Summer 2012 - Issue 6

A N AT I O N A L PA C E M A K E R AWA R D N E W S PA P E R

Volume 55, Issue 6

Summer Edition 2012

Players say they were illegally recruited

Campus bookstore may be privatized

www.theswcsun.com

By Alexis Dominguez Assistant Sports Editor

Two basketball players from New York who were declared academically ineligible have stood by their stories that they were recruited by a Southwestern College basketball coach, despite the fact that they signed athletic department paperwork declaring that they reached out to the college first.

Former Jaguar basketball players Keenan

College files suit against contractors

Langston and David Warren reiterated that they were approached by SWC associate coach Kyle Colwell last summer. Langston said Colwell approached him after a high school game in Brooklyn in which his team played Warren’s. Both players said Colwell approached them after the game to see if they would be interested in moving to California and playing for the Southwestern College Jaguars. Langston and Warren both said they had not heard of

Southwestern College or Colwell before he introduced himself to them. After maintaining contact with the players, Colwell convinced them to fly down to San Diego County to play for the Jags, said Keenan.

California community colleges are not allowed to recruit prospective athletes outside of their immediate districts, much less out of please see Recruiting pg. B6

By Jose Guzman Staff Writer

services. Even if his proposed tax initiative passes in November, it will do little to close the $16 billion deficit California faces July 1.

Come summer Southwestern College will once again feel the heat as California community colleges have their budgets slashed to help close the state budget deficit.

A scramble to close a $5 million gap is being addressed right now and another $3 - $6 million looking ahead with gloomy FY 2013-14 fiscal year predictions. This comes on the heels of close to $8.1 million cut last year.

Students are facing rising fees and a 30 percent reduction of college Cal Grant recipients. Cuts to CalWORKS and childcare burst the pipeline for childcare workers in the state, closing an estimated 98

Campus administrators are considering a plan to lease the campus bookstore to a private corporation in an attempt to generate revenue for the college, according to bookstore employees.

Winners may be the college, which could generate tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. Losers, say critics of the idea, would be students who face steep increases in textbook costs and possibly bookstore employees who could lose their jobs.

Southwestern College administration and employees just agreed to a contentious five percent salary cut in an attempt to make up for a $5 million shortfall for fiscal year 2012-13. Another $2 million gap may have opened, according to campus administrators, forcing leadership to consider other cuts as well as possible sources of revenue.

Though many bookstore employees and students expressed sympathy for the college’s plight, none indicated support for the proposal. Bookstore Operations Manager Bill Denton said he opposed the plan, calling it a potential “can of worms.”

Bookstore profits have for years supported other cash-losing operations, such as the cafeteria.

Denton said bookstore personnel were always happy to assist other campus programs that came up short, and said he was concerned that the college would sell off a “cash cow.”

“The campus bookstore was always able to help the college (with revenues from profits), which I’m very proud of,” he said.

California community colleges such as Chabot in Hayward and Orange Coast in Costa Mesa privatized their bookstores to corporations that paid generous leasing fees, but also charged students 20-40 percent more for textbooks and essential academic materials. Denton said the extra revenue for the college would come with a heavy cost to employees and students.

“These companies come in and say ‘We’ll take over, we’ll run your store and we guarantee you this amount of money every year and we get to keep the rest,’” he said. “The only way

please see Budget pg. A2

please see Bookstore pg. A4

PLAYOFFS SLIDE AWAY

Board takes action in wake of district attorney corruption charges

By Nickolas Furr and Mary York Senior Staff Writer and News Editor

Citing legal questions, monetary compensation and issues of principle, the Southwestern College Governing Board voted unanimously to file lawsuits against three California construction and architecture firms that had been awarded contracts from the college during the administration of former Superintendent Raj K. Chopra. Following charges of bribery and corruption by the San Diego County District Attorney, the college severed ties with the firms, and none of them have worked on campus since January.

A board statement said litigation would “include challenges to the procurement of contracts related to the Corner Lot project,” and the conduct of the firms that were involved: Seville Construction Services (SCS), Echo Pacific Construction and architects Bunton Clifford Associates (BCA).

The $55 million project, the showpiece of SWC’s $389 million Pr o p o s i t i o n R construction bond, has been a lightning rod of controversy since its groundbreaking ceremony in October 2010.

In the year and a half since then, no actual Nish construction has occurred on the seven-acre lot. The empty parcel of bare ground has continued to garner unwanted attention from the citizens of South Bay, the media and the district attorney.

“We recognize the public interest surrounding this project,” said board president Norma Hernandez. “We also want to ensure we are fulfilling our duty to properly safeguard public funds in this project.”

Questions about litigation came to light in March, following the board’s public release of its internal investigation, which disclosed possibly illegal actions related to the construction firms’ original bids in 2010.

Seo Consulting was hired by SWC independent counsel Dannis Woliver Kelley in April 2011 to perform the investigation and forensic audit for the governing board. In the report, auditor Scott Seo noted several problems with the way the administration awarded bids, including a lack of transparency at every level, inadequate documentation to support why firms were selected, cost proposals based on varying project assumptions and numerous possible conflicts of interest.

Dr. Melinda Nish, who became SWC superintendent in January, said these issues provided the college even stronger reasons to sue.

“The principle is, that if contracts were not appropriately procured then there is an issue, please see Lawsuit pg. A2

Mary York/Staff

SAFE BY A WHISKER—Southwestern College third baseman Sammy Montalvan misses tagging out a runner during the Jaguar’s playoff game against El Camino. The Jags lost, 8-6, and followed with another loss in the second game, 4-1, bouncing the Pacific Coast Conference champions from the hunt for a state title. (Story on B-8)

$5M cut from college budget Employees agree to take 5 percent salary cut to help save classes, jobs

By Thomas Baker Assistant News Editor

The “People’s College” has begun to turn away The People, and the worst, warn educational leaders, is yet to come.

Last year more than 200,000 California students lost access to classes and current estimates show an additional 670,000 students seeking a community college education will be turned away. Governor Jerry Brown said the state economy is beginning to recover, but not before drastic cuts in education and health

Student Task Force limits access to aid

By Thomas Baker Assistant News Editor

Higher education policy makers are describing it as “narrowing the gate.”

Students are calling it “slamming the door in our faces.” Either way, the controversial Student Success Task Force Recommendations are moving toward approval by the California Legislature and community colleges will never be the same.

Senate Bill 1456, the SeymourCampbell Student Success Act of 2012, is an effort to improve completion

rates in community colleges by placing restrictions and unit caps on the Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOGW). If the legislation passes, students would be required to state a major, create an education plan and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for financial aid. BOGW would be capped at 110 units. A Southwestern College policy already limits BOGW at 100 units.

Nearly two thirds of SWC students currently receive BOGW. Under the legislation 20 percent of today’s students

INSIDE:

would be affected by the need to state an educational goal, 23 percent would be impacted by not meeting educational standards and nine percent would be affected by the unit cap, according to Patti Larkin, director of financial aid.

“If a college provides the necessary student services, the student should then meet satisfactory progress,” said Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), author of SB 1456.

Critics of the SSTF say the

Viewpoints, A5 Unsigned, A5 Sex Column, A6 Campus, B1 Arts, B5 Sports, B9

please see Task Force pg. A2

Architecture Club lights up contest, Campus, A12

Students effected by

SB 1456

20%

23%

9%

Need to state an Do not meet

educational plan

educational

Effected by unit cap

standards

Mary York/Staff

Poetry is an outlet for student’s life struggles, Arts, B1

A2

Mary York, editor

NEWS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: news@theswcsun.com

Board passes campaign finance reform

By Mary York News Editor

I

n another effort to drive the pay-for-play culture out of Southwestern College, the governing board passed a campaign finance reform initiative proposed by trustee Humberto Peraza that limits political contributions to $1,000. Based on city and community college models, Peraza said the reform is an attempt to minimize the influence construction companies and architects can have on board elections and district decision making.

“I support reform, SCEA supports it,” said Andy MacNeill, president of the college faculty union. “It makes sense with what we just went through. I think it sends a message to the community that we’re done playing around. The people who did the pay-for-play are gone and we are here to be responsible.”

Peraza said the pre-election season was the best time to pass the policy in light of SWC’s history.

“Somebody got a $30,000 check in the last election,” said Peraza. “That’s overboard. That’s what we’re trying to prevent.”

Peraza, who is up for re-election this cycle along with trustee Dr. Jean Roesch, said the timing and the intent of this policy are exactly what the community needs to hear from its governing board.

“It’s about transparency and rebuilding trust in the community and showing them, ‘Hey, we’re trying to do it right’,” he said. “Campaign finance reform is something that that community wanted to see changed. We are coming up to an election time and I thought this is something we need to try to input before the next election. This isn’t something we should wait on, this is something we should do immediately.”

Roesch, the only board member to oppose the item, said she disagreed with Peraza.

“I don’t think it’s necessary and I really don’t agree with it,” she said. “There are some people under this policy that wouldn’t be able to raise much because they don’t belong to organizations that could really provide that kind of financing.”

Serina Duarte/Staff

A STEP FORWARD — Governing Board Vice President Humberto Peraza pushed for the campaign finance reform initiative, a step he said is important to take before the November election.

Unions, which often support candidates, stand to lose a lot by this new policy, but MacNeill said the faculty union still favored its passage. He said unions would be able to lend their support by helping candidates connect with the community, which, he said, is more important anyway.

“Any candidate we are going to support we would get plugged into our network,” said MacNeill. “I think there are people who may need to run again in the future and they are relying on donors and contributors who gave more than what the policy will be limiting it to.

People have their pots of money that they rely on and they might rely on those big amounts rather than a whole bunch of little amounts. And I think they’re probably worried about having to use a lot of their own money. I think if you have a good message, that message should carry itself.”

The governing board openly discussed the issue of campaign finance reform at its monthly meeting to the praise of community members who said they are happy to see the board has

stopped having these discussions behind closed doors. Chula Vista resident Nancy Stubbs said the issue of campaign finance reform is a crucial one at this point in time.

“This is a pivotal next step in earning back the trust in the community,” she said. “The pay-toplay culture, whether perception or reality, must end now. This is a very real part of that perception of corruption. That was the past, it’s time to move forward. It may be easier to take money from vendors but they are far removed from the community that you represent.”

Board President Norma Hernandez and Trustee Tim Nader expressed concerns about the initiative’s enforceability, which he said is almost non-existent.

“I passionately believe the campaign finance reform on every level in our country is necessary,” he said. “Unfortunately, the Supreme Court majority has really tied our hands as far as what we can do, to the extent that we aren’t already tied by the fact that we are a community college and not a city.”

Very few community colleges in the state have enacted policies like this one and there is little precedent to foreshadow the consequences of enacting such a policy. Nader said he believes an initiative without enforcement would really cripple the honest and help the criminals.

“There’s no consequence if you violate the policy. None,” he said. “We can’t fine you or throw you in jail. We reward those who are willing to break the policy and penalize those try to do the most ethical, high-road approach.”

But SWC graduate and community member William Perno said he is looking to the board to send a message.

“Your actions tonight can go a long way to restoring trust in the community,” said Perno. “I hope this item will serve as the catalyst for other local governing boards to also enact campaign contribution limits. You are fixing the problems of the past, this is an opportunity to fix the potential problems of the future.”

Budget: Classes, student services face steep cuts in 2012-13 Continued from page A1

community college campus childcare centers. As outlined by Brown, new work participation requirements could make it nearly impossible for low-income students to gain access to community college resources.

Half of the $5 million SWC deficit will be paid with $1 million from reserves, $1 million from Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) funding cuts by the state and $500,000 in cuts to operating budgets (administrative and academic).

If Brown’s tax initiative on the November ballot fails, SWC’s budget committee is scheduling fewer classes for fall 2012.

Randy Beach, SWC Academic Senate President Elect, said this for ward thinking is beneficial because if the initiative fails, class cuts are already in place.

“Students can plan better, faculty can be hired and student services can better prepare for the projected student load,” he said.

Student fees will increase to $46 a unit for the summer semester, which has been severely reduced.

Beach said no other fee increases are currently being considered at this time at the state level. Changes to the Board of Governors (BOGW) fee waiver include a 110 unit cap and students will be required to maintain satisfactory academic standards.

SWC students are ineligible for BOG after completion of 100 units.

Requirements for Cal Grants may increase the minimum GPA to qualify to 2.75, up from the current 2.0, though Cal Grant changes are not expected to pass, said Patti Larkin, SWC Director of Financial Aid. Larkin said 13,507 SWC students currently receive BOGW with changes affecting around 100 students. Changes to Cal Grant could affect about 920 students,

Task Force: Proposal would use new financial aid rules to push degree, certificate completion Continued from page A1

Roosevelt Palafox/Staff

BAD NEWS FROM SACRAMENTO — (l-r) C. M. Brahmbhatt, Bob Temple and Academic Senate President Angelina Stuart discuss implications of next year’s budget cuts. SWC administrators and employees recently agreed on how to cut $5 million from the college budget.

she said.

“It’s not so much as to make students leave as soon as possible as it is to encourage them to progress,” said Larkin. “It’s important for students to progress because in the case of Pell Grants you don’t want to spend a lot of time using that money.”

Salary cuts will likely go into effect in FY 2012-13 after faculty and employees voted narrowly to approve a five percent pay cut negotiated by administration and labor groups on campus.

Bruce MacNintch, president of the California School Employees Association, said the only thing left is salaries. Current negotiations revolve on distribution of cuts, an increase in employee contributions to health and welfare benefits, furloughs and the possibility of freezing step increases, he said.

“All the groups have made a commitment that if it’s a choice

between jobs and salary, we’ll look at salary,” said MacNintch. “We’re opposed to job losses, but we don’t know how severe future cuts will be.”

The pay reduction is expected to generate $3.1 million.

Federal financial aid changes take effect July 1. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicants will no longer submit a copy of their taxes with their application. Tax information will be sent directly from the Internal Re ve n u e Se r v i c e . Pe l l Gr a n t s recipients are reduced from 18 semesters of financial aid to 12, giving students less time to pursue educational goals. A six-month grace period of no interest is being eliminated on federal student loans and interest rates, and future loans will double unless Congress extends the 2007 law keeping current interest rates.

Last semester 39 employees took

part in the Supplemental Early Retirement Package (SERP) that saved SWC about $1.7 million last year. SERP is not a viable option to finding the money needed this year, said Andy MacNeill, budget committee co-chair.

He said it has been determined that there will be no SERP for the 2011-12 budget year and there is no commitment to offer SERP next year.

“You can’t offer it every year as you lose too much of your work force,” said MacNeill. “There also comes a point where you just can’t save any more money.”

Summer 2013 is expected to look similar to summer 2012 with the main campus, for the most part, closed to students. Fall takes the majority of funding with 54 percent FTES allocated, while spring only gets 46 percent and summer gets what little remains to fund programs that require summer courses.

recommendations would restrict access to some students while forcing others through the system as quickly as possible. Gone are the days of sampling classes and exploring other fields of study. Recommendation 3.3 would provide students with the opportunity to consider the benefits of full-time enrollment. Their reasoning behind this is “the faster a student completes his or

her education, the less time there is for life or family issues to get in the way.”

Recommendation 3.4 states students not ready for college would be required to enroll in basic skills courses to better prepare them to accomplish their goals.

Due to budget reductions, basic skills courses are already well over capacity.

Another recommendation would focus on course offerings that contribute

to a student’s progress. In the process of aligning course offerings to core courses, it could cut off funding to non-credit courses that do not contribute to an educational plan.

Critics claim the recommendations requiring all incoming students to participate into assessment, please see Task Force pg. A4

Lawsuit: Board aims to recoup some payments lost on original contracts Continued from page A1

and that could lead to questions of money,” she said. “So both issues are being looked at legally.”

Pasadena-based Seville Construction Services was awarded a $2.7 million contract in October 2009 to provide project management for the college’s entire Proposition R construction.

Henry Amigable, the first project manager, only worked until December 2010, when Seville terminated him. In January, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office charged him with two felony counts, bribery and influence peddling, related to his actions at Sweetwater Union High School District. In March, he agreed to a plea bargain in which he would admit guilt to one misdemeanor charge and avoid prosecution for the felonies. He is due in court next month and still faces up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail. Amigable is expected to testify against school board members and administrators also charged with crimes.

The governing board terminated its relationship with Seville and BCA in January.

BCA, which is headquartered in San Francisco, was awarded a $3.1 million contract in April 2010 to draft architectural plans for the entire corner lot development, including buildings and landscaping. The plans were awarded a Community College Facility Coalition (CCFC) Award of Excellence late in 2010. Paul Bunton, BCA’s president, appeared in court March 26 to plead guilty to one misdemeanor. He also faces a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Echo Pacific Construction, of Escondido, was awarded the construction management contract in July 2010. In January 2011, Chris Rowe, Echo’s president, hired Amigable to provide construction management for Echo Pacific’s Proposition AA projects on the SWC campus, including the new Time Out Café.

Amigable is now on leave, according to an Echo spokesperson. In September, the governing board terminated Echo Pacific for convenience. Rowe has not been charged by the district attorney.

In November 2009, five months before BCA was awarded its contract, Bunton took Amigable and Nicholas Alioto, SWC’s former vice president of business and financial affairs on a well-documented Pebble Beach golfing vacation. Three weeks before Echo Pacific won its bid, Rowe joined Bunton, Amigable and Alioto on a Napa Valley trip won at a Southwestern College Education Foundation event. It cost Rowe $15,000.

A spokesman for Seville said that the board’s decision to take legal action against the firm came out of nowhere.

“As reported by The Sun on February 27, SWC and Seville were working toward a mutual solution to dissolve our contractual relationship,” he said. “After months of negotiations we thought we had reached a mutual agreement to dissolve the contract. Therefore we were shocked by the board’s choice to disregard its legal counsel and instead pursue legal action.”

The spokesman also questioned the board’s motivations for taking this step.

“We feel this sudden about-face is a disingenuous attempt to win political favor rather than doing what’s best for the college,” he said. “Additionally, we believe that any litigation will be a tremendous waste of taxpayer money, and that the time of SWC administrators could be better spent on seeing the improvements to the college come to fruition.”

Bunton, whose plea in part read, “I paid for e-mails and entertainment for Southwestern College officials. My actions triggered reporting responsibilities by these officials under the rules [of the] Fair Political Practices Commission.

We are cooperating with the D.A.’s office and working with school administrators throughout California in the hope of making sure everyone knows about essential reporting laws.”

Despite repeated calls and messages, Echo Pacific executives refused to comment.

For legal reasons, the governing board declined to expand on its original statement.

The spokesman said that Seville stands by its belief that litigation is detrimental to all parties involved.

“SCS has always operated and acted in good faith throughout our relationship with the district, and we have proactively assisted in the investigations by Seo Consulting as well as the D.A.’s office,” he said. “The board’s decision to not seek a mutual resolution can only prolong the negative impact on the college and community.”

In March, the board suspended all work on the corner lot, pending an update to the college’s educational and long-range master plans. In addition, the board plans to complete construction 10 years earlier than original projections. Bidding for additional Prop R projects is scheduled to begin in April 2013.

With or without SWC, Seville will continue to provide project and construction management services.

“We are grounded in our unshakeable principles,” the spokesman said, “and we will continue to be steadfast in our commitment to providing high quality services, operating with integrity in all our dealings, delivering customer satisfaction and achieving excellence for our clients.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Bartow and Whittaker granted honorary degrees

By Daniel Guzman Sports Editor

O

ne outstanding educator spent 37 years at Southwestern College, the other spent only one, but both are about to become recipients of the institution’s highest honor.

Former Superintendent Denise W h i t t a k e r a n d l e g e n d a r y S WC baseball coach Jerry Bartow will receive honorary degrees at commencement May 18 for their service, dedication and positive impact on the campus and community.

After the malfeasance of former Superintendent Raj K. Chopra and his administration, the college was on its final leg when Whittaker was brought in to help and reverse the college’s threatened accreditation status. In less than a year Whittaker led the college back to full accreditation, began an internal investigation that has brought to light corruption in construction contracting, restored the credibility of the SWC Foundation, and restored shared governance and trust on campus. “ Ev e n t h o u g h i t w a s h i g h l y demanding and I worked more hours than I care to admit, it was one of the highlights of my career,” said Whittaker. “It is difficult to explain how the college came together to Amparo Mendoza/Staff successfully address serious challenges.

SOUTHWESTERN’S DIAMOND — Baseball coach Jerry Bartow, recipient of Southwestern College’s Honorary Degree, took his team to Through those experiences lives were playoffs again this season. Bartow has been a coach and mentor to baseball players at SWC for 37 years and has been inducted into three halls of changed, including my own.”

Whittaker’s year at Southwestern fame in two states.

College was epic, said Governing Board Vice President Humberto and community subsequent to faculty Southwestern College Athletic Hall a lot of years here,” said Bartow. I’ve Peraza. voting “no confidence” on the prior of Fame, one of three halls of fame in had a lot of kids come through this “Denise had an enormous impact leadership. which he has been enshrined in two program and they’ve all been doing on the school for the short period she “I was shocked, stunned, amazed states. He is nationally known and very well. Southwestern has been was here,” he said. “If it wasn’t for and totally honored by the awarding respected for his coaching talent and pretty good to me all of those years and her it is safe to say we wouldn’t have of the degree,” she said. “This is a dedication to his student-athletes. that’s why I have stayed here. I have accreditation back. If it wasn’t for her I very big deal and to think that the This spring he was named Pacific a lot of friends here. I’ve known a lot don’t think the campus climate would Academic Senate, college community, Coast Conference Co-Coach of the of teachers, some of them retired and have changed so quickly. She had an current president and governing board year. some of them still here. It is a great immediate impact on fixing a lot of believe I am worthy of such an honor “Coach Bartow has had so much school and it will get even better.” the problems that were left from the is very humbling. I have never been of a great history, not only with the Bartow and Whittaker are now a previous administration. She deserves honored in any comparable way and baseball club, but also as a mentor to permanent part of SWC history as a lot of credit.” it mirrors how I feel about the college students and players,” said Peraza.

Honorary Degree recipients. Whittaker Whittaker and a new governing and my experiences there.” Whittaker Bartow has led the Jaguars to 11 said SWC is now a permanent part of board majority tackled the most serious is now interim superintendent at Palo conference championships and has her. crises SWC had ever experienced Verde College in Blythe. seen 90 percent of his students transfer “The members of the college and brought the college back to Jerry Bartow has been head coach to universities across the nation on community at Southwestern College functionality. She was awarded the of the Jags baseball team since 1976. scholarships. will forever be imprinted on my degree for her impact on the college In 2007 he was inducted into the “It means a lot because I’ve spent heart.”

Budget cuts deflate summer school schedules

By Valeria Genel Staff Writer

Summer school, thought to be dead in April, may have been upgraded to life support when Southwestern College officials learned they may have underestimated fall and spring enrollment. In an effort to meet its enrollment obligations, SWC may have to cancel plans to cancel summer school classes on the main campus.

Brian Ebalo, admissions and records technician, said plans with summer courses on the main campus are in flux.

“Students can find all Summer 2012 course offerings on our website,” he said. “The lobby is staffed to assist all students with any inquiries they may have.”

A $2.4 million state funding cut threatened all summer school classes on the Chula Vista campus. Classes are scheduled at the Higher Education centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. Hosting the summer classes in the satellite campuses could eventually help the facilities obtain “center status” in the eyes of the state and qualify the district for extra funding. So far the plan has not worked, even though major programs like dental hygiene, nursing and the police academy have been relocated to satellites over the years. Currently 10 courses are scheduled for the main campus, including one culinary arts course and nine exercise science courses for the college’s athletic teams.

ASO Senator Melody Sycks said summer school cutbacks and the relocation of classes to far away centers is harmful to students.

“Students who just needed one class to transfer are very concerned about what is happening,” she said, especially for students who rely on public transportation.

Some students live closer to So u t h we s t e r n C o l l e g e t h a n t h e satellites, making transportation difficult, she said.

Jackie Saliba, 18, a psychology major, said she will not travel to the satellite campuses due to the expense.

“HECs are far, “ said Saliba. “If what I need is not offered in Chula Vista, then I will go online.”

Melanie Durkin, fitness specialist program coordinator at the School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics, reiterated the importance of summer school.

“Students are more motivated in the summer, and cutting classes slows down the progress of acquiring enough

units to transfer,” she said. “As a college we want to create opportunities for students, but with less sections we end up with larger classes and it is not possible for everyone to get in.”

Selenne Guzman, 22, a biology m a j o r, s a i d t r a n s f e r c l a s s e s a re important to her.

“I will go wherever they are offering classes and I am considering going to the HECs if what I need is not available at SWC,” said Guzman.

Ulises Patino, 19, a civil engineering major, said he is considering going

to the San Ysidro HEC since he lives close by.

“I want to get an Associate’s degree in civil engineering,” he said. “I need to go to summer school in order to graduate soon.”

Durkin said she sees the current situation with a positive attitude, but also a dash of fatalism.

“I have worked here for 12 years and a lot of things happen so I have learned to sit back and hope for the best,” she said.

A3

Union Head new dean at Mesa College

By Mary York News Editor

Southwestern College Faculty Union President Andy MacNeill has accepted a position as dean of humanities at San Diego Mesa College.

MacNeill said a colleague suggested he apply for the position in December and he thought it would be a good opportunity to expand his experience.

“There is a void of leadership at the community college level,” said MacNeill M a c Ne i l l .

“I’ve learned so much that I felt I could be valued in a position at a college-wide level. I thought it was the next step.”

MacNeill may be filling a need at Mesa, said Professor of Communications Eric Maag, but opening a hole at SWC. “All of us are going to have to put in our effort to fill the void,” said Maag.

“I think we’ll be able to carry through some of the things he was about.”

Maag said the faculty union is losing several key members and gaining new faces.

“It will be different,” he said. “More people need to get involved. We’re all happy for Andy. He deserves the opportunity to move up.”

MacNeill said he is also confident that the school and the union will do just fine without him.

“It’s because of the team, because of the people that have gotten together who cared enough to keep pushing and change the board and administration,” he said. “But what that has done is there is great leadership that is involved and coming up behind as well. There are people that have been around with institutional memory who are ready to step away and there are people coming in behind them. In that respect, I feel that we are well taken care of here.”

Academic Senate President Angelina Stuart said MacNeill will be missed on campus as a professor and a friend.

“He is a joy to work with and has made my tenure as Senate president much brighter,” she said. “His eloquence, dedication to the cause, easygoing spirit and his ability to make you laugh in the midst of near-crisis make him a valued and treasured colleague who will be missed for a long time.”

Stuart said she has learned a great deal from working with him.

“He is a strong advocate and leader, a great husband and father, but more importantly, a great friend,” she said.

MacNeill begins at Mesa on July 1.

“I care a great deal about this institution,” said MacNeill. “It’s time for me to try something new.”

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Mary York, editor

NEWS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: news@theswcsun.com

Employees Harassment claims made against ASO President agree to a 5 percent salary cut

By Mary York News Editor

By Thomas Baker Assistant News Editor

Employees voted this month to take an across-the-board five percent salary reduction in order to help close a $5 million budget deficit at Southwestern College and avoid class cuts and layoffs.

Failure to pass the cut would have meant putting jobs and essential student services on the chopping block, according to Superintendent Dr. Melinda Nish.

Southwestern College Education Association (SCEA), representing the teaching staff on campus, passed the resolution, 132 - 126.

“This vote was a real squeaker,” said Phil Lopez, professor of English, who supported the measure. “It was in no way a mandate or a vote of confidence of the direction SWC is headed. There were as many angry comments on the ‘yes’ ballots as there were on the ‘no’ ballots.”

California School Employees Association (CSEA), representing the classified staff on campus, passed the resolution, 142 – 94.

“The classified staff was asked to make a very difficult decision and it came through,” said Bruce McNintch, CSEA president.

Counselor and former faculty union president Corina Soto filed an unfair labor practice against the SCEA on behalf of the entire faculty, claiming that the union had breached its contract by putting forth a vote for salary cuts. Soto said the administration caused staff to vote out of fear.

