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Campus wins award for green building See Page 2
Filling the Space
The search for CRC’s new president has begun News, Page 3 ISSUE 6 Winter 2014 Student voice of CRC since 1970
Campus Jazz
Band performed at annual free concert on campus Features, Page 5
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Students deserve to know just where their money goes Opinion, Page 8
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The finals are in sight for women’s soccer team Sports, Page 12
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Winn Center named a leader in green design By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com Over the years, Cosumnes River College has won countless awards, the most recent being the Winn Center for Construction and Architecture receiving a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification. The center, which opened in fall 2013, won the national award from the Green Building Certification Institute for being energy-efficient and sustainable, according to a press release. On Dec. 3, a Platinum Celebration was held in the Winn Center Community Room from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. to commemorate the accomplishment. Attendees included CRC President Deborah Travis, Chancellor Brian King and Board of Trustees member Pamela Haynes. Although the building is new, the values of being environmentally friendly are an old tradition at CRC, said architecture Professor John Ellis via a telephone interview.. “We’ve been teaching that since the early ‘70s, that sustainability is an important attribute,” Ellis said. Ellis who, along with some of his students, came up with the vision of the building and the proposal for it, said that being green is “embedded in our curriculum.” Costing $16.6 million to
build and furnish, a goal of creating the building was to win a LEED Platinum certification from the beginning. Photography Professor Jim West, who teaches in the center and was involved in the 10-year process of bringing it to life, shared how he feels about being in it now. “It feels pretty amazing to be in a facility that goes along with my personal feelings in terms of being an environmental person,” West said. West said that one thing he loved about the center is how it is now a symbol of the school. “There has really never been an icon for CRC,” West said. “With this building when you walk onto CRC, it’s an iconic structure.” It is not just the outside of the center that is innovative, there are many features inside as well that are eye catching. Drinking fountains in the building have filling stations for water bottles, there are walls of windows letting in natural light, skylights, a lounge and concrete floors just to name a few. The building also has solar panels on the roof to help power it. “I remember back in 2001 when we were here at the groundbreaking and we could just feel that this building was going to be special,” said one of the building’s donors Mike Winn. Even though it has been
open for more than a year, the technology and true potential of the center are still being adjusted to and discovered, West said. Ellis said that the concept of having a green building on campus was to build community between students, faculty and the local community. He also used the building as a teaching tool. “The biggest thing was helping get my students involved,” Ellis said. Architecture student Megan Lester spoke at the event and recalled a day in class where Ellis stopped the lecture to take his class on a field trip. The trip ending up being him taking the class outside to study the building. “This is more than just a building that houses students and classrooms and what you are seeing here today is the next generation of teaching,” said Dave Younger who spoke on behalf of the design build team at the event. Brian Sehnert represented the Green Building Certification Institute at the event and spoke about the group’s mission. “The mission is to support the design and development of enviornmentally responsable buildings based on climate and geographical locations,” Sehnert said. He went on to describe the three levels of certification a building can have silver, gold and platinum, platinum being
the most prestigious. “When you’re looking at projects in northern California, there is only two other community colleges who have platinum projects,” Younger said. “We’re lightyears ahead of most other colleges throughout the state.” The center, named after the Winn family for their $1 million donation, was a big project for the campus and could not have gotten done without a group effort West said. “No matter what, it’s always a team effort here at CRC,” West said. “That’s what has made this building so special and that’s what has made it what it is today.”
Jim West | Photography Professor
Ceejay Willis | The Connection
Architecture Professor John Ellis speaking at the Platinum Celebration on Dec. 3 in the Winn Center.
Los Rios Police Department heads donation drive By Jelina Cortero jcortero.connect@gmail.com The Los Rios Police Department is getting into the holiday spirit by teaming up with the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services to help our local community in the Spirit of Giving Drive. Food and clothing donations will be accepted until Jan. 31. If any student wants to donate nonperishable foods and new or slightly used clothing to families in need, the donation bin is located on the second floor of the Cosumnes River College Library. In addition to helping the local community, the LRPD has also teamed up with the
Salvation Army in the Angel Tree Program, a program dedicated to giving underprivileged children Christmas presents. Starting on Nov. 14, students and staff were able to pick up a gift tag from the Angel Trees located on the first floor of the Library building. Participants are to return their unwrapped present with the tag to the Police Office by Dec. 10. “This is the first year the Los Rios Police Department has teamed up with the Sacramento Food Bank to put on the Spirit of Giving Drive. As a department we are constantly looking for ways to be more involved in our community,” said Command Support Of-
ficer Alysia Krewson via an email interview. “The Los Rios community colleges have such a large district; I thought it would be perfect to begin doing drives and getting the department involved in other non-profit organizations since we are so spread out and can reach mass
“It’s good to see the
police doing something else to help our community than just protecting it.” -- Alysia Krewson
Command Support Officer
amounts of people,” Krewson said. Some students said they believe that the LRPD joining these organizations is a great thing for our community. “The police are people, and people do charity work,” said Mike Cuddy, a 22-yearold computer science major. “Charity work isn’t just for the community benefit, it’s also a personal gain.” Oscar Ramirez, a 20-yearold graphic design major, said he agrees with Cuddy and believes that the impact of the police doing this drive is a great way to show the community that they care. “It’s good to see the police doing something else to help our community than just pro-
tecting it,” Ramirez said. With the holidays just around the corner, people are constantly trying to find ways to give back and help raise the spirits of those in need. “The importance of this drive is to realize that the community as whole is responsible for building itself back up. Many of us live normal lives with jobs, family, a roof over our head and food on the table. Unfortunately, not everyone lives this way,” Krewson said. “The holiday time is a time for remembering what we do have and that we are capable of making a difference in the lives of those who may not have dinner on the table every night or a clean pair of clothes to put on the next day.”
