Fall 2014 - Issue One

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SPECIAL ELECTION

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Yes Means Yes

New legislation defines what counts as consent News, Page 4 ISSUE 1 09/18/14 - 10/02/14 Student voice of CRC since 1970

The Vape Life

Vape lounges are growing, including in Elk Grove Features, Page 5

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Undercover Colors Drug sensing nail polish empowers women Opinion, Page 9

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The Coach Is In

New season and brand new coach for volleyball team Sports, Page 11

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September 18, 2014

>>News

Student senate looks to fill available positions

By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com The Associated Students of Cosumnes River College are holding a special fall election to fill positions not taken in the spring 2014 election.

On election day, Sept. 23, the Student Senate and Clubs and Events Board will be looking for students to cast their votes and elect candidates to represent them for the rest of the year.

With the low voter turnout in the spring 2014 election showing extremely low voter turnout, and lack of follow through on the part of potential candidates, only two of the more than 40 positions available were filled, said ASCRC President Katelynn Rodriguez.

“I don’t think the unsuccessfulness was an unsuccessfulness if that makes sense,’’ Rodriguez said.

“It’s more of a low involvement in not even our campus, but our district just for the simple fact that people do not really care about on campus since it’s a community college, but we are working to change that.”

Rodriguez shared that, district wide, fewer than 5 percent of students voted in elections last semester.

Another problem was that candidates did not turn in the required paperwork on time to run, Rodriguez said.

Regardless, getting the most voters possible is an important factor in any election.

“Numbers haven’t

been the greatest factor for Student Senate and Clubs and Events Board.”

-- Malcom Nash

Clubs and Events Board Commissioner Clubs and Events Board Commissioner Malcolm Nash said he believes that getting votes is the responsibility of the candidate.

“It’s a determining factor based on people running and how well they promote which will determine how many votes they’ll get,” Nash said.

The election itself gets plenty of publicity, but students still don’t seem to care.

“I just am absorbed in my own thing … but I see a lot of flyers,” said Brie Macgill, a 30-year-old art major.

ASCRC puts on numerous events on campus and rep-

Heather Kemp/ The Connection

Clubs and Events Board Commissioner Malcom Nash leading a Student Sentate meeting with ASCRC President Katelynn Rodriguez and Advisor Winnie LaNier.

resents the student body off campus as well.

Most recently, they hosted the club rush days in the quad.

Bobbie Bray, 20, a business major said that she voted in the previous election and shared why.

“I think that students should participate with what’s going on on campus,” Bray said.

As for what will happen if the special election does not fill the boards?

They will take on the not-so-unfamiliar task of run-

ning the boards with however many members they do have.

“What we’re going to do is do what we’ve been doing for the past few years,” Nash said. “Numbers haven’t been the greatest factor for Student Senate and Clubs and Events Board. However, it’s more about the quality of the person in the office than quantity, but quantity is always helpful.”

On Sept. 17, ASCRC held a candidate forum where students interacted with their potential representative.

Julio Muñiz is running un-

opposed for a seat in the Senate.

No other students are competing for the more than 40 seats.

On Sept. 25, students voted into office will take their oath.

For more information about candidates, ASCRC or information on election events stay tuned to the ASCRC page on CRC’s website: https:// www.crc.losrios.edu/services/ studentlife/student_association.

Campus construction making progress, but not over yet

By Jelina Cortero jcortero.connect@gmail.com As the fall semester begins at Cosumnes River College, various new facilities dot the campus as part of ongoing construction projects that have been in progress for years. One of CRC’s latest projects is the continued construction of the Blue Line light rail extension.

According to CRC’s Green Scene Vol. 4 Issue 2, “the Blue Line to CRC is one of the highest priority transit projects in the region and, once complete, will extend light rail 4.3 miles south from it’s existing end at Meadowview Road.”

“I think the light rail will benefit the students that can’t get to college and aid those who don’t have transportation,” said Joseph Ogaz, a

20-year-old undeclared major.

“The school will have a wider range of students, more variety.”

“I think the light

rail will benefit the students that can’t get to college and aid those who don’t have transportation.”

-- Joseph Ogaz

20, Undeclared Major During its construction, CRC’s east entrance, on Bruceville Road, was closed

until Aug. 20. It is now open for students to come and go, however, Lot F will continue to remain closed until Sept. 19.

“The light rail will make it easier to commute to other schools,” said Martha Mendoza, a 20-year-old business major. “But at the same time it’s going to make it a little bit more of a hassle because more people are going to be coming in as well.”

Some students have found no problems with the construction closing off the east entrance and parking lot.

“The construction has not bothered me one bit,” Ogaz said.

However, for others the construction has been a bit more challenging.

“I usually park in the parking lot that’s closed right

now so I need to find another spot,” Mendoza said.

CRC has seen a lot of construction lately with many new projects such as the Winn Center and the new multi-level parking structure as well the off campus Elk Grove Center. The parking structure goes hand in hand with the Blue Line project, courtesy of the partnership between CRC and the Sacramento Regional Transit District.

Director of Administrative Services Augustine Chavez Jr. said that the light rail will have “several impacts to traffic around campus, and once built we do expect more traffic in the mornings and late afternoon commuters, also more pedestrian traffic.”

Despite the traffic complications, the light rail ex-

tension and parking structure are planned to serve both the students at CRC and the light rail passengers making CRC a transportation hub, according to CRC’s Green Scene Vol. 4 Issue 2.

The Blue Line Light Rail is a major project and will benefit CRC and impact both staff and student life.

“It will increase access to our campus because it gives employees and students another option to commute to school,” Chavez said.

Of the recent construction projects that CRC has developed, Chavez said the Blue Line Light Rail project is the most significant regional project.

The project is predicted to be completed in September 2015.

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Minimum wage increase helps students’ wallets

By Nick Valenzuela nvalenzuela.connect@gmail.com Minimum wage workers across California recently welcomed the first half of a two part increase in the state’s minimum wage.

Signed into effect Sept.

25, 2013 by Gov. Jerry Brown, Assembly Bill 10 raised the state minimum wage from $8 per hour to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014. The second half of the increase will see the minimum wage raised to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2016.

An increase of $1 might not seem like much, but it has already been making an impact on people’s livelihood.

“I have a lot of coworkers who work paycheck to pay-

check,” said Ernie Lucio, a 19-year-old photography major. “So of course, with this extra money that they have, they’re able to take care of their kids better and so on.”

Lucio said that while he himself doesn’t have many expenditures, the extra cash is nice to have.

On the other hand, Joshua Dulce, 18, a broadcast journalism major, said the increase has helped him a lot.

