The Sun Vol 61. 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 61, Issue 6

theswcsun.com

Remedial classes may be erased College pressured to compel students to transfer in two years

By Matthew Brooks Assistant News Editor

Dante’s “Divine Comedy” features nine circles of Hell.

Southwestern College has five levels of remedial math, but some students insist they are just as torturous as Dante’s Inferno.

Too often students check in, but they never check out.

Students will no longer be required to take remedial classes at Southwestern College as of fall 2019, but not everyone sees this as academic salvation. Many administrators, faculty, tutors and students predict challenged students will be left unsupported and will fail critical classes like math and English.

This change is due to Assembly Bill 705, which aims to fix issues caused by standardized testing by allowing students to take college-level courses based on high performance. It is part of a broad California initiative to push students through community college in two years and state universities in four.

Dr. Joel Levine, dean of the School of Language, Literature and Humanities, said most students will be immediately placed into a transfer-level course unless there is reason to believe the student is unready for the course.

“What we’re hearing is that there are two possibilities: one is all students – except in extraordinary cases which the college has to be able to prove – go into college level,” he said. “Two is the same thing.

All students, unless you can prove – and there’s no definition on how you prove,

May 25, 2018

MAGICAL MOMENT SAGA HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL QUEER PROM

College crime records still not available

By Katy Stegall and Matthew Brooks Senior Staff and Assistant News Editor

An effor t by the Southwestern College Sun to determine whether new college strategies to battle campus sexual assault are effective was sidelined when college officials failed to provide any of the requested public documents. Staff members of The Sun began requesting police crime records face-to-face in March and via formal California Public Records Act letters in April. No documents have been provided, a violation of state and federal law.

Campus police crime reports and copies of the Jeannie Clery Disclosure o f C a m p u s Se c u r i t y Po l i c y a n d Campus Crime Statistics Act passed by Congress in 1990 are, by law, supposed to be easily available to members of the public. Every university and community college in San Diego County was able to easily and quickly comply to requests from The Sun, except for Southwestern College.

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff

YOU ARE THE DANCING QUEEN— Evanish Mariezcurrena is a whirling dervish at the SAGA Club’s Queer Prom, an event open to the college community to promote inclusion, diversity and respect for others. (l) Gianfranco Dongo and Ryan Young are part of a small group dancing up a storm on the center of the floor. SAGA President Dan Cordero said more than 70 students attended the event held in Student Union East. Attendees danced to Disney-themed music.

Coverage on pg. 6

Victoria Sanchez/Staff

‘Hood rat surf punk band Bad Kids is making waves in the local music scene.

ONE SMALL SEXUAL ASSAULT AT

SPORTS

ARTS SWC’s MAS department fights to reclaim Cinco de Mayo from American partiers.

Jorge Ivan Ortiz was elected 2018-19 ASO President after running unopposed.

He was joined by “Team Blue” ticket mates Rafael Bermudez, who was elected executive vice president, and Rudolph Villegas, who was re-elected to a second term as student trustee.

Katy Stegall, who did not seek office or campaign, received 17 write-in votes for president and finished second.

Ortiz is currently an ASO senator. He promised to work hard and “make a difference.”

“People get into office and they get Ortiz complacent and they don’t want to do what it is that they promised,” Ortiz said. “We want to make changes that will leave a legacy.”

Ortiz said he would try to stay neutral in all political affairs. He said the ASO President needs to represent all students instead of taking sides on issues.

“Let’s say we have a rally against guns,” Ortiz said, “What about the people who are for the Second Amendment? Are we just going to tell them no?”

That does not mean that he does not care about students, he said. Last year’s sexual assault by disgraced ASO Senator Roy Castillo was disturbing, he said.

“Now in our Constitution you have to take a test and training called Not Anymore,” Ortiz said, “It would inform us of what sexual harassment is and how it effects colleagues.”

Ortiz said his goal is to create an environment where students can thrive.

He said he will push for a better honors system, free or reduced prices for printing and bus passes, and more involvement of students in ASO affairs.

Bermudez, the former vice president of club affairs, said he decided to take on a bigger role in student government. He said he believes in making college life more affordable for students.

Villegas will continue as student trustee.

He said he would make the ASO more active and a college-style government rather than a high school ASB. He blamed low turnout at the polls on an ineffective 2017-18 ASO. He said the fact that only 291 students voted concerned to him.

“Even if 2,000 students voted out of 19,000, I venture to say that your student government doesn’t exist, ”Villegas said.

Villegas said the ASO needs to define what it is and encourage students to join.

“The student government does not really have operationally an understanding of the endgame for the students, so they serve casually,” he said.

New members of the ASO will be sworn in on May 29 at 5 p.m. at the Just Java Elegance Hall on Third Avenue.

Southwestern College Athletic Hall of Fame honors five legendary individuals.

STEP

SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

CAMPUS

please see Records pg. A4

VIEWPOINTS

ORTIZ NEW ASO PREZ

By Jahaziel Valencia Staff Writer

please see Remedial pg. A2

SPECIAL SECTION: Strategies to survive an active shooter on campus.

ASO ELECTIONS 2018

Special Edition

A2

Paola G. Labrada, editor

NEWS

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

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

Title IX office ‘under construction’ Acting director says progress is being achieved

By Yazmin Chavez Staff writer

By Kateley Boardman Assistant Campus Editor

College officials said the campus Title IX office will get some upgrades this summer to move it closer to compliance following the resignation of former officer Donna Arnold.

Acting Title IX officer Dr. David Caspi stepped in last fall and said he plans to apply for the permanent position, which will allow him to continue his plans for the restructuring office.

Caspi said SWC has applied for a U.S. Dept. of Justice grant offered by the Office of Violence Against Women to support victim advocation and police training. He said work continues on a website meant to provide educational programs, forms for filing complaints, access to videos showing proper procedures in a sexual misconduct situation, internal processing, new students orientations and transfer student orientation regarding sexual violence and misconduct.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s office may also become part of SWC’s mosaic to stem sexual assault, he said.

“The DA’s office is interested in having law enforcement on the campus that has training to help build cases for criminal trials if it should go that route, but also to be better at interviewing people who are traumatized by sexual assaults,” he said.

“If the grant does not go through, we will be looking into training for bringing our own victim advocates on campus because one thing we do not have in place yet is a good system for advocates for the victims. That is something we would like to get up and running.”

Caspi said that although guidance for dealing with sexual violence and misconduct is available online, that is not good enough. He said his goal is to make his office a comfortable environment for victims to file complaints, reports and to spread awareness that this campus holds Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff a high standard of fair and equitable BUILDING TRUST AND AWARENESS — Acting Title IX Director Dr. David Caspi reviews services with SWC student Jocelyn Ayala. investigations.

Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Malia Flood said she has worked closely conduct or found responsible, then projects, a self-defense demonstration IX compliance and called it one of her on Title IX issues this year. She said I would get involved if there are any and Safe Zone training. priorities. She and the Governing Board cooperation between her office, Title IX disciplinary sanctions.”

“We all want to let students know that want to ensure students and faculty that and campus police increase accessibility Flood said she was pleased with Sexual it is a safe place to come forward where the college is “doing the right thing” and help victims report assault and Assault Awareness Week activities. their voices will be heard and they will when responding to Title IX complaints, misconduct.

The events were co-hosted by the be given options and the decisions they she said.

“If the student comes here first we ASO, Professional Development, EDI make will be respected,” said Flood. “We “We support and appreciate the SWC want to make sure that they are safe, and Students Services. They included want anyone who has experienced any Police Department’s efforts to strengthen have all the information they need and guest speakers and a screening of the kind of sexual assault to know that there our collection and logging of sexual then we will help them connect with documentary “The Mask You Live In.” are resources for them on campus and we assault data under the Clery Act,” she the Title IX office,” she said. “If after Other activities included consent and are here to support them.” said. “They have been diligent. We have an investigation the alleged respondent bystander interventions campaigns, President Dr. Kindred Murillo said set clear response guidelines and followed is found to have violated our code of a Men Against Rape workshop, art she has been involved with the Title up appropriately.”

Remedial: Most

students will go to college-level courses Continued from pg. A1

which is curious – need to finish their college-level class within two semesters.”

Levine said though the bill does not ban remedial classes, he expects they will be cut dramatically.

“We’re waiting to find out the interpretation from the state,” he said.

“Now it’s time for the education people in the (California Community College) Chancellor’s office to say ‘here is how it’s to be implemented.’ Both of these possibilities mean that a lot of these basic skills levels will probably be (reduced to) nothing.”

Supporters of this strategy, known as Multiple Measures or Acceleration, argue that remedial classes prevent capable students from succeeding. Professor of English Leslie Yoder, a self-described “cautious advocate of acceleration,” said these changes will allow more students to succeed.

“What’s actually being taken away are barriers,” she said. “You find more students succeed in the transfer level course.”

A 2014 study by the Chancellor’s office reported only 20 percent of students enrolled in English 71 go on to successfully complete English 115, the first transfer level English course, within five years.

Another CCC study showed that 45 percent of students who were put directly into English 115 previously considered unqualified, passed within four years.

Yoder said the results of these studies have led many to believe that remedial class are holding students back. Research shows people of color benefit from being placed in transfer-level courses from the onset, she said.

“Those students do better if you shrink or

Admin insists purchase of body cams is still a priority

eliminate the remedial sequence,” she said.

“Students of color are disproportionately placed into these remedial levels, the very levels that are going to prevent them from ever completing transfer-level English and thus a degree.”

Other educators, however, said they have deep concerns that students are going to be left behind by these changes to remedial education.

Nikolas Furr, a tutor at the Academic Success Center, said he was troubled by the proposed changes. He said that many students are going to be deprived of classes they need.

“I believe that there are students who need those remedial courses desperately, students who are not going to be rattling around in these courses for six or seven years, which are numbers I keep hearing batted around,” said Furr. “These are students who need a one semester or one year run up. They’re the ones that need just a little extra to get going, and the problem is we just keep cutting lower level classes.”

Furr said that as a result of cuts to remedial sections students are being placed into higher level English courses well before they are ready.

“We’re taking people and dropping them into English 114, for instance, and these students are nowhere near ready,” he said. “As a result, these students are hitting 114 and it’s like they’re a deer staring into headlights.”

Furr said that some students are just not ready for college-level English upon arrival.

These students are either going to fail the class or pass without learning the necessary skills or materials, he said.

Levine said he had similar fears. Potential drawbacks of the acceleration plan include students being passed prematurely due to pressure on professors to prove their own job performance, he said.

“You’re teachers and you’re being told you now have these students coming to

your class and everybody knows there’s an expectation we’re gonna get people through,” he said. “There may be this effect, consciously or subconsciously, you’ll be getting people through that maybe you wouldn’t have gotten through (before).”

Furr said he has seen students being passed through classes well before they are ready, lacking the necessary skills to move on to advanced courses. In one such case, a student had taken three remedial English courses and passed English 114, all without learning how to identify nouns and verbs, subject verb agreement, prepositions and a litany of other fundamental skills.

Furr said he fears that these students are being set up to fail.

“We have these student who are absolutely, positively going to keep falling through the cracks,” he said. “And if by some ill-conceived manner they graduate or transfer, they are going to run into the first year at San Diego State like a car running into a wall at 200 mph. They are going to hit that first semester and explode. They’re going to fail miserably and it’s not going to be San Diego States’ fault. It’s going to be Southwestern College’s fault.”

SWC transfer data has been faulty in recent years, according to counselors and college administrators who asked not to be named. Previous data showed, however, that only 57 percents of SWC students who transferred to four-year universities graduated. Some SWC administrators have said the number is even lower now.

Yoder said students performance did not suffer after they passed these initial transfer level courses. While SWC has not conducted recent studies of student performance after they transfer, Yoder cited studies from other colleges.

“It’s too new here, but other colleges have done studies that suggest that students who take an accelerated path do just as well as, if not better, than students who would

traditionally be placed in that level,” she said.

Furr raised a number of complaints against the studies SWC has conducted.

“It still seems to me to be a poorly thought out, not very well executed study that seem to be pretty much plotted and planned by the Chancellor’s office itself,” he said. “So I kind of question its (validity).”

Furr said he also had issues with research provided by the Chancellor’s office.

“I don’t like the fact that it was the Chancellor’s office that provided the data that the study was built around,” he said.

“Really? You gave them the data to do their work and you like what they came up with?

I have an issue with that.”

Research by the CCC did not acknowledge differences between students taking these classes. It did not take into account whether a student had disabilities or was ESL, how many remedial classes the student was taking or how highly motivated the student was.

“They are not differentiating between the types of students” he said. “It’s all just mingled data points that say ‘people in remedial courses.’”

The study in also omits key information, Furr said.

“They’re not counting students who should be in those classes, but who avoided them,” he said.

Levine said these massive shifts in strategy are being rushed and may not be supported well enough with funding and personnel.

Levine, who studied early implementations of acceleration, said the most important consideration is the faculty.

“The key was the massive training and and understanding of how to do it,” he said.

One concern is that staff will not be given the resources and training necessary to properly implement these changes.

Levine said 50 percent of the staff are parttime adjuncts who suffer from financial insecurity and no benefits.

A long-stalled initiative to purchase body cameras for Southwestern College police officers may be finding new momentum.

College administrators insist a workable plan is taking focus.

Vice President of Fiscal Services Tim Flood said the college is committed to the purchase of body cameras and a server to collect their data.

“We’ve got the money to help us pay for that, we just have to go to a governing board meeting to present our project and all the details,” he said.

Flood said the college will likely purchase cameras 12 weeks after the members of the board approve the idea, which means the cameras could be operational by June.

SWCPD Sgt. Robert Sanchez proposed the idea of body worn camera in 2014.

ASIS International awarded SWCPD a grant for $3,000, but four years later.

No cameras have been purchased.

Sanchez said there was no money allotted to complete the purchase or buy a server.

“It could still be a minimum of 6-12 weeks until we are able to implement the cameras, that is if it gets approved right away and the server purchased is completely clear of any bugs,” said Sanchez.

Acting SWCPD, Police Chief Dave Nighswonger said he is happy they are finally moving forward with his project, which has to be presented and approved by the governing board.

California law gives the school or facility using the body cameras to determine the right necessary protocols they seem fit for its department.

“We put in the provisions about the enforcement action, confrontation and anything that involves liability to start with,” said Nighswonger. “We are looking at about an hour worth of footage a day per camera.”

