The anger Volume 93 • Issue 15 San Antonio College A forum of free voices since 1926
April 15, 2019 WWW.THERANGER.ORG
Texas Lottery Commission agrees to fix website wording Lottery official says changes will be made “in the next couple of weeks.”
acronym because of the limited space available on the website. The lottery operations division received a letter sent to the Texas Lottery Commission and By Lionel Ramos state government officials April 4 and has been lramos174@student.alamo.edu working since then to make changes to the site in response. A request by students of this college to alter The letter, sent by Math Professor Gerald the wording on the Mega Millions website was Busald and his MATH 1442, Elementary Statistical fair and reasonable, Philip Methods, students requested Bates, acting director of media the commission change the relations for the Texas Lottery language to state the odds of Commission, said during an winning include break-even April 8 conference call interprizes, or winning the amount view. paid for a lottery ticket. With Bates on the call were Mindell said the changes Ryan Mindell, director of lotwould be made “in the next tery operations, and media couple of weeks.” relations specialist Steve Helm. Bates said it is important Philip Bates Another option was to to understand that they only acting director of media relations change the odds displayed on have the authority to change Texas Lottery Commission the site from one in 24 to one items relating to the Texas lotin 69.9. tery, and they are not responHowever, the wording will not be completely sible for other states operating the same way that revamped, nor will the odds displayed be changed. were mentioned in a Ranger article published Instead, the lottery operations division, which April 8. is in charge of the language on the site, plans to Gov. Greg Abbott has been contacted for include a phrase similar to the one on the back of a statement regarding the letter, but did not scratch-off tickets. respond by deadline. “We are looking to do something along the This is the fifth time Busald’s students lines of ‘including break-even prizes,’” Bates said. have brought errors or false advertising to the He said the addition might be in the form of an commission’s attention.
“We are looking to do something along the lines of ‘including breakeven prizes.’”
Curriculum analyst Joseph Duran, carrying sign, and Richard Farias, director of annual giving, march in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes April 10 west of Chance.
Duran was awarded the Most Glamorous Shoe award at the end of the march, which included mounted Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. Amaru Ruiz
Résumés, job applications topics at spring career fair Company representatives said they appreciate this college’s diversity. By Isacc Tavares sac-ranger@alamo.edu Thirty-one company recruiters, administrators and managers came to a career fair March 27 in Loftin Student Center. Between 150-170 students attended the once-a-semester event sponsored by the transfer and career center. The career fair’s purpose is to connect students and employers seeking to fill parttime, full-time and seasonal jobs. Jennifer Vazquez, transfer and career center coordinator, said that even if students are not interested in a particular job, it was good to see what steps students would need to take to get hired. “It helps to create relationships and mentorships with those recruiters and to get more information on a company that students are interested in,” Vazquez said. Nonprofit educational companies were also present hoping to recruit education majors. “We love recruiting stu-
dents from SAC due to the fact that there are so many students and such a diverse student body as well,” said Chris Filer, a hiring facilitator at the Kids Involvement Network. “We are looking to hire students for the summer as fulltime employees, also as counselors and chaperones for field trips,” Filer said. “It would be a great opportunity for education majors to get some hands-on experience and build up skills with children before becoming teachers,” he said. Kids Involvement Network is an after-school program for the North East Independent School District. There were also jobs available in entertainment and performance art. Stephanie Peña, hiring manager for 5-Star Event Services, a security and event staffing company that serves San Antonio, Austin and Houston, said, “We recently did South By Southwest, events at the Aztec Theater and some concerts. “We’re looking for students
who are going to be permanent part-time employees, working on their selected hours and days for 15-20 hours on those selected days,” Pena said. Peña said to be hired, students need background checks, must not have felony convictions, and misdemeanors must be at least five years old. The San Antonio Police Department was on campus at the fair looking for new recruits. “I’ve been an SAPD officer for 11 glorious years,” SAPD officer Mike Garza said. “It was definitely a dream come true to be serving such a diverse and friendly community,” he said. “Once hired you have to understand that this is not a job, it’s a career and it’s not for everyone. Due to a rigorous and intense academy, not everyone will graduate.” Garza and SAPD came to the college and this district because of the number of students from different backgrounds that created diversity. Many students who went to
See CAREER, Page 2
