The Ranger, Oct. 2, 2017

R ANGER

An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Issue 3

THE oct

2

2017 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College

www.theranger.org

Chalk Day

The Ranger is sponsoring Chalk Day today to encourage students to practice free speech.

The event will be 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the mall between Loftin Student Center and the chemistry and geology building.

The event is scheduled dur-

ing National Newspaper Week Oct. 1-7.

The Newspaper Association Managers support National Newspaper Week “to highlight and celebrate all the newspapers do in support of a free people,” according to nationalnewspaperweek.com Tania Flores

Faculty morale on the fence Faculty is overburdened by myriad new initiatives.

By Austin P. Taylor

• Service on departmental and college committees Thirty-five percent of the 275 • Service to the profession faculty members surveyed by this • Professional organization memcollege’s Faculty Senate do not bership think their contributions to this col• Service to community lege are appreciated.

• Work on program review During the spring 2017 semes“I feel this college and our ter, the Faculty Senate distributed instruction as faculty members is a survey to this college’s faculbecoming an afterthought at best ty, both full-time professors and and a joke at worst,” said an anonadjuncts. ymous survey respondent. “No This survey was the main topic longer are we given resources or of the Faculty Senate roundtable encouragement to teach.”

Sept. 29, in the Productive visual arts cengrade rate winter. win agreements There are 20 also were disquestions listed cussed in the of surveyed faculty do not survey. throughout the survey, across think their contributions Seventy-six are appreciated. five fields of percent of the focus. permanent facOf the 437 surveys distributed, ulty respondents think PGR win275 were returned completed. win agreements have had a negaOf the 275 who responded, 165 tive impact on faculty morale and were permanent faculty, 18 full- academic standards. time adjuncts and 92 part-time Survey respondents believe the adjuncts.

PGR win-win agreements to be Of the faculty members who punitive. think their contributions at this “The win-win is a sugar-coated college are not appreciated, 41.3 write-up. It makes it sound like it’s percent are permanent faculty and not a big deal, when actually it is,” 25.5 percent are adjuncts. an anonymous respondent said.

The survey also had a series of “If it’s going to be used as a open-ended questions. punitive tool, then call it that,” the After accumulating the responsrespondent continued. es, three common themes emerged: Another area of some dissent initiative overload, a sense of powis the faculty’s view on the Faculty erlessness to respond to competing Senate. demands, and insufficient support The majority of respondents from the administration. either had negative or neutral views The new demands of faculty of the senate and its performance. are made in addition to standard One of the reasons given for facrequirements made of faculty: ulty members not being confident • Teaching, class preparation, in the senate is a perceived See MORALE, Page 2 grading and office hours ataylor160@student.alamo.edu

35

PERCENT

Kayla Salwey, Student Government Association president and business and political science sophomore, aids Andre Whitaker, mathematics and forensic science freshman, in decorating boxes in a contest for the center for civic engagement in support of this campus’s food pantry Sept. 26. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. The boxes will be used to collect donations in

Trilingual interpreters in demand Panel explains the importance of interpreting for English and Spanish speakers.

Student activity fee not impacted by budget cut

By J. Del Valle

Jdelvalle1@student.alamo.edu

By Sarah Centeno

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

The need for people who are fluent in English, Spanish and American Sign Language to act as interpreters is increasing, an interpreter said Sept. 21 in a presentation at this college as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The interpreter, Sarah Compton, a graduate of the ASL and interpreter training program at this college, said 51 percent of children with hearing difficulties in the nation do not have English as their first language.

The ASL program hosted the panel of seven trilingual interpreters.

“Trilingual interpreters are those who are fluent in English, Spanish and sign language,” said Janis Guedea Hanson, staff interpreter in the program at this college.

“The goal of the event is to provide information to the students about what trilingual interpreting is and what bilingual interpreting is,” Hanson said.

Interpreter David Pena, who works in professional development for Sorenson Communications, said, “I’ve switched

Building 19 of the community engament annex west of visual arts until Oct. 31. The food pantry is in Room 323 of Chance and is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. the first Saturday of every month.