“A $9 wage is great,” Dulce said. “Honestly, it helped me a lot … it’s a lot of extra money in your pocket.”

As with many bills that carry the possibility to have a large effect on the economy, there are also many detractors of the minimum wage’s

increase. So many that the United States Department of Labor’s website posted a “minimum wage mythbuster” to address many of the critical arguments.

Any Cosumnes River College students worried about cost increases to ac-

“A $9 wage is great.

Honestly, it helped me a lot ... it’s a lot of extra money in your pocket.”

-- Joshua Dulce

18, Broadcast Journalism commodate the increase for

on-campus minimum wage workers can rest easy.

“I think the prices in the cafeteria went up a little bit … but so far the campus budget has been able to absorb the minimum wage increase,” said Cory Wathen, vice president of administrative services and student support.

Wathen said that higher fees would not be passed on to students’ wallets should the increase prove strenuous on the budget. He also said that the recent increase in price for parking permits was unrelated.

However, the change may have a negative effect on student workers in the number of hours they recieve.

“We might have to adjust

the [employees’] hours a little bit to offset [the costs of the increase],” Wathen said. “But again, those costs wouldn’t be driven by fees on students.”

As of August, CRC had “196 employees paid at the new minimum wage rate,” Wathen said.

For now, Wathen said the budget allocation CRC receives from the state has allowed for the increase to have no effect on the hours of the campus’ employees.

“We have some flexibility to make those adjustments right now,” Wathen said.

“When it goes up to $10 or more, then we’ll have to look at it: can you cut services, or what do we need to do.”

New program promises two-year community college stay an 18-year-old undeclared major who said they are not interested in applying to the program, think it could be beneficial to other students.

By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com A unique program was launched this semester aimed at speeding up the time selected students spend at the community college level and takes advantage of the facilities offered by the Cosumnes River College Elk Grove Center.

The EXCELerate Program guarantees that participating students will be ready to transfer into the California State University or University of California systems with an A.A. degree in liberal arts or an A.S.-T for business administration in two years, including one summer semester.

“The students that are qualifying and being accepted to the EXCELerate Program are not being waitlisted,” said Jacqueline Chacon, a student personal assistant at the Center. “They are not out there signing up for classes they don’t need, because their track is listed for them. So that helps to ensure they are going to be done with their degree and transfer in two years.”

One feature that helps avoid the scramble for classes is that students’ schedules are selected for them and take place in the afternoons on the satellite campus.

“I’m an incoming fresh-

Save The Date!

“The students that

are qualifying and being accepted to the EXCELerate Program are not being waitlisted.”

-- Jacqueline Chacon

Bobby Bishop/ The Connection

Professor Mary Martin teaching her statistics 300 EXCELerate class at The Elk Grove Center on Sept. 10.

man and that would be a lot of help for us because we’re coming in blindsided,” said Staci Miller, 18, an undeclared major.

Other benefits include access to a knowledgeable staff to counsel students during the two years and small class sizes of 30 peers who share the same major.

To qualify for EXCELerate, students must have tested into or taken prerequisites that place them in transfer level math and English classes.

“It’s a simple application that students do online. It just

takes a few minutes,” Chacon said.

The application can be found by visiting the EXCELerate page on both the CRC and Elk Grove Center websites. If accepted to the program, students go to orientations and then start their classes.

“The ideal candidate for the EXCELerate program is someone who has under 15 units,” Chacon said. “The best candidate would be someone who is brand new, that way they can follow the cohort for the two years and the semester, but we will accept

students that have completed some units.”

While the dates to sign up for the program this fall have passed, students will have the opportunity to apply for the program before the fall 2015 semester.

Many students were unaware that the program or Center even existed.

“They should advertise it better because it’s a good program. Two years and you’re able to go instead of how many years a lot of people spend here,” Miller said.

Students like Kaitlyn Sain,

Sept. 23 ASCRC Election

Sept. 24 Transfer Day

Sept. 25 ASCRC Installation Ceremony

Cast your vote for members of the Student Senate and Clubs and Events Board by logging onto your eServices account between 7 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Meet with represenatives from more than 60 colleges in the comfort of CRC’s quad area and plan your academic future.

Watch the newest members of the Student Government get sworn into their positions at 1 p.m. in The Orchard Room.

Student Personal Assistant

“It could be helpful because it would be easier to get everything done faster,” she said.

Chacon said that another motive behind EXCELerate was to get more attention for the Elk Grove Center and all of the classes and facilities they have there, including financial aid and counseling.

Students that are considering one of the majors covered by the program and want more information about signing up for the program in the future or about what other things the Center has to offer call 916-525-4300.

Oct. 1 Career and Future Fair

Visit the quad between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to mix and mingle with professionals in your chosen major.

Page 4

thecrcconnection.com

Campus increases parking Senate bill redefines fee for first time in 17 years college students’ Prices for the LRCCD campus daily parking went up by a full dollar this time, Long lines, scrambling for compared to the 25 cent inclasses and purchasing text- crease that came in 1997, but books are all things students compared to schools like Sacexpect at the beginning of the ramento State, where parking semester.This semester, how- is $6 daily, it’s still low. ever, has brought something While students who drive new that most never imag- and attended summer session ined: increased parking fees. were well aware of the inFor the first time since crease returning and new stu1997, when parking was 75 dents said they were unaware cents, the cost of daily parking of an increase beforehand. rose from Chai Saelee, $1 to $2 19, a computer The money that on July 1 science major was comes in from parkacross the one of those who Los Rios didn’t see the ining fees actually has Communicrease until he arty College a fairly specific role.” rived for the first District. day of classes.

This won’t “I just won-- Mitchel Benson dered why it inbe the last LRCCD Vice Chancellor increase. creased a dollar. I “The thought it was just auto rate goes up to $35 a se- for the first day but then I remester in January, the motor- alized they actually changed it cycle goes up to $20 a semester $2 every day,” Saelee said. in January and the auto parkSaelee said that the ining fee for BOG students goes creases to come next year are up to $25 per semester,” said reasonable, but “if I know LRCCD Associate Vice Chan- what it’s for, then I’ll probably cellor for Communications feel better about it.” and Media Relations Mitchel Another student who noBenson, via a phone interview. ticed the increase in parking “Then, next June, the summer fees was 18-year-old Alex Quiauto rate goes up to $20 for the tiquit, an undeclared major, summer and the summer mo- who had idea where the montorcycle goes up to $10 for the ey should be going. summer.”

