The Ranger, Feb. 12, 2018

R ANGER

An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Issue 10

THE

FEB. 12,

2 0 1 8 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College

www.theranger.org

Election

Alamo Colleges is accepting trustee candidate applications for a place on the general election ballot for singlemember Districts 5, 6 and 7 and for the special election ballot for District 9.

Applications must be submitted to Sandra Mora, board of trustees liaison and election administrator, by 5

p.m. Feb. 16 at Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan, Building A. Office hours are 9 a.m.-noon and 2-5 p.m. MondayFriday.

Application forms are at www. alamo.edu/district/board/elections.

Early voting is April 23-May 1 at polling locations around San Antonio, including Northwest Vista College.

The election is 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 5.

Alison Graef

Tuskegee airman explains early training of black pilots Black History Month continues with Taste of Caribbean and The Dating Game.

By Deandra Gonzalez

dgonzalez525@student.alamo.edu

Ralph “Rick” Sinkfield, president of the San Antonio Chapter– Tuskegee Airmen, said the main reasons the U.S. Army Air Corps recruited the Tuskegee airmen in 1941 were the inequalities AfricanAmericans faced and the need for more pilots in World War II. Sinkfield and five other war veterans spoke about experiences and challenges of military service on a panel at the opening ceremony of Black History Month Feb. 6 in the nursing complex.

Yvonne Campbell, research specialist in the creative multimedia department and member of the Black History Month Committee, introduced the theme of this year’s observation, African-Americans in Times of War. Campbell was the facilitator for the panel.

Other panelists were James Bynum, 97-year-old World War II veteran and original member of the Tuskegee Airmen in 1941; Billy Gordon, president of the Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers; Turner McGarity, Vietnam War veteran; Lt. Col. Ethel Singleton, retired from the U.S. Air Force; and Tracey Yeomans, retired U.S. Army major and member of Women Veterans of San Antonio.

The Tuskegee airmen were the first group of African-American pilots to fight in World War II. “There was a big fight over segregation in the U.S., and it was a big struggle to become part of the American culture,” he said. “We got a lot of black press that really got into the political nature of the country, letting them know the inequalities that were happening of the time.”

Congress passed laws, including the Draft and the Civilian Pilot Training Program, to create the Tuskegee airmen.

Sinkfield said the Civilian Pilot Training Program of 1938 was passed to flight-train civilians and prepare them if needed as military pilots.

See VETERANS, Page 2

Mortuary science sophomore Keith Arroyo attaches a detailed ear onto a head in mortuary science Professor Felix Gonzales’ Technical Procedure 2 class Feb. 5 in Nail. In the class, students learn color theory and how to restore parts of a body, apply cosmetics and cut hair. Brianna Rodrigue

Board selects PAC president as finalist for chancellor Trustees would not say how many candidates were interviewed.

By Alison Graef

agraef@student.alamo.edu

The Alamo Colleges board of trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Ruben Michael Flores, president of Palo Alto College, as finalist for chancellor after about 3 1/2 hours in executive session at a special board meeting Feb. 8 at Killen Center.

This followed an almost five-hour executive session Feb. 6, in which two candidates were interviewed. Interviews were conducted in a locked building at Killen.

Chancellor Bruce Leslie announced Oct. 23 he will retire Sept 30.

The new chancellor will begin in fall 2018.

Board Chair Yvonne Katz, District 7 trustee, said the board is legally required to have a 21-day period after selecting a finalist during which the public is permitted to evaluate the candidate and submit feedback.

Flores District 2 trustee Denver McClendon said Feb. 7 only the finalist’s name will be released because other candidates would not want their current employers to know they are considering other employment.

District 9 trustee Joe Jesse Sanchez said the board interviewed each candidate once before deciding on Flores. “Overall, he impressed us the most; he was the more qualified candidate.”

Katz, Sanchez and McClendon would not reveal how many candidates the board interviewed or how many were recommended by the advisory committee.

