The anger Volume 93 • Issue 16 San Antonio College A forum of free voices since 1926
April 22, 2019 WWW.THERANGER.ORG
Lower online-only tuition rate coming in fall Faculty Senate president said growing online enrollment comes with challenges. By Sergio Medina smedina104@student.alamo.edu The Alamo Colleges’ online tuition rates will decrease for out-ofdistrict students from $215 to $170 per credit hour in the fall. The new rate, or eRate, which was approved by the board of trustees March 19, will apply only to out-of-district students exclusively taking online courses. Tuition will not change for those physically attending the colleges — $99 per credit hour for in-district, $215 per credit hour for out-ofdistrict and $466 per credit hour for international students. Tuition rates for online courses for in-district, non-Texas resi-
dents and international students will not change, remaining at $99 per credit hour for in-district and $466 per credit hour for non-Texas residents and international students. In an interview April 15, Faculty Senate President Lennie Irvin said the reason for the decrease is to make the district more competitive with other community colleges in the state. “And they (the district) felt like lowering the rate would make it, you know, easier for someone to take online classes from out-ofdistrict,” he said. “But it’s only for students doing 100 percent online.” “If you’re doing all online and you live in New Braunfels or something, you can get that eRate, but if you’re taking one face-to-face class and one online class from New Braunfels, you’ll pay the old out-of-district rate ($215 per credit hour).” Irvin said instructing online courses can be challenging because
online classes require more attention than teaching face-to-face classes. Creating instructions for an online course requires in-depth, specific instructing to prevent confusion among students. “The communication, I mean, it can happen face-to-face, but there seems to be more questions and more interaction has to happen with students online,” Irvin said. “Face-to-face, we can meet, and I can explain things, and they can ask questions and we can work it out together.” Further, online classes have more students per class, he said. An online class could have up to 40 students, whereas a face-to-face class could have 25-30. “So faculty have a little bit of disincentive to sign up for online
See TUITION, Page 7
All SGA positions up for grabs Applications must be submitted by 10 a.m. April 24 to student life. By James Russell jrussell65@student.alamo. edu
Kinesiology freshman Patrick Egan jabs mechanical engineer sophomore Emiliano Perez April 17 in the 16th annual Olympic-style boxing event in the
mall. Upon winning, Perez said, “I feel great. I wanted to make sure I came out with a win.” About 150 students attended the event. Brianna Rodrigue
EFC framework will be presented to board in May Proposal calls for each college to design program. By Rogelio Escamilla rescamilla69@student.alamo.edu The Executive Faculty Council will present a student leadership framework recommendation to the board of trustees May 21, which would mandate an integrated system for students to track leadership knowledge, skills and abilities. The council sent the framework proposal to the Tactical Leadership Team for a final review and approval at the team’s April 15 meeting. The Tactical Leadership Team, previously called the Presidents and Vice Chancellors committee, is composed of the chancellor, college presidents, vice chancellors and other key district personnel. The framework, formally
known as board policy B.9.1, is the response to a 2017 charge to EFC to recommend a “single, Districtwide leadership model framework that identifies competencies that meet the needs of employers and aligns with leadership models used by ISD and university partners,” to the board of trustees. “The board policy B.9.1 has been in existence, and it just previously had a more prescriptive view of leadership,” said Michael Gardin, English professor and Faculty Senate president at Northwest Vista College. “It said ‘this is the package, this is the thing we believe leadership is.’ So it’s always been there, it’s always been someone’s job. There’s been labor put forward toward leadership. It’s just we’re re-defining it.” The original deadline for the framework’s implementation was fall 2018.
According to the proposal, research for the framework ended in February. Details of the framework, such as total cost and faculty responsibilities, will depend on each col-
lege’s implementation strategy. Gardin said if the board accepts the framework, implementation committees will be established at each college.
See FRAMEWORK, Page 7
Final Exam Schedule M/W Class time: 6:30 a.m.
Students interested in becoming an officer for this college’s Student Government Association can apply through 10 a.m. April 24. Positions include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, historian parliamentarian, commissioner of student success, commissioner of service, commissioner of strategic planning, commissioner of public relations and commissioner of veteran affairs. All students have to do is complete and turn in a candidate packet, which are available at the office of student life in Loftin Student Center Room 256 and with Nicole France, SGA adviser and senior coordinator of outreach and recruitment, in Room 230 of Fletcher Administration Center. The candidate packet explains duties and expec-
*Friday only, evening and weekend final exams are given during class hours. Department chairs can schedule final exams not conforming to this schedule.
M/W/F Exam time:
Class time:
tations of the applicant, eligibility, campaign plans, election posting and campaign rules, violations and grievances, procedures and a personal statement questionnaire. To hold office, students must have a 2.7 GPA. The deadline for applications changed from April 18 to April 24 because not enough applications were turned in, France said. Officers are awarded stipends for the semester. The president position is awarded $400, executive officers are awarded $300 and commissioners are awarded $250. “Not only does this give students an opportunity to take up leadership, it also gives students the chance to be the voice of change that they want to see happen,” France said in an interview April 15. For more information, call France at 210-4869864 or email nfrance@ alamo.edu.
T/R Exam time:
Class time:
7-9:30 a.m. — May 13
7 a.m.
7-9:30 a.m. — May 13
8 a.m.
8-10:30 a.m. — May 15
8 a.m.
8-10:30 a.m. — May 15
8 a.m.
9:25 a.m.
9-11:30 a.m. — May 13
9 a.m.
9-11:30 a.m. — May 17
9:25 a.m.
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. — May 15
10 a.m.
9-11:30 a.m. — May 13
10:50 a.m.
10:50 a.m.-1:20 p.m. — May 14
12-2:30 p.m. — May 13
11 a.m.
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. — May 15
12:15 p.m.
