The Ranger Sept. 18, 2017 by The Ranger

R ANGER

THE sept

An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Issue 1

2017 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College

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In brief

At the committee-of-thewhole meeting Sept. 12, Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor for academic success, said faculty and administrators met to establish the difference between Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees.

Fabianke said students pursuing an Associate of Science will be required to take nine additional credit hours of math and science courses. Fabianke said it was important to have this change in the catalog by Sept. 1 for the colleges’ SACSCOC reports. Zachary-Taylor Wright

Chancellor contract has pay raise, new incentive bonus The contract approved by the board lists criteria determining the chancellor’s prorated bonus. By Zachary-Taylor Wright zwright9@student.alamo.edu

Art freshman Derek Cope asks math tutor Dan Suttin if he needs to add a washer in a certain hole in the Air Traffic Control Center artwork Sept. 13 on the first floor of Chance. Suttin, Cope and Jacob Cope, 17, were placing the artwork in Chance. It took Suttin five months to complete the artwork made of cardboard boxes, and it will be on display through June. Brianna Rodrigue

Chancellor Bruce Leslie’s contract for fiscal year 2018 includes a $12,094 salary increase and a new clause allowing the chancellor to earn up to a $45,000 bonus. The board of trustees unanimously voted to renew Leslie’s contract at a special board meeting Aug. 24 at Killen Center, and the contract was signed into action Aug. 28. The renewal of Leslie’s contract was originally scheduled for the Aug. 15 regular board meeting at Killen Center but consideration of it was postponed. According to the fiscal year 2018 contract, Leslie’s salary will increase from $403,123 to $415,217 on Jan. 1. Leslie’s FY 2017 contract went into effect Sept.1, 2016. The incentive bonus established in the FY 2018 contract makes the chancellor “eligible for an incentive bonus not to exceed $45,000.” The board is to determine the bonus amount in July, and the determined amount is to be paid to Leslie Aug. 31. In an interview with The Ranger Sept. 14, board Chair Yvonne Katz, District 7 trustee, said the incentive bonus mirrors those of private companies and chief executive officers, where the CEO is encouraged to achieve higher levels of success through bonuses. Katz said the criteria set for the incentive bonus derived from charges to the chancellor, and the board will continue to charge Leslie with new goals next month. Katz said the board is only responsible for developing contracts for the chancellor and the internal auditor, but Leslie can develop bonus incentives for other employees.

Operating budgets cut to address $4 million loss College attempts to mitigate impact on students. By Austin P. Taylor

ataylor160@student.alamo.edu

A shortfall caused by over-budgeting and declining enrollment caused a decrease of $4 million in this college’s budget for 2017-18. This will manifest itself in a variety of ways this semester. Dr. Stella Lovato, vice president of college services, said the operating budgets across departments have been slashed by 25 percent. This means departments will need to limit purchases to the essentials. Many departments won’t be able to self-fund activities such as club gatherings and events. Departments wishing to travel for events will have to make their case to Lovato’s office. To reduce travel costs, Lovato’s office procured an SUV for clubs and other organizations based on campus. If interested in using the vehicle, call Janae Johnson, coordinator of risk management, at 210486-0902 or email jjohnson650@alamo.edu. The college also had to cut back on creating new positions and filling recently vacated ones. President Robert Vela said he thinks the best way to go about doing this is to judge situations on a caseby-case basis. “If a position needs to be filled, we’ll look for a tem-

porary solution while the hiring process is taking place,” Vela said. Vela said temporary adjuncts might be brought in to fill positions if staff cannot take on additional class. Amanda Graef Larry Rosinbaum, this college’s budget officer, said the adjunct budget is “pretty much the same.” Drops in enrollment and applications for financial aid means certain labs have limited the number of work-study students they can hire. The writing center and the integrated reading and writing center have each lost a work-study position. This will limit the number of tutors in labs and reduce available hours for each. “We’ve not been able to advance our funding at the same rate of demand for our services,” said Jane Focht-Hansen, coordinator for the writing center. The IRNW lab already limited the number of appointments students can make. The loss of a workstudy position affects its ability to help students. Payroll and benefits haven’t been cut. All full-time employees will receive the same pay and benefits as they did in the previous academic year. A pay raise is still scheduled for January.

