The Ranger, Oct. 1, 2018 by The Ranger

The anger Volume 93 • Issue 3 San Antonio College A forum of free voices since 1926

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Cheshyre Cheese Club hosts open mic night By Giovanni Maccarone sac-ranger@alamo.edu Open Mic nights are a safe space for students to express themselves without feeling judged, English Professor Jane Focht-Hansen said at the event Sept. 20 in Loftin Student Center. “At least once a month you can go out and loosen up a bit, be a little crazy, practice your speech if you’ve got one coming up for class,” Focht-Hansen said. “If you want to dance, that’s cool,” she said. “We don’t care.” This was the first Open Mic night of the semester presented by the Cheshyre Cheese Club. About 10 students snacked on cookies and coffee as they listened to fellow students read poetry, show off artwork and perform music. Focht-Hansen said watching students build up courage is an experience that makes life good. “You can be really happy with your bank balance, but you don’t get to hear somebody get brave,” she said. “For Joseph to feel comfortable enough to do that is pretty wonderful. “And I think everybody in the room understood that.” She referred to general science sophomore Joseph Garza who spoke shortly and placed his notebook of drawings on a table in the front for everyone to look at, then stepped away. Focht-Hansen said that “that was pretty interesting” and “brave.”

“I can’t really express emotions in the best way so drawing is the best way I know how,” Garza said. He explained that dealing with autism spectrum disorder has made it difficult to socialize on a daily basis, but walking into a welcoming environment has made it easier. Theater sophomore Alexa Garza read original poems. “I had done poetry in high school and then I stopped,” she said. “It was because of this crush on this guy and the heartbreak that I even picked up a pen and started writing because the feelings just got too intense,” Garza said. Her emotional poems inspired others in the audience to go to the front and read their own poems. “If you were watching folks, when it started everyone was nervous, but now people’s shoulders are back and they’re enjoying themselves,” FochtHansen said. “I just think it’s a great place to share your talent, take a deep breath and figure out a way to make it to the next day,” she said. The Cheshyre Cheese Club meets at 2 p.m. every Tuesday in the writing center in Room 203 of Gonzales Hall. The next Open Mic night is 6 p.m. Oct. 25 in Loftin and will include a Halloween costume contest. For more information, email Focht-Hansen at jfocht-hansen@ alamo.edu.

Education sophomore Daisia Gibbs paints her piece “Celica” for a spatial plane project during the Painting 1 and 2 class Sept. 25 in visual arts. Gibbs said the idea for her painting came from a dream. The painting is 72 inches high by 60 inches wide. Deandra Gonzalez

Faculty Senate creates channels for improved dialogue English professor said urgencies should be taken to board of trustees directly. By Sergio Medina smedina104@student.alamo.edu The Faculty Senate is following up on its plan to set up a system of communication to ease dialogue between itself and faculty by assigning representa-

tives and liaisons to the college’s academic departments. Previously, Lennie Irvin, English professor and president of the senate, had proposed having an avenue for faculty to effectively pass on comments and concerns to the senate. The representative and liaison system is Irvin’s strategy to do so. Irvin said in an interview

The $55 million district building nears completion Information technology, police and facilities will be among first to move into new location. By Kimberly Caballero sac-ranger@alamo.edu The new district support operations complex could be ready to house district operations by March. A $55 million budget for the district support operations complex was approved July 2015 by the Alamo Colleges board of trustees. The DSO building at 2222 N. Alamo St. is a headquarters to house the district’s operation employees, said John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities and construction management. The board of trustees approved the May 17, 2016, min-

ute order awarding the contract to Skanska USA Building, Inc. Also, under the minute order is a DSO project summary. It states the total project budget for the building and its furnishing is $55 million, funded by revenue bonds. A revenue bond is a bond issued to a revenue-producing property by a public agency. The bond is payable by any revenue the property receives. The summary lists the budget distribution as follows: $7 million for “moving costs, building permit costs, construction materials testing, furniture, fixtures and equipment, project contingency, etc.”; “$3

Construction is underway Sept. 26 at 2222 N. Alamo St. for the new district support operations building. The $55 million building will open as early as March. Kimberly Caballero million estimated architect and engineering design fees”; and “$45 million construction manager at risk guaranteed maximum price.” The district website dedicated to building updates can be found at https://newdso.blog/.

