Vol. 85 Issue 18
Single copies free
April 4, 2011
The Ranger A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926
DOES IT MAKE CENTS? 3 NO ONE GIVES A TIP 20 DOUBLEHEADER WIN 22
Gas prices prompt
NEW RIDE
2 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
The Ranger
A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926
Education sophomore Roxanne Martinez gets help from Marion Garza, assistant director of records, to unzip her graduation gown March 28 in Loftin during the Graduation Fair. Rennie Murrell
By Melody Mendoza Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
14 Calendar
By David Tyler Hadley
8 Concealed carry
15 College students should
Chancellor announces possible 5 percent increase in tuition
be mentors, Powell says
Staff viewpoint: Tips are not optional, even in poor economy
By Melody Mendoza Photo by Tyler K. Cleveland
By Jennifer M. Ytuarte
Five work sessions prompt savings ideas
websites used for courses
By Riley Stephens
22 Pulse
By Melody Mendoza Photo by Julia Novikova
18 Editorial
By Julysa Sosa Photos by Ingrid Wilgen
This issue
3 News
By Zahra Farah and Melody Mendoza
4 Blotter 5 News
supporters undeterred by testimony
11 College owns personal
12 Transportation methods revitalized By J. Almendarez
for ideas
Single transcript? No, thank you
19 Stop gambling with
21 Officials & Policies Rangers snap Gators
23
Get a move on to the annual Healthfest By J. Almendarez
siphoned on campus
Brace yourself for bumpy ride
By Megan Mares Photos by Jason B. Hogan and Alison Wadley
20 Viewpoint
24 Denim Day Protest reminds: Tight jeans not an excuse
Guest viewpoint: Fear of campus carry unfounded
By J. Almendarez Photo illustration by Alison Wadley
13 Student’s gas tank
By Ximena Victoria Alvarez
Artist looks for home for 26,000-piece structure
17 Suggestion box open
By Laura Garcia
classes, pay
Japanese society reaching out to tsunami victims
6
By Megan Mares Photo by Tyler K. Cleveland
Cover: Executive Director Cindi Snell leads a group of riders March 26 to drop off bikes rented from B-cycle’s La Villita location. J. Almendarez
The Ranger
News
April 4, 2011 • 3
Chancellor announces possible 5 percent increase in tuition A retirement incentive is another potential. By Melody Mendoza Chancellor Bruce Leslie told about 150 employees, students and community members that the impact of the economy makes it time for “restructuring” higher education across the globe. District and college administrators met in Rosenberg Sky Room at the University of the Incarnate Word to brainstorm ideas to cut enough from college budgets to cope with a loss of 10 percent in appropriations to community colleges if the proposed HB1 passes. “This is not just a bump in the road,” he said. “The state is moving toward permanent reductions.” The bill constitutes a $300 million economic impact where 8,000 students would be displaced and 200 jobs would be eliminated in the state if HB1 is passed. “That’s how reckless this is,” Leslie said. Cuts for the Alamo Colleges would total $77 million for the biennium, which includes unfunded growth and cuts that would need to be made in the fis-
Pamela Ansboury, associate vice chancellor for finance and fiscal services, votes March 28 during a budget retreat in the Rosenberg Sky Room in the International Conference Center at the University of the Incarnate Word. Tyler K. Cleveland cal year 2012-13 budget. The $77 million includes a $14 million decrease in general appropriations, $20 million decrease in health insurance, retirement cuts of $10 million, cuts in special programs and other appropriations of $8 million, and $25 million in unfunded growth. Leslie said the unfunded growth has increased each fiscal year since 2008 even though community colleges have 55 percent of the students in higher education. He said while Alamo Colleges
have to cut $30 million in the next two years because of the cut in health insurance and retirement funding, the University of Texas at San Antonio does not. Because this “cyclonic impact” may reduce enrollment revenue, Leslie said tuition and taxes would be raised again. So far, Leslie said the district has saved $37 million in fiscal years 2010 to 2012 from previous costsaving strategies, $14.4 million from the previous 5 percent tuition increase, $11 million from local
taxes and utilized $3.5 million from the district’s rainy day fund. And although the district’s budget has increased since 2008, the budget has remained about $284 million since 2010 and will stay constant until 2013. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance, and information systems, explained March 30 that in the last four years, the Alamo Colleges have had a 25 percent increase in student enrollment, yet have experienced 27 percent decrease in state funding. “This is not a great recipe for long-term success,” he said. Also, Leslie announced that he is going to recommend a retirement incentive to the board stating that if employees retire before August, they would receive 80 percent of the base salary. If employees retire by December, they would receive 50 percent. He said if the board approves this, only 25 percent of the necessary vacancies would be filled. Leslie presented three imperative outcomes of the Alamo Colleges in the midst of the cuts.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Five work sessions prompt savings ideas By Zahra Farah and Melody Mendoza Communication and innovation were the underlying factors in developing successful cost initiatives for the five colleges at Monday’s strategic planning deployment retreat. About 150 participants broke into tables of eight to brainstorm and develop action plans that would better serve Alamo Colleges. The tables were labeled with a focus for discussion by those participants. The labels included cost-saving efficiencies, learning outcomes, development education, transfer/graduate rates, financial aid process, sustainability and communication. The retreat followed the Baldrige Criteria
for Performance Excellence model, action plans based on the assigned which is an organizational selffocus. assessment and self-improvement Each plan had to take no more process that measures institutional than 90 days to implement. Then the efficiency. participants at each table had to narSince Chancellor Bruce Leslie’s arrivrow to the best three. al in 2006, he has used the Baldrige Afterward, the participants at all Read more criteria as an organizational structure. the tables assigned to each focus area about the work Retreat facilitator Jackie sessions online. met together to review the action plans Beede, president of Accelerated and reduce those to one or two plans. Improvement Mentoring, consults for users of Then each group presented their top plans the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. to all participants before a vote. The selected By incorporating innovation into the district, recommendations go to each of the colleges’ the decision-making process will be open to strategic initiative teams. Then the colleges will ideas, she said. determine if these recommendations can be Each table was instructed to develop five adopted.
Blotter
4 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE
Did You Know?
Littering on public property is a $500 fine
March 22 — Individual reported finding his vehicle window broken. No suspects were found. March 23 — Individual was arrested for evading and resisting detention. Individual reported a suspicious male in the area. The man was not located. Individual reported a vehicle being burglarized. No suspects were found. March 24 — Individual reported being stuck in an elevator. Facilities division was advised and assisted in opening the elevator. March 25 — Individual was found to be in possession of marijuana. Municipal Court citation was issued to the individual.
In Texas, if you are caught littering waste, which is five pounds or less or has a volume of five gallons or less, you have committed a Class C misdemeanor. Police can issue a fine of up to $500 for littering at a nonapproved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway and on public or private property. A municipality or county may offer a reward of $50 for reporting a violation that results in a prosecution. For more information about Section 365.012, visit www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/ Docs/HS/htm/HS.365.htm.
Contact Info Emergency 210-222-0911 General DPS 210-485-0099 Weather Line 210-485-0189
March 26 — Individual reported finding a vehicle door open. All was found to be OK. Individual reported a woman falling on stairs. March 29 — Individual reported a student being disruptive in class. NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW COLLEGE March 22 — Individual reported his parking permit had been lost in a vehicle accident. Individual reported found property. Item was placed in the property locker. Individual reported her wedding rings had been stolen. No suspects were found. March 23 — Individual reported a male student bugging her.
Building attendant Arturo Martinez and supervisor Guillermina “Minnie” Balderas don protective clothing before cleaning blood from a women’s restroom Tuesday on the second floor of Gonzales Hall. Martinez and Balderas also cleaned Room 227 after an incident involving a student bleeding the night before during class. The room and restroom were closed for the entire day after they were both cleaned. Blood products require special handling because of the risk of infection. Julysa Sosa was refused. NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE March 23 — Individual reported an elevator door had been etched. Individual reported a male student acting strange. All was found to be OK. March 25 — Officer reported two individuals in a vehicle after hours. All was found to be OK. Individual reported two suspicious men in the area. The men were found to be students. March 29 — Individual reported a man and woman in the wooded area. The male and female students were located and departed without further incident. Individual reported personal items had been stolen while he was playing basketball. No suspects were found. PALO ALTO COLLEGE
March 25 — Individual reported her boyfriend had accessed her e-mail and sent inappropriate e-mails. March 29 — Individual reported sustaining an injury during a class. EMS
vehicle with its door open. All found to be OK.
