Spring 2015: Issue 7

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

Viva la Dance Pg. A12

Dropping In Pg. A8

Volume 58, Issue 7

theswcsun.com

CSEA president receives threat

March 29 - May 15, 2015

Identity Melissa Rodriguez wins election as 2015-16 ASO President/Student Trustee theft hits campus employees

By Jaime Pronoble Senior Staff Writer

A letter threatening the life of Southwestern College CSEA President Andre Harris and his family was mailed to his home on April 14.

Harris said there is an investigation underway and he could not give details about the letter, but he said he thinks the threat is related to a letter to the editor he wrote published March 22 in The Sun. In his letter, Harris argued that working conditions for African-Americans were not as bad as a previous letter published in The Sun by a group of custodians and an employee had claimed.

“Right now I can’t comment on recent events because the college is investigating the matters you are referring to,” said Harris. please see Threat pg. A3

Trio of SWC employees put on leave, one resigns

Priscilla Morales

Aileen Contrares

Melissa Rodriguez

Alyssa Cox

Virginia Perez Gonzalez

Estela Delgado Rodriguez

Ruben Meza

ASO EXECUTIVE BOARD (clockwise) — ASO President/Student Trustee Melissa Rodriguez, Vice President for Public Relations Priscilla Morales, Vice President of Club Affairs Aileen Contreras, Social Vice President Virginia Perez-Gonzalez, Executive Secretary Ruben Meza, Vice President of Finance Estela Delgado-Rodriguez, Executive Vice President Alyssa Cox.

By Jaime Pronoble Senior Staff Writer

Dean of the School of Arts and Communication Dr. Donna Arnold and PC Systems Technician Johnny Blankenship were placed paid administrative leave April 24, the third and fourth leaves of absence this spring.

On March 17, Director of Facilities John Brown and Facilities Supervisor Ramsey Romero were placed on leave.

Brown later resigned from his position on April 16. Ed Johnson is the interim director of facilities.

Dr. Cynthia McGregor is the Acting Dean of the School of Arts and Communication.

McGregor said she still continue teaching all of her classes. She is not short on assistance, she said.

“Our staff is amazing,” she said.

“Eileen (Zwierski) is the administrative assistant to the dean, and she basically tells me what the dean would be doing if she were here. I just try to fill in those shoes the best that I can.”

Performing Arts Coordinator Silvia Lugo has also been very helpful, McGregor said, and she is doing her usual work facilitating performances and exhibitions.

McGregor said she did not know the circumstances of her newly acquired position, only that Arnold is on leave.

“I have a lot of respect for the dean and she will be missed,” she said.

By Gabriel Sandoval Arts Editor

Tax season has come and gone and so has the confidential information of 48 Southwestern College employees who had their identities stolen and fraudulent tax returns filed in their names.

President Dr. Melinda Nish, who addressed the issue in an email sent to SWC employees on March 27, said campus police are engaged in an on-going investigation with the aid of an independent investigative firm which has contacted 30 of the 48 victims as of April 20.

“We have a very small police department, so we don’t have a deep bench with police that have a lot of experience in investigations,” she said. “We felt it was best that we get a firm that specializes in investigations.”

Investigators, Nish said, have found no evidence of a security breach or anything to suggest confidential information, W-2 forms or Social Security numbers were stolen by hackers. SWC Institutional Technology (IT) has also conducted an internal audit of the college’s computer systems, but found no evidence of a security breach either, she said.

Representatives of the campus police, IT and the independent investigative firm said they were unable to comment. Nish has instructed them to deny comment in order to centralize communication.

All media inquiries, she said, should be directed to her office.

In the March 27 email Nish advised affected employees to file identity theft reports with their local law enforcement agencies, contact the Internal Revenue Service and one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion — to put freezes on their credit report files so no new credit cards could be registered in their names.

Nish said there may be more than please see Identity Theft pg. A3

STEVE KOWIT (1938-2015)

Brilliant poet was revered professor

By Andrew Perez Senior Staff Writer

On a YouTube video Steve Kowit stands in front of a crowd at Ducky Waddle’s Emporium in Encinitas.

Harsh fluorescent light brightens one side of the room, the rest is dark save for the the shop’s neon-red marque. Colorful crosses and macabre Mexican folk art decorate the wall

XOLOS Soccer’s Big Dogs,B8

behind him. Visions of pale calavera catrinas and red and green devil men stare at the onlookers.

As Kowit starts to read his poem “I Attend a Poetry Reading,” the dark ambiance subsides and the audience begins to laugh their asses off.

Kowit, who passed away in his sleep from cardiac arrest on April 2, was the Warren Zevon of the San Diego poetry scene – capable of creating transcendent

beauty and wicked humor. He once haunted Greenwich Village with Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg, but loved teaching at Southwestern College. Kowit was revered by his peers in both literary and academic circles. His poetry and teaching style exemplified a man who could make readers cry and bust a gut in the same stanza. please see Kowit pg. A2

A2

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

Bianca Quilantan, editor

NEWS

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

STEVE KOWIT (1938-2015)

Kowit

Prolific poet at home in Greenwich Village, Haight-Ashbury and Southwestern College

Continued from pg. A1

B

orn in 1938 in Brooklyn, NY, Kowit cut his poetic chops in the Lower East Side, giving frequent readings at New York’s bounteous coffee houses, such as the now closed Les Duex Megots. He earned his BA from Brooklyn College after a stint in the Army Reserve. He moved to San Francisco when he was 27 and spent time with the Beats, a generation of writers who explored the counterculture, in the Haight-Ashbury district. Kowit earned a MA at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University) when he was 30. After refusing Army induction at the beginning of the Vietnam War – or as Kowit called it, “America’s genocidal slaughter of the Vietnamese people” – he traveled to Mexico, Central and South America with his wife, Mary. After the war Kowit returned to the States and resided in San Diego, where he began to teach at SDSU and UCSD. Among Kowit’s numerous achievements and awards are two Pushcart Prizes and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in Poetry Award.

Kowit published numerous books of poetry, including “Lurid Confessions,” “Cutting Our Losses,” “Passionate Journey: Poems and Drawings in the Erotic Mood” and the non-fiction book, “In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop.”

Before his death, University of Tampa Press was in the process of editing a new collection of Kowit’s poems titled “Cherished: New and Selected Poems.” It is scheduled to be published posthumously later this year.

Kowit taught English at SWC from 1990 until he retired in 2011.

“Steve was an amazing man,” said English Professor Andrew Rempt. “I used to stand outside his classroom and listen to him teach and, on occasion, I’d walk in and give him a hug.

He wouldn’t miss a beat, just hug me back without comment and keep on teaching.”

A memorial in honor of Kowit was held in the Academic Success Center, where numerous faculty paid their respects and read poetry in honor of their colleague two weeks after his death.

English Professor Francisco Bustos performed a “poetic invocation” called “Aguilar Poeta” with Javier Maldonado and San Diego poet Jim Moreno, where they called the spirit of Kowit into the room through the use of drums and chanting.

“I was a student at SWC in the 1990s and I took one of Steve’s classes,” Bustos said. “I vividly remember how in love with teaching he was. He made the class fun with his humor and wit, you wanted to be there. Afterwards I used to do little readings and performances with him and it was great.”

Kowit’s former office mate, English Professor Heather Eudy, remembered going on frequent walks with him where they would talk about life and the universe.

“During one of our beach walks,” Eudy said, “I was taking a photography class and I needed to take portraits of people and Steve said, ‘I’ll be your faithful assistant.’ I am kind of shy, so he would go up to random people on the beach for an hour and he would be personable with everyone. Ever since then he would always sign his emails ‘Your faithful assistant’ and I just found that so endearing.”

Dr. Joel Levine, dean of the School of Language and Literature, said Kowit was a marvelous teacher.

“When I started at SWC I noticed the looks on the student’s faces after they got out of a class with Steve,” he said. “He never treated his students like they were students, he treated them like they were writers.”

His “perpetual student,” award-winning journalist Claire Accomando, said she met Kowit when she took one of his writing classes and instantly fell in love with Kowit’s amiable personality.

“My friend had to drag me to the class, beacuase I had always loved poetry, but never dared writing it,” she said.

“Steve was probably the most honest person I know, besides my husband. While he wasn’t very organized, the minute he started to teach, I was transfixed, inspired.”

Kowit’s death came as a shock to the San Diego literary community.

Moreno, who runs a monthly open mic night at Café Cabaret, dedicated an entire night of poetry reading in honor of his friend.

“I first met Steve at a poetry reading and I was immediately mesmerized,” he said. “I then took a class he taught at SWC and became friends with him. He was laughably and likably irreverent. He was a social justice priest and a loyal friend, a patriot of truth and self-effacement.”

Moreno said he remembered interviewing Kowit for his KNSJ radio show “Poetry is Political.”

“After the interview he took me to lunch in a small café near his home,” Moreno said. “When we were leaving to eat, he stopped his car and said goodbye to his dogs. I couldn’t hear what he was saying from my car, but he was talking to them like they were great old friends. Steve never cared about appearances, he cared about substance. Even with his dogs.”

Many local poets went and paid respect to their fallen friend, including Jett Keyser, who said he was a friend and longtime fan.

“Steve liked to blend genres,” Keyser said. “There was the funny and the mundane and the extraordinary and the sorrowful. It was an eclectic melding of styles that is unique to his work.”