Footage cannot be changed once downloaded on to the server, said Sanchez.

“Officers would follow strict protocol in different situations when turning on the camera,” he said. “There is always going to be some privacy concerns with this project,” said Sanchez.

Nighswonger agreed.

“It is mainly a tool for the college to mitigate some liability,” he said. “Safety of the college is our main priority and we do believe these cameras would be a great step toward a better community.”

Sanchez said the college is moving deliberately to ensure that the system is effective.

“We wanted something more secure rather than buying go-pros at Best Buy, meaning the officers can’t manipulate or alter any of the footage recorded and downloaded on to the server.”

Furr said adjunct staff are severely underserved by the college due to lack of state funding and SWC resources available to part-time staff. Adjunct instructors have no offices and insufficient places to work on campus outside of their classes. Furr said it can take months for these instructors to even get a key to faculty restrooms. Adjunct staff, he said, may be negatively impacted in their ability to adjust to these sweeping changes.

John Rieder, a professor in the School of Language, Literature and Humanities, said the English department is already offering summer training programs for professors, but stated it will be a challenge to reach adjuncts.

“We have so many part-time faculty it’s going to be hard to cast a wide enough training net to catch everybody, but it’s something we’re all committed to doing,” he said. “I think this summer community of practice is sort of the first shot, and it’s something we expect to offer every summer.

I think it’s a slow process getting on board and getting on the same page with our pedagogy and the kinds of practices we’re going to need use in the classroom to support students. By the end of the summer will everyone be appraised at to how we’re approaching the course going forward? Not yet, but we’re working on it.”

Rieder said that he would like to conduct similar training in the winter if there is funding. He said he was not sure the English department would be ready by the legislation’s 2019 deadline.

Yoder said the fate of remedial classes depends on demand in the future.

“I don’t think there is anything in the law that would prevent us from providing courses that students could opt to take,” she said. “We’ve talked about with the ESL department offering smaller one or two unit courses, for students who want to develop their skills in those classes. It’s just a matter of demand.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

A3

Thomas Contant/Staff

THREE AND OUT —Trustee Griselda Delgado supports term limits, Tim Nader does not.

Board puts term limits on November ballot

By Pablo Corona Assistant Photo Editor

Trustees decided 12 years on the college governing board is plenty for one lifetime.

By a 4-1 vote, the Southwestern College board agreed to place a measure on the November ballot that would impose term limits. Should voters approve the measure, trustees could serve no more than three four-year terms. Trustees Norma Hernandez, Griselda Delgado, Roberto Alcantar and Nora Vargas voted for term limits. Board president Tim Nader was opposed.

Nader, who is running for California Superior Court Judge, said the idea of term limits stops citizens from keeping someone who is genuinely good at what they do in office.

“It should be left to the voters to decide who gets to stay on,” he said. “Voters are the people who know if issues are getting

resolved.”

Nader said term limits can amateurize elective bodies and unnecessarily force talented public servants from office.

“I don’t think we are better off with President Trump than we would have been with a third Obama term,” said Nader.

“I don’t think San Diego Community College District would be better off without Trustee Maria Senour.”

Nader said that a public service is not about being fair and giving everyone a chance. It is about serving the public, he said, and “doing your due diligence as a public servant.”

“It sounds fair to give everyone a turn, but rather it is about doing what you believe is right for the public,” Nader said.

Alcantar supported term limits. He said turnover of elected officials is healthy.

“I would not be sitting here if the past trustee didn’t have to run for reelection,” he said. “I’m someone who graduated

from San Ysidro and attended classes at Southwestern. I feel I bring a good perspective to the board. I’m sure that there are other young people who have great perspectives who one day deserve to be on the board, too. I would like to help facilitate a pipe line to create that better future leadership.”

Vargas said running against incumbents is too difficult.

“I think it’s really hard to run for office,” she said. “As an incumbent, whether serving for four years or eight years, the reality is no one is going to run against us. The reason nobody ran against me doesn’t mean I’m amazing and I’m great.

The reason is it’s really hard to beat an incumbent.”

Hernandez said that in her 30 years with the district she has seen a wide variety of people on the board. She said she does not want future members looking at the board as a lifetime gig because it is a public

service.

“This should not be a career position, this is more of a service we provide,” she said. “Observing many boards at Southwestern in my past, I have seen dynasties made, but the college needed to forge on. They couldn’t because they did not have the leadership.”

Delgado said trustees should reach out to past board members because they know how the college runs. Terms limits, she added, will create a resurgence in ideas. “ St u d e n t s w h o h a ve a t t e n d e d Southwestern have a chance to run for office and it brings a fresh new perspective to the board,” she said. “It allows them to be more connected to the community.”

Vargas said holding public office should be a noble pursuit.

“We have to change the mindset on what public service is to the community,” she said. “It is important that members from the community participate and engage.”

Border Angels, Pueblo Sin Fronteras link to help asylum seekers find safety in the U.S. Caravans arrive in Tijuana with asylum seekers

By Matthew Leksell Staff writer

When he watched Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions on TV describing the “mob of gansters and criminals heading towards the U.S. border,” Rodrigo Abeja had a hard time realizing they were talking about him.

Abeja is a leader of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a multi-national human rights organization that led Central American migrants and refugees through Mexico in hopes of finding them safe homes. The caravans served its largest group ever, he said, about 1,175 people.

Caravans were mostly women and children in dire need of political asylum, said Abeja. This differs from refugees, he explained, who are forced to leave their country in order to escape war without any guarantee that they will receive help upon arriving in a new country.

Enrique Morones, founder of B o rd e r A n g e l s , s a i d h i s g ro u p supports Pueblo Sin Fronteras.

“We are one of many organizations that are helping them because we believe in what they do,” he said.

Morones said the organizations share common values and goals such

as having volunteers educate their community and bring awareness on social justice matters. Border Angels and Pueblo Sin Fronteras linked up when Fronteras founder Roberto Corona and Director Irineo Mujica joined Morones on a Border Angels’ cross-country caravan. “ T h e y ’v e b e e n d o i n g t h e s e caravans for years,” said Morones. “ We’ve p a r t i c i p a t e d by h a v i n g (volunteers) on the caravan. We’ve also participated by donating.”

Among the volunteers was Karelly Vidrio, a Southwestern College journalism student who moved to San Diego from Tijuana 15 years ago to attend school.

Morones spoke in one of her classes during her first semester at SWC. When she was thinking about internships, Border Angels was one of the organizations that came to mind. She said being involved with Border Angels has changed her life.

“It feels wonderful helping people that need it,” she said. “I tear up thinking about being a Mexican activist and standing up for my people.”

Vi d r i o s a i d s h e re m e m b e re d traveling across the border to Tijuana and speaking to individuals brought over by the caravans. One woman she met, named Amelia, touched her with her story. Amelia was from Honduras and made the journey with her kids in order to provide for them and escape the crime in her home country. Vidrio said she

“They’ve been doing these caravans for years. We’ve participated by having (volunteers) on the caravan.

We’ve also participated by donating.”

-Enrique Morones, Border Angels founder felt that she could relate to them.

“I know what it is like having nothing and no opportunities,” she said.

One of the shelters that the Pueblo Sin Fronteras caravans arrived at is run by the Border Angels in Tijuana.

They welcomed the asylum seekers.

They carried women, children and LGBT youth among them, across Central America and Mexico.

Caravans include people from Ho n d u r a s , w h i c h h a s s u f f e re d violence and political instability, and El Salvador, awash in intense gang violence.

Ederson Hernandez, a migrant from Honduras, sat with his pregnant wife. Together with wipes and other toiletries, the couple hoped to gain asylum before she delivered.

“I hope my future there will be different,” he said. “That’s why

I’m here. It’s been pretty difficult because we’ve spent a week here at the border. We’ve been sleeping on the streets. We haven’t eaten all day.”

Hernandez said he cannot go back.

“The first thing that comes to mind is work because I do not want to go back to my country,” he said.

“We do not want to be there. It’s hard over there, you can’t work.

There’s death everywhere.”

Caravans by Pueblo Sin Fronteras started in 2008 have not backed down despite their opposition from Trump and his right wingers.

Hernandez asked Americans to be kind.

“Have a heart,” he said. “In our country it’s hard and maybe they don’t understand that life is very different there. If they went over there they would see that we don’t come to the U.S. for fun.”

Alcantar said this community is rich in strong leaders.

“If you’re concerned about lack of quality, it is up to us to work with community members and encourage them to run,” he said. “It is up to us as leaders of the community to create that pipeline.”

Alcantar said board members who stay too long can concentrate undue power and influence.

“There is no concrete evidence that term limits will benefit the district,” he said.

“What we do have is evidence is how the lack of term limits have destroyed districts and the integrity of our governing bodies.

Why not try something new?”

Alcantar said a lack of term limits can create laziness. Serving, he emphasized, is an honorable duty.

“Lack of limits had people feeling that they can continue serving and not be held accountable,” he said. “We are elected to do a job and the community trusts us.”

Bookstore aims to lower prices on textbooks

By Jahaziel Valencia Staff writer

Textbook prices are soaring across American but Southwestern College is fighting the trend.

SWC’s campus bookstore is less profit driven than most other college outlets and is actively working to find less expensive solutions, said Debbi Williams, the bookstore textbook buyer.

Students can often sell textbooks back to the bookstore or to other students.

“We’ve seen the prices dropping for e-books significantly, but we can not offer cheaper books unless the faculty uses a fairly current edition,” she said.

Price reductions vary depending on the condition of the book as well as the publisher.

Same for e-books.

SWC created a system where students can sell their textbooks back to the bookstore for up to a 50 percent return, but in order for it to qualify, the book needs to be in good condition, have no new edition and be on next semesters textbook list. Students can also offer their textbooks to other students through the online bookstore page.

DSS Director Patricia Flores-Charter said she and PIO Lillian Leopold have been hard at work to make this more known to the students.

“Our bookstore is not here to make a profit, it is here to provide the students the services they need,” she said.

Flores-Charter said the textbook committee has worked to inform faculty of strategies to lower textbook prices.

“Publishers are required by law to update faculty about different textbook editions,” she said. “I asked faculty to raise their hands to see if they knew, nobody did.”

A4

ACLU creates Know Your Rights campaign

By Paola G. Labrada News Editor

ICE may be kicking in doors, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is pushing back.

Its “Know your Rights” campaign includes training to teach people their human rights and putting together kits for potential deportations.

SWC Trustee Roberto Alcantar is an ACLU member. He said the Know Your Rights campaign provides presentations to community groups and members. “ We are really focused on the implementation of the SP54 CA values act,” he said. “We are working with local governments, local law enforcements agencies and even the attorney general to ensure that the California Values Act is properly implemented and all protections are put in place.”

The ACLU has been working on immigration issues for years, said Alcantar.

After the election of Donald Trump, it was clear that America was headed in a dark direction, he said.

“They are going after a very vulnerable population,” he said. “We can’t stand by and let that happen.”

Alcantar said deportations will continue to happen, but knowledge and preparedness is the beginning of a strong defense.

“We understand the reality that deportations are going to happen, so we don’t just talk about how to prevent deportations, but we also work really close with community members about how to prevent them,” said Alcantar.

Below are guides created by the Know Your Rights campaign.

When officers shows up at your door: Keep the door closed and ask if they are Immigration agents or from ICE. Ask the agents what they are there for.

Opening the door does not give the agents permission to come inside, but it is safer to speak to ICE through the door.

If the agents do not speak your language, ask for an interpreter.

At immigration checkpoints: Stop the car in a safe place as quickly as possible. Turn off the car, turn on the internal light, open the window part way and place your hands on the wheel.

Upon request, show police your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance.

If an officer or immigration agent asks to search your car, you can refuse, but if police believe your car contains evidence of a crime, they can search it without your consent.

Both drivers and passengers have the right to remain silent. If you are a passenger, you may ask if you are free to leave. If yes, silently leave.

Alcantar said the lack of information from ICE about their arrests was frustrating.

“It is difficult to get any real data because the federal government is not very transparent when it comes to this kind of data,” he said.

SWC wants to ensure the safety of all its students, said Alcantar.

“We are 100 percent committed to the success of students,” he said. “We want to make sure that you do not worry about anything else but ensuring that you have time to attend school and do your homework.

Our students need to know that our board will continue to work for you to make sure that you feel safe in this campus and want to make sure you have the resources so that you know how to get assistance you need based on your immigration status.”

Edward Sifuentes, an ACLU Communications Strategist, said many ICE detainees are people who are not and never have been criminals.

“ICE’s field office in San Diego had a higher rate of arrests of people who had no criminal history,” he said. “We have no knowledge as to the agency’s motives. It could be a result of a shift in ICE policies determining who is an enforcement priority and who is not.”

Alcantar said many of the arrest are about showing good metrics.

“They are doing these mass deportations to boost their numbers,” he said. “If you go to the ICE website they post about how much they been enforcing and how many people they are detaining.”

Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels, an immigration support organization, agreed.

“ICE in San Diego have more arrests than anywhere else in the country,” he said. “The people they are arresting are not criminals.

They are doing it on purpose.”

The ACLU wants to support Dreamers as much as possible, said Sifuentes.

“Students must remain active and express their support for a clean Dream Act,” he said.

“There are many ways to do this, including joining with other Dreamer students advocating for immigration reforms. The ACLU will continue to do all we can.”

Paola G. Labrada, editor

NEWS

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

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

Former deportee receives U.S. citizenship

By Aileen Orozco Assistant Photo Editor

For the second time in his remarkable life, Army Sgt. Hector Barajas returned to the United States a hero.

First he came back from battle in Iraq, next from deportation to Tijuana.

Barajas received a letter with news of his new citizenship status while at The Bunker, a deported veterans support house he founded in 2013.

Yolanda Varona, director of Dreamer Moms, recalled the joyous moment when Barajas opened his life-changing letter. “ We were all really happy and excited,” she said. “ I always had the confidence that he was going to receive it. Good deeds don’t go unnoticed and Hector’s work is impeccable.”

While excitement radiated throughout The Bunker, Barajas admitted that his initial thoughts were of uncertainty.

“I felt a lot of anxiety because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.

Barajas attended a naturalization ceremony this month in San Diego.

Nathan Fletcher and other elected officials who suppor ted Barajas attended the ceremony.