The website has a slideshow presentation titled “DSO Building Townhall Presentation,” which includes a site plan, a timeline of the building’s process and a list of district departments that will move into the building. The slideshow states planned

Sept. 24 that the ideal function is to have someone at department meetings notify members about what is going on with the senate. “Likewise, if there’s a discussion going on in the department or some issue, then that can come back to the senate,” he said. Currently, senators have been assigned a department

to represent and communicate with on behalf of the senate. Irvin said that if a department found itself without a representative who was already a senator, then a liaison would be assigned to that department. Liaisons, as opposed to representatives, who are senators, are not bound to attend senate meetings.

occupancy is November or December, while the website’s homepage states expected move-in January or February. Strybos said in a Sept. 18 interview that district administration will probably begin moving into the building in March. Ideally, everything will be completed and everyone moved in by June 1 if move-in begins March 1, he said. Strybos listed the current location of several district departments. Killen Center houses the chancellor’s office, the legal office, human resources, the board room and others; the facilities department off Pat Booker houses financial aid, student leadership, the call center and others, he said. There are also other buildings at other locations throughout Bexar County. “That really means we are scattered all over the county,”

Strybos said. “It means if (then Chancellor Bruce) Leslie calls people for a meeting, they can be 30 minutes away on a good day and the meeting could be done in 30 minutes,” he said. “So, it makes it really hard to work face-to-face. “We can call each other and talk to each other, and we do that, but to have us all in the same building — the same place and space — that’s what this does.” Information technology, police and facilities generally move in first to prepare the building for everyone else, Strybos said. The construction’s final cost is $45 million. The remaining $10 million went to architects, engineers, design consultants, information technology, furniture, fixtures, equipment and everything else to make the building operational, he said.

See Senate, Page 2

2 News History instructor writes book on women’s body image Oct. 1, 2018

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Her dissertation research studied a “harmful” quest for perfection. By V. Finster vfinster1@alamo.edu History Instructor Amelia Serafine, is writing a book, “Chew the Fat: Women, Size, and Community in America.” The book will be published by New York University Press in 2020 and covers women organizing communities such as Weight Watchers, that focus around issues of body size, from 1945-1990s. Serafine’s book expands on her dissertation, “Let’s Get Together and Chew the Fat”: Women, Size, and Community in Modern America. She wrote the dissertation as part of the requirement for a Ph.D. in history from Loyola University in 2017. Serafine said she chose this topic because body

image affects men and women differently, and she wants to encourage health and wellness at any size. Serafine used the new term “thigh gap” as an example of how popular culture is constantly creating new issues surrounding women’s bodies. “This quest for perfection is especially harmful to women — all bodies are beach bodies,” she said. “Just take your body to the beach.” She began her dissertation from a quote from “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective in 1984: “In many cultures and historical periods, women have been proud to be large — being fat was a sign of fertility, of prosperity, of the ability to survive … fat activists suggest that mak-

ing women afraid to be fat is a form of social control. Fear of fat keeps women preoccupied, robs us of our pride and energy, keeps us from taking up space.” Serafine’s dissertation investigates four communities, Take off Pounds Sensibly, Overeaters Anonymous, Weight Watchers, and the Fat Liberation, and their attempts to claim agency over women’s bodies. “This quest for perfection is especially harm- Serafine ful to women,” Serafine said Sept. 19 in an interview. Upon publication of the book, she plans to have speakers come to this college to engage students in conversation about body size to help people think about their own relationship with their bodies.

History Instructor Amelia Serafine holds up a “We are all Wonder Women!” sign Sept. 19 in her office in Chance. Serafine is writing a book ”Chew the Fat: Women, Size, and Community in America” chronicling women organizing around issues of body size from the mid 1940s-1990s. V. Finster

Her colleague, history Instructor Suraya Khan said, “I think this is a topic that can resonate with people.” Khan said she drives past a local plastic surgeon’s billboards daily. She said over the summer the advertisements were geared specifically toward beach wear, telling women to trade in their two piece (fried chicken), for a twopiece (bikini). She said Serafine’s work addresses that perspective. Serafine, who didn’t finish high school, earned a GED diploma as a single mom. She began her collegiate journey at Allegheny County Community College in 2000 with a 6-month-old son and transferred to the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 to pursue a bachelor of arts in history. She earned a master’s degree at Loyola University before the Ph.D. Serafine said teachers in the community college taught students as if they were already at a four-year institution. “That was really powerful to be treated like I was there for a reason,” she said. Serafine said it had been her goal to teach at a community college. “I had very transformative, very powerful experiences there. It’s like a home; you want to come back to it,” she said. Before joining the faculty in the spring, Serafine taught world, European and Catholic history as an adjunct at the University of Wisconsin. Visit https://ecommons. luc.edu/luc_diss/2852/ to view a synopsis on Serafine’s dissertation, available for download.