From the book “Passionate Journey: Poems and Drawings in the Erotic Mood” by Steve Kowit Summer days, decades ago, I would lie by your side in the shade of the willow tree that was here on the riverbank. One day I would have carved our names on its bark with a small knife had you not said no, do not harm it.

That day we swore to love each other forever.

Uprooted, that tree has been gone many years. Now you too are no more.

Today I stroll on the bank by the thrashing waters here where it stood recalling your voice & the beauty & gentle grace of your spirit — this river that rushes headlong into the sea…

after the Sanskrit

Poet Judith Hanson read a tender poem in honor of Kowit and recalled his workshops, saying that Kowit would pass out candy before every class to relax his students.

“He just wanted to break down the stress that gets in the way of producing good writing, to get out of oneself and just be when creating,” she said.

Another of his many fans was poet and political activist Donna Hilbert. She first met Kowit at a reading at CSU, Long Beach where he had brought down the house.

“Steve was one of the best poets America produced in the last thousand years,” she said. “He could see the light in the serious, the magic in the mundane. His poems were genuinely human, written so that everyone could understand them.”

Poet Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes would take hikes with Kowit where they would talk extensively about literature and poetry.

“Steve was passionate about poetry and poets,” he said. “He was generous with his knowledge and time. He went out of his way to encourage and help young writers. Steve had opportunities to be an even more famous poet himself, but he turned down offers that would have required him to move away from San Diego. He loved our city and state, so much that he wouldn’t leave for anything.”

Aside from being an immensely talented poet, Kowit was unafraid to voice his political views.

Artist and activist Doris Bittar remembered joining Kowit for political activities when she and her husband moved to California in 1986.

Last year Bittar worked with Kowit at SWC when she curated the “Labor Migrant Gulf ” art exhibit, where he read poems.

“Steve was always approachable,” she said. “His visions were feisty and at the same time joyous. He really believed in people power and knew how to motivate people into action.”

Poet and writer Terry Hertzler said Kowit was outspoken.

“Steve was also not shy about letting people know his political and social opinions,” he said. “I would call him a politically incorrect progressive. He didn’t care what current acceptable views were if they ran counter to his own views.”

Kowit met controversy in his views on religious tensions in the Middle East. Despite being raised Jewish, Kowit felt that the Palestinians were treated unfairly by Israel. Just a month before his death, the U-T San Diego published an opinion piece by Kowit titled “Is the U.S.-Israel Love Affair on the Rocks?”

In the piece Kowit advocated for Palestinian rights and addressed Israel’s relation with Palestinians over the past 70 years. He said the majority of Congress supported Israel due to “significant campaign funding” from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Even though Kowit had controversial views, SWC Administrative Assistant Bertha Rose Williams said he had a big heart and helped his friends in need.

Williams wanted to erect a memorial bench in the Balboa Park Rose Gardens in honor of her daughter who had passed away. She had already raised part of the money but she was still far from her goal.

“In walked Steve,” she said, “and after he heard that I was trying to raise money for the memorial he asked how much I needed. I told him that I had $300 so far and that it cost $1,200. Without batting an eye he just said, ‘I’ll go get my checkbook.’ He donated $900 without another question asked and I’ll always thank him and remember him for that.”

Kowit was heavily involved in bringing a deeper understanding of poetry and the literary arts to San Diego, conducting numerous workshops for San Diego Writers, Ink, a non-profit literary organization that offers reading, workshops and classes, and worked many times with Border Voices, which brings poetry to students in the K-12 grades.

John Webb, the founder of Border Voices, remembered how well Kowit worked with children.

“He was just fantastic,” Webb said. “The way he got even the extremely shy kids to talk was phenominal.”

“Steve was a champion of poetry that was unambiguous, musical and imaginative, and as he said in the introduction to his anthology, “The Maverick Poets,” ‘tuned to the spoken language, free of decorative rhetoric and distinguished by its clarity, humanity and power’,” Hertzler said. “That was the kind of poetry he produced and encouraged in his students.”

Professor of Theater Dr. Carla Kirkwood remembered Kowit as one of a kind, a man of principle in not only his politics, but also in his writing.

“We used to have a running joke whenever someone in the college moved up in ranks,” Kirkwood said. “He used to tell me that he thought that it was an incredible tragedy that the best dream in the world you can have is to be a dean, a boss or a manager. And he was right.”

Kirkwood said Kowit achieved artistic immortality.

“People like Steve, the artists and the creators and writers, they’re never really gone when they die,” she said.

“They still have the world that they helped to create and it never really goes away. It may get lost in the shuffle from time to time, but the work will always be there, waiting to be rediscovered by those who really care enough to sift through all the crap.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

Timeline of racial tension this spring

J

anuary 19, 2015 - A letter addressed to the NAACP and Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber accusing Southwestern College of institutional racism is leaked to The Sun. It is signed by custodians Roderick Curry, Taao Streeter, Eric Matos, Mark Gutierrez and PC Systems Technician Johnny Blankenship.

CSEA President Andre Harris

Threat: More than 30 employees interviewed so far Continued from pg. A1

He said he would follow up as soon as possible.

“I have to allow the process to take its course,” he said, “but for now I have to reserve my comments.”

CSEA Vice President Silvia Lugo said she knew about the letter, but could not comment while the investigation is in progress. She said it was “very disturbing” that someone would threaten to kill Harris over his personal opinions.

Harris said he was unable to disclose anything contained in the letter, but he described it as “vile, toxic and very demeaning.”

Depending on the contents of the letter, it could either be a state or federal crime, according to FBI spokesperson Darryl Foxworth. A threatening letter that meets federal criteria could net the writer 20 years in prison, a fine or both according to Title 18, section 876 of the Federal Criminal Code.

Although he was offered a security detail by the college, Harris and his family refused. He did, however, tell his children to be more aware of their surroundings as a precaution.

“I will not live in fear and I will not be terrorized,” he said.

Before the threat was mailed to Harris, Facilities Supervisor Ramsey Romero and former Director of Facilities John Brown were placed on paid leave. Brown later resigned.

Following the threat, two more employees were placed on leave and had their college computers removed from their offices.

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish did not deny the leaves of absence were related to the threat made against Harris, but said she is not at liberty to discuss the situation as it is still under investigation.

Identity Theft: College looks to improve cyber security for staff Continued from pg. A1

48 SWC employee cases.

Under federal law, any person found guilty of filing fraudulent a tax return could incur a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

“People are stealing your information in order to file, and receive, a tax refund in your name,” Nish’s email read. “You aren’t going to know it has happened until you go to file, what is in essence, a second return, and the IRS will reject it. If you electronically file, it will be rejected immediately. If you ‘paper file,’ you will get an IRS 5071C letter in writing explaining what the problem is.”

Nish provided the phone number to the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Hotline, which offers assistance to victims, and wrote that the college had been in contact with Payroll Services, who had in turn been in contact with the San Diego County Office of Education.

S D C O E has access to confidential employee information, such as Social Security numbers, Nish because the agency does final processing for SWC employee payroll.

SDCOE has “found no break in the integrity of their systems,” her email read.

January 28 - Governing Board President Norma Hernandez received the same letter in her campus mail.

February 2015 - President Dr. Melinda Nish, Hernandez and Trustee Humberto Peraza have meetings with Weber.

March 10 - Full story reporting the accusation of college racism published in theswcsun.com. Nish meets with custodians.

March 11 - Nish writes letter to the editor of The Sun. “Every allegation has been fully investigated and appropriate action has been taken,” she wrote. Her letter was published online March 11 and March 16 in print.

March 17 - Director of Facilities John Brown and Facilities Supervisor Romero Ramsey put on administrative leave.

March 20 - College hosts diversity training conducted by the Anti-Defamation League.

Journalist denied access.

March 22 - Letter to the editor by CSEA President Andre Harris rejects the charge of racism made by the four custodians and Blankenship.

April 14 - Harris receives death threat in a letter sent through U.S. Postal Service.

April 16 - Brown resigns.

April 24 - Office computers of School of Arts and Communication Dean Dr. Donna Arnold and Blankenship are confiscated by the college. Both are placed on paid administrative leave. More diversity training.

April 27 - Ongoing — Series of employees interviewed by Human Services investigators, some multiple times.

Her email also explained that the college has “reached out to those affected.”

On April 3 Nish sent another email to employees saying that the SWCPD was “compiling a list of District employees affected by this invasion of privacy.”

SWC is working with the “Chula Vista Police Department, other San Diego County colleges and university police departments to identify victims, share information and better protect our community members,” her email read.

SWC Police Officer Marco Bareño was assigned as the SWCPD point of contact.

SWC Professor of Theatre Mark Pentilescu said he realized his identity was stolen and a fraudulent tax return was filed in his name in mid-March, a day after he received two letters in the mail, one from the IRS, the other from the State of California Franchise Tax Board.

He said enclosed in his letter from the State was a “huge check.”

“It was made out to me and the name of another (SWC) teacher, too, as if we were cohabitating,” he said. “The IRS (letter) said basically the same thing — and that they were going to be sending me a check soon. I hadn’t filed my taxes yet. Also, (the IRS letter) had the other teacher’s name on it.”

Pentilescu said he began to wonder why another faculty member’s name would appear on his tax documents.

On March 23 he sent an email to all SWC faculty members asking if anyone else had experienced identity theft.

“Lo and behold,” he said, “about 16 people responded immediately.”

At least three of them, he said, reported another faculty member’s name was also on their letter or check from the IRS or State Franchise Tax Board.

On March 27 after Nish sent her initial email to SWC employees, Pentilescu responded with one of his own, also sent to SWC employees.

