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Volume 87 Issue 10 • March 25, 2013
210-486-1773 • Single copies free
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Assault suspect seen on campus
Heads up
By Jennifer Luna
jluna217@student.alamo.edu
About 9 a.m. Monday, the San Antonio Park Police received a report of a sexual assault in San Pedro Springs Park, immediately west of this college. The suspect in the assault was described as having a thin build, wearing a black T-shirt with blue jeans and displaying a teardrop tattoo below his left eye. About 9:30 a.m., a man fitting the same description followed a female student on
Lucky student recovers purse
her way to class into Chance Academic Center. Once she notified her professor, the suspect left the premises. The student filed a
A purse that included about $1,000 in cash, money orders and checks, was found on a street along campus about 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Photography Professor James McBride said a student in his portrait photography class found the purse and turned it over to him. When inventoried, McBride said he found the student’s driver’s license and used the address to search for her on ACES. He said there was no listing of a personal phone number, so he left a message at a work phone number. “I bet she couldn’t sleep last night,” he said. McBride turned the purse over to district police to further investigate. In a happy turn of events, the purse and all its contents were returned to the student Wednesday morning, Chief Don Adams said. McBride and Adams advise that in addition to always keeping a watchful eye on belongings, all students and employees should keep their information updated in ACES in case of similar situations. The campus police department is at 1601 N. Main Ave. For emergencies, call 210-222-0911. Call 210485-0099 for non-emergencies.
Jennifer Luna
President’s forum Wednesday Students and college employees will have another opportunity to ask President Robert Zeigler questions at an open forum Wednesday. Justin Wideman, Student Government Association secretary, announced the forum, 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center, to College Council Tuesday. Public information Officer Julie Cooper said students, faculty and staff are invited to send questions in advance to the San Antonio College Facebook page or via email to sacpr@alamo.edu. For more information, call Cooper at 210-486-0882.
Faith Duarte
report with the district police department. Chief Don Adams said district police are leading an investigation into the on-campus incident, and the park police started an investigation of the assault in the park, then turned it over to the San Antonio Police Department. Neither department would comment. If students see a man with a similar description of the suspect on or around campus, they are encouraged to report it to campus police. Adams said the district police informs SAPD of incidents reported around this college. To report any suspicious activity, call 210-485-0099.
Everyday crime prevention tips:
Members of the Geological Society and Sul Ross University climb up the Burro Mesa pouroff during a trip to Big Bend National Park. The pouroff was created by water erosion that carved the narrow opening. The lower part of the cliff is made of softer rocks which is worn away more rapidly. Read the story online. Monica Correa
• Be aware of your surroundings. • Immediately report any suspicious activity. • Use the “buddy” system when possible. • Request a police escort
Faculty Senate calls for a stronger voice By Faith Duarte
dent success, also spoke to senators Feb. 21 during a special meeting about the textbook proposal, Members of Faculty Senate urged taking more explaining students would be charged an “instrucaction as a senate to become a more effective lob- tional materials” fee at registration for a single bying force during their meeting March 6 in Room textbook. 120 of the visual arts center. “It is up to us as representatives for our faculty The urge for effectiveness came from President colleagues,” DeArmond said. “It’s time to speak Robert Zeigler’s open forum March up.” 5 concerning new textbook guideBy not fighting, the senate is Members of lines that require faculty to select “accepting all the other inevitaFaculty Senate one textbook per course beginning bles,” DeArmond said. will speak at the in fall. Isabel Garcia, secretary and board meeting Zeigler said at the forum that architecture professor, said for an although faculty may only select “effective Faculty Senate,” senators Tuesday. one text per course, they may use need to inform students of issues supplementary textbooks and open to get them involved. sources in teaching materials. “We need to get the word out Political science Professor Suzanne Martinez and tell the students, and we need to explain it to said April 15 is the deadline for faculty to complete them in a way that they understand,” she said. “If textbook selections. we can get the students mobilized on this issue, “If we don’t get something done between now then we are an effective Faculty Senate.” and April or May, the policy will be in effect in Administrators will listen to students before September,” English Professor Alex Bernal said. faculty, sociology Professor Terri Slonaker said. The purpose of the March 5 forum was to “plaDeArmond said, “I don’t think we should be cate the faculty,” Librarian Celita DeArmond said. afraid because this is advocacy for the students.” Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor for stuCounselor Steve Samet suggested bringing fduarte3@student.alamo.edu
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student government representatives into Faculty Senate meetings for input. “We have to think beyond that the senate is going to be the voice,” he said. “Perhaps we need to think about how to get the Student Senate here with us, not all the time, but periodically to educate and to share ideas so they can get the word out.” “If the students are one of our key voices, we need to think about how we can bring them on board,” Samet said. Psychology Chair Tom Billimek said active student voices work because students were effective in delaying an increase in parking permits to $200 from fall 2012. “The students were effective, and I think that they’re going to have a lot stronger impact than we are,” Billimek said. Martinez said Faculty Senate is an opportunity for faculty to voice their concerns and present them to college administration. “I appreciate wanting to bring students in … But I also think that until this body is more effective at representing faculty issues and putting
See SENATE, Page 4
SAConnected
2 • March 25, 2013
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Graphic design sophomore Maricela Perales and business technology freshman Joanna Soltys reach for mortarboards to get ready for a SAC pride photo-op Tuesday on the west side of Moody. The office of student life invited students to gather with President Robert Zeigler and administrators to display SAC pride. The photo will be displayed on the SAC Facebook page. Vincent Reyna
Mona Aldana-Ramirez, director of retention support services, retaliates against Justin Wideman, Student Government Association secretary, by making Wideman fall into a dunking booth after he splashed water on her during SAC Grad Rally Wednesday in the mall. The event is part of Graduation Push Week, encouraging students to apply for graduation. Faith Duarte Jillian Villejo, American Sign Language interpreting sophomore, leads a flash mob of students signing to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” Wednesday in the mall. SAC Connection partnered with the Glee Club to perform the song. The clubs changed some of the sign lyrics to motivate students to graduate. Vincent Reyna
Art Professor Marleen Hoover gives a presentation about the women artists and their work in the Armory show of modern art in 1913 Monday in Room 120 of visual arts. Monica Correa
Today
Tuesday
Wednesday
SAC Event: Active Shooter Training 10:30 a.m.-noon in Room 218A and B of the nursing complex. Call 210-486-1144.
SAC Event: Picnic and Parables with Sister Pat Connelly 12:15 p.m. at the Catholic Student Center, 312 W. Courtland. Call 210736-3752.
SAC Workshop: Money Matters: Credit C a r d s seminar 11 p.m.noon in R o o m 150 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0126.
SAC Event: Karaoke 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0126. PAC Event: María Antonietta Berriozábal, author of “Maria, Daughter of Immigrants,” 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the performing arts center. Call 210-486-8000. SAC Meeting: Student Government Association meeting noon-1 p.m. in the employee lounge of Loftin. Call 210-4860835. SAC Event: Leadership Forum: Attitude is Everything 2 p.m.-3 p.m. in Room 150 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0126. SAC Meeting: San Antonio Immigrant Youth Movement at 2:30 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Continues Mondays. Call 210-8202 or visit www.saiym210.org. SAC Meeting: Glee Club meeting 2 p.m.4 p.m. in the faculty lounge of Loftin. Continues Wednesday. Call 210-486-0126.
Upcoming
SAC Event: Hot Potato Lunch Forum “Mental Health Care” by Laura Slocum 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. at Methodist Student Center, 102 Belknap. Call 210-733-1441. SAC Event: HIV testing sponsored by Project HIV Outreach Testing 1 p.m.-4 p.m. in Room 150 of Loftin. Continues Thursday. Call 210-486-0157. SAC Meeting: Cheshyre Cheese Club 2 p.m. in Room 203 of Gonzales. Continues Tuesdays. Call 210-486-0668.
April 2 SAC Transfer: Transfer Fair 9 a.m.1 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0128.
