The Ranger A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926
Vol. 84 Issue 14
Single copies free
Feb. 12, 2010
TWO DIE IN ACCIDENT 5 BEST MOVIE KISSES 24 PUT UP YER DUKES 31
Busting, Busting, Roping Roping & & Shooting Shooting
IT’S THE RODEO
The Ranger
2 • Feb. 12, 2010
Officials Chancellor: Dr. Bruce H. Leslie 201 W. Sheridan, Bldg. B, San Antonio, TX 78204-1429 Work: 485-0020 Fax: 208-8149 E-mail: bleslie@alamo.edu District 1: Dr. Bernard Weiner 929 Manor Drive, Ste. 7, San Antonio, TX 78228 Work: 735-9151 E-mail: bweinermd@satx.rr.com District 2: Denver McClendon 3811 Willowwood Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78219 Work: 281-9141 E-mail: denvermcclendon@satx.rr.com
The Ranger Editor Vanessa M. Sanchez Managing Editor Laura Garcia News Editor Zahra Farah Calendar Editor Sharon Hensley
District 3: Anna U. Bustamante 511 Ware Blvd., San Antonio TX 78221 Work: 882-1603 Fax: 927-4557 E-mail: abustamante20@alamo.edu
Photographers Tyler K. Cleveland, Rennie Murrell, Alison Wadley
District 4: Marcelo S. Casillas 115 Wainwright, San Antonio, TX 78211 Home: 922-6815 Fax: 923-3167 E-mail: mcasillas19@alamo.edu
Photo Team Scott Aranda, Scott J. Bajeck, Jennifer Charo, Sarah Janes, James Lazo, Marisa N. Montano, Julysa Sosa, Robert Stofa
District 5: Roberto Zárate 4103 Buffalo Bayou, San Antonio, TX 78251 E-mail: rzarate11@alamo.edu District 6: Dr. Gene Sprague 14722 Iron Horse Way, Helotes, TX 78023 Work: 567-5544 Fax: 520-9185 E-mail: sprague@uthscsa.edu District 7: Blakely Latham Fernandez 755 E. Mulberry, Suite 200, San Antonio, TX 78212 Phone: 244-8879 E-mail: bfernandez35@alamo.edu District 8: Gary Beitzel 15403 Forest Mist, San Antonio, TX 78232 Home: 496-5857 E-mail: gbeitzel@alamo.edu District 9: James A. Rindfuss 109 Laburnum, San Antonio, TX 78209 Home: 828-4630 Work: 375-2555 Home Fax: 832-8292 Office Fax: 375-0301 E-mail: jrindfuss@alamo.edu
Presidents San Antonio College, Dr. Robert E. Zeigler 486-0959, rzeigler@alamo.edu Northeast Lakeview College, Dr. Eric Reno 486-5484, ereno@alamo.edu Northwest Vista College, Dr. Jacqueline Claunch 486-4900, jclaunch@alamo.edu Palo Alto College, Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman 486-3960, aguzman@alamo.edu St. Philip’s College, Dr. Adena W. Loston 486-2900, aloston@alamo.edu
Illustrator Juan Carlos Campos Staff Writers Ximena Alvarez, Jacob Beltran, Marissa Cross, Michelle Gaitan, Natasha Gregory, Joshua Sanchez Guerrero, Steffany Gutierrez, John P. Kline, Mary Lerma, Alexandria Maxwell, Robert Medina, Melody Mendoza, Celeste Nentwig, Victoria Ortiz, Amanda M. Rios, Brandy A. Santos, Tamara Sayles, Riley Stephens, Michelle Tymrak, Reagan White Production Manager Jason B. Hogan Web Editor D.A. James Circulation Destiny Mata ©2010 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, the student newspaper at San Antonio College, is a laboratory project of the journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications, published Fridays except during summer, holidays and examinations. News contributions accepted by telephone (486-1773), by fax (486-1789), by e-mail (sacranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available upon request by phone (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, the Texas Community College Journalism Association and the Associated Press.
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 486-1789. Letters must be signed and must include the writer’s printed name, classification, major, Social Security number and telephone number. For more information, call 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 single copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and subject to college discipline.
The Ranger • Vol. 84 • Issue 14
Feb. 12, 2010 • 3
The RangeR
A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926
2 Policies and officials 4 Blotter
Attacks
By Laura Garcia
5 Fatal student accident By Zahra Farah
6 News Values, social media disclaimer approved By Laura Garcia Photo by Alison Wadley
7 No additions to parking, but permit fee could rise By Brandy A. Santos
8 Upcoming Black History Month events 9 State and federal laws expose textbook practices By Laura Garcia Photo by Scott Aranda
10 CSI update
14 People 16 Premiere
Hats, boots take a shine to stock show
People slideshow
By Zahra Farah Photos by Julysa Sosa, Jennifer Charo, Alison Wadley and Robert Stofa
Religious centers
18 Cows, pigs, llamas —
oh my!
By Melody Mendoza Photos by Brandy A. Santos, Julysa Sosa, Alison Wadley, James Lazo, Tyler K. Cleveland, Scott J. Bajek and Sharon Hensley
20 Red Rover collects student activities input
24 Best all-time movie kissing scenes ...
11 Club sandwich By Celeste J. Nentwig
25 Valentine’s Day memories: good, bad and ugly
Photo by Rennie Murrell
By Zahra Farah
12 Seminar to examine criminal justice opportunities
21 Calendar
By Amanda M. Rios
District, college-level disconnect continues Problem-solvers talk to each other Suspend violent students now
By Reagan White
22 Architecture By Michelle E. Gaitan
Obituaries Fred Ludwig Jesse S. Cabrera Carol Connor
By Michelle E. Gaitan
Photo by Rennie Murrell
13 Panelists to discuss publishing pointers
Calendar
23 Forget your heart, your head shoves you into love
By Laura Garcia and Reagan White
By Alexandria Maxwell
Blotter
By Zahra Farah
By Vanessa M. Sanchez
Communication center offers help, scholarship
Online @ theranger.org
26 Editorials
30 Pulse 31 Put up yer dukes By Riley Stephens Photo by D.A. James
www.theranger.org
Go to www.theranger.org for news and information.
Blotter
4 • Feb. 12, 2010
The Ranger
Two assaults in the district on the same day BY LAURA GARCIA Two assaults occurred before 11 a.m. Feb. 3, one at San Antonio College and another at Northwest Vista College. The assault on this campus occurred at 10:35 a.m. on the first floor of Moody Learning Center and was not random. The incident occurred because of a conflict between the victim, David Martta, and the suspect, Jack Mandaville, and no weapons were used. Martta’s injuries were not life-threatening. Mandaville was arrested
SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE Feb. 1 – An individual reported a suspicious person. Feb. 2 –An individual reported graffiti in the men’s restroom. Facilities department advised. An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker. Feb. 3 – An individual reported burglary of a vehicle. An individual reported a physical altercation with another person on the first floor of Moody. Feb. 4 – An individual reported someone smoking in the first floor of Moody. Subject smoking found to be under the age of 18. Citation issued. An individual reported theft of surgical equipment from nursing department. Feb. 5 – An individual reported someone smoking marijuana in the first floor Chance women’s restroom. Search of area did not find anyone. An individual reported feeling ill. Campus nurse made location. EMS arrived and transported individual.
that day and charged with assault. He was booked and released the same day on a $1,600 bond, according to a Bexar County Magistrate clerk. Sgt. Ben Peña of district department of public safety said the case is ongoing. Meanwhile at Northwest Vista College, another assault occurred at 10:45 a.m. in a women’s restroom in Palmetto Hall. The female student described the suspect who confronted and assaulted her as a white male, late 30s to early 40s, about 6 feet tall, heavy
NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW COLLEGE Feb. 1 – An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker. Feb. 3 – An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker. Feb. 4 – An individual reported theft of cell phone. No suspects.
build, dark complexion, brown hair, unshaven with a small scar near his right eye. The suspect was wearing a red shirt and dark jeans. She reported that the suspect was accompanied by a man wearing a dark security uniform. He had a utility belt with a radio on it. There was a gold-colored badge with a gold-colored name tag that read “Swanson” affixed to his shirt. No arrest was made and no more information is available to the public. If you have any information about any crime, Peña said to call campus police at 485-0099.
near Cypress. Search of area proved to be steam coming from boiler room adjacent to Cypress. Everything found to be OK.
Feb. 5 – An individual reported a person smoking. No one located.
An officer assisted another agency with individual wanted for warrants.
Jan. 30 – An officer reported a vehicle failing to stop at a posted stop sign. Citation issued.
Feb. 5 – An individual reported a suspicious person.
Jan. 31 – An individual reported found property.
Feb. 6 – An individual reported a suspicious person.
Feb. 1 – An individual reported having a seizure. EMS arrived and treated individual.
Feb. 5 – An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker.
PALO ALTO COLLEGE
NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE
Feb. 1 – An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker.
Jan. 30 – An individual reported a disturbance in Cypress. Everything found to be OK.
An individual reported being injured. EMS not required.
Feb. 1 – An individual reported a suspicious person. Everything found to be OK.
Feb. 2 – An individual reported being injured. Campus nurse arrived and treated.
Feb. 2 – An individual reported a suspicious person. No one located.
An individual reported burglary of vehicle. No suspects.
An individual reported a suspicious person. No one located. An individual reported found property. Item placed in property locker. Feb. 4 – An individual reported seeing smoke in wooded area
An individual reported burglary of vehicle. An individual reported theft of personal property. Feb. 3 – An individual reported feeling ill. Campus nurse arrived and treated individual.
ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE
An officer reported an abandoned vehicle with driver’s door ajar. An individual reported a male had presented what appeared to be a counterfeit bill. Feb. 3 – An individual reported a hit-and-run incident. No suspects or witnesses. An individual reported a hit-andrun incident while parked in Lot 15. No suspects or witnesses.
