The Advocate 5-18

WEDNESDAY l 5.18.16 OUR 66TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CODY CASARES AND CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Campus Center rebuilds community Opening of three buildings provides modern learning spaces, resources

BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

T

he completion of the district’s $52 million Campus Center and Classroom Project will add 100,000 square feet of modern multi-level learning facilities and re-start the heart of Contra Costa

College.

District Facilities Planner Ray Pyle said this project is the largest and most expensive project undertaken by the Contra Costa Community College District ever among its three campuses.

“From my career experience this is the most exciting project that I have been a part of,” Pyle said. “We’ve done probably 15 to 20 significant projects since I’ve been with the district.”

English as a second language Chairperson Elizabeth Xiezopolski said the re-opening of the center of the campus is the most exciting moment during her 23 years working King for the college because people will be able to become more connected with each other and the surrounding community.

“This campus used to be a place where students and professors, who were total strangers, hung around after classes and got to know each other,” Xiezopolski said. “Right now, people don’t feel like this is their campus.”

She said when she went on a tour of the buildings in February, she was impressed with the high ceilings, ample natural lighting and wide hallways with workspaces and lounges for

ASU PASSES SAFEGUARD, DENIES VOTE OF NO TRUST Board

restricts Syon from running for second term

BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

Nakari Syon will be allowed to finish his term as Associated Student Union president after all.

The ASU Board passed a compromise vote banning Syon from running for re-election after voting down a motion of “no confidence,” that would have ended his presidency and revoked his $500 annual stipend, at a meeting in AA-109 on May 4. “(During the last week of April) we agreed to not talk about the vote of ‘no confidence,’ but since our president talked about it to The Advocate we might as well talk about it,” Contra Costa College ASU Senator Francis Sanson said to open the discussion item at the SEE SYON, PAGE A4

“Since the day this campus was built it belonged to the community and its taxpayers. The people need to feel a vested interest in this place again because this is our community.”

Elizabeth Xiezopolski,

English as a second language chairperson

students and faculty.

“Our new students will be fortunate,” Xiezopolski said.

“After a few years of living with this construction, our campus community has become fractured into small groups. But we can jump back.

We just have to rebuild our sense of community from scratch.”

She said the next step would be reaching out to taxpayers in Contra Costa County so they can see their 2006 Measure A dollars at work, provide feedback and give direction.

“Since the day this campus was built it belonged to the community and its taxpayers.

The people need to feel a vested interest in this place again because this is our community,” Xiezopolski said.

But with the addition of the two-story Student and Administration Building, one-story Fireside Hall and three-story General Education Building, Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said the college will also experience a loss of about 18,000 square feet of classroom and office space with the closure of the Liberal Arts Building.

“It doesn’t matter much at all what’s in the new buildings,” English professor Heather Roth

said. “Anything is much more comfortable than (the bottom floor of the LA $52 million Building). I like that we (professors) are all on the same project is funded floor, but this is an older by the Measure A building with a lot of prob- (2006) bond.

The three buildlems.”

Pyle said the LA Building ings will be open is slated to be demolished for the 2016 fall within the next three years, semester. when the Applied Arts The LA Building Building is refurbished for is slated for demoswing space, to make way for lition to make way a $64 million Allied Health for future science and Science Complex using buildings. the $94 million available The LA Building for infrastructure projects will no longer under 2014 Measure E and house class Measure A (2002) funding.

Dean of Student Services meeting or faculty Vicki Ferguson said the com- offices. pletion of the three buildings, combined with a new online learning management system with Canvas, new online outreach strategy and transfer programs, signals growth in terms of community involvement, access to resources, enrollment and student morale.

“It’s transformative. For us to see that we have space in the heart of the campus means we can be more creative again,” Ferguson said. “It allows us to re-think how we can improve our programs that we offer to the community.”

King said when the construction of the Student and Administration Building is com-

in brief

ABOVE: The General Education Building is shown during preconstruction and postconstruction phrases of the Campus Center and Classroom Project, set to open in August.

SEE CENTER, PAGE A4

Uncontested ASU elections await results Turning a curious eye

Clubs, people, art, politics in focus SEE SPOTLIGHT— B-SECTION

Athletic teams reviewed

Student-athletes highlight programs SEE SPORTS — C SECTION

Campus, online elections determine future leaders

BY Xavier Johnson ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

Associated Student Union elections for four executive positions came to a close Monday at 11:59 p.m.

Elections were originally slated to end May 11, Student Activity Coordinator Ericka Greene said. The election Ward-Davis date was extended to May 16, Greene said.

The ballot consisted of current Vice-President of Club Affairs Safi Ward-Davis for president, ASU Senator Francis Sanson for director of public relations, ASU Senator Addy Brien for the position of activities coordinator and Ryan Villareal, the incumbent for parliamentarian.

Due to low membership in the ASU at the time of the candidate application window closing, SEE PRESIDENT, PAGE A4

A2

Quotable “Any time authority takes away your freedom to speak, you must protest.

It may not do any good.

Our society as a whole does not allow and never has allowed freedom of speech.”

Carroll O’Connor actor 1924-2001 Christian Urrutia editor-in-chief Marci Suela art director Roxana Amparo Lorenzo Morotti associate editors Benjamin Bassham news editor Asma Alkrizy Marlene Rivas opinion editors Mike Thomas scene editor Robert Clinton sports editor Xavier Johnson assistant sports editor Cody Casares photo editor Denis Perez assistant photo editor Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Staff writers Joseph Bennett Tobias Cheng Dylan Collier Salvador Godoy Edwin Herrera Mickalea Manuel Yesenia Melara Jshania Owens Warren Samuel Jason Sykes Staff photographers Perla Juarez Jordan Khoo Tashi Wangchuk Staff illustrator Nora Alkrizy Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2013 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Member Associated Collegiate Press California Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.215.3852 Fax: 510.235.NEWS Email: accent.advocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016 VOL. 103, NO. 22

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM

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EDITORIAL ASU WASTES POTENTIAL

Student government group fails to address societal issues

P

olitics is about power. It is about who gets what, when, how, why and who pays.

The Associated Students Union at Contra Costa College is no exception to this definition.

And while the ASU does promote the college to the community by hosting campus events and providing up to $50,000 in funding to groups through its Grant For Support program annually, its potential to push for the real issues people face at a district or state level is obstructed by a culture of complacency.

Like other shared governance groups, the ASU are beholden to the will of the people it represents. But its members rarely go out of their way to engage the community and find out what issues people feel need to be addressed.

Building the foundation of an effective government doesn’t have to be complicated.

At its core a governance group needs to practice an inclusive, transparent and drawn out election process. The college needs to provide more staff support to make sure students understand their roles and the organization’s function. Finally, a political figure must be willing to listen to people and work to address their concerns.

Former ASU President Rodney Wilson said it best during ASU President Nakari Syon’s first meeting on Aug. 19, 2015.

“Just remember you don’t work for them,” Wilson said as he whipped a coy grin back to Student Activities Coordinator Erika Greene, former ASU Director of Training and Recruitment Luana Waters and college President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh sitting in the back of the meeting room.

“You are an independent body here to advocate for students,” Wilson said. “So before every decision you make as a board you should ask yourselves, ‘Is what we are doing the best for students or just a ruse to maintain a friendly relationship with (administrators) who we should respect?’”

His message was not received.

Little effort was put forth by Syon and most of the ASU Board to find out what problems exist on campus and in the community.

According to The Advocate’s random poll of 350 students, faculty and administrators on campus, most people agree that politicians should address issues like student debt, police brutality, climate change, immigration, war, income inequality, health care, housing costs, gender rights and the corruption of people in power.

A great exercise of this power would be to petition to eliminate the $5 Student Activity Fee students pay at the start of every semester to fund the Grant for Support program.

While the money is used to benefit students, the ASU Board only spent $38,510 out of the $50,000. The SAF is a semesterly fee — so where did $12,490 go?

On another note, why are the ASU minutes and agendas not available online?

But more time at meetings throughout the 2015-16 academic year was spent approving invoices for office supplies, reading rules and bylaws or allocating funds to pay for an office assistant.

LORENZO MOROTTI / THE ADVOCATE

■ EDUCATIONAL PATH

Media excludes Asian culture’s social identity W

hen I was 6 years old, my idol was figure skater Michelle Kwan simply because she looked like my then image of sleek black hair, pale skin and dark brown eyes.

As I grew older, I started to worry about finding a career because of the occupations my family members had. Kwan was the exception, who was not a nurse, doctor or engineer. The small number of Asian-American public figures, however, made me wonder about what else I could do as a career.

By placing AsianAmericans into lead roles in film, television and theater productions, younger Asian-Americans may be able to relate to their characters and be proud of their roots, feeling able to break the stereotypes they hold in their minds.

Oftentimes, in movies, I see the Asian-American character portrayed as the sidekick with a twist — whether he or she is smart, funny or knows how to kick someone’s butt.

Although those movies are enjoyable to watch, that character usually lacks depth and is used for comedic relief.

Sometimes, I like to watch Asian television dramas because they provide cultural relevance and realism to occupations for Asians that American cinema fails to capture.

American media are repeat offenders in misrepresenting Asian-Americans by putting white actors and

demands “white people food to get a seat at the (lunch) table.”

While “Fresh Off the Boat” addresses assimilation and racial identity, the show itself suffers as it caters to a wide American audience. Now in its second season, the paractresses in “yellowface” ents’ heavy accents have into films and television, instead of accurately plac- been dropped, the show’s ing actors of Asian descent narrative voice has been dropped and an identifiinto those roles. able “love” storyline has A recent been employed.

I like example On May 5, digital stratof this was to watch egist William Yu created the casting a Twitter account under of actress Asian the username @starScarlett Under the Johansson television ringjohncho. hashtag #StarringJohnCho, for a movie he started a social media role origidramas movement to show what nally made Hollywood blockbusters as an Asian because would look like with an character Asian-American lead. announced in they Yu redesigned movie April. provide posters like “The Also, the Martian,” “Me Before ABC netYou” and “Spectre” by work recently cultural Koreanoffered up relevance. PhotoShopping American actor John Cho an example into the artwork to replace of growing the images of white actors up as an Asian-American starring in those movies. with the television series Hiring Asian-American “Fresh Off the Boat,” with stories based on chef Eddie actors for lead roles in American media just could Huang’s memoir about being a Chinese immigrant break down the stereotypical idea that Asians all go in America. into engineering or science The sitcom emphasizes fields, while embracing Asian accents, embracing the “American Dream” and the struggle of being from focuses on situations where a non-white ethnicity in America and providing Asian-Americans are singled out for being cultural- more relevant role models the entire U.S. population. ly different.

One scene captures the Marci Suela is the art struggle of fitting in at director for The Advocate. school as Eddie confesses to his parents that he threw Contact her at msuela.theadhis (Asian) lunch away and vocate@gmail.com.

marcisuela

CAMPUS COMMENT

What problems occur with a passive student government ?

“I think we lack benefits that come with being engaged with the student government when we don’t even know about them.”

Sandip Gauchan business

“When students are not familiar with the student government and their processes they are unaware of the rights that come from them.”

Laimont Daniels English

JORDAN KHOO AND DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

“I think students should know how the student government works and how everything functions on campus. I didn’t know of them” Bulham Jirde computer science

“When the student government restricts itself by not going above and beyond to know the students’ needs and problems and settles, they restrict us.”

Roberto Lopez undecided

“When you lose classrooms and gain more staff office space, you see staff here are out for themselves. An active student government would fight that.”

Richard Sehachari anthropology

“I believe the student government should take on more responsibility by engaging with the students so they can better represent the students’ rights.”

Daniel Santos communications

forum ■ CONSUMERISM

josephbennett

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SEEPS INTO SOCIAL YOUTH TRENDS

I

t is estimated sneakers get more than 1,200 people killed each year, and Nike’s Air Jordan brand in particular deserves blame, according to Marc Bain on qz.com.

Depending on the shoes in question, it may be a shoe someone really wants, but cannot get.

This is frequently the case with Jordans. Not everyone can get them.

Each store gets a certain stock of shoes, which is deliberately not enough for everyone, to keep the demand high.

Some people cut in front of others in lines, or steal from their fellow shoppers.

People have started bringing guns to defend themselves.

When these coveted shoes are bought, most people wear them, and some scalp them for inflated prices.

The highest price these shoes have sold for is more than $30,000.

Named after Michael Jordan, one of the best to ever play basketball, Jordans are among the most commonly worn shoes in the world today, in America and around the world.

A new batch of Jordans is released about every two weeks, so why are people killing over them?

Certain designs of Jordans have not been made in years, and that pushes demand for them through the roof.

But why resort to violence?

Many don’t know.

They ask: if Nike comes out with new Jordans every two weeks, why kill over one specific pair?

In the same article from qz.com, critics have accused Jordan and Nike, of encouraging crazy behavior over their shoes.

The most sought-after Jordans are expensive and released in limited quantities, making them valuable.

In October of last year, former NBA star Stephon Marbury singled out Michael Jordan in association with “kids dying over shoes,” when he announced the return of his own $15 Starbury sneakers.

But I think there are deeper issues of violence and financial status that are involved.

Although I wonder what makes Jordans so special, are they worth becoming a murderer?

Is one pair of shoes worth your life, or someone else’s?

The shoe killings neither help, nor hinder Jordan himself.

Jordan owns the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team.

He markets his own shoes, shorts, shirts, hats, socks, and so on.

Other basketball players have signed on to his multi-million dollar company to bring more revenue.

In other words, the killings don’t cut into his profits.

Stop resorting to violence because of shoes.

It is not the answer.

If you missed a shoe release, just wait, and sooner or later you can get the shoes you want while keeping what is most valuable — your own life.

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

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■ PRISON

Slavery exists in justice system

F

or many, an encounter with a police officer can be soul-wrenching experience because at the whim of a total stranger your dreams, goals or actual freedom can be indiscriminately taken away.

Since its inception, America has been a nation built on the consumption of human souls. By exploiting labor through slavery, it now retains a captive workforce through exploitation of the incarcerated.

The nearly 13,000 inmates working for Federal Prison Industries or (UNICOR) earn anywhere from $.23 to $1.15 per hour. Yet, in 2013 the for-profit company raked in $533 million.

These are not private prisons or license plate factories. Inmates in the program build everything from military uniforms to complex missiles and parts for McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15 aircraft.

The Department of Defense is one of the largest entities that contracts with UNICOR.

$29,000 that UNICOR lists as the cost to house a federal inmate, the profit gained for one captive soul rests at $9,792 annually.

That puts modern inmate workers in a class less valuable than slaves of the 1860s, who were valued at $400 on average, or $10,995 today, With more than 11 milaccording to Bureau of Labor lion non-traffic arrests in Statistics consumer price 2014 (according to the FBI index. uniform crime report) and That means slaves were the U.S. topping the list of valued higher than today’s nations housing the most criminals. However, this inmates (2.2 million), modexploitation is totally legal. ern human traffickers have The 13th Amendment a steady flow of potential (which ended slavery) lists workers to exploit. involuntary servitude or slavThe profit margin reflects ery as a suitable punishment why criminal justice reform for a crime. is slow to take shape and why Statistics from the FBI the prison industry touts one report that there are more of the largest contingencies than 70 million people, or of lobbyists in Washington, one out of three Americans, according to a report by the with an arrest record.

Justice Policy Institute.

America is now home to Around 13,000 inmates as many people with crimiearning $533 million for nal records as it has citizens UNICOR means each inmate with college diplomas. If generates a total of $38,792 America’s criminal record after allowing for an annual holders formed a country, its wage of $1.15 per hour. population would be larger After subtracting the than France, Canada and

robertclinton

Australia.

Today, a past conviction of any sort limits the prospect of a job offer by 50 percent, leaving many with a narrow range of options that often lead to an eventual return to exploitation.

There are more than 850,000 Americans on parole (conditional release from prison) and a whopping 3.9 million people on probation (an alternative sentence to jail).

Most federal inmates are there for nonviolent drug crimes.

More than 11 million people circulate through state and county jails each year and there are already 69,000 kids incarcerated in America, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, guaranteeing a new workforce.

The government is giving itself a free hand out in the form of human bodies.

Robert Clinton is the sports editor of The Advocate.

Contact him at rclinton. theadvocate@gmail.com.

CERTAIN CHANGE threatens time management Lesson plans to compress into long lecture classes

BY Nora Alkrizy STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

nalkrizy.theadvocate@gmail.com

T

he possibility of adopting a compressed academic calendar has been a looming issue for Contra Costa College students. The idea is that in response to increasing faculty interest, CCC and other community colleges in the district will shorten the semesters by two weeks.

Studies showing community colleges that employ a 16-week schedule regularly report a 1-2 percent increase in student retention and success are used as justification to support semester compression.

They are considering offering a winter intersession which allows students to take more classes to fast-track their academic studies and allowing the college to make more money.

I believe that although shortening the calendar may have proven to be useful for student success and retention rates in the past, it is important to observe the success of these students independently by subject or major.

What may show up as successful for liberal arts majors may not necessarily stand true for science majors.

Science courses are notorious for being very rigorous and extremely challenging to our wrinkled little brains, therefore the idea that the compression of the calendar is positive for the students with STEM classes is dubious in my eyes.

Taking demanding physics, chemistry and biology classes is challenging.

As midterms and finals loom, I would sell earth anytime to be living in planet

Mann from the movie “Interstellar,” where days are 67 hours long.

STEM students treasure every minute offered out of class time.

The academic schedule will be altered from an 18-week semester to 16 weeks, of course without the loss of instructional time in the class period.

Class length will be increased to compensate for the compression of the academic calendar.

For example, a 4 unit physics course at CCC has 90 hours of lecture, 36 hours of laboratory. These hours will be unchanged by compressing the calendar.

I think that pushing students to work with the same course load over a shorter time frame misplaces the main objective of community colleges.

They are a foundation for students to learn, not primarily to finish faster and set off into the world.

Yes, a compressed calendar may mean less school time leaving more time to party and go on vacations without worrying about midterms lurking in the closet.

Do we really want to undergo consequences that can be deemed negative for the sake of our luxury?

The National Teaching & Learning Forum journal speaks against the value of long lectures, as demonstrated by research on human attention spans and information retention.

This is largely due to the flow of students’ focus during a normal class period where studies show that student focus reaches a point where it eventually maxes out or they totally zone out.

For me, personally, as a science major I would rather deal with 18 weeks rather than having to endure long lectures either in a classroom setting or elsewhere. I tend to get fidgety and zone out when class time is very long.

These behaviors

do not demonstrate bad habits, but are common in classes where only the most hardworking and organized students can endure.

However, I believe the value of a non-compressed calendar doesn’t put an emphasis on student attention spans and retention solely.

I understand that compressing liberal arts classes is uncomplicated, as class periods are almost exclusively lectures.

Science courses, on the other hand, contain labs, which make it tougher to compress.

I don’t mean that liberal arts majors are in some way less important or less valuable than science majors. Science courses just generally contain more information and are demanding in that science majors with these classes will be expected to apply what they learned in an equally demanding workforce.

For example, CCC has an excellent nursing program where well-trained nurses graduate and apply their skills in the real world.

Anatomy or physiology courses that have course material organized for an 18-week semester will be forced to compress the same material into a 16-week semester.

It is fair to say that some material, especially in labs, will possibly have to be removed or incorporated into a compressed schedule.

This fast-paced learning environment consequently takes a toll on student learning behaviors where they get less time to really consume the material and are forced to focus on the grades more than the learning experience.

Is the main concern securing well-informed and competent students or faster-graduated students who may not be as competent due to the rush to finish fast?

The latter is what a compressed academic calendar appears to be doing.

Joseph Bennett is a staff writer for The Advocate.

Contact him at jbennett.theadvocate@gmail.com.

NORA ALKRIZY/ THE ADVOCATE

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campusbeat

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Follow The Advocate

Candidates vie for trustee position

BY Mike Thomas SCENE EDITOR

mthomas.theadvocate@gmail.com

Receive breaking campus news and sports updates by following The Advocate on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can find a digital copy of this paper on Issuu. twitter.com/accentadvocate facebook.com/accentadvocate instagram.com/cccadvocate issuu.com/the_advocate

NEWSLINE PUENTE PROJECT

ORIENTATION HELPS PROGRAM RECRUIT

The Puente Project’s next opportunity to recruit students for its 2016 classes is on Thursday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the SSC Room A. Interested students must attend one of the mandatory orientation sessions.

The requirements to join the program are to attend an orientation, be eligible for English 142B and be committed to participating in all program activities including field trips, social events and mentoring opportunity.

For more information, contact Puente counselor Norma ValdezJimenez at nvaldez-jimenez@contracosta.edu.

HEALTH

WELLNESS FAIR AIMS TO PROVIDE ADVICE The counseling department and Associated Student Union presents the Wellness Health Fair on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Liberal Arts Building Patio.

In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, tips on living a healthy lifestyle will be provided by participating community members.

For more information, contact the counseling department at 510235-7800.

CRIMEWATCH Friday, April 22: A student fell while on campus.

The student was 19 weeks pregnant and was transported to the hospital for a complaint of abdominal pain.

Friday, April 22: A student was accused of pushing another student in the back.

The accused student was contacted.

The student was confrontational and was asked to leave campus and not return until approved by the dean of students.

Wednesday, April 27: An officer responded to a report of a student who fell down. The student declined medical attention.

Friday, April 29: A student’s car window was smashed by a baseball from CCC’s baseball game.

Monday, May 2: The west gate leading to the swimming pool was damaged over the weekend.

— Roxana Amparo

CORRECTION On the front page of the May 4 issue of The Advocate in the story titled “City of Richmond, San Pablo embraces culture,” outreach coordinator Dona DeRusso’s name was misspelled.

The Advocate regrets this error.

— The Contra Costa Community College District is committed to equal opportunity in educational programs, employment, and campus life. The District does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, parental status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any access to and treatment in College programs, activities, and application for employment.

The annual Student Advisory Committee election will be held at Contra Costa College this year. Every year a student gets an opportunity to be a part of the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board by being elected as student trustee representing the district’s students.

Students were able to vote for one of three candidates from May 10 to Monday.

The candidates for CCC are Middle College High School students Kwame Baah-Arhin, communications major Leon Watkins and engineering major Yi Li. Governing Board trustee Vicki Gordon said she enjoys being able to work with the students.

It allows the members of the Governing Board to know what students want and the issues going on around the campuses, she said.

“Good communication is the key to good governing. When we don’t have a student’s voice (on the Governing Board), student’s input won’t be in our decision making and planning,” Gordon said.

Student trustees are required to attend every monthly Governing Board meeting and must have reliable car transportation.

The person also has to check in with the Associated Student Unions at all three district colleges, to take the concerns around each campus to the board.

Erika Greene, CCC Student Life coordinator, said. “(The student trustee) will be in communication with the ASU presidents

from Contra Costa, Los Medanos and Diablo Valley colleges, so that way the student trustee will know all of the problems and issues that have been going at each of the campuses.”

One of the student candidates, Watkins, wants to bring a legacy of education to the entire district.

The U.S. Marine veteran has accomplished a lot after leaving the military. He found success in the motion picture industry and was a stand-in in the film “SpiderMan 2” and “Driving Miss Daisy” according to imbd.com.

One of his focuses is to bring awareness to military veterans on each campus.

Student trustees receive a $400 stipend per month and an advisory vote on the Governing Board.

An advisory vote does not count,

“Good communication is the key to good governing. When we don’t have a student’s voice (on the Governing Board), student’s input won’t be in our decision making and planning.”

Vicki Gordon,

Governing Board trustee

but the students’ voice will be considered in the vote.

“The student trustee is the voice for all students to the Governing Board and I think he or she is very important,” Greene said.

SYON | Vote of no confidence questions leadership Continued from Page 1 meeting.

The vote of “no confidence,” put into a motion by Director of Public Relations Richa Dahal and seconded by Sanson, received three “yes” votes, five “no” votes and one “abstention” at the meeting.

If the motion had passed by a three-fourths vote of the ASU Board, Syon would have immediately been demoted to senator and would not have been allowed to run for any executive position for the 2016-17 college year or receive his $500 stipend.

Instead, the second motion was passed with six “yes” votes to three “no” votes.

Dahal said the compromise allows Syon to finish his term, but not run for re-election, because he failed to meet his obligations as ASU president and for his “immature” behavior in the ASU Office.

“We had countless meetings to talk about what you haven’t been able to accomplish in your term (as president) and we have given you so many chances,” Dahal said to Syon during the meeting. “(Student Activity Coordinator Erika Greene) recommended that you don’t run for the next term and you stormed out (of the ASU Office) and created a bigger mess.”

