TABLE of CONTENTS
SRJC Comes to Life at Night, Cats, Foxes and Raccoons Take Over When Students Leave
Sports Baseball: SRJC blanks Cañada Page 5
Spotting SRJC’s Feral Side
Quality Time with the Softball Team PAGE 6
Gary Baker Staff Writer
When it comes to the modern age nothing exemplifies it better than the numerous questions for Siri, yet behind those iPhones, iPods, Androids and portable computers, students of the Santa Rosa Junior College are missing something big. According to the Smithsonian Instituition, the Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus is adept at climbing trees and are active at night and during twilight, sleeping during the day in dense vegetation or secluded rocky places. Nursing mothers and pups use a den— a hollow log, abandoned building, tangle of brush, or cracked boulder—for shelter. What is amazing is this species, along with many others, is a small piece of what Sonoma County and both SRJC campuses call a common sight. At any hour in both locations wild creatures forage for food, sing the day away or even seek ways to cope with humanity and the lack of time we give them. In Petaluma egrets are the most common awe factor, while in Santa Rosa some campus police report beautiful gray foxes in the latter end of the evening. “They’ve been here for years,” said Dinise Gilmer, community service officer for the SRJC District Police, said. “A couple years ago pups had been seen, but lately at least two [foxes] make regular appearances.” Gilmer smiled while recalling
Center Spread Valentine’s Day is No Excuse for Romance PAGE 8
Features Pliny Draws Beer World to Santa Rosa PAGE 10 Connor Estes / Oak Leaf
A local Gray Fox runs down the side of the road in Sonoma County. Gray Foxes are just one of many kinds of local wildlife that an attentive student can see around the Santa Rosa Junior College Campuses and the county.
a time when she’d seen the foxes actually playing with some local feral cats on campus. “The foxes and the other campus wildlife are just one great example of wildlife adaptability,” Gilmer said. While the region is amazing, if students simply looked closer at what lies around them they would see so much more. In Petaluma, the Petaluma River makes up the southern border and during the wet seasons often holds high numbers of frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes and songbirds, plus their respective predators. In Santa Rosa all students have to do is look to the sky to see red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, shinned hawks and even turkeys, along with ground squirrels, gray squirrels and acorn woodpeckers in the bushes and trees.
To make things even more wild, the region’s night life brings out many more species to feast your eyes on. Gray foxes roam SRJC, owls hunt on both campuses and with all the open land east of the Petaluma branch, it isn’t rare to see wild hares, skunks, quail and opossums within just a few city blocks. Gilmer said one rare sight is the coyotes that come onto the Petaluma campus from the hills to the east. “Wildlife is incredibly important to keeping our local ecosystems alive,” said Kristen Reeder, Education Outreach Director for the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. “Different species help in different ways. For example, we have our predators to help keep populations down, our ‘garbagecan like’ species who eat dead and
dying plants and animals, our scavengers who keep the world clean from fallen fruit and other food items, our ‘lumberjacks’ who provide animal-made dams creating new homes for other animals and more.” One reason this area attracts such animal diversity is the climate. Most of Sonoma County has a Mediterranean climate, close enough to the coast to keep temperatures quite regular, yet far enough away to hold some attributes of inland biomes such as varied seasons. The Petaluma River estuary holds an abundance of food and nutrients. It also attracts birds migrating through Santa Rosa, following the local mountain topography. It is uncommon to go for...
Art & Entertainment Photographers Explore Far Reaches of Local Museum PAGE 12
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February 11, 2013
Soldiers Returning Home in Small Batches
SRJC Students Throw Party for Veterans William Rohrs
News Editor Nine veterans coming home Jan. 20 from their tour in Afghanistan received a special welcome back when two Santa Rosa Junior College students took the initiative and threw a party when the Army couldn’t. On Jan. 18, veteran Kenneth Bishop heard members of his old unit were arriving at the Charles M. Shultz Sonoma County Airport without the traditional Army welcome. He contacted SRJC student Emily Seder with a proposition to make sure the soldiers coming home knew they were missed. “Typically, the Army tends to throw big welcome home parties to their veterans, but there were only nine soldiers coming in. It was too small a number,” Seder said. “When units come home, they tend to get shipped to a big city like San Francisco about 500 strong, and the Army throws them a huge party,” Bishop said. “The 132nd was a different deal because they were sent to their home of record instead,” Bishop said. The 132nd served in Afghanistan with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Military Wing. Bishop served in the unit and became an SRJC student after he was discharged. Bishop and Seder immediately started organizing a location and a crowd to receive the soldiers. “We started by gathering people and making posters. From there, the idea turned into questions like ‘how bout getting a
limo?’ and ‘let’s get some gift baskets’,” Seder said. In 48 hours, Bishop and Seder threw together a crowd and reception, complete with gifts from Sonoma Sterling Limousine Company, Andy’s Produce Market, Echelon Cycle, Soco Hospitality Group, Matt and Jeff ’s Carwash and Detail, Mombo’s Pizza, Lulu and Hill Espresso Bar and Dog House, Tanya Laugheed hair stylist at Endless Summer, ASMDSS.com (Awesome Things My Drill Sergeant Said), Sweet Tea and Patriot Guard Riders. The Sky Lounge at the Sonoma County Airport stayed open beyond operating hours to accommodate the guests. “We talked to security on Sunday. They were really friendly and nice to us. They even left the bar open,” Seder said. Six veterans were scheduled to arrive at 5:30 p.m. while the other three would come at 9 p.m. “We were wondering how we could keep all these people entertained for three hours,” Seder said. “Then we called Chris.” When Chris Newton received the call, he gathered his band and played for the veterans until the second group came home. Seder and Bishop don’t plan to make this welcoming a singular event. “To make this a permanent thing was kind of an afterthought,” Bishop said. “The owners of Sky Lounge even asked when we were going to throw the next one.” Veterans Richard McKee and Miguel Correa plan to enroll at SRJC for the Fall 2013. “When you’re actively serving, it’s tough to get school work
International Students
President Explores Untapped Revenue Source Francisco Mendez Staff Writer
Santa Rosa Junior College plans to expand its International Students Program to attract more students. International students, though small in numbers, are big in interest to SRJC. Compared to other community colleges, SRJC has a small number of international students. Currently, around 80 international students are enrolled at the college, down from about 120 a few years ago. Of the 80, about one third are from China and the rest come from as many as 29 different countries. The college plans to expand the program to attract students and create a friendly, diverse atmosphere. Plans to expand the program begin with strengthening ties to the countries SRJC already hosts like Sweden and Denmark. SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong expressed deep interest in growing the program. “International students enhance diversit. It’s value added, a win-win,” Chong said. Some students have expressesd concern over putting local students first, but Chong explained that the college doesn’t get to keep student fees, a point Mary Kay Rudolph, vice
president of Academic Affairs, made clear. The college must first send its fees to Sacramento before they are recycled back to the college. With international students, however, the college keeps their full tuition, which can aid the current classes, programs and maybe add some activities to the college. Chong and Vice President of Student Services Ricardo Navarette expressed interest in making the college an even more interesting and welcoming place for both domestic and foreign students. Chong and Navarette also said they don’t have plans to create a separate international student center because they feel new international students can integrate on a much greater scale when they aren’t isolated from American students. Since the college doesn’t have international student dorms, Rudolph also said she doesn’t want to put students in jeopardy of displacement. Making students feel like they are different is counterintuitive. International students are more than welcome on campus, but Chong feels the college can do a better job. At other campuses domestic students feel a sense of pride that international students chose their campus. College officials hope SRJC can grow into a place international students seek out.
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Police Blotter Tara Kaveh Staff Writer
Illegal Placard Crackdown
Photo Courtesy of Peter Yung
Veterans Troy Tsuji and Richard McKee walk through a crowd of flags and friends at a locally planned party. They are two of nine soldiers returning home from war.
in. One day you can be in one place, the next you can get called to service,” Bishop said. On the Facebook Page “Sonoma County Welcomes Home our Troops!” McKee wrote, “Thank you so much! The love I felt was unmatched and absolutely amazing! I really haven’t got the words. Thank you to everyone involved. You guys and gals are amazing.” Correa also posted, writing, “Thank you to everyone who showed up! I was speechless.” Bishop created the “Organization
for Welcoming Local Soldiers (OWLS) of Sonoma County” Facebook page to help coordinate troop return schedules with local business owners so everyone can participate in a welcome home celebration for returning veterans. “A transportation company from Fresno is coming home soon, but I don’t personally know anyone in the roster,” Bishop said. Visit OWLS of Sonoma County on Facebook to stay updated on return dates for small groups of veterans heading home.