12:15-2:45 p.m. — May 16
10:50 a.m. Noon / 12:15 p.m. 1 p.m.
1-3:30 p.m. — May 13
Noon
12-2:30 p.m. — May 17
1:40 / 2 p.m.
2-4:30 p.m. — May 15
1 p.m.
2:25 p.m.
2:25-4:55 p.m. —May 15
2 p.m.
3:05 / 3:50 p.m.
3:50-6:20 p.m. — May 13
6:30 a.m.
Exam time: 6:30-9 a.m. — May 16 8-10:30 a.m. — May 14 9:25-11:55 a.m. — May 16
1 p.m.
1:40-4:10 p.m. — May 14
1-3:30 p.m. — May 13
1:40 p.m.
1:40-4:10 p.m. — May 14
2-4:30 p.m. — May 15
3:05 p.m.
3:05-5:35 p.m. — May 16
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April 22, 2019
WWW.THERANGER.ORG
SAC Republicans reviving organization after five-year hiatus from college Vice president hopes to attract members with diverse political views.
Students are reviving the SAC Republicans, which has not been active at this college for five years. Vice President Eric Scheffler, computer science freshman, said the club is open to students with all political views. Members staffed a table in the mall for one week to recruit others and host a raffle for a $30 gift card. The club recruited 16 members in that week, he said. The campus organization is associated with the Texas Federation of College Republicans and has contacts in the Bexar County Republican Party, he said. “The SAC Republicans usually see a spike in membership during election years, but when elections are over, members phase out,” Scheffler said. “I felt like this will always be an issue, so I turned to the internet.” Scheffler created a server on Discord, a popular social networking app, to send notifications for meeings. Scheffler was the only member when he joined Feb. 20. The club was already registered with the office of student life. According to student organization guidelines, Scheffler had to recruit at least nine more people to be active. This college has had two registered political clubs in addition to the SAC Republications. The SAC Democrats of San Antonio and Texas Rising at San Antonio have not been active for four years.
Political clubs do not usually open their group to every student, he said. Members created a mission statement to show students of various political persuasions are invited to join. The mission statement says the purpose of the club is to create and cultivate social change, break down division through discussion and maintain a government that only serves its citizens. “If we only have certain people in our club, there won’t be any discussion so I’ve decided to open it up,” Scheffler said. For example, anti-abortion rights students will have a platform to discuss issues. Gavin Nelson, computer support specialist freshman, said in an interview April 8, “I decided to join because I actually felt like this is a club where I can actually express some of the issues going on today.” Current topics up for discussion are antiabortion issues, Trump 2020 and immigration. He said society is beginning to censor itself depending on political views. By doing that, we are creating cartoons of the other side,” Scheffler said. Scheffler said if the club attracts a diverse group of people who would otherwise never talk to each other, this might eliminate stereotypes. He gave an example of a Muslim author who wrote an article about why she does not date white men. “This woman let her political lens blind her to the truth that not all white men are the same,” Scheffler said. The group has posters with QR codes around campus. Students can scan it with their smart phones to get information. The location and time of the next meeting have not been determined, but students interested in attending can call Scheffler at 704-221-6576.
Art sophomore Ashley Bueno and Adam Casiano, McNay Art Museum employee, put caulk on a chair for a Sculpture 1 project April 16 in visual arts. The untitled piece was originally a child’s chair, to which
Bueno added a dripping effect with acrylic caulk on the seat and spray-painted it silver. The finished piece will have clocks at the base and back rest. Deandra Gonzalez
By Samantha Woodward sac-ranger@alamo.edu
April 22, 2019
WWW.THERANGER.ORG/NEWS
Student life Director Jacob-Aiden Martinez proposes an adjustable budget for next year’s student services activity fee budget during a Student Activity Fee Committee meeting April 4 in Loftin. Martinez’s proposal would
News
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give the committee about $60,000 to fund applications for the year. Committee members heard his summary but the proposal was tabled for the next meeting May 3. Mitchell Gawlik
New director proposes cutting allotment for student activity fee April 25 is the deadline for applications for the May 3 meeting. By James Russell
jrussell65@student.alamo.edu
The Student Activity Fee Committee approved two organizations’ requests for funding at its meeting April 4 in the employee lounge in Loftin Student Center. Charging students $3 per credit hour, the student activity fee is projected to generate about $716,000 next year. For 2018-19, the committee oversaw $890,000. Of that $10,000 is set aside for benchmarks for use by clubs and student organizations. At the beginning of the spring semester, the committee had $200,000 for the student activity fee. The amount left is $119,468.68. The deadline for applications for the May 3 meeting is April 25. Students can get applications on Alamo Sync. In its last monthly meeting, the early childhood club ABCD presented its application for funding to attend the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children conference Sept. 26-28 in Frisco. The purpose of attending the conference is to “learn how to advocate for teachers better,” club sponsor and Professor Ana De Hoyos O’Connor, said. This is the first time the club has submitted an application to the committee, which approved the club’s request for $2,344 for six members and two advisers to attend the event. The Hammock Outdoor Club applied for $13,600 to attend an expedition July 12 with Wilderness Expeditions, an organization of trail guides, in Salida, Colo.
