The Ranger, Feb. 20, 2017

Page 1

.org

the

ranger Serving San Antonio College and the Alamo Colleges

An independent forum of free voices

Volume 91 Issue 11 • Feb. 20, 2017

210-486-1773 • Single copies free

Building border A criminal justice professor discusses the U.S.-Mexico border plan. Page 7

Maintaining compliance with Title IX Pregnant students have rights the college community may not be aware of. By Maria Gardner

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Students and faculty may not be aware of the rights pregnant students are accorded under Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, JacobAidan Martinez, director of student conduct and Title IX , said Jan. 18. Title IX protects people

from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance, according to the Department of Education website at www.ed.gov. “Title IX changes all the time and we have to be compliant because we can lose all federal funding,” Martinez said in an interview.

Martinez said the issue that is most common is that pregnant women are being dropped for excessive absences when the professor is required to provide accommodations for the pregnant students. “Adjunct professors are not familiar with the law. They are part time, so they are not required to attend the SAC Cares training overview that we hold in the beginning of the school year during convoca-

tion,” Martinez said. “All employees take a training through the district, but it happens every two years,” he said, He said pregnant students have rights to certain accommodations such as a larger desk, and if a student misses a test, a proctor can be provided for a makeup test. “Every student has the same classes, but how you go about

See TITLE IX , Page 7

District enrollment Enrollment across the district was overestimated. Page 3

online now SGA visits state Capitol Go Print made easy Watch Rodeo highlights at youtube.com/therangervideo

Transcripts now issued in sets By Kimberly Brown sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Miranda Billman, Darren Pilc and Emily Zollner enjoy a carnival ride called Cliff Hanger, which requires the riders to lie down on a platform while gliding through the air Feb. 11 at the 68th annual San Antonio Stock

Show and Rodeo. The three friends are sophomores at Ingleside High School in Ingleside. The stock show and rodeo continue through Feb. 26. Michelle Delgado

Students at the five district colleges now will receive a separate transcript for courses taken at each college. Students also will see three different gradepoint averages on these transcripts — an institutional GPA based on classes taken at a specific Alamo college, an Alamo Colleges District GPA that includes all of the classes taken at any Alamo College and a cumulative GPA also reflecting courses accepted as transfer equivalents at an Alamo College. This information was made available to students in an email Feb. 3. Unofficial transcripts reflected this change beginning Feb. 9, director of enrollment Martin Ortega said. Unofficial transcripts were unavailable in ACES beginning Jan. 30. Before this change, students received one official transcript for work taken at all Alamo colleges and a GPA that reflected courses taken at all district colleges. This change in transcripts was the result of scrutiny by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation team, which questioned the way this college, St. Philip’s and Northwest Vista colleges reported grades on official transcripts, Ortega said Jan. 31 in an interview. The accrediting agency put the three colleges on probation in the fall until they can prove autonomy, including autonomy in reporting grades.

See TRANSCRIPTS, Page 7

Men’s basketball coach ejected from job Northeast Lakeview adjunct is serving as interim coach. By S.R. Garcia

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

This college has replaced a popular basketball coach who had improved the team’s standing in the two full seasons he coached here. Men’s basketball coach Louis Martinez is no longer employed at this college, Mark Bigelow, student life interim director, said Feb. 3 in a phone interview with The Ranger. Martinez had coached the team since 2014, said Steve Ochoa, a math academic program specialist who served as assistant coach under Martinez. Bigelow declined to say why Martinez was let go. “It is a professional and confidential matter,” he said.  Criminal justice sophomore Steven Walters, who plays center/power forward, said Bigelow pulled Martinez aside during the Feb. 3 practice and spoke to him. After practice, Martinez told the team that, effective immediately, he was no longer the head coach, Walters said. Martinez did not return phone calls from

The Ranger requesting a comment. Bigelow said he is  committed to the success of the team and has hired an interim coach, Ken Morris, a student development adjunct at Northeast Lakeview College. Morris will take over the rest of the season. Of two applicants reviewed by Bigelow, Morris was the best fit for the team, Bigelow said. “We  lost a hell of a basketball coach,” Ochoa said. Ochoa, who was not at the Feb. 3 practice, said he received a text from Martinez that day. After arriving at the gym, Ochoa found Martinez boxing up his things. Ochoa said Martinez told him, “They let me go.” Ochoa, who has coached basketball  for 30 years, said he recognizes a good coach when he sees one. Martinez was one of them, Ochoa said. “He knows what to do and when to do it in  a game,” Ochoa said.  “In the three years coach  Martinez  has been here, I considered him to be a good friend,” Ochoa said. “The program will really miss him,”  he said. A part-time employee, Martinez was hired as head coach after human resources approved the position, Ochoa said. Before

that, volunteers coached the team. When Martinez took over the Rangers, their record was 4-15, Ochoa said. In Martinez’s first year of coaching, he led the team to 8-8, making the playoffs but losing the first round. The next year, the team had a  record of 9-7, winning the first round of the playoffs, but losing in  the second round. This year, the team is in first place, Ochoa said. “I don’t know about the timing of this,” he said. “We’re in first place, the kids love him …” He continued: “I don’t know if you change horses in midstream like that. If student activities felt that was the change they had to make, we just live with it and move forward. It’s just unfortunate that it happened this way.” Martinez made an impact on the team’s record and an impact on each of his players.  “Coach  Martinez helped me pull up my grades so I could play on the team,” Walters said. “He always inspired me to  make the team better.”  Engineering freshman Fabian Chavarria said he was shocked Martinez was let go in the middle of the  season.