Student Gets Suspension for Harassment William Rohrs News Editor
After a week of deliberation and gathering evidence, Santa Rosa Junior College President Frank Chong decided to suspend a student for sexual harassment of disabled students on campus in January. “The college president is the only official who is allowed to issue suspensions, but myself and [Vice President of Student Services] Ricardo Navarrette advise him on each one,” said dean of disabled services Patie Wegman. According to victims who wished to remain anonymous, there was a concern that the suspect inappropriately touched disabled women and retrieved private information from laptops and phones. The suspect was removed from campus for the week following the president’s deliberations, and officially suspended. Navarrette said due process lasted a week, ending Feb. 1. The student did not return to campus or SRJC events during the deliberation. Navarrette, Chong and Wegman interviewed both the accused and the victims extensively, ensuring accurate testimony and evidence severe enough to act on. The deans and president treat student suspensions very seriously, relying on victim testimony whenever evidence isn’t available. “We want to avoid a ‘he said-she said’ situation,”
Navarrette said. Because student disciplinary hearings are internal affairs, the identities of the victims and the accused remain anonymous. The due process for student disciplinary affairs differs from legal ones because the burden of proof can be satisfied without a trial process. “The evidence threshold is not what it might be in a criminal court. I can recommend a suspension of a student based on the testimony of two other students, while the accused vehemently denies it. It’s our decision and we take it very seriously,” Wegman said. “We want to protect the due process rights of all students.” Incident reports of sexual harassment have increased since last semester. Wegman said she wasn’t certain if actual cases of harassment were increasing. It is more likely students became more aware of resources at their disposal and harassment that typically went unreported now show up. The rate of response to the reports also increased. “Of the four cases I’ve handled personally that were serious enough to recommend a suspension, all of them have been granted a one-tothree year suspension,” Wegman said. On her responsibility to advise the president about student discipline, Wegman said, “I view campus safety as my number one priority over all the things I do at this school.”
Jan. 24- Department of Motorized Vehicles investigators and Santa Rosa Junior College District Police conducted a Disabled Parking Placard Operation. The investigation aimed to educate students about the proper use of Disabled Parking placards and reduce misuse. Investigators made contact with the drivers of vehicles parked in disabled parking spots to verify that they were entitled to use them. It is a misdemeanor to illegally use a disabled person’s placard and a criminal violation to allow someone else to use your placard. Investigators contacted 17 students, issuing verbal warnings and two citations for improper use of disabled parking placards and one for being an unlicensed driver.
Police Break Love Triangle Jan. 31- Around 9 a.m., two subjects, one male and one female, walked to the Campus Market and were confronted by the woman’s ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend, Thomas Norton, and the male subject got into a physical altercation where Norton struck the man in the face with a closed fist. The man and woman subjects returned to the Bertolini Student Center. They alerted an officer who tracked down Norton. Norton was arrested for battery, threat, intent to terrorize and stalking. Norton was released on bail and will appear in court for sentencing on a later date.
Drunk Man Apprehended on Mendocino Avenue Feb. 2- An officer noticed a suspicious person on Mendocino Avenue. Upon approach he observed that the subject was intoxicated. Jason Debrovner was arrested for violation of probation and public intoxication.
Police Halt Drunk Driver Short of Freeway Entrance Feb. 3- Police arrested a driver heading northbound on the Steele Lane on-ramp for driving under the influence and posession of drugs and alcohol at midnight. To report a crime or suspicios activiy, call the Santa Rosa Junior College District Police at 5251000. Visit https://www.nixle.com for police updates on campus and in the Santa Rosa area.
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February 11, 2013
Pro-Tech-tion Chas Schwartz Contributing Writer
Photo Courtesy of Chaz Schwartz
Emergency call boxes like this one are scattered throughout the campus. One push connects the caller to the Santa Rosa Junior College District Police.
Jan. 22 sexual battery, Dec. 12 robbery and an Oct. 16 stabbing. These are the most recent Santa Rosa Junior College crime alerts, courtesy of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act, which requires colleges and universities to report the last three years of crime statistics and provide additional safety information. Crime alerts and the link to the full Clery Act text are available on the SRJC District Police website. A further look at the website reveals a sophisticated network regarding the college’s safety practices, procedures and resources. From the home page, the administration link leads to the college safety link, which leads to the district police link. If students feel unsafe, reading the district police link message from SRJC District Police Chief Matthew McCaffrey can help. Some students are familiar with ALERTU, a basic emergency alert text message system. Nixle is a more comprehensive and categorized system designed to alert the public about varying shades of crime. The crimes are color coded, increasing in severity from green to yellow to red. McCaffrey highly recommends signing up. If you still don’t feel safer at school after signing up with Nixle, go to the north corner of Armory and Elliot to the district police department. McCaffrey might be available to
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District Police Adopts New Alert System to Update Campus Security and Protect Students sit down and talk with you. In McCaffrey’s words, SRJC is “the safest place to be in Santa Rosa.” Police dispatcher Monica Chavez confirmed the district police has 13 sworn officers with 700 hours of training each, six police dispatchers, 12 community service officers and 15 to 30 cadets in training who all help enforce the law around campus. McCaffrey said, “The JC is way ahead of the curve.” Along with social media updates on campus crime, there are links to crime definitions and procedures, child protective services, hospitals information and much more. CIRT, the Crisis Intervention Resources Team, which includes a list of distressed, disruptive and dangerous behaviors and appropriate suggested actions to take when faced with them. There is also a link to a health services suicide prevention hotline. The number is (415) 499-1100. In addition, Megan’s Law is a website that makes it all too easy to assess the density of sexual predators in any given area. While McCaffrey said Megan’s Law is a valuable tool for anyone, he did point out that offenders vary in risk. There is a double registration system for sexual offenders who want to attend SRJC. They must register with the state of California, which makes them accessible online and register again as an offender with the college. Both Chavez and McCaffrey confirmed this double registry process.
Campus Safety Tips • Students and faculty can subscribe to Nixle notifications from the SRJC District Police by visiting www.santarosa.edu/police. • Subscribe to ALERTU by texting “SRJC” to 253788. Respond “Y” after receiving the welcome message. • For all police, fire, and medical emergencies call 527-1000 from any phone on campus. • Emergency call boxes are located on each floor of the parking garage. •Several auto-dialing telephones located in building elevators throughout campus connect directly to Police Dispatch. • All campus payphones have a feature where dialing “*” and 80 automatically connects the caller to police dispatch without having to deposit money.
Santarosa.edu also links to the Department of Homeland Security’s guide of how to respond to an active shooter. No matter how quickly district police are able to respond, these instructions can make all the difference for student safety. McCaffrey spoke from experience when he said that while crime tends to vary with population density, it only takes one person to ruin your day. The Clery crime statistics between the Petaluma and Santa Rosa campuses confirm this. The Petaluma campus is a fraction of the size and population of Santa Rosa, with a crime spreadsheet displaying almost
all zeros. Santa Rosa displays more varied crime in accordance with its larger size and higher population density. Emergency call boxes are located around campus. There are text message alerts to warn of danger. If necessary, police send a message that pops up on every computer screen on campus to warn students and staff, so if you’re on the fourth floor of the library studying and listening to music through headphones, you’re still in the know. “The most important thing is the safety of employees and students,” McCaffrey said.
Cultural Sensitivity Talks at SRJC Francisco Mendez Staff Writer
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The Black Student Union hosted a forum on cultural identity in our society on Feb. 7 to a full room of students, mentors and SRJC officials in the Bertolini Student Activities Center. The afternoon began with BSU copresident Damion Square introducing himself and speaking about how he doesn’t feel African-American. He explained he doesn’t know where in Africa he descends from so he doesn’t consider himself African, but also not American because he’s predisposed to be prejudiced against in America. He then introduced the forum panel members, which included Professor Andre LaRue, Dr. Kent Wisnewski, Sonoma County National Association for the Advancement for Colored People President Reverend Ann Gray Byrd, Treasurer of the BSU Angela Webb-Pigg, BSU Tanzania 2013 coordinator Debra McCracken and BSU co-president Mark Goitom. LaRue took the stage and gave a quick preview of the history behind racism and the cultural separation in our society. Dr. Wisnewski followed by talking about the anthropological perspective of skin color, culture and how whites created pseudo-racism to put themselves at the top of the hierarchy and justify their
horrid actions against other cultures. Byrd closed with her stories of having lived through the Civil Rights movement and coming from a family descended from slaves. With a grandfather who couldn’t read or write too well, she saw changes in society but realized there is still so much work ahead. Square began the forum with the question “What nationality do you associate yourself with?” The audience was shy at first, but opened up after a few speakers. There were many passionate responses, including a student from Pennsylvania who emphatically expressed his anger toward racism and inequality. Attendees shared their stories and feelings of separation from society, each bringing an insight into what people living in our society go through today. The forum continued with more questions delving deeper into personal identity. The audience became livelier and panel members also added input as the afternoon went on. The forum was a successful event for the BSU and the NAACP. With a very active audience, at times Square had to move people on to the next question. Byrd encouraged audience members to join the NAACP and also the BSU if they hadn’t already. They emphasized that it isn’t just an association for certain people; it’s an association for all.
Sports Report Every Wednesday, sports fans can listen to the Oak Leaf Sports Report on 967 BOB FM at 10:30 a.m. and Y100.9 at 11:30 a.m. The Sports Report covers all the recent SRJC sports news from the past week. Host Sean Dougherty goes over the team standings for the season, scores from recent games and interesting tidbits about the world of Bear Cubs sports. The sports report can also be viewed online at http://www. theoakleafnews.com
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Sean Dougherty hosts the Oak Leaf Sports Report every Wednesday morning.