March 25 — Individual reported his vehicle had been stolen. The vehicle was later located in Cotulla. March 28 — Individual reported a
March 22 — Individual reported damage to her personal vehicle. March 23 — Individual reported a vehicle had been stolen from the parking lot. Vehicle was recovered by SAPD. Individual reported his vehicle had been burglarized. No suspects were found. Individual was issued a citation for a simple assault. March 25 — Individual reported her vehicle had been burglarized. No suspects were found. March 28 —Individual reported losing his wallet on campus. March 29 — Individual reported an unknown woman had slapped her while in the elevator. The woman was not located. SOUTHWEST CAMPUS. March 24 — Individual reported a man and woman lying down in the library. All was found to be OK.
The Ranger
News
April 4, 2011 • 5
Japanese society reaching out to tsunami victims Fundraising efforts mean help for victims of earthquake and tsunami.
“I want to honor the people in Japan even though we are not there.”
By Ximena Victoria Alvarez On March 11, the world awoke to find that an earthquake of a magnitude 9.0 had struck Japan, causing a tsunami that claimed more than 9,000 lives in a matter of seconds. Immediately, the world came to Japan’s rescue, among them the Japan American Society of San Antonio, which promotes awareness of Japanese culture. Rieko Johnson, 60, social activity chair of the society, is from Nagasaki, Japan. She married Carl Johnson in 1969 and came to San Antonio in 1971. Now a retired retail employee, she recalls World War II to explain the impact of the tsunami that hit Japan. Johnson said she was 5 months old during World War II when the U.S. dropped its second atomic weapon on Nagasaki three days after dropping its first on Hiroshima in August 1945. The Nagasaki bombing in 1945 killed more than 87,000 Japanese citizens from the impact of the bomb or the radiation illness the nuclear weapon caused. Johnson said that as soon as she heard what had happened to Japan, she got together with JASSA members and organized ways to help victims of the tsunami. “Before the tsunami hit Japan, we were doing a workshop of calligraphy and Shigirie ( Japanese paper craft) and so we decided to sell Japanese crafts and anything else,” Johnson said. Johnson said the society, which has 200 members, networked to involve more people from the community. “I’m here because I want to
Rieko Johnson Japan American Society of San Antonio
Rieko Johnson, the Japan American Society in San Antonio social activity chair, sells Japanese crafts March 26 during a charity event at Mizuumi-Con 4 at Our Lady of the Lake University for tsunami and earthquake victims in Japan. Ximena Victoria Alvarez help. I want to honor the people in Japan even though we are not there. We are still Japanese. We are here to help the victims until the end,” she said. Johnson volunteers for the Fort Sam Houston Fisher House, similar to a Ronald McDonald House for families of injured soldiers. With donations, the Fisher House provides necessities and tries to fill family requests. Volunteers provide coping support to injured soldiers’ family members. Johnson said her husband always supports her and is willing to help without being asked. Debora Martilla, 45, a librarian at Stone Oaks Elementary in the Northeast Independent School District, worked in Osaka, Japan,
for three years as an English teacher in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. Martilla found out about this event from Johnson, a friend of her mother’s and another society member. Martilla, who participated in the Toyota 5K walk March 26, said she was at the event to support relief efforts for Japanese victims. “I’m just here to help the victims in a small way that I can,” Martilla said. Besides attending the 5K walk and a charity event on behalf of the society, she also donated items for the society to sell. Though Martilla cannot read or write Japanese, she has conversational Japanese skills and understands the impact of the
tsunami. Martilla mentioned she has family on Kyushu Island in Fukuoka, Japan, and friends in Osaka. She has contacted her family and friends and confirmed they are doing well. Koji Kubo, 45, who is planning to open a restaurant, has lived in San Antonio for 10 years but lived in Japan before coming to the U.S. Kubo is the business and economy chair for the association and earlier served as Kumamoto chair, a sister city to San Antonio. Kubo and other members sold items March 26 at Mizuumi-Con 4, an anime festival at Our Lady of the Lake University, to raise money for earthquake and tsunami victims. He said donations are also coming in through the association’s website. The society matched the funds raised from its sale at MizuumiCon 4 and is matching donations up to $250 per member. For more information on the society and a scholarship program, log onto www.ja-sa.org. For information on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, log into www.jetprogramme.org.
6 • April 4, 2011
News
Math tutor Dan Suttin holds a piece of the “Mega Tetra” project in his garage March 28. Suttin has spent about 40 hours per week since March 2009 working on the structure that he “hopes, by faith,” will
The Ranger
eventually hang in a public space. “Once you’ve dreamed it up, you have to build it and one day stand back and say, ‘There it is,’” he said. Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
Artist looks for home for 26,000-piece structure By Melody Mendoza Math tutor Dan Suttin describes himself as “just a big kid playing with blocks.” On March 25, he talked about his “Mega Tetra” project, a geometric structure 16 feet wide and 13 feet high. Suttin, 66, has been working on the 26,000piece structure since March 2009 and is only 80 percent finished. The structure can be broken down into three sections and is stored in his garage. “It will be finished this summer, and it needs a big place to put it,” Suttin said. Over spring break alone, Suttin said he completed two corners of the “Mega Tetra” and it still needs one more corner to finish. Although Suttin tutors students here in the morning, he said he spends hours working on the project. “On a really good long day, I can put together 100 pieces,” he said, adding that is about 10 to 12 hours of work.
Math tutor Dan Suttin holds a cardboard cutout that he will shape into a tetrahedron. The structure is a tetrahedron, a triangularbased pyramid. He explained the modules are configured into diamond lattices, an arrangement of points, with three rhombic dodecahedron cells at each vertex. A rhombic dodecahedron has 12 rhombus, or parallelogram faces. “Mega Tetra” is constructed of three differently shaped modules color coded in blue, pink and yellow.
He buys sheets, 32 by 40 inches, of 1/16-inch corrugated cardboard, which he slices with a table saw and runs through a die cutter. He said the machine cuts the correct shape and marks the fold placement. Then he folds the cardboard, glues the ends together and uses tape to temporarily hold them in place. After the glue is dry, he can start putting pieces together — “the fun part” — making it a long process, he said. Suttin is a retired high school math teacher who attended this college as part of the senior citizens program, which allows seniors to enroll by paying fees but not tuition. He said he took MATH 1314, College Algebra, and trigonometry and calculus classes. Now Suttin tutors in Room 121 of McCreless Hall where he loves doing math problems all day and helping students. “It’s like candy for me,” he said about tutoring. “It’s so fun.” Last spring, Suttin met with President Robert
The Ranger Zeigler about displaying a former structure, the “Big Ball,” also known as “Variation on the Truncated Icosahedron.” The 3,600-piece, 20-sided sculpture was constructed with 55,440 paper clips and took more than 500 hours to fabricate. After being on display for 14 months in the academic instruction center, the orange ball of octahedrons and tetrahedrons collapsed March 7. Observers, among them Suttin’s son, noted it was twisting that morning. Suttin passed by weekly and noted the structure needed repair but thought he had more time to get to it. Suttin became interested in building structures in the 1980s when he found a book on “fascinating” polyhedron models, while he was a teacher of fifth and eighth graders. There he discovered how to fit together octahedrons and tetrahedrons, the shapes that make up the “Mega Tetra.” He said he wasn’t the first to discover this and has traced the discovery to the 16th century. Through this book, he connected with the author and joined an e-mail group of tetrahedron experts. Today, those experts help him understand the shapes he creates with his structures. Also, he has about 400 files of art, architecture, design and music, collected in nine volumes, which spark his interest for new projects. In a heavy Italian accent, Suttin mimicked sculptor Simon Rodilla saying, “‘You got to do something they never got ’em in the world.’ That’s my motto.” Rodilla is famous for the Watts Tower of Simon Rodia in Los Angeles. According to www. w a t t s t ow e r s. u s / h i s t o r y. h t m , Rodilla constructed the towers of machine equipment adorned with broken glass, sea shells, pottery and tile. Also, Suttin said he likes President Barack Obama’s famous quote, “We do big things.”