SAC Meeting: President’s Round Table 3 p.m-4:30 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0128. SAC Event: Free lunch and Bible study at the United Methodist Student Center, 102 Belknap. Spanish session at 11 a.m. followed by English session 12:15 p.m. Continues Thursdays. Call 210-733-1441.
Event: Passion of the Christ re-enactment 10:30 a.m. in Milam Park, 500 W. Commerce. Procession continues to front of San Fernando Cathedral, 231 W. Commerce. Call 210-227-1297 ext. 154. Event: Texas Rangers vs. San Diego Padres 7:05 p.m. at the Alamodome, 100 Montana St. Tickets start at $41 at www.stubhub. com. Continues Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Call 210-207-3663.
Volunteer Opportunity: Tutors needed 4 p.m.-5 p.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 333 Martin Luther King. Continues Wednesdays until June 6. Call 210-5280359 or email sarah.lane@scnece8.net.
shop 11 a.m.-noon in Room 150 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0226.
April 3
SAC Performance: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” 7:30 p.m. in McAllister auditorium. Continues April 5-6, 2:30 p.m. April 7, 7:30 p.m. April 11-13 and 2:30 p.m. April 14. Call 210-486-0492.
Event: Síclovía 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Broadway. Visit www.siclovia.org.
April 6
April 10
of District 1, 11 a.m. in Room 120 of the visual arts center. Call 210486-1020.
Trinity Place. Call 800-874-6489. April 11 SAC Event: Portfolio Building Workshop 11 a.m.-noon in Room 150 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0126. April 12
SAC Event: Coffee with the Councilman, featuring Diego Bernal
9:30 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0668. April 16
April 7
April 4 SAC Event: Résumé writing work-
Holiday: College closed for Good Friday.
SAC Meeting: Women’s Bible Study 1 p.m.-2 p.m. in Church of Christ Student Center, 310 W. Dewey Place. Continues Wednesdays. Call 210-736-6750.
SAC Event: Phi Theta Kappa orientation 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
SAC Event: Spa Day sponsored by the Psychology Club and student life 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210486-0128.
Friday
SAC Event: Disability Awareness sponsored by Peer Educators 9 a.m.1 p.m. in the mall. Call 210-4861448.
SAC Event: Rosary with reflection on the Mysteries and free lunch 12:15 p.m. at the Catholic Student Center, 312 W. Courtland Place. Call 210-736-3752.
April 1 SAC Reminder: Graduation candidates must fill out a name card and pick up a cap and gown in Room 216 of Fletcher. Must bring SAC ID.
Thursday
Event: San Antonio College Fair 6 p.m.-8 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium, One
SAC Event: Open Mic Coffee Night sponsored by the Cheshyre Cheese Club 6:30 p.m.-
SAC Event: Meningitis clinic 1 p.m.-4 p.m. in Room 150 of Loftin. Vaccine is $122, cash or check. only. Call 210-486-0157.
For coverage in SAConnected, call 210-486-1773 or e-mail sac-ranger@alamo.edu two weeks in advance.
News
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March 25, 2013 • 3
Fee committee members vote to move building funds into active account Geological Society appeals last month’s tabled request and demonstrates trip to Big Bend is not for a grade. By Carlos Ferrand
cferrand@student.alamo.edu
To supplement quickly depleting funds allotted for clubs and organizations, money set aside for improvements to Loftin Student Center is expected to be available for student groups. From the original $50,000 budgeted for student clubs, $16,031.50 remains. Members of the Student Activity Fee Committee voted Feb. 27 to move money from an inactive building, remodeling and furniture fund set aside from the roughly $400,000 annual budget into a line item used for clubs and organizations. In fall 2006, the district began collecting $1 per semester hour as a student activity fee approved by the Texas Legislature. The building, remodeling and furniture fund was created for renovations to the non-academic portion of Loftin Student Center. The Ranger reported Nov. 15, 2006, that the committee approved $170,000 to remodel the interior. During the Sept. 25 committee meeting, President Robert Zeigler said, “We no longer are able to do
construction with the fee money. I don’t know if we’ve ever been legally able, but we’ve done it, but now we can’t, so those expenditures can no longer occur.” Interim committee Chair Charles Falcon and Mark Bigelow, assistant coordinator of student leadership and activities, will work together to determine the actual amount in the building fund before the money can be reallocated. During the Jan. 31 meeting, Jacob Wong, Student Government Association president, said he thought the fund was about $180,000. In February’s meeting, the Geological Society appealed a request that the committee tabled Jan. 31. The request was to fund a trip for 12 students and two faculty members March 8-11 to Big Bend National Park. The committee expressed concern about the inclusion of 15 all-weather geological handbooks totaling $300. On Jan. 31, Wong said the handbook might be used for academic purposes. In the February committee meeting, Robert Salinas, physical and earth science sophomore and club
secretary, presented a copy of the handbook to the committee, explaining that it is a blank book for students to keep notes in. The guide is all-weather for outdoor use, Salinas said. “It is a specialized book.” After Salinas’ presentation, the committee determined that the book was not for academic purposes. “I’m OK with the book,” Wong said. The committee also questioned the society’s contribution for its trip. Salinas said the society raised $200 and assessed $25 for each of the 14 participants, totaling $550. The society requested funds for one van, but district policy prohibits 14 passengers per van, so the committee approved 100 percent of trip expenses instead of capping its contribution at the $4,686 requested by the society. SGA Secretary Justin Wideman said the need for another van might increase the cost beyond the requested amount. In other news, the committee denied a request of $12,600 for the Connection Club, whose members communicate in American Sign Language, to attend a conference June 19-23 in Dallas. Falcon said the committee denied
the request because of insufficient funds and asked the club to rework its application by removing items that could be paid through fundraising. Committee members said a $600 request for 60 button-down shirts with a logo of the department of interpreter training could be paid for through fundraising. “Fundraising for this was minimal, and the amount being asked is a lot, so that is also a concern for the committee,” Falcon said. The committee requested the club to submit a new request, cutting as much as possible of the $12,600 request. The budget would not allow the committee to offer the club an amount in the $10,000 range, Falcon said. The committee will not approve any total that will put them into the red despite an expectation of additional funds, he said. In other news, the committee denied a request for $11,450 for the Odyssey of the Mind Club to send 12 students and two faculty members to a competition May 21-26 in East Lansing, Mich. Odyssey of the Mind focuses on creative problem solving. An example competition problem is building a box out of balsa wood and glue.