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February 11, 2013
Sports
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Team Work Makes the Dream Work
Softball Team Focuses on Team Chemistry Kevin Mendez Staff Writer
Bear Cub Athletics Home Games
Men’s Basketball 7:30 p.m. Feb 12 vs. American River
Women’s Basketball 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 vs. American River
Men’s Baseball 2 p.m. Feb. 21 vs. Solano
Women’s Softball 1:30 p.m. Feb. 19 vs. Marin
Men’s Tennis 1 p.m. Feb. 22 vs. Folsom Lake
Women’s Tennis 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. Foothill
Men’s Swimming 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. March 22 vs. American River and Alumni
Women’s Swimming 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. March 22 vs. American River and Alumni
Men’s Rugby 1 p.m. Feb. 23 vs. SF State
For a sports team to flourish, it must have talented players and excellent coaches. Although it seems like a simple concept, there is an important and often ignored variable—team chemistry. A team can have the most talented players in the world but if the team does not have chemistry it will not be successful. Building team chemistry is tricky because it takes time to develop. Normally it progresses with the season, but many teams do not have that luxury. In most cases the roster is made, the schedule is created and the team is expected to win. This is one of the challenges coach Phil Wright faces with the SRJC softball team. Wright’s roster consists of 13 players with only one player returning from the previous season. To speed up the process of building team chemistry, Wright took the players to Tahoe’s North Shore for a bonding retreat. The purpose of the retreat was to strengthen and build the bond between the players and coaches. The players were placed in groups and asked a lot of questions of each other, many that led to tears between teammates. Wright experienced coaching teams in the past where the girls did not get along. Therefore they did not have any team chemistry, so he was determined to make sure that didn’t happen again. “If we can win in the dugout with ourselves, we can win on the field because we have the talent,” Wright said. During the retreat, players were given the opportunity to learn about one another and create closer relationships with their teammates. Considering they were all sleeping over, the players saw sides of one another they had never seen before. “We got to know everyone on a more personal level so we got
Photo Courtesy of SRJC Softball Coach Phil Wright
The SRJC softball team poses at a winter retreat in Lake Tahoe, building and strengthening bonds between players and coaches.
much closer,” said important and it Megan Winters. will help us win “It’s different when more games.” you get to spend Getting the night with to know the people because players as they act differently people allows than they do the coach to during the day.” set the right O n c e goals in place teammates get to for the team to know each other triumph. The -Coach Phil Wright on a personal coaches can level they learn treat players to communicate differently when more effectively. they know them It keeps the players from making the on a personal level, making it possible wrong remark decreases the chances to coach on an individual level. of players making mental or physical “You get to know their personal errors on the field. lives and learn what they go through “I feel it was needed for our team and then you look at them from a in order to bring us together and I whole different perspective,” Winters think it was an overall success,” said said. team captain Taylor Morgan. “It will When players know and accept help us trust each other which is their roles on the team, it improves
“If we can win in the dugout with ourselves, we can win on the field because we have the talent.”
the group dynamic, their focus increases and the team’s mentality strengthens. But when players don’t buy into the team concept, they become unproductive. Good chemistry allows them to surpass the goals they set in the beginning of the season. When the right formula of players, coaches and chemistry is combined, it can create a hard-to-beat team and may lead to championships. “When we were done almost every one of them talked about how they were a team now, how they all get along and how things are way better,” Wright said. The new and improved bond between the players and coaches on the SRJC softball team will surely be tested this season as they begin their playoff push.
Sacramento Kings will profit more in Seattle Polar Bears Hockey Patrick Dineen Staff Writer
In case you haven’t heard, an NBA franchise will return to Seattle if the NBA Board of Governors approves the sale of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings were sold to an investment group in the Emerald City headed by Christopher Hansen, according to Ken Belson and Howard Beck of the New York Times. When the Kings move to Seattle, they are going to be renamed the Supersonics. If the transfer of ownership is approved, the city of Seattle has a plan to build a new arena near Safeco Field. Kings fans aren’t happy about the move, but it will generate more profit for the franchise.
Seattle fans have begged for an NBA team ever since the Supersonics left. Meanwhile the Kings are currently averaging 13,177 people in attendance per game, according to Dale Kaslar of the Sacramento Bee, well below maximum capacity. The current owners are $205 million in debt, preventing them from buying talent needed to fill those empty seats. The franchise has a chance to profit from the new merchandise they will sell. Location of the team is also a factor in the talent it can acquire. Seattle is a larger version of San Francisco. There are many things to see and do in Seattle. I love Sacramento, it’s my hometown, but I have to say any player not from Northern California would much rather play in Seattle. Imagine
if an NBA player like reigning MVP LeBron James was a free agent this year and someone asks him, if Seattle and Sacramento offered the same amount of money and had equally talented teams, which team would you play for? Money says he would answer Seattle. It would be awesome if the Kings could remain independent, but unfortunately all signs point toward Seattle. It is believed the Board of Governors will approve of the sale. Even if the team does get sold, there is always hope for another team to come to Sacramento, as proven by Seattle. Maybe some rich billionaire like Larry Ellison, who showed interest in buying the Warriors a couple years ago, will look to buy a team and have them move to Sacramento?
SRJC ends win streak, finishes regular season on a high Keshia Knight Managing Editor
The SRJC Polar Bears Hockey team ended its nine-game win streak with a loss Feb. 8, but turned around the next day for a victory to end the regular season. Taking on San Jose State University’s Division II team, the Polar Bears traveled to Sharks Ice Friday in hopes for another win. SJSU has been stiff competition for the Polar Bears in previous years and SRJC looked to skate strong The two teams kept the game close, with the scored tied at three goals apiece in the third period. But Polar Bears forward Alexi Kulikouskiy gave SRJC the lead and victory looked
close. Then with 16.2 seconds left on the clock, SJSU scored on a powerplay to send it to overtime. Not even a minute into overtime, San Jose scored and won it 5-4. The next day SRJC took on its Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association rival, the Santa Clara Broncos. From the very start the Polar Bears took charge, putting up four goals in the first period. Forward Cam Davis opened the second period with a goal and SRJC added five more to put the Polar Bears up 10-2. Santa Clara almost made a comeback in the third period, scoring four goals to cut SRJC’s lead down to 4. But in the end it wasn’t enough, SRJC won the game, 11-4. Up next for the Polar Bears is the PCHA playoffs, which will be held in Lake Tahoe in a couple weeks.
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Sports
February 11, 2013
7
Bear Cub Baseball
SRJC Baseball on Top of Conference After Win Jimmy Merrill Staff Writer
The SRJC baseball team opened the 2013 season with a bang after ending last season with a dud. The Bear Cubs headed to Hayward Feb. 1 to face conference foe Chabot College, defeating the Gladiators by a final score of 6-4. The next day the team faced Chabot again, this time at Sypher Field, once again defeating the Gladiators 6-4. SRJC then squared off against Cañada College at Sypher Field Feb. 5. Starting pitcher Brett Obranovich provided a solid start for the Bear Cubs, lasting five-plus innings while limiting Cañada to just three hits and no runs. The Bear Cubs offense responded by giving Obranovich plenty of run support.
“The pitching performance by Obranovich was crucial to our game,” said infielder Brent Gillespie. “He filled up the zone with strikes very consistently and got leadoff outs.” Infielder Nico Filice and outfielder Siosi Poti were all over the base paths, which gave the middle of the lineup a chance to drive them in. In the bottom half of the third inning, Filice reached on a bunt single and first basemen Anthony Sequeira drew a walk, setting up an RBI opportunity for Gillespie. Gillespie proceeded to drive a first pitch fastball into right-center field, scoring both Filice and Sequeira. “When [runners] get on that causes problems for the opposing pitcher. They worry about the runners and throw a mistake pitch Brooks Blair / Oak Leaf that we can hammer into the gap,” SRJC first baseman Anthony Sequeira looks to drive in Nico Filice , the runner on thrid waiting for an opportunity to score. Gillespie said. In the sixth inning the Bear Cubs’ offense continued to set the table for the rest of the lineup. Filice got on base again after working a walk and outfielder Ryan Xepoleas Team W/L doubled to center field, putting two runners in scoring position with Santa Rosa 4-1 no outs. One batter later, Sequeira drew a walk to load the bases. Sierra 4-1 After a Gillespie strikeout, it was up to catcher Spencer Neve San Joaquin Delta 3-1 to come through in the clutch. Following a long battle, Neve lined a 2-2 pitch over a leaping third Sacramento 2-3 baseman and down the left field line, scoring all three runners. The Diablo Valley 1-2 Bear Cubs defeated Cañada by a final score of 7-0. Modesto 1-2 The Bear Cubs will look for their offense to continue to American River 2-4 produce and pitching to stay solid as the team travels to Oakland to Consumnes River 1-3 face Laney College at 2 p.m. Feb. 12. Brooks Blair / Oak Leaf
Standings
SRJC pitcher Brent Obranovich throws a strike in the Bear Cubs 7-0 victory over Canada College Feb. 5 at SRJC’s Sypher Field.
Sport Star
___ should make a comeback
Phrase you overuse
Who is your valentine?
Skyler Olson Women’s Basketball
Fergie
“Thanks I grow it myself.”