File Louis Martinez “He  meant a lot to the team, and he’s the reason I’m here,” he said. Chavarria looks forward to playoffs and will miss practicing with his coach.   “It came as a shock to me,” said business management sophomore  Chady  Joukeh.  Joukeh  said he will use this experience as motivation to strive through the playoffs to win the championship.  Joukeh also  will  miss the coach yelling his nickname,  “Brazil,” during practice and games.   Kinesiology  freshman  Adam Villanueva

See COACH, Page 7


People

2 • Feb. 20, 2017

www.theranger.org/multimedia

Defense

Business sophomore Deron Taylor attempts to block Northeast Lakeview forward Donovan Senegal at the rim. The Rangers were defeated 87-80 at home against Lakeview Feb. 16 in Gym 1 of Candler. The Rangers are ranked first in the Texas Collegiate Club Sports League this season with a record of 7-3. The next game is against Southwest Texas Junior College at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at Southwest Texas Junior College. J. Del Valle

Sweet hearts General science freshman Erika Ainsie cuts heart-shaped cookies Feb. 13 while criminology sophomore Zaneta Edwards helps Joseph Liedecke, program coordinator for civic engagement, make strawberry cupcakes at the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House is a home for children and their families who travel for medical treatment and need a home away from home. Brianna Rodrigue

Helpers

Liberal arts freshman Brenda Cadena and architecture freshman Vivian Barbosa meet for a civic engagement mixer Feb. 9 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. The group is designed to cultivate student engagement, such as voting and volunteering. The mixer allowed students from all majors and backgrounds to bond over similar community interests. Noah Acevedo

Ice cream

Education sophomore George Hernandez squeezes caramel sauce into his ice cream cup at an ice cream social sponsored by the Campus Activities Board in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Wednesday. Hernandez said there is a lot of stress in and outside of school, so he thought free ice cream was a good way students can relieve that stress. Deandra Gonzalez

today

tues

wed

thur

fri

sat

NVC Event: National Society of Leadership and Success speaker broadcast 9:30-10:30 a.m. in Room 203 of Manzanillo. Continues 6-7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 113 of Huisache, 12:301:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in Room 203 of Manzanillo and 11 a.m.-noon Friday in Room 113 of Huisache. Call 210-486-4010.

NVC Event: Job fair 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the second floor of Pecan. Continues Wednesday. Call 210486-4010.

NVC Film: Black History Month: “Loving” 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Cypress. Call 210-486-4010.

SAC Event: Grad Blast 10 a.m.2 p.m. in the mall. Call 210-4860125.

Deadline: Last day to withdraw for Flex 1.

SAC Event: El Taco 5K run/walk, 7:30-10:30 a.m. at VFW Post 76, 10 10th St. Call 210-486-0125.

SAC Meeting: Society of Women Engineers 3:30 p.m. in the MESA Center in Room 204 of Chance. Continues 2 p.m. Thursday. Call 210-486-0085 NLC Event: National Society of Leadership and Success speaker broadcast 5-6:30 p.m. in Room 201 of student commons. Continues Tuesday 6-7:30 p.m. Call 210-486-5404.

ACCD Meeting: Board of trustees committees 6 p.m. in Room 101 of Killen. Call 210-485-0030. Event: Sketching in the Galleries 6-8 p.m. at San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones. Free for members and $10 for non-members. Call 210-978-8100.

Event: Thursday Night Live: Performing Arts Presentation, 6 p.m. at University of the Incarnate Word’s Ingrid Seddon Recital Hall. Call 210-805-3036. SAC Event: Volleyball vs. Victoria College 7-9 p.m. in Candler. Call 210-486-0125.

SAC Event: Planetarium shows 6-9:30 p.m. in Scobee. Tickets $2 with student ID. Adults $5 and children 4-17 $4. Call 210486-0125.

z

SAC Meeting: KSYM 90.1 FM staff and volunteers 3 p.m. in Room 201 of Longwith.

PAC Event: Future Educators of America spirit night 5-8 p.m. in Chick-fil-A, 2660 S.W. Military Drive. Call 210-486-3046.

NLC Deadline: Table tennis registration by 5 p.m. in Room 131 of student commons. Call 210-4865404.

yP ere

Lecture: “Escobedo Saint John’s Bible Lecture Series” 4-5 p.m. in Reinbolt Hall, Assumption Chapel, St. Mary’s University. Call 210431-4376.

PAC Lecture: Black History Month: civil rights panel noon-1 p.m. in Room 101 of Ozuna. Call 210-486-3125.

SAC Event: Black History Month: African Festival 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0593.

NVC Meeting: Student Government Association noon in Room 122 of Cypress. Call 210486-4010.

Event: San Antonio International Piano Competition 8 p.m. at University of the Incarnate Word concert hall. Admission $20 in advance; $25 at door; $10 with student ID at the door. Call 210829-3852 or email sul@uiwtx.edu.

on sb yW all

SAC Meeting: Parkour Club noon-2 p.m. in the Dean’s Backyard inside the tennis courts.

SAC Event: Pingpong tournament 1-3 p.m. in the game room of Loftin. Sign up in Room 256 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0125.

SAC Meeting: Social Justice League noon-12:30 p.m. in Room 105 of Loftin. Call 210-486-0137.

SPC Event: Soul food tasting 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Heritage Room of campus center. Call 210486-2867.

SAC Event: Flex 2 new student orientation 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in Loftin. Call 210-486-0125.

ati

SAC Event: Blood drive with South Texas Blood & Tissue Center 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the mall. Continues Tuesday. Call 210-4860125.

PAC Meeting: Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society noon-1 p.m. in San Jacinto. Call 210-486-3125.

SPC Event: The Black Women Pioneers exhibit 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in Room 100 of Winston. Call 210486-2135.

SAC Event: Out in Space, Down to Earth STEM educator conference 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in Scobee. Call 210-486-0095.

str

SAC Meeting: Student Government Association noon-1 p.m. in the craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0125.

