The anger Volume 93 • Issue 14 San Antonio College A forum of free voices since 1926
April 8, 2019 WWW.THERANGER.ORG
Statistics classes find problems with lottery — again Texas and other states show misleading odds on websites. By Lionel Ramos lramos174@student.alamo.edu Math Professor Gerald Busald led two of his statistics classes to uncover misleading advertising in the popular Mega Million lottery game in Texas and other states. What Busald and his students discovered, Busald said, was that the website for the game advertised misleading odds. “My overall point is: lottery is government; you ought to have truth in government,” he said during
an interview March 28. He explained that the problem has more to do with the semantics of the website than it does math. The Mega Millions site, www.megamillions. com, states “odds of winning any prize” are one in 24, but these odds include both the odds of winning a profit and winning break-even prizes yielding no net gain. For example, buying a $2 ticket that “wins” $2 is a break even, not a win. “Not losing is not the same as winning,” he said. Busald and his students found the way the odds are described is misleading because the odds of
actually winning a profit are one in 69.6 – significantly lower than one in 24. He said the Powerball, a lottery with the odds of winning being one in 24.9, does not have the same problem because it does not award breakeven prizes. He further said lottery players comparing the odds of the Powerball and Mega Millions would be comparing two sets of odds that don’t define ‘‘winning’’ the same way. “If you look, which is better? Overall odds of one in 24.9, or overall odds of one in 24? Well, it looks like one in 24 is better, but it’s not, because it’s not the same thing,” Busald said.
He said he is not sure if the Texas Lottery Commission is being vague in word choice on purpose, but by not adding something like “including break-even prizes” in the description of the odds, the commission is engaging in false advertising. A letter, written and signed by students in both of Busald’s Math 1442, Elementary Statistical Methods, classes, including their findings and a potential solution, was sent April 1 to Texas state officials Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbot, and various Texas Lottery Commission officials such as Executive Director Gary Grief, Chairman J. Winston Krausse,
See LOTTERY, Page 2
Texting between students, college coming soon The service will include all Alamo Colleges and district offices By Sergio Medina smedina104@student.alamo.edu
Miguel Ocampo, a member of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, argues with political science sophomore Danielle Knabel about original sin April 3 in the mall. Ocampo said Christians are born without original sin, but then choose to sin. Knabel disagreed with that, saying it goes against Christian doctrine. “I’m not super religious
the professor,’ accepting the role of what a teacher plays.” Both Yusuf and his students earn a participation certificate in small business administration at the end of the week, but it is not an accredited course. The idea to teach outside of this college originated four years ago when three students from his business class, Manuel Zuñiga, Manuel Lastiri and Rene Castaneda who are from Puebla, Mexico, approached him about teaching at the institute. They told Yusuf they knew the dean of the institute and wanted to see if he would be interested in teaching classes there. On spring break 2016, Yusuf traveled to Mexico City and drove two hours before arriving at the institute to meet with Raul Espinosa, the dean at the time. He agreed to teach small business administration courses at the university, but instead of being paid for his work, Yusuf wanted to have his compensation of $1,000 go to something more important than himself. He instructed the institute to put his pay into
The Alamo Colleges will install a texting system where students will be able to text school offices to get information about topics such as recruitment, admissions, financial aid and scholarships. The service, Two-Way Texting Solution, is expected to begin in the summer and will be permanent. The service will feature two-way texting communication between students and district offices. Patty Parma, associate vice chancellor of student access and success initiatives, said April 2 the ideal scenario is one where, eventually, students will be able to text at any time of the day, with texts sent at night answered by a system using artificial intelligence. “During the day, it’s not difficult to answer a student right away,” Parma said. “We’re looking to have a service overnight, but probably going to go with more of an eventually, artificial intelligence.” For example, the A.I. would be able to immediately answer questions about how to apply for financial aid because it is universal information that can be automated, Parma said. However, if students wished to find out about in-depth information such as holds on their record, the system would refer them to a real person, she said. “And then whoever is responsible for that area would get a message the next day and contact you,” Parma said. Offices at each college will have dedicated lines students will be able to text. Offices would include financial services and admissions. Students will be able to get information about recruitment, admissions, payments, financial aid, scholarships and non-emergency communication. An example of non-emergency communication may include reminders, such as due payments or registration dates. The system will not have dedicated lines for specific individuals. “Each college will identify who is responsible for responding to that student within that office,” Parma said. Parma said the text replies will be short and to the point to encourage engagement.