Scott Boyett Football
Deion Sander
“Sucks to Suck”
Not Answering... Might get me in trouble
Andreas Rahm Polar Bears Hockey
Jesus I miss that guy
“If ya know what I’ m saying...” - It makes everything sound dirty.
Beyonce, She just don’ t know it yet
Brent Gillespie Baseball
Ken Griffey Jr
Ashley Smith Women’s Soccer
Mike Tyson
“Repeat, Repeat, Be a Machine, lead off outs, fill it up, quality comback, nestle!”
“Peace out girl scout.”
My girlfriend Julie
Mila Kunis
Who shut the lights out at the Super Bowl?
The Hamburglar
Vernon Davis
My buddy Mr. Sanchez said he did it. Dirty is his first name Tom Brady, because he wasn’t in the Super Bowl
Bane from Batman
Our
locker room smells like...
Diarrhea
Five cans of whoop that ass Sweet, sexy America, with a hint of Asian cooking We don’ t have a locker room, haha! Sweaty Armpits
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e was someone friendly to talk to, who seemed interested in a meaningful relationship, at least at first. Five years ago Sophia Akelman logged on to Zoosk, a website for meeting and building relationships with other people. In her case, the other person was a boy named Zaa. His profile said he was 17 years old. Looking back, Sophia doesn’t know if that was his real age. She met Zaa online in 2008 when she was a junior in high school. She had just gone through a break-up and had a rocky relationship with her parents. Zaa was there for her. Their online chats started out fun, but quickly evolved into a relationship. The romance lasted four months, but it was not the blissful time that Sophia wanted. Zaa quickly became more interested in physical matters,
thE oak leaf •february11, 2013 which raised red flags to Sophia, though it didn’t cause her to immediately end the relationship. “I would always ask him to Skype and he would not want to and he would always ask me for pictures. I could definitely tell that he was interested in a physical [relationship] instead of a connection, but he knew how to say the right things to me so it kept me attached,” Sophia said. During those months her relationship with her mother was tested after she discovered Sophia’s virtual life. “I lost my Internet privileges, phone privileges, social privileges and fully lost my cell phone. She was constantly watching me whenever I was doing homework to make sure I wasn’t going on to talk to him because she was so opposed to the idea,” Sophia said.
When she received her phone privileges again, Sophia continued her long distance relationship with Zaa behind her mother’s back. She soon realized the toll her relationship was taking on her life and decided to end her time with Zaa. “I just stopped,” she said. “I thought, ‘is it really worth me going through all of this and losing everything for some stupid guy?’” S o p h i a’s story
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echoes elements of other people’s own successes and difficulties with online relationships that can currently be viewed on the TV show “Catfish.” In each episode, the show’s host, N e v,
works to bring a formerly online couple together to meet face-to-face for the first time. Each story carries its own twist, but “Catfish” has held a more important value for bringing to light the cau-
thE oak leaf •february11, 2013 tions, disappointments, happiness and true love that can result from online dating. Programs such as “Catfish” provide a look into the increasing trend of online dating sweeping the nation. In The
New York Times’ writer Alex William’s article, “The End of Courtship?” he explains the reasoning behind the trend. “Traditional courtship — picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date — re-
quired courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of ‘asynchronous communication,’ as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble,” Williams said. Though the new age of courtship may be lo-
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cated in a more virtual world, a lasting relationship doesn’t necessarily have to follow through in that fashion. When she reflects on her experience with online dating, Sophia believes that, in the end, the experience helped her to see the risks that online dating can hold. It also allowed her to meet her boyfriend Jordan, and though they first met through Facebook, the couple is now sharing a real connection, sans Wi-Fi. Not every relationship started online ends in tragedy. Desiree Ortiz, a student at the SRJC used an online dating site when she moved from her hometown in Southern California to reach out to her new community. “Life isn’t perfect but when you’re honest with people you can get near perfect results. My results were not typical of online dat-
ing because unlike all the stories featured in “Catfish”, we were upfront and honest about ourselves.” Desiree’s best friend and roommate also met someone through an online application. Instead of giving out her number when a boy asks, Abigail Croy gives out her SnapChat account name. A phone app for sending picture messages with a maximum of one line of text, she feels more comfortable giving it out instead of her phone number. “It’s much less invasive. No one can find more about you through SnapChat,” Croy said. “With a number a stalker can make your life a nightmare, finding more personal information and forcing a number change.” She must be onto something, because she has stayed safe and found her prince charming.
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February 11, 2013
Features
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Pliny the Younger
World gathers in Santa Rosa for Beer
undreds from around the world made their annual pilgrimage to the Santa Rosa birthplace of Pliny the Younger on Feb. 1. More travelers and locals waited in line on Fourth Street than ever before as the Sonoma County Economic Development Board studied the event for its impact on the local economy. Russian River Brewing Company opened in April 2004 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the best breweries in the world. Pliny the Elder has been ranked as the number one beer in the world by Zymurgy magazine readers for the past four years. Beer Advocate magazine and RateBeer.com both rank Pliny the Elder, a Double India Pale Ale, and Pliny the Younger, a Triple IPA, as the second and third best beers in the world, respectively. Of the four basic elements that transmute into beer (water, barley, hops and yeast) the hops most define an IPA. Usually added as a flavoring agent, hops also have preservative qualities. For this reason, British brewers added extra hops to beer sent to India by sailing ship, which could take months. When British soldiers returned from India, they brought along their acquired taste for this extra hoppy ale. The real-life Pliny the Elder, born Gaius Plinius Secundus, was a Roman admiral, philosopher and naturalist whose “Naturalis Historia” became the model for all later encyclopedias. In it, Pliny documented and named hops Lupus salictarius, which translates to “wild wolf of the woods.” For
Pliny the Younger on tap at Russian River brings people from all over the world.
this contribution to science, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River named the brewery’s doubly-hopped ale in honor of Pliny the Elder. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD the Roman admiral sailed across the Bay of Naples to rescue friends and relatives from Pompeii and to document the eruption, thus becoming the first embedded journalist. Prevailing winds prevented his boat from leaving shore and Pliny the Elder died, possibly from toxic fumes. His nephew and adopted son, named Pliny the Younger, documented his uncle’s death and the eruption of Vesuvius in his “Epistulae.” Brewmaster and co-owner Cilurzo is credited with inventing the Double IPA style in 1994 at his Blind Pig Brewery in Temecula, California. When Cilurzo and his wife Natalie opened Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa, they put both Pliny the Elder and Younger on tap from day one. The brewery offers Pliny the Younger only occasionally because it requires extra ingredients and takes more time to brew. It came, folks enjoyed it and then it went away. That’s the way locals liked it. Everything changed in 2008. That year, San Francisco Beer Week coincided with the annual limited release of Pliny the Younger on the first Friday of February. People who had already traveled from around the world made the hour-long drive up from the Bay Area to visit the legendary Russian River Brewery. At that time, Russian River allowed people to take home their Triple IPA in growlers – half-gallon refillable glass bottles. Limited in 2008 to four growlers per person, groups showed up and bought four apiece. The whole weekend’s allotment sold out by 7:30 Friday night, gobbled up by the greedy growlers. Bars, even breweries, sometimes run out of beer, but a lot of feelings got bruised. Several people made vicious online accusations that Russian River deliberately created an artificial scarcity for cynical selfpromotion. In reality, the greedy growlers selling their ambrosia online at a 400 percent markup dried up the well that year. Gabe Rivera, manager, bartender and drummer in Russian River’s house band The Mud, The Blood and The Beer, has known Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo since he was a 15-year old in Lake Elsinore. On that February Friday, three taps continuously poured Pliny the Younger, one tap filled growlers and another filled half-pint glasses nonstop. The level of beer in the sight glass of the enormous holding tank slowly but visibly
Story by Erik Jorgensen
Photos by Erik Jorgensen and Joseph Barkoff
The lines of people waiting for a chance to try Pliny the Younger stretches around the block (pictured above). People wait eight hours to try the famous beer. An amicable crowd, many spend the time talking to each other, meeting new people, sampling the goods and food of nearby shops and, in one case, playing Monopoly (left). One member of the Head-Cases, known only as Santa Claus, came “from the North Pole by way of the Cayman Islands” (pictured below). He spends the time meeting his friends from online.
dropped, Rivera said. Since that year, procedure changed to allow more people access to this limited release. Gone are the growlers of the Younger, and now each day has a rationed allotment to stretch the annual event to last two weeks. Seating guests in small waves rather than an endless flood has helped both visitors and employees. Russian River hostess Kai Schrade double-majors at SRJC in anthropology and studio art with plans to complete her Ph.D. in forensic anthropology. Schrade has seen three Pliny the Younger releases, and said this was the largest and smoothest yet. “The crowd is more knowledgeable, and they get here understanding there will be a long wait in line. They know they won’t be able to get a table as soon as they walk in. They’re just in a better mood, and are more willing to work with staff to get served,” Schrade said. Schrade also noted that they sold a lot more merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, keychains and patches. She plans on writing her observations of this event for her anthropology class. Former SRJC student and
eight days. On the first day of Younger, the line started at 3 a.m. The HeadCase group got in line at about 9 a.m. and by then the line already stretched down Fourth Street, around the corner, then past the second corner and back down Fifth Street. This massive line directly impacted local businesses. Several people got haircuts to pass the time. One visitor said he ate Italian, Mexican and Chinese food while waiting in line. SRJC Viticulture and Enology student Balm Krueger attended on Super Bowl Sunday and was impressed with how Russian River management has improved the event. “Spreading out their allocation gives people a chance. It’s a different experience. You don’t have to show up the first day. Spreading it out (over two weeks) encourages more patrons, making it about visiting here versus not,” Krueger said. He pondered how to distill his observations for his economics class. While the Sonoma County Economic Development Board will take months to analyze their surveys and reach a conclusion, a casual observer would exclaim, “There’s gold in them there glasses!”
