotti quickly rose among in the ranks as staff illustrator, editorial cartoonist and associate editor and plans on revamping The Advocate’s use of online media.

CARTOONIST TAKES REINS

By George Morin EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

gmorin.theadvocate@gmail.com

When Lorenzo Morotti joined The Advocate he never thought he would take the top spot of the publication.

Morotti ran unopposed and will take the reigns as editor-in-chief of The Advocate beginning this fall.

“He (Morotti) has that journalistic instinct to get the story. He’s not afraid to get the information he needs,” journalism department Chairperson Paul DeBolt said. “He’s come a long way. I’m proud of him.”

Morotti started as a staff illustrator, but soon rose to be editorial cartoonist.

He found his position rising further when he was promoted to associate editor.

Morotti said he initially joined the staff just to improve on his drawing skills and to gain exposure as an artist. Accomplishing more than that, he has earned awards in the Journalism Association of Community College and California Newspaper Publishers Association.

“The position of editor-in-chief seems like a challenge,” he said. “I’m ready for that challenge. I’m ready to conquer this fear.”

Morotti’s job duties have increased from just being a staff illustrator during his first semester to writing stories and

helping oversee the production process of the paper.

In his three semesters on The Advocate, Morotti has been a part of two staffs that have each won JACC Pacesetter Awards, which is given to the top four two-year publications in the state.

Morotti, 23, graduated from Pinole Valley High School in 2009.

As editor-in-chief, Morotti said he wants to maintain the level of excellence the newspaper has earned through years of national and state praise in the journalism world.

While mostly focusing on the print aspect currently, Morotti hopes to expand on online, multimedia and social networking areas of The Advocate.

“He’s a go-getter,” Sports Editor Mike Thomas said, “He’s all about it (journalism). It’s amazing how fast he’s picked up responsibilities.”

With about 10 of the current staff returning for next semester, Morotti will have a stable core of workers backing him up. Morotti will, however, be without the services of Scene Editor Veronica Santos who has been on staff since the fall 2012 semester.

Santos said Morotti is very focused when he puts his mind to it.

“I remember his first JACC State Competition. When he was waiting for the competition to begin I was joking with him, pointing out a cute girl next to

“He (Morotti) has that journalistic instinct to get the story. He’s not afraid to get the information he needs.”

Paul DeBolt,

journalism department chairperson

him,” Santos said. “He (Morotti) simply looked back and me and said ‘not now.’

That stuck with me. He’s gonna be a good editor for sure.”

Santos said he dedicates many hours to the paper.

She said, “Morotti is always here (in the Newsroom). I’m sure he’s more than ready for the transition to the top spot of the paper (The Advocate).”

Photo Editor Christian Urrutia, who has worked with Morotti for the last three semesters, said, “He may not be the most organized person at the moment, but I’m sure due to this position he will definitely grow to be so.”

“The paper has been run pretty well with more visual people. I’m expecting that same level of excellence to continue next year,” DeBolt said. “The talent level on staff is really high right now. There will be a lot of veterans on staff as well, so I’m sure he will be a great editor.”

At Contra Costa College, the Library is more than a place for students to pass through. It’s a place where students can study, interact and make use of the information that is right at their fingertips.

Despite a small budget, the Library manages to provide students with many resources.

Adjunct librarian Rubi Smith-Adams, who is in charge of book purchasing and collection management, said that CCC’s Library has had a stagnant budget of $10,000 or less over the years – which she said should be increased.

“At Diablo Valley College, they have a budget of $130,000 and at Los Medanos College, they have $50,000-$100,000,” Adams said.

To receive more funding, the library applies for grants every year.

Adams said, “This year we were not so lucky but in the past we have received grants.”

Fortunately, Contra Costa County library partnered up with CCC’s library. The library will receive money from the county library, Adams said.

Books are purchased on Amazon and book donations are received from the community. The Friends of the Library also help support the library by raising money for books, databases and other media that is needed.

The books in the library are a mix of old and new.

Library Coordinator Ellen Geringer said that the average age of books is about 30 years.

Last year, the Library purchased 500 new books, Adams said.

“All of the books in the Library correspond to classes being taught at CCC,” Adjunct librarian Amanda Choi said.

“The biggest criteria for picking books are to support instructors and student needs,” Adams said, ”We pick books that are well-received, well-written and critically acclaimed.”

Choi said that the Library tries to keep the collection up to date.

“Not many students are aware of the resources we offer,” Geringer said. “Students would love it if the Library opened at 8 and had longer hours on Saturday.”

“The college administration has been very supportive this year, Geringer said, “Instead of opening at 9 a.m., the Library opens at 8:30 a.m. now.”

Roxana Alejandre, La Raza studies major, said, “The Library should have more hours on Fridays and Saturdays to study.”

“In the 90s, the Library was open 72 hours a week.

Now we’re open 54 hours a week. To add more hours, we would need more staff to make this possible,” Geringer said.

Student-made art for sale

By Cody Casares STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ccasares.theadvocate@gmail.com

The art department hosted a pottery sale that lasted from Monday to Friday of last week.

The event is held twice a year in order to raise money for the ceramics classes. Ceramics department students showcased their work from this semester as well as earlier years as far back as 1999 for patrons to admire.

The fundraising event was held in the Art Building Atrium as well as the Eddie Rhodes Gallery. The student-made pottery was both for sale and for auction, with bidding opening on May 5 and closing on May 9.

Art history major Jeanette Alanis, who was browsing the pottery on Thursday, said, “I was interested in seeing what they have and came to support

the ceramics students, they have a lot of interesting works they’re selling here.”

While the bidding took place all week on more intricate pieces, the items for immediate sale were pieces such as mugs, cups, plates and bowls.

These pieces came from beginning students and were displayed on shelves in the Atrium with the higher quality pieces being displayed in the glass showcase and Eddie Rhodes Gallery.

Event volunteer Carolyn Taaning said, “The event is held to help support the ceramics (students) and every year before mother’s day students can finds wonderful gifts.”

The items up for auction were more intricate pieces made from experienced students like reasonably scaled head sculptures and small figurines.

“I enjoy looking at people’s work and supporting the students,” Barbara Anderson, who had been to the sale sev-

eral times throughout the week, said.

Advertisement for the event this year was limited due to the construction taking place on campus.

“We’re kind of out of the way up here,” Larry Jones, a volunteer and ceramics student, said. “We don’t get that much traffic up here, but it’s worth doing.”

After being told by a friend about the fundraiser, biochemistry major Gabriel Goulart said, “I didn’t even know this was happening, but this is cool. I couldn’t do something like this.”

Jones said as of Friday morning the event had raised about $1,300.

The money raised by the event is used to support the ceramics department and purchase more clay, ultimately allowing students to create more pieces for further sales. The remaining stock at the close of business Friday is packed up and reused for the next sale or donated to the department, he said.

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CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Split personality — Students in the ceramics class displayed and put some of their art up for sale at their pottery showcase last week.

A8 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

FOCUS

A helping hand — George Rodriguez (right), a senior at Richmond High School, registers for classes in the Library and Learning Resources Center with the help

of counselor Ruth Gorman during the 2nd Annual Super Saturday event on Saturday. Students were shown the campus and its services at the event.

Getting

oriented

Super Saturday introduces students to campus, services Photos by Qing Huang

All together now — A member of the La Raza Club walks a group of students down Library Drive to a workshop during the 2nd Annual Super Saturday event on Saturday.

All the paperwork — Accompanied by her aunt, Xitlaly Ortiz (left), Xenia Rivera (center), a John Swett High School student, registers for classes with the help of Admissions and Records staffer Jessica Orellana (right) during the 2nd Annual Super Saturday event on Saturday.

Peer work — Richmond High School seniors Erica Nunez (right) and Jesse Sarmiento help each other sign up for classes in the Student Services Center during the 2nd Annual Super Saturday event on Saturday.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

CMYK

B

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

Sports index:

CMYK

SPORTS

SECTION

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Squads analyzed, evaluated Winter, spring teams graded X page B2

Team falls short in bowl game

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Comets fall short of expectations page B3 X

Squads fail to reach playoffs Soccer teams unable to score X page B6

Jewel Rogers

Women’s basketball

&

Davonte Sapp-Lynch Football

Leadership personified — Guard Jewel Rodgers and running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch earned 2013-14 Athlete of the Year honors for their leadership and outstanding performance on the court and on the field.

— Complete stories and honorable mentions: Pages B4 and B5 —

Basketball teams win, come close Women’s squad reaches playoffs page B7 X

Reputation affects recruitment Who are we Athletes

decide based on

coach

that reputation.

Athletic programs at Contra ASSOCIATE EDITOR Costa College have been buildlmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com ing some winning teams that The reputation of any com- break the preconceived notions munity college could be the people hold regarding the camdeciding factor for a student pus and its surrounding area.

Athletic Director John Wade wanting to play sports at a higher said that recruiting students for level, but the responsibility falls on the coaching staff to recruit athletic programs is very perplayers who alter or maintain sonal and the coach has a more important role in recruitment

By Lorenzo Morotti

process than the reputation of the college.

Wade said the programs that have an easier time recruiting are the football and men’s soccer programs.

The latter is the only soccer team offered at any college in the Contra Costa Community College District. “They don’t really have any other option if

?

REVISITED 5 years later

Q SEE REPUTATION: Page B2

Wheelchair game raises awareness Key plays captured in photos Failure, success on full display X page B8

BORP program brings in funds

By Mike Thomas SPORTS EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

Student-athletes and the Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program competed in a game of wheelchair basketball Thursday in the Gymnasium. The event was created

Shooting to donate — BORP All Stars wheelchair basketball players face off against players from the Comets’ softball team during the wheelchair basketball game in the Gymnasium on Thursday.

by the Abilities Club to fundraise for the athletic department and the BORP organization.

BORP is a non-profit organization that promotes adaptive sports for people with disabilities, and they help raise awareness for people who are not informed about these sports. The Abilities Club raised $2,500 for the athletic department and BORP, with the money to be split between the two.

“We’re just trying to raise awareQ SEE WHEELCHAIR: Page B2 QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

CMYK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

CMYK

B2 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

SPORTS

Reputation | Decision to attend college based on coach Q FROM: Page 1

you want to play soccer,” Wade said.

Football coach Alonzo Carter has helped 34 male athletes transfer into four-year colleges in the past two years.

Carter said the football program has not had problems recruiting players since he became coach in 2010.

“CCC was not recognized on a national level until we started moving players into big D1 schools with high GPAs,” he said. “I have scouts from Oregon and Texas A&M in my office right now. It goes to show that reputation can affect recruitment.”

Wade said recruiting for women’s teams, however, has been more problematic in the past but recent years have been seeing a reverse in that trend.

Women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt said, “Recruiting is brutal. Players have a lot of people from different colleges talking to

them at once. They get confused and sometimes don’t make a decision based on their best interests but of others.”

DeBolt said four years ago, he lost every recruit he had to other colleges. “There is only so much you can do to get them to join,” he said. “You have to stay in constant recruitment mode, all year, always recruiting — it never stop.”

He said he once had a recruit tell him that she would never attend CCC because she used to ride her bike past the campus when she was a child and decided then not to attend the college.

“She never once set foot onto the campus,” DeBolt said. “That is how random recruitment can be.”

Peoples’ past experiences, usually based on culture and one’s environment, mold them and define a student’s frame of reference or perception of the world. The

newly appointed men’s soccer coach, Nikki Ferguson, said while he has not had any problems with recruitment during his last two years as the women’s coach, it has not always been that way.

“I had a potential player years ago who was steered away from going to CCC by someone who has never set foot on this campus,” Ferguson said.

What they didn’t know, he said, is that the women’s soccer team has moved the most players into four-year colleges with GPAs of 3.5 or higher, of any team on campus.

He said many female athletes have a misconception that when they enroll in college they either have to pick between a school that is considered to be academically focused or one that leans more toward athletics.

“That thinking is flawed,” he said. “They can do both.”

DeBolt agrees with Ferguson. “We have

?

Who are we

REVISITED

5 years later great support for students on campus,” he said. “There is no set academic path that (athletes) have to take — or slider courses.

That doesn’t exist at this campus. Athletes can become successful college students here.”

Wheelchair | Fundraiser Q FROM: Page 1

ness for adaptive sports, and to let people know there are other adaptive sports other than basketball,” BORP Communication and Development Manager Josh Thelin said.

The start of the event featured live music from a jazz band, but the main attraction was the wheelchair basketball game. Both teams had a mixture of Contra Costa College student-athletes and professional wheelchair basketball players. The game was similar to a regular college basketball game with two 20-minute halves. Both teams were evenly matched and the game was forced into overtime. The final score was 34-28 with the away team winning the game.

Thelin said. “When we do these kind of events, we like to mix both teams with student-athletes and the professionals to make it a fair game because it would’ve been a blowout because these guys play this sport every day. It also helps the student-athletes be competitive with each other.”

The Golden State Road Warriors is a professional wheelchair basketball team from the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Golden State Road Warrior center Marcus Oden made his presence known at the game. The Richmond native was everywhere on the court, and he put on a show for the audience. He led his team to victory at the event.

“There are 60-70 percent of people who have never seen a wheelchair basketball game before,” Oden said after the game. “I hope the audience enjoyed the game, but also got an eye opener for this. I want people to know that we are still here and we’re giving it our all to this game.”