The team is judged on how much weight the structure can withstand. The committee denied the proposal because of insufficient funds in the budget and the location of the competition was listed incorrectly on the application. “We just don’t have the money,” Wong said. The committee asked the club to resubmit an application with the correct location of the event. The committee approved $6,975 for the Society of Physics Students to send 10 students and one adviser to a conference April 13-16 in Denver. The committee approved $2,000 for Students in Free Enterprise to send eight students and one adviser to a competition April 10-12 in Dallas. Falcon commended SIFE for its high level of educating this college on programs they do using student fee money. “I know SIFE is out there and they do disseminate in a lot of different ways,” he said. The next Student Activity Fee Committee meeting is 3 p.m. April 4 in Room 205 of McAllister Fine Arts Center. For more information, call Falcon at 210-486-0486 or email at cfalcon@ alamo.edu
Diploma Pass pays off for 3 By Emily Rodriguez sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Criminal justice sophomore Laura Belalcazar, SGA commissioner, raises her concerns and asks questions about the problem with Tobin Lofts using the parking garage until theirs is finished in January during Student Government Association meeting March 4 in the craft room of Loftin. Monica Correa
SGA wants student input on standardized textbooks By Carlos Ferrand
said. “Jacob will be speaking and presenting the information, but we will be standing behind him in Student Government Association announced at support.” its March 18 meeting that despite this college’s SGA members have expressed a strong position decision to adopt one textbook per course, SGA against standardized textbooks. would spend the remainder of the week passing out During an interview on Tuesday, Wong said no surveys to students asking for their opinion on the matter what the survey concludes he will present the policy. information to the board. “Just because it has been decided doesn’t mean “We won’t change our opinion on standardized it can’t be reversed,” SGA President textbooks, but we will back the opinJacob Wong said. ion of the students,” Wong said. “We The student-only survey consists still think it’s not a good idea.” Application for of four multiple choice questions: In other news, campaign packets SGA elections is • How informed are you about the will be available April 1 in Room available April 1 new policy mandating one standard260B of Loftin Student Center for in Room 260B of ized textbook per course, effective students interested in running for Loftin. For more 2013? student government. information, call • Do you approve or disapprove Campaign packets must be com210-486-0133. of standardizing textbooks at San pleted by April 13. Antonio College? Candidates must be registered in • Would you prefer a cost limit for at least six credit hours and maintain textbooks? a cumulative 2.5 GPA. • Do you believe that one standard textbook for Students will be notified April 15 if they are elievery class will lower textbook costs? gible to participate in elections. SGA wants at least 200 completed surveys by Candidates will be allowed to campaign for the today. desired position until May 3. Wong will present the survey results at the Alamo Students will receive an email ballot through Colleges board of trustees meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday ACES and voting will take place April 29-May 3. in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. Election results will be released May 6. Students “As many of us (SGA members) that can be there, elected will officially take office in August and serve need to be there,” SGA secretary Justin Wideman through May 2014. cferrand@student.alamo.edu
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Students planning to graduate this spring can get used to having a diploma weeks before they cross the stage at commencement. The college is introducing the SAC Diploma Pass, part of its “Be SAC Proud. GRADUATE!” campaign. The diploma pass is a minidiploma reminding students who are graduating this semester to complete all steps necessary for graduation. “We thought it was a nice way for students to have a physical copy of the things that they needed to do in order to complete the steps of graduation,” public relations Director Vanessa Torres said. “Obviously, it’s not just (showing) up on May 11 and (walking) across the stage. You have to make certain arrangements beforehand.” After completion of the checklist, students are entered into a drawing. Winners of the drawing can receive a $2,000, $1,000 or $500 scholarship. The award money may be used toward job-related materials, uniforms
or a transfer institution. The offices of counseling and advising, admissions and records, and student life and academic departments are distributing the passes. Instructions for completion of the checklist are detailed on the back. The checklist includes applying online for graduation, completing a graduation packet, picking up a cap and gown and submitting the completed diploma pass. All items must be completed and submitted by 10 a.m. April 10 to the student affairs office in Room 309 of Fletcher Administration Center. A student must have completed all necessary classes to earn a degree this spring from this college, or have up to six final hours to complete this summer, to be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. All entries will be checked and verified to determine eligibility. Students can only enter the drawing once and winners will be announced during the graduation ceremony May 11. For more information, visit the student affairs office or call 210-486-0930.
News
4 • March 25, 2013
www.theranger.org/news
Courtesy
Mural, ‘Seats of Support’ committee approved Coverage of Legal Affairs Committee’s discussion of guns on campus continues online at theranger.org. By Rebecca Salinas
rsalinas191@student.alamo.edu
The Building, Grounds and Sites Selection Committee approved 2-0 recommending to the full board the fine art department’s Seats of Support Scholarship Donation Campaign during its meeting March 12 in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. Community members can purchase a seat in McAllister Auditorium, which will display their names on a plaque affixed to the seat. All proceeds fund fine arts scholarships. The matter has to be voted on because district property cannot be named without board approval
according to Procedure C.2.3.3 Naming of College District Property The cost for a front orchestra seat is $250, a rear orchestra seat is $150 and a balcony seat is $100. According to the minute order, the potential income is $164,350 if all 1,003 seats are sponsored. The Alamo Colleges board of trustees will vote on the campaign at its monthly meeting Tuesday. In other news, the committee unanimously approved recommending a contract to the full board hiring Luis Lopez Art Studio for a mural on Eco Centro in the amount of $75,000. Eco Centro, located at North Main
Avenue and East Locust Street, is a community-based facility to promote good environmental practices and is currently under construction. According to the minute order, the purchase includes design, construction and delivery of a mural to be installed in the exterior wall of Eco Centro. The mural will be 47 feet long and 14 feet high on one side while decreasing to 7 feet on the other side and will be on the west side of the building, facing North Main Street. The mural will depict ecological evolution and the history of Tobin Hill and will be finished with a weatherproof and graffiti-resistant coating. The mural is projected to be delivered by June 30 and will be installed
when the building is done in the summer. The proposed design is available at https://v3.boardbook. org/Public/PublicItemDownload. aspx?ik=33548000. In other news, the committee unanimously recommended authorizing Chancellor Bruce Leslie or his designee to execute, deliver and close a real estate purchase agreement for $600,000 for property. The item was discussed during executive session of the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee meeting earlier that night. In an interview Tuesday, John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities, said he could not comment on the use or the area of the property until it is approved by the board.
In an interview Thursday, District 6 trustee Gene Sprague, and committee chair, said the district is constantly looking for opportunities to purchase realty for potential campuses or administration buildings. James Rindfuss, District 9 trustee and board chair, was not able to be contacted by deadline. Trustees Yvonne Katz, District 7, and Marcello Casillas, District 4, sit on the Building, Grounds and Sites Committee and were in attendance. District 6 trustee Gene Sprague was absent because he was out of town. For meeting agendas, visit alamo. edu/district/board/agenda. For meeting dates, visit alamo. edu/district/board/agenda-deadlines.
Technology from Page 5
Librarian Celita DeArmond tells Faculty Senate March 6 it needs to speak against a one-textbook policy. Faith Duarte
Senate from Page 1 those on the table, we have no business just dispersing that even more and casting our net out wider,” she said. “There’s no reason why we can’t work in conjunction with them, but I don’t think it’s going to make this body more, if you will, influential,” she said. Samet said the senate should help educate students about what is happening at district.
“The more we educate — that’s all I’m saying — and share ideas, the more they’ll be able to step forward on our behalf, on SAC’s behalf.” DeArmond said senators and members of Student Government Association should voice their concerns at the Tuesday regular board meeting. “This body, it needs to make its intent known,” DeArmond said.
versities that have MOOCs make money. Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor for academic success, said in an interview Wednesday, more MOOC courses are becoming available, but there isn’t necessarily a big push to offer them and the district has no plans on offering them. He said the MOOC idea is great and is technology driven, but the institutions that do not intend to conduct MOOCs are at risk because they are not taking advantage of them. Special projects Coordinator Ruben Prieto from the Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Sciences at St. Philip’s College said the district needs to do a better job at investing more resources into the career centers at the colleges. He said actual workers could be on campus to talk about their jobs and what classes to take. “Students would appreciate knowing, ‘hey, I want to work with them. I could do this. This is why I must do well in my class. This is why I want to come to school. This is why I want to finish my degree,’” he said. “I think they would be more goal oriented toward success.” Leslie said a $35,000 software product called Career Coach provided by the Perkins Grant will be available to everyone in the community to help students explore majors the colleges offer. He said Career Coach will better help students because “we don’t do a good job telling and helping young people understand what their choices are.” He said Career Coach will be available in April on the district’s website to give information on jobs, careers, expectations and salaries. Dr. Adelina Silva, vice chancellor for student success, said
The Employment Mismatch the academic and career advising, transfer and employability model is in draft level and faculty members will have a chance to review and respond to it. Leslie said the model will be implemented in the fall. Silva said the model will give information about the majors available and the job market in a field. “It’s not going to be different offices. Everyone should be able to provide academic advising. Everyone should be able to lead a student to career information,” she said. She said there are guidelines for advising a student with fewer than 30 hours, and learning outcomes will be required when advising. To read the Call to Action, visit alamo.edu/district/chancellor/call-to-action. A Call to Action video is available at youtube.com/user/alamocolleges5.