Students and staff can pick up two bags of food or one bag of food and one bag of clothing twice per month. Angelina Sara

Dr. Sarah Compton, San Antonio professional interpreter and graduate of the American Sign Language and Interpreter training program, answers questions from the audience and discusses the history of trilingual interpreting in Texas and United States at the Trilingual Interpreting Panel sponsored by the ASL and Interpreter training on Sept. 21 in the Nail. Lorena Torres Romero my focus on training new hires on how to work in a video relay setting. We have a screening, and that lets us know if you know sign language at a level that will help you interpret

See TRILINGUAL, Page 2

The student activity fee budget has taken an $18,205 decrease for this year because of expected low-enrollment for 2017-18.

“Projection is a moving target; it’s based off the number of hours students take,” said Richard Farias, interim dean of student success.

“The district expects for it to be low.”

Three coaches’ and two coordinators salaries come out of the student activity fee budget.

Men’s basketball coach Sam Casey, women’s basketball coach Haley Capestany and boxing coach Hector Ramos are paid from the student activity fee. The coordinators are Mark Bigelow, interim director and coordinator of student success, and Joseph Liedecke, coordinator of student success. Their pay comes from the student activity fee budget as well.

“I am interim director, but my job title is coordinator so my salary is tied to that,” Bigelow said.

The areas Liedecke is in charge of as second coordinator for student success are civic engagement, service learning, community service and engagement.

See FEE, Page 2

2NEWS

www.theranger.org/NEWS

oct 2 2017

Staff group’s rebranding starts with name change Staff Senate collected supplies for underprivileged school.

By Sasha D. Robinson sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Staff Council changed its name to Staff Senate in a meeting Sept. 6 in Nail Technical Center.

Staff Senate Secretary Cynthia Escatel said in an interview Sept. 13, the name was changed because there was a sense that staff and faculty were not treated equally.

“There was always a sense that staff is down here and faculty issues up here,” Escatel said. “I think it is nice, even if it is as simple as a name change to get us moving in the right direction. I am pretty much for it.”

Staff Senate President Erica Alvarez said in an interview Sept. 18 the name change is an alignment with faculty.

“If you are thinking Faculty Senate, then you will think Staff Senate,” Alvarez said.

Escatel said the proposed name change caused confusion at the meeting, but when Alvareze explained the rebranding and gave more clarifications about changing the name, everyone voted for the change.

“I do not like to change something like that because we have always been council,” Carrie Hernandez, senior student success specialist, said. “I can see where they want to be aligned to equal Faculty Senate because it is always like faculty versus staff. They want to be on the same page, and that is why they have the name change.”

Staff Senate member Lenell Clay organizes scissors and notebooks at the Staff Senate meeting Sept. 21 in Loftin. Deandra Gonzalez In the meeting, they talked about committees for the Halloween Trunk or Treat and the Angel Tree gift drive before Christmas.

Staff Senate will adopt Beacon Hill Elementary School for the school year.

The senate passed out school supplies on Sept. 27, and the students will benefit from the Angel Tree. The senate chooses an elementary school in an economically disadvantaged area that feeds to a high school with students who will attend this college.

Because of budget cuts, staff Senate will have fundraising events, such as selling chicken and beef fajitas Oct. 20 at SACtacular. They also sold hamburgers in the mall Sept. 18.

“We didn’t do many fundraisers last year,” Alvarez said. “With Angel Tree and Trunk or Treat, that comes out of our budget. When some of the children are not picked from the Angel Tree, we have to make up for those gifts.

The fundraiser is for things like that.”

Psychology freshman Hyshone Fisher dribbles down the court during a men’s basketball scrimmage Sept. 27 in Candler. The basketball team was split into two teams. Haley Capestany, women’s head basketball coach, coached the white team, and Sam Casey, men’s head basketball coach, led the red team.

In the end, the white team won 97-74. During the game, the cheer team raffled prizes. Natalie Harris

TRILINGUAL from Page 1 calls. We really want to show new hires how to be video interpreters.”

Jessica Hernandez, certified health care interpreter, explained situations that require trilingual interpreting.

Interpreting is usually needed in hospitals, especially for patients who are deaf, she said.

She discussed a situation she encountered when she worked in a hospital and a doctor was speaking to a mother and father about whether to have their son, who was on life support, have a directive to not be resuscitated.

The father spoke only Spanish, and the mother was deaf so it was difficult for the parents to understand anything doctors were explaining to them, she said.

Hernandez said she was able to come in and translate not only for the father but for the mother also.

It turned out that neither parent understood that a “do not

resuscitate” directive would mean hospital personnel would not try to revive their son if he stopped breathing, she said.