Oak Leaf photojournalist Larry Muchowski covered last year’s Pliny the Younger release for TV station KTXL in Sacramento. This year he took the day off work to attend day one of the limited release, “This time for fun!” Muchowski said. He was not alone. An extreme, but not unusual, example are the Head-Cases, a group of 35 visiting their third release of Pliny the Younger. Originally meeting online in a forum about headphones, the group discovered they had other mutual interests and decided to meet up in real life. The Head-Cases flew in from all over the country just to stand in line for eight hours with their online friends. For Brent Lawson of Tennessee, this was his third Pliny the Younger release with the Head-Cases – and he doesn’t even like beer. “Well, except for what Russian River makes,” Lawson added. Fellow Head-Case and homebrew dabbler Scott had never been to California before, and flew in just to attend the limited release. He flew back to North Carolina after a total visit of just 31 hours, People come from all across the world to but the rest of the group planned to try the Triple IPA Pliny at Russian River stay in Sonoma County for five to Brewing Company each spring.
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Features
February 11, 2013
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Research Improves Job Outlook Jessie De La O Contributing Writer For many graduating college students, searching for a job is a priority. But the last three to four years the U.S. economy has looked bleak. According to an article posted in The New York Daily News, based on a Rutgers University study released in May 2012, “Nearly 50 percent of graduates over the last five years are unemployed or underemployed.” Despite the study’s results, many students are determined to find a full-time job in their major after graduating. Advanced preparedness, possessing the right skills and having patience can help students and graduates find employment. “What we’re finding with students that are graduating is that they’re challenged with doing entry-level type jobs,” said Barbara King, Santa Rosa Junior College Student Employment Coordinator. “Someone might graduate in some very important field where they’re hoping to get this amazing job, but often times you have to do the grunt work.” When a student or graduate works their way up in a company the old-fashioned way, this path helps them get into the company they want. “The other piece is having a breadth of skills, like computer skills, good written English skills, being professional in your attire with almost every job is what you have to have,” King said. The SRJC Career Center and counseling courses can assist students in acquiring information about their chosen career field. Interested students can schedule appointments with SRJC career advisor Suzanne Papa for assistance using Career Center resources and finding information on local job market conditions for various majors. The center also helps with resumes, cover letters and interviews. “I help students prepare for job interviews by researching the employer’s business and anticipating
Wildlife...
Career Planning Checklist: ☐☐ Identify your inner needs and what you want from a career. ☐☐ Evaluate your skills as well as your physical and mental limitations. ☐☐ Research beyond the image of a job. ☐☐ Be aware of how others affect or influence you (do what you want to do, separate your ambitions from those of others). ☐☐ Set definite goals for yourself—a plan of achievement. ☐☐ Explore a field of interest to you. Locate and read occupation oriented books, literature, job descriptions. ☐☐ Talk with people in the field. Conduct informational interviews. ☐☐ Look at the negative aspects of a job. Can you live with them? Also, look at the positive aspects. Joseph Barkoff / Oak Leaf
☐☐ Discuss options with a career counselor.
Barbara King, SRJC Student Employment Coordinator
☐☐ Explore more than one option. ☐☐ Evaluate the career that best matches your interests, abilities and personal characteristics.
☐☐ Obtain educational/special training as needed for the career of your choice. Research and evaluate schools to make the best choice. ☐☐ Obtain a part-time job or volunteer for work to get a feel for the field. ☐☐ Network…Network…Network! ☐☐ Believe in yourself. Eighty percent of what gets you a good job is your mental attitude and your self-confidence.
potential questions. I encourage students to learn how to network and not to rely on just one source for identifying opportunities,” Papa said. “Do some soul-searching and be objective about your skills and areas that need improvement.” Numerous handouts and computerized resources, such as Career Café, careercrusing.com and Eureka, are also available at the Career Center to help narrow down a specific major. Another successful strategy is to thoroughly research the career before investing your time and energy into it. “Whatever major or direction you choose, be sure to get experience in that field before you graduate. It can be volunteer, internship or paid, but it is wise to begin building a network and building your resume as soon as
see the beauty of the world and encourages habitat preservation as we learn to care about what lives Continued From PAGE 2 there. A vast sea of redwoods and mountains stretch north of the a full summer or fall without SRJC campuses, all seeded with seeing Canadian Geese in their life in the form of birds, rodents, winged ‘V’ shapes streaking across mammals and fish in the rivers. the sky. Deer roam Sugar Loaf, All of this leads back to the Helen Putnam and Point Reyes Urocyon cinereoargenteus and parks to the west. The climate the other animals seen on both provides a sustainable place to campuses. Instead of looking at forage and raise young, with very phones every minute, look around little impact by serious predators and see the beauty at work in the like mountain lions. trees, bushes, skies and creeks. According to Officer Gilmer Elanus leucurus, the Whiteone reason diverse species thrive Tailed Kite, is a locally abundant is the hawks, foxes and cats alike and commonly sighted bird of all provide decent rodent control. prey hunting for small mammals. Conversely, the wildlife enhances According to the Cornell Lab of many lives. Ornithology, they range from Seeing wild animals helps us
possible. Begin your job search two to three months before graduation. Keep the momentum going,” Papa said. Elisha Garcia will transfer this fall for a philosophy or biology major. She may change directions to veterinary medicine due to her passion for working with animals. Garcia has already done her research, finding out information about her major and the school she wants to transfer to. “I’d like to transfer to Michigan State University because they have an amazing vet program, but I have not taken all the courses I need. I’ve taken a little of everything else at the JC trying to figure out what I really want to do and it’s tough because everything is so great!” Garcia said. Students can also learn about a career through SRJC’s Community
Involvement Program, which enables students to learn about the career they want to major in and gives them an opportunity to serve their community. Michelle Brady, an English major, remains optimistic. She plans to transfer to Sonoma State this fall and would like to teach high school English one day. Brady said she continues to research her career and its job market, and knows that if she wants find work in her chosen field that she may have to relocate. “I go online to a teacher’s hiring statistics site, which lets you know the school district’s hiring needs for each county in California, so you can look at the areas hiring and hopefully apply for a job in the county you wish to live,” Brady said. As for the job outlook, Brady
thinks the economy will recover and demand for teachers will continue. She also believes a bachelor’s degree doubles her chances of finding employment. “I believe a degree will get me the employment I desire,” she said. “I have to be thoroughly educated in order to land the job I want.” The job outlook for graduating college students seems brighter, especially in Sonoma County. According to a Press Democrat article published in January, the unemployment rate in Sonoma County has held steady at 7.7 percent since December 2012 despite an increase of 8,100 jobs in the county over the last year. The drop in the unemployment rate is a positive sign for all future college students and graduates.
western Oregon, all along the west coast to Mexico, through most of Central America, Venezuela, and southern South America. Yet they live nowhere else in the United States. Another less seen species endemic to our area is the Ambystoma californiense, the California Tiger Salamander, often found in dark, moist areas under rocks and trashcans. The Tiger Salamander can be found hunting at night, easily distinguished by its dark, moist skin with various yellow spots. Meaghan McNees, an SRJC student focusing on environmental science, reported having moved three garden snakes off the northern roadway of the
Petaluma campus in the spring. “I saw three snakes laying in the asphalt of the back parking lot sunbathing,” McNees said. “I moved them with a stick off the blacktop so they wouldn’t get hit by cars. The snakes didn’t attack me, they didn’t appear disturbed at all by people walking by.”
McNees cites the well thought out landscaping as one reason for the numerous sightings of wildlife on campus. The many trees and shrubs provide habitat for the local fauna.