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March 25, 2013 • 5
Technology, cost, politics drive change in higher education, chancellor says Academic Accountability and Student Success Committee’s update on textbooks from March 12 is at theranger.org.
Colleges for less than $2,000 and then spend the last year at Texas A&M-San Antonio for about $7,500. He said an aide to Gov. Rick Perry emailed Leslie and said Perry did not want to handle it that way; he preferred a degree By Rebecca Salinas would be $10,000 for the full four years. rsalinas191@student.alamo.edu Lucy Nashed, spokesperson to the governor’s office, wrote Chancellor Bruce Leslie said the era of the textbook is end- in an email Wednesday that each institution has jurisdiction on ing and the era of using online technology on a daily basis is what method to use. starting. “Our office has always left it up to each institution to deterLeslie discussed the evolution of higher education at the first mine how best to implement the $10,000 degree, and I know quarterly meeting proposed in his Call to Action March 5 in the several other institutions have similar arrangements that offer Heritage Room at St. Philip’s College. these degrees,” she wrote. He said technology, cost and politics are the primary forces Josh Havens, deputy press secretary at the governor’s office, driving change in higher education. said in an email Wednesday that there are a variety of methods He said technology is key to online retail sites, such as institutions are using to “lower costs without sacrificing effiAmazon.com, the military and now education. ciency.” “More and more, curriculum is being develLeslie said the third issue affecting higher I’m still trying to oped, not on the basis of a textbook that education is how politics are pushing change, discover what I want to somebody else wrote, but on the basis of creincluding the Alamo Colleges board of trustbe when I grow up. ative teams, pulling together technology that’s ees, legislators, governors and community infused in the learning process in a modular groups. “Their (legislators’) impression is that Gregory Hudspeth format,” he said. “That not only allows the stuwe have not done a good enough job,” he said. behavioral sciences dents to learn more efficiently, but it’s allowing “We had such low rates of student success, professor, St. Philip’s the faculty to interact with the students.” such low rates of student graduation, such Leslie said he is deeply engaged in converpoor — from the views of some — results sations at the state and national levels and is up to date with from the end of four years.” what is happening in higher education because he is constantly He said the Chronicle of Higher Education published results consuming news. of The Employment Mismatch that said employers are unsatisHe said he is the president of RC-2020, an international fied with their recently graduated employees because they are group of urban chancellors that meets twice a year. not career ready. According to rc2020.org, the 23-year-old non-profit assoHe was referring to an article titled, “A College Degree Sorts ciation of urban-serving community and technical colleges Job Applicants, but Employers Wish It Meant More” by Karin provides a roundtable for chancellors and presidents. Fischer published March 4, which surveyed 704 employers in The membership is limited to 35 colleges “to maintain an science and technology, service and retail, media and comopen and effective roundtable of exchange among the presi- munication, government and nonprofit, business, health care, dents, chancellors and principals who represent their institu- manufacturing; and education fields. tions” and includes colleges in the U.S. and others in England The article said employers value a four-year degree, but and Saudi Arabia. employers find graduates are unqualified to work at their comLeslie said, “These are very global issues. These aren’t just pany or organization. things we are dealing with here in San Antonio, or in Texas, or in Survey results found some employers prefer experience, the United States.” such as internships, rather than a student’s major or grade-point He said the only way to be ahead of the changes is to have average, and graduates have trouble communicating, adapting, a creative environment in the classroom by using technology. problem-solving and making decisions. He said the second issue, cost, has a lot to do with the declinThe article is available at chronicle.com/article/Theing use of textbooks. Employment-Mismatch/137625/#id=overview. He said there is pressure to lower costs because it is possible Leslie said because of employer dissatisfaction, there is to have low tuition and textbooks. “continuous questioning” about the value of higher education. Gov. Rick Perry has been pushing for a $10,000 bachelor’s Leslie said adding to the disappointment, employers are degree since February 2011. Tuition for a year at a public uni- requiring more from post-graduate students. versity in Texas averages about $8,655 for in-state students and For example, hospitals prefer nurses with a bachelor’s degree, $21,706 for out-of-state students, according to collegeboard.org. rather than an associate degree because they are required to be In response, Leslie and Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier, presi- more well-rounded. dent of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, jointly announced In an interview March 18, Vernell Walker, dean of professionin March 2012 a plan for attaining a degree for less than $10,000. al and technical education, said over the past 10 years, hospitals Students majoring in IT or cybersecurity can enroll in an have been increasingly hiring nurses with a bachelor’s degree early college high school, spend a third year at one of the Alamo because hospitals need a certain number of nurses to become a Tier-1 hospital. Leslie said when the Toyota Plant was built on the city’s South Side, employers depended on the Alamo Colleges to produce quality employees to work at the plant. “They don’t need us anymore, in the same way that we might have felt that they needed us five, six, seven years ago.” He said there are more technical schools in this city, which compete with the Alamo Colleges. In an interview Tuesday, Dr. Federico Zaragoza, vice chancellor of economic and workforce development, said there has been lower enrollment in workforce fields and there are more proprietary colleges in the nation, but he is not sure if there is a connection between the two. Leslie said distance learning is also giving the district competition because students can take classes online at universities all over the country. The Employment Mismatch He said one problem the
’’
College is where students discover career options, Gregory Hudspeth, St. Philip’s behavioral sciences professor, tells the chancellor March 5 in the Heritage Room at St. Philip’s during the first quarterly meeting proposed in a Call to Action. Rebecca Salinas district has is not properly promoting programs the colleges offer. He said students choose to go to another institution because they do not know Alamo Colleges offers more than 250 degree programs. Leslie then asked for discussion, questions and suggestions. Behavioral sciences Professor Gregory Hudspeth of St. Philip’s College said he wants to know how a community college can serve students who want to learn, rather than obtain a certificate or degree. “How do we prepare for those students who are not looking specifically for a credential, and they’re looking for an educational opportunity because they simply have not yet discovered what they want to be when they grow up,” he said. “I’m still trying to discover what I want to be when I grow up.” Hudspeth said the call to action does not address those students who have undeclared majors or want to enroll in only a few courses. Leslie said he does not have an answer, but he did say there needs to be more personal interaction between the adviser and the counselor to put the student on the right track. He said a new advising model, as talked about in the Call to Action, will be implemented shortly and will help fix that problem. The new advising model “incorporates the full spectrum of the student’s engagement with us, not just a session or two when they first come,” Leslie said. He said for those who would normally be in developmental education, a program called Redirect will help students select a continuing education field in which to obtain a certificate to prepare for a job. According to the college website, continuing education programs include nursing; EMS; general education; language skills; law enforcement; service, trade and industry; medical administrative, technology support and small business; professional studies; and ProRanger. If students are forced to take developmental education, then they would most likely drop out, Leslie said. Developmental education classes include four levels of math, three levels of reading and two levels of English. Dr. David Wood, director of institutional research, planning and effectiveness, said roughly 19 percent of students in developmental courses dropped in the fall 2012 semester at this college. He said around 10 percent of students dropped English developmental courses, 11 percent writing and 23 percent math. He said he does not have data on the district’s dropout rate in developmental education courses, but the percentage should not differ too much. Students enrolled in developmental courses pay college tuition but do not receive college credit for these classes. “We put you in there (developmental education), and we let you stew for a couple of years. We let you marinate,” Leslie said. “And fairly, you don’t stick around because you are not in college yet.” The chancellor envisions training undecided students for the workforce and allowing them the time to decide on a career path before enrolling in college courses. Librarian Reuben Keller of St. Philip’s College wanted to know how the district can attract students who are enrolling in massive open online courses to enroll instead at one of the Alamo Colleges. Leslie said universities are investing in massive open online courses, or MOOC programs, because rapid growth of those programs shows their popularity with students. “We need to be thinking for the first time, how do we get into that place so that we can be a player there, and not just an observer, or not just be left in the dust,” he said. He said the problem is that he does not know how the uni-
See Technology, Page 4
Prem
6 • www.theranger.org/premiere
Psychology Club sponsors Spa Day
Massage therapist Gloria Rupert gives speech sophomore Michelle Flores a hand massage after a paraffin wax Oct. 3. File
By Katherine Garcia
kgarcia203@student.alamo.edu
Students are invited to relax at Spa Day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. April 3 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center. The event, sponsored by the Psychology Club and the office of student life, will feature 10 massage therapists offering foot massages and chair massages, paraffin hand-waxing and
SPC play motivates audience to social issue activism By Jahna Lacey
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