Oden said that his team sometimes does halftime shows at the Golden State Warriors games.

It was a combination of softball, basketball and football players representing

“I feel like this sport is harder than regular basketball.

The professionals were so amazing and nice. I never knew how skilled you need to be for this game, and I think it’s an eye opener for everyone.”

Elvira Figueroa, Comet outfielder

the student-athletes at the event. The game was a shock for the student-athletes, as they realized quickly how hard the sport is. The athletes grew an appreciation and respect for the game and the professional athletes. They found out it takes dexterity to play wheelchair basketball.

“I feel like this sport is harder than regular basketball. The professionals were so amazing and nice,” Comets’ softball player Elvira Figueroa said. “I never knew how skilled you need to be for this game, and I think it’s an eye opener for everyone.”

The athletes also saw this as a life lesson playing the adaptive sport. Comets’ defensive back Chauncey Carter said he realized that the professionals are not different from them because they have the same dream.

“It’s not easy to be stuck in a wheelchair, and we should be blessed that we have legs to walk with,” Carter said. “The way we were playing, I felt like I knew these people for a long time — it was like life lesson.”

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE Carter said that he enjoyed playing the game more than football practice, and that Clash of wheels — BORP All Stars wheelchair basketball players face off football coach Alonzo Carter should put this against players from the Comets’ softball team during the wheelchair basketball in the football team’s workout program. game in the Gymnasium on Thursday.

TEAMS FALL SHY OF SEASON’S EXPECTATIONS L L A B E BAS

WOMEN’S

F

e d to tak bb faile onsecue W in arv nd c coach M r the 22 Costa Baseball the playoffs foball at Contra 9-26 e to son as his team on coaching b inished the sea rence. s tive sea . The Comets f y Valley Confe weakCollege 6-15 in the Ba were the main overall, ing and hitting g the Pitch quad. ome runs durin a coms e th r o nesses f only hit two h et pitchers had .

Com CCC on, and for the season ding ways to s a e s e r 3 in f .3 enti 5 le f troub RA o bined E squad also had . lose s e e them to h m r T a o g f g in e lead d innin keep th ly took one ba s for the n o It 93 RBI d a h ly n a game. , the Comets o Also as e Thom — Mik season.

LL A B T SOF

F

BASKETBALL

B+

A defensive st point barrage late ruggle against the Rams 3attempts per gam a 98-80 loss afte in the second half cemented ew r a hard fought, The squad also finith 32. high-pressure playoff game at ished third City College of San Francisco 3-point shots made, with 8.7 pe in the state in on March 1. r ga from mid-range, however, were un me. Shots The defeat resulte an predictable d d po in ss th es e wom sions ended in tu ball team losing rnovers during ke its first and only en’s basketplays. y since 2010, and playoff game th In conference pl with the best reco e squad managed to finish ay the Comets perfor much better than rd the program ha med since 2010. s posted fifth in defensive overall, finishing second and rebounds per gam The Comets co tively. e, respecond place with a ncluded their season in sec12-4 record in th C C C , ho w ev er Conference, 20-9 e Bay Valley opponents on the , struggled with pressuring ov ba CCC averaged 82erall. al lowed too much ll, and its zone coverage .5 points, 16.8 as 48.6 rebounds pe space in, an si st s and key for an r ga attacking team to d around, the The Comets also me. score easy basket These momen shot 69 percen s. free-throw line.

CCC averaged 20 t at the the Comets foun ts were easily forgotten when assists and three d their attacking po in ts , tw o re court. CCC’s im flo season. The team bounds fewer per game last provements in of w on the co fe ’s nsive stats m fr pa ee re th d ro w w ith shoo la centage was a 12 an honest B, how st seasons’ are enough to give percent increase ting per13 as well. ev from 2012with 20 overall w er, reaching the playoffs in Offensively, CC so n, makes an B+ s, five more than last seaC excelled. The team ished in first plac the only deservin fin e in the state for g grade. free-throw — Lorenzo Mor otti

ed to a dence l i f n o c d line an games f discip o k c a team’s l l l a a , b t m f l tea d f the so softbal undere most o ng. , n o For the on. s y that s a a e i l s n p s n i i g s h n e t a i r f gl se losing r the course o e run of a sin create one sco rrors h t d l r u Ove e ber of e o v o m w u t d n n e e d a i on ec mit were d ally, their opp uld com .

Usu s’ resolve. he Comets wouted to losses t t b e i , cause r d t m t e o a n play be g their the C e dishearte be directly a f . o e l e Onc e that can s visib in the middl onalds durin ets’ m line wa am D p every g lack of discip ayer giving u pizza and Mc not on the Co l s p g a n a i w The t ames r or ea er it be hat’s Wheth a minor erro hat winning g cause t e b , n t e o t s n ad his sea they m it was appare grade t iously. , r i s e e h t m le a s g an F a an Boy ken ser .

— Bri agenda Comets’ earna class isn’t ta The ens when app what h

MEN’S

BASKETBALL Adding football player D

B

arius Workman squad sorely need gave the men’s ba ed sketball team the Before conferen . height the ce ga m es began, the Com and forward Tim ets lost 6 foot 7 othy Jordan to in in ch tall center Kevin juries.

That left Workm Wise ished third in the an to take over as full-time bi g man for the sq Bay Valley Con uad. The Comet ference with the After a shaky s games were last start, the Comets went into a fourrecord 16-12 overall, 10-6 in th fine BVC. minute thrillers.

-game winning st reak. Two of thos CCC was 8-5 e game is probably when it lost a crucial game on th e ro wha In spite of missi t knocked them out of the play ad to the College of Marin. That team. Sophomor ng the playoffs, the squad had offs. e tw team. Mize was guard Davion Mize and freshm o players make the All-Confe renc also a honorable an guard Armein mention for the Outing made the e Mize led the BV A llfirst C St w at ith e te 21 am .6 . points per game, ing scorer with 14 an .2 d a O ga ut ing was the team me. The Comets guard Marcel Jo ’s second le got some m nes In the beginning who gave support as a starter an uch needed help from freshman add of a the season the bench player during on the Com ets four-game w Comets had trouble getting he s. together. lp inning streak that ’s when the team from the bench, but started to play w ell — Mike Thomas

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

B3

Hitting paydirt — Comet wide receiver Larry Cornish smashes through Owl defensive back Garret Hutnick to score a touchdown during CCC’s game against Foothill College at Comet Stadium on Sept. 7.

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Penalties hold back expectations Squad lacked vocal leader on the field

By Mike Thomas SPORTS EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

Leading the state with 184 penalties and yards off penalties with 1,678, the football team was still able to make its second bowl game appearance in two years.

Contra Costa College finished 7-4 overall, 4-1 in the Bay Valley Conference, but lost to Hartnell College 37-26 at the Living Breath Foundation Bowl game Nov. 23.

“We didn’t have a solid leader on the team,” Comet linebacker Jarmon Colemon said. “Everyone played their roles and did their jobs, but no one stepped up and became a leader.”

The Comets had to share the BVC championship with Los Medanos and Shasta colleges. Penalties and slow starts to games finally caught up to CCC in their last game of the season against LMC, which forced the threeway tie. The Mustangs beat the Comets 33-26.

Football coach Alonzo Carter said with a sigh of frustration, “Those penalties were very uncharacteristic. I’ve never coached a team like that.”

Even though the football team would fall behind in games, it would usually find a way to win the game. The lack of a vocal leader was the main weakness for the Comets, and that led to them getting behind in most of its games.

“That loss hurt us big time. It’s one thing to lose to a team once, but to lose to them again in the same season hurts because we knew we were a better team. I think it was basically (Mann). Nobody could stop him. He is a great athlete.”

Davonte Sapp-Lynch, Comets’ running back

“These guys were different. They were used to leaning on last year’s sophomores for motivation, but they always had the will in them to come back,” Carter said. “I think we were missing that — these guys were hard workers, but quiet on the field.”

Carter said he is looking for a player to become a leader next season.

The game at Sacramento City College is a prime example of how the Comets would put themselves in a hole, but fight back to win the game.

The Panthers had a 14-13 lead at start of the third quarter when CCC defensive back Theodore Spann fumbled on a punt return and on the fol-

Lack of leadership hurts team, morale Seven game losing ear in streak dooms season Yreview

By Jose Jimenez STAFF WRITER

jjimenez.theadvocate@gmail.com

The volleyball team had its fourth consecutive losing season under volleyball coach Zachary Shrieve and finished eighth in the Bay Valley Conference.

CCC finished 3-13 in the BVC and winless in non-conference games for an overall record of 3-16.

The three v i c t o r ies “We got betcame against ter every Mendocino (5-17 single game College overall, 5-11 though. I’m BVC), and two over Laney honored to wins College (0-22 have been overall, 0-16 able to play BVC).

The Comets lost 10 out of with those last 11 ladies because their matches, with that lone victory we played coming against hard each and winless Eagles.

CCC had every game.” one road victory the entire Rickala Geeter, season, and it Comet setter was against the Eagles.

After that win the Comets went on a seven-game losing streak.

The Comets snapped the streak at home sweeping the season series against Laney.

lowing Comet possession quarterback Malik Watson threw an interception in the red zone. Both turnovers led to Panther touchdowns.

Despite CCC’s defense committing the majority of the 23 penalties in that game, they were the reason the Comets were able to come from behind to win the game in overtime, forcing and recovering three fumbles.

“I guess it was just a part of our identity. We feel them out, but never let them get too far ahead on the score. In the second half, that’s when we usually start to turn it up and play,” running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch said. “In that game (the Panthers) made minor mistakes and we capitalized on them.”

In the bowl game against Hartnell, the Comets committed their usual 20 penalties to Hartnell’s nine, and lost to the Panthers 37-26.

The defense could not stop Hartnell running back De’Andre Mann who finished the game with 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Comets were held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Watson threw two interceptions attempting to, once again, come from behind in the fourth quarter.

“That loss hurt us big time. It’s one thing to lose to a team once, but to lose to them again in the same season hurts because we knew we were a better team,” Sapp-Lynch said about losing the bowl game.

Yreview ear in

Football Overall record: 7-4 Conference record: 4-1 Conference finish: First Season summary stat: CCC won 7 games this season, which earned them a bowl berth against Hartnell College. The Comets were unable to secure the championship, losing to the Hartnell College.

“I think it was basically (Mann).

Nobody could stop him. He is a great athlete.”

On the positive side, Sapp-Lynch broke CCC alumni Rashad Hall’s single season rushing record with 1,413 yards for the season, earning BVC Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Defensive back Dominique Harrison received BVC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and made the 2013 AllAmerican team. Linebackers Darnell Dailey, Travon McGilbra-Brooks, Rondell McNair and Coleman made the All-BVC team. Overall, 12 players from CCC made the All-Conference team.

SPIKE

Volleyball Overall record: 3-16 Conference record: 3-13 Conference finish: Eighth Season summary stat: Due to a lack of leadership on the court the team was unable to gain a rhythm and struggled to find success the entire season.

“With every game we all really tried,” CCC setter Richelle Ledesma said. “We fought for every game but unfortunately the stats do not prove it.”

Aside from Laney finishing last in every statistical category possible, CCC ranked eighth in assists, blocks, saves and errors.

The Comets finished seventh in points and averaged a low 8.8 points per set. On a positive note the Comets did rank sixth in kill shots at 351 for the year.

With the help of First Team All-BVC player Jessica Neville, CCC averaged nearly seven kill shots per set (6.75), and consistently intimidated opponents at the net.

However a lack of leadership, communication, depth and errors on the court cost the Comets the majority of their losses and enabled teams to capitalize on CCC’s mistakes and win matches.

“We got better every single game though,” freshman setter Rickala Geeter said. “I’m honored to have been able to play with those ladies because we played hard each and every game.”

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Powering through — Comet outside hitter Jessica Neville hits the ball past Laney College setter Jasmine Michaels during the third set of CCC’s game against Laney College in the Gymnasium on Nov. 8.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

CMYK

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B4 THE ADVOCATE

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l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Women’s basketball

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GUARD

RUNNING BACK

Mom, guard sets offensive pace

By Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

For the second consecutive year The Advocate’s Female Athlete of the Year is Jewel Rogers, the 2014 Bay Valley Conference women’s basketball Most Valuable Player.

Tynisha Adams said Rogers’ determination grew more intense as the season progressed.

“Sometimes when we were losing and we started to give up she kept us going,” Adams said. “She is the captain. She had to step up.”

Over 29 games she averaged 24.7 points per game to finish the season with the second highest average in the state.

She sank 73 percent of her “It has been attempts at the free throw line, my pleasure made 31 percent of her shots from coaching somebehind the 3-point one as talented line, and grabbed as (Rogers).

10 rebounds per game.

It’s times like Roger’s stats this that you improved considerably over last want to slow season’s.

Former Comet everything guard Famh Fong down and played with Rogers during her first year enjoy it. She is as part of coach a gem.”

Paul DeBolt’s team in 2012.

Paul DeBolt, Fong said women’s basketball coach Rogers immediately displayed tremendous skill.

“She is a good player. She was much more aggressive in (the 2013-14) season,” she said. “(Rogers) played like she had to carry the team on her shoulders.