The club requested $13,600 to cover food, lodging and transportation costs for hiking in Colorado. The application was tabled and will be discussed in the next meeting May 3, after the club provides more detail and reasoning for the expenses. At the end of the meeting, student life Director Jacob-Aiden Martinez proposed an adjustable budget for next year’s student services activity fee budget summary. Martinez’s proposal would leave the committee with about $60,000 for the whole year. Martinez gave out a not-finalized budget summary because there aren’t “too many meetings left and the budget for next year should be brought up soon,” Martinez said in an interview April 4. During the March 7 committee meeting, the student advocacy center requested $7,000. The center’s budget is decided before the beginning of the school year. The reason was to provide students proper hygiene products. The travel size for hygiene products wasn’t enough to give to students, student success Coordinator Pamela Frias said. The student advocacy center spends $500-$600 every week on hygiene product. The annual fund has to be increased to be able to support the number of students coming for aid, Frias said. The application was approved. At the meeting, Sarah F. Morgan, president of the Society of Profession Journalists college chapter and reporter for The Ranger, reported on the society’s trip to Tarleton State University in Stephenville, March 22-24 for the Region 8 Conference, which includes Texas and Oklahoma. Total expenditures for the trip were $1,445.60, which was requested during the meeting March 7.
Administration celebrates national Baldrige award for college district The Alamo Colleges was one of five recipients nationally. By Sergio Medina
smedina104@student.alamo.edu
District officials including Chancellor Mike Flores and trustees Joe Alderete and Joe Jesse Sanchez and President Robert Vela recognized winning the 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award at a ceremony April 16 in the Victory Center. The award is described by the Baldrige website as “the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.” Baldrige inspectors visited the district in October to evaluate the colleges. Flores announced the district won the award Nov. 15. Before an audience of about
100, Flores said the award reflects upon the work faculty and staff do to serve students. “This is a big deal,” he said. “This is a very big deal because this is not only for community colleges; this isn’t only for colleges and universities; it’s not only for education. This is for any organization, public or private sector, that says ‘come and look at what we do.’” Since the award was established by Congress in 1987, 1,673 entities have applied for the award. Only 113 have been awarded so far. The other national recipients for 2018 were Integrated Project Management Company, Inc., a private business consulting company; Tri-County Tech from the Oklahoma Career and Technical Education System; Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center
in Jasper, Ind.; and Donor Alliance, a nonprofit organ procurement organization. Alderete emphasized it should be noted not many organizations have the award. “Let me tell you, Stanford doesn’t have this; Harvard doesn’t have it; every major university in the state of Texas doesn’t have what you have,” Alderete said. “And you know why?” he added. “Because they don’t have people like we have.” In an interview after the ceremony, Flores said being a recipient of the award means to be “best in class.” “We have a gold seal of approval to say that we do right by students in supporting them and right by our community, and that we also look at how we’re currently providing services in supporting
our students and faculty and staff, and what we need to do to do better,” he said. A webpage about the award has been included in the district’s website and can be accessed at www.alamo.edu/about-us/baldrige/. In an interview after the ceremony, Mario Lopez, president of this college’s Student Government Association, said that as an immigrant who once studied in Mexico, the difference in support and teaching the district provides is notable from that he received in Mexico. “Being in this country and having the opportunity to study over here, and most importantly, having the opportunity to be in an institution that actually puts the students first and actually wants them to succeed means a lot to me,” Lopez said.
Chancellor Mike Flores speaks April 16 at the Victory Center about the district winning the 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Flores congratulated employees during the ceremony for their work. “This is a really big deal,” he said. Andrea Moreno
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Features
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Trinity student presents art at sustainability meet Michael Leonard, a biology freshman at Trinity University, presented five paintings depicting plastic waste at the EcoExchangeEdu’s sustainability showcase April 5 in McCreless Hall. Leonard made one of 18 presentations showing different takes on sustainability, and attendance was estimated at 85 people, said Meredith Miller, Sinkin Eco Centro director and one of the events coordinators. Leonard’s paintings were based on photos by well-known photographers. He used acrylic to paint them and tried to emphasize parts of each photo or the whole photo to create a message encouraging proper waste disposal. “I wanted to have a more humanist take on it, something’s that’s more artistic and thought provoking,” he said in an interview April 4. The original photos were taken by wildlife photographer Justin Hofman, American photographer Chris Jordan, Reuters photographers Erik De Castro, Reuters photographer Steven Shi, Bangladeshi photojournalist Andrew Bhiraj, and National Geographic photographer Randy Olson. Leonard said he hopes the pieces can get across a message that people should do more to stop pollution. “What I really want to do more than anything else is get people to think about the plastics that we’re using, the single-use plastics like water bottles, plastic bags, plastics straws,” he said. “You can get along with your day just fine without them, but
we just mindlessly use it, and that’s a big part of the problem.” Leonard said the five pieces were lined up from left to right to show an escalating sense of dread from pollutants. “The effect I was going for with these pieces is that it starts out fully painted, and very aesthetically pleasing and artistic, and as you go across it becomes a little more realistic and blends better with the photographs,” he said. “That creates another effect that in the first few the plastic pollution is invading the painting, but by the end, the painting is really invading the pollution,” he said. “And that is meant to play with the binary that exists between our perception of nature as being something being pristine and beautiful versus the reality of what we’re doing to our environment,” he said. One of the photos showed a decomposing albatross that ate plastic while trying to catch fish. After the bird died, the plastics didn’t decompose with the body. “This photographer, Chris Jordan, he did a whole series of these and basically what happens is these birds consume the plastic because they were looking for fish,” he said. “It kills them, but then as the body starts to rot away and decompose, the plastic doesn’t.” Leonard said he has cared about the environment since he was a child. “Honestly, what really got me going was the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ when I was really little and just
Student’s academic, military life an inspiration to other graduates By Michael Smith sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Michael Leonard, biology freshman at Trinity University, holds two of five pieces he presented at the EcoExchangeEdu event April 5. Leonard used acrylic paint for the pieces, he calls the set of five ‘Thrown Away.’ The paintings are based on photos watching that, and I just became really passionate about the environment, and that just kind of snowballed from there into this,” he said. Concerning fair use, Leonard said his art is “appropriation art and because I’m not selling these, I’m not making a profit off of these, it’s all for education,” he said.
from stories by National Geographic by Erik De Castro, of Reuters (left) and Justin Hoffman (right). Leonard said he hopes the pieces can make students more aware of pollution. Travis Doyle
Appropriation art is when one uses pre-existing objects or pieces and re-contextualizes it to create a new work, Fine arts Coordinator Rebecca Dietz explained. “We are talking about when an artist takes another artist’s work and incorporates it into their own artwork. When one artist incorporates another
work of an artist in their own work that creates a new commentary or a new idea,” she said. The event also had presentations from students and faculty from Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, this college, University of the Incarnate Word, University of Texas at San Antonio, St. Mary’s University and Trinity University.
