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Volume 90 Issue 2 • Sept. 21, 2015
Diane Snyder, vice chancellor of finance and administration, said the approval of Playland Park at the new district services and operations office depended on the validation of the citizens advisory committee at the regular board meeting Tuesday. Katherine Garcia
Committee approves Playland Park for headquarters By Cynthia M. Herrera
cherrera151@student.alamo.edu
According to SACSCOC’s website, it typically takes four years for an institution to be accredited by its association. Items missing from the application are what usually keep institutions from being accredited within that timeframe, SACSCOC
The board of trustees approved the citizensadvisory committee recommendation to build a district support operations building at Playland Park, 2222. N. Alamo St., during a regular board meeting Tuesday. The 14-member advisory board was created May 15 to verify the need for the building and validate or recommend modifications of a building to the board. During a special board meeting July 21, $55 million in funding was approved for the building. According to a presentation July 21, one student, faculty and staff member will join the advisory board, but Gloria Ray, chair of the citizens advisory board, said they would join during the design phase of the building. Ray is a retired senior official of Kelly Air Force Base. Even though the advisory board recommended a student and faculty member be a part of the committee, Anna Bustamante, District 3 trustee and chair, said it should have been done from the beginning. Bustamante said. “I really do think we need to do that. It should have been done initially because that’s what I assumed was going to happen with those members at-large that we were going to choose.” Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said during Tuesday’s meeting that in 10 years, $802 million in bonds has been spent to build or renovate facilities; district facilities have used $2.4 million. “During that time on the DSO facilities that house about 465 employees, we’ve had only 0.3 percent,” Snyder said. “So that’s what really this was the emphasis for, the needs that we had. Environmental issues, concerns for employee safety, the aging conditions of the buildings, to avoid continued throwing money at some of these facilities, the overcrowding and having our DSO employees so distributed that it affects the productivity,” she said. Support operations are in three buildings at two sites. Some of the buildings are portables. According to a Tuesday presentation by John Strybos, associate vice chancellor of facilities operation and construction management, employees at the Houston Street portable have seen homicides, prostitution, drug sales, public indecency and panhandling, including cases of panhandlers attempting to get in employee cars with them. Some employees have reported being bitten by roaches and rodents, and others have witnessed individuals urinating on their office windows. Ray spoke on Tuesday on behalf of the advisory members. “After looking very closely at the conditions of the current district support operations, we came together and unanimously decided there was no other action to be taken besides moving forward with a new upgraded district support operations building,” Ray said.
See ACCREDITATION, Page 3
See PLAYLAND, Page 3
STEMulate Pre-nursing freshman Claire Amaya holds a human brain while Dr. Gail Taylor, associate director of STEM initiatives at the University of Texas at San Antonio, tells Amaya where to stand for a photograph during the STEMulate science showcase Sept. 16 in the mall. Amaya said the brain, which has been preserved for 40 years, was heavier than she thought it would be. Read the story online at theranger.org. Daniel Carde
Higher tax roll increases tax revenue District expects flat tax rate to yield an additional $4.5 million. By Cynthia M. Herrera
cherrera151@student.alamo.edu
Despite a flat tax rate, the Alamo Colleges will receive increased revenue for 2015-16 because of an increase in the Bexar County property tax roll. Trustees approved a 9.03 percent tax revenue increase for the 2015-16 fiscal year during Tuesday’s regular board meeting in Killen Center. According to the minute order, residents with homes valued at $100,000 are expected to pay a $7.72 increase on the maintenance and operations taxes, a 7.92 percent increase. The combined effective tax rate on the same property would increase by $12.36, or 9.03 percent.