SENATE from Page 1 The responsibility of the liaison would simply be to exchange communication between departments and senate, he said. Irvin said that while the option to use email to communicate with faculty exists, it may not be as effective because of lack of engagement. It is not guaranteed all faculty will read that email. “What I’m trying to do is get the senators, who are working as the representatives and/or liaisons, to make contact with the department, make contact with the faculty at a departmental level, and introduce themselves,” he said. Alex Bernal, English proIrvin fessor and member of the senate, shared his views on the communication system and its challenges in an interview Sept. 20. “As far as communicating with the entire faculty, we want to make sure that the senate indeed represents the faculty’s concerns,” Bernal said. “So if all faculty members do not get the message and now everybody has a representative on the senate, then it’s up to us to share information with the various departments. “Sounds great in theory; in practice, I hope that we do that. It’s not easy,” he said. The reason behind Bernal’s concern is the members of the senate, who number 25, have their responsibility spread throughout the college. Keeping everyone in the loop could prove a challenge, he said. For comparison, there are 239 fulltime faculty and 385 adjunct faculty members at this college. “So we just need to make sure that they’re getting the message,” he said. He favorably sees the ability for faculty to send their concerns through this channel of communication. “That part is fantastic,” Bernal said. During the Sept. 14 senate meeting, Irvin encouraged senate members to accompany him to meetings with administrators to foster varied dialogue, cycling senators at each meeting. Bernal approved of senate officials meeting with administrators, using that chance to share faculty concerns with President Robert Vela. “The senate leadership can take the concerns to college administration,” Bernal said. “So whatever is discussed here (in senate meetings), some of them are informal motions; some are just concerns. Some of that can be taken to administration.” Bernal’s main concern, however, is that the representative system is not suitable for matters that require urgent attention. “If it hasn’t been talked about, and it’s sprung suddenly, that’s what I call an urgency,” he said.

In the Sept. 14 senate meeting, Bernal said faculty should know they could communicate urgent concerns directly to the board of trustees without having to go through the system. “All of this works for something that doesn’t require immediate action,” he said. “If there’s an urgency that cannot go through this slow process — it can be a slow process — then that person should have the right to go to citizens to be heard.” Citizens to be heard is a segment during the board of trustees meetings where citizens can make proposals or voice concerns directly to the board for three allotted minutes per individual. However, the board does not allow complaints from students or employees “without determining that the speaker has exhausted available administrative remedies,” B.8.1.1 (policy) reads. Before resorting to citizens to be heard, faculty must go through the faculty’s respective department heads “for presentation to the college administration with recourse to the college Faculty Senate and the District United Faculty Senates,” the policy reads. Eduardo “Eddie” Cruz, district ethics and compliance officer, said in an interview Sept. 26 that if complaints from faculty have gone through respective college resources — college administration and senates — then faculty are “more than welcome” to come before the board during citizens to be heard. Citizens can sign up an hour ahead of board and committee meetings, which start at 6 p.m. on the second and third Tuesdays of the month, except for June and November, at Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan St. Irvin said the list of representatives and liaisons for departments has not been uploaded to the senate website at sites.google.com/view/sac-facultysenate. Irvin could not provide a date of when the list will be ready. However, faculty can call Irvin for more information about representatives and liaisons at 210-486-0672, email at lirvin@alamo.edu or go to Room 223B of Gonzales Hall. Irvin expressed the importance of having this type of communication system for faculty’s concerns. “I want two things: to value faculty views and faculty concerns,” he said. He said faculty should have the means to work out issues and concerns to facilitate their jobs because they are the ones on “the front lines,” working with students. “I think that’s important,” Irvin said. “I want that faculty role to be valued. “The second thing is that I want the faculty to see that the senate is relevant, that we’re doing something about things as best as we can,” he said.

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Oct. 1, 2018

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Opinion 3

Staff Managing Editor Sergio Medina Opinion Editor Austin P. Taylor Calendar Editor Andrea Moreno Social Media Editor Brianna Rodrigue Staff Writers Kathya Anguiano, Huguette Buduri, Kimberly Caballero, Feliciano De Haro III, Liandre de la Uso, Jason Durant, Rogelio Escamilla, Julian Gonzales, Blanca Granados, Richard Hernandez, Geoffrey K. Hovatter, Esther Lopez Caballero, Mardio Lattimore, Giovanni Maccarone, Janie Medelez, Jackie N. Muralles, Lionel Ramos, James Russell Photo Editor V. Finster Photographer Deandra Gonzalez Photo Team Christina R. Emmett, Mitchell Gawlik, Dillon Holloway, Brittney Maria Moreno, Alan Torres Illustrator Amanda Graef Distribution Manager Micaela Avila