“Hopefully [for] more

By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com

“

parking,” Quitiquit said. “The money could go towards more supplies for the computer labs and all that stuff.”

While the money isn’t going towards building of more parking spaces or towards supplies on campus, it is going back into the campus in specific ways.

“The money that comes in from parking fees actually has a fairly specific role. It’s restricted to a special parking account and the money is used to operate and maintain the parking structures and lots and to basically monitor and patrol the parking areas,” Benson said. “So everything from parking lot monitoring to resurfacing, striping, cleaning the lots and structures. All the money that comes from parking fees is reinvested in parking.”

Quitiquit said that it sounded reasonable to put the money towards monitoring the lots because it would possibly cut down on any vandalism that might be happening.

“If they’re trying to catch more people that don’t have parking passes, I guess that’s their business, not ours,” Saelee said. “I don’t know if it should be used for that. It should be used for bettering the school, probably, and other things.”

Bobby Bishop/ The Connection

Daily parking fees were raised from $1 to $2 in July 2014.

sexual encounters

By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com What classifies as consent in a sexual encounter has always been a puzzling question for the legal system, but a new law aimed at college campuses is seeking to finally answer the age-old query.

If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown by the end of September, Senate Bill 967, nicknamed the ‘yes means yes’ law, will set a new precedent of what consent is by requiring affirmative consent before any sexual acts take place, according to an MSNBC article.

California would be the first state to require affirmative consent as a standard in every state-funded college’s sexual assault policy.

Affirmative consent is an affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement, according to the bill.

forcible sexual offense for the entire year, according to Los Rios Police Department crime statistics.

Mandatory updates to California colleges’ domestic violence, stalking and dating violence policies would also change, taking a more affirmative stance if the bill passes, according to the bill.

Besides updates to written regulations, prevention and outreach programs would be established and publicized as well as be included in every new students orientation, according to the bill.

If a campus does not comply and change their current guidelines, the state would cut off it’s financial aid.

However, no colleges have gone on the record to object the passing of the law, according to the MSNBC article.

The bill is facing some opposition, claiming that it will

“For the most part, people will have good intentions with this, trying to reduce the amount of sexual assault on college campuses.”

-- James Frazee

Psychology Professor “No means no goes back to another issue, but when you specifically give people the power to say yes, I think that gives yes more of a power than no and I think that’s the bigger power we should be focusing on,” said Meghan Scurti, 19, an environmental studies major.

If passed, the bill makes defenses that blame victims irrelevant.

“It makes sense that we should be encouraging students to gain verbal affirmation before they engage in sexual behavior with someone,” said psychology Professor James Frazee. “Whether or not you can legislate or legally prosecute someone for not doing that is completely unknown.”

Cosumnes River College’s current policy about sexual assault is to report the attack to campus police as soon as possible, according to Los Rios Student Rights and Responsibilities.

In 2012, CRC had one

be hard, if nearly impossible, to prove if someone consented, according to a TIME Magazine article.

“If you don’t tell someone yes, but you don’t tell someone no and it’s still a consensual thing … I could see it getting abused, but I could also see it making people feel a lot safer,” Scurti said.

Frazee said that, while well intentioned, the bill might not be going in the right direction.

“For the most part, people will have good intentions with this, trying to reduce the amount of sexual assault on campuses,” Frazee said. “But I also look at it as you’ve turned a law into a ‘he said, she said’ issue instead of saying why don’t they really have a conversation and have it be an intimate thing.”

Tell us what you think! Visit our website: http://thecrcconnection.com/

September 18, 2014

Page 5

>>Features

Vaping: A healthy habit or is it an alternative addiction?

By Denysha Frazier dfrazier.connect@gmail.com Apple pie, banana milkshake, caramel cappuccino.

These are a few of the many flavors available at Vapebox.

When walking into the Vapebox it smells as if you’re in a bakery. The business has been open for almost a year and gets a lot of diverse customers who come in to socialize.

“Vapebox is a lounge where people can come to chill and relax if they vape or not.” said Ryan Grey, a sales associate at the Vapebox. “It’s just a good environment.”

Located adjacent to Cosumnes River College, at least 40 percent of the customers are college students.

Vaping is the inhalation of vapor, usually through a vape pen or e-cigarette. It is intended for adult smokers that wish to continue enjoying their nicotine habit at a reduced risk. Vaporizers have been around in various forms since the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 2000s that it made its way to the U.S., according to Guardian Liberty Voice.

Some vaporizers are nico-

tine free, and all are non-toxic and non-carcinogenic, meaning non-cancerous, while all contain propylene, glycol, glycerin and tobacco flavoring, according to California Youth Advocacy Network.

“With a lot of the vape lounges many of the substances aren’t regulated so you don’t know what you’re getting,” said Cosumnes River College’s Head Nurse Michelle Barkley.

Some students have a more positive view on vaping.

“Vaping saves lives,” said Kenny Sellers, a 25-year-old business major.

CYAN reports that people have reported overall better health, easier breathing, better sleeping, and even better check-ups at the doctor.

However, long-term health risks from vaping will not be known for years.

“I smoked cigarettes for four years, about a pack a day, ” Grey said. “For the last year I have been vaping and I have more stamina and I can breathe easier.”

On the other hand, there have also been reports of increased heart rate and blood pressure. One study

Bobby Bishop/The Connection

Daily customers (from left to right) Alex Berania, Christopher Vo, Matthew Calagui, Edward Keamany, Alex Blair, hang out and vape. the CYAN conducted showed increased short-term airway resistance after use of vaping.

“We don’t know what’s in it,” Barkley said.

Everybody who has picked up vaping doesn’t necessarily come from a smoking background, and some prefer to smoke cigarettes.

When asked if he would vape even if he had never smoked a cigarette before, Grey said, “Probably.”

Terysha Frazier, a 25-yearold virtual office and man-

agement technologies major said, “I wouldn’t try vaping because I’m not sure I would like it the same as cigarettes.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority to regulate vaping as tobacco products but has not yet done so. Control and labeling of nicotine levels are inaccurate, including detectable nicotine levels in “no nicotine” labeled vape juice, according to the CYAN. “I wouldn’t recommend it as an alternative to quitting

smoking because it would just be another addiction they pick up,” Frazier said. “They set you up to get addicted by creating a vape lounge.”

There are limited known studies on the safety and risks of vaping. CYAN reported that exposure to dangerous concentrations of nicotine through skin contact, inhalation and ingestion are possible risks.

“I think it’s switching one bad habit to another,” Barkley said.