“I hear you. I hear all of it,” Syon said at the meeting. “I own up to my failures and my accountability.

You know this is a touchy subject, but I’ve been trying. You know?

And that’s all I can really say.

“I’ve been trying and I have taken into consideration what everyone says. I reached out to try and get support but you know I can’t please, or change or accommodate the change that you all think is fit to see in the time frame

you (all) need to see it.”

ASU Treasurer Jun Chen, Dahal, Sanson and ASU Senator Addy Brien wrote the vote of “no confidence” letter in late February, Greene said.

Sanson, at the ASU meeting, said the vote of “no confidence” began when Syon removed himself as the only student from the college’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee, and when they found out that he had not attended shared governance meetings that are required under ASU Bylaws Section 2 Article II. Chen was not at the ASU Board meeting and did not vote because she was one of the students honored at CCC’s Foundation Scholarship ceremony that was held at the same time on May 4.

Sanson, Francis and Brien did not provide ASU senators at the meeting copies of the vote of “no confidence.”

Dahal said. “I found out that you wanted to come to a (private) compromise (with the dean on Monday) because you felt like you were a leader and that you have learned. But judging by your actions last week I don’t think you have grown as a leader.”

Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson confirmed she had two individual and two group meetings with Syon about the vote of “no confidence.”

Ferguson refused to disclose any information about Syon using the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as a shield.

At the ASU meeting, Parliamentarian Ryan Villareal said because he was not involved in the vote of “no confidence” meetings he is not quite sure if grievances aired in the letter against Syon are fair.

“I would say I feel like I’m in a relationship with all members of the ASU Board, however, I have known (Syon) Syon the longest,” Villareal said during the meeting.

“And I feel like at any point, if any one of you got a vote of ‘no confidence’ I would really question that. I feel like this right here is something that, sometimes (an individual’s) progression isn’t going to be seen right away. You know what I mean? And sometimes (it may be seen) right away.

You know six months, longer or a year. But to say that no progress, no changes are coming, you are giving up (on him).”

ASU Vice President of Club Affairs Safi Ward-Davis said, “It’s not like we are saying he won’t have a chance to grow later on, but as of right now the board is not confident in him being its leader.

The things listed on documentation that they wrote are the things every president before and (after) him will have to do.

“These positions that we take as leaders in here and the duties we have to do have never changed.

Nothing new has been added.”

Brien disagreed with Villareal, also. “(Syon has) been contributing, but not as much as he should be,” she said to Syon toward the end of the discussion at the meeting. “And I think a senator position would be better a fit for you because you are unable to fulfill your duties as president.”

The original compromise was

agreed upon a month before the ASU Board meeting during several meetings with Greene, Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson, Vice President of Club Affairs Safi Ward-Davis, Syon and the ASU members who pushed the vote of “no confidence.”

Related to the vote of “no confidence” are the terms of his stipend, a check that each ASU executive officer receives for meeting their obligations.

Ward-Davis said the original agreement did allow Syon to still receive up to the full $500 stipend check despite failing to meet his obligations as ASU president.

Syon said he never agreed to the condition that he is not entitled to the full amount of money at the private meetings, and it was removed in the compromise vote at the ASU meeting.

Ward-Davis, during the ASU Board proceedings, said, “They were going to give you a stipend, but when you made it open to The Advocate about vote of ‘no confidence,’ they took (removing your stipend) and put it back into play.”

Greene said the final agreement removed that stipulation, and how much Syon will be paid at the end of his term will be determined by the ASU Board at an internal meeting this week.

The vote of “no confidence” was originally tabled because an agreement was reached at two private meetings between Ferguson, those who wrote the letter and Syon, Greene said.

But because Syon sent an email in April to the Elections Committee Chairperson Chen stating that he was still planning to run for the 2016-17 presidency, the vote “of no confidence” was served as a motion at an ASU meeting.

ELECTIONS| ASU CENTER | Bolstering connections Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

all candidates ran unopposed.

The winners of the election will take office July 1, Ward-Davis said.

Exact results for the election are not available because they have not yet been counted. Updates on the results will be posted on The Advocate’s website, cccadvocate.com, at a later date.

Polling took place online through Surveymonkey.com, Greene said. Students entered their student ID number and cast their vote. Polling also took place outside of the Applied Arts Building at a table set up by ASU members.

Results will take a few days to be announced because the student ID numbers need to be checked to make sure there aren’t any duplicate numbers, Greene said.

The ASU meetings every Wednesday from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. are open for students to come and ask questions of the four candidates, ASU Election Committee Chair Jun Chen said. There were no formal debates held, however.

Current ASU President Nakari Syon said he is for the future of the ASU if Safi Ward-Davis is elected as president.

“She has been a big mentor to me in my time as president,” Syon said. “Safi has been kind of a shadow president in a way as the most experienced and hardworking member of the ASU.” If recruitment was as successful at the beginning of the semester the elections would not have been made up of candidates that were all running unopposed, Syon said. After the application window closed membership did grow.

Greene emphasized during ASU meetings for senators to go out and recruit new members.

The ASU voted in one new senator, Aireus Robinson, recruited by Syon, at the April 20 meeting, ASU Senator Andrew Lily said.

ASU Senator Francis Sanson said he recruited ASU Senator Karma Dolma.

Syon said recruiting new members was a goal he wanted to achieve at the beginning of the semester.

plete, the culinary arts department, Associated Students Union, Bookstore and a new Veterans Center will move into the first floor while the Business Office and the President’s Office will move into the second floor.

Culinary arts department Chairperson Nader Sharkes said the Three Seasons will change its name to “Aqua Tierra,” for Land and Sea. The Switch will be named “Pronto,” which means quick in Italian.

Joseph Ramires, a culinary art student, said he went on a tour of the cafeteria, demonstration room, kitchen, bakery, vendor, dining and express café areas.

“The new facilities will let us work better because the kitchen and bakery are going to be separate,” Ramires said. “We won’t have to be shoulder to shoulder anymore.”

Sharkes said the original design of the AA Building was intended to be efficient with the space that was provided, but the designers created a factory instead of a learning environment.

Vice President of Club Affairs Safi WardDavis said with the center of campus closed, students have had a hard time finding all the different programs and groups on campus.

“When the buildings open everything is going to pretty much be in a central location.

It’s going to be like the old Student Activity Building which was at the center of everything,” Ward-Davis said.

“The Library was not your only option for a place to go back then. You could go to the Rec Room, Amphitheater or cafeteria and (meet) with other students.”

The largest of the Campus Center and Classroom Project’s buildings, the General Education Building, contains 11 classrooms with wrap around whiteboards, four computer labs that will be equipped with Dell computers, division offices, full-time and part-time faculty offices and a 200-seat tiered

“We have a lot non-native immigrants, refugees, out of state students and a lot of first and second generation students in our community who deserve access to a quality education.”

Elizabeth Xiezopolski,

English as a second language chairperson

lecture hall.

Pyle said the only other project that the CCCP can be compared to is Diablo Valley College’s new buildings.

“Those were about 88,000 square feet,” he said. “The total area of this project is a bit over 100,000.”

Liberal Arts Division Dean Jason Berner said the Campus Center has been blocked off for so long now people have become used to the obstructive construction barriers.

“I still can’t exactly envision what the campus will be like when the fences come down,” Berner said.

“But when I stood in the middle of the buildings (during a tour) it felt so big and open. It’s going to be a big change after being so constricted over the last couple of years.”

Xiezopolski said open space and improved equipment that comes with the three new buildings also comes the duty to reach out to the people in the surrounding community for guidance and support a changing learning environment.

“We have a lot of non-native immigrants, refugees, out-of-state students and a lot of first and second generation students in our community who deserve access to quality education,” she said.

Berner said there won’t be any added course sections, but he expects the “welcoming atmosphere, places to hang out and be part of the community will increase enrollment.”

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“

CCC is a terrific campus to work at. I love the students and my faculty. I never discouraged them from contacting me if they needed to.” — Diana Hall, nursing administrative secretary

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Automotive services professor Peter Lock (left) and others in attendance raise their glasses to salute Lock’s time spent at the college during the annual Retirement

Reception and Staff Reunion hosted in the Library and Learning Resources Center on May 6.

Retirees venerated, adorned

Annual retirement ceremony highlights 5 of 9 departing faculty

BY Christian Urrutia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

Every year the Contra Costa College community says goodbye to its departing family members by holding a reception and staff reunion to remind them of how appreciated they were.

The annual Retirement Reception and Staff Reunion held in the Library on May 6, allowed folks on campus to say farewell to nursing administrative secretary Diana Hall, technical stage manager John “J.R.” Morocco, custodian Jeryl Landers, automotive services professor Peter Lock, physical education professor Rudy Zeller, biological sciences professor Debra Barnes, international education coordinator Sui-Fen Liao, senior administrative secretary Yolanda Mendoza and mathematics professor Hugh Walters.

Retirees who were unable to attend the ceremony were Mendoza, Barnes, Liao and Walters.

College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh began the reception by saying, “We have nine incredible, dedi-

“Diana totally focuses on students. When she is helping a student, nothing else matters.”

Cheri Etheredge,

nursing department chairperson

cated employees of CCC who are retiring here at the end of the semester.

We also have former retirees who have returned here today to say goodbye and hello to so many of you.”

She said, “We look forward to learning about our retirees here this afternoon. We have five of you joining us this afternoon and each of you have selected an individual to share a little bit about you as part of this retirement (get together).”

Nursing department Chairperson Cheri Etheredge introduced Hall and said, “Imagine sitting at your desk and a student asks for directions to their class, another student asks about prerequisites for the nursing program.

“Another student asks if he filled

out all the required paperwork so he can start his clinical rotation. A faculty member asks if a piece of equipment was ordered for the skills lab and the phone is ringing.

“That is the job of the administrative nursing assistant in the department and that is what Diana Hall has been doing for the last 16 years,” she said.

Etheredge also said a student response said Hall is calming in an intense program, when she surveyed students and faculty. One faculty response said, “Diana totally focuses on students. When she is helping a student, nothing else matters.”

After Etheredge’s introduction, Hall said, “CCC is a terrific campus to work at. I love the students and my faculty and I never discouraged them from contacting me if they needed to.

“Although I won’t be too far away, I’d imagine I’ll be available for classes and bugging everybody at their stations, so thank you all,” she said.

Counseling assistant MaryKate Rossi introduced Morocco.

“For the past 35 years we’ve been

truly blessed. With JR being the behind the scenes guy that he is, we don’t always see all the amazing things he does for our drama department and our performing arts center,” she said.

She said after a quick stint at American River College, Morocco had a big hand in designing and setting up components in the Knox Center.

Morocco said, “Usually I’m the guy behind the curtains in the back not in front of the stage. But I enjoyed (guiding) people within the Knox Center with the complications of doing a play or production. I spent the last 40 years in the California (college) system, building, fabricating, designing and inventing things for theater departments and now I’d like to do that for myself for awhile.”

Custodial Services Manager Darlene Poe said during her introduction of Landers, that whenever she needed to brighten her mood, she would go and find him to make her smile.

“But Jeryl, on behalf of custodial services at CCC, I wish you luck with your retirement,” Poe said.

‘ADVOCATE’ COACH FINDS GRATITUDE IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS

BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

The former men’s soccer coach, United Faculty vice president,and kinesiology professor is retiring after 18 years of challenging people at Contra Costa College to meet their own expectations of success.

“Rudy (Zeller) was a terrific advocate for faculty and students before, during and after we worked together,” UF President Jeffery Michels said. “He is a passionate person who is committed to students whether it is during a soccer game, in a classroom or the political area.

“He always has an overwhelming amount of work so I’m glad he found a way to retire,” Michels said. “We worked closely for seven years and we learned a lot together — but now he’s back into politics— (Zeller) is a progressive Bernie Sander supporter.”

At the college retirement ceremony at the Knox Center on May 6, Zeller, 66, gave a special thanks to Michels who was not the audience. “(Michels) is definitely one of my biggest mentors. He has given me ideas about how to get involved at the crossroad of education in politics,” he said. “We, as educators, have to educate politicians about

“Some people fabricate stories or act a certain way, but Zeller’s convictions are pure and he is passionate about them.

What you see is what you get.”

— Erik Visser, Solano Community College athletic director

what we want to have happen in this country.”

Zeller said he is using his extra time to jump back into his advocacy work for social justice.

“I’m supporting the candidacy of Bernie Sanders, working as a convener to help the delegates elect more delegates to the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia in June for the short term,” he said.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do in the long term, but I may go coach a professional team in South America. I don’t know.”

Solano Community College Athletic Director Erik Visser was an assistant coach alongside Zeller at the University of San Francisco in the early 1990s before he was hired at CCC in 1998.

“I am not surprised Zeller is supporting Sanders,” Visser

FILE PHOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Former men’s soccer coach Rudy Zeller laughs after being soaked with water by his players after their victory over Yuba College, 2-0, at the Soccer Field on Nov. 12, 2013.

laughed, “Some people fabricate stories or act a certain way, but Zeller’s convictions are pure and he is passionate about them. What you see is what you get.”

Zeller said to increase voter registration he plans to set up a table on campus before the June 7 California primary.

Zeller already solicited the Associated Student Union in March to get members to help with the process, while supporting Sanders.

A former soccer player under Zeller, Alto Ayhan, said he was reunited with his old Comet coach at a Democratic super delegate committee meeting in Richmond.

“(Zeller) helped convince the delegates of District 11 to support Sanders,” Ayhan said. “After the meeting we caught up and I found out he used to be politically active in the 1960s and 70s, but never talked about it on the field. But now I know 15 years later.”

Zeller said Sanders has stoked his passion for politics. He is reminded of the early 1970s when he dropped out of Brown University, a freshman out of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and drove across the country to Oakland, protesting the Vietnam War along the way.

“There was a two- or threeyear time in my life that I followed the anti-war movement across the

country,” he said. “I would get on the phone and organize at college campuses in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Then I would set up stands and bring out my socialist and communist literature and start talking to people.”

Zeller said he will miss the people at the college, but feels pride in knowing that he helped students realize that they are capable of reaching goals they never thought possible.

“Success is about developing an aptitude,” Zeller said. “If you want to get good at anything, get serious about understanding what it requires from you and then put in the effort.”

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“He’s an outstanding teacher, friend and mentor. It’s my first semester here but we’ve connected like we’ve known each other for years.” — Waleed Dabwam, automotive student

LEFT: Automotive professor and former department chairperson Peter Lock began as a student at CCC in 1973.

Lock is retiring after 37 years working at the college.

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Mentor establishes legacy Instructor perfects collision repair program over 37 years of service, dedication

BY Cody Casares PHOTO EDITOR

ccasares.theadvocate@gmail.com

Automotive technology professor and former department Chairperson Peter Lock is retiring this year, leaving behind a legacy of mentoring and compassion. Lock is responsible for facilitating the careers of countless Contra Costa College collision repair graduates, who are now working in the industry.

“If you go to a shop 50 miles around you’ll find a CCC graduate of the program,” automotive assistant Jim Gardner said. He said Lock’s true work begins after class ends, getting students jobs.

Lock graduated from Contra Costa College and has spent 37 years developing and maintaining an auto collision repair program that is recognized on a national level.

“His roots here are deep,” automotive department chairperson Lucile Beatty, said at the Annual Retreat Retirement and Staff Reunion.

Lock said his fervor for things automotive and mechanical started at a young age, taking apart lawnmowers in his backyard with his leaving tools out to rust in the rain frustrating his dad.

From that long-standing curiosity, Lock enrolled in automotive shop classes in high school.

“It just kind of built up from there,” Lock said.

“Even in high school I was actually working in a collision repair shop, working a lot of hours, I got a lot of experience even before I came to school here,” he said.

Lock said in high school he caught a glimpse of what

was possible with paint and hard work. He and his friends owned motorcycles, and looking to improve the look of his own bike he painted it with spray cans sanding and polishing the different parts by hand. ”I was able to see what could be done with paint and my friends wanted me to do their bikes also,” Lock said.

After high school Lock enrolled at CCC in 1973 taking automotive collision repair courses and ultimately earning his AS in Automotive Collision Repair.

“When I came to school here it wasn’t really a training program it was more of a hobby shop,” he said.

Lock said he initially intended on enrolling in the automotive mechanic classes but they were full and not being able to get in to his first choice, he choose to take collision repair courses instead.

“So I signed up for this and here I am,” he said.

“It was a blessing in disguise not to be the into auto repair program and this is not a knock on the mechanics but a lot of times you do things on a car and then you shut the hood. On the collision repair side whatever you do is all visual, the interior, the exterior, wheels tires, painting, body repair.”

Lock returned to CCC in the fall 1979, coming from working in the collision repair industry, when he was hired as an automotive repair instructor.

“I taught one semester as a part-time professor and before becoming the departments chairperson,” Lock said, “I was 23 years old.”

“I was in charge of both

departments and that was very difficult to oversee something I was really not a part of (Automotive Repair) but I had good faculty, professors, part-timers that came from the industry and are still in the industry and I’m quite proud of that, to bring in industry from professionals and shop owners, people who knew their craft.” more than a teacher Lock has been a mentor and friend to many students and faculty a like while in the automotive department at CCC. “Peter gets to know the student’s, he meets them individually and as a whole, automotive is just great that way because students have to work in teams when out on the floor in either of the shops,” Beatty said, “They are always learning how to learning how to work with people that are different from them.”

Lock teaches students problem solving whether it pertains to issues with collision repair work or morality, on or off the shop floor she said.

Automotive technology major Josh Paoli said, “I quit the automotive repair side because I heard he was retiring and everyone told me he was the best around,” he said.“He figured out a way to teach me and not everyone takes the time to do that. He’s constantly challenging students with work but also allows you to figure out things on yourself, that’s how you really learn.”

Without the work and foundation set by Lock the automotive department would not be where it is today Beatty said, “The collision repair program doesn’t have and has never had the budget that required to build and main-

““He’s not only been a teacher, he’s been a fundraiser and networker who has been determined to provide the best program for his students.”

Lucile Beatty,

automotive department chairperson

tain a premiere collision repair program.”

Beatty said the connections that Lock brought to the department throughout his time here have donated time, materials and resources needed to fuel the departments needs.

“He’s not only been a teacher, he’s been a fundraiser and networker who has been determined to provide the best program for his students,” she said.

Undecided major Waleed Dabwam said. “He’s an outstanding teacher, friend and mentor. It’s my first semester here but we’ve connected like we’ve known each other for years.”

“I’ve approached him with something that I couldn’t even approach my family with. He was very helpful and even followed up with me afterwards to see how I was doing.”

Through his networking from within the collision repair industry Lock has been able to offer I-Car educational programs to students.

“I-car is an international organization that provides the standards for collision repair training in this industry,” Beatty said, “So students can become I-Car certified while enrolled in the program, but

also collision repair shops bring in their employees to get certified or maintain their certification.”

By offering this program, Lock has created an environment that is provides networking opportunities for students to find work after graduation, being in classes with industry professionals.

Although Lock is retiring this year, he will remain a parttime professor in the automotive department as well as maintaining a position on the Advisory Committee he said.

“My life’s going to be to continue to work for a couple more years. I’ll teach part-time a little but as soon as everything evolves and either they don’t need me or it time to go, that’s it. I have a 3-year-old grandson so I will be able to take care of him when my daughter goes back to school.”

Lock aims to use whatever newfound free-time he has to finishing a re-model and restoration project he undertook in 2011 with a purchase of a “fixer upper home” as well as traveling with his family for his sons upcoming wedding in Mexico in November, he said.

“I look forward to keeping that going, finishing up the house. We’re going to be traveling a little bit, having some weddings, going through construction and I’ll be teaching part time, so I don’t see too much of a drop-off. I’m not one who’s going to sit and read the paper all day, I’ll read the paper but not all day,” He said.

“It was fun, I came in with a smile and I’m leaving with a smile. I’ve seen a lot of people leave bitter from Contra Costa College and I don’t know how in the hell that can happen.”

CUSTODIAN WITNESSES POSITIVE TRANSFORMATION Steward reflects on 25 years of employment

BY Tobias Cheng STAFF WRITER

tcheng.theadvocate@gmail.com

“How would I describe his laugh? If you knew him, he had a laugh like nobody else.

He always had a smile on his face,” custodian Donna Ericson said.

Jeryl Landers, a custodian who had been working at Contra Costa College for 25 years, retired at the age of 61 in December as one of many retiring from working at the college.

Landers is one of nine faculty and staff members who either have retired recently or is planning to retire after this semester.

Custodians may fly under the radar, but without them, the college would not be as pleasant a place.

They not only empty trash cans and keep the campus clean, but also help set up for events around campus and perform maintenance.

Landers said when he was young, he worked as a short order cook at various Landers restaurants such as IHOP. However, cooking was not Landers his passion. worked at After about 10 years of CCC as a working in restaurants, he custodian said, “I was getting tired of and is retircooking.” ing at age At that point, Landers 61 after 25 started his career in the years of field of maintenance. work.

His work brought him to many schools, eventually ending up at CCC when he was 36, in 1990.

Stan Porter, custodian, said Landers came

to CCC “as a substitute (and) eventually got hired full time.”

He said he stayed at CCC for so long because he not only liked the staff and employees, but the students as well.

Landers said, “I liked watching the students set their goals (and) accomplish them.

Some students come back as professors,” he said.

He also said he liked watching the campus change over the years, both in terms of new buildings and of the people.

Landers said he enjoyed “watching the campus over the years, how it transformed to bigger and better things.”

“I have a wife and three kids (who all did well),” Landers said. “My wife was looking to retire at the same time (but had to continue working longer). “(My wife and I) continue to travel a lot.”

“Jeryl watched his grandchildren after work for his daughter,” Custodial Manager Darlene Poe said. “He’s a great family man.

He has a big heart.

“I liked watching the students set their goals (and) accomplish them. Some students come back as professors.”

— Jeryl Landers, custodian

“He’d give people money for food if they had none.” She said Landers told her a lot of stories about his life.

Poe said, “He would do anything for anybody. Anybody. If a co-worker needed something, he’d help.”

“He had a big smile. Always had a smile on his face. Very sweet person,” Ericson said.

She worked with Landers for 22 years.

Porter said Landers was easy to work with. “He was definitely well liked.”

Poe said, “Jeryl helped with everything.

He went above and beyond.

“He was the nicest person you could ever work with. (I am) really gonna miss him.

Wish I could clone him.”

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Core support instills values Assistant retires after serving her community

BY Asma Alkrizy

“

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Hall is always busy helping students and answering the phone calls when students or faculty need her help.”

— Cheri Etheredge, nursing department chairperson

“Diana Hall has been the glue holding faculty and students together.”

Maryanne Werner-McCullough,

OPINION EDITOR

nursing professor

aalkrizy.theadvocate@gmail.com

After serving as the administrative secretary in the nursing department for the last 16 years, Diana Hall decided to retire from Contra Costa College in June.

“Working in the nursing program has been very satisfying,” administrative secretary Hall said. “I enjoy my great faculty and our wonderful registered nursing and nursing assistant students. We have the most cooperative and supportive staff, faculty and management.”

Hall said she started her career a CCC as a student worker in 1990. Then she got hired as an hourly worker for staff development beginning in 1994.

In 2000 she transitioned to the nursing department as an hourly classified worker.

She was permanently hired as an administrative secretary in June 2002.

She said the biggest obstacle in the nursing program was to discover what was required in the job and how it was accomplished.

“Dianna is always busy helping students and answering phone calls when students or faculty need her help,” nursing department Chairperson Cheri Etheredge said. “She gets interrupted at least 25 times a day and she takes it all in a stride.

Etheredge said as an administrative secretary in the nursing department, Hall performs a full range of duties for students and faculty in the nursing department.

“She is the go-to person for full-time faculty, part-time faculty and students when anyone has a question,” she said.

She said several questions students ask Hall about are the prerequisites for the nursing program and if students have completed the hospital requirement so they can start their clinical rotation.

The other question students ask concerns the Nursing Lottery Results, as they try to figure what number are they on the lottery

list for admission to the program. Faculty often ask Hall if a piece of equipment for the nursing program got ordered for the skills lab, Etheredge said.

She said that’s what Hall has been doing for the last 16 years at the college. “Not only has she done her job, but she has done it with grace and kindness,” she said. “She is calm, reassuring and makes you feel that your problem is the only problem in the world.”

Nursing professor Maryanne WernerMcCullough said she can’t imagine what the nursing department will be like after Hall retires.