All employee units on campus helped to craft the salary reduction plan and each voted “yes” on the proposal.

Soto alleged the cuts to salary were not given adequate explanation during negotiating sessions. Several faculty leaders made it clear that Soto did not speak for them or the union, but only as an individual. Soto said she interpreted a campus-wide letter from Nish to say that if the vote passed, $1million in cuts to overload and part-time budgets would not occur, but an e-mail from the administration after the vote indicated that cuts would occur regardless.

“I know that I am responsible for causing a lot of discussion and dissent about this particular issue,” said Soto. “It is my contention that we were played.”

SCEA President Andy MacNeill disagreed. Allegations in the unfair labor practie charge were filled with inaccuracies, he said, and Soto had no authority to file an injunction on behalf of the employees of SWC. SCEA is the only entity who can represent the faculty as a whole. MacNeil said that he understood Soto’s frustration and acknowledged that she was not alone in her dislike of the agreement.

“This is a tough issue,” said MacNeill. “Nobody wins in a five percent pay cut.”

In response to a claim by Soto regarding the lack of communication between the union and Nish, MacNeill said that communication comes in many forms.

“We encouraged Dr. Nish to hold forums, to get out to people to be able to talk to them because they had lots of questions for her,” said MacNeil.

“Then we asked her to go to school meetings then we also asked her to send out exactly what a no vote means.”

Nish did meet with faculty at school meetings as well as a series of events she called “listening forums.”

She has said at faculty meetings and the last governing board meeting that she spent at least 22 hours listening to employees, “gathering data” and contemplating what she heard.

Several students thanked the faculty during the May governing board meeting for putting students needs above their own paychecks.

“The main reason I am here today is to thank everyone for taking the five percent pay cut,” said a student speaker who did not give his name.

“That really shows that you’re here for the students. I know it was hard but I just really wanted to thank you for what you’ve done.”

Former ASO Senator Jen Miller said three senators resigned from the Associated Student Organization during the academic year 2011-12 in reaction to hostile treatment by the student body president.

Gustavo Perez, ASO Vice President of Public Relations, said Senator Clinton Smith turned in his badge because of duress from ASO President Claudia Duran.

Miller said that Duran’s treatment of her in public and behind closed doors provoked her to also resign from the ASO. Former senator Rondell Holland said he resigned largely because of the unprofessional culture of the ASO. “I personally did not experience mistreatment because I’m a big guy,” said Holland. “Within the ASO body did I hear about struggles and complaints? Yes. We got to the point where everyone was unhappy. And you’ve got to sit back and go, ‘Okay, what’s going on here?’”

Perez said Duran demonstrated “exaggerated hostility” towards senators and executives alike, and damaged the productivity of the organization.

“She asked for my resignation weekly,” said Perez. “I had to begin to brainstorm ways to survive instead of ways to serve the campus. I was very upset by that. It made my job more difficult.”

The antagonistic climate of the ASO, Perez said, was very noticeable, with harsh stares and gossip, making it an unpleasant place to work.

Duran’s beleaguering of ASO Executive Vice President Angel Castro, Miller said, was so exasperating that Castro contemplated resigning from her position and only remained on the executive board after persuasion from ASO colleagues.

“Claudia would make Angel cry all the time,” said Miller. “I think that was wrong.”

Castro said Duran’s behavior towards her was spiteful and cruel.

“It is true, I was manipulated and emotionally abused at random times

by Duran and her friends (who did not attend SWC),” said Castro. “And I did break down a few times, once during an executive meeting. And though I was

Omar Villalpando/Staff

INTERNAL PRESSURE— ASO Vice President of Public Relations Gustavo Perez and Social Vice President Angel Castro said they were mistreated

by ASO President Claudia Duran, whose leadership, they said, was so abusive it hampered the organization’s productivity.

crying throughout the 90-minute meeting, I stayed for the whole thing because there were items on the agenda that needed to be voted on and reports to make, as well as hear, and I needed to stay, regardless of my feelings.”

Duran denied any knowledge of the complaints from senators.

“Had I known that these allegations existed, I would have been able to approach each one individually,” said Duran.

During an executive board meeting ASO Treasurer Angela Ramirez said senators refrained from approaching Duran out of fear.

“Senators have come up to me saying they can’t really voice out what they want to say because they think Claudia will get mad at them,” she said.

Both Miller and Perez said senators felt

they had no one to confide in about the struggles in the ASO because of backlash from Duran and other executives.

Perez said Duran’s conduct as president has been destructive and hurtful.

“The way I’ve seen this mistreatment come from Claudia and her friends has been unjust,” he said. “It’s wrong on a couple of levels. It’s wrong spiritually because these people were harassed when they not should have been. It’s also wrong professionally because this harassment has gotten in the way of business and I think Claudia should be held accountable.”

SWC’s student government experienced the forced resignation of its student affairs coordinator, Craig Moffat, earlier this year, then saw its director of student activities, Arlie Ricasa, placed on administrative leave after the San Diego County District

Turning a new page in the ASO New Executives for 2012-13

Votes

Juan Luis Espinoza, President/Student Trustee................. 261 Melody Sycks, Executive Vice President............................ 371 Brandon Diaz, Social Vice President................................. 535 Edward Gutierrez, Vice President of Club Affairs............. 387 Vanessa Gomez, Vice President for Public Relations................. 300 Ramiro Rodriguez, Executive Treasurer................................... 405 Julie Enriquez, Executive Secretary.......................................... 452

New Senators: Alfredo Calderon, Diana Cortes, Emma Deiranieh, Laura (Jessica) Del Castillo, Karina Diaz, Bazz Khurshid, Cyrill Kim Maclan, Abel Meza and Elizabeth Negrete Mary York/Staff

ASO ELECTIONS BRING IN NEW FACES — After a month of campaigning, student hopefuls waited for the ballots to be counted. More than 800 students showed up to vote during the Spring 2012 Associated Student Organization elections, roughly four percent of the 20,000 students that attend SWC.

Task Force: Unfunded mandates could create a new burden on college Continued from page A2

orientation, and the creation of an education plan do not take into consideration students not attending to transfer, or earn a certificate or associate degree.

California Community Colleges Chancellor Dr. Jack Scott said the issue of community colleges in California is getting students to succeed once they are in the system.

Scott said 54 percent of students do not earn a degree or certificate within six years of entering community college. Completion rates are lower with Latino and African-American students, with two in 10 and one in four, respectively, earning a certificate, associate’s degree or

transfer within six years of entering college.

“By any measure these numbers are just unacceptable,” said Lowenthal. “There is a need for immediate but reasonable and responsible change and this bill is an important first step.”

Introduced in February by Lowenthal, the Student Success Act of 2012 is intended to increase community college access and success by providing effective core matriculation services. It also creates a program called the Student Success and Support Program that would be operative if funds were available.

“I think they’re looking at the things they think that can be most quickly implemented with potentially the least revenue needed,” said Randy Beach, co-chair of the SSTF implementation workgroup at SWC. “But all of the recommendations require money, so I’m not exactly sure how they’ll fund all of that.”

Assembly Bill 1741, sponsored by Paul Fong (D-Cupertino), dubbed the Student Success Infrastructure

Attorney charged her with multiple felonies in the Proposition R construction scandal. EOPS Director Aaron Stark has done double duty covering Ricasa’s responsibilities. Dr. Gonzalo Quintero was brought in mid-semester as acting student activities coordinator.

Miller said she originally joined the ASO to help give back to the school. She said she is a humanitarian activist who serves so she can help better the world.

“When I finally got in I was excited,” she said. “I was crying, actually. I was so happy to be accepted.”

The experience, said Miller, was not what she expected and the level of harassment provoked her into quitting.

“I spent maybe two semesters on the outside looking in,” said Miller. “I came out with nothing.”

Lawsuit: Seville says lawsuit is a waste of money Continued from Page A2

they can do that guarantee of revenue is by letting go of the staff.” Recently Chabot College went through a leasing with Follett Higher Education Group, with an agreement that was a minimum of $80,000 a year, but the company got rid of classified employees and student workers.

Former bookstore manager Patti Larkin is now SWC Director of Financial Aid. She recently set up a new plan to link financial aid to textbook purchases that would allow students to apply aid to purchases in a greatly expedited manner.

“This program would provide support to SWC students in achieving their academic goals,” said Larkin. “Many students cite not being able to afford or purchase textbooks as one of their greatest challenges in succeeding at SWC.” She said she did not know what effect, if any, the leasing of the bookstore could have on the arrangement.

Students interviewed said they did not like the plan because they were worried it would increase textbook prices.

“It would be a bummer to have to pay extra for books that are already pretty pricey,” said Rudy Marquez, 20, a music major.

Chris Madrid, 20, a computer information systems major, agreed.

“Seems like an easy way to make more money off students,” he said.

Act of 2012 was written to fund SB 1456. Specifically, SSIA would put aside money to increase the counselor to student ratio, restore critical student support services, increase the ratio of full-time to part-time faculty, and increase the professionalism of part-time faculty beginning with the expansion of paid office hours.

Angelina Stuart, SWC Academic Senate President, said SB 1456 and the recommendations provided by the Student Success Task Force were not necessarily bad for students, but includes unfunded mandates SWC may not have money to start and operate.

“We the faculty, we the senate, know how critical these services are to our students, but we’ve already cut so much, there’s no way we can do more without support,” said Stuart. “ If you were at your job and they asked you to do these extra jobs above and beyond what you already do, you’d ask for more funding to do these jobs.”

Both SB 1456 and AB 1741 are currently moving through the legislature and are expected to pass this spring.

The Southwestern College Sun

VIEWPOINTS

Summer Edition 2012 Volume 55, Issue 6

A5

Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor

The Spinning Wheel

Opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Sun Staff, the Editorial Board or Southwestern College.

ANGELA VAN OSTRAN

Able-bodied people are just as curious

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Amber Leigh Sykes MANAGING EDITOR

Angela Van Ostran PRODUCTION MANAGER

Diana Lyn Inocencio SENIOR STAFF

Serina Duarte Albert Fulcher Nickolas Furr Samantha Mendoza NEWS

Mary York, editor Lina Sandoval, assistant VIEWPOINTS

Ernesto Rivera, editor Ana Ochoa, assistant CAMPUS

Angelica Gonzales, editor Kyla Guerrero, assistant ARTS

Ana Bahena, editor Anna Ven Sobrevinas, assistant SPORTS

Daniel Guzman, editor Alexis Dominguez, assistant ONLINE

Tom Lord, editor Nathan Hermanson, assistant MULTIMEDIA

Christopher Soto, editor Walter Graham, staff PHOTOGRAPHY

Pablo Gandara, editor COPY EDITOR

Margie Reese STAFF WRITERS

Thomas Baker Jessica Bedolla Lee Bosch Jacob Coogan Diego De Alzua Airha Dominguez Andy Garcia Valeria Genel Jose Guzman Ernesto Leon Shawnie Lopez Enrique Raymundo Eileen Salmeron Marianna Saponara Angela Soberanes Joanna Wong Yvanna Yepiz CARTOONISTS

Rashid Hasirbaf Carlos Magaña PHOTOGRAPHERS

Demi Alvarado Hugo Cayeros Eter Dafne Estrada Amparo Mendoza Roosevelt Palafox Gabriel Omar Villalpando BUSINESS MANAGER

Amanda L. Abad DISTRIBUTION MANAGERS

Ana Bahena Daniel Sanchez ASSISTANT ADVISERS

Amanda L. Abad Shannon Pagano ADVISER

Max Branscomb

Honors

Student Press Law Center College Press Freedom Award, 2011 National Newspaper Association National College Newspaper of the Year, 2004-11 Associated Collegiate Press National College Newspaper of the Year National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 General Excellence Awards, 2001-11 Best of Show, 2003-11 Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal for Journalism Excellence, 2001-12 California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.

California College Newspaper of the Year, 2011-2012 Student Newspaper General Excellence, 2002-12 Society of Professional Journalists National Mark of Excellence, 2001-12 First Amendment Award, 2002, 2005 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards 1999-2011 California Chicano News Media Assoc.

La Pluma Awards Journalism Association of Community Colleges Pacesetter Award 2001-12 General Excellence Awards, 2000-12 San Diego County Fair Media Competition Best of Show 2001-03, 2005-2011 San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award American Scholastic Press Association Community College Newspaper of the Year

Rashid Hasirbaf/Staff

editorial The Issue: Southwestern College administrators are in discussions to lease the campus bookstore to a private company.

Our Position: The Editorial Board opposes leasing the bookstore as it will cause a rise in textbook prices.

Privatizing bookstore will hurt students Just when it seemed like things could not get any tougher for students facing higher fees, fewer classes and loss of access to our own universities, Southwestern College may throw the book at us. Our own books.

A very different chapter in SWC’s history will unfold if the administration decides to privatize the bookstore and lease it to an outside company. While the bookstore has consistently been profitable and for years subsidized our bedraggled cafeteria, last year it showed a rare splash of red ink. A cashstrapped administration has discussed getting out of the bookstore business and leasing the building to a multinational corporation.

Bad idea. Privatized bookstores are detrimental to students, especially in lowincome communities like Southwestern’s.

Corporate-run bookstores help colleges by paying a lease fee, but students pay the real cost. Commercial bookstores markup is generally 20 to 40 percent higher than campusrun shops. Textbook prices will rise sharply and they are already way too expensive. In fact, books are the number one expense for most students.

Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa privatized its bookstore in 2003, leasing it to Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. Under private operation the bookstore was criticized for inflated textbook prices, and for never ordering enough inventory for a semester.

Since then, OCC outsourced its bookstore to another private company, Follett Higher Education Group, which has continued the decline in revenue and service.

Along with higher prices, students will undergo a completely different atmosphere once stepping through the sliding doors. No longer will students be greeted by friendly student workers empathetic with their college experience. That will be replaced by a starkfaced retail atmosphere where profits are the bottom line. Students will simply become wallets on legs.

At Orange Coast the bookstore brought in new management in 2010, hiring a former

manager of Saks Fifth Avenue who had a background in merchandising and mall management. That ought to tell students what they need to know. Where have you gone, Patti Larken? A college turns its lonely eyes to you.

Larken, a multi-talented manager, understood the need to balance viability with service to students, but she is no longer in charge.

If privatization occurs, the bookstore will not have the physical capacity to stock all the products a company will want to sell. At other colleges that leased out their bookstores, renovation followed. That means the bookstore will get shut down for reconstruction, leaving students in quick need of a Scantron or highlighter high and dry.

If Southwestern College’s administration is concerned with the losses incurred by the bookstore, there are plenty of alternative methods they should be considering instead.

Bringing back Larken is one. Expanding the textbook rental program is another.

This spring, only 11 courses had textbooks available. If the bookstore wants its rental program to show better results, it needs to offer a better selection. Rental programs at other colleges are hugely successful, and SWC’s could be if it is modeled after online services that are accessible, fast and less expensive.

SDSU’s rental program offers several incentives when renting books, including discount coupons for their campus store, upon return of rented books.

Our world is changing, our bookstore needs to change with it or it will fall behind.

(Instructors can help by selecting less expensive texts or ones that are available used or by looking into digital textbooks more available every semester). Southwestern College exists to serve this community by helping students find success. More expensive textbooks are not helpful to students or the entire educational system. We urge our college leadership not to take the easy way out and turn over our bookstore to profiteers, however tempting that may be. None of us can afford that.

Online Comments Policy

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The Sun reserves the right to republish web comments in the newspaper and will not consider publishing anonymously posted web comments or comments that are inflammatory or libelous. Post web comments at theswcsun.com.

Send mailed letters to: Editor, Southwestern College Sun, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Send e-mailed letters to southwestern_sun@yahoo.com. E-mailed letters must include a phone number. The Sun reserves the right to edit letters for libel and length and will not consider publishing letters that arrive unsigned.

Speaking up for disabled rights isn’t something that came natural to me.

Growing up with a disability, pre-ADA, few laws outside of my education were available to protect me from societal pitfalls. I feel very grateful to have come of age at a time when America was coming to terms with the idea that access to all parts of society is something everyone should have. Though it wasn’t until after I graduated high school that my alma mater decided to put a ramp at the front of the school. I grumbled, remembering all those times I climbed out of my chair and pulled it up the stairs to get onto campus, but was glad nobody else would have to do it again.

Unfortunately, older buildings in society sometimes still lack proper access, but the word is out to the disability community: say something about it and make sure it gets done.

Accessibility needs aren’t the same for everyone who lives with a disability.

A person who experiences visual impairments has a different appreciation for clarity and signage in public places, seeking out those yellowed bumps on curbs to signal the edges of danger zones, whereas someone who uses a wheelchair seeks out ramps and elevators and curb cuts.

But one of the most basic, and somewhat stunning questions I get asked, is to describe what it’s like to live with a disability. I was asked that last summer, and I have still never been able to come up with an answer that has a personal and universal message. Instead of an answer, however, I came upon a realization. I had never asked an ablebodied person what it’s like to be ablebodied. Thinking about it, I wondered what I would ask, or who I would ask. I wouldn’t change my life, including my disability, for anything in the world, but I began to wonder what irony it would be if I could ‘become’ able-bodied for a day.

I wondered what it would be like to wander into a bathroom and have three or four or 10 stalls available to me, instead of one large one which usually has someone changing their clothes or a baby’s diaper in it. I wondered what it would be like to be made to wait in long lines at amusement parks, instead of going straight to the front. To have available any parking spot in the lot, rather than fight for the few at the front usually being taken up by those ‘just running in for a minute.’

I began to look at my son, now 16, in a whole new light. What is it like to be constantly asked to get things high off a shelf for his mother, who happens to be short whether sitting in a wheelchair or standing. To have doorknobs not at eye level, but hip-level? To climb stairs and be at the front door to a building, instead of shuffled around the building, over the river and through some woods to a ramp installed as an afterthought?

To hear stories of mothers losing their children because of their disability, knowing their parenting skills wouldn’t be questioned if they were able-bodied.

I wondered, when I was car shopping, what it would be like to just get in any car and pick one by price or brand, rather than whether the wheelchair would fit, or the tens of thousands of dollars it would take to install the equipment to drive it. I wondered what I would need to know, or even what to ask, in this struggling economy of two-footer proportions. To not have college paid for. To be extinguished from the meager finances which support my living independently in society.

What is it like tripping over a shoelace? What is it like to go to a store and not use a spatula to pluck things from high shelves? Or to use a phone please see Spinning Wheel pg. A6

You can reach Angela by e-mail at angela.vanostran@gmail.com

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Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Ernesto Rivera, editor

VIEWPOINTS

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: viewpoints@theswcsun.com

A strong, free society needs print newspapers

SHANNON PAGANO

Orgasms have mental, physical health benefits Sorry ladies, but the old excuse “Not tonight, I have a headache” doesn’t hold up. Research has shown that having an orgasm is more effective than the leading over-the-counter headache reliever. And it costs less!

For most of us, it is common sense that orgasms feel good. But what we may not know is that while we are enjoying the feeling of our orgasm, our brains and bodies are benefiting simultaneously.

Orgasms possess pain-relieving qualities, health and psychological benefits.

The earliest physician, Hippocrates treated many women with “hysteria.”

These women, often widows, suffered from what was believed to be a build-up of female semen. It was believed at the time that women produced their own semen and without means to release it, women would suffer hysteria.

The cure for hysteria was to have an orgasm. This was not something prescribed to do at home rather it was the job of a midwife to “rub the part gently and for a long time.” The release of the “female seed,” which was really just vaginal lubrication, cured the woman of her affliction almost immediately.

Since the time of the ancient Greeks our knowledge of sexuality and the health benefits of orgasms has exploded. With the invention of the vibrator and other tools for sexual pleasure, women have been able to cure themselves of many types of pain such as headaches, muscle aches, and even cramps associated with PMS whether they had a partner or not.

Yet another benefit is the psychological effects of orgasms. Women who experience regular orgasms report an increase in satisfaction in their personal friendships, happiness and over all life satisfaction.

Oxytocin is the hormone to thank for the positive effects of sex on the body.

Oxytocin helps us feel more relaxed and less stressed. It also aids in the reduction of the stress hormone, cortisol. Less cortisol reduces the bodies stress responses such as rapid heart rate, high blood pressure and digestive issues. Recent studies indicate that men who have an orgasm a day may decrease their chances of developing prostate and testicular cancer.

No one likes stress. It’s not unique to humans. Bonobos a member of the Great Ape family is famous for their stressrelieving methods. This troop of primates engage in a variety of sexual activities.

They can be found having sex, giving and receiving oral sex, manual sex, and other sexual gratifying activities. They are blind to gender. The sex acts take place both heterosexually and homosexually.

There has been a lot of research on why this troop engages in these practices. The dominant theory is that is the best way to keep the peace. If a troop member is stressed or sad another member of the troop will initiate sex. Bonobos are the least aggressive, least stressed, most well-mannered of the Great Apes. While Chimpanzees will choose war over love, Bonobos choose love over war every time.

They must be onto something!

Over the centuries since the time of women afflicted by hysteria to the latest in brain imaging capabilities we are learning more and more about the cause, effect and neural processes of orgasms. We have come a long way from having midwives “cure” us with rubbing, to having a myriad of sex toys at our disposal for the handy at home remedy.

Research supports the idea that orgasms are good for the body and psyche. From minor pain relief, to better mental health, orgasms remain one of nature’s greatest gifts.

What we know is that finally something that feels so good is actually healthy too!

Next time you feel a headache coming on or just feeling blue, instead of reaching for the asprin, reach for your “goody drawer.”

Perhaps, the old saying should be, “an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away.”

Got a burning question? Sex and The Sun can be reached at sexandthesun@gmail.com.

Carlos Magana/Staff

By Albert Fulcher A Perspective

Vincent Van Gogh sold one piece of art in his lifetime. Critics called his free style of painting with vivid colors “undeveloped” and “intangible.”

Jackson Pollock fearlessly defied the norm with his emotionallycharged layering of abstract strings and splashes, laying canvases on the floor and using household items as media.

Critics during the lifetimes of Van Gogh and Pollock prophesized the death of traditional painting and said their work defiled the art world, but they were wrong. Upon reflection that revolutionary pair are now considered pioneers of great art.

Naysayers who have condemned print newspapers to death are as premature and out of touch as the early critics of Van Gogh and Pollock.

There remains a large consumer demand for print and ample evidence that daily and weekly community newspapers have many miles to go before they sleep. Print is not on its deathbed, it is evolving to today’s economic realities.

Print is weaved through America’s history like the stars on Betsy Ross’ flag. Since their introduction in 1690, newspapers have been the voice of

America through revolution, war, peace, triumph and tragedy. Today, as through the centuries, newspapers are America’s most trusted and complete source of information.

Since the early 2000s, the newspaper industry has suffered through layoffs, bankruptcies and recession. Loss of advertising revenue, increased production and distribution costs, and the explosion of the Internet looked insurmountable. Pernicious Craigslist caused classified ads income to evaporate. Newspapers seemed to be on life support.

Like feisty Mark Twain, however, reports of newspapers’ demise seem greatly exaggerated.

“Still, even in an age of 24/7 cable news and thousands of websites, newspapers maintain their status as the best source for in-depth and investigative news coverage,” wrote Tony Rogers, of theAbout.com Guide to Journalism.

In March 2009, 24/7 Wall St. predicted the collapse of 10 major newspapers, giving eight of them an 18-month life span. After three years, however, all of these “doomed” newspapers remain in full operation.

A Congressional Research Service report indicated that since 2000 America has lost less than one percent of its 1,400 daily newspapers. Analysts

concluded that smaller daily and community papers with circulations less than 50,000 remain profitable and better positioned with readers and advertisers than larger dailies.

“As old-style, print newspapers decline, new journalism startups are developing around the country, aided by the low entry costs on the Internet,” the report read. “ The emerging ventures hold promise but do not yet have the experience, resources, and reach of shrinking mainstream newspapers.”

Of 16 specific local topics studied in a 2011 Pew Research Center Report, newspapers ranked or tied as the most reliable source for news in 11 categories.

“This dependence on newspapers for so many local topics sets it apart from all other sources of local news.

The Internet, which was cited as the most relied upon source for five of the 16 topics, was distant second to newspapers in terms of widespread use and value.”

A 2010 Pew report saw improvement in profits, but the industry still faces declining revenues and has not found reliable sources to replace advertising. Some members of Congress are wondering if newspaper insolvency poses a public threat warranting federal action. Corrective

Transferring in two years tough, but doable

By Angelica Gonzales A Perspective

Springtime is here, the flowers are blooming and the mailman is carrying letters that can make students’ dreams come true or crush them. Those longawaited university acceptance letters are on their way – or not. Facebook and Twitter accounts are bombarded with the digital screams of excitement from people accepted into universities they worked so hard to get into, and the recriminations of these who did not.

Regardless of a student’s aspirations in their educational careers, there are steps to take. Students can make the mistake of coming to SWC with tunnel vision, making their first goal to get out of Southwestern College as fast as possible.

One mistake is setting a single big intimidating goal. Setting smaller more manageable goals as milestones down the long road creates bigger victories. If there is a long stretch with no satisfaction it is going to feel like nothing is being accomplished in between the starting and finish lines.

Specific goals to set along the way to transferring would be seeing a counselor to develop an education plan, getting a good grade point average and finishing all the general education requirements. The sense of satisfaction is going to keep students from making the excuse that they feel like they are getting nowhere.

Transferring is a goal for many students, but they worry about spending the next five years at this august institution.

Truth is, it can still be done in two years.

Good thing, too. Fees are only getting

measures could include tax breaks, relaxing antitrust policy, tightening copyright law, general support for the practice of journalism and helping newspapers transition into nonprofit organizations.

Evolution can be a painful process in a world where technology is almost running amuck. Time Magazine, “10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life” reported, “Each day, the average American spends about 12 hours consuming information, taking on more than 100,000 words that total 34 gigabytes of data.”

Wa t c h d o g j o u r n a l i s m a n d important local news reporting are critical to America’s civic health, and newspapers are migrating in that direction. Papers are experimenting with alternative sources of revenue.

Many local papers rely on legal advertising revenue and have closer relationships with local businesses.

QR codes can be embedded in ads.

This is an open market revenue stream with possibilities of more ads using less space. Collaborating with radio, television and online outlets can bring business-to-business revenue used extensively in the Internet world.

It is time to think outside the box because the box is already gone. The future of print, like Van Gogh and Pollock, looks better with time.

Spinning Wheel: Able-bodied, disabled people need to try to understand each other Continued from Page A5

Rashid Hasirbaf/Staff

higher. Textbook costs are soaring. Let’s not even get into the California Student Success Task Force, which is going to force students through community college quicker.

Transferring to a four-year university is smoother when a student knows exactly what s/he wants and does not waste a second. Most basic classes students need to transfer or to graduate can be found on the General Education Requirements (GE) form available in the SWC Transfer and Counseling Center. It spells out the basics that expand into the variety of classes transfer schools require. Depending on what type of school a student is planning on transferring there are additional requirements and major requirements.

Knocking out the GE requirements does not have to be a chore. An Oral Communication class could inspire the

public speaker within that has been hiding all these years.

Keeping in contact with a counselor is imperative to success and to keeping on track on the two-year timeline. Counselors are here for students and trained to guide students from application to graduation. So go see one in the beginning of the semester and the end to make sure to take the right classes. Counselors also provide a handy tool called the Student Course Action plan, mapping out a timely graduation.

The key to staying on the road to transferring is having priorities and time management.

Juggling school, work and a social life if going to be tough, but in the future, students are going to be faced with decisions much tougher than this. So for now the question is, “beer pong or studying?”

and know I could hear the person on the other side, not struggling to find that quiet spot away from people and put my cell phone at a specific angle to pick up voices in my hearing aid. What it must be like to learn to speak from family and peers, rather than spending hours in speech therapy only to find out that there are letters and sounds I wasn’t even aware of.