St. Philip’s will feature “A Place to Stand” 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays starting April 5-14 in the theater of the Watson Fine Arts Center, 1801 Martin Luther King Dr. “A Place to Stand” is a contemporary play written and directed by theater Professor Vincent Hardy, which explores the journey of an urban family dealing with limited options in the 21st century. The play includes additional music by singer Jake Owen and choreography by dance Professor Georgina Morgan. Several characters cope with the consequences of their damaging choices and beliefs. Hardy said that “A Place to Stand” makes a case for generating more love in our world. He said inspiration for the play came from living in New York during the 1990s, where he taught at an elementary school in the South Bronx. “I had a somewhat troublesome student and ended up meeting the mother,”
Hardy said. “She and I became friends. She was a single mother with five children. In many ways, she was trying to do the right thing, but it seems her children were more influenced by the streets and the culture than listening to her.” He said that he has been directing plays for 20 years, and has directed several of his original works. When he taught at King Academy, formerly known as King Middle School, he directed and wrote an original play called “When Children Dream.” “Plays such as ‘A Place to Stand’ explore a number of issues that students will encounter in growing up,” Hardy said. “Another reason it might benefit students is the play’s focus on involvement in politics goes beyond merely participating in electoral politics. The great progressive movements such as the abolitionist movement, womens’ suffrage, and civil rights movement were all the result of people participating in politics through protest — not merely voting.” “’A Place to Stand’ seeks to moti-
vate every individual to stop relying on politicians and the captains of industry to address environmental issues, gender issues, healthcare, education, and race,” Hardy said. “Individuals can be much more involved in grassroot efforts to deal with these and other fundamental problems in our nation.” The opening night performance includes dinner at 6 p.m. and the play at 8 p.m. with 28 seats available. The dinner menu includes smoked corn and green chili chowder, cool cucumber salad, roasted pork tenderloin, water chestnut wild rice dressing, and asparagus spears with lemon and garlic butter with poppy seed dinner rolls. Dessert includes molten chocolate cakes. Admission for opening night is $20. After that, the show is $5 for Alamo Colleges students and employees, seniors, and San Antonio Theater Coalition members, $10 general admission, and free for high school students. For opening night reservations or more information, call 210-486-2205.
aromatherapy. A guitarist will perform, and the lights will be dimmed. The event evolved from Stress-Out Day, in which students were invited to blow off some steam with recreational and competitive events in the mall a couple of weeks before finals, said activity specialist Carrie J. Hernandez. This year will be the seventh
By Emily Rodriguez sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Following city educational initiatives, the college-based channel inTV is introducing new programming to expand educational opportunities by watching television. InTV, associated with the Higher Education Council of San Antonio, is a joint project of the city and this college. The station’s programming targets students in grades K-12 as well as adults. The programs teach cursive writing, reading, art appreciation, math skills, science, American government and history. InTV regularly broadcasts in English and Spanish a program focusing on the GED. Programming covers American history from the 1600s to modern times for those who are studying to obtain U.S. citizenship. “We really want to focus on all levels of education because we have a broad-based constituency. But we also want to be in line with the goals and objectives with the city,” special projects Coordinator Kathy Armstrong said. InTV is emphasizing science, technology, engi-
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year of Spa Day. Psychology Club President Sonya Santiago said, “It’s the school’s way to give back to the students.” “It’s usually extremely busy,” Jacob Wong, a Psychology Club member said. Hernandez agreed, saying, “You do have people waiting for them to open,” She said people are turned
neering and mathema “STEM education i to keep the channel re objectives for the city said. The station freq gramming to its 24-ho “I call this feeding t said. “Once you start f to it ha gra en
general interest segme to 10 minutes called T Other new segmen for pre-algebra and ge “My idea is if you education at all, you c do arithmetic here,” A InTV is broadcast o Cable, Channel 21 on on AT&T/UVerse. For m scheduling, visit the sta
miere
way 30 minutes to an hour before e event is scheduled to end. People ask to have Spa Day wice, but the event is strictly nce a semester, she said. Santiago said, “It’s a really eat way for the students to realtake a load off their feet.” For more information, call ernandez at 210-486-0128. For ore on the Psychology Club, mail sacpsychclub@gmail.com.
mmunity ming
atics, or STEM, programming. is a big thing right now. Trying elevant to the current learning y is one of my main goals,” she quently introduces new proour broadcast schedule. the cookie monster,” Armstrong feeding it, you constantly have be feeding it new stuff to keep going, to keep it energized. It as to be the right kind of proamming to fit your constituncy.” The station has added a new ent that runs from 30 seconds Teachable Moments. nts will cover math skills needed eometry, science and life skills. were at home and you had no could learn to read, write and Armstrong said. on Channel 98 on Time Warner Grande Cable and Channel 99 more information and program ation’s website at intv.alamo.edu.
March 25, 2013 • 7
Renovations to Scobee promise four new services The planetarium opening is projected for January 2014. By Kevin W. Pang
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Robert T. McCall’s painting the “First Men on the Moon” that was donated by the Cheever Family at Broadway Bank on June 25, 2008 and was the inspiration to build a larger visitor center for the planetarium to this college. It now hangs in Chance Academic Center. Bob Kelley, coordinator of the Scobee Planetarium, said, “What if we just dreamt a little bit larger and combine the challenger center, the visitor center, room to display the painting, upgrade the planetarium facility.” The Challenger center was originally at Brooks Air Force Base, now a publicprivate partnership named Brooks CityBase, but because of construction and reduction, the center had to close and this college became the new location April 28, 2010. “We’re centrally located. We have the mission of education. This would be a wonderful place for people to come to a college campus and not only visit the planetarium but the Challenger center,” he said. Kelley said the district is projected to finish renovations to Scobee and installing equipment in November or December of this year. Equipment includes electronic displays, ticketing and sound systems and computers; software must also be updated. Challenger missions are simulations and learning is based on the practices that NASA uses to prepare astronauts; the students will be given a mission
to work on by separating into teams and working together to accomplish simulated tasks such as building space probes, monitoring life support functions for astronauts and plotting navigation courses in space. Kelley estimates the first mission will be scheduled for spring 2014. “We have to ask the college to provide staff because there’s going to be interest in having this facility open seven days a week,” Kelly said. “It’s going to take a while also to have the Challenger folks to be trained and have all of the equipment up and ready to go and have the first school visitors for the Challenger Learning Center portion of the facility.” The Challenger will have programs from pre-K to high school so that students stay engaged in science and maintain it all the way through to higher education. There will be missions specifically tailored to different age groups to accommodate for attention spans and motor functions for operating the equipment. New ideas are being brainstormed for possible missions such as a simulated undersea mission because the environment is similar to being in space and another is a journey into the human body to correct or explore medical conditions. Kelley said the centers have done missions into space but that it is not the only direction they could explore so that the center can appeal to other STEM fields, such as biology and marine geology. Three of the 41 Challenger Learning
Centers in the U.S. are in Texas: Houston, Needville and San Benito. This college’s Challenger center will be Texas’ fourth center once it’s completed. There are three international centers in the UK, Canada and South Korea. President Robert Zeigler said an advisory committee made up of industry, educators and community leaders helping with the mission of creating the best Challenger Learning Center in the country met on Feb. 8. They also advise on how the center can be used to connect to the students to help prepare them for science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Zeigler said the members on the board of trustees include Chancellor Bruce Leslie, Charles Cheever and Chris Cheever of Broadway Bank and Bonnie Gittinger. Zeigler said the school is trying to raise $5 million for construction and an additional $2 million for an endowment. He said the school has already received $1.7 million in gifts and commitments and the school accepts gifts from students and faculty. For those interested in donating to the center, contact Zeigler in his office in the Fletcher Administration Center. Zeigler said last year there was an employee-giving campaign and $20,000 was raised. Kelley said Valero Energy as a corporate partner has donated $500,000 to the project to realize the importance of STEM initiatives. Kelley attends construction meetings every two weeks that include representatives from the architects, the construction foreman and college officials, such as David Mrizek, vice president of college services, and Tim Rockey, the dean
of continuing education. They discuss updates, safety concerns; construction highlights present and upcoming, permits, requests for information and a project update. Zeigler and Project Coordinator Robin Collett said other centers have planetariums, but this college will have both a planetarium and a telescope observatory with simulated missions. Four different missions are being developed where they will have the students develop critical thinking skills and team building with one trip going to Mars, rendezvous with a comet or asteroid, a moon mission, and a return to Earth. Kelley also said as the newest addition to the Challenger missions, there will be an expected arrival of guest speakers, including current and former astronauts. There will be about 105 individual reclining seats and handicap spaces, a new sound system and projection screen, which will be seamless as opposed to several individual screens pieced together like a puzzle. The Challenger center will be two stories, with the mission control on the first floor and the classrooms on the second floor with seats for 20 to 40 with computer stations inside the simulated workstations. The observatory, on the third story, will host star parties on observation decks so astronomy clubs and classes can bring their own telescopes for labs. This venue is also available for the amateur astronomer. For more information about Scobee Planetarium, call Collett at 210-486-0956 or Kelley at 210-486-0101.