Symposium showcases work of four Faculty selected outstanding work from thousands of student papers. By Sarah F. Morgan sac-ranger@alamo.edu Students drew inspiration from symbolic pots, Latin American pop art, a street artist and a minimalist museum April 4 at the 19th annual Student Art History Symposium. About 90 students attended the event in the visual arts center. Fine arts Professor Debra Schafter called the symposium “a real celebration of outstanding work” in an interview March 27. The symposium is a collection of slide presentations developed from instructornominated essays by students in survey arts courses, particularly ARTS 1303, Art History, and ARTS 1301, Art Appreciation, Schafter said. The four students chosen to present were selected from thousands of papers, Schafter said. Visual arts sophomore Amanda Graef presented “Vessels of Death: Spiritual Symbolism of Ancient Pottery.” Her work was based on a connection she made between two pieces of pottery on display in the San Antonio Museum of Art, Schafter said. Graef, an illustrator at The
Ranger, connected a jar from ancient Japan to a pot from predynastic Egypt. Their similarities lay in their symbolism of the afterlife, Graef said. The Japanese jar had traits resembling a snake, which were worshipped as deities. The Egyptian pot had zigzag symbolism representing the Nile River, which often was believed to be the bridge to the afterlife. Visual arts sophomore Jameson Reid presented “Voice of the People: Pop Art in Latin America.” His paper was developed during an internship with the exhibition “Art and Activism: Political Prints by Goya, Orozco and Shahn,” Schafter said. Despite the popularity of American pop art, Latin American pop art has often been overlooked, Reid said. Latin American pop art almost always has a political edge, he said. Reid gave the example of Nicolás García Uriburu, an Argentinian artist who addressed the dangers of consumerism and pollution with his screen-prints of famous rivers dyed green such as “Venice in the Key of Green.” Business sophomore
Mariana Wachter presented “Breaking Down Walls with Banksy.” Banksy is a world-renowned street artist known for his controversial statements and anonymity. Watcher displayed quotes by Banksy such as, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” along with Banksy’s piece “Rage, the Flower Thrower.” His art, which usually makes a political statement, is graffitied on buildings throughout Europe. Wachter said it was fun to present in the symposium because it gave her the opportunity to inform people about the social and political issues Banksy represents in his art. Some issues Banksy addresses in his art are homophobia and police brutality. Computer science sophomore K. “Bear” Smith presented “To Marfa and Back: The Chinati Experience,” which tells the story of art he encountered while volunteering at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa. The Chinati Foundation is a contemporary art museum founded in 1986 by American artist Donald Judd.
See Student, Page 2
2
News
April 15, 2019
WWW.THERANGER.ORG/NEWS
President discusses access, 2 bachelor’s degree programs Construction on the new parking garage will begin within a few weeks, the president said. By James Russell jrussell65@student.alamo.edu About 35 students asked college administrators questions about the American Sign Language’s bachelor’s program, the nursing education department’s Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences, handicap push-to-open controls not working and some instructors not meeting disability student service requirements April 3 during Pizza with the President in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center. ASL interpreting freshman Julia Montemayor asked administrators if ASL is still becoming a four-year program here. “The ASL program has become strong enough to be able to become a bachelor program here on this campus so students can stay here and get their bachelor’s,” President Robert Vela said. ASL interpreting sophomore Candace Ellison asked Vela when the nursing department’s new bachelor program is coming to this college. In response, Vela said, “We are currently writing up a cooperative Title V grant with Texas State.” A Title V grant is a federally funded grant program to help assist higher education. “The goal is to get Texas State physically on this campus to offer students the same programs that would be at the university level,” he said. Nursing sophomore James Laform asked how
long it will take to implement the program here at this college, to which Vela replied “We are waiting for one more set of scores from the NCLEX exam. Once we make 80 percentile or better, that makes us eligible to apply.” The National Council Licensure Examination is a standardized test that determines if a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice. The current pass rate is 78 percent. Students only have one chance to pass the test. Laform said he wants to be one of the first to enter the program. Laform asked another question on the parking garage construction and its delay. “It’s already three months into the semester and there is all this parking space still, but no work is going on. It’s just being blocked off,” Laform said. “The construction on the parking garage should start within a few weeks and will be finished within a year, about 12-18 months,” Vela said. There are handicap push-to-open door controls at Gonzales Hall, Moody Learning Center and the visual arts center that are not working, cyber security sophomore Pedro Macias told to administrators. “What’s the point of a button, if it doesn’t
Cyber security sophomore Pedro Macias asks President Robert Vela about handicap accessibility at Pizza With the President April 3 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin.