PAC Meeting: Horticulture Club noon-1 p.m. in Room 108 of San Marcos. Call 210-486-3125.

SPC Event: “I Am Woman” bake sale 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the breezeway. Call 210-486-2867.

NVC Event: Hiking at Enchanted Rock 6 a.m.-5 p.m. Deposit of $10 in Room 109 of Huisache. Call 210-486-4526.

Illu

NLC Workshop: Exemplary leadership: best practices 10-11:30 a.m. in Room 218 of student commons. Call 210-486-5404.

SAC Event: Open Mic Poetry featuring poets Tasha Greene and Paul Wilkinson 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Loftin. Call 210-486-0593.

NLC Workshop: “Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace” 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Room 218 of student commons. Call 210-4865612.

SAC Event: “Doubt: A Parable” 7:30 p.m. in McCreless Theater. SAC ID $5. Other colleges, seniors and military $8. General admission $10. No one under 12 admitted. Continues at 7:30 p.m. FridaySaturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

For coverage in People, call 210-486-1773 or e-mail sac-ranger@alamo.edu two weeks in advance.


News

www.theranger.org/news

Feb. 20, 2017 • 3

Student District Council discusses increasing student activity fee Delegates prepare a survey and voting opportunities. By Rachel Cooper

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Eleven delegates from Student Government Associations across the district came together Feb. 10 as the Student District Council and proposed a chance for students to vote on a change in the student activity fee. They also prepared a flier and survey to present to students at each of the Alamo Colleges. The survey is now available on OrgSync on the Student District Council’s page. The current student activity fee is $1 per credit hour, president Richard Wells of Northeast Lakeview’s SGA and SDC, said. “The fee that we have right now is very minimal when you compare it to other colleges,” Wells said. “When you look at these universities, some students pay hundreds of dollars in fees.” The proposal is the fee will either be increased to $2 per credit hour or a $15 flat rate across all campuses. The council came to a consensus to allow students the option of voting on which option they prefer and the opportunity to participate in a survey. If changed to $2 per credit hour, “it would really benefit part-time students because they’ll still be paying less than if we did the flat rate, but full-time students would be paying a lot more,” Wells said. An example is if you take 12 credit hours, you would pay $24 in fees, he said.

If the $15 flat rate is chosen, then students will pay that amount regardless of the number of credit hours they are taking. “Each has benefits and each has detriments, and it affects different areas of students differently,” Wells said. “It’s not just full-time versus part-time. It’s also on-campus versus online students,” Ravi Martnize, St. Philip’s SGA vice president, said. Christopher Scoggins, SGA treasurer at this college, leaned toward the $2 fee per semester hour because on-campus students are more likely to use the activity fee and be more likely to be involved in clubs and organizations. Palo Alto SGA President Kytheranialynn Fambrough-Brown disagreed because it depends on if the online student chose online courses because they were working or so they could have an open schedule to have more time for activities on campus as she said she has done in the past. The flier will include what the fee goes toward for each campus. Northwest Vista fliers will be going up in the restrooms, hallways and billboards next to vending machines to get the word out, SGA Vice President Salah Ismail of Northwest Vista said. Quintin Longoria, vice president of SGA at this college, suggested the other colleges set up laptops for surveys. “Blanket emails and just telling people on OrgSync is really out of the way for them, and they typically don’t feel the necessity to do it,” Longoria said of the survey. Student trustee Emmanuel Nyong said students are more likely to check Canvas

Agriculture sophomore Kytheranialynn Fambrough-Brown, Palo Alto College Student Government Association president, shares a poster she made to help inform students about the activity fee increase proposal Feb. 10 at the Student District Council meeting. Brianna Rodrigue email because they see the notification when they check grades. Fambrough-Brown said both a paper and online survey should be done so that the SGA officers can put the data from the paper survey into the OrgSync survey as well. Scoggins said full-time students are more likely to use student activity funds. Fambrough-Brown asked the group if the number of full-time students has increased since the fast completion incentive plan has gone into effect. The incentive plan is if students take 18 credit hours for fall and spring, they get three free summer courses, and if they take 24

Enrollment at Alamo Colleges on decline The district over-budgeted tuition revenues. By Zachary-Taylor Wright

NLC site visit yields positive results Interim president will push for June decision.

zwright9@student.alamo.edu

The Alamo Community College District experienced a nearly zero enrollment increase between fall 2015 and fall 2016 and underestimated the number of exemptions and waivers, causing the district to overestimate tuition revenues by $2.7 million. The board reviewed several presentations about the tuition revenue shortfall at the Dec. 6 audit, budget and finance committee meeting. According to a tuition and enrollment summary presentation, the district projected a 5.6 percent increase in enrollment from the fall 2015 semester to the fall 2016 census date, but only saw a 0.2 percent increase. According to the presentation, the majority of the 0.2 percent growth came from high school programs. The district budgeted for $13.3 million in exemptions and waivers but actual exemptions and waivers for fiscal year 2017 amounted to $13.7 million, resulting in the district being $400,000 under budget. The district budgeted for the enrollment of 62,636 students by the census date of fall 2016, but only 59,413 students enrolled. The district had 59,313 students enrolled by the census date of fall 2015. According to the enrollment reports in the district’s annual budget report 76,797 students enrolled during fiscal year 2015 and 79,920 students enrolled in fiscal year 2014.

credit hours, they get six free. Nyong said it will take a few semesters to see if the number has increased. The Student District Council represents the Alamo Colleges student body at a district level, Wells said. “With our SGAs, we can represent the students at our campus, but if there’s issues that can’t be resolved on the campus or there are issues that are happening at more than one campus, we can come together and collaborate to figure out how we can fix them at a district level.” Students will be able to vote and participate in the survey through Feb. 24.

