The Renegade Rip Vol. 82 No. 9

The Renegade Rip Bakersfield College

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Vol. 82 ∙ No. 9

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Triathlon demanding for athletes

BC food pantry still a helpful asset to BC

By James Licea Reporter

GREGORY D. COOK / The Rip

Participants of the 30th annual Bakersfield Triathlon enter Lake Ming at the start of the event Sept. 18. The race includes swimming, cycling and running stages.

By Zak Cowan Reporter

Gregory D. Cook / The Rip

Bakersfield College professor Kristopher Stallworth rides in the Bakersfield Triathlon at Lake Ming on Sept. 18.

Participants from different backgrounds, and with different goals, came to Lake Ming on Sept. 18 to take part in the Bakersfield Triathlon, which has been held for 30 years.

Aaron Meyer finished third overall in the individual sprint.

“I feel awesome about how

I performed,” he said. “It was tough out there, but I never stopped pushing myself, and my results show it.”

Meyer said that this was one of his better performances he has had and that he is proud of himself and the other people who participated.

“You know, there are some people that come to these to compete,” said Meyer. “But

the majority come out here for themselves, to push themselves, and that’s what these events are all about.”

Marc Rinzler was the winner of the individual sprint and will compete in the Pumpkinman Triathlon in Las Vegas next month.

“This was a training race for me,” said Rinzler. “I’ve been Please see TRIATHLON, Page 4

Nathan Wilson / The Rip

People join hands and form a circle for the harvest ritual Sept. 18. The circle was led by Kern County Pagan Pride board member, Jennifer Williams.

Festival promotes pagan pride

By Brian N. Willhite Editor in Chief

The Kern County Pagan Pride organization held their second Pagan Pride Harvest Festival Sept. 18 at Shriner’s Noble Park. The festival is done in conjunction with other similar events hosted around the country in an effort to promote awareness and pride in the pagan identity through education, activism, charity and community spirit. The event included live performances, educational workshops and a food drive.

On the sunny afternoon in Noble Park’s tree shaded courtyard, pagans of all practices gathered to celebrate and join in unity to give thanks for the many good things in their lives and to help promote that goodwill in their community.

The free open-to-the-public event featured vendors selling arts and crafts along with booths and classes that provided information to the public about the pagan community.

One of the purposes of Pagan Pride, according to KCPP board member Jennifer Williams, is to embrace the public and identify themselves, as well as to reach out to other pagans and let them know they have a growing community in Bakersfield that they can come and be a part of.

KCPP is “to help pagans find other pa-

gans. Because it’s not like you can flip open a phone book and go ‘Oh look, there’s a pagan church. I can go meet a congregation and fit in.’

“And also to help non-pagans learn about paganism, not in an effort to convert, but to dispel any fears or prejudices or misconceptions so they can go, ‘Oh, look at the friendly environment. I can learn about things,’ as opposed to ‘Ah! They’re cult members and they’re going to kill me,’ which, you know, is bogus,” said Williams as she laughed at the idea of such stereotypes.

Williams described how her and other pagan practitioners wanted to create a group for other pagans in Bakersfield so that they would be able to meet up in fellowship and create a support network because there are some negative stereotypes that can affect them and cause social problems, like their beliefs leading to an individual losing a job.

Williams also explained that some practicing pagans still live in secret for fear of what others may think or do as a result of them “coming out,” which is why a lot of their focus for Pagan Pride is to educate the public about who they are and what they’re like.

Late in the afternoon, members of KCPP and other guests attending the festival, including young children with painted faces and costumed dress, gath-

ered to hold hands in a circle and performed a “harvest ritual.”

The ritual was led by Williams and open to anyone that wanted to participate, regardless of beliefs and practices.

A KCPP board member, who went by the name Solstice, described the ritual as an “eclectic” circle designed to encompass all the different practices of paganism so that all could participate and feel comfortable. The circle’s purpose is to raise the energy of the group and the focus of the participants in a unified gesture to give thanks for what they have and to share that energy with others.

Solstice talked about the feelings that went into planning the event and the goals they wanted to reach through the festival.

“We all discussed it, and there’s been a lot of tough times with the economy and things and kind of focusing on the negative things that are happening. So we really wanted this to be a ‘let’s think about the positive things that are happening to you. Let’s be thankful for everything that we do have, and let’s all take that energy and send that out into the world so that it can grow and prosper and bring everybody else some good energy,’ ” she said before giving an example of how a circle ritual functions. “For a frame of reference, just like when people go to a church and they all pray together, that (prayer)

Carissa Edwards / The Rip

Missy Denny makes earrings for her booth at the Pagan Pride Festival on Sept. 18. is a lot stronger than one person praying by themselves because you have so many people doing it together and lending all that energy. Circle casting works the same way. You bring everyone together for a common cause to send more energy out into the world to do good,” she said.

Another purpose for the festival is to gather donations for their food drive.

According to Williams, the organization that KCPP chose to distribute the food is Caravan for Compassion; a ChrisPlease see PAGAN, Page 4

The Student Government Association began operations with the Renegade Pantry on Jan 28.

Since the opening, adjustments have been made to improve the program.

Cardiel Wafford, a married Bakersfield College student with one child, feels that the program is wonderful and said that it helps his family out a lot. Sept.

16 was his third time picking up food from the pantry.

Joyce Coleman, dean of students at BC, said that more students signed up than were expected.

“Typically, we find more students signing up near the end of the month and near the end of the semester,” she said.

The number of sign-ups for the program is greater than the actual amount of people picking up food products. During the last distribution date, 105 adults signed up for the program and a total of 61 came to pick up food items. The amount of children that were signed up for the program is 181, and 103 children were served.

In Delano, the amounts of people that have signed up were eight adults and 16 children.

There are only two things one needs to use the program – to be a student and to sign up for the distribution. No students will be turned away. Applications can be picked up at Campus Center 4.

Last semester the program was started by SGA after a general consensus that an attempt should be made to make it a little easier for students to get by, according to Coleman.

Chris Ballard and Sean Newsom, both of whom are no longer part of SGA, originally coordinated the Renegade Pantry. Ballard resigned and Newsom transferred to UC Berkeley.

The new Renegade Pantry coordinator, Michael Williams, has been taking care of most of the responsibilities in the program.

Coleman appointed Williams the first week of the semester.

“It’s a great job to have, and the responsibilities should be no problem,” he said. Williams is in charge of ordering food products, distribution and marketing, as well as serving the Delano campus.

According to Williams, all the goals that were set forth in this project have been accomplished.

He explained that everything so far has been going very smoothly without any complications.

“Everybody worked as a team,” said Coleman about the challenges of the program.

Each member of SGA spends three hours a week contributing to the program, along with senators who spend one hour a week volunteering.

The menu of the Food Pantry has been changed slightly to make things more efficient.

Menu items have been divided into two categories: A and B. Menu A is a vegetarian menu, and B has various meat products as well as some vegetarian items.

This was done in an attempt to make it more convenient, according to Williams.

Frozen food items are now available sometimes because of the new freezer, along with hyPlease see PANTRY, Page 4

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BC teachers showcase art in L.A.

By Breanna Gray Reporter

Deedee Soto / The Rip

Sara Kono studies Trucks by Claire Putney at a showing at the LA Artcore Brewery Annex on Sept. 19.

Bakersfield College faculty has been given an immense opportunity to show their artwork in Los Angeles as part of an art exchange with L.A. Artcore that began last year.

The works of Laura Borneman, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, David Koeth, Emily Maddigan, Adel Shafik, Kristopher Stallworth, Cameron Brian, Nina Landgraff, Cecilia Noyes, Claire Putney and Debora Rodenhauser are presented in the Bakersfield College Faculty Exhibit, showing from Sept. 2 to Sept. 30.

Stallworth is showing six black-and-white film photographs in a series called “Proof.”

He sees the exhibition as an outlet for greater recognition.

“Showing art in L.A. is a good opportunity to show to a bigger market than Bakersfield. I already sold a print, so that’s always great,” said Stallworth.

Koeth, art professor and chair of the Art Department, feels that showing in L.A. will absolutely help further develop his career as an artist.

“It’s kind of like a never ending quest; artists are always looking for another exhibit. It’s a big deal to have an exhibit in L.A. It’s very competitive, as you might guess. The bigger the city, the more competitive the art gallery space is and the more people there are to try to fill those spaces. So it’s quite an accomplishment,” Koeth said.

Though he is a graphic de-

signer by trade, Koeth portrays his artistic vision through mediums such as traditional paint and untraditional discarded fruit. His contemporary sculptures made from orange peels are currently showing in the L.A. exhibit.

The idea of recycling inspired him to create these eccentric pieces. “Recycling has been in the news. It has been certainly in the forefront of everyone’s mind for a few years so I decided to try to recycle a common object that we normally throw away,” Koeth said, “I just started working with peels from oranges and tangerines. Plus, I like the way they smell, too.”

Landgraff teaches painting and basic drawing and is showing three paintings at the exhibit. For the past few months she has been inspired by the combination of childhood experiences, literature and science that led to creation of her self portrait, “Angel of My Soul” and “Inner Child.”

Landgraff explained her work featured in the exhibition: “For the self portrait I just trained in a good academic art school, very realistic. I wanted to go out of that realism and try to do more of an emotional portrait. In ‘Angel of My Soul’, I was reading some science and with some special machines, when people were dying, they made a picture of the soul coming out of the body and when they made the picture, what it looked like was a small light bulb with rays and they even measured how much it weighed.

And everyone has an angel, so I

Deedee soto / The Rip

A sculpture by Bakersfield College professor Emily Maddigan stands on display at the LA Artcore Brewery Annex Sept.19. The show runs through Sept. 30. put my soul in an angel’s hand.”

Bakersfield College Faculty Exhibit is developing the careers of these 11 artists from BC at the Los Angeles Artcore Gallery at

the Brewery Annex. The exhibit is open Thursday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of September.

Local philanthropists stitch up blankets for peanuts Project Linus | Local chapter of Charles Schulz-inspired organization make hand-sewn blankets to needy and sick children.

By BrendaIrene Rodriguez Reporter

Martin Chang / The Rip

Rachael Gallen teaches Brannon Jones how to make a blanket during the Project Linus event Sept 11.

Approximately 250 individuals gathered at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Meadows Ward on Sept. 11 to hand make blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or in need.

The individuals gathered together for an organization called Project Linus, which was named after the blanket-toting character from the “Peanuts” comic strip.

Creator Charles Schulz was aware of the organizations efforts and was delighted to have Linus inspire blanket makers to help comfort children in need, according to the organization.

Project Linus began in December 1995 after Karen Loucks was inspired to make blankets for her local children’s cancer center.

Since then, Project Linus has expanded to include children who are seriously ill or traumatized in many ways, such as burn victims.

According to Project Linus headquarters, the project has two ideal goals.

The first goal is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children through

the gifts of new, handmade blankets by volunteer “blanketeers.”

The second goal is to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals in the community for the benefit of children.

More than 400 chapters of Project Linus exist nationally, and over 3,000,000 blankets are donated to children each year.

Michele Willis is the chapter coordinator of Project Linus in Bakersfield.

Willis feels she has accomplished many goals and feels she has made a difference in the community.

“I am very passionate about Project Linus, and I love the fact that I get to do something good

in the world. It’s truly from my heart. It’s something I want to do, rather than have to do. I don’t get a paycheck for it,” said Willis.

She has been the coordinator of Project Linus since it began in Bakersfield in 2005 and has helped make over 12,000 blankets since then.

The chapter was named by The Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce the humanitarian group of the year for both 2007 and 2008.

Willis delivers over approximately 350 blankets a month to every hospital in the Kern County area.

This year, she hoped for a grand push to have blankets made so that they may last the rest of the year.

Companies such as Frito Lay, Target, Aera Energy, Bright House Networks and Jr. Marines donated their time to help make blankets and accomplish the set goal of making blankets to last the rest of the year.

Some even brought their own sewing machines to the event.

Because it was held on Sept.

11, the theme this year was “We Will Never Forget,” in remembrance of the tragedy that occurred on Sept. 11. 2001.

Patriotic pillowcases were also made to send to the men serving our country.

Individuals that could not stay to help make blankets stopped by and donated material so that others may be able to help make blankets.

Those who did stay and help were given a raffle ticket, for a chance to win a new sewing machine that was raffled off along with food, which was all donated, and provided to those helping.

Rose Ramos, customer service worker at Bright House, was a first time “blankateer” and said it really meant a lot to her to be able to help children.

“Who wouldn’t want to help kids? Making blankets for underprivileged children is wonderful, especially since winter is coming up.”