See EDUCATION, Page 2
See TEXTING, Page 2
or anything, but if you’re going to preach, preach what your entity preaches for,” Knabel said. Ocampo also said San Antonio was a city of sinners who would go to hell. Read the full story at www.theranger.org. Mitchell Gawlik
Professor pays it forward through education At spring break, Dr. Mahmud Yusuf traveled to Puebla, Mexico, to teach entrepreneurship. By Geoffrey Hovatter sac-ranger@alamo.edu Dr. Mahmud Yusuf, coordinator of banking and financial services, traveled to Puebla, Mexico, to teach students at the Instituto Tecnólogico Superior de la Sierra Norte de Puebla in Zacatlan, during spring break. “If one can change their life, I won the race as a human being,” Yusuf said March 8. He taught 43 students small business administration in an intensive five-day workshop. Yusuf taught two classes per day 10 a.m.noon and 3-5 p.m. Each day, students examined one of five concepts taught in the workshop. Those subjects are the entrepreneurial life, integrity and ethics, starting a small business, the business and marketing plan and the location plan. At the beginning of the spring semester, the business department at the institute informs third-year business majors about the class. The course is internet-based. While attendance is required, there is no final exam.
The institute instructed Yusuf to teach in English to help prepare students for the business world outside of Spanish-speaking countries. Yusuf said he loved the idea of only speaking English to his classes because it gives them the chance to learn more. All of his classes had a translator to help translate English for students who struggle with the language. “I speak slowly for my students to make it easier for them to learn from the class,” Yusuf said. The words that students struggle with most are business terms such as “entrepreneurship” and “ethics.” Yusuf Yusuf said Spanish-speaking students struggle to understand these words because of how similar they are in Spanish and English. To help with this problem, Yusuf puts on YouTube videos with Spanish and English subtitles for his students. Yusuf said student behavior is one of the biggest differences he has seen between Mexican and American students. “They (Mexican students) always stand up when I come into class, they listen to you and won’t argue with you,” he said. “It’s more ‘he’s
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April 8, 2019
News
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Journalism faculty encourage keeping up with news at Hot Potato event A free press gives everyone an equal voice, instructors say. By Michael Smith sac-ranger@alamo.edu Not being aware of what is occuring daily can get people killed, journalism Instructor Irene Abrego said to an audience of 40 at the Hot Potato Issues lecture March 26 at the Methodist Student Center. Abrego said it is important to keep up with the news to know what is going on, especially regarding food. “We had a very widespread recall of Romaine lettuce that was making people sick,” she said. Abrego said people should take responsibility for knowing about issues like water quality.
“Frackers assure us that no damage is being done to our water supply,” she said. “We can’t even get them to tell us what chemicals are being pumped into the ground.” She and journalism Professor Edmund Lo discussed the importance of a free press. “Spelling a name wrong is not fake news,” Lo said. “Fake news is a malicious story used to persuade the public to a particular point of view.” Abrego used investigative journalists Bob Woodward, one of two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal in 1972, as an example of someone who did his best to inform the public. “Our news is the best obtainable version of the truth that we’re able to get by the deadline,” she said. “Tomorrow the story may change as we get
more information, but at the moment we are doing the best we can to tell you the truth as we know it.” Lo used Jayson Blair, former New York Times reporter, as an example of corruption in the news industry. In 2003, Blair wrote a story where he claimed to interview the mother of a soldier from the Rio Grande Valley who was missing in Iraq. In his story, Blair described the subject’s home in detail, but he never traveled to Texas, Lo said. “He just made it up.” Blair pleaded by saying that he did not commit these acts with malicious intent, but was doing what he felt was necessary to live up to the expectations of others. Because of lack of detail and false information about the residence, Blair was exposed
by Macarena Hernandez, a reporter at the San Antonio Express-News at the time. “In his story, he was describing the patio furniture the soldier had bought his family before he died,” Abrego said. “However, the furniture was still in boxes when Macarena arrived.” Abrego said Hernandez was informed by the family of the soldier that the furniture was going to be set up in the living room, not the patio. Lo said after this event, multiple instances of plagiarism were found in Blair’s other articles. “The New York Times investigation team found that 36 out of 73 stories had problems proving if the information was true or fake,” he said. “These are the kind of things we mean when we say fake news.”