DeBolt said, “Last season (Rogers) fought herself. She has great athleticism and came onto the team at a very high level skill wise.”

“What she needed to learn (however) is how to become a college basketball player emotionally and that means approaching things on the court in a non-physical way.

And she has come a long way in that regard,” he said.

Rogers said that she doesn’t let opposing teams’ trash-talk affect her level of play during games anymore.

She only fouled out in three games over the course of the season.

DeBolt said he was very strict on Rogers when she was a freshman, like he is with most new players. “I changed my approach this season and it worked.”

Rogers said she now considers coach Paul DeBolt to be a person who changed her life

Height: Position: Year: High School: Home Town:

Speedy back leads team to bowl berth Running back rushes for 1,413 yards

for the better. “It’s more than just a coach and player relationship,” she said. “(DeBolt) has become like a father figure to me. He is more than just a basketball coach — he is a life coach.”

DeBolt said, “She needed help focusing on her future, getting back into college and working out the issues in her life. It’s part of coaching. It’s what we (all) do.”

Raising her daughter 4-year-old Kenyari has been her primary motivation to succeed in athletics and higher education.

She said her teammates have become her family. “(Kenyari) keeps me motivated,” Rogers said.

She recalls seeing her daughter on the sideline when her team trailed by 15 points in the second half during a Northern California Round 2 playoff game at City College of San Francisco.

“During the (CCSF) game, everyone was down,” she said.

There were only minutes left and the score margin was more than 15 points. The game was sealed, she said, “We lost.” In Kenyari, however, Rogers found comfort.

“I saw her and it made me smile. Even when I’m losing just seeing her on the sideline is what (keeps) me going,” she said.

Fong said that Kenyari went to almost every game and supported the team last season. DeBolt said the same for the 2013-14 season.

Adams said Kenyari is very smart and shows up to every practice and even gets in the huddle before games. “(Kenyari) screams ‘Let’s go Comets’ with us and it gives the team a boost of energy,” she said. “(Kenyari) is our ‘little mascot’.”

Rogers said she was surprised that DeBolt let her bring Kenyari to games and practices.

And when the little one was not around, he would ask where she was, she said.

“If I would have gone onto anyone else’s basketball team, I’d be back home right now,” she said.

Rogers is not from California. She lived with her mother in Kentucky and said she does not have any family members, besides her daughter Kenyari, living in this state.

She moved here after her friend Jeannay Washington, a Comets’ forward during the 2012-13 season, referred her to Contra Costa College, she said. At home Rogers felt her talents were wasted.

“All my momma did was sit on the couch and watch TV,” she said. “I saw no future at home, and didn’t want to give up on life like she did. I wanted to be successful.”

Rogers said she left everything and arrived in the Bay Area on Nov. 30, 2011. “I didn’t think about distance,” she said. “All I could think about was the opportunity.”

DeBolt said the basketball program has become like a surrogate family for Rogers. He said he was not surprised with her transformation on and off the court.

“It has been my pleasure coaching someone as talented as (Rogers),” he said. “It’s

By Mike Thomas SPORTS EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

Patience played a huge part in his college football career, and playing a year in the shadow of running back Rashad Hall was just a plus for him.

In 2012 Hall set two school records, but his backup, Davonte Sapp-Lynch, broke both of those records this season, and that is what makes him The Advocate’s 2013-14 Male Athlete of the Year.

Sapp-Lynch finished the season with 1,413 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and became the Bay Valley Conferences’ Offensive Player of the Year. On the road against Sacramento City College, Sapp-Lynch showed his versatility with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

He also ran for 63 yards, and had a 75yard touchdown run called back because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a teammate.

“It surprised me, but at the same time it felt good,” Sapp-Lynch said about breaking Hall’s records. “It would have been a letdown if I didn’t get it because I played behind Rashad and learned a lot from him. So I expect the next man up to break my record.”

In his freshman year he was the backup for Hall and the punt returner for the Comets.

In the 2012 Living Breath Foundation Bowl game against Monterey Peninsula College, Contra Costa College was down 16-13 in the second quarter after the Lobos scored with 1:06 left.

Sapp-Lynch received the kickoff, and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown to lift the Comets back up to 19-13 before halftime. “(Sapp-Lynch) is a versatile player,” coach Alonzo Carter said about Sapp-Lynch’s playing style. “You can put him at wide receiver, running back, punt returner, place holder and even at fullback to block.”

Sapp-Lynch is the younger brother of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, but said he does not like being compared with the Super Bowl winning running back.

He is the youngest of four children. When Sapp-Lynch played football with his family nobody played just one position, he said.

“I think it was the way I was raised,” SappLynch said about how he became a multi-purpose running back.

“Whenever I played football with my brothers and cousins, I wasn’t playing one position — I had to play receiver, and play defense and that taught me how to play any position.”

Sapp-Lynch tries to escape the pressure of being Marshawn’s little brother by not comparing himself to his older sibling. As a matter of fact, he said he dislikes when people compare him to his big brother.

Profile

Height: Position: Year: High School: Home Town:

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Proud stance — Guard Jewel Rogers and running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch have been named The Advocate’s Athletes of the Year for their superior game play during the 2013-14 year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL

H ONORABLE M ENTIONS VOLLEYBALL

He said sometimes the judgments motivates him to work harder and get better because he wants make a name for himself.

Defensive back Daquan Stewart said “(Sapp-Lynch) hates being compared to his brother, and that’s what makes him work hard.”

Stewart said Lynch is a versatile player that any team would be happy to have on its side.

“He has everything that you would want in a player. Some running backs are just fast with no (agility) or hands — but he’s fast and has all of that.”

The home game against College of the Redwoods was Sapp-Lynch’s highest rushing yard game of the season. He recorded 212 yards and two touchdowns. He dedicated his success to the people around him. He gave credit to his linemen for all the yards and touchdowns he earned in the season. “(Male Athlete of the Year) is a blessing and I’m very grateful for what my (teammates) put in for me to have this opportunity,” Sapp-Lynch said. “I thank my teammates because when they did their jobs it made my job much easier,” he said.

In the bowl game against Hartnell College, Sapp-Lynch displayed his unselfishness on a “Wildcat” play that led to a rushing touchdown.

On the play Sapp-Lynch was lined up at quarterback, while sophomore running back Tyron Stevens played tailback.

The play was designed for Sapp-Lynch to take the snap and drive up the middle, but at the last second he decided to hand it off to Stevens who ran in for the touchdown.

On that play Sapp-Lynch made a successful cut block to help Stevens find the end zone.

“It feels better for me to make a play blocking than to score a touchdown any day,” Sapp-Lynch said.

Sapp-Lynch also gave Carter some suggestions on plays during the football game.

Sometimes he would ask to be put in a play just to block for the backup running back.

Carter said that Sapp-Lynch is a pleasure to coach, and he deserves to be Athlete of the Year.

“He’s a pleasure to coach with his unselfish attitude. He would tell me what players to

Guard

Timmion Hughes

Guard

Defensive back

Middle blocker

Third baseman

As a sophomore guard, Mize averaged 21.6 points a game this season. He made the BVC All-Conference team for the second time and was honorable mention on the All-State team.

Mize showed leadership when he made some clutch game-winning shots in the conference games. While the team missed the playoffs, Mize still led the Comets third place in the conference.

The sophomore defensive back earned Bay Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and will play in Eugene for the University of Oregon in fall 2014.

Even though he was only able to grab three interceptions, Harrison was the only player from the Comets who earned a spot on the 2013 All-American team.

Bay Valley All-Conference player Jessica Neville led the women’s volleyball team physically and emotionally. Neville’s averaged 3.87 kills per set and led the team with 29 saves and points at 249.5.

Neville’s averaged 4.5 points per game, nearly matching the entire Comets’ roster in points (4.9) every game. She was second in digs and assists and was the leader on a team.

Hughes was the fastest player on the team, and utilized his quickness to lead the baseball team with 21 stolen bases.

His effort landed him a spot on the BVC All-Conference team. He finished the season with a batting average of .285, had 35 hits and 14 RBIs. The freshman provides the Comets with a strong returner for next season.

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5 feet 9 inches Running back Sophomore Sheldon High School, Sacramento Oakland, Ca.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jessica Neville

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BASEBALL

Dominique Harrison

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Daquan Stewart,

A running back should always give credit to his offensive linemen and every touchdown Lynch scores during game, he does just that.

His selflessness shows when he opts to switch from the running back to the less flamboyant fullback position to help with the blocking. He earned Bay Valley Conference Offensive Player of Year, and resents it when people compare him to his older brother, Marshawn.

He finished the season with 1,413 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns — breaking Rashad Hall’s school records.

Davion Mize

CMYK

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“(Sapp-Lynch) hates being compared to his brother and that’s what makes him work hard. He has everything that you would want in a player.

Some running backs are just fast with no (agility) or hands — but he’s fast and has all of that.”

Profile

5 feet 9 inches Guard Sophomore George Rogers Clark, Ky. Decatur, Ga.

Sophomore guard Jewel Rogers originally came to California from Kentucky on a recommendation from a friend in 2011. During Rogers’ time as captain of coach Paul DeBolt’s women’s basketball team, she learned how to dedicate herself not only to the sport but also her teammates. She was named BVC MVP and First Team All-State this season.

Out of the 29 matchups the Comets played in 2013-14, she only missed one game, that one at Napa Valley College. Without her leadership and offensive presence on the court, Contra Costa College lost 84-80, ending a six-game winning streak.

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JEWEL ROGERS

Rogers’ 25 points per game tops squad

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Joie Wyatt

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Ending her Comet basketball career with a 3.9 GPA, the All-Conference player had to adjust to playing inside the paint on both offense and defense this season.

The center led the Bay Valley Conference with 189 rebounds and finished 10th in the state with 338 overall. She will attend UCLA this fall and plans to continue playing basketball there.

CMYK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

CMYK

CMYK

B4 THE ADVOCATE

SPORTS

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Women’s basketball

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Football

GUARD

RUNNING BACK

Mom, guard sets offensive pace

By Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

For the second consecutive year The Advocate’s Female Athlete of the Year is Jewel Rogers, the 2014 Bay Valley Conference women’s basketball Most Valuable Player.

Tynisha Adams said Rogers’ determination grew more intense as the season progressed.

“Sometimes when we were losing and we started to give up she kept us going,” Adams said. “She is the captain. She had to step up.”

Over 29 games she averaged 24.7 points per game to finish the season with the second highest average in the state.

She sank 73 percent of her “It has been attempts at the free throw line, my pleasure made 31 percent of her shots from coaching somebehind the 3-point one as talented line, and grabbed as (Rogers).

10 rebounds per game.

It’s times like Roger’s stats this that you improved considerably over last want to slow season’s.

Former Comet everything guard Famh Fong down and played with Rogers during her first year enjoy it. She is as part of coach a gem.”

Paul DeBolt’s team in 2012.

Paul DeBolt, Fong said women’s basketball coach Rogers immediately displayed tremendous skill.

“She is a good player. She was much more aggressive in (the 2013-14) season,” she said. “(Rogers) played like she had to carry the team on her shoulders.

DeBolt said, “Last season (Rogers) fought herself. She has great athleticism and came onto the team at a very high level skill wise.”

“What she needed to learn (however) is how to become a college basketball player emotionally and that means approaching things on the court in a non-physical way.

And she has come a long way in that regard,” he said.

Rogers said that she doesn’t let opposing teams’ trash-talk affect her level of play during games anymore.

She only fouled out in three games over the course of the season.

DeBolt said he was very strict on Rogers when she was a freshman, like he is with most new players. “I changed my approach this season and it worked.”

Rogers said she now considers coach Paul DeBolt to be a person who changed her life

Height: Position: Year: High School: Home Town:

Speedy back leads team to bowl berth Running back rushes for 1,413 yards

for the better. “It’s more than just a coach and player relationship,” she said. “(DeBolt) has become like a father figure to me. He is more than just a basketball coach — he is a life coach.”

DeBolt said, “She needed help focusing on her future, getting back into college and working out the issues in her life. It’s part of coaching. It’s what we (all) do.”

Raising her daughter 4-year-old Kenyari has been her primary motivation to succeed in athletics and higher education.

She said her teammates have become her family. “(Kenyari) keeps me motivated,” Rogers said.

She recalls seeing her daughter on the sideline when her team trailed by 15 points in the second half during a Northern California Round 2 playoff game at City College of San Francisco.

“During the (CCSF) game, everyone was down,” she said.

There were only minutes left and the score margin was more than 15 points. The game was sealed, she said, “We lost.” In Kenyari, however, Rogers found comfort.

“I saw her and it made me smile. Even when I’m losing just seeing her on the sideline is what (keeps) me going,” she said.

Fong said that Kenyari went to almost every game and supported the team last season. DeBolt said the same for the 2013-14 season.

Adams said Kenyari is very smart and shows up to every practice and even gets in the huddle before games. “(Kenyari) screams ‘Let’s go Comets’ with us and it gives the team a boost of energy,” she said. “(Kenyari) is our ‘little mascot’.”

Rogers said she was surprised that DeBolt let her bring Kenyari to games and practices.

And when the little one was not around, he would ask where she was, she said.

“If I would have gone onto anyone else’s basketball team, I’d be back home right now,” she said.