Ramos was hoping to make 30 blankets by 3 p.m.

Willis ended the event and projected her gratitude to all the volunteers for the work they did.

“Project Linus wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for all the volunteers.”

Project Linus holds Blanket Days monthly.

For more information on the project, contact Michele Willis at 589-1854 or quilts4kikdz@ sbcglobal.net.

Features

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Eyes Like Diamonds end first tour in Bakersfield

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

Las Vegas screamo-progressive six-piece band Eyes Like Diamonds ended their first ever two-week tour at Jerry’s Pizza on the night of Sept. 18. The band co-headlined with Tragic Hero Records label mates, Lions!Tigers!Bears!

“We did this to get our feet wet with awesome label mates – Lions!Tigers!Bears!” said lead vocalist Diego Perez.

Perez talked about breaking into the music scene and touring.

“It’s actually our first tour as a band, so we haven’t been doing shows up here yet.”

He added, “Bakersfield is brand new to us. Jerry’s Pizza was pretty much [put together] through our booking agent. I’ve actually played The Bakersfield Dome before, in another band [Las Vegas alternative pop rock band Fletch]. Great city, though – I love the crowd response.”

Formed in 2006, Eyes Like Diamonds consists of Perez, guitarists Mason Wright, Aaron Aufman, bassist Tony Pell, keyboardist Danielle Lynn and newly added drummer Matt Marquez.

The only members that do not contribute vocals are Marquez

and Wright. Wright and Aufman played previously with metalcore Vegas band A Dying Fate.

How the band got their name came from a brainstorming session at a popular restaurant chain.

“It actually came from Tony [Pell]. We were sitting at Denny’s, and we looked up at a jewelry billboard. We actually had a notepad talking about band names. It was catchy.”

Early band member changes, which added vocalist Perez and keyboardist Lynn, changed the band’s sound. As Perez explained, it changed “ten-fold because we’ve been able to open up with each other and sit down and write.”

He added, “When I first came in the band [in 2007], I felt my job as singer was to keep building the fan base they already had and stick to their plan at that time. Then coming into this next record and re-developing.”

On April 30, Eyes Like Diamonds signed with Tragic Hero Records.

When asked of band influences, without hesitation, all of the members agreed on one band: Tampa metalcore/post-hardcore group Underoath.

However, Perez added, “You’ll hear out of our mouths

a lot, Linkin Park. I can’t say we always stay mainstream just because it’s that. Some of these bands obviously develop something that is appreciated not by not just one audience but by a lot of audiences. That’s something that this band wants to do later on.”

Bassist Pell talked about the reason for their short two-week tour.

“It’s mainly for exposure since this is our first tour as a band.

Reaching out to kids and getting in their face, showing them we can break the table when it comes to live performance because we feel our music is dynamic – you have to feel it and witness it; feel the emotion.”

Perez said about the hardships and positive outcomes of touring, “We enjoy it. Your first tour is going to be your first hard struggle, but it will help the band that much more. We see we can rely on each other. This is our life.”

When asked how their music differs from other bands in their genre of screamo, guitarist Wright responded, “Mainly our music is based on emotion – we write off of feeling. I think that’s what most bands lack, not in a bad way but that’s what we portray with our music.”

Mateo Melero / The Rip

Members of the Las Vegas group, Eyes Like Diamonds, pose in their van before a concert at Jerry’s Pizza on Sept. 18. The show was the last stop on the band’s debut tour.

Perez added, “We write off pure raw emotion at all points in time. When we get into the studio together and write, I look up and see these guys and see it flowing through them. This is the best example – there is a song called ‘Waves’ on our record that was our new drummer’s fourth or fifth day with us, and we wrote that song in literally four or five minutes, just feeding off each other.”

Perez is confident in the band’s future.

“We’ve always been a band that shoots super high, but we manage to attach a string to our belt. In five years, we will be on big circuit tours and in ten years, we will be headlining big circuit tours and we will make sure of

that.”

He said about the band’s motivation, “Right before we went to record with this record was when we all really sat down and got to look in each other’s eyes and realized this is exactly what we need to do for the rest of our lives, because nothing else makes sense at all. That’s the best way to put it.”

In November, Eyes Like Diamonds will tour with Chicago post-hardcore band Rosaline.

“What we want to get out of this next tour is to show the true colors of Eyes Like Diamonds when it comes to our live show and our attitude,” said Perez.

He added, “We’re working out the kinks in our live show at the moment which is sort of why

we like to do this small tour and really help us come out with a bang.”

Eyes Like Diamonds’ first full-length album, “Frequencies” is already recorded and due for release early next year according to Perez.

After Eyes Like Diamonds’ first performance at Jerry’s Pizza, Perez talked about the response.

“I had a blast - everyone else seemed to have a blast.”

“Most of the kids actually came up and talked to us before and they said that they came out for us, which was cool, knowing that it was our first time coming into town. I think they enjoyed it.”

“We’ll definitely play here again,” he said.

Local artist Jen Raven creates art while fighting lupus

By Martin Chang Reporter

Jen Raven is an artist who has, with the help of many others, overcome several challenges to become an artist. She has fought against illness to become who she is today, an artist who is a part of, and helped develop, the art scene here in Bakersfield.

Raven grew up in a military family in the Edwards Air force area and attended Desert High School. Jen says that “there was not a whole lot to do” growing up on the base, so to pass the time, Raven drew and sketched figures often. She learned to draw by drawing on the back of her school assignments.

She is grateful for the simple life she had in her childhood and believes it helped her develop as an artist.

Raven has struggled with Lupus her entire life. She was ultimately diagnosed positive in 2004. At its worst, the disease took Raven’s ability to move and use her hands. She described this time as “dark days” and “horrible.”

During this time her husband, Todd Powers, provided major encouragement in her life. When discouraged by her disease, Powers would give her uplifting words to keep her perusing art.

“You always wanted to be an artist someday,” He said. “You’re

going to be an artist now.” He would get her any art supplies she needed and drive her to poetry meetings to keep her creativity going when she couldn’t draw. He now keeps a watchful eye on her, making sure she still stays healthy.

“It was difficult, there is pain everyday,” said Raven about the disease. “You can’t let it beat you down. You can’t let it dominate your life. You can’t let it win.

You can’t give up.

“Being ill really makes you prioritize. I was always saying, ‘Someday, I’ll be an artist when I retire, someday, someday, someday,’” she said. “When you have a disease that could kill you, it makes you go, ‘Well, fuck, someday. I want to do this now.’”

Raven believes that if it were not for her disease, she would not be a full time artist.

With this new focus on her art, Raven also changed who she was. For her entire life she felt pressure to have more traditional career and life. She was raised in a religious environment that encouraged more traditional roles for women.

She remembers going to church and babysitting for many of her early adult years. Before her illness worsened, she let these expectations define who she was. After deciding to become serious about pursuing art, she stopped pretending to be

Martin Chang / The Rip

Bakersfield artist Jen Raven poses with her painting “What Dreams May Come.” at her home Sept. 15. what she wasn’t and started to be what she was.

She said that she “changed overnight” from a conservative person to someone she felt she was.

To discover that person, she joined a local theater group called, RAT. Raven said, “I wanted to get in touch with my other half; I fell into RAT. I discovered this whole side of myself. I discovered who I was through RAT. I had to go to complete extremes

to throw off the old me before I could find out who I was. It was 2007 when I felt like I became me. It took me that long.”

In 2006, Raven and others started the Burn the Witch art show in Bakersfield. An annual, all women art show. Raven was humbled by the experience as she worked with women who, she said, “Had to wait until their husbands were in bed, and the kids were asleep to get out the paints and paint in secret because

Kern County fair still ‘Best in the West’

By Sandra Ward Reporter

Opening day is just around the corner for folks to enjoy the fun and excitement of the ‘Best in the West’ Kern County Fair reaching its 85th anniversary.

Gates will open Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. and for those arriving between 3 and 5 p.m. of opening day will get the benefit of free admission as one of the new promotional incentives to get people to come on out and visit this year’s Kern County Fair.

Last year, the fair had a significant decline in attendance with an all-time low of as many as 25,000 less attendees than the prior year.

Promotional efforts started as early as the beginning of the year with the return of Reading Round-Up, offering a free ticket to the fair for all qualifying students. Children ages 5 and under and anyone active in the military with ID are admitted free every day.

Other promotions throughout the 12-day fair event are on Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 with Free Thursday for Kids

to benefit children ages 12 and under with free admission between the hours of 3 and 10 p.m.; then Monday Madness on Sept. 27 admission is only $3 for those 6 years and over that arrive before 9 p.m.; and topping off the promotions with a 2-for-1 Wednesday on Sept. 29 for adult visitors who are accompanied by a friend will receive a 2-for-1 admission price of $8 at the gates until 9 p.m.

Advance ticket purchasing discounts are available online from Albertsons Stores and for those Facebook and Twitter fair fans there are other promotional offers.

The entertainment lineup is similar to last year’s fair, according to chief executive officer Bill Blair. The low attendance was due to the recordbreaking heat last year, but those who did visit the fair seemed to have really enjoyed it, so the entertainment lineup hasn’t changed much.

The shows and concerts are all free with paid admission into the fair.

“I think we have a great entertainment lineup at the Budweiser Pavilion this year,” said Blair. Since all the en-

tertainment is free, Blair added, “We offer the greatest entertainment value in Kern County. There are seven stages of entertainment.”

Some returning shows are Dr. Solar with his magician act, Nerveless Nocks performing their special “Globe of Death” act, and hypnotist Tina Marie.

The Guess Who and Tower of Power will also be returning.

There will be plenty of entertainment for the kids too with the elephant and camel rides, the Russell Brothers Circus and the Circus Review, the All Alaskan Racing Pigs and an all-time favorite the Turkey Stampede, which Blair calls “hilarious—and a must see.”

The fair will also include the regular features with the livestock and other exhibits as well as all the vendors and concession stands.

This year’s Salute to Agriculture awards dinner will be honoring Martha Twisselman as Kern County Agriculturist of the Year on Sept. 23.

This year’s opening ceremonies will begin at 5:30 opening day and will kick off with a parade.

their husbands didn’t want them painting. It completely changed the way I saw Bakersfield. I didn’t realize there were so many of us.”

Raven saw Burn the Witch as an opportunity to give alternative and underground artist a voice and also as an opportunity to give these artists experience in putting on a show and learning the ins and outs of the art world.

She turned it into a year long event where she taught these artists how to make resumes, pose for headshots and hang their artwork. According to Raven, the community response has been “huge.”

There have been cases where art is defamed. But Raven says that such setbacks and challenges are what make Bakersfield’s art scene what it is. “Bakersfield makes you prove how much you want it. The best art in history has come out of times when it was most difficult, when there was something that needed to be said. Bakersfield is going to make us work harder to prove how much we want it. It weeds out the people who aren’t that serious; the people that are serious remain. [They] do what they have to do, because they are serious about their art.” Raven said she has worked with such artists in Burn the Witch and otherwise.

At the third Burn the Witch,

Raven had a revelatory experience. “The night the opening was done, I came home and I sat down and I couldn’t stop smiling.

I thought the smile would break my face. I said, ‘My heart has healed up.’ It healed me. I felt all the wrongs that really made an impact on me growing up. I felt like I had fixed it somehow. I feel like I vindicated the person in me that didn’t get what a lot of these girls [are getting]. It healed me somehow.”

Raven is now preparing for her first solo show. It will be on Jan. 4 at a new art collective called, The Foundry. She has appeared many times with others around town, but this is her first solo show.

She said that she is “terrified” by the idea of her first solo show but that a “pleasant surprise” has happened because of this terror.

She is figure drawing for the first time since her Lupus worsened.

“I was stressed out and nervous, so I started doing more and more details.

“Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped back and realized that I was painting figuratively again. It’s been 10 years since I could paint like this. I’ve gotten healed up enough and well enough that I can do this. I just started crying and laughing. So I called all my friends and said.

‘Guess what I can do. I can hold a fine brush.’”

Fair information HOURS Mondays-Thursdays Friday, Sept. 24 Friday, Oct. 1 Saturdays Sundays

3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Noon to 11 p.m.

Noon to 10 p.m.

ADMISSION Adults $8 Seniors 62-plus $7 Children 6-12 $4 Children 5-under Free Parking $5 Active military personnel with ID free

CONCERTS All in Budweiser Pavilion at 8 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 22 Morris Day & The Time Thur., Sept. 23 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Fri., Sept. 24 Pam Tillis and Williams & Ree Sat., Sept. 25 Air Supply Sun., Sept. 26 Clay Walker Mon., Sept. 27 En Vogue Tues., Sept. 28 Collective Soul Wed., Sept. 29 Tower of Power Thur., Sept. 30 Kutless Fri., Oct. 1 The Guess Who Sat., Oct. 2 Beetlemajesty Sun., Oct. 3 Ninel Conde Show starts at 7 p.m.