Barajas had his life turned upside down when he was deported in 2001 for firing a gun at a car. He spent years in Tijuana living in poverty before founding the Deported Veterans Support House in 2013.

Si n c e t h e n , Ba r a j a s h a s b u i l t an organization that has inspired deported veterans across the globe.

Even so, step one, he said, is to get a new driver’s license.

Barajas is applying for his social security number, California ID and other paperwork that is required from American citizens. He has traveled

Records: SWC has again failed to produce data Continued from pg. A1

A History of Records Denials SWC was sanctioned by its accreditation body and nationally criticized by media and clean government organizations in 2009 and 2010 when administrators falsified and hid what FIRE, the ACLU and other watchdog organizations said were routine documents and information the public had the right to see.

On April 13, 2010 Southwestern was named one of America’s worst Fi r s t A m e n d m e n t v i o l a t o r s b y the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression “for promulgating and enforcing a policy limiting” free speech. A new governing board majority elected in November 2010 made transparency and accountability a priority.

In January 2011 new President Dr. Melinda Nish ordered staff to w i t h h o l d d o c u m e n t s s o u g h t by NBC, the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune that incriminated former VP Nicholas Alioto of criminal activities. ThenBoard President Tim Nader ordered Nish to release the documents.

Cash Gun Fire Mystery Lingers Nish later refused to release a report requested by The Sun on former SWCPD Chief Michael Cash after he fired his gun in PD headquarters, narrowly missing three employees in the next room. Two employees retired due to stress-related ailments. College attorneys cited the Police Officers Bill of Rights as the reason for withholding the report. First Amendment attorney Frank LoMonte of the Student Press Law Center called the withholding “patently illegal.”

Accusations of Faculty Sexual Misconduct In 2016 The Sun requested documents related to an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by an SWC instructor. Nish refused to release the documents. A 2017 follow up request was ignored. This spring the instructor resigned following an extensive misconduct investigation.

The Sun’s request for documents about the number of and cost of investigations into sexual misconduct was not granted. College President Dr. Kindred Murillo said in August 2017 that the college was conducting at least 18 investigations. Attempts

by The Sun to determine the total

Peggy Peattie photo

DEPORTED VETERANS NO MORE — Former U.S. military veteran Hector Barajas with fellow vets at the Veteran Support House in Tijuana. His work there led him to receive U.S. citizenship following a pardon from Gov. Brown.

to Washington D.C., Sacramento and several other cities to meet with elected officials who have taken an interest in his work.

“Because I’ve been able to talk about my experience, what I have gone through and the work that I have been doing, my voice carries more weight now,” he said.

Barajas is one of the first deported veterans to be pardoned and granted full citizenship. He said he hopes his work will be more productive than ever. He said that since he returned he has not spent as much time with his family as he would like, but said

that will change.

He plans to stay one more year in Tijuana and work at The Bunker.

“I want to make sure that the doors don’t close and continue my commitment,” he said. “Otherwise, if I leave, this will all fall apart. I want to make sure that this organization continues, that it is funded, that we have the right people in charge.”

Cesar Garcia, a student at Colegio de la Frontera Nor te, has been volunteering at The Bunker for years.

“I have been really impressed by their courage and strength,” he said.

“I have witnessed their learning

experiences and growth. I think they’re an example for many organizations, that even though they have faced every obstacle, they don’t give up. I think it is a great human labor that speaks highly of them.”

Citizenship has given Barajas the opportunity to build a better life, he said, and he hopes to put his daughter through college.

It has also given thousands of deported immigrants hope.

number of investigations conducted in 2017-18 was unsuccessful.

Spring 2018 Delays A series of records requests filed with Southwestern College in April 2018 have been delayed since April due to what administration said is a “data migration” problem, moving the information to a new computer software system, and general confusion on filing public records.

The Sun filed numerous public record requests regarding sexual assault data, crime logs and receipts on financial settlements regarding third party investigations. During a meeting with Murillo this week, Sun Editor-in-Chief Alyssa Pajarillo told her the college had ignored California Public Records Act requests submitted

by The Sun in the past and has a history of mishandled crime data.

Murillo said she had no knowledge of prior flaws in record keeping or unfulfilled requests for public documents.

“I don’t know about their history because I wasn’t here and you know that,” Murillo said. “I can tell you since I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to put processes in place to make sure that public records requests are handled appropriately.”

A records request was submitted to Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs Tim Flood on April 19, 2018 requesting billing records, invoices and contracts for all third party investigators hired by the college to investigate sexual assault and the amount the college paid by in settlements to victims of sexual assault. The Sun received a receipt for the records request eight days later on April 27. An email sent by Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Linda Gilstrap said The Sun would be contacted no later than May 11 in regards to this request. Gilstrap did not contact the Sun again until Dean of Student Services Dr. Malia Flood was emailed by The Sun on May 16. After getting in contact with Gilstrap she explained that The Sun had received word back on May 3 regarding this request. It was actually for a different record request, not the April 19 request.

The receipt provided on May 3 said The Sun would receive documents from SWCPD on May 28, three days after the end of the semester and after the final issue of The Sun this semester. Gilstrap also said the documents requested on April 19 were to be included in the documents promised to be sent electronically on May 28 despite not being mentioned in the email.

Pa j a r i l l o s a i d t h e d e l a y w a s

“unacceptable” and “looks like the college is intentionally running out the clock on The Sun.” No Staff for Records Murillo said one subsection of the request filed with SWCPD had more than 3,500 pages of documentation and said no one in the department was capable of transferring the files onto a thumb drive.

“With this system we’re dealing with right now it takes a little bit of time and it takes somebody to do it that knows how to do it,” she said.

“The person who normally does this is off, so we got part of them done.”

The request made on April 23 was for sexual assault data and was filed with SWCPD the same day. The CPRA requested access to copies of all complaints, findings and resolutions to sexual assault cases from 2008-18. Acting Police Chief Davis Nighswonger said the records would be provided in a timely manner, but has thus far only provided a general crime log of 2018. No further documentation was provided before May 25 publication.

No Clery Act Reports The Sun also asked for copies of the 2017 Clery Act Report, a federally-mandated public document that requires public colleges to disclose crime statistics. The police department were unable to provide the documents and The Sun had to go to the Department of Education for the data. Colleges risk losing federal financial aid if not in compliance with the Clery Act. Failure to complete and publish a Clery Act report is also a Title IX violation. Nighswonger said in a 2017 interview that the last Clery report filed by former Police Chief Cash had more than 100 errors. “ They found us deficient and we had to hire an audit team,” Nighswonger said. “They found 122 errors.”

Murillo said the figure was incorrect.

“It was actually 205 to be exact,” she said. “It was not errors. It was areas that needed to be fixed.”

Scolding from Education Department A Program Review conducted by the U.S. Department of Education said SWC was guilty of violations of the Clery Act, despite meeting minimum requirements. DOE officials told the college to publish a complete report of 2013-14, which would include data going back to 2010. The report also said that the college taking remedial actions does not diminish the seriousness of these violations.

“SWC is reminded that the exceptions identified constitute serious violations of the Clery Act

that by their nature cannot be cured,” the review reads. “There is no way to truly ‘correct’ a violation of this type once it occurs.”

College administrators have said on numerous occasions that SWC is making great progress with Title IX compliancy and the college has a zero tolerance for sexual violence.

Murillo agreed and said SWC is trying to assure correct reporting as well.

“Title IX compliance has been one of my priorities since becoming Superintendent President and is a priority of the Governing Board because it is about doing the right thing,” she said. “The Southwestern College administration and Governing Board have demonstrated a dedicated a n d c o m p re h e n s i ve re s p o n s e t o Title IX complaints. We support and appreciate the SWC Police Department’s efforts to strengthen our collection and logging of sexual assault data under the Clery Act. They have been diligent. We have set clear response guidelines and followed up appropriately.”

No data or statistics were provided by college officials to substantiate these claims. Murillo said there was no baseline data before her arrival in January 2017. According to the Clery Act, records used for annual security reports must be kept by an institution for seven years. No such records have been found or made public.

Title IX Records Missing An April 23 records request to the Title IX department was not granted.

Acting Title IX Director Dr. David Caspi said his department did not have records documenting sexual assault before due to his Oct. 24, 2017 hiring. He said he, too, had sought data from the administration.

He said the data was requested by The Sun would be available from Student Services and human resources, the departments previously responsible for the duties of the Title IX office. He provided data from September 2017 to 2018. Caspi said he was unsure if the college still had documents recording sexual assault prior to September 2017. He said there was no centralized location for the storage of records and no mechanism to track historical data.

“I don’t know if there was ever one location, one repository for all of (the records),” he said. “That’s why it’s really hard to know the historical aspect of these claims. As far as I know, there aren’t any records. Not to say there isn’t. When I’ve asked around, I haven’t been able to find any historical spreadsheet that categorizes all these and keeps track of them.”

“It is important for people not to lose hope,” he said. “Your life has to go on wherever you are at and you just have to make the best of it.”

May 25, 2018— Volume 61, Issue 6

VIEWPOINTS

The Southwestern College Sun

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Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor

The mission of the Southwestern College Sun is to serve its campuses and their communities by providing information, insights and stimulating discussions of news, activities and topics relevant to our readers. The staff strives to produce a newspaper that is timely, accurate, fair, interesting, visual and accessible to readers. Though the “Sun” is a student publication, staff members ascribe to the ethical and moral guidelines of professional journalists.

ALYSSA PAJARILLO

For honest sex, consent is never implied

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alyssa Pajarillo COPY EDITOR

Brian del Carmen NEWS

Paola G. Labrada, editor Matthew Brooks, assistant CAMPUS

C

Justin Dottery, editor Marla Raudales, assistant Kateley Boardman, assistant VIEWPOINTS

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor Siobhan Eagen, assistant Ramona Lopez, assistant Larry Estrada, head cartoonist ARTS

editorial

Marty Loftin, editor SPORTS

Ivana E. Morales, editor Brittany Cruz-Fejeran, assistant Paloma L. Zaizar, assistant ONLINE

Arantxa Calles, editor PHOTOGRAPHY

Victoria Sanchez, editor Aileen Orozco, assistant Pablo Corona, assistant SENIOR STAFF

Natalie Mosqueda Katy Stegall STAFF WRITERS

JoseLuis Baylon

Juan Morales

Yazmin Chavez

Arianna Pintado

Natalie Davila

Joshua Ruiz-

Karen Estrada

Ortega

Sydni Ingram

Aide Valdez

Elizabeth Juarez

Jahaziel Valencia

Matthew Leksell

Dasha Vovk

Alejandro Morales

PHOTOGRAPHERS

CARTOONISTS

Alexander Contreras

Dan Cordero

Maria Joaquin

Stephanie Garrido Michelle Phillips ADVISOR

Dr. Max Branscomb

AWARDS/HONORS Student Press Law Center National College Press Freedom Award, 2011 National Newspaper Association National College Newspaper of the Year, 2004-17 Associated Collegiate Press National College Newspaper of the Year National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2003-06, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012-2017 General Excellence Awards, 2001-18 Best of Show Awards, 2003-18 Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal for Journalism Excellence, 2001-18 California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.

California College Newspaper of the Year, 2013, 2016 Student Newspaper General Excellence, 2002-18

San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award Society of Professional Journalists National Mark of Excellence, 2001-18 First Amendment Award, 2002, 2005 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards 1999-2017 Directors Award for Defense of Free Speech, 2012 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Pacesetter Award 2001-17 General Excellence Awards, 2000-18 American Scholastic Press Association Community College Newspaper of the Year San Diego County Fair Media Competition Best of Show 200103, 2005-2017

The Issue: When SWC was in mortal danger, Tim Nader provided leadership to turn things around.

Ramona Lopez/staff

Our Position: We endorse Mr. Nader for Superior Court Judge, Office 37, on June 5.

Tim Nader is a great trustee, would make a terrific judge Tim Nader is kind of short. He prefers to use public transportation and buys his suits off the rack.

To Southwestern College, though, he is a towering knight in shining armor who thundered in on a great white stallion.

When Southwestern College was faced with shutdown by its accreditation body, trammeled by evil and incompetent administrators, and mired in “a culture of fear,” Nader literally came to the rescue. He locked arms with Norma Hernandez and Nick Aguilar to form a new progressive (and honest) governing board majority that saved the college and began the process of transforming it into a more competent, less venal institution.

Reading through the archives of campus newspapers over the past 10 years is a reminder that SWC was in a very dark place in 2010. SWC was national news for its cruelty, First Amendment violations, incompetence and corruption. It would be no exaggeration to say that Nader, Hernandez and Aguilar are probably the three most important SWC trustees of all time. If there was a trustee Mt. Rushmore, they would be on it. They are first ballot Hall of Famers.

It is with very mixed emotions, then, that the Editorial Board of The Sun endorses Tim Nader in his run for Superior Court Judge, Office 37.

We hate to lose him from our college board, but we know he will be an outstanding judge who will continue his life-long service to this community.

Nader is a humble intellectual, a pious servant of others and a natural leader dating back to his days on the ASB at Hilltop High School. A member of an immigrant family and a firstgeneration college student, he earned scholarships to UC Berkeley, a Bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Berkeley’s prestigious Boalt School of Law. He served as a Chula Vista Youth Commissioner and was elected to the Chula Vista City Council when he was 29. He was thrust into the public spotlight in 1991 following the unexpected and tragic death of his friend Gayle McCandless, the talented young mayor.

Nader was elected mayor when he was 33 years old, stepped into crisis and served with distinction.

The professional prosecutor immediately went to work on Chula Vista’s high crime rate. He led the effort to hire more police officers – and more diverse police officers – and to improve their

Online Comments Policy

training to include community policing strategies that build trusting relationships with vulnerable members of the community. He took considerable political fire, but persisted in leading the charge for a modern new CVPD headquarters in what is now the heart of the city.

He is tough on crime, but also a strong believer that people can evolve and grow. Nader is a firm backer of SWC’s prison education program that promotes restorative justice. Research consistently shows that the inability to read and write is a predictor of criminal behavior and a barrier to reform. Prisoners who pursue education are much less likely to reoffend and much more likely to lead productive lives when they are freed.

A strong Constitutionalist, Nader has always supported the Constitutional rights of all citizens.

He has been a strong supporter of the First Amendment and Southwestern’s journalism students.