Others who participated in the panel were Counselor Roxana Avendano, probation officer Robert Cardoza and interpreter Rosa Lucio, interpreter.

Julieta Schulz, one of the panelists, is court-certified for both English and Spanish.

The ASL and interpreter training program at this college offers one course in trilingual interpreting, SLNG 2370, Trilingual Interpreting 1.

F

or more information about the ASL program, call 210-486-1106 or visit www. alamo.edu/ sac/asl.

Psychology sophomore Brett Douglas, communications sophomore Juan Mora and nursing sophomore Miranda Valderas dance to “Wobble Baby” by V.I.C. at the Antojitos Festival Sept.

27. The festival was relocated from the mall to Loftin because of rain. The Fiesta Room was lined with antojitos, traditional Mexican snack foods. For more on Hispanic Heritage Month, visit alamo.edu/sac/HHM17. Nicole M. Bautista

MORALE from Page 1 lack of transparency.

“I’m not sure how to find out what is going on in Faculty Senate since a faculty member from my discipline is not on the senate,” an anonymous respondent said.

“The web page isn’t maintained, and we no longer have liaisons who report to the disciplines that aren’t represented.”

Respondents want the senate website to be regularly updated with senate business, and they want to easily access information on their senators.

The survey also asked for the faculty’s thoughts on student drops and withdrawals as well as the four-day class schedule.

Most of the faculty noted that they have not experienced any change when dropping students before or after the census date.

The four-day class schedule has not had a significant impact on classes, according to the survey.

Topics commented on but not discussed in the survey were the issues of adjunct compensation and the autonomy of this college.

S

ee the faculty survey results online at www. theranger.org

FEE from Page 1

New faculty demands • Early alert reports • Mid-term grades, progress reports • Elumen tracking of retention and productive grade rates • Student learning outcomes • Pathways • Student tutoring in labs (field specific) • PGR above 70 percent • Attrition reduction • Class size increase by 10-12 students • Common assessments • Online teaching certification • Faculty 180 evaluations • Emergency preparedness drills • Workshops, such as “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Quality Matters framework • Compliance training in IT security awareness, sexual harassment prevention, active shooter, safe environment, ethics, FERPA, Title IX, drug-free workplace, asset management

$172,905

Alamo Colleges district projected a budget of $273,795 this year for the student activity fee.

Salaries account for $172,905, and the remainder is divided between clubs and committees. of the student activity fee budget The student activity fee budget for the 2016-17 goes toward salaries. was $292,000.

“As the money has gone down, salaries are not raised, but it’s half of the amount now,” Bigelow $8,000 and the remaining $6,000 goes to the Student said.

Government Association.

Student life general activities and events are given Bigelow, has been the interim director and coordi$20,000. nator in student life with this colRecreational sports and intralege for the past two years. murals is given $20,390. FifteenWhen asked if the projected thousand dollars goes to men’s and budget has ever run out during his women’s basketball and boxing, time as director and coordinator and the remaining $5,390 goes to of student success, he replied, “We intramurals. don’t find out till March, and the Mark Bigelow, majority of the money is gone,” Other budget items include Interim director and Bigelow said. “It could happen, but $46,500 for the Student Activity student success coordinator it has never happened.”

Fee Committee, which is designated funds to award.

Lydia Flores, administrative Awards from the Student Activity Fee Committee assistant for student success, is in charge of tracking total $44,000, and club and organization benchmarks the budget for the department. receive $2,500.

“I take this part of the job very seriously because Cultural committees, such as for Hispanic this is not my money,” Bigelow said.“It’s your money.

Heritage, Black History and Women’s History, receive I try not to overspend.”

“I

t’s your money.

I try not to overspend.”

EDITORIAL 3 www.theranger.org/EDITORIAL

Oct 2 2017

The bench that broke the bank’s back Many students would have loved to work on a meaningful fixture for the campus.

J. Carbajal

Dear future trustee Students want transparency, honesty and authority.

The board of trustees will soon appoint a replacement for the late District 9 trustee Jim Rindfuss. While this appointee won’t be democratically elected, next May the trustee will have a chance to be voted in by the public.

Until then, the board will entrust the individual with the responsibility of representing a section of Bexar County in governing a sprawling college district.