RODEO PRCA event Oct. 1 and Oct. 2, both at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets available at vallitix.com

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News Briefs

Open BC land development site still tied up in legalities

By Martin Chang Reporter

Bakersfield Zombie Walk set to begin Sept. 25 and will benefit local charities On Sept. 25, Bakersfield is joining in a walk dressed like the undead. All zombies will park and meet at the Stockdale Fashion Plaza near In and Out Burger and Sports Chalet. Call time is 5:30 p.m. with the walk beginning at 6 p.m. The walk time will benefit Orphan Kitten Rescue and Adoption and The Alpha Canine Society. Please visit “Bakersfield-Zombiewalk” on Facebook for more details, rules and what to bring as a donation.

Another Oktoberfest will be coming to Bakersfield at Stramler Park Oct. 2 This is the second year of traditional German Oktoberfest that’s been brought to Bakersfield. On Oct. 2 Oktoberfest will be held at Stramler Park from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets go on sale Sept. 17 at different locations. For more details visit Bakersfieldoktoberfest.com Walk to defeat ALS will take place at River Walk Park again to raise awareness for Lou Gehrigs disease On Oct. 2, at the River Walk Park, a walk to help raise money will be held for local patient services and to raise awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and following is a three-mile walk around the park. For information on donating, volunteering or forming a walk team, please contact Stacey Inman or Michael Gagner at 661664-1226 or 661-636-4841.

Student success workshops availabe for students at BC CAS: Critical Academic Skills Workshops: T 9/28 Colons/Semicolons 2-3 p.m. SS 151 T 9/28 Spelling 4-5 p.m. SS 151 W 9/29 Academic Culture 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. SS 117 W 9/29 MLA 12-1 p.m. SS 151 R 9/30 Attacking Words in Word Problems 8:30-9:50 a.m.

SS 151 R 9/30 Thesis Statements 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. SS 206 R 9/30 Spelling 3-4 p.m. SS 151 T 10/5 MLA 9:10-10:10 a.m.

SS 151 T 10/5 Plagiarism 1-2 p.m. SS 151

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Kern Community College District owns two properties that will not be built on for an estimated 10 to 15 years.

According to Tom Burke, the CFO of KCCD, and Rick Wright, the Interim Director of Facility Planning and Compliance at KCCD, the two properties will not be built on until the Williamson Act expires.

Burke predicts this will take 15 years, while Wright predicts it will take at least 10 years.

The State of California Department of Conservation

states, “The Williamson Act enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal.”

In other words, in the past, the land that KCCD bought was designated to be used for agricultural purposes only.

In 2007, KCCD bought two plots of land from Bolthouse Properties. One is 126 acres on Bear Mountain Boulevard, which was purchased for $3.6 million and another,

on Kratzmeyer Road, was purchased for $12.275 million.

There were plans to build education centers on both plots.

These centers were to focus on automotive, manufacturing and maintenance education.

There were other plans to have commercial and internship programs.

According to a 2007 article written in The Rip, the Bakersfield College president at the time, William Andrews, stated, “Right now, we’re looking at every aspect to make sure that this project makes sense to us and be proactive and look far enough down the road and

be prepared. We want to be ready when the population gets there.”

Also in 2007, Anthony Leggio, then president of Bolthouse Properties, stated “We are confident that our partnership with Bakersfield College and the Kern Community College District will result in significant benefit to Kern County residents.”

At the time, neither Andrews nor Leggio mentioned the conflict with the Williamson Act. According to Burke, KCCD still has contracts with Bolthouse Properties. He said that the district is in agreement

PANTRY: Still serving students

TRIATHLON: BC professors join in the competition Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1 giene products that are donated every once in a while, Williams stated.

Though the original budget was to spend $2,000 a month on food products, this semester, SGA has spent around $6,000.

The reason behind this, Coleman said was, “We wanted to stock the shelves and not be required to order every two weeks.”

Depending on the amount of pick-ups they get this month, it should be enough food to last for six distributions at the most.

Coleman also explained that all of the food is paid for through Campus Center fees and that the food is purchased at a discounted price. The companies that sell food products to BC are Golden Empire Gleaners, who sell their products for 5 cents per pound, and Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank, who sell their products for 19 cents a pound.

Albert Garza, outreach specialist from Community Action Partnership of Kern, said that their program is intended to serve ordinary people who live paycheck to paycheck. He explained that they are trying to break away from the assumption that the people who need food are either homeless or drug addicts. Their building is located

with Bolthouse to share revenue that Bolthouse earns on the agricultural land that is still on the two properties and that the education centers are still planned.

Burke states that another reason for the lack of development on the land is the “slowdown of growth” in the area.

He said that this slowdown has “stretched the timeline further.”

KCCD could buy out of the Williamson Act but has not.

Burke claims that it is too expensive, especially when the financial troubles of the district are taken into consideration.

Gregory D. Cook/ The Rip

SGA senator Susan Keen hands out food to a BC student off E. Belle Terrace and Cottonwood Road near Career Services Center.

Garza shared that during weekdays CAP serves from 100 to 400 people. He added that the program is also seeking volunteers to take on jobs like

distribution, driving and clerical positions. The Renegade Pantry at BC is one of many programs they provide for.

Distribution days for the Renegade Pantry are Sept. 30, Oct. 14, Oct. 28, Nov. 10, Nov. 24 and Dec. 9.

off the last four months … this is just a beginner to get back into training.”

“I just started training again about a week ago, so my year goes from September to April,” he said.

Rinzler, a CSUB alumnus, said that he loves coming out to the Bakersfield Triathlon to support the area and the community.

“This course was challenging, especially for the run,” he said. “It was a little up and down. It was a good track to run on, especially to test your abilities.”

Susan Pinza was one of the many Bakersfield College professors to participate in the triathlon.

This is her third time doing the event.

“It’s exciting. It challenges me,” said Pinza.

“I do the relay version of it. It’s fun to get out here with my friends and do this.

“It gives me something to train for—it just pushes my limits trying to do things as fast as I can.

“I feel really good [about my performance].

I did better than I did last year,” said Pinza.

“I think it’s part of that experience that I’ve had

in doing this now, and I know the course.”

Pinza, who teaches academic development here at BC, participated in the relay version of the event and said that the weather was great compared to how it usually is and that it was another factor in her improving her time from previous years.

Kris Stallworth, who teaches photography in the art department for BC, participated in the individual sprint. “[I performed] as good as I could’ve,” said Stallworth.

“I started riding a bike about a year ago,” he said.

“I need goals to keep myself motivated, so I started to lose weight and then just started talking to [professors that do] triathlons as well, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

Stallworth said that this was his third triathlon this year and that this was one of the harder ones.

“The run is really hilly so that makes it much more challenging than the other ones I’ve done,” said Stallworth.

“Weather was good. It wasn’t too hot,” he said.

“I’ve heard the Bakersfield [triathlon] can be brutal so it was pretty decent. The wind was nice.”

Skateboarding banned New administration personnel take over at BC

By James Licea

BC, rides his skateboard to and Reporter from his classes. When asked about the signs, he said, “There An email went out to all Ba- might be some, I just haven’t kersfield College staff from looked for them, I guess.”

Executive Director of AdminFeldt feels that skateboarding istrative Services LaMont D. is not only a fun way to get to Shiers to reinforce the no skate- each class, it is also a lot faster boarding policy on campus. than simply walking across camProfessors are to tell students pus. with skateboards that they are “I have to park kind of far allowed to bring them, but they away from my class, so it helps are prohibited from riding them me get there faster,” said Feldt. on campus.

Although no one has remindAccording to Shiers, the side- ed Feldt about the no skating walk surrounding the campus policy he said if a staff member as well as parking lots count as or student approached him about school property and should not it, he would comply. be skated on. He explained that “It’s just common courtesy. they’re trying to keep students It’s not a big deal to not skate.” on campus safe.

He added that if he needed to This reminder was sent out on get to class in a hurry, he would Sept. 8, a week after a deaf stu- run. dent was injured on campus due Feldt explained that skaters to a collision with a person rid- should be aware of their suring a skateboard. roundings and are usually trying “This injury could have been to avoid a collision themselves. avoided had the skateboarder Even though Feldt feels that this adhered to the signage posted rule can be enforced, he doesn’t around campus stating that think it should. skateboarding is not permitted,” Students around campus have Shiers said. mixed feelings about skateboardHe also explained that there ers. Some students don’t have a are nine signs posted at the main problem with people skating in entrances of campus. They the hallway, while others feel it state that skateboarding and bi- is very unnecessary and school cycles are not allowed on school is not the place for skating. grounds. Shiers also said that Dylan Johnson said, “They they are currently looking into should be more cautious. They placing more signs around cam- go pretty fast down the hallpus. ways.”

Anthony Feldt, a freshman at

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

Bakersfield College will have two new Deans of Instruction this semester and BC president Greg Chamberlain is pleased with the choices made. Stephen Eaton and Rebecca Flores were announced Sept. 14 as the new deans.

“We’re thrilled to have Stephen and Rebecca joining us.

We are looking forward to them coming,” said Chamberlain.

Chamberlain talked about the process that was taken to choose the new deans.

“We went through a compre-

hensive nationwide search and believe we have two outstanding employees,” he added, “The process starts with a screening committee that goes through and forwards finalists to the president. I interviewed the finalists as well as went through a multi-day process with the finalists.”

Eaton earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater from Central Michigan University and a master’s in Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Eaton’s past experience was serving as Dean of Occupational studies at Mid Michigan

Community College in Harrison, Mich.

Eaton will join BC on Oct. 4 and will be dean for behavioral science, communication, performing arts, philosophy, art and social science departments.

Flores, a native of Australia, earned her bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in English from University of Southern Queensland in Australia. She also earned her master of arts in English from Texas A&M. Flores has over 10 years teaching experience at Texas A&M and Del Mar College. Flores will oversee English, ESL, academic development and foreign language

when she joins the BC staff on Oct. 11.

“Both of these new candidates bring skill sets that will fit right in, and they’ll both have experience and hit the ground running,” said Chamberlain when asked how the two new deans will impact the campus.

Chamberlain is pleased that the deans will make the administration process easier at BC. Additionally, Joyce Ester was named the associate vice president of student services, and Nan Gomez-Heitzberg was named executive vice president of academic affairs and student services.

PAGAN: Community engages in event Continued from Page 1 Christian-based coalition that will distribute the food in the Kern River Valley area. Solstice said that when Williams was locating an organization to do the food distribution, they sent an email to Caravan for Compassion describing who they were and what the event was and asked if they would be willing to work with them to distribute the food. They responded by saying that after reviewing KCPP’s Web site, they felt that

they wanted to let them know that everything they give out they do in the name of Jesus Christ and if they would have a problem with that. According to Solstice, Williams responded that KCPP would not have a problem because that’s what Pagan Pride is about – unity – and that KCPP felt Caravan for Compassion provided a good service and that KCPP wanted to contribute to their charity because they believed in their cause and the good they accomplish, regardless of whether or

not they wanted to use KCPP’s name. An agreement was made and both parties are happy. The pet food will be donated to the Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry and distributed through Meals on Wheels, according to Williams.

The festival concluded with performances from local performing artists. Belly dancing groups Bahiyya Almas, Mourning Glories, Troupe Dark Raven and solo dance artist Narcissus took the spotlight before a reading and performance of “Where the Wild Things Are,” which

included music and dancing by costumed children and adults depicting the characters in the story. The last act to take the stage was a musical performance by local punk band, Three Chord Whore.

For more info regarding paganism and upcoming events contact KCPP. They can be found on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Williams encourages anyone that has questions about paganism or wants to volunteer to contact them.

Campus

Page 5

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

BC’s green campus

By Breanna Gray Reporter

With environmentally friendly projects, such as the photovoltaic solar panels, Bakersfield College has made it a goal to provide a greener campus while simultaneously saving the school money. But budgeting issues stand in the way of creating more eco-friendly options for student and faculty.

BC student Alyssa Melendez would like to see more efforts put toward keeping the campus clean. “They should do more recycling and separate the trash. I don’t like that people litter. It really irritates me when they throw their trash on the ground,” said Melendez.

Some students are very passionate about having a greener campus, while others see the efforts as being inconvenient. Amanda Cantu said, “I’m glad that they [put up solar panels], but it just makes the parking situation really bad.”