For the flat rate, there is a reduction in the current maintenance and operations tax rate to below the rollback level and reallocating $0.0011 per $100 valuation from the maintenance and operations rate to the debt rate, leaving a combined rate of $0.149150 per $100 valuation for the fiscal year 2015-16, the same level as the 2014-15 fiscal year. The maintenance and operations tax for a $100,000 home is $105.30. The debt tax is $43.85 and the combined rate is $149.15. This year’s effective tax rate is $0.136793 per $100 valuation, and last year’s rate was $0.143874 per $100 valuation. The maintenance and operations tax rate is $0.105300 and last year’s rate was $0.103400.
Last year’s debt taxes were $44,460,365 with a rate of $0.042750 per $100 valuation. This year’s projected debt tax is $51,518,523 with a rate of 0.043850 per $100 valuation. Tracey Sulak Bedwell, treasurer for Alamo Colleges, said Aug. 11 that the average homeowner paid $233.37 in taxes for the Alamo Colleges during the 2014 tax year. Property values were higher in 2015. Sulak Bedwell said the property tax rate would stay at the same rate for 2016 as it was in 2015. The Alamo Colleges held public hearings Sept. 1 and Sept. 8, but no one from the public attended. The board also provided 10 minutes, after the hearings started, to wait in case community members showed up late to speak.
NLC achieves accreditation milestone visit Vice president says uncertainty over audits and majors caused the delay. By Kyle R. Cotton
kcotton11@student.alamo.edu
In April 2005, Dr. Eric Reno, retired Northeast Lakeview College president, told the San Antonio Express-News the process for the college to achieve accreditation would take two years. A decade later, Northeast Lakeview is still applying to become an accredited college. Northeast Lakeview will receive its first on-site visit Feb. 22-25 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the accreditation agency for the Southeastern U.S. Northeast Lakeview became its own campus in 2005 at
8300 Pat Booker Road where the Alamo Colleges’ University Center sits now. In 2007, the college moved to its current campus at 1604 Kitty Hawk Road. President Craig Follins described the visit as a big step. “Since we’ve started the process of accreditation, we’ve never gotten to the on-site visit portion of the process,” Follins said. “It’s a bit of a milestone for us.” Follins said if the visit goes well, the college should be elevated to candidacy in June at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission’s biannual committee meeting, and he would expect a decision on the
Dr. Craig Follins, president of Northeast Lakeview College, stands in front of the NLC library on the campus green in March 2014. File college’s accreditation in 2017, a full decade after the college started operating on its own campus. Until Northeast Lakeview is accredited, the majority of the courses taught there are offered through San Antonio College and overseen by this college’s department chairs.
SAConnected
2 • Sept. 21, 2015
www.theranger.org/calendar
Sing it! Music business sophomore Justine Villarreal sings a cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” Sept. 14 during the first karaoke session of the semester sponsored by student life in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. The next karaoke event will be 11 a.m.1 p.m. Oct. 5 with free popcorn provided by student life. E. David Guel
Let’s talk Above: Richard Farias, interim dean of student success, facilitates a small table discussion at the Student Dialogue and Listening Forum Sept. 16 in the nursing complex. Read “Search for student success vice president continues” online. Danielle Kelly
Hispanic Heritage Left: Los Callejeros de San Anto performs “Mi Tesoro,” “Las
today tues Golf: 11th annual Buddy Meyer Golf Tournament first-round 8-11:30 a.m. and second-round 1-6 p.m. at the Quarry Golf Club. Free. Call 210-431-4244. SAC Event: Transfer and career center open house 9-11 a.m. first floor of Moody. Call 210-486-1500. SAC Event: Scholastic Book Fair 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in mall. Continues Tuesday and Wednesday. Call 210-486-0128. PAC Event: UTSA recruiters 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Room 101 of student center. Call 210486-3131. Event: “Fight Culture Shock Day” 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Trinity University Coates University Center. Visit isss@ trinity.edu.
SAC Meeting: Student orientation Flex 2 7:30 a.m. in Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0134. SPC Event: Straight from the Taco Truck 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at MLK Campus. Call 210-4862100. PAC Event: National Voters Registration Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in central courtyard. Call 210-486-3125. PAC Event: OLLU recruiters 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Room 101 of student center. Call 210-4863131. SAC Event: National Voters Registration Day 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in mall. Call 210-4860125.