He led the push to restore printing and travel budgets cut by the vengeful Raj K. Chopra, Nicholas Alioto and Yolanda Salcido. He joined Hernandez and Aguilar to champion a new student publications policy that protects students First Amendment rights and funding levels. He forbade former employees Melinda Nish and Beatrice Zamora and former student affairs dean Mia McClellan from watering down the policy when they thought no one was looking.

For his effort Nader was honored by journalism students with the Southwestern College Champion of the First Amendment Award. He was also recognized by the Journalism Association of Community Colleges for his courage defending the First Amendments rights of student journalists, SWC employees and members of the region’s religious communities.

Tim Nader has the training, temperament and talent to be an excellent Superior Court Judge. As Deputy Attorney General he argues billion dollar cases before the California Supreme Court. He is by far the best prepared and most qualified of the five judge candidates in his race.

We urge voters to reject the bumbling and racist incumbent Gary Kreep (29 misconduct charges against him already), and vote in a serious upgrade in Tim Nader. His armor is polished and his steed is ready to ride. Tim Nader has our enthusiastic endorsement for Judge of the Superior Court, Office 37.

Letters Policy Send mailed letters to: Editor, Southwestern College Sun, 900

The Sun reserves the right to republish web comments

Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Send e-mailed letters to

in the newspaper and will not consider publishing

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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.

onsent is key to sex, but some people are still trying to pick the lock.

Most students had a sex education class in middle or high school. While these programs teach anatomy and how bodies mature, most programs do not teach about consent.

Consent is a fundamental part of sex. It is the affirmative, avid and active agreement between people who wish to engage in sexual activity. While this concept may seem obvious, consent is still a concept that society is wrestling with.

Consent is not implied. There are no blurred lines. Let’s be clear: • Consent is not given if the person is under the influence. If a man or a woman cannot even drive home, they are not able to give consent because their judgment is impaired.

• Consent is not necessarily given even if a person does not object.

Not objecting does not mean they agreement. Consent requires expressed verbal agreement • Consent cannot be given if the person is unconscious. Prior consent does not apply if the person has passed out or is sleeping.

• Consent is not given if the person is giving into pestering or bullying. Succumbing to peer pressure is not consent and can lead to prosecution of the perpetrator.

• Consent is not given if the person gives a reluctant answer.

“I guess…” or weak “…okay,” responses show that a person may be reluctant to agree to sexual activity.

If a person hesitates, they may not be all that willing. Consent should be given with an affirmative and avid “yes.”

There are some things to keep in mind while engaging in sexual activity to ensure that your partner is comfortable and still giving consent.

• Pay attention to body language.

If a partner seems to tense up, shy away from touch, or fall silent second thoughts may have crept in. Keep in mind that participants should be appear to be enthusiastic about the activities.

• It is wise to get verbal reassurance from your partner. A simple, “is this okay?” or “would it be okay if…?” should suffice. Be sure to get verbal feedback. It is okay to stop if either party express discomfort.

• Have a discussion afterwards.

Take a few minutes after the activity to discuss what was and what was not enjoyed. It is important to be attentive to a partner’s likes and dislikes.

A person may give consent at the start of sexual activity, but can revoke if the situation becomes uncomfortable. It is important that people express their discomfort or when they are unwillingness to continue. While it may be frustrating, it is important to be an understanding partner and not badger or make someone feel guilty for revoking consent.

A recent study funded by the Center for Disease Control concluded that 10 percent of high school and college-aged people have coerced another person into sexual activity.

The study also finds that the age of 16 seems to be when teens are most likely to coerce others into doing things against their will.

Teaching consent at an early age and reinforcing it through higher levels of education is the key to preventing sexual assault and empowering individuals to speak up against pressure.

The Southwestern College Sun

MAS dept fights to redeem Cinco de Mayo

May 25, 2018 – Volume 61, Issue 6

CAMPUS

JoseLuis Baylon

Concealed guns make things worse

‘Day of Honor’ still a U.S. excuse to drink

P

By Marla Raudales Assistant Campus Editor

Cinco de Mayo, an inspiring day in Mexican history when humble residents of Puebla defeated Napoleon’s army, has been wrecked by Americans, says just about every Latino.

Many Americans, though, are too drunk to hear.

Cinco de Mayo has been diminished to “Drinko de Mayo” or “Cinco de Drinko” by borrachos con nachos.

Gregorio Pantojas grita, “¡Ya basta!”

Pantojas, an adjunct history instuctor in the Mexican-American Studies (MAS) Department, said he and his compadres are out to change the mindset. They hosted their second annual Cinco De Mayo Celebration to organize an entertaining, yet educational presentation acknowledging the history behind the holiday.

Pantojas said it is important for him to include an educational component in the form of a lecture, and not just make it all about the food, music and dance.

“If we did that, then we would be following the status quo,” he said. “That would be doing exactly what everyone else is doing to contribute to the loss of history and the loss of memory of what this great event was about. Yeah, we want to have fun and we want to enjoy, but we need to understand why we are celebrating.”

On May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla, townspeople of Puebla fought off a legion of French invaders.

“It is so misunderstood, not only

by Americans, but us as MexicanAmericans,” he said. “We do not know the history of Cinco de Mayo and I really want to help.”

Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas,

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff

A PROM FOR EVERYONE —Cheyenne Maestas and Harper Miskin danced the night away at the 2nd annual SAGA Queer Prom. More than 70 students attended.

Bliss & inclusion

please see Cinco pg. A7

Drawing on the artistry of dancers

By Alex Morales Staff Writer

Dance is the art of the body and soul that needs no words.

Drawing is an art that also needs no words but it does need things to, uh, draw.

SWC’s life drawing class at has partnered with the dance department to allow students to draw rehearsing dance students. It is a collaboration that allows art students to practice techniques learned throughout the semester and apply them in real life.

Professor of Art Nikko Muller said he decided that using dancers for practice on live drawing would be beneficial.

“Right around this time in the semester we go into motion drawing,” he said. “It is one thing to draw a still object, but another to draw a moving person. So I thought it would be a great experience if students got the opportunity to draw dancers and observe the live motion in person.”

Muller said he wants to challenge artists by applying movement in a static form and translate it into a twodimensional drawing. Students also involved sequence drawing and abstract gesture lines to capture the moment.

Artists had to quickly sketch out the image captured the moving dancers in their mind.

Helda Gomez, a dance major, said that please see Dance pg. A7

A6

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING — Ivan Ortiz and Mariana Silva-Gomez enjoyed a dance at the Queer Prom hosted by SWC in the Student Union East Building. SAGA President Dan Cordero called the event a “huge success.”

By Arianna Pintado Staff Writer

“Mickey Mouse did not stay the little squeaky guy in ‘Steamboat Willie.’ He went on to have many different versions.”

—Paul Dini Southwestern College’s Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Club is on a mission to show the community that people come in many different flavors. It even threw a prom to represent them.

SAGA’s second annual Queer Prom may have been SWC’s most colorful and clever event of the year. Organizers called it celebrating of love, community and acceptance. This year’s theme was Disney and the cosplay was out in force.

“Long time coming, long overdue is what it is,” said promgoer Amihan Garcia. “It should not be a thing where we have to plan a space where we can truly be ourselves, but it is nice we could.”

Evanish Mariezcurrena was ubiquitous and effervescent all evening with her hair done up in Mickey Mouse ears.

“I am really happy,” she said. “I believe in equality and love is love and accepting everybody. I just love it.”

SAGA organizers encouraged guests to dress as their favorite Disney character.

Richard Castro Jr. admitted he was not please see Prom pg. A7

Boston survivor completes marathon on her own terms

By Joshua Ruiz-Ortega Staff Writer

Five years after experiencing two bombs tear through the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Tayler Nichols sailed over the finish line to an explosion of cheers.

SWC’s long-distance EOPS counselor covered the 26.2-mile course in 4:33:19, somewhere behind Desiree Linder, the Hilltop High School alum who won the 2018 women’s race.

Nichols is a champion, her friends insist, for returning to Boston after the 2013 terror attack that killed three and wounded at least 260.

“That was a lot of fun and super inspiring to see these people who have come from all over the country, athletes who have prosthetic legs and athletes who are blind who are running it,” she said.

Nichols, 28, an SWC EOPS

counselor and a professional development instr uctor since October 2015, was born in Honolulu. Her family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when she was eight. Time on the soccer team at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, helped condition her for long-distance running, she said.

“It was kind of an easy transition to go from soccer, where you run like seven to eight miles per game, to just running to keep in shape,” she said.

Ni c h o l s e a r n e d h e r B A i n psychology with a minor in biology from Boston University and a Master’s in rehabilitation counseling from SDSU. At BU she enrolled in a marathon running class that familiarized her with the fanfare of the Patriot’s Day and the nation’s oldest marathon.

During her senior year she please see Survivor pg. A7

Courtesy Photo

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP— SWC EOPS counselor Tayler Nichols completed this year’s Boston Marathon.

She survived the terrorist attack of 2013.

resident Trump actually believes concealed gun permits for teachers will make schools safer.

If school employees think having a concealed gun makes you safer, think again.

Consider poor Philando Castile. He was the overqualified, smart supervisor of the Nutritional Services Department at Saint Paul Public Schools. Had been there since he was 19.

He was shot in his car by a police officer after declaring he had a legal concealed gun. He did exactly what you are taught in gun safety class. He did not want to surprise the officers.

Standing outside on a busy freeway, the officer misunderstood Castile and shot him dead with Castile’s traumatized girlfriend in the passenger seat. She streamed the aftermath to a sickened America.

Cowardly Parkland High School resource officers did not enter the building as a gunman slaughtered students. They had guns, but human behavior predicated the move.

Sigmund Freud said when people make a mistake, like dropping their keys, it came from an unconscious thought altering the brain’s decision making. Freud called these “erroneous mistakes.” These mistakes happen all the time around guns.

Trump should not be campaigning to give teachers guns. It is evident he is scientifically uninformed.

Plentiful scientific research has dispelled any notion that more concealed guns will make us safer.

Dr. Michael Binder of the University of North Florida found a consistent link between violent crime rates and concealed gun permits by studying data from all 67 Florida counties.

Trump does not know that. Survivors of past mass shootings travel to the White House to ask the president to reduce firearm violence. Instead, he offers even more guns.

Trump does not know that high gun ownership is a predictor of violent crime. Florida already has 1.6 million concealed-carry permits, more than any other state. In 2016, Florida had the most mass shootings in the country.

The science is there, but the message is not being heard. Areas with more concealed gun permits are more dangerous. Consider these facts: Concealed weapons endanger police officers. Cops working in states with high gun ownership are three times more likely to be killed in the line duty, including 92 percent killed by guns.

Concealed weapons endanger women. Boston University Medical Center found femicide occurs most in states with high rates of gun ownership.

Concealed weapons are dangerous for stressed and depressed people. A Boston University study concluded that accessibility to guns led to higher risk of gun-related suicide. Guns account for 51 percent of all suicide deaths. In 2016, there were 15,088 gun-related murders and 22,938 firearm-related suicides in the U.S. Firearm suicides greatly outnumber homicides every year.

Concealed weapons endanger everyone. States with more firearms have more homicides where the victims are likely to be murdered by someone they know.

Trump is promoting a bigger gun problem than ever before. He will get even more people killed.

In 1776, during the Revolutionary War, America worried about invasion from other countries. Today, not so much.

Who do we have to defend ourselves from? Neighbors? Coworkers? Friends of friends? Lovers? And now, teachers?

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May 25, 2018 – Volume 61, Issue 6

Justin Dottery, editor

CAMPUS

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

Aileen Orozco/Staff

MARIACHI MAGICA EN MAYO— SWC Mariachi Garibaldi spreads the beauty of Mexican culture during the Cinco de Mayo Celebration.

Cinco: MAS reclaiming the famous Mexican military miracle Continued from pg. A6

President Dr. Kindred Murillo and few other members from the governing board were in attendance to show support and members of the governing board attended to show support.

“This is a special big celebration for those of you who have come to the U.S. as immigrants or those who are MexicanAmerican,” said Murillo. “It is important to honor that heritage and the struggle of liberty for being here in the United States.”

Mayor Casillas Salas, a 1975 SWC alumni, said she was honored to have been personally invited by the MAS Scholars, and expressed the importance of learning from the battles fought by he Mexican people.

“Just like the people of Puebla, we are on a battlefield today,” she said. “We cannot forsake our voting rights, we cannot become compliant. We cannot allow for our civil liberties to be taken away by people in office who have a very different agenda.”

Pantojas said that celebrating and educating the community on Cinco de Mayo is more relevant than ever.

“It is important in times like these where we have a presidential narrative that seeks to minimize and criminalize Mexican-Americans and all other Latinos,” he said.

Pantojas said he hopes the celebration will go on to become another important tradition at SWC that celebrates the culture of Mexican-Americans in the community.

“I tell everyone that I have a vision in my head where in the future everyone in the South Bay and in San Diego will know that you go to Southwestern College to go see the Mexican-American Studies Cinco de Mayo Celebration.”

Courtesy Photo

BOSTON STRONG—Tayler Nichols assists hundreds of kids navigate college courses and runs marathons for good causes.

Alexander Contreras/Staff

EDUCATING THE MASSES —Author Rudy Guevarra Jr. gives a fiery presentation to students on Filipino culture and history.

Pagkakaisa promotes Pinoy Power

By Alexander Contreras Staff Writer

Filipinos have had it rough.

Just ask Professor Felix Tuyay. He is an expert on Filipino misery, but also Pinoy Power.

Japan, Spain and the United States have all once occupied the strategic Philippine archipelago, creating mass flight and an enormous Filipino diasphora.

Now, Tuyay said, they need heroes.

Filipino-Americans are the second largest Asian group in the U.S., yet one of its least represented groups. At Southwestern College they account for nearly half of the students who transfer to four-year universities or earn professional certificates.

Filipino students are stars, but many folks do not see them shining. Pagkakaisa (Unity in Tagalog) is an SWC club trying to change that.

Tuyay, a former Pagkakaisa advisor, waved a two-page document with every Filipino-American in politics, sports, film, music and other entertainment platforms. In comparison, a twopage document would not cover half of the African-American or Latino representatives. Tuyay said this problem is severe, because a lack of representation leads to a lack of awareness, pride and discontinuation of culture.

“The Filipino culture is extremely vibrant,” he said. “If it is not shown or represented, it will eventually die out.