Most conventional methods of pro-

ducing electricity require the combustion of harmful pollutants such as coal, oil and gas. John Menzies, BC physical science professor said, “Solar panels do not require combustion in order to generate power. Therefore, once the panels are installed, they should help clean up the air and lower our electricity bill. However, how much of a difference remains to be seen.”

The 1.1-megawatt panels will be completely functional by the end of October and there are additional plans to expand the project.

The BC cafeteria provides recycling bins for cans and bottles and has new refrigeration that uses less energy. They also send out the left over oil from the fryers to be turned into biofuels.

Food service manager Alex Gomez said, “We are only limited right now because of costs. It’s pretty much cost prohibitive to use all of the green products. We are waiting for prices to come down, but we do sell the wraps in a compostable container.”

Gomez said that the cafeteria serves

an average of 2,500 people a day, which generates large amounts of waste, and they are waiting for cost effective green options that will not pass down extra costs to students.

Student Body President, Lisa English, said that are only about five recycling bins for cans and bottles around campus.

“I’m really bummed out about there not being enough recycling around campus. I have spoken with someone about [starting a recycling club on campus] and it is a Union issue. So now I have to present something showing that it will work where I’m not taking away work from maintenance and also not adding work for maintenance,” English said.

She believes that a recycling program will not only reduce trash, but also save the college money. Although English would love to have a recycling club, it is ultimately up to maintenance to decide whether or not it will be put in place.

56th annual BC barbecue

By Sandra Ward

Nursing programs at BC

By Priscilla Creger Reporter

The Nursing Allied Health Department organized a Nursing Open House Info night.

The event was held Sept. 16 in the Fireside Room at Bakersfield College from 5:30 to 7 p.m. During the show, they answered questions regarding applications, admissions and eligibility of the Licensed Vocational Nursing and Registered Nursing programs.

“Bakersfield College’s Nursing Allied Health Departments’ primary mission is to offer academic education and give help to students who want to pursue careers in health care occupations,” said program manager Lucas Rucks. The programs they offer are licensed-nursing programs, which are the LVN and RN classes.

Students can be admitted to the program based on their scholastic eligibility and placement on a nursing assessment test. All students and alternates are required to take an approved nursing assessment test. Students must pass with at least a 67 percent or above.

The students who do not meet the passing criteria are offered a remediation program, which will help them be ready to take the test again.

Eligibility is approved by a statewide formula, which is the California College Chancellors Office Prerequisites Validation; it calculates the students’ probability of successfully completing the program. The conditional enrollment information is that all qualified students will be placed in a random draw, which if you are selected will result in filling the programs seats and picking 20 alternates.

The pre-requisite requirements are expository compositions, intermediate algebra, chemistry, microbiology, anatomy and physiology I and II. All pre-requisites must be completed with a “C” grade or higher. When a student is selected, he or she is put through a criminal background screening and random drug testing.

Contact program manager Lucas Rucks of the Nursing Allied Health Department for further information.

From teacher to director

By Cristal Rodriguez

Reporter

This year’s 56th annual Bakersfield College Barbecue on Sept. 16 to aid the Bakersfield College Athletic Department was a great success, according to this year’s coordinator Hannah Egland.

There were an estimated 750 guests who experienced the food that was prepared by chefs Pat Coyle and Alex Gomez, along with students of the culinary arts program.

Entertainment for the evening included the musical sound of our local Tony Ernst Band and performances by the BC cheer team and drumline.

Throughout the evening, guests were able to browse the BC bookstore booth, grab a cold drink from the various beverage booths, and even enjoy some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to beat some of the heat.

A couple of attendees received free concert tickets to go see Carrie Underwood in the raffle drawings.

The night finally wound down with the introduction of all the student athletes and coaches.

After 55 years of hosting the barbecue, the Alumni Association decided to collaborate with the Bakersfield College Foundation allowing them to host this year’s barbecue event. Bakersfield College President, Greg Chamberlain said, “We are just very excited to have the Alumni barbecue back on campus.

It’s been way too long. It’s a great night, a great evening, and it’s great to see all our community members come on out to support all our student athletes.”

Bakersfield College athletic director Jan Stuebbe gave special thanks to all the sponsors, guests and all who supported the athletic department.

These annual barbecues are the only fundraising event that the Alumni Association is able to give in support of the student athletes and athletic department. It has become one of their

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Reporter

Diran Lyons, a former Bakersfield College teacher, has decided to take another direction and direct indie films.

Lyons worked at BC in the spring and fall semesters of 2008. He taught figure drawing, drawing and 2D design classes.

He was motivated to leave BC because he was hired as a temporary full-time instructor. After the position came to a close, he went to Reedley College to teach video art and 2D design.

“I’ve been interested in video as an art medium for a little over 10 years. I started off using video as a way to capture performances that I was doing in the early- to mid-portion of the 2000s. Some examples are on my blog or on IMDb in the documentary I completed in 2006 titled, ‘California Excursions,’” said Lyons.

Lyons’ latest project was an indie film he directed titled, “Goodbye

Victoria.” This film was about a young adult who is trying to pursue his dreams. He leaves everything behind for a promise that never happens and is left in California with no money and no way to get home.

“One accomplishment I am very proud of is the remix work I made titled, ‘Jake Gyllenhaal Challenges the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize’. This work scaled the popularity charts on IMDb this spring and sat at number one for one month’s time,” said Lyons.

Lyons said in the next five years he would like to complete more full-length narrative films, remix videos, installation artworks and paintings.

As of now, Lyons has moved to Fresno and is teaching at Reedley College. He’s also involved in putting together remix video programs and festivals. This will be the second remix festival that he has put together in the past two years. It will screen at Gallery 25 in Fresno January 2011.

College transfer day at BC

By BrendaIrene Rodriguez Reporter

Nathan Wilson / The Rip

Bakersfield College president, Greg Chamberlain, eats dinner with his wife during the 56th annual Alumni Association Athletics Barbecue on Sept. 16. biggest events. According to alumni president and cheer team coach Becky Whitson, the BC Alumni Association is one of the oldest and largest alumni associations throughout California and possibly even

The common transition

the nation.

It was first founded back in 1943 by alumni member John Boydstun, who was a BC cheerleader back during the year 1938 and is still an active member today.

Samantha Garrett Copy Editor

Transfer Day was held at Bakersfield College’s Fireside Room and Campus Center.

Representatives from Bethany University, Sacramento State, Fresno State, Marymount College, UC Santa Barbara, Oregon State and other universities attended Transfer Day as well, to inform BC students of the opportunities and majors their schools have to offer.

Denise Romero, a representative from California State Bakersfield, made it clear that her priority on Transfer Day was “to inform students about transferring and expose them to the four-year program.”

CSUB has extended winter admissions to those students who qualify and will allow them to attend a workshop, which helps students apply and is held at BC. Marissa Marquez, transfer and matriculation specialist at CSUB, will be hosting a workshop Oct. 14 in the Fireside Room.

The representatives from each school set up a table with pamphlets providing information for students on the process of transferring, majors, financial aid and housing that the schools had to offer.

Francisco Solorio is a third-year student at BC and expressed his feelings about the colleges being on campus.

“I really appreciate the fact that all the colleges made an effort to come to our campus and show us what is potentially out there for us to explore,” he said.

Samantha Strauser said, “I think it’s good because it gives people a chance to see what’s out there.”

Strauser is a first-year student at BC and plans on transferring to CSU Monterey Bay after completing her general education.

Bethany University is a private Christian university that was also on campus. It is cheaper than most

private schools, has a population of 500-600 students and offers open enrollment at any time.

Megan Pond, admissions counselor from Bethany University, said she hoped to recruit students and “spread the Bethany name out there to the valley.”

UC Santa Barbara attracted a number of students to its table Monday afternoon.

Bernice Manzo, admissions counselor and alumnus of UCSB, said that her goal was to provide accurate information needed to transfer and dispel any myths about UCSB. “I think UCSB has a great campus and has become much more competitive. We play nicely with others and collaborate with other UCs. That’s the fun part about Santa Barbara.”

Fresno State also attracted many students to its table. The college has approximately 22,000 students attending, of which approximately 40 percent of them are transfer students.

Elmer Aguilar, the University Outreach Services representative for Fresno State, said, “We come to visit with students to bring our campus to your campus and inform them about requirements, deadlines and polices that Fresno State has.”

Michael Thoms, a second-year student at BC was walking away with information from the Fresno State table.

“It’s a good opportunity to get information, and it’s a good idea to take advantage of it,” said Thoms.

Thoms is not sure what school he will be transferring to but for the moment said, “I’m keeping my options open and looking at all schools before I choose.”

Following Transfer Day, College Night, an open-to-the-public event, was held at Rabobank Arena with a larger amount of colleges available for students to speak with.

Opinions

Page 6

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Staff Editorial

Tolerance in need now Recently Americans have become preoccupied with protesting mosques and proposing the idea of burning Qurans – the sacred text of the Islamic faith – thoughts that are distinctly unAmerican and planting seeds of hatred into Muslim communities throughout the world.

In a land of religious freedom and tolerance, it is a bit appalling to see people protest against one of the tenets of American culture, the ability to practice one’s faith when, where and how they wish.

This basic freedom of religion is ensured by our Constitution’s first amendment.

The anger and disgust that many citizens have shown to our Muslim brethren is misplaced at best and harmful at worst. While Islamic extremists did attack us nine years ago they were not operating within the norms of Islam. They are a fringe group of individuals who do not represent Islam as a whole. With the vast majority of Muslims, especially the ones in the United States, try their best to distance themselves from the violent acts of groups such as the Taliban.

While only a few small groups are participating in these actions, their actions have been heard of around the world sparking violent protests in areas in the Middle East such as Afghanistan.

The idea of burning Qurans has given groups such as the Taliban something to unite Muslims in a cause against the United States.

While a bit jarring, it is also important to remember that the freedom to protest and speak out against the construction of a mosque is also protected by the First Amendment. This, however, does not mean the protestors are morally right, as the freedoms of speech and assembly have often been used for harm as well as good in the history of the United States.

We feel it is the duty of all American citizens to make sure that we do not use our freedoms to generate hatred and distrust among ourselves, especially when that hatred is based upon misinformation and religious and cultural intolerance.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Skating at BC: danger to students?

CON

PRO

By Ryan George

By Carissa Edwards

Photographer

Photographer

Skateboarding on campus is, in short, dangerous. The rolling hill from the bus stop down to the cafeteria may be a cheap thrill, but without a strong ability to stop, all you are going to do is either hurt yourself or someone else.

I personally have nothing against skating, as long as it doesn’t involve taking someone else out when you, the skater, fall. But as a warning, or maybe some advice to all of the skaters at Bakersfield College, just be a little smarter about skating on campus and keep it to the local skate parks around town.

BC is not one of those skate parks, period.

The school does not want anyone getting injured on campus for any reason, and skateboarding is just the stereotypical sport where injuries occur often. Personal-injury-info. net says “an estimated 50,000 skateboard injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year” and that “skateboard injuries come in several common types, including head and neck injuries…” How many of the skaters—or bicyclists, for that matter—on campus actually wear a helmet? Almost none.

Now for the small difference between longboards, which are designed for long distance riding, versus the regular skateboard, designed for tricks, are two separate dangers. Longboards are for traveling from one location to another.

Skateboards, however, are designed for a more controlled activity, doing tricks off of the ground or ollie onto a bench or rail: all of which can not only cause damage to the school grounds themselves, but also injuries to the riders as well.

In either instance a helmet should be worn, and the more safety equipment worn, the less chance of injuries can occur to the rider, but not the pedestrians around you.

Campus security deals enough with people doing other things that aren’t allowed on BC, so to all the skaters out there, give the security a break and don’t ride on campus.

Editor’s Note: With the recent incident involving a collision between two BC students, Rip staff writers decide to sound off and represent both sides of the debate.

Recently a student was hurt on campus by a skateboarder.

Seeing as most of the skateboarders on campus use their skateboards as their main means of transportation, they are quite good. The thing that I can deduce from this is that it was not the skateboarder’s fault. There are rules in place that say no skateboarding is allowed on campus. I don’t see any thing wrong with skateboarding. Actually, I am jealous of the skate boarders.

What takes a student normally about 10 minutes – walking across campus – skateboarders accomplish in a minute or less. The college campus is not that big, but it sure feels like it when you have a bag full of books and the sun decided that the weather should be more like summer than the season it actually is – fall.

As they rush by us on skateboards, it just makes me wish I had mastered skateboarding as a child, too. They get their exercise while heading to class and out of the sun.

The school has recently changed to a green campus.