SAC Event: Transfer fair Texas A&M University noon-4 p.m. first floor of Loftin. Call 210-486-1500.
SAC Event: NASA One-Stop Shopping Initiative with guest speaker Engie Merino in Room 204A of Chance 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Call 210-486-1825
SAC Meeting: Student Government Association noon1 p.m. in craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0134.
Soccer: Trinity vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor 7-9 p.m. Bell Center, 1 Trinity Place. Call 210-999-8222.
PAC Event: Safety Week 10-11 a.m. in Room 112 of San Marcos and 1-2 p.m. in Room 109 of Pedernales. Call 210-486-3882. Event: St. Mary’s University International Prayer For Peace 5 p.m. auxiliary gym to Barrett Memorial Bell Tower. Call 210436-3213.
Noches Sin Ti” and “Tragos de Amargo Licor” at the opening ceremony for Hispanic Heritage Month. Accordion player Alvaro Del Norte recalled immigration agents knocking on his front door looking for his parents. The band played “Mojado Acaudaldo” after briefly talking about Republican candidate Donald Trump’s comments about Mexican-Americans and U.S immigration policy. Alyssa Zapata
wed
thur
PAC Event: Mexico exhibit 8 a.m. Ozuna Library. Call 210486-3901.
PAC Event: Texas A&M University-San Antonio recruiters 9 a.m.-noon in Room 101 of student center. Call 210486-3131.
PAC Event: Recruiters for Texans for Gregg Abbott internship opportunity 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Room 101 of the student center. Free. Call 210-486-3131. SAC Event: Immigration Policy in the U.S. by Celina Moreno, MALDEF staff attorney, 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. in Room 218 of NAHC. Call 210486-0681. SAC Event: Mass, confession and adoration 11 a.m. in Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-473-7049 NLC Event: College résumé workshop 2-3:30 p.m. Room 220 of student commons. Call 210-486-5487.
SAC Meeting: Club Council 2-4 p.m. in craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0134. SAC Event: Flag Football 3:30-7 p.m. at Olmos Basin Park. Call 210-486-0129. Tennis: Trinity vs. UTSA/ITA singles and doubles Southwest Regional Championships 4 p.m. Free. Continues through Sunday. Call 210-999-8222. Lecture: Renowned primatologist and ethologist Jane Goodall 7:30-9 p.m. Only 500 seats available in Stieren Theater of Trinity University. Call 210-999-8947.
fri
sat
SAC Event: 3-on-3 volleyball mini tournaments noon in Candler Gym. $5 per person per tournament. Deadline to sign up Sept. 23. Call 210486-0125.
Event: Trinity In Focus open house 7 a.m.-4 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium of Trinity. Free. Call 210-999-8947.
PAC Event: Extramural women’s volleyball tryouts 4-8 p.m. in campus recreation. Call 210486-3805. Soccer: Trinity men’s and women’s vs. Centenary College of Louisiana 6-10 p.m. at Bell Center 1 Trinity Place. Free. Call 210-999-8222. Concert: Organist Christopher Jacobson 7:30-9 p.m. at Parker Chapel Trinity University. Free. Call 210-999-8947. SAC Event: Film “Jurassic World” 8:30 p.m. in mall. Call 210-486-0126.
SAC Event: Foosball 2:30-4 p.m. in craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0134.
mon
Event: St. Mary’s open house 9 a.m.-noon at University Center. Free. Call 210-436-3126. Event: History Day fall workshop 9 a.m.-noon at Main Campus of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Call 210-784-1000. Volleyball: Trinity vs. SCAC 10:30 a.m. at Bell Center, 1 Trinity Place. Free. Call 210999-8222 Event: Tortilla Making. Bring a rolling pin. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Great Northwest Library 9050 Wellwood. Call 210-207-9210.
sun
PAC Event: Generation FCU: Know Your Bank 11 a.m.-noon in Room 130 of student center. Call 210-486-3882. SAC Event: Live Music Series 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0128. SAC Meeting: Student Government Association at noon in craft room of Loftin. Call 210-486-0125. Event: Teens celebrate Hispanic Heritage arts and crafts 6:30-8 p.m. Great Northwest Library, 9050 Wellwood. Call 210-207-9210.