Often when I am trying to understand a specific concept, I try to peer at it from different perspectives and angles, especially those I don’t agree with or understand. Our society is a massive plate, a googolplex of different perspectives, likes, dislikes, desires, viewpoints, opinions and stories.

What is it like to be disabled? We, which includes me, are all just one cold, one virus, one car accident, heart attack, one experience away from understanding what that really means. Each person’s answer would still be different, and each person’s requirements to remain independent and maintain their lifestyle would be a unique story.

So what’s it like to be ablebodied? To have the advantages and disadvantages of a common, everyday two-footer? You tell me.

It’s your story, too.

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The Southwestern College Sun

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

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Not all sports are created equal at Southwestern College

By Alexis Dominguez A Perspective

Sorry baseball and soccer, “Friday Night Lights” means football only at Southwestern College. SWC’s decadesold favoritism to football has never been more apparent than right now as the tree-less battle zone adjacent to the corner lot attests.

Using Proposition R funding, SWC’s Athletics Department is currently renovating the football stadium with artificial turf, new restrooms, concession stands, a new scoreboard, a central power plant, classrooms, offices, locker rooms and a weighttraining room.

Yet two better programs are left in the dark.

While SWC’s decidedly mediocre football team rakes in the goodies, the more deserving baseball and soccer programs get nada.

DeVore Stadium will be getting a $33 million makeover but other fields are missing out. “ We don’t have any money for baseball lights,” said Terry Davis, dean of Health and Exercise Science.

“Football isn’t getting new lights either.”

Davis said there is an agreement between the college and the homeowners directly behind the baseball field that prevents the school from allowing the construction of lights for the baseball and soccer field.

“We’ve always had an agreement with the families that live behind there that we would not put lights up,” said Davis. “You put lights up, then you

have night games and that disrupts their home family lifestyles.”

Davis said the night games might cause noise problems for the homeowners as well. Not everyone concurs, including some homeowners.

What the college has not considered is the distance of the gap between the outfield and the outer fence of the houses is little over half the distance of a football field. Standing by the houses during a baseball game, virtually no noise can be heard. No balls striking bats, no cheers, no whistles, no loudspeakers.

During a recent home game, three homeowners questioned said they were not even aware of a game going on.

None were aware of any agreement forbidding the campus to install lights. None of the three homeowners said they had any problem with a lit baseball field.

If decisions were based on merit, football would come in near the bottom of SWC Athletics priorities. Cross country, of course, is SWC’s signature sport and its baseball program is iconic. Soccer is on the ascent, football in decline. (Let’s not mention our college’s state champion tennis teams, eliminated by SWC three years ago.

How much could tennis balls possibly cost?) Money would be better spent on the track and field facilities, another program on the ascent.

SWC’s football team last year was 4-6. Men’s soccer, however, finished the fall 2011 season 14-3-3. Baseball ended the Spring 2011 season with a 26-18 record and is currently 8-5-1.

Football can draw fans because home

Carlos Magana/Staff

games are held on Saturday evenings.

That revenue can be used towards field lights for soccer and baseball so they can play in the evenings as well.

Lights for the baseball field would be pointed away from the houses.

Aside from the “agreement” between the school and homeowners, there is nothing to stop the school from

Public displays of affection are distracting, disgusting and rude

building lights. If money can be found for a football field make-over, it can be found for lights.

It is time the athletic department and the campus facilities director got together to redistribute some of the money going towards the football renovations. Construction is already underway but there is still time to do

Thinking Out Loud

the right thing and share the wealth with baseball and soccer.

Dark fields are a slap in the face to the great baseball and soccer programs and to our community that can not ever see them play since the games need to be held in daylight. Football ain’t the only game in town, not even close.

Do you believe the bookstore should be privatized?

Jazhiel Buelna, 20, Criminal Justice “If it won’t help students then why allow it?”

Manuel Gonzalez, 18, Business “Privatizing the bookstore will only hurt us as students.”

Belinda Ibarra, 18, Biology “I don’t get any financial aid so it would be harder for me to buy my books because they’d be more expensive.”

Carlos Magana/Staff

By Kyla Guerrero A Perspective

Even Cupid would be disgusted at the shameless displays of public affection all over campus.

Beyond handholding and tender kisses on the cheek in between classes, more than the public proclamation of lust between partners, public display of affection is a blatant disregard for those surrounding who can witness the groping and tongue wars.

There is something in the air this time of year that causes an eruption to everyday routine. Suddenly almost everyone is in love and not afraid to show it. Julie Albright, Ph.D., lecturer in the department of sociology at the USC college of letters, arts and sciences, blames it on the weather.

“Humans are wired to respond to sexual signals, such as the curve of a woman’s body or the musculature of a man,” she said. “In the winter, it’s cold, rainy, and many states are snowy, so people simply don’t go out as much and, when they do, they’re bundled up.”

But all the extra testosterone and high

libido does not make for an excuse to throw self-respect and dignity out the window.

The line is thin between cuteness and “Get a room!”

A young couple crossing campus hand-inhand is not the issue. It is the couple on top of one another groping and kissing lost in the midst of inappropriately displaced heat of passion. Couples sitting on the laps of one another on the cement blocks in front of the Cesar Chavez Center, laying on the grass behind the bookstore or cuddling while hungry students try to finish their lunch are enough to cause reflexive regurgitation. Keep in mind axiom: it is not nice to eat in front of the hungry.

Danielle McAneney, professor of social sciences and humanities, teaches human sexuality at SWC. She said some couples in lust may enjoy the attention and thrive on the audience.

“It is sort of making a statement,” says McAneney. “It’s an attention-seeking behavior.”

Some are much more discreet, but still disrespectful to fellow students. Hiding under the shade of a tree nuzzled against

one another does not make the jean rubdown any less inappropriate, just a tad easier to miss. Knowing someone nearby is feeling a pleasure tabooed in society that causes passersby to feel uncomfortable and awkward, not a moment that needs to be shared with students hustling to class.

New love is hard to hide as endorphins flood the body releasing a soothing, peaceful and pleasurable feeling throughout. It becomes addictive and the only way to satisfy the urge is to be with the person that causes the natural painkiller to be released.

“It may just be genuine affection and people have a hard time keeping their hands off of each other because that’s what happens in a new relationship,” said McAneney.

Life at SWC should be kept to a professional manner with the respectful demeanor toward peers. If the tension becomes to thick to maintain self-control, resort to digital communication to satisfy momentary weakness. With the sexual desires channeled through mobile devices, couples can get private in a public place without infringing on the comfort of those nearby.

Chris Madrid, 20, Computer Information Systems “Seems like it’s an easy way to make more money off students.”

Rudy Marquez, 20, Music “It would be a bummer to have to pay extra for books that are already pretty pricey.”

Compiled By Ernesto Rivera

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Ernesto Rivera, editor

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Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: viewpoints@theswcsun.com

Cutting Video games, a boom industry, ignored by SWC salaries is not a viable answer to budget woes

By Nathan Hermanson A Perspective

By Ernesto Rivera A Perspective

Southwestern College administrators are trying to put a price on education.

The price is five percent.

SWC is in a time of rebuilding and healing but recently administration and a group of union representatives known as the “Big Table” has tried to push faculty and staff up against a wall.

Vote to cut your pay or there will be layoffs. Tactics like these are not how business should be done at SWC. Not anymore, at least.

Dr. Melinda Nish should be commended for promoting discussion and democracy, but the recent decision to have faculty and staff vote on whether or not they should cut their pay by five percent to save student services is a false sense of democracy. The “Big Table” is telling faculty and staff “cut your pay or we’ll cut student services.” This is not how voting should be done.

Dr. Nish recently won a pyrrhic victory by securing an increase in the salaries of vice presidents to retain and recruit more talented people. If Dr. Nish believes this to be true for vice presidents then the same should be true for faculty and staff, unless we want to lose more talented people like Andy MacNeill to other community colleges. Like Dr. Nish said, SWC needs to remain competitive in its salaries to attract the next great generation of faculty and staff. SWC has already lost a huge pool of institutional knowledge and academic acumen with last year’s Supplemental Early Retirement Package and we need to work on maintaining the precious knowledge we have.

SWC, like all colleges in California, is facing financial devastation, so decisions like these are not easy, but there are ways to maintain SWC’s current mission to preserve jobs and serve students.

Use the reserve fund now to keep salaries steady and preserve student services. The reserve should only be used in a time of emergency and there is no greater emergency than preserving employee’s financial stability and student services. Using the reserve will give SWC time to have a proper discussion where ideas are not being discussed at the same time as voting.

There are many ideas bouncing around interoffice e-mails, furlough days being one of them.

One thing the college should do immediately is close and sell the remote Otay Mesa campus. SWC got left holding the bag when SDSU, Sweetwater and other partners bailed on an idealistic but impractical border education facility. SWC has poured millions down the drain at Otay Mesa and the spigot is still open. Otay Mesa has stolen many of SWC’s greatest programs including nursing, EMT, the police academy and Fire Science. Those programs need to be brought back to Chula Vista or distributed among the Higher Education Centers in San Ysidro and struggling National City, helping them achieve center status.

The “Big Table” has a lot more scenarios it needs to run before asking employees to cut their salary in an extremely weak economy. How much money could be saved if Otay Mesa was closed? How much revenue could be brought in if we leased or sold the land?

How much money would be saved if we closed the main campus Friday through Sunday and increased work days to 10 hours? How much money can be generated with an international student outreach?

Decisions cannot be made with a false sense of democracy. The five percent cut passed by a margin of six votes, but future decision-making cannot be conducted like this.

Gunboat diplomacy in a community college is not appropriate. Creating animosity between classified personnel and instructors and being given an ultimatum is not okay. Encourage democracy, but do not push voters up against the wall with only two bad choices.

SWC employees are still healing from the biggest battles this college has ever faced. People were lost and those who were left beaten and bruised are still healing. Now is not the time to reduce their rations.

Southwestern College has classes to develop writers, artists, musicians, dancers and actors but fails overlooks one of the fastest growing industries in American today. Video game production is a booming part of our stagnant economy, but SWC is sitting on the sideline.

Video game production has been sweeping the best and brightest in many artistic fields.

Musicians score the soundtracks, artists create the visuals, and actors bring the digital characters to life. There are also plentiful and well-paying jobs in marketing programming, management, public relations and legal affairs.

Now, more than ever, is the time for the SWC to align with the gaming industry. In November 2011, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” sold 6.5 million copies and made more than $400 million in its first 24 hours, the biggest entertainment launch of all time.

That was the third time the series had broken the same record. Games are consistently upping the ante on all fronts of development, and without the people behind each title, these games would not be made.

Modern Warfare 3 required collaboration from a number of different companies.

Infinity Ward, the main development team, with about 100 employees and Activision, the distribution company for the title, holds employs 4,000. That is a total of 4,100 possible jobs at two companies. 4,100 jobs that SWC students could be qualified for with proper training.

Student can develop a simple 99 cent game for a smartphone or a half-realized idea for release on the computer and they can make almost as much as the fully-funded companies like Activision and Infinity Ward.

Independent developers are some of the most successful in the business. A perfect example would be Swedish independent developer Mojang. Their team, that started out as one

Rashid Hasirbaf/Staff

man with an idea, created a simple but popular block-building game called Minecraft. It made millions. There are thousands of grass roots success stories similar out there such as Angry Birds and Tiny Tower. SWC needs to acknowledge this growing industry. With the economy slowly building and the job market on the rebound, SWC should open itself up to preparing students for all possible job opportunities, including the growing market

that video games represent.

Grossmont College and San Diego City College offer basic level game-centric courses and specialty schools offer more advanced classes. Many community college students cannot afford the money to enroll at these exclusive schools, so those at SWC with dreams of entering the video game industry have limited options. SWC’s Computer Information Systems department has a

number of classes that can help direct students toward pursuing potential jobs in the video game industry, but each lacks the specificity needed to prepare students for industry jobs.

SWC, unfortunately, is stock on level one.

Video games continue their slow trudge to the top of the entertainment world and with the proper support, Southwestern College can join the pack in producing the next big aviary slinging hit.

Carlos Magana/Staff

...for supporting student journalism and making our end of the year issue possible!

Dr. Duro Agbede Deana Alonso-Post Thomas Bauer Monica Baylor Max Branscomb Justin Canzoniero Marian Canzoniero Chicano Latino Coalition Dr. Sylvia Garcia-Navarette Dinorah Guadiana Costa Linda Hensley Dr. Joel Levine Alana-Patris Loyer Silvia Lugo Andy MacNeill Ken Pagano Martina Peinado Humberto Peraza

The Phair Co. Melissa L. Phillips Erin Kathleen Postles Carlos Richardson Laura Ryan Allison Sampité San Diego County Credit Union David Saponara Marianna Saponara April Smith Corina Soto Angelina Stuart Connie Tharp Trey Tharp J.A. Thomas Kathy Tyner Dr. David L. Waddell Karen M. Waddell

Letters To The Editor Community colleges still a bargain for serious students Dear Editor, You do not wander around the planet, trying to get an educational institution to accept you. You accept it. This isn’t some senior prom, when you run around saying “I need a date, not necessarily one who can breathe on his/her own.” You choose them.

If they accept you, but you don’t see them offering what you need, you turn them down. There is no reason for you to accept that school just because they accept you.

“Budget cuts” isn’t just a phase they’re going through. It will be a permanent condition. I’m told there was a day when you could take Klingon in college. Don’t expect that. The question you need to ask is “how will my school try to ruin my educational plans?” Do you excel at a sport? Can the school eliminate it? Do I have a major in mind? Why won’t the school cut the department? Will the classes I need even be offered?

What happens at universities when they finally wake up to realize they simply cannot continue to function

as they have for decades? They cut.

It’s ECON 101: Demand increases, so they cut supply. Logical isn’t it.

What gets cut? Entire departments can be eliminated, so watch out for that major or minor you wanted. More often, part-time instructors get cut.

Students at my school joke about being on the five or six year plan for getting their degree. I don’t think it’s a joke. Why can’t they graduate? Is it because they’re too busy partying to take a full academic load – or is it because that class they need to graduate is only offered once a year (or every two years) and they have to wait for it? The school you accept is one which offers the services you need.

What difference does it make if you take that large, lower division course at that four year institution anyway? Did you realize the same class is probably offered at SWC, or City College, or Grossmont? They’d be cheap. They’d probably be smaller class sizes. They may well be with the same instructor.

Karrin Murphy

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

The Southwestern College Sun

CAMPUS UPRISING

The Human Chord

OF THE

ROBOTS

ALBERT H. FULCHER

Homosexuals still targeted for violence

By Amber Sykes Editor-in-Chief

G

A

s we sit here idly in California to see whether courts decide in favor of same sex marriage, gays and lesbians in other parts of the world are literally fighting for their right to live. In Liberia, Senator Jewel Taylor, former first lady of murderous ex-president Charles Taylor (found guilty for aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity) introduced legislation condemning homosexuals to death.

Taylor’s ghastly amendment makes gay sex a first-degree felony punishable from 10 years imprisonment to the death sentence. Uganda is hot on Liberia’s crusade of inhumanity with similar legislation pending. In Uganda, where homosexuality is already punishable by life imprisonment, a bill pending includes the death sentence and criminalizes acts for “aiding or abetting homosexuality.”

Sadly, this is nothing new in Africa or in other parts of the world.

Homosexuality carries a death sentence in Mauritania, Sudan, southern Somalia, northern Nigeria, Iran, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Many death sentences are carried out by decapitation, stoning, rape, flogging and fatal mutilation.

In early March, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association reported that Islamic states and Africans walked out on a United Nations gay panel and insisted that protection of homosexuality does not fall under global human rights. Of the U.N.’s 192 members, 76 countries have laws criminalizing homosexual behavior. Oddly enough, several countries in the world only target male gays, and allow woman-to-woman sex.

In Depth Africa, a human rights organization, reports that six African countries now have laws punishing homosexuals with 11 years to life of imprisonment and 14 countries have sentences ranging from one month to 10 years. Five countries have laws calling for imprisonment with no indication of length of sentences. South Africa is the only country on the African continent that recognizes same-sex marriages.

In June 2011 the United Nations issued its first condemnation of discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people in a declaration described as a monumental moment in world history. The only thing monumental about this is that the world allows such tragedies to continue with little or no help at all.

Homophobia is alive and well in the world today, and its roots rest in selfproclaimed moralists that ram their personal religious beliefs and bigoted fears against any person that does not share their convictions they do.

Like segregation, the Final Solution, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, slavery and brutality, anti-gay laws are a crime against humanity.

No person, group or government has the right to limit the freedom of people to love the person of their choice.

Religious and personal beliefs should be employed to save the oppressed of the world, not beat them down further.

Homosexuality is not a crime and whether or not it is a sin is a matter of individual belief, not an issue to be preached or legislated against.

Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people are not out to destroy personal religious and moral beliefs that people live their lives by.

They only want the same rights as individuals that the majority of the world has, namely, to love whom they love without discrimination and to live their lives to the fullest without fear. Stop the persecution.

Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Buddha and the great religious leaders of in the world would not have condoned these atrocities. They all believed in the free will of people. Most importantly they all believed in freedom, peace and unconditional love.

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ort, Klaatu Barada Nikto.”

— Klaatu from “The Day the Earth Stood Still”

Perhaps Klaatu, the messenger from an advanced race, was right when he told his ominous robot, Gort, “There is hope for Earth if the scientists can be reached.”

S o u t h w e s t e r n C o l l e g e ’s Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program is working to develop scientists to provide hope for Earth. Its imaginative Robotics Club is at the vanguard as it invaded the 19th Annual MESA Olympics and Robotics Challenge.

Hard work by the roboteers paid off. SWC’s Robotics Club had the fastest time in the slalom, a competition requiring that robots be programmed before-hand to maneuver through a challenging course.

Club president Ramiro Rodriguez, 19, a mechanical engineering major, said he had confidence in his bot even though it faced troubles in the practice ring.

“We encountered problems each time we worked on the robot, so we didn’t have something perfect that we really liked so every time we worked on it we would change things,” he said.

Much of the team’s efforts went into the first competition which left them scrambling to pick up the pieces in the second challenge in which robots were required to collect four separate colored Lego blocks from the center of a ring.

Getting one of each colored block in the shortest time or within five minutes won. Unsuccessful in this round, the Jaguars became ineligible for the top prize in the competition.

This was the first time Rodriguez competed in the robotics part of the competition, he said, though he won first place in Level 1 for the 2011 Olympics part of the competition. He was quizzed on introductory chemistry, algebra, trigonometry and pre-calculus.

Rodriguez said he and his robot engineers were unsure what to focus on since they did not know what problems the other teams were encountering or their level of experience.

SWC’s MESA program provided the LEGO mindstorms NXT 2.0 kits required to compete. When not preparing for competition the club uses these basic types of machines to comprehend the mechanics of robotics.

“There is a similarity in how this works with a human,” said Rodriguez. “Because this robot has sensors that can be relayed to our eyes or our senses and this transmits information to like a brain, the microprocessor that works with energy. We are getting to know this kind of robot so that in the future we can start working on developing robotics.”

After four years without robotics, Rodriguez scraped the rust off the fallen club for this semester.

“I wanted to establish the club to get members to start working on this and get familiar with robotics,” he said.

Club adviser Dr. Michael George said he has attempted to give please see Robotics pg. A12

pablo gandara /staff

College for Kids a gateway to higher education

By Nickolas Furr Senior Staff Writer

Most kids make up their minds about going to college while they are in elementary school, research shows. College for Kids has been convincing youngsters for 38 years.

For many Southwestern College students, employees, administrators and faculty members, the first step they took on the road to higher education was with SWC’s summer College for Kids program.

Now in its 38th year, it has given at least two generations of South County residents their first taste of classes on a college campus. Steve Tadlock, director of College for Kids, said the parents of students attending this summer were often students who attended in previous years.

“Darnell Cherry, the College for Kids coordinator and the SWC women’s basketball coach, and I were outside talking about CFK,” Tadlock said. “A father standing in line to register his son said, ‘I took a photography class through CFK years ago. It really helped me. I went on, took more classes, and now I’ve won several awards for my photographs. I think what helped me the most is when I took that class in College for Kids way back when’.”

Tadlock, director of continuing education and special projects, said classes like Kids’ Culinary Academy, Pottery Making, Inside the World of Biology, Digital Photography and Dig Our Past: Archaeology and Egypt, offers students who are entering 5th through 9th grade a variety to choose from.

serina duarte /staff

A HEAD START— Signups for College for Kids brought out future scholars Alyssa Aspili, 9, Katherine Aspili, 11, Isabela Aspili, 4, Juliana Estaban, 9, Aj Estaban, 12, Mika Eestaban, 6.

SWC’s popular program is celebrating its 38th year.

“Our purpose is to provide a positive, early-on college experience where the kids can take fun, academic-based classes and learn new skills in a college environment,” he said.

College for Kids consists of two sessions of two classes each. Students are on campus for several hours each afternoon and can select the classes they want. Each class includes about 25 students. Tadlock said variety was key to the program’s success.

“We try to keep our programs exciting to make sure people will maintain interest in it,” he said. “We did Chula Vista Idol one year. Some classes repeat every year because they’re popular. This is the second year of our CSI class. Our improv class went four years. We try to promote a little bit of everything.”

Tadlock said the program heavily promotes science and technology.

“We do a lot of work with web design,

web movies, and digital photography,” he said. “They even had a cadaver in class one year. We like to accommodate the folks that are interested in these areas, because of the critical shortage of people who are skilled in them, especially among our underrepresented students.”

In recent years, CFK classes have been held only on the main campus in Chula Vista. Dr. Mark Meadows, dean of continuing education, economic and workforce development, said that the 2012 session would be different.

“This year we were able to secure external funds for San Ysidro, so we’ll be offering a class down there at the Higher Education Center,” he said. “A business group is going to provide 25 scholarships for the kids down there. In addition, the Southwestern College Foundation is sponsoring 25 scholarships for students in National City, so we’ll also be offering classes there.”

A majority of students come from the SWC district, but some live outside the borders, in San Diego, La Mesa and Spring Valley. Tadlock said many of the students came back year after year, but better than that, some of them planned to come back even later.

“We do a student satisfaction survey every year,” he said. “We look at what they like and didn’t like, if they were a first time student or if they’ve been here before. Most say they’ve been here before.

We always ask them, ‘Does this make you more likely to want to go to college?’ They please see CFK pg. A11

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Angelica Gonzales, editor

CAMPUS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: campus@theswcsun.com

Muscular Dystrophy cannot slow activist

By Angela Van Ostran Managing Editor

Raul Carranza’s voice hovers just above a whisper and he is unable to move on his own. Aides help translate his words. His link to the rest of the world is his thumb, enabling him to type on his computer and navigate through everyday life using a pressure-sensitive clicker on his power wheelchair. His assistants are his lifeline.

A number of events, from illness, injury or tragedy, can derail a student’s education at any moment. Unforeseen circumstances can rip away an entire future. This is not about injury or illness preventing a student from pursuing higher education. It is California budget cuts shredding personal independence and survival.

A 22-year-old Southwestern College alumni, Carranza transferred to UCLA in 2010, and has been fighting an uphill battle with the state of California to receive the support he needs to continue his education and live independently.

Muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease that may have depleted the muscles in his body, but not his mind or burning spirit.

Carranza’s caretakers are a lifeline to his education.

A f t e r h i s f i r s t s e m e s t e r, t h e unthinkable happened. California’s budget cuts slashed his nursing and assistant hours from 22-hours per day down to 11. Carranza’s fight with the state forced him to drop out of UCLA and move back into his parents’ home in Chula Vista. Fighting for survival his entire life, his combat against budget cuts threw him in the muddy trenches of bureaucracy. But surrender is not in Carranza’a vocabulary and never has been.

Doctors said Carranza would not live past 14. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age two, when his parents noticed his walking becoming more of a waddle.

“Obviously they were wrong,” said Carranza. “Basically my cells don’t make enough energy and the muscles atrophy over time. I’ve been in a wheelchair

enrique raymundo /staff

SPEAKING UP FOR THE VOICELESS — Raul Carranza, 21, SWC computer science major, leads a line of supporters to the San Diego Civic Center. Carranza organized the rally to bring attention to budget cuts to long-term health care, which forced him to drop out of UCLA.

since I was four. I was actually one of the youngest people ever that got a motorized wheelchair. Because I was so young they made me pass a driving test.”

For a young person with a disability, moving away from home can often be the first step toward achieving independence. Most parents are nervous to let their children go off on their own, but that concern can be tenfold when their child has a disability. “ I ’v e a l w a y s w a n t e d t o l i v e

independently,” he said. “Moving a way from my family meant a lot to me, not because of them, but because independence was one of my goals.”

Carranza said he very much enjoyed attending school away from home.

With assistance he was thriving at UCLA and was invited to join the psychology honors program.

“UCLA is great,” he said. “They actually had a bus that would pick me up from my dorm and take me to class.

I know that this isn’t the best choice of

words, but it made me feel normal.”

Services normally covered by MediCal and In-Home Supportive Services have been greatly reduced by the state budget cuts. These services, offered to those who need them most, are generally used as a last resort to keep those with moderate to severe disabilities out of institutionalized care. In October 2010 Carranza was notified of the 50 percent cuts to his services. His family rushed to appeal the decision by the state, and in December 2010 Carranza was forced

to move back home from UCLA. His education was put on hold.

His family’s insurance is responsible for a large portion of his health coverage at the moment, but he has been able to arrange payments of $500 per month out of pocket to ensure his 22-hours of care per day. That agreement, however, will only last until May. He is hoping his luck will last until June.

In October 2011 Carranza was asked by some politically-active friends to speak at an Occupy rally in San Diego, and through his assistants and a computerized translator his voice was heard. He made a video on YouTube explaining why he was one of the 99 percent, and his assistant Laura passed it around on Facebook. Organized by the Occupy San Diego Labor Solidarity Committee, Carranza put on another rally in February and a fundraiser at Balboa Park’s Centro Cultural de la Raza which generated more than $2,000 to ease some of the medical bills.

Carranza’s fight, however, is not just his own. His brother Paul also has muscular dystrophy and requires 24hour care. Paul Carranza has already been informed that his nursing and assistant hours will be cut in September when he turns 21, leaving two working parents to struggle to find the funds to provide the care for their sons.

Carranza returned to SWC this semester as a computer science major, but recently dropped out due to the time and pressure of fighting the state of California.

“My goal is for the cuts not only to be stopped, but rolled back for everyone to get the healthcare they need,” he said.

“And, in the process, to get the MediCal decision overturned.”

Carranza said he is in this fight for the long haul. These budget cuts affect everyone, even those who may not even realize it.

“I know this may seem like this doesn’t affect them, but it does. The budget cuts are affecting everybody.

Because the first thing the government is going to cut are education and social services. And we’re all in this together.”

Senate president honored as freedom fighter

By Albert H. Fulcher Senior Staff Writer

It is a metaphor that is too obvious to miss. Angelina Stuart is a quilter, just ask all the people she has stiched together.

Painstakingly, stitch by stitch, she pulls together a panoply of colorful and textured fabric patches into patterns, creating striking quilts that become a treasure for their owners. She has done the same thing at Southwestern College, quilting together scattered fragments of SWC in the midst of dysfunctional leadership, accreditation battles and rebuilding the structure of an ailing educational institution.

People from around the state noticed.

Stuart was recently awarded the Norbert Bischof Memorial Faculty Freedom Fighter Scholarship from her peers at the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges (ASCCC). Beth Smith, president of the Academic Senate Foundation for California Community Colleges, said this prestigious award is not given every year, only when there is someone truly worthy. “(Stuart) was nominated by three different members of the executive committee and a unanimous vote occurred,” said Smith. “Each of them knew Angie from a different perspective and saw different talents she utilized in her role as a teacher and academic senate president. Her students are very lucky to have her and faculty the same. What she accomplishes with her students and colleagues works in every way possible.”

