The Advocate 8-23

WEDNESDAY l 8.23.17 OUR 68TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Vice President of Student Affairs Ken Sherwood sings during All College Day in the GE-234 on Aug. 10. Sherwood said he decided to sing for the Contra Costa College staff, administration and student body because that is a way to get to know him.

LEADER EMBODIES PASSION 20 years of experience gives Ken Sherwood the tools needed to serve as CCC vice president

By Roxana Amparo associate editor

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Ken Sherwood joins the Contra Costa College community with students as his main focus.

The position for CCC’s vice president became available when former vice president Tammeil Gilkerson became president at Laney College on Feb. 22.

The decision was finalized in the middle of May and the vice president’s chair in the Student and Administration Building was no longer vacant when Sherwood began his term on June 20.

Sherwood was previously part of

the Ventura County College District serving as vice president of academic affairs and student learning at Oxnard College for two years.

President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh said Sherwood brings his educational experience to the campus as well.

His previous roles in the community college system included academic senate president for Los Angeles City College for four years (July 2007-June 2014), dean of liberal studies at Oxnard College (January 2013-June 2015).

“He was an impressive candidate having been in the classroom for so many years and working his way up the career ladder really showed his knowledge as well as his experience

of the community college system,” Mehdizadeh said.

Sherwood’s extensive 20-year background in three community college districts, including more than a decade teaching speech at LA City, allows him to get to know how the community college system works.

“What we do is unique. No one connects with students the way we do in community college. If we aren’t focusing on what the students need, then we aren’t focusing on students,” Sherwood said.

Despite the complexities of the community college system, Sherwood’s various leadership roles over the course of his career has made him the “perfect” candidate for SEE SHERWOOD, PAGE 3

EARLY CHILD EDUCATION SUPPORTS RISK TAKING

CSU BOARD ELIMINATES MATH COURSE REQUIREMENT

By Michael Santone associate editor

msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com

ILLUSTRATION BY MAYRA GARCIA / THE ADVOCATE

PAGE 5

Professor remembered Native American history

Solar eclipse sheds light, inspires curiosity

educator leaves legacy of social change

By Roxana Amparo associate editor

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

Proud Sioux tribe member, social rights activist and former Contra Costa College history professor Lehman L. Brightman died on June 18 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Walnut Creek at the age of 87.

Brightman was born and raised in the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota in 1930.

Standing at about 6 foot

6, he played football and ran track for Oklahoma A&M, which is now Oklahoma State University.

Before setting out to earn a master’s degree at UC Berkeley, and ultimately creating CCC’s Native American studies department in 1974, Brightman served as a marine in the Korean War. After serving in the military he became heavily involved in various civil right groups and demonstra-

ABOVE: Lehman Brightman was an avid activist for social justice.

He died on June 18 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Walnut Creek at the age of 87.

SEE BRIGHTMAN, PAGE 3 PAGE 4

The California State University Board of Trustees voted to eliminate intermediate algebra prerequisites for non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students.

Changes to its general education requirements will go into effect beginning the 2018 fall semester for community college transfer and CSU freshmen students.

Removing certain math requirements for non-science majors gives alternative pathways for students who see math as a barrier to graduation, and earning a livable wage.

“Algebra-based math is not being eliminated from CSU general education requirements,” CSU Public Affairs Manager Elizabeth Chapin said.

“Prerequisites for courses will now relate more directly to the skills developed for that particular course of study.”

For example general education requirement courses may now range from personal finance, statistics, game theory and computer science Chapin said.

“It will give students more flexibility in completing their bachelor’s degrees SEE MATH, PAGE 3

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Quotable “Power corrupts, and there is nothing more corrupting than power exercised in secret.”

Daniel Schorr, news analyst, National Public Radio 1997 Denis Perez editor-in-chief Roxana Amparo Anthony Kinney Michael Santone associate editors Mayra Garcia art director Benjamin Bassham news editor Robert Clinton sports editor opinion editor Xavier Johnson scene editor Dylan Collier assistant scene editor Reggie Santini spotlight editor Efrain Valdez social media editor Tashi Wangchuck multimedia editor Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Advocate Staff Sean Austin Louis Cano Alondra Gallardo Ryan Geller Cedric Broadnax Carina Castrillo Maxwell Craig Daniel Garcia Tony Gojilde Dan Hardin Julian Robinson Jessica Suico Desmond Sylva Drew Thomas Demond Washington Andrew Weedon 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, 2017 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: accentadvocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

opinion

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017 VOL. 105, NO. 1

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM

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EDITORIAL REQUIREMENT OVERHAUL

Policy highlights pathways for student success

C

alifornia State University officials enacted a policy that will remove Intermediate Algebra prerequisite requirements for non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors with the changes going into effect in fall of 2018 for students transferring from community colleges and incoming freshmen.

Although the change may restrict historically underrepresented students from receiving a well-rounded education, it will make it easier for them to earn a degree in their desired field in a timely manner and move to the next phase of their educational path.

To expect students that are the product of a public school district that is consistently neglecting to instantly be able to compete on an academic level is unfair.

Forcing them to spend extra time at a community college rather than working toward employment and earning a living wage is counterproductive to their growth and the growth of our community as a whole.

The changes in the CSU system will secure higher success rates for the underrepresented populations transferring from community colleges.

CSU courses will now aim to help transferring students from community college and freshmen students to start college-level courses no matter their level.

Students with non-STEM related majors at CSUs can still enroll in Intermediate Algebra courses, however, enrolling students will be slated to take classes necessary for their transfer degree in their specified major.

At Contra Costa College, courses are offered to set students on a path with little or no delay conforming to the CSU model so students can achieve quicker transfer rates.

Mathematics Chairperson Terrill Mead said Math 125 (Algebra for Statistics) started being offered four years ago to non-STEM majors as a possible Statistics prerequisite replacement for Beginning Algebra (Math 118) and Intermediate Algebra (Math 120).

“The CSU system is now acting in a similar manner by changing their graduation requirements. We see it as a situation where they are following our lead, more than we are reacting to their change,” Mead said.

In the past, CCC students were required to complete prerequisites in order to move on to the next math course, which was a setback for those student who struggled with arithmetic. When Math 125 was created, students who passed it were able to move directly to Math 164 (Statistics), which qualifies for CSU transfer.

The average expected time for a student to transfer is two years, but in reality students can spend up to six years in community college, taking a long list of math and English prerequisites. And when they transfer, some of them, have to start all over.

According to Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit research institution, students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education are more likely to take remedial courses and are less likely to complete college-level courses in math and meet their educational goals.

Latino and African American community college students fall under this percentage, enrolling in remedial courses that do not count toward a transfer degree.

To help future generations, it is necessary to pave the way for a more accessible education and tools for students to reach success.

MAYRA GARCIA / THE ADVOCATE

■ ACCESSIBILITY

Temporary disability, enduring empathy E

veryone that drives knows it’s nearly impossible for a car to get around on a flat tire.

An unexpected flat can soil any plans of a good time, and can also ruin a good outfit if not careful when changing one.

Although it’s a fairly easy fix, a flat tire can throw an unpredictable twist into any previously comfortable arrangement.

Figuratively speaking, my body has been struggling with a flat tire since I underwent stabilization surgery on my left shoulder earlier this month. Losing the use of my dominant arm is an onerous experience that I hope I’ll never have to suffer through again.

Despite the fact that my disability is only temporary, my experience has helped me develop a newfound respect for people living with physical disabilities.

In no way do I equate what can only be described as a minor setback for me with the grueling experiences of people who have actual disabilities.