Volleyball: Trinity vs. SCAC at 10 a.m. Bell Center, 1 Trinity Place. Free. Call 210-9998222.
SAC Meeting: Student Activity Fee Committee 3 p.m. in president’s large conference room. Call 210-486-0125.
Event: Síclovía 8 a.m. 300 Alamo Plaza. Registration 6-7:45 a.m. $35 race day for ages 15 and older. $10 for ages 14 and younger. Email jose@iaapweb.com.
PAC Event: Family Lego night 5-7 p.m. first floor of Ozuna Library. Call 210-486-3570.
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For coverage in SAConnected, call 210-486-1773 or e-mail sac-ranger@alamo.edu two weeks in advance. Illustrations by Alexandra Nelipa
Visit theranger.org for more upcoming events.
News
www.theranger.org/news
Sept. 21, 2015 • 3
New advising system to provide students with individualized attention This college offers five of six institutes. By Melissa Luna
mluna132@student.alamo.edu
Starting this semester, students at this college will be assigned a professional adviser and a faculty adviser according to majors, Joan Tsacalis, director of advising, said in a phone interview Aug. 31. Professional advisers are divided by institutes, which are grouped by career path-
ways of similar academic programs, she said. Faculty advisers include department chairs and fulltime faculty. The institutes specified by the district are business and entrepreneurship, public service, creative communications and art, health and biosciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, and science and technology. This college will not offer an institute in advanced man-
ufacturing and logistics. “We created this system to help identify clear pathways for students more quickly, whether that’d be toward graduation, transferring or changing majors,” Tsacalis said. Tsacalis was director of freshman advising for the University of Texas at San Antonio for almost 14 years, where she was able to execute the same system. “At UTSA, it helped the new students get on the right path,
Student Government Association elects Williams president The next Student Dialogue and Listening Forum will be Oct. 21 at St. Philip’s College. By Alyssa Zapata azapata84@student.alamo.edu
the voice between administration and students,” Williams Psychology sophomore Harley said. Williams was elected Student SGA meets with all Alamo Government Association presiColleges, President Robert Vela dent for the 2015-16 school year. and the surrounding colleges and Williams first noticed SGA at a universities to discuss issues on Pizza with the President event and campus and then presents the became interested in the associatopics at SGA meetings the first tion. three Mondays of each month. “I was a new student, and I In the Aug. 31 meeting, memhad to do a late start, and bers and students disit was scary and confuscussed student resourcing,” Williams said. “I got es and communication out of class one day and between students and SGA was having pizza their professors. with the college presiSGA had a closed dent. meeting Sept. 11 to “I thought it was cool discuss questions Williams to be able to see who and concerns for a my president was, and it Student Dialogue with broke the shell for me and I knew Chancellor Bruce Leslie Sept. 16 SAC was a good place for me.” at this college. Williams became an SGA The Student Dialogue is an member and then served as vice open forum where students can president for the 2014-15 school ask questions of the chancelyear. lor 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 21 in Now as president, Williams the Heritage Room at St. Philip’s oversees officers in student govCollege. ernment and delegates responsiThe next SGA meeting will be bilities to each member. noon-1 p.m. today in the Craft “Student government serves Room of Loftin Student Center. as a student voice since we are For more information, call elected by the students. We are 210-486-0125.
and I can see it working for this campus the same way,” she said. Students should form a positive relationship with their academic adviser, but students can’t get that by seeing a different adviser every time, she said. Currently, students are seen by advisers on a walk-in basis, limited to who is available rather than who they wish to see. During the application process, first-time-in-college
students selected an institute and were assigned a professional adviser and a faculty adviser through ACES. Students enrolled prior to this semester also will get assigned advisers. “Our goal is for every student to have an adviser by the end of the fall,” she said. Twenty-two advisers have been cross-trained in all majors within each institute in the event a student decides to change majors.