Biology professor honored to receive teaching award

By Emanuel Espinoza eespinoza.connect@gmail.com The Crystal Apple Award is a teacher award often presented to fulltime professors, but this year adjunct professor Sarah Pollock was given the award.

Despite being a part-time instructor, she has been teaching at Cosumnes River College for a long time.

sors.

“I think they’re going to flip-flop the four different areas in the state in the next couple of years,” Pollock said.

“This was the first year that an adjunct professor was allowed to be nominated on campus and this award was purely for adjuncts.”

Pollock went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and majored in general engineering. She received her gradu-

“From what I’ve heard, being interim and sort of new, she is a great teacher and an excellent adjunct.”

— Brandon Muranaka

Interim Dean for Cosumnes River College’s Science, Math and Engineering Department Pollock, a biology professor, said that this year the award nomination process, through the California Academic Senate, decided that tow of the four different districts in the state would nominate two district adjunct professors and the other two would continue to nominate full-time profes-

ate degree at University of California Davis and majored in biomedical engineering.

“I’ve done a lot of engineering and a lot of biology, a lot of science,” Pollock said. “I’ve worked a couple of research projects before coming here, which have been really fun trying

to build devices to assist the human body.”

Interim Dean for CRC’s science, math and engineering department Brandon Muranaka said that Pollock teaches anatomy and physiology courses and has been doing so for a number of years.

“From what I’ve heard, being interim and sort of new, she is a great teacher and an excellent adjunct,” Muranaka said. “I know she has done some programs, like she has a ‘cadaver day’ where she comes in and brings in some high school students to see our cadaver lab.”

Avneet Khinda, a 19-year-old nursing major, said that she thinks that Pollock is a good professor and explains the material well. ”She does all of her lecture and I like the way she does it because if you’re stuck on something, she’ll explain it clearly about what she wants us to know, it’s so easy to understand her,” Khinda said. “She’s a good professor and if someone wants to take a bio class, you should take her as your

Courtesy photo

professor.”

Pollock said that she has been teaching at CRC consistently for eight years, and she has also taught at other campuses around the area, ranging from University of Phoenix, The Art Institute and at California State University of Sacramento.

“I really enjoy being here at CRC,” Pollock said. “I love the chance to get to work with my students. I have a lot of fun and I just appreciate the chance to be here and teach.”

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PAGE 6

Anthropology Department wins 2014 Diversity Award

By Emiliano Martin emartin.connect@gmail.com Cosumnes River College’s anthropology department was “surprised and honored” with the 2014 Stanback-Shroud Diversity Award at the Spring Plenary session in April, conducted by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, said anthropology Professor Shannon Mills.

Mills, along with fellow anthropology Professors Anastasia Panagakos and Amanda Paskey, received the recognition and a $5,000 award from the ASCCC for their on-campus work with diversity. The theme of the event was “Academic Excellence: Strengthening Our Core,” according to the ASCCC’s website.

“My nomination of their program was based to some degree on what I see them offering students access to: activities, lectures and dialogue on relevant issues,” said Martin Morales, chair of CRC’s department of political science & global studies, via email. “The anthropology department has a hand in every campus event that deals with diversity - Women’s History Month, OneBook, and Safe Spaces Workshops to name a

few.”

The anthropology department maintains a high standard of involvement and interest in campus diversity.

“Because they are all overachievers,” Paskey said.

The department also maintains a written set of values. One of which states their desire to “offer our campus community a unique perspective on global issues, tolerance, cultural diversity and the human condition.”

In order to help students realize the importance of this diversity, the anthropology department teaches “empathy and tolerance” which “are extremely important to anthropology,” Mills said.

These values are earned through learning about others.

“One of the most wonderful parts about studying humans as an anthropologist is understanding and looking at all the different cultures in the world,” Paskey said. “By having a student simply pick an anthropology course, their eyes are open to things they have never seen before and never heard about before, and that is certainly one way of encouraging diversity in their own lives.”

Paskey also said the majority of those working in the field of anthropology are not

as diverse as the cultures they study, and part of the anthropology department’s goal is to help change this.

“Our efforts try to get students who are not necessarily always represented as anthropologists to consider joining the field and start their own studies,” Paskey said.

Going forward, the anthropology department is determining what the recognition from the Stanback-Shroud Diversity Award and the cash prize will afford them.

“At this point, the department is getting together and meeting, trying to figure out ‘what do we plan to do with [the $5,000] to further diversity in anthropology?’” Mills said. “Potentially scholarships, we just want to try and do something that’s going to benefit many different students with it.”

Panagakos elaborated further on future plans.

“We plan on using the momentum from this award to help foster an inclusive and positive learning environment on campus,” Panagakos said via email. “We are also considering using part of the cash award to help underprivileged students interested in anthropology.”

Soulmates:

Fantasy or Reality?

By Jelina Cortero jcortero.connect@gmail.com

By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com

She Said:

He Said:

You’re going to meet someone who completely changes your world. A soulmate is that person.

Soulmates, according to Greek mythology, were humans that were created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. However fearing their power, Zeus had split them into two separate parts; condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.

Out of everyone you meet, whether it be seven people or seven billion people there will always be that “one” person for you. Your soulmate is your best friend. Someone who you have connected with on a level that no one else can reach.

Soulmates don’t have to be perfect for each other, because who really wants perfection?

Soulmates themselves are perfectly imperfect.

You see the thing about opposites attraction is that, that person is everything that you’re not. They think differently from your own mind which makes the attraction stronger because you learn from each other.

They are what you are not, your other half. They ultimately make you whole.

You can also never be too old or too young to fall in love. And like my high school teacher said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 50, if you go to sleep thinking about someone and wake up thinking about that same person.

That’s some type of love.”

Soulmates are not a fantasy or a fiction, where there is love there is soulmates. And love is just as real as you and me.

That there is one person that is wandering the Earth who you are destined to meet and fall in love with because they are your other half is false.

The notion that there is one perfect person for you is nothing but a fantasy. An idea better suited for the cliche plots of romance movies and novels than real life.

First off, there is no such thing as perfect. There will always be things that a couple don’t agree on or don’t match up in a way.

Second of all, to find one person in all the world is really bad statistics wise.

The idea that there is a perfect match out there wandering around just hoping to run into you is slightly ridiculous. There are over 7 billion people on this planet, the chance of a soulmate just being one of the thousands or millions in your city or area are slim.

Movies and books prey on this desire to find that one perfect person, as a way to make people feel like their love lives are stalled or bad because they haven’t found that one person.

They haven’t come to a new school and locked eyes with that good looking person across the way that slowly gets to know them until they fall deeply in love, only for the third act obstacle to come in and break them up for a short bit before they realize they truly were meant to be.