CONTACT INFO Emergency 222-0911 General DPS 485-0099 Weather Line 485-0189
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 5
Two students remembered after fatal accident By Zahra Farah Pre-nursing freshman Briaramae Francis, 20, and Scott Foss, 22, psychology freshman, were killed in a traffic accident at 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Loop 410 near Perrin-Beitel Road. Francis and Foss stopped to check on a car that appeared to have been in an accident, said Alicia “Nikki” Johnson, 21, who was asleep in the backseat of Francis’ Ford Explorer. Francis and Foss got out of the Explorer to see if they help anyone inside the vehicle, which turned out to be abandoned on a westbound lane on Loop 410. Another vehicle, which tried to avoid the abandoned car, swerved, then struck Francis and Foss and threw them 60 feet, Johnson said. Johnson awoke when the vehicle hit the Explorer from behind, she said. “I was asleep and I remember waking up to see this guy get out of his car and start cussing. Then I close my eyes for a second and hear tires screeching, and then I remember being hit. “I jumped out of the car expecting to see Briar and Scott, but they weren’t there,” she said. “I thought they were assisting people from the (abandoned) car.” Johnson started to cry, but thought Francis would return shortly because her vehicle had been hit. When police and an ambulance arrived, Johnson assumed her friends were talking to the police. “It wasn’t until I was moved to a detective’s car that I found out my two best friends were hit and thrown over the edge,” she said. Students who knew the pair praised their humor and good nature. “Scott and Briar together were phenomenal people. I can’t think of any other way to describe them,” Daunn Bradley, English sophomore and friend of Francis and Foss, said. “They were funny people, they were kind people, they were loving people,” Bradley said. “I want Briar to be remembered by the fact she could make anyone laugh. She had a somber face, but when she gives you eye contact she would make you laugh.” “Scott should be remembered as a honest person and for always having someone’s back,” she said. Despite their sadness over the loss, Bradley and Johnson laughs as they looked back at all the crazy but funny memories they shared
A service for Briaramae Francis is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Greater Tree Mount Temple Baptist Church, 787 G. St. A service for Scott Foss was Thursday at Holy Cross Cemetery under the direction of Puente and Sons Funeral Home. with Foss. “Scott should be put in his own category,” Bradley laughs. “He liked to dance inappropriately.” His friends said Foss had a laugh that would make people expect him to talk in an inside voice. “Nope, he didn’t know the word quiet,” Bradley said. “He was always there when you needed him,” Johnson said. Johnson said Foss hated to be alone and never was far from his best friends. “Every time he called, he would brighten up my day,” Johnson said. When Johnson was walking to a police car that night, she saw something familiar on the freeway. “I saw Scott’s shoes,” she said. “This is something I wish upon nobody because what I feel right now is horrible,” Johnson said. Francis had this quality about her that she could make someone laugh even when they wanted to cry, Bradley said. Bradley met Francis when they were 14 at Robert E. Lee High School. She said she remembers Francis staring at her. “I wasn’t intimidated. I was wondering why she was staring at me,” she said. Francis came up to Bradley and told her she was in her group for class and from then on, the two clicked. “From then on, I’d go to her house and she would go to mine. We were inseparable for two years,” she said. For Bradley, not being able to see Francis brought her unbearable pain. When she found out what happened, she said she collapsed in her mom’s lap screaming and crying and trying to tell her what happened. “I felt numb; wait, numb doesn’t even
describe it. Sometimes I blank out and I won’t remember what I’m doing or what I’m saying,” she said. She said she does not know what to do with her hands or how to function knowing that Francis is not around anymore. “Things like this shouldn’t happen to good people,” she said. Journalism sophomore Will Underhill said he was Francis’ boyfriend. They met about a year ago through mutual friends and were together for four months. Underhill said with Francis, he did not feel like he had to put up a facade. Bradley said Underhill made Francis ridiculously happy. “She appreciated me. She was someone I could be happy with. We had a lot of potential,” he said. Underhill learned of her death from a phone call from one of Francis’ cousins. He did not believe it at first, until he drove to Francis’ house and saw cars and a news station vehicle out front. “After I saw her father talking to a newsman with a camera, that’s when it hit me personally that I wasn’t going to see her again,” he said. “Briar was the first girl I ever took home to meet my mom,” Underhill said. During New Year’s Eve, Underhill could not help but think how great the year was going to be. “I felt like it was going to be awesome,” he said. “I was glad I got to be her boyfriend. I loved her.” Johnson had to tell the families what happened to their children. “Besides losing my friends, the worst part was being the messenger and telling their families what happened,” Johnson said. “Every time I close my eyes, I still see flashing lights and what happened.” Johnson said to cherish friends because “you never know how long you’ll have with them.” “That night, I saw them and they were gone with a blink of an eye,” she said. Underhill said that night when Francis stopped texting him, he wanted to know why he was not getting a response. “I was trying to talk to her, but she was already gone,” he said. “Cherish what you have because you don’t know what you lost until it’s gone.”
The Ranger
6 • Feb. 12, 2010
Values, social media disclaimer approved Alison Wadley
“Performance” is proposed for seventh college competency. By Laura Garcia Parking illegally on ramps in the garage and in faculty lots will get students ticketed, members of the College Academic Council were informed Tuesday. President Robert Zeigler said about this time in the semester, students start getting careless. “There are places to park. They may not be close, but there are places,” Zeigler said. Students parking on ramps are a safety concern and campus police are ticketing offenders and leaving warnings that the next time, they will be towed. In response to complaints from faculty, Zeigler agreed to ask the district department of public safety to pay more attention to students parking in faculty lots. Moving to online safety, public relations Director Deborah Martin introduced a social media disclaimer to be posted on the college Web site above links to the college’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. The disclaimer, which warns against visitors younger than 18 and the links to non-collegerelated sites that may potentially be offensive or inappropriate, was approved. Martin said Valerie McCoy, coordinator of communication in public relations, plans to compile a Web page of all existing social media links. The page would list current club and organizations’ Facebook, MySpace and Twitter account links. Also approved, after lengthy discussion, was a set of core values to be posted under the vision and mission on the college Web site. The council adopted the district’s set of values, which are integrity, communication, community, academic freedom and accountability, and added shared governance, with a definition to be provided at a later date. The discussion centered on whether the district values conveyed the importance of teaching and learning. Zeigler said the council could not reject the district’s values but had the option of keeping the additional San Antonio College values, which were chosen with input from college employees. They were accessibility, employees, excellence, integrity, intellectual freedom, stu-
Usha Venkat, director of information and comumunication technologies, discusses a need to reduce e-mail storage space during an Academic Council meeting Tuesday in the nursing and allied health complex. dents, and teaching and learning. English Professor Dawn Elmore-McCrary said she objected to the wording of some of the college values because they are not values. Astronomy Professor David Wood, chair of the Competency Committee, proposed adding “performance” to the six college competencies required for graduation because some measures of learning cannot be otherwise categorized. The other competencies are written communication, speech communication, mathematics competency, reading comprehension, critical thinking and computer literacy. These are being measured for every student in classes taught by full-time faculty. The council will vote on adding performance as a seventh competency at the next meeting, March 9. Dr. Robert Vela, vice president of student affairs, clarified plans for the Center of Student Information. The center’s single database system came about partially because of concerns for “serious security breaches,” Vela said. “Some people had access to everything.” He said implementation of Banner software was driving the operation, and with the new software, it became clear that five separate back-end admissions and records processes were unnecessary. The backend operations work with admissions processing, receiving transcripts, preparing transcripts to send, setting up registration for every term and determining the academic standing of students.
He said the consolidated system would hurt the college while things are getting off the ground because seven San Antonio College employees would be reassigned to the center, but they volunteered for the project. The employees who remain at the college can focus on customer service. “It’s a lot of work,” he said. “They made the commitment, and I’m pleased we are directly involved.” He said he envisions admissions and records employees who would have knowledge of financial aid processes and be overall “enrollment specialists” at the counter. They would be able to handle any scenario. Vela said the move was for efficiency and not a cost-saving measure. He said that eventually, the service end would improve. He said consolidation of the district’s financial aid operations would be next. Vela announced that next fall, payment plans would be available online. Students wishing to set up payment plans have been required to stand in long lines at the beginning of the semester along with students paying tuition and fee bills with cash and checks. In other news, the president announced that for those who had not heard yet, the college is to remain separately accredited and would not change Chancellor Bruce Leslie’s study of single accreditation of the five colleges in the district. He referred to the board’s Jan. 26 unanimous vote to retain single accreditation. This statement was followed by a round of applause.
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 7
No additions to parking, but permit fee could rise Construction aggravating already tight parking conditions. By Brandy a. SantoS The No. 1 question on everyone’s mind is parking. “Can I park there?” or “How about over there?” David Mrizek, vice president of college services, said that parking would depend on when construction will be done in the various areas. “There are various projects being worked on like roofing of Nail Tech Center and remodeling of the CG (chemistry-geology) building,” he said Wednesday. “If they are done by the summer, Fee for it will relieve some of the violating parking situation.” handicap “But on the other side parking is of the coin, the campus is $50-$200. waiting for money to come in to remodel the children’s center (early childhood center), which is needed, and Fletcher Administration Center. Then it can take several more months for construction to be completed. “Only if there is extra money coming in will the projects get done, but if not, then construction will be at a standstill,” Mrizek said. He said the college does not have plans to create more parking. The campus is landlocked, which means the college has a limited number of lots to use and no room to build more. However, neighboring businesses, such as San Pedro Playhouse, PJ’s, Silver Dollar and Park Place West, an open parking lot, have agreed to let students use their lots during the day to help ease the pain of parking. Students can also park at Flores Marriage Family Counseling on McCullough and Park avenues, clubs The Saint and Heat at Main and Evergreen, club Atomix at 1902 McCullough Ave, and the Dewey Lot off Dewey and McCullough. Mrizek warned against abusing handicap parking and reminded about carpool parking in Lot 19. He said students may not be aware that 22 handicap spaces are on the first level of the parking garage. These are not marked on the parking map on the college Web site. “Collegewide, we have an overabundance
of handicap parking, but students are not always truthful when it comes to using those spaces,” he said. “It’s very wrong to see a capable student take a handicap space when there are students with real need for handicap parking.” Tickets for parking in a handicap space without the proper permit are $50 – $200. The college has 19 spaces for students who carpool in Lot 19. “The campus made a hard push for carpooling, but due to students work schedules,
class schedules and family, it was tough for students to find a middle ground,” Mrizek said. Sgt. Ben Pena of DPS stated concerns of carpooling need be addressed to Dr. Robert Zeigler, this college’s president. After this year, students may want to consider carpooling, Mrizek said. “There’s a chance of parking permit prices going up,” he said. The cost of a permit is $21. Efforts to confirm an increase in permit price were unsuccessful.