Macias questioned if there will be repairs and additional locations that will be handicap accessible. Vela said administrators will look into it. Amaru Ruiz
work?” Macias asked. “Is it a button to release stress?” Sometimes people with disabilities go all the way around the building just to find a button that doesn’t work, Macias said in an interview. Vela said officials would look into the issue. International studies sophomore Julian Reyes said instructors are not meeting disability support services requirements. “This past year, I have had eight professors and two of them have given me issues with my accommodations in allowing me to turn in assignments,” Reyes said. “From a student’s prospective, even though we are encouraged to go to disability services, it’s hard to connect to the teachers who are apprehensive or don’t want to
work with the accommodations.” Jennifer Alvizo, disability support services director, proposed a possible solution. “We can look into doing some professional development training for faculty that our office helps support,” Alvizo said. “We can look into developing something to help individuals or faculty members understand what those accommodations are.” Dr. Jothany Blackwood, vice president of academic success, responded to Reyes’ statement. ”Any student that has accommodations we are going to honor that,” she said. “No student should tolerate that. Let DSS offices know immediately, and they will reach out to me and we will advocate for that to be honored.”
Mechanical engineering sophomore Isaac Medina pushes Odyssey toward its first run on the track at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas competition April 5 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Teams had five attempts to drive eight laps within 24 minutes and have the most efficient MPGe, miles per gallon of gasolineequivalent. Go on line for stories and more photos. Deandra Gonzalez
Business sophomore Mariana Wachter presents “Breaking Down Walls with Banksy,” a brief biography of the the anonymous English street artist and his belief that art has a responsibility to engage people in important conversations on social issues April 4 in visual arts. Four student speakers presented their faculty-juried student papers from the visual arts program lecture courses at the 19th annual Spring Student Symposium in Art History. Lionel Ramos
STUDENT from Page 1
La Fonda Alamo Heights now hiring! Bartenders, Wait Staff Jim’s Restaurants now hiring! Cooks, Dish Person, Wait Staff We’re always looking for good people with enthusiasm and contagious smiles to join our fun-loving restaurant staff. Interview with our management team at your nearest location between 2:30-5:30 PM!
A great place to work, eat, and study! Benefits: Competitive Starting Pay, Excellent Growth Opportunities/Training, Medical Essential Coverage Plan, 401K, Paid Vacation, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Referral Program
www.jimsrestaurants.com
Smith spoke about Judd’s connection to various artworks and the museum as a whole. Some pieces he connected with were the untitled light barriers by American artist Dan Flavin, which were fluorescent lights of pink, green, blue and yellow. The museum is an experience, where the building and courtyard itself are works of art by
CAREER from Page 1 the career fair dressed in business attire had résumés and had on-site interviews with potential employers. Applications are usually something students are advised to fill out before they interview. “When students ask ‘what’s the first thing I should do?’
various artists, Smith said. “I was granted the unique opportunity to explore without feeling like an outsider. As a conservation volunteer, I felt like I was strangely part of the piece,” Smith said. Smith volunteered at the Chinati Foundation one weekend in October. For more information, call Schafter at 210-486-1042.
when talking to me, I tell them to fill out an application,” Kelly Randall, recruiter for Southwest Research Institute, said. “We want engineers, electricians and anyone technical. “I’m always looking to see how that applicant is dressed and their experience in the technical
field.” The transfer center will help students look for jobs by appointment and will use websites such as Glassdoor Jobs to see what options are available for the student’s specific qualifications. If students have questions about a job, call the transfer center at 210-486-1500.
/readtheranger @therangerSAC
@sacranger /therangervideo
April 15, 2019
WWW.THERANGER.ORG/OPINION
Opinion 3
Staff Editor Sergio Medina Managing Editor Rogelio Escamilla News Editor Lionel Ramos Web Editor James Russell Staff Writers Sandy Cordell, Travis Doyle, Julian Gonzales, Geoffrey Hovatter, Marissa Macias, Janie Medelez, Sarah F. Morgan, Jackie Muralles, Alberto Ramirez, Michael Smith, Isacc Tavares, Samantha Woodward Photographers Deandra Gonzalez, Brittney Maria Moreno, Brianna Rodrigue Photo Team Mitchell Gawlik, Andrea Moreno, Amaru Ruiz Illustrators Raia Blankenship, Amanda Graef
Amanda Graef
Administrators, be more interactive with students Question and answer sessions should be scheduled more than once a semester. The administration of this college is not providing students with sound answers to their questions during Q&A sessions. It is not unusual for students to receive roundabout answers during Q&A sessions, which can come off as the administration being uninformed or furtive. To avoid that problem, conduct surveys prior to feedback sessions, asking students what their largest areas of concern are.
By doing so, administrators can look into topics beforehand and be able to provide better answers. It’s always nicer for a student to receive answers instead of vague statements like “we’ll look into that.” One method of achieving more meaningful interactions is to hold more feedback events, not just once a semester. It would give more opportunities to exchange and to follow up on previously unanswered questions. This will also allow for more in-person interactions, encouraging better administrator-student relationships.