“I have been trying to file a report with SWC campus police since Tuesday or Wednesday,” he wrote that Friday afternoon. “Sgt. Sanchez referred me to Marco Bareño. Today I am told Marco Bareño will not be on campus until April 6.

I asked the officer who answered the phone if there was someone else I could talk to and was told that Bareño, ‘He’s the one.’ It is disheartening to see what value our campus police put on this matter.”

In his email to faculty members Pentilescu said it took 10 minutes to file a report with the CVPD, 20 to speak with the IRS, five with the FTC and another five with Equifax. Recently he said it took 10 days to file a report with the campus police.

“None of the 16 with whom I’ve exchanged information has heard anything from our administration,” his email read.

“I took that as an insult,” he said, “because there’s a connection here someplace… No one reached out to anyone or did anything for us, with us, called us together or anything. I thought that was just trying to smooth it over.”

Since late March Pentilescu said he has spoke to Bareño, but has only recently been contacted by the independent investigative firm. He also said SWC employees who were affected have reported fraudulent tax returns and expensive purchases made in their names.

Professor of Reading Robert Unger was one of the 48 affected SWC employees.

He said he filed both his State and Federal tax returns electronically. His State filing was accepted, but his Federal was rejected.

“If there’s a breach, and the breach occurred on campus, (SWC) could be liable for the ramifications,” he said. “Each of the individual faculty members and staff could actually bring a suit against the college.”

Unger said he began hearing about the issue before spring break. He said he emailed SWC Police Chief Michael Cash who was not aware of the issue, but “then he quickly got up to speed.”

Unger said one problem could be the

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

A3

McClellan denies lying to The Sun, files EEO complaint against adviser

By Nicholas Baltz and Gabriel Sandoval Staff Writers

Dean of Student Ser vices Mia McClellan issued a written denial to her supervisors that she had lied to reporters from The Sun about her involvement with an underground agitprop pamphlet. She also filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint against the faculty adviser of The Sun, accusing him of violating the college’s ethical guidelines.

In a joint statement, the Editorial Board of The Sun and the faculty adviser Dr. Max Branscomb asserted that an article about McClellan’s involvement with the Jag Wire was accurately reported.

“Dean of Student Services Mia McClellan issued a denial that she lied to journalism students in an interview that was referenced in an article titled Former Sun photographer impersonated police chief (March 16, 2015), but a recording of the interview verified that McClellan was quoted accurately in the article and that she had lied,” read the statement.

“McClellan, in the taped interview, denied communication with an anonymous agitprop pamphlet called the Jag Wire, even though journalists from The Sun uncovered emails that McClellan had multiple communications with the pamphlet.”

In an April 13 email sent at 2:12 a.m. to President Dr. Melinda Nish, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Angelica Suarez, Sun Adviser Dr. Max Branscomb, Sun Editor-inChief Anna Pryor and the Jag Wire, McClellan wrote, “It is untrue that I lied to the Sun reporters. This truth would be apparent if the Sun and its faculty advisor would release the tape recording of the interview.”

McClellan’s email continued: “It is untrue that I released any confidential student information to the Jag Wire or any other person. That allegation by the Sun and its faculty advisor (according to the Sun’s published attribution of such an allegation) is false and unsupportable. The best way to clear up these false allegations is for an independent investigation and for everyone involved to make full disclosers to the independent investigator.”

Branscomb rejected McClellan’s claim of “false accusations” and said the article made no allegations that Mc C l e l l a n re l e a s e d c o n fi de n t i a l student information. He encouraged

48

“Our report has nothing to do with their relationship as colleagues. As a staff, we seek truth and report it. It is really that simple. ” ANNA PRYOR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF McClellan and those copied on the email to re-read the article. McClellan, he said, was quoted verbatim.

“Our students reported this story accurately and in accordance with professional standards,” he wrote in response. “I stand by their work.”

McClellan’s recorded interview and a transcription was posted on theswcsun. com. Branscomb was notified days later that the college district launched an independent EEO investigation, but college officials later announced it would not proceed. Instead, the college will hire a mediator at the request of Nish, according to an email addressed to Branscomb and various college officials sent by SWC Personnel Director Marvin Castillo on May 11.

Last semester SWC Police Chief Michael Cash filed an EEO complaint against Branscomb charging him with racism related to coverage in The Sun of his discharge of a gun in campus police headquarters. Branscomb is AngloAmerican, Cash is African-American.

Cash’s complaint was dismissed by the independent investigator.

Branscomb said McClellan’s EEO complaint was also “specious” and “without merit.”

Editor-in-Chief Anna Pryor said she agreed, adding “the article was written with journalistic integrity.”

“Based off the released recording, Mc C l e l l e a n c l e a r l y l i e d t o o u r reporters,” she said. “It is wrong for her to go after our adviser for the reporting of students. Our report has nothing to do with their relationship as colleagues.

As a staff, we seek truth and report it.

It is really that simple.”

To read the original article and to listen to an excerpt of the tape recording of the interview visit http:// theswcsun.com/rick-flores/.

Employee identities stolen

college’s computer software.

“Our software is antiquated,” he said. “It is very possible the college was hacked…

The software we’ve been using in our payroll system has been patched and repatched for many years.”

Another possibility, he said, could be a County Office of Education breach. He said a San Diego police officer offhandedly told him other school districts in connection with the SDCOE have experienced breaches.

“That’s secondhand information,” he explained, “but if that’s true, then it does point to the County, as opposed to us.”

Nish said SWC will “fiscally go independent” of the SDCOE on July 1.

“We will decouple from the County,” she said. “All of (SWC employee payroll) will be processed in-house. So I’m looking at that this as a real positive, because that would close the door on a possible breach with the County.”

Nish said she doubts identity theft will cease.

“I don’t think that this is going to be ever going away anytime soon,” she said, “because there’s so much electronic traffic of this information.”

Nish mentioned that the CVPD has reported a steady increase in identity theft crimes in recent years.

“Right now (CVPD) is reporting 60 plus cases reported to them, not including ours,” she said. “That’s more than last year, which was about 54.”

In an effort to aid affected employees, she

said, SWC will provide identity protection services for them, though she did not mention the name of the service company or the services it would provide.

“We’ve identified a service and we’ve identified the cost, and we’re going to roll that out for everyone that has been reported that they have an IRS filing issue.”

One precaution SWC has recently taken involves the amount of access SWC employees have to confidential information, she said.

“We’ve significantly reduced any employee that has access to Social Security numbers,” she said. “Very, very few people can even get that information off our system now.”

The number is now around 30, she said.

Nish has yet to comment on how many people had access before.

Dr. Carla Kirkwood, coordinator of the SWC Center for International Studies, said she was aware of the breach in March, but only realized she was victimized herself on April 9 or 10. She said the whole process since then, which involved hours upon hours of paperwork, has been a “sure reality check.”

“I’m not a Luddite,” she said. “I believe in technology, but this processing of information — it’s almost like we thought Big Brother was going to be at our door, burning our books, but this may be a much more sophisticated way of control and maneuvering. Then when this stuff happens, it’s very clear that it can happen to you.”

A4

The Southwestern College Sun

VIEWPOINTS

March 29 - May15, 2015, Volume 58, Issue 7

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.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Anna Pryor

ALYSSA PAJARILLO

Time to get real about STDs & STIs

MANAGING EDITOR

Colin Grylls PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mason Masis SENIOR STAFF

Lina Chankar Serina Duarte Andrew Perez

Shame game often prevents reporting, treatment of ailments.

Jaime Pronoble Kasey Thomas COPY EDITOR

Brian del Carmen NEWS

Bianca Quilantan, editor Luz Aramburo, assistant Eliza Cana, assistant VIEWPOINTS

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor CAMPUS

Andrea Aliseda/staff

Asjia Daniels, editor Alberto Calderon, assistant ARTS

Gabriel Sandoval, editor Cesar Hirsch, assistant SPORTS

Nicholas Baltz, editor Evan Cintron, assistant

The Issue: Our campus police department is in a state of complete collapse due to poor leadership.

editorial

Our Position: If the college won’t replace the inept chief, it should close down the SWCPD.

Rudee Amaral III, assistant ONLINE

Adriana Heldiz, editor Adrian Gomez, assistant Vito Di Stefano, assistant PHOTOGRAPHY

April Abarrondo, editor Mirella Lopez, assistant CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Josh Carter Kenslow Smith STAFF WRITERS

Andrea Aliseda

Martin Loftin

JoseLuis Baylon

Adriana Molina

Veronica Deck

William Nimmo

Abraham Gertz

Andrew Perez

Elizandra Granillo

Guillermo Ramirez

Kayla hall

Netzai Sanchez

Brenda Gregorio-Nieto

Marianna Saponara

Brittany Henderson

Domonique Scott

Victoria Leyva

Tyrice Simmons

Joshua Liang

Jennifer Soto

CARTOONISTS

Stephanie Garrido Mark Hyde Michelle Phillips John Ryu Victor Santander PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jocelyn Melody Davalos Kayla Hall David Hodges ADVISOR

Dr. Max Branscomb

AWARDS/HONORS Student Press Law Center

Society of Professional

National College Press

Journalists

Freedom Award, 2011

National Mark of

National Newspaper

Excellence, 2001-14

Association

First Amendment Award,

National College

2002, 2005

Newspaper of the Year, 2004-15

San Diego Press Club

Associated Collegiate Press

Excellence in Journalism

National College Newspaper

Awards 1999-2014

of the Year

Directors Award for

National Newspaper Pacemaker

Defense of Free Speech,

Award,

2012

2003-06, 2008, 2009, 2011,

Journalism Association of

2012-2014

Community Colleges

General Excellence Awards,

Pacesetter Award 2001-15

2001-15

General Excellence

Best of Show Awards, 2003-15

Awards, 2000-15

Columbia University

San Diego County Fair

Scholastic Press Association

Media Competition

Gold Medal for Journalism

Best of Show 2001-03,

Excellence, 2001-14

2005-2014

California Newspaper

American Scholastic Press

Publishers Assoc.