ACCREDITATION from Page 1
gram level, which led to the disspokesperson Pamela Cravey said trictwide discussion of majors Monday in a telephone interview. that ended up with the majors Dr. Debbie Hamilton, vice removed from the other Alamo president of student success at College campuses in favor of conNortheast Lakeview, said the centrations and advising guides college made that went into two previous effect in April Read “College applications for 2014. leadership, faculty accreditation in Hamilton prepare for 2007 and 2011. said Follins, reaccreditation visit” Hamilton who became at theranger.org said, with the president in initial 2007 March 2014, application for accreditation, the pulled back the initial third appligeneral accounting principles cation for accreditation so that SACSCOC requires had changed they could “make it a little bit for Alamo Colleges. more robust.” Previously, while the district Officials included programmaintained individual accredi- learning outcomes for degrees: tation for each of the colleges, an associate of arts in teaching, it reported a combined audit an associate of arts, and an assoto the Texas Higher Education ciate of applied science. Coordinating Board and SACSCOC, They did this by taking existing said Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chan- documentation of learning outcellor of planning, performance comes of the individual courses at and information systems. the student level and examining Cleary said the change in the direct and indirect effect on SACSCOC accounting principles the program from those courses, for audits cost the district a year particularly with the six general trying to readjust the report. educational competencies listed “There was no way they were by the state, Hamilton said. going to be accredited,” Cleary The six general educational said, referring to 2007. competencies are the basic skills Cleary said that since the students must demonstrate college had just moved into the before they graduate. The comnew campus, officials didn’t have petencies are critical thinking, all the items in place to achieve effective communication, teamaccreditation. work, quantitative skills, personIn the 2011 process, Hamilton al and shared responsibility. said Northeast Lakeview was “Our faculty did a lot of work asked to provide more informaaround that, and we submitted that tion about the majors it provides application,” Hamilton said. “We and program outcomes. feel that pulling back and making She said the college had not it more robust was the piece that gathered that data at the prohelped us get the site visit.”
Boy meets girl in bar; passion, playwriting result Alamo Colleges couple share their co-penned production about love and music in a neighborhood icehouse for Hispanic Heritage Month. By Gabriela Rodriguez sac-ranger@alamo.edu
A married couple who work at this college and Northwest Vista co-wrote a play about romance, jukebox music and San Antonio’s favorite hangouts for Hispanic Heritage Month. “La Luz De San Anto” is 1-2 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Fiesta Room of Loftin Student Center. Admission is free, and a Q&A follows the play. Counseling coordinator David Rodriguez and his wife, Mellissa Marlowe, drama coordinator at Northwest Vista College, have been married 22 years. They met at a North St. Mary’s Street bar called Wacky’s — now the Limelight — when she was done with play rehearsals and he was performing in a band. Two decades later, they spent a weekend writing “La Luz,” their first collaboration. Rodriguez described the creative process as handy and harmonious.