Filipino-Americans are more worried about assimilating into American culture, than learning about their own and passing it on to younger generations.

Older Filipinos stress entering the workforce strictly as members of the Navy or healthcare.”

He blamed this ideology of progression on a colonial mentality. The Philippines were occupied by Spain for nearly 300

years and later given up to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War. Pagkakaisa advisor Christopher Vito said he believes colonial mentality leads directly to Filipinos’ sense of inferiority.

“If we look back, The Philippines have been occupied or colonized for their entire existence,” said Vito. “They have been taught the history and culture of other countries, but are constantly told their own culture is not one to be proud of.”

Vito said he is pleased with the cultured diversity and awareness programs in place at Southwestern College, but feels more could be done.

“As a club we emphasize the importance of community,” he said. “I feel if every student club understood each other’s struggles, we would have a much better community.”

Pagkakaisa President Carissa Ainsworth agreed. She said the history taught in The Philippines as a part of their curriculum is extremely different from what Filipino-Americans in the U.S. are exposed to.

“Students in our club born in The Philippines who come to the United States are usually confused,” she said.

“They are taught a completely different narrative in the Philippine schools than we are in the United States.”

Pagkakaisa Vice President Xitaly Uribe, a first generation MexicanAmerican, said this leads to a disconnect among group members.

“We have students who have lived in the United States their entire life, not once visiting the Philippines, and students who just migrated to the United States,” she said.

Uribe first became involved with Pagkakaisa after exiting the club’s sister learning community, Bayan. She described the club’s mission statement

and its constant push towards cultural awareness.

“Both Latinos and Filipinos have a lot in common such as the foods we eat, words we use and the fact we were both colonized at one point,” said Uribe. “I was taken a back when I joined Bayan and realized how many similarities there are. I was unaware of a lot of these issues and it helped me learn more even about my own culture.”

Author Rudy Guevarra Jr. said he identifies as Mexipino, a combination of Filipino and Mexican. His driving message was the importance of educating.

“I want to make it your duty to educate the people around you,” he said.

“Most people do not know Filipinos were directly involved in the labor disputes of the 1960s.”

Guevarra said Filipino history in San Diego County is marred by strategic segregation.

“An imaginary line was cut right at Interstate 8,” he said. “Everything north was left for whites and everything south was left to minorities.”

Guevarra said San Diego also used to have strict laws against interracial marriage.

“It was illegal for any minority to marry a white person,” he said. “Filipinos and Mexicans commonly married. The county clerks did not care if Mexicans and Filipinos married.”

When Pagkakaisa started at SWC 50 years ago it advocated for political and social change. Professor Tuyay said now there seems to be a lack of interest.

All Filipino history classes have been cancelled due to low enrollment.

Pagkakaisa only has seven active members. Tuyay said he hopes that in the future more Filipinos join Pagkakaisa to bring more awareness and representation to the campus.

“There is no pride.”

Dance: Art and dance departments collaborate for live drawing sessions Continued from pg. A6

she was originally uncomfortable with the idea, but felt joy once there was a connection with the artist.

“I felt jittery, but once they smiled at me, I felt happy and ecstatic,” she said.

Professor of Dance Dana Maue agreed.

“It is a great opportunity for the dancers to practice in front of a live audience as a pre-show for the ‘So You Think You Can Choreograph’

Prom: Creative, inclusive fun Continued from pg. A6

sold on the theme at first.

“Originally I thought Disney was a little rehashed, but I was happy when they said costumes are recommended,” he said. “Anything I had against Disney being a theme was gone.”

Cheyenne Maestas, 20, a liberal arts major, and her girlfriend, nursing major Harper Miskin, 22, came dressed as Pain and Panic from the Disney film “Hercules.” They said they were excited to have a prom where they felt comfortable.

“It is pretty fun,” said Maestas.

“In high school prom was open for everybody, but you were not as comfortable.”

dance concert,” she said. “This will help them come out of their shell and show their stage presence in rehearsal,” Maue said.

Muller said it is important to bring the gap between the creative minds on campus.

“I think it is really important that these different areas of our creative campus have some opportunity to connect with each other and are not just siloed into individual spots,” he said.

Miskin said the theme lent essence to the evening.

“I love it because Disney and gay has become a new development,” she said.

“I think it is awesome, because at my high school there was almost no LGBT+ representation. Only in my senior year did they start an LGBT+ club.”

Maestas said the party-goers had lots of fun, but they also knew they were messengers and ambassadors for the LGTBQ movement.

“I feel like it has taken steps in the right direction, but for us it is even bigger,” she said. “Not only are we bisexual, but we are also in a polyamorous relationship. That is hard to explain to people, so they get judgmental.”

Mariezcurrena said it is hard to change the way people are raised, but it does not hurt to try.

Juan Morales/Staff

MOVING EXPERIENCE— SWC art and dance departments collaborate to unite live drawing and dance.

“You cannot make someone accept others,” she said. “No matter what you say to them, you cannot change their minds. Maybe if you bring them into the environment and they see how everyone is, then maybe they will be more accepting.”

Castro said the Internet can play a healthy role for LGBTQ people.

“Given the amount of internet connectivity we have, there is a growth of acceptance of other people because they realize they are people similar in mentality and action,” he said. “I think we are already on a good track, but we should eliminate the negative mentality.”

As students enjoyed a night to remember, a photographer snapped souvenir photos and a snapchat filter #20GayTeen helped to commemorate the evening.

Each table was adorned with a centerpiece representative of each ride from the “Happiest Place on Earth” such as Thunder Mountain, Small World and Splash Mountain. Popular Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck roamed the room.

SAGA’s Disney theme was successful, Garcia said, but it was not the original theme.

“It was supposed to be Old Hollywood,” she said. “With the recent sexual harassment allegations, though, we decided it was not the best theme.”

SAGA President Dan Cordero said the Queer Prom was a “huge success” that should be an annual event at the college.

“It is a much-needed celebration of a community that deserves to celebrate,” he said. “Everyone should go to prom.”

Survivor: Wins run in with terror and still running strong at EOPS Continued from pg. A6

participated in the marathon as a “bandit runner,” an unregistered participant who starts after the registered racers. That tradition was discontinued after the 2013 bombings.

In April 2013, while enrolled in graduate school at SDSU, she returned to Boston to watch her friend run the marathon. She wanted to watch the marathon near the finish line, but her cousin insisted on a spot a mile before the finish line.

A few moments after hearing the loud blasts, initial speculation was that it was a gas line explosion. It was not until her cousin received a text message warning them to stay away from the area that the reality of the situation began to sink in — terror had struck Boston.

She recalls the surreal situation, hearing ambulances all day and into the night because her cousin lived near a hospital that was treating victims.

“As we were walking home, and then as we were watching the news, we were just hearing ambulances going up and down,” she said.

In 2014, she officially ran the marathon for the first time with a finishing time of 5:03:51. She ran for a charity supporting the Boston Fire Dept. When a Boston firefighter training for the marathon was killed in action a few weeks prior, the Boston Fire Dept. was given a few extra number plates for runners. Thanks to a friend of a friend, she was told to just raise as much money as she could in the two weeks leading up to the marathon.

She was able to raise $1,500.

This year was emotional, she said, because she ran for Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, a charity organized through the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“It is just a super exciting event to attend anyway whether you are running or not,” she said, “but running for a charity named after and essentially created by a family who was affected by the bombings is special.”

Her training for the marathon was a three-month journey that started in January, she said. During the work week she would vary between tempo, fartlek and “easy” runs. Tempo runs consist of running a shorter distance, but at a higher rate of speed. Fartlek is a Swedish word for “speed play” and involves alternating sprints and slow jogs. On the weekends were long runs at eight miles to 20 miles.

As an EOPS counselor she helps students with physical, academic or socioeconomic disadvantages to help “level the playing the field.” This includes a textbook stipend and loan program.

EOPS students have to meet with counselors three times per semester, helping to create a bond to help the students both inside and outside of the classroom.

“So they can have that support here in college,” she said. “It is a whole other system to navigate and not knowing anyone who has navigated through that, it is helpful for students to meet with us.”

Nichols said mental toughness and preparation are key in reaching any goal, whether in running or education. Asking for help is OK. “Although it’s challenging, they can do it, they can get to a place where they would feel more secure, more comfortable,” she said. “I think education really helps that.”

This year she raised $6,471 for Stepping Strong. She would like to run for the charity again someday.

“I had to put in a lot of hours to train and then to put in hours fundraising was like a part-time job.”

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Alyssa Pajarillo, editor

VIEWPOINTS

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

Tel: (619) 482-6368 email: eic@theswcsun.com

STOP THE

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larry estrada, michelle phillips/staff

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A10 May 25, 2018 —Volume 61, Issue 6

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

GOING BIG TIME

Photo by Russell Scoffin

Victoria Sanchez / Staff

Former Jaguar quarterback Luis Perez accepted a training camp invite with the Los Angeles Rams. A graduate of Otay Ranch High School, Perez won the Harlon Hill Trophy after leading Texas A&M University-Commerce to a Division II National Championship. He led Southwestern to win a bowl championship against Santa Monica College in 2016.

Jose Ignacio Serrano, 20, an all-conference player from the Southwestern College basketball team, has been called to Venezuela’s national team that is going to compete in the XI South American Games in Cochamba, Bolivia. A native of the Venezuelan state of Barinas, Serrano averaged 14.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and was named first team Pacific Coast Athletic Conference in his first season as a Jaguar.

“I am here to compete with myself every single day and be the best that I could be. The rest will take care of itself.”

“I know they are going to need me as a player. I am going to be prepared to help my team as much as I can.”

Luis Perez, Rams QB

Jose Serrano, Venezuelan player

Carberry named Coach of the Year— again

By Justin Dottery Campus Editor

SWC head football coach Ed Carberry was preparing for law school and a career as an FBI agent when he faced a moment of truth.

He would rather coach.

The Bureau’s loss was the gridiron’s gain. Carberry is still an FBI— a Football Intellectual.

Carberry was named the 2017 Region IV State Coach of the Year for his leadership during a 9-2 championship campaign for the Jaguars. He is the only SWC coach to be honored with this award— not just once, but twice.

Soft-spoken and humble, Carberry said the award may have his name on it, but it belongs to the entire staff.

“It is always one guy who gets the recognition,” he said.

“Just like it is the team, the team the team, it is the staff, the staff the staff.”

Carberry said the 2017 coaching staff was one of the best in SWC history. It was a cohesive unit, he said, though some shuffling was required for the staff to operate in unison.

“You never get a dozen roses,” Carberry said. “You get the flowers you get and turn them into a bouquet that looks good.”

After 41 years, Carberry said he knows how to make a beautiful bouquet. Quarterbacks coach Thad Porlas said Carberry knows how to get staff and players focused on the same goal.

“He is always prepared,” Porlas said. “He works hard on

creating togetherness, building great character out of the student-athletes and instilling the belief that we can go out and compete and be successful as long as we play as a unit.”

Carberry said the pressure began to mount early last season. After losing to Pasadena City College, he had to readjust the team’s thinking.

“After the Pasadena game, people were playing the blame game,” he said. “We needed to stop blaming each other and take responsibility for what happened and move forward.”

Losing to Pasadena was a blessing in disguise. Sophomore quarterback Demonte Morris said the loss caused the team remember its long-term goal of a championship.

“After that game we all came together and focused more,” he said.

Carberry had a clear message for the team.

“If we want to accomplish, our goal as a team has to be championship,” he said. “We need to not think about our own success, but of the team, the team, the team.”

Porlas said convincing a large group of guys to put the team above themselves is what makes Carberry a great coach.

“Coach has a way, as all great coaches do, to get the best out of his student-athletes to learn, to compete and have that drive for success and will to win at anything they do, be it at life or on the football field,” said Porlas.

Before joining the SWC staff, Porlas coached against Carberry for 10 years at San Diego Mesa College. Playing against Carberry meant you had to be prepared for a real battle, he said.

“You better play your best football that day, because they are coming for you,” he said. “His teams are always well prepared on all facets of the game – offense, defense, special teams and making adjustments during the game.”

Before becoming a coach, Carberry learned from a legend. He started coaching during the spring of his senior year at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs. His coach was the great Marijon Ancich, whose 366 wins were the most by a high school football coach in California. Ancich asked his graduating seniors to help him during the spring semester. Carberry continued to assist Ancich for the next three years.

Carberry said Ancich taught him to have a business plan and do what you do well in order to be good and consistent.

“Have you ever seen a McDonald’s go out of business?

Not really,” he said. “Over 3 billion hamburgers sold, because they make their food the exact same way in Chula Vista, in downtown Manhattan and Japan. That is the same approach we take with our team each year.”

Carberry is a well-read, worldly man fascinated by the complexities and vagaries of our planet. His interest in the FBI ran deep, but not deep enough.

“I was sitting in the law library at USD the day before the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), and thought ‘I do not really want to do this, I would rather coach,’” he said.

Carberry has been the SWC head coach since 2007. His record so far includes six championships in 10 seasons.

His coaches and players expect more in the future, which is also the sign of a great coach.

Pablo Corona / Staff

AGENT OF FORTUNE— Ed Carberry considered joining the FBI before becoming a football coach. He has transformed SWC’s program during his 14 years at the college.

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

SPORTS

HALL PASSES — Hall of Fame inductees (l-r) Terry Davis, Russ Scoffin, John Jaso, Katie Joyce Debus and Dahir Mohamed are welcomed home by Dean Jim Spillers.

Ivana E. Morales, editor Tel: (619) 482-6368 email: sports@theswcsun.com

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Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff

Hall of Fame enshrines five champions

By Dasha Vovk Staff Writer

John Jaso was not sure he wanted to play baseball anymore when he graduated from McKinleyville High School in 2001.

Then he met Jerry Bartow.

Southwestern College’s legendary coach turned Jaso into a hard-hitting catcher who went on to a nine-year career in Major League Baseball.

Jaso returned to Chula Vista to be enshrined in the SWC Hall of Fame. He was joined by former athletic director Terry Davis, softball star Katie Joyce Debus, distance running champion Dahir Mohamed and longtime SWC sports photographer Russell Scoffin.

Born in Chula Vista, Jaso graduated from high school in Humboldt County. Bartow talked him into playing for the Jaguars.