Association

California College Newspaper

Community College

of the Year, 2013

Newspaper of the Year

Student Newspaper

San Diego County

General Excellence, 2002-14

Multicultural Heritage Award

Time to shut down dysfunctional SWCPD and bring in the sheriffs Let’s get it out of the way early: Our police leadership is incompetent. It is time to disband the campus police department.

For nearly three years our mostly useless police force has shown that it lacks the ability to keep us safe and conduct even the most routine tasks.

Claude Rains, in the cinematic classic “Lawrence of Arabia,” said, “Big things have small beginnings.” Our story begins with a few small holes and a loud bang.

On Aug. 23, 2013, three SWC employees narrowly avoided being shot as a bullet fired at head level by Police Chief Michael Cash seared through a wall. Cash ran out of his office yelling “accidental discharge” and then crumbled into a stuttering mess. He was carted off in an ambulance in shock.

Two employees went out on paid stress leave.

One retired, the other is still being paid by the taxpayers. College administrators, shamefully, refuse to release any information about the incident.

There was so much more to come. Here are a few recent examples: Sexually abused women were left unprotected and stood up when they were promised escorts.

Cash made excuses to the governing board and blamed the victims.

Sexual assault victims were left pounding on the door of the campus police office while employees inside refused to answer. Telephone calls by victims to campus police who were attempting to report rapes were never returned.

Former SWCPD student worker Rick Flores was allowed to impersonate Cash with a concocted email to escape SDSU band obligations. Cash allowed Flores to continue for a month and may have sent him on company time to represent an agitprop pamphlet at a meeting involving The Sun. SDSU Band Director James Caestecker said it took him more than a month to get SWCPD to respond.

Police logs remain out of compliance with the Clery Act, a federal law meant to protect college Online Comments Policy

students and increase transparency. Despite a lengthy front page investigation published in The Sun, the police logs are still a nonfunctioning mess and out of compliance.

When nearly 50 employees of the college had their identities stolen it was easy to contact and file a report with the IRS and Chula Vista Police Department, said SWC Professor of Theatre Mark Pentilescu. Filing a report with SWCPD, however, has been an endless runaround, he said.

Upset by a cartoon of him firing his gun through the roof and intense coverage in The Sun, Cash filed a racial discrimination complaint against our advisor. It was laughed out of court by investigators hired by the college at the taxpayer’s expense.

SWCPD has some excellent officers, but horrific leadership. It is time to close down the SWC campus police. The governing board should immediately lance this boil and allow a takeover by the Chula Vista Police Department or the San Diego County Sheriff’s. We need law enforcement in the hands of competent badge-wielding professionals and out of reach of administrators like Mia McClellan, who uses the department like her own street muscle.

There is precedent for a takeover. GrossmontCuyamaca Community College District pulled the plug on its troubled PD in 2013 and contracted with the San Diego County Sheriff’s for law enforcement. Grossmont contracted with SD Sheriff’s as a cost-saving measure and to ensure student safety. SWC’s needs are much more dire.

SWCPD and McClellan, embarrassed by our reporting, have lashed out again and again at journalism students and our advisor. Their actions only verify their wrongdoing and lack of professionalism.

Cash and the department should feel embarrassed, but not as embarrassed as we should be of them. It is time to clean out this stall. Keep the good cops, but clear out Cash and the civilian staff. Subcontract with the Sheriff’s or CVPD. We will save money, save face and save our women from further sexual abuse.

Letters Policy

The Sun reserves the right to republish web comments

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

Opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section are those

in the newspaper and will not consider publishing

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

of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent

anonymously posted web comments or comments that

viewpoints@theswcsun.com. E-mailed letters must include a phone

the views of The Sun Staff, the Editorial Board or

are inflammatory or libelous. Post web comments at

number. The Sun reserves the right to edit letters for libel and length and

Southwestern College.

theswcsun.com.

will not consider publishing letters that arrive unsigned.

Taboos die hard, even in the era of sexual revolution.

Fo r m e r s c a r l e t l e t t e r a c t s like homosexuality, adultery and promiscuity have become more accepted in 21st century American society.

Not so sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Those taboos live on.

STD/STIs can brand people for life. Labels such as “promiscuous” and “unclean” can be burned into the reputations of those found to have STD/ STIs. There is no propaganda campaign to shun those who have been infected, but the stigma exists. Co-workers, peers, friends and even family can spread the shame.

Off-handed comments like “gross” and “nasty” are nonchalantly tossed around STD/STIs, damaging sufferers and creating a fear of testing.

Avoiding STD/STI testing is dangerous. Testing is a blessing, not a curse, even if the news is not wonderful. Oozing, sores, odors and burning do not mean that STDs are present.

So m e t i m e s S T D / S T Is h a v e no symptoms but can still cause health problems and be transmitted to others.

The same goes for partner’s sexual health status. Just because they do not “look” like they are infected does not necessarily mean that they are disease free.

Encouragement from health classes and Planned Parenthood are helpful, but not enough t o g e t m o re p e o p l e t e s t e d .

The stigma of STD/STIs must be abolished if people are to feel comfortable being tested regularly.

People who have contracted an STD/STI are not dirty, nasty or necessarily promiscuous.

Contrary to popular belief, sexually transmitted diseases and infections are fairly common.

The Center for Disease Control recently estimates there are 20 million new curable and incurable infections annually, not including diseases not reported to the CDC, such as genital warts and herpes.

Research by the American S e x u a l He a l t h A s s o c i a t i o n concluded that more than half of all Americans will have an STD/STI at some point in their live. Half of all new STD/STIs will occur in people between the ages of 15 to 24. High school and college students are the primary victims.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” is fading into the dusty shelves of American literature, but the shame game is alive when STDs and STIs are the topic. Sometimes it is best to ignore the folks with the hang-ups and play it smart.

Getting tested regularly is the wise thing to do.

Alyssa may be reached at sexandthesun@theswcsun.com

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor

VIEWPOINTS

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

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

SWC Needs More School Spirit

A5

Thinking Out Loud What is your biggest accomplishment outside of Southwestern College?

“Getting accepted to Berklee School of Music.”

James Yslas,19, Music

By Vito Di Stefano A Perspective

Jaguar.

Car or jungle beast. Representing power, reverence and ferocity.

Southwestern College proudly displays the Jaguar as its mascot. Still, in spite of all the terrific people and resources here, it hardly seems like a fitting moniker considering the college’s reputation as a scandal plagued, commuter school with a packed parking lot that gradually becomes a ghost town as the semester progresses.

Cynicism, nihilism or defeatism often permeates after a mention of the school.

Southwestern is called “Harvard on the Hill” and “ASU: Across the Street University.” The Jaguar identity is lost in this messy, sordid fray. South Bay students flee to City College and Grossmont afraid of getting trapped in what they see as a dead end.

Certainly Southwestern is unlikely to inspire the devoted fan bases of name brand schools, the culture is just different.

But does the college and its students really deserve to be the Ebola-faking South Bay oddity that is the butt of jokes at UCSD parties?

Community college presents inherent differences from the university. In many ways that is a good thing. The focus of a community college is general education classes to transfer to a university or a certificate to move in to a real world job.

It is cheaper which means there is more time to figure out what you want to do and experiment with different majors.

Students usually don’t have to deal with the adjustment process after leaving home. Still, students are likely already friendly with their peers from high school, meaning they miss out on a time honored college tradition of meeting new people.

Bee Respectful:

By Mark Hyde

“Making dance routines for Quinceñeras.”

Jaqueline Gonzalez, 20, Forensics

Stpehanie Garrido/staff

Another key difference between the two is there is no academically strenuous application process, so there is no badge of honor worn upon acceptance.

Segregated from each other based on if they are taking regular or advanced placement classes, when South Bay high school students hear about their peers getting into name brand schools it is hard not to fall into a cynical attitude about a school they are seemingly saddled with.

Students are discouraged by a cycle of educational elitism.

This is especially troubling considering the South Bay is a racially, culturally and economically diverse area of San Diego County and that Southwestern College is the higher education that represents it. Minority students in National City aren’t inherently inferior to white students in Otay Ranch, especially not because of where they go to college.

Both groups don’t necessarily have the same opportunities.

Even if the opportunities are unequal, that doesn’t say who makes the most of them. There are students excelling here in community college after coasting through high school because they know this may be their last shot. There are students at universities doing the exact opposite because they know they have a community college safety net.

It’s not just the students though.

Instructors are ready to go to war for their students. Even administrators, councilors and classified workers hold up student success as their chief goal, save for a bribetaking bad apple or two.

And yes these scandals have been numerous from the accreditation issue to the fake Ebola outbreak, and yes they have impacted the community negatively.

Are the Grammy winning instructors or record setting track and field stars lesser

because they spend the school day at SWC? Students and staff represent countless unique stories and dreams. They are not just Plaza Bonita brats wasting time at 13th grade of SWUHD. Jaguars are serious college students.