Black History Month
8 • Feb. 12, 2010
The Ranger Alison Wadley
Students, above, watch a screening of “The Quilt’s of Gee’s Bend” Tuesday in visual arts. The documentary about the women of Gee’s Bend, a rural community in Alabama, discusses how they made the best of the materials they had, it didn’t matter to the women if Alison Wadley
materials didn’t match. Art Professor Marlene Hoover led a discussion in conjunction with the screening sponsored by the Black History Month Committee. Below left, Hoover said prints of the quilts, such as this one by Jessie T. Pettway, are being sold. Alison Wadley
Upcoming Today SPC Lecture: Robert Darden with Black Gospel Music Restoration Project 10 a.m. Watson auditorium. Call 486-2303. SAC Event: Dating Game 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the round in Loftin. Call 486-0593.
Rennie Murrell
Tuesday SAC Lecture: “Money Management 101” 9:25 a.m.10:40 a.m. in the Craft Room of Loftin. Call 486-0480. SAC Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday featuring Dixieland Band 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the round in Loftin. Call 486-0589. SPC Performance: San Antonio Symphony-inResidence open rehearsal 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in Watson Auditorium. Continues Feb. 18 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Feb. 19 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and Feb. 20 10 a.m.-noon. Call 486-2704.
Dr. Delia Bullock, of UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, speaks about methamphetamine in the presence of HIV infection Tuesday in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Feb. 23 SAC Oratory: African-American Read-In 10:50 a.m.12:05 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Call 486-0661. SPC Event: Soul Food Fest noon-1 p.m. in Heritage Room in Campus Center. Call 486-2EAT (486-2328). Feb. 26
Thursday
Henry “River City Slim” Perez, guitars and vocals, fronts the Rhythm Kings Feb. 5 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Rounding out the band are Danny “Danny O” Orneles, keyboards and piano; Roy Perez, bass guitar; and Daniel Zertuche, drums.
SAC Concert: Regency Jazz Band 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the round in Loftin. Call 486-1035.
SPC Event: African-American Mother and Daughter Conference. $10 admission. Call 486-2508 or 4862430.
Feb. 20
Feb. 28
SPC Concert: San Antonio Symphony-in-Residence Finale 8 p.m. in Watson auditorium. Call 486-2704.
SPC Event: Gospel Fest and Closing Ceremony 4-7 p.m. St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1310 Pecan Valley Drive. Call 486-2887.
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 9
State, federal laws expose textbook practices Scott Aranda
By Laura Garcia Federal and state laws are mandating that bookstores and colleges provide more information on textbooks so students can shop early and make wiser choices in where and what to purchase. The textbook provision of the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act requires publishers to provide the net price at which the publisher would make the material available to the campus bookstore; copyright dates of the three previous editions; if any, with a description of substantial revisions, whether it is available in any other format, including paperback; and the price of that material. The act also requires publishers to sell supplemental material unbundled so that students can purchase a used textbook and pay for an online pass code separately rather than buy the pricey new-edition bundle. Also required is the publication of ISBN number or International Standard Book Number of the textbook material in course schedules. If this information is not available they must post “to be determined.” This federal mandate goes into effect July 1. So what does this mean for faculty and students at San Antonio College? Faculty should decide on textbooks sooner and stick with those book adoptions because otherwise students will purchase incorrect textbooks from retailers that may not allow returns, Amy Turpin, manager of the San Antonio College Bookstore owned by Follett Higher Education Group, said during the Feb. 3 Faculty Senate meeting. Another reason to turn in book adoptions early is for students who just completed the course. Students will not be able to sell a book back for as much money if the bookstore isn’t sure it will be able to sell that many the next semester. The faculty deadline for book adoptions is March 15 for summer and April 15 for fall. The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1096, which states that there must be a notice available to students that informs them that they are not obligated to buy textbooks through a university-affiliated bookstore. A new state bill, HB 2504, requires universities to provide public, online access to course information and be no more than three-clicks from the college home page.
College bookstore manager Amy Turpin discusses book adoptions at a Feb. 3 Faculty Senate meeting in visual arts.
Beginning this fall, instructors need to post their syllabuses and student evaluations along with required or recommended reading material. To comply with this tight deadline, the district administration is setting up templates for instructors. Dr. Jessica Howard, vice president of student affairs, confirmed that the district is currently working on the template during a Feb. 9 Academic Council meeting. Both bills require faculty to specifiy if their textbooks are recommended or required for the course so students can gauge their need to buy the book. Turpin planned to attend a meeting of department chairs to get the word out on deadlines and raise awareness of the new laws. Turpin urged faculty to turn in book adoptions sooner so students who sign up for fall courses will purchase the right book and textbook material will hit the shelves before the semester starts. She confirmed in an interview Tuesday that the earlier the bookstore is given the adop-
tion, the sooner they can determine how many books they are able to buy back from students for maximum value or 50 percent of what they paid. Until then, the bookstore may turn away students once they have met their quota or give them less for the textbooks because they cannot guarantee they will sell them the coming semester. During the Feb. 3 meeting, political science Professor Christy Woodward-Kaupert questioned whether adopting new books is even a regular occurrence. Senate Chair Jeff Hunt said that some departments change books every year. Hunt brought this news to Academic Council members Tuesday and called on faculty to have book adoption decisions by early April. “It’s all going to happen really quickly,” he added. Turpin announced during the senate meeting that the bookstore was looking into offering textbook rentals but would need to get the idea approved by district.
The Ranger
10 • Feb. 12, 2010
CSI team leader thrilled to be at Pat Booker site Rennie Murrell
By Vanessa M. sanchez The center for student information is staffed by employees from district colleges who agreed to or volunteered to work there, Elaine Lang, director of enrollment services at Northwest Vista and a team leader, said Monday. The center for student information, 8300 Pat Booker Road, will house all the back information of admissions and records and financial aid, such as processing requests for transcripts and setting up registration. Her team of eight employees from all colleges except Palo Alto began working at the center Feb. 1 and are building the critical components of Banner, a new system to replace the current system Passport, until it is complete. They are working on temporary status until the transition is complete, then the positions will be posted internally for people to apply for permanent positions, she said. Dr. Lina Silva, vice chancellor for student success, is managing the center but declined an interview with The Ranger. However, she told Lang to contact The Ranger for an interview after more information was requested from workers at the Pat Booker site. Lang said her team is testing Banner to make sure all parts, such as financial aid, human resources and accounts payable, work together before it goes live when the student module begins. The district will go live before fall registration begins in April, which “will allow any student to register at any college within two clicks of a button,” Lang said. Lang said that Banner’s student module would allow students to quickly access classes needed for their degree plan and the colleges that offer them. “What’s most exciting to me is this system is 21st century technology to help students do what they need to do quickly,” she said. Lang said she volunteered for this job: “I’ve been a part of this for the past 18 months and am thrilled to do this work.” The Banner implementation began in October 2008, and Lang was part of the team that identified a company to help prepare for Banner. “I was part of 12 people along with Beitzel (District 1 board member Gary Beitzel) to work on a change to help students,” Lang said. “During that time, we described how we serve students and how we could serve students better.”
The center of student information, which will house part of admissions and records and financial aid from all the district colleges, began moving temporary district employees to the renovated Albertsons facility on Pat Booker Road Feb. 1. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, performance and information systems, developed a group for the Banner implementation process, which consisted of district employees and a trustee representative, she said. Their job was to identify companies that could help the district with the Banner system. The group reviewed proposals in October 2008 to evaluate which would be best to work with that would best help students practices. The Smart Group, a worldwide business based in Pennsylvania, is contracted to travel here to help work with the project. “We couldn’t have done it without them. They have been invaluable,” Lang said. “We’ve been asked to dedicate our time for 90 days to organize, to figure out the best way to staff the Center of Student Information,” Lang said. Lang said Julie Pace, vice president for college services at Northwest Vista College, asked her if she was interested in this job. Lang said another group began on the first week of January because they had to begin sooner for the fall schedule. They also work for 90 days and in same location. She said information used in choosing Banner generated from student complaints at each of the colleges. Some of the complaints commonly made were: Why do students have to call each col-
lege for information? Why do students have to call every college in the district they applied to, to activate their application and financial aid information? Student focus groups have given input over the past four years, she said. In an e-mail, she said about 5,000 students are cross-enrolled at more than one college. She said cross-enrolled students had to contact the bursar’s office to assure they were not charged for attending multiple colleges. Lang said she does not have an exact number of students who had trouble with being overcharged, but the district is acting proactively through the center so this problem does not continue. Everything such as admissions, financial aid, accounts payable, will be in one database, instead of five separate systems by July, she said. She said every person working at the center was notified about the job, asked if they wanted to take the job, and then began working. She said Silva and each college’s vice president for either student success and student affairs notified the employees who were asked to go. Lang said, “Every person on our team is here because they wanted to be here. It’s an honor to build a system to service maybe 100,000 students. That’s an opportunity of a lifetime, and it makes me go home knowing I did a good job.”