Rogers is not from California. She lived with her mother in Kentucky and said she does not have any family members, besides her daughter Kenyari, living in this state.

She moved here after her friend Jeannay Washington, a Comets’ forward during the 2012-13 season, referred her to Contra Costa College, she said. At home Rogers felt her talents were wasted.

“All my momma did was sit on the couch and watch TV,” she said. “I saw no future at home, and didn’t want to give up on life like she did. I wanted to be successful.”

Rogers said she left everything and arrived in the Bay Area on Nov. 30, 2011. “I didn’t think about distance,” she said. “All I could think about was the opportunity.”

DeBolt said the basketball program has become like a surrogate family for Rogers. He said he was not surprised with her transformation on and off the court.

“It has been my pleasure coaching someone as talented as (Rogers),” he said. “It’s

By Mike Thomas SPORTS EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

Patience played a huge part in his college football career, and playing a year in the shadow of running back Rashad Hall was just a plus for him.

In 2012 Hall set two school records, but his backup, Davonte Sapp-Lynch, broke both of those records this season, and that is what makes him The Advocate’s 2013-14 Male Athlete of the Year.

Sapp-Lynch finished the season with 1,413 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and became the Bay Valley Conferences’ Offensive Player of the Year. On the road against Sacramento City College, Sapp-Lynch showed his versatility with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

He also ran for 63 yards, and had a 75yard touchdown run called back because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a teammate.

“It surprised me, but at the same time it felt good,” Sapp-Lynch said about breaking Hall’s records. “It would have been a letdown if I didn’t get it because I played behind Rashad and learned a lot from him. So I expect the next man up to break my record.”

In his freshman year he was the backup for Hall and the punt returner for the Comets.

In the 2012 Living Breath Foundation Bowl game against Monterey Peninsula College, Contra Costa College was down 16-13 in the second quarter after the Lobos scored with 1:06 left.

Sapp-Lynch received the kickoff, and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown to lift the Comets back up to 19-13 before halftime. “(Sapp-Lynch) is a versatile player,” coach Alonzo Carter said about Sapp-Lynch’s playing style. “You can put him at wide receiver, running back, punt returner, place holder and even at fullback to block.”

Sapp-Lynch is the younger brother of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, but said he does not like being compared with the Super Bowl winning running back.

He is the youngest of four children. When Sapp-Lynch played football with his family nobody played just one position, he said.

“I think it was the way I was raised,” SappLynch said about how he became a multi-purpose running back.

“Whenever I played football with my brothers and cousins, I wasn’t playing one position — I had to play receiver, and play defense and that taught me how to play any position.”

Sapp-Lynch tries to escape the pressure of being Marshawn’s little brother by not comparing himself to his older sibling. As a matter of fact, he said he dislikes when people compare him to his big brother.

Profile

Height: Position: Year: High School: Home Town:

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

Proud stance — Guard Jewel Rogers and running back Davonte Sapp-Lynch have been named The Advocate’s Athletes of the Year for their superior game play during the 2013-14 year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL

H ONORABLE M ENTIONS VOLLEYBALL

He said sometimes the judgments motivates him to work harder and get better because he wants make a name for himself.

Defensive back Daquan Stewart said “(Sapp-Lynch) hates being compared to his brother, and that’s what makes him work hard.”

Stewart said Lynch is a versatile player that any team would be happy to have on its side.

“He has everything that you would want in a player. Some running backs are just fast with no (agility) or hands — but he’s fast and has all of that.”

The home game against College of the Redwoods was Sapp-Lynch’s highest rushing yard game of the season. He recorded 212 yards and two touchdowns. He dedicated his success to the people around him. He gave credit to his linemen for all the yards and touchdowns he earned in the season. “(Male Athlete of the Year) is a blessing and I’m very grateful for what my (teammates) put in for me to have this opportunity,” Sapp-Lynch said. “I thank my teammates because when they did their jobs it made my job much easier,” he said.

In the bowl game against Hartnell College, Sapp-Lynch displayed his unselfishness on a “Wildcat” play that led to a rushing touchdown.

On the play Sapp-Lynch was lined up at quarterback, while sophomore running back Tyron Stevens played tailback.

The play was designed for Sapp-Lynch to take the snap and drive up the middle, but at the last second he decided to hand it off to Stevens who ran in for the touchdown.

On that play Sapp-Lynch made a successful cut block to help Stevens find the end zone.

“It feels better for me to make a play blocking than to score a touchdown any day,” Sapp-Lynch said.

Sapp-Lynch also gave Carter some suggestions on plays during the football game.

Sometimes he would ask to be put in a play just to block for the backup running back.

Carter said that Sapp-Lynch is a pleasure to coach, and he deserves to be Athlete of the Year.

“He’s a pleasure to coach with his unselfish attitude. He would tell me what players to

Guard

Timmion Hughes

Guard

Defensive back

Middle blocker

Third baseman

As a sophomore guard, Mize averaged 21.6 points a game this season. He made the BVC All-Conference team for the second time and was honorable mention on the All-State team.

Mize showed leadership when he made some clutch game-winning shots in the conference games. While the team missed the playoffs, Mize still led the Comets third place in the conference.

The sophomore defensive back earned Bay Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and will play in Eugene for the University of Oregon in fall 2014.

Even though he was only able to grab three interceptions, Harrison was the only player from the Comets who earned a spot on the 2013 All-American team.

Bay Valley All-Conference player Jessica Neville led the women’s volleyball team physically and emotionally. Neville’s averaged 3.87 kills per set and led the team with 29 saves and points at 249.5.

Neville’s averaged 4.5 points per game, nearly matching the entire Comets’ roster in points (4.9) every game. She was second in digs and assists and was the leader on a team.

Hughes was the fastest player on the team, and utilized his quickness to lead the baseball team with 21 stolen bases.

His effort landed him a spot on the BVC All-Conference team. He finished the season with a batting average of .285, had 35 hits and 14 RBIs. The freshman provides the Comets with a strong returner for next season.

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5 feet 9 inches Running back Sophomore Sheldon High School, Sacramento Oakland, Ca.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jessica Neville

3

defensive back

BASEBALL

Dominique Harrison

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Daquan Stewart,

A running back should always give credit to his offensive linemen and every touchdown Lynch scores during game, he does just that.

His selflessness shows when he opts to switch from the running back to the less flamboyant fullback position to help with the blocking. He earned Bay Valley Conference Offensive Player of Year, and resents it when people compare him to his older brother, Marshawn.

He finished the season with 1,413 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns — breaking Rashad Hall’s school records.

Davion Mize

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“(Sapp-Lynch) hates being compared to his brother and that’s what makes him work hard. He has everything that you would want in a player.

Some running backs are just fast with no (agility) or hands — but he’s fast and has all of that.”

Profile

5 feet 9 inches Guard Sophomore George Rogers Clark, Ky. Decatur, Ga.

Sophomore guard Jewel Rogers originally came to California from Kentucky on a recommendation from a friend in 2011. During Rogers’ time as captain of coach Paul DeBolt’s women’s basketball team, she learned how to dedicate herself not only to the sport but also her teammates. She was named BVC MVP and First Team All-State this season.

Out of the 29 matchups the Comets played in 2013-14, she only missed one game, that one at Napa Valley College. Without her leadership and offensive presence on the court, Contra Costa College lost 84-80, ending a six-game winning streak.

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JEWEL ROGERS

Rogers’ 25 points per game tops squad

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Ending her Comet basketball career with a 3.9 GPA, the All-Conference player had to adjust to playing inside the paint on both offense and defense this season.

The center led the Bay Valley Conference with 189 rebounds and finished 10th in the state with 338 overall. She will attend UCLA this fall and plans to continue playing basketball there.

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SPORTS

Slow start hurts Comets

By Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

The 2013 men’s soccer team finished in second place in the Bay Valley Conference with a record of 7-2-3 (11-6-3 overall) but missed a playoff berth by two games because of defensive inconsistencies during crucial conference games.

While Contra Costa College did not have a chance to make a state championship run, it ended the season with the programs’ best record in nine years, when men’s soccer coach Rudy Zeller’s team finished 15-2-4 overall in 2005.

“This season was one of the more talented teams I have had in 16 years (at CCC),” Zeller said, “I rank it in my four.”

“This sea- topThe end of this season was marks one of the son Zeller’s 16th, more tal- and final, season comented teams manding the I have had Comets from the sidelines. in 16 years W o m e n ’ s o c c e r (at CCC). scoach Nikki I rank it Ferguson be his in my top will replacement four.” when the 2014 season begins.

Rudy Zeller, men’s soccer coach After a turbulent start to the season, losing to Napa Valley College in the opener and tying matches against Merritt College and College of Marin, the Comets started playing as a cohesive unit and put together a six game winning streak.

Its winning sequence, however, came to an abrupt end in its third game against BVC leader Merritt at Gilman Field on Nov. 5, a team it had barely beaten at home 2-1.

Before the third Merritt match, Zeller said, “This game is our season. We have to win.” At halftime,

HARD SAVE

ear in Yreview Men’s soccer Overall record: 11-6-3 Conference record: 7-2-3 Conference finish: Second Season summary stat: The men’s soccer squad started the season slowly losing a lot of games. They finished second in the BVC, but were still unable to secure a playoff berth.

CCC trailed 3-0. Zeller addressed his team after that lackluster first half and said, “We have put too much hard work into this whole season for you guys to go out there and just vomit on the field. We aren’t defending out there. We’re just watching.”

In spite of his wake up call, the second half was much of the same.

The Comet offense and defense did not work together during quick breaks. Discombobulated passing plays failed to transition the ball into the Thunderbirds’ attacking third of the field.

Missed opportunities on shots on goal were frequent and not surprising considering CCC’s seasonlong offensive blunders.

Sophomore striker Marco Solis led the Comets in scoring with 10 goals. Returning striker Brian Randall was close behind Solis with seven.

A lax defensive performance, however, was unusual for the Comets. And the result was CCC ceding its highest number of goals in any conference game played in the 2013 season.

Merritt won the game 4-1 to secure a first place finish in the BVC and a playoff spot with two conference games left to play in the season.

Defensive centerback Klebber Machado said after the Merritt game, “We lost ’cause nobody

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

The last man — Comet keeper Gustavo Rojas grabs the ball from Beaver midfielder Ryan Campbell during CCC’s game against American River College at the Soccer Field on Sept. 6. on the team has any heart for the game, and today it showed.”

That game would have been irrelevant if CCC had won its first two conference games.

Zeller said, however, the team won some important games, like its second encounters with the Thunderbirds and Napa Valley.

But CCC’s performance was too inconsistent to earn it a spot in the playoffs.

“The players needed to be more committed to excellence,” he said.

“They did not commit when they should have.”

Returning center-defensiveback Brad Alman agrees with Zeller. Alman said, “We were unable to reach our full potential because we didn’t win our first couple of conference games and that is what killed our season.”

He said that some people on the team did not show up to practices or critical BVC games. And when they would, they did not take it seriously, he said.

He said it lowered the morale of the rest of team and impacted CCC’s performance in its most important game of the season.

After the Comets crushing loss against Merritt, the defense and offense clicked back into gear at the College of Marin. With the pressure for a playoff spot no longer lingering in player’s subconscious, the revitalized Comets shut out COM 5-0 and Yuba 2-0 to conclude the season and Zeller’s last year as coach, on a high note.

Women’s soccer team falls flat in season ear in Yreview

By Jose Jimenez STAFF WRITER

jjimenez.theadvocate@gmail.com

Women’s soccer Overall record: 7-12 Conference record: 5-9 Conference finish: Fifth Season summary stat: The women’s soccer squad started the season strong with .500 wining average but fell apart as the season progressed. The team was unable to score a goal in nine of its games.

The women’s soccer team finished 5-9 in the Bay Valley Conference and 7-12 overall.

That record is good for fifth place in the BVC. By mid-September the Comets had a .500 winning percentage with a record of 2-2.

After that point, the women’s soccer team went on a four-game skid and lost eight of their next 11 games.

That losing streak saw the women’s team failing to score a goal in nine of those contests.

They tried to finish the season strong and picked up two more victories late in the season against bottom ranked teams that were a combined 2-31-3 (Los Medanos and Marin colleges).

That appeared more a trick than a treat as CCC lost its last two games to finish well below expectations.

CCC had only six assists the entire year and attempted eight corner kicks.

They finished with a strong road record at 4-5, but failed to take advantage of the friendly confines of Gomes Field, going an unimpressive 3-7 at home.

CCC scored 27 goals on the season and Laura Hurtado led the way with 15 of them. She added three assists.

With stars like forward Hurtado (fourth in the BVC in goals with 15), the women’s team never could really find leadership from another player on the field.

“Leading the team in scoring is very special for me,” Hurtado said. “I wanted to be a positive role model for the rest of the team.”

But when they trailed they never had that

“Leading the team in scoring is very special for me. I wanted to be a positive role model for the rest of the team.”

Laura Hurtado, forward

comeback or rally in them.

And when they did have a lead, they did not have that killer instinct successful teams and players have.

“Overall, this past season we were able to accomplish very good results and I’m super happy to have had an opportunity to be a part of the women’s soccer team at CCC,” Hurtado said.

Rough campaign finally sees end Softball squad unable to find focus, wins

By Brian Boyle NEWS EDITOR

bboyle.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Comet softball season can be summed up with a word that also sums up the history of the sport on campus – disappointing.