News
Math tutor Dan Suttin creates a cardboard tetrahedron that will be added to the “Mega Tetra” project. It takes Suttin one minute to shape a tetrahedron “I find these guys that work the way, and it keeps me inspired,” Suttin said. “I’m semi-retired, so now I can play.” Of his eight children and six grandchildren, Suttin said his daughter Catherine, 20, used to build with him, but she has grown out of it. “She was really good,” he said. “She was fast with the paper clips like me.” After many years of building and teaching students to build, Suttin still has many dreams. He said he wants the “Mega Tetra” in a shopping mall where people on the top floor can look down and see it. Also, he has two more project ideas “in here,” he said, pointing to his head. For now, he is on a roster of artists with the city of San Antonio Cultural Affairs Office, which connects artists with organizations that want art for display. For more information, visit his website at www.homespun4homeschoolers.com. To see photos of the “Big Ball” and more structures visit, www. flikr.com/photos/dan_suttin/ show/.
April 4, 2011 • 7
that will go toward the 26,000-plus piece structure. Next to him sits the 5-foot model of the structure in a room in his home.
Math tutor Dan Suttin, who created the “Big Ball” that collapsed in the academic center, is working on a larger structure called the “Mega Tetra.” He has been working on the project since 2009 but has been building structures for 30 years.
“Once you’ve dreamed it up, you have to build it and one day stand back and say, ‘There it is.’” Dan Suttin math tutor
8 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
News
Concealed carry supporters undeterred by testimony By Jennifer M. Ytuarte
and opened for public comment. Two overflow rooms were used as waiting Texas could soon become the second state areas during more than five hours of testimony. — Utah was first — to explicForty-six witnesses regisitly allow concealed weapons tered in favor and 86 registered on college campuses. in opposition, including Leo According to the National Zuñiga, associate vice chancelRifle Association website, nine lor of communications. states — Arizona, Florida, Zuñiga said he agreed with Michigan, Nebraska, New an amendment suggestion to Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, give community colleges the and Texas — currently have ability to govern their own proright-to-carry-on-campus bills tection. in session. “We know our own comState Reps. Joe Driver, munity and how to best govern Dr. Thomas Billimek R-Garland, and Sid Miller, our students,” he said. psycholgy chair R-Stephenville, along with 83 The minimum age for a House co-authors filed HB750, the counterpart concealed weapons permit is 21. to SB 354, the Senate bill aimed at allowing conSupporters said this would allow only uppercealed handguns on campus. classmen, faculty and staff the ability to carry a HB750 was forwarded to the House handgun on campus. Committee on Homeland Security and Public Of the 58,797 students enrolled for fall at the Safety, and on March 16, the bill was reviewed Alamo Colleges, 31,502 students, or 53.6 percent,
“The bullet isn’t biased; innocent people will be hurt.”
meet concealed carry age requirements. The average student age is 24. Concealed handgun license applicants must attend 10-12 hours of training and have no felonies or criminal convictions. Bill Slater, owner of Handgun Safety Training, Inc., has 23 years of training experience. Students learn about firearm fundamentals, use of force and deadly force during a 12-hour Saturday course. Slater said they help applicants fill out forms and submit fingerprints. He said other than the criminal background check, no other personal history is required. Police Chief Don Adams said if passed as-is, the House and Senate bills do not provide guidelines for tracking licensed students. Nor does the bill provide funding for screening at building entrances and does not amend current law to include a mental health screening. “When concealed handgun laws passed in the ’90s, police departments had to reorganize tactics and assume everyone was carrying a
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The Ranger weapon, until proved otherwise,” Adams said. “We have an older student body average, making more individuals eligible, which could make our campus police uneasy,” Adams said. Adams isn’t the only one concerned. “If there is a weapon available, there is a greater desire to use that weapon,” psychology Chair Thomas Billimek said. He said force meets force, so in hand-to-hand combat, a police officer shows a weapon but has little need to fire. If a student is assumed to be armed, the likelihood of pulling the trigger to diffuse a hostile situation is higher, he said. Even in the case of an active shooter, Billimek said the chance of shooting a bystander would rise. He said it is difficult to remain calm, which is needed
to make the right decision. “The bullet isn’t biased; innocent people will be hurt,” he said. Counselor Steve Samet said, “I feel uneasy at the thought of being cornered in my office if a student I’m counseling has a breakdown and pulls out their gun.” Samet’s office is similar to most offices on campus. It’s the size of a large closet with no windows and only one exit. Texas is in the spotlight and more than half of the House and Senate seem to support concealed carry on campus. HB 750 was forwarded to the Calendar Committee without amendments. A vote of 5-3 brings it one step closer to the House floor. To search for a bill, log into www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/billnumber.aspx
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April 4, 2011 • 9
Physicians assistant sophomore Josiah Gutierrez listens to Hilda Mejia Abreu, associate dean for admissions and student services in the nursing school of University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, explain the benefits of attending the university during the transfer fair Wednesday in Loftin. To learn more about the transfer fair go to www. theranger.org. Rennie Murrell
The Ranger
10 • April 4, 2011
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News
April 4, 2011 • 11
College owns personal websites used for courses Budget cuts drive lab consolidations. By Melody Mendoza Faculty and staff cannot use personal websites to house course material because the material is “intellectual property” that belongs to both the college and faculty member, this college’s director of information and communication technologies said. “They can’t take college content and put it somewhere on a site that the college is not affiliated to,” Director Usha Venkat said in an interview March 21. The Ranger reported March 7 that Faculty Senate Chair Dawn Elmore-McCrary said “disciplinary action” would be taken for use of outside websites. Venkat said the college administration would decide on the disciplinary action, and her role is to provide support and services to house courses. However, President Robert Zeigler said the college administration has not talked about what actions would be taken but would deal with issues case-by-case. He said as of now, he does not know the rules and regulations for the new web content management system expected to go live in the fall. Venkat said the system is supposed to give the district and college websites a consistent look and be more student-friendly. Also, Venkat will be overseeing the multimedia lab in Room 706 of Moody Learning Center in a budget-driven decision. It was moved from the fourth floor. She said the college is trying to streamline lab services across the 114 labs on campus to be more efficient. Venkat said by putting similar services together, the college can use resources in one joint lab. The multimedia lab now offers Internet skills, which will result in eliminating the Internet skills lab.
Resource specialist Daniel Balboa directs nursing freshman Amber Martinez in logging on in the multimedia lab. This lab and Internet skills lab have consolidated in Room 706 of Moody. Julia Novikova Dan Melgoza of the office of technology services said the multimedia lab offers Macs and PCs to students who may need digital design software. He said architecture students also use the lab. He said the printer from the multimedia lab will be moved to the new location and will be installed with Go Print, a print “for” pay vending system. Melgoza said the OTS department is still trying to set up a fax machine service and connect it with the new phone provider. The district changed its provider from AT&T to Paetec March 24, expecting to save $5,200 per month. At a technology advisory committee meeting March 21, Venkat; Les Germer, coordinator of college technology; and Kenny Patterson, district manager of client services of the information technology department, reviewed other technology updates across the district. Germer said there was a district wide switch upgrade of the college’s hardware completed before the winter break, which added a layer of security to the system. The layer is Rapid 7, which is described on its website as providing “vulnerability management, compliance and penetration testing solutions for Web application, network and database security.” Germer said Rapid 7 audits the system and reports low, medium,
high and critical server issues. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance and information systems, said Rapid 7 cost about $50,000. LogRhythm, which cost about $80,000, is another districtwide system that logs events and Web traffic if the system crashes and reduces response time. Disaster Recovery is used to maintain the district website domain at an offsite location. In case of an error, it allows the business end to continue its function. “LogRhythm, Disaster Recovery, Rapid 7 and the switch upgrade — those are all raising our security levels and our ability to protect the data,” Germer said. Mediasite allows professors to incorporate video on demand into a course to record classes or presentations to post online. Patterson said Mediasite is now used at regular board meetings. The videos are posted at www. alamo.edu. To access, click on Board of Trustees, then Videos. Cleary said Mediasite, switch upgrade and Disaster Recovery were bond-funded initiatives. The November 2005 bond allotted $17.5 million for information technology improvements. He also discussed the upgrade of Storage Area Network, or SANS storage, to improve receiving, retrieving and storing information
to prevent errors in Banner. This required ACES and Blackboard Vista to go offline from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. March 20. The district’s technology department consulted with a representative from each college and came to the consensus that at the end of spring break was the best date to minimize impact of users, Patterson said. He said the district is trying to be proactive and make sure to check for errors effectively. For example, there were reports of Banner running slowly in the fall, but Patterson said it wasn’t the application; it was the database. Therefore, this upgrade is to ensure the database storage can handle the information. Germer said the benefit of SANS storage is its centralization. If a system ran out of space on the server, the SANS storage and additional hard drives could be used. Along with the technology additions already implemented, the district is in the process of implementing five new pieces, one a new web content management system. Patterson said an alert stream on the video monitors should be running announcements across the district by April, but programming is up to each college’s public relations office. Sharepoint is a Microsoft software that allows departments and groups to share information or documents. Patterson said the colleges have different versions, but the district is upgrading to Sharepoint 2010 by summer so groups across the district can collaborate. The district has been researching and surveying students and employees on a mobile application for the district. The Ranger reported it will be a tool to expand services to students by creating a way to pay tuition, access email and notify students of news alerts.