By James Dusek

jdusek3@student.alamo.edu

According to the enrollment reports, 93,218 students enrolled in fiscal year 2010. The district budgeted for a gross tuition of $53.6 million for fiscal year 2017 but the actual gross tuition for the fiscal year was $51.3 million, meaning the district received $2.3 million less in tuition revenues than budgeted for. According to a contact hour summary exhibit presented to the board at the Dec. 3 meeting, the district approved a budget estimating students at this college would have 2,130,626 classroom contact hours. The presentation states that 2,433,369 classroom contact hours were reached by the fall 2016 census date. The presentation states that the district budgeted for 151,351 clinical contact hours and 271,824 lab contact hours at this college, but

Courtesy only 41,680 clinical contact hours and 64,848 lab contact hours were reached at this college by the fall 2016 census date. Between classroom, clinical and lab contact hours budgeted by the district and the actual census contact hours, Palo Alto College is the only college to come in at or above the budgeted numbers. According to the presentation, the district had 2.9 percent fewer contact hours than budgeted for. The approved fiscal year 2017 budget also underestimated the rollover tuition funds from fiscal year 2016 by $2,156,141, which estimated a rollover of $69,061,857 but $71,217,998 remained after expenses for fiscal year 2016 and was added to the unrestricted funds. This addition to the beginning fund balances accommodated most of the fiscal year 2017 budgeted tuition revenue shortfall.

Last week’s visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to Northeast Lakeview College yielded promising results, according to a memo sent by Chancellor Bruce Leslie to all employees Feb. 10. The accreditation agency’s visit Feb. 6-8 returned no negative findings, including the issues the association found with Northwest Vista and St. Philip’s colleges and this college, which placed them on a “warning” status. “Most impressive has been the collaboration of the entire Alamo Colleges family, including the strong, proactive support and contributions of the DSO teams and colleagues from the other colleges,” the memo read in part. He referred to the district support office. Northeast Lakeview has been without accreditation since it was founded in 2007. SACSCOC awarded the college candidacy status in June after a successful site visit in February 2016. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor of planning, performance, accreditation and information systems and interim president of Northeast Lakeview, said the college was well-prepared. “I’ll tell you, the attention to detail that they (the college) paid in this round was really extraordinary,” he said. “There was no question that we could not answer

and provide documentation for.” SACSCOC’s board of trustees meets every June and December to decide accreditation issues. Northeast Lakeview’s accreditation status is scheduled to be decided at the December meeting. Cleary petitioned for consideration at the June meeting because the agency did not find changes that need to be made. Cleary promised the college community he would let them know if the review date is changed. SACSCOC informed the college before the visit they would pay close attention to six Comprehensive Standards this college, Northwest Vista and St. Philip’s violated. “They were going to take a good, hard look at those issues as it pertained to NLC,” Cleary said. “I promise you, they did that quite effectively, and they found nothing here.” He said although many of the accreditation solutions decided by the board of trustees were “universal,” in that they can fix problems at all of the colleges, the topic of the colleges was not brought up in the SACSCOC visit. “Things with the transcripts, the GPA calculation … and the board policy, these are designed as universal solutions,” he said. “… Clearly, those solutions bode well for the other colleges.” Cleary said he and the college are optimistic the results from SACSCOC will result in accreditation.


4 • www.theranger.org/premiere

Right: David Morris, Wade Shows Inc. carnival employee, shows Zayline Thomas, 2, how to use a pony bubble toy Feb. 11. Morris started working at carnivals when he was 14 and has been in the industry 28 years. Kids love it once they see the bubbles, he said. Michelle Delgado Below: Nathaniel McKeever, 7, who is visiting from Corpus Christi cheers on Pig 3, the Texas Longhorn Feb. 11. Pig 1, the Oklahomer Sooner, beat Pig 2, the Alabama Crimson Tide; Pig 3; and Pig 4, Texas A&M. Rachel Cooper

68th annual San Antonio Right: Tomas Garcilazo practices roping with his horse, Bolero, Feb. 11 at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Bolero is a Spanish Indonesian horse. Garcilazo has been working with Bolero for one year, but has performed professionally for 20 years. Garcilazo has had two broken bones throughout his career. The rodeo is at the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum and continues through Sunday. Emily Garcia

Hearts, minds and horses Cutting horse riders speak about friendship and competition.