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 11 Photos by Rennie Murrell
Education freshman Catherine Overby and her husband, Corey Overby, discuss sign-in procedures with Crystal Willis, associate director of student activities, Feb. 2 at Northeast Lakeview.
Club Sandwich By Celeste J. NeNtwig As the sandwiches grew with additional toppings, so, too, did students’ knowledge of campus organizations at Northeast Lakeview College’s organization rush Feb. 2-3. Student activities Associate Director Crystal Willis came up with the idea of having each organization offer students visiting their table a part of a sandwich, such as bread, luncheon meat, cheese and an assortment of toppings. “At each rush, we try to include food items to encourage students to visit as many tables as possible,” she said. At the student activities table, students received a plate and a card that they could have stamped at each table. The card could be returned with eight stamps and the student’s name and phone number in exchange for a thermos and entry into a raffle. “The winner will receive an iPod,” Willis said. The organizations’ overall goal
was to make students aware of the many clubs available on campus, and to gain membership. “I was previously unaware of all of the clubs,” freshman Rebecca Gomez said. “I signed up for the Psychology Club and the Campus Crusade for Christ.” Another organization on hand was the Earth Matters Club, which organized in 2007. The co-sponsors, Jennifer Marks and Patsy Villareal, said their membership is primarily gained from the rush. Eleven campus organizations and seven businesses participated. Along with the campus organizations, businesses set up tables to inform students of their services and products. Dora Talamente of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center collected cheek swabs for DNA profiles to enter into a bone marrow donation bank. She said about 30 students signed up during the two-day event. Among them was student Adam Herzig, who said, “This was my first rush, and the South Texas
Radiology sophomore Gloria Nuncio helps prepare a sandwich for liberal arts freshman Donavon Potts during rush week Feb. 2 at Northeast Lakeview. Blood and Tissue Center was the most interesting table. I signed up to donate.” The sandwich and stamp encouraged students to stop to talk with members or advisers for each club and sign up for e-mail announcements.
Justin Blatchly, a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, said, “Last year, membership increased by about 10-15 students, and this year, 65 people showed interest. The sandwich idea was an interesting way to get people to visit each group.”
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Seminar to examine criminal justice opportunities Agent with Department of Homeland Security will offer advice on careers. By AmAndA m. Rios Government careers as special agents and uniformed division officers will be the focus of a seminar co-sponsored by the criminal justice department and the career services office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center. Mark A. Flake, special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service San Antonio office, will offer students advice on the two career areas, including differences between the fields, qualities needed for suc-
AccuNet/AP/Charles Dharapak
cess, degree plans and training. “I believe that this ... will give the students a wider range (of educational options) in the criminal justice field,” Linda R. Moreno, career guidance specialist in career services, said Feb. 1. Criminal justice Instructor Tiffany Cox said Monday, “I believe that this a great opportunity for the criminal justice students. “They will talk to someone who is actually in the field and learn from their experiences. “It’s a rare opportunity, and students who are interested in these fields of law enforcement should definitely attend.” For more information, call Moreno at 486-0142 or e-mail lmoreno@alamo.edu.
A heavily armed police officer stands guard at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 18, 2003, after the Homeland Security Department raised the national terror alert.
Communication center offers help, scholarship By AlexAndRiA mAxwell Stressing over a presentation? Now there is a lab for that. The Strain Communication Center offers students the opportunity to record their presentations and allows instant viewing of the recording to help students see the strengths and weaknesses in their performances. The theater and speech communication department opened the center in Room 205 of McAllister Fine Arts Center in fall 2009 and is now offering a scholarship to those who qualify. In the Strain Communication Center, students can research topics, work on outlines, meet in groups to rehearse presentations, get PowerPoint guidance, work on visual aids and get one-on-one tutoring. Students also have the opportunity to record their performance and view it instantly to see how it looks from an audience’s point of view. Radio-television-film sophomore Adan Lopez said Monday he likes how small the lab is and the fact that it has Macintosh computers and offers free printing. Business management sophomore Richard Perez used the lab last week to watch his performance recorded in class with a fellow
student. Perez said he was able to see the strengths and weaknesses of his work. He found that he used the words “umm” and “ugh” and considered that a weakness but overall was happy with his presentation. Perez said he would be coming back to the lab to watch the final version of the performance to compare it to the previous recording. The lab was created in honor of theater and speech communication Professor Barbara Strain. Chair Jeff Hunt said, “Our beloved colleague, Dr. Barbara Strain, believed in giving students every opportunity to learn and flourish. Our communication center was designed and developed with this goal.” Strain taught theater and speech at this college for almost 40 years before dying suddenly of a brain aneurism May 2, 2008. In the center, students will find 12 computers, six Macs and six PCs, three round tables with four seats to a table, a television with VCR attached, a white dry-erase board and a printer. Students are allowed five free pages of printing and 10 cents per page after. Here students also can purchase VHS-C tapes and white poster boards for $3 a piece.
“Best use I’ve seen is students doing research for projects,” speech Professor John Skinner said. “It’s a great place to study; it’s quiet and a place to sit and read without being disturbed.” The room in prior years was used as a small classroom for low-enrolling classes, he said. The department is offering the Dr. Barbara Strain Scholarship to all drama and speech majors. Applicants must be declared majors with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or above and with a 3.0 GPA in their major. Applicants also must be enrolled as a full-time student and be enrolled in at least one speech or drama class per semester. The scholarship application for the 2010-11 academic year has an early deadline of Feb. 15; final deadline is May 31. Completion of the scholarship application, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, is needed prior to deadlines. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered, according to the Strain Scholarship Web page, http://www.alamo.edu/sac/theatre/ Scholarships.htm. The Strain Communication Center is open noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For information, call 486-0494.
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Panelists to discuss publishing pointers Creating a public persona includes advertising and Web sites. By Reagan White The Cheshyre Cheese Club will sponsor a panel discussion on “How to Get Published” from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 18 in the theater in McCreless Hall. There is no admission charge, and the event is open to the public. Guest speakers will share their experiences with writing and publishing. One of the guest speakers, Jen Knox, is a tutor in the college’s writing center. Knox, who has a master’s degree in creative non-fiction from
Bennington College in Vermont, is a fiction editor at Our Stories Literary Journal and has published a memoir, “Musical Chairs.” Knox plans to share her experience with the “art of publication” as well as her perspective on writing realistically, she said Feb. 2. Another speaker, H. Christine Lindbloom, is a writing manager at Complete That Manuscript, where she works with authors to help them create a public persona for their audience to connect to. This includes helping authors choose where to advertise and how to design their Web sites.
Lindbloom said the public persona is based on the personal choices of the authors and where they want to go with their writing. She gave the example of an author who presented herself as a cat lover. The woman included some information about her own pet cats in the jacket of her book. “Even though it was only three lines in the book, it gave the audience something to connect to,” Lindbloom said. Lindbloom also is offering her services as an editor to audience members, to show them how a
professional editor operates. “We all romanticize getting published; (Lindbloom’s) willing to make it real,” English Instructor Jane Focht-Hansen said Jan. 29. “If you’re toying with the idea of getting anything published, you should go,” Focht-Hansen said. Event organizers were hoping to schedule a third speaker for the event, but said details were not available by The Ranger’s deadline. The Cheshyre Cheese Club is hosting the event to encourage novice writers and give them useful advice, Focht-Hansen said. “We want to get in our students’ faces and say, ‘You can do this if you push yourself,’” she said. For more information, call 4860668.
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The Ranger Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
Rough ride: Nursing sophomore Jennifer McClean rides the mechanical bull during the Wild West Rodeo Roundup Wednesday in Loftin.
Practice: Music education sophomores Danielle Martinez and Steve Duenez play the baritone to composer Richard Wagner’s “Funeral March” during Peter Kline’s Music Ensemble 1132 class rehearsal Feb. 5 in McAllister. The Wind and Brass Ensemble concert will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 24, in the auditorium of McAllister.
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 15 Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
Jump: Business freshman Christina Wasaff of the Lady Rangers wins the jump ball against the Palo Alto College Lady Palominos Feb. 10 in their 47-42 win in Candler. Their next game is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at St. Philip’s College.
Telescope: Astrophysics sophomore Andrew Mooso prepares a grinding stone that will carve the 10-inch mirrors for a telescope Feb. 10 in Chance. The Astronomy Club hopes to complete the telescope by the end of the semester.
Service: Nursing sophomore Jisna Saji signs up for an e-mail list for Hospice Compassus during the Service Learning and Volunteer Fair Wednesday in Candler. Saji wants to study pediatrics and sees community service with children as an opportunity to gain career experience.
Giving back: Business sophomore Allen Evans talks with Shannon White, program and clinical director of the Center for Family Relations, during the Service Learning and Volunteer Fair Wednesday in Candler. Recently laid off, Evans sees community service as a way to give back to the community.
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Members of the Hill Country Trail Ride gather to play a game in the AT&T Chute tent Feb. 4. Many of the members traveled from around Texas to attend this year’s rodeo. Alison Wadley
Hats, boots take a By Zahra Farah
V
Patrons Larry and son, Brad Koether, check out Aussie hats sold by Scott Hession from Down Under. The Koethers came from Floresville to enjoy the rodeo together as a family. Robert Stofa
Boot fashion was on display at the Texas Star Marketplace at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 6 with some custom designs from Twisted X Boot Express.
andi Vann, 19, from Burnet does not shy away from “bling.” Vann, who has been showing pigs at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo since she was 3, loves the glitter and glam sported in cowgirl attire. The 61st San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which kicked off Feb. 4, had many cowgirls dressed in jeans decorated with sparkly studs on the pockets and sides. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “bling-bling” as “flashy jewelry worn especially as an indication of wealth.” Vann’s blue and black stone necklace cost $150; her boots, made out of stingray but in zebra print, cost $400; and add in her diamond-studded jeans and diamond-studded belt, and Vann’s outfit cost about $1,000, she said. “Being a cowgirl comes natural to me,” Vann said. “This is how I normally dress. It’s an everyday kind of thing.” For many cowboys and cowgirls, the clothes they wear are their way of life. Many wear cowboy boots and cowboy hat because they symbolize who they are and where they come from. Mary Sparkman, 73, dressed in a yellow and black striped leather jacket, has been a part of the rodeo circuit for 35 years. Sparkman and her husband, Glenn Durn, in his 80s, compete at cooking five-course meals over an open fire. The two travel with their Western-style wagon, which is more than 125 years old. Sparkman was born in the country, owns a ranch in the country, and will always be country, because that is who she is, she said.