“Diana Hall has been the glue holding faculty and students together,” she said. “ She is a dedicated nursing assistant. When she helps a student nothing else matters. She’s been so gracious and welcoming. I am sorry to see her go.”

Werner-McCullough said the retirement reception, which is a retirement party honoring retired faculty, was hosted on May 6 at 3 p.m. and it gave faculty and invited guests a chance to say goodbye to Hall and other retiring faculty at Contra Costa College.

Etheredge, who spoke on behalf of Hall at the retirement party said she tried to convey how Hall’s performance has helped students and staff by asking a number of students and faculty to give her their thoughts about Hall.

“One student response said (Hall) provides a quick response to any question and that she is nurturing and a fundamental part of the (nursing) program,” she said.

Her favorite response from the sources she gathered, she said, was from a nursing student who wrote, “She is like the leg bone in the body which connects to the hip bone and keeps everything moving.”

She also asked several faculty members to sum up Hall and one of the faculty responses said Hall focuses on students and she is dedicated to the nursing department.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Nursing administrative secretary Diana Hall sits in her office in the Health Sciences Building on Friday. Hall will retire from her current position of serving nursing students in a full-time capacity for the past 16 years on June 20.

EVANS-DAVIS EXCELS IN SPEECH ‘Integral part’ earns recognition, bronze medal

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

It’s been said in many ways over the course of decades, but the sentiment behind a quote by analytical psychology founder Carl Jung remains as true as it ever was — “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”

For Contra Costa College sophomore Lerecia Evans-Davis, the tribulations that shaped her trajectory would have sent many people spiraling into the depths of despair.

Instead she turned adversity into advantage and took the bronze medal in the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship Tournament held March 9-13 this semester at City College of San Francisco.

It’s been more than five years since CCC has placed in the tournament, which this year featured 33 registered colleges from up and down California.

A career woman, Evans-Davis always saw herself as innovative and creative. She began a career at the Vallejo Times-Herald in 1998 and handled office duties, wrote stories and covered the complete life experience, including birth and death announcements.

She remained on the job until a dip in advertising income hampered the news outlet’s revenue stream.

Combined with the economic crash of 2008, the table was set for Evans-Davis to venture into a career that she always dreamed to be a part of — working with troubled youth.

“I’m about effecting change at the community level,” Evans-Davis said. “When you catch an at-risk teen at the right time you can save its life.”

The married mother of one earned less at her new dream job than she did at her previous posi-

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Communications major Lerecia Evans-Davis poses next to awards won by the speech department in the AA Building. Evans-Davis is a key asset on the speech and debate team, gaining various accolades at speech tournaments.

tion, but her husband’s income made earning less manageable.

Until life threw the young mother a curve ball.

“My husband passed unexpectedly in 2013 and the work that I was doing with the youth wasn’t a viable option any more for a single mother looking to make ends meet,” Evans-Davis said. “I needed to do something to jump-start my career. That’s how I ended up at school.”

A regular performer of spoken word poetry, shortly after enrolling at CCC Evans-Davis met speech department Chairperson Sherry Diestler after performing a persuasive speech at the college’s Intramural Speech Tournament.

Diestler said, “When I first met her she (Evans-Davis) had gotten first place in our tournament. We didn’t know who she was but we asked her to take more courses and she became our star. She’s willing to take on really challenging topics and she also has Programmed Oral Interpretation (POI), so she takes on topics like micro-aggression or giving ‘the talk’ to her son and presents them poetically.”

POI is an 8-10 minute performance of poetry, prose and drama using the works of authors.

Diestler and speech professor Randy Carver impressed EvansDavis with their passion about the platform to connect with an audience and judges, offered through

speech, about real issues that shape culture and everyday life.

“She’s an integral part of the speech department. She holds everyone accountable and is an advocate and recruiter for speech,” team member and communications major Will Jackson said.

After graduating this spring, Evans-Davis ultimately hopes to go back to work with at-risk youth for a non-profit organization.

“Aside from connecting around ideas and applying theories to every day situations, speech holds a lot of merit,” Evans-Davis said. “It has been instrumental in my personal life and academic success.”

Following a run through of her performance on the complications

that African-American parents face while educating young sons about going to police officers in case of an emergency, while being completely cognizant of the overarching abuse young black men suffer at the hands of police, the orator was met with a surprising response.

A speech judge from rural Utah approached Evans-Davis and simply said, “That was a very interesting topic. I’ve never looked at the situation like that before.”

“Speech is more than just speaking behind a podium. Public speaking provides a platform to amplify your voice,” Carver said. “The speech department and competitions provide a forum for those amplified voices to be heard.”

campusbeat Ceremony reveres scholars A8

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

Community commends effort, honors students

BY Denis Perez ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

dperez.theadvocate@gmail.com

Award and scholarship recipients at Contra Costa College were honored at the 57th Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony hosted by the College Foundation Board in the Knox Center on May 4.

Contra Costa College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh said 78 scholarships and 48 awards were given out to 71 students at the ceremony. Some students received multiple scholarships.

Media and film major Jocelyn Garcia received three awards: the Kennedy-King Scholarship of $10,000, the Bernard Osher Scholarship of $1,000 and the Sy & Beverly Zell Scholarship of $1,000.

Mehdizadeh said more than $200,000 was put into the hands of students this semester.

Foundation Secretary Bill Van Dyke said it is not easy for students to finish college with various problems that occur and family members who need to be taken care of. Van Dyke said the Foundation raises money to help alleviate the financial burden carried

by CCC students who can apply and win scholarships or awards.

Executive Foundation Director Cindy Goga said 80-95 percent of the donations to the Foundation are from individuals who are passionate about education. Others are businesses, family members of students and members of the surrounding community.

Goga said the recipients should remember that CCC was the beginning of their higher educational path.

Garcia said she is glad to have the money to pay her first year’s tuition when she transfers to UC Berkeley in the fall because of the hard work she has done.

“I feel very empowered to (someday) come back to the community here and be an advocate for the higher education of CCC students,” she said.

Garcia said she was able to file her applications easily due to her knowledge of the resources available. She said students who do not know the processes and resources

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Karla Juarez walks across the stage accompanied by her son during the 57th Annual Scholarship Award Ceremony, hosted by the College Foundation Board, where recipients of scholarships and awards were honored in the Knox Center on May 4.

available will have a hard time completing their applications.

Psychology major Jeilo Guana, the recipient of a $750 Foundation General Scholarship, the AGS Service Award of $250, the ASU Leadership Award of $1,000 and the Sy & Beverly Zell Scholarship of $1,000 said, “I feel ecstatic. These scholarships will keep me away from student loans and although the (scholarship application) process was very tedious, it was well worth it since I am able to support my little sister now.”

Mehdizadeh said the annual event wouldn’t be possible without the support of faculty who wrote letters of recommendation for students and helped them through

the application process.

Student Services and Instruction Support Coordinator Charles Ramirez said this year the Financial Aid Office was given the responsibility to oversee the scholarship application and receipt process.

Ramirez said financial aid workers advertised the scholarships through social media, the Financial Aid Office newsletter, email blasts to students and fliers containing extension dates and other important content relevant to scholarships.

Over the previous two years, Foundation Office workers oversaw this process, working with students and faculty to advertise, collect and select the scholarship winners.

At the event, Beth Goehring, Academic Senate president, and Dean of Enrollment Services Dennis Franco presented the awards. As the students’ names were called, they were directed to walk to center stage to pose for a picture while receiving applause from the audience.

As film major Sakeema Payne, who received the African-American Staff Association Scholarship of $500 and the ASU Leadership Award of $1,000, walked across the stage to receive her certificates, speech major Alfonso Ramirez was part of the audience clapping for Payne.

Ramirez said he was happy to show support for Payne.

Misleading signs intimidate cyclists, skaters Posted restrictions conflict with bikefriendly movement

BY Benjamin Bassham NEWS EDITOR

bbassham.theadvocate@gmail.com

Inaccurate signs have been placed on campus saying use of bicycles, skateboards and inline skates is prohibited, and will be cited, but Police Services has “no intention of ticketing” responsible users.

Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said when the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board decided to ban hover boards, Police Services said the signs were necessary to enforce the ban.

The signs, placed at three entrances to the campus, are a district-standard design that hasn’t been brought up to date, and they don’t mention hover boards.

King said Police Services has no intention of ticketing bike users.

“It’s the letter of the law versus the

“I’m upset and I’m not even a biker. We spent a lot of energy making this a bicycle-friendly campus.”

Jim Gardner,

automotive assistant

intent of the law,” he said.

Police Services Corporal Tom Holt said, “I can’t say they are not unlawful, (but) we don’t write everyone a ticket that rolls through a stop sign at one mph, even though it is illegal.”

Even hover boards are not necessarily banned. Holt said, “Everything is generally permitted. We probably won’t stop people who are using hover boards in a responsible manner.” It only became an issue because “hover boards were being ridden in hallways, not showing

courtesy to pedestrians,” he said.

King and automotive technology assistant Jim Gardner both stated dissatisfaction with the signs.

“They are the most unwelcoming signs I’ve seen on this campus,” Gardner said. “I’m upset and I’m not even a biker. We spent a lot of energy making this a bicycle-friendly campus. When they see that sign, the law abiding (students) will be intimidated,” he said.

King and Gardner, both members of the Sustainability Committee, said the effort and expense that went into putting bicycle racks in front of every building on campus, and installing two bike lockers, and a bike repair station by the Bookstore, are somewhat sabotaged by the threats of the red on white sign.

The Sustainability Committee hosted Bike to School Day on Thursday, like every other May 12, in defiance of the signs.

“I’m confused, and you can quote me on that,” Gardner said.

District Police Chief Ed Carney said an internal discussion about consistency is beginning.

“We understand, and we are working on it,” he said. (The signs) may be clarified by fall and standardized across the district.

Gardner said that Diablo Valley College already has far more suitable signs saying that skateboards, skates and bicycles are regulated, and in more reassuring colors. The signs are just intended to show that Police Services has authority over the reckless, regardless of that they’re riding. Even if no one cares enough to update the sign to mention hover boards, DVC’s style of sign would be an improvement.

King said the issue would have to go back to the Governing Board to make that change.

BART REPRESENTATIVES REQUEST EXTENSION OF BOND Clubs publicize the necessity of an up-to-date system

“Lots of emphasis was put on expanding infrastructure, with little planning for maintenance.”

BY Benjamin Bassham

Zachary Mallet, director of District 7

NEWS EDITOR

bbassham.theadvocate@gmail.com

BART representatives asked the community to “Reinvest in BART” to repair and update its aging systems in a presentation co-sponsored by the Community Organizing Political Action Club (COPA), and the Business Club.

Zachary Mallett, director of District 7 and government, and community relations representative June Garrett informed attendees in LA-100 on May 11 about BART’s aging infrastructure and the funding BART wants, including a half-cent sales tax.

The presentation, hosted by Dr. Joe DeTorres, the chairperson of the business department and adviser for the Business Club, started at 4 p.m. and was attended mostly by business students.

Mallett described the history of BART since its opening in 1972 and detailed how much work and funding are needed to bring BART to a “state of good repair.”

DeTorres said BART is the

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

BART District 7 Director Zachary Mallet speaks to students about how the transportation agency plans to refurbish and improve its outdated stations and cars in LA-100 on May 11.

major transportation service in the Bay Area. Mallet said BART’s weekday ridership has swollen from around 50,000 at opening to nearly 450,000 now. BART added the 3.8 mile Transbay Tube in 1974, which Mallet said carries 22,200 passengers per hour, about one and a half times the Bay Bridge’s 14,200

per hour. In the mid-90s BART expanded greatly to cover various airports and other areas.

Mallet said, “Lots of emphasis was put on expanding infrastructure, with little planning for maintenance.” About a third of BART’s assets are at the end of their useful life. In 10 years, if nothing is done,

it will be about half, he said.

Most of the fleet of 6,659 cars is original from 1972, Mallet said, making them the oldest of their kind in the country. The average car has seen 30.1 years of service, and 90 percent of the fleet is on the track during commute hours, increasing wear and tear.

Mallett said the Bay Area’s transportation network would fail without BART. Traffic delays on Interstate 80 would become 2.5 times longer.

Mallett said BART needs a total of $9.6 billion to fund the most essential maintenance and expansion. BART has “pried loose” $4.8 billion, leaving a $4.8 billion gap that taxpayers would need to close.

BART is hoping a $3.5 billion bond measure will pass this year. The remainder will come from the Transportation Expenditure Plan that, if it moves ahead, will impose a half-cent sales tax for the next 30 years to pay for various transportation related issues.

Mallett said BART’s plan is underway, as 775 cars are on order and 10 have already arrived. The new cars are better designed, quieter, have screens to display information and automated station messages.

A9 campus beat Emergency phones ignored WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

Passersby neglect landlines located in buildings

BY Roxana Amparo ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

In the age of cell phones, students question whether landlines are easier to access than the device in their pocket in case of an emergency.

The 22 red emergency phones are located inside campus buildings for students to use in case of an emergency or to request an police aide escort on campus.

“I wouldn’t use them. I’d walk,” Jelaine Maestas, a Middle College High School student, said. “They could be useful if people knew about them though.”

The locations of the emergency phones include three in the Applied Arts Building, two in the Liberal Arts Building, one in the Health

Sciences Building, three in the two Physical Sciences buildings, one in the Biology Building, two in the Art Building, one in the Computer Technology Center, four in the Automotive Technology Building, one in the Early Learning Center, one in the Gymnasium, two in Gym Annex Building and one in the Knox Center.

There are no emergency phones located in the Library and Learning Resource Center, the Student Services Center or the Music Building.

Technology Systems Manager James Eyestone said when picking up any of the emergency phones, Police Services is automatically dialed. Before the emergency phones were updated, about two years ago, students had to dial a number they wanted to call, he said.

Some of the emergency phones have a sign or photo by them with emergency phone numbers taped to the wall, while others simply hang in the buildings with no

attached information about how to use them.

Maestas said, “When you see that a phone is on the wall, you think of them more as a decoration stuck to the wall.”

The phones connect to Police Services without having to dial the numbers given on the paper.

Police aide Parmdeep Singh said, “Students use the phones to call for (escort) rides all of the time.”

Students request rides to their classes on a daily basis, Police Dispatcher Flora Gonzalez said.

She works during the afternoons and has been present for many of the phone calls.

Corporal Tom Holt said, “The phones are used on occasion, but we don’t keep a record of how often they are used.”

When Police Services receives a call, they send out police aides or a police dispatcher depending on the situation, police aide Bryan Lopez said.

Communication major Cierra

“When you see that a phone is on the wall, you think of them more as a decoration stuck to the wall.”

— Jelaine Maetas, Middle College High School student

Ford said, “I don’t think a lot of students know what the phones are for. I didn’t know and I have been here for a while.”

Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said most everyone on campus has a cellphone that they would probably rather use than the emergency phones.

Although the idea of “phasing out” the emergency phones has been considered, District Police Services Chief Ed Carney said it doesn’t mean they should be taken down.

“Rather than not having the phones, I’d rather have them,” he said.

Ford said, “I think the first place students would turn is to their own phone, instead of searching for one around campus. And who’s to say the (campus) phone is even going to ring or if they (Police Services) are available to answer it,” Ford said.

There is a direct line to call Police Services available. It is 510215-4858.

Carney said they are developing a project to make the emergency phones capable of two-way communication.

He said, “We are also researching ways to implement emergency phones in the classrooms.”

Before they were located inside of the buildings, campus emergency phones were placed at various areas outside on campus. On May 9, an Advocate reporter found an emergency phone that was out of service on the second floor of the LA Building. Singh said it was brought to their attention on May 5 and the phone line was found repaired on Friday.

RECYCLE BINS ADD FUNDING TO COMMITTEE

LEFT: Police aide Ashley Crandell, an administration of justice major, and Evelio Perez, an engineering major, take a ride in Lot 10 on May 2.

Signal Advertising arrives on campus for revenue stream

BY Salvador Godoy STAFF WRITER

sgodoy.headvocate@gmail.com

After the Sustainability Committee unveiled a deal with Signal Outdoor Advertising last fall to bring profitable recycling bins to the college, the new containers have arrived on campus.

Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said the six bins were installed two weeks ago and the company will contribute by paying the college $300 per month.

“The small amount of money can make a lot of a difference. We’re glad we have this new addition at the college,” King said.

The bins around campus contain three slots for cans, glass and plastic. The hope is that they create a cleaner, more efficient recycling effort on campus.

With the arrival of the bins, the plan is that the college is transformed into an eco-friendly campus. Hopes are that students will understand on how to properly recycle on campus to prevent future waste confusions.

Anthropology adjunct professor Lisa SchwappachShirrif said, “I find it easier as now students will learn how to suitably recycle on campus and know which waste item goes where.”

According to the Signal Outdoor website, the advertising group operates more than 500 advertising kiosks on 80 college campuses in the U.S., targeting the 18 to 24-year-old market.

Two new containers were placed by the Applied Arts Building — one at the main entrance downstairs and one by the Three Seasons Restaurant, one at the Bookstore, one in the Gym Annex Building, one at Library and Learning Resource Center and one by the Students Services Center.

“We placed them at locations where we think students often eat their food and snacks,” King said.

If enough recycled material isn’t collected in a certain area, that bin will be moved to another location on campus. King said the committee doesn’t have longterm plans to order more bins for now.

“The new campus center buildings (which open this fall) will be the perfect spot,” King said. A bin or two may be moved to that area this fall.

The college expects to target new advertisers, from on-campus programs to local and corporate businesses, to place advertisements on the bins. Program contributors will finally have a new beneficial source to advertise upcoming events and products for students.

Culinary arts department Chairperson Nader Sharkes said, “In the future, we have do have plans to advertise our events and food items, after we move to the new Student and Administration.”

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Escorts reduce concerns

BY Xavier Johnson ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

“Anything could happen at night. I don’t really see campus police around at night. That makes me feel uneasy.”

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

Often times students take night classes to accommodate a busy work schedule, parenting duties or both.

Safety for night students is a concern on campus.

During the winter the sun goes down as early as 5 p.m. and in spring and summer it becomes dark around 8 p.m.

With night classes running past 9 p.m., it is inevitable that these students will be leaving class after it is dark.

Political science major Xenia Rivera said she doesn’t feel safe going to and leaving her Introduction to Macroeconomics Principles class on Mondays from 6:40 to 9:30 p.m.

“I only feel safe going to class or leaving if my boyfriend is with me,” Rivera said.

She said the main concern for her is the lack of good lighting near the Liberal Arts and Physical Sciences buildings.

“Anything could happen at night. I don’t really see campus police around at night. That makes me feel uneasy,” Rivera said.

Corporal Tom Holt said Police Services officers and police aides are making their rounds at night.

He said they provide students with

Xenia Rivera,

political science major

escorts as well as a consistent patrol around campus.

For non-emergencies students can call the Police Services general number 510-236-2820 to be connected right to a Police Services dispatcher.

Students with emergencies can call the campus emergency line at 510-235-7800 or dial 911.

When dialing 911, Richmond consolidated dispatch receives the call.

Richmond Police will contact CCC officers, Holt said.

Concerns have been addressed recently with the LED lights installed near the Student Services Center.

Student safety remains a concern for some students.

Holt said he would like to see lighting improved on campus and more cameras installed.

Specifically, he said he would like to see more lighting on upper Campus

Drive.

Milca Baires, a political science major, said when she took night classes she felt unsafe when having to walk while it was dark.

“If I’m attacked at night it is hard to receive help. I probably won’t remember Police Service’s number to call them,” Baires said. She said she wishes there were emergency buttons around campus for students to press when in distress.

Baires is not the only student to bring up the idea of emergency buttons.

Melissa Chavez, nursing major, said her safety is not an issue since she is usually with friends but understands how other students do.

She said installing emergency buttons around campus would be a good idea.

“It is just extra assurance, you know. It would be a good idea if it is possible,” Chavez said.

Nursing major Sana Khan said she does not feel safe at all when on campus at night.

She said she walks cautiously around campus when exiting her night class and feels like she doesn’t see Police Services officers often enough at night.

Holt said students should have the Police Services numbers on speed dial in their cell phones in order to quickly contact Police Services when needed.

ED FUND OFFERS UP TO $130,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS WCCUSD

BY Tobias Cheng

high school

tcheng.theadvocate@gmail.com

students attain financial help through nonprofit

STAFF WRITER

Elijah Toumoua is a Middle College High senior who “barely makes enough money.”

He said affording college can be a large challenge for many students coming out of high school.

Fortunately, he is receiving a scholarship from the Ed Fund. The Ed Fund, a nonprofit organization, is giving five high school seniors from MCHS each scholarships.

Two hundred forty-three high school seniors from the West Contra Costa County Unified School District applied for a part of the total scholarship which amounts to $130,000, Executive Director of the Ed Fund Joel Mackey said.

The top 56 seniors with the “grit” and “passion” it takes to succeed in col-

“She listens to and respects her classmates, and contributes in the class discussions.

I think she has worked hard and is deserving of this scholarship. I am very proud of Richa.”

Deborah Bauer, speech professor

lege were chosen to receive the scholarships, he said.

Mackey said, “We hope to double to number of students who complete college.”

He said the scholarships are awarded so that high school seniors can “realize their college dreams.”

The Ed Fund gives back to the community, Middle College High senior Richa Dahal said.

“It (MCHS) is very focused on community service.”

Toumoua said he found out about the scholarships through a class.

“Having the scholarship is nice.”

He said it helps prevent him “from taking out loans.”

Dahal is also receiving a scholarship.

She said she found out about the scholarships through fliers at MCHS. “The application process was actually pretty simple,” she said.

Speech professor Deborah Bauer said, “(Dahal) has been in two of my classes and each time she has demonstrated a mature, collegiate academic attitude toward her studies.”

She is always engaged in the lectures and activities that take place.

“She listens to and respects her class-

mates, and contributes in the class discussions. I think she has worked hard and is deserving of this scholarship. I am very proud of Richa,” Bauer said.

Bauer also said that high school students, not necessarily from MCHS, typically make up about 20 to 25 percent of her students.

She said some students strive for the highest grades while others struggle to pass, which is the same as with college students.

The Ed Fund held its “28th Annual Soaring to Excellence Celebration” on May 6 at El Cerrito High School.

The event not only honored the scholarship recipients, but many teachers from the WCCUSD as well.

Dahal said, “I liked how they acknowledged community members and teachers.” Toumoua said, “(The teachers) are the reason we have an education.”

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campusbeat

MUSICIANS TO JAZZ UP CONCERT Music

department to give its second showcase this semester

BY Asma Alkrizy OPINION EDITOR

aalkrizy.theadvocate@gmail.com

The music department will host a jazz concert, giving jazz vocal students a chance to showcase their abilities at the John and Jean Knox Center for the Performing Arts on Friday at 8 p.m.

Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Vocal and Piano Programs Stephanie Austin said she organized the vocal performance and invited guest jazz singer Barbara Morrison to perform at the Jazz Vocal Gala.

“These performances are a yearly thing we do,” she said. “We tend to be very busy when we have an upcoming musical performance, with students rehearsing. Students rehearse at a different time, so I try to help them individually.”

Dr. Austin said the jazz concert will feature three jazz vocal ensembles, which are comprised of Contra Costa College music major students who

have been rehearsing for the upcoming concert. The featured groups include Jazz Singers, Jazzology, and Jazzanova.

“There will be jazz pianists, jazz soloists, and jazz choirs,” she said.

Jazzology and Jazzanova are auditioned ensembles that use vocal and jazz skills to perform and also work on solo development. Jazz Singers are beginning choir students with background experience in jazz who don’t need to go through the auditioning to perform at concerts.

Engineering major Irina Tabor said she will perform at the concert in the beginning choir ensemble. She said she took the music class to gain an average of 12 units, and ended up participating in the performance.

“They put me in groups with other students. We sometimes practice in groups as part of the beginning choir.

I am really excited and a bit anxious about the concert though,” Tabor said.

However, the Jazz Vocal Gala is not

the first vocal performance the music department has organized this semester. Preceding this upcoming jazz concert was a classical concert that the music department hosted.

Music professor Wayne Organ said the music department showcases one vocal performance for each semester, but this spring semester it decided to showcase two concerts.

“We have decided to make these changes because a lot of our music students work very hard to prepare for their pieces and they don’t get a chance to play them in front of an audience,” he said.

“We decided to do two concerts this semester, one for students who are performing classical music and the other for students who are performing jazz.”