“It just is important to keep the number confidential,” Katz said. “We had a very good number of people who applied, and the search advisory committee looked at (them) and made a decision of who they would interview and who to send forward to the board. … It’s confidential because the law allows us to carry out a confidential search, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Sanchez said, “I thought the decision that was made was the best decision that this board could make.”

Katz said she expects Flores to be “very well” received by the community.

“He’s a local candidate, he’s a local president, and knows the community and knows the colleges and knows the policies of the district,” Katz said. “He knows the community, he knows the people and knows his colleagues, who he has worked with all these years, and that’s a strength.”

McClendon said the search committee represents faculty, students and community members, so there is no need to have multiple finalists for public evaluation.

“We go through the citizens committee — they make recommendations to us. We further

See FINALIST, Page 2

Motivated students do well in Flex 2 classes, chairs say The compressed schedule causes some students to struggle.

“There is no time to have recreation from the class,” he said. “You’ve got to be on it all the time.”

Dr. Thomas E. Billimek, chair of psychology,

By Maya Williams philosophy and student development, said in an sac-ranger@alamo.edu interview flex courses give students an opportunity As registration for Flex 2 classes continues, two to pick up courses they need to graduate or to fulfill chairs of academic departments explained the pros other degree requirements. and cons for completing a 16-week course in eight He said the success in a flex course depends on weeks. Registration for Flex 2 classes closes March 4. the student’s motivation and responsibilities.

Classes start March 19 and continue until the semes“If a student were taking 15 hours already, I ter ends May 12. Flex 2 and online courses have the wouldn’t recommend a flex. In a way, it would be lowest pass rate of all semesters, whereas Flex 1 has like taking two more courses with that concentrated the highest rate, Mike Burton, chair of English, eduworkload,” Billimek warned. cation, humanities and journalismMany students think a flex photography, said Jan. 26. course is a class split in half, but in He said the main reason Flex reality “the demands of the course 2 has the lowest pass rate is that are exactly the same,” he said. many students who take Flex 2 Students who plan to take a Flex classes have dropped a 16-week 2 course need to have “the abilcourse and picked up a Flex 2, or ity to focus on doing a consistent they registered late. amount of work in a shorter period Mike Burton, of time,” he said. “The key would “Their options are limited, chair of English, education, and they are put into these comhumanities and journalism- be to find a course that you can photography handle the workload and look at pressed courses,” he said. “They are already not proactive.” your other responsibilities.”

Another difficulty students run into is taking Flex Many students think they can handle flex courses, 2 courses while taking 16-week courses, which he but once the workload increases, they may struggle. said peak during the Flex 2 time.

“You can sprint, but not a mile. So you might be “All your projects … your major assignments are able to run very hard for two weeks or three weeks, due at the tail end of a 16-week course,” he said. but if after that time you can’t handle it any more, The accelerated pace of Flex 2, combined with then maybe that (taking a flex course) is not the major assignments in 16-week courses, puts a lot of thing you want to do,” he said. pressure on a student taking Flex 2 classes, he said.

For more information, visit http://mysaccatalog.

The best way for students to prepare for the alamo.edu/content.php?catoid=141&navoid=7640# “whirlwind” is to be productive, he said FaF2

options “andT heir are limited, they are put into these compressed courses.”

2NEWS

www.theranger.org/NEWS

F E B . 12 , 2018

SLAC lab offers mentoring Students can get tutoring by appointment.

By Sergio Medina

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

The student learning assistance center, known as the SLAC lab, is bringing forward a new way to help students with a peer-mentoring program.

In an interview Feb. 2, academic Coordinator Geraldo Guerra said the idea behind peer-mentoring is for students to have another student to relate to.

“Maybe there’s something that you need to address with somebody who’s closer to your age or has a similar background … went to the same high school or maybe you went to a similar school district,” Guerra said.

Guerra’s idea is that the program’s mentors guide students who have questions and concerns

about academic performance, financial aid, registration or finding their way around this college.