12 • The Ranger
New
Transportation
methods revitalized Story and photos by J. Almendarez
to places too far to walk but too close to drive, she said. They were not your typical riders and Bike enthusiast Laura Whitley, who it was not a typical ride. rides with a team called the 3rd Street These riders were old and young. Grackles, said the program “opens a new They wore skirts or spandex. There was door for people who wouldn’t ordinarily not a crew of tight-jean wearing hipuse a bike for transportation.” She uses sters in sight. Everybody was wearing a her bike to train for races, including the helmet. And, they were distributing 140 annual Alamo Ride to the River in supbikes throughout downtown for the first port of multiple sclerosis. bike share program in Texas, B-cycle. B-cycle volunteer Steve Meinhardt “I think this is going to be a hissaid, “They’re really fun to ride.” toric moment for He described the San Antonio,” said bike as being virtually Executive Director indestructible and said Cindi Snell before she many of the features mounted a bike and built into the bikes are rode off with the last to make them duragroup of riders to a ble and practical. For bike rental station at instance, he said there La Villita. was a rumor within B-cycle is a nonthe organization that profit organization the size of the basket in affiliation with San was decided to hold a Antonio Bike Share 12-pack of beer. that hopes to create More pricey feaUTSA professor Ruben alternative methods of tures of the bike Mancha and Claudia Zarazu, transportation in this City of San Antonio employee include GPS mileage city’s downtown area. trackers and radio freThe program features 14 docking staquency identification tags, or RFIDs. tions for their bikes. The mileage trackers inform the ridPublic relations representative Denise ers how many calories they burn and Herrera Wieters said 12 of the docking what their carbon emissions are, while stations are downtown, but there are also the RFIDs track the location of the bikes. stations at the Blue Star Art Complex and Lights are equipped at the front and rear Pearl Brewery. of the bike. They are powered by energy At each station, one can rent a bicycle produced by the wheels being turned. by inserting a credit or debit card into a Other smaller features like the fendkiosk and selecting a rental option. ers, skirt guards and chain guards help Rental options vary from 30-minute keep riders free of chain grease and road intervals to annual memberships. debris. Each bike has a replacement cost Students and seniors can purchase an of $1,000. annual pass for the discount price of $48, Snell said in the next two years, but $25 annual memberships are availB-cycle hopes to expand to have 50 dockable while supplies last. ing stations and more than 1,000 bikes. Sturdier road bikes are available for B-cycle also has programs in Chicago; day or weeklong rentals at the central Denver; Louisville, Ky.; Des Moines, hub, at 600 HemisFair Plaza Way, No. Iowa; and Boulder, Colo. They are also in 203. The location of the docks is meant to Hawaii and Broward County in Florida. provide tourists, downtown workers and For more information, visit sanantonio. downtown residents the ability to travel bcycle.com/.
Local residents Johnny Rodriguez and Elsa Gonzalez look at the options March 26 at a kiosk near Durango and South Alamo.
ws
April 4, 2011 • 13
A patron fills up his gas tank at San Pedro and West Cypress. Jason B. Hogan
Student’s gas tank siphoned on campus By Megan Mares
B-cycle rental
Energy Information Administration, the current average price per barrel is $104.79. Nontraditional student Pat Trimble was parked after 6 p.m. That is a 79-cent increase per barrel from a week earlier and a March 1 in Lot 3 north of McAllister Fine Arts Center when someone $22.62 increase from March 2010. siphoned from her tank 13 gallons of gas she had just purchased. According to barrel price, gas is $2.50 per gallon, but the retail Trimble was attending adjunct Grace Risley’s 6:30 p.m.-9:30 gas average is $3.60 and the diesel average is $3.93 per gallon. p.m. section of SPCH 1311, Fundamentals of Speech, and did not Across the world, countries are seeing a significant rise in witness the crime. fuel and food prices while unemployment remains She said she had her gas tank inspected by a high. friend, and no holes or leaks were visible. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Trimble became aware of the lack of gas while World Crude Oil Prices graph documented Feb. 25 on the highway driving home from class that night. that Malaysia was paying $110.96 per barrel, the “I was on I-35 when my car just quit,” Trimble highest price of all countries listed. said. “I immediately assumed there was a hole in Auto manufacturers in the United States size my gas tank.” fuel tanks to achieve at least 300 miles per tank Trimble said there is no way she can prove under normal city and highway driving conditions. the gas was stolen straight from her 2003 Honda James Ball, service consultant at Gunn Element while it was parked in the college lot. But Chevrolet, and Steve Lugo, a parts consultant, at she added that the vehicle has never had a leak, Northside Ford, said the average mid-sized sedan’s and she has no idea how else the gas would have tank holds about 17 gallons of gas. Rising gas prices escaped. Ball said a larger SUV’s gas tank can hold from Wednesday. Alison Wadley There are many ways to siphon, depending on 20 to 30 gallons. the model and make of a vehicle. All one has to do is stick a piece of Some vehicle owners are paying anywhere from $40 to more tubing down into the tank, suck on the tubing like a straw to get the than $100 to fill up. gas flowing out and release it into a container. While crude oil production in Libya provides only 2 perNewer vehicles have antiroll filters that prevent tubing from cent of the world’s oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information getting into the tank; in these cases, a mechanism is available that Administration, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, can suck a mid-sized vehicle’s gas tank dry in less than one minute. and judging by the prices in this country and others across the Trimble said she guesses the recent rise in gas prices led some- world, the entire world’s gas market has been disrupted. one who desperately needed gas to take it. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s short-term outlook Oil, from which gasoline is refined, is purchased by the barrel, states that based on current market prices of gasoline, there is a 25 and since the revolt in Libya, gas prices have risen at a steady rate percent probability that the national monthly average retail price for of about 2 cents per day. regular gasoline could exceed $4 per gallon by this summer. One barrel is equal to 42 gallons and according to the U.S. For more information, go to www.eia.doe.gov.
Calendar
14 • April 4, 2011 For coverage in Calendar, call 210-486-1773 or e-mail sac-ranger@alamo.edu two weeks in advance.
Matthew, 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister. Continues April 8-9 at 7:30 p.m. April 10, 2:30 p.m. Call 210-486-0494. Friday
Monday District Deadline: Last day to withdraw from spring classes April 18. Call 210486-0700. District Deadline: Scholarship application April 15. Call 210-486-0963.
Event: St. Mary’s University Fiesta Oyster Bake 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Visit www.oysterbake.com. Event: “Fiesta Del Rey: Crown the King!” at San Fernando Cathedral in Main Plaza 6:30 p.m. Call 210-389-9765. Saturday
SAC Meeting: Society of MexicanAmerican Engineers and Scientists 3 p.m. in the MESA Center in Room 204 of Chance. Call 210-486-1300. Trinity Lecture: “Noise Control in Hospitals (Sssssshhhhh!...I’m trying to Heal!)” by Ilene Busch-Vischniac 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium. Call 210-999-7656. Tuesday SAC Meeting: Campus Crusade for Christ 1:30 p.m. in Room 113 of chemistry and geology. Call 210-486-1233.
SAC Sports: Baseball vs. Texas State University, San Marcos 10:30 a.m. at Texas State. Continues at 1:30 p.m. April 9 and 10:30 a.m. April 10. Call 210260-6348. April 11 S A C Performance: Honors recital 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255. April 12
The Ranger April 15
April 22
SAC Exhibit: Second Friday Art Walk with Tobin Hill Art Alliance begins in visual arts 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Call 210486-1046.
Holiday: Colleges closed for Easter. Continues through April 24.
Holiday: Colleges closed for Battle of Flowers. Weekend classes meet.
SAC Performance: Brass Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210486-0255. April 25
Event: Battle of Flowers Parade 12:45 p.m.-4 p.m. Visit www.battleofflowers.org. April 16 SAC Sports: Baseball vs. Rice University 10:30 a.m. at SAISD sports complex. Continues at 1:30 p.m. April 16 and 10:30 a.m. April 17. Call 210-2606348. April 18 SAC Performance: Guitar Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255.