This means that many teachers are giving their syllabuses through e-mail instead of the paper copy that we all know and love, or hate. The school is also installing solar panels to cut down the cost of the school’s energy by a third.

Along with this, skateboarders are the ones with the right idea. If you skateboard instead of using a car, then you are being green. And is that not what the school wanted, a greener campus and student body?

I personally don’t understand why skateboards or bikes aren’t allowed on campus. I could understand if the school had a massive population, but this school does not. It seems that the only reason that they are not allowed is that other schools don’t allow them. Also, there could be risk of injury, but this is the first time I have heard anything about an incident. So, allow the students to ride their skateboards and enjoy themselves while they are here.

America’s diet mentality an unhealthy exercise for weight control

By Samantha Garrett

necessary for a healthy diet, and many more don’t realize they are eating what is widely accepted as an unhealthy one.

When these people diet, they go for those infamous diets that most people know by name, like the South Beach Diet or the Atkins Diet. Any nutritionist worth his or her degree will tell you that these are some of the least healthy ones out there.

Cutting out entire food groups is not good, nor is cutting your caloric intake to such low levels that a person is losing more than one to two pounds a week. But, other than the nutritional problems with these kinds of diets, another problem emerges – the idea that not feeling hungry means that a person is eating too much, that a person is being a “fat ass”.

And it’s this mentality that makes dieting so difficult for so many people. Most of us have heard of “yoyo dieting,” where an individual loses weight on one diet plan, quits, gains weight, goes on another diet plan, loses weight, quits – and so on. If you were wondering, it also isn’t healthy. It’s not

Copy Editor

If you’ve ever felt like a disgusting pig after eating a slice of that oh-so-tempting birthday cake, then you can proudly say that you have experienced the diet mentality. If you’re wondering where it came from, it’s an odd combination of news organizations bemoaning the growing waistband of Americans and television programs having predominately skinny-as-hell actors. It’s normal, but it’s far from healthy.

All right, so let’s pretend for a moment that the people who experience this feeling actually need to lose weight (even though many people are obsessed with constant dieting despite being well within the healthy range). Well, most people are going to go about it incorrectly. Although many nonprofit and government programs have spent the past couple of decades trying to provide nutritional information to the world, most people don’t really know what’s

’G ade Feedback

because eating healthy is so hard that it can’t be maintained – it’s because these diets that are so crucially linked to the diet mentality aren’t healthy.

Starving yourself, if you weren’t aware, is bad for you – just as bad as being twenty or thirty pounds overweight. Cutting out entire food groups is just as bad. There’s a reason why humans eat – because it’s necessary to survive.

If a person “cheats” on his or her diet, that doesn’t make that person a failure – it means that tomorrow this person needs to work harder to stick to the plan. And if the diet regimen is so difficult to maintain, that it makes a person constantly feel sick or weak then it’s very likely that it’s an unhealthy diet. The problem isn’t the person – the problem is the diet.

Believe it or not, it is possible to eat a healthy enough diet to lose weight without being miserable. Unless you’re living off of deep-fried cheese, chances are that you can make small changes to your diet and see big results in the long run.

The diet mentality is not good for you. Feeling shame because of how you ate that day, feeling selfloathing because you didn’t lose those 15 pounds in a month like the advertisement said you would – none of that is healthy. It’s part of the problem, not the solution.

And we can look to all of those lovely ads on TV and on the Internet for why we feel absolutely obligated to be obsessed with losing weight.

You’re not a horrible person for eating a slice of cake here and there, for drinking a regular soda instead of diet soda for once, for having seconds at dinner because you were hungry for more; you’re not a horrible person for being 10 pounds overweight, for not being able to fit in the smallest size of those designer jeans, for not looking like that girl on TV. And if you are overweight and you do want to do something about it, do yourself a favor and talk to a nutritionist – not Mr. Atkins.

What’s your favorite song to listen to?

Editor’s note: ’Gade Feedback is a feature that asks students their opinion various topics.

Edgar Sanchez, Liberal Studies: “ ‘Blackout’ - Linkin Park”

Patrick Gomez, Radiology: “ ‘Neon Trees’ - Animal”

Deeanna Lara, Undecided: “ ‘California Girls’ Katy Perry”

Compiled by: Deedee Soto / The Rip

The Renegade Rip Editorial Board Winner of the 2003 and 2008 JACC Pacesetter Award The Renegade Rip is produced by Bakersfield College journalism classes, printed by Bakersfield Envelope & Printing Co. Inc., and circulated on Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters.

The newspaper is published under the auspices of the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees, but sole responsibility for its content rests with student editors.

The Rip is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Staff

Editor in Chief..........................Brian N. Willhite Reporters: Kristen Blue, Martin Chang, Zak Cowan, Features Editor...............................Vincent Perez Priscilla Creger, Chrystal Fortt, Breanna Gray, Sports Editor.......................................Julian Moore James Licea, Yvonne Macias, BrendaIrene Copy Editor ................................Samantha Garrett Rodriguez, Cristal Rodriguez, Sandra Ward Photo Editor..................................Annie Stockman Photographers: Carissa Edwards, Nicholas Flores, Opinions Editor...........................Michael Wafford Ryan George, Luis Santoyo, Deedee Soto, Nathan Magazine Editor.........................Mateo M. Melero Wilson Online Editor...............................Gregory D. Cook Video Production........................Michael Morrow Adviser.......................................................Danny Edwards

Zechariah Browden, Fire Technology: “ ‘We be Steady Mobbin’ lil Wayne”

Emanuel Alexander, Criminal Justice: “ ‘Black Magic’ Drake”

Write The Rip

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The Rip reserves the right to edit letters, however, writers will be given the opportunity to revise lengthy or unacceptable submissions.

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-Address: Bakersfield College, 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93305 -Phone: (661) 395-4324 -Web site: www.therip.com

Reviews

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Delicious food found at Greek Festival ‘Reach’ aims for the stars

By Zak Cowan Reporter

By Samantha Garrett Copy Editor

It may come as little surprise that essentially the whole point of the Greek Food Festival is the food. There were plenty of things to eat there, as well as plenty of things to drink, but – what with a budget and all – I had to settle with one meal. ood I had an $8 dish eview com pris e d of Greek sausage, rice and bread.

I also ordered a side of salad, which added an extra $3. Add that to the $5 I paid to get in and the additional $2 I paid for my coffee, and you have a moderately pricey meal. But, then, it does only come once a year.

The sausage was probably the best part of the meal. It was surprisingly spicy, but that was balanced out with the moderately bland rice that it was served atop. Although the composition of the sausage was a little questionable, it certainly tasted fantastically.

My serving of rice and sausage seemed to be a bit bigger than that of my friend, so I guess, if you want to get more bang for your buck, get the salad. Or, at least, it looked like more when spread out on a plate instead of the bowl that the saladless order is served in.

And, speaking of, it was a good salad. I mean, it was a Greek salad. If you don’t like Greek salad, you probably wouldn’t like it, but if you don’t like Greek food you probably wouldn’t go to the Greek Food Festival. It was basically your average iceberg lettuce, carrots and onions affair, but the difference between salad and Greek salad is the addition of feta cheese and olives. Suffice to say, it was good.

And, of course, I had to have something to drink. There was a stand advertising Greek coffee, so, as a coffee lover, I had to give that a shot. The first time I went up to the booth, the coffee wasn’t ready. The second time I went over, the woman behind the booth exclaimed, “Oh, the Greek coffee!” She asked me if I had tried it before, and I told

The perfect blend of old and new makes Halo: Reach, Bungie Studio’s swan song to the series, the best installment so far.

The story mode to the ideo game game is a very dark eview and somber story of sacrifice and resilience, and it seemed you had your back against the wall almost the entire campaign, which gave my territorial instinct a boost throughout.

Playing the game on release night, just shortly after midnight with three other avid Halo fans, on the recommended difficulty for your first run-through of the campaign left us in awe all night as we pushed through wave after wave of a relentless alien horde.

The overall campaign was flat-out magnificent, with great graphics, game play, voiceovers and scenarios.

After the final credits roll,

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you feel like family with Noble Team, the squad of Spartans you fight alongside. Every member has their own special characteristic that will make him or her unforgettable.

As good as the campaign was, the multiplayer is what makes this game one of the best video games I’ve played in years.

There are a plethora of game modes and game types, with old classics such as Team Slayer and Capture the Flag, complemented with new modes like Invasion and Headhunter, all of which are fully customizable, which makes the possibilities endless.

The weapon set is big and bold, but every weapon is thought through and designed very well, providing a balance that other first person shooters such as Call of Duty fail to provide.

All of this, paired with the newly revamped map editor called Forge 2.0 and and return of Firefight, will make this game playable a thousand times over.

‘Devil’ a waste of time

By Kimberlyn Yvonne Macias Reporter

The movie “Devil” was more of a storytelling than an actual movie. As I was watching this movie, I was bored. If I didn’t have to review this movie I probably would of left and deovie manded a refund. eview The movie involves five strangers: a mechanic (Logan MarshallGreen), an old woman (Jenny O’Hara), Sarah Caraway (Bojana Novakovic), a security guard (Bokeem Woodbine) and a salesman (Geoffrey Arend).

They were stuck in an elevator by accident, but throughout the whole movie they explain how bad things happen for a reason.

Ramirez, a security guard (Jacob Vargas), says that his grandmother told him a story, and that in the story one of them was the devil and they were all there for

M R Carissa Edwards / The Rip

Samantha Garrett eats her salad at the Greek Food Festival Sept. 10. her that I hadn’t. “It’s very thick – you’ll be dancing all night,” she assured me. I have to say, this got my expectations up just a little bit.

It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t bad. I was expecting it to be an amazing pick-me-up, but it really just tasted like strong instant coffee. There was something a little powdery about it. The most interesting thing is that, by the time I finished it, some sort

of muddy concoction had collected on the bottom. I spent the rest of the evening picking at it with my straw and wondering just what it was. By the way, it was probably the least priceworthy thing I ordered while at the festival, being $2 and less than six ounces.

It took us a while to figure out where the baklava was. Eventually my friend went off in the direction of the Greek Pastries

booth, and when she came back she had two pieces – one for me, her treat.

It wasn’t the best baklava I had ever had, but it rounded out the meal nicely and made the experience even more worth it.

Adding to the whole event was the live music in the background. I wasn’t about to get up on the dance floor and dance, but it did make the food seem just a little bit more Greek.

a reason.

A detective (Chris Messina) investigates their background, and we find out that they’re all bad people in some way.

Throughout the movie some of the characters die, but you don’t see how they die. The power goes out every time someone is going to get killed and when the power comes back again someone is dead.

One of the few good things about the movie is that it’s unpredictable. The ending actually has a moral about the decisions people make in life. The ending teaches that people can repent and the importance of forgiveness. The ending was nice but not as good as it could have been because the character had strong feelings but no strong reactions.

Overall this movie was not thrilling as expected. It was something you tell around a campfire to teach little kids a lesson about life. That would be a good campfire story but not a good movie.

Rock duo explore new sound

By Martin Chang Reporter

This is the music that makes being a music fan worth it. This is the music that I love.

The Vaselines are Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee. They recorded lbum about an album and a half worth of eview material in 1987 to 1989, and broke up in 1989 shortly after the release of their first full-length record “Dum Dum.” The Vaselines play a mix of stripped down rock and roll, and their version of bubbly pop.

Since their original breakup their music has found a small following among certain music fans and musicians with whom their music strongly resonates.

The most famous of these being Kurt Cobain, whose band Nirvana covered their music three times.

As one of these fans, I find a sublime joy in their music that I do not find on any other band. No other makes me want to sing along more, and when I listen to their music I can escape from my troubles and everything in the world feels OK. This power their music has comes from the pure way that both Kelly and McKee approach and express their music. Kelly’s low baritone intertwines with McKee high soprano in a unique way that gives the songs a vibrant pulse.

It’s this interplay of vocals that gives

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their songs their sing-along quality.

Both play the guitar with an airy ease that lets their melodies glide in a nice, flowing way. Their original technique as musicians is brought to the forefront by the direct composition and lyrics of their songs.

Whether the song is a fast rock song or a pop ditty, this music comes at you in a pure way because of the simplicity of the songs and the personality of the playing.

The songs lyrics have a simple, almost innocent feeling that is a great counterpoint to the more adult theme of sex that has always been present in their music.

After playing a smattering of reunion shows throughout the last decade, the Vaselines have released their second album “Sex with an X,” their first in 20 years.

There could be a worry that, after 20 years, the magic of their sound could be lost.

This has not happened. Many times on the album I feel the same feeling of joy and escapism that I had felt from their earlier material. All the things that made them great in the late 80s are still there.