“It’s difficult to find information; this college is huge,” Guerra said. “So, if you don’t know about certain resources, the mentor will know.”

Students can exchange phone numbers and e-mails with their mentors to keep in contact.

Guerra said that exchange is not a requirement.

“It’s going to be a mutual agreement that the student is comfortable with,” he said.

Simultaneously, administrative services specialist Bertha Ovalle, who oversees work-study students in the SLAC lab, shares a passionate interest in students who need guidance and resources.

She encourages students to seek help at the SLAC lab.

“You’re not alone,” she said in an interview Jan. 26.

Guerra encourages students interested in being assigned a peer mentor to ask at the SLAC lab’s front desk.

“We’ll start matching them up,” Guerra said.

Currently, only work-study students can become peer mentors.

Four mentors are available now, Guerra said.

Mentors are assigned for the rest of the semes-

ter. Each one can be assigned up to five mentees.

The SLAC lab also continues to offer workshops and tutoring sessions, with nine tutors who supplement instruction on a range of subjects such as math, biology, chemistry, English, history and Spanish.

The complete list of subjects tutored is available on the SLAC page on the college website.

The tutoring sessions are 30 minutes long. A student is entitled to two sessions a day three times a week.

Students are encouraged to schedule appointments by calling or going by and signing up.

“Tutors start getting booked up really fast,” Guerra said.

The SLAC lab had a total of 10,557 students visit in the fall.

Additionally, the lab provides five 15 to 20-minute workshops for students covering ways to improve note-taking, dealing with math anxiety and anxiety in general, managing time and stress, improving test-taking skills and improving studying skills.

The weekly schedule for this semester’s workshops is available at www.alamo.edu/sac/slac/ workshops.

Ovalle and Guerra want students to feel wel-

come and comfortable in the SLAC lab.

“It’s all about building a relationship with them,” Ovalle said.

Guerra wants students to understand how open and friendly lab employees are.

“This is a spot for them where they can hang out and study together,” he said.

While both the SLAC and mega lab offer computers for students to use, Guerra said the SLAC lab offers more resources.

“We differ (from the mega lab) because we are a full academic learning support center,” he said.

“You have the trained tutors and trained mentors who can reach out and actually sit down with you and work on a problem. The mega lab doesn’t have that.”

The lab’s lobby has 72 computers with Microsoft Office as well as desks and seating areas for students.

The lab also has GoPrint services. Black-andwhite copies are 5 cents. Color copies are 40 cents.

Lab hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

The SLAC lab is in Room 707 of Moody Learning Center.

For more information, call 210-486-0165.

TUSKEGEE from Page 1 “We had to have somebody interested in training black pilots,” he said.

Sinkfield said part of that law was to have one historically black college to train the pilots. The pilots were trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field and went to college at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala. Sinkfield said white instructor pilots, female nurses and support staff were at Tuskegee to help and train nearly 1,000 pilots.

Singleton said she wanted to join the Air Force because in 1982-83 there was a mini-depression, and it was hard to find a job.

She said her husband was a commissioned officer, which made it harder to find a long-term occupation despite having a master’s degree in sociology.

“They would say automatically ‘Oh your husband is in the military so you’re not going to be here long,’ so they denied to employ me,” Singleton said.

Singleton said she wasn’t happy because she was a woman and had a degree but was being penalized because her husband was in the military. Two years later, she joined and served 20 years in the Air Force.

Yeomans, who served 22 years, said the Women Veterans of San Antonio is a nonprofit organization started in 2013.

The group has 648 female veterans and has no physical location but meets at coffee shops, wine-tastings and events such as 5K runs. The group socializes, networks and donates to homeless female veterans.

“When you hear the word veterans, a lot of the time in society we think of our male veterans,” Yeoman said. “They don’t necessarily think of women veterans, so this group brings women veterans together from all branches.”

Yeomans said the group gives back to the community by volunteering at Veterans Stand Down, which happens every year before Veterans Day. Veterans Stand Down provides medical services, hot food, clothing and haircuts for homeless veterans.