The understanding that I gained has given me a new perspective when viewing my fellow students. I was fortunate enough to be born in good health, with two eyes, two ears and all four of my limbs fully operable.

That’s something most healthy humans take for granted.

My personal experience coping with a physical impediment and needing assistance to do routine things like showering, eating and changing my shirt doused me with feelings of

completion of the Campus Center Project.

However, many of the disability hand plates intended to automatically open doors on campus are broken, leaving students to face the challenge of opening doors themselves unless a good Samaritan holds it dependency and hopelessopen for them. ness.

Classroom doors don’t These feelings can lead have electronic access plates some people down a danger- at all, which sometimes ous road toward depression leaves disabled students and addiction. struggling to get inside their However, as I slowly classes to learn. The same recover and regain the goes for rest rooms on camability to do basic tasks on pus. my own, those feelings of In the heat of the fastdespondency also slowly paced life students usually dissipate. adapt in college, it can get I feel stressful juggling all of our the strug- My experiresponsibilities at once, gles of however, no one can be too losing the ence busy to be kind to others. use of my has helped People should extend a domihelping hand to those in nant arm, me develop need. however, It only takes a second to a newfound it’s tough look back and hold the door for me respect for for the person walking in to even you, disabled or not. envisage people living behind Although I know that I’ll the strife with physical recover from my surgery people and be relieved of the burwith lower disabilities. den of this wretched sling, body disthe experience of being temabilities porarily disabled has given encounter in their daily me the sincerest respect for lives. Sadly, those issues people living with disabiliescalate when attempting ties. to access the outside world But I wouldn’t be honest especially in instances if I didn’t say I am eagerly involving access to educaanticipating the day my flat tion. tire is fixed so I can once Yes, Contra Costa College again hit the road as the does make accommodations young hot rod I was placed for people with disabilities on this speedway to be. on campus with programs like the Disabled Students Anthony Kinney is an Programs and Services associate editor for The (DSPS) or the many ramps Advocate. Contact him at that lead into ADA comakinney.theadvocate@gmail. pliant buildings following

anthonykinney

CAMPUS COMMENT

Should CSUs lower intermediate math requirements to transfer?

“Fewer requirements would make it easier on students to transfer so I do think they should change it. ”

“Lower it because having these requirements prolongs the time at a junior college for students.”

“It should stay the way it is. I don’t see or have any problems with it now.”

“Yes we should lower them because it takes students a lot longer to get through school with the requirements”

Melany Alvarado

Nathan Martinez

Lewis Corriea

Ashley Foster

English

English

JESSICA SUICO AND RYAN GELLER /THE ADVOCATE

mechanical engineering

psychology

“Lower it because most student expectations are to spend two years at a junior college. But the requirements prolong it.”

Maria Sanchez English

“Keep the requirements because everyone needs some math and English knowledge.”

Abiel Martinez undecided

campusbeat

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 8.23.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

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NEWSLINE SHERWOOD | Administrator focuses on student needs

n FINANCIAL AID

EVENT PROVIDES INFORMATION Financial Aid Awareness Day occurs in the College Center Plaza today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The day focuses on financial aid resources for students as well as music, food, games and giveaways.

n THEATER

DRAMA DEPARTMENT HOSTS AUDITIONS The drama department will hold auditions for “Zombie Town” on Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Knox Center for the Performing Arts.

The play opens on Oct. 13.

Additional performances are on Oct. 14,19, 20, 21 and 22.

The play satirizes local theater troupes and documentary-style plays.

n COMMUNITY

POLITICAL CLUB BEGINS MEETINGS The Community Organizing and Political Action Club (COPA) will hold its first meeting of the semester on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. to introduce students to the club and discuss potential club events.

Contact political science department Chairperson Vanna Gonzales for more information.

n SPARKPOINT

WORKSHOP AIMS TO AID FINANCES, DEBT SparkPoint will be holding a basic personal finance workshop on Tuesday from 12-1 p.m. in SA-221.

The workshop is open to students, faculty and staff to discuss concrete budget and credit improvements.

For more information visit SparkPoint Coordinator Bill Bankhead in the Career/Transfer Center.

The center is open to the public and accessible on Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Appointments can be made also by calling (510) 215-6865.

n SPARKPOINT

AQUA TERRA GRILL HOSTS COMPETITION The culinary arts department’s Next Iron Chef competition Tastes of Italy will be held in the Aqua Terra Grill on Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The entry fee is $5 to and gives attendees access to all of the competitors’ dishes.

At the end attendees vote for the winner.

For more information contact culinary arts department professor Nader Sharkes at 510-215-3877

CRIMEWATCH Thursday July 27: A college employee injured herself as she exited the cafeteria. She was provided with first aid and left without further incident.

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

Continued from Page 1

n “It is hard to say what it is, but it

the position, Mehdizadeh said.

“He was 100 percent focused on students and his past experience was a perfect fit for what the college needed.”

Mehdizadeh said students are at the center of every decision administrators make and when thinking about college schedules and what classes to cut the question of how will this impact students? arises.

Dean of Enrollment Dennis Franco said, “Cuts are painful. They’re hard for students in a class and for faculty in the class.”

Sherwood said cutting a class before it starts allows the student time to enroll in another before the semester starts.

Franco said one of the goals for the academic year that Sherwood will be helping lead is the creation of guided pathways to ensure students receive the help and support they need to make decisions about their majors.

“Ken (Sherwood) is good at helping us see where we need to make those changes in order to help students get through their courses more efficiently,” Franco said.

Franco said the guided pathways help students get from point A to point B on their educational path.

“Ken has a proven record of bringing instruction to student services and really helping one another and work well together. I think it is part of what he brings to the campus.”

Sherwood said before his interview for the vice president position, he walked around campus and felt the energy of the students.

He visited the Library and Learning

is a vibe he puts out like it is going to be OK — it is intangible.”

— Dennis Franco, dean of enrollment services

Resource Skills Center to see how much the college is dedicated to its students and the college Bookstore to see what kind of “swag” they had available to represent college pride and show spirit.

“You can tell a lot about a college by the resources that are available to students,” Sherwood said.

“I got the feeling that students are proud to be here.”

While working at Oxnard College, Sherwood brought the Latino Thought Makers, a celebrity and leadership dialogue series, to bring cultural diversity through comedy about relevant issues.

Sherwood said he wants to bring Latino Thought Makers to CCC to raise community awareness and increase the visibility of community colleges.

“We have to do two things to show we care and support them and thank them for their previous support,” Sherwood said.

Franco said bringing Latino Thought Makers to campus is a strategy that will be helpful for students and for the campus as a whole.

“It ups the profile for the college but it also gives the community and someone that may not normally get access without paying a lot of money to see a concert,” Franco said.

Dean of Student Services Vikki Ferguson said Sherwood keeps students in mind and

the way his decisions will impact, help or hinder them and what some of the barriers may be.

Ferguson said high on Sherwood’s priority list is the College Promise Mehdizadeh Scholarship, a partnership with Richmond Promise that helps qualifying high school graduates into college by assisting them with $750,000 to cover two years of school.

“That is something I put on his radar. We are in the process of developing the program and how we are going to institutionalize it,” Ferguson said.

CCC was one the 14 colleges awarded the two-year grant.

Ferguson said Sherwood has “extensive” experience in the academic area as well as the collaborative efforts he has participated in, whether it was on the instructional side or with student services.

Sherwood said, “I feel lucky that I get to work with so many people that are so good at what they do.”

In addition to his focus on students’ needs, Franco said Sherwood’s ability to relate to employees feels like there is a partnership between them and with the support he gives his staff helping facilitate students’ needs.