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Financial aid office addresses disbursement backup By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com Financial aid is a necessary option for many students to be able to afford a college education. Listening around campus, it’s not strange to hear students talking about not knowing why they don’t qualify for financial aid, saying that they weren’t told about what they needed to do in order to get their aid or that they don’t understand why their aid hasn’t arrived yet even though they turned in the required papers. Dean of Financial Aid Christine Thomas said that financial aid is a federal process, and, with all the forms that have to be filled out, timeliness is the key. She said that one of the main issues they see that might delay their processing a file is flags for verification. Flags for verification come because the government sees
something on a student’s forms that they may want the professionals on site to look at, and the school has to therefore check out those forms because verification is a mandatory process. “The verification students that I mostly see is because they don’t have either verification of their name through social security or something so they’re asked to go get that, and they don’t like that, they don’t like another step,” Thomas said. “But unfortunately if it doesn’t match we can’t even submit an order for the check.” Thomas said that they have only had maybe two cases like that this semester. The other issue that has come up is that students having to get prior year tax records and they have to request that transcript from the IRS, and the reason it might be flagged is because the income and family size are not matching up to what was
reported. One other area that they sometimes see issues is with the petitions that students have to fill out after they have more than 72 units, meaning that they have to go to mandatory counseling to reevaluate their situation. The other petition is for students that have been academically disqualified and they must fill out a petition to state how they will fix whatever issues caused them to be academically disqualified. “I know that it’s hard for students to go through it, but we want to have a petition process so that they can appeal the decision. Otherwise we would just have to say no, and we don’t want to do that and the government gives us the choice to have a petition process so that’s why we do it,” Thomas said. There are currently approximately 160 files ready to be processed and Thomas said
they are just waiting to get them into the queue, which takes a bit of time because they have to verify everything in each file. They have processed and awarded 4,507 files so far this semester, Thomas said. Students’ opinions on financial aid, like with most issues, are divided. “I’m not happy with the representatives who are handling financial aid right now,” said 27-year-old Nicole Fleming, a business major. “They are not knowledgable, and I’ve had to come back several times to delay my financial aid the whole semester.” Aaron Hayes, a 20-yearold business major, had different feelings about the department. “I have had problems, but it was my fault. My mom did the whole tax thing wrong, and it took a lot of time for them to ask for paperwork to verify it, so I didn’t get my financial aid on the last pay
day,” Hayes said. Overall, Hayes said he felt satisfied with the system. “I feel that the financial aid system is good depending on the salaries, so I think it’s pretty much accurate,” Hayes said. “It helps out getting the BOG fee waiver if you could qualify for it. For the most part, I think that the financial aid system is efficient at what they’re doing.” In regards to communication, Thomas said she isn’t aware of any. ”I truthfully believe that the communication is there and if there is something we’re missing, I’m always happy, the financial aid office is always happy, to fix or maybe adjust and we do that all the time,” Thomas said. “The unit downstairs they talk with students every day so if there is something that needs to be changed or tweaked in an email to a student or make it more clear to a student.”
Process of finding a new campus president begins By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com The fall semester is winding down at Cosumnes River College and while most students and faculty are expecting to come back to more of the same in the spring there will be one major difference in campus leadership. Ending her more than five year run, CRC President Deborah Travis is set to retire in December. Current Vice President of Instruction, Whitney Yamamura, will serve as interim president in the spring semester while a permanent replacement for Travis is being found. “He was appointed for spring semester, which is what it will take us to find a new president,” said Ryan Cox, associate vice chancellor of human resources. The responsibilities of being a college president are endless, as Communications and Public Information Officer Kristie West explained “Being a college president
Save The Date!
takes a lot of people skills and time. The job is all-consuming from my perspective,” West said. “You have to know everything that is happening not only at CRC, but with community colleges in California and around the country, and higher education in general.” The process for finding a new president is pretty standard in the Los Rios Community College District, the method they are using for CRC is the same as administration has used at Folsom Lake and American River College. “Basically we’ll use our full search process, an executive search process,” Cox said. “We’ll do probably two months where we will conduct a nationwide search, advertising and recruiting.” Cox said that they will use a myriad of tools to find a new president, including online methods and the Chronicle of Higher Education, the publication that provides news and information for college and university educators. “A search committee will
be appointed, that search committee includes faculty leaders, a student will be appointed to the committee, some classified staff members and some managers and a chair who is typically a high-level manager like another president or a vice president,” Cox said. He said that the job of the committee is to set screening criteria for candidates, review all applicants and write the interview questions. Travis shared traits that she said a good candidate should have to be able to lead the school effectively. “I believe a president needs to be adaptable and receptive to new ideas and innovation,” Travis said in an email interview. “In essence, he or she needs to be a continuous learner and view learning as a multidimensional process with many diverse inputs.” Cox explained what committees typically look for in candidates. “In general, you look for very strong academic leadership, success in leading
academic instruction and/ or student services areas, understanding our principles of shared governance where everyone has a role and understanding our culture of interest based philosophy where we try to honor and value input from all constituents,” Cox said. West is hoping for someone who is as good at representing the school as Travis was. “For me, I’m hoping the next president is as savvy with public relations and marketing as Dr. Travis is,” West said. Although Travis said she is in no way involved in finding her replacement, she did share some advice for the next president. “At CRC, we all learn from our students, from one another, and from our interactions with the community,” Travis said. “To be shared and effective, presidential leadership must be seen as a constancy of learning about oneself and others.”
Cox said that impressions groups will weigh in on deciding on a final replacement for Travis. He said that once the committee has narrowed the pool down to about three candidates, impressions groups will be held on campus where finalists will be interviewed in a more casual setting by student leaders, faculty and others. “At the end of that when they’ve met with the three finalists then they spend some time afterwards and summarize their thoughts on each of these candidates strengths and maybe some areas where they would like the Chancellor to follow up,” Cox said. The last steps in finding CRC’s new president is having a final meeting with the Chancellor and being approved by the Board of Trustees. The campus hopes to make their final selection by July 1, 2015.