“For real cowboys, the hat and shoes,” Durn said His hat and boots are Living on a ranch, br the majority of ranchers showed her 1½-year-old given birth, and won fir breeds animals on their ra in Seguin. Traci Colvin, 41, Ken children involved in the Kendall, dressed in pink top, picked out her own showing. “The diamond studs a handmade,” Traci Colvin Her jeans cost abou between $200 and $300. sive because it takes tim stitch the silver lining an Most of the detailing on h Pendants and necklac $200-$1,000; and hats run Cowboy boots and ha John Locke, 31, has be 10. He describes cowboy Hats and long-sleeve shi
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Julysa Sosa
Julysa Sosa
Kyffin Duke, 4, shows off his cowboy outfit.
Jennifer Charo
Jennifer Charo
The Churchell brothers Brandon, 7, Patrick, 4, and Michael, 9, pose at the cattle barn. They’ve attended the rodeo since they were toddlers and will be joining the Future Farmers of America next year.
shine to stock show
are made out of tough, thick denim, which is hard for animals to tear; and the boots protect ranchers’ shins. “Everything you wear is designed to keep you comfortable,” Locke said. “Wearing Wrangler jeans is tradition,” he said. “Everything fits right when you’re riding your horse.” Since the recession, some booth vendors at the stock show say they have seen a decline in ndall’s mother, gets her clothing sales. e rodeo at a young age. Joseph Hannabach, 77, and his daughter, cowboy boots and a pink Carolyn Hannabach, 46, said they have seen a outfit for her first animal 30 percent drop in sales from last year. They sell customized boots that range from $500-$1,200. and silver on my belt are At the Las Vegas Rodeo show this year, the said. Hannabach family lost $30,000. Their profit did ut $75 and her belt was not cover the expenditures. Colvin said it was expen- Joseph Hannabach “Some people were crying because they me to detail the leather, couldn’t make their booth payments,” Carolyn nd add the diamond studs. Hannabach said, adding some people are holdher pants and belt was handmade. ing on to their money. ces range from $50-$300; boots run from Even though times have been hard, Hannabach said she would n from $50-$1,000, she said. not trade her profession for anything else. ats are pricey but tend to last a long time. “If I had to sit in a cubicle, I would go crazy,” she said. een breeding cows and bulls since he was The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo continues through Feb. clothing as practical for living on a ranch. 21. For more information, call 225-5851 or log on to www.sarodeo. irts protect ranchers from the sun; jeans com.
For 17 years, Jane McInnis and Morris Gwin, volunteers for the Rodeo Ambassador Committee, show off their rodeo attire. Jennifer Charo
e most expensive thing they wear is their d. each worth $300. reeding animals and raising cows is how s live. Kendall Colvin, 6, heifer, a cow that has not rst place. Colvin’s family anch, Bricken Oak Ranch,
Ashley Mackie, 20, and Brendan Livada, 21, show off their Western wear during the Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 6. Mackie and Livada have been attending the rodeo since the age of 9.
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The Ranger
Brandy A. Santos
Julysa Sosa
Emily Thurman was asked to help carry a 12-hour-old newborn calf. Tracy Kash and son, Gus Kash, have been showing heifers and cows at the Stock Show and Rodeo for five years.
Grant Franklin, 2, pets a doe in the petting zoo Feb. 6 at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. This year was Franklin’s first rodeo event.
Alison Wadley
Cows and pigs and llamas – oh my! By Melody Mendoza
James Lazo
Alex, 5, drops for 10 push-ups for Sgt. Guiermo Barrera as her mom, Kelly Noe, watches Saturday at the recruiting tent during the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. By successfully completing 10 push-ups, Alex was able to chose whatever item she wanted from the recruiting table; she chose a pencil. Right, Logan Pilgram and Seth Muse embrace a new friend at the petting zoo. Pilgram and Muse, both age 8, from Lytle Elementary School, and their classmates were chaperoned by volunteers from the Lytle FFA.
Although many people attend the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo to enjoy the food, culture, rides and animals, there is one group that follows their passion for showing animals. Children and teens crowded through the Auction Barn on the rodeo grounds Saturday at the AT&T Center east of downtown, waiting for their chance to show off their training and animal care at the junior livestock exibition. “My favorite part of showing is getting prepared,” Mike Lageschaar, 17, said. “I love the anticipation of who’s going to win.” Getting prepared means feeding and grooming, and training an animal to respond to a tether, called “halt to break.” The judges look at many components when they review the cattle and its handler, known as a “shower” (rhymes with mower). “They look at dairy character and sharpness,” Lageschaar said. “They like tall cows with long necks, a deep body and long ribs.”
Not only do the judges analyze the cattle’s appearance, they also look at how the shower maintains the animal, he said. After the showers walk their animal around the show pen once, they position the animal using a show stick to square up the animal’s feet. Trust and training play a major role in the animal’s performance during show time. “I train everyday,” Becca Vizza, 18, said, holding her 1-year-old steer. Trust between the animal and its owner comes with time, she said. Nineteen-year-old Vendi Venn said, “I walk my pigs every day; I feed them every day.” Although preparation is a key factor in showing, family is also important. Showing becomes a family tradition and event. Asked if his daughter will show, John Locke, 31, laughed, “Well, she’s only 21 months old, but she will show one day.” Showing isn’t just a hobby but a way of life for these families. Vizza accompanied 3-year-
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The Ranger
Feb.12, 2010 • 19 Tyler K. Cleveland
Powe Acosta and her sister Carmen ride Power Feb. 6 at the Carnival of the 61st Annual Stock Show and Rodeo in a parking lot at the AT&T Center.
Tyler K. Cleveland
Agricultural science sophomores Jason Brister and Dave Parma of Palo Alto College identify various pig meats for Sage Sale, 14, of Nueces County during the swine skillathon Feb. 9 at the 61st San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Eighteen students of Instructor Weldon Riggs at Palo Alto College volunteered to help run the skillathon, which tested youth through age 18 on their knowledge of pigs, awarding the most skilled senior a $12,000 scholarship. Scott J. Bajek
Cows continued old Levi Algea as a chaperone in his first showing. He led a steer who towered over the small child. In this age class, all the participants win prizes and no one is ranked. This gives children the opportunity to show before they are old enough to compete. After the show, father Rick Algea carried Levi while his mother, Lynda Algea, explained, “He’s
never been afraid. He goes out to the ranch and feeds them and plays with them.” Where many participants compete, many winners come out smiling. “I won first place,” 6-year-old Kendall Colvin said, waving her first-place ribbon in her age class for her 1-yearold heifer. Hours and dates of the rodeo are at sarodeo.com.
Shane Stoval and his horse “Boonlight Dancer” cut up the dirt during the opening rounds of the cutting competition.
Julysa Sosa
Sharon Hensley
From left, Chantal Jimenez, 9, and Elizabeth Kampmann, 10, attempt the “Flat Loop” at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 6. The lasso trick requires a hand and wrist technique to make the lasso twirl.
Lauren Fontenot, 14, leads one of her red brangus calves to a trailer Feb. 7. She won a blue ribbon for first in class red brangus at the stock show and was packing up to go home to Lake Charles, La.
The Ranger
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Meet the KSYM DJs What is your DJ and real name? I go by nEuROTICA but my real name is Victoria Acevedo. What’s the name of your show and what time does it air? The Toxic Takeover 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Fridays What kind of music is played on your show? From 7 to 8 o’clock, is a variety of rock such as alt, pop punk, metalcore, dance rock, even a bit of grunge. From 8 to 9 o’clock, it’s house, trance, techno and industrial. Either way, you can’t get it on regular radio. What is the funniest thing that has happened while on air? I had to beg people to call in for some Victoria Acevedo ABA tickets (amateur basketball) during a giveaway. I guess it’s either Spurs or bust for some people. What got you interested in radio? I wanted something to do with my spare time and getting into radio seemed like a good idea. What underground or local band do you enjoy listening to? Right now, I really like Lackluster. They were on our “Live on KSYM” show a few weeks ago and enjoyed the pop punk sound. As far as more national acts go, no one can beat my love for Jack’s Mannequin and Silverchair. What would people be surprised to know about you? Despite my vast intellect, I am actually incredibly immature and a bigger pervert than most guys. What is your favorite thing about being on air? Spinning good tunes to anyone who will listen. What has been your favorite moment so far from your show? All the phone calls I had received when giving away 311 tickets made me realize that people actually do listen to me. What new CD will listeners hear on your show and what’s so good about it? Motion City Soundtrack. The Minnesota quintet is back yet again, this time with their major label debut “My Dinosaur Life.” The album is poppy and catchy at best, and at worst it is your prototypical, emo-driven pop punk band. As far as the musicianship, the drums stand out the best among all the instruments, the guitarmanship is simple yet effective, with the bass not all that noticeable. The vocals, although strained, work well with the content and emotion driven by the lyrics. The album was produced by Mark Hoppus and that fun Blink 182 feel is definitely there. Recommended if you dig this: Say Anything and Something Corporate.