Stuart said that she had no idea when she began her role as SWC Academic Senate president in 2010 that it would take her through the trials of corrupt college leadership that led to a warlike relationship with a belligerent superintendent, an accreditation crisis, a revolution at the ballot box and a rebuilding process that required enormous vision, energy and patience.

During the tumultuous administration of Raj Chopra the college was in the national spotlight for incompetence, corruption and civil rights violations.

Stuart said a friend in the ASCCC gave her advice that she took to heart.

“In a conversation with Jane Patton she told me, ‘You have to pick your battles,’” said Stuart. “I said to her, ‘I think my battle is the 10 Plus 1.’ Jane told me it was a great hill to die on.”

Angelina Stuart

She said she based her leadership on the rights faculty have by law under California shared governance statutes that determine to help lead the college.

“It really helped guide me in my decisions,” she said. “Our district had never really looked at the 10 Plus 1, and so I kind of pushed the envelope, not by myself but with all faculty, we held out for what was right by law.”

The Academic Senate’s primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters and promoting shared consultation in the college’s process and procedures.

“I don’t think anyone could have foreseen what happened,” said Stuart.

“Four years ago I had no clue we were going to go through what we went through.”

After resignation of Chopra and the selection of Denise Whittaker as interim-superintendent, Stuart said she is extremely happy with what the college did to restore its accreditation after nearly losing it.

“I am probably proudest of being part of that whole accreditation push,” said Stuart. “I think it is a new era for our faculty, the college and prioritization. It is not silos anymore, it is good. There is fresh air and the walls are down.”

She said it is the result of support and unity from the students faculty, classified and administrators to elect a new board and find a new superintendent.

“We were able to do it,” she said.

Linda Hensley, director of institutional research, planning and grants, said Stuart is a unique leader due to her collaborative nature and her compassion for her students and the college.

“I do not think anybody knows how hard she worked,” she said. “She did it for SWC, not herself.”

Hensley said Stuart endlessly labored during the summer, on weekends, late nights and early mornings. She said her ability to listen to and respect those she works with, her flexibility and responsiveness makes Stuart a great decision maker.

“We were extremely lucky to have had her during this period of time,” she said.

“She repeatedly demonstrated her abilities to articulate and assert the opinion of the whole of the academic senate.”

Stuart said being part of shared consultation has been a revelation and taken away the chaos of the past. With the hiring of Superintendent Dr. Melinda Nish, she said she is very happy to see the college continuing in the right direction.

“I think Melinda is keeping true to shared governance and I am happy to see that she is giving the due diligence to the academic senate and the items that pertain to the 10 Plus 1,” said Stuart. “To me that is very telling, because if you have someone that dismisses them or chooses to ignore them or push them aside, that is not shared governance.”

Stuart said though she is honored, she is a bit embarrassed because the award only went to her and it is really about her team of colleagues.

“I couldn’t do what I did by myself,” she said. “Who am I? My philosophy is that your friends, team that you work with— they half the troubles, and double the joy. They shared that burden, they helped me, and when it is time to celebrate, they double it.”

When ASCCC Vice President Julie Adams, contacted Stuart, she said she thought it was a local or regional event and was shocked to find out about the award.

“To me it took on greater meaning once I read it was named after the founder. I had done the right thing,” she said.

Hired in 1990, Stuart teaches Spanish and English as a Second Language. Her term as academic senate president ends and she said she gets to go back to being a “regular faculty member” June 1 after six years as an Academic Senate Executive.

“I love what I do here,” she said. “I am looking forward to going back to teaching in the fall. I really miss my students.”

Time for a new quilt and time to admire some past masterpieces.

roosevelt palafox /staff

WORDS AND MUSIC — Francisco Bustos performs a bilingual poem, el Ocaso, by the author Susana Chavez, with music, sound effects, voice and tone at the SWC Write a Thon.

Writing club is chapter one for future scribes

By Eileen Salmeron Staff Writer

Hollywood’s Writers Guild include the talented scribes who wrote “Avatar,” “Hunger Games” and the Harry Potter screenplays. Students in Southwestern College’s The Other Writers Guild are penciling out a similar future.

Professor of English Heather Eudy said SWC students have the write stuff.

“We give students exercises so they can generate writing and then share work and give them feedback,” said Eudy. “So it’s an opportunity to generate new creative work.”

Four faculty members and two student members presented workshop sessions at a recent write-a-thon, including poetry, creative writing, fiction and nonfiction.

Club treasure Paul Scott-Blair, 22, an English major, presented the workshop on poetry.

“I’m really hoping to start breaking some people’s ruts, start really getting new sounds and voices into people’s writing,” he said.

“Start having people writing in surprising ways that surprises even them.”

Music was set up with drums, keyboards and a mic for entertainment and to showcase a performance workshop where writers were taught to recite their poetry to

the beat of the music.

“Everyone who went ended up writing a couple new pieces,” said Eudy. “I was impressed with the performance and almost everyone got up there and shared what they had written. It was a very collaborative, supportive and overall positive experience.”

Juan Castaneda, 21, an English literature major, said he attended the event with a main purpose to expand his writing tools and find different ideas in writing.

“I am also going to double major in creative writing when I transfer so this workshop is more practice,” he said. “It is always good to keep practicing your art and keep developing it.”

The Others Writers Guild started in the spring of 2008 and encourages students to get involved with their events that often take extra time to plan and promote, said Eudy.

“It’s a lot of work and it is hard to get people involved and to show up,” she said.

“It would have been nice if we had had a better turnout, but I think everyone who came really benefited.”

Club meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays in room 416. For more information write to swccreativewriting@ gmail.com.

CAMPUS

The Southwestern College Sun

Writing Center mourns loss of talented tutor Crystal Veytia

By Nickolas Furr Senior Staff Writer

Crystal Veytia was living the life she wanted when she boarded a Moscow train to her teaching job one final time.

Happy and upbeat as she headed to work, Veytia, 28, experienced a sudden cardiac arrest and died. The Moscow Metro operator stopped the train to let paramedics board, but it was too late.

From 2005 until 2011 Veytia was an institution at the SWC Writing Center and a tutor known for her easy rapport with fellow students, her big laugh and her insistence on spending as much time with each student as she could. After the Chula Vista resident earned her bachelor’s degree in English at SDSU, she decided to go abroad to teach.

Andrew Rempt, professor of English and director of the Academic Success Center, said she had not originally planned to teach in Russia.

“She was going to teach English in Japan, which is a lovely idea,” he said.

“Then she got to LAX the day of the March 2011 earthquake. She was ready to get on the plane but was told, ‘No. The flight’s canceled. There’s a massive earthquake and tsunami there.’”

It could have been much worse, said Laura Brooks, Veytia’s close friend and fellow SWC tutor. It might have been, had she not had a history of being chronically tardy.

“She was supposed to take an earlier flight,” Brooks said. “She would have been arriving there just as it hit. But she asked the airline to take a later flight because she was always late. For once that helped her out.”

Brooks said when taking that job became impossible, Veytia remained in California, her future uncertain. “(Crystal) was really upset about not being able to go to Japan,” Brooks said.

“She was stuck here for six months, not knowing if she still had a job. It was hard on her, but she was finally given a list of different countries she could choose from and she picked Russia.”

The former Bonita Vista High School student spent the past six years sharing a home in Chula Vista with her aunt, Mary King, whom she insisted on calling “Tia Roomie.” She grew networks of real life friends as well as online ones and her death impacted them all. After receiving the news, four of her friends – Brooks, Hana Lohorn, Emily Lohorn, and Ben Nahoum – got tattoos in her honor. All four still work as tutors in the writing center.

When her friends were asked about Veytia, none fell silent or became tearyeyed. Each broke into a favorite story about their irascible friend. Some were sophisticated, some were ribald and most were funny. Veytia, they agreed, was alternately brilliant, goofy, generous and exasperating. Losing her, they said, was like losing a close family member. Then, after a beat, they could not resist telling another Crystal story.

Crystal Veytia Rempt said Veytia was a student of his when he realized she would make a good tutor.

“Three times she had to take my English 116, the second half of English Composition,” he said. “She got through the third time and she was wonderful.

She was delightful, smart and funny. She was able to work with the other students very well. I knew she’d do really well here. And she did.”

Rempt estimated that in the five years Veytia worked as a tutor, she served about 1,000 students – most of whom loved her, he said.

“She had incredible diagnostic skills,” he said. “She was able to figure out what people needed, and she was so unbearably friendly. Even when she was ill she was cheerful.”

Brooks said Veytia’s sense of humor and attitude helped her to help others.

“Crystal spoke Spanish,” Brooks said.

“She didn’t have much of an accent.

When students come in and find out we speak Spanish, they want to use it for the whole session. But Crystal always encouraged students to speak English instead. She was awesome at making them feel comfortable with her.”

Co-worker Hana Lohorn said Veytia spent as much time with her students as she could.

“Students usually had 20 minute sessions, but Crystal’s always went over,” she said. “She was proud of that because she gave the students whatever time they needed.”

Rempt said Veytia had interpersonal skills that he does not have, but also acknowledged that she could be a character.

“She had the patience I don’t always have,” he said. “The grace, the kindness and the brains. She was wonderful.

She was also a pain in the ass. She was remarkably mischievous. I don’t think she ever showed up on time for work – ever.”

He said one particular example stood out.

“She blew off work and ended up going to Coachella (for a rock festival),”

Rempt said. “We’re Facebook friends and she posted, ‘My dreams came true! I’m going to Coachella!’ I responded, ‘You know I’m on here, right? You know that I know?’ She got back and I told her we’d have to talk about it. She said, ‘Do we really?’ But it was part and parcel.

You’re not going to get incredibly smart, talented, vivacious Crystal without getting pain-in-the-ass Crystal.”

Emily Lohorn said the tutoring team had extensive relationships outside of work. They spent time at each other’s houses, went out together and traveled together.

“My favorite memories of Crystal don’t come from work,” she said. “Crystal was Queen of the call-in. She was really big on getting up and going. She wanted to get in a car and go anywhere. It was even better if you didn’t know how to get there first. We did a lot of questionable road trips.”

Hana Lohorn agreed.

“She was the hub and we were her spokes,” she said.

Brooks described Veytia as irrepressible.

“I consider myself restless,” she said. “I always want to be doing something. She was impetuous. The two of us together was kind of lethal. But it was so fun. I’d have an idea, she’d say okay. It was never about how we were going to do that or that we shouldn’t. It was okay, let’s go.”

Veytia took her work in Russia seriously, Brooks said.

“Ironically, she’d never been a moment late to work in Russia,” Brooks said.

“Her students were so surprised by her not being there that they went to the administration. They found out quickly and contacted her family here. It’s a blessing we found out as fast as we did.”

Rempt said it is difficult for her friends to describe exactly what Veytia meant to them.

“The language fails,” he said. “There are not even words to explain the feeling, much less what’s been lost.”

Hana Lohorn said Veytia will live forever in her memory.

“I knew from the first time we hung out that she had changed my life,” she said. “If I had a baby, I’d name her after Crystal. I’ll never forget her.”

Brooks agreed.

“More than anyone outside my family, I was devoted to her,” she said.

Emily Lohorn said Veytia could elevate any gathering.

“Crystal had the gift of gab,” she said.

“Any time you were lucky enough to be in a room with her, you felt like you had never been wittier, never been funnier, never been better. Everything was a laugh riot with her.”

Rempt said that even though it is hard to explain to others, he knows how he feels.

“I love her and I miss her,” he said.

“And… I love her and I miss her.”

Veytia’s family has created the Crystal Veytia Scholarship Fund at Pacific Trust Bank. Memorial contributions will be appreciated.

Eclectic Earth Day can draw a crowd

By Kyla Guerrero Assistant Campus Editor

Planet Earth’s biggest party in its honor is held every year in San Diego. Other cities are green with envy.

A rock concert-sized crowd of at least 60,000 drifted around Balboa Park to learn, share, celebrate, warn and remind, but mostly to have fun.

Reggae, rock and folk music were the soundtrack of the day as the spring breeze carried the fragrance of the mostly-vegetarian cuisine over the grassy rolling hills of the park hosting the largest environmental fair of its kind.

Southwestern College Professor of English Kathy Parish said she was encouraged that so many Americans are aware of the environmental issues and willing to speak for the Earth.

“Over the years it has evolved,” she said. “It’s gotten more and more to where large companies are there because people are more aware of environmental issues.”

High gas prices, large carbon footprints and chemicals in processed food are no longer a secret, Parish said, and younger Americans need to be involved in the effort to protect our finite natural resources.

“Some people think, ‘oh it’s just a bunch of hippies,’” said Parish.

“And that’s not true at all. It’s very mainstream.”

SWC Environmental Club President Joanna Ortiz said she has researched ways for the college to go green and become more energy sufficient.

But she said her real hunt was to save the school money with energy-

saving technology.

“I’m actually excited about looking at the engineering, probably solar panels,” she said. “I know the budget is really bad right now, but I think there’s ways we can implement solar panels (so) the school can save tons of money on energy.”

Earth Fair showcased about 400 exhibitors including animal protection, alternative healing, political interest groups and religious organizations.

Visitors had the opportunity to visit different wellness and chiropractic information tents. Companies offered free back pain diagnostics, discounted massage therapy and information on herbal healing. Cannabis Planet TV in conjunction with CalMed 420 offered discounted medicinal marijuana certificate evaluations by licensed physicians.

“What better place to get your medical marijuana card than at the Earth Fair?” said Bill Scher, a Cannabis Planet TV representative.

Denise Arneson, a volunteer at the San Diego recycling center AWARE, said the organization pays homeless to collect recyclables.

“It’s very low-budget, grassroots kind of company,” said Arneson.

Animal activists advocated for cruelty-free farming, prevention of animal extinction, habitation protection. San Diego Zoo Global and Greenpeace we represented as were the local activists La Jolla Friends Of The Seals, who provided information about protecting Casa Beach (aka, Children’s Beach) as a natural habitation for mother seals who come ashore to birth their pups.

Some swimmers and divers continue to harass the seals and want them off the beach.

Earth Fair provided a variety of people with an array of lifestyles and backgrounds a place to peacefully mingle together and learn from one another.

“Partly it’s there to educate and for people to find products,” said Parish, “and partly to have fun.”

With her extensive energy and time being put into educating others regarding environmental issues, Earth Fair has become a lifestyle for Parish, one that she hopes to relay onto others.

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

CFK: Fifth graders get first taste of college in popular program Continued from Page A9

always overwhelmingly say yes.”

Rob Unger, interim human resources coordinator and reading professor, attended one of the first College for Kids sessions as a student. He said that college appeared to be a wonderful, natural place to be a student.

“I was comfortable about college and more interested in higher education,” he said. “I remember I took two classes, Introduction to Aviation and Library Research.”

About 450 students attend College for Kids every year. Most of the instructors are K-12 teachers.

“They’re off during the summer, they’re looking for extra income, and this is something they really like to do,” Tadlock said.

Manuel Paul, superintendent of San Ysidro School District, was invited to be one of the first CFK instructors. He said he wanted to be involved with the education of young people, regardless of where they were from.

“I taught a karate class back in 1977,” he said. “It was my way of being involved in education beyond our district-only programs.”

Now classes have returned to San Ysidro and Tadlock said he is delighted. One of the classes is Introduction to Robotics, which took years to organize.

“Up until about four years ago, San Ysidro provided scholarship and transportation for their students,” he said. “But since they stopped doing that, the numbers of kids coming from there has been really, really low. It’s the economy.”

He said that extending the programs on multiple campuses benefited everyone.

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“Last year, we had only three kids come from San Ysidro public schools, and one or two from National City,” Tadlock said. “This was a way of helping the kids and community, but also promoting the centers. We’re bringing the education to them in their community, so they don’t have to worry about the challenges of getting transportation to the main campus.”

This year 281 students were signed up on April 25, the first day of registration.

Tadlock said that much early excitement generally continues through the summer.

“A week before it starts, you’ll see parents on campus, walking around,” he said. “The kids are pointing up at the buildings, looking around at all the different locations. They generate a lot of excitement around the college.”

Meadows said that the children’s presence on campus benefited everyone.

“I enjoy the children’s enthusiasm for the subject matter, their curiosity and interest,” he said. “There’s just something about that energy that I really enjoy.

When you walk across campus between their classes, you notice it. Their parents are gone and they’re walking around with confidence, from one classroom to another. They’re sharing the sidewalks with the college students on their way to their next classes.”

Meadows said College for Kids is a strong form of community outreach and a good recruiting tool for the school.

“This lets those kids in grades five through nine look at the possibilities of going on to college,” he said. “The college touches so many lives here, and it also touches the kids’ lives just by its own presence.”

Tadlock agreed.

“This is a community program,” he said.

“We have a great reputation. We’ve got a great network of people here. College for Kids is a win-win for everyone.”

Registration is ongoing until sessions begin on June 11 and July 2.

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Angelica Gonzales, editor

CAMPUS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: campus@theswcsun.com

Architecture club lights up contest Members design portable structures that carry them to a state award

By Ernesto Rivera Viewpoints Editor

W

hile preparing students to build bridges and communities, the Southwestern College Architecture Club is first building a foundation.

SWC students recently competed in “Design Village,” an annual architecture competition held at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Structures were designed by architecture students Mariana Diaz, 20, and Hector Villa, 20, architecture majors.

Diaz and Villa had involvement and input from the entire club, which was able to send 12 students and came home with an honorable mention.

Advisor Diana De La Torre, first year adjunct professor of architecture, said the club’s mission is to prepare students to transfer and for the profession.

“You learn things you won’t find in a classroom,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for students to have a better grasp of the profession. You have to be able to work well with people and it fosters that kind of community that you need.”

De La Torre said Design Village gives students an opportunity to design and come to life on a small scale.

“It’s an opportunity to build and go through the construction process,” said De La Torre. “The ideas aren’t just in your head anymore, you actually see it. You can touch it, you can step in it and you can sleep in it.”

Diaz said the club spent the whole semester preparing for Design Village as well as raising funds to attend.

“The architecture club was really involved, it really is a little community,” she said. “It wasn’t just the 12 students who attended that helped out. You learn by doing and hands-on experience.”

Diaz said that the competition was difficult and students had to walk a several miles to the construction area carrying their own materials and tools.

“We worked a lot through spring break building it here and that was a good decision because other schools were there still figuring things out,” she said.

Diaz said that many private architecture schools came and admired the club’s structures.

“It all came together really well,” she said. “We were really popular out there and it was really nice to have that feedback.”

De La Torre said the theme of Design Village was metamorphosis.

“Design Village wanted to explore transformable, adaptable architecture and they were challenging students to come up with something that responded to that,” she said “They had to be able to carry all their materials for about a mile into the construction site and then start building. They had all day Friday to build and they got judged on Saturday.”

Each team had several qualifications to meet, said De La Torre.

“They had to provide shelter, all six students had to sleep in it for two nights,” she said. “If they didn’t sleep in it they were going to get disqualified. At least

ernesto rivera/staff

DESIGNING WOMAN — Architecture Club President Mariana Diaz lets some light into the structure she and her team created for “Design Village,” a state competition. SWC took home an honorable mention award.

50 percent of the materials used had to be recycled and reused in some way.”

Villa said there were 50 schools that competed in Design Village.

“We built them here, disassembled them, put the materials in a trailer, drove it all the way over there and reassembled it,” he said.

De La Torre said that the club received enormous

amounts of help to be able to attend Design Village, including students paying for their own registration fees, relatives helping with transportation and donations from the Environmental Technology Club and the Chicano/Latino Coalition.

“It took a lot of work from the students,” she said.

“We had so much help and that’s why we were able to pull it off.”

Colorful instructor gets physical with physical science Fred Hafer loves subject and his enthusiasm has early morning students wide awake

By Shawnie Lopez Staff Writer

amparo mendoza /staff

MORE ENERGY THAN COFFEE — Lively instructor Fred Hafer has put the ‘fun’ back into fundamental science.

Fred Hafer puts the physical into physical science. A geologist’s version of Robin Williams’ character in “Dead Poet’s Society,” Hafer has been known to channel that creative teaching spirit, encouraging students to see the world in news ways, even if that means climbing on the furniture to make a point.

“You can talk about this all day long,” he said.

“But if you show it, it is better.”

As he demonstrated the conservation of angular momentum, Hafer placed a rotating chair on top of his desk, climbed right on top and began to spin with dumbbells in each outstretched hand. Hafer got some help from a figurine of Queen Elizabeth II to demonstrate the effect of different wavelengths of light on a photoelectric cell.

“Longer wavelengths like red and green light have no effect on the queen,” said Hafer. “But when violet light shines on her handbag (where the photocell is), she waves!”

Michael Anzures, 28, a liberal studies major, said Hafer’s class is intriguing because he wakes students up better than a large cup of coffee.

“For being a morning class, he is entertaining and funny, such a wealth of information,” Anzures said.

“It gets the class energized, it gets them involved.

He has a great sense of humor and he brings all the equations to life.”

Iliana Gonzalez, 28, a liberal studies major, said Hafer is always captivating.

“He incorporates experiments,” said Gonzalez.

“You get to watch how the things he is lecturing about come alive.”

Gonzalez said Hafer’s material is entertaining but not easy. Anzures agreed.

“It’s dedication,” Anzures said. “As long as you are dedicated to his class, you’ll be just fine.”

Hafer has been a part of the Earth Science department since Fall of 2000. Since that time he has taught physical geography, oceanography and geology, along with other earth science courses including introduction to physical science, cultural geography, and the labs for the Earth Science Department.

“I try to teach all of the classes in the Earth Science department,” he said. “I like to be flexible.

My knowledge base is pretty broad.”

Earth Science knowledge grows daily, said Hafer, so he studies constantly.

“I try to keep myself up to date and take seminars frequently,” said Hafer. “You have to keep on top, things are changing and technology is progressing.”

As an adjunct instructor of Earth Science for 12 years, Hafer’s education started at a community college after serving four years in the military.

“I started at a community college, just like this one,” he said.

Community college is where Hafer took interest in physical sciences. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in physical geography at the University of Florida, then a Master’s in geography at the University of South Florida.

“I went back and got a another degree in geology this time at the University of Florida and I got a job in the oil field as a geologist and oil well logger.”

Hafer came to California, interviewed with Southwestern College, was hired that day and began the following day. After 12 years Hafer has not lost his comic touch. As he climbs on furniture, creates captivating lectures and receives help from Queen Elizabeth II every now and then, Hafer does not mind getting physical to teach all things physical.

Robotics: Students put the future on display at competition Continued from Page A9

the students a little taste of the remarkable future robotics holds.

“My approach is to give opportunities to the people who are really very interested in robotics, plus just general educational stuff for people who want to know what robotics might mean for us in the future,” he said. “I would describe it as eclectic to utilize the resources of the community college as best we can to help students progress and to help them compete in these competitions. I find robotics to be one of the most exciting developments of the past 15 years.”

Club vice president Belen RendonAlvarez, 21, criminal justice major said one does not need to be an engineering geek to have a love for robotics.

“I took some biology classes and I saw that many scientists and engineers base their designs on animals because of their special abilities, so I would like to see more of that,” she said. “My goals are not related to robotics, but I like the experience and getting involved.”

Robotics is entering a new era.

George compared the state of robotics with the aircraft industry in the 1930s in terms of developing certain technologies to get the industry up and running in mainstream society. “ There are certain technical aspects of robotics that are really cutting edge in computer science and very complex and these are very difficult problems that people are working on right now,” said George. “This is tremendously exciting because once these technical problems are solved this is going to be enormously positive industry for human beings.”

Robotic prosthetics controlled by the human brain are advancing and SWC MESA students are standing eagerly at the front line of the research. The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Engineering Research Centers program has a new center at University of Washington for sensorimotor neural engineering.

One of the main goals of the NSF’s centers program is to promote technological breakthroughs and prepare graduating students for industry positions. In collaboration with MIT, University of Washington and other schools, researchers from SWC will be included in the ongoing research at the UW center.

Dr. Raga Bakhiet, director of MESA at Southwestern College, said the NSF wants people at all levels getting interested in doing this and that is where the college comes in. “ They said we need to have education partners and they wanted underrepresented communities so they invited Southwestern College,” said Bakhiet. “I think also because of our good record of students graduating through MESA and our strong STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) core at SWC.” Rodriguez attended the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers conference last October where they talked about this issue and said he believes that robotics is currently opening doors in the science community.

“I went to SDSU to see Dr. Daniel Thomas from the University of Washington and he explained to us what his program is and it’s basically a robotic arm that you control with your senses,” said Rodriguez. “Right now we are in the age for this new era. It’s true that robotics will open doors because there is currently research on robots and its great to be a part of this.”

It is a great time for robotics and Rodriguez said he has hopes for the future of the club. He said someday soon the world will have robots like the ones in movies like “Star Wars.”

“I believe it’s going to happen, so this club is a great opportunity to start with especially in community college when you don’t have those sources,” he said.

As SWC becomes a player in robotics, Rodriguez said he hopes that someday there will be an actual robotics class on campus.

“It would be great because you would be more familiar with robotics and you actually have a class that will touch more in detail the aspects of robotics, and robotics is growing really fast,” he said. “A class would emphasize this.”