Dec. 4 How To Prepare For a Job Interview
Dec. 9 Looking For a Job?
Dec. 11 CRC Chamber Singers and College Chorus Concert
Dec. 12-18 Fall Finals
The Career Center presents this workshop to learn the skills to charm employers at 2 p.m. in WIN-104.
Learn about both on and off campus jobs in this Career Center workshop at 11 a.m. in T-116.
Listen to students sing for one of the last performances of the semester at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
To keep up on the latest developments stay tuned to:
http://www.thecrcconnection. com/
Be sure to leave yourself enough time to study for finals, enjoy a break and rest up! Spring semester starts Jan. 17.
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Teacher evaluation Honors seminars prepare websites can be students for universities, useful to students but are not available often By Marcus Ellis mellis.connect@gmail.com With students’ planning for spring semester well underway, they are gathering all the information needed to choose classes. It’s no secret that most students look to outside means when it comes to finding and selecting the right professor for a particular class. Websites like Rate My Professors and Uloop are becoming more commonly used by students. Rate My Professors is a review site where college students are able to assign ratings, evaluations and criticisms on various professors from campuses all across the country. “I use it the majority of the time when I register for classes,” said Bianca Sandoval, 20, an English major. “I think that some of the students are really biased, but some reviews sound fair and genuine. I tend to look for professors that are said to be extremely helpful and fair.” A student can also use the site as a starting point to see what a particular professor’s teaching approach and style to see if it would suit them. “I use it because it’s a good way to know about a teacher before choosing a class,” said Cristian Garcia, 21, a hospitality management major. “It’s a great way to figure out if a teacher is helpful and actually teaches instead of reading straight from a book.” When asked about their thoughts on review websites like Rate My Professors and whether or not they play a factor in helping students select classes, many professors felt the same way. “I’m glad the website exists,” said Michael Yarbrough, a mathematics professor. “Anything that would give the students more information and allow them to make a more educated choice for the classes they pick is a good thing.” Daniel DuBray, a communications professor, shared a similar perspective. “It’s absolutely fine to have some kind of informal networking system for students to at least get an idea
of what a professor might be like,” DuBray said. Some of the site’s main criticisms are that it allows students an easy way out, like those looking for easy classes. “It can be a negative thing if the students are just looking for what might be the easiest class because that’s not necessarily going to be helpful to you if you’re trying to move up the ladder,” Yarbrough said. Given that the site also happens to be entirely opinion-based, the commentary and reviews can sometimes be misleading or inaccurate.
“I think that some
of the students are really biased, but some reviews sound fair and genuine.” -- Bianca Sandoval
20, English major
“There’s not a peer review so it may not be quite as scientific, meaning being completely valid,” DuBray said. “If a student is really disgruntled they could go on Rate My Professors or one of those websites and write negative and destructive commentary about the professor and it may or may not be accurate.” Norman Hom, an English professor, said there is a variance of individuals who actually post reviews on rating websites like Rate My Professors. “Rating websites are fine,” Hom said. “But like with any review site, I do think that one must be cautious when reading what others have said. I generally feel that only students who have either really good or really bad experiences will take the time to post.” Some students tend to disregard negative comments posted and go off their own judgement, given that there are sometimes instances where individuals would go out of their way to badmouth professors, due to their own downfalls and shortcomings. “I take the negative comments with a grain of salt,” said Alexzandrea Soniea, 23, a communication studies major.
By Brittany Harden bharden.connect@gmail.com College is a time for students to break out of their shells and realize their potential. The honors classes at Cosumnes River College are one way that students can discover themselves and their interests. The honors seminars at CRC are “designed specifically for academically accomplished students, or those with the potential for high academic achievement,” according to the CRC website. Philosophy Professor Richard Schubert, who will teach the philosphy of martial arts next spring, said he became head of the program three years ago because he felt that he could get the seminars properly funded. The honors seminar classes at CRC were originally funded by a government program called Project for Excellence, but in the 1990s the program lost a lot of that funding. Currently, the program is fully funded through the office of the vice president of instruction. The honors seminars are meant to give students preparation for undergraduate and graduate degrees and make them more appealing to other schools. Only three honors courses are taught a year by different faculty members, Schubert said. The honors program has restricted admission and requires a student to submit an application to get into classes. “Students are chosen based on how they will contribute to the education the other students will receive,” Schubert said. Even though funding only allows honors classes a few times a year, Annuciata Ezeli, a 21-year-old nutrition major, said she thinks that it could be a good thing. “Yes, it makes for more competition,” Ezelia said. Anyone who shows academic potential can be accepted into the program, Schubert said. “Taking one course makes you stand out as an applicant [to colleges],” Schubert said. Schubert said the program
is expanding for students to count honors courses as credits on the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. “In the past these classes were added value courses, simply for student enrichment,” Schubert said. “Now it can work for both.” There are students who agree with Schubert and want the programs to be offered more frequently. “If it’s not offered, there is a disadvantage. You’re not able to take the courses throughout your time here,” said Steven Hoang, a 24-year-old computer science major. Schubert said that he models his course after a similar class that he taught at University of California, Davis. The class structure and teaching is different in the seminars compared to a normal class. Schubert said that during the first part of the semester he
teaches the class and after that students in the classes teach the lessons. The class is set up this way to help students learn and interact with each other and Schubert as well. “Seminars are small by design,” Schubert said. “Students get to know one another compared to other classes on campus.” This past September, the program held a roundtable discussion that consisted of former and present honors students. The roundtable is an additional environment outside of the seminars to “provide a more stimulating experience” to help students discuss an academic subject he said. Schubert knows the program is and can be more successful because he said many of the students come back to him and tell him that these honor courses prepared them for undergraduate and graduate programs.