Organ said the classical concert that was hosted was similar to the jazz concert in structure. There were classical pianists, classical soloists and a classical choir. The only difference was the

music genre.

“The May 20 jazz concert focuses mainly on jazz,” he said. “So there will be a lot of jazz music going on in the concert. It’ll be fun.”

Organ said as part of being a music major, students have to perform in concerts, share the hard work that they’ve done and the hours they put into mastering the music pieces and the instruments.

“It is like being an athlete,” he said.

“For example, they have basketball games and in music we have a concert, which is same thing as playing in a tournament. But the only difference is music isn’t about winning or losing. The payoff is sharing it with an audience.”

He said he will offer extra credit to students who attend the jazz concert.

“It will give students a chance to learn about jazz and the different styles played in the concert. It’ll be a great experience,” Organ said.

MATH JAM SIMPLIFIES UPCOMING COURSEWORK

BY Salvador Godoy STAFF WRITER

sgodoy.theadvocate@gmail.com

Students who want to expand their mathematics expertise can gain momentum to attend the summer and fall Math Jam sessions coordinated by HSI/STEM grant.

The program offers a supportive and stress-free environment that better enables students to overcome their fears and anxieties about taking math courses.

Ysrael Condori, HSI/STEM staff member, said, “This is a great opportunity, not only who are performing well in math, but to those students who are struggling. The Math Jam program will transform students’ learning outcomes.”

In order to be qualified to attend the Math Jam program, students must be registered in one of the compatible classes that are covered in the Math Jam regular session. These are Math 118, Math 120, Math 164, Math 171 or Math 190. For the night session, supported classes are Math 164 and Math 190.

“Whether you’re in computer science or any other major, this will be a useful program, I guarantee. This is long-term learning,” Condori said.

The summer program goes from June 13-17. The regular session is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the fall session Math Jam goes from Aug. 1-3. The night session is scheduled from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and is only offered in the fall semester.

The components to be covered in Math Jam will be an overview of basic concepts for the upcoming fall semester math courses, learning how to relate math to everyday life, college skill building and deconstructing myths of math.

“The role of the Math Jam program is to try to gather the most important elements, teach useful strategic concepts that will be covered in the future (compatible) math courses,” Condori said.

For the summer program, the confirmed faculty members who will be participating are mathematics professors Christopher Nagal and Trung Nguyen. The definitive professors who are attending the fall program are Lisa Jones, Trung Nguyen and Carol Stanton.

Kelly Ramos, HSI/STEM program coordinator, said, “It’s a great program for students to attend and not only is it giving them an overview of what they need to learn in their appropriate courses, but they get to learn their professors and classmates in a relaxing way.”

At the 2015 Math Jam program, the HSI/STEM staff members collected feedback from students who attended which showed satisfying results at 95.8 percent. Students said they would recommend the program to their friends.

“We received outstanding feedback from students who attended the last session,” Condori said.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Drama professor Linda Jackson-Whitmore prepares to bow down with her class after performing various scenes and skits in one part of the drama department’s open house for high school students on May 5 in the Knox Center.

Open house highlights acting skills, invites aspiring thespians

BY Xavier Johnson ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

An open house for interested Middle College High School and Contra Costa College students was held in the Knox Center on May 5 as a part of the drama department’s preparation for the 201617 academic year.

Classes from the drama department presented a short show for about 20 students in attendance featuring examples of what they have been learning in their classes throughout the spring semester, drama professor Linda JacksonWhitmore said.

Adjunct drama professor Kathy McCarty said, “I hope the open house showed that the drama department is an open, inviting and fun environment that’s on the upswing.”

During the show, drama department Chairperson Carlos-Manuel Chavarría spoke about the new additions to the growing drama department that will be enacted in the coming semesters.

A new class, Theater History, taught by director and adjunct professor Angelina LaBarre, will be added for fall 2016.

Chavarría said a drama transfer degree is in the works as well.

Jackson-Whitmore said, “The program is definitely growing a lot. This

isn’t just a place where students come in and take one class anymore. This is becoming a full course students can take and then transfer to a four-year.”

Alongside the new additions to the course, a drama club will also be started, Chavarría said.

MCHS student Luis Gonzalez said, “I’m glad I came. I am pretty interested in joining the Drama Club.”

The open house performance started with John Morocco introducing students from his Drama 106 Technical Theater Production/Stagecraft class.

They gave a presentation going through elements of technical theater production like lights and sound, explanations of stage positions and theater terminology.

The presentation was a cumulative look of what they learned during the semester.

Jackson-Whitmore had students from her Drama 122 Acting 1 class.

Most were MCHS students taking their first drama class, she said.

The class performed acting exercises they learned in class.

The exercises covered stage combat, stage picture practice, prop use exercise and a monologue performance.

The exercises were good basic exercises that newer actors learn, JacksonWhitmore said.

MCHS student Miguel Serrato said, “Acting 1 was cool. I didn’t really know what they did in these drama classes before. That monologue was tremendous.”

Actors from the production of “The Laramie Project” performed a short scene from the play.

Acting 2 students Oz Herrera-Sobol and Derian Espinoza performed the scene to show students what kind of productions they can get involved in, LaBarre said.

The Drama 123 Acting 2 class took the stage and performed improvisational comedy scenes.

Improvisational comedy is a more advanced exercise the Acting 2 students do.

Melissa Hadiyanto, Tayler Meulpolder, Jay Lamar, Herrera-Sobol, Espinoza and Ivan Cazlada all took the stage. They did two improvisational comedy games — one called “Freeze” and the other “Mormon Tabernacle.”

Meulpolder, Herrera-Sobol and Espinoza all said they are interested in joining the Drama Club and continuing being part of the drama department.

McCarty said, “Students saw there is a diverse group of people in the theater department. It’s an open environment where all students can grow.”

BOARD OF GOVERNORS GRANT WAIVES TUITION FEES BOGG offers access to qualified community college students

BY Salvador Godoy STAFF WRITER

sgodoy.theadvocate@gmail.com

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors Grant (BOGG) is the most effective financial aid program in covering tuition costs for college students in California according to a recent study.

The BOGG fee waiver’s objective is to assist qualifying California college students by waiving the cost per-unit enrollment (presently $46 a unit) at any community college in the state.

Students who qualify for the grant pay no tuition fees.

According to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, the 30-year-old program has served more than 5.1 million students,

effectively providing access to previously marginalized students.

“The BOGG fee waiver program is definitely the biggest factor that makes higher education so accessible to students in the state of California,” Contra Costa College Financial Aid Supervisor Monica Rodriguez said. “There are not many other community college systems in other states in the country that offer such a program, which improves accessibility of higher education to such a large sector of students.”

The success of the BOGG is helped as students only have to complete a short application form, making the process easy for students to access.

Currently, 1.1 million students are receiving tuition assistance from the BOGG fee waiver in California.

African-Americans and Latinos make the 45 percent i n the state’s population, but make up 58 percent of the students currently receiving the BOGG fee waiver, according to the state Chancellor’s Office.

Three of the states studied, Oregon, Kentucky and South Carolina, allow assistance to be used for other educational expenses. Only enrollment fees are covered in the BOGG fee waiver, but students depend on Pell Grants and other forms of financial aid to cover college costs.

State Chancellor Brice W. Harris said further aid needs to be offered for non-enrollment costs of college.

“Despite the tremendous success of the Board of Governors fee waiver over three decades, much more must be

done to support students in a high cost state such as California,” Harris said.

“Only 6 percent of the state’s Cal Grant dollars go to community college students, making the net cost of education for our students higher than for UC and CSU students in many areas of the state,” he said.

“The report was conducted to analyze the impact over the three decades on the BOGG and compare it to other state programs,” Paul Feist, state vice chancellor for Communications said. “It makes an enormous impact on the lives of millions of students in California.”

“The fee waiver was initially implemented at a time when California started charging fees at community colleges (the 1980s). It was a way to offset costs for needy students,” Feist said.

campus beat

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WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

I want to help new writers. A huge thing for me is for them to improve.” — Roxanna Amparo, The Advocate’s 2016-17 editor-in-chief

A11

PANEL, FILM STIMULATE CULTURAL FESTIVITIES Ethnic studies provide insight to self-identification

BY Cody Casares PHOTO EDITOR

ccasares.theadvocate@gmail.com

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Associate editor Roxana Amparo conducts an interview outside of the Health Sciences Building on Friday. Amparo plans to emphasize mentorship with newer students and strengthen her writing and editing talents.

Strong managerial skills prepare Amparo to lead

Associate editor plans to create authentic ambience in which growth is nurtured

BY Christian Urrutia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

currutia.theadvocate@gmail.com

Assuming the role of a leader can be a daunting task for some, but for newly elected Advocate Editor-in-Chief Roxana Amparo it is just the next challenge.

“I always feel the pressure to do better. I put myself in a situation where I tend to do more, take on more responsibility.

“I think it is because of my personal background and motivation.

I’m the only girl in my immediate family who’s interested in school and (pursuing an educational goal),” Amparo said.

The soon-to-be former associate editor was elected editor of the paper for the 2016-17 academic year by The Advocate staff on May 11, running against News Editor Benjamin Bassham.

The Advocate staff has elected its editor-in-chief every year since 1965.

Amparo said, “I feel like I can do it, if we work as a team. I know I can get out of my comfort zone, which is something new for me.

But I can bring a different perspective to the staff. We haven’t had a female in charge for a while.”

Taking charge of an organization is not unfamiliar for Amparo, as she was formerly the Puente

Club president this year, while serving on The Advocate’s Editorial Board. She has been involved with Puente longer than the time she has spent on the paper.

Assistant Photo Editor Denis Perez is a member of Puente during their presidency in the club.

He said because of her leadership skills from Puente, Amparo will have a easy transition as editorin-chief. said, “She’ll be able to create community on staff, have people come together and spend more time in the newsroom. I think she’ll try to tackle the lack of engagement that sometimes happens with newer students.”

Perez also said she will be able to engage more students through mentorship, which is one thing she wants to emphasize as editor.

“I want to help new writers. A huge thing for me is for them to improve and to provide support through (Advocate staff) mentors who can help them with anything they want to do.

“I want to let them know we’re here for them,” she said.

Amparo said a nurturing environment in the newsroom is one of her end goals, because that’s the type of person she identifies as. But, “Being strict doesn’t hurt either.”

Sports Editor Robert Clinton said, “She can take suggestions and instructions well from her peers and instructor, and as long she is open to what life will throw at her, she’ll do well as editor.”

He also said the more life and school experience a person has, like a leadership role as club president, the better the perspective of that.

Elvia Ornelas-Garcia, English department chairperson, said Amparo was enrolled in her two Puente English classes when she first started out at Contra Costa College.

Ornelas-Garcia saw exponential growth in her as a writer, which gave her the idea of inviting journalism department Chairperson Paul DeBolt to one of the classes to talk to Amparo about writing for The Advocate.

“She was a little reluctant at first, but I knew she was interested and I encouraged her to enroll (in the program). She is an excellent writer, and listener, which is a necessary skill for an editor,” OrnelasGarcia said.

DeBolt said, “She’s a strong writer and a wonderful team player. I have no doubt the paper will continue to be a strong presence on campus, and in the state, under her leadership.”

The La Raza Student Union hosted a Cinco de Mayo Celebration in HS-101 on May 7 with a screening of a documentary film and panel of students enrolled in ethnic studies classes.

The student panelists, ranging from high school to the graduate level, shared their personal experiences of how ethnic studies affected their lives and the challenges they faced along the way.

“I got to see future versions of myself in the panel.

The panelists put their heart into it,” Middle College High School student Marisol Contreras said.

La Raza studies professor Agustin Palacios additionally addressed the history of Cinco de Mayo at the event. “(Cinco de Mayo) is not about what happens later, with the beer corporations just taking over and hijacking the holiday as a beer holiday, as a day to wear sombreros and get drunk,” he said.

The film shown, “Precious Knowledge,” follows the struggle of students and faculty at Tucson High School who fight to continue the Mexican-American Studies Program at the high school level after HB 2281 was signed into law in 2010.

The law prohibits schools from offering ethnic studies courses in the state of Arizona.

Biology major Jabari Williams said, “The thing in the movie that made me think was the fact that the Arizona senators denied that there is an issue of race in America.

“They said racism didn’t exist and that if you support ethnic studies in schools that your racist and anti-American.”

Contreras said the video and panel inspired her to take a stance for what is fair.

“We can’t let the struggle of our people not be heard. We need to show we’re not treated equally and looking back and seeing nothing has changed is heartbreaking,” she said.

“If we have to learn U.S. history, why can’t we learn our own? You only get that one side. It’s a shocker.”

“Taking La Raza courses opened my heart to do better. I have this opportunity as a MCHS student but other schools don’t have the opportunity to take those classes,” Contreras said.

Palacios said the same debate on whether ethnic studies should or should not be offered in California is at the state level.

“Given our population here in the Bay Area, it’s a shame that we don’t have ethnic studies classes already in our high schools as part of their curriculum,” he said.

Palacios said the importance of ethnic studies courses is students having the opportunity to learn about their own culture and gain a “sense of self.”

“On one level it’s about seeing themselves represented in the curriculum,” he said.

“Students get the opportunity to see their life story represented in a way that is empowering to them and doesn’t repeat the old story that Latinos don’t make it because they’re dumb and lazy, but in fact exposes them to the history of inequality, of institutional racism,” Palacios said.

Super Saturday welcomes incoming freshmen College offers awareness of campus climate, life

BY Jason Sykes STAFF WRITER

jsykes.theadvocate@gmail.com

Super Saturday, held for the third year in a row, was provided with the intent to prepare incoming freshmen for their time at Contra Costa College.

Held in the Gymnasium from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, the event was well attended with a large number of people showing up at 8 a.m. sharp, President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh said.

Dean of Student Services Vicki Ferguson said all hands were on deck for the Resource Fair. There were many people involved to pull off something of this magnitude and for things to go smoothly.

Tables representing 28 college programs in total were set up around half the perimeter of the Gym, each with representatives of college organizations, resources and departments.

This created awareness of what the college has to offer and also allowed for clubs to recruit members. It is a chance to get new board members, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers member Valeria Avila said.

Representatives at each of the tables were armed with handouts and pamphlets with information about their programs for inquiring students.

Many in the college community volunteered and were doing what they love and are focused on serving the

needs of West Contra Costa County, Mehdizadeh said.

Some took a more interactive approach than just speaking to the students.

The Library and Learning Resource Center representatives gave out candy and small prizes to those who participated in the Library question game.

The automotive services department folks allowed students to get a feel of their classes and what they teach. There was virtual car painting to demonstrate the skills in the repair and collision class. New clubs, such as the Per Ankh Academy, which will be launching in the fall, were able to make their first appearance to students.

“It makes a difference to come talk to people. It gives you a better sense what is offered,” Mehdizadeh said.

Students crowded the tables and talked with faculty and current students and asked questions.

Incoming freshman Ilianna Andradi said it was great and hands on, and everyone was nice and genuinely interested in answering her questions.

The event allowed for students to witness and learn firsthand about the campus rather than shying away from it due to things they may have heard.

It’s important and lets students actually see what CCC has to offer rather than hearing negatively of it, student Almas Ami said.

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Vice President Tammeil Gilkerson speaks to high school students during Contra Costa College’s Super Saturday Event. The event hosts local high school students on campus.

The viewing was suddenly stopped and everyone’s attention was directed toward a small dance performance done by students.

After the performance, the welcoming and staff recognition began.

Translation headphones were available so that parents whose first language is Spanish could fully understand the information provided by the speakers.

Ferguson led the welcoming speech and Mehdizadeh spoke about her own

experiences at a community college.

“You can start here and go anywhere you want. Contra Costa College can help you get wherever you want to go,” Mehdizadeh said.

Vice President Tammeil Gilkerson took it as an opportunity to call up all faculty members present to the front of the audience and acknowledge their hard work and dedication. She said that they were some of the most incredible people she had ever worked with.

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WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

focus LEFT: Stainless steel stoves and ovens wait to be used by culinary students in the Student and Administration Building on May 11. The new buildings will open in August.

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION Photos by: Cody Casares FOR

MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM

ABOVE: The lecture hall in the General Education Building features a drop down projection screen and dwarfs the LA-100 lecture hall in size comparison.

LEFT: Shelves wait to be filled in the new Bookstore in the Student and Administration Building on Wednesday.

RIGHT: Computers stacked in the General Education Building rest before being installed in their new home in classrooms on Wednesday.

ABOVE: The new vendor location in the Student and Administration Building will bring new food choices to students once the campus center project is complete in August.

B SECTION WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM

Presidential primary polls evaluate campus voice

“

spotlight Dancing and physical education is such an inherit part of a healthy life.” — Oscar Ivan Solano Jr, adjunct physical education professor

PAGE B3

SUMMER MOVIES PREVIEWED, HIGHLIGHTED Don’t be left out. Check out this summer’s hot movies — originals and sequels.

PAGES B6-B7 CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Dance Jam stimulates youthful expressions Young, old

Lack of Asian ethnic studies builds cultural issues PAGE B4

perform heartfelt routines conveying real world messages

DIABLO VALLEY PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN FROM OFFICE PAGE B5

mrivas.theadvocate@gmail.com

This year’s Dance Jam took place on May 13 and 14, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and included performances by students of the college’s various dance classes and local youth dance groups.

The Knox Center, nearly filled and held the audience of the evening’s performances.

The dancers executing the dance pieces were mainly Contra Costa College students. The participants were students of the African, hip-hop, jazz, ballet, ballroom, Latin, tango and ensemble classes.

Dance groups from within the community that participated as guests were Erik Lee, MFA Candidate, Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble (DEPE), Helms Middle School Dance Team and Imajik Theater.

The dance pieces demonstrated effort in their planning and practicing on the part of the dancers. The dancers were very much in sync and often received much applause before they had even finished their routines.

“Everyone put their hearts into it,” audience member Alice Harper said.

The choreography of the performances were coordinated not only with their music and attire, but with the lights and backdrop of the stage. The technical crew ensured that everything went smoothly and cor-

LEFT: A dancer with the Imajik Theater performs a “Jump Jive” routine during the annual Dance Jam performance in the Knox Center on Friday.

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

CARNEY’S EXPERTISE GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND officer begins role as district’s

PAGE B12

OPINION EDITOR

SEE DANCE, PAGE B2

Seasoned

‘Zany’ show facilitates some laughs

ABOVE: Performers with the ballroom class/ ensemble showcase their moves during the annual Dance Jam in the Knox Center on Friday.

BY Marlene Rivas

top cop

By Benjamin Bassham NEWS EDITOR

bbassham.theadvocate@gmail.com

A district police chief has to have some experience under his belt. You start on the street, you get shot at, you get some education, you blow some things up, and 35 years later you can work at all hours as the Contra Costa Community College District’s Director of Police Safety and Emergency Services.

Ed Carney is the district’s new police chief.

District Vice Chancellor Gene Huff said, “We just hired Ed in the spring. He’s a very solid person. He came highly recommended.”

Huff said when he was checking Carney’s references he got unsolicited input from everyone he talked to about Carney’s CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE dedication.

New Jersey native Ed Carney recently assumed the role of district police Carney said his career began in Cherry chief for the Contra Costa Community College District.

SEE CARNEY, PAGE B2

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LEFT: (Far right) Physical education adjunct instructor Oscar Solano Jr. leads his “Zumba Jump Party” from his Zumba class during the annual Dance Jam in the Knox Center on Friday.

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

DANCE | Variety of performances showcase physical expressions ABOVE: Performers with the Latin Ballroom class/ensemble showcase their moves during the annual Dance Jam in the Knox Center on Friday.

Continued from page C1 rectly. “It took a lot of patience,” Latifah Mills, psychology major, said.

Many of the performances included a message behind them. “They all sent a message definitely,” Michard Johnson, psychology major, said.

In the Helms Cougars Dance Team’s performance, Aftermath, they acted out a scene in which homeless people fought one another for resources and then wielded bats as weapons as they marched back and forth and charged at the audience.

Their skit and dance was meant to show the problems going on in the world, such as police brutality, global warming, the economy and education to name a few of those mentioned.

The two separate performances, put on by three young girls in DEPE, included spoken word by student Ayoka Yejide Stewart.

Stewart wrote the spoken word to describe how dance helped her to find herself and develop as a young black woman by providing her with confidence and self-worth.

One of the topics of their pieces, “Things Every Woman Should Know: A Dance in Prose,” spoke about women being whole and “not in pieces” like the girls that boys seemed to prefer and “learn from the women that have been there before you, share stories of the ones who come after.”

“To see young people having a voice to speak was important. We don’t often hear from youth that way,” Latanya Tigner, adjunct dance professor, said.

The dance ensemble and Imajik Theater were the performances with bigger groups and their dancing ranged from ballroom, Latin, salsa and African reggae.

With each of the performances their clothing changed according to the kind of music.

An example was the fiery red and ruffled skirts for the Latin dancing, suspenders for the men in the ballroom dancing and neon colored tops for the Zumba performance.

The African dance students wore straw skirts and traditional clothing for their performance.

The performances showed different genres of dance and

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

the entire event appeared quite well rounded.

“Creative expression, lots of variety,” audience member Jeannie Young said.

Dance Jam allowed the students and professors of the college’s dance classes to show the work they have done throughout their semester.

Apart from showing their skills and what they have learned, students and professors hope that others will take in interest in joining a dance class.

“We’re a real dance family,” Melissa Hadiyanto, liberal arts major, said. Fliers with upcoming summer dance classes were handed out at the end of the show.

The dance professors encouraged the audience, and anyone else interested, to join them. “Everyone is very supportive,” Marie Frank said.

“To see young people have a voice to speak was important. We don’t often hear from youth that way.”

Latanya Tigner,

African dance professor

Whether people decide to take classes on campus or not, the performances allow for dance to be shared with others.

“Dancing and physical education are such an inherent part of healthy life. It has to be shared within the community, family and surrounding businesses for a multicultural community,” Oscar Ivan Solano Jr., Zumba professor, said.

CARNEY | Friendly ambiance inspires chief to join local colleges Continued from page C1 Hill, New Jersey.

“I became a police officer at 19. I did not have the opportunity to go to college.”

He said he spent 16 of his 25 years on the force as a street officer in the town he grew up in. “Five years in I realized that if I was going to achieve beyond the street I needed an education.

Over his life he collected a master’s degree in human resource development from Seton Hall University and a bachelor’s degree in human services from Thomas Edison State College and graduated from the West Point Command and Leadership Program.

Carney said he worked with SWAT for 16 years, and rose from entry team to commander.

“For almost all of my 25 years I was a police trainer,” he said He said he started teaching firearms, then moved on as his education progressed to patrol tactics and executive command training, teaching other officers (usually lieutenant and above) how to lead.

His district biography says he also taught about explosives recognition, and weapons of mass destruction.

Carney said, “Most of my expertise is in teaching patrol tactics. I stayed in uniform.”

He said, “For six or seven years during my time with tactical, one of my areas of expertise was as a hazardous device technician. I trained through military to defuse bombs, and served on the bomb squad.

Carney said he was taking his wife out to dinner for their 10th wedding anniversary when he got a page reporting an explosive device in a garage next to the local mall.

“I told her I was going to swing by to see that it was all right,” he said.

The device proved to be a case of deteriorated dynamite.

As dynamite ages it leaks nitroglycerin that puddles around it, and worse, forms crystals that will explode from even slight shock. Old dynamite kills people every year.

The situation was not “all right,” and turned into a 10-hour ordeal. He said, “We successfully removed it to a firing range in a neighboring town,” where the dynamite

“In this job your family doesn’t always come first; you put the safety and the good of the community first. It’s probably an example of why I’m no longer married.”

Ed Carney,

district police chief

could be safely detonated. “We miscalculated the amount of dynamite, and blew out a number of windows” in buildings near the firing range.

Sometime during those hours Carney’s wife went home.

Carney said he wasn’t popular with the neighbors, with the local police of the city around the firing range, or at home.

Carney said, “In this job your family doesn’t always come first; you put the safety and the good of the community first.

It’s probably an example of why I’m no longer married.”

After he left the police force Carney was hired as the executive director of safety and facilities for the three campuses of Camden County College in New Jersey.

It’s a position that combines the jobs of Buildings and Grounds manager and director of police safety and emergency services.

Carney said the division of labor here in the Contra Costa Community College District is an advantage, allowing more hands-on work, rather than central management.

Carney said, “I have been an adjunct professor with Camden College for three or four years teaching criminal justice (online).”