Franco said, “It is hard to say what it is, but it is a vibe he puts out like it is going to be OK — it is intangible.”

“He is taking care of us, so we can take care of students.”

BRIGHTMAN | History professor’s sacrifices remembered Continued from Page 1 tions as a UC Berkeley student and professor.

While Brightman taught at UC Berkeley in the late 1960s he established the United Native Americans, a nonprofit supporting the progress and welfare of Indians.

He also established the nation’s first ethnic studies program at UC Berkeley in 1969 that focused on Native American history and political influence.

He became a leader among Native American activist in the Bay Area, and in 1973 he led the takeover of Alcatraz Island.

This was two years after Brightman helped Native American leader Dennis Banks occupy Mount Rushmore with a group of about 50 Native Americans.

The event that made worldwide headlines nearly earned Brightman five years in prison, but the authorities dropped the charges.

In 1975, Brightman invited one of America’s most wanted, at the time, Native American leader Dennis Banks into the warmth of his home to keep him from being arrested.

Banks failed to go to a court hearing in South Dakota after being charged with starting a riot and assaulting a police officer during a protest in Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

In the 1960s and early 70s the

n “Even if you didn’t care for his politics you really saw how history impacted an individual and how and individual impacted a decade of people.”

— John Diestler, former fine arts and media professor

Sioux and Creek Indians fought on the front lines of the battle for Native American civil rights.

After earning a bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State, he earned a master’s degree at UC Berkeley.

He also served in the Korean war for a year, where he was wounded in combat.

Brightman, father of three: Lehman Jr., Gall and Quanah, is remembered for his use of “colorful,” language while teaching in the East Bay. In a retirement piece written about Brightman by an Advocate staffer in 2006, Brightman said, “Some students complained, so I announced in my classes I’d quit cussing.”

Former CCC fine arts and media professor John Diestler said, “Brightman was among several professors over the years that made an impact in many ways.”

Brightman’s passion for Native American’s rights spilled over into his daily lessons.

Former CCC student Crystal

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Contra Costa College history professor Lehman Brightman was on the front lines of the battle for Native American civil rights.

Legarte took Brightman’s history class in 2001.

Legarte said she remembers listening to his stories about activism.

“He was very outspoken and would share his stories,” she said.

“During his office hours he was very warming with his students.

It was because he loved teaching.”

After 32 years of teaching at CCC, Brightman retired in 2006.

In an interview with an Advocate reporter, at the age of 69, Brightman said, “I used to enjoy what I did, which was raise hell in those days.”

He also said while at CCC he met a lot of “beautiful people” and enjoyed his career.

Diestler said Brightman’s style of teaching, rhetoric and personality left an imprint on everyone he interacted with.

“Even if you didn’t care for his politics you really saw how history impacted an individual and how an individual impacted a decade of people,” Diestler said.

“He deserved the accolades that he has gotten. People who know him can nod and say that he did indeed swear a lot.”

MATH | Non-STEM prerequisite removal raises transfer rate Continued from Page 1 and more opportunities to acquire baccalaureate-level mathematical thinking and skills relevant to their majors and future careers,” she said.

A strategy already used at Contra Costa College is much like the pathway that the CSU Board of Trustees voted to implement next fall.

Math 125 (Algebra for Statistics) is a course that requires no prerequisite and is a bridge that bypasses a bulk of intermediate math courses and teaches the skills necessary for Math 164, which also qualifies for CSU transfer.

CCC mathematics Chairperson Terrill Mead said the Math 125 course was put together four years ago and offers non-science majors the opportunity to avoid taking Intermediate Algebra but still complete their transferable math requirements.

“The pathway has been approved by the CSU and UC systems after several years of debate,” Mead said. “The CSU system is now acting in a similar manner by changing their graduation requirements. We see it as a situation where they are following our lead, more than we are reacting to their change.”

In the past all CCC students were required to complete the prerequisite of Math 120 (Intermediate Algebra) or demonstrate knowledge of algebra II through a placement test in order to move on to vital courses necessary for transfer.

Courses include Math 121 (Trigonometry), Math 135 (College Algebra) and Math 164 (Introduction to Probability and Statistics).

Other courses such as Math 171 (Finite Mathematics), Math 171 (Elementary Functions and Coordinate Geometry) and Math 180 (Applied Calculus) also make up general transfer courses and require Math 120 as a prerequisite.

Mead said the CSU Board of Trustees finally “saw the light” after realizing that requiring students who have already completed courses in Intermediate Algebra in high school to take placement exams and then remedial math courses if they get low scores is not a solution.

“They now realize that forcing non-math students to retake math courses that they will not need is a waste of resources, a waste of time for the students and the results are generally no better,” Mead said.

He said professors in the math department are currently discussing a co-requisite support course for Math 164 that would replace Math 125 and allow students to complete the transfer requirement in one semester rather than two.

“The combination of better placement strategies and more options to take relevant mathematics coursework should help students reach their transfer goals more quickly,” he said.

Historically, colleges and some departments have used placement tests or absurdly high math requirements “as a gatekeeper to weed out weaker students,” Mead said.

“I think the movement away from placing unnecessary requirements on students is a positive step,” he said. “The new policy allows for greater creativity in how requirements are met.”

According to the state Chancellor’s Office 2017 Student Success Scorecard, remedial math is the catalyst for why only 19 percent of African-Americans and 33 percent of Latinos pass all required remedial math within six years of enrolling into the course discipline.

CCC math professor Ed Cruz said although “Math 120 is a beautiful course,” it has been less of a help and more of hindrance.

Cruz said the education model that the CSU system is moving toward is something professors at CCC, and at its sister college Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, have been working to implement over the years, he said.

“I would love for students to learn algebra, but not everyone will necessarily need it,” he said.

Unless students go into a math or science heavy career field, they won’t use trig functions, complex numbers or equations, Cruz said.

“These changes will open up more opportunities and overall more students will be able to graduate.”

There can be some concerns when making changes to requirements, Cruz said, especially when it comes to the lack of minority presence in the STEM field.

“If students never take algebra they may never know how good they could have been and lose out on an opportunity,” he said. “This could impact the lack of representation of people of color in the STEM field even more.”

According to the Chancellor’s Office March 2016 transfer reform report, 70 percent of CSU students attend a community college before transferring to a CSU. For the 2015-16 year, 57,770 students transferred from California community colleges to a California State University, according to the Community College League of California.

In the Vision For Success document presented by California Community College Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley at a state California Community College Governing Board meeting in July, the community college system plans to, “prepare and graduate workers for tomorrow.”

By 2020 the Chancellor’s Office plans to increase the number of community college students transferring annual to a University of California or CSU by 35 percent.

They also plan to increase by at least 20 percent the number of CCC students annually who acquire associate degrees, credentials, certificates or special skill sets that prepare them for in-demand jobs.

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campusbeat

WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 8.23.2017 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE

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KNOX LEAVES LEGACY OF COMMUNITY BUILDING

They (solar eclipses) happen during the daytime and last about an hour and a half hour going in and an hour and a half going out.”

— Jon Celesia, astronomy professor

By Denis Perez editor-in-chief

dperez.theadvocate@gmail.com

RICHMOND — Former California Assembly Member John “Jack” T. Knox’s life and commitment to West Contra Costa County were honored at the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, named after him and U.S. Congress member George Miller, during a memorial service on June 11 in Point Richmond.

Knox died at age 92 on April 4 in Kaiser Hospital in Richmond.