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A&E
February 11, 2013
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In My Backyard
Local Museum puts its own Building on Display Drue Dunn
Feb. 13 Spring Cinema Breathless
Staff Writer Series:
Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Petaluma Campus 6 p.m./ Free for ASP members
Feb. 14 PDA Day - No School
Feb. 15 Black History Month Film: “The Promised Land” Community Baptist Church, Santa Rosa 1620 Sonoma Ave. 7 p.m./ free
Feb. 18 President’s Day No School
Feb. 21 Black History Month Event: “Diversity & Cultural Identity”
The Sonoma County Museum is the subject of its own latest exhibit, where photographers were allowed to explore the historic building from the darkest basement to the terracotta roof. The “In My Back Yard” exhibit celebrates the historic museum building through the artists who brought their creative energy to its nooks and crannies through their graphic art form. “I feel that it’s super exciting for a museum to have a call out for artists to treat the museum itself as a piece of art,” said SRJC student Lupita C. A. “I believe that this will bring a lot of newcomers to this side of town.” Many of the images on display were taken with an assortment of smart phones and tablets in addition to traditional photography platforms. “The students loved coming here and taking photos,” said SRJC photography teacher Renata Breth, who attended the exhibit’s reception. During the recent reception, museum patrons sauntered along gallery displays, viewing and
Drue Dunn/ Oak Leaf
Many people visit the Sonoma County Museum for the opening of “In My Back Yard,” which showcases works of photography created by artists from all over Sonoma County who had been invited into the museum to photograph anything they wanted, throughout the whole building. Photographers explored from the darkest corners of the basement and easeways to the hatch onto the roof.
commenting on the variety of subjects and expressive styles created through the digital medium. “They speak to me. It’s interesting how each artist will take something and bring their own aesthetic to it, and some are purely decorative, and some are really evocative, clever and dark,” said art admirer Kim Bailey.
The crowd, a mixture of artisans and appreciators mingled while sipping wine and trading opinions on their observations. The featured band, Old on Meds, crooned tunes of the Grateful Dead and Buffalo Springfield. “It’s a fabulous show!” said viewer Steven Gelber. The “In My Back Yard” exhibit is
on display until Feb. 24. The museum is open to the public 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and is located at 425 Seventh St. in Santa Rosa. Admission prices are $5 for students, seniors and the disabled, $7 for adults and free for children under 12.
Oak Leaf Critic
Center for Student Leadership Rm. 4608, Santa Rosa 2 p.m.
Feb. 22 Black Holes and Space-Time
Run For Your Life
Walk Away
Warm Bodies
Lark Hall Planetarium, Santa Rosa 7 p.m. Feb. 22-23 and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 24 $8 general, $5 children, students with ID and seniors
Feb. 23 Memorial Fundraiser Celebration for Alyssa Byrne with Performances by Chris Rene, Taj He Spitz, Kool John, Nio the Gift, Dot Goodie, B Legit, Young Curt, Lil Rue, Dem Hoodstarz, Gerdes and CRS Fader The Phoenix Theater, Petaluma 7:30 p.m./ $28
Don’t let the thought of another zombie movie chill you from the inside out. “Warm Bodies,” in theaters now, will keep you engaged with chills, thrills and some giggles to help keep your insides toasty and blood moving. From the opening scene you know that “R” (Nicholas Hoult), a zombie unusually aware of his situation, will be the main source of comedy in the movie. “Warm Bodies” does a good job of setting up the story. Since R does not remember how the zombie outbreak started, the movie doesn’t go into non-essential details that would prolong the movie. The characters in “Warm Bodies” are introduced shortly into the movie, giving time to build them up. Certain moments fall short when Julie (Teresa Palmer) is less dramatic than the scene calls for. Both characters
Meh
are hilariously awkward creating a great metaphor for young love. The character of Julie’s dad, played by John Malkovich, could have used more development. Hoult does a great job as a zombie falling in love and Rob Corddry does an excellent job as R’s supportive best friend M. “Warm Bodies” is full of metaphors to life in modern society. The most prominent metaphor is in a scene where R recaps how things used to be while silhouettes of people on their phones pass around him. The metaphors convey the underlying themes of the film well. ‘Love conquers all’, ‘people can change’ and ‘good always wins’ are a few of the classic themes presented with a unique twist by the film. Special effects and makeup for the movie are well done. The transformation that R makes is done in small subtle steps. The zombies aren’t too gory and look like they have gone through the normal wear and tear a zombie would instead of all looking like car wrecks.
Check it out
The music and sound in “Warm Bodies” is well placed, though sometimes the song doesn’t fit the scene. Throughout the movie an absence of unnecessary background noises allows you to focus more intently on the scenes. You will have a hard time finding bad things to say about “Warm Bodies.” The solid cast nicely performs the several elements that differentiate it from
Steal it ‘n Run
the hundreds of other zombie movies that fill theaters every year. “Warm Bodies” gets 4.5 out of 5. It’s only marked down because it is classified as a horror, romance, comedy. Horror was nowhere to be found. Its romantic story, deep metaphors and hundreds of laughs make “Warm Bodies” a movie to see this Valentine’s Day. Jeremy Hoskins, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Summit Entertainment
Nicolas Hoult plays “R,” an aware zombie who falls in love with Julie, played by Teresa Palmer, a surviving human in “Warm Bodies.” This new movie, based off of the book of the same name by Isaac Marion, is an excellent romantic comedy with zombies.
www.theoakleafnews.com
The Still Point Ken Kutska
Staff Writer Abstraction in shapes, angles, black, grey and white drawings is the theme of the first SRJC art exhibit of the spring semester. “The Still Point” opened Feb. 4 in the Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery on the first floor of the Doyle Library. Curated by art professor Suzanne Lacke with exhibited works by Judith Foosaner, Emily Lazarre and Connie Goldman, the exhibit allows viewers to trap themselves in the world of abstract art and design. Lacke put the exhibit together through a collaborative effort with the artists and a common theme. “It started out with Emily as a colleague and Carrie as well. I thought it would be great to get them all together to meet each other,” Lacke said. “Then Emily and I went to a show to see Judy’s work and it was wonderful. It seemed that the three of them together would make a wonderful show.” The exhibit’s name is based off T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Four Quartets,” which reads: “At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is, But neight arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity, Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards. Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only dance.” Lacke said, “All three share a dedication to their process, to hard work and intense exploration. They
The Best Falafel
use the basic tools of art: line, shape, color, space and value, to their vision and to express it. Dance, calligraphy, memory, music, science are some of the sources for their art.” Lacke also explained the meaning behind the title of the exhibit. “We had lots of titles we were thinking about and for me there was a thought of the equilibrium, the still point, that all three of the artists reached at the end of their finished point of their work,” Lacke said. Each artist’s work is in a different section of the gallery. Foosaner created several pieces using different forms of black and white drawing, some in graphite and others with oil. A piece called “The Gathering” has a narrow width but is tall with black and sandy colors and several streaky shapes. Another piece, “Early to Bedlam,” is a charcoal drawing with various curvy lines of black, gray and white charcoal drawn onto canvas. Foosaner explained what she wanted her pieces to represent. “I choose for a range of black and white and wanted all different aspects of what I do to be represented,” Foosaner wrote. In her artist statement Foosaner explains how hard it can be for an artist to be creative and find new ideas. “For many months I did my paintings, all of which looked like black versions of earlier works minus the aliveness that discovery conveys. It was a difficult time, but I clutched the hope that my frustrations would eventually drive me over the edge and that, falling, I would see something new. It did and I have,” Foosaner said.
Falls Apart in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands
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New Exhibit at Robert F. Agrella Gallery Features Three Artists, Focuses on Abstract Art
The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday through March 4.
In the main room, Lazarre created several pieces that show oil-painted pieces of paper or cardboard lying on top of each other in various shapes. The painted pieces have different shades of blue, green and yellow like “Suspension” and “Staying Power.” Lazarre’s artist statement explains what the images mean. “I cannot remember a time when my mind was not filled with images: the quality of light in a room, the shape of an object, the color of the linoleum floor. All have remained,” Lazarre said. “My memory dictates place and color and light. There is no way to change the facts: what was blue must be
blue, and what was pink, is still pink. Abstraction derives from what is true.” The second half of the room showcases Goldman’s works, “Doublet.” Goldman’s series includes 14 three-dimensional geometricallyshaped designs. The shapes are raised on the piece an inch-and-a-half above a flat white surface. “Everything is based on a square, which is a cross cultural symbol for stability. So by somehow altering the square it disturbs the stability. All my work is about the effort towards change versus the effort towards stasis coming together towards being calm,” Goldman said.
Kai Kaluahine / Oak Leaf
Goldman’s artist statement explains, “Most of my work is concerned with the tension between permanence and change, and the Doublets series expands on this theme,” she wrote. “It manifests itself in the apparent folding or doubling over of edges and corners of squares, the symbol I use for stability.” “The Still Point” exhibit runs from Feb. 4 through March 7. There is an open panel discussion at noon on March 4 in the Robert F. Agrella Art Gallery at noon. For hours, check the Doyle Library page and select Art Gallery for more information.