Future trustee — whoever you are — there are a few things you must know: The first order of business is your job description: You and your fellow trustees are the supreme authorities of the Alamo Colleges; ensure the chancellor knows that. At times, Dr. Leslie has a tendency to push and prod the board toward hollow ideas.

You must keep in mind a word you’ll hear a lot from your co-workers but see practiced precious little — transparency. Not empty claims of transparency, but honest communication with your constituents about decisions the board is making.

That means open discussion instead of in executive session.

Taxpayers of your district deserve all the information they need to vote appropriately. Hiding that information from them to further the board’s agendas is unacceptable.

Most important, future trustee, you must listen.

Students, faculty and constituents are your most important guiding light. “Students first” is a cute slogan often ignored by your fellow trustees, but you are expected to make those words your creed and canon.

You cannot hear your constituents if your ears are plugged by bureaucracy and nonsense.

A memorial bench isn’t an inherently bad idea. The sentiment that led to its creation is pure.

Humans mourn their lost ones and the impact those have on the lives around them.

People like David Mrizek and Trevor Anthony Macias should be remembered for contributing to this college.

The administrators certainly thought so, and they’re good people for acting to create a unifying memorial to help students cope with loss.

The depiction of the moon and swallows is also well done.

But is a $30,000 bench really the best way to get this point across?

The bench was created by Luiz L. Lopez, a local artist who’s unaffiliated with this college.

It’s important to support local artists, but with every department suffering from 25 percent cuts of their operating budgets, and this college hosting a fine arts department, how can you justify this expense?

The bench is west of Fletcher Administration Center on a rise, in front of several transformers.

The bench looks nice where it is, but there’s a large barrier for students to cross before they actually use it.

Students who wish to use the bench will have to put themselves, as well as

their feelings, on display.

This project would have meant a lot more to this college had it been made by students.

That’s not a subjective criticism on the nature of the piece, it’s common sense.

Perhaps, had students made the memorial piece, it might not have been as well made. Of course, it could have been amazing.

The thing is, we don’t know that and we never will. They weren’t given the chance to try.

Why weren’t the students of this college given the chance to make a permanent fixture for this college?

The project might not have taken a year, and it certainly would not have cost $30,000.

Even if the memorial had cost $30,000 under the supervision of this college’s visual arts program, it would have meant more to both the college and the student body.

Personal involvement can get students invested.

If administrators want to create an environment of respect, they need to understand that.

When considering future projects of any nature, explore all of this college’s options.

The visual arts program here is a valuable resource. Make use of them.

It’s the most financially responsible thing to do, not to mention the most respectful option.

ONLINE NOW www.theranger.org

Political science coordinator sees ‘Dreamers’ as the future

Workshops, guest lecturers to share tips on public speaking

By Collin Quezada

STAFF

By Bryan Aguinaga

File

“Dreamers,” young undocumented immigrants who are eligible for DACA’s benefits, are considered “threads in the American tapestry, adding fibers of other cultures into the fabric of America,” political science Coordinator Christy Woodward-Kaupert said Sept. 12 in an interview with The Ranger.

“These immigrants are acculturated, and many are, by the third generation, fully assimilated” into the framework of American society, she said.

The fine arts department is continuing speech workshops and bringing two guest speakers in a series called “Improve Your Public Speaking.”

A major focus in this series is enhancing what the speech program teaches in classes, although sessions are open to all students, speech Instructor Justin Blacklock said Sept. 20 in an interview.

While the department has to be objective when grading speeches, faculty realize public speaking is subjective in the way the audience accepts the storyline and the way speakers present information.

Visuals Editor Deandra Gonzalez

Architecture freshman Gabby Sigala paints Frida Kahlo with voluminous eyebrows and full lips at Art with Hispanic Flair Sept. 26 in Loftin. Students and faculty created many versions of the famous subject with artist Joan Fabian.

Angelina Sara

S

ee the full Art with Hispanic Flair story at www.theranger.org.

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Mark Forster, Church of Christ Student Center director, and community member Thiep Ngo of Vietnam meet for an English lesson

OCT 2 2017

Sept. 26 at the center. Ngo came to the U.S. in 2011 to join his oldest son, who is active duty in the Army. Ngo’s wife and two of

his children still reside in Vietnam and hope to join him soon.

Patricia Turner

Communicating builds friendships at Church of Christ Center Center offers free, one-on-one conversational English lessons.