His wife, Jean Knox, an original member of Contra Costa College’s English department faculty, said it is important to remember her husband’s legacy because what he did worked.

Jean Knox said Knox was able to garner the respect of people from both political parties because of his ability to communicate well with people from all walks of life.

Miller, Knox’s mentor, said that when people of Richmond wanted access to Keller Beach in Pt. Richmond, Knox proposed legislation for access for all people to all beaches in California.

Miller said Knox’s public service was a gift to other people because of his passion for helping make local things better. “That is just how John was,” he said.

From 1960 to 1977, Knox represented the Contra Costa County District 11 as a state legislator in the California Assembly and served as the speaker from 1977 to 1980.

Former Speaker of the Assembly Willie L. Brown Jr. said at the memorial, “There has never been, and never will be, another lawmaker like “Jack,” Knox.

He was incredible.”

Brown Jr., former mayor of San Francisco, said Knox fought hard for local government and made it work.

Prior to the event, former Contra Costa Community College District chancellor Helen Benjamin said it is important to remember that Knox was supportive to local students and contributed to the development of Contra Costa College.

Jean Knox said at first CCC was a, “vocational oasis,” that gave the community access to affordable higher education.

But even 30 years after its opening in 1980, she said there was still no Applied Arts Building or John and Jean Knox Center for the Performing Arts on campus.

Jean Knox said the district Governing Board was mostly concerned about getting funding for the AA Building. But a faculty committee and various community members were advocating for the district to build a performing arts center.

She said there was not much enthusiasm to fund a performing arts center among the Governing Board members at the time, but John Knox pressured them to fund the performing arts.

To recognize Knox’s efforts in securing the funding a proposal to change the name of the performing arts center to John and Jean Knox Center for Performing Arts was sent out to faculty in 2002.

Knox died of natural causes and e is survived by wife Jean, daughters, Mary and Charlotte, son, John Jr, and seven grandchildren.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Astronomy professor Jon Celesia looks at Monday’s eclipse through double Polaroid glasses on the roof of the Physical Sciences Building on Monday.

Solar eclipse draws heads toward sky

By Roxana Amparo associate editor

ramparo.theadvocate@gmail.com

Heads were tilted upward and phones were pointed toward the sky to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse making its way across the sky on Monday morning.

From the roof of the Physical Sciences Building at 10:15 a.m., Contra Costa College students gathered for the eclipse viewing party, but were able to only see a part of the much anticipated event.

Astronomy professor Jon Celesia said, “We are viewing a partial solar eclipse with our naked eye.”

A partial solar eclipse is when the moon covers only part of the sun, Celesia said.

Two to five solar eclipses can occur throughout the year and can be viewed throughout the United States.

Celesia said a total solar eclipse happens when the moon is on its first phase, which is known as the “new moon” phase.

Throughout the United States from west to east, at the precise moment and for just a few minutes, the moon passes between the sun and the earth causing a total solar eclipse.

“They (solar eclipses) happen during the daytime and last about an hour and a half going in and an hour and a half going

out,” Celesia said.

But the moment the moon completely aligns with the sun lasts only about three minutes.

Despite the overcast weather in the Bay Area, it was possible for curious students throughout the Contra Costa College campus to see the partial eclipse through the cloudy, gray sky.

Also, the California sky was out of the path of totality, the area in which the eclipse can be seen in its entirety — states from Oregon in the west to South Carolina in the east.

Middle College High School student Eduardo Huizar said, “I thought (the solar eclipse) was mediocre. It was probably just because of the weather though.

It was too cloudy.”

Gateway to College student Miguel Duran said he was watching the solar eclipse with his friends for the fun, but the overcast ruined the experience for him.

Despite the gray clouds, Celesia said, “Sometimes when it seems like things aren’t going well, things turn out even better.”

Students were also gathered outside of the Applied Arts Building and the Library with paper glasses and makeshift paper devices to view the solar eclipse.

A concern for those viewing the solar

eclipse was going blind from staring directly into the eclipse without protecting their eyes with solar filters — or solar glasses.

To be able to view the solar eclipse and ensuring protection from direct light from the solar eclipse, Celesia and others overlapped two pairs of polarized glasses.

Celesia said often times some people wear glasses to protect their eyesight, but the cloudy sky allowed for a clearer view.

“We get to look at it directly with our eyes. It’s crazy,” he said.

Celesia said the sun is 400 times wider than the moon and 400 times farther from earth, that is why they look the same size from Earth.

“I thought it was beautiful,” chemical engineering major Aide Guzman said.

Guzman said she heard from friends that people viewing the solar eclipse from Oregon would have a better chance of seeing more of the celestial event.

At 10:23 a.m., Celesia received a notification saying that Oregon reached a 99.3 percent solar eclipse totality (when the sun is completely covered by the moon).

The next total solar eclipse is scheduled to happen on July 2019 through Chile and Argentina in South America, according to NASA’s eclipse 2017 website, www.eclipse2017.nasa.gov.

Games, puzzles, prizes garner crowds

By Xavier Johnson scene editor

xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com

Over the course of four days, the Associated Student Union sponsored four events to welcome new and returning students for the 2017 fall semester.

Welcome Week, held from Aug. 14 to 17, gave students a chance to prepare for the upcoming semester by offering attendees free notebooks, pens, pencils and other school supplies in the plaza outside of Fireside Hall.

There were also various tables with representatives offering campus resources and answering students’ questions and informing them on what’s available to them on campus.

“We want to welcome students, and we want to support students by letting them know about all of the available resources on campus,” Contra Costa College Student Life Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks said.

Nickelson-Shanks said this year’s turnout was bigger than last year.

He said they were able to gauge the number of attendees based off the “Dream and Goals” boards that were open for students to write on. Each day the boards were filled with student’s goals for the semester.

A common theme was to pass classes, he said.

Each day of Welcome Week had a slightly altered focus. The opening day, Aug. 14, had more of a celebratory atmosphere as ASU representatives handed out free school supplies, donuts and hot chocolate.

Nickelson-Shanks said the second day, Aug. 15, was one of the best days of the cam-

paign. Comet Day was focused on representatives from campus resources and clubs setting up tables to inform students about what kind of help their programs offer.

Representatives from the Financial Aid Office, Disabled Students’ Programs and Services, Career Services, and peer tutoring were at the event tables. There was also a board showcasing all the clubs on campus that students can join.

One of the most visited tables on Tuesday was peer tutoring. English tutor Denise Mathis said informing students of tutoring services face-to-face is important.

“A lot of newer students don’t come to tutoring,” said Mathis. “Peer tutors might seem intimidating but seeking help does make a difference.”

Another on-campus resource that benefited from the tabling on Aug. 15 was Career Services.

CCC’s Career Services Coordinator Natasha DeAlmeida said, Welcome Week is a useful way to let new and returning students know about Career Services.

DeAlmeida said there hasn’t been a Career Center on campus for several years, so having a presence at campus events is important in bringing this resource back.

Dominique Rodriguez, computer science major, said Welcome Week showed that CCC is an active campus.

“There’s (a lot) of things going on. I’m interested in the clubs, mostly the Gaming Guild,” Rodriguez said.

La Raza Student Union President Ricardo Sanchez said hosting a table has helped him get the word out about the program and potential future events.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

A group of students work together to solve crossword puzzles and enter a contest to win a Kindle Fire tablet during a Welcome Week event hosted by the Associated Student Union on Thursday.

Sanchez said he told students about events planned for Indigenous Peoples Day and Dia De Los Muertos as well as promoting student involvement in campus life.

Thursday was the final day of Welcome Week.