Red Rover collects ideas By Zahra Farah Student life has adopted a program called Red Rover, an inventory program used to gather students’ interests from their Facebook page to discover activities and events students are truly interested in. Student life offices have been using this program for two years. Incoming students who attend orientation are asked voluntarily to sign up for Red Rover through Facebook, so the student life staff knows what incoming students are interested in. The program then sends the student an e-mail on what clubs to join that meet their interests, helps connects students who have the same interests and tells them about organizations that deal with their major. Student life reported that 1,636 students are signed up to Red Rover. The program helps connect students because it is easy to get lost in a big school, Jorge Posadas, director of student life, said Feb. 9. The Red Rover system cost $12,000, he said. It is paid by the student activity fee, for which students contribute $1 per semester hour when they enroll. The program gathers the interests of students and sets up a cloud. A cloud numerically lists what students are interested in and also gives the percentage of how many students appeal to a certain activity or event. The bigger the font used, the more students favor it. “This is how we figured out students were interested in golf,” Posadas said. The college formed its first golf team in the fall semester and it placed fifth in the nation at the National Collegiate Golf Tournament in Las Vegas. According to Red Rover, the top four interests of students at this college in numerical order are music, movies, basketball and dance. This is why Loftin Student Center has so much live music and is always having a large crowd, Posadas said. Sophomores or students who do not take orientation have no way of connecting with Red Rover.
Aaron Tavitas, assistant coordinator for student leadership activities and men’s basketball coach, said that by catching students when they are freshmen they will be able to get everyone from this time forward. “In order to plan for the budget for next year, we have to see what students want,” he said. If students who did not do orientation add student life to their Facebook page, it would be hard for student life to gather their information because they would have to do it manually. “We’re a two-year school that deals with nontraditional students, so Red Rover helps get their interest in,” Tavitas said. After student life figures out what students are attracted to, then they can set up the budget for the event. Each student life coordinator has to set up a budget for the event, figure out how many participants will attend and make sure it meets the guidelines of the Council for Advancement of Standards of Higher Education. Events have to touch on students’ intellectual growth; offer diversity meaning exposing students to different cultures; spiritual awareness meaning understanding personal and group value behaviors; and healthy behavior and leadership development. “We look at the costs, if students will show up and if it meets standards,” Posadas said. Auxiliary funds from video game sales, vending machines and the bookstore are also used for events. Money for the Chill Lounge located in Chance Academic Center came from those funds. The cost of the lounge was $12,358.56. Furniture for the Chill Lounge was purchased from a vendor contract set up by the district, which guarantees colleges the lowest prices for furniture, Posadas said. “If students want to tell us their interests, they can send an e-mail. Their voice is always stronger,” Posadas said. Students can e-mail Cyber Café Web master Ronald Smith at rsmith84@accd. edu.
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Calendar
For coverage call 486-1773 or e-mail sac-ranger@alamo.edu two weeks in advance.
Today SAC Deadline: Applications accepted for Teaching Academy Program Peers Scholarship. Continues through noon March 3. Visit www.tappatsac.blogspot. com. SAC Deadline: Applications accepted for Texas Public Radio Scholarship. Continues through Monday. Call 4861367. SAC Deadline: Women of Vision Scholarship Essay Contest sponsored by the women’s center. Continues through Feb. 22. Visit www.alamo.edu/sac/wc. Call 486-0455.
Saturday NVC Workshop: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students!” 5:15 p.m.9:15 p.m. in Room 121 of Cypress. Call 486-4007. PAC Event: PC Repair Clinic 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Port of San Antonio, 312 Clarence Tinker. Call 486-3412. SPC Concert: Faculty Recital 8 p.m. in the auditorium in Watson Fine Arts Center. Call 486- 2205. Sunday Event: Water Symposium: New Ways of Looking at Water 8 a.m. in the conference center of Holt at Trinity University. Continues 9 a.m. Feb. 15-16. Visit www. salsa.net/peace/water.
in Ethics: A Moral Vision for the Global 21st Century” by Confucian scholar Henry Rosemont 8 p.m. in Chapman Auditorium at Trinity University. Call 999-7191. Tuesday SAC Transfer: UTSA 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in Chance. Call 486-0869. SAC Meeting: Astronomy Club 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. in Room 142 of Chance. Call 486-0063. SAC Meeting: Campus Crusade for Christ 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Continues Tuesdays. Call 381-0991.
SAC Transfer: St. Mary’s University 4 p.m.-6 p.m. in Chance. Continues 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday. Call 486-0869.
auditorium of McAllister. Call 486-0494. SAC Meeting: Architecture Club 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in Room 251 of Chance. Continues first and third Wednesday. Call 486-1300. SPC EVENT: Symphony-in-Residence Master Class in French 7 p.m. in the Morgan Gallery of Watson. To RSVP call 486-2704. Film: Coates Library Cinema Series “Troubled Water” 7 p.m.-9 p.m. in Room 040 of Northrup at Trinity University. Call 999-7213. Thursday Event: College Day at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Free grounds admission with current college ID. Call 225-5851.
Monday SAC Event: Adjunct Faculty Exhibition in visual arts. Continues through March 6. Call 486-1034. SAC Donation: Peer Educators collecting money for Christian Haitian Outreach Inc. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in Room 120 of Chance. Call 486-1448. SAC Deadline: ProRanger program applications. Call 486-1701. Event: Chocolate Festival 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at HEB Central Market, 4821 Broadway. Continues Saturday and Sunday. Call 3688600. SAC Event: Virtual Reality Gaming 1 p.m. in the Cyber Café of Loftin. Continues Fridays. Call 486-0128. Documentary: “Human Terrain: War Becomes Academic” 7 p.m.-10 p.m. in Room 040 of Northrup at Trinity University. Call 999-8169. Meeting: San Antonio Astronomical Society 7:30 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 6720 Broadway. Visit www.sanantonioastronomy.org.
SAC Transfer: Texas A&M-San Antonio 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the transfer center of Moody. Continues 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday in Chance. Also 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Chance. Also 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the transfer center of Moody. Call 486-0869. SAC Transfer: Our Lady of the Lake University 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Chance. Continues 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 23. Call 486-0869.
SAC Event: “Court Reporting as a Career” by administrative computer technology 6:15 p.m.-8 p.m. in Room 202 of Nail. To RSVP call 486-0513. Lecture: “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution And How It Can Renew America” by New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman 7:30 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium, Trinity University. Visit www.trinity.edu.
SPC Concert: Symphony-in-Residence Young People’s Concert 11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. in Watson. Continues Feb. 19 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. To RSVP call 486-2704.
SAC Workshop: Aracely Flores, travel accountant for Alamo Colleges, discussion of travel reimbursement and procedures 2 p.m.-3 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Call 486-0128.
SAC Event: Women4Women brown bag conversation noon-1 p.m. in Room 105 of the empowerment center, 703 Howard. Call 486-0455.
www.theranger.org Complete calendar online
Lecture: “Confucian Role
SAC Transfer: Wayland Baptist University 10 a.m.-noon in Chance. Call 486-0869. SAC Meeting: Bible study and free lunch 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. at Methodist Student Center, 102 Belknap. Continues Thursdays. Call 733-1441.
Wednesday
NLC Event: Auditions for Fiesta/Earth Day Spring Daytime Festival and Variety Show 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. in performing arts. Continues Tuesday. Call 486-5318.
SAC Concer t: Instrumental Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister. Call 4860255.
SAC Event: President Robert Zeigler 7:30 a.m.-8 a.m. on KSYM 90.1 FM. Continues Thursdays. Call 486-KSYM.
SAC Meeting: Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science 2 p.m. in Room 144 of Chance. Continues Wednesdays. Call 486-0060. SAC Workshop: “It’s as Easy as 1, 2, iii” facilitator Dick O’Neal 2 p.m.-3 p.m. in the
SPC Event: Symphony-in-Residence Cello Master Class 7 p.m. in the Morgan Gallery of Watson. Reservations 4862704. Feb. 19 SAC Deadline: Last day to withdraw for Flex 1.
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
22 • Feb. 12, 2010
Architecture keynote connects students, wellness Club wins $500 prize for the highest percentage of members in attendance. By Michelle E. Gaitan Six members of the American Institute of Architecture Students at this college attended the AIAS Forum 2009 Connections in Minneapolis, Minn., over the holiday break, Dec. 29 through Jan.1. The architecture club started five years ago and has grown to about 17 members now. The AIAS Chapter at the University of Minnesota and the American Institute of Architecture of Minnesota hosted the forum, which attracted nearly 600 students and professionals. The six students from this college who attended were chaperoned by Instructor Nicolas Reisen and his wife, Lisa Reese. A $500 prize was awarded to the Architecture Club having the highest percentage of members in attendance, club Vice President Raymond
“Sitting in a classroom where you know everyone wants to be is a rewarding experience.” Zachary Wright AIAS treasurer
Flores said. The college program and student club offer students interested in an architecture career opportunities and hands-on experience needed to succeed. This year’s theme was Connections. One of four keynote speakers was Esther Sternberg, M.D., the director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program, who spoke on the connection between architecture and mental and physical health. Architecture sophomore Marina Amya said Sternberg also talked about the relation between a building’s color and a patient’s atti-
tude and how having a pleasing environment to heal in can impact a person’s health. Workshops included graphic rendering, portfolio design and architecture photography; students were given a choice in workshops. They were able to take tours of the city and visit buildings such as the St. Paul Cathedral and the Walker Art Center. Students also were involved in a Firm Crawl in which they used mass transit independently to visit local architecture firms. Club Treasurer Zachary Wright said, “Sitting in a classroom where you know everyone wants to be is a rewarding experience.” Students from UTSA, University of Houston and the University of Texas at Arlington also attended. In 2008, club members attended the AIAS Forum in Colorado and in 2010, hope to go to Toronto. The AIAS meets every first and third Wednesday from 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in Room 251 of Chance Academic Center. For more information, call Program Coordinator Richard Armstrong at 486-1307.