“It was convenient ... to work with each other, sometimes working at 2 a.m. on it or sharing ideas,” Rodriguez said. She handled the script; he focused on music. “We have a good working relationship, and it was a new experience,” he said. Since then, every performance is a chance to improve it, Rodriguez said. The play was at Northwest Vista Sept. 16. Rodriguez, a musician for 25 years, plays guitar and sings in a local rock band. The band conceived the idea for “La Luz.” “We were trying to figure out a way to make our shows more interactive with the audience,” he said. The idea came from the audience requesting songs the band did not know. They decided to write their repertoire on a chalkboard onstage. The audience go up and pick one and they play it, much like a jukebox. “La Luz” examines the relationship of a
San Antonio-born man with Mexican-American heritage and a white American woman. It is set in present-day San Antonio in an icehouse, which hearkens back to the days when they were a big part of a community and where people interacted every day, Rodriguez said. A band will perform on stage, representing a jukebox, while three actors portray the story. The play explores a music known as the “San Antonio Sound,” Rodriguez said. The genre fused German, Mexican, blues, country and rock. This happened thanks to the icehouse era’s jukebox music, Rodriguez said. The play recognizes San Antonio history and how its diversity has shaped lives. It explores gender, cultural and racial issues between men and women that continue to this day. The city of San Antonio department of culture and creative development funded the play, Rodriguez said. Hispanic Heritage Month is “culturally enriching,” Rodriguez said.
Once all students are assigned, more advisers will be hired according to what the budget will allow, Tsacalis said. For more information on the college institutes, visit www.alamo.edu. The office of advising and counseling services is on the first floor of Moody Learning Center and is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday. Call advising services at 210-486-0334.
PLAYLAND from Page 1 She said the Alamo Colleges had built up the community with its ambitions. “Alamo Colleges is very ambitious ... We have children being born every day. Not everybody can afford to go to a fouryear college. Not everybody can afford to get an education like those born with a silver spoon. Alamo Colleges has been very successful in the building up of this community. We must think of the future not just today. We decided, unanimously, that Playland Park would be the best opportunity for Alamo Colleges and the citizens of San Antonio and the students of tomorrow,” she said. Potential plans for the building consisted of rebuilding at Sheridan or new construction at the Playland Park site. The total cost to build at Sheridan would have been an estimated $53,249,476 and Playland an estimated $59,646,815. The estimate includes a four-story building at $44,091,976; demolition, $456,000; physical plant, $3,358,000; a conference center priced at $4,558,000; and moving costs of $3.5 million. According to Tuesday’s slideshow, money spent on maintenance and facilities for 2015-16 would have been $14.6 million; however, building at Playland for an additional $26,249,476 allows the Alamo Colleges to invest in a new building and save that money over the course of several years for maintaining all existing property. Sheridan would have been an additional $25,746,815, or $500,000 or 1.95 percent less than Playland. The Playland facility will total 270,000 square feet. Solar panels, rainwater harvesting, SAWS recycled water and thermal energy storage are potential energy saving options. Building at Sheridan would have limited possibilities for energy conservation because of the amount of space, according to the presentation. Strybos said rebuilding at Sheridan would enhance the community. It would also blend in with the revitalization along San Pedro Creek, which flows two blocks from Sheridan and is being redeveloped by the city of San Antonio. A new H-E-B grocery store is being built and the grocery chain headquarters is being expanded. The advisory board said the downfall for building at Sheridan would be the reactions of surrounding neighborhoods and possible attempts to stop construction. The 3.5 acres was also a problem because it sets a limit to future growth. Benefits for building at Playland included potential to grow in the future on the 12.6-acre plot and more flexibility in design. Strybos also noted property and expected sale prices: $9.6 million for the Pat Booker Road building, $2.7 million for the Houston Street property and $3.6 million for the Sheridan Street property. Playland Park would have been offered at $12 million. Total sales from existing properties for building at Playland are estimated at $15.9 million and $24.3 million had Sheridan been selected.