The Southwestern College Sun

Ana Bahena

Communications

SODA WINNERS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

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Denyse Tontz Telemedia

2012 Jesse Ward

Business Administration

Ayded Reyes Biology

Student Of Distinction Award

Susana Sanchez

Amber Leigh Sykes

Arturo Sotomayor Gayosso Mechanical Engineering

Paralegal Studies

Jesus Flores

Paulina Pineda-Medina

Juan Manuel Huerta

Dulceamor Mota

Alexia Gutierrez

Ramiro Rodriguez

Psychology

Computer Engineering

English

Philosophy

Environmental Engineering

Nuclear Engineering

Angel Castro

Angel Flores

Psychology

Business Administration

Architecture

Alex Chavez Biochemistry

Christian Santiago

Social and Behavioral Science

Esther Sakhi

Nursing

Amerika Rocha-Aboujaoude Nursing

Imran Yasin

Mechanical Engineering

Design by Pablo Gandara

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Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

GRADUATION

The Southwestern College Sun

Congratulations

20 12

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• Ginger Armienta • Willard Atalig • Amanda Baladez • Sandra Baldwin • Rocio Banales • Sandra Barajas • Mayra Baray • Ryan B a r r • B l a n c a B a r r a g a n • Ve n u s B a r r i a • B e n B a r r i o s • J o s e B a r r o n • C a n n i e B a r t h o l o m e w • We s l e y B a u m g a r d n e r • A d a l i n a B e c e r r a • Martbriza Becerra • Fernando Bedolla • Adrian Beltran • Lily Beltran • Eric Bohler • Chad Booth • Mike Boulrice • Shadia Burgos • Diana Bustos • Jennie Camacho • Carolina Campos • Alexis Cardenas • Celina Cardenas • Arturo Carmona • Lauriana Carrillo • Claudia Carvajal • Herberto Carvajal • Janneth Casas • Carlos Castaneda • Socorro Castillo • Nikyta Cedano • Daniel Cervantes • Elizabeth Chavez • Karla Chevreuil • Marisa Chiappero • Sara Cobb • Jennifer Cochran • Joaquin Contreras • Esmeralda Cortez • Marvin Cosino • Jonathan Covarrubias • Darius Crandle • Larry Crawford • Hazel Cruz • Charissa Danan • Erick De la Rocha • Adrianne Deleon • Rocielle Ann Deleon • Blanca Delgadillo • Mercedes Delgado • Marco Deltoro-Puer to • Abraham Diaz • Pedro Diaz • Karely Diaz • Diana Dickerson • Estela Diferretti • Abigail Eddleman • Adrian Elias • Sholida Ellis • Anthony Equihua • Nataly Escamilla • Christine Eser • Enrique Espinoza • Cindy Esquibel • Francisco Esquivel • Ludivico Estrada • Lizbeth Farias • Ross Fawver • Lizeth Felix • Aaron Ferby • David Ferreira • Daniel Figueroa • Claudia Flores • Elizabeth Flores • Jessica Flores • Juan Flores • Rodney Flores • Nicholas Floyd • Gustavo Fonseca • Isaac Fuentes • Rafael Galan • RG Galang • Ileana Gallegos • Ashley Garcia • Gladys Garcia • Karla Garcia • Dana Jane Garcia • Andrea Gaviria • Angelica Gonzales • Christian Gonzalez • Jesenia Gonzalez • Bernardo Gonzalez • Luis Gonzalez • Ryan Gonzalez • Joseph Grant • Joshua Grojean • Javara Guerra • Kyla Guerrero • C h r i s t i n a G u t i e r r e z • J a m e s G u t i e r r e z • Va n e s s a G u z m a n • P h i l i p H a l b e r t • A h m a d H a l i s • D e l t o n H a n d l e y • S t e v e H a u n s c h i l d • M e g h a n H e n n e s s e y • D i a n a H e r n a n d e z • Ta n y a H e r n a n d e z • D a l i l a H e r n a n d e z • H e c t o r H e r n a n d e z • I v a n H e r n a n d e z • M e l i s s a Hiebert • Myrtis Hill • Jennyfer Hiquiana • Kathy Hofheinz • Jason Holmes • Christopher Houck • Chue Hwang • Hazel Inocencio • Omar Jabbar • Jonathan Jeffery • David Jenkins • Matthew Jensen • Amy Johnson • Keauna Johnson • Nikkia Johnson • Jayne Joseph • Kendrick Juarez • Candice Kassab • Jennifer Kelstrup • David Knipple • Maria Elouiza Landero • David Lara • Claudia Lederer • Juan Ledesma • Ann Lee • Lynette Leigh • Jose Alberto Leon • Ruben Leon • Margaret Leonard • Eva Li • Kent Li • Alberto Lombardo • Cesar Lopez • Sergio Lopez • Kimberly Luangviseth • Rebecca Lujambio • Nikki Carlota Maclan • Maria-Eunice Magat • Betinna Maini • Vincent-Marvin Manzon • Matthew Mariano • MoisesFredrick Marquez • Jacqueline Marroquin • Alejandro Martin DelCampo • Casie Martinez • Lizbeth Martinez • Maria Martinez • Eric Martinez • Nataly Martinez • Marjory Martinez-Bolanos • Viktoriya Maysyura • Anya Meave • Adriana Medina • Andrew Meisen • Nohemi Melero • Blanca Mendoza • Christopher Miley • Alejandra Molina • Ariana Molina • Ismael Montalvo • Erika Monterrubio • Remedios Mora • Martell Munguia • Karla Murillo • Karina Navarrete • Cristian Navarro • Quang Nguyen • Jeremy Nicholas • Nancy Nieblas • Inez Obeso • Karen Okabe • Andrew Olfato • Rosie Orozco • Jaime F Orozco • Eunice Orozco-Reynoso • Ybon Or tega • Elizabeth Padilla • Evan Pellecchia • Consuelo Pena • Matthe w Pena • Diana Pena • Denise Penaflorida • Abraham Peraza • Dulce Perdomo • Patricia Perez • Samuel Perez • Blanca Pimentel • Aldo Pimentel • Christopher Poyaoan • Ernesto Preciado • Victorino Quiambao • Michelle Quintero • Ruben Ramirez • J o s e R a m i r e z • M a r i a R a m o s • A c e R a n c u d o • B e t e l h e u s e R e n a u • A d r i e l R e v e l e s • A r n o l d R e y e s • Va n e s s a R e y n o s o - Va r g a s • J e n n i f e r Rezendes • Jayrell Ringpis • Hardin Rivers • Jocelyne Rocher • Kendrick Rodriguez • Lorena Rodriguez • Luis Rodriguez • Juan R o d r i g u e z • J o n a t h a n R o d r i g u e z • R i g o b e r t o R o d r i g u e z • G u s t a v o R o j a s - M e n t a d o • Ye s e n i a R o j o • P h i l i p R o m i c k • M a d i s o n R o m o • Lisa Roque-Bautista • Victor Rosales • Timothy Ross • Lauren Rubic • Meliza Rubio • Charline Ruiz • Jorge Ruiz • Robert Saenz • Michelle Salazar • Glen Salgado • Xenia Sanchez • Juan Sandoval • Virginia Sarabia • Andrea Sholan • Ivan Sillas-Navarro • Joseph S i l v a • D a r i n S m a l l • M a t t h e w S m i t h • Te r r e n c e S m i t h • A r y n S o u t h • B r y a n S t e f a n • M i c h e l l e S t e v e n s • C i e r a S w e e t w o o d • M o n i c a S w i t i c k • A n n R o d e t t e Ta n • R o d r i c Ta n - To r r e s • S i r i a Te l l o • K a r l a Te p o s t e • H e l e n Te s f a • N a o c h i k a Te s h i m a • B r i a n T h o m a s • A l e j a n d r o To l e n t i n o • L u i s To r r e • G i s e l a To r r e s • R a m o n To r r e s • C a t h e r i n e Tr a n • A n a Tr u j i l l o • C a r l a Tr u j i l l o • N i c h o l a s V a n R u i t e n • Z a c h a r y Va n Ve c h t e n • E r n e s t o Va z q u e z • A m e l i a Ve g a • J o s e Ve g a • J o s e Ve l e z • M a r i a Ve r d u g o • R o g e l i o Ve r g a r a • S a y e d A b d u l Wa h a b • B r i e l e W a r r e n • P a u l a W a t e r s • J e n n i f e r W e b b • G a r r y W e g e n e r • C a r l o W e s s e l • N i c h o l a s W h i t e • B r a d l e y W h i t m a n • A l y c e W i l l i a m s • Tr i s h a W i l l i a m s • E r i c W o n g • M i c h a e l W o n g • J a i m e Y b a r r a • A l e x i s Yo u n g • C e c i l i a Z a b l a n • C a l e b Z a m o r a • Te r e s a Z a r a t e • B r y a n t Z e p e d a Christian Alfonso • Johanna Alvarado • Johnathan Anderson • Benjamin Arellano • Elizabeth Barth • Anais Beas • Fernando Bedolla • Matthew Bellini • Rose Blackmon • Jeffrey Breton • Alexander Buck • Michael Cabral • Graciela Campos • Casey Cartier • Herberto Carvajal • Javier Casado-Ramos • Jaime Casas • Daniel Cervantes • Davidson Cervantes • Eloiza Conway • Jonathan C o v a r r u b i a s • B e n i t o C r u z • M e r c e d e s D e l g a d o • L i z e t h F e l i x • A a r o n F e r b y • Ve r o n i c a F e r g u s o n • R o m a n F i t c h • R o d n e y F l o r e s • Er n e s t o Fl o re s J r. • Is a a c Fu e n t e s • Ma r i a Ga l a n • Br i a n Ga rc i a • Mi g u e l Ga r n i c a • Ky l e Ga u t • Ja s o n Gl ove r • A n g e l a M Go d i n e z • Va n e s s a G o e n a g a • M i g u e l G o m e z • R y a n G o n z a l e z • J o s e p h G r a n t • N o r m a C a r m e n G r e d o n i a • W i l l i a m G r e e n w a y • J o s h u a G r o j e a n • J e n n y G r u l l o n • D o r a G u t i e r r e z • P h i l i p H a l b e r t • D e l t o n H a n d l e y • K y l e H a n s o n • S t e v e H a u n s c h i l d • Te r r y H e a t h • M e g h a n Hennessey • Hector Hernandez • Ivan Hernandez • Rosalio Herrera • Jason Holmes • Michael Huffman • Charisse Ledesma Imperial • Omar Jabbar • Matthew Jensen • Kendrick Juarez • Patrick Keene • Nicholas Lacy • Barbara Lair • Chris Larsen • Deborah Lathrop Lechner • Justin Loftis • Alberto Lombardo • James Lopez • Kimberly Luangviseth • Glen Lugo • Paula Lutz • Ricardo Madueno • Robert Magpiong • Luke Manns • Guillermo Marquez • Karla Marquez • Eric Martinez • Nataly Martinez • Rocio Mejia • Maribel M e r c a d o • B r i a n R o b e r t M i c k s c h l • I g n a c i o M o n r o y - B e r n a l • E f r e n M o n t o y a • Ye s s i c a M o r e n o • M a r t e l l M u n g u i a • M a r i a M u r i l l o • I d a n i a O l e a -Wa l t e r s • J o h n O l s e n • E u n i c e O r o z c o - R e y n o s o • A r t u r o Pa c h e c o • J a n e t Pa i p a • E m m a n u e l Pa j a r i n • D i a n a Pe n a • M i g u e l Peraza • Aldo Pimentel • Angelica Pineda • Frank Polczynski • Pablo Polidoro • Jose Ramirez • Manuel Ramos • Jorly Rapada • Anna R a v e l o • S a m a n t h a R e g a l a d o • A r n o l d R e y e s • J e n n i f e r R e z e n d e s • C r a i g R i c e • J a y r e l l R i n g p i s • D i a n a R i v e r a • D a r r e l l Rober ts • Paul Alan Robinson • Alexandro Robles • Jonathan Rodriguez • Rigoberto Rodriguez • Gustavo Rojas-Mentado • Jason Runkle • Josefino Sadural • R o x a n a S a n d o v a l • R e n e S a n t a n a • S p e n c e r S c h a f e r • H e i d i S c h o u t e n • K a t h l e e n S n o w • M a r i a S o s a p o n s - S o r o l l a • L a - Tr i n a S p r u i l l e • H u a n S u E s c o b e d o • R a m o n To r r e s • E m i l i a Tr a v i e s a • C i r o Tr e j o • M a r i a U r i a r t e • J o s e V a l v e r d e • N i c h o l a s V a n R u i t e n • G l o r y v e e V a z q u e z • L o u r d e s Ve g a - D e - G o m e z • D a v i d Ve l a s c o • J o s e Ve l e z • S a y e d A b d u l Wa h a b • G a r r y We g e n e r • M e c h e l l e W i l l i a m s • J a i m e Y b a r r a • L i z b e t h Z a m o r a Melissa Nicole Abell • Isha Abuamer • Martina Anayelly Acevedo • Luisa Sanay Acosta • Ve r o n i c a A c o s t a • J e f f r e y E c h o n A d a m o s • To w a n L a v e l l e A d a m s • R i c h i e A n g e l A g p a o a • Claudia Stephanie Aguayo • Rosa Maria Aguilaera • Cynthia Aguirre • Angel Ariel Alcala • Lorelyn Saqueton Alcantara • Itzel Alonso • Salvador Alonso • Giovanni Alva • Jose Maria A l v a r e z • Ma r t h a B e n i t a A m a v i s c a - Po t t e r • Di a n a Ly n n A n d o r a • Mi c h a e l C a m i l l o A n z u r e s • Hi l d a A r a i z a • A l f r e d o A r a u j o • L a u r a El i z a b e t h A r e n a s • A n t h o n y A . A r o c h o • A l b a I l e n e A r o n • M a r y C r u z A r r e d o n d o • L e t i c i a A r r o y o • S a l v a d o r A r r o y o • J a m e s Wa l l a c e A r t h u r • F e l i p e Lucas Arzabal • Nina Rose Atrero • Einas Audish • Kristoffer John Babadilla • Greg Allen Babcock • Marinela Sayaman Bagnas • Nicole Cherie Bagu • Ashley N Bailey • Christine M. Balkey-Soriano • April Marrie Ball • Aneesah Barber • Mary Carmen Barbero-Bush • Nick Eric Barnes • Mar tha Barraza • Paola Magos Bautista • Christian Nash Beas • Rosita Marie Beaty • Matthe w Pascual Becerra • Oskar Beckmann • J e s s i c a B e d o l l a • P a t r i c i a B e l e n d e z • Te r r e n c e D i o n B e l l a m y • A d r i a n M i z a e l B e l t r a n • L i l y M a r l e n e B e l t r a n • B r a d l e y B e n t o n • H e a t h e r D a w n Bethke • Janeth Bezada • Eric Edward Bischop • Jessica Moenic Blackcloud • Saulo Aurelio Bonilla • Jamey Quismundo Booker • Shahrazad La Mae Botello • Pamela Ellen Bowman • Sean Michael Brambir • Simon William Brice • Cr ystalyn Michelle Briceno • Karina Briseno • Frank Pe a r s o n Br ow n • Ni c h o l a s Jo s e Br u n s w i c k • A l e x a n d e r Br e n d a n - Mu h l b a c h Bu c k • Sh a w n W i n d l e Bu c k i n g h a m • Di a n a O s i r i s Bu s t o s • R a s h i d a Amira Cabrales • Armand Paul Goma Cabrega • Melissa Karen Camacho • Alfonso Camberos • Diana Marlene Campos • Frances May Sabater C a n i y a • A n d r e s A l e j a n d r o C a n i z a l e z • Ya s m i n G u a d a l u p e C a n u l • D a v i d Pa r t i b l e C a r b u n g c o • M i c h a e l Pa u l C a r d i f f • D a n i e l C a r d o s o • M a r i a L e o n i s a D i v i n a C a r i g • C r i s t i n a N a t h a l y C a r r e o n • H e r l i n d a Yu k i k o C a r r i l l o • V i c t o r M a n u e l C a r r i l l o • F e r n a n d a I v o n n e C a r r i o n • B e r e n i c e C a s i l l a s • M a b y C a s t a n • E l i z a b e t h C a s t a n e d a • J u a n M a n u e l C a s t a n e d a • M a r i a M a g d a l e n a C a s t a n e d a • Te r e s i t a D e J e s u s C a s t e l l a n o • P e r r y M . C a s t l e b e r r y • A m o r D e Je s u s C a s t r o • Na y y e l y J . C a s t r o • Ni c h o l a s B . C a s t r o • C l a r e n c e C a t o l i c o • C a r m e n Ma r i a n a C a z a r e s • Pe r n i l l a K .

C e d e r q v i s t • Te r e s s a C e l m a • P h i l i p C h r i s t i a n C h a d w i c h • Y a r d l e y E . C h a v i r a • A m y K e n n e d y C h i l d e r s • A n t o n i o L a j u a n C h u r c h i l l • E r i n M i c h e l l e C i h o n s k i • Ta n i a L e e C i n t r o n • A r c h i v a l d Te r a n t e C l e m e n t e • E r i c D a v i d C o h e n • S t e p h a n i e E l a i n e C o l t e r • K a r e n S u l u a y C o n t r e r a s • R o s a C o n t r e r a s • J a c o b C o o g a n • J e n n i f e r L y n n C o p p • L o r e n a C o r o n a d e M e n d o z a • Va n e s s a K a r i n a C o r o n a • A r a c e l i C o r o n a d o • L i z e t h E s p i n o C o r o n a d o • L u i s a Ju l i e t a C o r o n e l • W i l l i a m C o r o n e l • C h r i s t i a n E d u a rd o C o s m e • Jo n a t h a n C ov a r r u b i a s • Pe r l a C ov a r r u b i a s • Jo s e p h M a t t h e w C o x • To n y a E l e c e C r a v y • C a t h e r i n e A n n B a r r e r a C r a w f o r d • B r i o n a L e e C r o w d e r • J o h n A . C r u z • J o s e L u i s C r u z • K e n y a Y . C r u z • Miranda Cruz • Norma Cruz • Nohemi Cueva • Amber Cuevas • Nasrine Barrera Damaso • Belinda Lopez Danao • Sam K. Davis • Lisa Marie D e D i o s • F e L i m b a g a D e G u z m a n • M a r v y l a n e R e y e s D e G u z m a n • T i m a r i D e l a P e n a • R o d o l f o D e l a To r r e • D a v i d A n t h o n y D e L e o n • M a t h e w Micheal Dealy • Amal Deiranieh • Gian Timothy Sante Delino • Danah Mae Vizmanos Demesa • Gerald Steven Dequito • Florisca Mogote Diaz • Francisco Javier Diaz • Hedrey Armando Diaz • Michael Anthony Diaz • Sarahi Diaz • Donis Chargualaf Diego • Leandro A. Diego • Estela D i f e r r e t t i • C h u Ye w D i n g • D i a n n e H a z e l H i l a o D i n o • J i m m y L e e D i n o • S c o t t C . D i o n • S h a r l e n e D e G u z m a n D i o q u i n o • A i r h a A b i s a i Dominguez • Brenda Berenice Dominguez • Cathleen Dominguez • Juan Dominguez • Ryan A. Duplon • Alexis Duran • Anthony Duran • Ralph D u r o n • L e o n o r Yv o n n e E a s l e y • C r y s t a l E c h e v e r r i • D i a n a Ya z e l E c h e v e r r i • A n t o n i o I v a n E c o n o m • E u g e n e B a l u y o t E g a r a n • Je n n i f e r R a m o s Encarnacion • Michael-Joseph Castillo Encarnacion • Nathan Jon Enriquez • Maria Guadalupe Escalanti • Britni Arianna Eseller • Cathrine B u n a E s e n d e n c i a • B e v e r l y E s g u e r r a • K a t h e r i n e D a s h a a n n e t t h E s p a n a • D e n i s e P a s i s E s p a r z a • G e n i e M a r i e E s p i n a • M a r i a Va n e s s a E s p i n e l i • Emerald Enriquez Espiritu • Andrea Rodriguez Esquer • Ricalde Estephania • Heidy Esteves • Ludivico Estrada • Maria De Jesus Estrada • D e n n i s I g n a c i o E u s e b i o • A r c h i e C a s t a n e d a E u s t a q u i o • To v i a S a p e l e F a a l o g o • A n d r e a F i g u e r o a - R a m i r e z • M o n i q u e A l e x a n d r a F i t c h • A n g e l Fe r n a n d o Fl o re s • C h r i s t i a n Fl o re s • C l a u d i a Fl o re s • Ma r i e l l a Fl o re s • A l i c i a Ke l l y Fo g g • Ni c o l e Ma r g a r i t e Fo n t e n e a u x • Jo h n Fow l e r • Ly g i a E. Franco • Dori Ann Frederick • Diana Luz Frolov • Richard M. Funtanilla • Ricky Gabrielson • Errick Demond Gaffney • Jecy Marie Galang • Nicole Marie Galbraith-Ray • Isaac Galindo • Regina Lorena Galloway • Alyssa Gissele Galvan • Carlos Anthony Gama • Danira Gamino • P e t e r S a m i G a m m o • A l m a L i z e t t o G a r c i a • A r a c e l i G a r c i a • E v e t t e Ta n y a G a r c i a • H u m b e r t o G a r c i a • J o v a n a G a r c i a • L e e a n n G a r c i a • M a r c o Antonio Garcia • Moises Garcia • Montserat Garcia • Patricia Garcia • Rosa Linda Garcia • Kercey Mata Garduno • Ayshaloe Gari • Briselle Garibaldi • Sarah Elizabeth Gawalis • Jaymie Cauren Giampietro • Maritza Gil • Marylou Godoy • Maria Martina Gomez • Nadya Gomez • Ricardo Gomez • Salvador Gomez • Sergio Omar Gomez • Alfredo Joshua Gonzalez • Brenda Gonzalez • Carlos A. Gonzalez • Claudia A. Gonzalez • Eric Michael Gonzalez • Fernando Gonzalez • Joel Gonzalez • Laura Lisette Gonzalez • Monica Gonzalez • Shantal Gonzalez • Va l e r i a G o n z a l e z • A n n a E l i z a b e t h G o r s k i • A d i J a n i m G r a d a • L i l i a I s e l a G r i f f i n • A n a b e l e n G r i j a l v a M o r e n o • G e n e v i e v e G u a r n e s • L u i s Antonio Guerra • Leticia Cristina Guerrero Reyes • Lorraine Guerrero • Melissa Guerrero • Moises Guerrero • Brianda Andrea Gumbs • Roger Pe rd o m o Gu m i n • C a r o l i n a Mu r o Gu t i e r r e z • G e n e t h i a Gu t i e r r e z • Jo r g e Hu m b e r t o Gu t i e r r e z • A l e j a n d r o Gu z m a n • L i n e t t e L a u r i a n a Gu z m a n • C a r l y H a k e s • J u s t i n R o b e r t H a m b l e y • M a r i a Y a z m i n a H a m b l e y • T i n a C . H a m i l t o n • T h o m a s C o r y H a r d i n • D a v i d H a r r i s • D a v i d Ta g a l o a H a v i l a n d • L e n a H a w a t m e h • A u d r e y F e l i c i a H e a r n • Te r r y D a v i d H e a t h • C o u r t n e y L y n n e H e m m e r l y • L i z a H e r m a n • E u n i c e E l i z a b e t h Hernandez • Gissel Hernandez • Ivan Hernandez • Marilyn Caro Hernandez • Melissa Hernandez • Ninfa Hernandez • Rafael Hernandez •

2011 Fall Certificates of Achievements

2012 Spring Associates Degree Graduates

Designed by Ernesto Rivera and Alexis Dominguez

CLASS OF 2012

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Jaguar Grads!