“I started catching and it was such a blessing, it really ignited my career,” Jaso said. “After that, I played 15 years of professional baseball, but I couldn’t have done it without SWC.” Jaso played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics and Pittsburg Pirates. A career highlight was hitting for the cycle in 2016, the first at the Pirates’ PNC Park.

Jaso said SWC was the “biggest bridge” in his career.

“The school has done a lot for me and in the end it honored me,” he said. “It makes me proud that I have made SWC proud.”

Last year Jaso announced that he is retiring from baseball following problems with concussions. He said he invested much of the money he earned from baseball into real estate and now he is preparing for a long trip on his sailboat.

“I’m going to take off and do the Bahamas, Exuma and the Caribbean,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to now that baseball is done.”

Davis orchestrated a new era for the athletic department, but before that worked in nursing. He helped create the Surgical Tech Program that became a model among California community colleges. Athletic Director Jim Spillers said Davis’ greatest contribution was the new Wellness and Aquatic Center.

“His fingerprints are everywhere, but the most evident are these buildings,” said Spillers. “These buildings were his vision from the start. They were his project and he made it happen.”

Davis said he enjoyed advising student-athletes.

“To be able to help students to reach their personal goals and succeed in their challenges is the most important thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said. “For me, that’s the primary reason why we are working in community college. Sometimes it’s the second choice, but sometimes we can become the best choice.”

Mohamed enrolled at SWC in 2009 and trained with crosscounty coach Dr. Duro Agbede. Mohamed dominated the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and was an All-American in cross-country and track. Mohamed said joining the Jaguars marked a turning point in his life.

“When I decided to come to SWC in August 2009, I didn’t know that it was the best choice of my life,” he said.

Mohamed said Agbede believed in him as a person and as an athlete.

“It’s amazing what a belief in you by one person can do,” he

said. “Today I stand here because one person believed in me.”

Scoffin was honored for his countless volunteer hours for the athletic department over the past decade. He enrolled to work as a sports photographer at the Southwestern College Sun and became a national champion photojournalist.

“It’s just great to be a part of the advancement of facilities and see it growing and seeing how it affects more kids coming in,” he said. “I just hope that (the facilities) continue bringing students to the college.”

Debus joined the Lady Jaguars in the fall of 1987 and starred as an All-Mission Conference Softball team outfielder. Debus thanked coach Jim Hammond for teaching her softball and life skills. She told a story about the time she was late for the departure to an important road game and was left behind.

Hammond eventually came back to pick her up, but scolded her for being late. Debus said that taught her a valuable lesson about humility.

“Having had been all-star growing up, standing out so much, that incident really did help me to realize when I went on to Cal State I was one of many all-stars, the whole team was all-star,” she said.

SWC’s Athletic Hall of Fame was launched in September 2004. Since then there have been 88 members inducted – 49 men and 39 women.

“Our Hall of Fame reminds us of our great history and gives us hope and dreams for the future,” he said. “It inspires future generations based on that illustrious history.”

MAJOR LEAGUE MOMENT — Former Pittsburgh Pirates star John Jaso receives his SWC Hall of Fame jacket from Dean Jim Spillers. (l) Former athletic director Terry Davis played a central role in the design and construction of the college’s new athletic facilities.

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SPORTS

May 25, 2018 — Vol. 61, Issue 6

The Southwestern College Sun

Wild card rout ends baseball season

Lady Jags defeated in first round of playoffs

Team recovered from 0-6 conference start to make PCAC playoffs

Team continues its improvement under Coach Mossadeghi

By Pablo Corona Assistant Photo Editor

By Paloma L. Zaizar Assistant Sports Editor

Softball players punched their playoff tickets with a 20-1 romp at College of the Desert.

Unfortunately for the Lady Jags, the ride was short. Softball season ended with a first round loss to Cypress College.

Head coach Yasmin Mossadeghi said the team is still on the right trajectory, crawling out of decades of mediocrity into three straight playoff appearances.

“The group was young, but challenged the former state champions very well,” she said. “To play an opponent like that which had an undefeated season last year can be intimidating, but this group didn’t care and went into it doing what they do.”

After a rough start, the Lady Jaguars turned it around at just the right point, said Mossadeghi.

“We had games w h e n we we re giving up 10 or more hits and it makes it a little m o re d i f f i c u l t for the defense t o re a l l y h o l d runs,” she said.

Yasmin “It occurred Mossadeghi many times with teams that it could have been avoided with.”

N e x t y e a r ’s team looks formidable. Only four sophomores are leaving.

Mossadeghi said the Lady Jaguars will need to learn Trudie Nixon from the errors of 2018.

“I really like that they have postseason experience going into next year,” she said. “They will have higher expectations into making it to round two.”

Cassie Van Til Pitching coach Mami Tagawa said the team had a great vibe.

“I know they have to focus and improve,” she said. “I just want to see them smiling and having fun regardless if they are practicing or having a game.”

Mossadeghi said she expects the Lady Jaguars to be more competitive next season — if they work hard.

“It is a must for them to (score early),” she said. “We need to (keep) other players in the game.”

Ta g a w a s a i d s h e s a w g r e a t improvement from freshman pitcher Trudie Nixon, who pitched in almost every game.

“She was struggling at the beginning of the season,” said Tagawa. “Trudie broke through towards the end of the season, which was amazing to see.”

It was the first time Nixon pitched at the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs.

“I think I did very well considering the team that we were playing against,” she said. “When we got there, I saw their state banners, which intimidated me a little bit, but I think we did insanely well. I am very proud of the way I did keeping my composure.”

Nixon’s was named First Team PCAC, along with freshman center fielder Cassie Van Til. “I feel pretty honored, I know it is always a thing to make First Team,” said Van Til. Mossadeghi said 2019 could be epic.

“I am really excited about what the girls have done,” she said. “It means that they can only get better from here.”

Victoria Sanchez / Staff

ACE IN ANY LANGUAGE — SWC coach Mami Tagawa says she is still mastering English, but she has no trouble teaching pitching to Lady Jaguar softball players.

PERFECT PITCH

By Paloma L. Zaizar Assistant Sports Editor

M

ami Tagawas has a law degree to play hardball in Japanese courts, but prefers to coach softball in the United States.

Tagawa, 26, is SWC’s softball pitching coach. She is also a full-time student working toward an AA in Exercise Science, even though she already has a B.S. in Law. Arguing in court is not her destiny, she argued.

“My life is all about softball,” she said.

Born and raised in Sapporo, Japan, Tagawa joined a softball team when she was six.

She played second base, outfield and pitcher, demonstrating talent on the mound and at the plate.

Her parents drove her 30 minutes twice a day to Towanomori San-Ai High School because it had the best softball team in the region.

“I appreciate my parents for doing this just because of my dreams,” she said.

During her senior year she decided to play softball in New Zealand.

“That is when I started thinking about learning more about American softball,” she said. “I had to focus on being a coach, which was tough. I learned that if I was going to become a pitching coach, I had to completely stop thinking as a player.”

In 2016, Tagawa decided to quit her job to come to the U.S. She was staying in of International Athletes Boston to learn English when she met an owner of a softball company in Los Angeles.

“Mayumi helped me get in contact with softball coaches,” she said. “One of them was Southwestern College’s head coach Yasmin Mossadeghi. She told me if I wanted to continue with softball, then I should be with Mossadeghi.”

Tagawa learned that Japanese softball emphasizes tournaments during the season, whereas in the U.S. the season is compromised of conference games.

“In Japan we create the game individually, but in the U.S. the head coach signals each pitch and action,” Tagawa said.

Mossadeghi said Tagawa is a great asset.

“Her Japanese style of playing softball added a structured element to our program that was necessary for the girls’ quick improvement,” she said. “Our program is lucky to have her and I can’t wait for us all to continue to get better together next year.”

faces Immigration

SAPPORO, JAPAN H Mami Tagawa was

born in Sapporo, Japan.

H Tagawa learned to play softball by watching her sister.

H Tagawa has a law degree from Yamanashi-Gakuin University.

H Tagawa appeared in five National Championships in Japan.

Tagawa said transitioning to the U.S. is difficult because of language barriers and cultural differences.

“I was extremely nervous my first day at Southwestern, because I was meeting new people,” she said. “I remember the first day of softball practice because it was raining really hard, but everyone in the team made me feel really welcomed.”

SWC freshman pitcher Trudie Nixon said she is a fan.

“I think we are so lucky to have her,” she said. “No other team that I could think of has a person like her from Japan and at her level that she has played at.”

Sophomore pitcher Claudia Fierro said she can relate more to Tagawa because she is young.

“She is very straightforward and she knows exactly what to say to justify why the ball is not going to the right place,” she said. “Coach T taught me to always have the same positive attitude no matter if you are at practice or pitching a game.”

Tagawa said she has noticed differences between Japanese and American athletics.

“We have specific rules for the team in Japan,” she said. “Underclassmen cannot do anything. The girls would speak to the seniors very politely like they were gods, but here everyone is so friendly and I love it.”

Tagawa said she was shocked that American practice sessions run for about two hours, whereas in Japan they practiced for at least five hours a day.

Coaching comes easy, she said, but the American educational system is difficult. She said she would like to guide other students moving to the U.S. from Japan. She also wants to guide the Lady Jaguars to new heights.

“I just want to enjoy this team and learn more from Yasmin,” said Tagawa. “I want to learn more from higher level teams in the future, but for now I am very comfortable here.”

“Baseball is designed to break your heart,” wrote Bart Giamatti.

Southwestern College knows the feeling.

A promising season ended on the doorstep of playoffs when the Jaguars stumbled to a 13-4 loss against Cuesta College.

That the Jags made it that First Team far was almost Pacific Coast miraculous, Athletic considering a Conference dreadful 0-6 start i n c o n f e re n c e .

A s s i s t a n t Adam Lopez sophomore Coach Michael Butterfield said Brandon Weed the team learned sophomore painful lessons.

Ricky Yoguigua “We got our freshman teeth kicked in Justin Meza at the beginning sophomore because mistakes were made and the other team capitalized on them,” he said.

A sharp turnaround started when the defense caught up to the offense, said head coach Jay Martel. Sophomores led the way, he said.

“We had sophomores in the right spots and really good freshmen who stepped up,” he said.

Jaguars pitching was solid, Martel said.

“The pitching staff carried us most of the year,” he said. “I knew they were good, but they did exceptionally well.”

Freshman Ricky Yoguigua and sophomores Brandon Weed and Dylan Wannamaker provided leadership on the mound. They compiled a 3.33 ERA and recorded 233 strikeouts.

Weed, a graduate of Grossmont High School, missed 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. He led the staff with 61 strikeouts.

“Last season was my first season back from surgery and it did not go the way I planned,” he said. “I worked hard over the offseason and I started to put things together this season.”

Weed praised the relief corps.

“The bullpen did a really good job behind me and the rest of the starters,” he said. “It might have struggled at times, but when we needed a shut down inning, someone was always there to pick us up.”

Yoquigua made the transition from first base to the mound. In his 11 game starts and two relief appearances he notched, 38 sickouts, had a 3.23 ERA and a .407 batting average.

Martel said the team struggled in the clutch.

“We went through a slump and could not get key hits,” he said. “We had the team to do it, but when we needed those hits, we couldn’t get them.”

Butterfield said the team was erratic.

“We scored almost at will out of conference, but in conference we had to work our butts off to score,” he said. “We called out players who were slacking and made a conscious effort to work and play harder.”

Returners Kenny Olhauser and Adam Lopez led by example. Olhauser hit .333 with 11 stolen bases and an OBP of .445. Lopez had six homers, 14 doubles and 35 RBI. L o p e z , We e d , Yo q u i g u a a n d Justin Meza were named First Team Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Wa n n a m a k e r, Va l d e z , Ma r t i n e z , Carlino and outfielder Jared Uyeda earned honorable mentions.

About half the team is returning and Martel said he is hopeful for next season.

“We have had a pretty successful program here for 25 years with only had one losing season,” he said. “Next year we’re in the same boat. We have freshmen returning in the right spots.”

Martel said his next freshman class looks promising.

“Recruiting is going good.” said. “I think the players from the past have set a standard for winning. Winning is a habit.”

The Southwestern College Sun

May 25, 2018 — Volume 61, Issue 6

ARTS

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The Bad Kids are alright Aileen Orozco/Staff

BAD KIDS ON THE BLOCK—Local surf punk phenomena Bad Kids, which has a long history of playing intense house shows, has expanded to larger venues like the House of Blues. Lead vocalist and bassist Kalani (r) formed Bad Kids five years ago. Current members include keyboardist Julian Tuezzo (l), guitarist Chad Boland and drummer Leon Lara.

By Ramona Lopez Assistant Viewpoints Editor

Sometimes it is good to be bad.

Sometimes being good makes you badass.

Surf-punkers “Bad Kids” has a unique sound has done them a lot of good.

Members continue the punk-rock tradition established by San Diego icons like Blink-182, Switchfoot and The Penetrators, but this surf punk band consistently creates danceable music drawn from an ocean of inspiration.

Bad Kids was nominated for a 2018 San Diego Music Award for Best Indie/ Alternative Band. It got the attention of NBC’s “Sound Diego,” a local music show that follows “Saturday Night Live.”

Bad Kids made such an impact with “Sound Diego” producers picked their hit song “DEF” to be the program’s

theme song.

Bad Kids was also included on NBC San Diego’s list of “9 San Diego Bands to Watch in 2018” due to their unique aesthetic and sudden rise to the spotlight.

Now the House of Blues has come calling. Bad Kids starts a residency there on October 27.

Be it on stage or house shows, their punk vibe reverberates with their fans. A recent success was its San Diego release show for its newest CD. Extravagant house shows put Bad Kids on the cultural map. Fans even knew recent releases. Bad Kids are proud provocateurs who can generate a mosh pit or a fire a fan to run onto the stage to scream the lyrics into the microphone.

Kalani, the 22-year-old lead vocalist and bassist, formed Bad Kids five years ago. He is the soul and anchor of Bad Kids.

Chad Boland, a 21-year-old rhythm guitarist, joined Bad Kids two years later. Boland started off playing the tambourine, not knowing anything else.

Band members taught him keyboard and guitar over the years. Boland encourages young people who like music to jump in and learn. “I’m a prime example of someone who did not know how to do anything and now I am playing guitar in a band,” he said. “Just do it. As long as it sounds good to you and you are expressing yourself, that is all you need to do.”