With an overall record of 521-1 this season, and a conference record of 4-16, the Comets’ finished in fifth place out of six teams in the Bay Valley Conference, ahead of Los Medanos College.

The Comets’ were unable to find a coach until nearly the start of the season, when they hired Karolyn Gubbine to replace Otis Yelverton, who left the college after last season. Coaching for Contra Costa College is Gubbine’s first job as a head coach. She worked as an assistant coach at Pinole Valley High School and played for San Francisco State when she was in college.

The new coach is still search-

ear in Yreview

Running for it — Comet center fielder Liliana Reyes runs after the ball during CCC’s game against City College of San Francisco in Pacifica on Feb. 25.

Softball Overall record: 5-21-1 Conference record: 4-16 Conference finish: Fifth Season summary stat: The softball squad with the help of a brand new coach were unable to be a contender in their conference, ending the season in fifth. ing for her stride, which she was unable to come into this season.

“We all improved immensely as players thanks to all the practicing we did last year and coach Karolyn, although it might not have shown in our wins and losses,” third baseman Madisen William said.

The season started off with a whimper on Feb. 4, when the Comets were defeated 5-4 and 104 in a doubleheader against Chabot College. The team’s first victory would come on Feb. 15 against

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

City College of San Francisco, where the Comets won 10-9. The team suffered three embarrassing losses that were called due to the mercy rule; a 10-0 loss to Solano College on April 17, and 25-8 and 13-0 losses to Yuba on April 22. If the team had a rival to speak of, it would be the last place team in the BVC, LMC. The two teams traded losses and victories in their conference games this season.

The team had a few standout players. First baseman Jasmyne

Brice led the Comets in hits and runs with 37 and 19 respectively, and shortstop Sharrell Duncan hit the Comets only two home runs of the season.

William said, “Defensively, I came a long way from last season.”

The team’s main weakness this season was their inability to rebound from a bad situation.

In nearly all of their games, the Comets would be visibly shaken after a big play from their oppo-

nents, and anyone in the audience could watch this lack of confidence turn into a loss in, usually, a single inning.

The Comets’ season was much like their past ones, in that it was a losing one.

The team has the signs of unrefined talent, but unless the coaching staff stabilizes, which it may have with Gubbine taking the reins, softball at CCC is likely to remain a disappointing spectacle.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Squad knocked out of playoffs

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Yreview ear in

By Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorroti.theadvocate@gmail.com

It was a noble season offensively for the Comets, but a necessary tactical switch from man-to-man to zone defense harmed an illprepared, short-in-stature defense.

The Comets improved their points per game by 20, sank 5 percent more of their attempts from behind the 3-point line, and was 12 percent more reliable at the free throw-line from the 2012-13 season.

The season featured a high-powered offense that propelled the women’s basketball team into second place in the Bay Valley Conference (12-4, 20-9 overall) only to lose in its first Northern California Regional Playoff game since the 2009-10 season.

City College of San Francisco beat Contra Costa College 98-80, but the visiting team galvanized the crowd with amazing 3-point shots and being near at the free“The silent perfect throw line until the assassin all final 10 minutes of when a 10-point year has been play game fell apart for CCC. (Wyatt).”

Coach Paul DeBolt said this Paul DeBolt, was a group that had women’s basketball coach enough talent to have made it further into the playoffs but struggled defensively during tough matchups like CCSF or first place BVC rivals Solano Community College, a team the Comets lost to in both encounters by more than 15 points.

Makeshift center Joie Wyatt was the key to making it to the playoffs by filling the center position that Briah Davis left when she was injured during the first game of the season.

DeBolt said, “The silent assassin all year has been (Wyatt). She was key to everything, always in the thick of it and played a position she was not used to. She sacrificed for the team.”

DeBolt said he anticipated having a taller defense until center Davis injured her knee.

This forced DeBolt to try and cover a defensive hole with a tactical change that the players on the team mainly due to the

Women’s basketball Overall record: 12-4 Conference record: 20-9 Conference finish: Second Season summary stat: The women’s basketball team was able to win 20 games, their best since 2010. squad’s lack of height.

Weakness in the defense placed excessive pressure on CCC shot-takers during important match ups. Its zone coverage left too much room for teams that had expert 3point shooters.

Guard Jewel Rogers said that height played the biggest factor in the team’s inconsistent defensive play.

Against weaker teams, the Comets were able to flaunt their offensive prowess.

Demolishing Yuba 100-37 and Los Medanos 106-82 illustrates that. At the end of the games, everyone on the team contributed to the scoreboard.

Against Yuba, Rogers scored 11-21 shots from the field, seven from behind the 3point line to tally 33 points. Guard Raven Caldwell scored 10-21 from the field, and sank six 3-point shots to end the game with 26 points.

Guards Tynisha Adams and Ahjahna Coleman scored five and seven field goals to score 14 and 19 points, respectively. In that game the Comets made 17 3-point shots.

Against the Mustangs, Rogers went 715 on field goals, sank five 3-pointers, and missed only one of her 18 shots from the free-throw line to total 36 points. Adams ended her game with 20 points and 10 steals.

“This is a team I will always look back on fondly as a fun team to coach,” DeBolt said. “Sometimes they didn’t practice hard, but they always played hard and they played together. All-in-all it was a great year of basketball for us.”

Above the rest — Comet guard Jewel Rogers goes up for a layup against Laney forward Luis Dela Reyes during CCC’s game against Laney College in the Gymnasium on Dec. 6.

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Baseball team sees end to hard season ear in Yreview

By Sean Whatley STAFF WRITER

swhatley.theadvocate@gmail.com

Wins were few and far between as the Comet baseball team ended the 2014 season with a disappointing 6-15 Bay Valley Conference record, finishing 9-26 overall.

Right fielder Lamar Smith said, “Our hitting in the clutch needed improvement. We had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.”

In the California Community College Athletic Association, CCC ranked 83rd in runs batted in (RBI). Outfielder Even Ray led the Comets with 17 RBIs, as the team combined for a total of only 93.

“We didn’t have many guys with RBIs,” Contra Costa College coach Marvin Webb said. “A big part of our team not winning was (batters) not (hitting) guys in.”

Also, the left side of the infield

struggled when it came to fielding, as the team repeatedly committed errors. The bulk of the miscues can be attributed to the shortstop and third base positions. Third baseman Timmion Hughes led the team with 16 errors for the season.

“Timmion came over from center field and did a good job (transitioning). (Shortstop Jihan Weisner) played well too. Most of his errors were throwing errors.

You’re going to make errors. You just (have to) play through it,” Webb said.

In 2013 the Comets finished with a 3-21 record in BVC play and 4-28-1 overall.

“We played three times better (this season),” Webb said.

Outfielder Brandon Brown said, “That season we were just going through the motions. This year there were more guys who wanted to work.”

CCC did have a few high points in its 2014 season. Take for example the BVC opener, when the Comets outhit Laney College winning the game 9-5.

Or, a come from behind win in the last game of the season where five runs scored in the seventh inning lifting the Comets to a 6-4 win over Mendocino College.

Two Comets players made the BVC First Team All-Conference team. Hughes’ 14 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, one homerun and .285 batting average helped him earn the honor.

Center fielder Tyrone Bowie was selected behind 15 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and a .360 batting average. Pitchers Daniel Galvez and Philip Chavez made honorable mention.

Comet pitcher Drew Donaldson said that there was a lot of talent on the team that was being under-utilized. He said that some pitchers

Baseball Overall record: 9-26 Conference record: 6-15 Conference finish: Eighth Season summary stat: The baseball team ended the season in last place in the conference. were not getting enough playing time.

Coach Webb said his playing time strategy is to watch his players play and give them several chances to perform, and depending on how well they play and how confident he is in their ability he decides how much they will play as the season progresses..

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Walk of defeat — Comet third baseman Timmion Hughes walks back to the dugout after striking out to end CCC’s game against Diablo Valley College at the Baseball Field on March 7.

Injuries, inconsistencies destroy post season hopes

By Mike Thomas SPORTS EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

The struggle — Comet guard Timothy Jordan (back) attempts to make a layup as Lassen College guards grab possession of the ball during CCC’s game against the Cougars at the Diablo Valley Tournament in Pleasant Hill on Nov. 29.

Key injuries and inconsistencies kept the men’s basketball team out of the playoffs, finishing in third place in the conference with a record of 16-12 overall, 10-6 in the Bay Valley Conference.

Contra Costa College lost two crucial conference games on the road against Mendocino College and the College of Marin, which blew its chances of making the playoffs.

Before the start of conference games, the Comets lost big men center Kevin Wise and forward Timothy Jordan to injuries.

CCC started conference play 2-3, including losses on the road to Los Medanos College and Mendocino.

“We lost a lot of guys before conference play, but still finished third in our conference,” men’s basketball coach Miguel Johnson said.

The Comets started off 1-4 in its first two non-conference tournaments and could not find a way to consistently win games. With the help of CCC sophomore guard

Davion Mize, the squad recruited football player Darius Workman to play center for the team.

Workman added height and depth to the small team. Workman said Mize played a huge part in him joining the basketball team after the football season.

“Every time I saw (Workman) he told me that he played (high school) basketball back in South Carolina,” Mize said about adding Workman to the team. “Now he’s an honorable mention on the allconference team.”

Suffering another season sweep at the hands of first place Yuba College, the men’s basketball team went on a four-game winning streak after that loss. CCC was 4-5 before going on the streak, and was 8-5 heading into the pivotal game against fourth place COM. The Comets lost 85-73 to the Mariners on the road, keeping them from the playoffs.

“I feel that the Marin game on the road is what killed our playoff chances,” Workman said. “The chemistry wasn’t there, and I feel that our winning mind set wasn’t there because of the four-game win streak we were on.”

Yreview ear in

Men’s basketball Overall record: 16-12 Conference record: 10-6 Conference finish: Third Season summary stat: The men’s basketball squad was unable to reach the playoffs.

Despite the hiccup against COM, the Comets finished strong winning their last two games of the season. One of those wins was an 87-84 thriller home game against second place Merritt College on Feb. 19.

The squad thought it still had a chance to make the playoffs because of the Mariners’ loss to the 49ers on that same night. One of the teams that made the playoff bracket, De Anza College, lost 9385 to the Comets in the Las Positas Tournament.

The Comets also had a better season record than the Dons.

B8 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

SPORTS

Diving out of reach — Comet defensive backs Theodore Spann (left) and Steve Harris (right) fail to stop Hartnell College wide receiver Joe Pacheco (center)

during the third quarter of the Living Breath Foundation Bowl at Cabrillo College in Aptos on Nov. 23. Hartnell beat the Comets 37-26.

Triumph and

heartache Crushing defeats, close calls define year of Comet sports Photos by Qing Huang and George Morin

All alone — Comet guard Marcel Jones goes up for a layup during CCC’s 81-57 victory against Solano Community College in Fairfield on Feb. 21.

Leap of faith — Comet outside hitter Ella Gauna leaps for the ball during CCC’s game against Napa Valley College in the Gymnasium on Sept.

27.

Above the rest — Comet forward Marcos Solis jumps to head the ball above Merritt College defender Jose Santos during the second half of CCC’s dramatic 2-1 win over the first place Thunderbirds on the Soccer Field on Oct. 18. The win moved the Comets into second place in the Bay Valley Conference.

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SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight index:

FANTASIA

SECTION

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

Class event offers stage

Departing professors recognized

Speech skills highlighted in tournament

Geringer, Grillo leave legacy X page C6

By Madisen William STAFF WRITER

mwilliam.theadvocate@gmail.com

PHOTOS BY QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE

In bloom — The Dance as Performance group comes into formation during a segment of the Dance Jam performance. The event took place in the Knox Center on Saturday and highlighted the skills of the college’s dance department.

Dance

Richmond youth fill center

NIGHT

RYSE program helps students page C2 X

Annual Jam fills seats at Knox Center, entertains

By Veronica Santos SCENE EDITOR

vsantos.theadvocate@gmail.com

Movies to light up big screen New releases previewed X pages C4-C5

Fierce — The Worship in Arts Ministry group strikes a pose during the hip-hop portion of the Dance Jam held Saturday in the Knox Center.

Audience members cheered and clapped to the sound of music to support the performers of the annual spring Dance Jam at the Knox Center.

The event was held May 9-10 and showcased the talents of Dance Production students as well as dancers and choreographers from the community.

Dance ensemble coordinator LaTanya Tiger said the event gives audience members a great scope of what dance is and showcases the level of talent on campus. She said the funds raised for the event goes toward costumes and field trips. It also helps to send dance students to other dance schools in the community to broaden their experience in their dance education.

Nursing major Jennifer White said Saturday’s performance was “high energy and a lot of excitement because it was our last performance.” She said the event allows people to see what else is going on in the campus.

“It’s an opportunity to give those in other majors a chance (to perform),” White said.

This year, the theme was titled, “I Dance Because…”

The performers cam from all of the dance classes offered on campus — including Egyptian belly dance, ballet, urban jazz, all ballroom courses, Argentine tango and Q SEE DANCE: Page C2

The speech department hosted its bi-annual Intramural On-Campus Speech Tournament on Thursday in LA-100.