8 • March 25, 2013
www.theranger.org/editorial
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the
ranger
Editorial
Editor Rebecca Salinas
Managing Editor Faith Duarte News Editor Jennifer Luna Sports and Entertainment Editor Carlos Ferrand Calendar Editor Katherine Garcia Staff Writers Benjamin Enriquez, T.M. Harvey, Jahna Lacey, Megan Leonard, Henry Martinez, Michael Meinen, Kevin W. Pang, Michael Peters, Emily Rodriguez, Paula Christine Schuler, Carolina D. Vela, Ingrid Wilgen Photographers Monica Correa, Vincent Reyna Photo Team Daniel Arguelles, Stephanie Dix, Juliana Day Huff, Adriana Ruiz Illustrator Juan Carlos Campos Production Manager Mandy Derfler Multimedia Editor Riley Stephens Web Editor Alma Linda Manzanares ©2013 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-4299. 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 journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications at San Antonio College. 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 (210-486-1773), 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 upon request 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 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 mailed to The Ranger, Department of Media Communications, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-4299. Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, emailed to sac-ranger@alamo.edu 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. Newspaper theft is a crime. Those who violate the single-copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and subject to college discipline.
MetaMedia
To err is human, to correct is vital Accuracy is one of the most important aspects to journalists in producing the news. The only way for a journalist to gain trust and keep it is accurate reporting. Unfortunately, mistakes sometimes make it into print. A reporter may misspell a name, use an incorrect title or even misquote a source. When this occurs, it is vital that both the journalist and the public act quickly. Journalists must take responsibility for the mistake and publish a correction as soon as possible. The public should also call attention to any inaccurate reporting and provide the correct information. If the source does not call attention to the error, the reporter and editors might not be aware of the mistake — ever. A correction is not only written to try to safeguard a publication from libel lawsuits and keep a journalist from being fired, but those corrections appear to remind the public that newspapers are committed to accuracy.
The Ranger is a student publication. In its 86 years, plenty of mistakes have slipped through the editing process, and corrections are regularly published. While students aim to report as accurately as possible, sometimes mistakes are made. We are not only learning, we are human. While one may see errors in a student publication as unprofessional, that would be inaccurate. Just log on to the New York Times website and click on the corrections link. No newspaper is flawless. Mistakes will be made, but it is important to make corrections when necessary. As noted by Katharine Graham, celebrated publisher of the Washington Post for 30 years following her husband’s death and CEO of Newsweek, even if we did get it all correct one day, we just have to start over the next day. Journalists write the first draft of history. It is the responsibility of the industry, our sources, the readers and the public to revise that draft when necessary.
Juan Carlos Campos
Last call for graduates Today is the deadline for students to apply for graduation and participate in commencement exercises at 10 a.m. May 11 at Joe Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St. To graduate, students must apply online though their ACES account and meet with a counselor or faculty adviser for a degree audit. Other requirements for graduation include a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, completion of all required courses, completion of at least 25 percent of coursework at this college, good academic standing and submission of official transcripts from all colleges attended. After many sleepless nights studying, then climbing out of bed early to find decent parking on campus, it’s important to be recognized for all your hard work. Everyone should hear the roar of applause as you collect your diploma. Graduating means a smooth transition to a public four-year college in Texas. It is also a sign of commitment and persistence, which looks good and could help an application to a private university. An associate degree also serves as an important milestone for graduates in the journey to a bachelor’s degree. Life can often get in the way, and if problems arise, causing you to put college plans on hold, you can always remind yourself of
all you can overcame to earn your associate degree, so you can’t stop now. Associate degree holders also earn better wages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million over their working life. Those with an associate degree earn about $1.6 million, about $400,000 more. So, be proud and graduate. You have time for a moment in the spotlight and you deserve it.
Donate goods, time Many students take advantage of the Phi Theta Kappa food pantry at 602 W. French Place. We are grateful they have this resource to turn to. The question is: What have the rest of us done to give back to the community? The food pantry is an agency of the San Antonio Food Bank and people can sign up to volunteer or conduct a food drive for the food bank. According to safoodbank.org, “When you donate your time to the San Antonio Food Bank, you become a partner in the fight against hunger.” The food bank is calling for volunteers for Hunger in America 2014 to collect information from clients. To apply, click on ‘Volunteer’ on the upper-right hand corner of the homepage. Hunger for America 2014 is just one of
many volunteering opportunities the food bank offers. If one of your excuses is that you are too busy to volunteer, then you can make a donation to the food bank either online, by phone or by mail. To donate online, click ‘Make a donation’ on the upper-right hand corner of the food bank’s homepage. Call 210-431-8307 to donate by phone or mail a check to the San Antonio Food Bank, 5200 W. Old U.S. Hwy 90. This could be your chance to give back to society. As students, we may not have all the time or money in the world, but a little bit of effort can go a long way. You never know who goes to bed hungry; it might even be someone sitting next to you in class.