EDUCATION from Page 1 a scholarship, which pays $1,000 to a business student to cover tuition for fall and spring. The scholarship is named after Yusuf’s late mother, Sultana Yusuf. “I do this because I feel at times you have to give back, not just take,” Yusuf said. In 1954, Sultana Yusuf and seven other women founded a nonprofit organization called the Women’s Rehabilitation Center in Pakistan. The center was created to help provide education to women and continues to help women in Pakistan today. “I credit a lot of the work I do today because of how my parents raised me,” Yusuf said. Yusuf’s interest in business
Mechanical engineering sophomores Isaac Medina and Austin Hahn carry the shell of the Odyssey to be worked on at the paddocks, a working area, for the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas Competition April 3 at Sonoma Raceway. Medina said after they finish modifications, they will go through inspections, and if they are cleared they can practice on the track. Read the full and continuing story at www.theranger.org. Deandra Gonzalez
LOTTERY from Page 1 Commissioner Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria and Commissioner Robert Rivera. In the letter, the students request the commission change the incorrect methods they currently employ to state the odds for the Mega Millions game. This is the fifth time Busald has found an issue with the lottery since his first inquiry into the Cash Five scratch-off game in April 1997. That inquiry was prompted by his student Nicole Cunningham, who discovered the ads promised more money than was awarded. That instance, according to past Ranger reporting, has been followed by three more cases in July and September 1997, and in October 2000 — for which Busald was invited to testify in front of a Senate committee and the Texas Lottery Commission with three of his students. Alessandra Schweers, pre-nursing sophomore and one of Busald’s current statistics stu-
dents, said the motive for the mathematical probe into the Texas lottery was a “sense of justice and continuity.” She said it’s important to ask why changes made to the lottery in response to Busald’s past findings seemingly have reverted to what they were before Busald brought the items to the attention of the commission — not including the most recent finding. Busald and his students wrote in their letter there are nine states that word their odds similarly to Texas: California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska and North Dakota. They also found eight states that don’t include the “any prize” verbiage in the phrase “odds of winning any prize” or any phrase similar to it. Those states are Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Wyoming. By excluding that verbiage, those states
See additional story online
came from his father, who owned one hotel and three restaurants in Pakistan. “I grew up around business people my whole life,” he said. “I grew up in the hotel and restaurant environment. It had been my life.” He remembers the ways his mother helped people and how those lessons stayed with him. “She was always there for her community, and that really helped me understand how important it is to take care of people,” Yusuf said. “I hope to continue doing this for the next four to five years,” Yusuf said. For more information, call Yusuf at 210-486-0195.
TEXTING from Page 1
Math Professor Gerald Busald passes a letter April 1 in a MATH 1442, Elementary Statistical Methods, class to be signed. James Russell are more “egregious” than Texas and the rest because they don’t even allow for the interpretation that break-even prizes might be included in the odds, Busald said. Busald and his students said they hope to prompt a wave of transparency and honesty in the lottery systems in Texas and around the nation.
Students will be able to opt out of the system. Parma said she would like to include dual credit students in the service, but the committee overseeing the two-way system, which Parma is part of, must consult with the legal department to see if minors can participate. If there are no issues, dual credit students would be welcome to use it. “They’re students; from our perspective, a student’s a student,” she said. The service will be free, but students are subject to charges by their phone service providers for text messaging. The service would cover the five colleges and district support operations. The board of trustees approved awarding a contract to Signal Vine Inc. March 19. The contract will cost approximately $100,000 annually and will be covered by the district’s budget. “We really want to be highly responsive to students, to be there for them and answer their questions and support them however we can,” Parma said.