The Connection
Philosophy Professor Richard Schubert teaching his spring 2013 honors seminar about the principles of marital arts.
December 4, 2014
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President Travis says farewell to CRC as semester ends By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com As students and professors gear up for finals, anticipating a wrapping up of the semester that will lead them into a well deserved break, Cosumnes River College President Deborah Travis is looking at a much bigger end to the semester. Travis announced in September that at the end of the fall semester her term as president will come to an end as she retires. “I believe in public higher education and for 25 years, it has been professionally and personally fulfilling to participate in our students’ success. I came to CRC with extensive experience in instructional programs and workforce education,” Travis said via e-mail. “Becoming the president of Cosumnes River College has been an extraordinary opportunity to be a part of an exemplary college and work with amazing faculty and staff in its growth and service to students.” In the last five years of serving as president, Travis oversaw many of the large projects and changes that have come to the campus in
that time, including the new athletic fields and the building of the Winn Center and Art Gallery. “Since becoming CRC President in 2009, there are several accomplishments I consider important to our students, college and community,” Travis said. “There are new academic and athletic programs for our students, including Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Women’s Swimming. There are renovated and new learning environments, such as the Science complex, Northeast Technical Buildings, Winn Center, Athletic Fields, Art Gallery and, of course, CRC’s first educational center in Elk Grove.” Travis said that she is also proud of “CRC’s cooperative leadership, navigation and stability through the recent State financial crisis and our own college’s enrollment reductions,” and that “CRC is resilient and thriving once again because of an enduring collegial spirit.” As the campus Public Information and Communication Officer, Kristie West worked closely with President Travis over the last few years. “I have known President Travis for 20 years and this
is the second opportunity I’ve had to work with her,” West said. “The last five and a half years have been wonderful for me as PIO because she really understands the importance of my job and it has allowed me to push the traditional boundaries of marketing at CRC.” West was not the only one to speak positively of Travis. Liz Belyea, dean of the Kinesiology, Health and Athletics department, said that Travis was very supportive of their program. “President Travis will be sorely missed by all in our Physical Education and Athletic department. She understood the value of learning through sport and physical activity,” Belyea said. “Her continued support of our programs through her presidency is very much appreciated. On Ceejay Willis | The Connection behalf of all of us in our department, we wish her the CRC President Deborah Travis receiving a Leadership in Energery very best in retirement.” When asked to sum up and Environmental Design Platinum certification award for Green Travis and her time as presi- Construction. someone like that is an amazdent in just a few words, West ty college and its students.” “President Travis is a ing experience,” West said. said she was “innovative” and great leader, motivator and “I will always treasure our a “strong leader who is pasinnovator and working with collaboration and friendship.” sionate about [the] communi-
CRC’s jazz band spreads the joy of jazz music By Taylor Gomez Guest Writer As the Cosumnes River College recital hall began to fill up around 7:30 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 20, the anxious musicians who sat upon the stage all rhythmically tapped their feet in preparation for their Fall 2014 Jazz Band Concert. CRC’s jazz band performs these concerts annually and they are free to the public. The concert consisted of a 12 song set including “Fly Me To The Moon” and “Skylark.” The show lasted about the span of two hours. The recital hall, warm and dimly lit, had a light crowd of music connoisseurs and college students checking out the buzz of the event. Director of the concert and CRC instructor, Steve Homan opened by questioning
the audience with a playful round of jazz music Trivial Pursuit. Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong were among of the few well recognized names the crowd called out in accordance to Homan’s questions of famous jazz performers.
”I wish there were more of these, this was super enjoyable. I thought I played guitar well until I heard these folks.”
— Brad Rogers Recital Spectator
“I wish there were more of these, this was super enjoyable,” said spectator Brad Rodgers. “I thought I played
guitar well until I heard these folks.” The concert was filled with a variety of instruments, including guitars, bass, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums and percussion, piano and various vocalists. “Some of the more mature players, they’ve been in this band for probably over 15 to 20 years.” Homan said, who has been involved with CRC’s jazz band for about six years. Ken Heichlinger, a soloist saxophone player for the band, said that he enjoys playing with the younger players of the band. “It’s like carrying the torch on,” Heichlinger said. “You hear them every year get better and better.” One of the younger saxophone soloists, 19-year-old Demarkus Oliphant, who has been playing for nine years,
said that while performing in concerts like these he is in a different zone. “I just lose myself when I’m soloing and what not, I get taken somewhere else,” Oliphant said. CRC’s jazz band had been preparing for this concert once a week during the fall 2014 semester. “We had one two-and-ahalf to three hour rehearsal for this music,” Homan said. Homan said he encourag-
es all to attend their “Holiday Music Show” on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the recital hall. Homan said it will be all holiday music and will have a guest performance by him and his wife Francesca as well. “This is your community orchestra, so please come out and support us,” Homan said. “We would love to have you, your family and your friends come. We love to spread the joy of jazz music, which is America’s true art form.”
Upcoming Concert Jazz Band with guests Jazz N Samba Duet Dec. 4
Recital Hall
7:30 p.m.
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The games have changed forever as a revolution sparks By Rukayat Yusufu ryusufu.connect@gmail.com “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One,” one of four movies from the popular film series based on Suzanne Collin’s novel trilogy, “Hunger Games” was released on Nov. 21. Lionsgate, the film’s producer, decided to split the last novel into two films leaving the audience to wait until next year to watch the last film and final ending to the series. “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One” continues the story from “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which was released in 2013, but now instead of using the arena, the games have ultimately moved to the minds of both Peeta and Katniss. The premiere of the film was a huge event. The line stretched from the Century Theatre building on Big Horn to its parking lot. It was cold and sprinkling outside, however loyal and eager fans remained dedicated to watching the film making the theatre a packed house. The movie’s storyline picks up right where “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” left off, with Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, shooting her arrow into the sky and making the game glitch and in return changing the games forever. Katniss was rescued from the games and is now hidden in a secret military base under District 13 with her mom and sister
Courtesy photo
In “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part One” Katniss Everdeen takes on the Capitol creating the havoc and chaos fueling the rebellion and sparking a revolution that could end the games forever.