In fact with university tuitions and importance of higher education growing, the SWC community should look at the President’s push for affordable community college as the perfect opportunity.

Time is to flip the script. Embrace community college and all that it offers.

Southwestern should be leading the charge.

Expand your circle of peers beyond the old high school friends. Flock to the organizations around campus. The nonstudent members of the SWC community need to think about how their scandals and missteps affect students.

Southwestern College will never and should never be the colleges that are on the names of streets nearby, but this is the institution most accessible to tens of thousands of students in San Diego County and the diversity and dedicated instructors here should be cherished and embraced as strengths. Grammy and Emmy winning instructors famed Mariachi organization, a nationally recognized debate team. Southwestern College is a cultural destination in San Diego. It is time they reject the apathetic, uninspired nobody that is the Jaguar identity.

If not it is perhaps more appropriate then, that the college change their mascot to the gerbil, a meek, obligatory, domesticated pet, that someone probably would not admit to liking very much, despite spending time with in their youth.

“Learning English.”

Moices Corengo, 20, Massage Therapy

“Working, It’s a big accomplishment making money for myself and getting to know the world outside the school.”

David Plandor, 24, Music

“Working with junior high school students and continuing my education.”

Kelly Hatz, 59, Child Development

“Starting a t-shirt company in high school.”

Ronald Williams, 21, Education

Self-indulgent Millenials need to step up, grow up

By Josh Carter A Perspective

Victor Santander/staff

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

-Socrates, circa 469–399 B.F. Socrates’ youth of ancient Greece would fit in well here.

Drugged by technology, today’s youth lacks initiative. Poor work habits are a cancer in youth culture. Gen Y, also called “Millennials,” those born in the early 1980s through the turn of the century, are already showing America that its future work ethic is in big trouble.

Millennials have been gifted with advantages not seen in any preceding generation. Smart phones and the Internet have shaped today’s youth in ways no one foresaw. The results have not been good.

While information sharing is on the rise, attitudes towards productivity and respect are on the decline. Mr. Youth, a marketing and technology agency that studies Gen Y, reported in its Class of 2015 publication that 40 percent of those surveyed said they check their Facebook more than 10 times per day.

A whopping 76 percent said they spend more than one full hour per day on the site.

This interferes with productivity.

Employers seek efficiency from their staffs. Scrolling through tedious notifications is not what employers are paying for. Time spent surfing the web is better spent getting actual work done.

Those guilty of iPhone obsession do not see a problem with their behavior.

Millennials take offense in being told to do what they are supposed to do.

Gen Y-ers have earned the dubious reputation as a “me first” cohort, in large part thanks to new waves of technology providing instant gratification. Millenials need it like a heroin addict needs a fix. A picture posted to Instagram allows them to receive an immediate burst of feedback and relevance.

Earlier generations would do good work regardless of whether or not they

were praised. Today any amount of work being completed is expected to garner pats on the back and high fives.

Millenials shy away from work because it simply does not suit their needs. For most, a finished product is itself gratification. Gen Y “”workers” will work hard only if they believe there is something in it for them.

“Gen Y-bother” also lacks respect for authority, especially from leaders their own age. Unless someone is much older, Millenials feel no respect. It should not matter who is giving the orders. The important thing is that they are followed. A rabid sense of entitlement is to blame. “Why should I?” There are leaders and there are followers.

Mutual respect between the two needs to exist. It is not a matter of controlling subordinates, but keeping them on track. No offense should be taken for someone actually doing his or her job. If there is a problem, the unemployment line is a lot less forgiving than a hostile boss.

Forbes Magazine concludes by the end of 2015 more than 40 percent of the workforce will consist of Millennials. By 2025 that number will rise to 75 percent. This is cause for concern.

Unless Gen Y can pull itself from its cesspool of entitlement, lack of respect and poor work ethic, things in America are destined to be worse.

Pull it together Generation Y! Put away your phones and get to work. Your country is counting on you.

A6

VIEWPOINTS

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

The Southwestern College Sun

Good journalism requires integrity, fairness and courage

By Brian del Carmen A Perspective

Journalism is a relationship built on trust and credibility.

Actions taken by former Sun staffers reflect on members of The Sun past, present and future. As reported in a previous issue of The Sun, evidence was unearthed that former staffer Rick Flores committed potential crimes with access granted to him in part by his position with The Sun. His actions were immediately brought to light as soon as the evidence could be verified.

An unaffiliated pamphlet circulated anonymously claims to be produced by current and former Sun staff. It reflected poorly upon them. Every unsubstantiated phrase, every anonymous source is a needle in their eye.

The Sun’s mission statement reads, “Though The Sun is a student publication, staff members ascribe to the ethical and moral guidelines of professional

journalism.” Ethics and morals are to be valued above everything else.

When he arrived in the fall of 1996, Sun advisor Dr. Max Branscomb began to make The Sun what it is today by hanging a copy of the Society of Professional Journalism’s Code of Ethics on the wall like Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses. And like Luther, the acts of Branscomb led to a reformation.

Previously The Sun had been an immature rag. It was a class, not a newspaper. Students served themselves and not the community.

In the spring more than half the class dropped out and from the ashes the new Sun rose. I remember, I was there.

The Code of Ethics calls journalists to do four things.

Seek truth and report it.

The light of truth must be found even when it leads to self-injury. Sun staffers take great pains in order to ensure the accuracy of their work. All interviews are recorded for accuracy and although they rarely withhold the right to not publish the names of sources for their protection, this is only done in an extreme case. Any mistakes made by the Sun are fixed as soon as possible in the form of published corrections.

Minimize harm.

Those who wield the First Amendment are given great power and, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. All journalists feel the temptation at one time or another to abuse their powers. Some for just a split second, but the temptation is there.

Sometimes stories that could be sensational are turned away because it could cause non-repairable harm to an individual or the community without benefit.

Act independently.

Over the history of the paper, The Sun has never been compromised. Yes, mistakes have happened, but were corrected at the first opportunity. A few years ago Sun staff members were aggressively asked to drop their inquiry into potential wrongdoing by administration. Funding was cut, staff was threatened with arrest by campus police and on one occasion the advisor was threatened at gunpoint.

But The Sun did not fold.

The resulting stories resulted in the dismantling of a corrupt administration and fallout of those events can be felt e v e n today.

eP

ll

e ch

Mi /s

ips

ll

hi

Be ff ta

Letters to the Editor

Praise, call for support of Audio Engineering Society Over the past year I’ve seen three types of students come and go here at Southwestern College: newly graduated high school students, the four-year-notsure-if-I’m-going-to-transfer-twenty-something-olds and parents/older folk trying their hand at a college education. The only difference between the three is simple: real-life experience. I’m probably an anomaly among this student population having a four-year degree and a career abroad, so to everyone reading, the new and the old: life beyond these walls is difficult, in fact, it only gets harder from here.

I came to this school and serendipitously happened upon a program that had a passionate teacher who always put his students first. A younger me would have been too naïve and intimidated to fully comprehend this opportunity presented to me. From my first encounter in class, I was drawn to my professor’s direct and real approach to learning, something that the education system has coddled us away from all our lives. On top of it, I soon found out that this instructor was an advisor to an organization that links students directly to professionals in the field. I have been part of many campus clubs, off-campus associations, and nonprofit organizations, but I’ve never been given such an easy opportunity to network and learn from professionals as a student.

At college campuses, clubs are given priority for spacing and events. They get to set up booths on the campus where most of the student population congregates. They post their posters wherever they want. They sometimes get an allowance to keep their groups afloat and they’re not considered “vendors” even if they’re generating profits with campus resources.

The professional non-profit student organization I joined goes above and beyond what constitutes a campus club. Campus club advisors are usually not professionals that make their living in the industry.

Clubs don’t have archives of science journals and

technical tutorials. Clubs don’t have access to professionals that have worked with some of the world’s top artists as Pro Bono guest speakers based on the credibility of the faculty professional advisor and good reputation of the program in the industry.

Clubs don’t have over 95 national and international student sections at major colleges and universities in cities around the world. Campus clubs don’t provide students with access to an international convention twice a year, with over 25,000 attendees and special industry guests from the music, gaming, television, and film industries. Clubs don’t put those types of valuable real world resources directly in the hands of students. Supporting what they see as the future… the student of today!

I joined the Audio Engineering Society because I believe it is a good thing for students and by all accounts has been a benefit to the campus communities it serves around the world. Its members are students and our local student chapter includes all of the community college and university campuses in San Diego County, but the international committee has granted the chapter charter to the student members at Southwestern College. With this honor comes good publicity, good will, and a closer relationships with industry.

The Audio Engineering Society (AES) helps and supports students getting real-life jobs and careers after graduating from Southwestern College. This would seem to align with the goals of the program and of the institution; student success. We would be grateful for any support something as small as a space to host a distinguished guest speaker or chairs to accommodate our students for meetings would help tremendously. We fund all our activities such as trips to conventions and production facilities with our own money, and the best thing is that all of our activities are open to ALL students in the region.

Mary Ann Enginco

accountable and transparent.

It is a responsibility of journalists to expose unethical conduct in journalism, including within their organizations.

My real name is printed at the top of this text is not a nom de plum. Anonymity is not a protection afforded to journalists. All stories and pictures in The Sun are credited with one exception. The unsigned editorial is the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board and so all members must partake in ownership of it. (And by the way, Dean McClellan, we come up with our own ideas and do our own work.)