Although a smaller crowd than last semester, about 50 students, gathered for the competition, the tournament gave students a feel for what a competition is like and what the speech and debate team does when members go to compete.

When students were situated, they were welcomed by judge DeAlaundria Gardner who explained how the event would progress. Students were then asked to find the room to which they were assigned in different buildings on campus.

One professor or speech and debate member judged the students depending on the category they chose — oral interpretation, persuasive, impromptu or informative speaking.

With donations from the culinary arts department, students were encouraged to get food and beverages during the 30-minute break between the first and second rounds.

Speech student and nursing major Stephanie Kelley participated in impromptu speaking, a category in which competitors get three topics to choose from and talk for up to five minutes on one of the topics given.

Kelley said, “It was nerve-wracking but it was a good overall experience and lessens your stage fright.”

Impromptu speaking is a great way to think on your feet and allows for you to gain more knowledge by lisQ SEE SPEECH: Page C2

Lynn overcomes addiction, difficulties

Revisiting the king of pop 5 years after Jackson’s death X page C8

SCENE EDITOR

vsantos.theadvocate@gmail.com

Rickie Lynn Harris points at the scars on her forehead and arms and says, “I think about all the dangerous situations I’ve been in. I had to jump out of a car on the freeway because someone wanted to kidnap me.”

She will never forget the BP gas station she ran into after a man put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her.

“I thought — if he’s going to kill me, I’m going to kill myself,” she said. Harris, who has been clean and sober for five years and eight months, had put her life in danger plenty of times just to sustain her 23-year addiction to drugs and alcohol.

These days, Harris uses her time to become the grandmother she feels her grandchildren deserve.

She hopes to graduate in the spring of 2015 with an associate of arts degree in liberal arts with an emphasis in social and behavioral sciences. She has earned five certificates of completion in the health and human services pro-

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

New life — Liberal arts major Rickie Lynn Harris has turned from a life of drugs and alcohol to a life of higher education. Harris hopes to graduate with an associate degree in liberal arts in 2015. gram and her name has appeared on the Dean’s List multiple times. The strides Harris has made in sobriety have led her to become active in her journey to become a community advocate.

Harris battled her addiction while she had six children who were taken away from her to live with their grandmother and other family members.

“I have a second chance to do it again. My grandchildren never have to see me high,” Harris said. “I owe it to my children to be a (good) grandmother because their grandmother was there for them.”

At the young age of 13 Harris began smoking marijuana. In the 1980s, she graduated to the use of crack cocaine at the age of 19.

Her youngest son, Ray McKneely,

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‘Adventure Time’ entertains page C7 X

By Veronica Santos

recalls his mother selling their food stamps to use the money for her addiction.

“We would have gone really hungry if we didn’t have our other family’s support to buy us food,” McKneely said.

He said his worst experience was when his mother went missing for a month in 2005.

Q SEE RICKIE: Page C3

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Cartoon pushes barriers

Mother of six changes lifestyle, plans to graduate

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SPOTLIGHT

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

‘Tough grader’ looks to the future English professor steps down, leaves legacy of education

By Veronica Santos SCENE EDITOR

vsantos.theadvocate@gmail.com

English professor Barbara McClain once received a crumpled napkin given to her daughter by a former student who used to complain about the use of MLA form documentation.

“She used to tell me she never met anybody as picky as me,” McClain said. “On (the piece of napkin) it said ‘I’m sorry for all the grief I gave you.

Now in my dorm, I am the MLA expert,’ with a smiley face and then she said, ‘Thank you for not letting me slide’.”

The Golden Apple Award-winning professor will be retiring after this semester.

“I feel I have done my part,” McClain said. “It’s time for the new generation of teachers to bring in their new ways of teaching to a new generation of students who have different expectations.”

She said that she feels that she is from another era, although she thoroughly enjoyed her time teaching.

“I am not leaving angry or upset, it’s just time for me to go. I’m just happy that I’m leaving when I still love what I do,” McClain said.

She was once a student at Contra Costa College and began as a part-time English professor in 1992. She was hired full-time in 2000.

McClain has kept all of her original rosters since she was hired as a fulltime professor and one from her parttime career to remember her students.

Most students realize that what they think are strict policies have helped them in the long run. English assistant professor Heather Roth said that lately students have been coming in to the Academic Skills Center to show their appreciation to McClain. “She getting an awful lot of hugs from her students,” Roth said.

Liberal arts major Clarence Ford has taken three English classes from McClain and is one of the many students who has come to her for help with

“She used to tell me she never met anybody as picky as me.”

Barbara McClain, English professor

his transfer and admission to four-year college processes. He has recently been accepted as a transfer student.

“She has high expectations but she wants us to prepare for the next level,” Ford said. “She’s very warm-hearted and she genuinely cares. When you have somebody who believes in you like that, it makes you believe in yourself more.”

He thinks of McClain as more than just a professor, but also a coach.

McClain is aware of her reputation as a “tough grader” but she refuses to let her students ease by with a good grade without the effort. Students who have reviewed her on the Rate My Professor website have mentioned that she holds a high standard for her students and that her classes are difficult.

But she argues that her philosophy is based on the fact that her students can excel academically beyond what they imagine.

“It’s my job to attempt to bring that realization out in my students,” she said.

“If you strive for the best when you succeed, you become confident and when you’re confident, you’re competent.”

Roth said McClain’s observations are some of the best contributions she has made to CCC. She describes her observations as thoughtful and said McClain cares deeply about what she says.

“She, herself, has a passion for history and values it. It provides context and avenue, a way to get to the heart of the value and importance of the subject and its relevance,” Roth said.

“What makes her unique is that students learn that by uncovering some of CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE the history, they’re going to find a con- Diligent professor — English professor Barbara McClain will retire at nection to the subject. It’s personal.” the end of the spring semester.

Youth center gains notoriety RYSE helps raise young children in Richmond area

By Christian Urrutia PHOTO EDITOR

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

One place in Richmond is starting to mold an image of the city, one of positivity, with an active ideology based around youth empowerment.

The youth are front and center at Richmond Youth Student Empowerment Center, and understandably so, as it was younger people who voiced a need for a place to hang out after school other than the streets.

Youth Justice Coordinator Maaika Marshall said there are two types of young people she meets at RYSE — those who hang out and those genuinely interested in the

Dance Q FROM: Page 1

hip-hop.

Lights faded from one dance performance to the next and the theme “I Dance Because…” was incorporated into performances by a student’s voice which told a story of why the performers danced. The student said, “Dancing makes you feel like you can do anything.”

The student also said through dance, people can become role models for those with disabilities and dancing is a way to express emotions when people cannot express themselves through words.

Dance student Bridgette Lott, who choreographed her first solo dance, said the performances “(are) a form of communication and expression. It’s a different way for people to see a story being told.”

Audience member Marian Anderson, who came from Las Vegas to support her daughter’s performance, said her favorite part of the event was the ballroom dance performers.

“They were the older bunch. It’s always good to see older dancers perform,” she said.

Tigner said the students who performed solos stayed up to an hour and a half after class rehearsing for the show in addition to rehearsing outside of school hours.”

programs and services offered.

Linda Hernandez, a ninth grader from Richmond Leadership Public School, said, “I come here because it’s been pretty chill and instead of staying at home where I have nothing to do. They have classes here at RYSE that you can take so its pretty cool.”

Hernandez said one of her teachers recommended her for a membership to RYSE because it would strengthen her application for college.

Marshall said, “The youth are so ready to be engaged.”

The RYSE Center opened its doors at 205 41st Street in Richmond in 2008 after local officials and community residents purchased a vacant county lot, after years of trying to establish a center meant to serve young people.

The initial effort to build a community hub arose from a string of murders at Richmond High School toward the end of 2000, and since then vigils and community forums numbering in the hundreds were

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Helpful center — The Richmond Youth Student Empowerment Center offers services to keep youth busy with classes and other activities. held until the opening of RYSE. The movement was in response to address the violence and lack of safety at Richmond High School and in the community, Marshall said.

RYSE’s mission is to “create safe spaces grounded in social justice that build youth power for young people to love, learn, educate, heal and transform their lives and communities,” according to the statement listed in the center and on the website.

Marshall said, “We realized there was a community need and

a survey at the time showed that kids wanted a safe place which is what the center is turning out to be now.”

She also said it was a seven-year process and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia helped out with the community support effort, especially on the stakeholders’ side.

“Our vision for this space was that we would have sustainable involvement and that’s one of our biggest things — having the community invested in what we’re doing here (at RYSE),” Marshall

said.

Speaking at the Be A Kid fundraiser, Gioia said, “RYSE has been going strong for more than five years now and it was well worth the many years in the making.”

Gioia said, “This center is about the young people who wanted this to happen. The importance of the relationship between adults and young people needs to be recognized for this to keep growing. It is those relationships that make this a unique youth center in the Bay Area.”

Speech | LA-100 hosts speech tournament Q FROM: Page 1

tening to the people you are competing against, she said.

Charlie Rivas, linguistic major and speech student, said the tournament was something new that he wanted to try. He learned to not give into his fear of public speaking.

“I learned to organize my thoughts and by the second round I wasn’t as nervous,” liberal arts major Randy Rudolph said.

Diamonique Spain, speech and debate team member and judge said, “All of them did really well. It shows just how hard the speech department works to help students.”

Oral interpretation is not like the other categories.

Competitors can speak on any topic they want using poetry, dramatic dialogue, stories, song lyrics and other writings.

Ciara Lewis, nursing major and speech student, performed pieces of poetry on communication.

Lewis said, “It was really fun. I was able to step out of my shell and now I’m a poet.”

Business major Shondra Morrissette, who also competed in oral interpretation, said, “I gained more self confidence.”

Judge and English assistant professor

Heather Roth said students did a beautiful job presenting their speeches and did a great job conveying their emotions.

English major Hayley Callaway, a judge and speech and debate member said, “A lot of the students worked really hard on their speeches preparing themselves for the competition.”

Winners received either first, second or third place medals.

“The tournament is a great way for students to gain confidence and know what it’s like to compete in competitions similar to what the speech and debate team does,” speech department Chairperson Sherry Diestler said.

Rickie | Mother overcomes 23-year addiction Q FROM: Page 1

“(Her dependency) angered me because I knew she was worth more. She could be better. I knew that as a young child.”

After the murder of her younger brother in 2007, Harris recounts a change as her drug use escalated.

“It was totally different. I had anger, I had rage.”

Not until she was walking down the middle of the street on Cutting Boulevard at 3 a.m., thinking she was holding her dead brother’s

hand and speaking to him, did she become prompted to get her life together.

“I could see how people lose their minds. I go to see the people I used to get high with and they can’t even keep a conversation with you,” Harris said.

When Harris began attending Contra Costa College she immediately knew her field of interest.

Her mission has been to help people in the community who suffer from addiction. Health and human

services department Chairperson Aminta Mickles said, “When she first came in, she wasn’t exactly sure of what she was getting into.

I think now she just exudes confidence. She exudes a wealth of knowledge that can be shared.”

Mickles believes Harris is now a stronger person who can lift the weight off the world and find solutions to help others take the weight off their shoulders.

Harris currently interns for the Rubicon Program in Richmond.

The program helps those who were incarcerated or have had substance abuse issues get back on their feet.

She has recently been promoted to work with the housing sector.

“Going back to school is the best decision I have made for my life,” Harris said. Her goal is to transfer to UC Berkeley to attend the School of Social Welfare.

“She is now a functioning, productive citizen of society. She is a positive reinforcement in the community,” McKneely said.

SPOTLIGHT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

C3

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C4 THE ADVOCATE

SCENE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Flicks splash into theaters

C5

The Advocate takes a sneak peek at summer films. From romantic comedies to action-packed movies, don’t be left out

May Title: “Godzilla” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: May 16 Rating: PG-13 Director: Gareth Edwards Starring: Aaron TaylorJohnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston Synopsis: “Godzilla” is unleashed once more on screen 60 years after its first appearance in one of this summer’s highly anticipated reboots. Newcomer Gareth Edwards is directing this monster mash with a reimagining of the story. Ford Brody (Aaron TaylorJohnson), wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen), his father Joe (Bryan Cranston), and Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) bear witness to Gozilla’s reemergence in the 21st century as he is pitted against destructive creatures, threaten-

Title: “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Genre: Action Release Date: May 23 Rating: PG-13 Director: Bryan Singer Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman Synopsis: Mutants of two different time periods will collaborate in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” when sentinels, massive robotic machines designed to hunt down and kill mutants, endangers the existence of these phenomenal beings. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back in time to warn Dr. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart) of the coming sentinel threat, developed by Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) forcing enemies such as Magneto (Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen) to band together with the X-Men in order to stop these deadly machines.

Title: “Maleficent” Genre: Fantasy Release Date: May 30 Rating: PG Director: Robert Stromberg Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley Synopsis: A vindictive fairy (Angelina Jolie) is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child (Elle Fanning) may be the only one who can restore peace within the kingdom in this live-action retelling of the Disney classic, “Sleeping Beauty.”

July Title: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: July 11 Rating: NR Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis Synopsis: A nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) is threatened by a band of human survivors from the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. Things soon start to seem peaceful, but it turns out to be shortlived, as both sides are brought to the edge of a war that will decide who will emerge as the dominant species.