SRJC Theatre Arts prepares for ACTF Nadav Soroker Co-Editor in Chief
snuggled up with the falafel in the Seven Santa Rosa Junior College lafa: tabuli, humus, tahini, tomatoes, actors from the fall season are Staff Writer cucumbers and lettuce. heading to the Kennedy Center’s One impressive detail was the American College Theater Festival Your tummy is rumbling, you’re cantankerous with obnoxiously lack of water and liquid that often for Region VII in Sacramento to accompanies most other falafel compete in the Irene Ryan Acting low blood sugar and you need sandwiches. The liquid in falafel Competition for a chance to sustenance to continue a successful sandwiches tends to leak out the perform on a national stage. school day. Well you are in luck. bottom causing your delectable cure The nominees are being joined On the northeast corner of to dilapidate in your paws. This by their acting partners. Also going Fourth Street and Mendocino one does not, even the tabuli, with are a student who was nominated to Avenue stands a rather unobtrusive, its lemon and other acidity which compete in the Society of Directors run of the mill, corner downtown usually causes the maceration of the and Choreographers Student convenience store. tomato to exude most of its precious Directors Fellowship, backstage The Fourth Street Market and juices. technicians who will compete in Deli, along with being immaculate, It is made with great care and the festival’s Tech Olympics and has a hidden secret. Its falafel assembled by skilled and attentive other students and faculty who will sandwich is some of the best I have cooks where there is not even a participate in the various classes and had since I was in Israel more than break in its integrity at its weakest workshops the festival offers. point. The festival will take place 15 years ago. Worth mentioning along with from Feb. 18-22 at American River The falafel is freshly assembled, along with all of its ingredients, the falafel is the deli case. The College in Sacramento, which will daily. Most importantly, it appeases assorted pastas, vegan dolmas, host the Region VII festival this and assorted other normal deli year, which includes most of the the most veracious of omnivores. fare in case your tag alongs aren’t northwest United States. Last year The falafel is served in a lafa, as adventurous as you and need a the festival was held too far away for also called a lavosh, and wrapped normal sandwich. The falafel alone SRJC students to attend, so for many like a burrito which makes even my will run you a small fee of $6.50, students this will be their first time. favorite burrito spot have size envy. a small price to pay to keep your Though no official schedule It also comes with the normal line- educational wheels turning. has been released yet due to up of delicious accompaniments complications scheduling hundreds Jospeh Barkoff
February 11, 2013
of busy actors, directors, teachers, techs and other participants, a basic schedule is available, though subject to change. The seven Irene Ryan Nominees and their partners will compete in the preliminaries on Monday and Tuesday, with semi-finals on Thursday and finals on Friday. The Tech Olympics, held Thursday, are a series of challenges designed to test the skills of the technical crew that a theater relies upon to make the magic. Two years ago when SRJC students participated at the festival in Humboldt they took the gold and now are particularly keen on retaking their standing. The final SRJC competitor is Skylar Evans who will be competing in the Student Directors Fellowship. Evans submitted his work directing the Student Theatre Guild and SRJC Theatre Arts department coproduction of Trust during the fall semester as his example of directing. He has since worked with three of his fellow actors to prepare a scene that they will present at the festival to a closed audience on Tuesday. If they pass the preliminaries they will perform for an open audience thursday. He was confident about their
performance at the festival. “I have absolute support and belief in my actors,” Evans said. Though the full individual registration price is $95-115, a day pass is available at the venue for $20. Any family members, peers or friends of actors or technicians who want to provide emotional support for a competitor will be able to.
Nominees: Irene Ryan Acting Fellowships:
From Trouble in Mind: Tia Starr Angela Monique Paige Picard
From Trust: Alice Glass Maddison Scarbrough
From Beauty and the Beast: Rosie Frater Brittany Law Society of Directors and Choreographers Student Directors Fellowship:
Skylar J. Evans
14
February 11, 2013
Mind over Machine Peter Njoroge
Opinion
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
Opinion Editor
I
n a recent article published by The New York Times, robot designer Carla Diana wrote about possible technological advances that in the future will “praise, encourage, advise and comfort us.” The problem with these advances is their surmounting consequences when it comes to the unstable relationship between humans and technology. People can barely keep their iPhones and iPads away during dinner at restaurants and other social places. Yet, according to the article, we are ready for robots, sensor-based animated objects and screens, which will have the intelligence to reciprocate complex human emotions. Consequences for the future and the present include our productivity level, attention towards one another and rich human connection through face-to-face interaction decreasing due to intelligent software doing most, if not all, of our work and interaction. An app that helps you with your e-mail organization, weather information, social information and daily schedule doesn’t sound bad, but when the same app becomes smart enough to decide whether or not it’s OK to head out without a raincoat, something is wrong. Our technology grows and integrates itself into our daily lives in very deep ways. I wake up to an alarm clock every morning on my iPhone, check the same iPhone for new updates, e-mails, unread texts and news. A beep from my coffee machine lets me know it’s an appropriate time to go downstairs, where my coffee is already made. In addition, my toothbrush is fully charged by the time I go upstairs and it lets me know when to stop brushing with three distinct vibrations. Most of us can relate to this routine at certain intervals throughout our day. Our increasing dependency and attachment to technology proves itself negative because it’s not yet balanced and integrated into our lives in healthy ways. Apart from all the romanticized stories of technology saving us and creating a better world, the dark abyss of the collective human ego has a chance to mirror itself through what we make. An example of ego in technology is all of the social websites created in the last 10 years. Let’s face it; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have less to do with temporarily sharing rich, meaningful and inspiring messages to those close to you, and more with blatantly expressing your polished, edited and likeable version of yourself, what you eat and all the wonderful fake friends you have. As our relationship with technology deepens, it’s time we read the fine print and realize all of this stuff we have is exactly that, stuff. Stuff made for responsible, detached, balanced and intelligent use. Nothing more.
www.theoakleafnews.com
EDITORIAL
Safety on Campus Requires Collaboration With 80 acres of land and a population of more than 26,000 students, Santa Rosa Junior College is one of the largest community colleges in the state of California. It takes a tremendous effort to keep a student body of this size safe, and the school has seen multiple incidents within the past year that have students concerned. Only two weeks have passed since head softball coach Phil Wright chased down and tackled a man who attacked a woman in the Bear Cub Way parking lot. There are also reports of a man sexually harassing disabled women. The man was suspended for one to three years. On a greater scale, SRJC dealt with felonies ranging from sexual assault to grand embezzlement. These incidents include Marco DeAndaVargas, who was accused and
convicted of raping a female student in the Quinn Swim Center. Another was the embezzlement case regarding long-time SRJC District Police officer Jeffery Holzworth, who is accused stealing money from parking meters. The district attorney says Holzworth accumulated at least $287,000 over a span of seven years. Occurrences like these have the student body, faculty and community on high alert. Everyone understands a college campus should be a safe environment where students can function academically without feeling concerned about their personal wellbeing. The SRJC District Police has taken a strong initiative in upping campus security, focusing primarily on community welfare during school hours and finding better methods for students to stay connected with the
police. The district police are now using Nixle.com, a service students can subscribe to using their phones. Nixle allows students to receive alerts from the police regarding felonies, amber alerts and traffic stops. Stronger communication with the community will help assure the safety of students on campus, and give us the power to be informed. Nixle is one of many steps the police are taking to make this campus a safer place for students. Students can also take measures to keep themselves safe. For starters, all students should know the location of the campus police station at the corner of Elliot and Armory Drive. The station is open during all hours of the week, which makes it convenient for people to take care of their serious inquiries.
You can also reach the station at 5271000 for reasons such as opening classroom doors, walking you to class or handling emergencies. It is also important to be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you happen to find yourself on campus at a late hour, try to walk to your car with classmates and friends. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, and plan your walking routes ahead of time to avoid areas of campus that make you uncomfortable. Nobody can know what the future holds as the year progresses. The student body, faculty and police must collaborate to keep our campus safe from crime. These advancements in security and information will make SRJC a safer campus for students, so long as we stay alert.