SAC Performance: Brass Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255. April 26 SAC Performance: Jazz Latin Combo 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255. April 27 SAC Event: ‘Surviving an Active Shooter’ training for SAC students and staff 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Continues 1 p.m.-3 p.m. May 11, June 15, June 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. May 24, June 29, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. May 25, Room 120 of visual arts. Call 210-486-0930.
Wednesday SAC Meeting: Psychology Club 2 p.m. in Room 642 of Moody. Call 210-486-2887 SAC Meeting: Gay and Lesbian Association 3 p.m.-4 p.m. in Room 644 of Moody. Call 210-486-0673. SAC Meeting: Phi Theta Kappa Beta Nu Chapter 4 p.m. in Room 241 in Nail. Call 210-486-1136.
District Meeting: Committee meetings 5:30 p.m. in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. For more information, go to www.alamo.edu and click on Board of Trustees and then Agendas. Event: A Night in Old San Antonio 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. La Villita. Tickets $1.50$12. Continues through April 15. Visit www.niosa.org. April 14
Thursday SAC Event: Cat Caring Initiative noon1 p.m. Room 115 of Oppenheimer. Call 210-486-0938. PAC Event: Spring dance concert 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. in auditorium of performing arts center, $2 donation. Continues April 8. Call 210-486-3211. SAC Performance: “Godspell,” a musical based on the Gospel according to St.
SPC Event: 2011 CultureFest 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Wyoming and Walters. Call 210486-2241. PAC Event: PACfest 11 a.m.-9 p.m. in central courtyard. Call 210-486-3125.
District Registration: Maymester, continues through May 14. First summer session, eight-week session, continues through June 4. Second summer session, continues through July 9. Call 210-4860200. April 19 District Meeting: Regular board meeting 6 p.m. in Room 101 of Killen Center, 201 W. Sheridan. For more information, go to www.alamo.edu and click on Board of Trustees and then Agendas. SAC Performance: Wind Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255. April 21
SAC Event: 17th annual Multicultural Conference Luncheon 12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m. at Boehler’s Bar & Grille, 328 E. Josephine. Payment due April 8, $15 to Stephen Dingman. Call 210-227-1890.
SAC Performance: Early Music Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255.
SAC Event: Dessert with Deans and Directors noon to 1 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0125. April 28 SAC Performance: Jazz Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in auditorium of McAllister. Call 210-486-0255. Reading: Caroline Kennedy from her book “She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems,” with Q-and-A followed by book signing 7 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium at Trinity University. Call 210-212-9539.
Calendar Legend SAC: San Antonio College NVC: Northwest Vista College SPC: St. Philip’s College SWC: Southwest Campus PAC: Palo Alto College NLC: Northeast Lakeview College
The Ranger
Premiere
April 4, 2011 • 15
Students should be mentors, Powell says By Megan Mares As other countries develop wealth, they invest that wealth into education for young people, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, said Tuesday. Powell, addressing a press conference prior to his lecture at Trinity University, said legislators should understand the importance of funding education and cut only wasteful programs. At 2,700 seats, Laurie Auditorium was near capacity during Powell’s free lecture “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust, and Values” funded by an endowment established by Flora C. Crichton. The lecture sold out in two hours on March 7. Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from City College of New York, home of the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies “When I was there 50 years ago, they weren’t going to name nothing after me,” he said. “I’d been there five years, 4 1/2 going on five, and changed my major multiple times.” The university recognized his four years of A’s from ROTC and decided to roll them into his GPA giving him a 2.0. “It isn’t where you start in life; it’s where you end up,” Powell said. He went on to earn a master of business administration degree at George Washington University. Powell served 35 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of a four-star general, where soon thereafter, he served as the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff overseeing war, crisis and political intervention amid foreign affairs. In 2001 in the administration of George W. Bush, Powell became this country’s 65th secretary of state. He is the founding chairman of America’s Promise, an organization focused on improving the lives of this nation’s youth by preparing them for education, work and life. Powell is concerned with budget cuts in education. “I hope that as we deal with our budget problems, our legislators at both a state and a national level recognize that education should be at the top.” Powell made it clear to his audience of diverse age and race that standards within education are important. “I was sort of the lesser light in my family. All my cousins were doing much, much better than I was in school,” he said. “My immigrant parents made it clear that they had expectations.” Through education and military experience, Powell has learned how to become a leader,
Gen. Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state, speaks to reporters Tuesday in the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center at Trinity University.
He said one of the most important actions students can take is to read newspapers. Tyler K. Cleveland
although he said at first, coming out of the Army he said. into the civilian world was difficult because he Powell described a regal scenario in which was still used to military mentality. before leaving any place on his airplane, a red “Leadership is all about followership,” he carpet would roll out, a band would play and said. “My young friends, as you ascend to posi- salutes would be made. tions of leadership, remember it’s the followers He would wave to the roaring crowd and as who get the work done.” he walked up the steps to the plane the engine Powell said that by connecting people with would turn on. a sense of purpose, great leadership will be As soon as he sat down in his private cabin, a attained. Diet Coke would hit the table. And right as it hit Specific advice Powell the table, the plane would gave college students is to start to move. mentor. He said not giving “It was so cool,” he said. younger students the chance “They took my plane away, to fail guarantees a strong and they gave it to (former future for America. Secretary of State) Condi “One of the greatest (Rice). God knows what she’s things that I’d like to see coldoing with it.” lege students doing is menPowell admitted that he toring kids,” he said. “Kids did initially miss being secGen. Colin Powell will look up to a slightly older former secretary of state retary of state a little more kid, and pay more attention than he does now. to them than they will an “I still reflect back to the older geezer.” time when I was being called by every king, During the press conference, Powell said every president, every prime minister,” he said. another way to lead is to be informed about what “They wanted to come see me; they were begis going on in the country and around the world. ging me to come see them.” “Read about what is going on in the world. The crowd laughed as they did throughout Read newspapers,” he said. “Do you know what his lecture. a newspaper is?” “Just imagine, one minute you’re the No. 1 He said the only thing he misses about being diplomat of the whole free world,” he said. “You secretary of state is his Boeing 757 airplane. know, you’re the secretary of state of the United “Everywhere I went, it was waiting for me,” States of America and the next day … you ain’t.”
“It isn’t where you start in life; it’s where you end up.”
16 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
News
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 He said student performance must increase, noting that community colleges are perceived as not doing all they can to help students. Second, he said the district will continue to use the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program model to create more efficiencies. The Baldrige Program is “the nation’s publicprivate partnership dedicated to performance excellence,” which the district adopted as an organizing structure in 2006. And finally, he said “everything must be done differently,” and fewer dollars should be spent. “Does it make ‘cents’ for students?” he said about what employees should be asking to ensure they are always thinking of how to save and be efficient. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance and information systems, updated employees on the statistics of student success. Cleary called this time “a decade of diminishment” where the burden is falling on the students because without state funding, tuition and fees are being raised. He said in 2002, the state funded 42.7 percent of the district’s budget,
but today the state only funds 23.5 percent. Now, students are having to make up for that revenue by paying a higher tuition rate. Cleary said 40 percent of the budget comes from tuition. He said student success is critical because “it’s what we do” and because students are tied to the money. He reported that productive grade rates have increased from 67.3 percent in 2007 to 71 percent in 2010. Course completion was at 80.2 percent in 2007 and increased to 86.8 percent in 2010. Also, although the Alamo Colleges have had a low rate of graduates, the number of degrees and certificates awarded in the district have increased from 4,091 in 2006 to 6,016 in 2010 with the biggest growth from 2009-2010. After his presentation, Cleary gave out clickers so employees could anonymously vote in a survey. When Cleary asked what savings strategy employees least agreed with, 57 percent said layoffs. Sixty percent agreed with cuts made across the board instead of cuts in salary, furloughs or layoffs. The audience was silent except for a gasp and a chuckle at the results of trust and shared gov-
ernance. Sixty-one percent indicated trust is low. Cleary asked if employees think the data that the district collects is beneficial in decisionmaking. Fifty-one percent said somewhat, and 41 percent said no. Following the tension from the truthful answers, Jackie Beede, president of Accelerated Improvement Mentoring Inc. and facilitator of the meeting, began her introduction with a question. She asked if employees believed the outcomes of the retreat would benefit the colleges, and 63 percent said yes. AIM is a private consulting branch that assists those who use the Baldrige program hired at a rate of $85 per hour. She said employees should look at students and each other as customers so proper customer service can be given. Innovation, which Beede said will be judged critically as part of the Baldrige criteria, allows the district to be more open for ideas. She said at the retreat, employees would brainstorm strategic plans, which are long-term improvements, and action plans or potential immediate action that can be taken to save or produce revenue.