By Alison Graef

agraef@student.alamo.edu

Thiep Ngo, 68, came to the U.S. from his birth country of Vietnam in 2011. He said he has wanted to come to the states since communism spread across Vietnam in 1975, but the government made it difficult to leave.

“Under dictator government, many people live in difficult (situations),” Ngo said.

“The government controls every action.”

Ngo’s oldest son, who is in the Army, was finally able to arrange to get him into the U.S. Ngo had to leave his wife, Thuy Bach, three adult children and his business behind to move to the states.

With only a few high school English classes under his belt, Ngo found himself linguistically isolated in his new, Englishdominated home.

It was his friend, a student at this college, who first told him about FriendSpeak, a conversational English class offered free at the Church of Christ Student Center.

And so Ngo’s path crossed that of Mark Forster, director of the center and trained FriendSpeak teacher.

Ngo and Forster started meeting weekly for one-on-one, hour-long sessions to practice Ngo’s conversational English.

Forster, who has taught about 20 people with the FriendSpeak program, said the program aims to improve grammar, syntax, pronunciation and reading comprehension.

“They want to be able to converse, and what to do with it,” Forster said. most English classes don’t do that,” Forster The first half hour is spent not in a book, said. “So it’s designed to go to the next step.” but in friendly conversation, which provides Ngo said he wants to improve his English valuable practice and experience to students. so he can better connect with the people he “I’ll ask them things about their holidays, sees on a daily basis. their family. I’ll say ‘Tell me about your kids,’” “I would like to learn English because I Forster said. “This is all a part of conversawant to talk (to) everyone,” Ngo said. “I want tion. If you’re meeting somebody for the to talk to everyone. I want to talk my doctor. I first time, these are generally things that will want to go pharmacy. I want to come here to come up. ‘What is your occupation? Where talk with Mark and to learn Bible.” do you live? What are your hobbies? What are FriendSpeak uses the your favorite foods?’”

Bible’s Book of Luke as a Unlike the impertextbook. Students read sonal setting of a larger a section of text, then class, the program is define words and describe designed to foster conthe meaning of the pasnections and relationsage. He said he is always ships through converupfront with new students sation. about the Bible-based “As you get to know aspect of the program, so somebody, you ask if people are uncomfortmore intimate quesable with it, they are aware tions, and they ask Mark Forster, more intimate quesbefore starting.

Church of Christ center director tions of you because “Our main goal is to help them, but secondary you build a friendship. is to educate them in the Bible,” Forster said.

That’s why they call it FriendSpeak,” Forster “And so we tell them that upfront, just so said. “Thiep has become a friend. He enjoys they know that’s definitely what we’re trying coming, and I look forward to seeing him to do.” come. It’s an hour that I really look forward Forster said the class is not a Bible study, to.” but the student may initiate discussion about The program teaches students how to what they’re reading. converse with people outside of an English“They’ll ask, ‘Well, what does that mean?’ as-a-second-language classroom and in the And so I’ll tell them what that means from “real world,” in which language use is casual my perspective and leave it to them to decide and colloquial.

get “somebody, Astoyou know you

ask more intimate questions, and they ask more intimate questions of you because you build a friendship.”

“The funny thing is when I’m trying to teach him American sayings, phrases that you don’t find in other languages. I’ll joke with him. I’ll say ‘It’s raining cats and dogs out there!’ He’ll look at me like, ‘What?’”

Forster said.

“I’ll say ‘That’s an example of how sometimes words can be difficult because we use phrases that really don’t have any meaning other than our interpretation of them.’”

The program is open to students, families and community members.

Forster said people must have a basic understanding of English to benefit from the course.

Forster said the program would be useful for students who have learned ESL at this college but want to further refine their practical skills beyond what ESL can offer.

Ngo said he is glad to be in the U.S. and that the people here are happier and have much more freedom than in his home country. He said he hopes his wife will be able to join him permanently from Vietnam after the winter holidays, and he hopes his children will all eventually move to the U.S. Ngo works daily in his garden at his home in Live Oak, tending flowers and grape vines.

He is enjoying retirement and sometimes works part-time in a restaurant.

He is studying to become a U.S. citizen in the spring.

To learn more about FriendSpeak or to register for lessons, call 210-736-6750, visit www.macarthurchurch.org/friendspeak or visit the center at 301 W. Dewey Place.