9 A15 11

Rebecca Pradis Hernandez • Areli Hernandez-Fuentes • Mayra Isabel Herrmann • Kyle Jinkichi Higa • April Alicia Hoashi • Mario Anthony Holland • Sarah Ruth Horne • Annete June Horton • Misato Jennifer Hosoda • Liwen Huang • Aurora Cobilla Hudson • Monica Hunt • Ronald H u n t e r • Te r e s a H u r t a d o • H u d s o n C l a u d i e H y a t t • M a r t h a L i l i a n a I g l e s i a s • K a t r i n a I m a s a • P a t r i c i a I m a s a • C h a r i s e L e d e s m a I m p e r i a l • H a z e l A l e j a n d r i n o I n o c e n c i o • A d r i a n I s m a e l I r a n c o • G e r a l d A r n o r l d I z a g u i r r e • Ya d i r a Ja c o b o • Ya s m i n Ja c o b o • A r i a n a A l i e c e Ja n g • L i l i a m Jimenez Herrera • Chistian Jimenez • Marie Jimenez • Rober to Jimenez • Patricia Guevarra Jmasa • Denisha Chrishay Johnson • Alysha Jones • Cr ystal Jones-Croft • Cassandra Jose • Glenn Aquino Jose • Maritza Juarez • Ricardo Juarez • Javier A. Jurado • Dara Sovan Kao • Juliet Apodaca Kardell • Priscila Elairon Kihano • Min Jeong Kim • Pira Kim • Noel Mathew Lacey • Benito Antonio Lam • Victoria Landman • Eva Larios • Jennifer Larreynaga • Linda Marie Leal • Summer Rose Leal • Alma Delia Lee-Rivera • Donna Rose Legaspi • Jacalyn Leigh • M a r g a r i t a S a r o j i n i L e i v a s -Wr a i g h t • K a t h e r i n e M a r i e L e L i e v r e • N o e l l e J a y n e L e o p o l d • M i c h e l l e L e e L e w i s • K a Wa i L i • S o f i a L i m o n • H o l l y Sao Linh • Andreina Loaiza • Maria Eugenia Lombard • Leticia Lorena Longobardi • Aldo Lopez • Irma Armida Lopez • Jesus Lopez • Marla Lope z • Octavio Lope z • Alan Lope z-Camavena • Gayle Lynne Lovejoy • Michael Anthony Lozano • Glen Eduardo Lugo • Bernadette Lujan • C a r l a R o s e L u m a n l a n • B e r k l e y L e a l o a L u t u • H a n s L i m M a c A p a g a l • M a r i b e t h L i n n M a c a p a g a l • C h r i s t i a n U r i e l M a c h a d o • Ye s s e n i a M a d r i g a l • J a y - A r A n g k i a n g c o M a e s t r o • J e r i c h o M a n d a l M a g s a n o c • V i c t o r i a R . M a l d o n a d o • J e r o n e P a s t o r M a n a l o • K y l e Wa d e M a i n i c o m • J e f f - E l l o Marco Marasigan • Aurora Marcial • Mary Joy Espiritu Marquez • Alejandro Martin DelCampo • Alejandro Martinez • Jose Cristobal Martinez • L e s l i e J o h a n n a M a r t i n e z • L i l i a n a C e l e d o n M a r t i n e z • Va n e s s a L i z e t t M a r t i n e z • B r e n d a M o n i q u e M a z o n • B r i t t a n y H o p e M c D o w e l l • C a m e r o n George McGee • Johnny McGrath • Marian Elizabeth McIntosh • Michele Lynn McKay • Carlos Fernando Medina • Elba Rojas Medina • Karla A. Mencias • Blanca Patricia Mendoza Fuentes • Lorena Mendoza • Mario A. Mendoza • Stephanie Mendoza • Stefany Menjivar • Guillermo Mercado • Maria Fernanda Mercado • Cesar Mesina • Jason Metzger • Andrea Meza • Brenda Miramontes • Danika Enid Miranda • Johanna H. Miranda • Korri Mitchell • Lorenzo Moffett • Luis M. Mohammad • Erika Molina • Freddie Molina • Delvin Lavelle Moore • Marlisa L a n a e M o o r e • J a c q u e l i n e M o r a • C l a u d i a A l e g r i a M o r a l e s • R e y n a M o r a l e s • A n n a A l i c i a M o r a n • G i s e l l e I v e t t e M o r e n o • Te r e s i t a D e l - P i l a r Moreno • Christine Victoria Morris • Martell Carlos Munguia • Oscar Manuel Munoz • Kotaro Murashige • Jenay L. Murray-Givens • Leon G e o r g e N a j a r • L i d i a N a j a r • L a u r a C a r o l i n a N a r a n j o • Ve r o n i c a G . N a v a • N o r m a N a v a r r e t e • A r i a n a Va l l e j o N a v a r r o • M a r i n a A l y a n d r a N a v a r r o • M i g u e l F r a n c i s c o N a v a r r o • Va n e s s a J a c q u e l i n e N e b l e • J o s e M o r e n o N e w m a n J r. • N i c o l e A n n m a r i e N e w t o n • R e b e c c a N i e b l a • C h a r m a i n e A l l e y n e No r d e • D o n n i l l e C o r o n a No s e k • M a r t i n J r. S a l v a d o r Nu n e z • I b r a h i m Ne g u s s Nu r u • M a n u e l O c a n o • C a r l o s O j e d a • M a r i a L u i s a O l g u i n • Y a n i n a O l g u i n • E d g a r A g o o t O l i m p o • I g n a c i a O r a c h a A l R a i s • A a n - Ta m m y A . O r d o n e z • Y e s s i c a O r o p e z a • A r m a n d o Javier Orozco • Lupita Orozco • Monica Gabriela Orozco • Jose Daniel Ortega • Antonio Abacul Ortiz • Javier Osorio • Luis E. Osorio • Cynthia Jazmin Osuna de Estrada • Charlene Pacheco • Diana C. Padilla • Juan Carlos Padilla • Nathalia Lizette Padilla • Ramon Antonio Padilla • Glenda Erika Padro • Richard Johnatan Palomino • Rosemarie Palomino-Henkon • Diego Paramo • Erendira B. Par tida • Brenda Ne l i d a Pe l a y o • D a r r e n M a t t h e w Pe p p l e • A l a n Pe r e z • C i n t h y a Pe r e z • Ju a n Fe d e r i c o Pe r e z • M a r i a G u a d a l u p e Pe r e z • M i c h a e l Pe r e z • S o l o m o n E z e k i e l P e r e z • Te d A n t h o n y P e r e z • Y o a n n a D e n i s e P e r e z • M a t t h e w M i c h a e l P e y r o • K a t h y P h a m • N i k k i P h a m • N i x o n B a P h a m • L y n n Y e n P h a n • C o n n i e P h i l l i p s • W i l l i a m Ve r n P h i l l i p s • E m i l y X u a n P h u • J a e l S a r a i P i m i e n t a • P a u l i n a P i n e d a - M e d i n a • M a r i a F e r n a n d a P o n c e • Hy v e Ro s e L l e n a Po r c i o n c u l a • Ni c h o l e Ma r i e Po s t • Ju l i u s Ma r t i n e z Po t e n c i a n o • Ma r c L e u i Po u v a v e • Di o n n i s L e e Pr e c l a r o • Mi r i a m E s t h e r P u e n t e - R o d r i g u e z • M y l a d y A r t a p P u n o • E l e n a P y r i k • J a l i s e L e a n n a Q u a l l s • L a u r a L i z b e t h Q u e v e d o • M i c h e l l e Va l e n c i a Q u i a m b a o • O m a r Quintero • Jaime Miranda Quintor • Joan Imus Quitilen • Katrina Jedidiah Rabina • Riffat Mustaquima Rahman • Shane Alan Rains • Alejandro Guzman Ramirez • Jonathan Antonio Ramirez • Rafael Esteban Ramirez • Gabriela Ramirez-Aguirre • Arlyn Sabrina Ramirez-Diaz • Stefano R a m i r e z - E n c a r n a c i o n • A r t h u r R a m o n • L u i s E d u a r d o R a m o s J r. • A l f r e d o R a m o s • Iv e t t e L u p i t a R a m o s • Mo n i q u e A . R a m o s • Mo r g e n Fr a n c e s R a m s e y • M a r i a m I z h a r R a u d a l e s • Va n e s s a A r a i z a R e a l • A n g e l i n e R e a n o • C h r i s t o p h e r M i c h a e l R e e d • M a r g a r e t A l i c e R e e s e • V i c t o r i a Va l e r i e v n a Re i d • A n g e l a Yvo n n e Re m l a o u i • Mi c h e l l e C a p a t i Re n a u d - K i m • E s t e f a n i a R i c a l d e • Da n i e l Ry a n R i c e • Su s a n a R i c o • Ju s t i n L e s l i e R i g g i n s • A n n a Fa m a R i m a n d o • No e Ma n u e l R i o s • Si a r a R i o s • L i ze l l e D . R i va d e n e y r a • Na n c y Gu a d a l u p e R i va s • Is a a c Sa u l R i ve r a • Jo s e R i ve r a • Lorena Rivera • Robin Rivera • Elizabeth Maria Rivero • Ivana Angelica Josephine Rivers • Michael Robbins • Maria Natividad Robles • R i g o b e r t o R o b l e s • J e s s i c a O l i v o R o c h a • We s l e y S c o t t R o c h e • B e t s y Pa t r i c i a R o d r i g u e z • E l l i o t R o d r i g u e z • I v a n R o d r i g u e z • J o n a t h a n R o d r i g u e z • K e n d r i c k U r i e l R o d r i g u e z • V i l m a Ta g a y o n g R o d r i g u e z • E u g e n i e A . R o j a s • C h r i s t i a n R o m e r o • J o s e R o m o • A n a M a r i a R o s a s • D i a n a R o s a s • R o b e r t R o s e • A r i l e n e J a r u m y R u i z • F r e d e r i c k Wa l l a c e R u l a n d • M e l a n i e J o R u m m e l • A a r o n J o s e p h R u s s o • L i l l i a n E l i z a b e t h Sadler • Robert Gabriel Saenz • Esther Sakhi • Maria Cristina D. Salang • Michelle Salazar • Laiza Annette Saldana • Priscilla Saldivar • G u s t a v o A n d r e s S a l g a d o • D i v i n a Ta p a d o S a l i n a s • E i l e e n F e r n a n d a S a l m e r o n • A l o n s o S a l v a d o r • E z r a l e y R e y e s S a m a l • B e n j a m i n S a m a n i e g o • Anna Gabriela San Vicente • Ary Sanchez • David Sanchez • Hugo Mauricio Sanchez • Kelley Sanchez • Mariela Sanchez • Meyerlyn Leticia Sanchez • Monica Sanchez • Susana Paola Sanchez • Victor Manuel Sanchez • Kristin Anne Sanders • Ana Elvira Sandi • Jennifer Sandoval • S t e v e C h r i s t i a n S a n d o v a l • S u n n y S a n h u • C h r i s t i a n M i t c h e l l S a n t i a g o • Z a r a i A m i n t a S a n t o s • C a r l o s F r a n c i s c o S a n t o y o • Wa y n e H u e y S a v e l l • G e o r g i n a S e r n a - R o s a s • K a r e n R e n e e S e r r a n o • J a s h i r C a r n a z o S e t i a s • J a c q u e l i n e S i e r r a • Te r e s a H u a n g S i e t o • G u a d a l u p e S i l v a • Ta n i a Silva • Manivong Sinakone • Michael G. Sitz • Jacob Robert Smith • Latisha Renee Smith • Matthew Thomas Smith • Jannie Lee So • Alejandro I v a n S o l a n o • S i l v a S o l o r i o • S h a i r a G a r c i a S o r i a n o • C a r l o s S o t o • C h e r y l S o t o • Yo u n g H w a S p a r k m a n • M a r i a C . S p e a r s • A s h l e y S t a n d i n g • C h e l s e a R o s e S t a n t o n • S a m u e l R i c h a r d S t e w a r d • K r i s s y M a r i e S t r e e d • J o s e M a n u e l S u s t a i t a • A m b e r L e i g h S y k e s • Ta n i a B e r e n i s e Ta d e o • J o y M a r a y a g Ta l a m a y a n • A n n R o d e t t e D e l a C h i n a Ta n • J i l l A r i a n n Ta r w i d - A g u i l a r • N e i l G r e g o r y Ta t r o • M o n a l i s a Te r r a z a s • A n g e l i t a I l s e T h o m a s • Ta l i t h a M a r i e T h o m p s o n • G a r r e t t M i c h a e l T i c e • G r a c e R e g a l a T i g h e • T i m o t h y D e l a C r u z T i g n o • R i n a C h e r i e T i l b e • J o s e A l f o n s o T i n o c o • H a n a a To o m a • A l e x i s M i c h e l l e To r r e s • G i s e l a L i z e t h To r r e s • J a n e t C r i s t i n a To r r e s • K a t y To r r e s • C i r o E n r i q u e Tr e j o • J e s s i c a E s t e b a n Tr i a s • K a t h e r i n e A l f e r e s Ts c h e r c h • C h r i s t o p h e r G r a n t Tw o r k • R e n e a M i c h e l l e Ty n e s • S t e v e n - A n d r e w N m n U h l • K a r e n M . U r r e a • H e c t o r L u i s U s c a n g a • G u y C a i n e Va l d e r r a m a • R o s a L i z e t h Va l d e z • S a r a h E u g e n i a Va l l e s • D e a n n a Va u g h n • D e a n n a M e l o d y Va u g h n • E r i s m a V a z q u e z • L a u r a E l e n a V a z q u e z • A l e n y r a m V a z q u e z - D o m i n g u e z • P a t r i c i a L i z e t t e Ve g a • C y n t h i a B e l e n Ve l a • M a r t i n Ve l a • E m m a b e l V i c r o r i a Ve l a z q u e z • J o s e F a b i a n Ve l e z • C h r y z l D o n a V a l l o Ve l i c a r i a • S u s a n a A l e j a n d r a Ve r a R o s a s • L a u r a E l e n a Ve r a • N o r m a C r i s t a l V i e y r a • C h e r i s e A s h l e y V i l l a d a • A l e j a n d r a V i l l a s e n o r • Va n e s s a V i l l a s e n o r • A n g e l i c a V i l o r i a • Va n N o e l A l c a r a z V i n l u a n • J o h n Pa t r i c k B i g c a s V i s t a • A b r a h a m D a n i e l V i z c a r r a • D a n i e l l e N i c o l e Wa l k e r • S a m u e l I s a a c Wa l l a c e • J e s s e J o h n Wa r d • L u i s Wa u m a n • M e l i s s a M a r i c e l a We l c h • C y m o n e R a q u e l W i l l i a m s • M i c h e l l e E . W i l l i a m s • R o d n e y L e e W i l l i a m s • J a n n e t I n o v i s o W i l s o n • A d r i a n a Wr i g h t • J a n a y e A k e l a Wr i g h t • M i c h e l l e A l e y d a Yo h a n a n • M a r y F r a n c e s Yo r k • W i l l i a m P a u l Yo u n g l i n g • J e s u s Z a p a t a • C o u r t n e y L a u r e n Z e n d e j a s • B r y a n t J o s e p h Z e p e d a • M o r g a n R o s e Z i e t l o w • N i c o l e M a r i e Z i g l e r • J a s o n U r r u t i a Z u i l a n Maria Natividad Abuyo • Ruth Anne Bolinao Agbayani • Melanie De Leon Alejandro • Fernando Alfaro • Martha Benita Amavisca-Potter • Lily Violeta Angulo • Melissa Arce • Adolfo Rogelio Avalos • Mayra Avina • Julie Barraza • Rosita Marie Beaty • Matthew Pascual Becerra • Jose Beltran • Michelle Bobadilla • Amira Elisa Boisson • Sean Michael Brambir • Simon William M a r i a Na t i v i d a d A b u y o • R u t h A n n e B o l i n a o A g b a y a n i • Me l a n i e D e L e o n A l e j a n d r o • Fe r n a n d o A l f a r o • M a r t h a B e n i t a A m a v i s c a - Po t t e r • L i l y Vi o l e t a A n g u l o • Me l i s s a A rc e • Ad o l f o Ro g e l i o Ava l o s • Ma y r a Av i n a • Ju l i e Ba r r a z a • Ro s i t a Ma r i e Be a t y • Ma t t h e w Pa s c u a l Be c e r r a • Jo s e Be l t r a n • Michelle Bobadilla • Amira Elisa Boisson • Sean Michael Brambir • Simon William Brice • Zaid Akram Buelna • Melissa Karen Camacho • Socorro Castillo • Clarence Catolico • Jeremias Arlantico Costales • Barbara Jean Craig • Richard Craig • Francisco Curiel • Lisa Marie de Dios • Alan Christopher DeGuzman • Gerald Steven Dequito • Claudia Diaz • Hedrey Armando Diaz • Leandro A. Diego • Erica Kathleen Dishon • Jesus Alberto Dominguez • Cathleen Dominguez • Maria De Jesus Estrada • Gonzalo Estudillo • Alex Thomas Fernandez • Roman Arnold Fitch • Jesus Flores • Bob Ford • Nathan Fox • Nicole Marie Galbraith-Ray • Ivan Garcia • Kercey Mata Garduno • Claudia Elena Gomez • Ariana Gonzalez • Ivan Gracia • D o r a Pa t r i c i a G u t i e r r e z • G l o r i a H a d a • D a n i e l He r n a n d e z • M a r i l y n C a r o He r n a n d e z • Au r o r a C o b i l l a Hu d s o n • Fa b i a n a Pe r e i r a Jo h n s o n • A l y s h a Jones • Debra Denise Jones-Shumate • Liliam Jimenez Herrera • Bertha Kincaid • Maura Stella Lacy • Miguel Angel Leyva • Edison Joseph Lomibao • Ni l d a Je n n i f e r L o p e z • Pa t r i c i a K a t h e r i n e L ove t t • Ha n s L i m Ma c Ap a g a l • Je ro n e Pa s t o r Ma n a l o • Je s s e Ma rq u e z • A l e j a n d ro Ma r t i n De l C a m p o • E s t e l a A b i g a i l M a r t i n e z • S a n d r a E d i t h M a r t i n e z • B r i t t a n y H o p e M c D o w e l l • C h e r r y A n n To r r e j a s M c k e a n • C e s a r M e s i n a • E f r e n Ve l a r d e M o n t o y a • W i l l i a m M o o d y • H i n d a A h m e d M u k h t u r • M a r t e l l C a r l o s M u n g u i a • A r i a n a Va l l e j o N a v a r r o • C a s s a n d r a A n n N u n e z • I g n a c i a O r a c h a A l R a i s • Jo s e Da n i e l Or t e g a • Eu s t a c i o A n t o n i o Pa d i l l a • Pa m e l a Je a n Pa l l e - L a r a • Gl o r i a El i z a b e t h Pa r r a • Vi c e n t e Pa r r a • K a t h y Ph a m • Hy ve Ro s e L l e n a P o r c i o n c u l a • J o s e A n t o n i o P r i e t o • E l e n a P y r i k • J o s e R a m i r e z • C l a u d i a Yo s e l i n R a m i r e z G a r c i a • Va n e s s a A r a i z a R e a l • A r n o l d B a u t i s t a R e y e s • C r a i g W i l l i a m R i c e • N a n c y G u a d a l u p e R i v a s • D i a n a M o n i c a R i v e r a • L o u r d e s G a b r i e l a R o d r i g u e z • S o n i a R o d r i g u e z • A l b a Ve r o n i c a R o m e r o • C h r i s t o p h e r A d a m R u s s e l l • L u i s G a b r i e l S a l a s • D i v i n a Ta p a d o S a l i n a s • D a i s y M a n z a n o S a l v a d o r • J a c l y n F r o n d a S a n M i g u e l - J i m e n e z • J o s e Wa l t e r S a n d i • G l a d y s S a n d o v a l • Ve r o n i c a L . S a n t o s • To n y a X o c h i t l Ta l a v e r a • A s h l e y Ta m a y o • G r a c e R e g a l a T i g h e • J o e y L a w r e n c e To r r e s • R a c h e l M a r i e To r r e s • E r i c M a t t h e w Tr i n i d a d • C l a u d i a Va l l e • E v e l y n M a r i s a Va s q u e z • S o p h i a M i a Ve l a s q u e z • J o s e F a b i a n Ve l e z • C h r y z l D o n a Va l l o Ve l i c a r i a • C l a r y L e s l i e Ve n t u r a • J o h n P a t r i c k B i g c a s V i s t a • Ta n y a J e a n e t t e V i v e r o s • H e i n z J . We r n e r • R o b e r t Yo r b a • Z J a i m e R e f u g i o Z a r a g o z a Armand Abella • Marianne Adamos • Mariana Aguilar • Cynthia Alba • Iliana Alba • Maria Alcaraz • Stephanie A l v a r e z • E v e l i a A m a r o • S a s h a A n a y a • V i e l k a A n s a r i • C a r l o s A v a l o s • R a m o n A y a l a • Ve n u s B a r r i a • E l i z a b e t h Becerra • Maria Brambila • Jose Calderon • Guadalupe Campos • Christopher Carman • Bedivier Castaniaga • Davidson Cervantes • Alejandro Chavez • Mary-Ann Clay • Omar Contreras • Lucinda Corral • Bianca Covarrubias • Darnell Crawford • Laura Cuarenta • Rachel Dial • Joel Diaz • Sharonda Doakes • Anthony Duran • Sheila Enriquez • Mabel Esparza • Carmen Espinoza • Mar y Espinoza • Pedro Espinoza • Heidy Esteves • Eter Estrada • Isel Estrada • Ginalynn Fernandez • Mario Fernandez • Roman Fitch • Andrew Flores • Miguel Flores • Keila Galdamez • Gloria Gaona-Hernandez • Diane Garcia • Eliza Garcia • Jose Garcia • Peter Garcia • Alejandra Gonzalez • Evelyn Gutierrez • David Guzman • Nadeem Hadaf • Joshua H a rd i n • S h e i l a He a r v e y • G e r a rd o He r n a n d e z • Ja h a z i e l He r n a n d e z • Yu r y He r n a n d e z • D a v i d He r n a n d e z • M a r l e n e He r r e r a • M a r i o H o l l a n d • L e o n a r d H u m e s • B y r o n J a y I n o c e n c i o • O m a r J a b b a r • Y a z m i n J a c o b o • Tr o y J e n n i n g s • G u a d a l u p e J i m e n e z • Jeanette Johnson • Catalina Juarez • Kristyne Kakkad • Clarissa Langford • Ernesto Lara • Patricia Lizarraga • Raquel Llamas • Danitza Loya • Paula Lutz • Adhara Mackamul • Erin Malone • Victor Mancillas • Adriana Mantilla • Vincent-Marvin Manzon • C a r l o s M a r t i n e z • J a i m e M a r t i n e z • D i k e t r i e l M c K n i g h t • Ta n i a M e n d o z a • J e s s i c a M i r a n d a • J o h a n n a M i r a n d a • S t e v e n N a p o l i t a n o • Che Nevarez • Kathy Nguyen • Mayra Niebla • Margarita Ochoco • Frank Ortegoza • Christina Ortiz • Maricela Paniagua • BreeAnna Quigg • Irma Ramirez • Arcelia Ramos • Karen Ramos • Maria Reyes • Zachary Riley • Alexandro Robles • Jesus Rodriguez • Lourdes Rodriguez • Mario Rodriguez • Sergio Rodriguez • Sophia Rodriguez • Jose Romo • Aseneth Salazar • Daisy Salvador • Yisell Sanchez • Sylvia Santana • Virginia Sarabia • Joseph Saragosa • Sarah-Jane Seldura • Jackeline Sengsourya • G e o r g i n a S e r n a - R o s a s • D i a n a S e r v i n • G l o r i a S m i t h • F e r n a n d o S o l o r i o • S a l v a d o r Ta p i a • E v a Te l l e z • F e r n a n d o To r r e s • I n g r i d U r e n a • V i c e n t e Va l a d e z • K r i s t a Va l d e z • C a r i n a Va l d i v i e s o • A n g e l a Va n O s t r a n • R a c h e l Va s q u e z • C a r m e n Ve l a z q u e z • J o s e M a n u e l Ve l a z q u e z • J a n e t Ve l l e j o • M a r i a Ve l o z • D a m a r i s V i l l a l o b o s • G e r a r d o V i l l a l o b o s • L e a V i l l a n u e v a • A l m a We s t c o t t • W i l l i a m W h i t m a n • K e v e n W i l l i a m s • M i c h a e l Wo n g • A r i a n a Ya n e z • M a r i c e l a Ya n e z - V i z c a r r a • Je s u s Z e r e m n o • No r a Z u a z o Melissa Archuleta • Mayra Atkinson • Karen Dalo • Joel Diaz • Katrine Field • Michael Griffin • David H e r n a n d e z • Ve r o n i c a H e r n a n d e z • L e o n a r d H u m e s • G i l b e r t L o p e z • O m a r L o p e z • V i c t o r M a n c i l l a s • Rafael Martinez • Lluvia Medellin • Zulema Monteon • Amarjit Morrison • Ann Noceda • Janet Pa i p a • Sp e n c e r Pe n a l o z a • Fr a n c e s Pe re z • A n n a R a ve l o • Pa t r i c i a Re y n o s o - Mo r a • A l e x a n d ro Ro b l e s • N o r m a R o s a s - M a r t i n e z • J o s e S a l a z a r • L a i z a S a l d a n a • E r i c k a S i m e n t a l • Va n e s s a S o q u i • J a n e t Ve l l e j o • To n y Ve r a G a r c i a • H e i n z We r n e r • N o r a Z u a z o

2012 Spring Certificates of Achievements

2012 Summer Associates Degree Graduates

2012 Summer Certificates of Achievements

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Backpage

Jan. 18- Feb. 28, 2012 — Vol. 55, Iss. 5

The Southwestern College Sun

in the footsteps of

I

Story and Photos by Mary York, News Editor

n White Sands, New Mexico, the sand really is white. The flowers are yellow and the sky is a vibrant blue. But the flowers and the sky disappeared in a storm of dust kicked up by the 7,000 men, women and children who took to the sand and marched in honor of World War II heroes of the Bataan Death March.

Every year the military base in White Sands organizes the Bataan Memorial Death March, an arduous 26.2 mile hike across sand pits, up mountains and down through spiraling ravines. The marchers, who enter in light or heavy (mandatory 35 pound rucksack) categories, are civilian and military alike.

The march begins at 7 a.m. and takes most marchers at least six hours

to complete. Others will not find themselves marching across the finish line until well after the sun has gone down. They come from all across the country for all different reasons to hit the dirt trail.

The actual march began in April 1942. Some 12,000 American and 58,000 Filipino soldiers started – only 1,700 finished. Many were sick to begin with and most were malnourished. Those who survived the almost 60 miles across the Bataan Peninsula were loaded onto Japanese “Hell Ships” to POW camps. American offenses sunk many of those Japanese ships, not knowing their brothers were on board. The few who landed safely in Japan found themselves at the mercy of ruthless labor camps where they were

DEATH MARCH REMEMBERED— Clockwise from top: Nearly 7,000 marchers wind their way through the belly of the White Sands valley during the marathon-length memorial march. Senior Airman Blake Nunes walks in memory of his great-grandfather, Army Colonel Virgil Jackson Dorset, a POW of the Bataan Death March for 1,254 days. Thousands of marchers make the long trek through the sand, waving banners and flags. A soldier carries the colors past the halfway point of the 26.2 mile memrorial march. An X-TREME team, a group dedicated to helping wounded warriors, completed the 26.2 mile march in full uniform and gear, despite one of their marchers missing an arm and a leg. Army specialist Ian Edge tries out his new prosthetic leg which replaced the one he lost in June 2011 in Afghanistan. (Center) A survivor of the 1942 Bataan Death March.

enslaved, beaten and abused.

Army Specialist Ian Edge understands better than most the meaning of strength. He is a wounded warrior.

On June 24, 2011 he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan while on patrol with his unit and lost his right leg.

“I’m trying to test out my leg since my injury,” he said. “Some days are worse than others. Like a bad hair day, you can have a bad leg day.”

Slow and steady, Edge made long strides with a cane in one hand.

“I’m hopefully getting out of Walter Reed soon and I want to be sure that I’m in pretty good shape,” said the soldier. “I figure if I can finish this, I can’t get much better than this.”

Edge crossed the finish line six and a half hours later.

The Southwestern College Sun

ARTS

Beauty ly

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

B1

Chalk one up

is real

M

skin deep Story by Angelica Gonzales, Campus Editor Photo by Pablo Gandara, Photo Editor

any people wear their hearts on the sleeve, but Brian McCauley has his life story on his skin.

McCauley, 42, an arts and photography major, is owner of Traditions Tattoo in Imperial Beach. McCauley is changing the reputation of toogood-for-you that has been given off by artists over the years.

“I’ve been to so many shops and a lot of them act like they are better than everybody else and what the client wants is stupid, “ he said. “Tattooing is about the individual, it is not about me. It has nothing to do with me, it’s about what they want.”

With only a limited amount of free space left on his skin, McCauley still remembers where and when he got each tattoo. At the age of 15 in Germany, where his family was stationed with the military, there were few regulations and some people really did not care who was getting tattoos.

“I remember walking into the shop,” said McCauley. “It was dark and dirty they had just finished tattooing numbers on a dog. A big burley man asked me how old I was. I said 18 but he knew I wasn’t. I picked out a cross on the wall and I sat down.

He dug that needle into me hard, I think it was to teach me a lesson, but all I could think was ‘what a tool’ and vowed to never treat my clients that way.”

Tattooing was a lifelong fascination, he said.

His uncles had them and McCauley pasted temporary tattoos on every inch of his arms as a child, he said, but please see

Tats pg. B3

Roosevelt Palafox/staff

CHALK OF THE WALK — Architect major Leilani Brambila, 22, created a colorful portrait at the Women’s History Month Street Painting Festival.

Poetry is outlet for student’s life struggles

By Airha Dominguez Staff Writer

When she recites poetry she glows, floating above the surly bonds of the Earth in a place where there is no pain, no poverty, no suffering.

Natona Atkins can create a better world and has the power to share it with others through her evocative command of language.

Atkins, 39, is disabled, unemployed and recently homeless.

She knows how to transcend the vagaries of life with the glory of poetry.

Atkins wrote her first poem when she was seven, but said she officially became a poet at 27 when she began to keep her work in journals. When she dreams, she said, the images in her poetry come to life.

“It’s like a thought came to me when I’m asleep, then I wake up and write it out,” she said.

“A lot of the time, I’m able to go back and remember exactly what it was, especially if there is something really profound that heats me deeply while I’m dreaming.”

Atkins said her surroundings inspire her, as do people’s feelings, the environment and personal experiences. Her poetry tends to make her readers very emotional.

In some cases she said it makes people feel better because they feel like there is someone else who understand what they are going through and it gives them hope.

“People feel a sense of relief,” she said. please see Poet pg. B4

Serina Duarte/staff

WORLDY WORDSMITH— Poet Natona Atkins, 39, is an award-winning poet, an aspiring novelist and screenwriter.

>REVIEW

New student plays show great promise

By Nathan Hermanson Assistant Online Editor

Mayan Hall’s Black Box Theatre has been the womb of new plays for decades, a testing ground for embryonic creations. Some have gone on to the Old Globe and San Diego Repertory Theatre, some to smaller regional theatres, many to the shredder. Audience members, though, can hope for something original and be guaranteed something new.

SWC’s Festival of New Student Plays featured a pair of terrific short plays and two works in progress

that need a little more work.

“Distasteful Relation,” written

by Sheridan Ballou-Crawford and directed by Mark Pentilescu, shined brightly through the dark topic of child molestation. A young woman, Marissa (Dinella Mesanovic), is haunted by her Uncle Will (Erik Berumen) and the encounters follow her for years. “ D i s t a s t e f u l R e l a t i o n” h a s power. Ballou-Crawford’s tense script and gripping performances from Mesanovic and Berumen transformed this simple reading into the best performance of the night. please see Plays pg. B3

B2

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Ana Bahena, editor

ARTS

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: arts@theswcsun.com

Foxy artist is a masked crusader Action artist also known as ‘Heckety’ and ‘The Prophet of @’

By Anna Ven Sobreviñas Assistant Staff Writer

Coyote, the trickster god of several Native American cultures, is an entity that makes visible what is invisible and goes against normalcy. Tony Allard fits the bill.

Transmedia maven and part-time art instructor at SWC, Allard has continuously squirmed away from the conventional. Art, a sanctuary of iconoclasts since the beginning of time, rarely generates an eccentric of Allard’s stripes.

Allard describes himself as a contrarian figure and a trickster at heart.

“Tony Allard is an artist,” said Allard about himself. “As I tell my students, ‘artists put things where they don’t belong,’ and that’s what a trickster does.”

Tricksters are commonly portrayed as foxes or coyotes. Perched up in his backyard Allard has a vibrant orange mask of a fox with holes for its eyes, waiting to give his owner inspiration.

“I just left it there for years and then one day I was going by and I looked at it,” said Allard. “I was like ‘Wow, that mask just said something to me.’ I knew exactly at that moment what I needed to do with that mask.”

In Ju n e 2 0 0 4 , a m i d s t a l l t h e commotion of the Bush era, Allard said he felt the need to protest. Heckety was born. Allard’s alter ego was his way of demonstrating his disapproval of the government.

“What I was responding to was this extreme right wing pendulum,” he said.

“The Bush administration’s policies were really anti-American.”

Wearing his fox mask, a lab coat and a mailbox backpack, Allard guised as Heckety and roamed the streets of Normal Heights as his first act of protest. He appeared in “Art Around Adams,” an annual festival in Normal Heights. Allard said it was perfect irony

Pablo Gandara/staff

WHIMSICAL WONDERMAN — Tony Allard, an action artist, transmedia maven and part-time SWC instructor as one of his alter egos “Heckety.” The trickster motif gives Allard the power to speak for fairness and justice.

for a trickster to live in a normal place.

“He didn’t speak and he was at street level,” said Allard. “It wasn’t like ‘In your face I have a protest sign in my hand!’ It was more subtle. I was injecting into the culture some poetry.”

Heckety may be a street performer, but for Allard it was an action with the potential to change things.

“An action, especially at street level, gets the average citizen or person engaged with me,” said Allard.

Heckety instructed people to put things in his mailbox. The fox was unaware of what items the people concealed in it. It realized his goal

of revealing artistry where you least expect it.

“The mailbox is to make things disappear,” said Allard. “At the end of the night I make them once again visible.”

Allard recently introduced Heckety to his Drawing 1 class. Christopher Lizarraga, 21, a graphic design student, said it was really interesting.

“Honestly, I think it’s out there, but it’s different,” said Lizarraga.

Allard has also done work in radio, but with a twist. His fascination with fossils inspired him to start his creative company, Fossil Media, in 1992 and

has since produced what he called “electromagnetic fossils.” These fossils are playable compilations of recorded as well as live audio.