Students and faculty from seven colleges showcase sustainability presentations Hypothetical solar powered car park could save St. Mary’s University $50,000 a year. By Travis Doyle sac-ranger@alamo.edu Miguel Valdes, environmental science junior at St. Mary’s University, gave a presentation on solarpowered carports during EcoExchangeEdu’s sustainability showcase April 5 in McCreless Hall. His was one of 18 presentations at the event. The event had presentations from seven colleges showing sustainability ideas to an estimated 85 attendees. Valdes’ idea was about installing solar panels on the roofing of multiple carports at St. Mary’s to reduce the university’s carbon footprint. “The carport would be linked up to one of the dormitories here because it’s a dorm with, at least the meter, recognizes 600 kilowatt hours of power, and so we thought that the solar carport would be a major aspect of an area that could really break down on that power use from the city,” he said during an interview April 5. The presentation explained how the solar car park could cost $1,044,799 to install and would pay for itself after 15 years. Valdes received the estimate from Solar Electric Texas, a solar company. He estimated the carport would save the campus “about $50,000 a year.” Midori Flores, biology freshmen at St. Mary’s, had a presentation of surgical gloves sprayed with silver colloidal nanoparticles to decrease the pathogens on them compared to surgical gloves that did not have the spray. An article on Healthline describes size of the silver nanoparticles: “The size of the silver particles in colloidal silver can vary, but some are so tiny that they are referred to as ‘nanoparticles’ This means that they are less than 100 nm in size and invisible to the naked eye.” The Healthline article said it is unknown how the silver works, but “research suggests that it attaches
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Honors and Distinguished Graduate ceremony planned for May 7.
EcoExchangeEdu featured presentations from representatives of local colleges. By Travis Doyle sac-ranger@alamo.edu
April 22, 2019
Sandra Antelicia Brown, the administrative assistant program’s 2019 Distinguished Graduate and a candidate for an associate of applied science degree, will not walk the stage at commencement May 11 wearing the gold, black, blue, purple, silver, redwhite-and-blue, and black-and-platinum cords that symbolize her accomplishments. The 31-year-old Phi Theta Kappa honor society member also will not attend the Honors and Distinguished Graduate ceremony May 7. Instead, in her absence, her mother, Brenda Stewart, will don her daughter’s red graduation robe and seven cords to accept the degree at graduation. She also will accept the Distinguished Graduate award for her daughter at the honors ceremony. Brown died Oct. 21 of complications from medications. She will be the first Distinguished Graduate to be awarded posthumously since the program began in 2012, events Coordinator Lauren Sjulin said. Graduating from this college was important to Brown, her mother said April 10 in a telephone interview. “It was a milestone,” she said. “She was all about accolades herself as well as anybody that deserved it.” Elizabeth Haan, administrative computer technology coordinator, said Brown had well-defined goals. “She knew exactly what her skill set was and how she wanted to progress with her degree.” Professor Rena Doering praised Brown after teaching her in three classes. “She was all of the good things you would want in a student,” she said. “She truly excelled at everything she did. “ The seven cords adorning her graduation regalia show Brown’s commitment to excellence. In addition to the purple Distinguished Graduate cord and the gold one for the college honor society, her graduation cords include black for a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher, blue for the college’s Honors Academy, silver for Student Ambassador, red-white-and-blue for military service, and black and platinum for the National Society of Leadership and Success. She also received a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. Her extensive academic accomplishments don’t
Sandra Brown and her mother, Brenda Stewart, pose in front of a waterfall. Brown will be posthumously awarded a degree at this college’s graduation ceremony May 11. Courtesy tell the whole story, her mother said. Brown served in the U.S. Air Force five years where she attained the rank of staff sergeant and accumulated awards including the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, U.S. Air Force Longevity Service Award and the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Service Award. She worked as a nutritional medicine specialist at Brook Army Medical Center. “Whether they were birth patients, paraphilic, maternity, geriatric, obese or anorexic, she charted and monitored all of their eating habits,” Stewart said. “She was responsible for making sure their food served as their medicine.” Brown started two businesses, Sandi’s Bags & Things to market handbags and Medaci to sell herbal hair products. Brown loved African-American art and literature and nature, especially plant life, her mother said. Stewart said Brown was always looking for ways to learn more. “She was all about knowledge,” she said. “She was always wondering why people were not reading often.” As time permitted, Stewart and Brown traveled together 2016-2018. “During those two years, we discussed everything,” Stewart said. “Anything that needed to be revealed or disclosed was laid out on the table. We always talked about what we need to do to become
Sandra Brown was a staff sergeant in the Air Force. Courtesy a better person.” Brown’s main goal in life was to help people, and she cared deeply about everyone around her, Stewart said. “When she was growing up, she would always find a kid who nobody paid attention to,” she said. “She would always gravitate to those kids and help them.” Brown continued that into adulthood. “She would always make sure people had something to eat and received help with bills,” Stewart said. “She made sure everyone had their basic needs.” Stewart spoke of the impact of losing her oncehealthy daughter. “I lost my friend,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for more.” Stewart said that Brown’s life should serve as an inspiration to students. “Learning about someone who has accomplished so much will influence people to achieve their goals,” she said. “She was always a leader, a mentor and a humanitarian at heart. “I will not let her legacy die out.” The Honors and Distinguished Graduate ceremony will be 6-7:30 p.m. May 7 in the auditorium of McAllister Fine Arts Center. Commencement will be at 10 a.m. May 11 in Freeman Coliseum.