This year’s Veterans Stand Down will be 10 a.m. Nov. 9 at 611 N. Flores St. The Women Veterans of San Antonio donates socks, lanyards, gloves, first aid kits, bras, underwear and hygiene products.

FINALIST from Page 1 define those recommendations and hopefully come up with one candidate who fits our needs,” McClendon said. “We think that this is a process that has worked in the past and is the best for the institution and for the people who are applying for the job.”

Katz said she met with a staff member of state Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, to discuss objections to the search process.

After that meeting, Menéndez sent the board a letter expressing concern about transparency and lack of faculty and student representation on the committee. He specifically noted that Northwest Vista College does not have a representative.

“While we applaud the effort to bring community members to the table, we also recognize that faculty and students, who are the nucleus of the colleges, are not appropriately included on the committee,” Menéndez wrote.

He requested the board add the Faculty Senate president from Northwest Vista and

During a Black History Month panel Feb. 6 in the nursing complex, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Ethel Singleton says most people associate veterans with men. Singleton finds it important to bring awareness of women in the military. Other Black History Month events are Taste of Caribbean 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin and The Dating Game 11 a.m.-noon Feb. 14 in the cafeteria in Loftin. S.M. Huron-Dixon

“allow for a vetting through community forums for all the stakeholders to contribute to the chancellor selection.”

“I don’t find anything wrong with it at all,” District 1 trustee Joe Alderete Jr. said. “We have citizens reflecting every aspect of the community.”

He said students and faculty are appropriately represented on the 23-member committee, with two students representatives and representatives from four of the five Alamo Colleges.

Alderete counted Cynthia Katz, professor at St. Philip’s College, as a representative of both her home college and Northwest Vista because she is president of the districtwide Faculty Super Senate.

Sanchez said trustees conducted interviews in a building adjacent to the building at Killen Center that houses the board meeting room.

District 8 trustee Clint Kingsbery said the board met there because its conference room was a more personal setting to conduct an interview.

Snooze at night, not in class Coordinator gives tips for students to improve sleep habits.

By Blanca Granados

sac-ranger@student.alamo.edu

Setting an alarm for bedtime as well as the time to awaken can help college students develop a regular sleep schedule, student development Coordinator Julie Engel said.

“College students should have a sleep schedule,” she said Jan. 31 in an interview.

Sleep schedules aren’t only for 5-year-olds, she said. Every human requires sleep to function properly. It is essential for proper learning and memory retention, she said.

College students should get eight hours of sleep every night, she said. She suggested students should try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

With all the distractions in the modern world available from social media, such as binge-watching

shows on Netflix, college students have a hard time getting enough sleep, she said.

She said a schedule to plan sleep could be the key.

“It’s all about discipline,” she added.

She said avoiding unhealthy habits and getting enough sleep help students stay awake and focused in class and give them more energy and time to do more things such as joining a club or a sports team.

She shared other tips to get better sleep:

• Turn off nearby electronics at least 30 minutes before bed.

• Do not eat heavily before trying to sleep.

• Keep a to-do-list close in case you can’t stop thinking of things you have yet to do.

• Exercise regularly, but not right before trying to sleep.

• Set an alarm to remind you to stop bingewatching a TV series or movies.

EDITORIAL 3 www.theranger.org/EDITORIAL

Feb. 12, 2018

Great teachers make great students A little enthusiasm in the classroom can go a long way.

Amanda Graef

PGR changes are right direction The district needs to implement discipline-specific expectations.

Productive grade rate win-win agreements have been a drain on morale since their implementation.

When the Faculty Senate of this college sent out a survey to gauge faculty morale last spring, the survey was sent to 437 faculty members and 275 responded.

Of those respondents, 64 percent thought PGR win-win agreements were having a negative effect on morale.

The continuous improvement plan, the college’s alternative to the win-win agreement, seems to be an improvement.

Many faculty members thought the initial win-win agreements were punitive.