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April 8, 2019
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Opinion 3
Staff Editor Sergio Medina Managing Editor Rogelio Escamilla News Editor Lionel Ramos Web Editor James Russell Staff Writers Sandy Cordell, Travis Doyle, Julian Gonzales, Geoffrey Hovatter, Marissa Macias, Janie Medelez, Sarah F. Morgan, Jackie Muralles, Alberto Ramirez, Michael Smith, Isacc Tavares, Samantha Woodward Photographers Deandra Gonzalez, Brittney Maria Moreno, Brianna Rodrigue Photo Team Mitchell Gawlik, Andrea Moreno, Amaru Ruiz Illustrators Raia Blankenship, Amanda Graef
©2019 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College,
Raia Blankenship
Students, apply for federal work-study jobs Wages for student workers will increase to $12.50 in the fall. Have you heard? The living-wage for work-study students is being bumped up to $12.50 – a wage that sits right above the poverty line for a family of four as defined by the U.S. government. Can’t afford to buy gas for your car? Groceries? Books? Or maybe you don’t know how you’re going to pay next semester’s tuition. The time to act is now. May 1 is the priority deadline for fall. Students at this college who are in need and qualify for financial aid should
apply for federal work-study opportunities around campus. The wage increase to be implemented Sept. 1 is only the beginning. Work-study opportunities do more than help students earn extra money for school and living. They provide real-world job skills, items that can be used for résumé building, and chances to build strong relationships with mentors. Stronger bonds with professors or mentors might result in more thoughtful and meaningful recommendation letters for future college applications, scholarships and jobs.
Editorial
Beginning the process is easy. Students should check with the office of student financial services on the first floor of Fletcher Administration Center for available work-studies positions around campus. Checking with the head of a department for a student’s major is also a good option. There may be a work-study position available that might provide handson work experience. There is no doubt that a work-study job is a beneficial experience, especially for students who need the money and are on campus for long hours. So, get up, get out of bed, throw some clothes on, get on campus and find a job.
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District should implement sick leave for adjuncts Civic duty leave not enough for adjunct faculty’s needs.
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 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
Adjuncts do not have sufficient sick leave and have not had a pay raise since 2016. The most leave covered by this district is a measly 4.5 hours per course per semester. The district should treat adjuncts with the respect they deserve as part of the college faculty, and provide
them with better benefits. As it is, the paid leave is more symbolic rather than practical; 4.5 hours is not a lot. What if an adjunct exhausts sick leave hours and instead of losing money for a missed class came to work ill and shared their illness with their student? That would be a health hazard. In that case, who
would be at fault? The instructor for choosing the minimal wages for adjuncts, or the district for not offering reasonable sick
Editorial leave benefits? The district should do more for the people who contribute so much. With adjuncts outnumbering full-time
faculty members, this needs to be a priority. This district depends on adjuncts to carry a lot of the weight of teaching. Students depend on those adjuncts going above and beyond their paid duties to provide adequate education. The benefits that adjuncts receive with emergency leave and the paid civic duty are not enough.
Giving adjuncts properly paid sick leave and higher wages is the decent action. Doing anything less is not only disappointing but discouraging. No one likes to admit their employer doesn’t think much of them. That kind of treatment can cause a serious morale problem that will be harder to fix than simply supplying appropriate paid leave.
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Education is pricey; treat it that way
spaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be emailed to sac-ranger@alamo. edu or submitted online. Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, mailed to The Ranger, journalismphotography program, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-3941 or faxed to 210-486-9292. Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and telephone number. Students should include classification, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773. Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs. Where available, additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger business office. Those who violate the single-copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and college discipline.
I don’t believe any student has gone through college without having at least one instructor who derailed completely from class Sergio Medina material for most s m e d i n a 1 0 4 @ of the class. student.alamo. Those memoedu ries are coming back, aren’t they? As a student myself, I’ve had a few experiences. I took a few history classes at Palo Alto College with an instructor, who will not be named, who would go off topic during every single class. We wouldn’t spend more than 10-15 minutes per class talking about class material before the instructor began
Give honest feedback about your classes in end-of-semester survey. talking about his life — his son, his motorcycle or his political views — and that would go on for far longer. One of those courses was HIST 1301, United States History, a core class that you would think would be a good refresher for content learned in high school. Not for me. It was the easiest class I have taken thus far in my collegiate journey, not because the homework was a piece of cake but because there was no homework. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fine to occasionally take small breaks and build teacher-student relationships through conversation, not just classwork, but there is a point where that
becomes excessive. That is why instructors must remember we are paying thousands of dollars to get a degree. I would have a much different tone if my education was free, but it’s not. Students want to get as much value as possible because higher education is an enormous investment, in money and time. Not to mention, these are community colleges I’m talking about. Imagine students who are experiencing wasted time at public and private universities — the tens of thousands of dollars poured into their education for potentially nothing. It’s a scary and angering thought. If you have ever wondered why you bothered to pay for a course where you
had a similar experience, speak up. Let’s be honest, many of us ignore the end-of-course surveys we’re emailed to evaluate our courses and instructors. Let’s not, anymore. Fill them out and give honest feedback. If you use www.ratemyprofessor. com, be constructive with your criticism. Instead of “don’t take this class” or “this class is hard,” explain in detail why students shouldn’t take a class or why it’s hard. The things you didn’t like may be what someone else is looking for, so be specific. We must make the effort to let administrators know when something is not to our benefit, and we need to communicate among ourselves to take care of our wallets and our futures.