I’ve had moments like accidently cutting someone off walking or grabbing for the same thing, and we laugh about it or such and move on. No super sparks and suddenly we’re walking down the aisle.

Maybe I’m just missing those sparks, or maybe they are just people that you run into in life.

Courtesy photo

Anthropology professors (from left to right) Amanda Paskey, Shannon Mills and Anastasia Panagankos receiving the award for their work in campus diversity.

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PAGE 7

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New independent artist releases first album

By Emiliano Martin emartin.connect@gmail.com Independent artist Raury set the internet abuzz with the release of his first single “God’s Whisper” earlier this year.

The song’s chorus repeats “I hear God’s whisper/Calling my name/It’s in the wind/I am the savior.”

The song was a mission statement.

The 18-year-old singer/songwriter said to music website Noisey that “these kid’s, they’re bored with the same stuff.” With this, Raury has positioned himself, and his debut EP “Indigo Child,” as the voice for the current generation which he defines as those who grew up with the internet.

He’s looking to provide something unique.

With these lofty goals in mind, “Indigo Child” is an impressive piece of work.

“Indigo Child” centers on Raury’s journey from self-righteousness to understanding. It’s emphasized by the title, referring to urban legend that there are children who possess supernatural and extraordinary talents and a cover featuring a drawing of Raury looking upwards while being framed by his sunhat which resembles a sunrise.

The album is a combination of multiple genres, the most prominent being alternative and folk with a hint of hip-hop.

Each song on the album maintains its individuality while working with a simple set of noises, mainly guitar, drums and call-backs.

Raury possesses the ability to smoothly transition from singing to rapping without overdoing the latter, sometimes taking on a delivery similar

to Kid Cudi, like on “Superfly,” or delivering a surprisingly aggressive last verse on “Wildfire.”

But, it’s Raury’s story telling ability that carries most of the album. He’s a good judge of when to be metaphorical or straightforward in order to get his point across.

What ties everything together is Raury’s capacity to know when to purposefully borrow aspects from other artist while maintaining his uniqueness by making it his own.

Each song feels extremely personal, as if based on a moment rather than a feeling, in contrast to Raury’s closest contemporary Mac Demarco who is only comparable because both mix the folk and alternative genres.

Raury fully realizes the album’s main theme of self-righteousness, which comes full circle by the end of the album, in his songs and interludes.

For the latter, think Kendrick Lamar’s mother on “good kid, m.A.A.d city” but communicated through an argument.

The importance of these interludes is the through line they provide to explicitly represent the narrative of “Indigo Child.” Beginning with “What Goes Up,” each interlude is a piece of an argument between Raury and his mother as they debate his pursuit of a music career. By the final interlude, “Dreaducation,” we are left with the two understanding each others’ motivations.

By then, Raury has come full circle on his self-righteousness. On the album’s closing song, “Seven Suns,” he concedes that he is “among the ignorant youth” and is anxious his “soul’s not pure enough to change the world” before ultimately deciding that he’ll “never wonder if it’s worth it all/

Courtesy Photo

Cause it’s worth it all.”

With his consistency in narrative, Raury manages to release more than just a set of songs with “Indigo Child.”

He’s released an experience.

It’s this complete realization of his talent, theme and vision that has set Raury apart from the multitude of other artist who the internet allows a platform for their music. It’s what caught the attention of many major publications and artists, such as Kanye West, and gives Raury the ability to

speak for a generation.

With his first independent EP, “Indigo Child,” Raury has surpassed what was needed to prove he possesses the skill set to have a fruitful career.

For more music reviews, visit thecrcconnection.com or follow the Connection on Twitter @crcconnection

#TrendingNow Apple’s 4.7 inch iPhone 6 and 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus will release on Sept. 19.

“Personally, I don’t care,” said Alexander Stallings, a 21-yearold theater major.

“I don’t have an iPhone. I feel like its just hype. In two years they will have an iPhone 7.”

Suspension Former Baltimore Raven’s running back Ray Rice has been suspended indefinetely by the National Football League.

“There were already videos of him hitting his wife in February, so I think they should have done something earlier instead of waiting,” said Derick Ingram, 18, a computer engineering major.

n Rivers

R.I.P. Joa

Apple iP

hone 6

Ray Rice

Compiled by Bobby Bishop All photos are courtesy photos

Comedian Joan Rivers passed away on Sept. 4 at the age of 81.

“Well, she was defiantly a part in several different industries” said Jasmine Wright, 23, a mass communication major. “She was up in age, so I don’t want to say I was expecting [her passing], but she was up there.”

PAGE 8

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

>>Opinion EDITORIAL

Offering bachelor’s degrees at local community colleges is the right decision Numerous bills that have passed through the Senate and Legislature are waiting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk at this moment for his signature and it’s time that one of them, Senate Bill 850, be signed into law.

SB 850 is the long debated initiative that allows the California Community Colleges Chancellor to start an eight-year pilot program at one campus per district, allowing that campus to offer bachelor’s degrees in one program, according to the California Legislative Information website.

This would allow select colleges to offer a degree in a profession, such as nursing, in the region that is in need of qualified personnel.

While California might be bouncing back economically, there are areas in which we need to expand in order to remain economically competitive going forward. The state needs to produce 1 million more baccalaureate degrees than they do currently in order to remain competitive for decades to come, according to the California Legislative Information website.

With the California State University and University of California systems already impacted it is foolish to expect them to churn out even more bachelor’s degrees in the coming years.

Community colleges are the logical and viable solution to the issue at hand.

Opponents claim that the bill will diverge from the California Master Plan for Higher Education’s separation of the three levels of college, which Gov. Brown’s father, Gov. Pat Brown, helped create.

That’s a good thing.

The plan, implemented in 1960, shouldn’t be used as a shackle for the education system of today. The needs of students and the state are far different now than they were then.

SB 850 doesn’t encroach on the territory of the CSU and UC. Community colleges won’t be offering bachelor’s degrees for every single subject the campus offers.

Twenty-one other states already offer bachelor’s degrees through their community colleges and their universities haven’t become obsolete or run into trouble giving out degrees.

Others argue that finding the money to offer bachelor’s degrees and qualified staff to teach the subjects would prove problematic.

Money isn’t growing on trees for new programs, that much is true, but where there is a will there is a way. That is the reason why it is a pilot program and not spread out to all the campuses at once.

The results of the pilot program will determine where the system will go in the future. If funding proves to be an issue, it’s a hurdle that students and administrators will deal with when the time comes.