Amanda Graef

Students: use Book-a-Librarian service Learning how to navigate databases may help reduce stress from research assignments. With technology growing at rapid speed and offering countless opportunities, students have ever-growing technological skills to learn. Thankfully, additional services are available to help them adapt to the changes. The Book-a-Librarian program offers 30-minute one-on-one tutoring with a librarian. With a librarian’s guidance, students learn to tackle the notoriously daunting task of the research assignment and the databases students must navigate to

complete those assignments. Who has not suffered through a research assignment? The average student could encounter at least a few research assignments in their collegiate career — each one could causes stress and prevent a student from excelling in that assignment, or worse yet completely abandoning the task. An undergrad majoring in a subject heavy with research assignments,

for example an English major, might encounter more than a dozen in any given semester. These skills are often not discussed at great length even in majors heavy with research assignments. Fortunately for students, Book a Librarian offers help. Because the program specifically helps students learn to navigate databases, a student has hope of getting through these assignments with more ease and less stress. Their confidence using databases and technology will build.

They will be able to navigate databases with ease and comfort so that they can find the information they need and complete their assignments in a timely manner. The end result for students will be better grades, improved skills and greater confidence in completing a degree. The benefits of the program extend even beyond this. The program can help bring students into the library, a positive environment with an array of resources and services. But students better book early. Procrastinators may find themselves out of luck.

Editorial

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.

College must notify all of news Emotional intelligence plays an important role in communication.

The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-4861773), 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.

On Sept. 19, an employee of this college was found unresponsive underneath an Alamo Colleges vehicle. As police officers, EMTs and fire fighters arrived, people began to notice. The crowd of onlookers, including students, were left in the dark about the tragic scene. That evening, President Robert Vela sent an email to this college’s employees announcing the death of Michael “Mike” Segovia.

No similar announcement went to students. In a location students populate daily, students often interact with employees. It’s not unusual to greet housekeepers or groundskeepers as they do their jobs. Maintenance workers may only appear when things go wrong, but they make up the fabric of the college. Students form connections and friendships with more than faculty. We hope the lack of an announcement was an oversight and not some attempt to shield students. As a community, we deserve to hear the news — good or bad.

Editorial

Funeral Arrangements

A mass for Segovia will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 2 at Juan De Los Lagos Church, 3231 El Paso St. The burial will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

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

Viewpoint

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Community newspapers important to community

of the writer. Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to 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 be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, mailed to The Ranger, journalism-photography program, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 782123941 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 singlecopy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and college discipline.

“Everything in this newspaper is important to someone.” It’s become something of a mantra for me, in Matt Geiger recent years. Executive Editor Weekly comNews Publishing Co. munity newspaBlack Earth, W.S. pers are eclectic, to say the least. We publish photos of ribbons being cut at bakeries, and donations being dropped off at local food pantries. We print the school honor roll, the court report, and in-depth stories on decisions made by planning commissions and town boards. Sometimes we cover murders, abuse, and horrific car crashes, and when we do, our community journalists often experience these tragedies as both reporters and neighbors — as both professionals and human beings.

We cover the referendum that will determine whether a new school is built and our readers’ taxes will rise. We publish birth announcements, obituaries, and the various things that, when wedged between those two book ends, make up the lives that make up our communities. I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to know about sewage, in order to cover the approval and construction of a new treatment plant. I interviewed a survivor of the Iran hostage crisis about what it’s like to be held prisoner in a foreign land while the world looks on. I’ve interviewed grandmothers about their favorite holiday recipes. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve interviewed little kids about what they want to be when they grow up, and what type of world they hope to inhabit. I’ve even eaten lutefisk — a type of gelatinous Scandinavian fish that is usually only consumed as part of

a dare — in the warm hum of a local church’s kitchen. (I even liked it, which I think qualifies as a kind of small-town gonzo journalism.) People sometimes ask me why community newspapers are important. My reply is always the same. It’s because everything in those pages is important to someone. Maybe the ribbon-cutting isn’t flashy enough to go viral, and the Thanksgiving turkey recipe is not going to change culinary trends across the nation. But these things, these small things in communities across the county and across the world, are what give meaning and purpose to all of our lives. The ribbon-cutting is the culmination of a childhood dream. The donations at the food pantry will allow a family to gather around their table without worrying if there is enough to fill each plate. The honor roll goes on the fridge,

of course, because it’s a reminder to a young student that she can flourish when she applies herself. The birth announcement marks the proudest, greatest moment of a mother and father’s life together. The face looking out from the obituary is one that a wife and children and grandchildren will never kiss again. The new school being paid for with a referendum is where a young student might develop an interest in science, growing up and developing a treatment for cancer or Alzheimer’s, allowing millions of people to live a little longer, and have their faces kissed by those who love them a few more times. Journalism matters, now more than ever, because people matter. Community journalism matters, now more than ever, because roughly half the world’s population lives in small communities, and in the pages of their newspapers, they see themselves and the ones they love.