Viewpoint
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News
April 8, 2019
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Eco Centro working to improve campus gardens, flow of water Eco Centro is landscaping four areas of campus. By Travis Doyle sac-ranger@alamo.edu The staff of Sinkin Eco Centro is improving campus landscaping by adding native plants, herbs and fruits to multiple areas of campus to attract pollinators. “The ultimate goal with SAC that we’re working with the president and vice president on right now is that they want San Antonio College to have the most pollinator-friendly, native and edible landscaping of the community colleges,” Cecile Parrish, Eco Centro’s farm and garden coordinator, said in an interview March 19. The first garden the center worked on is a 2,200-square-foot gully south of Chance Academic Center between the center and the nursing complex. Staff at the center began to plan the landscaping in the spring of 2018, and they started planting in the fall. Before the area was renovated, whenever there was excessive rain, the water flooded onto walkways and attracted mosquitoes, Parrish said. “It was such a mosquito issue that the mosquitoes were coming in when people were opening campus doors,” she said. The area used to be so dense with hard soil and bedrock that when it rained the soil would not absorb water fast enough, and the water would jump the drain and flood the main campus. “By putting in the rock and root systems here, we made it so water rushing across the soil actually soaks in,” she said. Parrish said after the root systems loosened up the soil, the ground allowed water to be absorbed faster while it is moved across the gully.
Ariana Fuentes, Sinkin Eco Centro farm and garden manager, and Kristi Martinelli, Sinkin Eco Centro children education coordinator, organize plants in the greenhouse south of Chance Jan. 17. Brianna Rodrigue “Our goal was to show the community and the campus that you can solve drainage issues sometimes with low-impact design, rocks and channel design and native flowers,” Meredith Miller, Sinkin Eco Centro director, said in an interview March 7. The garden is also home to bluebonnets, Blackfoot daisies, prairie verbena, twist-leaf yucca, skeleton-leaf golden eye, a blackberry bush, peach, plum and fig trees. Miller said fruits and herbs grown in the areas around this college will be available for students to pick off of the trees. Signage will be placed around the plants to inform students what produce can be taken. “We can at least make sure that as you’re walking from class to class or walking back to your car on your way home, you can get something right there, something local, something easy, something that you can just grab,” she said. Miller said she hopes the fruit trees by the basin will be producing fruit by May or June. “One of our goals with eco is to show that food
Cecile Parrish, Sinkin Eco Centro farm and garden coordinator, stands in front of a flower garden south of Chance. Parrish said the center is growing plums, peaches and fig trees in the garden to help the area absorb water by rooting the soil. Travis Doyle production and agriculture can happen on a very small scale also, and in an urban environment, it makes a lot of sense,” Parrish said. Parrish said she hopes changes such as this will create wildlife habitats for animals, birds, bees and butterflies. The other three gardens the center is working on are west of Loftin Student Center, west of the five-level parking garage east of Chance and in beds lining the sidewalk to the north entrance of the Victory Center. The pollinator and herb garden by Loftin grows blue sage, wormwood, thyme, garlic chives,
sage and more. The parking garage pollinator garden has Copper Canyon daisy, lemon beebalm, mistflowers, Turk’s cap, prairie verbena and more. The pollinator garden at the Victory Center has switch grass, eastern gama grass, mealy blue sage, butterfly weed and rosemary. “We’ve been systematically going around campus looking at each building (to determine) what would be the most appropriate type of garden,” Miller said. For more information, contact the center at 210-486-0417.
Deanna Chavarria, nursing freshman and guard, thwarts a Northwest Vista Wildcats guard’s pass by stealing the ball during the women’s basketball playoff game April 3 in Candler. The Rangers beat the Wildcats 78-62. Mitchell Gawlik
Tierra Sellers, English sophomore and guard, attempts to shoot over Northwest Vista Wildcats guards during the women’s basketball playoff game April 3 in Candler. Sellers missed the shot but scored 8 points in the game. Mitchell Gawlik
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