$45,000

Potential bonus included in Chancellor Bruce Leslie’s contract

According to the contract, the board will determine the bonus amount by assessing Leslie’s ability to reach five outlined outcome goals “… at a minimum level of 50 percent as specified.” Leslie is expected to ensure 80 percent of students are aligned with an Alamo Institute pathway, or declare a major, before completing 30 credit hours. He is expected to have transfer advising guides aligned with five of a list of seven universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, St. Mary’s University, Our Lady of the Lake University, University of the Incarnate Word, Texas State University and the University of Texas Health. The contract expects Leslie to develop and distribute a “communication plan” for media, independent school districts, the business community and other colleges or universities. The contract states he should attain a 90 percent distribution rate. To achieve the incentive bonus, Leslie must also implement the Alamo Colleges Online program. The contract contains three sub-criteria for ACOL, including hiring staff, assessing needs for programs and equipment and developing an “implementation/communication plan at the 100 percent level.” The final criteria item required for Leslie to receive the incentive bonus is the graduation and certification of 13,500 students in 2017-18, which the

See RAISE, Page 2

Board opposes DACA dismissal, writes Congress An immigration advisory council will host clinics to help DACA students. By Zachary-Taylor Wright

zwright9@student.alamo.edu

The board of trustees expressed a stance on the dismissal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, defended the students protected by the executive order repealed by President Donald Trump and approved a letter to Congress opposing the dismissal at a special board meeting Sept. 12 at Killen Center. Board Chair Yvonne Katz, District 7 trustee, began discussion of the letter expressing concern for the repercussions of DACA’s dismissal and said the letter is addressed to Congress and the U.S. president. Katz pleaded with national leaders to be fair and considerate of undocumented students in the U.S., asking Congress to do right by the students in Alamo Colleges. Chancellor Bruce Leslie said the dismissal of DACA is in direct opposition to the district’s mission of “empowering our diverse communities for success” because the estimated 1,000 students in the district protected by the order are

expected to be deported and future students won’t be able to attend the Alamo Colleges. Leslie estimated there are about 20 employees who might be affected by the executive order’s dismissal. He opposed the action from a moral perspective and said the dismissal will have an adverse effect on the district’s effort to lead a diverse community. Carmen de Luna Jones, offsite coordinator of Brackenridge Education and Training Center and coordinator of the district’s immigration advisory council, urged employees to donate to the Alamo Colleges Foundation’s DREAMers scholarship. Jones said DACA is an executive order established by former President Barrack Obama that allowed certain children who are were under the age of 16 and emigrated to the U.S. prior to June 15, 2012. Jones said the executive order deferred removal action of DACAaccepted individuals for two years, allowing renewal at the end of the two years. She said the executive order was a temporary solution, rather than a pathway to citizenship, for undocumented

See DACA, Page 2

2NEWS

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Sept 18 2017

Two years’ worth of Saturdays might get you a degree New courses to be added next semester. By Austin P. Taylor

ataylor160@student.alamo.edu

Hoping to combat the trend of declining enrollment, officials at this college are offering courses on Saturdays that will allow students to earn associate degrees in two years. This program, Saturday at SAC, consists solely of Saturday classes. Though enrollment for standard courses wasn’t filled for the associate in criminal science or the computer programmer degree, these classes are available as Flex 2 courses starting Oct. 23. Flex 2 courses will be open for enrollment until Oct. 9. Enrollment for spring will open alongside standard semester registration dates. Development for this program began spring 2017 and continued throughout summer. “We wanted to give people an opportunity to come to school when it would be convenient for them,” said Vernell Walker, dean of professional and technical education, during an interview with The Ranger. The program is offering three degrees — Associate of Arts with a business or criminal justice field of study and a computer programmer associate of applied science degree. “We chose these programs because they’re popular, and these programs can do something like this,” Walker said. “Nursing is really one of our larger programs, but it can’t be put on this kind of schedule.” Walker said because of the difficulty of adding lab time into the Saturday schedule, biology might not work on this system. Classes began this semester.