Along with the giveaways of school supplies and food items from the food pantry, the ASU also hosted a crossword puzzle challenge for a Kindle Fire tablet.

Students had to complete a campus relat-

ed crossword puzzle to be entered in a raffle.

Welcome Week had a focus on educational resources and supplies, NickelsonShanks said.

He said he is working with ASU senators to ensure that this will continue to be the theme for upcoming ASU events.

“Last year was more fun because it was my first year here,” Nickelson-Shanks said.

“This year there will be more of a focus on academics as well as fun.”

campus beat

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5

PROGRAM ENHANCES OUTSIDE PLAY Early Learning Center embraces procedure adopted from China

By Denis Perez editor-in-chief

dperez.theadvocate@gmail.com

The Early Learning Center is preparing its outside space to be the fourth childhood development program in the nation to pilot a Chinese early learning curriculum following a presentation of Anji Play in GE-324 on Aug. 11.

The curriculum focuses on children’s self-determination in choosing where and with whom they will play. The teacher in the program takes on an observer’s role, motoring the children and preventing them from potential hazards.

Anji Play has been implemented in 130 public schools in China and serves 14,000 children, ages 3 to 6, Xueqin said during her presentation at CCC on Aug. 11.

Anji Play is the full-time curriculum in all of the public kindergartens in Anji County in China.

Early childhood education department Chairperson Sandra Moore said her department has a grant to fund the outside materials needed to become an open lab classroom for the Anji Play program.

“We haven’t fully secured the grant so we do not know a definite amount,” she said.

“Dr. Cheng Xueqin (creator of Anji Play) was able to go over and look at the outdoor area and give us some feedback of what we should do. So, that is our starting point,” Moore said.

She said that the money they receive will be used to buy those materials the children at this location can use to freely play while developing critical thinking skills through supervised risk taking.

Lead teacher Veronica Galvez said the first changes will be along the hillside in the outside area of the Early Learning Center.

“The kids like to run up and down,” Galvez said.

Since it is a natural thing to do, the kids should be allowed to challenge themselves as they climb or while they go down if they want, she said.

As seen on the video played during Xueqin’s presentation, Anji Play in China uses specialized materials like barrels which

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

A child runs down a hill during afternoon play time in the outside area at the Early Learning Center on Monday.

n “Love is the reason for allowing the child to take risks during playtime.”

— Dr. Cheng Xueqin, creator of Anji Play

kids roll as they walk on and ladders that they use to create tracks for rubber tires.

She said these open ended activities allow for a child to create their own way to play, Xueqin said.

Moore said that the program is still so new so the process is just beginning and will be ongoing throughout the fall semester.

The ELC will not be getting barrels and ladders, but will start in the most natural way, Moore said. For now, staffers who are excited about the coming curriculum have to share the concept with the parents, Galvez said. There is a meeting scheduled on Sept.

8 to talk to many of the parents about Anji Play, Galvez said.

This is a very crucial step, Xueqin said.

After the teachers learn the concept they

must teach the parents, Xueqin said.

This is how the process began in China after much resistance from parents, she said.

Xueqin said she teaches Anji Play with five core principles: love, risk, joy, engagement and reflection.

She said that childhood should be honored and so the teacher must put love as the foundation to the relationship with the children for this to work.

“Love is the reason for allowing the child to take risks during their play time” because without risk there is no possibilities of solving problems, she said.

This was represented many times in her presentation through videos of children placing mats on the ground besides a tall platform.

After placing the mats, the children took turns jumping from the platform to the mats. Many times the risk a child takes might seem dangerous, however, early risk taking in play minimizes them getting hurt in the future because they are aware of their capabilities later, Xueqin said.

She said in Anji Play teachers are not allowed to enforce rules of play but rather the children conduct their way of play which brings forth an environment that breeds true joy.

“This in turn spurs full engagement of the child’s attention to whatever project they have begun to play,” she said.

Xueqin said at the end of play time the children must reflect on their play process.

She said children usually draw the process of their play and share their “play stories” with other children.

“It is just like what we are doing here (the presentation of Anji Play),” Xueqin said. “We tell each other what we do and grow from the talk, so next time we can play better.”

Contra Costa College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, who was in attendance for the presentation, said there are no problems with how the Early Childhood Education department ran the ELC, however, when it comes to education, educators must always be on the lookout for better ways of teaching.

Enrollment count rises steadily

Marketing

outreach efforts help boost fall semester numbers

By Anthony Kinney associate editor

akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com

Enrollment continues its trend of slowly climbing as college officials focused on new promotional efforts last summer.

As of Aug. 11, Contra Costa College’s Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) count is 2,554.

That is a 2.1 percent increase from last year’s enrollment count of 2,501.

Director of Marketing and Media Design Brandy Howard said she attributes the enrollment increase to the boost in community outreach efforts and new marketing packages the college decided to purse last spring for the summer.

Last spring the college

worked with a marketing firm that placed ads promoting CCC on 30 AC Transit buses and various billboards locally.

The college is testing promotion at the Century Richmond Hilltop 16 movie theater, which is airing a 30-second CCC ad before select films until the end of August.

CCC’s headcount increased 2 percent according to the district’s fall 2017 enrollment report. The current headcount sits at 6,637, up 133 students from last year’s total of 6,504 at the same time.

The ethnic composition of the school continues its trend of diversity. Hispanics, the largest racial group on campus, comprise 40 percent of the student body. African-Americans

are at 20 percent, Asians at 14 percent, Filipinos at 6 percent and whites at 12 percent.

Females are the majority gender on campus at 58 percent of the population, 40 percent are male while the remaining 2 percent is unknown.

Dean of Enrollment Service Dennis Franco said CCC’s increased community outreach helped enrollment numbers by connecting potential students with campus officials and current students.

Last spring the college participated in outreach events at all the major high schools in the Richmond area as well as John Swett High School in Crockett.

The college gained 234 contacts over the summer from

community outreach programs. A steep increase from the 154 contacts earned in summer 2015. “The outreach group did such a great job,” Howard said. “We wouldn’t have hit those numbers without them.”

Throughout the spring semester, the campus mailed more than 2,000 informational booklets to high school seniors that also included a letter from college President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh and an invite to the Super Saturday event at the end of the spring semester aimed to enroll incoming students.

Some 22,000 postcards were sent out over the summer to potential students in the community listing the six steps

needed to successfully register for courses on campus.

“Instead of hoping for students to come Franco to us, we focused on going to them,” Franco said.

The campus also sent out 800 “welcome home” letters to veterans living in the local area encouraging them to apply to the college and describing the steps how.

Franco said that college plans to continue implementing proven successful marketing tools to increase enrollment rates.

Philosophy curriculum expands, adds insight

By Michael Santone associate editor

msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com

The liberal arts department has added Introduction to Philosophy to the Contra Costa College Catalog beginning the fall 2017 semester for in-person and online courses.

Meeting on Monday and Wednesday in the BS-8 from 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Philosophy 101 explores key philosophers, consciousness, identity and notions of self while incorporating the traditional teachings in relation to the humanities, arts and sciences.

Taught by Dr. Michael Kilivris, who said as he began work on creating an associate of arts transfer degree in philosophy, he realized an introductory philosophy course has never been offered at CCC. “We need a Philosophy 101 course because it’s important to expose students to philosophers and to the big questions about life,” he said. “It can help students develop important skills for other classes and careers.

“These big questions range from What is justice? to What is the good life?” Dr. Kilivris said. “Philosophy is all about inter-

n “Philosophy is all about inter-

preting different perspectives and searching for truths.”