Benefits of offering degrees in a time where going to a fouryear college is proving to be harder and harder for the average student, with the cost and the average amount of debt a student will leave with along with how crowded many schools have become, far outweigh any of the possible what if’s that opponents of the bill have offered.

Let’s not hold up a plan from 50 years ago as the only way that the schools can be, and let’s push for what is best for our students.

It’s time to stop looking for reasons to deny the bill and urge Brown to sign it into law. Students are the ones who will reap the benefits of this bill, and it’s up to students to let their voices be heard.

HAWK

TALK

How do feel about the proposed plastic bag ban for 2015?

Amandeu Soza 19, Administrative Justice

“Well I work in retail so it’s kind of a daily thing I use. But you know, sometimes I actually see it as a necessity because some older people can’t actually carry all the stuff that they buy and they actually need it for use.”

Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to view the Hawk Talk video.

Jordan Sponseller 21, Film

Anitra Steward 19, Psychology

“I think it’s going to help our environment because, you know, you don’t have to use so much waste and not a lot of it is going into our landfill. I think it’s great bringing our own bag, I’m already doing that when I go shopping. I’m already bringing my own bags to the grocery store, so I think it’s going to help.”

“I see the advantages of passing it into effect. While I don’t feel like there’s enough alternatives for a variety of different options ... I can see a minimization of the use of plastic bags for environmental reasons but a complete ban seems a little unreasonable.”

Compiled by: Bobby Bishop, Naqshe Tahirkheli & Ariona Percelle

Editor in Chief: Scott Redmond Features Editor: Jelina Cortero News Editor: Heather Kemp Online Editor: Nick Valenzuela Opinion Editor: Nick Valenzuela Sports Editor: Scott Redmond Copy Editor: Emiliano Martin Faculty Adviser: Rubina Gulati Staff: Bobby Bishop, Christopher Carrillo, Emanuel Espinoza, Denysha Frazier, Brittany Harden, Ariona Percelle, Naqshe Tahirkheli, Ceejay Willis

The Connection is an award-winning newspaper published bi-weekly by the Journalism 410, 411, 412 & 413 media production classes. Editorials and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the students, staff or faculty of CRC or Los Rios Community College District. The Connection is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and California Newspaper Publisher’s Association.

Letters to the Editor must be typed, signed and include the first and last name of the author and a phone number. They must be 200 words or less and may be edited for length, clarity or taste.

The Connection Cosumnes River College 8401 Center Parkway Sacramento, CA 95823 Telephone: (916) 691-7471 Fax: (916) 691-7181 www.thecrcconnection.com connection.crc@gmail.com

Facebook.com/crcconnection Twitter: @CRCconnection Instagram: @CRCconnection Storify.com/TheConnection

thecrcconnection.com

Page 9

Drug-detecting nail polish could prevent assaults

By Jelina Cortero jcortero.connect@gmail.com Women are beautiful, confident and empowering individuals. But as unfortunate as it may sound, women have also been victims of abuse and sexual assault.

However, four male college students from North Carolina State University have created a way for women to fight back.

Ankesh Madan, Stephen Gray, Tyler Confrey-Maloney and Tasso Von Windheim have invented a nail polish called Undercover Colors that changes shades when touched by date rape drugs, according to Elite Daily, an online New York publication.

This product could possibly change the dating game forever.

Women will be able to detect if substances like Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB are in their drinks with just the tip of their fingers. When the nail polish comes into contact with any of the above substance, the nail polish will change colors.

The company hopes to make would-be rapists fear the potential repercussions of being caught trying to drug a woman, according to Elite Daily.

Undercover Color’s profile states, “Through this nail polish and similar technologies, we hope to make potential perpetrators afraid to spike a woman’s drink because there’s now a risk that they can get caught. In effect, we want to shift the fear from the victims to the perpetrators.”

Undercover Colors aim to protect their loved ones and women who may not have anyone present to watch out for them, according to Undercover Col-

ors’ Facebook page.

“In the U.S., 18 percent of women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. That’s almost one out of every five women in our country. We may not know who they are, but these women are not faceless. They are our daughters, they are our girlfriends, and they are our friends,” the article reads.

I cannot express how much gratitude I feel towards the male inventors of Undercover Colors. It is not only a genius product, but also a life saver in more ways than one.

If and when this product is available to the public, I wouldn’t buy just one polish I’d buy cases.

I completely support their product with everything I’ve got because it is a step towards finding more ways of prevention.

This is a brilliant invention with a lot of great causes and it would be amazing to see women finally being able to go to a bar or a party without the fear of being assaulted.

Like I said earlier, this is going to completely change the dating game.

According to Elite Daily, the varnish is an innovative step towards more effective systems of rape prevention in bars and at parties. The company calls itself the “first fashion company working to prevent sexual assault.”

I say, “bravo!” to the four male students and I hope that this continues to make a difference in the world of women’s safety.

Because women should no longer be fearful, they should be fearless.

Undercover Colors is still in development and the four students are currently fundraising to perfect their formula.

Courtesy photo

A new color-changing nail polish hopes to give women the ability to detect a spiked drink and avoid sexual assault in social settings.

Credit card advertisement on campus only leads to students being held hostage by crushing debt

By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com There is nothing worse than walking through the campus on the way to class only to be stopped by well dressed individuals at a table trying to convince you to play and win some prize while also working to get you to sign up for a credit card.

On Sept. 10 and 11, various banks and credit unions came to the campus for the semester bank and credit fair, where these same groups try their best to convince students to sign-up with them.

This needs to stop.

Not all banks or credit unions are trying to pull the wool over your eyes though.

The intentions of the school and the various banks or credit unions actually are noble at times, as building credit early is a good thing for students.

The problem though is that students are already facing mountains of debt when they finish school, and adding credit cards of their own on top of it doesn’t help at all.

A Fidelity Investments survey conducted last year found that the average 2013 graduate was leaving school with a debt of more than $35,000.

This includes state, federal and private loans along with money borrowed from family and credit card debt.

While the credit card portion of most of the debts averaged only $3,000, that’s still a lot of money for a new graduate entering the workforce.

Let’s be honest here.

The majority of college students are not entirely

ready for the experience of having a credit card.

The majority of young adults are impulse buyers.

Advertisements, whether through television or magazines or online, are geared towards the 18-25 age bracket, and students are bombarded daily with the news that if they don’t have the latest cool new gadget they are out of style and something is wrong with them.

This leads to the abuse of a credit card.

While I’d like to think banks and credit unions aren’t intentionally anti-customer, sometimes the profit mindset of capitalism causes these corporations to let you push things to a limit where you end up owing them in the end.