RAISE from Page 1 contract states is the TX60x30 goal. This is the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s goal to ensure “at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34” have a certificate or degree by 2030, according to the website. In an interview Sept. 13, District 2 trustee Denver McClendon said the incentive bonus was created to make the chancellor’s salary competitive. According to an article published in The Ranger Sept. 12, 2016, Leslie’s FY 2017 salary was higher than chancel-

Amanda Graef Every eight weeks students will take two classes. Every program starts with a learning framework class. The Associate of Arts degrees in business and criminal justice pair an English composition or introductory criminal justice class with EDUC 1300, Learning Framework, in the first semester. All courses in this program are offered as hybrid classes. Hybrid classes consist of both face-to-face and online sessions. Work will be submitted online for the convenience of working students. Students will take courses 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Students take two summer classes to finish the degree in two years. The summer courses are 10-week courses. In spring, two additional degrees will be offered: Associate of Arts in liberal arts and the Associate in Teaching Grades 7-12 and Other EC-12. Students interested in the Saturday at SAC program can call 210-212-5266.

lors in districts of comparable size, including Dallas County Community College, Houston Community College District and Tarrant County College. McClendon said the district aims rank third in compensation of all employees. He said the board thinks Leslie is doing a good job and should be compensated. The chancellor maintains the $1,500 per month automobile allowance from previous contracts and a gas card for business use. Leslie’s contact also continues the additional $166 per month allowance as reim-

ee Leslie’s full contract online at www. theranger.org. bursement for the cost of “his cell phone and other computer and technological services.” The Ranger submitted an information request for the new contract to Nancy Kempf, district Public Information Act officer, Aug. 28 and received the contract Sept. 13.

DACA from Page 1 immigrants to obtain a Social Security number. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website, DACA was rescinded Sept. 5 and Congress is expected to resolve the DREAMers conflict by March. Jones said having a Social Security number allowed undocumented immigrants to seek work outside of cashonly jobs and allowed the immigrants to obtain a state identification card or driver’s license. Jones said this is a sad situation and community partners and organizations are working together to inform DACA students and their families of resources to reapply. She said any DACA-exempt immigrants who were eligible for DACA renewal between Sept. 5 and March 5 have until Oct. 5 to reapply. Jones said the application deadline is outrageous. She said the application costs $495, and several immigrants exempt under DACA need financial assistance to apply for renewal. Jones said the Mexican Consulate and organizations are helping local undocumented immigrants fund the application process. During the board meeting Sept. 12, Jones said the dismissal of DACA has created a strong need for mental health assistance in counseling to help students struggling with stress; she said students coming to her are very concerned with the potential consequences of the dismissal. In the interview, Jones said she wanted DREAMers to know there are several allies and advocates in support of them and opposing any legislation that would harm students in the district. District 5 trustee Roberto Zárate commended the chancellor for drafting the letter, but he said the district’s efforts cannot cease here. He urged the board to address Congress through lobbying. “This isn’t about policy,” Zárate said. “It’s about lives.” Katz shared a personal story relayed from a 2017-18 recipient of a scholarship in Katz’s name at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who is a DACA student. Katz described his experience emigrating to this country with his family, recalling his separation from his parents as a child during the process as the children took a truck into the U.S. and the parents came across the Rio Grande. Katz said he is currently an Englishas-a-second-language teacher in a local school district, and he is pursuing a master’s degree in public school administration because he wants to be able to help DACA students like himself. In reference to the impact a community college letter might have at the