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News
The Ranger
April 4, 2011 • 17
Suggestion box open for ideas By Riley Stephens Anyone with a suggestion on ways to reduce cost, generate revenue or improve processes on this campus can submit them to the president’s suggestion box, located on the college homepage. Selections for feedback include cost reduction, generate revenue, streamline a process, and other. Participants can leave their email for a response. Once the emails are submitted, a committee reviews the suggestions. “We’re calling it the President’s Suggestion Box Review Committee,” the director of public relations, Deborah Martin, said. Committee members are President Robert Zeigler; David Mrizek, vice president of college services; and Martin. “We were thinking about ways that we could better communicate with people that come through this campus,” Martin said. Zeigler said the committee wanted to find efficient ways to reduce spending in the current budget.
Martin said she suggested the box. “The suggestion box has been available for about three weeks,” Martin said. She said over the last month 16 ideas have been submitted, and the committee reviews them monthly. Martin gave some examples of submissions: questions about fines for parking without a permit and citations, putting the escalators in Moody Learning Center on a timer, streamlining student ID device to show paid bill. She said these suggestions were put at the top because the committee could easily respond to them. “It’s a fine of $16 for parking without a permit,” Martin said, adding she was unsure of the increase if the fine is not paid. “The police department sets up the parking fee.” “The semester beginning Jan. 1-March 8, 680 citations have been issued for parking without a permit,” Martin said. Last year at this time, 341 citations had been issued.
She said she was unsure if the escalators run on a timer, but Mrizek was looking into it. She said the office of technology services is working on a way to streamline the ID device. “Students would not have to wait in a long line just to be told they need a copy of their paid tuition form,” Martin said. She said some submissions did not have enough details. For example, a note about catering did not mention where or when an event happened. Martin said there was not enough information for the committee to work with. “How can we research if there is no specific information in the question?” Martin said. Both Martin and Zeigler said the suggestion box was going to be available on the college website for an indefinite period. To submit a suggestion, click on President’s Suggestion Box on the college homepage. Information on parking rules and regulation can be found at www.alamo.edu. Click on Departments, then Police.
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Join Us for Preview Friday! Designed exclusively for transfer students, Preview Friday is an event that allows you to mingle with other transfer students and view a detailed presentation about transferring, financial aid, scholarships and campus life. It also gives you an opportunity to talk one-on-one with an advisor in your major to learn how you can make the smoothest transition to help you reach your academic goals. Register online for the date you’d like to attend and get more information regarding Preview Friday and other events at utdallas.edu/enroll/events.
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18 • April 4, 2011
Editorial
The Ranger
Alexandra Nelipa
Single transcript? No, thank you Most institutions of higher education do not combine transcripts from individual institutions when calculating a student’s GPA. As The Ranger has reported (and opposed in editorials several times), this district wants all colleges within ACCD to be viewed as a single entity, the Alamo Colleges. Despite a decision against moving toward a single entity, every move district officials make are geared toward that goal. How soon before it’s the Alamo College? In combining transcripts in the service of branding, district officials are risking damage to thousands of students’ opportunities for financial aid, scholarships, honor society memberships and transfers. Claiming that combining GPAs will force students to be responsible for their academic standing, while rationally reasonable, is ludicrous. It is simply not true for a great many students. Interest and motivations change, so then majors will also. First attempts at scholastic achievement often go awry as students discover the culture of college and the time demands of a successful college education.
Some are derailed by having to work long hours while carrying a heavy load. Some find family demands keep them from making education a priority. None of this, however, accounts for those who simply go to college because it’s expected but have absolutely no idea what they are doing here. But everyone deserves a second chance. Enrolling in a new college doesn’t erase errors, but it temporarily relieves the consequences of mistakes, which helps overcome the psychological obstacles to returning to school. Yes, a single transcript means that transferring to another college within the district should be seamless. But students taking courses at separate colleges by choice can deal with separate transcripts. They made the choice to do so. Forcing a decline in GPA will do little to help our students or with Closing the Gap, and it won’t do anything for the only measures officials seem to care about these days. So why do it? Let’s make sure a second chance makes a difference in students’ lives and success; give them the chance at a new GPA by keeping district college transcripts separate.
Correction: The March 28 article “Disaster delays adjunct’s visit home” incorrectly identified the source of a display quote on Page 7.
The quote should have been attributed to Nicole Salazar, a member of the Japanese Club. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
The Ranger
Editorial
April 4, 2011 • 19
Stop gambling with classes, pay You don’t have to be in a casino to gamble. You can try your luck at Alamo Colleges, but be prepared to lose big. Luck shouldn’t be the deciding factor for students trying to get financial aid from the state or receiving it on time from the college, hoping a class makes or getting transcripts submitted on time. The district has steadily transferred expenses to students as budget constraints increased. Some faculty members, too, have picked up expenses, such as printing handouts for students. And now, the national, state and district budget shortfalls are cascading down to faculty. To predict whether full-time faculty who teach in summer will be paid pro rata or the lower adjunct pay, employees have to enter a lottery. The chancellor says this is the only fair way to decide. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a double dose in a long line of divisive plays devised by Dr. Bruce Leslie. No one expects their pay to decrease, though in this district, employees have been taking de facto pay cuts for years as the cost-of-living increases and employees go without cost of living increases, much less raises. Now, faculty who elect to teach this summer don’t yet know what to expect in compensation. The chancellor has decided that 50 percent of sections will be paid based on full-time faculty pay and 50 percent of the sections will be paid at the adjunct rate. Some may choose not to work for less pay, and in the process, further disrupt students’ plans. So students will be upset at “selfish” faculty who keep them from classes they need, and faculty members are
pitted against one another, department by department, to get the summer pay they depend on. A lottery is demeaning and mean-spirited. Not only do faculty and students have to worry about paying for resources that used to be provided, now they have to worry about literally winning a lottery. Opening the lottery across the colleges might begin to approach fair. The older colleges have more full-time faculty; the newer ones more adjunct. To meet student budget pressures, the district is looking for $15.2 million to cover employee health insurance and retirement for fiscal year 2012. Also $6 million in state grants given to 4,000 students districtwide will probably be cut in half. At the federal level, the current average for Pell Grants is $5,500; that will most likely drop to $4,500. As cuts from the state pour down to the college, students shouldn’t have to worry about four-year institutions getting their transcripts on time or finding out lastminute classes they’ve registered for are being canceled because of low enrollment. A pay cut is not something district administrators are worrying about this year. When it comes down to who will suffer, it’s always students and college employees. Some faculty will face sizable drops in pay. It should be the same for our college and district administrators and employees. College employees should not be the only ones with flexible (read: shrinking) pay checks. We’re waiting for someone else to face the next roll of the dice.
Brace yourself for ‘bumpy ride’ College students all over the country should be alarmed because the House and Senate are proposing more budget cuts to higher education. As Chancellor Bruce Leslie said, this is not just a bump in the road, so students should brace themselves for a bumpy ride. There is already talk of a tuition increase for the fall, so this summer, think about working extra hours and saving up. You should also consider anything that can be cut from your personal budget. For most older students, this is a fact of life; but for our younger class-
mates, while hard to do, this will be excellent training for later in life when you have to budget for your household and family or your company. The state wants to cut funding for financial aid, so not only is tuition most likely to increase, there also will be a likely drop in Pell grants and fewer work-study jobs. On top of that, students still have to accommodate increases in the price of textbooks, gas and eating out. Better learn to pack a lunch. Open up your eyes, students, and see the reality of how the state is affecting higher education.
This drop in funding is not temporary. No matter how many surveys show that the public says education is important, the governor and state legislators obviously don’t see its importance. These cuts are here to stay, and we are likely to see a lot more cuts in the next two years because it doesn’t look like the state has any better ideas for cuts or revenue streams. Maybe Gov. Rick Perry can direct Texas Parks and Wildlife to plant money trees. The chance of no increasing drains on your pockets is about as likely.