Kalani said he loves talking to fans because “fans become friends and friends become band members.” That was the case for band members Leon Lara, Diego Guardado and Julian Tuezzo.

Lara, a 21-year-old communications major at Southwestern College, became the drummer after a random encounter

with Kalani at a 7-Eleven. Bad Kids’ previous drummer had just quit and Lara’s band just broke up. Lara subbed in a few shows and the band asked him to join. He has been playing with Bad Kids for two years.

Guardado discovered Bad Kids after moving to San Diego and checking out the local music scene. He quickly became a fan and learned some of Bad Kids’ songs by ear out of pure interest. When Bad Kids posted on Instagram that the band was looking for a new lead guitarist, he sent a direct message in response and played a few shows with them before joining them full-time. That was a year ago.

Tuezzo is the newest Bad Kid on the block. He became the band’s percussionist after being a longtime fan.

He said he likes the artistic power of being in a band.

“It feels cool to create culture instead of just consuming it,” he said.

Bad Kids started off playing house shows to a younger audience—mostly high schoolers—but as the band spread its wings, the crowds have matured.

They once played a jam-packed show in the living room/kitchen area of a one-bedroom apartment in Arizona.

The venue was small but the crowd was large. People watched from the kitchen and outside the apartment through the windows.

“It felt like a 100 people were in that place,” said Kalani. “It was hella packed.”

The self-identified Californian hoodrats released its first EP, “Act Your Age,” in 2015. More thoughtful lyrics and music elevate their second EP, “Are You There?”

Bad Kids are good bets to grow in popularity. And you can never get too much of a bad thing.

Cartoon mago Lalo Alcaraz turns racist hate to smiles

By Jahaziel Valencia Staff Writer

Aileen Orozco/Staff

KING CÓMICO— Lalo Alcaraz has spent his career celebrating Latino culture and tweaking right wingers with his wicked wit.

Lalo Alcaraz is one of America’s most beloved cartoonists.

Lalo Alcaraz is also one of America’s most hated cartoonist.

In Trump vs. Everyone Else America, Alrcaraz represents a rare Chicano voice in the conservative-leaning world of syndicated cartoonists. Most comic strip artists try not to offend.

Alcaraz takes pleasure in offending.

The creator of the comic strip “La Cucaracha” has written several episodes for the TV show “Bordertown” and advised on the critically-acclaimed Disney movie “Coco.” He spoke at the Men of Color Conference at Southwestern College and told students what it is like to be revered and reviled.

“When I get hate mail, I’ve already won the battle and the war because they read my comic every single day,” he said.

“La Cucaracha” is the third most syndicated comic strip in the United States and one of the most controversial. He is also the author of “Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons on Immigration” and “Latino USA: A Cartoon History.”

As a child in Lemon Grove he was forced to grow up quickly when his father died.

Alcaraz was 13.

“Being the son of a Mexican immigrant resulted in me becoming the translator, the mini adult,” he said. “You grow up fast being the son of an immigrant.”

His mother became the source of Alcaraz’ ethics and creativity. He also learned not to say the wrong thing at the right time.

“If you were my mother’s friend she would love you, but if you said one negative thing about her she would come back at you with the whole Mexican army,” he said.

His satirical sense of humor has led others to criticize his work as being crude and offensive, but Alcaraz disagreed.

“The Mexican national pastime is to make fun of our tragic lives,” he said Hate mail becomes fuel — and sometimes cool ideas for strips.

“I saw (hatred) here growing up with people like the Minutemen and the Proposition 187 people,” he said. “They are trying to erase us.”

Bias abounds on TV, he said, even on the Spanish language shows.

“I would start looking on TV for anyone who even remotely looked Mexican in these shows,” he said.

Alcaraz attended SDSU where he joined MECHA. He sought funds for his club to bring Cesar Chavez to speak at the college.

SDSU’s Associated Student Organization denied his request At UC Berkley he found a group of fellow Chicanos that wanted to do political performance art. Together they created The Chicano Secret Service, which became a critically-acclaimed sketch comedy group.

He also created Pocho Magazine.

He moved to Los Angeles to write screenplays and pitch “La Cucaracha,” without success — at least at first.

“The whole while I was pitching my comic strip as an animated show,” he said.

“I must have pitched it 10 to 12 times, but that’s what Hollywood is. Constant failure.”

Alcaraz created cartoons protesting racism and found his voice. One cartoon included the fictitious “Bordertown,” which became a real show. He helped design sets and wrote a few episodes.

“Bordertown” was co-produced by Seth MacFarlane and co-created by “Family Guy” writer Mark Hentemann.

“Bordertown” took place in Mexifornia, based on Calexico. Alcaraz designed the interior of the house for the Gonzalez family, an intentional stereotype of a Mexican-American home.

Alcaraz crossed swords with Disney when the mega-company filed a trademark for Dia de Los Muertos. Alcaraz helped lead a social campaign protesting the effort.

Disney later withdrew the copyright request and hired Alcaraz to consult on “Coco.” His goal was to make sure Disney’s version of Dia de los Muertos did not become a Disney version of Dia de los Muertos.

“Coco” was a critical and commercial success, earning $209 million domestically.

More important, to Alcaraz, it was a culturally-accurate celebration of a muchmisunderstood Mexican holiday.

It was, in the end, great Chicano art that the hombres in “La Cucaracha” would have enjoyed.

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Marty Loftin, editor

ARTS

May 25, 2018 — Volume 61, Issue 6

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

Victoria Sanchez/Staff

Protest art won’t be walled in

Courtesy Photo

By Alexander Contreras Staff Writer

Aileen Orozco/Staff

COME HELL OR HIGH WALL— UCSD graduate students led by Andrew Sturm (above) partnered with Professor Perry Vasquez and his Drawing II students to project light graffiti from the Mexican side of the border onto the border wall prototypes.

For weeks, students pondered how to shine some light on a national political problem when they came up with a solution.

Shine some light on the problem.

Students of Art Professor Perry Vasquez traveled to the Mexican side of the border to peacefully protest Donald Trump’s call for a border wall. Standing on towering platforms, they projected their politicallyloaded drawings onto the infamous wall prototypes on the U.S. side.

Vasquez said the class took about two weeks to decide what message they wanted to portray on these “blank canvases.”

“We came together and looked at other artists who have used public art as a form of activism to find the message we wanted to send,” he said.

One drawing displayed Trump as the new Statue of Liberty, a menacing sneer from America rather than a welcome.

Another student projected the image of a rock climber on the wall.

Inspired by artist Andrew Sturm, Vasquez sought a collaboration.

“I contacted Sturm and said I have a group of students who would like to collaborate with you if you do this again,” Vasquez said.

Sturm and Jill Holslin created the Overpass Light Brigade, which drew international attention.

Sturm agreed and handled much of the technical side of the project, while Holslin expressed the design goals.

“It was really important for me as an American on the Mexican side of the border to project messages excluded by Trump,” she said. “We decided to project the very values of the United States which are being betrayed by this wall.”

Holslin voiced anger that students were forced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to cross the border into a foreign country to engage in this project.

Holslin has been documenting the border for about 10 years, she said, and continues to advocate for change and inclusion of immigrants.

Students who live in Tijuana said they felt pride in the project because it combats Trump’s negativity, said Raquel Najar, an arts major.

“I am glad we’re all talking about this, and we’re doing something about this injustice,” she said.

Juan Carlo del Portillo, undeclared, was born in the U.S, but moved to Mexico at a young age. He said he feels the discrimination and hatred, too.

“I have been in situations where I have to explain to people that I am not white,” he said. “I believe a lot of the problems people have with immigrants arise from ignorance.”

Vasquez said his class hopes to raise awareness about scapegoating Mexicans and other immigrants.

Let there be light.

Student choreographers create a moving performance

> REVIEW

By Jahaziel Valencia Staff Writer

It’s very name was a challenge.

“So You Think You Can Choreograph” asked the title of the Spring Dance Concert.

Short answer — yes.

Pablo Corona/Staff

Student choreographers, under the watchful of eyes of Professor of Dance Dana Maue, created an impressive show. It was a moveable feast, a fine final and athletic art. Like the competition show referenced in the title, “So You Think You Can Choreograph” featured a diverse selection of entertaining acts.

“Unrestrained,” choreographed by Anna Galvan, was memorable. Her performance demonstrated expert use of lighting, transforming the dancers into mysterious silhouettes who vanished and reappeared like playful ghosts.

They came and went gracefully in the columns of light to Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat,” an emotional electro-pop piece with lyrics “I’m a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm and the scars that mark my body they’re silver and gold.” Galvan’s crew was silver and gold, but

their medal was solidly gold.

“Old Skool vs. New Skool,” choreographed by Karla Escobar, used songs by Run DMC, Missy Elliot, Chris Brown and A$AP Ferg. Escobar brilliantly blended four styles of hip-hop that shared similar percussion, but very different lyrical flows and keys.

Run DMC’s style of hip-hop fueled fast moves and strong steps straight outta the ’80s. When it transitioned to Missy Elliot the style changed to pop-and-lock, seamlessly recreating Elliot’s 2002 “Work It” video. Chris Brown’s generic beats from “Wrist” stole points from the performance, but amplified the energetic interpretations of the hip-hop elders.

A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane” shifted the performance into a darker, menacing place.

Escobar’s tribute medley remained accurate to choreography of each era and illustrated how hip-hop has evolved.

Gladys Escobar, Natalio Reyes and Andrea Benitez choreographed “Polka Del Estado De Chihuahua,” a ballet folklorico with exaggerated movements celebrating glorious Mexican culture.

Reyes, Escobar and Benitez captured the flamboyant coordination that is the hallmark of the form. Clacking boots thundered like a storm moving over the Sierra Madre and primal painted dresses flowed like the San Jerónimo River.

Arab-inflected “Quest of the Goddess,” a belly dance and performed by Rocio Machain, was a sight to behold. Solo performances increase tension because the audience is completely focused on one individual. Despite dropping a fan, the mesmerizing belly dance kept the audience entranced. Machain channeled a Middle Eastern goddess in her fluid style.

“So You Think You Can Choreograph” reminded the community of the talent of Southwestern College performing arts students.

Pablo Corona/Staff Perhaps someday college leadership will figure out what the community learned decades ago POETRY IN MOTION— Rocio Machain (l) and will steer some attention— and funding— performs a sensual belly dance. Cristina Sanchez, Sabrina Mosqueda and Hilda Gomez perform a jazz into the deserving performing and visual arts programs. ensemble that captures the audience.

Talented queer artist celebrates vibe of gay community

By Matthew Leksell Staff Writer

The space for queer artists of color is a space too often left vacant. Jorge Mendez is pushing for visibility.

Mendez, 19, is a studio arts major that uses his love for drag, video games and Latinx community to express himself through art. One scroll through his Instagram feed gives you a good idea on his style. Colors that scream at you and accentuated facial features are nods to the queer and Latinx communities.

Under the moniker, Pastelle Bonito, Mendez serves his communities, which he said are underrepresented.

“Giving visibility to people like me, especially in today’s social climate. As much as I try to push myself out there, there will always be the same amount being pushed back,” Mendez said about the importance of his art.

Together with Southwestern College professor Perry Vasquez, Mendez had his first formal art show at the San Diego Central Library. His art shined among the other pieces, as they showcased his pride for the Latinx community and men in makeup. Mendez described the exhibit as something he was grateful for and a way that his work could be viewed by the public.

Aside from this exhibit, Bonito uses social media to reach people that he may not reach with a local art exhibit.

“I had people commission me that live in completely different countries,” Mendez said. “The commissions are really getting out there because of social media.”

Though they cannot always meet face to face, Mendez said he always makes sure to capture his subjects in the way they want to be seen, asking them to send their best picture of themselves

where they feel the most confident and comfortable.

The idea of confidence and self-love is a driving point for his art, fashion and drag endeavors, said Mendez, but it is something he sometimes struggles with.

Mendez says his confidence comes from trying to prove people wrong. Everything he represents serves as a statement to people who told him that he should not be confident because of his looks, his background and orientation. His parents are some of the few that dare to try and force their ideals on him.

“It’s not their art, it’s not for them. I’m fine not having their validation.”

Mendez said.

Mendez recalled when he started drawing portraits of drag queens in his junior year of high school and being apprehensive over showing his mother. As he began to apply for art schools in his senior year, his mother told him that his art “belonged in cheap bars” and that he should not waste his money on art school. He got into the only school he applied to, but his financial situation led to him going to Southwestern College.

Validation from his parents isn’t what is important to him, he said. Being able to join a revolution of outspoken youth (specifically queer people of color) is rewarding enough.

In the future, Mendez said he sees fashion as another art form to tackle. His fashion illustrations stem from what he would like to wear, to making characters and dressing them based off their personalities.

“It’s hard to fully embrace yourself when there isn’t someone to look up to. I want to become the person that I wish I had when I was younger,” Mendez said.

Victoria Sanchez/Staff

OKAY TO BE GAY — Jorge Mendez says he is his own role model. He creates what he wants, loves who he wants and does not let anyone get in the way of his dreams.

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

May 25, 2018 — Volume 61, Issue 6

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SD Film Week features student filmmaker

By Natalie Davila Staff Writer

J

ohnny Santana already has a few things in common with the legendary filmmaker Orson Welles.

They both began making movies as teenagers. They both found success in their early 20s.

Santana, a 20-year-old Southwestern College student, wrote and directed “The Empty Iris,” one of just eight films selected for screening at the fifth annual San Diego Film Week.

Santana said his first experience with filmmaking began when he was 13 years old, but his passion for films developed much earlier.

“I’ve been wanting to make movies since I was four,” he said.

“I’ve dedicated every single aspect of my life for the past 16 years to making movies.”

His first feature length film, “Fruit Juice,” premiered at the Ken Cinema in 2015 and is now available to stream on Amazon. Santana released another short film, “Lisa’s Sheets,” which follows a clown throughout a messy and complex string of romances. Los Shadows, a pop, rock and surf band based in National City, sought out Santana to work on the film, shortly after their collaboration in “The Empty Iris.”

Santana said his earlier films motivated him to create a deeper story. He wanted this new film to evoke powerful emotion and he drew from personal aspects of his life as an 18 year old to tell a genuine story.

Santana described “The Empty Iris” as a coming-of-age character study where the protagonists are faced with the dark underbelly of reality and the “shades of evil.” It explores loss of innocence, anxiety and the follies of romanticising relationships, he said.