national level, District 6 trustee Gene Sprague offered encouragement by saying there are members in Congress listening to the district. “You have to think that when you do a letter like this, it has impact,” Sprague said. Jones has worked with undocumented students in this district since 2001, when the Texas residency laws were instituted. Jones said these laws allowed undocumented students to attend college and pay in-district tuition if they had graduated from a Texas high school. The letter addressed to Congress states that 1,000 DREAMers are enrolled in the district and describes these students as “dedicated and highly motivated students, as evidenced by their college retention rate of 89.2 percent and productive grade rate of 76.5 percent.” In an interview with The Ranger Sept. 13, Velda Villarreal, district director for institutional research, said she could not verify if the retention and productive grade rates only represented DACA students. DACA students were identified by their tuition status category by determining students who pay in-district tuition but are not residents. Villarreal said she was not sure if all students protected by Texas residency laws, which their search criteria would identify, are DACA students. In the Sept. 12 interview, Jones said she hopes Congress will pass the Dream Act, which she said is a proposed nonpartisan act that will help with immigration reform rather than a temporary solution. “They (DACA students) are so resilient, and they have done so well,” Jones said. “This is now hanging on their shoulders, on their families.” Jones said the immigration advisory council will sponsor a DACA clinic to help students and their families fill out renewal applications noon-6 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Legacy Room of Ozuna Library and Learning Center at Palo Alto College. Jones said the immigration advisory council will also sponsor two “Educate to Empower” sessions at this college with panelists Jones; district police Chief Don Adams; and Elizabeth Almanza, American Gateways outreach coordinator. Representatives from the Mexican Consulate and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be available to answer questions. The two sessions will be 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-noon Sept. 19 in the library performance area on the fourth floor of Moody Learning Center. For more information about the resources for DACA students, legislation or the immigration advisory council’s events, visit www.alamo.edu/district/ daca/.

Board explains tax increase, discusses public impact Board will vote on tax rate Sept. 19. Zachary-Taylor Wright

zwright9@student.alamo.edu

Although there were no citizens to be heard at the district’s second public hearing on a tax increase, the board of trustees clarified there was not a tax rate increase and discussed the impact increased property valuations have on constituents at the public hearing Sept. 12. A Bexar County resident opposed the tax increase at the public hearing on a tax increase Sept. 6. In an interview after the hearing, he said he was unaware the tax rate was not increasing because the only notice he saw was for a tax increase. In response to the confusion,

District 1 trustee Joe Alderete asked Dr. Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, to explain at the Sept. 12 hearing that the board was not considering a tax rate increase. Alderete said Snyder confided to him that she regretted not explaining the tax increase more clearly at the public hearing Sept. 6. Chancellor Bruce Leslie asked Pamela Ansboury, associate vice chancellor for finance and fiscal services, to expand on the topic. Ansboury explained that while Alamo Colleges is not raising the tax rate, Bexar County residents will experience a tax increase as property valuations from the Bexar County Appraisal District increase. During the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee meeting Sept.

12, District 5 trustee Roberto Zárate said the board needs to be mindful that taxpayers are more concerned with the amount of taxes increasing than a tax rate. During the committee meeting, District 6 trustee Gene Sprague said state legislation was worded to give the appearance taxing entities are raising taxes. He said this causes governing agencies, such as the Alamo Colleges, to receive the blame for tax increases. According to the Alamo Colleges website, the district has maintained the same combined tax rate of $0.149150 per $100 of taxable assessed value since 2012 by adjusting the maintenance and operations rate to accommodate the debt rate. According to a presentation

shown to the board from district Treasurer Tracy Bedwell at the committee-of-the-whole meeting Aug. 8, the average property value in Bexar County has increased $51,479 since 2012. District 2 trustee Denver McClendon clarified that, although the district is not raising the tax rate, Bexar County residents will have to write a larger check when paying taxes because of the increase in property valuations. Zárate agreed but said the board needs to maintain a substantial growth and be considerate of constituents when addressing taxes. Leslie asked Ansboury what the average tax bill is for a Bexar County resident within the Alamo Colleges’ district. For every dollar Bexar County

residents pay in property taxes, about 6 cents goes to Alamo Colleges, Ansboury said. Snyder clarified that tax revenue funds facilities and preventative maintenance. She said tax revenue is a critical source of district funding and allows the district to keep tuition low. According to a budget presentation Bedwell presented to the board at the budget retreat July 18, taxes will account for 44 percent of the district’s overall revenue and tuition 24 percent. According to the Alamo Colleges website, most classes cost $258 for students in district and $606 for students out of district. The board will vote on the proposed tax rate at the board meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Killen Center.