Yet the songs on this new record show a craft and depth that is not on their earlier records. The Vaselines really took the time to make every song perfect.

The harmonies are tight. In their time away from the studio, the Vaselines have become better singers and

songwriters. Each song is composed to have the best impact. Compared to their earlier material, the album is produced in a much clearer and more listenable fashion.

This more professional approach may not sound attractive to the fans of the low fidelity nature of their earlier work. Yet it gives the music a punch that they have not had before.

On songs, such as the title track and “Mouth to Mouth,” the songs have the same joyful bounce that is their signature. Yet these new songs have a potency that is not on their earlier material.

The entire album has this. These songs here are better and more complete.

They explore musical ideas they have not yet explored. On “The Devil Inside Me” they explore the darker side of human attraction.

Their usually bubbly and high-energy sound turns into a creepy, strange sound. On “White Chapel,” “Exit the Vaselines,” and “Such a Fool,” they explore what they can express when they slow down their sound while keeping what makes them great. These songs work, and it’s great to see them explore something not on their previous records.

The Vaselines’ “Sex with an X” contains music that makes me glad that I am a music fan. Many times listening to the record, I felt a great feeling I know I would not have without music. In the end this is the power of music.

Courtesy of sub pop records

“What is Amaxophobia?”

Editor’s note: BC Brains is a feature that asks students a question to test their knowledge of all things trivial.

Compiled by: Nicholas Flores / The Rip

Andrew Mercadel, Physical Education: “A fear of people.”

Clayton Evans, Computer Technology: “Scared of your family.”

Isabella Jones, Philosophy: “The fear of large areas.”

Joe Benyon, Engineering: “A fear of heights.”

Matt Nelson, Undeclared: “A fear of maxim.”

Correct answer: A fear of riding in a vehicle.

BC B rains

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

BC student restarts life

Student dedicates life to agriculture

By Mateo M. Melero Magazine Editor

For those that have ever tried to give up an addiction, they know that it is not an easy task to undertake. It takes time, determination and strength to overcome, and the risk of falling back into addiction always shadows the recovering.

Bakersfield College student David Kennedy, 28, understands this having lived as an addict for years. But Kennedy has not only been able to gain control over his addictions and maintain his sobriety, he has been able to reclaim his love for playing basketball and staying focused through the hardship and trials. “[With] everything I’ve been through, I think I’ve learned more about myself and life in general.”

Falling into drugs and crime at and early age, Kennedy became addicted to methamphetamines and alcohol.

“I was curious. I was really curious to find out what it would do to me. I’ve seen people being able to just do everything hours on end,” said Kennedy.

“When I first started using it was because I was drinking and I wanted to use it to stay up [so] I could drink longer, and it became to where I quit drinking and I used more. Then it became 24/7,” said Kennedy.

“I started getting into criminal activity where I would go out and steal whatever I could to get high, or sell my stuff,” said Kennedy. “It became a real problem for me that I didn’t even realize that it was a problem. I lost a lot.”

Coming from a rough home of convicts and addict parents who made the life seem great, Kennedy was passed back and forth between family members as a young boy.

“The way I was raised was around convicts to where they made prison seem like the life. When you hear that over and over again you start to believe it.”

It was after a series of stints in jail and run-ins with the law that Kennedy began to rethink the way that he was living his life.

“I was just tired,” said Kennedy. “I was tired of going back and forth to prison, to a place that wasn’t like what everyone made it seem like.”

Moving back to Bakersfield from Texas, Kennedy enrolled himself in a sixmonth drug treatment facility and is about to graduate from the program, clean and sober.

“It’s a program of love and faith,” said Kennedy, “It’s a good program.”

“I understand why I don’t need to use again,” said Kennedy.

“It wouldn’t be the same if I went back out and started using again. I always got people and all this recovery in my head.

It talks to me, I guess you can say, in everything I do; whatever choices I make it seems that I’m making it based off those values and those morals.”

Kennedy is attending his first semester at BC and is in school for the first time since high school.

“I love BC. I like the teachers here,” said Kennedy. “People here are real helpful.”

Trying out for the basketball team, Kennedy found that he was not properly conditioned and has enrolled himself in weightlifting classes with the intention of getting in proper shape so he can play again.

“My conditioning was way off. I went out there and tried to play with those guys, and they were just all over me.”

Kennedy now runs the steps of Memorial Stadium everyday, intent on getting himself fit enough to play.

“I’m trying to get into good shape so I can go out there and play my game,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy’s overall goal with BC is to become a drug treatment counselor so that he can run his own rehabilitation center one day. With where he’s been and from what he experienced in life, Kennedy feels that he can benefit and help others who are in the situation he was once in.

“When I speak, people listen because they know that I’ve been where they’ve been, if not further down the ladder, and they understand where I’m coming from.”

When asked what he would say to someone who was is in his previous condition, Kennedy said, “I would tell them that I love them [and to] just keep coming back. Because most of the time I’ll meet those people at my meetings, and really the newcomer is the most important person in the room. It reminds us of where we came from.”

Remaining hopeful and determined, Kennedy is adjusting to his new life, keeping his goals and ambitions close.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

By Kristen Blue

rience for people.

“Most people don’t understand or even know what agriculture is and what a huge The Kern County Fair is a huge part of Ba- part of the United States it is,” she said. kersfield College freshman Lauren Taylor’s Her family raises lambs for livestock purlife. Taylor, 18, has been raising lambs her poses. Taylor’s father visits breeders across entire life. the U.S., purchases the lambs as babies, and “We have pictures of me as a baby wash- raises the lambs until it’s time to sell them ing lambs. I grew up like this. It was kind of as livestock. meant to be,” said Taylor.

“I don’t get attached to the animals. They’re Taylor’s father has been raising lambs for market animals. They get better attention over 30 years, so growing up around lambs than most humans do, trust me! We raise is normal to her. Taylor can always be found them for livestock purpose, not as pets,” she in the backyard working with her lambs. said.

She began showing lambs in the fair at nine According to Taylor, lambs are graded years old. on various criteria such as how well they’re Showing at the fair takes year round prep- groomed, how much fat they have, and how aration, according to Taylor. they’re presented.

“We spend all year round in that back“I love going into the ring and showyard. I’m really, really excited to participate ing. Just being a part of it is such a rush,” in the fair again this year.” Taylor dedicates said Taylor. “I can’t wait for the fair this at least an hour and a half each day working year. I wait all year for it to come around. with her lambs.

I’m really sad; I have one year left until I’m She discussed how her only worries about too old to show.” the fair do not have to do with showing or Taylor anticipates helping her younger relthe competition, but with the people attend- atives show in the fair and hopes someday, ing the fair. when she has kids, they will show lambs, “Sometimes people don’t understand how too. to behave around animals,” she said. “They “My kids someday will definitely show in just don’t know. I’ve had people try to feed the fair. It’s such a great experience and such my lambs a corn dog before. People have a huge part of my life.” mistaken my lambs for goats or llamas.”

She plans to purchase land and raise lambs Taylor believes attending the animal ex- as a hobby in the future. hibits at the fair is a good educational expe“It’s my passion; it’s what I love to do.”

Reporter

DeeDEE Soto / The Rip

Bakersfield College agriculture student next to her lamb Hurly on Sept. 18, 2010.

Students work on health goals

By Nick Flores Reporter

Good health is important to people, and losing weight and staying in shape are key to maintaing good health.

Two Bakersfield College students, Jobe Espinoza and Eric Saldana, have given the Renegade Rip their weight loss goals for this year.

Espinoza, a third-year student attending BC, was a former basketball for Bakersfield Christian High School and has decided to get back into shape and get his high school body back.

He has been running over the summer and enrolled in the fitness center class in order to get more workout time. Espinoza has been doing a lot of running on the treadmill and on his own on the bluffs Mondays through Thursdays and does weight training on Fridays.

With the exercise also comes dieting. He has been cutting down on how much junk food he eats, and he watches his daily caloric intake.

He has decided he wants to drop from 175 pounds to 160 pounds in

order to get ready for the BC track season, where he plans on doing long distance events.

“I want to get back into shape like I was in high school and live a healthier lifestyle, so I may live longer and excel in sports.”

Eric Saldana, a second-year student attending BC, has been training over the summer for his second year of track and field and wants to be ahead of the game.

Saldana graduated from Bakersfield High School and played a variety of sports including football, wrestling, soccer and track and field.

Saldana has started conditioning training for track and field.

His practice varies from sprints, long distance, and weight lifting.

He wants to drop from 238 pounds to 215 pounds in order to prepare for the 2011 track season.

“I want to be healthier, look better, and get a high metabolism so I can eat whatever I want.”

The Rip will be doing a followup on these two students and will update on how their weight loss goals went in the last issue of The Rip, which comes out Dec 1, 2010.

NiCK Florez / The Rip

Jobe Espinoza works out his pectorals in the Bakersfield College fitness center Sept. 15, 2010.

Former faculty member’s art displayed

By Brian N. Willhite Editor in Chief

An artist’s lifetime search to understand the meaning of life has been compiled by his family and friends and put on display for the students of Bakersfield College.

Former BC art professor Frederick Coon’s paintings can now be viewed in the Wylie and May Louise Jones Gallery in an exhibit titled, “A Search for Meaning.” The gallery is located inside the Grace Van Dyke Bird Library.

Coon, who passed away in 2007, was influenced and drawn to the spiritual and mystical natures of religion and philosophy, as well as draw inspiration from locations like the American Southwest and Western Europe, according to his son, Ken Coon, and his life-partner, Michael L. Miller who organized the exhibit.

According to Coon, the art show

was an idea presented by Miller as a way to honor the memory and the lifetime of achievements by Coon through his work.

“Since Fred taught here for almost 40 years, I thought that this would be a place that would be great to honor his art career,” said Miller.

Miller knew Coon for about 25 years and observed his explorations and attempts to interpret his findings through his artwork.

“It seemed, in my mind, that the progression of his artwork was that he was really searching for meaning in life, and spirituality and that sort of thing,” he said.

Miller described how Coon’s earlier paintings of Christ and stained glass imageries depicted his interests in religion and spirituality. Miller also discussed how later on in Coon’s life, he and his wife, Joann, would travel to the Southwest canyons and ruins, spe-

cifically Taos and Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, to search for meaning and inspiration, which led to him painting those images based on his perceptions.

In the 90s, according to Miller, Coon sought for meaning and understanding through Buddhist philosophies and imagery, which inspired another chapter of Coon’s paintings.

Miller also noted how the color palette choices shifted as Coon sought inspiration in other spiritual philosophies. The exhibit’s design is also meant to illustrate this in the layout of the showroom floor, chronicling his work, beginning with his early pieces.

Miller recalls how Coon generally kept his artwork private, rarely holding public showings.

“He never really showed his work publicly, it was sort of, more or less, his exploration, I think, into the meaning of things and spirituality and basically

shared it with his family. He wasn’t necessarily interested or had that ego about exhibiting his work in the gallery scene, or anything like that.

“It was really, more or less, his investigation into the meaning of life and spirituality,” said Miller.

Miller also offered a suggestion for anyone that will be viewing the exhibit.

“If I were to tell someone how to experience this exhibit, I would say just let yourself feel it and not necessarily get too intellectual about the content of it, but just sort of experience it. And I think the color is very strong and powerful in that way too, to give you a feeling of what he was exploring.”

The exhibit’s opening reception was Sept. 9, and will continue to run through Sept. 30.

The gallery’s hours and days of operation are Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Sports

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

It’s a family affair on the golf greens A second-place finish for BC at SBCC match

By Michael Wafford Opinions Editor

Stacie Netzer, 45, and Lauren Netzer, 19, are players on the Bakersfield College women’s golf team. They’re also mother and daughter.

The mother and daughter began golfing together four years ago but began golfing together for BC this golf season. Stacie, who is a sophomore, played for the BC women’s golf team last fall and was joined by Lauren, who is a freshman history major this year.

“For me it’s good. I get to spend time with her. And later in life I think we’ll get to look back and say it was a great experience to have together,” said Stacie.

“We have our moments, but we get over it.”

“I make her mad at me, on the golf course,” said Lauren. “I’ll hit a bad shot, and she’ll say it was my head, and then we’ll argue.”

“I’ll try to tell her what she did wrong so she’ll do better, and she thinks that I’m telling her that she’s bad,” said Stacie. The two said that the arguments never last for long.

Although the pair gets into arguments, they enjoy the experience.

“I like golfing with her,” said Lauren. “I played for my high school, but other than that we [Lauren and her mother] played together once or twice a week.”