An anonymous comment to the Faculty Senate likened win-win agreements to a “sugar-coated write-up.”

Not requiring faculty signatures on

the improvement plan helps negate the punitive flavor somewhat, but it is hardly enough.

If administrators want to create a truly dynamic improvement plan, they must implement discipline-specific PGR rates.

Across-the-board PGR rates tend to reflect poorly on the more rigorous disciplines at this college.

A discipline’s complicated material keeps many students from reaching a passing grade.

Instructors cannot change the aptitude of their students. Instead, they must simplify materials to reach the required 70 percent pass rate.

While easing the material might allow for more passing students, which will churn out more graduates, the end result is underprepared students who will find their watered-down education unapplicable at a transfer university.

Then they may never reach a chosen career path.

But engagement is not limited to the classroom.

Faculty members should clearly outMost people who have attended an line how to contact them outside of institution of higher education have class time in the syllabus, including encountered a professor they would not office hours, phone number and email recommend to their friends, or, in some address. special cases, to their worst enemies.

Even better would be specific times It’s easy to tell when they will read and respond a professor has “checked to emails. f students out” of teaching.

Lack of communication is are willing to Unlike in high school, sacrifice time both frustrating and stressful college students gener- and money to students. ally have made the deci- to pursue an Faculty needs to make sion to pay for and show education, then clear how and when they up to class. can be contacted, and then faculty should If students are will- honor that respond promptly when stuing to sacrifice time and dedication by dents do reach out. money to pursue an making it worth Finally, faculty members education, then faculty their time. need to respect that the sylshould honor that dedilabus is a contract between cation by making it worth their time. them and students, and that contract But what makes a good teacher? goes both ways.

Students react to enthusiasm. It is Syllabuses should be clear, complete, obvious by an instructor’s demeanor up-to-date and presented to the stuin the classroom if they are passionate dents at the beginning of the semester. about a subject.

The syllabus is the student’s guide Good teachers actively engage with for the expectations and schedule they their students and strive to present their have committed to by taking a class. material in a way that is clear, informaFaculty members need to commit to tive and current. that contract, and they need to make If teachers aren’t interested in what adjustments only sparingly, if at all, they’re lecturing about, they should not during the semester. be surprised when students start snorSyllabuses for all courses can be ing. found at alamo.edu/sac/syllabus/.

I

ONLINE NOW www.theranger.org Ranger men fall prey to the Tigers 75-67

By Dillon Holloway Criminal justice freshman Derek Miller led all scorers with 19 points, including four free throws on five attempts, but it was not enough for the Rangers to be

Student Activity Fee Committee approves applications

victorious against rival St. Philip’s College Feb. 7 in Candler. The Tigers won 75-67.

Miller, who plays forward for the Rangers, said he believes the team played well despite the loss.

By Austin P. Taylor

Black History Month recital features gospel music

By Alfred Allen Members of this college’s choir will present a gospel recital in honor of Black History Month, showcasing the various eras of gospel music.

The music program will host the event 2 p.m. Feb. 21 in the auditorium of

McAllister Fine Arts Center.

“Oh Happy Day” and other “grand slam hits,” will be performed, music Professor Cindy Sanchez said Jan. 25 in an interview.

“We’re going to throw some solos in there as well.”

STAFF Editor Alison Graef Managing Editor Kimberly Caballero News Editor Shamona Wali Sports Editor Dillon Holloway Calendar Editor Sasha D. Robinson Staff Writers Alfred Allen, Samantha Alonso, Kathya Anguiano Blanca Granados, Katya Harmel, Thomas Macias Sergio Medina, Andrea Moreno, Sarah F. Morgan Frank Piedra, Jeff Riley, Alexis Terrazas Tristan Weaver, Kenneth L. Williams Maya R. Williams, Victoria L. Zamora

Visual arts Professor Debra Schafter, standing, speaks with the Student Activity Fee Committee Feb. 1 in the employee lounge in Loftin. The committee listened as clubs asked for funding. In turn, the committee asked questions about the proposals.