Even now that he’s moved across the country he holds his old class down. “ It’s a tough commute,” he joked.

“I preach the value of higher education, and I’m a strong proponent of education in law enforcement,” he said. The better educated police are, the better they can relate to their community. “If you want to command, if you want to move up the ladder, you don’t stop at a bachelor’s degree,” Carney said.

Police Services Lt. Chad Wehrmeister, the acting police chief during the search that led to Carney, said, “He’s a professional on every level, and (he’s) personable. I was on the

team that helped find him and hire him. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Not just in police work (specifically) public safety in a college environment. We’re lucky to have him.”

He said Carney is specialized to the district’s needs.

“He and I, as well as his command staff, frequently work late at night,” Wehrmeister said. “It’s the kind of dedication that’s not just needed, but expected in this line of work.

Campus safety does not end at 5 p.m. It’s important for our college community to have access to (police services). “ Wehrmeister said, “He and I have both received emails, or messages, or calls at midnight, and the first thing we both do is call each other at the same time.”

Carney said, “About three years ago one of my three sons moved to Pasadena. I had the good fortune to come out west and visit. I had a great experience traveling north and south along the Coast Highway. I was intrigued by the vast amount of nature. The variety, from here to Yosemite.”

He said, “All my life I’ve been in New Jersey. I realized this was where I wanted to live.

“It was right about that time I started my job search.

When the opportunity came along (to work here) I visited and really enjoyed the diversity of the district. The openness to that diversity (fascinates me). People here work together to make things better.”

Carney said he moved to California permanently on Feb. 7 and started (the new job) on Feb. 8.

“I’m very impressed (with the district), he said. “People are very welcoming, accepting of ideas and bring (their own) ideas to the table.”

Carney said, “The next part of my life is here. At no point of your life should you be satisfied with what you’ve accomplished. You grow by changing.”

Huff said Carney works to foster good relationships, and community policing.

“He talks about things that were above and beyond what you’d expect from a chief of police.”

Wehrmeister said, “His attention to detail when it comes to officer safety is really impressive and refreshing.”

Carney said, “I want to make a difference. Here is where I have chosen to make my stand. I have never met friendlier folks.”

B3 spotlight Primaries spark public interest WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2016 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

■ SPECIAL REPORT

Clinton, Trump maintain leads in primary elections, Sanders continues campaign despite deficit

D

eep into the 2016 presidential primary race, Donald Trump is the only Republican candidate and the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is unable to close Bernie Sanders’ path to the nomination.

“When I think of electing a president, I like to think in terms of who will be the easier person to organize against,” La Raza studies Chairperson Agustin Palacios said. “Not that I don’t like them as people, but what we should ask ourselves is who would be more receptive to pressure and to move in the direction the people want.”

Before The Advocate reached out to 350 administrators, students and faculty in a random survey, political organizations had already started to try and increase Democratic Party awareness on campus.

A Sanders campaign PAC, organized by kinesiology professor Rudy Zeller, and representatives from the Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), solicited the Associated Students Union at Contra Costa College for support in motivating students to become politically involved in this year’s presidential election.

The Sanders PAC and BWOPA gave brief five-minute public com-

ments at two separate ASU meetings in April.

BWOPA Richmond Chapter President Kathleen Sullivan said, “More people show up to the polls during a presidential election than any other time.”

Sullivan described her organization as “a political organization that deals with political education within the community that is inclusive of all ethnicities and genders.”

“We also review propositions and candidates running for political office,” she said. “We have a PAC, which is what gives you legal authority to endorse candidates for political office.”

When an Advocate reporter asked Sullivan which Democratic candidate BWOPA is leaning toward supporting for the upcoming California Democratic primary she deflected the question.

At the meeting the Sanders PAC attended, Alto Ayhan, former Comet soccer player and selfemployed network administrator, asked the ASU to help set up voter registration booths on campus and organize an open forum to talk about politics.

“The Democratic and Republican parties are so similar they are part of the same establishment. These people are trying

to hold onto power by rigging the system through voter fraud and gerrymandering,” Ayhan said. “We can see the whole system is against the people’s candidate (Sanders).”

ASU Treasurer Francis Sanson said this election is different than most election years because social media has allowed for populist candidates like Sanders to gain momentum.

“People have been able to take advantage of this relatively new platform,” Sanson said. “It’s like the (Andrew) Jackson era when they used the media to connect with people.”

According to poll question No. 4, the campus would elect democratic socialist Sanders in a landslide victory.

Community Action Organizing Club Secretary Jose Arebalo, a political science major, said his vote will be cast for Sanders on June 7.

“I’m voting for Bernie Sanders even though his chances are slim. I can’t vote for Hillary,” Arebalo said.

“People are acting like she already has it in the bag, but it’s not a good enough reason for me to back both candidates. I believe Sanders is the ideal candidate to take on the (Republicans).”

COPA faculty adviser and political science professor Vanna

Gonzales said that while Sanders has been winning recent states, he has lost too many closed primaries in the North, East, South and Southwest to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention.

“The problem is that it is too late in the primaries for a big momentum shift. Why are Sanders supporters not supporting the Democratic frontrunner even when he has pulled her to the left,” Dr. Gonzales asked.

“The Democratic Party should be worried because if enough people won’t vote for (Clinton), Trump will benefit by tapping into Sanders’ independent base.”

Dr. Palacios partially agrees with Gonzales.

He said while it may be a long shot for Sanders to get the nomination it is still possible, and this discourse is healthy for America.

“This discourse is very good for politics. It has exposed the Democratic Party’s ties to Wall Street, (Clinton’s) problem with sticking to policies and that she has been pushed so far to the left she is starting to sound like Sanders.”

Lorenzo Morotti is an associate editor of The Advocate. Contact him at lmorotti.theadvocate@ gmail.com.

Election primary poll: The Advocate polled 350 people on campus to find out their upcoming choices on June 7.

Are you registered to vote?

Why or why are you not registered to vote?

Civil duty 15% It’s my right 21%

Democrat 64%

Didn’t know 3.1% Undocumented 8% I’m a resident 3.4%

No

39%

Yes

61%

What is your political party affiliation?

It is important 18% Too busy 9.1%

Republican 2.8% Green 0.6% American Independent 1.4%

I don’t trust the candidates 1.1% I don’t care 4.3% Ideology 1.4% Not old enough 6.5%

Libertarian 2% N/A 2% No affiliation 26%

N/A 7.4% More than half the sample demographic at CCC are registered to vote.

Who would you choose for president?

Bernie Sanders 70% Hillary Clinton 17% Donald Trump 2%

Latinos and Asian students are the largest and 0fastest 10growing 20 ethnic 30 groups 40 50at CCC 60 and70the 80 surrounding communities.

More than50half of the on campus 0 100people150 200 iden-250 tify themselves as a Democrat. The second largest demographic is No Party Affiliation at one quarter of respondents.

What is your ethnicity?

What is your annual income?

White 14%

Less than $18,000 - 47%

African-American 19%

$18,000 to $32,500 - 17%

Latino 34%

$32,500 to $60,000 - 9%

Asian 15%

Jill Stein 0.2% Grey Johnson 1.1% Independent party candidate 2%

N/A 8%

$60,000 to $100,000 - 11%

Multi-racial 6% Filipino 5% Native American 1.1% Pacific Islander 4%

$100,000 to $200,000 - 4% $200,000 to $500,000 - 0.5% More than $500,000 - 0.8%

N/A 8.8%

0

50 100 150 200 250 The college community elects Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders in a landslide victory against opponents.

Latinos are the largest demographic in the 0 20 40 currently 60 80 100at CCC 120 sample population enrolled White people are outnumbered three to one.

Nearly half of people in the campus community 0fall below the 50 federal poverty 100 line, 150 while only 4200 percent exceed $100,000.

What is your gender?

Did your parents graduate from a university?

Do personal beliefs affect how a person votes?

Gender neutral

N/A

N/A

0.5%

N/A

3%

3.7%

5% yes

Female

52%

Male

43%

The campus is predominately female, but, despite numerous reports, Bernie Sanders can capture both female and male voters.

No

31%

66%

First generation college students in the surrounding communities make up more than 50 percent of the campus population.

No

33%

Yes

62%

Most people agree that personal beliefs such as religion, ethnicity or ideologies sway votes.

DATA ENTRY BY DENIS PEREZ, LORENZO MOROTTI, MARCI SUELA AND XAVIER JOHNSON / THE ADVOCATE

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ASIAN ETHNIC STUDIES SEE NEGLECT Advocacy

warranted for absent program

BY Marci Suela ART DIRECTOR

msuela.theadvocate@gmail.com

Asians and Pacific Islanders are the third largest demographic group currently enrolled at Contra Costa College with Latinos the second largest and African-Americans the largest, according to the college’s 2016 Student Success Scorecard.

With the presence of the Africana/Chicano/Ethnic Studies department on campus, the Latino and African-American communities can easily seek guidance and assistance from faculty members with whom they share a similar background.

Although May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, CCC has little to offer to its AsianAmerican students.

More than 2,084 AsianAmerican students have to work harder to seek out their own mentors for proper guidance without much presence of associations for Asian cultures on campus.

“Asian-Americans are underrepresented at CCC. At (sister school Los Medanos College), they offer Tagalog (language) classes.

At (CCC’s other sister school, ILLUSTRATION BY MARCI SUELA / THE ADVOCATE Diablo Valley College,) they offer Asian studies. At CCC, there’s The lack of classes in Asian-American studies has resulted in the underrepresentation of Asian-American students at nothing,” biological sciences major Contra Costa College. Asians and Pacific Islanders are the third largest demographic group at the college.

Alain Ricoh Flores said.

Center for Science Excellence Oftentimes when they relocate to the American awareness. didn’t have power, had no say,” Cruz said.

Program Coordinator Setiati United States, they’ll bring the same “Some of my friends who have parents “When you learn (about your culture’s Sidharta said the lack of Asian- mentality. Whether they’re rich or poor, who emigrated from (the Philippines) history), this helps you understand where American events and support is they’re going to do whatever to get (their) don’t know their roots. They don’t know your people came from. It’s relevant to Filipinos were under control of Americans you and not someone else’s culture.” because CCC doesn’t have an Asian families ahead.”

Sidharta, who comes from Indonesia, (from 1902) until they got independence Although students are sometimes studies department. assigned to read material of their cultures, “With African-American stud- agrees that most Asian-American stu- during the 1940s,” Flores said.

Asian-American students would be Kuo said having Asian-American studies ies and La Raza around, there is dents work around the school system a lot of awareness on campus. and are flexible in how they will achieve able to understand their parents and their classes and an actual department would traditions more, Sidharta said. make a bigger impact.

There’s Black History Month. In their goal.

“Normally we are accepting of the sit“You wonder why you never underKuo and Cruz have both, individualMay, there’s Cinco De Mayo. In October, there’s Dia de los Muertos. uation and find another way to get what stood your parents and what they wanted ly, approached Africana/Chicano/ethnic For Asian-Americans, there is no we need. Also, in some Asian cultures, in from you. You think; why are they so studies department Chairperson Carolyn the way we were brought up, we respect backwards and old-fashioned?

Hodge with the suggestion of offering awareness,” Dr. Sidharta said. “(Taking a course) can bring you Asian-American studies classes at the colLibrar y department our elders and are raised not to speak up,” to understand what they are all about,” lege.

Chairperson Andrew Kuo argues Siharta said.

Because of this attitude, some Asian- Sidharta said.

Cruz, who is the Filipino Associated that some Asian-Americans have a Mathematics professor Edward Cruz Student Union adviser, said even though different mentality because they or American students who have immigrant their parents still have the percep- parents are culturally inept and this cre- said there is “more to the picture” when the department likes the idea of having ates a cultural gap, Flores said. Offering a learning about history in college.

Asian-American studies classes, there still tions of their previous country.

“When you learn history, it’s normally needs to be a show of interest from stuKuo, who is Chinese-American, course similar to DVC’s History of Asians said, “Communist China is cut- and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. course one-sided due to power structures — dents. throat. Every man is for himself. at CCC would be a first step in Asian- who had the most wealth. The folks, who

Club beliefs sprout cultural diversity

BY Roxana Amparo ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Filipino American Student Union continues to leave their mark in the community as they raise awareness about the different cultural and ethnicities on campus.

“The club is full of diverse backgrounds and other ethnicities,” Inter-Club Council president Safi WardDavis said.

I was Club adviser Edward really surCruz said FASU is open prised that to students of different backgrounds, not just people know Filipino. “They even bring Filipino food for us. Even if to try during the numbers everyone some of the meetings,” were low in he said. The meetings were held on Thursdays the meetfrom 2-3 p.m. in ings, people LA-101.

Club president knew about Janelle Knudson said us” FASU is trying to raise — Allain Ricoh cultural awareness in Flores, the college setting.

FASU president Last October they created an event to share information about their culture during Filipino-American History Month. In California, Filipino-American History Month was added to the calendar in 2006 by the California Department of Education.

FASU started the event on campus to bring awareness about how other cultures interact, Knudson said.

During the celebration, three guest speakers were invited, each to cover a topic.

Among them was Cruz. He shared Filipino music and dance during the event. The celebration is set to continue annually with the help of incoming members.

For next semester, Cruz will be on sabbatical. “I want to be there as their adviser.

I try to find a balance because I have ideas for events. But I don’t want to do all the work though,” he said. “They are on their way to becoming a strong club.”

For many members of the club it is their last semester at the college. Knudson said she wants to ensure next semester goes

easy for the incoming members. “We are just trying to transition,” she said. “Our adviser suggested it would be easy for us to integrate it (a new president Flores position).”

Since Knudson is transferring to UC Berkeley, Allain Ricoh Flores will take on the position as president. Flores was appointed by Janelle to work alongside her beginning April.

“As a club we saw her (Janelle) work hard for it. It’s amazing to know how she started and how far she has come. It’s an inspiration for club members,” he said.

Flores said he is excited and nervous to continue next semester with their president transferring.

“I was really surprised that people know us. Even if the numbers were low during the meetings, people knew about us. MCHS (Middle College High School) students asked if they could be involved,” he said.

Ward-Davis said FASU was one of the most active clubs on campus.

FASU members’ participation allowed the club to win second place for best table for the second year during Club Rush.

Ward-Davis said, “They even met their ICC requirements.” The Inter Club Council meets once a week to distribute information and receive updates from other clubs.

Each club has an ICC representative who attends the weekly meetings in HS-101 to ensure their clubs remain active.

Ward-Davis said they have been a “good” group of club members and have remained active throughout the semester.

FASU volunteered with ICC to make care packages for Veterans Angels Inc., a nonprofit organization helping senior veterans and their families.

While staying active in the campus community, FASU and its 14 members continue to recruit more members, Knudson said. Cruz said they want to build connections with other clubs on campus.

Flores said when the club started, they had about six or seven students, but continue to grow.

“I am excited and nervous for next semester,” Flores said.

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Garcia took the leadership helm at DVC when the college was going through some turbulent times.” — Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, CCC president

LEFT: Diablo Valley College President Peter Garcia will retire at the end of June when his contract expires after serving the district for more than 30 years.

Garcia retires, leaves history CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

DVC president declares end of sterling career

BY Asma Alkrizy OPINION EDITOR

aalkrizy.theadvocate@gmail.com

Diablo Valley College President Peter Garcia recently announced his retirement from the Contra Costa Community College District, effective on June 30, after serving the district for nearly 30 years.

Garcia said he made the final decision to retire from the district in February.

“I had never spent much time thinking about or planning my retirement,” Garcia said. “But less than a year ago, the idea of retiring became one of my more significant and reoccurring thoughts.”

He said his decision to retire from DVC started as intuition, and when he pursued that intuition, he became more comfortable with the idea of retirement.

“So I completed the necessary processes for it to happen,” he said. “While a bit scary, it feels right.”

Before working his way to up to president of DVC, Garcia said he began his career in the district as a faculty member at Los Medanos College in August 1986.

Garcia said he taught classes in philosophy and humanities, comparative religions, ethics and social issues and critical thinking.

He also served as an assistant football coach and a researcher at LMC. In addition, he served as interim dean and as a permanent dean for near-

“Peter made such a huge impression that it was soon decided he should remain as the permanent president.”

Vicki Gordon,

Governing Board trustee

ly 25 years and as the president of LMC for eight years.

“I was serving as LMC’s president in October of 2010 when I was assigned to serve as DVC’s acting president,” he said.

Governing Board Trustee Vicki Gordon said considering retirement is one of the most difficult decisions to make because it also affects the future of the college and community.

“There will always be an open door for President Garcia to come back (and serve in some capacity) if he chooses and we hope that he will choose to come back,” Gordon said.

She said when Garcia was hired on an interim basis to replace Judy Walters, who had been the president of DVC beginning in 2007, he worked hard to gain the faculty and staff ’s trust toward establishing good working relationships.

“Peter made such a huge impression that it was soon decided he should remain as the permanent president,” Gordon said.

Contra Costa College President

Mojdeh Mehdizadeh said, “Garcia took the leadership helm at DVC when the college was going through some turbulent times.”

She said the college was at the risk of losing its accreditation and Garcia worked hard to keep the college accredited.

“Severe sanctions had been placed on the college by the accreditation commission and there was substantial work that the college had to do in order to overcome its challenges,” Mehdizadeh said.

“He pulled the college community together and made incredible progress in a very short period of time.”

Gordon said another challenge DVC confronted was updating the campus’ facilities, which included class size, creating crosswalks and sidewalks, and updating other college facilities.

“President Garcia has been an instrumental leader in the construction process (at DVC) and oversaw seamless changes that have been occurring from the Measure E renovations at DVC,” she said. “His accomplishments have helped DVC to continue its vision and has helped guide the college on the path to meet that vision and their strategic goals.”

District Chancellor Helen Benjamin announced the search for an interim president on March 21, and the search proceeded on March 31, where she and the District Office human resources representative met to discuss the hir-

ing process and offer their input on the desired qualifications of an interim president.

“We are only looking at hiring an interim and not a permanent president (for now),” Gordon said. “The committee is more focused on someone who can meet the short term needs of the college.”

On June 22 the Governing Board will hold a meeting to announce the hiring of DVC’s interim president.

Before recruiting applicants for the position, Gordon said, the chancellor forms a committee of participants along with the human resources department, who will be charged with vetting all of the applicants.

“The Governing Board takes into account all of this information,” she said. “At that point it should be clear who everyone involved with the process feels is the best fit.”

District Director of Communication Relations Timothy Leong said the chancellor, after consulting with and gaining approval from the Governing Board, makes the decision on what steps to take for the hiring process.

Leong said a candidate must review and respond to the job responsibilities, with public forums and interviews as part of the selection process.

“It is a joint venture through our participatory governance and our policies that guide us to the best hire,” Gordon said. “In general, the Governing Board has the final responsibility for all hires.”

Overcoming spirit pursues dreams of education Professor indulges task to support students receiving higher education

BY Yesenia Melara STAFF WRITER

ymelara.theadvocate@gmail.com

Angelina Villafane remembers walking with her two kids passing by UC Berkeley not knowing the prestige it held, but only knowing that she wanted to attend Cal after she was done with community college.

Villafane, adjunct La Raza studies professor at Contra Costa College, would have never thought she would have the opportunity to attend college considering the challenging path she had to overcome just to attend college.

“There were many counselors who discouraged me from applying to that college. They told me I should apply to a state college instead, but I said no. I knew I wanted to go there, so I applied regardless,” she said.

For Villafane, getting there wasn’t always an easy process, especially because she stopped going to school for almost 14 years after graduating from high school.

She lived in the Bronx in New York City and was raised by a big Puerto Rican family. Although her family members encouraged education, they never gave her the support she needed because they were always working and taking care of the children. So that left Villafane to advocate for herself at a young age.

“It was difficult getting by in school.

I needed a parent or guardian to enroll me in school, but because no one did it for me I had to sneak into schools.”

It wasn’t until one of her high school counselors saw potential in her that she was placed on a college path. If it weren’t for that counselor, the idea of college would have never been possible

“It was clear to me that she was a remarkable student with the ability to connect and willingness to help others.”

Patricia Hilden,

Native American professor

for her, she said.

Villafane’s high school counselor made sure she placed her in college prep classes so she would have the required classes to get into college.

In 1978 Villafane graduated from high school and was accepted into a college, but was unable to attend because she had no money to pay for it.

“How was I supposed to attend college if I didn’t have any money?”

Villafane’s education was stopped because she had no choice but to work.

She also had an early marriage at age 19 in 1978 and had two children. In 1984 Villafane got a divorce and became a single mother.

She later made her life in Berkeley with her kids.

“I made it from New York to Berkeley somehow. It was hard, especially being a single mother,” Villafane said. “Opportunities were shut down for me due to my status as a single mother, but eventually I got a steady job as a baker which helped me support myself and my kids.”

Through the years, she always had it in the back of her mind to go back to school to complete her education despite her circumstances, she said.

She decided to attend Berkeley City College to restart her education.

During the mornings she would

work 40 hours a week, and at night she would attend school, she said.

Villafane said she wanted to attend UC Berkeley despite counselors discouraging her from applying, but she worked hard for her goals regardless of what they told her.

In 1996 Villafane graduated from Berkeley City College, and was accepted into UC Berkeley as a transfer student with a 4.0 GPA. Although Villafane attended the college she wanted, her transition wasn’t the easiest because she felt intimidated by the university and students.

“I didn’t feel like I belonged, so I was pretty quiet until I found my home in the ethnic studies department.”

She met Native American studies Professor Patricia Hilden, who inspired her to consider a career in teaching.

Hilden is currently a retired professor from UC Berkeley, but continues teaching as an emerita professor there.

Hilden said that it was her first semester teaching at UC Berkeley when she met Villafane.

“Angelina made an effort to come to my office hours so we could discuss different matters,” she said. “It was clear to me that she was a remarkable student with the ability to connect and willingness to help others, so I encouraged her to apply to graduate school.”

Villafane said she remembers thinking she didn’t belong in grad school.

“I thought the graduate program was for the gifted and intelligent students,” she said. “I could never think of myself as being one of them.”

With the help and guidance of Hilden, Villafane applied to graduate school and was accepted.

She graduated from UC Berkeley

with a bachelor’s degree in Native American studies in 1998 and is now a Ph.D. candidate in the comparative ethnic studies departVillafane ment at Cal. Despite graduating at nearly the age of 40, Villafane was able to attend college and obtain a degree.

She is currently teaching the Contemporary Chicano/Latino Literature course at CCC. She said she feels blessed for the opportunity she got to continue her education and now wants to use her experiences to support and validate her students Student Grizel Gutierrez, a psychology major, is currently taking Villafane’s class. She said Villafane has expanded her way of thinking and viewpoints on the importance of culture.

“She has inspired me to take more ethnic studies classes in the future,” Gutierrez said.

La Raza department Chairperson, Agustin Palacios said that Villafane brings the professional qualifications and diversity to CCC. “She has the personality, educational background and experiences that students can relate to,” he said.

One thing that Villafane has learned based on her college experience is not taking “no” for an answer, she said.

“Don’t let anyone shut doors on you.

Instead go to the next one until you achieve success.

“And as we say in (the) Nuyorican (phrase), ‘pa’lante siempre pa’lante,’ meaning keep going forward.”

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Flicks splash on

The Advocate takes a sneak peek at summer films. From ro

May Title: “Alice Through the Looking Glass” Genre: Fantasy/Drama Release Date: May 27 Rating: PG Director: George Miller Starring: Johnny Depp Synopsis: Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, returns to Underland. The Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, is depressed because his family is dead.

All the same characters are back, but this time there’s time travel as Alice tries to undo causality so the Mad Hatter won’t be sad, and so viewers can see Johnny Depp be zany instead of depressing.

June Title: “Free State of Jones” Genre: Drama Release Date: June 24 Rating: NR Director: Gary Ross Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Keri Russell, Jacob Lofland Synopsis: During the Civil War, a defiant southern farmer, Newt Knight, assembles an armed rebellion against the Confederates.

Knight’s group of small farmers and slaves create an uprising that led Mississippi to disband from the Confederate states. All of this leads to Knight’s struggle in the Reconstruction era, which made him a symbol of rebellion.

Title: “The Nice Guys ” Genre: Drama Release Date: May 20 Rating: R Director: Gil Kenan Starring: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crow Synopsis: Ryan Gosling plays Holland March, a failing private eye in 1977 Los Angeles.

Russell Crowe plays Jackson Healy, a two-bit thug. They are forced to cooperate after a young woman, Amelia, played

by Margaret Qualley, vanishes. Things get dangerous and people die. Good times.