Prim. But this time, instead of being the once “darling of the Capitol” she finds herself the new face of the rebellion against the Capitol. The rebel-
lion is in full effect as Katniss tries to deal with the bombing of her former home, District 12, and trying to figure out how she can save Peeta Mel-
lark, played by Josh Hutcherson, who involuntarily finds himself on the opposite end of the rebellion. Peeta is forced to speak to the Districts by
video and acts as a “peace maker” in attempts to stop the riots and rebellions. Gale Hawthorne, played by Liam Hemsworth, is on the same side as Katniss struggling to figure out his feelings for her and acts as her gunman in the rebellion against the Capitol. Even though Katniss is out of the arena the game hasn’t really ended for her. The Capitol has manipulated Peeta and used him as a weapon against Katniss. The rebel team at District 13 persuades Katniss to shoot propaganda videos to show how important the rebellion is and what the Capitol is doing to the districts. The majority of the film was a back and forth between the Capitol and the rebellion. The Capitol was using Peeta’s videos to combat Katniss’s actions, taunting her with a now sickly and tortured looking Peeta. Lawrence played the role of Katniss well. She really embodies the description of Katniss from the novels, which is really rare when novels are made into movies. “Mockingjay” addressed everything from greed, rebellion, war, politics, love, friendship and human nature. If you enjoy topics like that then you will enjoy this movie.
author’s score out of five
#TrendingNow Compiled by Emiliano Martin & Brittany Harden All photos are courtesy photos
“I believe it was wrong, but there are two sides and you don’t know which is right and which is wrong,” said Liseth Barrius, a 21-year-old nursing major.
Former Baltimore Ravens player, Ray Rice has successfully won his appeal and is now reinstated in the NFL with eligibility to play immediately. “I think they’ve given him enough time and the proper discipline,” said Silviano Rodriguez, a 23-yearold computer science major.
Awakens’
‘The Force
Enraged protesters rioted in Ferguson, Mo. after a grand jury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson over the death of an unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.
ice Reinstated
Ray R
Ferg
uson Riots
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” launched its official trailer on Nov. 28 and has announced its release date to be on Dec. 18, 2015. “I’m a big Star Wars fan so I can’t wait to go watch that movie,” said Austin Ghera, a 19-year-old biology major.
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Ceejay Willis | The Connection
Art Professor Yoshio Taylor showcased his statue titled “Uzu” and past faculty Patricia Wall showcased her oil on canvas piece titled “ Venetian Glass.”
Ceejay Willis | The Connection
Past faculty Ronald Houck showcased several pieces including his oil on canvas piece titled “Piano Man.”
New artworks showcased in gallery’s second showing By Rukayat Yusufu ryusufu.connect@gmail.com Art is a universal expression and at Cosumnes River College’s second showing in the art gallery, it put the spotlight on some of the best artworks of CRC’s art faculty. The exhibition showcased artwork from several of CRC’s current and past art faculty whose artwork was previously shown in the opening of the gallery and in the gallery’s first showing, which was properly titled “Renaissance.” “Renaissance basically means the rebirth,” Taylor said. “It’s a rebirth of our CRC art department, because we never had this gallery in this kind of capacity. This is pretty exciting.” The gallery had a calming ambience with walls and gray floors in a well-lit room. As guests arrived, they signed a guest book and enjoyed the art. As guests wandered around, they had the chance to see a variety of artwork from paintings to sculptures.
The second showcase featured eight new pieces. Students like Queens Mar, a 25-year-old computer science major, saw some differences from the first showing. “The ambience was about the same, but some of the wall pieces changed and some of the sculptures on the floor changed,” Mar said. The exhibit showed both 2D and 3D artworks. Since this is the second showing a lot of new artwork was added. This time there are 12 ceramic sculptures and paintings, six framed pictures, two plexi-glass aluminum and two under-glaze artworks. The first and second showing were strictly artCeejay Willis | The Connection work from professors here Guests were able to wander the gallery and gaze at each of the new pieces. One of the bigger piecat CRC however there are es titled “Conversion” was brought in by CRC Adjunct Professor Marcelle Wiggins. plans in the future for students to be able to showcase their artwork as well. “Hopefully students will be District in the gallery. because a competitive way “If we have students able to sell their work.” “Some of the students of getting into the exhibition artwork displayed it will Taylor said he is willing do deserve to have their which is, as a professional encourage more art stuto include high caliber work work shown here,” Taylor artist, the best way to get dents,” said Rocky Magana, from students in the Los said. “We are going to go into the galleries.” a 27-year-old art major. Rios Community College in the way of competition,
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DECEMBER 4, 2014
>>Opinion EDITORIAL
Students deserve to know how ASCRC uses their money every semester A word that is attached to government, and the actions of government and its agencies, is transparency. Without transparency, the people are left in the dark about what their government is doing, which leads to shady dealings and negates the idea of democracy. The government of Cosumnes River College, the student government, needs more transparency. As a student body we need to know one thing, where is our money going? Every semester $1 of student tuition is taken and put in a special fund accessible by the Associated Students of Cosumnes River College in order to pay for events and scholarships throughout the year. Events include everything from the vendor fair to club rush days. There are roughly around 15,000 students at CRC each semester meaning that the ASCRC obtains around $15,000 a semester for this purpose, $30,000 an academic year, not including money left over from previous semesters. When interviewed in September, ASCRC President Katelyn Rodriguez was unable to state what their current budget was, and was only able to quote that it was $7,258 as of June 2014. Meaning that out of the around $15,000 they had been given by the students in January of 2014, they had only spent roughly $7,700. So where is the rest of that money going? Repeated requests for information on the current budget and use of the money gained no response from ASCRC. It was stated by the ASCRC before that they use some of the money to go to the California Community College Student Affairs Association conference, where they gain leadership training. While gaining experience as a leader is valuable to individuals, and to those in positions of power, there is no tangible value to this expense for the overall student body. They go to a conference somewhere spending the money that students have given, and students don’t get much out of the deal. Rodriguez said that the leftover money goes into a special fund that they can use later. Students deserve to know how much is in that special fund, and what is happening to the rest of their money. Some might argue that students could possibly seek this information out, as past and current budgets are likely to be available upon request, but there is no reason this information should have to be requested. Students should not have to go out of their way to get information about how the ASCRC is using their money. The information should be readily available for students to view. There is no excuse for officers within the ASCRC to not know how much money they are dealing with each semester, whether there is a treasurer or not. If students are expected to keep giving money every semester to the ASCRC, then the ASCRC should make it clear where that money is going. A place online, flyers, announcements, whatever avenue that will get the information out there is all that matters. Taking our money, and using it, yet not being able to tell us what it all went towards is unacceptable. ASCRC, it’s time to show us the money.