ing the dance floor early. The helpers are often competitors as well. The ones assisting a rider may well be vying for the same cash prize as the one they’re By James Dusek helping. jdusek3@student.alamo.edu “You can go to a cutting in Texas anyCutting is the waltz: It happens slowly, where, and we’ll know someone,” Harllee quietly, then all at once. The rider brings a said. “It’s a tight little family.” horse into a herd of cattle and finds a dancHarllee started riding horses more than ing partner. The horse and rider lead the 60 years ago, when she was a little girl. chosen cattle away from the herd and begin Wharton has ridden for more than 50. When the dance. she first rode a cutting horse about 30 years Cutting is the quickstep: horse and cattle, ago, she was hooked. dashing around the arena, the horse mirror“I had done a lot of things on a horse, and ing the cattle’s every movement like a shadow the first time I ever rode a cutting horse, I — a routine it’s practiced since it was 2. thought ‘I don’t care if I ever do anything else The cattle leads, darting left and right on a horse. This is it,’” Wharton said. to reunite with its herd. The horse follows, Wharton said the reason the sport grabs responding to the cattle within fractions of Competitor Denise Bendele rides That Sly Chance into fourth place, winning $976.37 with a score of the attention of people like herself, Harllee a second. The horse’s reactions to the cattle 142.5 points at the amateur draw horse cutting competition. The competition includes many riders who and Bendele, is how it consistently chalcreate a barrier between the animal and its compete to score points based on their overall performance and skillset. Bendele said, “It’s hard to get lenges the horses and riders. herd — a half-ton equine wall. everything to come together, so when it does, it’s really good.” Noah Acevedo “It’s an adrenaline rush, for one,” she said. Cutting is the tango: partners connected “But it’s such a mental challenge.” in mind and body, intuiting the thoughts half minutes to cut at least two cows from In a room to the left of the showing area, The interactions between the horse, cow, and actions of one another. The dance is as the herd, one at a time, and keep the cut where about 100 people sat waiting for the rider, environment and helpers add up to an mental as it is physical; it’s math and physics, cow away from the herd. Points were given runs to begin, riders Raena Wharton and Teddi unpredictable and unique run every time, each participant — cattle, horse, human — a for style, skill and the position of the cow in Harllee watched horses and their trainers take Wharton said. factor in calculations of motion and energy. the herd. turns at the “tuneup,” chasing a small black“No matter how long you’ve been showRider Denise Bendele has The sport comes from and-white striped flag moving on ing the horse, every single run is trained in “the dance” for two ranchers sorting and manag- a string nearly the entire length Watch rodeo different,” she said, “because the This sport is all decades and has ridden horses ing herds of cattle. Before it of the room. cows will do something differvideos at about horses since she was 9. was a competition, it was a Wharton and Harllee have ent, the arena will be different, theranger.org the ground will be different.” and friends. “The sport is very physinecessity. been friends since 1981. They Raena Wharton, cal; it’s really neat,” she said. When the cow is led out of met through competing against Bendele cut three head of catrider “The cow and a horse, working the herd and the dance begins, one another. Though Harllee doesn’t comtle in her run. For a moment, That Sly Chance together.” the rider lowers the reins and pete anymore, she still attends events to see stared down the first white calf. Every step Bendele and her horse, That Sly Chance, lets the horse do the work. With little guid- friends like Wharton. the cow made to the left or right, the horse competed in the $50,000 amateur competiance from the rider, the horse becomes the “This sport is all about horses and made without breaking eye contact. tion at the 68th annual San Antonio Stock star of the show. friends,” Wharton said. That Sly Chance placed fourth with a Show and Rodeo Feb. 11. “When the horse is really good, it’s like During a run, four riders besides the comscore of 142.5, earning Bendele $976.37. The competition consisted of 29 horses they’re just right in line with the cow,” petitor are in the arena: one on either side of For the riders, cutting brings together a and riders who had won less than $50,000 Bendele said. “Just in tune with the cow, the herd, keeping it in place, and two in front family of humans and horses for an activity over their competitive careers. making every move the cow makes, and of the judges’ stands at the front of the arena, both mental and physical. It’s more than a Each competitor was given two and a really controls the situation.” keeping the cut cattle from running and leavsport, Harllee said. “It’s a way of life.”

’’

Car with

Volu Disc


o Stock Show and Rodeo

rter Keck, 11, feeds Rora, a Boer goat, Feb. 11 at the petting zoo. He went h his father, Justin Keck, and has been to the rodeo before. Rachel Cooper

Feb. 20, 2017 • 5

Heath Orie, 6, and Karin Shim, 6, scream as they slide at the carnival. This is Karin’s first time at the rodeo. She recently moved from New York and plans to return to the rodeo next week. Christy Romero Left: BMX bike rider Victor Salazar jumps over a 6-footer, Robby Devlia, junior at the Episcopal School of Texas, Feb. 12. Devlia said he was scared, but he trusted him because he knows they do these tricks all the time. Brianna Rodrigue

Brian Kastner, rodeo volunteer from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, handles Affra, a gypsy horse, Feb. 11. Kastner has volunteered for the Horse Discovery program at the rodeo for three years. The program offers information about horses to rodeo visitors. Emily Garcia Right: Veterinary technician Merritt Mock helps her nephew Jonas Jones, 7, rope a practice calf head Feb. 12. Mock said she has grown up in the rodeo life since she learned how to walk and she loves going because she gets to interact with the public. Brianna Rodrigue

unteer worker Kellie Lipps shows food to the gypsy horse Affra so she can smile for passersby Feb. 12. Affra was located at the Horse covery presented by Wells Fargo so adults and children could interact with her and other horses. Brianna Rodrigue


Editorial

6 • Feb. 20, 2017

.org

the

ranger

www.theranger.org/editorial

Editor Zachary-Taylor Wright

Managing Editor Michelle Delgado News Editor Emily Garcia Features Editor James Dusek Calendar Editor Christy Romero Staff Writers Samantha L. Alonso, Bismarck D. Andino, Ashley Bailey, Nicole M. Bautista, Kimberly Brown, J. Carbajal, Rachel Cooper, J. Del Valle, S.R. Garcia, Maria Gardner, Camryn Geissler, Niesha Goodloe, Elena Longoria, Mario Parker Menchaca III, Maritza Ramirez, Grace Reyes, Sasha D. Robinson, Jayondra Spann, Austin P. Taylor, Grayce Trevino, Jakoby West, Solomon A. Wilson Photo Editor Brianna Rodrigue Photographers Noah Acevedo, Deandra Gonzalez, Alison Graef, Aly Miranda Photo Team Zaeva Mercado, Kristel Orta, Renee Talamantes Multimedia Editor Brandon A. Edwards Video Team Christian Erevia Illustrators Estefania B. Alonso Wally Perez Social Media Promoter Miranda Holden