Increased recruitment means increased enrollment Vice presidents credit College Connections for the growth in district enrollment. By Melody Mendoza The number of students enrolled in the Alamo Colleges for the spring semester has increased 12.1 percent in the last year. The total number of students attending the Alamo Colleges increased from 53,236 in spring 2009 to 59,513 for this semester as of the Jan. 27 census, the 12th day of classes. Increased recruitment and outreach contributed to this increase, the vice president of student affairs at Palo Alto explained. Faculty and student affairs staff throughout the district are engaged in College Connections, an outreach tactic that informs high school students about the registration process, Mike Flores said. “We go to area high schools and teach students how to apply to a public institution,” Flores said. “We give an orientation, assist students with
the Apply Texas application, provide placement testing at the high schools and give advising and information about financial aid.” Dr. Robert Vela, vice president of student affairs at this college, added the program also advises on applying for scholarships. He said area high schools are assigned to the colleges based on geography and to avoid overlapping efforts. Another major cause of the enrollment increase is the economy, Flores said. “Because the economy is down, students are realizing that they need to obtain education and better skills and training because the work world is competitive,” Flores said. Vela said often those students turn to community colleges. Flores said the Alamo Colleges not only offer lower tuition, but also a variety of courses and scheduling options. “We offer more classes, on and off campus, online courses and in different formats,” he explained. The enrollment at Palo Alto College has increased from 7,601 students in spring 2009 to
8,047 for this semester. St. Philip’s College enrolled 9,741 students in 2009 and 10,731 this semester. Northwest Vista College registered the largest jump in enrollment — 22 percent — from 11,944 students in 2009 to 14,584 this semester. Northeast Lakeview College grew 18.9 percent from 3,763 in spring 2009 to 4,562 students this semester. That refers to the college where students attend classes. A district institutional research enrollment status report issued Jan. 26 shows 552 students enrolled at Northeast Lakeview and 4,885 actually enrolled at San Antonio College but taking courses at Northeast Lakeview. Northeast Lakeview is not yet accredited and is unable to offer federal financial aid so the credit is awarded through this college. Finally, San Antonio College enrolled 20,187 students in 2009, and 21,589 enrolled this semester. Vela said, “The Alamo Colleges, in general, are able to provide quality education at a good price.”
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 23
Forget your heart; your head shoves you into love By Michelle e. Gaitan It races, it skips, it stops; we all know how a heart in love reacts. The face flushes bringing heat and color. But what about your brain? Scientists are uncovering the chemical response the brain experiences when falling in love. Chemicals in the brain go to work producing that uplifting feeling we call love. The heart races with adrenaline and the excitement of it all comes from a chemical released in the brain called norepinephrine. Along with high amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, that simulates pleasure, parts of your brain become more active. According to Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University, using an MRI shows the ventral tegmental area and the caudate nucleus light up in response to seeing a loved one. The MRI helps to show the chemical pathways in your brain. The caudate nuclei is “the mind’s network
for general arousal, sensations of pleasure, and the motivation to acquire rewards,” writes Fisher in her book “Why We Love: The Nature of Chemistry and Romantic Love,” which is why being in love is so desirable. Your brain’s chemicals create heightened attention, hyperactivity, sleeplessness and exhilaration. All these feelings and bodily reactions from being in love can have some acting a little obsessed. When people fall madly in love, they hardly have any time or leave room for much of anything else. That’s where the heightened attention comes from and the inability to focus your attention on anything but the one you love. Biology Instructor John Fardal here said people vary in their neuro production; neurohormones respond differently to what they see, feel and smell. Further research has discovered that another neurotransmitter called serotonin is affected
by dopamine when a person falls in love. Dopamine seems to suppress serotonin, which causes lower levels of the neurotransmitter in the brain. A study by Italian researchers has showed that people who have just fallen in love and people with obsessive compulsive patterns both showed low levels of serotonin. This could be why people in love often obsess about their partner. Oxytocin and vasopressin are the brain chemicals that slow the surge of feelings caused by the other chemicals in the brain. These two chemicals are associated with the feeling of contentment. Fisher believes that oxytocin and vasopressin interfere with the effects of dopamine and norepinephrine. From intense feelings of love and passion comes the more relaxed contentment of attachment, hopefully resulting in a long and healthy relationship.
Visit www.ujwsac.net to download an application for the 26th annual program. The deadline is Feb. 26.
The Ranger
24 • Feb. 12, 2010
Best all-time movie kiss... Student picks By Laura Garcia and reaGan White
Faculty and staff picks This is a tough one. Of all the chick-flicks, romantic comedies and classic love stories, which ones did students and faculty think is the most romantic celluloid kiss? Drumroll please. The majority of students voted hands-down for the upside down Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson’s romantic kiss in the rain in the 2002 “Spider-Man” action film. Faculty and staff were a different story, with movies ranging from sweet or lusty to romantic and surprising. The top kiss actually consisted of a tie between the “Pride and Prejudice” remake, the classic “Gone With the Wind” and an Italian film called “Cinema Paradiso.” Notable runners-up for student voters included “Pretty Woman,” “Avatar” and “Detroit Rock City.” It seems faculty and staff didn’t forget cartoon and animated kisses as runners-up included robots EVE and WALL-E in “WALL-E” and the two dogs in “Lady and the Tramp.” Faculty and staff also wanted to pay homage to the kissing scene in “Brokeback Mountain” and “Notorious,” which is said to be the longest kissing scene in a film.
1. “Gone With the Wind” (tie) 1. “Pride and Prejudice” (tie) 1. “Cinema Paradiso” (tie) 4. “From Here To Eternity” 5. “In and Out”
1. “Spider-Man” 2. “Titanic” 3. “The Notebook” 4. “Never Been Kissed” 5. “Princess Bride”
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 25
Valentine’s Day memories: good, bad and ugly By Zahra Farah Students around campus were asked about their most memorable Valentine’s Day experience, and to share their most embarrassing, sad or heart-felt moments with fellow students at this campus. “This person who was really into me bought me a stuffed animal and clothes. I felt bad, because I didn’t want anything to do with this person. I still kept the stuff, though.” Robert Banda, music freshman “I was working at a rose shop for Valentine’s Day. At the time my husband was courting me. One Valentine’s Day night, I was working and my husband was waiting outside for me, I don’t know how long, but when I got to my car there was a really sweet card on the window shield. All of a sudden, my husband steps out of the shadows, and I realize the card was from him. It was borderline stalking, but I liked him. Three kids later, I guess it worked.” Jennifer Medrano, education sophomore “In sixth grade, I had a girlfriend, and she broke up with me right before the sixth-grade Valentine’s Day dance. I still went to the dance, but with my mom.” Quincy Edwards, psychology freshman “Since my birthday is two days after Valentine’s, guys feel the need to break up with me. That’s why I never had a Valentine.” Tiffani Bara, liberal arts freshman “My girlfriend broke up with me on Saturday. She didn’t even tell me. She had a picture of
another guy with her on her MySpace. It was the default picture.” Kevin Orozco, criminal justice freshman “I had two Valentines and they didn’t know, because they lived across town from each other. I ended up choosing the prettier one with the better gift.” Josh Balderas, fire science sophomore “This guy and I were talking (dating); he got me a ring and balloons. It was a promise ring that showed he really wanted to be with me.” Bianca Hernandez, psychology freshman “My boyfriend lives in Ohio, and I was going to mail him a present, but instead I decided I wanted to be a part of the present. I’m going to fly to Ohio and spend five days with him.” Chelcia Dunn, liberal arts freshman “I was waiting for a bus with a chick, and I called the bus station to find out when the bus was coming. I told her the bus was coming at 3:14 p.m. She then starts calling the bus station to find out for herself, and I say, ‘Didn’t I tell you?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’ I try to reach for her phone to hang up; she then punches me in the throat.” Theodore Davis, psychology freshman “In 2007, I had to put my 2-year-old puppy down, because when (the veterinarians) were taking X-rays (after the puppy swallowed a tennis ball), it showed a blood vessel was wrapped around his esophagus. As he was slowly getting bigger he was strangling himself in the inside.” Justin Bissell, mortuary science sophomore Illustrated by Juan Carlos Campos
“I didn’t get a Valentine’s card when I was in the fifth grade.” Kenneth Jerkins, mortuary science sophomore “I got my first kiss on Valentine’s Day when I was 12.” Raven Roberts, RN nursing sophomore “In middle school, I was putting my books in my locker and randomly a guy runs up to me and gets down on one knee to propose. I told him no, but he kept asking so then I said yes, so I got the ring. He was jumping up and down, all excited, then he ran away.” Valerie Constancio, nursing freshman “When I was a junior in high school, I hated Valentine’s Day, but for some reason I decided to bring flowers for the girl I like. She didn’t come to school, so I was carrying flowers around the whole day. I just gave them to my teacher and said it was for her. She ended up giving me good grades.” Fernando Mullen, education freshman “I was having dinner with my family, but I wanted to go out with my friend Chris. He told me he was already at the movies downtown, so I rushed my parents to finish eating. When I got to the movies he wasn’t even there. I had to wait two hours for him to come. I had to pay for his movie. While we were watching the movie, he ended up accidentally spilling my drink on me, and afterward he asked for $5 to put gas in his mom’s car.” Sharon Ruiz, education sophomore “My sophomore year of high school, in class people were being delivered Valentine’s stuff at the end of the day. I was the only one in my class to get a teddy bear with balloons. I was surprised, because it was from my crush. I knew I liked him, but I didn’t know he liked me.” Cynthia DeLeon, speech therapy sophomore “It’s just another day to me.” Marcel Hughes, kinesiology freshman “Freshman year of high school, my friend, our girlfriends and I went to a Rascal Flatts concert during the rodeo.” Joseph Puente, RTF sophomore
26 • Feb. 12, 2010
Editorial
The Ranger Juan Carlos Campos
District, college-level disconnect continues Rennie Murrell should have taken the initiative Rumors and questions unnecesto provide clear announcements sarily traveled like wildfire throughto prevent rumors from starting out the district this week, exposing rather than have to stamp out misthe lack of communication inhercommunications. ent in the system and the lack of Isn’t it the job of district pubconcern for employee morale. A handful of district employees lic relations to keep constituents were reassigned to a new Center informed about changes at the colof Student Information in the leges? The idea that personnel were remodeled Albertsons facility on being reassigned with a day’s Pat Booker Road that temporarily notice, no clear idea even on the housed Northeast Lakeview College part of college officials of how many while a campus was being conemployees would be moved or the structed. Site of the Center of Student Information in the newly remodeled Faculty members of the Alamo Albertsons facility on Pat Booker Rd. Each college across the impact of the move on student services — as was being rumored Community College District had no district sent volunteers last week to help jumpstart the new site. — left employees in limbo, bouncsolid answers for why the district chose to move some admissions and records employees ing between feelings of dread, disbelief and displeasure. The 2008-09 Personnel Register reports salaries for from each college to Pat Booker Road. With little to no information, district employees had eight employees in the district office of public relations at to rely on gossip traveling at light speed from campus to $473,016.72. campus. Half a million dollars for what? The district public relations office continues to be a Faculty and staff worried students might have to drive throughout Bexar County all the way to Pat Booker Road to weak link in this organization. At a time of so much change, make class changes, pick up transcripts and conduct busi- growth and reorganization, employees need strong comness with the financial aid office. That is a sign of student- munication ties with decision-makers so they will not have to rely on the grapevine. oriented employees. Because when rumors start to fly, productivity suffers. For an organization as big as this district, someone
Editorial
The Ranger
Problem-solvers talk to each other Last week’s complaints by faculty and staff about potential problems with contracted housekeepers is representative of one of the most pervasive problems in the college district: a lack of open communication. A fear of conflict or apathetic skepticism? A college is made up of individual people who each have a stake in the overall performance and health of the institution. Speak up. If anyone suspects abuse or waste of taxpayer money, report it to the proper chair or supervisor. Let the authorities investigate and take
the appropriate action if necessary. Don’t simply shake your head and bemoan a lack of a professional environment. Instead, be mature and notify someone with the authority to effect change. The college has a hierarchy and every employee should make use of it for problemsolving. While cleaning, housekeepers sometimes have to move things so if furnishings or equipment are slightly out of place, don’t become suspicious immediately. Ask. You won’t know until you do.