Title: “Jupiter Ascending” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: July 18 Rating: NR Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean Synopsis: In the future, a young human woman (Mila Kunis) ends up targeted for assassination by a so called Queen of the Universe, and begins her destiny to finish the Queen’s rule to figure out why she is marked for death and meets Caine (Channing Tatum) a hunter who assists her along the way.

Title: “The Purge: Anarchy” Genre: Horror Release Date: July 18 Rating: R Director: James DeMonaco Starring: Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams, Kiele Sanchez Synopsis: A young couple tries to survive on the streets after their car breaks down during the annual purge as it commences, signaling trouble as they encounter crazed lunatics bent on violence.

Title: “Planes: Fire & Rescue” Genre: Animation Release Date: July 18 Rating: NR Director: Roberts Gannaway Starring: Dane Cook, Julie Bowen, Ed Harris Synopsis: When world-famous air racer Dusty (Dane Cook) learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he shifts gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty must soon face a massive wildfire and will have to learn what it takes to be a hero.

Title: “Hercules” Genre: Adventure Release Date: July 25 Rating: NR Director: Brett Ratner Starring: Dwayne Johnson, John Jurt, Ian McShane Synopsis: Having gone through his legendary twelve labors, Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire challenged when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.

Title: “Sex Tape” Genre: Comedy Release Date: July 25 Rating: NR Director: Jake Kasdan Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry Synopsis: A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a crazy search for its whereabouts.

Title: “Ping Pong Summer” Genre: Comedy Release Date: June 6 Rating: PG-13 Director: Michael Tully Starring: Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris Synopsis: A family vacation to Ocean City, Maryland during the summer of 1985 changes everything for a teenage boy (Marcello Conte) obsessed with ping pong and makes friends with his outcast neighbor (Susan Sarandon) next door.

Title: “22 Jump Street” Genre: Comedy Release Date: June 13 Rating: NR Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Starring: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube Synopsis: After making their way through high school, big changes are coming for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred soul on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the college scene, they begin to question their partnership. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow into real men, college might be the best thing that happened to them.

Title: “How to Train Your Dragon 2” Genre: Animation Release Date: June 13 Rating: PG Director: Dean DeBlois Starring: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera Synopsis: It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. The two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the harmony. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must work together to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Title: “Jersey Boys” Genre: Drama Release Date: June 20 Rating: R Director: Clint Eastwood Starring: Christopher Walken, Francesca Eastwood, Freya Tingley Synopsis: Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons group and portrays the rise, rough patches and personal clashes, followed by the ultimate success of four friends whose music became symbolic of a generation, originating from the wrong side of New Jersey.

Title: “Transformers: Age of Extinction” Genre: Action Release Date: June 27 Rating: NR Director: Michael Bay Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci Synopsis: An automobile mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) and his daughter (Nicola Peltz) stumble upon a discovery that sends down the Autobots and Decepticons, as well as a paranoid government official, on top of them.

August Title: “Guardians of the Galaxy” Genre: Action Release Date: Aug. 1 Rating: NR Director: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper Synopsis: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of an intergalactic manhunt after stealing an orb owned by the villainous Ronan (Lee Pace).

Title: “Get on Up” Genre: Biography Release Date: Aug. 1 Rating: NR Director: Tate Taylor Starring: Chadwick Boseman, David Andrew Nash, Nelsan Ellis Synopsis: A chronicle of James Brown’s (Chadwick Boseman) rise to the title of godfather of soul, originating from a background of extreme poverty in this biographical take on Brown’s life and career.

Title: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Genre: Action Release Date: Aug. 8 Rating: NR Director: Jonathan Liebesman Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner Synopsis: Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an hold on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is uncertain until four brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s plan.

ILLUSTRATION BY LORENZO MOROTTI AND CODY MCFARLAND / THE ADVOCATE

C4 THE ADVOCATE

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l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

Flicks splash into theaters

C5

The Advocate takes a sneak peek at summer films. From romantic comedies to action-packed movies, don’t be left out

May Title: “Godzilla” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: May 16 Rating: PG-13 Director: Gareth Edwards Starring: Aaron TaylorJohnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston Synopsis: “Godzilla” is unleashed once more on screen 60 years after its first appearance in one of this summer’s highly anticipated reboots. Newcomer Gareth Edwards is directing this monster mash with a reimagining of the story. Ford Brody (Aaron TaylorJohnson), wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen), his father Joe (Bryan Cranston), and Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) bear witness to Gozilla’s reemergence in the 21st century as he is pitted against destructive creatures, threaten-

Title: “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Genre: Action Release Date: May 23 Rating: PG-13 Director: Bryan Singer Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman Synopsis: Mutants of two different time periods will collaborate in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” when sentinels, massive robotic machines designed to hunt down and kill mutants, endangers the existence of these phenomenal beings. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back in time to warn Dr. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart) of the coming sentinel threat, developed by Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) forcing enemies such as Magneto (Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen) to band together with the X-Men in order to stop these deadly machines.

Title: “Maleficent” Genre: Fantasy Release Date: May 30 Rating: PG Director: Robert Stromberg Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley Synopsis: A vindictive fairy (Angelina Jolie) is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child (Elle Fanning) may be the only one who can restore peace within the kingdom in this live-action retelling of the Disney classic, “Sleeping Beauty.”

July Title: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: July 11 Rating: NR Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis Synopsis: A nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) is threatened by a band of human survivors from the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. Things soon start to seem peaceful, but it turns out to be shortlived, as both sides are brought to the edge of a war that will decide who will emerge as the dominant species.

Title: “Jupiter Ascending” Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: July 18 Rating: NR Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean Synopsis: In the future, a young human woman (Mila Kunis) ends up targeted for assassination by a so called Queen of the Universe, and begins her destiny to finish the Queen’s rule to figure out why she is marked for death and meets Caine (Channing Tatum) a hunter who assists her along the way.

Title: “The Purge: Anarchy” Genre: Horror Release Date: July 18 Rating: R Director: James DeMonaco Starring: Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams, Kiele Sanchez Synopsis: A young couple tries to survive on the streets after their car breaks down during the annual purge as it commences, signaling trouble as they encounter crazed lunatics bent on violence.

Title: “Planes: Fire & Rescue” Genre: Animation Release Date: July 18 Rating: NR Director: Roberts Gannaway Starring: Dane Cook, Julie Bowen, Ed Harris Synopsis: When world-famous air racer Dusty (Dane Cook) learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he shifts gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty must soon face a massive wildfire and will have to learn what it takes to be a hero.

Title: “Hercules” Genre: Adventure Release Date: July 25 Rating: NR Director: Brett Ratner Starring: Dwayne Johnson, John Jurt, Ian McShane Synopsis: Having gone through his legendary twelve labors, Hercules (Dwayne Johnson), the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire challenged when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.

Title: “Sex Tape” Genre: Comedy Release Date: July 25 Rating: NR Director: Jake Kasdan Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry Synopsis: A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a crazy search for its whereabouts.

Title: “Ping Pong Summer” Genre: Comedy Release Date: June 6 Rating: PG-13 Director: Michael Tully Starring: Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris Synopsis: A family vacation to Ocean City, Maryland during the summer of 1985 changes everything for a teenage boy (Marcello Conte) obsessed with ping pong and makes friends with his outcast neighbor (Susan Sarandon) next door.

Title: “22 Jump Street” Genre: Comedy Release Date: June 13 Rating: NR Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Starring: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube Synopsis: After making their way through high school, big changes are coming for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred soul on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the college scene, they begin to question their partnership. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow into real men, college might be the best thing that happened to them.

Title: “How to Train Your Dragon 2” Genre: Animation Release Date: June 13 Rating: PG Director: Dean DeBlois Starring: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera Synopsis: It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. The two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the harmony. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must work together to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Title: “Jersey Boys” Genre: Drama Release Date: June 20 Rating: R Director: Clint Eastwood Starring: Christopher Walken, Francesca Eastwood, Freya Tingley Synopsis: Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons group and portrays the rise, rough patches and personal clashes, followed by the ultimate success of four friends whose music became symbolic of a generation, originating from the wrong side of New Jersey.

Title: “Transformers: Age of Extinction” Genre: Action Release Date: June 27 Rating: NR Director: Michael Bay Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci Synopsis: An automobile mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) and his daughter (Nicola Peltz) stumble upon a discovery that sends down the Autobots and Decepticons, as well as a paranoid government official, on top of them.

August Title: “Guardians of the Galaxy” Genre: Action Release Date: Aug. 1 Rating: NR Director: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper Synopsis: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the object of an intergalactic manhunt after stealing an orb owned by the villainous Ronan (Lee Pace).

Title: “Get on Up” Genre: Biography Release Date: Aug. 1 Rating: NR Director: Tate Taylor Starring: Chadwick Boseman, David Andrew Nash, Nelsan Ellis Synopsis: A chronicle of James Brown’s (Chadwick Boseman) rise to the title of godfather of soul, originating from a background of extreme poverty in this biographical take on Brown’s life and career.

Title: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Genre: Action Release Date: Aug. 8 Rating: NR Director: Jonathan Liebesman Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner Synopsis: Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an hold on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is uncertain until four brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s plan.

ILLUSTRATION BY LORENZO MOROTTI AND CODY MCFARLAND / THE ADVOCATE

C6 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

SPOTLIGHT

Geringer leaves books behind Generous librarian steps down, leaves history, archives, legacy

By Christian Urrutia PHOTO EDITOR

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

A quote above the library coordinator’s door reads, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” The quote by author Neil Gaiman hangs on the door of Ellen Geringer, the library coordinator who will be retiring after 25 years.

Resourcefulness, problem solving and a keen eye sum up Geringer’s tenure at Contra Costa College. After this semester, Geringer’s talents will no longer be available to students at CCC. “Everything that has deadlines or dollars on it, I deal with,” Geringer said, noting that she handled archiving and oversaw the Professional Development Committee.

“Libraries are more than just books; all of the different avenues of information are provided and made accessible for people,” Geringer said.

Geringer said librarians know how to find an answer and have to be technologically literate due to the advancement of the Internet.

“You’re teaching constantly as a librarian and it is never boring, because of the nature of technology.

You’re always learning from students,” Geringer said. “Students who are energetic, inspiring, it was fun to watch them grow and expand.”

However, Geringer said she would not miss writing reports for the college.

Liberal, Applied Heath, Vocational Education and Athletics Division Dean Susan Lee said Geringer is a great historian and is committed to the needs of the Library. Dr. Lee said CCC is suffering a huge loss with her coming retirement.

“Ellen has spent a lot of her time here working hard for the campus and we received a huge bang for our buck in her love for the college,” Lee said.

Senior Executive Assistant to the President Melody Hanson said, “She jumped right in when she got started and did so much work archiving the school. She’s truly one of the greats in library history.”

Geringer was hired as a media librarian and for several years chaired the College Instruction Committee,

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Voracious reader — Library Coordinator Ellen Geringer (right) plans to retire at the end of the semester after 25 years with the college. Geringer said she will miss all of the relationships she has made at the college. served on the Academic Senate, DSPS Advisory Board and Friends of the Library Board.

Geringer said, “Those who I worked with closely know that I did not learn patience (during my time at CCC).”

Lee said Geringer loves the college and always has the needs of the faculty and students in the forefront of her work.

She said, “Ellen is very generous with her time and is a wiz at IT and if I ever got stuck, she would find a way to help me.”

Geringer grew up in Indianapolis, and attended Indiana University before

Dedicated staffer takes step to future

By Cody McFarland ASSOCIATE EDITOR

cmcfarland.theadvocate@gmail.com

After 19 years of teaching, collaborating and fostering the positive growth of the early childhood education department, Barbara Grillo will be retiring at the end of the month.

Retiring as director of the Early Learning Center, Grillo has worn many hats within the department.

She began as an adjunct early childhood education professor in 1995, was hired full-time as a professor and director of the Montessori Teacher Education Program in 1999 and later became the child care coordinator and faculty liaison to the ELC before becoming director in 2011.

Grillo’s dedication to her staff, the children in the ELC and their families, along with her innate Grillo ability to remain positive and provide guidance and After 19 support, are just a couple of Grillo’s admirable years of teaching in attributes. the early “She has created a childhood pleasant atmosphere and education a really cooperative envidepartment, ronment in which the she plans staff do the best they can on retiring. for her, and she always makes herself available for the staff,” early childhood education professor Michell Naidoo said. “She’s wonderful.”

Intisar Shareef, current liaison for the ELC who has worked collaboratively alongside Grillo for the past two years, agrees.

“She is very congenial, easy to work with, fair and flexible,” Shareef said.

Shareef said that before Grillo came to Contra Costa College, she had an extensive background as a Montessori school teacher.

The Montessori style of teaching allows children freedom within certain boundaries to learn and grow in areas they see relevant to their life and interests and within their own capacities.

Fostering freedom of self-expression and the positive growth of any individual toward completing a goal or bettering his or herself is something Grillo took from the Montessori model and has upheld in her work of the college.

“To me it was important to create a climate of warmth and support and growth, not only for the staff, but for the children and their families as well,” Grillo said. “The teachers grow the children, and it’s the

administrators who grow the teachers to do they best they can do.”

To increase proficiency and help the department grow as a whole, Grillo created a leadership team in charge of enhancing communication and collaboration among the staff.