HAWK
TALK
What do you plan on doing over winter break? “I plan to hang with friends and loved ones, eat, and work and shop. Christmas and New Year’s indulge myself in belligerent behavior. That sums it up.”
Alberto Aldaeo 18, Business
Audrey Folk 20, Political Science
Kim Rose 23, Psychology
“Hibernating. Wintertime for me is all about hibernating, staying warm. Being with family, hopefully this winter I will be working ... Other than that I will be eating a lot. I probably will gain a few pounds.”
Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to view the Hawk Talk video.
Marsalis Peterson 27, RTVF
“I am going to watch a lot of Netflix because they have a lot of stuff coming out next year like Friends. And then I am going to hang out with my dogs. And maybe try and travel, but mostly work, too.”
“I am going to probably pull out my keyboards or sit down at the piano, probably get all the instruments together and get the friends together and do jam sessions twice or three times a week.”
Compiled by: Brittany Harden & Emiliano Martin
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
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.
Staff: Bobby Bishop, Emanuel Espinoza, Brittany Harden, Naqshe Tahirkheli, Ceejay Willis
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Rioting in response to court decisions creates more tension, results in further unnecessary violence By Emanuel Espinoza eespinoza.connect@gmail.com Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, what do these names have in common? They are victims of crimes in which the assailants were acquitted for said crimes, with the acquittals subsequently causing mass uproars. Darren Wilson, the police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed when it happened, was not indicted for his actions. The result of him not being charged led to a riot in Ferguson, Mo. Several people in Ferguson started looting the city, destroying different forms of property such as vehicles and buildings. Some of the buildings burned and looted were commercial businesses. According to an article on the ABC News website, St. Louis Police arrested 61 people for various charges such as arson, assault, burglary, trespassing and more. In the summer of 2013, George Zimmerman, a Florida man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February of 2012, was acquitted of
his crime, which also led to riots. In 1991, Rodney King was beaten by four Los Angeles Police Department officers. Three of the cops were acquitted, which then caused the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. These events show how angry people can get when the person who did something wrong didn’t get what they deserved. While it’s understandable how angry people can get, does that mean they should go and riot? Looking at the aftermath of the Ferguson riots, it’s sad to see how people went so far as to destroy property because of the court’s decision. Some people lost their jobs and vehicles, and for what? Because someone didn’t get what they felt they deserved? It’s one thing to be angry, but it’s another thing to go and riot to take a stand, especially if it means some lives may be taken in the process. There is no denying that these people who committed these acts of violence deserved more than they got. People got angry because of it and they are justified, but that doesn’t mean that they should riot. If anything, they should just pro-
Courtesy Photo
The Ferguson, Mo. decision resulted in massive property damage and 79 arrests. test in a peaceful manner. People should hold up signs, do a march, chain themselves to something, anything that doesn’t involve violent activity. A protest, in some people’s eyes, may not be much better, but some protests don’t involve violent behavior.
It can be said that the verdicts were wrong, while some may think they were right. There are different perspectives on this, but rioting is not the answer to solve these problems. They only make things worse in the long run.
False claims against vaccinations a danger to society By Nick Valenzuela nvalenzuela.connect@gmail.com For quite some time, there has been a belief among uneducated groups of society that vaccines cause more harm than good. Most recently, there has been controversy that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine causes autism in children given the vaccine at young ages. This bogus, completely groundless idea was spread when former British doctor Andrew Wakefield published a study about MMR vaccines and behavioral problems in children. His test group was comprised of a whopping 12 children. Following the study, he quickly escalated his accusations, claiming his research showed that the vaccination caused autism in the children he studied. As is customary of American society, many latched on to the idea like fodder as it gave them something to blame for why their child had behavioral problems or autism. Back to reality, Wakefield’s initial study and subsequent claims have since been discredited and his right to practice medicine revoked, but the damage the ripples of his claims caused is still being fixed.
Celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey support the false claims, which in turn has led to countless fans receiving false information, furthering the spread of ignorance and leaving hundreds of children unvaccinated. Because of these celebrities abusing their prominence, the fears are now experiencing a resurgence. So why should our society care? These people’s kids don’t get the vaccines, they might contract one or two of those diseases, but that doesn’t really affect the rest of us right? Wrong. Many people in the world rely on something called herd immunity to keep them safe. There are those out there who medically can not receive vaccines because, for some reason or another, they are immunocompromised. That is to say, their immune systems are weak, which means getting a vaccine can be dangerous if their body can’t elicit an immune response. So instead, these people rely on those around them being vaccinated so we don’t catch a disease and pass it on to them. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is in the midst of the worst measles outbreak in 20 years. Typically, “the US averages about
60 cases of measles a year,” according to Mayo Clinic. In 2014, according to the CDC, 288 cases of measles were reported between Jan. 1 and May 23. Measles is extremely easy to prevent through getting a simple vaccine. However, because of the spread of the already-discredited claims, parents aren’t getting their children vaccinated. This should not be a problem, people, but it is, and the fear of vaccination almost certainly won’t stop there. How long until we start to see a spike in meningitis or human papillomavirus infections? Meningitis infection can result in swelling of the brain and HPV complications can cause cervical cancer. Both can typically be prevented by receiving proper vaccination, but a generalized fear of vaccination in American society could result in unnecessary infections and needless deaths all because people chose to buy in to misleading information. Vaccination is extremely important, and so is the eradication of ignorance. Anything that features as bold a claim as a vaccine causing a genetic disorder needs to be looked into further. Both sides of an argument need to be considered to make an informed decision, especially when the health of
Courtesy Photo
Vaccination is important in preventing unnecessary spread of disease. hundreds if not thousands of children and kids are on the line. A simple search on Google will present all of the information that is needed to make an informed decision on the safety of MMR vaccinations and the importance of vaccination in general. Get yourselves and your children vaccinated and protect those in the herd who can’t.
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December 4, 2014
>>Sports
Support is key to athletes’ academic success By Heather Kemp hkemp.connect@gmail.com The art of the balancing act is something that no student is a stranger to. Juggling school, work and a social life is not easy, add playing a college sport on top of that and it could be a recipe for disaster. In order to be a student athlete, one must maintain a 12-unit course load and a cumulative 2.0 grade point average among other things to be able to play, according to the California Community College Athletic Association. While some may shy away from the challenge of balancing school, friends and family, working and playing a sport, the competitive nature and of prospective athletes and their love of the sport they play fills the men’s and women’s teams at Cosumnes River College year after year. The dedication players have during the season is what allows them to keep up with everything. “I don’t do anything but work, play soccer and school,” said Brianna Ascencio, sophomore midfielder for the women’s soccer team. Throwing a social life into the mix can be hard, but is completely possible.
“On the weekends usually you have some free time, but you also have to manage studying and not having too much fun and forgetting about school work,” said sophomore midfielder for the women’s soccer team Kylie Forbes. The challenges of keeping up with classes is tricky, but student athletes like Ascencio say it just takes time. “You just have to figure out when you can study and when you have time and not going to class because you have games and scheduling with your teacher,” Ascencio said. Forbes’s strategy for keeping up is using a planner. “I have a planner and base out where all my exams are gonna be at and study when I can,” Forbes said. The school also offers student athletes a lot of support. “We try to give them information about time management which is one of the biggest challenges,” said Cesar Plasencia, women’s soccer head coach. “There’s a lot of academic support that we offer them through our athletic program here and give them all of the tools they need to be successful, but at the end of the day they have to follow up with those opportunities.”
Ceejay Willis | The Connection
Sophomore midfielder Kylie Forbes (center) kicks a ball past a Taft College player in the round two playoff game between Taft and CRC on Nov. 25. Forbes played in and started in all 22 of the Hawks regular season games, earned three assists and scored three goals with one of those goals being a game-ending goal.
Forbes gave advice to other student athletes. “Always stay motivated and keep working hard and not give up,” Forbes said. Plasencia said that coach-
es try and advise their players both on and off the field “As coaches, we only have them two or two and a half hours a day so we try and guide them and give them
information as to what they need to do in that other time to be successful and those who follow it typically end up being successful,” Plasencia said.
Alumnus has coached CRC soccer for over a decade By Emanuel Espinoza eespinoza.connect@gmail.com For 11 years, Cesar Plasencia has coached the women’s soccer team at Cosumnes River College. He is also a CRC alumnus and played on the college’s soccer team in 1981 and 1982. Plasencia went to Sacramento State where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, according to the CRC Hawks website. He played soccer professionally for six years. Afterwards he came to CRC and coached men’s soccer before the women’s team. Plasencia has nearly 30 years of coaching experience working with young people in soccer and education-related programs, according to the CRC Hawks website.
Plasencia is a member of the United States Soccer Federation, the California Community College Soccer Coaches Association and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and has coaching licenses from all organizations. Plasencia was an All City player in high school, and All Conference in college when he played at CRC. “We have a curriculum that we developed that we teach out of, and there is some language attached to it as well as some ideas of play,” Plasencia said. “I feel like we play an attractive, aggressive style of soccer. Fun to watch, fun to play and we try to teach the heck out of it and then let the girls go out and do their thing.” Leo Rojas, assistant coach
for the women’s soccer team, has been coaching alongside Plasencia at CRC for 11 years. He said that Plasencia is a good coach and knows the way of the game of soccer, and that he has coached other players before in different age ranges. Rojas said that Plasencia teaches the players the fundamentals of soccer. “He prepares them well for the pre-game and practices,” Rojas said. Sophomore defensive midfielder Kylie Forbes said that Plasencia is a great coach and that he knows what to tell the team before the game to get them pumped and motivated to play. She said that he knows the game and has “soccer IQ,” and informs the team of his knowledge of the game and
how to play. Forbes said that some of Plasencia’s methods of coaching are pre-game talks and she said that feels that they are effective because he gets the team pumped for the game and lets them know the strategies and the plays that they need to make in the game in order to be successful. According to the CRC Hawks website, Plasencia was named Community College National Coach of the Year in 2009 while leading his team to a 16-5-4 record and a number two ranking in the state polls. He also guided his team to a number three national ranking. Sophomore midfielder Esperanza Romo said that Plasencia lets the players play their own games on the field
and likes for the players to be creative. “He is strict, but in a good way,” Romo said. “He keeps us in check and focused. I really like him.” Romo said that she played for Folsom Lake College last season and her thencoach had their team play a lot of long balls and had a strict way of playing. She said that Plasencia is different and has the team be creative and pass the ball a lot more, and she likes Plasencia’s coaching style better. Sophomore midfielder Brianna Ascencio said that Plasencia is a positive coach and very motivated. “I like when he gets on us because a lot of times we screw around, and it helps us focus and do well,” Ascencio said.