Corporations, Capitalism and Corruption
Tea Party or Occupy? Drew Sheets Staff Writer
To me the question is ridiculous. The Tea party movement started out with Libertarian principles that stated the corrupt government of the United States was too large and needed to be reined in. Similarly, Civil Libertarians started the Occupy movement in 2011 with the now infamous hacker group Anonymous calling for the occupation of Federal Reserve banks across the country. If we listen to the founders of this country, both groups are identical. Everyone knows Thomas Jefferson thought big banks were more “dangerous to our liberties than standing armies,” and predicted the creation of a central bank would lead to corporations so powerful Americans would one day wake up “impoverished on the very land their fathers conquered.” Few people know he tried to include an 11th Amendment to the Constitution limiting the power of corporations by prohibiting “monopolies in commerce,” a corporation to own another corporation, or a corporation to donate money or influence politicians or elections in any other way. It would have dictated that for a corporation to be chartered they would be required to perform some sort of public service. The Founders understood how each and every individual could and most likely would be influenced by economics and money. Ask a business major if they would like to have a monopoly in any given industry and the answer would be an almost laughable but resounding “Yes.” The
American climate today mirrors individual economic determinism to a tee or it could, more accurately, be referred to as corporate determination. In Federalist Paper 51, James Madison states, “If men were angels no government would be necessary.” This implies that government itself is formed to regulate people’s moral compasses. We know people are not angels, yet corporations are able to legally plunder because the individuals involved have been relieved of the moral restrictions government itself was formed to guard against. Back in those days, Americans believed in transparency. Patrick Henry, a radical in his own day for taking on the aristocracy of the House of Burgesses with his proposed Virginia Stamps Act Resolutions, was a true advocate for transparency, ferociously criticizing the Constitution because it was a product of private and secret meetings. Henry would have never allowed for money interests to buy his government and might have gone as far as tarring and feathering every single lobbyist in Washington. The proverbial yet lucrative revolving door would have brought colonialists from all walks of life to the capital’s doorstep. John Adams wanted “a government of laws, not of men.” Now we see the rule of law being completely tarnished by our leaders, specifically Barack Obama’s administration signing of the National Defense Authorization Act and its inability to bring justice to the scoundrels who commit fraud on Wall Street each and every day. Take the London International Bank Offered Rate scandal for
example. The largest rates-fixing scandal in the history of man, effectively looted pensions of millions of Americans for the profitable gain of a very few individuals and not a single person went to jail. Bankers rigged rates on more than $360 trillion worth of financial products and set the benchmark rates for Wall Street. Some estimates have this scandal affecting up to $750 trillion, and to make matters worse, our own Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner knew about it as far back as 2008. An even lower low was the recent discovery that one of the “too big to fail” banks, HSBC, laundered more than $800 million of Mexican and Columbian drug cartel money and did business with Iranian banks helping fund terrorist cells. The Justice Department didn’t arrest a single banker involved because it was concerned about what effects bringing justice to these crooks would have on the economy. In the words of the longeststanding Supreme Court justice, William O. Douglas, “A people who extend liberties only to preferred groups start down the path either to dictatorship of the right or the left.” If Wall Street is a monument to Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr’s murder of Hamilton begins to seem cosmically appropriate, an act brought about by some higher force of collective liberty espoused, spirited and championed by the American people and almost every one of their leaders at the time. Left-wing economists and politicians are starting to wake up to the systemic corruption brought
about by the Federal Reserve Bank. Josef Stiglitz, chief economist at the World Bank from 1997-2000 and Nobel Prize Winner for Economics in 2001, and Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s secretary of labor, along with selfproclaimed socialist Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, have all called for a complete audit and restructuring of the Federal Reserve system. That is to say auditing the Fed is no longer a radical or far-right idea, but one that should be welcomed and initiated by mainstream politicians and patriots. Stiglitz went as far to say that the “Federal Reserve system…is a corrupt governing system.” At this point that statement is utterly inarguable. It’s time the entrenched money interests, the big business crony capitalist economic order and the system of over-bearing regulations that create rapacious monopolies, be allowed to fail and replaced. The Tea Party and Occupy are one and the same. The only way these issues can be fixed or even addressed in a public dialogue is by standing in solidarity on the matters we all agree on. Corporatism is not a system that has ever worked for its citizens and Americans have fallen into this trap. It’s time to free ourselves from the snare and take back our country. Break up the banks and corporations and advocate for transparency to deal with the corrupt government, which legitimizes their power and influence over us all. Individuals and communities must stand in solidarity as Americans with a single, relentless, assiduous and unrestrained voice that demands the plutocracy’s plundering come to an end, before it’s too late.
www.theoakleafnews.com
Opinion
Valentine’s True Payoff: Drue Dunn Staff Writer
Valentine’s Day, the yearly reason to stay home from school, continues to humiliate students well into middle school. Then suddenly, the notion of asking for affection via a card is no longer a class activity. As we mature, the meaning of Valentine’s Day changes and ceases to be a contest among classmates, changing into a romantic ideal where we seek, sometimes awkwardly, to woo someone special. For guys, instruction on how to perform said wooing comes from a variety of sources, including watching our fathers, TV and movies. Movies make us believe there is no such thing as too much. There are never too many roses, no box of chocolates too big or a diamond too large. Movies tell us 100 lit candles is a good start, that poetry should be our hello, a limousine our chariot and that a private table with a view is a must. All this presents a unique set of obstacles for us mere mortals, as men typically find it unnatural
to buy flowers, cards, chocolates or stuffed animals. We don’t even think in candlelight terms. We typically only have one day a year to practice buying and organizing these things, which we never think of the rest of the year. Combine this unfamiliarity with the intense emotional state, the demand that all go smoothly, with reservations in a nice restaurant and a clean shirt and this holiday is nearly doomed from the beginning. On the other hand, should we fail to impress our valentine she’ll be disappointed or depressed. Side effects may include painful break ups, icy stares or heavy bouts of crying. In love? Then you probably don’t need a holiday to tell you what to buy or how to feel. If you don’t have love, here’s a holiday to rub it in. I doubt anyone set out to create a holiday that alienates youth or challenges adults, yet Valentine’s Day accomplishes both. I say face the long lines at the candy shops, purchase your stuffed animals and flowers, spend big on the jewelry that explains how you feel and brave the wait for a nice table. However, do so only if your heart
Love Defined by Money Spent is No Love at All
Staff Writer
tells you to and not because powerful media campaigns persuaded you into acquiring all the traditional trappings of Valentine’s Day. I humbly remind you, big business has led us down the path of abundant spending. It is an industry that cannot possibly speak of love, as it loves only our dollar. In these times, spending more on ideas not our own for a romantic holiday that
Cartoon by Daniel Barba may well be anything but, is not in our best interests as it is emotionally rough on most of us and financially challenging for all of us. Let us embrace and emphasize the point of this holiday, a sincere focus on the ones we love in a way that brings respect and joy to us all.
Working Women and Men Deserve Compensation for Equal Work Copy Editor
In 1963, working women earned less than 60 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Wage discrimination is not over in this country and as the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act approaches, two pieces of Congressional legislation and a constitutional amendment have only managed to close the gap to 77 cents. African-American women earn 62 cents and Hispanic women earn 54 cents. It’s a gaping hole in our society that stretches across all fields and
college majors. The Paycheck Fairness Act to End Wage Discrimination is an important step towards repairing the damage done to the Equal Pay Act by courts over the years. The PFA would prohibit employers from firing employees who discuss their salaries or reduce other employees’ wages to achieve pay equity. One of the major obstacles to ending wage discrimination has always been that many women don’t know they’re being paid less than their male counterparts. It’s legal for employers to fire employees who discuss their salaries with each other,
Guilty Pleasure Hurts Children Deborah San Angelo
Equal Pay Act to Help End Discrimination Darcy Fracolli
15
February 11, 2013
and many women feel unable to act or have no suspicions at all. But here’s the thing; 77 cents amounts to an annual discrepancy of about $10,000. Women are now the primary or co-wage earners in 60 percent of American households, which means the wage discrepancy negatively affects total spending and our GDP as well. Legislation will never be enough to eliminate the systematic cultural biases towards women in our society, but it’s an important first step. We need to stop pretending feminism is no longer relevant and we live in an equitable society, because we don’t.
We’ve normalized our biases against women through thousands of years of carefully structured societies, and the only way forward is through education and cultural analysis. Both women and men are guilty of discrimination against women, and it is impossible for progress without a certain amount of unity amongst the fairer sex. As Gloria Steinem once said, “No man can call himself liberal, or radical, or even a conservative advocate of fair play, if his work depends in any way on the unpaid or underpaid labor of women at home, or in the office.” The same can be said of any woman.
Student on the Street
If you woke up tomorrow having one new ability or quality, what would it be?
Rosa Ayala
Kaz Makishima
Jesse Risinger
“To be in two places at once to relieve the stress of work and school.”
“I would have the ability to take others’ good qualities and imprint them into my own behavior.”
“I think flying would be cool and fun, something different and cool.”
Eve Nighswonger “To listen better; to be a more thoughtful listener. I did it wrong the last 50 years.”
In bar, bonbon or bunny form, chocolate is more than a popular food. Chocolate is a booming $90 billion-a-year industry, according to research firm Markets and Markets. Its value is larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 130 nations. Even in a slow economy, the National Confectioners Association expects Americans to spend more than $700 million on chocolate this Valentine’s Day. Almost twice that is sold during Easter and even more on Halloween. Sales soar as chocolate becomes even more popular today and consumption steadily rises. Cocoa contains flavanol, an antioxidant found in a variety of foods. Studies demonstrating the health benefits of flavanoids add to chocolate’s popularity. Gourmet chocolate is the fastest growing segment of the industry. Consumers and retailers eagerly seek dark, artisanal, organic and enhanced varieties of chocolate. Opportunities in chocolate abound for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Like most food specialty businesses, few barriers exist for a chocolate company start up. Costs are low and in many states, it’s possible to start in a home kitchen. Western Africa produces more than three-quarters of the world’s chocolate. Europe consumes about 50 percent of it and North America another 25 percent, while all of Africa only accounts for about 3 percent of consumption. Cocoa trees take five to eight years to mature and yield about five pounds of chocolate a year. The average American eats 10-12 pounds of chocolate a year. The average Swiss eats 21 pounds a year. To accommodate high demand, plantations grow cocoa trees. About 1.8 million children work on cocoa farms in Africa. Poverty is the main reason for child labor. Child labor also stems from big companies wanting to increase their profits by exploiting and underpaying. About 246 million children are used for labor around the world, according to UNICEF. In many countries with child labor, no laws are enforced to protect them. Some of these countries ban trade unions so no one guards the children’s rights, who often are abused. We’ve heard about child labor since childhood. But there’s still no accepted definition of “child labor” in this so-called civilized world. Individual governments define “child” according to their own criteria. The chocolate industry has made trillions of dollars. According to the watchdog group Stop the Traffik, only 0.0075 percent of the money is invested into improving the working conditions for children in West Africa. Before the Industrial Revolution, only the wealthy had chocolate available. The steam engine made mass production possible, making it accessible and affordable to everyone. But classism still surrounds chocolate.
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