©2017 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-3941. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community College District, are laboratory projects of classes in the Journalism Program at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger. org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available by phone 210-4861765 or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association. Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, students and community members are welcome to contribute guest viewpoints of up to 450 words. Writers should focus on campus or current events in a critical, persuasive or interpretative style. All viewpoints must be published with a photo portrait of the writer. Letters Policy: The Ranger invites readers to share views by writing letters to the editor. Space limitations force the paper to limit letters to two double-spaced, typewritten pages. Letters will be edited for spelling, style, grammar, libel and length. Editors reserve the right to deny publication of any letter. Letters should be emailed to sac-ranger@alamo. edu. Letters also may be brought to the newspaper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student Center, mailed to The Ranger, Journalism Program, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-3941 or faxed to 210-486-9292. Letters must be signed and must include the printed name and telephone number. Students should include classification, major, campus and Banner ID. Employees should include title and telephone number. For more information, call 210-486-1773. Single Copy Policy: Members of the Alamo Community College District community are permitted one free copy per issue because of high production costs. Where available, additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Ranger business office. 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.

Alexandra Wally Perez

Call for consistent cleaning standards The cleaning levels employed exemplify disparity in quality. Cleaning standards across the buildings at this college are mediocre on average but highly inconsistent between buildings — the result of a poorly organized custodial system. Parts of buildings are favored with an absurd level system, where some sections withstand “moderate dinginess indicators” with “dull, dingy and stained” floors and baseboards and “conspicuous dirt marks, smudges and fingerprints.” Allowing the college to suffer such pitiful cleanliness standards is shameful. If shabby services meets the district’s quality requirements for college cleaning, where else are students and employees being cheated? Is cafeteria cleanliness and food

freshness Level 4? Is potable water allowed “moderate dinginess indicators?” The district should have plenty of cash to put toward custodial services, considering the vast cuts in student services across all of the colleges. Statements provided by employees of the college indicate the disparity in cleaning quality between buildings, or even by floor in some instances — employees working in Oppenheimer Academic Center expressed very diverse opinions about the custodial service among floors in the building. It is unacceptable the district thinks any area warrants being cleaned at the APPA Level 4, leaving students and employees to clean up messes. Far too much of taxpayers’ and students’ money is funneled into

custodial services for the college to exhibit such subpar custodial accommodation. Perhaps this is yet another example of the district’s “it’s just a community college” attitude. If the college employs APPA Levels 2 through 4, then what criteria is used to determine which buildings withstand the embarrassing Level 4 standards? Clean is clean. Students and our employees deserve the best. It’s time to ditch the contracts and levels and hire custodians. Create jobs for the community and potentially save the college money — or, at the very least, abandon item-by-item breakdown and apply at least Level 2 to the entire college. The district can take some initiative and employ at least APPA Level 2 across all the Alamo Colleges.

New president creates new hopes President open to more communication with faculty. New Northeast Lakeview College President Veronica Garcia has promised to communicate with faculty, staff and students about what changes need to be made. She has a lot of experience with working closely with students and faculty, as she was the president of student affairs at her former college, Paradise Valley Community College. She oversaw student services, financial aid, admissions and enrollment plans at PVCC, which will hopefully give her an advantage when it comes to taking over Northeast Lakeview. Her open and inviting attitude is a 180-degree flip from that of her predecessor, Dr. Craig Follins, who was removed as president because of

@sacranger

abusive behavior toward staff. When Follins arrived, the first thing he did was move administrative offices to better suit his needs. With Garcia’s positive attitude, wealth of experience and stated eagerness to speak to faculty, we are hoping to see positive changes around Northeast Lakeview. With Garcia taking over, the accreditation issue may finally have a solution. As long as Garcia can avoid any of the violations of the past SACSCOC is looking for, Northeast Lakeview can finally become an accredited college. After the college becomes accredited, Garcia can turn her attention to building industry and workforce development. These classes could be formed to prepare students for jobs available in San Antonio.

@therangerSAC

Garcia also has the opportunity to improve public transportation to Northeast Lakeview. Currently, VIA Metropolitan Transit routes do not reach the campus because it is located in the Live Oak and Converse area. This makes it difficult for some students to attend the college. Surely there is something a dedicated leader can do to fill this void. We would like to see Garcia work with the community and the transportation service to bring transportation to that area. This college has offered shuttle service from time to time when parking situations demanded it. Why not consider a shuttle to bridge the gap in bus service? With Garcia taking over, Northeast Lakeview could have a bright future just over the horizon.

/therangervideo

/readtheranger


News

www.theranger.org/news

Feb. 20, 2017 • 7

Building border pre-dates Trump By Samantha L. Alonso sac-ranger@alamo.edu

U.S. presidents have been trying to reinforce the U.S.-Mexico border for more than a century, criminal justice Professor Marshall B. Lloyd said Feb. 7 at the Methodist Student Center’s Hot Potato lecture. “There’s far more going on than just the president’s executive order and desire to build a wall,” Lloyd said, referring to President Donald J. Trump’s promise to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. “There’s lots of wall policy going back over 100 years in terms of defending the border with Mexico.” President George H.W. Bush proposed putting up a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border, Lloyd said. In 1990, the U.S. constructed a 66-mile fence along the California coast. In 1996, President Bill Clinton approved an additional 14-mile fence near San Diego. Ten years later, the Senate approved the “Secure Fence Act of 2006,” which vowed 700 more miles

of fence. Among the senators who voted for the Secure Fence Act were Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Lloyd said. The responsibility of making sure the fence was built fell on the shoulders of the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, Lloyd said. The secretary of homeland security was able to bypass legislation about environmental concerns. The construction of a fence along the southern border dates back to the 1990s, and by 2008 there were still gaps in the fence close to the southern tip of Texas. With the fence put on the border, another issue arose, Lloyd said. The government has to buy and force the sales of private land to build a fence. The whole property would not be purchased, just a portion of the land needed to put up the fence. Different types of fences such as pedestrian fences and fences that impede vehicles were put up for

different sections of land. M a n y people in the audience had general questions about the Trump administration, but Lloyd tried to keep the subject pertaining to the history behind the wall. Trump’s biggest promise in his candidacy was building the wall along the southern border. It was also one of the biggest controversies. One of the biggest concerns in building the wall is the cost; to build and maintain the wall for 25 years will cost $40 billion, Lloyd said. Trump said Mexico will pay for the cost of the wall, but former Mexican President Vicente Fox says