This sets The Sun apart from the Jag Wire.

While staff respects the fundamental right of the Jag Wire to exist, we are by no means supportive. Journalists look after their own, but no one is quicker to become judge, jury and executioner than their fellows. Good journalists expect and appreciate this. Keeps them on their toes.

According to the preamble of its Code of Ethics, “Members of the SPJ believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.” “(The SPJ Code of Ethics) is not a set of rules. It is v to act as a guide encouraging those who engage in journalism to take responsibility for the information they provide,” it reads.

Even the most prominent members of the journalism community can fall prey to unethical behavior. Flores is just one example.

Unfortunately, he will not be the last.

In 1981, Janet Cooke of the Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for her profile about an eight-year-old heroin addict. It was a brilliant piece of writing.

Public outcry followed its release and an aggressive investigation was launched. Two days later the publisher of the Post held a press conference during which he said the story was a lie. Cooke had never met the young addict and there was no verifiable proof of his existence. She resigned from the Post that day, the award committee withdrew her Pulitzer and she never worked in the industry again.

Brian Williams, former anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly

News, is serving a six-month suspension for “misrepresenting events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003.”

NBC’s official statement continues, “It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position.”

“Our job is only to hold up the mirror – to tell and show the public what has happened,” said Walter Cronkite, legendary journalist and formerly the most trusted man in America.

The current most trusted newscaster in America is not even a journalist, but a self-proclaimed fool. Political satirist Jon Stewart is, according to one Times poll taken shortly after the death of Cronkite, America’s new most trusted man. Stewart’s announcement of his impending departure from of The Daily Show was big news.

Although journalists do not see him as one of their own they appreciate the role he plays.

SPJ’s Code of Ethics is a valiant attempt by the industry to police itself, but as arduously ethical journalists attempt to police the industry, it is never enough. Fox News, the Jag Wire and other self-serving organizations like them continue to exist.

Cable news networks fill their 24-hour news cycle with never-ending streams of pundits. Fox proclaims itself to be “fair and balanced” and went so far as to trademark the phrase. PunditFact, a project of the Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute which is dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims made by the media, concluded that more than half of the statements made on air by Fox, Fox News and Fox Business personalities and their pundit guests are false.

For professional journalists, one falsehood can leave lasting scars on your reputation, but for half of what comes out of your mouth to be anything but fact is unthinkable.

The attempt may appear to be in vain, but they continue to try. Student journalists at Southwestern College are doing their best to uphold the standards of professional journalists.

And that’s the way it is.

SWC African-American campus leader says there is no racial divide Editor’s Note: This letter was originally written by Mr. Harris to California Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber. He then presented it to The Sun as a Letter to the Editor.

The letters are identical except that the version published in The Sun had a new salutation (Dear Editor rather than Dear Dr. Weber) and did not include the final line of the Weber letter that had his personal cell phone number.

Dear Ms. Weber, My name is Andre Harris and I am an employee of Southwestern College. With the recent events our campus is reeling from, as some might view as racial epithets, I felt compelled to pen a response based on the letter you received dated Jan. 14, 2015.

As an African-American male and having worked at SWC for the past 15 years, I can honestly tell you that I (personally) have never witnessed any type of racial discrimination at this institution. As one of the leaders on this campus (CSEA Union President), I write this letter on my own accord. SWC is a diverse and respectful place to work and learn.

Over the course of my years of employment, this institution has proven itself to have a solid foundation for all individuals based on collegiality and equality, regardless of race, sex, gender, color and creed. Like any large institution of this size (nearly 1,400 employees), there are going to be issues, misunderstandings, misperceptions and disagreements.

But we have managed to work through them and come together to find resolutions. This college is nearly 60 years old, and I am sure in its infancy there were only

one or two African-Americans employed by the district who had to fight for every single advancement opportunity. But now there are 65 staff, faculty and administrators.

Would I like to see more? Yes. African-American students represent close to five percent of the student population and the staff-to-student ratio is close to representing the five percent. Have we made progress…

Absolutely!

Trust me when I say writing this very letter to you and addressing what I view as a non-racial matter will prompt some to call me an “Uncle Tom” or even a “Sell Out.” So, I choose to explain to you what I view as a non-racial matter, but an operational issue between management and said employees who have decided to write to you their viewpoint based on what they believe to be racism at Southwestern College.

While I do admit there are issues on this campus, these issues are not based or founded on racial discrimination. I would employ; no, I would invite you to come to SWC and visit with the various ethnic groups on this campus to see and hear for yourself how our employees feel about working at Southwestern College. Let the employees speak for themselves, not a letter, a person

or group.

What I know to be factual is that Southwestern College has intervened on every incident or charge reported regarding any type of discrimination. I know this because, in my leadership role, I am privy to certain documents related to our union group. In reviewing these past documents, I have learned racial issues were reported, investigated, addressed and resolved. I am, by no means, an expert, but I know the difference between discrimination and favoritism. In speaking to these gentlemen, the major issue is mismanagement and mistreatment by supervisors, which we (the union) will be addressing this with the District on behalf of these employees.

Ms. Weber, again I do not proclaim SWC to be free of any issues, but a racial divide or separation, in my opinion, is not the case here on this campus. I will put my name on this.

I ask you (again) to speak with all of my colleagues of color and see for yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. If you have any questions or would like to meet with me personally, please feel free to contact me.

Respectfully, Andre L. Harris

SWC Dean denies that she lied to college newspaper reporters I am a 23 year educator dedicated to student success. I carry out ethical and honest work. I am part of a college staff committed to the best interest of our students. I also embrace the critical importance of the media in our society and am proud that our college has a newspaper.

So, I need to point out and correct errors

in an article “Former Sun photographer impersonated police chief – Dean Mia McClellan assisted secretive publication that accessed student records” in the March 20, 2015 edition of the Sun. It is absolutely untrue that I lied to the SUN reporters when interviewed. My words are not in context and were manipulated to

make the readers and campus believe that I had lied. At the time of the interview, the SUN reporters and I had already discussed the communication between me and the Jagwire. The reporters focused on an emailI sent to announce a special ASO meeting to consider proposed changes to College procedures on Student Conduct and

Student Grievance.

It is absolutely untrue that I was involved in any “criminal activity” or that I released confidential student information to the JAGWIRE or to any other person.That allegation printed in the SUN newspaper is unsupportable.

Unfortunately, these errors have called

into question my honesty, my integrity, my judgement and my work in service to our students and the college. It was necessary that I write this letter to address these errors and convey the facts.

Mia McClellan Dean, Student Services

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

WONDER IN THE WATER— Lady Jaguars swim star Gisel Chavez was named PCAC Swimmer of the Year after breaking five school records at the conference finals.

A7

David Hodges/Staff

Swim Champ Shatters Five School Records

By Joshua Liang Staff Writer

Gisel Chavez, SWC’s record-breaking swim sensation, was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year.

Not much of a surprise there.

“It was an amazing season,” said assistant coach Jennifer Harper. “Every one of our swimmers dropped time. A majority of them hit their goals or had a personal best. As a coach, it’s a great feeling to help a student athlete achieve that goal.”

In the PCAC finals, Chavez, Karina Reynoso, Irene Ramos and Lauren Snyder set a school record in the

4 x 200 freestyle relay with a 2:39.59.

Head coach Matt Ustaszewski said that race was a turning point.

“It was the first event, so we wanted to set a tone to swim fast,” he said.

Chavez and Mario Medina were the stars of the meet. Chavez won all three of her individual races and broke five school records, including the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:14.52.

Chavez also won the 400-individual medley and 1650 freestyle. Her 4:48.94 in the 400-individual medley is a new PCAC record. Chavez also broke records in the 1650 freestyle.

Ustaszewski said Chavez is special.

“She scored second out of 237 swimmers,” he said.

“What she is doing is incredibly impressive.”

Chavez was more humble.

“I feel proud of myself,” she said. “I think all the work I have put in has finally been paying off.”

Though the team did not qualify for the state championships, Chavez did.

Freshman Mario Medina broke a SWC record with a time of 2:05.71 in the 200-butterfly.

“It was the last individual event of the entire tournament,” said Ustaszewski. “For Mario to swim a very grueling event like the 200-butterfly at the

very end and break a record that is seven years old is very impressive.”

Ustaszewski said his swimmers were tested early in the season.

“We’ve had some good competitive tough meets this year,” he said. “The athletes were challenged to go to big invitationals, including the Pasadena and the Golden West Invitational.”

Chavez may not be back next season, but Harper said she may help attract other talented athletes.

“I hope other swimmers with the same level as her will come to us, but most of the elite swimmers will move on to other colleges to swim.”

Golden Aminat Olowora leads Lady Jaguars to the PCAC championship

By Evan Cintron Assistant Sports Editor

Colin Grylls/Staff

COMING HOME — Jaguar freshman Codie Simmons pushes past Palomar College catcher Francis Christy to tie the game 3-3 in the eighth inning. Roberto Lucero also scored on the play to give the Jags a one-run lead, but Palomar scored four runs in the top of the ninth to win, 7-4.

Playoff push strikes out

By Colin Grylls Managing Editor

Just one year removed from last season’s run to the Southern California Sectionals, the Southwestern College Jaguars entered the 2015 CCCAA baseball playoffs ready to book a trip to Fresno for the Final Four.