Feb. 12, 2010 • 27
Suspend violent students now Harassment of a female student Feb. 1 escalated into a full-out brawl among her boyfriend and three assailants in the parking lot. She did not escape without her own set of bruises. This isn’t high school. If your priority here isn’t to get an education, you don’t need to be here. The three should be suspended immediately, and it shouldn’t even require a discussion. Attaining an education has become more difficult as tuition skyrockets and the economy stalls. Fearing violence and intimidation on the college campus is not helping. You don’t have to endure harassment. If someone’s attentions make you uncomfortable and
they ignore your requests to be left alone, it’s up to you to take the first steps to protecting yourself. Report harassment immediately. Inform the nearest employee and ask them to call the department of public safety. The campus police are here to serve and protect. The couple who was assaulted felt threatened all morning, and the female student said she was trying to avoid the suspect’s advances since the previous day. We need to have faith in our own ability to stand up for ourselves and take advantage of the systems in place to protect ourselves. If someone hassles you, report it by calling 210-4850099. Don’t wait for cuts and bruises.
28 • Feb. 12, 2010
Letters
The Ranger
Letters Who’s watching your neighborhood? Editor: Everyone connected with San Antonio College owes a lot to The Ranger for its uniquely informative reporting on the strange doings of our chancellor and board of trustees. No other news source has come anywhere close. As usual, The Ranger has done its part. Now it’s time for the rest of us to do our part. On Saturday, May 8, an election will choose new trustees for the Alamo Colleges in election Districts 1, 2, 3, and 7. The term in office for each trustee is six years, and the board of trustees, collectively, is our chancellor’s boss. This isn’t an election to let slide. As always, this city’s big dogs would prefer that everyday people not even know that there is an election, let alone what’s at stake. But in District 1 where I live I’ve already got my candidate. Young Tyler Ingraham is a credit to this school (he’s a SAC graduate) and to his generation. For Tyler, education is more than the numbers under somebody’s bottom line, and he can explain why
in eloquent English (as opposed to corporate gobbledygook). You can learn more about Tyler or join his campaign by looking up “Tyler Ingraham” on Facebook, by e-mailing him at tyleringraham@ gmail.com, or by calling campaign headquarters at (210) 281-1102. Still, even if Tyler wins, he can’t turn everything around by himself. So c’mon, you vatos: do the right thing! Go to www.bexar. org/elections and follow the links to find out whether a trustee is being elected where you live. If so, make sure you’re registered, mark May 8 on your calendar, and learn exactly where you must show up to vote. Then inform yourself. Keep reading The Ranger. Press your local candidates to spell out what they intend to do about your education. Don’t let them hand you the usual guff. Then show up on May 8 and vote your conscience. Help Tyler Ingraham put the “community” back in our funky community colleges! The eyes of Texas are upon you. Stephen Badrich English Professor
The Ranger reporting in question Editor: In “Senate discusses two-fer trustee policy” in the Feb. 5 issue, The Ranger quotes Jeff Hunt, Faculty Senate chair from San Antonio College, as saying that “ … all of the college presidents refused to sign the draft [memorandum of commitment].” I believe a quick survey of all the presidents would show that not to be the case. Mr. Hunt must have been misquoted. Eric Reno President, Northeast Lakeview College Editor’s Note: The Ranger stands by its reporting. Dr. Reno did not return a call from The Ranger by press time.
The Ranger
Feb. 12, 2010 • 29 Photos by Marisa Montano
American Sign Languange storytellers David-Lee Raymond and Chad Golden ad lib a story Sunday on the third floor of the Central Library.
Storytime every first Sunday at Central Library By Michelle TyMrak Sunday was Storytime at the Central Library sponsored by the American Sign Language department of San Antonio College. Storytime was signed by David-Lee Raymond, lab technician in the department of American Sign Language and interpreter training, and former student Chad Golden. Both are deaf. The stories were then translated by Ariel Johnson and Jonathan Galloway, students at the college. After teaching the audience some ASL history, he signed a children’s book called “Where’s Pup?” by Dayle Ann Dodds, illustrated by Pierre Pratt. He made the audience of 40 children and adults laugh through his animations and enthusiasm. Members of the communities of Northwest
Storytellers David-Lee Raymond and Chad Golden perform for the American Sign Language department on the third floor of the Central Library. Vista, St. Philip’s and this college were among the participants. Raymond started the show with introductions and showed photos that demonstrated advancements that have made it easier for deaf people to live the most normal life possible.
He included vibrating alarm clocks and texting. After the story, Raymond signed, translated by Ariel Johnson, “Have you learned any new signs or seen any that you recognize?” The audience then began to participate and learn signs for words such as horseback riding and puppy. After Raymond, Golden came forward to tell the audience of his past and a few jokes. The audience seemed to have a great time laughing with him. After the show, the audience had a chance to interact and socialize with Raymond and Golden, as well as each other. The ASL department will be continuing Storytime at 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month on the third floor of the San Antonio Central Library, 600 Soledad St. For more information, contact the Central Library at 207-2500 or 207-2534.
30 • Feb. 12, 2010
Lady Rangers serve up win against Trinity
Pulse
The Ranger Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland
Kinesiology sophomore Kassy Larios celebrates a point against the Trinity Tigers.
Kinesiology sophomore Kassy Larios goes up for a kill against the Trinity University Tigers Feb. 4 at Trinity. The Lady Rangers won in three games and faced the St. Philip’s College Tigers Feb. 11 in Candler.
Astrophysics freshman Kristi Funari hits a kill.
Kinesiology sophomore Kassy Larios stretches with astrophysics freshman Kristi Funari before the Lady Rangers’ threegame win against Trinity. Larios burned her leg in the beginning of the Lady Rangers’ Jan. 27 game against Southwest Technical Junior College.
Nursing sophomore Samantha Fematt and American Sign Language sophomore Stephanie Muñoz celebrate a point in the Lady Rangers’ three-game win against the Tigers.
31 • Feb. 12, 2010
Pulse
The Ranger
April boxing event awaits college approval D.A. James
By Riley SteephenS The student life office is organizing a boxing event for April, pending college approval. “We’ve still got to work out some details,” President Robert Zeigler said Wednesday. “It’s still being discussed; it’s not verified.” Zeigler said he still needs to discuss the event’s potential impact on student health and safety with student life Director Jorge Posadas. Students must be trained and coached for at least one month before they can box, Carrie Hernandez, student life activities specialist, said Feb. 3. All participants must train at least 30 days at a local gym before they can be eligible for an event. The office of student life is already signing up students who want to participate in the boxing event. As of Tuesday, fliers were scattered throughout the college advertising the search for amateur boxers. The event is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 9 in the mall. The deadline to sign up is Feb. 22, according to the flier. “The event is not going to be advertised until it goes through legal,” Hernandez said Feb. 3. However, Zeigler said Wednesday that all details have not yet been worked out, including legal issues.
The National Police Athletic League Championships take place at the Municipal Auditorium Oct. 23. The tournament consists of three rounds of boxing with single elimination. The South Texas Amateur Boxing Association is working with student life to plan the event. “Safety is our No. 1 concern,” the association’s president, Mark Calo-oy, said Wednesday. “It’s approved but still in the works; it’s almost locked in.” Skip Wilson, association secretary, said Wednesday, “It’s in the preliminary stages.”
“If San Antonio College doesn’t have coaches to provide the students with, then we will,” Wilson said. The event is open to men and women, and students must be in good academic standing to participate, Joe Ruiz, student life clerk, said Feb. 3. “This is going to be an Olympicstyle event,” Ruiz said.
Calo-oy said the event is strictly a sub-novice event, with three rounds. Each round will be one minute in length. Weight limits and USA Boxing rules and regulations will apply. “In the 25 years that I have been here, I have never seen an event like this,” Hernandez said. For information, call 486-0128.