Music business students research bands, promote Fredstock Karen Engates, environmental science professor at the University of the Incarnate Word, looks at the presentation “A Solar Car Park on the St. Mary’s Campus” at the EcoExchangeEdu April 5 inside McCreless. Miguel Valdes, environmental science junior at St. Mary’s, said the cost of the proposal to add solar car panels can reach a maximum of $1,044,799. Andrea Moreno Camille Florillo, reference librarian at Northwest Vista College, said being surrounded by air cleaning plants can be helpful for individuals at the EcoExchangeEdu April 5 in McCreless theater. To show plants can help
reduce indoor air pollution, Florillo created an indoor landscape. Her research was based off the “Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement,” which was conducted by NASA in 1989. Andrea Moreno
to proteins on the cell walls of bacteria, damaging their cell membranes.” Flores tested the treatment by mixing a small sample of bacteria and putting it on a glove treated with the silver particles and a non-treated glove. “I did a series of trials with different bacterial streams, and I actually exposed the gloves that were treated with silver and those that were not treated,” she said in an interview April 5. “I did tests comparing the bacteria that was able to flourish and grow, and I found that from a glove that was just regular without the silver you can see all these colonies here versus the glove that did have silver was just one colony in each.” The poster showed the silver nanoparticle gloves could be used in the medical field to eliminate growth of pathogens like viruses, bacteria and fungi that typically grow on gloves, she said.
However, Healthline shows small nanoparticles may be absorbed through the skin as a side effect. The gloves would also have to be individually wrapped to further decrease pathogens spreading, she said. “I actually found some research that people said that show glove use in the health care field right now, they’re not individually packaged, so when people reach into the box and grab a glove they’re actually contaminating it and that’s actually led to a lot of in-hospital infections,” she said Camille Fiorillo, librarian at Northwest Vista College, had a presentation about how plants increased the air quality in the library. “Plants have other value in the home, and that they can actually clean the air,” she said during the presentation. “So I started an exhibit at the Northwest Vista College library, and the purpose of
the exhibit was to provide a pleasant atmosphere for study, research and reading to make students and library users aware that they are exposed to air pollutants in everyday environments and to highlight the positive effects of everyday house plants on air quality.” The library has 24 plants including ivy, weeping fig, spider plant and red-edged dracaena. Fiorillo wanted to put plants in the library because she believes there is a lack of air circulation in the library and her office. “I don’t have a window in my office, and none of the windows in the library open, and I suspect that’s true for most places that people work these days,” she said. Fiorillo based her exhibit on a 1989 NASA study to find the best plants to reduce indoor air pollution. “The technical paper was based on a two-year study from NASA and the associated Landscape Contractors of America and identifies air cleaning house plants,” she said. “The original concept for the study was to see how plants could be used in
space stations and long-term space voyages.” She referenced an article published on Lifehacker showing how common household plants can filter out trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene, xylene and ammonia from the air. Fiorillo said she hopes her presentation will help people think of what kind of sustainability they can do in their own lives. Students and faculty from Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, this college, the University of the Incarnate word, University of Texas at San Antonio, St. Mary’s University and Trinity University gave presentations. Other presentations from St. Mary’s University included the use of motion sensor lighting for the college, waste management at the Diamondback Café and cost benefit analysis of electric hand dryers versus paper towels. Presentations from Trinity University focused on urban agriculture and crop diversification as a solution to climate-fueled food price volatility and ecological ouroboros.
Students had to decide on types of music and bands for Fredstock April 26. By Samantha Woodward sac-ranger@alamo.edu Music business students are working to overcome obstacles to make Fredstock, a free music festival April 26, successful. The event is named after the late Fred Weiss, founder of the music business program. The official Fiesta San Antonio event will be noon-10 p.m. in Lot 7 east of Longwith Radio, Television and Film Building. Students in MUSB 1341, Concert Promotion and Venue Management, are producing the event. Challenges students faced while promoting Fredstock included companies using out-of-date information to promote the event. “We have to find out who sent the old information and contact them so we can get it corrected,” music business Adjunct Julie Good said in an
interview April 9. Promotional companies like Eventbrite, Ticketfly and Do210 did not have the updated logo, she said. Students created a press release for radio stations, television stations and newspaper outlets to promote this event. Students had to coordinate with local vendors to supply a variety of foods. “Acquiring vendors and sponsors seemed like a daunting task, but with support from Donnie Meals, Good and students of the music business department, it’s looking like we are about to host one helluva party! How else does San Antonio fiesta?” music business sophomore Rudy Rubio said in an interview April 11. Food vendors for Fredstock include Lady Picoza, Mr. Fish and The Grate BBQ Co. Also, snack trucks will serve shaved ice, elote, agua fresca, fruit
cups and cupcakes. Two weeks into the semester students had to research local bands that could potentially play at Fredstock. “They had to submit an assignment and justify the business aspect component of why they think this will be the best band to have,” Good said.