www.theranger.org/news
News
March 25, 2013 • 9
Committee approves summer four-day week The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee recommends a tuition and fee waiver for college courses not specified as dual-credit sections. By Rebecca Salinas
rsalinas191@student.alamo.edu
All facilities will be closed the following The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee Fridays: June 7, 14, 21 and 28; July 5, 12, 19 and unanimously approved recommending to the 26; and Aug. 2. A five-day schedule resumes full board implementation of a four-day work Aug. 5. week June 3 to Aug. 2. In other news, the committee unanimously The decision came during its March 12 approved recommending to the full board a meeting at Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan, and waiver of tuition and fees for college courses goes to the full board of the Alamo Colleges taken as dual credit but not specified as a dualduring its regular board meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday credit section, effective this fall. in Room 101 of Killen. Leslie said there has been a decrease in dualDiane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance credit enrollment because since December and administration, said Palo Alto College has 2011, they have had to pay $80 per credit hour. been under that schedule, which runs from Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor of Monday to Thursday, since 2004. academic success, said area school districts The four-day work week has been districtdepend on the Alamo Colleges to provide dualwide since 2010. credit opportunities. Snyder said in years past, the four-day work “We found that we are losing the opportuweek spanned eight weeks, but an extra week nity to help some of the needier students and was added for this coming summer. needier ISDs to provide dual credit for their According to the minute order, four-day students,” she said. work weeks help keep tuition Dr. Adena Loston, as low as possible because of president of St. Philip’s We found that we are an estimated $200,000 utilCollege, said 293 stulosing the opportunity to ity savings through reduced dents are impacted help some of the needier from the rural school water, gas and energy constudents and needier sumption. districts around St. ISDs to provide dual “The four-day work week Philip’s. credit for their students. has proven to be a successIn an interview ful utility-and-budget-saving Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke Tuesday, Fabianke said initiative without adverse vice chancellor of there are 9,000 students impacts on student success,” enrolled in dual credit academic success the minute order read subcourses. mitted by Chancellor Bruce She said SchertzLeslie; John Strybos, associate vice chancellor Cibolo-Universal City Independent School for facilities; and Snyder. District, which registers about 300-500 stuTen-hour shifts will be set between 7 a.m. dents every semester, and Sam Houston High and 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except School, which had 92 students interested this for certain programs committed to operate semester, pulled out of the dual-credit proFriday, Saturday or Sunday. gram. She said automotive and culinary pro-
’’
Chancellor Bruce Leslie says there has been a decline of dual-credit students since December 2011 because they have to pay $80 per credit hour for
courses unqualified for dual credit March 12 during the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee in Killen. Rebecca Salinas
grams are most affected. fall, according to the minute order. Fall 2012 Dr. Mike Flores, president of Palo Alto revenues for 215 students and certain group College, said there was a decrease of 200-250 assemblies was $330,000 to $430,000. dual-credit students in the fall and spring Snyder said the state appropriations exceedbecause families could not pay the fee. ed the revenue of $80 each course from paying President Robert Zeigler said although this students. college lost only about 25 students, he supports She said if 962 students take dual-credthe waiver because the cost affects how many it courses, the district will make a profit of students take dual credit courses at Palo Alto $20,000 to $270,000. and St. Philip’s. In other news, the committee unanimously Snyder said the district receives state approapproved recommending to the full board a real priations, so when students do not take dual- estate purchase agreement worth $600,000. The credit courses, the district loses state approitem was discussed during executive session priations. Tuesday. The district lost approximately $350,000 to For more information, call board liaison $700,000 of lost contact hour reimbursement Sandra Mora at 210-485-0030 or visit alamo. becauseAChoiceForWomen_Ad:Layout of the decrease of 962 students 1last 1/25/13 edu/district/board. 27166 3:11 PM Page 1
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10 • March 25, 2013
www.theranger.org/pulse
Gym shorts Final Scores Wednesday Men’s basketball Northwest Vista 91 St. Philip’s 64 Palo Alto 89 Incarnate Word 88 Victoria 77 Southwest Texas Junior 81 Women’s basketball Palo Alto 54 Incarnate Word 37
Kinesiology sophomore Daniel Cervantes awaits the final minutes of the game against Northwest Vista Wednesday. Vincent Reyna
Victoria 46 Southwest Texas Junior 62
NVC hands SPC 91-64 upset
Women’s soccer San Antonio 3 S.A. Fury 2
By Carlos Ferrand
Upcoming games
cferrand@student.alamo.edu
Men’s basketball Wednesday Victoria at Incarnate Word, 8 p.m. at McDermott Center Southwest Texas Junior at Northwest Vista, 8 p.m. at Huisache Hall Palo Alto at St. Philip’s, 8 p.m. at health and fitness center Women’s basketball Wednesday Victoria at Incarnate Word, 6 p.m. at McDermott Center Southwest Texas Junior at Northwest Vista, 6 p.m. at Huisache Hall Palo Alto at St. Philip’s, 6 p.m. at health and fitness center Women’s volleyball Thursday Trinity at Northwest Vista, 7 p.m. at Sports Center, 2200 E. Red River St.
Carlos Ferrand
Liberal arts freshman Desmond Hines drives to the hoop during the basketball game against St. Philip’s Wednesday at Huisache Hall. Vincent Reyna
•
96
years providing women, men, and young people with the education, information, of clients at or below 150% and services needed to make of the federal poverty level. responsible choices about sex of all health services and reproduction. are contraceptive. are age 8 in 10 clients 20 and older.
76%
34%
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activists, supporters, and donors.
estimated number
584,000
6 million+ 3/4
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of unintended pregnancies averted by contraceptive services each year.
3%
ONLY
105%
increase in male clients from 2000 to 2010.
of all services are abortion services
Northwest Vista coach Irvin Thomas encourages his team during halftime against St. Philip’s. Vincent Reyna
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The Northwest Vista Wildcats wanted to make a statement in its game against the St. Philip’s Tigers Wednesday night in Huisache Hall. The message was simple, we are right behind you. “It is always huge when you beat someone ahead of you. They (Tigers) have been in second place the whole season, and we have been in third place the whole season,” Wildcats’ Coach Irvin Thomas said. The Wildcats wasted no time delivering that message, jumping on a 12-2 run in the first 3 minutes of the game. The Tigers’ usual fast-paced offense was stonewalled by an aggressive zone defense. The Wildcats forced eight turnovers in the first half, five coming in the opening 6 minutes. Mark Anthony, criminal justice sophomore and Tigers’ standout, was unable to cut to the basket all night. Anthony was held to 2 points for the entire game. “The zone defense played a huge role tonight ... it made them have to shoot outside shots which they could hit tonight,” Isaiah Clasberry, Northwest Vista education sophomore, said. The Wildcats did not have the same problem, scoring 35 of their 51 first half points from outside of the paint, with 27 of those coming from beyond the 3-point arch. “My theory is always work inside first and the outside will come, but fortunately for us, the shots were falling today,” Thomas said. By halftime the Wildcats’ had a commanding 51-34 lead. The second half featured much of the same. The Wildcats’ forced 10 turnovers and scored 21 more points from behind the arch. The Wildcats led for the remainder of the game winning 91-64. “It felt pretty good to win because they beat us last time in a close game,” Desmond Hines, Northwest Vista liberal arts freshman, said. “It feels good to get our revenge.” These rivals will meet again in the first round of playoffs April 3 at McDermott Center at the University of the Incarnate Word. The game time has not been set. St. Philip’s knocked Northwest Vista out of the playoffs last year. “This is that statement game we needed going into the playoffs to let them know we can beat them as well,” Irvin said. The women’s basketball teams of Northwest Vista and St. Philip’s were scheduled to meet Wednesday also, but the wildcats could not field a team.