“They’re moving in the direction of completely ephemeral,” said Allard.

“The medium and the message are completely dematerialized.” “ Wo r l d _ M i x _ N a g o y a” i s a n electromagnetic fossil Allard created with his collaborative partner, the Rev. Dwight Frizzell, in 2002 while they were in Nagoya, Japan. It contains all of their WORLDmix broadcasts s i n c e 1 9 9 3 mi xe d w i t h ra n do m recordings including Japanese public announcements.

His latest endeavor is Sci-Fi meets Market Street. In collaboration with bioartist Adam Zaretsky, the duo attained the DNA of Beat writer William Burroughs. Allard said their goal is “patenting life forms and owning certain germ lines.”

Their possession of Burrough’s DNA was made through a rather peculiar extraction.

“Highly unconventional,” said Allard.

“But not an illegal process.”

It came from what Allard called “Beat scat” extracted in June 2011 in the University of Kansas Medical Center.

“The connection that Adam and I have to Burroughs is Burroughs was creating literary cut-ups in writing,” said Allard. “We are going to create genetic cut-ups using actual DNA.” In his classes Allard inspires students by playing songs reminiscent to techno and house music, sweet beats that are mindful of technology and relaxation.

“I think he plays it to help us in concentration to drown out background noise and stuff,” said Sarah Vianna, 19, undecided.

No matter if he is Heckety, a multifarious artist or Tony Allard himself, this trickster said his goal is to reveal what the eye cannot normally see, whether hiding an object or opening the unconscious “He’s always at the crossroads,” said Allard of himself. “He’s never settled in.

He’s always in that transitional space where transformation can happen.”

ARTS online

“Greater Tuna” SWC drama students presented “Greater Tuna,” a comedy which takes the audience through the day-to-day life of a group of eccentric small-town citizens in Tuna, Texas.

Jerry Olea and the 805 Drifters Formally known as Jerry Olea Trio, the beefed-up band is better than ever.

Raw 2 Gallery Southwestern College artists enhanced their reputation for edgy creativity in this eyepopping exhibit.

Another Space IV Student artists took the show on the road to a Third Avenue store front for this popular exhibit.

Apex Realm brings some positive vibe to rap Chula Vistans have a loyal following

By Angela Soberanes Staff Writer

Hip hoppers Apex Realm grew up listening to the brash trash-talking groups of the past 20 years, but also outgrew them. Four Chula Vistans with a loyal and swelling following, Apex Realm rejects the violence, vanity and misogyny of typical big name hip hop stars.

“We don’t talk about cars, chings, bling or girls in a bad name,” said June Calico, 28.

High profile rappers may get a lot of hype for making videos with fancy cars, huge mansions and pliant women, said Ricky Gutierrez, a 32-year-old psychology major, but most people cannot relate.

“If you keep listening to that (stuff), you’re never gonna be happy,” he said. “You’re striving for that and not everyone is gonna have it.”

Free stylists Chris “Lethargik” Perry, 21, Josh “Skelly” Donaldson, 21, and Calico, 28, are the vocalists. Lionel “Chief Lion” Hernandez, 24, is the sound engineer.

Loyal locals, band members all profess to be proud Southwestern College Jaguars.

“We feel the need to give back to SWC because our friends and our supporters go there,” said Perry. “We really appreciate our fans and people spreading our music.”

Apex Realm marries the realities of urban life with Midwestern optimism — and just a dash of Buddhist thinking.

“They’re like philosophers when it comes to putting rhymes together,” said Hernandez.

Apex formed last February 2011 with a common goal of spreading positive vibes.

“We don’t claim to be the Apex Realm,” said Donaldson. “It’s more of an idea we’d like to share.”

“Event’s Horizon” was the debut E.P. of six tracks produced by the group “to take listeners to a peaceful state.”

“We have songs about how it’s a dog-eat-dog world and some that venture out more into your

dreamscape,” said Perry.

Hernandez composed the tracks while the rappers strung together the words.

“Lion is like our Dr. Dre to your Eminem, our Jazzy J. to your Fresh Prince,” said Calico.

Mixing and mastering beats on his drum machine, Hernandez alters the tempo, crafting elaborate audio samples in a studio surrounded by vinyl records for his inspiration.

Members are loose and fun-loving, cracking jokes or speaking about politics.

“We can’t afford a psychiatrist, so we just write our problems down,” said Calico.

Humorous conversations and an exciting energy fills their recording studio as they remixed new material for their upcoming LP. They clearly enjoy working together.

“We’re not even friends anymore, we’re like family now,” said Calico.

Gu t i e r re z a n d a u d i o e n g i n e e r “Scooter” worked with Apex Realm on its newest collection of tracks.

“I’m coming back through and mixing and compressing, putting everything together so it has a different flavor to it,” said Scooter.

Hernandez and Scooter worked together recording vocals and mixing on Protools, as well as performing in their own indie rock band. Scooter has also collaborated with Perry and Donaldson in a previous reggae project before Apex.

“The way they attack the beat is different, it’s dope,” said Gutierrez.

Apex raps about real life with a smile.

“Anyone can relate to Apex, even my mom relates to it,” he said.

Inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources, according to group members.

“I can’t limit myself to just a handful of genres,” said Perry.

Uplifting lyrics saturate the album blended by early hip hop beats and jazzy styles.

“I grew up listening to hip hop that gets people’s hearts, minds and spirits racing,” said Hernandez. “If you’re not having fun with what you’re making, you shouldn’t expect others to.”

MUSIC online Apex Realm

Tracks by Apex Realm are available at apexrealmhiphop. com. Scan the QR code to see the band’s video “Fall to Rise.”

Skyhigh Karma

Photos of Skyhigh Karma and video are available on skyhighkarma.com. Scan the QR code to see the band’s video “Night Terrors.”

Fuerza

Serina Duarte/staff

ENTER THE REALM — (l-r) Lionel Hernandez, 24, Chris Perry, 21, June Calico, 28, and Josh Donaldson, 21, make up the group Apex Realm, political philosophers of the ‘hood.

de

Tijuana

Upcoming shows of the band can be found at facebook.com/ uerzadetijuanavip. Scan the QR code to see the band’s video “Las Gorras del Cangurito.”

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

Venetian professor/filmmaker visits to screen documentary on fascist Italy

By Marianna Saponara Staff Writer

Benito Mussolini’s Stage 5 at Rome’s Cinecittà movie studios played an important role in the creation of fascist propaganda. Now it is a bastion of free expression

by Italy’s robust film community.

A huge hanger, Stage 5 was also used by the Nazis to house more than 5,000 displaced persons, including Jews who fled from concentration camps. Italians from Montecassino and Rome who lost their homes from Allied bombs were sent to Stage 5. Makeshift cardboard partitions with curtains sectioned off in Stage 5 were used as living quarters.

Associate Professor Marco Bertozzi, an Italian documentary film director on the faculty of Arts and Design for the Istituto Universitario di Architettura Venezia, came to the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) to screen his new documentary “Profunghi” (Displaced Persons).

“I did my research using La Croce Rossa (The Red Cross) and matched names with telephone numbers,” Bertozzi said. “Survivors of Stage 5 told about their existence at Cinecittà from before 1944 to 1950.”

Bertozzi said Rome’s Cinecittà was Italy’s dream town known throughout Europe. He and writer Noa Steimatsky used archival footage of LUCE (L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa/ Cinematographic Educative Union) from Mussolini’s fascist regime and personal memoirs and photos of survivors.

Bertozzi said neorealist filmmakers Roberto Rossellin’s Roma la città aperta and Luchino Visconti’s Riso Amaro looked for their stories outside on the streets and used locals as actors and actresses.

Two Ostrini sisters said there was a stigma for those who lived at Cinecittà.

Italians saw these young women as “easy girls” and were not respected, although they were not at Cinecittà.

Roosevelt Palafox/staff

STALKING MUSSOLINI — Marco Bertozzi, a professor at Instituto Universitario di Architettura Venezia in Venice, presented his Italian documentary Profunghi, (displaced persons), at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.

UCSD Italian Literature Professor Pasquale Verdicchio moderated a roundtable discussion after the film with Bertozzi, MOPA executive director Deborah Klochko, SDSU Italian Language Programs Director Clarissa Clò and USD Italian Studies Director Loredana Di Martino. Klochko said film archives were left at Cinecittà for propaganda by Americans who liberated Rome and by the fascists.

“Documentary films are important for historical reasons but also relevant documents of archival materials which speak about the past and the present,” said Clò.

Klochko said it was traumatic being a displaced person and living in those awful conditions.

“This film makes you ask questions and does not answer any,” she said.

Di Martino said the reality of life in Cinecittà was too negative.

Bertozzi agreed it was a hard life at Cinecittà, especially for children.

Brian Torreon, an SDSU English major, said he was at MOPA to immerse himself in the Italian culture.

“Every film is a cultural program,” noted Bertozzi.

“One thing strikes me, there were no extras in Bertozzi’s displaced persons’ documentary,” said Verdicchio. “We see that the displaced persons have the voice. The narratives were the survivors retelling their stories at Cinecittà, which were structured. There is only a single voice because these refugees were the documentary’s subjects and not the objects of the story.”

Verdicchio said film has great power.

“Differently from some of the divisive forces at work in the country, the young filmmakers engage documentary as a visual counter-discourse through which to reveal the extant energies that could potentially generate a progressive development and open a different, less cynical and more generous vision for the country.”

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

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Tats: Entrepreneuer Plays: ‘Benjamin’s Bucket’ is a political returns to SWC to laugh riot with a future refine his body art Continued from Page B1

Continued from Page B1

“Dudes,” written by the very talented Giovanni Alva and directed

by Ruff Yeager, is a comedy channeled the thoughts of a tight-knit group of friends heading into college. An uncertain Arnulfo (Juan Manuel Alvarez), struggles over his future after high school, while his slacker friends Pedro (Chris Ansotigue) and Raul (Roman Corral) drift through life.

Alva’s script is perfect for college students trying to find their way and for transfer students who are still unsure where they are headed.

Beyond the relatable script, “Dudes” is unremarkable. Flat performances from nearly each performer, except Arnulfo’s mother (Andreina Longoria), a few missed cues and ill-timed jokes caused “Dudes” to stumble. “ My o c a rd i u m ,” w r i t t e n a n d directed by Suhey Nieto, focused on the tragedy of a doctor losing her first patient. Dr. Susan (Itzel Alonzo) finds herself lost and distracted after the death of her patient (Erik Berumen) and seeks comfort from her friend Dr. Gabriel Lehman (Ryan Quiambao).

Nieto’s script is appropriately melodramatic and does well to highlight the tragedies and concerns of those in the medical field.

Berumen’s second performance of the night as the lost patient is strong, but everyone else fails to embrace their roles. As such, “Myocardium,” a promising concept, lacked the heart necessary to be effective.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin’s Bucket,” written by Andre Gonzales and directed by Ruff Yeager, was an absurdly hilarious comedy about the conflict between contemporary conservatives and liberals on a variety of issues. Jerome (Andre Gonzales) only wants to help the less fortunate for Christmas, but soon an anti-“Christ”mas lawyer, Gloria (Lauren Martinez), comes to shoot him down and all hell breaks loose. Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore and Benjamin Franklin all made appearances, which left audience members either laughing or scratching their heads in confusion.

Satirical in nature, the fastpaced comedy featured enthusiastic performances alongside a heavyhanded message. Gonzalez’ script is rich with material for some great performances. Josef Tellez, doubling as Rush Limbaugh and Benjamin Franklin, stands out as the most enthusiastic and entertaining, though ChuChi Janes’ physical performance as David, the lead character’s cousin, was equally hilarious. Gonzalez’s performance as the lead is solid but may have been a bit too direct.

While funny, “The Curious Case of Benjamin’s Bucket” is a bit heavy-handed in its roasting of the American Right. Gonzalez should tighten up his text this summer, and produce the show this fall — just in time for the political season.

it was not his first career choice. Before becoming a tattoo tycoon, McCauley served 20 years in the U.S. Navy. It was not until he was 33-years-old and moonlighting part-time at a motorcycle shop that his fate called to him through an airbrushing kit.

“There was this kid at the shop who would airbrush the bikes and I thought to myself ‘I could do that’,” he said. “My friend laughed at me and reminded me that I couldn’t even draw. That same day I went out and bought one of those teachyourself-how-to-draw books.”

Tattooing poked its head into McCauley’s life again when he worked as a body piercer at a friend’s shop. An artist in the shop discovered McCauley’s hunger for art and offered him an apprenticeship. Interns review the basics along with learning how to clean the tools and following state health laws.

“My apprenticeship sucked,” he laughed. “But it wasn’t until a friend who owned a shop in Pacific Beach offered to let me finish it at his shop. That is when my eyes opened and the doors just opened for my career and me. I learned how to really treat my clients and how to become an even better artist.”

A few years before McCauley retired from the military he opened his own shop in July 2008. McCauley walked through the main floor of his shop opening his arms to the direction of his artist.

“This is where the magic happens,” he said.

With five stations in the shop, each artist has his own artwork proudly displayed on the walls showing off their talent. Tan marble floors reflects the image of a proud papa watching his artist at work.

“Being a shop owner is a lot different than being just an artist, I’m finding that out,” said McCauley. “It is like night and day. When you work for someone all you have to worry about is yourself, now you have to pay for everything, you have to have artists and make sure they are good artists. They also have to be able to talk to people and treat them with respect. If you treat people like shit you’re not going to have any business.”

Facing the responsibilities of being the owner comes with facing the pressure from the state about health regulations.

McCauley jumps those hurdles and aims to go above and beyond the requirements.

California requires tattoo artist to take a two-hour course on blood-born pathogens, he requires a six-hour course to gear up in his shop, he said.

Being the owner of a shop has not removed McCauley from the tattooing floor.

“You definitely don’t forget that he is the owner, but he doesn’t pull rank on you,” said Chris Reed, 40, a fellow veteran and tattoo artist. “If you don’t feel well one day and ask for the rest of the day off he is cool with it. He wants you to be 100 percent into it so you can do your best work.”

McCauley’s apprentice Enrique “Hank” Robledo, 32, has been under McCauley’s wing for nine months and has already learned two very valuable concepts, he said.

“He taught me to be humble and to slow down,” he said. “I never used to surround myself with people who could draw so I always thought I was good, sometimes the best. Working with mostly cartoons before I came here, I worked at a very fast pace. Brian put the brakes on and told me to slow down, take my time, to double check myself and that I can always be better, to always strive to make it just a little bit better.”

McCauley’s desire to teach stemmed from his experience at SWC where he is in pursuit of his Associate’s degree in fine arts and photography.

“I’m not here because I need a job or need to learn a trade, I have one of those,” he said. “I’m here because I want to learn more about drawing and art. I want to be able to teach it to other people.”

Tattooing is a form of religion for McCauley on many levels. His largest and most significant tattoo covers most of his legs, pelvis and stomach. It is a traditional Samoan tap tattoo done by Sulu’Ape Angela, the only female in the world to be traditionally trained in the craft, at Big City Tattoo in North Park.

“This is more than just a tattoo,” he said.

“In their culture it is a sign of manhood and fertility. It took seven sessions at roughly five hours each. It is very painful, but in the end the artist puts their stamp on the belly. If you don’t get the stamp it means you were not strong enough to endure it and you were a disgrace. This is why I love tattooing. It is more than just a fad, they mean something. It is a privilege to be able to give someone something they are going to wear forever and that means something to them.”

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Poet: Powerful words help student make sense of life Continued from Page B1

If inspiration comes from pain, Atkins should have plenty. She worked for the Houston Housing Authority, an agency that helped people displaced by Hurricane Ike in October 2009. While working there she suffered a terrible back injury and lost her job. She stayed in her apartment until she could not pay her bills anymore. She was evicted and had nowhere else to go.

“I came to California to fight for my disability because the process was harder in Texas,” she said.

Even as she struggled to find a place to live and slept in her car.

“I have always had a roof over my head,” she said. “Even though it may have been a very small one.

Atkins has sclerosis, an abnormal increase in density and hardening of bone in one of her legs. Her disability is a constant challenge that she has learned to live with.

“Some days are good and I am able to get around and not be in so much pain,” she said. “The bad days I hurt so much that it’s painful for me to move.

I just want to sleep so I didn’t have to deal with or feel the pain.”

When she feels like she is in a dark hole of sadness, poetry is her ray of sunlight, she said.

“One of things I always hear is God saying, ‘I will not put more on you that you can bear,’” she said. “Despite the hard things that I may be going through, it is nothing I can’t handle.

If I look at my situation, there’s always someone out there who is in a worse situation. That’s when I feel thankful for what I have and I appreciate my life.”

Atkins’ 1995 poem “God’s Final Say” led her to focus more on her poetry.

“I woke up in a cold sweat and there was this poem, words that I just had to write out,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was writing, but I was amazed the next day when I looked at it. I was picturing that poem.”

Atkins’ poems do not have a particular style. She said her poems come naturally.

They are not words that she put together just because they rhyme. The words have a purpose behind them, she said, which convey emotion.

Atkins’ favorite poem, “Do you know my pain?” was written when she was struggling to find a job and looking for a place to live. It is a mixture of singing and spokeward. A portion reads: “Alone I stand fighting my pain/ One would wonder why I haven’t gone insane/ I have been stripped down to nothing and there’s no place I can go/ The only thing I can do is surrender my life let God take control/ I hear have whisper that all my pain will pass/ And that I will put back together like broken glass.”

“When I shared this poem with people, one of their first responses is to cry,” she said. “They thank me for writing it because I understand what they are going through.”

Even though anyone can develop the skill to write poetry, for some it is a gift and she said she feels lucky to be one of those people. Her professors agree.

“While addressing individual passions, dreams as well as social concerns, Natona’s poetry reflects an effective emphasis on rhythm,” said SWC instructor Andrew O’ Clancy.

“Her unique perceptions frequently transform scenes of misfortune into sites of celebration, though not always.”

One of Atkins’ poems was published in the Houston Honoring Poetic Society magazine.

Deidra Gibbs, 37, founder and editor of the magazine, said Atkins’ poetry resonates with people.

“Everyone has different ways to motivate themselves, but her empowerment stands out to me,” said Gibbs.

YouTube showcases “Do you know my pain?” and “A Poet in the Dark,” which can be found by searching SymplisaTee. Atkins said she plans to pursue a career in English. She wants to be a fiction writer and transfer to a fouryear university. She has been working on a novel for a year and expects to finish soon.

“In five years, I pray to have at least one play and one book written,” she said.

Even though Atkins does not think she is an example for other people, she said she considers herself an understanding person who cares about other people’s problems rather than being judgmental.

“I just want to be able to put a smile in someone else’s face.”

Ana Bahena, editor

ARTS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: arts@theswcsun.com

Instructor’s music adds life to zombie film Student video of the undead draws comparison to classics of the genre

By Hudson Hyatt Staff Writer

In a dreary Clairemont Mesa business district with chunky grey dry cleaning plants and obscure offices, the rock-n-roll zombies are on the march. Southwestern College artists are to blame.

Riding the wave of the dead-manwalking zombie craze, SWC English instructor Jude Travis Phelps and telemedia major Timothy Ruiz have a simmering kettle with a little George Romero, some REM and a dash of Buddy Holly. Their suburban Frankenstein is “Night Terrors,” a rocker that inspired a short film in the spirit of “Night of the Living Dead.”

Phelps’ band Skyhigh Karma has a new album, “Mixed Partial Hearts,” that is a charming but melancholy compilation featuring Phelps, 38, on vocals and guitars, Hyung Sun Yoon, 28, on guitars and Jayson Ehm, 27, on drums.

“Night Terrors” preys on America’s fascination with zombies. Skyhigh Karma and the film crew teamed up with the Ultimate FX Nerd Team, which conjured up all the dust and decay seen in the film. UFX worked on “The Walking Dead” television series and “Pirates of the Caribbean:

At World’s End.” SWC cinematography major Enrique Moreno, 27, said he was enthusiastic about the project.

“The band Skyhigh Karma was amazing in every aspect,” said Moreno.

“Their music speaks so loud, yet the individuals that emerge from behind the instruments are completely subtle and humble human beings. I enjoyed every moment spent with them. The Nerdteam makeup crew, brought a new level of production to our video... it was an honor to work with such equipped and talented individuals.”

Ruiz agreed.

“Working with the ultimate FX nerd team was amazing,” Ruiz said. “They’re professionals and one of the best in the business so they’re working on a different level. I believe working around someone like that brings everybody’s game up.”

Though the band enjoyed filming, “Night Terrors” does not represent Skyhigh Karma’s modus operandi, said Phelps.

“We want to be seen, that’s why we’re doing the videos and playing the show we are,” said Phelps. “‘Night Terrors’ represents the end of that period. We’re looking forward to showcasing the new sound.”

Serina Duarte/staff

GOOD KARMA — Jude Travis and his band go against type by contributing upbeat music to a zombie video.

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(Across from Bonita High, next to WingStop) 1550 East H. Street Suite J Chula Vista, CA 91913

10% with Flyer Valid until 12/2011

The Southwestern College Sun

HELMET OVER

HEELS

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

SPORTS

Baseball players call dismissals unfair SWC Football players not suspended for fighting

By Mary York News Editor

AMANDA L. ABAD

Seau suicide puts focus on head injuries O

ceanside’s Samoan Superman had 1,526 tackles, 18 interceptions and 56.5 sacks during his illustrious NFL career. People said that nothing could stop him.

But on May 2, 2012 he stopped himself with a bullet to the chest. A region mourned the loss of a beloved icon and a favorite son.

The shocking suicide of future Hall of Famer Junior Seau makes him the eighth player to die from the San Diego Chargers 1994 Super Bowl team. There have been two other suicides within the past year, Atlanta Falcons defensive back Ray Easterling and Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson.

After playing 20 seasons in the NFL, the answer to why Seau took his life at age 43 could rest in his battered brain.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy has been affecting boxers since the 1920s.

There are now reports that confirm that CTE “is in retired professional football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma.”

CTE, according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, “is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma.”

The affects of repetitive brain trauma can manifest in a single month or take decades after the “last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement.” CTE can lead to symptoms like those of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease. Dramatic personality changes may be driving some to commit suicide.

Seau retired in 2009 and survived just three years after a lifetime of achievements that brought him fame, fortune and adulation. He was, by practically every account, a very nice man who was generous, gregarious, loyal, altruistic and bright. But storm clouds have been gathering over Seau, and some ventured that his well-publicized 2010 plunge off a Carlsbad cliff in his car was a suicide attempt. Seau said he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Today, according to the USA Today, 67 lawsuits have been filed against the NFL by more than 1,600 former players because of the NFL’s failure to inform players about long-term effects of concussions.

Duerson killed himself in 2011 at age 50. According to his family, he suffered 10 concussions during his 11-year career.

Duerson left notes to his family asking that his brain be donated to science. CSTE at Boston University’s School of Medicine concluded Duerson “had moderately advanced brain damage and CTE-related blows to the head.”

Legislation has been created in many states to protect young athletes. Bills are “to protect athletes who have been concussed by not allowing these athletes to return to play on the same day of the injury, requiring medical approval before concussed athletes are allowed to return to their sport, and by introducing training and education for coaches, athletic administrators, parents, and athletes as to the dangers of concussions,” according to a report in the Boston Globe.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control research shows about 47 percent of high school football players sustain at least one concussion each season, and 35 percent of those sustained two or more in the same season.

We have to consider the possibility that of all the major contributions Seau made to the world, perhaps his last was most significant. A gunshot wound to his chest made it possible for his brain to be studied.

That was likely his intent. His brain may hold answers and the future prevention of other athletes suffering the same fate.

Helmet Over Heels can be reached at helmetoverheels@gmail.com.

B5

PUSHING BACK— SWC football players Frankie Kascinta and Marc Pouvave were not disciplined for participating in this scuffle against Mt. San Jacinto College. Three baseball players, however, were kicked off the team for aggressive behavior.

Two Southwestern College baseball players were removed from the team days before the Jaguars were to begin the state championship tournament. A number of Southwestern College athletes questioned not only the timing but also the process, as well as the athletic department’s inconsistent history of meting out punishment.

Outfielder Andy Swan and first baseman Andres Enriquez were cut for wrestling in a headlock on the bus ride home from a game one week before the championship. Swan filed a grievance against Enriquez with Terry Davis, dean of the School of Health, Exercise Science and Athletics. These issues are generally handled by school deans, according to SWC

Russell Scoffin/staff

please see Discipline pg. B7

Student wins breast cancer battle

Softball halts playoff drought Mossadeghi’s hard hitters open new era of winning ways

By Jacob Coogan Staff Writer

HOPEFUL FUTURE — Veronica Esparza, 20, of the Lady Jags basketball team was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. Esparza had surgery and rejoined the team in January.

Story and Photos By Ernesto Rivera • Viewpoints Editor

V

eronica Esparza said she first felt a lump on her breast in Oct. 2011, but did not feel a lump in her throat. She initially thought it was normal, she recalled. Friends and family told her it could not possibly be breast cancer because she was too young. They were wrong.

At 20, Veronica Esparza, a psychology major and forward/guard for the Lady Jaguars basketball team, felt like her whole life was ahead of her. But at a doctor’s visit in November she said terror began to surround her.

“I was nervous because she looked at me with this face that you don’t want to see coming from a doctor,” she said. “It was scary, nobody wants to hear something like that. I’ll never forget the look on her face.”

Esparza said that after an ultrasound her doctor said she had a rare type of breast disease.

She was given two options, take a sample of it and wait months for test results or immediate surgery.

“My doctor recommended me getting the surgery because what I had was growing really fast,” she said.

Esparza said she was afraid she might die.

“Nobody in my family has breast cancer, it’s still a sensitive subject when we talk about it,” she said. “I remember it was a Thursday night and I was so scared because I was trying to go

to sleep and it was really big and I could tell it just wasn’t normal.”

Esparza said she felt comfortable with women’s basketball coach Darnell Cherry because of his family’s history with breast cancer.

“When I was feeling down, he would motivate me to do better and just get right back up and not fall behind. He was very inspirational.

He helped me look at the positive instead of the negatives. He helped me realize that it’s a blessing that I’m still here,” she said.

Cherry said he could not believe it when he first heard Esparza’s diagnosis.

“I haven’t really heard of a young lady, as athletic as she is, to develop breast cancer so I was both shocked and sad for her,” he said. please see Esparza pg. B6

T h e d r o u g h t i s o v e r.

Southwestern College will see postseason softball. Finally.

Riding a six-game winning streak, the Lady Jaguars slugged their way into the playoffs for the first time in SWC history.

The Lady Jags caught fire at the right time and in a threeweek span beat four PCC foes: Gro s s m o n t , Me s a , Im p e r i a l Valley and San Diego City.

After a 25-12 regular season the softball players insist they are ready to play some hardball.

He a d C o a c h Ya s m i n Mossadeghi has transformed SWC’s squad into a hard-hitting lineup that is feared throughout the region.

Mossadeghi, who literally wrote the book on hitting a softball a long way, said her team will hit the playoffs swinging hard.

“I am very confident in my team because the last three games we’ve been really prepared against strong opponents,” she said. “We’ve been behind, but came back in the seventh to win it. That’s what the playoffs are like. At this level, all the teams are tough, so we just gotta stay with the short game, stay with the power hitting and stay with our pitching. It’s very important to hit our spots to keep our opponents at bay.”

Her players said Mossadeghi’s enthusiasm is contagious.

“We’ve been doing good,” said pitcher Monica Armas. “We’ve gotten farther than we have in the past years and even though we’ve lost a couple games on errors, games that we could have won.

I’m pretty satisfied with what we’ve accomplished so far.”

Armas said she sees the Lady Jags going deep into the playoffs.

“We work together as a team and we don’t let each other down,” she said. “It’s not about individuals, we just work as a team and that’s what keeps us together.”