News

Oct. 1, 2018

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Funeral home could replace early childhood center Coordinators will approve room designs for the funeral home at a new location. By Rogelio Escamilla sac-ranger@alamo.edu

The mortuary science program has changed the location of the proposed funeral home from the Ashby House to the early childhood studies location next door because of cost and building limitations. The funeral home completion date and projected cost are unknown because of this change, mortuary science Coordinator Jose Luis Moreno said Sept. 17 in an interview. “We are still in the dreaming phase,” Moreno said. “We haven’t discussed money yet. With big dreams, comes lots of challenges. I think we are happy with the progress that we are making.” Moreno said a community college operating a funeral home is “very unusual.” “There are some mortuary science programs that embalm for local funeral homes,” Moreno said. “To my knowledge, I don’t think there is another mortuary science program with a funeral home on campus in the United States.” The funeral home would ideally offer the same services as a local funeral home, Moreno said. This includes traditional services, cremation services and donated body processing. Traditional services usually involve a visitation, an evening service, a trip to the church and then a cemetery. “Of course, we have limitations,” Moreno said. “We will need vehicles. As of right now we have a minivan that works as a hearse. Later on, we might need to rent, lease or buy our own.” Moreno also said the funeral home would give mortuary science students

Mortuary science sophomore Sandra Trevino reconstructs the face of a man during a Reconstructive Art class Sept. 24 in Nail. The class chose this face because it was well-proportioned and had no wrinkles. Deandra Gonzalez

Mortuary science sophomores Samantha Gomez and Jimmy Sandoval prepare instruments before working on cadavers Sept. 25 in Nail. Gomez said they will flip the cadaver in the tank, where they keep them, to dissect. Deandra Gonzalez the experience they need for their careers after college. “It will benefit our students,” Moreno said. “They will practice. They will have marketable skills and the confidence that is needed to go out into any funeral home.” The early childhood studies program and child-care center are expect-

ed to move to a new building complex to be constructed on the site of the tennis courts at San Pedro and Park Avenues in fall 2020, early childhood studies Coordinator Terri Sinclair said Sept. 18. The early childhood studies center will be housed in the college’s third parking garage, and plans have called

for the tennis courts to be relocated to the top of the parking garage. This structure is part of a $450 million bond package passed by voters in May 2017. The old building at 210 W. Ashby Place is expected to be demolished to make room for the funeral home, which will likely allow for a larger and

less expensive funeral home than was planned for the Ashby House, Moreno said. The Ashby House is at 218 W. Ashby Place. “We had lots of limitations,” Moreno said. “We couldn’t remove certain things. The money that was going to be invested to renovate the building did not fit our needs. We could have bigger rooms for the same amount of money.” Moreno said the chapel in the Ashby House measured at 550 square feet, but the new location’s chapel could be upgraded to 4,000 square feet, depending on cost restrictions. “The chapel we were going to have was going to be smaller,” Moreno said. “Not because we didn’t want to expand, but because we didn’t have the room to.” Three college administrators are also involved in the design approval process. They are Vernell Walker, dean of academic success; Dr. Francisco Solis, dean of performance excellence; and Dr. Stella Lovato, vice president of college services. They will set a meeting date to review and approve the architect’s new plans soon, Moreno said.

Math lab provides free calculator checkout for semester Students can check out TI-84 calculators for the semester. By Jason Durant

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Students can check out calculators in the math lab to use in math assignments. Students must be enrolled in any of the Alamo Colleges as well as a math class to check them out, lab Director Steve Ochoa said Sept. 17.

Starting last year, the lab now offers 200 TI-84 calculators eligible for checkout. They can keep them throughout the semester, he said. TI-84s are worth up to $80, so this system saves students money, he said. “We have TI-84 calculators, textbooks for all the courses offered, and 28 computers available, along with highly qualified tutors,” he said. Students can go to the math lab in Room 121 of McCreless Hall and use any textbook while in

the lab. There are 12 tutors who assist students. Tutors include students who have made an A in the class as well as graduates with an associate or bachelor’s degree, he said. Ochoa had advice for students to improve their math skills. “Come at a slow time,” Ochoa said. “Come at least twice a week either before or after your math class. I have gotten a pretty good idea of when