To play golf for BC and with her mother, Lauren transferred from Cal State-Bakersfield to

RIP N ation

Sports Editor

Gregory D. Cook / The Rip

Stacie (left) and Lauren Netzer, mother and daughter, take a moment out of practice to pose for a photo at River Lakes Golf Course on Sept. 17.

BC. To make the team, the Netzers believe Lauren had to prove herself even more than others to earn a spot on the team.

“It could have been a little harder at the beginning because of that. I think the coach didn’t want to make her think she was going to step in there and get a spot because her mom was on the team,” said Stacie.

The two practice together four days a week with Lauren practicing five to six days a week.

“My body can’t take it. After we play on Mondays I don’t play on

Tuesdays,” said Stacie.

The two admit that Stacie is the superior player out of the two.

“I’m catching her, though,” said Lauren.

“We just had a tournament on Monday, and I shot an 81, and she shot an 85,” said Stacie.

The mother and daughter also admit that they need to work on aspects of their game.

“I putt well, but I just need to chip better,” said Stacie.

“Mine’s my head. I pull my head. I don’t keep my head down, focused on the ball. So when I push my head I push it or

pull it, I send the ball the wrong direction,” said Lauren.

The two are looking forward to the season and believe they’ll do well.

“We just had our first league match, and we got second. We had a tournament in Palm Springs the week before that, so we’re off to a good start,” said Stacie.

This is the final season for sophomore Stacie with Lauren planning to return to BC next fall.

Lauren Netzer said, “It’s going to be sad. I like playing with my mom.”

Two weeks after winning the Desert Classic, Bakersfield College’s women’s golf team placed second in the conference match in Santa Barbara.

BC shot a 326, nine strokes behind first place College of the Canyons. The host team, Santa Barbara, placed third with a 336.

Sophomore Dee Ray led BC along with a two-day score of 79. Stacie Netzer and Malea Miller both shot an 81.

Lauren Netzer had an 85 and Paula Robinson rounded out BC’s five scores with an 87.

Head coach Robert Paillet was pleased with the play of his golfers.

“I am always impressed [with] how steadily Dee Ray plays. Her scores are so consistent. She battles all day and gives 100 percent every shot,” he said.

“Malea Miller is learning quickly how to adjust to courses she hasn’t seen before.”

The Renegades were looking to keep momentum going after their first place win and came up short.

“Well, we won our last tournament, so I guess we didn’t really improve. The greens were very different than the ones we practice on,

plus we didn’t get a practice round. Playing a course sight unseen is very difficult.”

Paillet spoke about moving the focus on to the upcoming week.

“I worked a lot with our four, five and six players,” he said. “We need them to have a good week for us to win.

Malea, Stacie, and Dee will all post good rounds. We need the other ladies to play well also to win.”

Coach Paillet also spoke about how good it felt to finish above Santa Barbara.

“Beating Santa Barbara on their home course was big, real big. They have a fine player, Nicole Bullemer, who shot a 75, best conference so far,” he said.

“But we were able to put up consistent scores, I’m pleased with that.”

The Renegades who have a conference match at Citrus and an invitational to play in the coming weeks are focused on moving forward and improving.

“We play to win. I give everyone, including myself, five minutes to be angry when we don’t. Then it’s time to put whatever happened behind us,” Paillet said.

“We shake hands, congratulate our opponent, and promise ourselves to try as hard as we can to beat them the next week.”

“What should be done with Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman trophy? And why?”

Editor’s note: Rip Nation is a feature that highlights Bakersfield College’s athletes’ opinions.

Compiled by: Rip Staff

By Julian Moore

Derrick Jenkins, football: “I think they should let him keep it. The stuff they gave him didn’t make him play harder.”

Jeffry Lanier, wrestling: “I think they should let him keep it because he’s the best.”

Mary Maiocco, volleyball: “It should be vacated, because if they found out he did something dirty, why should he get a prize?”

Bill Kalivas, wrestling coach: “I thought it was appropriate to surrender it. It’s a disappointment but that’s the way it goes.”

Rich Hughes, basketball coach: “They should strip him of it, for one.

But I would give it to the second place vote getter [Vince Young].”

Sports

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The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Ferreira’s inexperienced team has early struggle

By Julian Moore Sports Editor

Gregory d. Cook / The Rip

Bakersfield College sophomore Baleigh Biter fights for the ball during a game at BC’s home field Sept. 10 against the Solano College Falcons. Solano won the game 2-0.

Soccer puts in six goals at home

By Vincent Perez Features Editor

It took three home matches for the Bakersfield College women’s soccer team to score at home, but against West Hills College on Sept. 17, the Renegades scored six goals to defeat the Golden Eagles 6-3.

BC (2-2-1) showed offensive power behind goals from sophomores Ceci Amador, Brittany Hunt and Amber Beckham, and each had an assist. BC freshmen Jessica Hernandez and Sam Callagy each scored two goals.

“We did a better job of relaxing today,” said BC coach Scott Dameron. “We weren’t trying to do too much too fast, and we stayed with our strengths, which was moving the ball well, and when we did that we started getting better chances to score.”

Dameron said about the improved offense, “We have not scored in three games, so it’s good to get some goals at home.”

Amador’s goal was the first of the season.

“It was my first goal of the season. It was exciting,” she said.

“It was amazing because we lost our last two games so we came out strong to win this game,” she said.

Dameron talked about the matches ahead and the challenges they face.

“We have one more game, and then conference starts, so we got one more game to prepare.”

In non-conference matches, BC lost to Moorpark College 2-0 on Sept. 14, and they lost their home opener 2-0 on Sept. 10 against Solano College.

Dameron talked about the first loss and its benefits for the fu-

Gregory D. Cook / The Rip

Bakersfield College forward Terryn Soleberg lets the ball drop in front of her during a game against Solano College. ture.

“It’s never fun to take the first loss. You find out more after that loss [by] what they do the next game.”

He continued with the team’s highs and lows so far this season.

“We started off well, but when we discussed it, they realized that they got away from what they were doing,” he said. “They were good in recognizing where they went wrong.

“Instead of playing as 11 work-

ing together, we were 11 players working alone,” said Dameron on their first loss to Solano.

Dameron continued.

“We’re a young team. It’s one of those things that you want to put behind you and get back on the field and see if they learned it.”

Dameron noted that the women’s team lost co-captain Torree Soelberg in an early scrimmage due to an ACL injury. Dameron added that Soelberg is still very vocal and supports her team.

Renegades preparing for home duals

The Bakersfield College volleyball team defeated Antelope Valley before dropping three-of-four in the San Diego Mesa tournament.

The Renegades beat AVC in a one-sided match, 3-0, by the scores of 25-7, 25-18, 2515.

After that game, BC had about 10 days off before traveling to San Diego.

The Renegades went 1-3 in the tournament placing eighth out of the 16 teams there.

Their first match there was against Grossmont College from El Cajon. They wound up beating GC 3-0 with the scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-23.

BC lost their first match to Cypress College, the eventual winners of the tournament.

The Renegades lost by the scores of 15-25, 20-25, and 10-25.

They went on to lose the next two to San Diego Mesa 0-3 (14-25, 19-25, 20-25) and Moorpark 1-3 (21-25, 16-25, 25-18, 20-25).

Coach Carl Ferreira spoke about how the youth of his team was something they struggle with.

“I really wasn’t that surprised at that result, I mean I would say with a very, very young team, we have a ways to go before we’re elite. But I absolutely believe its possible, we have to understand the steps that we’ve got to take to get there,” he said.

“Also, numbers don’t lie.

We try to play to a standard every single day. We’ve been able to play to that standard against lesser competition but you’ve got to play to that standard against elite competition.”

He went on to discuss improvements that could be made and how his role as the coach comes into play.

“The team relies on me to give a thorough evaluation on what transpired and what new action we’re going to take in order for that to happen,” said Ferreira. “We’ve got to attack and serve, our two critical areas, we’ve got to focus and improve on. And we just have to understand what we need to work on and take the appropriate action to work on.

“You’ve got to be a better

Luis Santoyo / The Rip

Renegades right-side hitter Taylor Tafarella keeps the play alive in a match against Antelope Valley on Sept. 8.

Luis Santoyo / The Rip

Bakersfield College labero Mikinzi DeMarco digs for a return against Antelope Valley on Sept. 8 in the BC gym. athlete day in and day out, you have to have a full engagement in knowing you have an opportunity every single day to train,” said Ferreira. “I think our players are still learning how to train every day.”

The team played as well as Ferreira felt they could, but he was glad to see some of the young talent step up to the level of competition and those that are learning to do so with every match.

Scorecard

By Zak Cowan

Kalivas is confident in the depth and balance Reporter throughout the weight classes.

“I think we’re fairly balanced,” said Kalivas.

The wrestling team is preparing for their first “We’re probably deeper at certain weight classes meet with the support of their coach and mentor than others. It just depends.

Bill Kalivas.

“We had some high hopes for some other indiKalivas, the wrestling head coach for Bakers- viduals and we had some people that, for personal field College, said that the team is young, with only reasons, had to withdrawal from the team,” Kalithree sophomores, but he thinks they will catch up vas said. “And we were disappointed because we to speed and be successful. felt that they would make good additions and make “We have a really good group of athletes,” said some good strides, but this sport’s not for everyKalivas. “They have a good work ethic, and I think body, and the only fun thing about wrestling is winwhat they don’t have in technical ability they make ning.” up in determination and hard work.”

Kalivas said that they are fairly balanced around Kalivas is looking forward to the team’s first the weight classes, and that A.J. Smith and Brad meet on Sept. 24-25, and he says that they will Carls are their top two wrestlers. Barring injury, he compete against the one, four, and seven overall said, they have the potential to be the tops in their teams from last year. weight classes.

“It will be a good test Kalivas talked about the for them to see where future potential of the team we’re at and prepare for and the academic expectathe tournament season,” tions of the athletes.

Sept. 26 Bakersfield Duals he said. “Hopefully we’ll “The future looks good if Oct. 2 at Santa Ana Tournament find our 10 best athletes they can all maintain their Oct. 9 at Modesto Tournament per weight class and see academic standing and put Oct. 16 at South Duals what we can do.” in the extra time,” he said.

Oct. 23 at Cal-Baptist Open Kalivas is preparing “One of the things that Oct. 23 at North/South All-Stars the wrestlers physically makes teams successful is to Oct. 30 at Cuesta Tournament and mentally. have committed individuals Nov. 6 at Menlo Open “Right now it is a matthat want to improve, so if Nov. 13 WSC Conference Tourney ter of some physical conthis group can stay together Nov. 20 at Fullerton State Open ditioning,” said Kalivas. cohesively and learn the Dec. 4 Southern Regional “We’re getting their body Dec. 12 Cal. Community College Champ. skills that our coaching staff prepared, trying to get is trying to teach them, we’ll their fast twitch muscles be successful. and getting them to learn and make some adjust“The winning and losing takes care of itself. Our ments. concern is that they prepare themselves physically “You may only get one or two opportunities to and that they try and do the things that we ask them score,” he said. “And you have to maximize those to do like working on getting an education and havopportunities, otherwise you’re not going to be ing a good experience,” Kalivas said. very successful.”

“Athletics can end at any time so we look for the “We have a good nucleus of athletes, and we’re positive and make sure that they are going to class pleased with the kids that we have,” he said. and they’re focused on working toward their assoKalivas said that the speed of the matches gets ciates degree and getting something out of college, faster at every level, from high school to Division not just competing and taking units just to take I, and that is something he is pushing his athletes units.” to get used to.

Wrestling

“I have a lot of players who have no idea what it takes at the highest level so we’ve come back with awareness,” he said.

“But I was real pleased with Mary Maiocco’s setting ability and Samaiyah Wilkins’s ability to attack and we passed the ball well.

“Ashley Simpson has done a great job for us, she’s leading us in attacking, and Rachel Christian has done a great job passing.”

Football Sept. 4 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2

BC 52, L.A. Pierce 41 BC 41, Saddleback 24 BC 63, Antelope Valley 7 at Citrus Mt. SAC

Volleyball Sept. 1 Sept. 3 Sept. 8 Sept. 18 Sept. 22 Sept 24

BC 3, Ventura 0 BC 3, Porterville 1 BC 3, Antelope Valley 0 8th place at San Diego Mesa Tournament at Cuesta at L.A. Pierce Tournament

Soccer Sept. 4 Sept. 10 Sept. 14 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Sept. 28

BC 0, Evergreen Valley 0 Solano 2, BC 0 Moorpark 2, BC 0 BC 6, West Hills 3 at Ventura Glendale

Women’s Golf Aug. 30 Sept. 3 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27

4th Place Finish 1st Place Finish 2nd Place Finish at Oakmont GC at WSC Citrus

Sports

Page 11

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Renegades keep pouring it on against AVC

By Michael Morrow

Video Production Editor

Both the Bakersfield College Renegades and the Antelope Valley College Marauders used multiple quarterbacks in their third game of the season at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 18, but for very different reasons.