— Michael Kilivris, philosophy professor

preting different perspectives and searching for truths.”

The course meets the California State University (CSU) general education requirements as well as the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirements.

With a combination of lectures and collaborative learning, students will develop an understanding of how to analyze, evaluate and synthesize diverse philosophical perspectives.

“Because our students are diverse it will make philosophy courses that much more interesting,” Kilivris said. “Students will leave the class with a greater self-awareness of themselves as well as the world around them.”

Dean of the Liberal Arts Division Jason Berner said Kilivris has been working on creating an associate transfer degree in phi-

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Philosophy professor Michael Kilivris lectures during a class in the Biological Sciences Building Room 8 on Aug. 14.

losophy which should be finalized within the next year or two.

“I think as long as the degrees exist at the state level, they should be offered at community colleges,” Berner said. “I’m not expecting to have a large number of philosophy majors, but more options for general education is important.”

Political science major Danny Clay, who is currently enrolled in Philosophy 101, said it was mostly the ethical questions such as the meaning of life and is God real that piqued his interest.

“These questions can be answered by

anyone and there are no wrong answers,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing to hear other people’s opinions.”

Clay said after coming back from a trip to Spain he found himself questioning things going on in the world and in his life.

“Introduction to Philosophy is a great course to get some answers to questions I’ve been wondering about.”

He said he is looking forward to learning about philosopher John Locke and how what is going on in the world today can be discussed in terms of philosophy.

6

scene

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Unleashed

New Yorkbased heroes Luke Cage (left), Daredevil (middle-left), Jessica Jones (middle-right) and Iron Fist (right) come together in the Marvel produced Netflix series “The Defenders.”

MOVIES

This week: “Birth of the Dragon” (PG-13) “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (R) “Logan Lucky” (PG13) “Patti Cake$” (R)

BLU-RAYS

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Strong leads drive show

By Reggie Santini spotlight editor

rsantini.theadvocate@gmail.com

New releases: “The Defenders: Season 1” (Netflix) “Death Note” (Netflix) “The Tick: Season 1” (Amazon) “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (BluRay)

MUSIC

New releases: Dave East: “Paranoia: A True Story”

T

he consummation of Netflix’s Marvel universe is a fun and well developed show with fantastic interaction between its lead characters.

“The Defenders” was released on Friday on Netflix.

The show’s cast is made up of Matt Murdock (Daredevil), Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand (Iron Fist).

Following the success of their own individual shows, the heroes have been brought together to defeat the sinister organization known as The Hand.

The show relies heavily on the previous five seasons of the standalone series. It is nearly impossible to understand who the secondary characters and villains are if you have not watched the previous shows.

In its first episode, “The Defenders” does a great job of showing you what our beloved heroes have been up to following the end of their own individual series.

We see them dealing with their personal demons and the after-

ASAP Ferg: “Still Striving” Queens of the Stone Age: “Villains” Grizzly Bear: “Painted Ruins” Kodak Black: “Project Baby 2”

GAMES

New releases: “Madden NFL 18” (E) “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy” (T) “F1 2017” (E) “The Escapists 2” (T) “Yakuza Kiwami” (M) Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week.

— Xavier Johnson

math of the choices they made leading up to the amalgamation of shows.

Daredevil is still the center of the attention as the events in “The Defenders” mainly center on the outcome of his story.

Charlie Cox maintains his outstanding portrayal of Matt Murdock.

Cox’s ability to portray a TV REVIEW blind hero with a “radar sense” “The Defenders” ★★★★★ is mesmerizing.

Starring: Charlie The outstandCox, Krysten ing perforRitter, Mike mance he gives, Colter, Finn Jones Network: Netflix in this show Time slot: in particular On-Demand comes from streaming Matt’s desire to Genre: Action put Daredevil behind him and lead a normal life. This comes from his fear of getting his friends hurt and devotion to the Catholic Church.

Cox’s acting only heightens Murdock’s struggle between his faith and an insatiable urge to beat bad guys into a bloody puddle.

Finn Jones’ portrayal of Danny Rand improved much since his

own show “Iron Fist.” The character is much more likable and fun in this show.

This could be linked to the change in producer from “Iron Fist” to “The Defenders.”

The show’s leading characters are all well acted and the addition of Sigourney Weaver as the leading villain is a treat to watch.

Weaver plays the menacing and knifing leader of The Hand disguised an average businesswoman. Even while staring down our heroes she maintains a calm and chilling Much like Marvel’s “The Avengers” in 2012 watching the heroes’ egos collide is tremendous fun.

Watching the indestructible Luke Cage realize he can be hurt

by Danny Rand’s Iron Fists is one of many hilarious moments we experience as these characters come together.

Aside from the funny bickering, watching them fight side-byside is fantastic. We watch as the heroes shift tactics and apply their powers in different ways.

The battles are well choreographed and incredibly bloody and the show does not shy away

from violence and gore.

Expect everything from bloody faces to severed limbs to appear periodically to add a level of reality the PG rated “Avengers” series fails to offer.

Composer John Paesano, who worked on the music for “Daredevil,” does a great with the sound track for “The Defenders.”

The subtle changes in the music when each character is taking center stage helps bring the vibe of each hero into the series.

Since each hero comes from a different neighborhood of New York City, the changes in the music are fun and go well with setting the tone for each character.

When we see Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen, we hear music that is much more somber and dark than when Luke Cage is strolling through the streets on Harlem.

“The Defenders” is a fun and amazingly directed show.

Netflix set a new bar for them with this series. The short eight-episode series is incredibly enjoyable and leaves the audience wanting more.

Much like “The Avengers,” this is a pairing of heroes that fans will love.

Family space brings Mexican culture

By Dylan Collier assistant scene editor

dcollier.theadvocate@gmail.com

I

f you’re looking for a Mexican restaurant to dine out at with the family, or grab a quick meal over lunch go to El Trompudo on San Pablo Dam Road.

The restaurant is a hybrid and resembles something between a fancy restaurant and a Taqueria.

El Trompudo is a family-run business managed by Hector and Maria Montes and their children, who take the full-time responsibility of providing the surrounding community with affordable, quick and authentic food.

Montes and his family got experience and started cooking their food in a taco truck on 13th Street in Richmond. After four-and-a-half years, the family was able to move its business into the same building that previously housed the old Subway, next to Mechanics Bank.

They have a vast array of flavors at their salsa bar — some sweet, some mild and some hot. My favorite was the half verde, half guacamole blend.

I started my meal off with two tacos — one carnitas and one shrimp.

The shrimp taco was comprised of a simple mild salsa containing tomatoes, onions and a piece of parsley all placed on top of the mouthwatering tiger shrimp that oozed with flavor.

My carnitas taco had pork on the bottom layer and salsa containing cilantro, onions and tomatoes.

Then I spent some time soaking up the ambiance of the restaurant through the music, artwork and photos on the wall.

Famous icons on the walls include people such as Cesar Chavez, Mexican singer Antonio Aguilar,

actor Ignacio Lopez Tarso, comedian Mario Moreno, Elvis Presley and Charlie Chaplin.

The most captivating piece of artwork is a painting of artists Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera holding hands, with a light green background, spectacularly accenting the wall with conventional Mexican colors. Maria Montes put up all decorations herself without using an interior designer.

Around early FOOD evening, by about “El Trompudo” 8 p.m., a wave of ★★★★★ night-owl diners Cuisine: Mexican swarmed in to the Where: El Sobrante sound of mariaPrice Range: $$ chi-like tunes with accordions resounding through the REVIEW speakers.