Adam Homer (Beto Ochoa) is a blind philosopher and Donnie Hammurabi (Slim Dizefalo) his troubled and pessimistic best friend.

Both endure intense circumstances that challenge their friendship and their outlooks on life. Donnie copes with his deep-rooted guilt about a tragic event and plans revenge, while Adam chases visions of Lily Aviva (Aubrey Gambs), a childhood friend, through dreamy sequences.

Santana establishes a dichotomy of light and dark between the world that exists in Adam’s mind and the real world that he and Donnie experience. Though Adam may be blind, he sees the goodness in the world and tries to convince his revenge-obsessed friend that tragedy is balanced by hope.

“Our universe is constantly creating new great opportunities for us,” said Adam. “And one of the best opportunities it gives us is the choice to view the world for its beauty… and to choose to be happy.”

“Iris” is Ochoa’s first feature length film, he said, and taught him a lot about mental strength and the importance of working with others.

Dizefalo said filming “The Empty Iris” was stressful due to a major rewrite halfway throughout shooting, but was grateful for the experience.

The film features original music from Jassiel Ontiveros and a number of local bands. Alex Mariscal created the special effects for the intense gory scenes, her first time creating special effects for a film. Her work on “The Empty Iris” landed her jobs in Hollywood as a special effects artist.

Former SWC student Irbin Torres, an aerial photographer, provided captivating drone shots.

“The Empty Iris” team grew as filming continued, said Santana. He began with only five close friends involved and finished with more than 100 people.

“One of the things that kept me going especially through the postproduction phase, was that I told myself, I’m not doing this for my dream, I’m doing this for the 100 people who put their trust in me to help their dreams come true.”

Courtesy Photo

SEE NO EVIL— “The Empty Iris”features many dreamlike scenes in which Adam Homer (Beto Ochoa) chases an old childhood friend through the annals of his mind. (l) Student filmmaker Johnny Santana with Slim Dizefalo, who plays Donnie Hammurabi, one of the two leads of the film one of eight presented during San Diego Film Week.

Alexander Contreras/Staff

Poets overcome the traumas of murder, grief

Courtesy Photo

By Siobhan Eagen Staff Writer

A young woman’s bound and charred body was discovered in a van, Ambreen Riasat was the victim of an honor killing. Her own mother was amongst the 13 village members arrested for involvement in the 16-year-old’s murder. Riasat’s life was taken as collateral for helping a friend elope. Poet Hadara Bar-Nadav explained the source of inspiration for her poem “Dress (Aurora Borealis)” before reading the powerful piece.

“That was a story I held with me. Apparently she was sort of killed and killed again. She was bound, strangled, then soaked (in accelerant) in the van that was lit on fire,” said Bar-Nadav to the audience.

The Southwestern College Guest Writers Series hosts published writers each semester and is funded

by The Southwestern College Foundation. The spring 2017 semester featured a workshop, reading, and talk-back session with poets Hadara Bar-Nadav and Allison Benis White.

Hadara Bar-Nadav is also an associate professor of English at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Bar-Nadav sat down with students before the reading to workshop poetry writing with students. Her experience as an associate professor was immediately noticeable as she diffused the fears of students intimidated by the prospect of writing poetry with warmth and humor.

Bar-Nadav laughed, explaining, “I always say this and I’m absolutely honest, when I think beauty I think of my Chocolate Standard Poodle, Ella, who is 83 pounds and has gold eyes. And I’m guessing when I say “beauty” that is not what you have in your heads. Its something else.”

Bar-Nadav’s most recent collection of poems is titled “The New Nudity.” The poems are stylistically distinct, with each poem containing the innerlife, narrative and voice of inanimate objects. The subject matter of her poems might sound mundane, but are far from it. Her writing artfully pulls readers into the lives of a thumb, wineglass, and even a ladder. Bar-Nadav used the premise to lead students

in a writing workshop that focused primarily on the literary concept of imagery. Imagery, she explained to the students, is more than what is seen, it uses all the senses. Bar-Nadav warmed up the attendees up by facilitating a group discussion in which students read, analyzed and explored the use of imagery and personification of poems by other authors.

When the writing began, students were asked to write about an object in their lives that seemed mundane, and to consider all the senses, including how each sense is intrinsically experienced. She explained to students that the nature of these differences offer flexibility, and a variety of intimacy available to writers while considering the senses.

“When you touch something you have to be close to it, when you smell something you have to be close – but not quite as close. When you see something, it can be far away, or it can even be a reproduction,” she said.

Students were encouraged to write as many descriptive phrases about the object of their choice.

Once they had exhausted all possible descriptions, Bar-Nadav encouraged them to “unpack” the statements they wrote down. She encouraged reshaping, rewriting, and editing as part of the writing process, not something to be done after.

Her writing process was accessible, easy to follow and students readily shared their work with the class.

Benis White, author of “Please Bury Me In This,” joined Bar-Nadav for the reading section of the event. Bar-Nadav read selected poems from “The New Nudity.” Between poems she shared anecdotes and her sources of inspiration for the pieces. Audience members laughed as she shared anecdotes about an obscenely sexual fountain sculpture, which inspired the poem “Fountain.”

She admitted the existence of a secret “love poem” to her husband hidden within the poem “Thumb.”

“Dress (Aurora Borealis)” began “See me for miles, light streaked, deathstreaked. A disturbance. I am disturbed…”

Bar-Nadav read the poem with a somber voice, grief hung in the air as her poem asked “Why is a girl always on fire. What makes her crackle.”

Benis White’s “Please Bury Me In This” is a book length series of title-less poems, which are written as single sentences and spaced apart on the page. The book is formatted for the audience to read in order from beginning to end. White explained “the meditation that this book enacts is, I think, most profoundly about bereavement but it’s also about language, and the act of reading and writing as medicine and mirror.”

Benis White shared her story of bereavement with the audience. She said “there were four women in my life that I lost to suicide in a very short period of time.”

This was before also losing her father.

Her experience writing “Please Bury Me In This” was not a of reliving loss, but a way to explore the bewilderment of grief.

She described grief as a room she didn’t know existed and with “each consequent death that room got bigger and stranger, and this book is written in that room…The speaker of the book is writing to the reader, to whomever is listening.

It is a book that is seeking a reader in particular that is as bewildered and lost and desperate as the speaker is.”

She read excerpts with a quiet confidence, sharing small pieces of information in-between.

Each poem is written as a letter, she said. They are directed toward the reader, the speaker, and those whom the speaker has lost. Each poem adds another layer of complexity as she attempts to understand grief, in one moment she reads the lament “not fonder, not fonder, the heart grows stranger. I am not any closer to saying what I mean.”

The session concluded with a talk-back session with the audience. Bar-Nadav and Benis White answered questions sharing their writing methods, advice on building confidence as a writer and more. Some students lingered to speak with the authors and have their books signed. The learning experience and opportunity to attend a reading of lauded writers was invaluable. BarNadav and Benis White are inspiring writers and students who attended walked away with more confidence in their abilities as poetic writers.

The Southwestern College Guest Writers Series provides students with opportunity to learn from writers and each semester and is a fantastic investment on this campus worth talking about.

The Guest Writers Series event has yet to be scheduled for the Fall 2018 semester but is an event to look out for on Southwestern College’s event calendar TRAGIC VERSE— Poet Hadara Bar-Nadav (above, l) shared her experience with honor killing. Allison Benis White (l) described how she survived the trauma of her father’s death and losing four close friends to suicide.

Courtesy Photo

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May 25, 2018 — Volume 61, Issue 6

Design by Marty Loftin

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

Playwrights play hard

By Marty Loftin Arts Editor

Shakespeare was correct when he wrote “brevity is the soul of wit.”

Theater and film students were brief and witty during their production of “Southwestern Student Shorts.”

Six plays ran 10 minutes or less with a ton of heart.

With direction by instructor Teddy Ecks, playwrights created pieces that were dark and meaningful. They dealt with heady subjects like suicide, closeted sexuality, self-harm and the pitfalls of romance.

A few comedic pieces helped balance the tragedy.

Kicking off the evening was “Mother’s Love,” a powerful short documentary directed by Abigail Flores. It opens with what appears to be a hospital room, with two patients in their massive hospital beds, a nurse and plenty of medical equipment.

But no, this is a children’s room.

The nurse is a mother to these two girls who have muscular dystrophy, microcephaly and medical issues that keeps them immobile. For these girls to be happy and healthy, their mother (a family friend of Flores), has to spend most of her time caring for them.

Though the two girls are sometimes in pain due to their condition, their mother cares for them in a way that no one else could.

“Why I Texted You Last March,” a play directed by Victor Reveles, critiques the contemporary quest for love. Dating has been poisoned by the need to use pop culture to define social interactions, unrealistic expectations and general romantic cowardice. The play is set in three scenes, starting with three guys playing games and talking about relationships. Eventually, two of them reveal their toxic, self-sabotaging preconceptions about what they want in a relationship, leading to the third calling them out and show them the futility of looking for love through a phone screen and denying love if it isn’t perfect.

This is followed by a similar conversation is held by three women hanging out at a café. They too discuss their hopes to find someone they want to be with, but get into an argument over how worthy men should be and two of them are criticized for objectifying men in the same way that women hate when it is done to them.

“Tell Me On A Sunday,” by playwright Alyssa Castillo, tells the story of two lovers told across seven days. It begins on a Sunday, with an unexpected and unreal affair. It was perfect until Monday, when it became real. With each day, the initial magic of the relationship fades as they deal with insecurity and infidelity, but it grows in other ways.

Long monologues delve into the hopes and dreams the two lovers (Lucas Denton and Erica Cherissa Mejos) hold for their romantic future while they undress and change clothes. Though they grow close, the doubts grow and overwhelm them.

Denton said love is like a sunrise, “once your eyes have adjusted to the darkness of lovelessness, it becomes a sudden blinding light that is impossible to ignore.”

Their shared vulnerabilities are on display for everyone, except each other. Eventually they separate when Mejos discovers that Denton had cheated on his boyfriend (Jeremiah Petersen) with her.

“I’m sorry I fell in love with your boyfriend,” she said. “A faceless victim of my own selfishness. I think meeting you would break my heart.”

The short film “Forest Green”

by Adam Lopez is a simple story with little dialogue, but the expert cinematography creates emotional depth. It centers on a student stuck in a business class he has no interest in because of his father.

Over a two-week period when his dad is away on business, the protagonist develops his interest in art. In the time before his father returns, he develops his painting skill and shirks his studies.

The end scene of the film perfectly evokes strong tension as the father returns and finds a graded paper from the business class with a bright red “F” at the top sitting next to a paintbrush.

The anger is palpable as the camera follows the father into his son’s bedroom, but the mood changes when he realizes his son has artistic talent. Instead of yelling at his son, the father silently hands him his paintbrush. Without words, it is a very touching scene.

“Fly Away,” by playwright Brenton James Warren, is beautiful and tragic.

James (Angel Perez) is suffering at school and at home. Jazz (Wisdom Yarborough) shows up unexpectedly in his bedroom window and helps him feel better.

STUDENT SHORTS—Student playwrights flex their creative muscle with a series of six short plays each 10 minutes or less. (top) “Tell Me On A Sunday,” depicts a relationship in seven days. (above) “Fly Away” tackles bullying, depression and self harm. (right) “Holy Roommates” shows the lighter side of Jesus Christ as he helps a sad young man find peace on Earth.

Photos Courtesy of Darren Scott

Jazz can sense James’ depression because it’s something she is familiar with. They connect when she convinces him to stop self-harming.

Jazz tells him to turn his scars into butterflies and name them after people who care about him. Jazz tells him to name the first after her and to never erase its black sharpie wings.

The next day, James finds out from other students that Jazz killed herself.

This tale of tragic and premature death is all too common. In 2016, there were more than 50,000 suicides, and it is likely the numbers are underreported. It is likely everyone has a Jazz in their life, someone who is suffering just below the surface.

Wisdom Yarborough’s “Monsters In the Closet” by shined light on a very real issue that many people deal

with when they have to hide their sexuality from their loved ones. For just a moment, it seemed like the play was advocating coming out of the closet no matter what, when the two boyfriends (Denton and Alonso Ramirez) argue about whether they should come out. Denton does not like having their relationship secret, but if Ramirez’s father (Jeremiah Petersen) found out, he would disown him. His father told him that the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orland was “God’s way of saving them,” but Denton wanted Ramirez to take the risk for the sake of their relationship.

“Come out of the closet or stay by yourself,” Denton said. He quickly recanted his selfish demand that could have put his partner in danger. They

resolve their issue with their hope to find freedom when they go away to college.

“The Offering,” a play by Andres Arellano, is a short drama about lost love, suicide and Death herself.

Carlos (Alonso Ramirez) laments the death of his lover Carmen (Judy Chambers) and decides shoots himself on her grave. Death (Erica Cherissa Mejos) intervenes and tries to convince him that there is so much to live for. Carlos is determined to stay dead so that he may be stay with his lover, but Death is not so keen on letting him call it quits so soon.

“The world doesn’t stop for you, you shouldn’t stop for it,” said Death.

In this play, Death is not the scythe-wielding skeleton in billowing black robes, but a beautiful woman in a slick black dress armed with a sharp wit. She has met everyone who has ever died, but wishes she could have had a chance to live. This depiction of Death will not let the living waste their lives and helps them to choose life.

The final play of the set answered a question many wise (or high) people have long pondered: What it would be like to have Jesus Christ as a roommate?

Turns out, without the pressure of having to act like the savior for mankind and access to modern forms of excess, Jesus turns into a beerchugging party boy who likes to name-drop his dad.

But the focus of Chelena Fallenstein’s play “Holy Roommates” is not the drunken antics of a hasbeen deity, but his roommate Charlie (Jerimiah Petersen).

Charlie really botched his suicide and ended up in a legal dead zone in the Heavenly bureaucracy that determines who goes up and who goes down.

This convoluted situation is somehow solved by Jesus (Denton) returning to be Charlie’s guide and help him atone and escape this Earthly purgatory. Charlie believes the world is not worth living in and is crumbling around him.

Jesus tells him “By dwelling on sorrow, you waste your potential.

The world needs people to take care of each other, to save the world.”

After Charlie agrees to stay on Earth and make it a better place, Jesus asks “Wanna toke?”

Why not? As long as it’s short.