The Renegades defeated AVC 63-7 behind a 42-0 halftime lead.

BC, now 3-0 on the season, started Lyle Negron at quarterback as usual, but, by the end of the second quarter, the game was well in hand for the Renegades.

They put up 42 points by the time the quarterback change was made for Byron Campbell with 2:57 left in the half. Negron went 5-for-8 with 53 yards and two touchdowns, while Campbell went 8-for-11 with 92 yards.

The Marauders, now 0-3 on the season, had serious problems at quarterback.

Usual starter Josh Firm started the opening drive by throwing an interception to Dillon Meadows in the first minute of the game.

On the next possession, Firm dropped back to pass and threw another pick, this time to Zach Vasquez.

During the third possession, Firm threw back-to-back passes into the hands of BC defensive back Tyler Dogins, but Dogins dropped both chances for the interception.

After the wild string of plays, AVC called a timeout and made the quarterback switch. But the change made no difference to the state-ranked No. 5 Renegades.

The Renegades forced turnover after turnover and threeand-out after three-and-out while BC scored on 7 out of 15 posses-

sions. Two of those possessions came at the end of the half and the end of the game as BC just ran the clock away.

Special teams and turnovers helped the Renegades blow by AVC with rotating halfbacks, and punt returner Leandre West was doing most of the damage.

West returned five punts for 234 yards and one score. His largest two returns came at the end of the first quarter when he went 66 yards to the four-yard line, setting up Julian DeanJohnson for the score. The next was an 86-yard scamper for a touchdown with 11:54 left in the second quarter.

After the game, head coach Jeff Chudy spoke about how well his team performed, and West’s big day.

“Obviously we created a lot of turnovers, and we made some things happen in the kicking game,” said Chudy. “Lee West was kind of just what we thought he was going to be, so it was a great team win. I’m really proud of our guys.”

The 63 points are the most given up by AVC since 2002 when they were defeated by Grossmont College 66-7. It was also the third largest margin of defeat for the Marauders.

Chudy mentioned how practice is making perfect for the Renegades.

“At the end of the day, you’re going to play how you prepare, and our guys have been preparing extremely hard all week,” said Chudy. “The challenge that we had was [sustaining] momentum, and to develop some consistency, and I think we did that.

“We capitalized on the energy that we built up from the Saddleback win. We played a really

good fourth quarter and I was proud of the way our guys came out this week and last.”

The Renegades had six running backs and three quarterbacks rush for 182 yards and four touchdowns. Andre Smith and Dean-Johnson led the first half with 55 yards and a touchdown each.

Smith is nine yards away from becoming the 25th player in Renegade football history to have 1,000 yards on the ground, but Smith, along with DeanJohnson, did not play after the first quarterback change at the end of the first half.

West, Derrick Jenkins and Jawuan Caldwell carried the load the rest of the game gaining 99 yards, with West and Caldwell getting a touchdown each.

On Sept. 11, the Renegades defeated Saddleback College 4124 and were led by Negron, who threw for 170 yards, one touchdown on 15-for-32 pass attempts and 21 runs with 80 yards and one touchdown.

The next two games for the Renegades have them traveling to Citrus College on Sept. 25, and then back home to face off against state-ranked No.1 Mount San Antonio College on Oct. 2.

“We have Citrus and that’s a tough game usually for us, because it’s hard to play down there at their place. They were 1-0 going into this thing and they play Canyons tonight, so it’s going to be a challenge for us,” said Chudy.

“We’re going to have to stack it up, and we talked about being consistent. It’s all about consistency, and our guys have to come back and practice their tails off,” said Chudy.

gregory d. cook / The Rip

Bakersfield College running back and punt returner Leandre West breaks tackles for a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter of 63-7 blowout at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 18.

Photos by Luis Santoyo / The Rip

Left: Bakersfield College quarterback Lyle Negron steps into the pocket while trying to deliver a pass down field. Right: Running back Andre Smith cuts up field for a short gain.

Former players move onto the next level

By Michael Morrow

Video Production Editor

Former Bakersfield College quarterback Logan Kilgore was named the starter at Middle Tennessee State and played in two of the three opening games against Division I opponents.

Kilgore missed the second game of the season against Austin Peay.

“Austin Peay I was held out because of a foot injury in order to make sure I was healthy for Memphis,” said Kilgore.

The Blue Raiders played the Minnesota Golden Gophers to open their season at home. Kilgore passed for 172 yards on 13 of 18 pass attempts, with one touchdown and one interception.

He missed the next game, then came back to start against Memphis throwing 16-for-26 and 161 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Kilgore went out to Middle Tennessee in January and said he was working hard to just earn his spot on the depth chart.

Former starting quarterback Dwight Dasher was suspended indefinitely by Middle Tennessee for accepting a loan, giving Kilgore his chance to start.

“Once we kind of knew he was going down, I was the clear-cut backup, and now the clear-cut starter,” said Kilgore. “My head coach just brought me in and said ‘I know you already know this, but you’re our starter, and the whole team believes in you, and the whole coaching staff believes in you. Now you have to believe in yourself.’

“Nothing is going to change, everyone is just as confident with me in there as they were with him.”

Kilgore said he sought advice from former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Carl Dean.

“I called Coach Dean because I’m pretty close with Coach Dean, and I talked to him a little bit, and he just gave me advice and said take care of the football, and he thought I was ready, so it was no big deal,” Kilgore said.

Dean spoke about the nerves Kilgore might experience in his first game.

“I expect him to have a few nerves, and, playing in a little bit of a different atmosphere, you expect him to be nervous,” said

COurtesy of Middle Tennessee State University

Logan Kilgore (10) starts in the first game of the season for Middle Tennessee State against University of Minnesota.

Dean. “He’s playing a Big Ten opponent, and it is going to be a little surreal for him. He’s definitely earned the position that he’s in.

“Hopefully he’ll run the offense he’s been taught, and I expect him to be a little bit more of a polished player, and I think he’s going to do well. He’s smart with the ball, and, if he takes care of the football, he should do well.”

Kilgore’s first game with Middle Tennessee was televised on ESPNU, and Kilgore talked about the excitement of it all.

“It was cool. It was nice to be on national TV. I know that I had a lot of support back in California and around the country, my family and friends and stuff. It was nice to jump right into it, playing against a Big Ten team, in front of 30,000 and it was a fun experience,” said Kilgore.

Kilgore talked about dealing with nerves before the game.

“I felt completely prepared, being a quarterback my whole life,” he said. “It’s just another day you have to execute your game plan, and I wasn’t really nervous.“ Dean described the BC coaching staff’s reaction after hearing Kilgore would start.

“Well, we’re obviously proud and excited about it and a lot of the players from last year are looking forward to watching him on TV, and we’re just hoping for the best,” said Dean. “He got there in January, and is excited about being there and had a really good spring. The coaches like him and we’ve heard a lot of good feedback from them.

“I think going into the season they initially thought he was go-

ing to be a redshirt guy, he has a redshirt to use. I don’t know all the situations and details about how he ended up being the starter, but the fact that coaches have confidence in him and that he’s proven himself within the coaching staff and the players is good for him.”

Middle Tennessee lost the opener to Minnesota 24-17 and Kilgore talked about how the game went.

“Offensively it was an interesting game. We only had the ball

for 14 minutes, they had the ball for 46. It’s pretty tough to win games like that. We would have loved to get the ball back in the fourth quarter, but fumbles didn’t go our way and we have a lot of good things to build on,” said Kilgore. “We were still in position to beat that team, and there’s no doubt that we’re a good team.

We just weren’t able to put it together on all sides of the ball.

“I think it just gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we can compete with any team in the Big Ten, it feels like. I just feel like going into the rest of our schedule, [we have] some big games—at Georgia Tech, Troy, at home—it just gives us a lot of confidence knowing that if we just play our game we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Former BC receiver Vincent Van Horne also went to Middle Tennessee, and Kilgore talked about having a familiar face around.

“I was pretty excited, I definitely enjoy having a friend out here, but once I got here and I started practicing, I’ve met so many people. The whole community’s behind me, I have so many friends and stuff out here that the

Former BC football players move on: Corey Wright Tyrone Crawford Cameron Shelton Casey Sorrell Mitchell Paneno Nathan Stevens Tanner Webb Logan Kilgore Vincent Van Horne Gareth Brown Chikadibia Madu Maurice Hayes Jordan Mudge Rishard Matthews William Randle Joel Turrubiates Jacob Cross Joseph Bertrand Mitchel Knoy

DL DE DE OL OL TE FS/SS QB WR RB CB DT OL WR WR OL LB LB DT

Angelo State Boise State Fort Hayes State Fort Hayes State Fort Hayes State Humboldt State Humboldt State Middle Tennessee State Middle Tennessee State Missouri Valley Nicholls State University of Alabama at Birm.

University of Nevada at Reno University of Nevada at Reno University of Texas at El Paso Weber State Western New Mexico Western New Mexico Western New Mexico

transition hasn’t been that tough other than being away from my family and my girlfriend, [who] lives there in Bakersfield. It’s just a matter of being out here playing and there are certain things that give me an advantage with having Vince here. Just because he’s someone that we could talk about old war stories and stuff like that together.”

BC transferred several football players on to the next level to play, and Kilgore talked about some of the guys he keeps in touch with.

“I talked to Tyrone [Crawford] a couple of times. He called me before and after my game, and then I called him before and after his game last night. I have talked to the other guys, not about football, but I’ve talked to them throughout different times in the season. I’m not sure how some of the other guys are doing, basically Tyrone, Tanner Webb, Nick Stevens, those guys are up at Humboldt and my sister goes to there, so I talk to them. It’s definitely exciting to see these guys playing around the country.”

Eyes of the Rip

Page 12

The Renegade Rip www.therip.com

Gregory cook / The Rip

Kathy Exachoulakos dances the Ikariotikos, a traditional Greek dance at the Greek Food Festival at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church on Sept. 11.

Carissa edwards / The Rip

Alina Rita Holanday gets her food at the Greek Food Festival on Sept. 10.

Gregory Cook / The Rip

Danny Papakalos, of the group Synthesi, plays a traditional Greek melody on an eight-string Bouzouki during the Greek Food Festival on Sept. 11.

By Michael Wafford Opinions Editor

Bakersfield citizens filled the yard of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church for the 38th annual Greek Food Festival.

Attendees were treated to the scent of Greek food, traditional folk music and fresh air on Sept. 10 and 11.

The crowd enjoyed the atmosphere at the annual fundraiser. “You have some good food, some good music and you can relax. It’s about having a nice time,” said Cecil Parson who was joined by his wife Sadia and son Joe Parson.

“Most people say there’s nothing to do in this town, but there are things to do. There are a lot of fun events and activities. A lot of people don’t look around and

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Gregory Cook / The Rip

10-year-old Jake Kleeper plays in the children’s play area at the Greek Food Festival on Sept. 11.

Carissa Edwards / The Rip

People wait in line for gyros at the Greek Food festival Sept. 10.

take all this stuff in,” said Parson. “We’ve come for the past couple of years. We’re originally from New York; we have a festival like this one back there. It brings a little culture and diversity to this town.”

The festival has become a tradition for many of the attendees, including Bakersfield College professor David Koeth and his family. “My family and I have been coming here for about 20 years now. We love the food,” said Koeth.

BC students were also in attendance. “We came here last year. It was really fun. We like dancing, the food, and it gives me an opportunity to socialize with my friends,” said nursing major Raquel Johnson, 19, who was joined by friends and fellow BC students Olivia Juarez and Indiana Adame.

Attendees were entertained by traditional Greek music and dance. Music was performed by the group Syn-

thesi, comprised of Danny Papakalos and Peter Daneff, the pair played traditional Greek folk music.

The members working the various food and beverage booths were pleased by the interest Bakersfield citizens have shown for the Greek food Festival over the years. “I like that the people support us,” said Magaret Papadimitrakis. “We’re raising money to keep our church going. This is our main fundraiser to pay for our church. Usually the churches in Greece, the government supports them. They’re government funded.

Us—we’re independent.”

Entrance to the festival cost $5 per day. Although the St. George’s has not completed counting the number of people who attended the festival or the amount of money raised Genevieve Christensen, of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church said, “It was a very successful year, it was a nice surprise.”

*2.5 GPA required. *For incoming freshmen, GPA requirement will be waived for first semester.