V. Finster

Visuals Editor V. Finster

The Student Activity Fee Committee read applications from the visual arts center and this college’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists Feb. 1 in the employee lounge of Loftin Student Center.

The committee approved the applications from the visual arts program, awarding the program $1,271 to help pay for two upcoming guest speakers.

Visual arts Professor Debra Schafter spoke to the committee on behalf of the visual arts lecture committee.

The first speaker is Daniela Cavazos Madrigal. The application submitted to the committee said Madrigal will give a onehour lecture 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. March 1 in Room 120 of the visual arts center. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and reception.

©2018 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main

views by writing letters to the editor. Space limitations force

Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-3941. All rights reserved. No part

the paper to limit letters to two double-spaced, typewritten

of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel

The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community

and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of

College District, are laboratory projects of classes in the

any letter. Letters should be emailed to sac-ranger@alamo.

journalism-photography program at San Antonio College. The

edu or submitted online. Letters also may be brought to

Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays

the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center,

and examinations.

mailed to The Ranger, journalism-photography program, San

The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.org. News

Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-

Photo Team

contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by

3941 or faxed to 210-486-9292.

Sandra Huron-Dixon, Monica Avila Edman Joshua Garcia, Laura Gonzales, Shamar Mims Jonathon Rudd, Solomon Wilson, J. Del Valle

fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or

Letters must be signed and must include the printed name

at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center).

and telephone number. Students should include classifica-

Advertising rates available by phone 210-486-1765 or as a

tion, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should

download at www.theranger.org.

include title and telephone number. For more information,

The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press

call 210-486-1773.

Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas

Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo

Community College Journalism Association.

Community College District community are permitted one

Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and com-

free copy per issue because of high production costs.

munity members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints

Where available, additional copies may be purchased with

of up to 450 words. Writers should focus on campus or current

prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger

events in a critical, persuasive or interpretative style. All view-

business office. Those who violate the single-copy rule may

points must be published with a photo portrait of the writer.

be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and college

Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to share

discipline.

Multimedia Editor Nicole M. Bautista Photographer Brianna Rodrigue,

Deandra Gonzalez, Lorena Torres Romero

Illustrator Amanda Graef

Web Editor Austin P. Taylor Copy Editor Zachary-Taylor Wright

@sacranger @therangerSAC /readtheranger /therangervideo

4FEATURES www.theranger.org/premiere

FEB. 12 , 2018

Getting to know the cast of ‘Bug’

By Katya Harmel

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

The cast of “Bug,” an emotionally charged play that opens Feb. 15, agrees their involvement has changed them.

Theater freshman Arianna Angeles is starring as Agnes White, the main character in the play produced by the theater program in McCreless Hall.

“Bug,” written by playwright Tracy Letts, is a dark comedy centered around the life of Agnes White, an abused woman hiding out in a seedy motel while on the run from her abusive ex-husband, Jerry Goss.

Angeles has been acting 12 years and wants to become a theater director one day.

She played a vixen in “Dracula” and Mrs. Van Daan in “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

She said Agnes White is lonely while she grieves the death of her son and exhausted while evading her ex-husband.

“She has been mentally, emotionally and physically abused all her life,” she said.

Taking on such an emotionally taxing role has matured her as a person and as an actress because she was pushed to understand a woman twice her age who has experienced things Angeles cannot easily relate to.

“I am the youngest cast member playing the oldest character in the play,” she said.

Even though she does not share similarities with Agnes, Angeles said she does her best to imagine tragedies comparable to what her character has gone through.

She said she does not know what it would feel like to lose a child; however, she knows how broken she would feel if her mother suddenly passed away.

To further connect with Agnes, Angeles said she conducted research on “battered women syndrome” to understand why abused women stay in toxic relationships.

They believe that is the way it should be

because they have not experienced anything else.

Finding her character’s sarcasm was her favorite part of playing the role, she said.

Even though Agnes is broken and exhausted, she finds a way to make light of things, and this was fun for her to discover within her character.