Me x i c o will not pay for the costs of the wall; after Mexico’s refusal to pay for the wall, Trump came up with the concept of cutting

TITLE IX from Page 1

Julian Castro, former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks at St. Mary’s Feb. 3 during a conference in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Mexico Constitution of 1917. Brianna Rodrigue

Castro, Mexican official ponder joint future By Austin P. Taylor sac-ranger@alamo.edu

As Mexico celebrates a century of modern government, the first few weeks of President Donald J. Trump’s administration have tested Mexico’s relationship with the U.S., said Julian Castro, former San Antonio mayor, Feb. 3 at St. Mary’s University. “Centennial of the Constitution of Mexico Celebratory Conference” was hosted by the university’s school of law. Castro joined visiting professors, Mexico’s former Secretary of Energy and a member of Mexico’s Supreme Court to discuss the political climate between the two countries. “Our countries have maintained close and unbreakable ties,” Castro said. “Over the past couple of weeks, that relationship has reached a crossroads.” He was referring to growing tensions between Trump and President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico. During his first week of office, Trump signed an executive order to move forward with his plan to build a wall at the U.S.Mexican border. He also proposed putting a 20 percent import tax on goods from Mexico. This prompted Nieto to cancel his trip to the White House, according to The New York Times. “As of right now, my hope is that the president (Trump) will surround himself with good people,” said Castro, who served as the secretary of housing under President Barack Obama’s administration. However, he also had some words for the Mexican government. “I believe a sophisticated response from the Mexican government, as well, is important.”

Castro said going forward, the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico would need to be built on a foundation of mutual respect. “This is going to be four years like we haven’t seen in quite some time,” Castro said. Mexico’s former Secretary of Energy, Ernesto Martens Rebolledo, spoke after Castro. He discussed the discourse going on in Mexico. “Nineteen percent of our citizens say we need a new constitution,” he said. “It took us 100 years to come back to where we started.” Rebolledo would later mirror Castro’s opening sentiments: “The best thing we can do is work together to solve the problems of Mexico and the U.S.” Trump has also targeted the North American Free Trade Agreement, promising to dismantle it throughout his campaign. Rebolledo was initially opposed to NAFTA before it was approved in 1994 under the Clinton administration. He said the deal didn’t take the deficits of the involved countries into account, and he believed this would cause the agreement to collapse and harm the nations involved. However, after seeing this deal at work for more than two decades, Rebolledo now believes otherwise. “I believe Mexico has benefited greatly, and so has the U.S.,” Rebolledo said. “While NAFTA has been active, the U.S. has experienced stable economic growth,” he said. However, the nature of free trade has resulted in many jobs going across the border to Mexico. “Our economies are so closely linked together that we couldn’t take them apart,” Rebolledo said.

doing the assignments will be different,” he said. One example he described is a pregnant student enrolled in a kinesiology class would be allowed to do alternate exercises for any difficult to accomplish. If a student misses class or a deadline for assignments, a schedule can be created that gives the student more time to complete the work. “We haven’t had an instance, but if they missed the first day of class, they would be protected,” he said. Colleges in the district have a policy allowing faculty to drop students who miss the first day of class. When students miss so much that they are unable to make up the work, an administrative withdraw can be granted, he said. “It is a protected withdraw and doesn’t count as part of the six-drop rule,” he said. According to the definition of the sixdrop rule posted on this college’s website, a state law passed in 2007 “limits the number of classes students can drop throughout their entire undergraduate career to six.” Since spring 2016, seven students have exercised their Title IX rights because of pregnancy, Martinez said. “Their professor drop-ped them or was

TRANSCRIPTS from Page 1 “When the SACSCOC accreditation team visited, transcripts was one of the things that they looked at closely,” he said. There were six Comprehensive Standards in violation by the Alamo Colleges including handling of transfer credits and calculation of grade-point averages. Students still will be able to order a set of official transcripts through ACES.

foreign aid to Mexico to fund the wall, Lloyd said. “If I was Mexico, I would agree to it and send a letter and send a peso each year,” Lloyd said. “Some Wally Perez object. Some would probably just send a centavo. …we will accept all forms of payments. We do accept dollars.”

going to drop them,” he said. “If the student is already passing, they would receive an incomplete, which gives them more time to complete their work and does not count against their GPA.” Six of students are enrolled in this college. Pregnant students who are dropped and are not allowed accommodation should reach out to the SAC Cares Department in Room 101 of the nursing complex or call 210-486-0926. Martinez said the office can help students understand their options and if they decide to drop a class, guide them through the process. “It’s better to say something than getting all F’s,” he said. The best practice for pregnant students is to communicate with their instructors if they have to miss class or deadlines, Martinez said. “You need to communicate with them (professors),” he said. If students do not feel comfortable speaking with their professor about their physical condition, Martinez said he can serve as a liaison between the student and professor. At SAC Cares, “we are like an advocacy center,” he said.