The big food predicament in El Sobrante is that most quality restaurants that have burritos on the menu are closed by 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., but El Trompudo is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

I finished off my meal with the enchilada dinner that comes with two enchiladas, refried beans and Spanish rice. My main course rang up as a bargain costing $8.75 after taxes. If you have a spicier palate, try the Molcajete Shrimp on the specialty menu, which is served in a steaming bowl with grilled bell peppers and onions.

The food was delicious and not too spicy, which is sometimes a problem for me, but not here. I give this restaurant five out of five DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE stars because the food is reasonably Richmond resident Leo Acosta eats a taco at El Trompudo restaupriced, the service was efficient. rant in El Sobrante on Monday.

sports

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7

A player dribbles past two defenders during a possession drill during the men’s soccer practice on the Soccer Field Thursday.

■ OFF THE RECORD

efrainvaldez

JUNIOR COLLEGE SPORTS PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY ATHLETES, STORIES

W

ith the start of the fall semester so starts the time for college sports with Division I institutions getting the bulk of the attention from media outlets around the country.

Junior college sports are highly underrated and while the majority of the attention goes to these major universities, the media, schools and scouts often forget community college athletes.

Yes, Division I athletes produce a product worth buying thanks to the billions of dollars invested in athletic programs by these learning institutions.

You could call the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a business or a professional sports league thanks to the revenue it produces.

Junior college athletics should not be overlooked because of the lack of glamour and coverage its sports receive.

Across a variety of demographics, stories of student-athletes having to resurrect their athletic careers or save their education at the community college level are inspiring.

All of the adversities that the students face are what make junior college sports unpredictable and exciting.

Also, having players for only one or two years can really complicate a coaches game plan, making recruiting a very contested event between junior colleges.

It all comes down to the money.

The unpredictability of junior college sports can deter some major advertisers from investing in these schools that do not have the big budgets to attract players.

All of these junior college student-athletes are treated as second-class citizens rather than potential Division I athletes because they don’t bring in the cash needed to get basic departmental resources.

Minimally, not giving them the same kind of medical insurance as the student-athletes in four-year state institutions is keeping those student-athletes at a disadvantage.

Not only on the field, but also when ensuring their physical health after their playing days are over.

Junior college student-athletes should receive the same protections as those in four-year state funded schools because they run the same risks on the court or field.

Failing to provide the teams adequate transportation or new uniforms on a regular basis just because they don’t bring in a cash haul as the big schools is wrong.

The differences in overall quality of play should not be taken into account, because the potential of watching an unknown athlete, overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, is the most exciting part about watching what these teams can produce.

Media outlets need to give junior college sports more attention because local athletes tend to hold close knit ties to their community in their two years on campus.

Many of the accomplishments by student-athletes at this school, as well as many other community colleges, go widely ignored.

Even when those same efforts are what propel them to the NCAA level or beyond.

By not providing these student-athletes a bigger platform to show their skills, we, as the media, are essentially helping to stunt their development.

Following conventional wisdom, junior college sports will always take the backseat to fouryear schools and professional sports teams.

If these two-year institutions provide a safe platform for students, they can perform better in the classroom, on the field and in life.

Efrain Valdez is the assistant sports editor of The Advocate. Contact him at evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Comets set to defend title, advance further

By Efrain Valdez social media editor

evaldez.theadvocate@gmail.com

The defending Bay Valley Conference championship men’s soccer team is set to start a new season Friday at home against Evergreen Valley College at 7 p.m.

This is the first official non-conference game of the season beginning the Comets’ quest to three-peat as conference champions.

“We obviously want to remain as the top dogs in the conference,” coach Nikki Ferguson said.

Having made the Northern California Regional Playoffs for a third time in a row last season, the team failed once again to advance past the first round.

Ferguson said that the team has to win the first game of the state playoffs before even thinking about a state championship run.

“We’ve set high expectations for ourselves, but one of the most important things for us to do to be successful is to communicate on and off the field,” freshman forward James Sibrian said.

With high expectations in place, the team will face very strong opponents throughout the season. Games against Fresno City College, City College of San Francisco, Skyline College and Las Positas College highlight the strong Comet schedule.

“Having a large and deep roster will help us down the road because injuries are inevitable at times,” freshman midfielder Jaime Rodriguez said.

Ferguson said that this is one of the most talented groups of players he has coached at Contra Costa College.

“We are really deep on the attacking side.

I expect the team to score a lot of goals this year,” Ferguson said.

He said that it’s going to be hard to replace players like goalkeeper Eduardo Escamilla and

n “The road to repeating as

league champions won’t be easy, but we believe in each other and will do anything in our power to continue the success.”

— Jaime Rodriguez, midfielder

defender Edgar Yepes.

“You simply can’t replace players like Escamilla and Yepes because they were really reliable and great leaders,” Ferguson said. “We just hope for growth and consistency in those positions.”

Sibrian said that the team feels the pressure to win the BVC title for a third consecutive time because the team needs to continue building on what the teams from the recent years have already accomplished.

Ferguson is excited about having so much talent at his disposal.

“I’m excited that 80 percent of the players on the team are from this area and all the different kind personalities this team has,” he said. “Dealing with a variety of personalities can be hard at times but this group of young men are very humble and motivated to succeed.”

Rodriguez said. “The road to repeating as league champions won’t be easy but we believe in each other and will do anything in our power to continue the success.”

“It’s really exciting watching the team practice because they improve every day and the players notice the improvements they’re making which boosts confidence,” Ferguson said.

He also said that he hopes the chemistry on the team will be good for the entirety of the season because it has been a problem in years past.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Men’s soccer coach Nikki Ferguson directs action during practice prior to the team’s scrimmage on the Soccer Field on Thursday.

Last year the team went through a rough first half of the season but after a few internal changes it ended up winning 10 games in a row to win the BVC championship.

Ferguson said that the team seems to be getting along very well and they are an unselfish group of players.

COACH SEEKS TO IMPROVE ROSTER DEPTH

By Mayra Garcia art director

mdgarcia.theadvocate@gmail.com

With 14 students enrolled, adjunct professor Manish Doshi, this year’s newly appointed women’s soccer coach said he is still looking to recruit at least seven or eight more women to add to this season’s roster.

The women’s soccer program, for two consecutive seasons, has failed to field a full team from start to end with a low number of student-athletes filling team positions.

Brittany Castillo, last season’s women’s soccer coach, admitted the woman soccer team has had issues putting a team together.

Still Castillo’s lone season as coach ran a similar fate as the season before that. Every year the group of women that do show up to practice in the beginning of fall are excited to play a full season of soccer.

“It broke my heart because I was really inspired and ready to go all in and now I don’t get to play,” freshman midfielder Martha De Jesus Espinoza Castillo said when the team folded last fall.

The players on last year’s team were disappointed because the season was so close to being played.

Despite having to forfeit the season, practices did continue for those still interested in improving their soccer skills.

“We didn’t have enough players and coach (Castillo) really tried to reach out to as many of the local area players as she could to complete the team,” Espinoza Castillo said.

After many attempts of reaching out to the women on campus, the season folded because of lack of interest for this particular sport.

“I want to look into why their aren’t enough women signing up to play sports.” Doshi said.

Doshi said students might not know Contra Costa College has a good education-build-

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Business major Juana Ortiz dribbles the ball through cones during a ball touching drill at the women’s soccer team practice on the Football Field Tuesday.

ing program through participation in college athletics and said he plans to spread the word through community outreach.

Despite past circumstances, Doshi said he is doing his best to recruit players and said he does not feel discouraged.