20 • April 4, 2011
Viewpoint
The Ranger
Fear of campus carry unfounded The cover of the March 28 issue of The Ranger depicts one of the worst examples of slanted journalism I’ve ever encountered. On is the sillouette of an armed man (implying a dark, unidentifiable presence), Guest Viewpoint dressed in thug uniform by (baggy hood and pants), David Tyler Hadley unprovokedly pointing a gun at the back of a female student (implying impending victimization). The text reads, “Armed campus LOOMS.” The
if campus carry passes. There is no evidence for this. According to the Texas DPS website, permit holders commit 0.26% of all crime in this state. Their rate of crime is so low, it’s nearly nonexistent. Conversely, criminals wishing to commit gun crimes are undeterred by the law. They are criminals, after all. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “The laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” We’ve seen this at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and even here at SAC, where a student was robbed at gunpoint. When firearm carry laws are lightened, we see a corresponding decrease
legalized in Florida, criminals targeted rental cars because they knew visitors would not have guns. The same thing is happening here. The reason the crime rate on campus is so high is simple: Criminals know the law. They know disarmed students are defenseless. Campus carry is not a guarantee students will be able to survive crime unharmed. They will have a fighting chance, though. Gun prohibitions remove that, leaving the options to run, fight unarmed, not resist or call the police (who waited outside as Columbine students died). Do you want fewer options to save your life? Given the facts, it’s hard for any objective person to oppose campus carry. It took the worst
word “Loom” is associated with ominous malevolence. It gives the impression that concealed handgun license holders lurk in the shadows, stalk students and shoot them in the back. The cover plays on students’ fears to sway their opinions. It implies there will be an increase in crime
in crime rates. Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C., all have some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation and also the highest crime rates. Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona and Vermont all have unlicensed carry and low crime rates. When concealed handgun carry was
mass murder in America at the time — the Luby’s massacre in Belton — for Texas to approve it. Will it take another preventable tragedy for us to get campus carry? Let’s legalize campus carry before more innocents are lost forever. David Tyler Hadley is a psychology freshman.
Tips are not optional, even in a poor economy Fridays are the worst. First, I wake up early for school, attend a meeting at 9 a.m., work on The Ranger website and then sometimes remember to eat before my 12:15 p.m.- 4:15 p.m. Web design class. Viewpoint by Laura Garcia But that’s not the end of my day. I then rush to work, 14 miles away, tuck in my shirt, tie on my apron, clock in and I’m on. At that point, I am the go-to person for hundreds of customers’ needs in a casual dining restaurant. When someone needs a refill, rushed order, extra napkins, a third side of ranch dressing, questions answered on anything and everything we’ve ever offered, dirty dishes cleared, a birthday serenade, advice or a smile — I’m there. About seven hours into my shift, the doors are locked and I still have at least an hour of cleaning, restocking and rolling silverware. What many people don’t realize is that servers across the state get paid a measly $2.13 an hour before taxes. It’s been that way forever. Minimum wage has been raised repeatedly — now $7.25 an hour — but it doesn’t apply to tipped employees. Our income is primarily tips.
That’s how we pay our bills and a lot of us, college. Sure, everyone is looking for places to cut costs, but should a customer reduce the tip to a good server because they are watching their checkbook more closely? Never. If you evaluate every little thing the server did throughout dinner and look for an excuse to tip less, then you can’t afford to dine out. You work hard for your money, but so do I. While you roll your eyes and impatiently wait for a side salad, I am busy helping at least two dozen other customers, many of whose tips will not benefit me. I’m sure this is the norm at most casual dining restaurants. I’ve been at my restaurant for about 4 ½ years. The goal is to work together as a team to provide excellent customer service for everyone. That sometimes means the crying child needing a crayon comes before your salad. I am constantly prioritizing what needs to be done in the most efficient way possible. Many people don’t realize all that needs to be done to keep a restaurant running. The next time you penalize me for making you wait a few extra minutes, consider the possibility that I was not lollygagging. I might have been running food to another table, restocking ice or dishes or actually trying to expedite that salad, which by the way is prepared by a cook, not me.
When a customer leaves $2 on a $50 tab, I still have to tip the busboy 50 cents to clean the table before and after they sat down and another 50 cents to the bartender even if they didn’t order alcohol. I pay up 2 percent of every tab whether I earned it in tips or not. When I get a bad table, I just hope the next one is better. That’s all servers can do to keep from a perpetually bad mood. Along with the economy, the tips have been getting smaller and smaller, but the silver lining is that my outlook has changed. I know not all servers share this opinion, but I am now even more thankful for the few customers who tip generously. I am truly ecstatic when I get more than the standard 15 percent tip. But it’s not even about money. It’s about sincerity. Being appreciated is really indescribable. Some people would argue that I chose this job, and if I didn’t like the uncertainty of working on tips, I could get another one. This chosen field of work is a part of my life. Many of my friends have come and gone, seeking greener pastures but for some reason I’ve stuck around. I really love my job and I love all of my customers, the good, the bad and the ugly. Did I mention I’ve had a customer throw a knife at me because it had water spots on it? If memory serves, even he left a tip.
April 4, 2011 • 21
The Ranger
Officials Chancellor: Dr. Bruce H. Leslie 201 W. Sheridan, Bldg. B, San Antonio TX 78204-1429 Work: 210-485-0020 Fax: 210-485-0021 E-mail: bleslie@alamo.edu District 1: Joe Alderete Jr. 1602 Hillcrest Drive, San Antonio TX 78228 Cell: 210-863-9500 Home: 210-434-6967 E-mail: jvajr711@aol.com, jalderete21@alamo.edu District 2: Denver McClendon 3811 Willowwood Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78219 Work: 210-281-9141 E-mail: denvermcclendon@satx.rr.com, dmcclendon2@alamo.edu District 3: Anna U. Bustamante 511 Ware Blvd., San Antonio TX 78221 Work: 210-882-1609 Home: 210-921-2986 E-mail: abustamante20@alamo.edu District 4: Marcelo S. Casillas 115 Wainwright, San Antonio TX 78211 No telephone number provided Board of trustees liaison: 210-485-0030 E-mail: mcasillas19@alamo.edu District 5: Roberto Zárate 4103 Buffalo Bayou, San Antonio TX 78251 No telephone number provided E-mail: rzarate11@alamo.edu District 6: Dr. Gene Sprague 14722 Iron Horse Way, Helotes TX 78023 Work: 210-567-4865 Fax: 210-520-9185 E-mail: sprague1@alamo.edu District 7: Blakely Latham Fernandez 755 E. Mulberry, Suite 200, San Antonio TX 78212 Work: 210-244-8879 E-mail: bfernandez35@alamo.edu, bfernandez@trpsalaw.com District 8: Gary Beitzel 15403 Forest Mist, San Antonio TX 78232 Home: 210-496-5857 E-mail: gbeitzel@alamo.edu District 9: James A. Rindfuss 13315 Thessaly, Universal City TX 78148 Home: 210-9828-4630 Work: 210-375-2555 E-mail: jrindfuss@alamo.edu
Presidents San Antonio College, Dr. Robert E. Zeigler 210-486-0959, rzeigler@alamo.edu Northeast Lakeview College, Dr. Eric Reno 210-486-5484, ereno@alamo.edu Northwest Vista College, Dr. Jacqueline Claunch 210-486-4900, jclaunch@alamo.edu Palo Alto College, Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman 210-486-3960, aguzman@alamo.edu St. Philip’s College, Dr. Adena W. Loston 210-486-2900, aloston@alamo.edu
The Ranger Editor Zahra Farah Managing Editor Melody Mendoza Sections Editor Megan Mares Photographers Tyler K. Cleveland, Alison Wadley Photo Team Carla Aranguren, Marisa N. Montaño Garza, Jason B. Hogan, Rennie Murrell, Julia Novikova, Chelsea V. Peacock, Abiel Rodriguez, JungKeun Song, Ingrid Wilgen Illustrators Juan Carlos Campos, Alexandra Nelipa Staff Writers J. Almendarez, Ximena Victoria Alvarez, Krystal Barcenez, Jacob Beltran, David Espinoza, Joshua Fechter, Alma Linda Manzanares, Daniel Perales, Julysa Sosa, Riley Stephens, Dana Lynn Traugott, Valdemar Tejada, Jennifer M. Ytuarte Web Editor Laura Garcia
©2011 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-4299. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community College District, are laboratory projects of journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-1789), by e-mail (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available upon request by phone (210486-1765) or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association.
Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and community members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints of up to 450 words. Writers should focus on campus or current events in a critical, persuasive or interpretative style. All viewpoints must be published with a photo portrait of the writer. Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to share views by writing letters to the editor. Space limitations force the paper to limit letters to two double-spaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be mailed to The Ranger, Department of Media Communications, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-4299. Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, e-mailed to sac-ranger@alamo. edu or faxed to 210-486-1789. Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and telephone number. Students should include classification, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773. Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs. Where available, additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger business office. Newspaper theft is a crime. Those who violate the singlecopy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and subject to college discipline.
22 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
Pulse
Rangers snap Gators Rangers win two out of three games in weekend doubleheader. By Julysa Sosa The Rangers rounded up the Gators of the University of Houston-Downtown in a defeat 4-3 March 26 at San Antonio Independent School District Sports Complex, at 1000 Edwards. The Rangers started the second game of the doubleheader strong, striking out the first three Houston batters and scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Physical therapy freshman Jaime Castañeda hit a triple, and special education sophomore Nicko Cervera hit a line drive and had one RBI, ending the inning with the Rangers ahead by 1. The second inning stalled with both teams unable to reach home plate and keeping the score the same. At the top of the third inning, Houston scored twice. Senior Richard Brumfield of Houston hit a double and had two RBIs allowing junior Patrick Brosch and freshman Christopher Miller to score. The Rangers came back at the bottom of the third and tied the game after Cervera hit up the first baseline while sending biology sophomore Travis Torres sliding into home plate ending the game 2-2. By the fourth inning, Houston struck out and The Rangers were unable to reach home plate. Sophomore Zachary Mathis of Houston hit a double to drive in freshman Sean Roque. The Rangers matched their
Freshman Miguel Gomez pitches to UT Gator junior Patrick Brosch at a 10:30 a.m. double header
March 26 in the SAISD Sports Complex adjacent to Burbank High School. Photos by Ingrid Wilgen
“Today as a team, I think it’s the best game we’ve had.” Rico Espinoza Ranger pitcher opponent when Cervera stole home plate leaving the game tied 3-3. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the seventh inning, when special education freshman Jonathan Lowe came up to bat with one last chance to win the game. As his team members lined up along the third baseline screaming, “We need you eight,” Lowe stepped up to the plate and hit the ball up the third baseline, while history freshman Randall Gutierrez scored the final run, ending the game with a victory. Baseball Coach Sam Gallegos said he had nothing to complain about with the game. “We played hard and started off
Sophomore Jacob Castillo slides to avoid being tagged by junior Patrick Brosch of the Gators. strong,” he said. Rico Espinoza, pitcher and education sophomore, said the team played strong and defense had his “back.” “Today as a team, I think it’s the best game we’ve had,” he said. The Rangers beat the Gators 6-4 in the first game. The final game on Sunday resulted in a victory for the Gators, beating the Rangers 5-2. For more information on the season schedule, visit www.alamo. edu/sac/stulife, click on Go Sac Sports, then Baseball.
Sophomore Eric Hernandez runs for home.
TheThe Ranger Ranger
News Pulse
Feb.14, April 4,2011 2011• •11 23
Get a move on to the annual Healthfest By J. Almendarez
ANNOUNCING! Fully Accredited 3 hour College Courses $75.00 per hour Enroll Now for Fall 2011
Intro to the Bible Tue. & Thurs. 1-2:30 p.m.
• Provides a basic understanding of the structure, purpose, message and characters of the Bible. • Instructor: Eric Davenport, B.B.A., M.Div.
World Religions Monday 6-9:00 p.m.
• Provides insight into the beliefs and practices, as well as the historical and sociological impact of several of the world’s major religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto • Instructor: Dick Ihfe, B.S., J.D., M.Div.
Location: 301 West Dewey, San Antonio, Tx Prerequisite: None Phone: 210-736-6750 or 210-843-6880 Email: studentcenter7274@att.net
Either class may be audited at no cost! * Accredited by Oklahoma Christian University
Health is a literal matter of life and death. Whether one is concerned with growing old comfortably or with the throbbing pain of a toothache, health dictates a person’s overall level of happiness and comfort. The kinesiology department and the Wellness Committee present Healthfest from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in Gym 1 and 2 of Candler Physical Education Center, an annual event that provides services and information on reaching peak health. Wellness Coordinator Chris Dillon said the event is likely to be the biggest regularly scheduled health expo in San Antonio. He said the event is meant to give people “an overall better understanding of what wellness is about because wellness is such a broad component.” This year’s Healthfest will feature more than 40 vendors. He said vendors who participated in the past, such as the Army Burn Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Baptist Health System and the American Cancer Society, will be returning this year. “The therapeutic massage vendors are always a big hit with people because they offer free massages,” Dillon said. The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center will be conducting a blood drive in Gym 2 and will offer people the opportunity to sign up to donate bone marrow. New vendors participating this year include the Mobile Sonogram Unit. The unit, a pink and white RV, will offer pregnancy testing and sonograms free.
At least one registered nurse will be available to answer questions at the event and provide other information for women concerned about pregnancy. Affordable Lab will offer various on-site testing, some for more than a 50 percent discount on regular prices. The testing will begin at 7 a.m. and last through 9 a.m. Tests include cholesterol profiling, vitamin D testing and homocysteine testing. A complete list of services is available by calling Affordable Labs at 210-212-4330. The dental assisting program, biological sciences department, Kinesiology Majors Club and the Wellness Committee at this college also will have tables at Healthfest to showcase their offerings. Volunteers in red, white and blue Healthfest T-shirts will help prepare for the event in advance and direct people to vendors during the event. People interested in volunteering or making an appointment with Affordable Lab can e-mail Dillon at cdillon@alamo.edu. He said about 1,000 people from the college attended the event last year, and he expects the number to increase. Most attendees are affiliated with this college, but the event is free and open to the public. Instructors and student volunteers from the kinesiology department will demonstrate exercises from classes in cardio kickboxing, Latin cardio, tai chi, spin biking, fencing and boot camp, and Dance Expressions will perform. “We really want to highlight our programs,” Dillon said. For more information, call Dillon at 210-486-1025.
24 • April 4, 2011
The Ranger
News
Denim Day Protest reminds: Tight jeans not an excuse BY J. ALMENDAREZ
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network says •
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Statistics found at www.rainn.org.
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1 in 6 women in the U.S. have been sexually assaulted. 15 of 16 rapists will never spend a day in jail. 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. 50 percent of sexual assaults and rapes occur within 1 mile of a person’s home. 2/3 of rapes were committed by someone known to the victim. 10 percent of sexual assault victims are men.
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In 1998, an 18-year-old girl in Italy was paired for her very first driving lesson with a 45-year-old married instructor. The man reportedly took her to a desolate road, forced one of her legs out of her jeans, raped her, threatened to kill her if she told anyone and forced her to drive back to their starting point. The girl, with the support of her parents, filed charges against the man, and he was convicted of the crime. According to www.denimdayusa.org, however, the story did not end there. After a series of appeals, the case wound up before the Italian Supreme Court where his conviction was overturned. The chief justice said, “The victim wore very, very tight jeans; she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” Within hours of the verdict, women of the Italian Parliament rushed home to change clothes. They returned to work wearing tight jeans in protest of the court’s decision. News of the protest spread, and women in the California Senate and Assembly mirrored the Italian actions to show their support. Patricia Giggans, executive director of Peace Over Violence, heard about the events and in April 1999, established Denim Day in Los Angeles to show a unified front among women against sexual assault, helping to bringing the Italian protest to the United States. In 2008, an Austin-based organization called SafePlace, which provides support for victims of sexual assault, began participating in Denim Day, also in concert with Sexual Assault Awareness month in April. Tasha Roe, a communications intern at SafePlace, said for this year’s Denim Day, the organization is mailing packets of stickers and information to businesses
that want to participate in the protest by allowing their employees to wear jeans April 27. “The only way to get change is through education,” Roe said. She said the objective of the stickers is to promote discussion about sexual assault and rape, which SafePlace hopes will raise awareness. As of March 30, SafePlace had signed up 1,800 people to participate in the protest. “There is a stigma about how women are supposed to dress and act. If we don’t behave that way some people think, we get what we deserve and that’s wrong,” she said. Business, organizations or people interested in participating in Denim Day should go to www.safeplace.org/ page.aspx?pid=544 and click on Take the pledge to register. Call 512-267-7233 for more information.
Danielle Rominski of the Rape Crisis Center speaks on domestic violence and sexual assault 11 a.m. at April 7 in the craft room of Loftin. Free lunch for first 15 students. For more information, call the health center at 210-486-0222.