EDITORIAL 3 www.theranger.org/EDITORIAL

sept 18 2017

Encourage exploration, promote enrichment Streamline the enrollment process without creating restrictions for students.

J. Carbajal

A letter to readers The Ranger will limit its weekly print publication this semester to four pages because of collegewide budget cuts but will continue to publish more content online. This college’s budget for 2017-18 has been cut by $4 million, and the budget for the journalism-photography program, which produces the student newspaper, has been cut 25 percent. This budget reduction also has reduced the number of full-time Ranger faculty advisers from four to three. In addition, released time was cut in half for advisers who work with students taking journalism skills classes to publish the newspaper and online site. Despite the cuts, The Ranger will continue to produce a weekly print edition, which provides a diverse learning experience for students in the program.

Producing a print issue allows students taking journalism skills classes to garner experience producing stories, photos, editorials and illustrations and laying out and designing pages. Publishing print issues continues to be the best way for students in the program to learn and practice news values, leadership skills, longterm planning and the importance of deadlines. In line with the direction of the industry, The Ranger will continue to keep the website updated with important and timely news at this college and the other Alamo Colleges. The Ranger will continue to teach students the importance of producing objective and accurate news and in doing so provide a source of independent news and information for this college and district. The Ranger staff

It’s possible that this initiative would encourage administration to focus on the vocational programs offered by the district, which could have a negative impact on academic and other courses that aren’t required for these programs. And while the notion of promoting the needs of San Antonio is noble at face value, how will this impact programs that promote students to move out of this area? How will it impact students who don’t want to stay in this area? From what we know, there are no plans to drop courses, but as the board continues to push a pro-local agenda, it’s hard to imagine every program currently available will remain as is. These students are taxpayers. They are no less deserving of this district’s time and resources. The Pathways program plans to get students through math and English courses in their first academic semester. If the bulk of incoming students are being pushed into math and English courses, the district will have to compensate for that. Making these colleges specialize in specific programs is a mistake. The appeal of community college is choice. Let students take courses they don’t need, let them experience something new. Don’t make them wonder if they’re wasting their time on a predetermined Pathway. These aren’t pointless deviations, they’re worth the student’s time.

During convocation week, Chancellor Bruce Leslie highlighted an initiative that he hopes will bring new students to the Alamo Colleges. By working with willing local high schools, Leslie wants to recruit new students at earlier ages and ensure they will be able to come into the Alamo Colleges with an idea of where they want to transfer in the next four years. If Leslie has his way, hopeful new students will know where they want to transfer and how to get there before they set foot in one of the Alamo Colleges. While this is a sound idea in theory, it doesn’t take an advantage of this district into account. The district is made up of five, largely independent, institutions that offer a great deal of variety among them. Not only that, but for many students, this district is the cheapest quality education in San Antonio. The opportunities to learn about a subject that isn’t tied to one’s graduation plan are seemingly boundless. But for these opportunities to exist, students must know they’re there. Students need to know their value. Leslie’s plan would push younger, more impressionable students, into fields that would be deemed both secure and important to the future of these institutions and this area.

ONLINE NOW www.theranger.org

Fundamentals of basketball tested at women’s tryouts

Architecture freshman Maryam Khadivian and architecture sophomore Bailey Wachowski fill in an arch with tuna cans at Canstruction Sept. 10 at North Star Mall. The students used 1,960 cans of Trader Joe’s tuna to build an arch of two colors, which mix together at the top to represent unification. The event was for the 12th Annual Design and Build Contest by The American Institute of Architects San Antonio. This college’s architecture program is hoping to place in the structural category. The structures will be up for display until Sept. 24. The food will be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. Deandra Gonzalez

By J. Del Valle

Brianna Rodrigue

New app provides Title IX resources

ee more Canstruction photos and a video at www.theranger.org.