Together, the leadership team establishes monthly newsletters, snack menus and educational themes that provide parents with insight as to what their children are eating, what activities they are participating in and what they are learning, Grillo said.

Though she would have liked to continue teaching early childhood education classes, the weight of Grillo’s responsibilities as director of the ELC held the bulk of her focus and energy.

“I still manage to teach staff, students and parents,” Grillo said. “Now, it’s more oneon-one and individual attention, instead of teaching classes of 30-40 (students).”

The early childhood education department is recognized by the Federal Government and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Robert Zunter is the ELC front desk and office assistant, who has worked under Grillo for the past year, said she is easily the best boss he has ever had.

“I’m going to miss her big time,” Zunter said. “She is always honest and sincere. She provides positive feedback to help the teachers advance to where they need to be in the field.”

What will also be missed are her talents as a beloved puppeteer, Naidoo said.

“The children are definitely going to miss her puppet shows. She is an amazing puppeteer,” Naidoo said.

“When she comes into the room with her puppets they (the children) are immediately engrossed. They’re always asking, ‘When is the next puppet show?’”

Shareef said, “I’m going to miss Barbara’s positive energy and uplifting spirit. She always makes you feel good. But she won’t be gone forever; I expect her to be back with us (later).”

With her retirement beginning May 30, Grillo said she plans on staying involved in her field, possibly doing some consulting and training, and volunteering at the ELC when she can.

Grillo is also involved in the Contra Costa County Child Care Council, an organization that helps parents find child care and helps child care providers do a better job.

She said what she will miss most about CCC is the great educational community.

“The people here are really dedicated to doing the best job possible,” she said. “It’s great to be a part of that team.”

moving to Southern California. Geringer worked for a hospital as a ward clerk up until her interview at CCC. Geringer said, “My friend Vicki pretended to be me when she saw the ad posting and called me in Long Beach and from there I went to the interview session and landed the job.”

Geringer also print indexed The Advocate from 1949 to 1976 and journalism department chairperson Paul DeBolt said that in the process she became an expert on the campus.

“It was a huge undertaking and she was the one to do it. She is someone who has contributed to the college in

many, many ways,” DeBolt said.

Senior Library Assistant Brenda Pless said, “Ellen has been a mentor throughout the years and so this Library that serves students and faculty stands as a testimony to Ellen’s hard work and love for CCC.” During her time at CCC, Geringer met her husband, biological sciences department Chairperson Chris Tarp.

“As a faculty colleague, she is part of the heart and soul of this college. I couldn’t imagine a harder worker than Ellen,” Tarp said. “Both Ellen and I are looking forward to the next chapter of her life.”

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 l THE ADVOCATE

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‘ADVENTURE TIME’ opens with, “It’s Adventure Time, come on grab your friends,” a smiling Jake ASSOCIATE EDITOR leaps atop an unsuspecting Finn, lands cmcfarland.theadvocate@gmail.com cheerfully on his face and throws him off Since its debut, it has been hard balance before the two fall off screen. To to put your finger on exactly why me, the quick interaction playfully lays Cartoon Network’s hit animated series the claim, “Yeah, this is my best bud and “Adventure Time” is so outstanding. he’s stuck with me.”

The show has the rare capability to Sometimes, the show steps away from elicit deep emotional responses from its the duo to shine a light on other areas of audience, with enough nostalgia attached the universe, bringing the mystical world to attract older viewers. to life.

At its simplest, “Adventure Time” is a From the end of Season 5 comes the show about growing up and friendship. compelling tale of Lemonhope, a young The characters experience many of boy burdened by the responsibility of the same struggles anyone of us might returning to his former home, Castle have dealt with growing up — not look- Lemongrab, to free his many brothers ing like the other kids on the playground, from the totalitarian oppression of the having a parent force their dreams upon tyrannical Fat Lemongrab. you and first loves and first heartaches, The Lemon people ultimately reprejust to name a few. Though, “Adventure sent psychosocial illness. They perceive Time” does it all in a far more fantastic the world in ways that make sense to context. themselves and may be harmful to othDespite the extravagance of the show, ers, but fail to see the consequences.

“Adventure Time” is entirely relatable After running from his duty in pursuit and truly touching, which might come as of a life “lousy with freedom,” the lemon a surprise, considering each episode lasts nearly dies and is rescued by a lonely, only a little more than 11 minutes. cloud cruising monster-hunter Flannel Truly owning its short-format, the Boxingday. series has managed to breathe life into Flannel patiently listens to the expansive land of Ooo in which it is Lemonhope’s struggles and motivates set. Ooo is a post-apocalyptic version of him to return home to help his brothEarth densely populated by a breadth of ers, after explaining that an unpaid interesting and silly characters, most of debt weighs heavily on the mind. After which are mutants of some sort.

Lemonhope curses himself for never The show catalogs the wacky escalistening to his teacher earlier on, who pades of two heroes, Finn the Human used to tell him the same thing, Flannel and Jake the Dog. Finn is the last human inspires him with a profoundly resonant, on Ooo, but doesn’t let the weight of that “Ah, Lemonhope, you’re a doer, not a fact detract from his principled, heroic listener: you learn with your hands, and nature and penchant for saving princess- heart. Not your head.” es. His best friend and brother, Jake, is a Sometimes people have to learn the yellow dog with the ability to stretch his hard way, but with the right support body into whatever shape or size the pair structure and level of understanding, no can think up — such as a cheetah farting. problem is ever too large to overcome.

Back for its sixth season, now airing Season 5 began with an epic bout in Mondays at 6 p.m., the series continues an alternate dimension, due to an evil to rank No. 1 in television ratings among scheme on behalf of Ooo’s most powerboys aged 2-14, according to Nielsen ful villain, the Lich. This season began Media Research. with some more “foul Lich biz,” but for The wide array of “Adventure Time” now that dark threat has been swaddled. merchandise marketed at adults, as well Currently, Finn is in the middle of as the numerous online communities coping with the unpleasant introduction getting philosophical over the show and of his father, Martin, a cosmic criminal its characters, however, suggest there’s who abandoned Finn as a baby and has something special about the show. zero interest in his capable and honorEven from the adult perspective, able son. What’s worse is in his “Adventure Time” offers the same emo- effort to establish a connection with tionally stimulating and well thought his father, Finn ended up losing his out patchwork of silliness, light and right arm. dark humor, character breadth, depth, The fourth episode of Season 6 fart jokes and superb animation as that had Finn bent on revenge, erecting an of “The Simpsons” or “The Marvelous unstable tower into space to find his lost Misadventures of Flapjack.” father and rip off his arm.

The Emmy-winning animation With some help from his long-time by writer and storyboard artist Andy friend Princess Bubblegum, Finn realizes Ristaino is enough to draw viewers of all getting revenge isn’t his true motivation. ages. However, it is how that animation Whether you want to recap some life comes to life with movement and dialessons from childhood, enjoy some logue, exquisitely blended and appropri- emotional provocation, existential quanately timed among a vast array of chardaries and cartoon violence, or just laugh acters, that guarantees viewers will come at the sheer silliness and humorous but back for more. understandable lingo of some colorful One goofy but heartfelt example kooks, your 11 minutes won’t be betcomes from the show’s intro. When the ter spent anywhere else than watching voice singing the show’s theme song “Adventure Time.”

By Cody McFarland

Finn “Jake, a crime has been committed. We must find the criminal.”

Princess Bubblegum

“I’m not going to live forever... I would if I could, but modern science isn’t there yet.”

Martin “Son? Hey, good for you kid.”

Jake “Oh, I’m coming with you... if only to be disruptive and obnoxious.”

Marceline “I’m not mean, I’m a thousand years old and just lost my track of moral code.”

Lich “You are alone child. There is only darkness for you and death for your people.”

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l WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014

SPOTLIGHT

Remembering

MICHAEL JACKSON

‘The King of Pop’

By Brian Boyle NEWS EDITOR

bboyle.theadvocate@gmail.com

This year, as finals come and pass, the five-year anniversary of a very poignant death will be observed by the world.

He was a singer, a songwriter and an entertainer.

He was a poet, a genius and above everything a storyteller.

Yet what will be discussed most about Michael Jackson’s life is, inevitably, going to be whether or not he was a child molester.

More so than any celebrity or any public figure’s transgressions, the accusations leveled against Michael Jackson attracted the world’s attention, mainly because one would be hard pressed to find someone who is not a fan of his music, no matter where one looks. Jackson was found not guilty of all 14 charges leveled against him in 2005, yet that question haunted Jackson’s life from the 90s until his death.

The only truth about that question the world will ever receive is, that regardless of where the molestation truth rests, the story is a tragic one.

Jackson’s life began on Aug. 29, 1958 in Gary, Ind. and ended on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, Calif.

In between those dates lie 51 years, hundreds of millions of records sold, almost 1,000 live concerts and countless of lives touched.

Jackson’s accomplishments as a performer, as a songwriter, as a businessman and as a philanthropist are vast.

He wore the mantle “The King of Pop” proudly, as it was well-deserved.

His 1982 album “Thriller” is the single best selling album in history, with some 60 million albums sold worldwide. Even more notably, Jackson has an additional four albums on the list of best sellers of all time.

Jackson is hard to compare to other artists.

If the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus,” then it says something about Jackson in that he was more popular than them.

If James Brown was the “Godfather of Soul” then surely, like Michael Corleone, Jackson was the crown prince.

Many say the greatest people are standing on the shoulders of giants, and if that is true, then Jackson must have had a sore back.

He had been named “Best Male

Performer” in a jaw-dropping number of countries spanning the globe.

His music was capable of speaking to audiences in Korea, Malaysia, Germany, the United States, Mexico, South Africa and India.

Jackson is one of the few individuals to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more than once in his life.

Also, at the time of his death, he held 31 Guinness World Records, including “Longest Span of U.S. Top 40 Singles,” and “Most Weeks at the Top of the U.S. Album Charts.”

His career started in 1968 when his family act debuted as “The Jackson 5,” and he took the world by storm.

The group’s most memorable hit, for which Jackson was the front man, is “ABC,” a poppy, catchy tune about love that would be shockingly explicit coming from any other 10-year-old child’s mouth.

Yet, even as a child, Jackson’s voice had a power and rare gift to it that made even the mature lyrics he would sing seem genuine despite the fact that he hadn’t experienced romantic love as yet.

Jackson himself was publicly a very quiet and meek man. Anyone who saw an interview of him surely remembers his quiet, delicate and almost childlike voice.

Videos of Jackson off stage often made him seem weak or frail.

Though, like Clark Kent stepping into a phone booth, when Jackson took the stage he seemed almost like a man possessed.

Jackson could explode with a masterful energy, an energy he could use to move an audience no matter what amount of distance or time separated them.

Jackson was far more than a musician, and it is almost doing his work a disservice to call them songs. What Jackson wrote were stories, and his subject was the human experience.

Jackson sang about the raw emotions every person feels.

Jackson’s lyrics are simple and evocative.

One can listen to a number of specific songs and it is hard not to notice how easy it is to get lost,

not only in the melodies and rhythms created by Jackson, but in one’s own head as he forces you to recall moments in your own life that elicited the same emotions Jackson is creating on the track.

In “Rock With You,” Jackson’s silky smooth voice placed over a track that makes one’s heart just begin to race can make one recall the excitement of being with a new lover.

“They Don’t Care About Us,” stands out in how the gritty, raw tone of Jackson’s voice placed over a harsh, pounding rhythm can create a pit of rage in one’s stomach.

In “Man in the Mirror” the soft, gentle tone of Jackson’s voice paints a heart-breaking image of borderless poverty that can make you feel guilty before you even realize it.

Jackson’s lyrics were simplistic.

If he turned to a complicated word it was for a purpose, and in songs where he did, that knowledge of the exact meaning only enhanced the power of his song.

The simplicity of his lyrics was the genius of them. Jackson’s voice knew no border, and at times when one listens to his songs, it can often seem like he was capable of speaking directly to one’s soul.

Musically, Jackson managed to take R&B, rock ’n’ roll, disco, funk, gospel and soul and completely redefine what the world thought “pop” music was. Jackson’s voice itself often served as another instrument, with him making sounds that often were the subject of ridicule on schoolyards across the country, but are almost

Shakespearian in how they accentuate his music.

His songs could be gentle or fast, slow or harsh, and he could change his voice to match.

Jackson’s songs had arcs and twists to them.

“Billie Jean” is about a man denying he slept with a woman, until the end where he hints that he had.

His lyrics belied the subtle intelligence behind the microphone.

Everything about Jackson’s songs illustrates the level of though he put into them. His backing tracks can control the pace of one’s heart while his voice creates rolling tapestries comprised of the lives we have all lived.

He combined these powers to entertain and enlighten the world.

Jackson could paint the image of a jilted lover striking back at the man who wronged her, or he could force one to remember times dancing with a lover.

Jackson would challenge us to give, while reminding us that we live in opulence. He could celebrate the simple joy of a beautiful woman and he could evoke sympathy for a victimized person with his chameleon of a voice.

Jackson stands as one of the greatest storytellers, performers, dancers, songwriters and musicians in history.

His voice bled emotion and power.

He could speak to the heart of almost any person. And regardless of how one feels about Jackson, it is a damn shame that the world will be without another new Jackson song on the radio.