Title: “Independence Day: Resurgence” Genre: Drama/Scify Release Date: June 24 Rating: NR Director: Roland Emmerich Starring: Maika Monroe, Joey King, Liam Hemsworth Synopsis: In the sequel to the 1996 classic, set two decades after the alien threat, which almost destroyed Earth. Now the planet is faced with a new threat. Earth’s defenses have been upgraded with left-over alien technology.

This new powerful weaponry might not be enough to defend against the new threat.

Title: “Neighbors 2” Genre: Comedy Release Date: May 20 Rating: R Director: Nicholas Stroller Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron

Title: “The Angry Birds Movie” Genre: Animated Release Date: May 20 Rating: PG Director: Clay Kaytis Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad

Synopsis: Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and pregnant wife Kelly (Rose Byrne) have some new, and predictably awful, neighbors.

The Kappa Nu Sorority moves in and is terminally obnoxious. They turn to their ex-neighbor and former enemy Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) for help feuding with the sorority.

Synopsis: Gawk as directors Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly drag out a plot from a game that can be summarized as follows: birds attack pigs.

Jason Sudeikis voices Red who is angry about some pigs. Josh Gad voices Chuck who will also be angry. Those pigs will know exactly what hit them.

Title: “The BFG” Genre: Adventure Release Date: June 1 Rating: PG Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Bill Hader

Title: “The Purge: Election Year” Genre: Drama/Horror Release Date: June 1 Rating: R Director: James Demonaco Starring: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson

Synopsis: A young girl named Sophie befriends a giant in this Disney film. Despite the Big Friendly Giant being enormous and intimidating, he turns out to be a gentle soul who is also looked down upon by his peers because he refuses to eat children.

Synopsis: Two years after the events of “Anarchy,” actor Frank Grillo returns as former police sergeant Barnes who is now head of security for Senator Charlene Roan.

Roan vows to end the Purge if she wins the presidential election.

All Roan has to do is survive the Purge one last time.

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nto silver screen

omantic comedies to action-packed movies, don’t be left out

June Title: “Central Intelligence” Genre: Comedy Release Date: June 17 Rating: PG-13 Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Aaron Paul, Kevin Hart

Title: “Finding Dory” Genre: Animated Release Date: June 17 Rating: PG Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Idris Elba

Synopsis: Dwayne Johnson plays a murderous CIA agent. He and his former schoolmate, played by Kevin Hart, shoot stuff and betray people in assorted action scenes.

Synopsis: Trailing 13 years after the original, this sequel tells the story of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who will embark with Nemo and Marlin (Albert Brooks) to find her parents. Searching will happen. You are warned.

Title: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” Genre: Action Release Date: June 3 Rating: PG-13 Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Megan Fox,Stephen Amell Synopsis: Director Michael Bay returns with a sequel to the 2014 reboot of the franchise. Top billed names are Megan Fox as April O’Neal and Stephen Amell as Casey Jones.

The action-adventure comedy follows the adventures of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as they rid the city of the evil forces of the villain Shredder, as well as internal turmoil as they are presented with the opportunity to become human.

Title: “Me Before You” Genre: Drama Release Date: June 3 Rating: PG-13 Director: Thea Sharrock Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman

Title: “The Shallows” Genre: Drama/Thriller Release Date: July 29 Rating: R Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Starring: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen

Synopsis: Louisa “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke) takes a job caring for Will Traynr (Sam Claflin) a wealthy young man who is handsome, but paralyzed, and needs a determinedly cheerful reason to go on living.

Synopsis: Surfer Nancy is 200 yards from shore. Nancy just survived a shark bite to her leg and as people come into the shallow waters they are attacked by a great white shark. It is a short journey to safety, yet it has become the ultimate contest of wills.

Title: “The Conjuring 2 ” Genre: Horror/Drama Release Date: June 10 Rating: R Director: James Wan Starring: Vera Farmida, Patrick Wilson

Title: “Now You See Me 2” Genre: Thriller Release Date: June 10 Rating: PG-13 Director: Jon M. Chu Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson

Title: “Warcraft” Genre: Fantasy Release Date: June 10 Rating: PG-13 Director: Duncan Jones Starring: Travis Fimmel, Toby Kebbell, Ben Foster

Synopsis: “The Conjuring 2” is a sequel to the well-received 2013 horror film.

Director James Wan brings the story of Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmida) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) as they travel to North London to investigate a case of demonic possession. The film is billed as being based on true events.

Synopsis: New director Jon M. Chu takes the lead in the sequel to the 2013 action comedy “Now You See Me.” “Now You See Me 2” returns with a cast full of big names. Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco and Michael Caine reprise their roles. Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame joins the cast.

The film centers around the Four Horsemen, a group of magicians that must pull off a high stakes heist to expose unethical practices by a technology company.

Synopsis: A film adaptation of the popular Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game (MMORPG) “World of Warcraft,” director and writer Duncan Jones takes on the popular franchise in a new medium. The film deals with the conflict in the realm of Azeroth. A world stands on the brink of war as an invading orc army threatens to destroy the people of Azeroth’s way of life.

ILLUSTRATION BY ASMA AND NORA ALKRIZY/ THE ADVOCATE

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RASINGHE ARTWORK BY SHENAL AMA

“

LEFT: Art major Shenal Amarasinghe concentrates on shaping a clay sculpture in his Sculpture: Beginning II class in A-6 on April 13.

Amarasinghe plans to move to Los Angeles to work in movie production after he graduates next year from Contra Costa College.

When I see something, I want to be able to create it. (Art) has freedom to create whatever you want to make.”

— Shenal Amarasinghe, art major

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Creator aspires to perfect craft

BY Marci Suela ART DIRECTOR

msuela.theadvocate@gmail.com

When a mundane project is assigned, experimentation can transform normal work into a thrilling activity and may charm others with hilarity.

A project bewildered art student Shenal Amarasinghe as the assignment called for a design creating playing cards in his Digital Art: Beginning II class during the spring 2015 semester.

He sat in front of his computer in A-1 dumbfounded and aimlessly looking for ideas, before seeking help from classmate Michael Lopez, also an art major.

Lopez revived his puzzled pal as he tackled the mental wall with wisecracking humor.

“I was joking with (Amarasinghe) about making the theme about ‘My Little Pony,’ and he asked in a (comical) accent, ‘Really?’”

Lopez said. “Next thing you know, he was dragging and dropping pictures (in a folder) on the computer. He was grabbing every pony he’d find online. It was hilarious seeing the whole process.”

Currently in his second year at Contra Costa College, Amarasinghe challenges himself as he steps toward perfecting his craft as an artist. As a product of CCC’s art program, incoming and continuing students can learn from Amarasinghe’s ambition and experimentation.

Amarasinghe said, “I can be free and do whatever I want. When I see something, I want to be able to create it. (Art) has freedom to create whatever you want to make.”

Amarasinghe was born on Oct. 18, 1995 in Sri Lanka. He lived there for five years before moving to Italy. His love for art began at age 9 after drawing a building and received positive feedback from his peers.

During his time in Italy, he attended Scuola Alberghiera Castel San Pietro for two years, a school concentrated on culinary arts, bartending and hotel management. Because cooking did not appeal to his interests, he refocused his sights toward art.

Amarasinghe relocated in the U.S. in 2011 and graduated from Hercules High School in 2013. He began to test his artistic skills when he enrolled in an art class at the high school.

PAGE DESIGN BY MARCI SUELA / THE ADVOCATE

Hercules High art teacher Daphne Schrampf said she remembers his presence in the classroom as he grasped art as a means of self-expression.

When given assignments, she said Amarasinghe didn’t take the project at face value.

“He didn’t settle for ordinary stuff. He would have a personal twist and be attentive to detail,” Schrampf said. “He knew what he wanted to do. He’d work on (the piece) until he had it in the way he had it in his mind.”

Amarasinghe’s current project at CCC is in long-exposure photography for his independent study course.

In a project he places steel wool in between a whisk attached to a cable. He lights the wool on fire, twirls the whisk and particles of the steel wool fly in different directions.

To capture the direction of sparks, the camera is on a tripod and set to manual mode at a 30-second shutter speed, while he twirls the whisk in the dark.

He uses the same settings in another long-exposure project, but his materials are deodorant spray and a lighter. The results from the sparks and flames from these projects are used as the only light source and are captured by camera.

“It’s fun and crazy. Even though it takes a lot of time to get the effect, I go with the flow. If it doesn’t look right, I’ll do it again,” he said.

Starting out CCC fine and media arts professor Dana Davis said he remembers when Amarasinghe took his Digital Photography: Beginning II class in the fall 2014 semester. He was beginning to hone his artistic skills.

“It was a small class of 16 people. Seven of them were phenomenal, and Shen (Amarasinghe’s nickname) was one of them.

Once he got going, he was enthusiastic about his projects,” Davis said.

When Lopez invited Amarasinghe that semester to Kraken Con, an anime convention held in Oakland, it was the start of them taking photographs of people.

Lopez said photographers walk around and ask for consent to take pictures of cosplayers, individuals dressed as Japanese characters from a movie, book or video game.

Lopez said Amarasinghe went out of his comfort zone and approached cosplayers to ask for their consent.

Thevin Rajapaksha Arachchilage, Amarasinghe’s high school friend, said he’s shy because English is not his first language.

“The struggle sometimes is when he is explaining (ideas) to someone because he wasn’t born in America and doesn’t speak English well. This is what he thinks,” Arachchilage said. “I’m sure when you talk to him, he sounds fine. It’s one of his drawbacks where he cuts himself too short when it comes to his English when he is just fine.”

Lopez said, “He was shy about approaching people so we teamed up and took turns asking (if we could photograph them). I told him, ‘It’s your turn to ask him.’ So, he goes to the cosplayer and asks (impolitely), ‘Hey, you busy?’ It was funny as heck because that’s not how he (usually) acts.”

Amarasinghe brought some photos of cosplayers in for critique, Davis said.

He said because of the driven attitude Amarasinghe has, Davis treats him more as an artist with “respect and freedom” than a beginning art student.

“Every critique I didn’t have to worry about (him) bringing in work. I didn’t ever have to pry (him) before a deadline,” he said.

Sense of humor When fine and media arts professor Anthony Gordon assigned a design for playing cards in his Digital Art: Beginning II class last year he only required students to make 10 cards. Gordon said Amarasinghe went “above and beyond” as he made a whole deck of 52 cards.

“They were breathtaking. It was quite hilarious. Art can take itself too seriously.

Sometimes, it can take a route where he (did) quality work that just happens to be funny,” Gordon said.

When Lopez jokingly suggested the idea of ponies, Amarasinghe said, “I was looking for a project and when we were talking, it was as if he was daring me to do it. He challenged me, so I did it.”

Lopez said, “I’m afraid of joking with him sometimes because he’ll run with the idea,” he said.

Amarasinghe’s personality shows through his artwork, Lopez said.

“He won’t admit that he’s good in drawing and in photogra-

phy. You don’t think about what he’s capable of but he will pull (his talent) out and blow you away,” Lopez said. “He puts everything into what he’s doing. If you give him ideas, he’ll interpret them well.”

Art student Marva Reed is enrolled with Amarasinghe in the Drawing and Composition: Intermediate I course. She said she treasures his presence because of his gentle assistance.

Reed had trouble understanding perspective for one assignment. Amarasinghe and Reed stood in the Art Building’s hallway to use an example so she could visually understand the concept.

“You have to learn perspective drawing in the class. It (was) hard to figure out how it is supposed to go. Shen opened up for me how to do one-point perspective in the hallway,” Reed said. “Shen said as you look farther away, the tiles get smaller and the walls go inward. Because of him, I got the idea.” “(The professor) will explain (concepts) but sometimes it’s hard to understand. He’ll speak your language and explain in words you’d understand so you could do it,” Reed said.

Plans after CCC Amarasinghe will graduate next year, but has no plans to transfer to a four-year university. He said he wants to find work and save money before moving to Los Angeles to work in movie production. He wants to enter the film industry because of the emotional connection movies bring.

“Since I was young, I moved to a lot of places. When I moved from Sri Lanka to Italy, I always had to watch movies for kids to get the knowledge of the area,” he said. “I was able to also learn the language. (Some movies) capture almost everything I’ve been through.

“When you try to explain something, you don’t understand it until you see it. It reminds me that I came a long way from where I started.”

Amarasinghe said he’s confident of succeeding with his talent because the beauty of art “always (allows) a second chance.”

“Art allows you to fail and do it better,” he said.

As he finishes his last digital art class this semester, his final project is to design a “My Little Pony” board game to exceed his design of playing cards from last year.

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THIS FALL THE

BOOKSTORE

WILL PAY FOR

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BOOKS

Contra Costa College Bookstore textbook buyback Monday to Thursday, May 23-26.............9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday, May 27..............................................9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PHOTO ID REQUIRED We pay up to 50% no matter where you bought your books. We buy books, even if you purchased them online. Bring all CDs, DVDs and supplemental materials with your textbooks.

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Jazz compilation album dazzles On campus music groups produce gem

By Xavier Johnson

New releases: “The Angry Birds Movie” (PG) “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (R) “The Nice Guys” (R) “Manhattan Night” (R)

BLU-RAYS

New releases: “Zoolander 2” (PG-13) “The Finest Hours” (PG-13) “How to Be Single” (R) “Rising” (PG-13)

MUSIC

New releases: Ariana Grande, “Dangerous Woman” Bob Dylan, “Fallen Angels” Debo Band, “Ere Gobez” “Mudcrutch, “2”

GAMES

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

T

ight harmonies and stellar instrumental performances fill up every minute of the stellar vocal jazz album produced by the Jazzanova and Jazzology vocal choirs from the Contra Costa College music department.

It is clear as day that “On a Clear Day” is a well-constructed album that takes the listener through a wide variety of sounds and emotions in the hour-long runtime.

The highlight of the LP are ALBUM the vocal perREVIEW formances. The “On a Clear Day” album excels in the vocal Artist: Jazzanova Genre: Jazz department Label: Music in group harDepartment monization.

Release Date: “How We See” Spring Semester is a standout track that exemplifies the tight harmonies achieved by the vocal group. The song is slightly reminiscent to The Police’s classic song “Message in a Bottle” in the verses.

In the six-minute song the vocal and instrumental skills of the group are at their best. The vocal scat solo by Eben Miller in the second verse is impressive.

The song closes with a prime example of the layered harmonization as it ends with a harmonized vocal scat.

The four-minute opening track, “He Was the Cat,” establishes the style of the album. In simple terms, the album is cooler than the other side of a pillow.

With how tight the vocal and instrumental performances are there is still a sense of freedom with every note that is played by the musicians. This is a testament to the group’s musical knowledge and preparation.

The instrumentation isn’t fea-

Latest

Naughty Dog satisfies

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (T) “Fallout 4: Far Harbor” (M) “Mimic Arena” (E)

Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week.

— Mike Thomas

by a skillful piano solo by Walter Bankovitch. Stephanie Rios and Eben Miller get a chance to lay down a duet scat solo.

Producer Bill Hare, an awardwinning contemporary jazz producer, ensured the album was mixed well. Even with the vocal dominated music, the vocals never overpower. Each instrument lays in a nice pocket where they all meld together into one cohesive sound. It’s an impressive job considering this is a relatively small scale album.

There are a few negatives for the album. Some of the songs go on about a minute or so too long.

The middle of the LP features some of the less impressive songs on the album.

“Sing a Song of Song” is a mellow track that would be better suited if it were a minute or so shorter. There is a quality piano solo to salvage the song though.

“Mind Trick” closes out the dragging three-song run in the middle portion of the album.

It’s really not a bad song. It’s just remarkably average and forgettable.

The album closes with the fun five-minute number “Tight.” The song is a great closing tune. It’s a good example of all that is good with this album. Strong solo vocal performance, great instrumentation, tight harmonization,and style.

‘Thief’s End’ appeases devotees from

New releases: “Overwatch” (T)

tured as heavily as the vocals, but it is equally stellar. For what the instrumentation lacks in solos it makes up for in being the perfect backup to the vocals.

The accompaniment consisting of Walter Bankovitch on piano, Carla Kaufman on bass, Greg German on drums, and Kristen Strom on saxophone all have consistent performances that enhance the already great vocals.

The instrumentals get the chance to show what they can do when given the lead in another highlight track, the energetic “Cruisin’ for a Bluesin’.” In the six-minute song each instrument gets a chance to solo and display its exceptional sound. Carla Kaufam, in particular, lays down a solid bass solo which is preceded

fans of franchise

By Edwin Herrera STAFF WRITER

eherrera.theadvocate@gmail.com

‘U

ncharted 4: A Thief ’s End” is another classic game from the brilliant developers and storytellers at Naughty Dog, Inc. In “Uncharted 4,” protagonist Nathan Drake finally marries Elena Fisher after three years of traveling with her in “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.”

The pair previously GAME REVIEW ventured in “Uncharted 4” search of lost merchanStudio: Naughty dise under Dog the sea, as Genre: Action Drake’s dull MSRP: Mature 9 to 5 job as a shipping clerk at the sea port permits on rare occasions.

In this installment, Drake has changed drastically.

He declines to assist in a deep-sea dive to recover lost goods when the committee he is part of disapproves.

Previously, Drake would have

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” is the latest installment of the PlayStation exclusive. The storyline focuses on Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter, and includes a gripping plot that captures players.

taken the risk knowing he was not supported.

But when his older brother Samuel “Sam” Drake comes back after being left for dead in a Panamanian prison for 15 years, he manages to escape with the help of a drug kingpin who gives him three months to find Pirate Captain Henry Avery’s treasure.

It was the last adventure the brothers were on before they lost each other, sending Drake back into treasure hunting.

But this time it’s more meaningful with his brother’s life on the line. Drake also is trying to beat an old friend of theirs with his own private military.

The game play of “Uncharted 4” is the same “Uncharted” formula with

subpar gunplay and a confusing hand-to-hand combat that is just button smashing. But there is impressive platforming that resembles an “Indiana Jones” film.

The inclusion of a grappling hook makes it fast-paced and thrilling. The improved puzzles from the previous entries that are challenging, but not to the point where you feel the need to buy a guide, make up for it.

With the end product of visuals, it makes sense why Naughty Dog, Inc. took its time polishing every bit of the game.

“Uncharted 4” is the most beautiful game of this generation of consoles. It is possibly pushing the PlayStation 4 with its advanced graphics along with its fast-paced multiplayer.

The characters interact with each other and react to the environment as they would in real life.

The many routes a player can take to get to his/her destination makes the game fun.

But the game play and visuals are not what makes “Uncharted 4” Naughty Dogs, Inc.’s best game, behind the action-adventure horror video game “The Last of Us.” It is the protagonist and story.

The storyline of the game grips the players, making them wonder if the brothers make it through to the end.

It reveals why Drake would sacrifice his life for his brother and leaves the lingering question of whether Drake was genuinely after George Avery’s treasure to save his brother or to escape his boring life.

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“ Pottery sale funds class Teaching is enjoyable because you’re working with creative people who love art.” — Jaijun Lu

Studentmade pottery sold to finance materials, cost of ceramics

By Dylan Collier STAFF WRITER

dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com

J

aijun Lu, who earned his art degree in Japan and built the sculpture that stands out in front of the Computer Technology Center, described the annual Pottery Event as a “tradition here at CCC.” The five-day event, which ended last week, proved to be successful once again this year.

Lu, a 10-year adjunct art professor here at CCC, said the funds raised will go to buying materials, especially expensive clay. Ceramics and sculpture students use the most clay, and the amount of money that the art department spends on clay exceeds the amount of money that students pay for their “material fee.”

Each student burns through at least $24 worth of clay per semester, so to balance it out, the department holds two art fundraisers every year.

The glazed material they put on the bowls and ceramics costs an additional $4-$5 per

student, Lu said.

He said he enjoys teaching art.

“Teaching is enjoyable because you’re working with creative people who love art.

It’s fun and rewarding. At the end of the semester, students give presentations on their best items. You can see lots of beautiful work (here at the Pottery Event).”

There were about 25 students per class, who volunteered to sell their artwork. The way the art department had it all organized, was that the students put their names on a calendar specifying which days and times they could volunteer at the art fundraiser.

Also working the event was Mary Law, who has been teaching art at CCC for about 20 years.

“I enjoy the students here, and I enjoy people who are excited about learning. I’m a potter in Berkeley, and I like the balance of solitary and social life,” Law said.

Her art background goes back to when she studied in

North Carolina at Penland School of Crafts, which eventually led to an apprenticeship.

Then she started teaching and got her master’s degree in fine arts, with an emphasis in ceramics.

She described the therapeutic value of art as well.

“There were times in life when it was my rock, and my situation was very helpful. I love making functional pots for people to use,” Law said.

There were three different areas that encompassed the event. The first was the glass casing in the Art Building lobby. This is where they kept pieces that were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The second area was outside in the Atrium where the products sold “as is” according to the listed price tags (ranging between $1-$10). The third area was in the hallway where pieces started around $20.

In the auction window, there were a few really nice pot-holder pieces that had “Star Wars” characters engraved into them.

Additionally, in the outside

FILE PHOTO / THE ADVOCATE

area, most of the pieces were mugs, tea kettles, plates or bowls.

By Thursday, there were still a good amount of pieces that hadn’t sold yet.

“I thought more people would show up,” art student Trevor Koskela said. “I thought it would all be gone by now.

I think this is good though, because it supports the teachers. I decided not to put mine out. It’s my first year and I feel like everything is so valuable.”

But the art event was not only for students to display their art, but for faculty as well.

Both Lu and Law had a few of their own pieces on display. Lu had a pottery piece of a woman leaning on her elbow, and Law a tea pot, a house pot and a cheese cloche.

Another student who was volunteering said she made a bunch of pieces during the semester, but found it hard to part with them.

“My parents like it when I keep my work and not sell it or give it away,” art major Susan Mireles said.

ABOVE: Student-made ceramics sit waiting to be purchased last week at the annual Pottery Event in the Art Building. All funds collected from the art sale go toward funding the fine and media arts department.

‘Views’ almost lives up to expectations, sputters selves a fan of ALBUM Drake.

REVIEW With artists “Views” Wizkid and Kyla’s hooks on Artist: Drake Genre: Soul-rock the memoraLabel: OVO bly danceable Sound

By Jshania Owens beat, this song Release Date: STAFF WRITER jowens.theadvocate@gmail.com April 29 gets the gold star on Drake’s on’t hold any big expecproject. tations for Drake before Listeners get listening to “Views,” his back to Drake’s familiar hiplatest LP. He’ll defy them all. hop beats with “Grammys.” His Well, almost. low-tempo emotions are put on “Views” had the potential to hold when Future joins him on be a classic for his career if he this track.

Although Drake has had stayed with those mid-temwon one Grammy in his career, po Caribbean-inspired tracks this song might gain him two, like “Controlla” and “One for the album and song.

Dance” throughout the album.

And then there’s “Hotline But the low-tempo flow, that Bling. ” The album comes to a begins with “Keep the Family close with the lead single and Close,” is always expected from SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE one the most popular songs of Drake. Not that it’s a bad thing.

Canadian rapper Drake (seated in the middle) creates his usual round of diversified beats and sound his career. Although the song Available exclusively on Apple hooks, especially in some of his slower-paced tracks in his most recent album, “Views.” has been inescapable since its Music and iTunes after its first release, it feels wrong for it to week of release, the album about regaining control of Drake also samples the late tions regarding his girl’s loyalty be on the album. It just doesn’t can be purchased “explicit” or the relationship. Jamaican and reflects on the past, as well Pimp C’s verse from “Tom blend in. “clean,” and was released for dancehall artist Beenie Man is Ford.” The group dvsn (proas her present intentions with “Views” might drag along streaming on Spotify on Friday. him. Well, if his intentions with nounced “division”) is also sampled in what sounds like with the first few songs having Previously called “Views Drake’s perspective in “Work” featured on this track. The act this track and album are to that signature monotone and from the 6,” as announced in

by Rihanna, in which he is also keep himself above everyone in is Drake’s newest artist signed low-tempo emotional Drake 2014 with the six referring to terms of music, he comes pretty with OVO Sound. These tracks featured. sound, but as he sings about his Toronto hometown, the title close to achieving.

Toward the end, the song are undeniably good, and they his fame and relationships, the was later shortened to “Views.” continues onto the next track, make up for “Views” being Drake mesmerizes listeners album suddenly becomes a What listeners “view” on the mellow, almost sleepy, up until “One Dance,” with another with slow beats and gets perCaribbean dancehall piece. album are personal lyrics that dancehall vibe on the album. sonal on every track, but “With the last half of the album.