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Money wins out over punishing abusers By Scott Redmond sredmond.connect@gmail.com As both the school semester and the football season get closer to wrapping up, it’s fitting to return to the subject of Ray Rice, domestic abuse and the NFL’s policies since all are big in the news once more. When the NFL changed Rice’s original two game suspension to an indefinite one and the Raven’s fired him, because a second video was released of him punching and dragging his wife Janay Rice in an Atlantic City casino, it was stated right away that Rice could appeal the decision. Sure enough Rice and his attorney appealed the decision and the arbiter for the case, Former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, ruled that Rice’s indefinite suspension be lifted and he be reinstated to the NFL on Nov. 26. Jones said Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision in September to change Rice’s original suspension from two games to indefinite was arbitrary, according to the Associated Press. It was deemed aribrary because “Rice did not mislead the commisioner” and “there were no new facts on which the commisioner could base his increased suspension,” Jones said in her decision. Once again making sure things are fair for a multi-millionaire trumps making sure there are consequences for domestic abuse. Many involved in the case, including unions for NFL players, said that it was the right call because it upheld clauses in their contracts that the NFL can’t punish players more than once for the same infraction. It’s sickening that protecting the careers of athletes
and the millions they bring in is more important than really sending a message that abusing anyone is wrong, and that there should be consequences. This is just another example of how the capitalistic obsession of the nation is hurting us more and more. Rice is still fired from the Ravens, as the reinstatement just means he’s still part of the NFL and eligible to be picked up by a team, but that doesn’t mean anything at all. Michael Vick was part of a horrific dog fighting controversy and did time for it, and came right back and was picked up to play once again. There is little doubt that Rice will be picked up by some team and soon enough what was done will be forgotten and the time he was gone from the NFL will just be a hiccup in a long high paying career. Money talks, and when it comes to sports stars it seems like the collective doesn’t entirely care what they do. There is outrage at first and screams for their heads but eventually it cools and people forget and move onto the newest shiny thing the media wants to distract us with. Effectively the zero tolerance policy enacted means nothing because the person that committed the crime for which it was furthered is still in the league. Will future cases of domestic abuse be punished correctly? Who knows at this point, but right now it feels highly unlikely. Just remember, when it comes to a choice between condemning and punishing people for domestic abuse and paying someone who just happens to be skilled at a sport, the sport and money always will win out. So much for zero tolerance.
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Women’s team is one game shy of championship By Rukayat Yusufu ryusufu.connect@gmail.com With a solo goal from freshman defender Erica Lim during second overtime against Modesto Junior College, the Cosumnes River College women’s soccer team secured themselves a spot in the semi-finals on Dec. 5, putting them one game away from competing in the California Community College Athletic Association 2014 State Championship game on Dec. 7. A 3-1 win over Taft College on Nov. 22 led into the hard-fought battle against Modesto on Nov. 29. With that win over Modesto, the Hawks made it through the third round of the playoffs, the same round where their playoff hopes ended last season. While the season started out rocky, with the team tying or losing the majority of their first 10 games, as the season progressed their fortunes changed. As the season went on ,we kind of meshed better as a group and we ended up making it to the final four of the playoffs,” said sophomore midfielder Esperanza Romo. “So we are actually doing real-
ly well now.” This team is mentally smart on the field. They move the ball around the field really well and execute smart plays. Their defense is one of their strong points as well, said Romo. Freshman forward Kelsey Jantzen said that one of the strong points of the team is their defensive squad. “Defense gets a lot of shutouts and they have really great forwards up top that can finish” Jantzen said. With a record of 11-7-6, the Hawks were ranked number 11 in the northern California division of the California Community College Athletic Association, according to a Nov. 7 poll from the California Community College Sports Information Association “There are 80 women’s soccer teams in community colleges and there are only four left,” said Hawks head coach Cesar Plasencia. “And we are one of the four that’s left.” While CRC’s women’s soccer team is usually a contender for the state title, this year is the closest they have been to the title since 2009. In 2009, the team went to the
Ceejay Willis | The Connection
Hawks freshman defender Erica Lim received one assist in the second round of playoffs against Taft college on Nov. 25 and scored the one goal that allowed the Hawks to win round three against Modesto on Nov. 29.
state finals and they lost to Santiago Canyon, a college in Orange county. That is the same team they are playing this week, Plasencia said.
Romo said there is hope that with their recent performance there is a high chance that many of the current freshman will return next season.
“Since we had a really good turnout this year and we are going far, it pushes them to come back and want to play again,” Romo said.
The Season in a Second
“I’m really excited and really proud of my teammates for working hard and getting this far together.” —Allison Krebs
Women’s Soccer Freshman Forward
“It’s exciting because last year we were losing 2-1 and we should have had a penalty kick and every one was going crazy because we didn’t get it, so it was sad but I was a freshman so I was excited to do it again especially since I can’t do it again next year because I’m a sophomore.” —Brianna Ascencio
Women’s Soccer Sophomore Midfielder
“I’m really excited that we get to move on. As a freshman I’m really proud to be able to experience it with this team.” —Erica Lim
Women’s Soccer Freshman Defender