Students had to think about types of music and which bands would blend with others. “We submitted our bids, people we thought would bring a diverse group of people to Fredstock,” music business sophomore Madi Beck said. Rubio submitted a band called The Buddy System, which will play 1:302:30 p.m. “I was ecstatic to hear The Buddy System was added to the lineup
for Fredstock 2019. It meant the festival coordinator was open to new ideas and musical contributions,” he said. Other bands that will be performing at Fredstock are Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz, Funkasaurus Tex, Los #3 Dinners, Bad Boys and Blue Sundries. Last year, 1,500 people attended, and this year students are expecting more. “I wasn’t there last year, but Professor Good said that’s how many people were there, so we are expecting anything north of 1,500 people,” Rubio said. Music business students still need help from clubs and organizations to host activities. “Online when student clubs are registering, there is an option for student organizations and there is no fee. We will always make space for them,” Good said. To sign up an organization, call English Professor Jane Focht-Hansen at 210-486-1436 or register at www. fredstocksatx.com
6
Opinion
April 22, 2019
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Staff Editor Sergio Medina Managing Editor Rogelio Escamilla News Editor Lionel Ramos Web Editor James Russell Staff Writers Sandy Cordell, Travis Doyle, Julian Gonzales, Geoffrey Hovatter, Marissa Macias, Janie Medelez, Sarah F. Morgan, Jackie Muralles, Alberto Ramirez, Michael Smith, Isacc Tavares, Samantha Woodward Photographers Deandra Gonzalez, Brittney Maria Moreno, Brianna Rodrigue Photo Team Mitchell Gawlik, Andrea Moreno, Amaru Ruiz Illustrators Raia Blankenship, Amanda Graef
Raia Blankenship
Let’s not forget to care for our trees Report trees in poor shape to the facilities office. Within the past two semesters, two full-grown trees — a 60-foot fern pine and a cedar elm of about 25 feet — fell in areas of the college where student traffic is heavy. The fern pine fell in October on Dewey Place north of McCreless Hall. Uprooted by its own weight, its trunk barely missed cars
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1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-3941. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community College District, are laboratory projects of classes in the journalism-photography program at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays
parked nearby. The branches grazed windows in across the street but broke none. Similarly, the cedar elm, located west of Loftin Student Center, was damaged by storm winds in early April, causing its canopy to break, falling between Loftin Student Center and Gonzales Hall. Just because it’s called an act of God, meaning insurance won’t cover physical damage, there’s no excuse for oversights.
Don’t add more restrictions to application process for group demonstrations Editor:
The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.
I understand that the demonstration April 3 by the members of Chi Alpha created controversy with some of the student body who witnessed the event, resulting in a complaint being filed. However, I don’t think there should be any changes regarding the current application process for groups wishing to demonstrate on campus. The rules you provided in your article are pretty self-explanatory and standard for a campus to hold, and I don’t think adding any more restrictions would improve the student life here. While the reaction to the members of Chi Alpha was mostly negative, they still completed the application process and abided by the rules mentioned. While I do not agree with the message they were trying to send to the public, I do not think that any more restrictions on student demonstrations and the application process should be added.
(210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available by phone 210-486-1765 or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association. Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and community members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints of up to 450 words. Writers should focus on campus or current events in a critical, persuasive or interpretative style. All viewpoints must be published with a photo portrait of the writer. Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to
Robin Jean Zuercher Health and Biosciences Sophomore
share views by writing letters to the editor. Space limitations force the paper to limit letters to two double-spaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be emailed to sac-ranger@ alamo.edu or submitted online. Letters also may
Applauding faculty who supported Rape Crisis Center, raised awareness
be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of
Editor:
Loftin Student Center, mailed to The Ranger, jour-
I want to address the article in The Ranger, “Men asked to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” by Sandy Cordell, published April 10.
nalism-photography program, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-3941 or faxed to 210-486-9292. Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and telephone number. Students should include classification, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773. Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs. Where available, additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger business office. Those who violate the single-copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and college discipline.
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Everyone should report trees that are dead, dying or injured to facilities Director David Ortega at 210-486-1227. The office is at Dewey Place and Howard Street. It’s important to take care of the trees on campus. They provide shade, shelter for wildlife and clean air. Beyond helping maintain the beauty of the college, taking care of the trees also means keeping our campus safe.
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While it is fortunate no injuries were reported in either incident, it does not mean a fatal accident couldn’t happen. Groundskeepers should inspect trees around campus, particularly those in heavily trafficked areas, to keep students and personnel safe. Perhaps volunteers from Sinkin Eco Centro, which has dedicated teams to improving the college’s landscaping, could help inspect the trees.
In San Antonio style, we seized an opportunity to shine and address an issue for many women to raise awareness about how to prevent sexual violence and educate our community. I applaud our men and women in the faculty who came out in support and raised money for the local Rape Crisis Center and domestic violence shelters. Although I’m disappointed that serving as Grand Marshal, Sheriff Javier Salazar did not show off his heels at the event; his beautiful rescue horse was in full red hooves for the walk. Although Women’s History Month is over, I am glad that San Antonio College partnered with the Rape Crisis Center to sponsor this event for the city and hope we might be involved in others throughout the coming months.
Linda Owens Journalism Sophomore
Direct religious lectures to a specific location for safety Editor: I recently came across an article while browsing The Ranger today, “Students take issue with religious demonstration,” published April 1, regarding religion on campus. I wanted to throw a couple of suggestions your way to help give a more positive approach toward this sensitive subject. Suggestions like: The next time a student organization wants to have a public lecture about
their religion, a specific location for this activity should be assigned for everyone’s safety. I also thought it would be a great idea to create an open community event discussion page for event planning and organization. I think these two suggestions could go a long way for future rallies.
Dean Austin Mcgowen Business Administration Sophomore
It’s important for students to have mental health resources on campus Editor: In regard to the article “College Offers Resources to Combat Depression,” published Feb. 25, the resources that are being presented are offered to keep students mentally healthy. This article pushes more toward students who have a mental illness. Checking out these resources should also be encouraged to students who do not have illnesses. This can expand their understanding of mental illnesses or help students who are just going through a tough time, despite not having a mental illness. It is a huge achievement to have counseling, nutrition classes and a fitness center available for students to use. It would be a waste if students do not feel like they need to work on themselves unless they have a mental disorder.