Outfielder Michelle Centrullo said her team faced tough opponents, but were able to overcome the challenges. please see Softball pg. B7

B6

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Esparza: Optimistic Jag cager has resumed her active lifestyle Continued from Page B5

Cherry said his main advice to Esparza was to keep her head up and know that the team was praying for her and there to support her.

“Just from talking to her and letting her know that not only myself but our coaches and our team were really behind her, I think that helped out a lot,” he said.

Elizabeth Jaimes, 19, a criminal justice major, said she felt numb when she first heard the news about her friend and former teammate.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I hear about these kinds of things all the time but when she told me what the lump turned out to be it seemed surreal and I didn’t want to accept it.”

November was filled with an air of uncertainty, Esparza said.

“I didn’t know what to think, I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know if the surgery was going to change anything,” she said.

On December 12 Esparza had her surgery to remove the cancerous cyst. Esparza spent three days in the hospital, after a five-hour surgery.

“Waking up and heading to my surgery was fine, I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “It wasn’t until they put the IV in me that it hit me. I was scared but I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.”

Jaimes said she had to do whatever it took to help Esparza through her terrifying situation. She went with her friend to doctor appointments and sat through the surgery to make sure she was okay.

“I honestly was really scared for her because if this surgery didn’t pull through that means she’d be taking all sorts of medications,” she said. “That’s the last thing I wanted because she needed to get better fast and play the game we both love to play.”

Esparza said this was her first surgery ever and had never even been in a hospital before.

“I knew I was going under and I was having those ‘what if?’ questions going through my head,” she said.

Groggy from medication, Esparza said she felt lost, exhausted and in agony when she came out of her surgery.

“I was in so much pain, all I remember is that I couldn’t cry,” she said. “It was so painful that I just couldn’t.”

Esparza said the surgery was successful, but she may never be out of the woods.

“Various doctors told me it was a rare breast cancer disease and even though they took the cyst out, I have a huge chance of getting it again when I’m older,” she said. “So what I’m doing now is I’m living my life.”

Surviving breast cancer opened Esparza’s eyes to so many things and has made her think dramatically differently about her life.

“I realized I could do two things.

I could be depressed and cry about it, and it was that bad, or I could get up, work hard and be an inspiration to others,” she said. “Just because

Ernesto Rivera/staff

HAPPY TO BE BACK— Veronica Esparza, according to her coach Darnell Cherry, is an upbeat and determined woman who has inspired her teammates and the coaching staff.

something this bad happens to you doesn’t mean you have to stop and you can keep going and that’s exactly what I did.”

Despite a successful surgery, not being able to play basketball until January was painful and frustrating.

Esparza even disobeyed doctor’s orders to be on bed rest to catch the Lady Jags’ first home game.

“I felt like I needed to be there because I am part of the team and I wanted to show support for my girls and hopefully I could inspire them to play harder,” Esparza said. “Coach Cherry just looked at me and said, ‘You’re crazy you should be in bed.’”

Going against doctor’s orders again, Esparza began practicing three weeks after her surgery.

“I practiced by myself because I wanted to be ready when I came back,”

Daniel Guzman, editor

SPORTS

she said.

Esparza finally got the doctor’s okay to play again and came back to the team at the end of January.

“I felt like I was me again because basketball is a huge part of who I am, it’s a sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid,” she said.

Cherry said he was worried that Esparza had come back to the team so soon.

“Once the doctors cleared her and our trainers cleared her as well, I knew she was good to go,” he said. “It took her a minute to get back into it but she did and she did just fine.”

Esparza said that even though it was great being back, things were not the same.

“It was hard for me to breathe and it was scary to know that if I get hit I could open up my wound,” she said.

Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: sports@theswcsun.com

“I didn’t let my fear hold me back and I wanted to show the girls that just because I had surgery, don’t treat me any differently.”

Cherry said it felt great seeing Esparza pull through so quickly.

“I was glad that, first of all, she got all the cancerous cells out of her body and she didn’t have to have her breast removed so it was great,” he said.

Jaimes said that she felt a huge weight taken off her shoulders when Esparza came back to team.

“I was relieved and excited to see her play,” she said. “She was at her best skills wise and I wanted her to show others that she’s a fighter, and despite her situation she pulled through,” she said.

Cherry said Esparza had already been a mature young lady before her ordeal.

“I just saw her grow up a lot,” he said. “She matured not only as a player but also as a person. I think her having gone through that has put a lot of things in perspective, like you can’t take life for granted.”

Before her surgery, Esparza was looking to transfer to a university basketball program and held basketball as a higher priority than school.

“Now I’m just focusing on my education,” she said. “I’m more serious about school now and I’m more focused on what I want to do.

Basketball might not get me there, but school will.”

Esparza said she’s still unsure of what she wants to do in the future, but hopes it will involve basketball and her experience as a breast cancer survivor.

“I know I just want to do something to help others and inspire them to do their best at something,” she said.

Esparza said her doctors say she is doing better and her body is recuperating well.

“Ever yone says ‘I’m back’ and nobody even thinks that I’ve gone through that because of how positive I am as a person,” she said.

Esparza’s advice to anyone going through exceptionally difficult times is simply to hold your head up.

“Don’t be ashamed of what you’re going through,” she said. “There are people out there who will listen and will help you with what you’re going through.”

Esparza said she is not going to let her high probability of getting breast cancer again hold her back from anything.

“Tomorrow is never a promise and knowing that is what makes me want go on,” she said.

Esparza said that despite having to miss school and go through surgery she managed to pass all her classes.

“I’m thankful for what happened, actually, I thank God every day that I’m still here. I’m happy we caught it on time before it was too late.

Everything happens for a reason, I just live everyday.”

Jaimes said Esparza fights for what she believes.

“Veronica Esparza is a special and beautiful young lady with a kind heart who is always willing to help others in anyway she can, a great listener who puts loved ones before herself,” she said.

Cherry agreed.

“Veronica is an inspiration to us all.”

Recruiting: New York basketball players say they were sought out Continued from Page A1

state, according to a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Conference of which SWC is a member. In order for a student to attend an out-of-state school, the student has to “recruit the school,” not the other way around, the spokesperson said.

Tow a rd t h e e n d o f t h e s e a s o n Langston was dropped from his classes because he could not afford the out-of-state tuition and Warren was dropped for not showing up to class. Both players were ineligible to participate in any intercollegiate competition without the appropriate units, yet both players played in eight more games. SWC won four of the games. In February Southwestern had to forfeit the four victories. “[ John Cosentino] would know because he was the one who set up my [class] schedule,” said Langston.

“I’m pretty sure he knew what was going on. I guess they continued to let us play without our units, which I didn’t know anything about. I didn’t know we didn’t have enough units and I guess they got caught. I thought we were cool for the rest of the semester.”

Langston said he was headed to the locker room to get ready for practice when he was told Consentino wanted to speak to him first. Shortly afterwards Cosentino gave him the news.

“Cosentino told me that I wasn’t eligible to play,” said Langston. “He said I couldn’t play or practice and I was done for the year. I was a little upset and hurt because I wanted to finish out the season and hopefully push to make it to the playoffs.”

Cosentino was contacted by The Sun and asked to comment, but he refused.

Colwell has not returned e-mails and phone calls seeking comment.

Sophomore Derrick Thompson said he joined the team before Langston, but soon found out how Langston had made his way from Brooklyn. “ [ L a n g s t o n ] w a s i n Ne w Yo rk playing,” said Thompson. “Coach Kyle saw him and gave him his phone number and asked him to come to San Diego.”

Thompson said Langston and Warren were visibly upset about not being able to finish out the season.

Dean of Athletics Terry Davis said the athletic department is required to do a weekly check-up on student athletes to make sure they were enrolled in the proper number of units.

Student athletes are required to be enrolled in 12 units during the semester in which they are competing.

Davis said Peggy Ball, administrative secretary of athletics, is in charge of checking the players units. He said she provides him with the weekly update.

“I should have known the players were academically ineligible,” said Davis. “I take full responsibility because I didn’t pay attention. No one else is responsible for the ineligible players. I looked at the form and they were marked as ineligible. I didn’t see that.”

Davis said he did not know at the time there was a question of the players being illegally recruited.

“I don’t have any knowledge about the situation other than what was written in The Sun,” said Davis.

“I can’t start the process about the situation because I need to get all the facts related to the incident.”

Langston said he moved back to Brooklyn on Feb. 10. At that point, leaving the “Golden State” was the only option he said he had.

“I couldn’t even finish out the semester, so that really messed me up school-wise,” he said. “It made me mad because I wanted to stay. I liked it out there. I wanted to stay and finish school and look forward to next season. I was upset. I was hurt. I was mad, but there was nothing I could really do.”

Langston said he hopes to come back to SWC this September to pick up where he left off.

Davis said he has not spoken to Cosentino or Colwell since the end of the basketball season on Feb. 17 and had not begun any sort of inquiry or investigation. As athletic coordinator, Cosentino is required to attend athletic events on campus when Davis is not available and he also assists in determining athletes’ eligibility.

Davis indicated that SWC Superintendent Dr. Melinda Nish is aware of the situation and that he would soon investigate the situation himself or ask for an off-campus investigator.

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

Brooklynites’ SWC careers brief

By Alexis Dominguez Assistant Sports Editor Keenan Langston had basketball skills that attracted college offers in his home state of New York, including Jefferson College and St. Francis University. But he chose to move from Brooklyn to the Left Coast to become a Southwestern College Jaguar. His California Dreaming, however, has become a Chula Vista nightmare.

Langston and fellow Brooklynite David Warren said they were recruited

by SWC associate coach Kyle Colwell following a summer league high school game where their teams faced each other.

Both moved to San Diego County hoping to catch the eye of a division I university program. Their seasons ended early and in controversy, however, when they were declared academically ineligible.

They played eight games in January and February after they had stopped attending classes. Southwestern had to forfeit four wins after the college notified Pacific Coast Conference league officials.

Langston said Colwell kept constant contact after approaching him following a high school game, calling him a “perfect fit” for the team and guaranteed him a starter position. He said the lure of California and the coach’s constant attention led to his decision to move, despite his father’s objections. Keenan Langston Sr. said his son already had his mind made up.

“He applied for different colleges, but he wanted to go to a school that wanted him,” he said. “He talked to the coaches at Southwestern and the coach wanted him to come out there. He was really excited about that and I let him get his wish.”

When Langston first started practicing with his new teammates, he noticed their talent, but said they lacked chemistry.

Langston said with better chemistry the team would have played much better and made the playoffs.

He said he and Warren felt horrible that their academic status caused the team to forfeit games. He said he hopes to bounce back because basketball is more than just a sport.

“I want basketball to make a better life for me,” he said. “My talent is basketball and it can take me places and make a better life for me and my family. It’s a game, but it’s also a lifestyle and without it I’m not really inspired to do anything.”

Suburban Chula Vista seemed like another planet from Brooklyn. Langston was born in New Jersey and moved to Brooklyn at the age of five. Living in the dangerous Farragut projects he got used to hearing gunshots and witnessing daily drug use.

“There’s usually fighting and gunshots going on,” he said. “It’s not a good environment. San Diego is so peaceful and quiet. You can hear the hummingbirds out there. I had to adapt to the California lifestyle.”

Even though he did not get mixed up with drugs, Langston said he watched his parents battle drug abuse.

“It was tough not always getting what I wanted because of their habits,” he said.

“I would cry all the time. Nobody wants to see their parents on drugs. I saw what drugs can do to you and I didn’t want that.”

Langston said he received lots of care from his grandmother when he was a boy.

His father took legal custody of him in 1998 due to drug-related problems with his mother. Langston Sr. did not have many problems keeping his son away

Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Discipline: Athletes insist they are treated differently by dean Continued from Page B5

Jiamay Austria/staff

SHORT TIME JAGUAR— Keenan Langston attacks the paint against Cuyamaca College in a game that would later be forfeited due to the ineligibility of Langston and two other players.

from drugs.

“He grew up in the projects,” he said.

“There’s a lot of violence, people shooting guns, drugs, everything. It wasn’t too hard because he was really focused on basketball. He knew that drugs aren’t for athletes.”

Langston’s best game in his freshman season at SWC was against Mira Costa college where he scored 25 points. It was a sign of the leader and athlete he hopes to be for the team. After the victory, the whole team went out to eat for the first time as a unit in what would be his most memorable moment of Southwestern College.

“It was just a fun time to bond because that was really the first time the whole team went out and talked as a unit,” he said. “Being around them outside of basketball, you have a chance to have a whole conversation with them and learn about them. It makes you want to play with them. Like Lebron James and Dwayne Wade, they hang out outside of basketball and on the court they know where to find each other all the time.”

Langston said it takes more than talent to compete in basketball. He said a player should have heart, will and desire for the game.

“There’s a lot of people out there with talent, but if they don’t work hard, it doesn’t amount to anything,” he said.

“The people that work hard and want it are the people who go out there and win. You can work on skill, shooting, dribbling, anything. Anybody can work and get better at that. But desire, heart and will? That’s something that’s inside

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of you that you have.”

Former teammate David Warren, who also said he was recruited from Brooklyn

by Colwell, praised Langston’s work ethic. Langston goes to the gym at least two times a day trying to get stronger for the game, said Warren.

“We work out all the time trying to get better,” said Warren. “If you are really determined about a sport, then that sport is going to motivate you to do better in school because you want to play.”

Langston and Warren were both dropped from classes due to out-of-state tuition and not showing up to class, respectively.

Towards the end of the season, Langston and Warren returned to Brooklyn. They both talked about how much they miss being in California.

Even though Warren has made up his mind not to come back, Langston was not sure whether or not he would at first, but after arriving in Brooklyn, he decided he missed Southwestern and would like to return next season. He will have to take online courses during the summer to make up for the classes he was dropped from if he plans to participate next season. If not, he would have to red-shirt, meaning he would have to sit out the season due to the lack of units.

Overcoming all the obstacles is only the beginning.

“Nothing is impossible,” he said. “You can do anything if you put your mind to it no matter where you grow up, no matter how your situation is. Stick with what you want to do.”

Softball: Lady Jags slug their way into first-ever playoffs Continued from Page B5

“We did a lot more than what other people expected,” she said.

“We were the underdogs and we came up and beat a lot of teams that were highly competitive.”

Armas said the gloves and bats will be the deciding factors.

“I’m pretty confident in my team,” said Armas. “But we just gotta make sure our defense and our hitting are on. That’s the key.”

Assistant coach Dani Bishop added pitching to that recipe.

“Our pitching has to be on,” she said. “We gotta hit ground balls, line drives and score runs. We’ve had a little trouble popping up, so we gotta keep the ball on the ground and hit it hard in the gap.”

Mossadeghi said the softball team’s history as winners starts now.

For everything there’s a first time.

Standards of Student Conduct Policy and Procedures, but Davis passed the issue to Mia McClellan, dean of student services.

McClellan suspended both players and neither was allowed to rejoin the team for the playoffs, which SWC was bounced from in the first round.

Davis’ hands-off treatment of Swan and Enriquez contrasts to his dismissal of Jaguar first baseman Robert Archer from the roster in March. Archer’s ejection from a game in February was the last straw for Davis, who threatened to shut down the baseball team’s season if there were any more reports of misconduct. Archer jumped over the dugout fence towards an umpire during a game after an unfavorable call. The league suspended Archer for one game, but Davis decided to kick him off the team. Archer said Davis over-reacted.

“There were at least five guys out of the fence from the other team and by natural reaction, I hopped my dugout fence to defend my guys,” said Archer. “I pretty much took the third strike for my team because it was the third incident within a month.”

Davis addressed the team about behavior, said infielder Steven Johnson.

“The dean was pretty mad about it, so he came down,” Johnson said. “He said if one more thing happens, this season’s over, and he has the power to shut down our whole season. If he had seen what had really happened, no, I don’t think it was justified.”

Pitcher Dominic Bowen also said Archer did not deserve to be kicked off the team.

“He didn’t really do anything wrong, it was just unfortunate circumstances and the umpire just ejected him,” said Bowen.

“He was just backing up his players. He didn’t deserve (to be cut). But I guess the school thought they had to make a statement, keep us in line.”

Archer said he was never given the opportunity to speak with Davis because Davis was “too hot” to speak to him.

B7

“I never talked to anybody higher than my coaches,” he said. “I was suspended for the year and that was that. The coaches told me I was not allowed to come around the field according to the athletic director.”

Davis refused to comment on the dismissal of Archer or his address to the team, but he said discipline is essential in all sports and that players have to remember that they are students first.

Davis, however, took a more laissez-faire approach in October when football linemen Frankie Kascsinta initiated a shoving match during a game. Kascsinta smacked the helmet of a San Jacinto player twice after a play, provoking his opponent to retaliate with his fist. SWC lineman Marc Pouvave ran to defend Kascinta and shoved the San Jacinto athlete in the face.

Running back Aaron Harris said more aggression is expected in football and basketball than in other sports because there is more physical contact to begin with.

“That was a competition day,” said Harris of the incident. “Things kind of got escalated.”

Football team captains, Harris said, debated whether or not to report Kascinta and Pouvave to the coaches.

“We took a team vote on whether or not they should both continue to play,” said Harris. “Both players pleaded their case and we decided that they didn’t need to be suspended.”

Football Coach Ed Carberry said the athletic department took no disciplinary action against the linemen who fought because the referee did not flag either of the SWC players involved. Harris said Davis knew about the incident, but the dean did not find it necessary to take action.

“Mr. Davis asked about it, but that was about it,” said Harris.

Jaguar catcher Cody Sos said the baseball team should have been given the same opportunity to take care of its internal issues, especially in the case of Enriquez and Swan whose confrontation happened not at a game, but on the bus ride home.

“I think that it shouldn’t have ever gone please see Discipline pg. B8

Three years pass, still no love for tennis program

By Lee Bosch and Andy Garcia Staff Writers

Next to cross country, Southwestern College’s most successful women’s sport was tennis.

It produced a national champion, league championships, a California Scholar Athlete of the year and a hall of fame couch.

Key word here is “was.” Tennis was cut as a Jaguar sport in 2009 and there is no return in sight.

When deciding what sport to cut at cashstrapped SWC many factors come into play, but the green one usually prevails. Money makes the world go ‘round and it also shuts down sports teams. Or does it?

Helmets, balls, pads, travel, insurance, facilities and salaries all factor into deciding whether to cut a sport or not.

Southwestern College’s men’s volleyball team was eliminated due to lack of money.

Lack of interest or talent were not issues.

Local high schools Eastlake, Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch, hold 21 conference volleyball titles and two CIF tiles between them.

Cutting the tennis program a few years ago was a peculiar case.

“We had a situation where we had to cut our budget and what I did was look at our history of the college that we have cut programs before,” said Terry Davis, dean of the School of Health and Exercise Science.

“We tried to look at the programs that were serving the smallest number of students and my decision was based on the number of students and the program that was the easiest to bring back. Right now it’s about two things. It’s about money and it’s about desire of our students. It comes down to what the student interest is.”

An on-line survey taken of incoming SWC students from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 reported 501 men interested in tennis, 693 in wrestling and 509 in volleyball. A total of 770 women were interested in tennis. These sports are not available at this school. Water polo (253 men, 196 women), and cross country (359 men, 329 women) and track & field (612 men, 446 women) all have lower student interest than wrestling, volleyball and tennis. Track & field (612 men, 446 women), a program that was suspended for years, was also highly popular.

Interest level for men’s volleyball, wrestling, and tennis are all high but tennis, aside from being the least expensive sport on

campus, is a self-sustained program.

“We have uniforms and equipment I’ve backlogged just sitting there being wasted,” said women’s tennis coach Susan Reasons.

Reasons, an inductee to the SWC Hall of Fame, turned tennis into a money-making machine for the school. The SWC Tennis Center offers adult and youth clinics yearround. After expenses are tallied, 14 percent of the money earned goes to the college.

Over its 11-year existence that started June 2001, the Tennis Center has grossed more than $60,000 for the college, a program that gets no money from the school whatsoever.

Yet, a tennis team seems too expensive to maintain.

Not only is it a sport with willing participants, the talent is an endless pool.

“I have about five to six tennis classes a semester and each one pushes about 30 students,” she said.

Reasons has coached a player to a national championship, had another (Viridiana Martino) win the Pepsi Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2007 (the only one in SWC history), and won the first woman’s banner at the school. But the overachieving program is on hiatus.

People pay to go see the big sports like football, baseball and basketball so schools make an effort to accommodate the fans with a nice stadium and a good team. A $33 million dollar football stadium is currently being built on campus, yet the baseball team was denied lights for night games, the men’s volleyball team gets lost in obscurity and tennis continues in purgatory.

“I was told we were getting cut for two years…it’s been three,” said Reasons.

“I know the economy hasn’t gotten any better since the team was cut, but I’m really anxious to get a team going here. The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to be. But as I tell my girls to be a team player, I’m trying to do the same.”

Title IX, which established equal opportunity for both sexes to participate in collegiate sports, also plays a big factor.

“Title IX basically forces schools to offer opportunities to equate the percent representation of each gender,” said Dr. Donna Riley, department chair of Exercise Science and Health at Cuyamaca College.

“If you have programs at your school that are heavy female specialties, your college is going to be lopsided in regards to men and women.”

At Southwestern, 58 percent of the please see Tennis pg. B8

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Summer Edition 2012—Vol. 55, Iss. 6

Daniel Guzman, editor

SPORTS

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Shorthanded Jags win conference, lose in playoffs

By Mary York News Editor

Scoring runs has been the bane of Southwestern College’s baseball team all season, but it was their shoddy glovework that cost the Jaguars their final game in the Pacific Coast Conference regular season. But even though they lost the final game against Palomar College, the Gentlemen Jags still brought home the championship and the opportunity to host the first round of playoffs at Jaguar Junction against El Camino College.

Normally very solid on the defensive, the Jags came down with a bad case of fumblitis for their final games of the season. Infielders and outfielders missed corn-can catches and fumbled, dropped, kicked and missed the ball on numerous occasions. Even ace pitcher Patrick McGrath was giving away bases like free puppies.

Right fielder Andy Swan and first baseman Andres Enriquez were suspended prior to the playoffs, leaving defensive holes that were difficult to fill.

Coach Jerry Bartow said he believes losing Enriquez, his only true first baseman, explained the team’s poor

performance at playoffs.

“We lost Enriquez,” he said. “We really could have used him. That and we just didn’t swing the bat.”

First base is an integral defensive position which handles the ball frequently.

“Enriquez was over there all year,” said catcher Cody Sos. “I got used to him. He played real good defense for us.”

Designated hitter Stephen Johnson was put on first as Enriquez’s replacement, even though he rarely played in the field during the season.

“I’m doing the best I can,” said Johnson, who had trouble with the glove for most of the game. “We could have used Enriquez, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

In game one of the playoffs El Camino scored eight runs before many of the fans had a chance to sit down and never looked back. SWC scored six runs to make it close.

“We’ve been giving away a lot of games because of errors and stupid mistakes,” said Johnson before their final game against El Camino.

Game two was more of the same. More errors. Fewer runs. The Gentlemen Jags hung up their cleats with a 4-1 loss and

which is generally a femaleTennis: Court rentals, program, dominated field, potentially skews the clinics helped program population numbers. Something schools do not take into account, are the ages of the to be self-sustaining student body when factoring the interest Continued from Page B7

campus population is female, therefore the school has to offer an equal amount of sports for each sex. The school currently has eight teams for each respective sex.

As an example, if men’s volleyball were to be reinstated, then the school would also have to front money for a women’s team.

A women’s volleyball team is already in place, so maybe a women’s tennis team would come to fruition. That may lead to men feeling left hanging on the tennis side, so the situation does get a little complex.

“A lot of the time with Title IX it’s not as easy adding a women’s sport,” said Riley.

“Sometimes it involves cutting a men’s team, which is unfortunate because usually it’s more men that want to play sports than women.”

SWC offers a nursing and dental hygiene

in a sport.

“I’m a supporter of Title IX, but I do feel that sometimes it can get abused because I see a lot of opportunities taken away from guys because of the inequity and the desire,” she said. “You can’t make a woman play a sport. Just because there are 60 percent of women on the campus, you’re going to count moms in their 40s as part of your Title IX proportion? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Of the 20,207 students registered in fall 2011 at SWC, 37 percent were less than 21, 41 percent were between the ages of 21-30, and 22 percent were more than 30. That is 63 percent of the student population that realistically do not even factor into the sports programs. If a more detailed approach were taken, a shift in the programs offered could be seen, adding more students athletic possibilities.

Discipline: Baseball players question consistency of rules Continued from Page B7

Mary York/staff

TAGGED OUT — SWC first baseman Andres Enriquez (above) and outfielder Andy Swan were kicked off the baseball team just before the playoffs for fighting on the team bus. Robert Archer was removed from the team last month for leaving the dugout to argue with an umpire, costing SWC three key players .

staggered away from the rollercoaster season.

Despite their playoff exit, the Jaguars brought home some hardware.

Sos, McGrath and infielder Francisco

Gonzalez were named first team AllPacific Coast Conference. Pitcher Kiki Medina and outfielder James Billburg received honorable mentions. Bartow was named Co-Coach of the Year.

San Diego State University has 11 teams for women but only six for men.

“There are more football players than anything else,” said associate athletic director of media relations at SDSU. “What you’re trying to get is a balance between the opportunities for male and female student athletes. In order to keep that balance, I’d say the majority of schools have more women’s sports than men’s sports.”

Since football teams often have more than 50 players, sports with smaller squads must be integrated to keep everything even.

Since football is only for men, small men’s teams suffer because women’s sports have to be compensated.

SDSU’s men’s volleyball team was cut in 2000. In 1973 it won SDSU’s only Division I National Championship.

“Men’s volleyball is not a sport that is offered in the Mountain West Conference,” said May. “A lot of times you try and mirror your sports to those offered in your league.”

SWC is the only school with more than

four athletic teams in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference that does not have a tennis team.

But there is hope for potential athletes looking to get their respective competitive sport going. If enough students follow the correct steps in establishing a club on campus through the ASO, the sport gets a shot at being reinstated.

“That always helps,” said Davis. “That is a good methodology to get a team going because it shows us one thing we’re looking for, interest. That’s more possible when you have a conversation with the administration when asking to bring in a program. You tell them ‘well in our surveys it shows students have interest and they are already competing.’ I would bring back women’s tennis first, then bring back a men’s sport,” he said.

Both the tennis and volleyball program have tried to go the club route, but both missed the club deadlines by a day. The ASO had given them the appointment dates after the deadline. The net result – no day in court.

up to (Davis and McClellan),” he said.

“It should have been taken care of by our team.”

Pitcher Luciano Reynoso agreed.

“I don’t think it was fair,” he said. “It would have been better if we could have made a decision because we saw what happened.”

Johnson said the Athletic Coordinator John Cosentino accompanied the baseball team to the rest of its conference games to watch for any more out-of-line behavior.

Cosentino also serves as men’s basketball coach.

Part of the responsibility of the athletic department is to ensure that student athletes are well behaved at games and have the appropriate number of units to play.

Johnson and some other students athletes said baseball has been treated differently than football and basketball by Davis, a former football coach.

“The athletic department is always going to be about units because that’s what keeps us eligible,” said Johnson. “They’re pretty strict with baseball compared to how lax I’ve heard they’ve been with football and basketball over the years.”

This semester, three students on the men’s basketball team played with insufficient units, forcing the team to forfeit four of its wins and disqualifying it from playoffs.

Keenan Langston, a student from New York who played for the SWC basketball team this year, was one of the players who played while below the unit requirement.

“They continued to let us play without our units, which I didn’t know anything about,” Langston said.

Davis accepted responsibility for the enrollment oversight that cost the basketball team its shot at the playoffs, but insisted he did not know there were any questions about illegal recruiting.

Langston and basketball player David Warren have both said they were recruited by associate basketball coach Kyle Colwell after a high school game in Brooklyn, New York. To date there have been no disciplinary measures taken against Davis or the basketball coaches. Davis refused to discuss the issue of illegal recruitment on the basketball team with reporters from The Sun.