STAFF

On the first day of tryouts, 15 women lined up side-by-side to start running lines on the basketball court, a warm-up drill to get their stamina pumping before tryouts started. Three players returned from last season.

By Austin P. Taylor To ensure students are aware of campus resources, the office of student conduct created a free app for IOS and Android phones.

Visuals Editor Deandra Gonzalez

During the ATIXA — Association of Title IX Administrators — conference, representatives from this college met the founders of Capptivation, the company responsible for Reach Out, an app designed to host the Title IX resources for institutes of higher education.

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4FEATURES www.theranger.org/premiere

SEPT 18 2017

New men’s head basketball coach stresses importance of education Six applicants were interviewed for the position. By J. Del Valle

jdelvalle1@alamo.student.edu

Sam Casey played basketball in Europe growing up. With his father in the Air Force, the family moved quite frequently and Casey witnessed the game of basketball played in different countries. Casey has a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management and recreation studies and Master of Science degree in recreation, sports and event management from the University of North Texas. His basketball experience stretches from North America to Europe. He was coach, director and founder for basketball skills camps and clinics in Frankfurt, Germany, International all-American coach in Geneva and junior college and high school official referee. “Once he walked out of the door after the interview, I knew he was the right candidate,” said Marisa Martinez, senior specialist of student success. There are two mottos Casey goes by on and off the court, and he will implement those throughout the season: FAST together, which is broken down letter by letter. F is for focus; the players will need to focus on their goal together. A is for

Sam Casey, men’s basketball head coach, breaks the try outs into groups for a scrimmage Sept. 6 in Candler. This is Casey’s first semester coaching at this college. By Brianna Rodrigue aggressive; be aggressive on the court. S is for smart; players will need to make smart decisions on and off the court. T is for tough; be mentally, physically and emotionally tough. The second motto is “next play” when a bad shot is attempted or a referee made a bad call. Don’t argue or hassle players. Referees and coaches move past it and get ready for

the next play. Good sportsmanship will play a huge part of the team ethics. “Casey is a very well-rounded individual, caring and wants student athletes to succeed,” Martinez said. The basketball practice schedule for the fall season will be 4-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 6-8 p.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m.noon Friday. A mandatory study hall for two hours follows Friday practice. “Our guys start off at junior college to get their degree first and move on to bigger and better things in life,” Casey said. “I know some classes get difficult because I have been in their position. I learned the hard way, and I don’t want that for my guys.” A location for study hall has not been finalized. “I’m going to be heavily involved during study hall and going to try to have tutors there.” On the first day of tryouts, about 30 participants attended. Casey observed the participants in a scrimmage. He handpicked the participants and put them into teams of five players in four groups and directed them to grab a colored jersey and play for five minutes. During that time, Casey observed the participants’ sense of playing style. “When you get on the basketball court, it is like a job interview,” he said. “You start to see

the cream rise to the top, and then I start looking for attitude, nonverbal and teamwork.” One of the first-time participants trying out for the team was biomedical science freshman Gabriel Trejo. During his five-minute interview on the court, “I made sure everybody was talking and involved,” Trejo said, “I wanted to set them up with easy passes to the basket.” One of the returning players trying out for the team had a different goal. Criminal justice sophomore Steven Walters has played multiple positions, such as power forward, small forward and center. “This is my second year playing for The Rangers,” Walters said. “I want to get better as a player to transfer to St. John’s University in Jamaica, N.Y., and play for them.” When asked about the new head coach, Walters said, “He’s got a solid plan for this squad.” Nineteen participants were invited back for the second round of tryouts Sept. 7. Sept. 8. Casey announced and posted the 2017-18 men’s basketball roster online. The first official game will be Oct. 11. “We are going to be a team of leaders. Leaders shouldn’t have others follow them; leaders walk alongside with the team,” Casey said. Email Sam Casey at sam.casey@sacbasketball.com or visit the men’s and women’s basketball website at www.sacbasketball.com.