Monica Castro Computer Science Freshman
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Anti-abortion demonstration draws students on both sides of issue
Faculty presents lab compensation issues
By Geoffrey Hovatter
By Sergio Medina
About 12 students for abortion or against abortion interacted with members of the Love of Truth Ministries April 15 at a demonstration in the mall. Daryl Rodriguez, president of Love of Truth Ministries, and four other volunteers held an antiabortion demonstration to inform students about why and how having an abortion is wrong.
The group set up 12 posters in the mall, showing photographs of live fetuses and aborted fetuses between seven and 18 weeks. “We’re telling people about the truth of abortion and educating people what it really is, that it’s murder, that it’s a violation of human rights, it’s immoral and ultimately goes against the Bible and what God says about murder,” he said in an interview.
Math Professor Cindy Katz told the board of trustees $8.2 million would be needed to compensate faculty for lab hours at the same ratio as lecture hours. Katz represented the Executive Faculty Council
at the committee meeting April 16, showcasing the recommendations from the council. Currently, lab hours are paid at two-thirds the rate of lecture hours. The council made three recommendations.
7
News
April 22, 2019
Cindy Katz, Executive Faculty Council member, presents a lab loading proposal to the council April 12 in Killen before its presentation to the board April 16. Katz said the proposal is to balance lab pay with that of lecture pay for faculty in the Alamo Colleges. Andrea Moreno
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FRAMEWORK from Page 1 “There’s already leadership opportunities at each college,” Gardin said. “So there’s already people that we have an idea would be on those committees. For example, at my college, the student life office does a lot of development for students, so it makes sense that we would at least start there. We don’t have names yet, but it wouldn’t be difficult because we are already doing some of this work.” The framework will mandate individual colleges create a two-tier program where students will complete and attain a shared set of knowledge, skills and abilities that can be tracked. The first tier will introduce the knowledge, skills and abilities to students, and they must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts throughout their first two semesters. The second tier will require students to apply the leadership knowledge, skills and abilities “in class, in extra-curricular activities, through engagement with the community and through opportunities to engage with university and workforce partners,” according to the presentation. Students will have the responsibility of documenting their progress through each tier via a method determined by each college. Gardin said colleges could possibly use existing services like AlamoSync, an existing website that is
TUITION from Page 1 classes when they see it’s going to be more work,” Irvin said. “It’s not like they’re less work for faculty. “You have to get everything set up in incredible detail for online,” he said. “All of what you might be able to do in class — an exercise or something — you have to set up and then grade everything online.” Irvin said another concern with online learning is the uncertainty of students learning and retaining the material.
capable of tracking student activities and service hours, as a documentation method because every student already has an account. Students will have access to their archived assessment of tier progression for two years after graduating or transferring. “If you go to an interview and say ‘I have critical thinking skills,’ that’s a very not concrete or tangible thing,” Gardin said. “Instead of trying to do that, you might be able to pull out a portfolio of things that you’ve done, especially if it’s outside the classroom, and be able to show evidence and demonstrate it, rather than describe it.” The knowledge, skills and abilities the framework addresses are critical thinking, effective communication, social responsibility, teamwork and personal responsibility. An Executive Faculty Council board policy B.9.1/ Student Leadership Framework Ad-hoc Committee, which Gardin was a member of, determined these knowledge, skills and abilities to be in demand by employers and universities in 2017. Council members agreed the framework should leave more room for individual colleges to develop their own methods of implementation, assessment and documentation of student progression through each tier. The colleges will share their work with each other through an implementation committee at
each college to ensure the knowledge, skills and abilities goals are being met by every student. The implementation committees will also identify a method of documenting tier progression, which is mandated by the framework. “It would make sense if the folks who are already doing leadership stuff at their college, that they would take this on so it wouldn’t be a huge additional burden on them,” Gardin said. “That’s not really in our privy since we were tasked with coming up with the framework and coming up with how to make this exist. I’m not willing to say that it would or wouldn’t be a problem or a burden, but it is a consideration that the colleges would have to take into account.” Lennie Irvin, English professor and this college’s Faculty Senate president, said implementation committee members at this college haven’t been decided yet.
“The idea for Tier 1 is it will be integrated into the curriculum that faculty already do, but just make it more visible,” Irvin said. “Tier 2 is kind of outside the classroom, and we do a lot of that already, and trying to enhance that and offer more opportunities.” The district would not be involved with the implementation of the framework. “We’ll see where it goes,” Irvin said. “The part that the faculty is wanting is the idea to scale it up across all five colleges. The colleges need to be empowered to do it on their own, rather than be dependent on the centralized district to deliver it for them and control it. It’s better to have it be flexible and the colleges come up with their own program within the guidelines of the framework.”
“How do you verify that someone’s doing the work?” he asked. “And then, how do you test them? They have what they call LockDown Browser, so once you start the test you can’t open the web or anything, but everybody has a phone, you know, or another computer or laptop or something.” “Everything is open book, I guess,” Irvin said. The enrollment of online-only students has increased in recent years. In fall 2015, 5,951 students were enrolled exclusively in online courses.
That figure increased to 7,125 in fall 2018. Of that number, 953, or 15.4 percent, were outof-district students. A March 19 presentation given by Luke Dowden, chief online learning officer, during the board of trustees’ regular meeting reported the district has the sixth most affordable out-of-district tuition rate in the state, at $215 per credit hour. The first five are: Dallas County Community College at $111, San Jacinto College at $112, Tarrant County College at $126, Houston Community
College at $159 and Lone Star College at $172. With the new eRate of $170, the district’s outof-district rate for online-only students would become the fifth most affordable in Texas. Dowden also said there are about 1.12 million potential online learners within a 100-mile radius of Bexar County, 643,000 of whom are high school graduates without a college degree. A presentation on online enrollment can be found at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/ PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=44057908.