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11 • March 25, 2013
Group shows their ‘Fuerza Unida’ By Emily Rodriguez sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The Levi Strauss plant in San Antonio laid-off more than a thousand workers in 1990, when the company moved their jobs to Costa Rica for cheaper labor in a free trade zone. Petra Mata and Viola Casares, cofounders of Fuerza Unida spoke at this college March 7 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center as the final event of the college’s annual Women’s History Week. “They left us in the streets. In less than 15 minutes, they shattered our whole lives. Not only mine, but 1,150 workers,” Casares said. Mata and Casares banded together and co-founded Fuerza Unida, or United Strength in Spanish, with other women who were laid off. Sewing cooperative El Hilo de la
Justicia, or Threads of Justice, is also a part of Fuerza Unida. “We talk about our story not for people to feel sorry for us; it’s the reality of what happens when you lose your job,” Casares said. “We were the first ones to get organized to fight this giant company for what they did to us.” Fuerza Unida demanded fair compensation from Levi’s and better working conditions in other factories. Casares said Fuerza Unida was able to influence the way other Levi’s factories closed down and the amount of benefits the laid-off workers received. Mata’s and Casares’ message to students was to empower women by using the creation of their organization and their progress as examples. They also wanted to raise awareness to factory working conditions, along
with other social and environmental issues. “I worked at the company for 10 years, and I never thought that I could be doing the things that I have been doing these past 23 years,” Casares said. “The struggle of Fuerza Unida changed my life. I was a garment worker; I never thought that I would be organizing and traveling all over the world sharing our struggle.” A short documentary was shown to the audience showing clips of their protests. “We like to say that over 23 years of struggle, Levi’s is gone. There is no more Levi Strauss in the United States; after 23 years, Fuerza Unida is still here,” Casares said. “What stuck us together is feeling like family. When we used to work at Levi’s, we thought that we were
Leticia Garza, Fuerza Unida’s lead seamstress, models one of her designs on the runway of a fashion show presented by the community activism group March 7 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Monica Correa
Get in shape, have fun at free Healthfest Events offer tips and tools to get healthy, right around the corner. By Michael Peters
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
In 2012, Texas was one of 12 states estimated to have more than 30 percent of the population with a body mass index of 30 or higher, according to americashealthrankings.org. A body mass index rating of 30 or higher indicates obesity. Healthfest 2013 offers a great opportunity to learn more about leading a healthy lifestyle. “(On) April 3 it’s going down, so come on out; it’s going to be fun,” said wellness Coordinator Chris Dillon. Healthfest 2013 kicks off 9 a.m. and continues to 1 p.m. April 3 in Gym 1 and 2 of Candler Physical Education Center. Healthfest is open to the entire community and is free to attend. As many as 55 exhibits will be on display from various health and
wellness organizations, including South Texas Blood and Tissue Center and the American Cancer Society. Each organization attending is asked to bring a door prize to have at its booth; Academy Sports will award gift cards. Services offered include testing blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index. There will be demonstrations of cardio kickboxing, Latin cardio, fencing and extreme fitness performed by kinesiology professors and students. A dunking booth will provide students an opportunity to dunk nearly every professor in the kinesiology department. Healthfest is funded through the wellness budget of the kinesiology department. For more information, contact Dillon at 210-4861025.
Former Councilwoman María Antonietta Berriozábal struts down the runway wearing a design by Leticia Garza, Fuerza Unida’s lead seamstress. Monica Correa family. Family would never throw you out in the streets. What’s kept Fuerza Unida going has been coming together and being part of the community,” Mata said. Fuerza Unida is planning to expand and hire additional workers. Mata said older women have a harder time trying to find jobs and that she is “proud that we can create jobs for all kinds of women, not just young women.” Faces of the founding members of the organization can be found in the mural of the Fiesta Room. After the speech, a fashion show exhibited 15 of 75 designs from the Fuerza Unida line of clothing based on members’ designs. “Despite being a smaller version, this event maintains its main purpose of bringing together various local mujeres (Spanish for “women”) willing to promote their historical and present work,” master of ceremonies Patricia Castillo said. “In other words, our runway models are also community role models.” Five local women, Leticia Lozano, Anel Flores, Monessa Maria Esquivel, Mary McIntyre and Leticia Garza created the designs. Aprons, polyester and sheer
chiffons inspired Lozano’s designs, named after women in her family. McIntyre’s designs are part of her first collection and were inspired by a more classic look. Flores’ collection was inspired by guayaberas and bright, bold colors. Esquivel’s designs, “La Colección Linaje,” Spanish for Lineage Collection, for tweens and teens is inspired by the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s. Garza, the lead seamstress of Fuerza Unida, designed her denim collection based on work done by former Levi’s workers. Fuerza Unida seamstresses Garza and Belen Lira sewed all of the clothes in the fashion show. The models are women from the community, including former Levi’s workers, stay-at-home-mothers and Fuerza Unida members. The models also included Rosa Rosales, a former LULAC National president, and María Antonietta Berriozábal, the city’s first Latina councilwoman. The entire collection can be seen at Fuerza Unida headquarters, 710 New Laredo Highway. For more information, call 210927-2294 or visit lafuerzaunida.org.
Low self-esteem can lead to eating disorders By Katherine Garcia
kgarcia203@student.alamo.edu
Models are thinner than 98 percent of women, a counselor said in an eating disorder seminar at this college. Each year, the average adolescent sees more than 5,260 ads stressing attractiveness, according to Raderprograms.com, an eating disorder treatment site. “If I can’t look like this, then there’s something that’s wrong with me,” counselor Landry Weatherston said in imitation of young girls’ image of themselves compared to fashion models. Weatherston and Claire Kirk, representatives from the Eating Disorder Center of San Antonio, explained the types of eating disorders at a Feb. 25 seminar in Room 150 of Loftin. EDCASA sponsored the event in conjunction with National Eating Disorder Awareness. The presentation detailed anorexia resulting from an obsession with gaining weight. Anorexics skip meals or avoid food groups such as wheat to lose weight. Bulimia results from low self-esteem. The pursuit of thinness leads to restrictive dieting, deprivation and hunger, bingeeating, purging, feelings of guilt and shame and the cycle continues. Binge-eating disorder (or an eating disorder not otherwise specified) is binging as a way of dealing with unpleasant emotions. People restrict the amount of food they eat and then binge later. Weatherston said those who suffer from eating disorders can seek help from
View the full infographic at http://www.raderprograms.com/health-concerns/infographic-eatingdisorders-and-the-media.html EDCASA, which offers daytime treatment. Weatherston continued, “Having an eating disorder can be really isolating, but with treatment, it’s possible to have a life worth living.” Kirk advised, “Get professional help as soon as possible.” She said patients in treatment “go through everything together.” According to EDCASA.com, the center offers intensive outpatient care of two to four hours a day, day treatment care of six hours a day, extended day treatment for 11 hours
a day, and a family-based dialectical behavioral therapy program of 4-11 hours a day. Dialectical behavioral therapy offers advice without judgment and helps patients learn to live without eating disorders. Patients also learn how to eat without worrying about weight gain. “It can be a really empowering experience to know that others are going through this,” Weatherston said. For more information, call EDCASA at 210-826-7447.
12 • March 25, 2013
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Edie Davis, vice president of operations at STW, describes the defense moves instructor Bridget Lopez uses to escape a choke hold instructor Roger Lopez holds her in Wednesday in the craft room of Loftin. Stephanie Dix
Learning to
fight back By Emily Rodriguez
ives” which consist of kicks, punches, knee and elbow A Krav Maga demonstra- strikes. tion marked self-defense as After the demonstration, the topic of the month for the the instructors answered Services for Women and Nonquestions ranging from what Traditional Students Club. to do when being attacked Instructors from Stuff That while a child is present, to how Works training facility, conto disarm an attacker from ducted the demonstration behind a counter. Wednesday in the craft room Roger Lopez stressed of Loftin Student Center. learning self-defense is Krav Maga is a form of important because everyone self-defense created by Israeli is a potential target. martial artist, Imi Lichtenfeld. He also advised the audiIt was adapted ence to be for use in the aware of surIsraeli military roundings View and later taught instead of texthe video at to civilians for ting. He said theranger.org. self defense. assailants prey “A n y o n e , on those who any size can are not paying learn it,” Edie attention. Davis, STW’s vice president of SWANS president Roxana operations, said. “The tech- Avendaño continued to stress niques are based on instinc- the importance of self defense tive movements and it is a by referencing a sexual assault realistic system.” in San Pedro Springs Park Instructors Arthur March 18. Saucedo, Roger Lopez and “As women, it’s important Bridget Lopez demonstrated to know that we are more the moves to ward off attack- capable than we think. We are ers in various situations, not victims,” Avendaño said. such as being choked, forced For more information against a wall, attacked with a about STW, call 210-348-6123 weapon or sexually assaulted. or visit stw911.com. The audience was instructFor more information ed how to fight back against about SWANS, call 210-486attackers by using “combat0455. sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Bridget Lopez demonstrates an elbow strike to the head of her attacker to escape the choke hold. Stephanie Dix
Bridget Lopez and Roger Lopez, STW instructors, demonstrate how to disarm an attacker when in immediate danger Wednesday in the craft room of Loftin. Stephanie Dix