Unfortunately for the Jags, who finished second in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference with an 18-6 record (29-10 overall), they had to travel to Western State South Conference champion Glendale College (20-18, 15-6 conf.) in the first round of the playoffs. SWC split the first two games with the Vaqueros but

dropped the rubber match, 6-3, in the second leg of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Sophomore center fielder Daniel Goodrich fought back tears as Bill Withers’ soulful classic “Lean on Me” blasted over Casey Stengel Field’s speakers after the game. He said the close-knit Jaguars had the potential for a deep playoff run.

“This one’s a hard one,” he said.

“This team’s special, dude. Never wanted anything more with these guys. Everybody fights for one another. We’re a huge family. This one hurts.”

Nursing a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning, the Jags loaded the bases with one out. Freshman second

baseman Codie Simmons stepped up to the plate against Glendale pitcher Christian Keamy. Simmons connected only to watch Vaquero right fielder Dylan Bahr make a sliding catch and double up SWC sophomore left fielder Daniel Macias at first base to end the inning.

SWC head coach Jay Martel said the play was indicative of the squad’s series.

“I think the whole thing really came down to the fact that we couldn’t really get two out hits,” he said. “We had bases loaded numerous times… we couldn’t get please see Baseball pg. A9

In the fall Aminat Olowora destroyed the California cross-country record.

She was just warming up.

Olowora was superhuman at the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championship, winning four gold medals by blowing away the field in four distance events, all in one day. She also led the women’s team to its first PCAC Championship since 2011.

Olowora’s sweep is unprecedented in PCAC annals.

At the finals Olowora competed in the 800m, 1500m, 5K (5000m) and 10K, burning through a grand total of 43.25 laps (10.72 miles) around the track. During the 5K she lapped all her competitors and breezed to a remarkable 17:06-minute finish.

“Before I was scared because the interval for me to rest between races was 45 minutes,” she said. “I won my first event and I still felt good, like I could still run the next. I always believe that everything I do is not by my power, but God’s power.

If I do well then God knows the best and if I don’t God knows the best. I train hard every day to be here so this competition was just like a workout for me.”

Head coach Tonie Campell said he was blown away by Olowora.

“How could anybody not be in awe or awe inspired by her performances?” said the Olympic silver medalist. “The girl has broken nine school records in one season and has set the school record from the 800 all the way to the 10,000. She has won four conference championships in those same events.”

Olowora led a pack of Lady Jags who won first place in their events and beat their personal records. Jeyla Spencer, Destinee Thayer and Larissa Johnson finished top three in the 400-meter hurdles. Jeyla Spencer, Larissa Johnson, Katrina Duckett and Maria de Jesus Garcia won top four in the 100-meter hurdles. Duckett also medaled in the 100-meter dash and the high jump.

Erika Gonzalez placed in both the 1500m and 5K. Running the 5K is exhausting, she said.

“It’s pretty intense,” she said. “I ran the

10K on Wednesday (two days before) and then I thought this isn’t as intense as what I did Wednesday, so I just kept that in my head.”

Sporting her fire red hair, multitalented sophomore Maria de Jesus Garcia continued where she left off last season by soaring over her competition. Still healing from a shoulder injury, Garcia finished first in long jump, triple jump and the heptathlon, and second in the high jump. Competing in multiple events does not bother her, she said.

“It can be exhausting, but I’m used to it,” she said. “I competed in the heptathlon (seven events) and got first. I’m just sort out of use to it already.”

SWC’s men placed second in the conference.

Freshman Hakeem Martin competed in the 4 x 100-meter relay. He said the team’s success was due to hard work.

“We paid attention in practice, stayed persistent and we were able to stick it out,” he said. “It’s really uplifting to see everybody do good and everybody is happy after they win, so it’s all good vibes.”

Sophomore George Martinez showed the competitive fire he had during the crosscountry season. He was originally supposed to run two events, but ended up competing in the 1500m, 5K and 10K. “The 1500 is not really my specialty, but I just thought I would have the opportunity to score some points (for the team) so I went for it,” he said. “I got lucky. The 10K is my specialty and I got first in that. In the 5K I got second and in the 1500 I didn’t do as well as I wanted, but I was able to benefit the team by earning points.”

Martinez’s goal is a place on the podium at the state finals and then is signing with CSU Long Beach.

Campell said he was ecstatic over the success of his team.

“The men and women trained extremely hard all season long,” he said. “It was a hard battle, a long battle, but at the end we did what we were supposed to do and we gave it our best. To come off on top is a great honor and it is a great testimony to the athletes’ perseverance, endurance and competitive nature.”

SWC’s next competition is the State Finals on May 15-16 at San Mateo.

A8

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

By Josh Carter Contributing Editor

Barely any rain has fallen this season, but recently the sky opened up for a deluge.

It was raining men.

Hallelujah.

SEALs with the elite U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, showered down from the skies above DeVore Stadium practicing live jumps. It was the 12-man team’s first airborne exercise in the stadium since it reopened last fall.

Petty Officer Fletcher Gibson, the Leap Frogs Public Affairs Officer, said the team was excited to use the new facility and that SWC had been extremely cooperative coordinating the event.

“We’ve got a long relationship with SWC and it’s been awhile because your field had been under construction,” he said. “Glad to be jumping into here (DeVore Stadium) again. Everyone has been very gracious by letting us train here.”

Gibson said the team benefits from practicing in as many urban venues as possible. He said before jumping into larger stadiums for NFL and MLB games the team has to practice without an audience.

“We do a lot of jumps,” Gibson said. “Everything from public parks up to NFL stadiums. Any chance we get to practice in an actual stadium, especially one of this quality, is a chance we take.”

Retired Navy SEAL Jim Woods is the team’s Drop Zone Safety Officer.

SPORTS

“Jumping into the Olympic Training Center is the building block right before we come to SWC,” he said. “We use their soccer fields and rugby fields, too. We stay away from the archery range for obvious reasons.”

SWC facilities coordinator Ursula Williams said she has worked with the team in the past and has scheduled jumps onto other SWC athletic fields.

“They’ve been doing this for about eight years,” she said. “The only time they didn’t was when the stadium was closed, but when it was, they jumped onto the baseball field.”

Woods said joining the team is highly competitive. All members must be Navy SEALs on at least their second enlistment with a minimum of two operational deployments. Positions on the team are reserved for the best, he said.

“They volunteer to come here (on the team), but they have to try out,” he said. “They have to be able to represent the Navy.

They can’t be the guy behind glass that you break when you need.”

Woods said being a Leap Frog is a three-year commitment.

During their time with the team, members assist the Navy with recruiting. Once their obligation to the Leap Frogs is completed, Woods said they will return to a SEAL Team and deploy overseas.

“This is sort of a stop point in their career,” he said. “Everyone has to be an ambassador of some sort. It is a part of their career development.”

Aircrew Survival Equipmentman First Class Victor Maldonado serves as acting Crew Chief for the Leap Frogs. His duties include

Nicholas Baltz, editor

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

“We use soccer fields and rugby fields. We stay away from the archery range for obvious reasons.”

Jim Woods, Retired Navy SEAL

rigging parachutes and acting as the team’s jumpmaster in the air.

He said the selection process is rigorous, but sometimes being lucky trumps being good.

“It’s something that just fell into my lap accidently,” he said. “I got lucky. I just worked with the right group of people and took an opportunity.”

Special Warfare Operator First Class (SO1) Brandon Peterson said all the prerequisites made becoming a Leap Frog more appealing.

By joining the team he found his niche, he said.

“If you want to be a SEAL you’ve got to learn to skydive,” he said. “From that point it’s something that catches on. It’s high speed and it’s a thrill.”

SO1 Timothy John (TJ) Amdahl said the parachuting bug caught him early on.

Being in a team environment, he said, was the biggest factor in him donning a harness.

“I love the freefall aspect of this,” he said.

“Being able to serve in a platoon while jumping out of a plane is good enough for me.”

SO1 Timmy Holland said he has more than 400 jumps with the team. He said he still practices with safety in mind every time he exits an aircraft.

“I’m kinda new jumping stadiums, so it’s always a learning point,” he said. “It’s good to start small because once you jump real time there is little room for error.”

Woods said the Leap Frogs would use SWC facilities for practice.

“We’re gonna come back because we really like your baseball field as well,” he said. “We’ll try to be back at it in a couple weeks.”

Peterson said he can see why Jaguar football is a winning tradition. The Leap Frogs were honored to share the same field, if only for practice, he said.

Photos By Mirella Lopez “Coming into a stadium like this you’ve LONG WAY DOWN — Timmy Holland (top-l) packs up his parachute after the jump into DeVore stadium. (top-r) Brandon Peterson dives into DeVore Stadium for a got to be on top of your game,” he said. “So practice run as a member of the United States Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs. (above) Brandon Peterson exchanges a laugh and sigh of relief after a sucessful jump. it was a good time.”

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

HEATED UP — (top) In Game 2 of a three-game series second baseman Codie Simmons slides underneath Vaquero catcher Alex Gomez’s tag to touch home plate, but is called out when the umpire ruled he missed the plate. SWC won the game, 6-3, to tie the series, 1-1. (above left) In Game 3, Glendale College head coach Chris Cicuto is ejected after rushing to defend third base coach Alex Kocol, who was also ejected, in

Baseball: Jaguars drop playoff series to Glendale College Continued from pg. A7

any big hits in key situations. If we could’ve just gotten a couple hits with the bases loaded, I think we could have won that game.”

In the bottom of the fifth inning, momentum shifted to Glendale when its third base coach, Alex Kocol, and head coach Chris Cicuto were ejected.