As executive director of Coaching Lil’ Spurs soccer club, Doshi is spreading the word to not only local high schools but Richmond, San Pablo and Pinole soccer club coaches.

Regarding the fate of the season happening he said we could only wait to see the results.

CCC Athletic Director John Wade, listed motivation, child care, “life matters” and injuries as contributing reasons for low participation and said soccer, unlike basketball or

volleyball, requires more players.

Contrary to last season, games were canceled for having only just enough players to field a team. Coach Doshi said he has 14 student-athletes enrolled and wishes to recruit enough women to have a full bench.

With 60 percent of the CCC student body being women, Wade said he is hopeful to see an increase in women’s athletic participation.

Wade also said that Doshi’s soccer coaching experience in the sport and community outreach may help turn the program around.

Doshi said he would like to see the women’s soccer program on the map again.

“Next year will be easier. If we retain members we will build numbers up.” Wade said.

8

spotlight

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“

We want African-American students to know they don’t have to go through it alone.”

— Elijah Morgan, Black Student Union president Elijah Morgan takes on the leadership role for the Contra Costa College Black Student Union, serving as president for the fall 2017 semester.

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Morgan embraces roots, increases club presence Leader aims to help black student success

By Anthony Kinney associated editor

akinney.theadvocate@gmail.com

Every now and then, from the cold, hard concrete of the urban jungle, out grows a rose destined to remind the world that anything is possible no matter which street you come from.

Contra Costa College Black Student Union President Elijah Morgan is one of Richmond’s most unique flowers.

Morgan said he grew up with his mother in Richmond. He said he spent a bulk of his childhood playing basketball and making friends at the Richmond Police Activities League (PAL). While at PAL he met his two childhood mentors who encouraged him to stay committed to his education and to not fall into the dangerous trap of the streets.

He graduated as a Gaucho from El Cerrito High School. Morgan was an active member in the BSU at his high school, but he said he didn’t stumble into a shared governance position until he enrolled at CCC. As a freshman he said he was hesitant to take the position, but he said he felt propelled to step up and fill the governing vacancies left by former BSU officials who graduated and moved onto four-year universities.

“When I first got here (at CCC) there wasn’t an active BSU,” Morgan said. “But I knew without a group like (the BSU) African-American students wouldn’t have a voice on campus.

“That pushed me and my friends to re-energize the BSU,” he said.

Born to an African-American father and a Mexican mother, Morgan said growing up he identified mostly as Latino since the family and the culture he was raised by was Mexican.

He began embracing more of his African heritage after being encouraged by CCC history, anthropology, and geography department Chairman Manu Ampim and African-American studies department professor Carolyn Hodge to dig deeper into his African heritage.

Both work as advisers to him as the BSU’s faculty advisers.

Hodge, who has taught both Morgan and his mother at CCC, said he is a respectable and hard-working young man — although he can have times of demure.

“He works hard around the department and the BSU,” she said. “He does a good job representing the BSU as president.”

Morgan said that being president of a club could become challenging. He said dealing with the behind the scenes stuff along with life’s stresses while creating a safe-haven for students who need it on campus is tough, but it is all worthwhile.

“With teachers, classes and deadlines stu-

dents can easily get lost in the stress of going to college and getting through it,” Morgan said. “It’s tough for all of us.

“We want African-American students to know they don’t have to go through it alone.”

Morgan, a mechanical engineering major, accompanied Ampim on last semester’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) campus tour. Morgan said that trip helped him determine the college he will transfer to — Morgan State University in Maryland.

Professor Ampim said Morgan is a “diligent student with good character.”

He said, “(Morgan) is a good guy with a bright future ahead of him.”

Starting his second year in the BSU’s highest role, Morgan said he is working on ideas to help increase the presence of the group on campus.

He said he plans to connect more AfricanAmerican students with others who may feel alone, need support or anyone who is simply looking for a new group of friends.

Morgan said he thinks it’s critically important to have a club like the BSU on campus because it promotes unity and supports others by promoting a positive representation of African-American excellence in education.

“There are people out there that don’t think we take our education seriously. We want to change that,” Morgan said. “We got folks graduating and transferring to universities.

“We’re really doing good things out here.

We just need more of it.”

However, Morgan isn’t only committed to effecting change for the African-American students on campus. He’s involved in invoking change in the local homeless community as well.

He participates regularly in the Munchie Movement, a newly founded Bay Area organization aimed to promote support and good will within the community by providing medical marijuana pre-rolls, food, water and essential hygienic products to homeless people.

Comprised of young millennials, the group visits various homeless tent camps across the Bay Area weekly.

The founder of the Munchie Movement, Kevin Del Rosario, said that Morgan is persistently working with the organization and always shows a strong sense of selfless service to others.

Del Rosario, who was also a classmate of Morgan, said his dedicated work ethnic shows in every task he does, in or outside the classroom.

When he’s not at school Morgan is either at one of his two jobs or is out promoting positivity with messages of love and tolerance in the community.

After CCC he plans on transferring to Morgan State to join its industrial design program.

His career goal is to one day become an automotive engineer.

Young Democrat gains seat on Governing Board Alex Walker-Griffin aims to promote student access, success

By Michael Santone associate editor

msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com

Alexander B. Walker-Griffin, 19, from Hercules was appointed to the California Community College Governing Board by Governor Jerry Brown on July 17.

Walker-Griffin began serving a two-year term on July 20, as one of 17 student trustees that preside over the 72 community college districts and the 114 community colleges in California.

Walker-Griffin is the Associated Student Union President at Contra Costa College as well as president of the CCC Community Organizing and Political Action club (COPA).

“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I’ve been constantly re-reading the email since I found out.”

“It’s really due to my mother. She encouraged me to apply.”

Walker-Griffin is a Democrat and has been involved in local politics since 2016 as a public policy intern at the Richmond City Council as well as an intern in the Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier.

Walker-Griffin said his passion for pol-

n “He looks at the bigger picture and he is well informed.

— Joel Nickelson-Shanks, Student Life coordinator

itics comes from his family, who after the passing of his father, began to feel the burden of only one household income.

As a student, he said he understands the financial burdens that come with attending college as well as the struggles that can be placed on minorities.

Walker-Griffin said that CCC has prepared him for many different political opinions because it is a “unique” area, economically and culturally.

“I’m looking forward to being able to serve all people and make myself more accessible,” he said. “I’m not doing it for myself, but as a role model for other men and women of color.”

Student Life Coordinator Joel NickelsonShanks said Walker-Griffin will bring leadership and vision to the state Board of Governors.

“He looks at the bigger picture and he is well informed,” Nickelson-Shanks said.

Nickelson-Shanks said Walker-Griffin works hard and likes to prioritize, which are great skills when dealing in politics.

“He shows up at the right time and follows through on what he says.”

Although Walker-Griffin is young, Nickelson-Shanks said he is well balanced

DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE

Alex Walker-Griffin was elected to the California Community College Governing Board as a student trustee for a two-year term on July 17.

and is able to find solutions on his own.

“He has a different point of view. It’s hopeful and optimistic,” Nickelson-Shanks said.

Board Deputy Press Secretary Brian Ferguson said initially Walker-Griffin will go into the “non-voting slot,” and next year after the other student trustee terms out he will move into “the voting slot.”

Other than voting, there is no other difference, Ferguson said. He will continue

his duties as a member of the Board of Governors.

According to the legislative information on www.ca.gov, the Board of Governors develops and implements a more comprehensive community college educational and fiscal accountability system.

This includes promoting student access and success in community colleges, student transfer rates, programs and academic standards.