As stated before, there are positive reasons to allow the banks and credit unions on campus.

Growing your credit score early makes it easier to do things like purchase a house.

The sort of things you need later in life.

One of the best ways to grow a credit score for college students is to get a credit card, but that credit card has to be used sparingly and responsibility which means paying it off every month, according to a report by US News & World Report.

Basically only purchase what you truly need to with the credit card, and make sure you’re not blowing off making payments each month.

Using the card regularly followed by missed payments starts down the slope to bad credit.

As mentioned before building credit early is beneficial and the school is facilitating that with the fair.

The problem comes when many of the vendors

turn to the aforementioned games and prizes as ways to entice students.

College students work hard and still barely scrape by most of the time, and free stuff is the perfect fuel for irresponsible decision making.

This year if you took a card to each table, you got 10 seconds per table and could spend the subsequent earned time in a money box where the more green paper you grabbed the more money you got on a gift card.

Softening up potential debt issues of a card by associating it with games and free stuff might be the best marketing tool out there, but it’s a lethal combination when it comes to the future of college students.

The negative impact credit cards and the fair have on most students trumps any positive impact.

School should be the last place you have to worry about someone trying to talk you into signing up for more debt than you already might be carrying.

Students will find banks and find credit cards if they truly want them.

Even with the Post Office issues, those envelopes telling a person they are pre-approved for a card still come regularly.

Keep the banks and credit unions where they belong: off campus grounds.

For the sake of the future of most students, it’s the only way to go.

Disagree with Scott? Let us know what you think on our website, thecrcconnection.com.

PAGE 10

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

>>Sports

Rough start hasn’t dampened team’s ambitions

By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com The Cosumnes River College women’s soccer team is having a less than desirable start to the season, but the team isn’t letting it get them down.

The season kicked off on Aug. 29, and since then they’ve had two losses and two ties.

“You know, we have a tough schedule and we haven’t addressed it very well yet. We had two losses and two ties in our [first] four games, so [we’re] not [doing] as well as we would like, but we have played high quality opponents,” said Cesar Plasencia, the team’s head coach.

Freshman midfielder Marissa Lopez said continued practice would help the team through the rest of the season.

“I think after we have a lot more practice and bonding, the team will get better and we’ll come together and play very, very well,” Lopez said.

Although the 2014 season has had a bumpy start, the team did make it to the third round of the California Community College Athletic Association Nor Cal regional playoffs last year and said they hope to do so again.

“I think this is one of the best teams that we’ve had and we have really good players,” said sophomore defender Kori Martin. “Players that want to win and players that want to get better.”

Plasencia said the team will absolutely make the

playoffs once again in 2014.

With their first conference on Sept. 23, the women said they are feeling confident about the outcome.

“I think as we keep practicing and playing together it’s gonna click and we’re going to be able to soundly go on the field and win,” said sophomore defender Allison Krebs.

Jena Mamola, a sophomore defender, said there was some late starting with training this summer.

“We had two weeks of straight training, no scrimmages or anything. Something happened and we couldn’t do anything over summer so we started late and since then we’ve [been] doing a lot of tactical stuff,” Mamola said.

Most of the team said freshman midfielder Kate Burkhardt was their player to watch as the season progresses.

“She is one of the players that you know is going to come in every game and make a difference,” said Martin.

Freshman forward Hanna Doughty said that the team chemistry is strong.

“The team is working very well together,” Doughty said. “A lot of the players, the freshman that have came in have played club together and so they work really in sync and our sophomores already played a year together and so everybody is meshing really well.”

Plasencia said he is not letting the scoreboard dictate the rest of the team’s season.

“We’re trying to get ourselves ready for all of the

challenges,” Plasencia said. “I think we’ll be okay when it is all said and done, but right now we are going through a little bit of a rough patch to start out.”

UPCOMING GAMES Sept. 18

@Canyons

4:00 p.m.

Sept. 19

@LA Pierce

4:00 p.m.

Sept. 23

@Diablo Valley*

3:30 p.m.

Sept. 26

vs Santa Rosa*

3:30 p.m.

Sept. 30

vs Sac City*

3:00 p.m.

Oct. 3

@ARC*

3:30 p.m.

* Designates Conference Games

Bobby Bishop / The Connection

CRC Hawks freshman midfielder Kate Burkhardt leaps into the air for the ball, connecting with an opposing player from Evergreen Valley College Hawks. Burkhardt and her team defeated the EVC Hawks 4-3 but the close game underscores the rough season start for the team.

thecrcconnection.com

Page 11

Coach looks to breathe new life into team after rough seasons

By Emanuel Espinoza eespinoza.connect@gmail.com Cosumnes River College’s volleyball team’s new season brings more than just new players and a fresh start, it comes with a new coach: Cassie Baxter.

Before coming to coach the Hawks, Baxter was an assistant coach for the Sierra College volleyball team, the Wolverines. When she is not coaching, Baxter teaches at a middle school.

Baxter said that she is well aware that the team hasn’t been doing well, ending their 2013 season at 0-14, according to California Community College Athletic Association, and she plans to change that.

“This year, we plan to at least compete with our conference at the Big 8,” Baxter said. “In the past, the seasons haven’t gone so well, so we hope to have more wins.”

According to records from the CCCAA, the team’s Big 8 standings were 1-13 in 2012, 1-13 in 2011 and the same in 2010.

One way Baxter hopes to turn the team around is through her coaching methods.

“My coaching methods are play to the bitter end and fight as much as possible, as well as building relationships with the girls,” Baxter said.

“In practice, we work a lot on individual skill as well as team defense and team

offense.”

Freshman outside hitter Jessica Winship said that Baxter is helping the team and encourages them a lot.

“She is nice when she needs to be, and is strict when we deserve it,” Winship said.

Freshman right-side hitter Antoinette Stephens said that Baxter is very real, down-toearth and straightforward.

“Her coaching methods are very thorough,” Stephens said. “She’ll have us do something over and over again until we get it.”

According to an article on the CRC Hawks’ website, Baxter served as team captain for American River College’s volleyball team in 2005 and as a captain and starter for the basketball team.

Baxter said she attended El Camino High School and then attended ARC before transferring to Cal State East Bay to play volleyball.

Baxter said that her background is fully in athletics and she teaches physical education at Mills Middle School in Rancho Cordova during the day, and in the afternoon, she coaches volleyball at CRC. In addition to her credentials as a player, Baxter earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in physical education teaching from CSEB as well as completed her California K-12 teaching credential afterwards, according to the same article. In the past year Baxter earned a Master’s De-

gree in education curriculum.