That said, those dancehall flow on heavy beats fading into You” includes fellow OVO Previously released as a single, “Controlla” finally lifts the songs are worth playing a few each track. In “U With Me?” “One Dance” questions everySound (his record label) mem- album’s vibe with a dancetimes.

Drake poses important quesone who could never call themhall-fused sound as he sings ber PartyNextDoor.

Drake’s latest lowers previous standard, quality

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Left: Drama department Chairperson Carlos-Manuel Chavarria plays Richard, an adulterer with a quick temper who sends angry emails during the production of “You’ve Got Hate Mail” in the Knox Center on May 6.

Crude ‘Hate Mail’ hilarious The drama department puts on quick, fun play between larger works.

pleted drama department play, “You’ve Got Hate Mail” ou’ve Got Hate “Laramie Mail” was presentProject.”

Venue: Knox Center ed by four of the Chavarria Directed by: Carlosdrama department faculty and Manuel Chavarria greeted the Liberal Arts Division Dean audience and Open Until: Closed Jason Berner in the Knox Mehdizadeh, Center on May 6. The play, and described written by Billy Van Zandt the nature of and Jane Milmore, drew an the performance. The play is audience of about 85, including loosely based on the emails sent Contra Costa College President between Milmore, her ex-husMojdeh Mehdizadeh. band, and some acquaintances Entrance was free, but during their divorce, edited and attendees could make a donaembellished for comedy. tion to help fund the drama The stage held five assorted department ($5 suggested). desks and chairs, with laptops The single-act performance on each and various office was a one-time event, to be debris, bottles, junk food, tisseen that Friday only, and was sues and mugs. advertised to be inappropriBecause the story consists of ate for anyone under 16 years an email exchange, the characold, due to adult language and ters remain seated at their lapthemes. tops, and read aloud what they Drama professor Kathy typed. Conveniently, this means McCarty, who played Pam, said the scripts can be attached to drama department Chairperson the laptop screens, which again, Carlos-Manual Chavarria, is a reason this play was chosen. who played Richard, chose The play was scheduled to the play because it was simple begin at 7:30 pm, but the lights to set up and “very focused went down at 7:41, to the shriek on the acting.” So setup and of a dialup modem, while the rehearsal didn’t interfere with actors took their places. preparations for the now comBecause it is an email-cenBy Benjamin Bassham NEWS EDITOR

bbassham.theadvocate@gmail.com

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

PLAY REVIEW

‘Y

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

tered comedy, it hits the usual jokes early on; spam, penis enlargement, Al Gore, LOL, ALL CAPS, and the sharing of stupid Internet videos. Before long though, it settles into its groove of sex, lies, fear and zany nonsense.

I felt the play suffered from diverging too much from believable human behavior, but then I say that about most comedies. I also found each character to be obnoxious in their own way, but again I don’t like many comedies. The rest of the audience was laughing it up, so I guess I’m just a stickin-the-mud.

I have no complaints about the acting. It is surprising how much can be conveyed without ever standing up. Hair is mussed, ties are undone, outrage abounds. There’s even a

seated chase scene.

The actors took their bows at 9:05 p.m.

McCarty said, “It was a great time acting with the other drama teachers.”

Berner, the only non-drama department member of the group, played George. He said, “It’s hard to remember you’re supposed to be typing” when performing.

Wanda was played by professor Angelina LaBarre and professor Tara Blau played Stephanie.

Chavarria said the drama department paid some royalties for the right to perform Zandt and Milmore’s play. The play was changed by only one word from the original script, he said.

“God damn it” became “damn it,” but all the other profanity was preserved.

ABOVE: Drama adjunct professor Kathy McCarty is Pam, the office secretary who relays messages between Richard’s mistress and his wife during “You’ve Got Hate Mail” in the Knox Center on May 6.

Coffee houses serve award-winning brew Catahoula provides lively comfort, coffee

BY Salvador Godoy STAFF WRITER

sgodoy.theadvocate@gmail.com

Catahoula Coffee Company is a great local spot to start your day with fresh, affordable house-roasted coffee drinks.

It has a small and lively environment for those who want to taste new coffee varieties.

The local business recently won First Place for the sixth time from the San Francisco Chronicle in its “Best of Bay” competition. The establishment also received promising ratings from local customers and business review websites.

Catahoula has two locations — one at 12472 San Pablo Avenue in the heart of Richmond and the other at 2080 4th Street in Berkeley.

Customers will appreciate the chill zone when stepping inside one of these locations. For many people it becomes a “go-to” location after even just one visit. Catahoula features espresso, cappuccinos and latte drinks coming from signature coffee blends specializing in fair

trade organic FOOD beans, making REVIEW the aftertaste “Catahoula come to life with Coffee” a formulaic sensation.

Cuisine: Coffee The menu Where: items are orga- Richmond, nized and con- Berkeley venient for those Price Range: $$ customers who may have trouble choosing what to order. If in need for more information about an item on the menu, the staff is ready and willing to help with specialized information on each product.

One of the highest ranked and most popular drinks is the Mexican mocha, which is blended with flavorful chocolate and cinnamon giving coffee drinkers great taste right from the cup.

If a customer is seeking the nourishment of a meal, Catahoula offers fresh baked pastries including banana bread, pound cakes, muffins and creamy apple puffs.

It also serves fresh tea from organic leaves and buds, providing wonderful taste right from the first sip.

Coffee makers, mugs and containers with the Catahoula brand are sold at both locations.

LEFT: Burlap sacks of coffee sit in the roasting room waiting to be processed at Catahoula Coffee on San Pablo Avenue in Richmond on Sunday..

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Blended packaged coffees are available in the shop too, from Brazilian to Ethiopian selections.

The employees offer a welcoming smile when customers arrive making the atmosphere and attitude pleasant and inviting.

Coffee orders can also be customized. Visitors have the choice to tell the friendly barista to personalize his or her coffee designs in almost any scheme. Catahoula also provides wholesale services by car-

rying their coffee products to other business clients.

The Richmond location hours are weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Weekday mornings around 9 a.m. are the most crowded times to visit at both locations, so it’s best to plan ahead and give yourself some extra time if visiting then.

Both locations play a variety of types of music, from adult contem-

porary to country, maintaining an overwhelming and pleasant atmosphere for consumers.

What makes both locations even more pleasant is the study-friendly atmosphere that encourages college students to hang around and work on projects. They are both a perfect location for a social gathering or just meeting up with a friend.

The amount of space and seating capacity is efficient to handle customers at both locations.

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Individuals see improvement despite losses

sports

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Athletic talents reveal dominance, mastery

PAGE C2

COMETS WIN, TRANSITION TO NATIONAL BAY CONFERENCE PAGE C3

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

ROBINSON LARRY WICKETT & JULIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL

Forward Larry Wickett and guard Julian Robinson earned 2015-16 Athlete of the Year honors for their leadership and outstanding performance on and off the court.

— COMPLETE STORIES AND HONORABLE MENTIONS: PAGES C4 AND C5 —

Team seals consecutive playoff berths, BVC title PAGE C6

BASKETBALL GURU STEPS AWAY AFTER 30 YEARS Women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt hangs up whistle, dedicates extra time to journalism PAGE C7

Squad wins conference championship PAGE C8

“

This is the first BVC title in Johnson’s nine years as coach.” — John Wade, athletic director

Johnson earns coach award Men’s basketball coach recognized for BVC title

By Xavier Johnson ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

The successful men’s basketball season culminated in a Bay Valley Conference championship and coach Miguel Johnson earning Coach of the Year honors.

Johnson led the Comets to an overall record of 25-8 and 11-1 in conference play. Included was a 12game winning streak from Jan. 7 to Feb. 16. In conference play the team averaged 84.3 points per game and 38.8 rebounds per game. The Comets ranked third overall in the state in assists and second overall in steals.

“This is by far my best season here at Contra Costa. We had other seasons where we were good,” Johnson said.

Athletic Director John Wade said, “This is the first BVC title in Johnson’s nine years as coach.”

Johnson said a big part of the success of this season was the talented team he had. The Comets had two players, guard Bobby Syvanthong and forward Larry Wickett, earn All-State honors. Three players, Wickett, Syvanthong, and guard Anthony Sullen, achieved All-BVC honors. Center Deonte Smith and forward Jeremiah Alston earned honorable mention.

“You can be a great coach, but you really need to have talented players who can execute the game plan. We were fortunate to have good depth on this team,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he is a demanding coach who seeks to create a

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

culture of toughness on his teams.

Wickett said the team respects and trusts Johnson. He said they know he wants what’s best for them, and he’s great at getting players to play up to their best abilities.

Johnson said, “I think my record shows that I have the ability to get the most out of my players, regardless of talent level.”

As a community college coach, his teams often change from season to season so Johnson depends on sophomores to lead the team and foster a positive culture.

Johnson said he likes to create an environment that’s hard working, but fun.

“As a coach you have a vision and are steering the ship, but you

don’t want to kill players’ creativity,” Johnson said. “You need to give structure and discipline. It’s something that needs to be balanced.”

The Comets landed in the postseason, making it to the Elite Eight in the state and Final Four in Northern California.

In the playoffs the Comets beat Cosumnes River College 86-77 and Feather River College 106-84. They fell to Fresno City College 100-89 to end their postseason run.

Johnson said the Fresno loss showed the guys how difficult it is to rise to the level of becoming state champions.

“The guys understood that to SEE JOHNSON, PAGE C2

ABOVE: Men’s basketball coach Miguel Johnson received Coach of the Year honors in the Bay Valley Conference after successfully leading the Comets to a conference title.

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JOHNSON | Ideology requires high expectations out of players Continued from Page 1

LEFT: Comet men’s basketball coach Miguel Johnson relays his team’s plan of attack against Cosumnes River College on Feb. 26 during their playoff match up.

be great it starts from the first day of practice, and a strict work ethic needs to be maintained until the end,” Johnson said.

A turning point for the team came when players came to understanding the level of play needed to win a BVC title. That was during the Chabot College tournament near the end of the preseason in December.

The Comets defeated Sierra College, Chabot College, and Cosumnes River College to win the three-day tournament.

“Being able to go in there and win three games in a row was a moment we came together,” Johnson said, “(Chabot) beat us earlier in the preseason, so it was nice to beat them on their home court.”

Wickett said Johnson helped the team rise to a new level of skill, and the returning sophomores and incoming freshman will be able to continue the success found within this season.

“He’s the best coach I’ve had,” Wickett said.

TEAM BUILDS ON ERRORS, IMPROVES CAPACITY Despite losses, bunch experiences growth

BY Dylan Collier STAFF WRITER

dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com

Even though the Comets didn’t make the playoffs this year, they did win twice as many games as last year, putting their wins in the double-digit column and proving they can only go up from here under new skipper Brian Guinn.

Contra Costa College YEAR IN finished the season in place in the Bay REVIEW sixth Valley Conference, surOverall passing last year’s sixrecord: 12-22 win benchmark by midConference March, and earning an record: 8-16 overall team batting Conference average of .258, behind finish: power hitter Evan Ray. Sixth Ray, who sat out last season due to an injury, did play for the squad in 2014, but performed significantly better during the 2016 season.

“All my numbers were better than they were in 2014,” Ray said. “I got better because of the time and practice I put in over the off season. This season I wanted to be prepared, so I put in countless hours.”

One improvement he made was increasing his batting average from a mere .268 in 2014 to a respectable .317 in the 2016 campaign.

Ray put up some impressive numbers with a .385 on base percentage and a .512 slugging percentage, and was responsible for hammering nearly one-third of the team’s

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Comet first basemen Allen Ressler tags second base after an error by Falcon second baseman Tyler Thornly during CCC’s 6-5 win over Solano Community College at the Baseball Field on April 2.

home runs.

One of the differences between this year and last was that CCC was able to get hits when the team needed them, especially with runners in scoring position.

“Every time I went to the plate I knew something good was going to happen, due to my confidence. I knew if I put the ball in play something good was going to happen,” freshman infielder John Velasco said.

Additionally, Velasco led the team in RBIs with 23 this season. But even then, Velasco wasn’t satisfied.

“I started off in a slump, talked to the coaches, and finally put up some numbers. It wasn’t until I just went out there and started to have fun that I started doing well,” Velasco said.

The Comets finished their season with a record of 12-22 overall, 8-16 in the Bay Valley Conference. The Comets’ improvement can also be attributed to its bullpen and to Antonio Straughter, who ended his Comet career with a 2.38 ERA. It also helped that the team had many more pitchers than it did last year, so they could go deeper into the bullpen if needed.

“We had more guys (pitchers) this year.

I think we had eight or nine, compared to three or four last year,” baseball coach Brian Guinn said.

Guinn clearly outlined his plan for the entire season. “We just wanted to be a competitive program and in 80 percent of our games, we had the opportunity to win,” Guinn said. “All we wanted to do was put

ourselves in position to win.”

With the exception of Ray and a few others, most of CCC’s squad will be returning for next season.

However, when it comes to reflecting on the season, there’s still room to grow.

“I think I could have prepared the kids a little better. One of my pet peeves is preparation. One of my successes, was that the kids learned how to compete well, very well,” Guinn said.

“I feel like there’s a rejuvenated energy with Brian Guinn coaching. Coach B actually took some time and effort, to where we could get our reps in, and we became better ball players. Last year it wasn’t really organized and we couldn’t get all our reps in,” Velasco said.

ABSENCE OF PARTICIPATION INDUCES ‘HORRENDOUS YEAR’

BY Dylan Collier STAFF WRITER

dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com

After the second consecutive season where the softball team couldn’t scrape together even one win, frustration and disappointment filled the Comet dugout.

There were many factors that led to CCC’s horrendous year, but one obvious problem was the size of its team.

“Our biggest challenge was having enough players. We only had nine and that was really challenging,” freshman pitcher Anna Palter said.

Any time a team has two backto-back winless seasons, it’s time to start questioning the program as a whole.

The Comets finished their season 0-26 overall. It’s also important to remember that more than half of the Comet players on the team had never played softball before.

This brought to light the true essence of the term “rookie.”

“Another one of our biggest issues, was having confidence in ourselves. Sometimes we’d have good defense, and be able to execute good plays, but when we got the ball, we worried about the play being executed perfectly,” sophomore Angelica Espinal said.

“Sometimes we weren’t hitting

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Comet infielder Angelica Espinal tags out Storm outfielder Jordan Baker during the Comets’ loss against Napa Valley College on March 31.

enough. We’d all get on base, but we’d hit the ball right at the fielders.

Sometimes it was a bad pitch and other times it was making mistakes on the bases. We didn’t strategize very well,” Espinal said.

Out of the 26 games the team played, they were outscored 365-

28. That means they gave up an average of 14 runs per game.

The team has their work cut out for them if they want to get better next year.

“I think we need to work on having more knowledge of the game, especially situational knowledge.

Everyone can improve, though.

Our mental game wasn’t really strong. We can work on being confident in knowing where the play is,” Espinal said.

With anything, whether it’s sports or academics, if you want to get better you have to put in the

time. This is YEAR IN where the saying, “no pain, REVIEW no gain,” really Overall rings true. record: 0-26 “There was Conference a core group record: 0-22 that came to Conference practice regu- finish: larly. But there Seventh was a lack of commitment.”

Palter said.

As a whole, the Comets only mustered up a batting average of .179 and the team’s on base percentage hovered around .241, with a slugging percentage of .215.

One thing is clear. If the Comets want to come back strong and actually be competitive, they must do one thing. Recruit. The Comets absolutely must step up their recruiting game.

“In order to win some games next season, things need to be reborn. We’re going to start from scratch,” freshman catcher Sidney Davis said. Davis also described one of the problems that CCC faced was a lack of effort.

“I’m going to work on my recruiting for next year. I’m trying to make my face familiar to all local high schools, and get familiar with their coaches and players,” softball coach Karolyn Gubbine said.

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Freshmen shock system, win PAC 7 Program strings together winning seasons, increases transfer rates

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

Riding the success of their 2014 one-loss season and successful bid in the Living Breath Foundation Bowl, the Comet football team found a way to maintain its winning ways posting a 9-2 record and returning to post-season action in the process in 2015.

With 24 players from the previous championship team moving on to Division I or II universities, youth and inexperience would be the toughest obstacle in the way of the Comets’ collective goal of repeating as champions.

YEAR IN “I feel we REVIEW played above e v e r y o n e ’s Overall expectations, record: 9-2 even my own.

Conference We played record: 5-1 more than 57 Conference freshmen and finish: you don’t find First that on the junior college level,” coach Alonzo Carter said. “We had a lot of people who we didn’t know if they should even be playing, let alone starting. A lot of (the team’s success) had to do with the job that the entire coaching staff did this year.”

The youth movement of the team was apparent early as freshman quarterback Cameron Burston made his mark as a stabilizing force for the penalty-prone Comet squad.

He led the state in fewest interceptions for the majority of the year and ended up ranked first in the state in total yards and pass completion percentage.

The quarterback earned AllState honors and Carter took the Pac 7 Coach of the Year award.

“We shook up the system,” Burston said. “There hasn’t been a young team do what we did so early in a long time. We opened the eyes of a lot of people and solidified CCC as a destination for ADVERTISEMENT

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

success.”

Picking up where they left off in 2014, the Comets outscored their opponents 51-15 in their first two games of the year. The team put up more than 30 points in its following two games, then notched a dominating 48-7 victory over intradistrict rival Los Medanos College.

By mid-season the Comets, who had been decisively beating their opponents, were faced with their first challenge of the season.

On the road in Marysville against Yuba College, CCC, which had not lost in more than a calendar year, found itself behind 13-10 with three minutes left to play.

The offense orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 19-yard Burston to receiver Malcolm Hale touchdown, effectively snatching victory

from the jaws of defeat and beating the 49ers 16-13.

Two weeks later, CCC was handed the first of its two disappointing moments of the season.

Shasta College’s All-State running back Connor Silveria got loose for 127 yards and three touchdowns and a Burston injury hurt the Comets’ chances for mounting a successful comeback in the game.

“There were a lot of up and downs this season compared to last year,” sophomore linebacker Chima Onyeukwu said.

The team quickly regained its composure in its final conference game of the year and beat San Jose City College 40-16 in San Jose.

In December, CCC returned to the Living Breath Foundation Bowl to, once again, battle Hartnell College. The Comets lost the contest 41-28.

“Even though the loss is disappointing, when you step back and look at it, I was really proud. Who knew that the success we had this season would lead to us moving up to a higher division (for the 2016 season),” Carter said. “Having a core of 30-35 guys returning will pay big dividends going forward.”

As a follow up to earning four straight bowl appearances, the Comet football team will move up to the National Bay 6 Conference this fall to battle powerhouses like City College of San Francisco, Santa Rosa Junior College and cross-county and intradistrict rival Diablo Valley College.

“This year we taught the young guys how the program works and how to focus in the classroom,” San Diego State University-bound defensive lineman Onyeukwu said.

“They should be OK.” ADVERTISEMENT

ABOVE: Comet quarterback Cameron Burston hurdles Corsair defensive back Jacob Pluta and goes into the end zone for a touchdown during CCC’s 44-34 win over College of the Redwoods on Oct. 24 at Comet Stadium.

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ATHLETES O

— DETERMINATION — HARD WORK — FOCUS —

“ Comet guard sets

I always wanted to play for a hometown team and coach Paul (DeBolt) finally convinced me to come.” — Julian Robinson, Comet guard

JULIAN ROBINSON

pace to BVC title

By Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

As the lone freshman starter for the women’s basketball team, many expected the 2015-16 season to be filled with the rough patches and adjustment periods that usually define the transition many players have when moving from high school to the college level.

But for 6-foot-2 guard Julian Robinson, the transition came as smooth as her mid-range jump shot.

Robinson averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds a game for Kennedy High School in her senior season.

The guard earned Playerof-the-Game honors for her 14-point, eight-rebound and six-assist performance in playoff action against Tamalpais High school.

That year, 2013-14, she was also named to the North Coast Section Girls Basketball Team.

This year in her first season for the Comets, Robinson was named Bay Valley Conference Most Valuable Player and her 17 points,10 rebounds, three assists and four blocks per game was enough to merit an addition to the All-State team. For all of this she has also been named The Advocate’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2015-16.

“I always wanted to play for a hometown team and coach Paul (DeBolt) finally convinced me to come,” Robinson said. “There was a strange vibe from the team early on — not much chemistry.

Then everybody woke

up and stopped worrying about playing time and scoring averages and focused on just winning.”

Her first two games started innocently enough, notching 10 and 13 points in two early season victories.

It was not until her 23-point, 19-rebound outburst in a 72-61 loss to eventual state champion Mt. San Antonio College that her potential would begin to come to fruition.

The freshman totaled single-digit scoring numbers in just three of the Comets’ 31 contests this season, all before BVC play began.

In the BVC, Robinson never scored below 13 points in a game and spearheaded the Comets ferocious attack against every team it was slated to battle for conference supremacy.

After opening BVC play with a 19-point performance against the College of Marin on Jan. 5, the guard strung together a quartet of 20+ point performances, including a 36-point, eight rebound explosion in an 86-80 win at Solano Community College.

“I knew she was good, but I didn’t know how she played or what her stats were before she got here,” sophomore forward and fellow All-BVC first teamer Jacqie Moody said. “I was proud of her whole freshman journey as an athlete this year.”

Robinson proved to be a nightmare matchup for all of the teams CCC faced this year. At

6-2, her frame screams post player but her skill offers advantages at any position on the hardwood.

Throughout the season teams would attempt to guard Robinson with the tallest player available. The MVP would exploit those slower defenders and when teams switched to smaller defenders, she would simply shoot over the top of them.

Robinson not only used her height to score, the freshman also averaged 3.5 assists per game and gathered at least 14 rebounds in six matchups.

“She gets very emotional, kind of like Nay (Ahjahna Coleman) did last year,” Comet center Briah Davis said. “She is the most intense, driven person that I have ever seen on the court.”

When the women’s basketball team lost half of its team to eligibility issues in January, it was Robinson, DeBolt said, who was the first to stand against the notion of adding additional players to the team.

“I wanted to find more players because at that point we had just six. But Juju wasn’t having it,” DeBolt said.

Robinson said, “We had 14 players, but we weren’t really disciplined. People would make every excuse to try to miss practice,” Robinson said. “With the girls gone, every player stepped up and practices got harder, more intense. That’s when we started to grow.”

She continued, “Being on a team is another form of loyalty. I’m loyal to these girls. I wish we had another year together.”

Guard Julian Robinson and forward Larry Wickett have been named A during the 2015-16 year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL

SOFTBALL

Jacqie Moody

Cameron Burston

Sydney Davis

After a breakout freshman season, sophomore forward Jacqie Moody returned to the hardwood with a vengeance. She ranked first in California in offensive rebounding while garnering top 10 status in three more statistical categories in the Bay Valley Conference. Moody ranked seventh in field goal percentage, seventh in points per game and fourth in rebounds per game earning her back-to-back first team All-BVC honors. She honed her low-post skills en route to averaging 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.

Moody transformed her image from an emotionally volatile freshman into that of a leader and a stabilizing force helping to guide the Comets into the 2016 playoffs.

Freshman phenom quarterback Cameron Burston exploded onto the football landscape this year racking up stellar performances and even better statistics in the process. His Comet squad finished 9-2 in its inaugural season in the Pacific 7 Conference. The quarterback also launched an all-out assault on stat sheets along the way. Burston ranked in the top 10 in nine statewide statistical categories including first place in the state in completion percentage (63.5), yards per game (215) and total yards (2,151). The quarterback earned First Team AllState honors as well as earning 2016 All-Pac 7 team recognition.

Burston made his impact early, leading the Comets to a 7-0 start with no interceptions in those games.

Despite an abysmal reco straight season, the Com played a renewed level o spearheaded by freshma Sydney Davis. As a catch cannon of an arm, rankin Valley Conference in runn The part-time pitcher als this year, the only such h the last two seasons.

A vocal leader, Davis wa morale from bottoming o the 0-26 2016 Comet so sant cheering and chant voiceless following Come

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OF THE YEAR

— EXCELLENCE — GRACE UNDER PRESSURE —

“‘Jokester’ carries I could have Wickett go out there and score 30 points every night.” — Miguel Johnson, Comet men’s basketball coach

team to playoffs ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

In order to achieve greatness and stand out in a team sport, a basketball player must excel at executing individually on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He or she must elevate their teammates to perform at a high level as well.