4 • Sept. 21, 2015
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Editor Cynthia M. Herrera
Managing Editor Melissa Luna Assistant Managing Editor – News Kyle R. Cotton Assistant Managing Editor – Features Richard Montemayor Calendar Editor Alyssa Zapata Staff Writers Cassi Armstrong, Matthew Cuevas, Alejandro Diaz, Ryan A. Flournoy, V.G. Garlisi, April Dawn Genao, Giselle Guadron, Marco Horta, Ty-Eshia Johnson, Robert Limon, Tress-Marie Landa, Roberto Martinez, Georgina Navarro, Hannah Norman, Courtney R. Kaiser, Wally Perez, Maritza Ramirez, Evelyn Reyes, Gabriela Rodriguez, Kyle Sanders, Jordan C. Williams Photographers Daniel Carde, E. David Guel Photo Team Katelynn Alexa, Tiffany Anne Bermea, April Dawn Genao, Danielle Kelley, L. Hillary Melton, Derrick Patron, Hillary E. Ratcliff Illustrators Estefania B. Alonso, Alexandra Nelipa, Juan Carlos Campos Production Manager Katherine Garcia Copy Editor Carlos Ferrand Distribution Manager Shelly Delgado ©2015 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 journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger. org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), 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, Department of Media Communications, 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.
Juan Carlos Campos
Student trustee turns employee Questions are left unanswered about hiring Jacob Wong because HR staff is too busy to “answer questions.” Public junior colleges may not employ or contract with former board members, yet the board has chosen to hire Jacob Wong in the human resources department. Wong is a former student trustee, who according to Board Policy for
Student trustee B. 11.1, is “to be held to the same standards of performances, behavior and accountability of an elected trustee.” How can we hire someone who was treated as an elected trustee? The position Wong was hired for requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Wong will attend Texas A&M
VIEWPOINT
European refugee crisis ignores U.S. problems Across the world people have seen one powerful image that has sent an outcry of support for refugees trying to escape the Syrian civil war by fleeing to Europe. The image is that of a little Viewpoint boy who drowned as his family by Kyle R. tried to seek a better life. Cotton His body lay lifeless along the Turkish shore, and then kcotton11@ student.alamo.edu motionless as a police officer carried what has now become a symbol for Europe’s refugee crisis. Yet it is what isn’t seen and what isn’t said that is the problem. It shouldn’t have taken the image of this little boy to create international sympathy for the struggle of refugees. The fact that these people are crossing on foot the most dangerous region in the world in the Middle East should have been enough to inspire support for them. The fact they are willing to cross the sea on whatever random raft they can find to get to Europe should have generated support. However, in this situation, the Syrians are lucky to even have this moment frozen in time to inspire action. They are lucky the current of ocean carried that child to that shore. For those who are unaware, the U.S. has had a similar problem for years. That problem is Central America, a region that
has been unstable because of U.S. intervention dating back to the mid-1800s. Panama only exists as a country thanks to American interest in creating the Panama Canal. For years, the U.S. hasn’t had a relationship with Venezuela because the Venezuelans opted for the late President Hugo Chavez, a vocal critic of U.S. policy, and his plan for nationalizing the OPEC nation’s oil industry. Unlike Syria, we don’t have a miracle current to send a message to the world in Central America. In October 2014, an article by The New York Times said more than 68,000 children from Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala cross the desert and mountains of Mexico to make it to the U.S. Unlike Syria, you don’t get to see the children who didn’t make it, you don’t get to see these children being exploited or dying alone on a thousand-mile journey for a better life. Presidential candidate Donald Trump rants and raves about building a wall along the Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. Given what has happened to these European immigrants, it is shocking that the U.S. still has a cap on the number of immigrants who can enter this country each year. It’s the same cap that caused the S.S. St. Louis to be refused entry to port from Germany despite its Jewish passengers trying to escape Nazi Germany. It’s time to fix the system, not build a wall and ignore the humanity lost.
University-San Antonio to pursue a bachelor’s degree, so his experience as a manager since he was 15 years old is what qualified him for the current HR position. Who decides what experience should be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree? This is another question left unanswered because Linda Boyer-Owens, associate vice chancellor of human resources, said employees could not “stop all day long to answer questions.”
online Chancellor’s forum draws complaints on ACES, enrolling
‘Fearless Learning’ aims to improve information literacy
Ebook trial under evaluation
Students asked to mentor eighth graders MEN becomes a door to success for minority males
correction On Page 3 of the Sept. 14 issue, a headline incorrectly identified the Texas Education Code as TEA.