Editorial
The administration can also cycle through administrative and faculty members with specialized knowledge to attend the Q&As to better answer questions. Such members could be academic advisers, department heads or financial aid specialists. Allowing input from people who may be more knowledgeable and more involved in a particular field will streamline the feedback sessions. That way, students and other attendees can have a consistent source of information that they know is reliable. Administrators, consider expanding the schedule of feedback sessions.
©2019 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-3941. 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 classes in the journalism-photography program at San Antonio
New texting service has potential if implemented correctly The service should be used to improve alert messages.
College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger. org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available by phone 210-486-1765 or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association. Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and community members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints of up to 450 words. Writers should focus on campus or current events in a critical, persuasive
The Two-Way Texting Solution, Alamo Colleges’ new texting system coming in the summer, which will allow students to text school offices, is a promising glimpse into greater practicality, but its success will be determined by its implementation. Maintaining communication between students and the college can prove a challenge — about 20, 000 students are enrolled just at this college, each with questions requiring
attention. Convenience is king. A texting system can mitigate the hassle that comes with scheduling and attending appointments. Email is a fine method of communication, but most faculty members won’t respond after business hours, and some students are slow to check their inbox. Also, phone calls are going the way of the messenger pigeon among younger generations. Text messages do not inter-
rupt activities the same way a phone call does. Also, with the use of artificial intelligence, text messages would not be limited to business hours. Artificial intelligence might also make it easier to contact a real person. The service also can be a tool for student safety. During a lockdown in January, students were notified to find shelter on campus via email and phone call, which means students wouldn’t get
Editorial
the memo unless they answered the phone, or just so happend to be looking at email. It is nearly impossible to miss a text message because students tend to have their phones with them. However, the colleges shouldn’t overuse this system. Students should be the ones initiating conversation, unless they are being notified of an emergency, or something that is critical to their enrollment. This is a chance to create streamlined communication, a step in the right direction to engage students.
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 limita-
College is easy with use of support and resources
tions force the paper to limit letters to two doublespaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be emailed to sac-ranger@alamo. edu or submitted online. Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, mailed to The Ranger, journalismphotography program, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-3941 or faxed to 210-486-9292. Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and telephone number. Students should include classification, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773. Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs. Where available, additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger business office. Those who violate the single-copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and college discipline.
A lack of money, motivation and support resources are some of the obstacles higher education students will run into. As a nontraditional student myself, I can relate to the challenges. Janie Medelez But I’ve seen how the services sacranger@alamo. and support for students have edu improved through the years. I decided to continue my education in 2001, and after attending for three years, I took a break. I returned in fall 2015 and will graduate this fall. As my journey is coming to a close, I’ve come to appreciate the help and support services I could rely on the last couple of years. One of the recent changes implemented that had a huge impact on me was the transfer advising guides. Before the TAGs, or transfer advising guides, I felt like I was throwing mud up against the wall and hoping that the classes I signed up for were the right ones and I wasn’t wasting time.
This tool became beneficial, giving me a clear picture of where I was going, how I was going to get there and the exact time frame I would reach the finish line. It provided all the motivation I needed. Today’s students can take advantage of the services ranging from tutoring, self-help handouts in PDF form, IT support, short-term loan equipment, study pods and student scholarships. The student learning assistance center on the seventh floor of Moody Learning Center provides free tutoring. I took every opportunity to make use of the free tutoring services when it came to my algebra and astronomy classes. The SLAC lab offers tutoring on a variety of subjects — accounting, astronomy, biology and economics. Tutoring services are by appointment only and can be scheduled by email at sac-slac@alamo.edu or calling 210-486-0165. I remember computers were not as accessible on campus in 2001, and the tech support was nothing
like today’s. Students can check out computers and laptops at no charge in Room 710 of Moody, the walk-in service center of the office of technology services. They can help with setting up your email on your mobile device, IT service consulting and other services. There is also a self-checkout kiosk filled with laptops on the second floor of Moody by the Moody Café. First-time users will have to create a passcode using a student ID card and accept the terms and conditions. Once that process is complete, the student can proceed with the checkout by swiping the student ID card. For more information, call 210-486-0030. Also, the student advocacy center can help with emotional support and guidance, and the best part is, it’s free. For more information, call 210-486-1111. Make your college experience easier and take advantage of the free services, scholarships, and advisers and mentors. Opportunities are all around us. Take notice of what is available and know you’re not alone.
Viewpoint
4
April 15, 2019
WWW.THERANGER.ORG