Baxter has known her assistant coach Molly Hanrahan for five years.

Hanrahan said that it was Baxter who came to her for the assistant coaching position.

“Cassie kind of approached me because we’ve been friends for a while, and played together,” Hanrahan said. “She knew I was looking for a new coaching position. I was looking for a new adventure, so she approached me and asked me if I would be interested. It all kind of followed from there, and I think we’re a great tandem together, we worked well together so far, and it’s been a lot of fun. Right now, we’re really working and feeding off each other really well.”

Baxter and Hanrahan have coached the club team at the Sacramento Performance Volleyball Club for the last year and plan to continue next year. They also play volleyball together at La Sierra Community Center, Hanrahan said.

Athletic director Liz Belyea said that Baxter was referred to her by a couple of people as a good person to come and coach at CRC. “She’s outstanding as a coach,” Belyea said. “She knows the game very well and she’s also very enthusiastic and eager to do well, so I think she’ll bring a lot to the team.”

The Season in a Second

“What I have liked about what we’ve been doing [this season] is we’ve been having some fight in us so we’ve been fighting to keep our results.”

“This year we plan to at least compete with our conference at the Big 8. In the past, the seasons haven’t gone so well, so we hope to have more wins.”

Men’s soccer head coach

Volleyball head coach

—Ron Preble

—Cassie Baxter

NFL gets it wrong when they do the right thing

By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com NFL running back Ray Rice was fired from the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month his remaining contract worth millions terminated, after a second video emerged showing him abusing his then fiancée and now wife Janay Palmer at an Atlantic City casino.

Nike promptly ended their endorsement of Rice.

EA Games declared that Rice would be removed from their newest edition of the Madden video game franchise, “Madden 2015.”

The Baltimore Ravens announced that all Rice jerseys could be exchanged for fans who didn’t want them any longer.

What they did was the right thing in regards to a player who abused his significant other as domestic abuse is nothing to ignore.

There is only one problem: it was all too late.

Let’s be honest. The only reason Rice was let go from the Ravens and indefinitely placed on suspension by the NFL is because the pressure was too much and they wanted to cut their losses.

Rice was caught on camera beating Palmer unconscious in a casino elevator in February. Rice dragged Palmer out of the elevator only to drop her to the ground again.

In July, a video of Palmer being dragged from the elevator surfaced leading the NFL to suspend Rice for two games, a controversial move that angered many fans.

In the aftermath NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that the decision was wrong, especially since there were other members of the league who were suspended far longer for drug and alcohol infractions, and rolled out a whole new policy for domestic abuse as he claimed that the league

had zero tolerance for such things.

The policy is a joke. For the first offense, the abuser will be suspended for six games and banned indefinitely for the second offense with the stipulation that in a year’s time they will be allowed to reapply to the league. Goodell said that re-applying doesn’t guarantee they’ll be reinstated, according to USA Today.

Being suspended for a few games or banned for a year simply are not harsh enough punishments and certainly do not equate to a zero tolerance policy worth taking seriously.

The fact that it took a second video for the Ravens, the NFL and others to come to their senses is disgusting.

Seeing a man dragging a woman out of an elevator like a sack of potatoes, and an admission of guilt, should have been enough.

What truly makes the decision hollow is that Ray McDonald of the 49ers has been arrested and accused of domestic abuse, court proceedings still forthcoming, and coach Jim Harbaugh, brother to the Ravens coach, is playing McDonald.

In the NFL, no tolerance apparently means nothing at all. Player arrests for domestic abuse, drugs, DUI, murder and various other crimes are increasing and yet the most that happens is a slap on the wrist and some time off.

In an interview with CBS Sports, Goodell proved the policy is entirely pointless as he told CBS News shortly afterwards that Rice could play in the NFL again “But he would have to make sure that we are fully confident that he is addressing this issue clearly, (that) he has paid the price for the actions that he’s already taken.”

So much for zero tolerance.

PAGE 12

THECRCCONNECTION.COM

Hawks look to team chemistry and playoffs for season

By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com After delivering a solid performance last season, the Cosumnes River College men’s soccer team is looking towards the season ahead.

With two wins, two losses and one tie under their belt already in the 2014 season the guys are confident that good things are in the future for the Hawks.

“We prepared this year looking at it from more of a fitness aspect, so this year we’re more fit than everyone else,” said assistant coach Brandon Evangelista. “We kind of went more for defense first and let the offense come to us.”

Freshman forward Edmond Smith shared how coaches got the players so fit.

“We had a trainer named Foster that ran us into the ground, and now we’re very, very in shape,” said Smith.

With only a few games behind them, Evangelista said the team is doing well.

“I think the season is going alright, rocky parts here and there, but I think overall we started off very well for being pretty much a new freshman team with just a couple sophomores,” Evangelista said.

Many on the team agreed with their coach.

“I think the season is going pretty good,” said Jose Figueroa, a freshman defender. “We started off playing a division two school and now we’re about to enter our conference.”

The three-game conference is scheduled to begin Sept. 26 at American River College.

“Looking at most of the teams we’ve been playing, I think we’ll do very well,” Evangelista said. “I think we’ll compete really hard with some of the schools like with Modesto and Santa Rosa. I feel we could take them and actually win a conference this year.”

The team of primarily freshman, only four sophomores making up the ranks, isn’t letting having a greener team get in their way “I think we’re working good, we all have a good bond, a good friendship,” Figueroa said.

A bond so strong Smith said he believes it could take them all the way to the playoffs.

“If our team chemistry continues and we continue to

Ceejay Willis / The Connection

Sharukh Ali, freshman midfielder for the Hawks, leaps past Canada Colts freshman midfielder Omar Ramirez for the ball during the Hawks dominating field performance on Sept. 12. The Hawks defeated the Colts 3-0, securing their second win for the season.

progress and get better and work as a team I think we could do it,” Smith said.

Even though the season is still young, Evangelista said there are a few players to keep an eye on this season.

“Right now there has been a couple. [Sophomore midfielder] Ander [Saez].

Figueroa has played amazing starting every game,”Evangelista said. “I would say those two have been our big bright sides right now.”

Check out thecrcconnection.com to follow the team’s progress this season.

UPCOMING GAMES Sept. 20

@Palomar

Sept. 21

@MiraCosta

Sept. 26

@ARC*

4:00 p.m.

Sept. 30

@San Joaquin Delta*

3:00 p.m.

Oct. 03

vs. Modesto *

4:00 p.m.

* Designates Conference Games

2:00 p.m.

11:00 a.m.