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2019 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES
Namita Ali
Dental Assisting
Aaron Frizzell Music Business
Rachel Murchland
Crisiel Barajas Medical Assisting
Alexa Garza Drama
Angela Nagel
Jennifer Benavides Human Resource Management
Lauren Gonzalez Liberal Arts
Veronica Ochoa
Court Reporting
Emergency Medical Services
Administrative Assistant
Twyla DeShon Ross
Brian Sixto
Susie Soliz
Accounting Technology
History
Sociology
Evan Blackwell
Ruby Byrne
Aaron Carrico
Visual Arts
Nutrition
Engineering
Kayla Gunn
American Sign Language Interpreting
Okhai Omotuebe
Alexis Hernandez Herrera
Leslie Hoffman
Criminal Justice
Clinton Minton
Psychology
Network Administrator
Analysa Ramirez
Javier Reyes
Claudia Ellis Education
Jeffrey Missouri Jr. Business Management
Biology Pre-Nursing
Amanda Pina
Computer Programming
Dental Assisting Level 1 Certficiate
Early Childhood Studies
Tekoa Terry
Alejandra Torres
Jasmine Trejo
Human Services
Tearanei Carrington
Political Science
Dance
Jennifer Reyna
Funeral Director Level II Certificate
Public Administration
Selina Urias
Juzzine Valverde
Information Assurance & Cybersecurity
Fire Science
Dawn Elmore Music Business Certficiate
Joseph Montalvo Computer Support Specialist
Evelyn Rodriguez Architecture
Monique Vogt Mascorro
Crisley Esquivel Sarceno Social Work
Jay Morris Paralegal
Jose Rodriguez Speech
Monica Weidner Mortuary Science
Business Administration
Go to alamo.edu/sac/2019DistinguishedGrads to see their bios!
8
April 22, 2019
Features
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International Student Association hosts cultural exploration event Meetings are every Tuesday, and membership is open.
“You choose a block and there are capitals of every country written on it,” computer science freshman By Marissa Macias Hamza sac-ranger@alamo.edu Iqbal said. The International Student “If you guess Association promoted cultural which country the exploration through an event capital belongs teaching students about other to, then you countries with free food and get a prize,” games April 4 in Loftin Student Iqbal is Center. from Dubai. Around 30 countries were Argentinian represented including Paraguay, empanadas and Italy, Chile and India, said Arabic sweets were Caterina Beverati, president of offered to students who the association and environmen- signed into the event with their tal science freshman. student email, cyber security Beverati is an international freshman Bruno Bogado said. student from Italy. Bogado is from Paraguay. About 150 The assovisitors attendciation encoured the event. ages students “We’re tryto learn more ing to share our about cultures cultures with represented on SAC and procampus, study mote the desire abroad and Caterina Beverati International Student of travel with create a comAssociation president more informamunity for tion on other international countries,” Beverati said. students. Board games such as Jenga “We are not like two different were used to share general knowl- teams,” Beverati said. “We are all edge of countries. a part of the community,”
“We hope to make people more curious about the world.”
Of the 99 international students enrolled at this college, 10 are a part of the association. All students are welcome to join.
“Ever yone who is for multicultural sharing are welcome to come join,” Beverati said. Meetings are at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 220C of Oppenheimer Academic Center. During weekly meetings members discuss plans and opportunities for international students to get involved in local activities. Recently, members gathered at Habibi Café, 5306 Broadway, to create better relationships, Beverati said. During the next association meeting, a new group activity will be planned. “We hope to make people more curious about the world,” Beverati said. For more information, contact Beverati at cbeverati@student.alamo.edu.
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Early childhood teacher Alfonso Ortiz leads the Week of the Young Child parade April 12 from the early childhood center to Loftin. Ortiz was this year’s grand marshal because he is retiring at the end of the semester. Mitchell Gawlik
Week ends with colorful parade Children enjoy sensory learning with interactive stations. By Jackie Muralles sac-ranger@alamo.edu
A procession of 35 children, 12 parents and seven teachers danced their way through the streets April 12 to celebrate Week of the Young Child. The parade route started on Howard Street east of the early childhood education center at 210 W. Ashby Place and extended through West Courtland Place and Dewey Place. Each class was assigned a festive color — green for children 1-2, yellow for children 2-3, white for children 3 years old and red for children 3-4 years old. Alfonso Ortiz, early childhood center teacher, led as the grand marshal of the procession while playing his drum. The parade ended in the mall where all the participants huddled for a pep rally. Claudia Gonzalez, early childhood center coordinator, opened the rally speaking about the Week of the Young Child. Ileana Sanchez-Vargas, emergency medical technician sophomore, performed a ballet folklorico dance for the crowd. The pep rally ended with a few words from Ortiz, who is retiring at the end of this semester. “In a couple weeks, we’re going to celebrate Fiesta, and one of our graduates from the center, Victoria Gonzalez, is actually Miss Fiesta (San Antonio) this year,” Ortiz said. He thanked the center and everyone in attendance for their continued support. After his remarks, the procession returned to the center, where educational activities were planned. Back at the center, children took part in interactive science technology engineering arts and mathematics stations organized by each classroom.
EMT sophomore Ileana Sanchez-Vargas dances to “La Negra” by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitán’s April 12 during the Week of the Young Child parade in the mall. Mitchell Gawlik One station had a ramp where children tested the speeds of various objects. Other stations were pipe cleaner weaving and coffee filter tie-dye activities that focused on the children’s artistic abilities. There was an engineering station where children were given a variety of loose parts and had to figure out which pieces fit together. This event closed out the Week of the Young Child, a celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The association provides quality care standards for the center and other childcare centers throughout the nation. According to a flyer from the association, the week “focuses public attention on the rights and needs of young children.” For more information, call 210-486-0526 or log on to www.alamo.edu/sac/ecs.