Sophomore Comet forward Larry Wickett, The Advocate’s 2015-16 Male Athlete of the Year, exemplifies what it means to work hard.

Wickett is a standout player from a standout team. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the Bay Valley Conference this past season and won First Team All-State honors as well.

“I knew I could perform at a high level this season,” Wickett said. “I came into the season confident and knew as long as I put in the work I’d achieve what I wanted.”

Alongside his individual honors, he helped lead the Comets to the BVC championship and the state Elite Eight in the postseason.

Wickett averaged 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season.

The versatile forward finished in the top 15 in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game in the BVC. Men’s basketball coach Miguel Johnson said Wickett was called upon to do anything the team needed to get the victory.

“I could have Wickett go out there and score 30 points every night,” Johnson said, “but he was able to do anything we needed him to do, like

fight for rebounds or defend their best player.”

Johnson said Wickett set the tone for how hard the team would play and everyone would follow his lead.

“Wickett came in and worked hard every single day,” Johnson said.

Wickett said, “I do a lot on the team. My role is just to go out there and do whatever it takes to get the win.”

The forward came to CCC from Vallejo High School as a talented player, but he admits he didn’t work as hard as he could have.

“I knew I was good.”

Athletic Director John Wade said Wickett is a bigtime athlete and would have been a PAC-12 athlete out of high school if his academics were up to par.

Wickett came to CCC because he was already connected with the school.

“My sister played basketball here and John Wade knows my dad. I felt comfortable coming here,” Wickett said. “It was the best basketball school around.”

Johnson said Wickett came to the team as a “jokester” who worked hard but didn’t take the game seriously.

Wickett’s mindset changed when he had his daughter La’Riyah Wickett, Johnson said.

“To see him mature is very rewarding,” Johnson said. “Not that I feel like I’ve done something great for him, but that he’s done something great for himself.

LARRY WICKETT

By Xavier Johnson

“All you can do is help these students get where they want to get.”

Wickett grew as a player and a leader on this championship-winning Comet team.

“The biggest way I’ve grown is with my maturity and basketball IQ,” Wickett said.

He said as he matured his work ethic grew. The off season wasn’t just having free time anymore. He spent it working harder on his skills.

“I make better decisions on the court now, like identifying mismatches for me and my teammates, or making the right pass at the right time,” Wickett said.

As for his plans after Comet basketball, Wickett remains undecided on his future.

“I’ve thought about playing ball at a four-year university, I’ve gotten offers,” he said. “I want to focus most of my effort on raising my daughter.”

Wickett said he wants to finish obtaining an associate degree in accounting. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting is on his mind, but his main priority is being able to be with his daughter.

“I have achieved a lot here at CCC. I know I can play ball at a high level,” he said. “I don’t need to play anymore because I’m happy with what I’ve achieved.”

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Advocate Female and Male Athletes of the Year for their superior play

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S SOCCER

s

Daizah Pounds

Edgar Yepez

ord for the second met softball team disof spunk and energy an pitcher and catcher her, Davis showed a ng seventh in the Bay ners caught stealing. so smacked a home run hit for the Comets over

The sophomore slump was non-existent for guard Daizah Pounds. In an attempt to embrace her leadership role and fulfill her vow to lead on the court by example, the guard increased her scoring output from 8.4 to 12.7 points per game from her freshman to sophomore seasons.

Pounds also tallied two triple-doubles for the Comets this season. She provided an offensive spark for the Comets, usually initiating the squad’s scoring with her signature teardrop runner in the lane.

If there were a statistical category for heart, Comet defender Edgar Yepez would rank at the top of the list. The freshman defender did not hold the top spot in any statistical categories so it was through sheer will and desire that Yepez found himself on the 2015 All-Northern California men’s soccer team. Shortly after, the defender was recognized and named to the All-State men’s soccer team as well. His massive bravado and confidence level gave his Comet squad the edge it needed to win the Bay Valley Conference championship and make a return to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

as influential in keeping out over the course of oftball season. Her incesleading often left her et doubleheaders.

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Comets win title, lose playoff game Playoff

BY Lorenzo Morotti ASSOCIATE EDITOR

lmorotti.theadvocate@gmail.com

rival

The men’s soccer team not only won the Bay Valley Conference title for the first time in 10 years and sealed a consecutive playoff berth, but the program created a culture of success.

“All the players put so much energy to get back to the playoffs we never really celebrated winning conference,” Comet coach Nikki Ferguson said. “ At the end of season, when we got eliminated in first round (against Fresno City College) there was a lot wind taken out of our sails.

But at same YEAR IN time we did REVIEW not necessarily realize how Overall record: 12-6-4 much we had accomplished Conference along the way.” record: 8-1-3 Contra Conference Costa College finish: (12-6-4 overall, First and 8-1-3 in the BVC) lost its first conference game of the season against Yuba College 2-1, but then it went on an 11-game undefeated streak in BVC. The Comets, however, failed to carry their momentum into the second half against the Rams at Fresno in the first round of the State Playoffs. FCC scored four goals in six minutes to win 4-1.

“He was still proud of us,” sophomore left back Alejandro Gonzalez said. “It was a big step for us to make playoffs two years in a row while winning the conference title.”

Ferguson said he is proud of the sophomore players who stepped up to fill vacancies early in the season. He said these players not only adapted to their new roles, but they excelled. “(Comet center back) Davis

Fresno ends quest for state title, stokes culture of success

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

“(Ferguson) was trying to make us better. He took players like me and changed our positions.

He saw something in me I couldn’t see and I was able to change.”

Davis Okonkwo,

former Comet center back

(Okonkwo) is a perfect example of that,” he said. “(Okonkwo) came onto the team wanting to play up top. Who would have thought he would be our starting center back all season and that he would be enrolled at Cal State-East Bay with a scholarship to play soccer.”

Okonkwo said he never thought he would be at a four-year univer-

sity. He gives all the credit for his success to Ferguson for taking him out of his comfort zone and believing in his ability to learn by doing. “(Ferguson) is one of those tough coaches that can get really pissed off, but you can sense that it’s for your own good,” he said. “(Ferguson) was trying to make us better. He took players like me and changed our positions. He saw something in me I couldn’t see and I was able to change.”

Ferguson said other sophomore players who did well to adapt are center midfielder Carlos Munoz, center back Edgar Yepes (BVC Defensive Player of the Year and MVP), Okonkwo and Gonzalez.

“Academically (Gonzalez) is off the charts.” Ferguson said. “His individual 4.0 GPA is the highest of all male athletes at Contra Costa College. But at the end of the day,

I’m a firm believer that anyone can meet the demand. You have to be willing to step up and take on the challenge. And he doesn’t shy away — he loves competition.”

Despite the score lines against the Rams, Modesto Junior College and Lake Tahoe College, the Comets did not allow more than two goals in all other matches.

“It was an unforgettable season,” freshman Comet goalkeeper Eduardo Escamilla said. “I was able to represent our community all over the state. It was satisfying.”

Escamilla finished the season with 12 shutouts and 136 saves throughout the season.

Ferguson said he is excited for the 2016 season and to watch his soon-to-be sophomores Yepez, Escamilla and center midfielder Jorge Avina adapt to leadership roles.

ABOVE: Comet defender Jesus Villagrana (right) fights for possession of the ball against Bear Cub midfielder Jovani Carlolino during CCC’s 2-0 loss to Santa Rosa Junior College at the Soccer Field on Oct. 16 2015.

Soccer coach resigns after forfeits Women’s program seeks coach, studentathletes to rebuild culture

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

After ending its 2014 season with barely enough players to field a regulation team, the 2015 Comet women’s soccer team scrubbed its season after failing to enlist enough players to compete in Bay Valley Conference play.

“I decided not to play because I didn’t want a repeat of last year,” sophomore defender Lizette Hurtado said.

“I would have played, but I got a job instead when all of the girls started to leave.”

When men’s soccer coach Nikki Ferguson handed the reins over to his assistant Amanda Beckenhauer in 2014, there were 20 players slotted to play for the team. When the season began, only 10 women remained and the team

hovered between playing short or forfeiting games for the entirety of that 1-11 season.

This year’s team, at a minimum, should have had the eight sophomores from last season to serve as its foundation. However, the loosely knit relationships Beckenhauer held with her players ultimately spelled the demise of her team and her tenure as coach.

After failing to field a team by the start of conference play last fall, Athletic Director John Wade accepted Beckenhauer’s resignation.

“It is a real disappointment. It drains you to lose a game, but it’s more draining if you can’t field a team to play,” Wade said. “Technically, they had enough players on the roster, but the commitment was not there with all of the players at the same time.”

Some players lost all faith in the coach in the locker room before its final game in 2015, which it forfeited, before eventually canceling the season.

Unbeknownst to the players, fewer players were available than were needed to play an official game at the home contest. The players who did show up got dressed and taped before being informed that the game would be canceled as they walked to the field.

Many of the players left the field that day with the impression that Beckenhauer knew the personnel circumstances 24 hours prior to the game, but kept the information to herself to stave off personal embarrassment.

“The coach (Beckenhauer) recruited me to play this year since I was on last year’s team,” sophomore defender ShaRonda Jones said. “At the time, there

were not enough YEAR IN players committed REVIEW for me to quit my job so I decided not Overall to play.” record: 0-0 F e r g u s o n Conference restructured the record: 0-0 women’s program Conference before moving on finish: to coach the men N/A leaving behind a pool of nearly 20 athletes for Beckenhauer to choose from.

Speculation around the athletic department is that Ferguson will re-take the coaching duties for the women’s program while continuing to coach the men’s team, though no official announcement has been made by Wade as of yet.

Team loses coach to cancer, fails to salvage season Shrieve’s death affects volleyball players, family

“It was hard. I tried to be there for the team as much as possible, but it was hard splitting my time between Richmond and here .”

BY Xavier Johnson ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

The young and inexperienced Contra Costa College women’s volleyball team failed to execute this year completa winless YEAR IN ing 2015 season.

REVIEW The Comets Overall finished the record: 00-16 season with Conference a record of record: 00-16 0-16 in the Conference Bay Valley finish: Conference.

Ninth The team failed to win a single set with games following a typical pattern. The squad would consistently have a slow start dropping the first set. The second set would improve slightly as the team found a rhythm. The third set would be a regression.

Coach Christy Tianero said with a small team of only seven players, the young Comets couldn’t get into the necessary game condition. They played tired in the third set and ended up being overwhelmed by the other team’s offen-

Christy Tianero, volleyball coach

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Comet right hitter Amy Polomares tips the ball over the net and over Eagle middle blocker Stephanie Sandria during Contra Costa College’s loss to Laney College in Oakland on Oct. 2, 2015.

sive attack.

The volleyball team lost its coach, Zachary Shrieve, before the season even started. He was absent the entire season, suffering from cancer, and passed away in March.

When Shrieve was diagnosed with his illness, then assistant coach Tianero took on the role of head coach. At the time, she was also the coach of the Richmond

High School volleyball team. She said she couldn’t dedicate the amount of time necessary to help the Comet team grow.

“It was hard,” Tianero said.

“I tried to be there for the team as much as possible, but it was hard splitting my time between Richmond and here.”

Conditioning was something that will be stressed in coming

seasons now that Tianero, who will continue as coach of the team, will be able to dedicate her attention solely to the Comets, she said.

Freshman middle blocker Alejandra Galvez said having so few players made having a productive practice hard.

“When players would miss practice, because of work or something, we couldn’t have a full prac-

tice and work on what we needed,” Galvez said.

The Comets finished last in the Bay Valley Conference. Statistically they ranked last in kills, assists, hitting percentage, blocks per set and points.

Galvez said a problem the team had was communication, on and off the court.

“One thing that we need to do better is communicate,” Galvez said. “We would get frustrated with each other.”

Moore said she tried to spark communication during practice and games to get the team fired up.

Tianero said poor communication was a key factor too. Toward the end of the season the team’s communication did improve.

It didn’t improve to the level needed to win a set or game, though. She said communication is something she’s going to stress this coming fall.

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‘Passionate’ coach shifts focus, drive

Former women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt passionately gives his last strategic talk to the Comets with just a few seconds remaining on the clock in the second

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LEFT: Former women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt explains a drill to his team during a Comet practice session in the Gymnasium on Dec. 1.

2015.

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

FILE PHOTO / THE ADVOCATE

half of Contra Costa College’s 69-67 playoff win against the Foothill College Owls, securing a berth in the State Tournament, on March 12. 2003 in the Gymnasium.

Basketball sage closes playbook, adjusts vision

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

W

hen people speak of someone being “a lifer,” most thoughts turn to a person who made bad choices in life or committed some heartless act. We imagine someone forgotten to the world or someone wasting away in a lonely abyss.

Paul DeBolt is just that — a lifer. He served as Comet women’s basketball coach since its reinstatement in 1986 until announcing his retirement from the team following the 2016 season. He will continue teaching journalism and advising The Advocate, a job he began in the fall of 1980.

“I always knew I wanted to coach basketball. It was something I was going to do all the way through my career, if possible. The only way I wasn’t going to coach is if I had a job in journalism that wouldn’t allow me to,” DeBolt said. “That’s what makes my jobs (teaching journalism and coaching basketball) at CCC so special. But one of them had to go because I never planned on doing both of them until I retire from the college.

“It just made sense to (step down from coaching) now.”

This year’s Comet squad added to the lore of the DeBolt legacy, boasting a 21-10 overall record. The team won the Bay Valley Conference championship, making his coaching win-loss record 562-380, placing him at sixth all-time in the state in overall coaching wins.

DeBolt, 61, was also named Coach of the Year in the BVC for the eighth time in his career.

Aside from those accolades, the coach was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association District 8 JC Coach of the Year three times for the years 2000, 2001 and 2003. DeBolt was also named the California Community College Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year in 2001 after coaching the Comets to the State Championship Game that season.

Under his leadership, the Comets won the BVC 11 times and finished in second or third place a staggering 10 times on top of that. CCC played in four Elite Eights, three Final Fours and two State Championship Games.

His women’s basketball teams in 2001 and 2003 are the only teams in the history of the college, besides the 1954 and 1955 baseball teams, to play in a State Championship Game.

Basketball has always been in DeBolt’s blood. As an 8-year-old, the El Sobrante youth primed his pallet for a future in the sport after falling in love with the game while a member of the El Sobrante Boy’s

Club.

He went on to play at De Anza High School and graduated in 1972. Then he ventured a short hop down the road to CCC where he played for legendary men’s basketball coach Ed Greene, before graduating with his associate degree in liberal arts in 1975.

Greene said, “I went over and talked to his coach at De Anza (Neil Harriman) who was my coach too. He told me he had two players and one of them was DeBolt,” Greene said. “Coming from El Sobrante, our team make up was a new experience for him. But it did not take him long to adjust.”

In his second season as a Comet, on what was considered a weaker Comet team, DeBolt’s Comet squad won 18 games and made it to the playoffs.

Following his days as a Comet, DeBolt transferred to San Diego State University where he played as a walk-on for the Aztecs before receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1977 and his master’s in mass communication in 1980.

DeBolt returned to the Bay Area that summer and was hired as CCC’s journalism department chairperson. He also served a stint as the girls’ basketball coach at Pinole Valley High for three years from 1983-86, before resigning from that position.

Of DeBolt’s hire as journalism prof, Greene said, “The college wanted to hire the publicity rep from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. He had all of the credentials and a top-notch reputation. He moved to Richmond on July 1 and by July 18 he was already headed back — I don’t think they stayed long enough to unpack their furniture.”

In 1980, at 25 years old, DeBolt had impressed the hiring committee enough to take a second look at him. He was hired, and a few years later, in 1986, began his journey as the women’s basketball coach for the Comets.

“The athletic director at the time, Paul Farris, called me to his office and asked if I wanted to start a women’s basketball team at the college and, without talking to anyone, I said ‘yes’,” DeBolt said. “I had to go home and tell my wife that I was going to coach again.

She told me to make sure I got paid for it.”

His impact with the Comets was apparent, almost from the start. After finishing in eighth place in his first season, his Comet squad bounced back to capture consecutive BVC titles in the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons.

“That second year I remember having other coaches tell me, ‘You guys are good,’ or ask me ‘How’d you get good so fast?’”

DeBolt said. “I remember looking at those talented players after big games and being like, we did it. We’ve arrived. Now let’s go

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Former women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt draws out a play during the Comet Classic tournament game against Foothill College on Dec 6. 2015.

“I always knew I wanted to coach basketball. It was something I was going to do all the way through my career, if possible.

— Paul DeBolt, women’s basketball coach

play everybody.”

From there the coach continued to forge the foundation of his career right up until the biggest test he would face during his coaching tenure.

On Nov. 17, 2011, Vallejo Police Officer Jim Capoot, a coaching mentee, a life mentor and close friend of DeBolt and his family, was killed in the line of duty. His daughter Jamie was a Comet guard at the time.

“I don’t think I ever recovered from that as a coach,” DeBolt said. “It made basketball seem so insignificant. We’re so close to the family. I still can’t put it into words. For some reason I could never be as demanding of my players after we lost Jim.” With 36 years on campus and counting, few of his current colleagues have been here long enough to witness the complete evolution of the professor and coach.

But one has.

“Paul is passionate. He takes his students seriously. He’s not saying, hey, I have a couple of hours to kill. He loves basketball. He loves journalism. He’s the real deal,” fine and media arts professor John Diestler said. “He did a heartless act (by stepping down from coaching) because it really was taking his heart out.

“But it was time.”

over the years year 1986-87 1987-88* 1988-89* 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93* 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96* 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01* 2001-02* 2002-03* 2003-04* 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07* 2007-08 2008-09* 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16*

record 3-23 21-10 28-9 17-15 14-16 25-8 18-12 5-23 13-19 25-5 17-15 8-22 8-20 30-6 33-6 30-7 34-5 29-4 20-11 21-15 28-9 10-21 21-11 19-10 13-14 3-19 15-13 21-9 13-13 21-10 overall 563-380 (.597 percent)

* Denotes conference championship

Source: Advocate archives

C8

sports

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 5.18.2015 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

ELEVATED PLAY RESULTS IN BVC TITLE, PLAYOFFS Men’s basketball team dominates conference play

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

After missing the playoffs in the 2014-15 season, the Comet men’s basketball team rebounded to win the Bay Valley Conference crown on its home floor this year before riding its 25-8 record all the way to being one of the final eight teams in contention for a state title.

Aside from grabbing nine more wins this season, the Comets elevated their team statistics in some of the more meaningful categories. Points per game jumped from 75 to 80 points while gains in field goal percentage, assists and rebounding were also made.

With only two returners from the previous squad, chemistry was an early concern and team split YEAR IN the its first 10 REVIEW games. But Overall the Comets record: 25-8 finished their Conference non-conferrecord: 11-1 ence portion Conference of the season finish: by rattling off First six wins in a row, including a championship at the eight-team Chabot College tournament.

Seemingly firmly on track, the team opened conference play by losing a 90-86 nail-biter against Yuba College on Jan. 5 in Marysville. The 49ers swept the season series against the Comets in the previous year, winning both games by an average of 12 points in those contests.

That loss served as a turning point for the team. The Comets used their misfortune as an opportunity to re-focus and re-load turning their ire toward the BVC. From that point on, CCC would annihilate most of its conference opponents. The squad won 15 of the next 16 games, beginning with a 12-game winning streak, that effectively clinched the conference

“

We went 11-1 in conference, hosted a playoff game and our coach won BVC Coach of the Year.” — Larry Wickett, Comet forward

“It was a good season.

It’s the furthest I’ve been in my whole life as far as playoff basketball is concerned.”

— Jeremiah Alston, Comet forward

title.

“I’d give this season a 10.

Everyone was local, no out-ofstate recruits and we all remained eligible — that’s an accomplishment,” sophomore Larry Wickett said. “We went 11-1 in conference, hosted a playoff game and our coach won BVC Coach of the Year.”

Johnson was not the only award recipient, as sophomore guard Bobby Syvanthong and Wickett were named to the All-State team.

The Comets were afforded a first round playoff bye and would host Cosumnes River College in the second round of the playoffs.

CCC dominated the Hawkeyes in San Pablo, but remained the underdog in its next bout against 29-point per game scorer Derrick Randolph and the Feather River College Golden Eagles.

After the five-hour bus ride to Quincy, the team started flat and fell behind by 23 points. Inspired team defense and a breakout 25-point performance by freshman sharpshooter Jeremiah Alston led CCC back from the abyss and to a 106-84 win.

Thirty-two games and five months after its Nov. 5 season-opening loss to Columbia College, the Comets found themselves one game away from playing in the state’s Final Four.

CCC fell behind early in its Elite Eight match up at Fresno City College. Hindered by another slow start, the team found itself behind by double-digits at halftime.

The Comets surged and outscored the Rams in the second half, but eventually found themselves on the losing end of a 10089 contest and eliminated from state title contention.

“It was a good season. It’s the furthest I’ve been in my whole life as far as playoff basketball is concerned,” Alston said.

CHRISTIAN URRUTIA / THE ADVOCATE

Point guard Bobby Syvanthong powers his way through the Yuba College defense during the Comets’ Bay Valley Conference Tournament loss on Feb 17.

SHORTHANDED TEAM DEFIES ODDS, EARNS CHAMPIONSHIP

BY Robert Clinton SPORTS EDITOR

rclinton.theadvocate@gmail.com

CODY CASARES / THE ADVOCATE

Comet forward Jacqie Moody shoots a layup against Mariners’ guard Molly Carmody during CCC’s 80-57 win against College of Marin in the Gymnasium on Jan. 29.

Upon losing more than half of its roster to defections and eligibility issues shortly before beginning Bay Valley Conference play in January, and after ending a tough preseason schedule with a 10-8 record, the prevailing belief was that the Comet women’s basketball would miss the postseason for a second year in a row.

The only people holding firm to the belief that the season was not over were the coaches and the six players left on the Comet roster.

“After we lost half of our team, coach Ebony (Young) and I talked to the team after a practice to tell them I planned to find some extra players,” coach Paul DeBolt said. “First it was Juju (Julian Robinson) shaking her head no, then Jacqie (Moody), and the rest of team followed.

“Right then and there the 6-Pack was born.”

Firmly against a repeat of the middle of the pack finish (13-13) the team owned in 2014-15, CCC upped its scoring output from 66 to 80 points-per-game.

The team also averaged five more assists (20.4) and four more rebounds per contest (46.3) than the team did last year.

Contra Costa College skewered its first nine BVC opponents. Its only in-conference hiccup came in the form of a 79-71 home loss to Solano Community College.

In that game only one player from either team had more than 20 points, First Team All-BVC sophomore guard Tynisha Adams.

C C C YEAR IN placed three REVIEW more players on the All- Overall BVC team, record: 21-10 s o p h o m o r e Conference guard Daizah record: 11-1 P o u n d s , Conference M o o d y finish: and fresh- First man guard Robinson, who also won conference MVP honors.

DeBolt also won BVC Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career.

The Comets flexible, inside out, up-tempo style proved to be too much for most teams to handle, but with passions high following the Solano loss the team was itching to atone for the defeat.

Those passions overflowed onto the court in the following game, a win at Yuba College in Marysville, as sophomore guard Sidney Vidal spewed a four-letter bomb that got her ejected from the contest and suspended for the following game at East Bay rival Laney College.

The BVC finale against Laney held extreme significance as both teams owned identical 10-1 records with the winner to be crowned conference champions.

So, with only five available players, the Comets took the court in front of a hostile Oakland crowd and promptly beat the brakes off of the defending champion Eagles, snatching the conference crown for its own.

In the contest, Pounds notched her second triple-double of the sea-

“After we lost half of our team it forced us to become closer...The closer we got the more successful we were.”

Briah Davis, Comet center

son (12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists), while Moody (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Robinson (15 points, 12 rebounds) both brought home double-doubles.

Adams led all scorers with 26 points and sophomore Briah Davis made multiple defensive plays without an available respite to nurse her injured knee.

“After we lost half of our team it forced us to become closer,” Davis said. “The closer we got the more successful we were.”

The Comets, who finished the regular season 21-9, opened playoff competition as guest to the Vikings of intradistrict rival Diablo Valley College. CCC’s poor shooting behind the 3-point arc failed to slow its progress and the team led by two points after the first quarter. But the Comets trailed by four at the half.

In a display of grit and will, the six-player Comet squad forced a perennial powerhouse to overtime, eventually losing by two, 82-80 in the closing seconds of play.

“We went through a lot this year. We learned so much and grew as players and as people,” Pounds said. “It was a great season, despite how it ended.”