She wants the audience to understand Agnes is vulnerable but not weak for staying in an abusive relationship.

She wants everyone to leave questioning everything.

“The play is so confusing,” she said. “I don’t want them to leave being sure of anything.”

Theater freshman Ryan Willis will play Peter Evans, a paranoid Gulf War veteran who becomes romantically involved with Agnes and eventually drives her to insanity by influencing her beliefs with conspiracy theories.

Willis has been performing for nine years and starred in “Dracula” as Van Helsing and “The Grapes of Wrath” as Jim Casy.

He described Peter as troubled and contradictory. “He is maniacal but sweet at the same time,” he said.

Willis said he can relate to his character because he experiences mood swings the way Peter does.

He said everyone wants to be nice to everyone they meet, but that is impossible.

The hardest part about playing Peter is portraying violent behavior, he said.

Willis said playing a character opposite of his own personality is enjoyable because Peter is aggressive and outspoken while Willis usually keeps to himself.

Peter suffers from schizophrenia and is paranoid about conspiracies ranging from flying saucers to government experiments on soldiers.

To play the part well, Willis said he had to focus on delusions.

“I had time alone with myself to get into the mindset of being paranoid,” he said.

Theater freshman Ryan Willis, Arianna Angeles and theater sophomore Stephen Gamez rehearse a stabbing scene from “Bug” Feb. 6. Deandra Gonzalez He also said he had experience with drug use and knows the feeling of paranoia from being under the influence.

He spent an abundance of time questioning everything around him the way a paranoid person would research the conspiracy theories Peter is passionate about.

What stuck with him most was his discovery of “Gulf War syndrome.” He found that soldiers from the first Gulf War were prone to paranoia because of the significant amount of chemical warfare they

were exposed to.

The syndrome is a mixture of paranoia, chronic illness and PTSD for the exposed soldiers, he said.

“Bug” is at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-17, 22-24 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and 25. Tickets are $5 with a SAC ID; $8 for other college students, seniors and the military, and $10 general admission.

R

ead full story at www.theranger.org.

Rangers dominate paint, win big The Rangers hope to capitalize on momentum heading into a Valentine’s Day matchup with PAC.

By Dillon Holloway

dholloway12@student.alamo.edu

Engineering sophomore Breanna Sifuentes, forward for the Rangers, fights through contact against a St. Philip’s defender to attempt a layup. The Rangers won 75-57 Feb. 7 in Candler. Go online for a slideshow. Brianna Rodrigue

The Rangers were victorious in their home opener of the semester, winning 75-57 against St. Philip’s College Feb. 7 in Candler Physical Education Center.

The team led the St. Philip’s Tigers 38-25 going into halftime and would never look back, leading by as many as 20 points in the third quarter.

Rangers’ coach Haley Capestany said she was pleased overall with how her team performed on defense.

“Toward the end there in the fourth, they started to get a little tired, but other than that. I think they held it down,” she said. “They were talking; they were moving and helping each other, which is great.”

Engineering sophomore Breanna Sifuentes led the Rangers with 22 points, including six free throws of eight attempts.

Sifuentes, who plays the forward position, made a large number of her shots from inside the paint using various post-up moves against the opposition.

Capestany said Sifuentes has made great strides in her offensive play this season.

Sifuentes said her goals for the remainder of the season include improving her play on the defensive side of the ball and improving her shooting percentage.

Kinesiology freshman Destiny Solis, who plays the guard position, also contributed to the attack on the Tigers’ interior defense by slashing her way to 9 points, including making eight of 12 foul shots from the free throw line.

The Rangers’ record has improved to 5-5 after the win, Capestany said.

The team’s next game is against Palo Alto College 6 p.m. Feb. 14 in Candler.

Criminal justice freshman Derek Miller, forward for the Rangers, drives baseline for a shot over a St. Philip’s College defender Feb. 7 in Candler. The Rangers came up short 75-67. Go online for a slideshow. Jonathon Rudd