Travis ECHS jumpstarts first-generation college students’ education Students can graduate high school with an associate of arts. By Alison Graef

agraef@student.alamo.edu

Travis Early College High School junior Armando Hernandez first heard about the school when he was in fifth grade. “When I heard about it, I told my mom … ‘I want to go to this program so much,’” Hernandez said. “She said, ‘If you want to get into this program with so much expectation, you’ve got to set yourself up for that. You have to be the best student you can.’” Hernandez said he took those words to heart and worked hard through middle school. After eighth grade, he applied and was accepted into Travis. “Just seeing that this school provides so much, it grew up in my little kid mind that I can do this,” Hernandez said. Hernandez plans to become the first in his family to graduate from college. He said many members of his family have attended college but dropped out to return to work. “I feel that I have the responsibility to go to college, graduate from college, get a higher degree, get a better job over what my parents have right now,” Hernandez said. “They tell us … that we need to work for what they couldn’t do.” Travis Early College High School opened its doors at 1915 N. Main Ave. in 2008. The school offers students up to 60 hours of college credit and the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree from this college. Principal Adrianna L. Arredondo said 80 percent of last year’s 116 seniors graduated with an associate degree. This semester Travis has about 290 students traversing this campus. Students take six hours of dual credit classes the spring of their freshman year. Sophomores take 12 hours, and juniors and seniors take between nine and 15 hours. Arredondo said the school’s goal is to provide an opportunity for students from underprivileged families to become firstgeneration college students who can get a two-year degree at no cost. “I think the fact that San Antonio College is in close proximity to us allows the kids to actually feel that they are on the college campus, as opposed to a regular high school

where they may be taking a college course on a high school campus,” said Rachel BazanShipp, lead counselor at Travis. Travis is an San Antonio Independent School District in-district, charter public school, which Arredondo said allows it to be more selective in the admissions process. Students are evaluated by grades, past performance, attendance and self-motivation. About 20 percent of accepted applicants are out-of-district. This semester 395 students are enrolled and 25 spots went unfilled. “We have an interview that is really critical for me and for the campus to see if a child wants to be here next year,” she said, noting the interview helps assess motivation and ability to handle the workload, a minimum of three hours of homework daily. “The ones who are determined and dedicated and want to be here, they will follow through.” Arredondo said the school and this college foster a culture of personal academic responsibility and good work ethic. “I think there is a strong benefit,” Arredondo said, adding the high school is set up to provide a much more rigorous environment. “Everyone who comes through that front door has the mindset that everybody’s going to go to college,” Arredondo said. “By the time they are 10th graders, I see the change in their demeanor, the way they talk, the way they carry themselves. They respect one another,” Arredondo said. “By the time they are seniors, they are young adults. You can see that character and it’s amazing to see.” Hernandez said the social environment is different from some schools because students connect across grade levels. “Whether we’re a senior or a freshman, we’re able to have that connection in what we like, the experiences we’ve had,” Hernandez said. “And even the seniors are leaders to us. They guide us; they show us what has happened, what we can do, what to avoid.” “Where I think Travis differs is that where most people look for friends in high school, in this school, we look for family,” he said. Travis sophomore Alma Renderos is among the first in her family to attend college. She and her twin brother, Eli, and older brother, Cesar, all attend Travis and are working hard to create a first generation of college graduates in her family. She knew when she

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here I think Travis differs is that where most people look for friends in high school, in this school, we look for family.” Armando Hernandez, Travis High School junior

Travis junior Armando Hernandez stands in the courtyard of Travis Early College High School Sept. 12. Hernandez has known since fifth grade that he wanted to attend Travis and become the first in his family to graduate college. By Alison Graef was a child she wanted to get a higher education, so when she heard about the opportunity to get a free degree while still in high school, she knew where she wanted to go. “There’s moments when it is really stressful, but you just have to remember that it’s going to pay off one day when you receive your associate before you get your high school

diploma,” Renderos said. “ … Everyone in this school cares about their education. Everyone has a common goal to graduate.” “It’s a friendly academic competition, where they are always striving to do better, yet at the same time they are always helping their fellow classmate improve and do better as well,” Bazan-Shipp said.