The first official set of transcripts is free and then students pay $10 each after that. Students can now view and print their unofficial transcripts, in their new format, in ACES. They can do this by clicking on the “Student” tab in web services in ACES then the “Student Records” tab. For questions on how transfer institutions will use the three GPAs, stu-

COACH from Page 1 said he is down and  disappointed about the news. “The rest of the season will be  different,” he said. Martinez was not only his coach but his friend and  role model. Villanueva said he thanks him for everything and wishes him the best. Morris  coached his first game with the Rangers Feb. 8 in Candler Physical Education

dents should contact the offices of admissions and records at those institutions. A spokesperson for the University of the Incarnate Word said that institution requires the cumulative GPA for transfer students. For more information, students may contact this college’s office of admissions and records in Room 216 of Fletcher Administration Center or call 210-212-5266.

Center against the Texas A&M-San Antonio Jaguars. The Rangers won 98-67.   “I told them, ‘Look, guys, you’re going to get a new coach, but he is not accountable for what happened to Coach Martinez — you’ve got to give him a chance,’” Ochoa said. “I understand that you’re upset, but you’ve got to support this new guy. Don’t feel like he’s a bad guy, because he’s not. Give him the respect that he deserves.”


News

8 • Feb. 20, 2017

www.theranger.org/news

Safe learning

Director explains how this college handles domestic violence. By Sasha D. Robinson sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Jacob-Aidan Martinez, director of student conduct and Title IX, said if a student brings an allegation of domestic violence from another student, the school will investigate immediately. Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. Kellee Clark, 37, of Raleigh, N.C., was married six years to a man who was abusive. In a phone interview Feb. 6, Clark talked about what she went through in her marriage. “The abuse was more biblical than verbal,” Clark said. “He would use the Bible to his benefit, instead of what the word said.” Clark said when she got out of surgery, he would tell her a woman’s duty was to give him sex when he wanted it. “That’s not what the Bible said, and it was not going to happen,” Clark said. Clark said there was no peace when she got home and felt she had to walk on eggshells to avoid an argument. “I understand that people get mad, but when tempers get raised, objects get thrown and broken, it

has gone too far,” she said. “Your house is supposed to be your sanctuary; it felt like there was no respect for me.” The student conduct and Title IX office promotes the SAC Cares Initiative. SAC Cares includes student incidents such as student misconduct, Title IX, student petitions and student nonacademic complaints. The mission statement for student conduct and Title IX is to empower this college’s diverse student population to continually view proper conduct as a wise undertaking as well as an integral part of personal development and academic success. According to www.justice.gov, Title IX is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. The principal objective of Title IX is to avoid the use of federal money to support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individual citizens effective protection against those practices. The student conduct office

Watch for these signs According to www.webmd.com, there are several signs or characteristics that could lead to domestic violence. Keep watch for indications that your significant other:

• Controls what you do, who you see, talk to or where you go. • Stops you from seeing your friends or family members.

Wall y Per ez

College defends against domestic violence

does preventive programs every month to bring awareness to be proactive, and not reactive. The office will act as a liaison between the students and teachers. They will talk to the teachers to set up a new schedule, extend deadlines, or create independent study. Martinez said the first thing they will do is ask students if they want to see a counselor. The second step depends on if the accused is a student, and how serious the accusation is. There can be a no-contact order, and if the student is in the same class as the accused, then they can be removed. If it is determined that it is serious, the accused will be placed on an interim suspension that will continue until the investigation concludes.

• Takes your money or paycheck, makes you ask for money or refuses to give you money. • Makes all of the decisions. • Threatens to kill himself or herself. • Acts like the abuse is no big deal or your fault. • Intimidates you with guns, knives or other weapons. • Shoves, slaps, chokes or hits you. • Threatens to kill you.

The forms of domestic violence are physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, electronic and stalking. Electronic domestic violence is repeated texting and/ or calling, posting sexual pictures of a partner online, and posting lies about a partner online. “If you are cyber bullying or make a threat, then we can investigate,” Martinez said. “If someone reports that you are harassing them via social media, we will investigate, and if it can be determined that it is you, no matter if it is social media or in person, it is harassment.” It is tough when the one who is abusing is not a student; the office can’t investigate. They do ask the victim to file a police report and encourage the student to press charges. Men can be victims of domestic violence and should not be ashamed of coming to the office if they need help. “We take it very seriously regardless of who you are or what you identify with. Abuse is abuse,” Martinez said. According to healthlibrary. epnet, “Battered Men: The Painful Truth” by Robert Bittner and Dr. R.L McNeely, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, society’s

Where to get help If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, call one of these area agencies.

• Battered Women’s Shelter of Bexar County 210-733-8810 • Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter 830-372-5971; 800-834-5970 • Crisis Center of Comal County 830-620-4357; 800-434-8013

long-standing belief is that men are typically stronger than women. According to McNeely, a woman lashes out for the same reasons men do. If you see someone getting abused on campus, do not try to be a hero. “You do not know what the other individual is capable of,” Martinez said. “They may have a gun, knife or some sort of weapon, and if you intervene, you may be the one dead.” Call the campus emergency line at 210-485-0911; keep an eye on the incident so you do not lose sight until the police arrive. Making a false allegation of domestic violence just to get a student in trouble is against the law. “You put the accused in a position, waste the office’s time and resources, and take away from someone who really needs help,” Martinez said. “If someone asks you out one time, it is not considered harassment. If you ask someone out multiple times and they say no plus you are making them feel uncomfortable, then it is harassment.” The statistics from 2013-2015 show this college had one incident of domestic violence on campus in 2014 and one of dating violence in 2015. The student conduct and Title IX office is temporarily in Room 101 of the nursing complex. The office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 210-486-0926 or send an email to sac-cares@alamo.edu.

• SAPD Victims Advocacy Services 210-207-2141 • Family Justice Center and Family Violence Prevention Services 210-930-3669 • The local United Way 211 • Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Hotline 800-252-5400 In an emergency, call the police, EMS or fire services at 911.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.