Kocol shouted obscenities at the third base umpire after Vaquero sophomore first baseman Harrison Hoff was caught stealing third. He argued that SWC sophomore Jerrott Grey balked, but the umpire tossed Kocol when his patience wore thin. Cicuto was thrown out after rushing the field to defend Kocol.

Losing their coaches fired up the Vaqueros, who took the lead in the next inning when Hoff’s two-out, bases loaded ground ball was bobbled

by SWC freshman shortstop Steven Sherwood. Sherwood recovered the ball and raced Bahr towards second base, but Bahr was ruled safe as Glendale’s Brazilian second baseman, Bruno Teramoto, crossed the plate put the Vaqueros ahead, 4-3.

SWC was ranked sixth in the coaches’ poll but was seeded ninth – one spot below tenth-ranked Glendale – in part because it lost two of its last three games against top-ranked Palomar College (32-6, 21-3 PCAC),

ending a 14-game winning streak.

In the Jags’ penultimate regular season game they nearly pulled off the upset in a 7-4 loss at Jaguar Junction.

Palomar had already clinched the PCAC title with a 7-0 victory but the Jags were still in the hunt for a top-eight seed and a potential home playoff series.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Simmons stood on second base with sophomore right fielder Roberto Lucero on first. Third baseman Anthony York stepped up to the plate and ripped a ground ball right to his Comet counterpart, Vince Mori, for what should have been an inning-ending double play, but the ball smashed into Mori right below the belt. Mori struggled to recover as the bases were loaded on a painful E5.

Cleanup hitter Roman Garcia was up next and quickly fell behind 0-2 to Palomar reliever Anthony Balderas.

Garcia swung with all his might, but barely made contact as the ball dribbled towards the shortstop Balderas, however, dove to his right and flipped the ball towards home plate from his knees. The throw pulled catcher Francis Christy directly into Simmons’ path. Simmons tried to veer right but the collision was inevitable.

As Christy was knocked to the ground, the ball squirted to the backstop allowing both Simmons and Lucero to cross the plate and give the Jags a 4-3 lead.

Christy, however, got his revenge in the top of the ninth. With runners on second and third, the lefty launched a 2-1 fastball to left center for a 2-run

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

A9

Photos by Colin Grylls

the bottom of the fifth inning. The Vaqueros were fired up by the ejections and won, 6-3, to knock SWC out of the playoffs. (above right) With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 3, Simmons (jumping) is incredulous after the umpire ruled that Glendale freshman Dylan Bahr beat Jaguar shortstop Steven Sherwood to second base. Glendale scored the go-ahead run on the play and never looked back.

double to put Palomar back on top, 5-4. SWC closer Kevin Ginkel allowed four earned runs in the inning, doubling his season total to eight, though he still finished the season with a 2.57 ERA and was second in the state with eight saves.

Martel’s squad finished the season ranked fifth in California with 89 steals while the pitching staff finished seventh with a 2.65 staff ERA and its 7.06 K/9 rate was good enough for fifth. Garcia led the Jags with a .354 batting average, three home runs and 33 RBI. Sophomore pitcher Adrian Orozco led the pitchers with a 1.86 ERA, nine wins, 53 strikeouts and just nine walks.

SWC’s starting lineup was heavy with South Bay talent. Of the 17 players that appeared in the series, 11 are from the Sweetwater Union High School District. York, who graduated from Chula Vista High, said the familiarity helped the team’s chemistry.

“I’ve known most of these guys since I was a little kid,” he said. “It’s always enjoyable to play with them. All the new guys, I made new friends. It was great actually. I loved it.”

Goodrich, a Hilltop High alum, had seven hits in the playoff series, scored five runs and hit a home run on Friday – his 20th birthday. He said his last game with the Jaguars was bittersweet.

“It doesn’t get any better,” he said.

“These guys are great. Any one of these guys on the team I’d do anything for.

We’re a family. Yeah, it sucks how it ended, but I wouldn’t want to end it with anybody else. I’m gonna miss these guys.”

“Any one of these guys on the team I’d do anything for.We’re a family. Yeah, it sucks how it ended, but I wouldn’t want to end it with anybody else. I’m gonna miss these guys.”

Daniel Goodrich, Sophomore Outfielder

A10

The Southwestern College Sun

ARTS

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

House of the Rising Sun Architecture Club wins Best of Show at the Design Village 2015 competition Story on Pg. B4 Story on Pg. B4

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION — Sergio Ituarte (l), Rene Soler and a visiting student discuss Team Helios’ winning structure at the Design Village 2015 competition near Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Mason Masis/Staff

Colin Grylls/Staff

AMAZING GRACE — Gospel choir member Susana Gomez belts out “As Long As I Got King Jesus” in a rousing concert in the recital hall.

Gospel choir burns down the house at fine recital > REVIEW

By Victoria Leyva Staff Writer

No one expects to have a spiritual awakening in a community college recital room, but the gospel choir brought church to campus.

Hallelujah!

Nervously shuffling onto the risers, the ominously clothed singers seemed an unlikely source of spiritual nirvana.

After experiencing their eight-song repertoire, it was difficult to not convert.

Sounding like a theme song to a ’70s sitcom, the gospel began with “I Smile” by Kirk Franklin. Their cheerful demeanor did not mask the off-key notes or the loose delivery of lyrics. At several moments notes fell apart and people sang out of turn.

Nerves strained enthusiastic smiles and energetic clapping was dampened by a song that sounded unrehearsed. The

song was so sub-par it felt like a sin to dislike them.

Stepping down from the risers and away from her small sleeping dog, Tiffany Gilmore stepped up to the microphone with confidence. Once the opening piano notes began to roll, she transformed into a bold songstress with “Just a Close Walk.”

Unprompted, the audience began to clap along. Her singing style seemed more fitting for a Baptist church in the deep South, not a recital room in Southern California. She paraded back and forth in a long black skirt and blouse with vigor, kicking her legs and clasping the microphone as she belted out the gospel.

She ended the song with a vocal cry filled with pure, unadulterated soul.

She sounded like a living Janis Joplin – if she had grown older and became a gospel singer.

Beginning a duet with “His Eye Is On the Sparrow,” Laisa Montalvo please see Gospel pg. A12

April Abarrondo/Staff

SMOOTH OPERATOR — A hidden gem, SWC’s state-of-the-art $6 million recording studio will be the site of summer workshops. Past guests in the studio include Stevie Wonder and Will Calhoun.

Master audio sessions beckon > PREVIEW

By Kayla Hall Staff Writer

Southwestern College’s Recording Arts and Technology Program is opening its studio doors this summer to intermediate and advanced students interested in furthering their skills.

Any San Diego County student enrolled in a similar audio or engineering program is welcome to apply. Individual workshops will cost $250, with packages ranging from $1,000-$1,500 when students sign up for four or more.

Workshops will run June 8 to July 28.

Space is limited as there are five slots available per session. Deadline to enroll is two weeks before they begin.

Leading the workshops is Professor of Commercial Music James “Jay” Henry, a three-time Grammy nominated producer who has worked with Prince, L.L. Cool J and Living Colour. He has been an audio educator for more than 40 years.

Mae Enginco, promotions intern for the program, said enrollees must have fundamental knowledge of the recording equipment and the recording process.

“These are going to be very intimate workshops,” she said. “They are not for beginners.”

Enginco attended last summer’s Master Series Producer Workshop which featured Ed Stasium, a Grammywinning producer who has worked with The Ramones and Talking Heads.

“It was a four-day event for six to

seven hours each day,” she said. “We learned a lot and it was fun, but we didn’t have the individual attention we needed. These new workshops will deliver that.”

Sergey Sinin, who studied spacecraft engineering in Moscow, was diligent in his pursuit to join the recording arts program at SWC despite the long wait list to get in. He said he is incredibly enthusiastic about the quality of instruction Henry provides, as well as the professional equipment he gets to work with.

“With Jay, he is an engineer and a teacher, so he won’t just be mixing on his own as you watch,” Sinin said. “He will actually explain to you what he is doing and why he is doing it. He will please see Recording pg. A12

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

Photography exhibit comes real close > REVIEW

T

A11

Wistful words illuminate poetry reading

By Martin Loftin Staff Writer

By Andrew Perez Senior Staff Writer

here were many high quality photographs at the Photography Club Student Show “Our World Up Close,” but many were not ready for their close up.

A few of the photos could have made it into National Geographic or a travel magazine, but others were quite plain.

Best of show belonged to the bugs and flowers, as the rest tended to focus on nature. One of the better insect shots included a group of tiny aphids scaling the yellow stalk of a hibiscus rising from the pink abyss of the flowers petals.

As some of the photos show, “Our World” also includes the city, the ocean, backyards and miles and miles of freeway.

Two interesting images of freeways capture how imposing the concrete roadways really are by showing the abstract shapes they create from underneath.

Though most of the photos featured closely followed the theme of “Our World Up Close,” some of the pieces struggled to fit in.

Many of the photographs were beautiful and composed expertly, but ultimately mundane due to uninspiring subjects.

Most shots focused on highly-detailed images of life in San Diego County, with all its beauty and flaws, save for some pieces that seemed random and out of place with the rest of the show.

Images of boats in the port of San Diego were the more easily identified subjects of the student art show, though for most of the pieces the location was not obvious. One of the best photos was a dead tree at William Heise County Park in Julian, which showed a bug-eye view look at the tree in front of a rock cliff with the sun emerging from the top of the cliff.

While it is momentarily interesting to see plants, animals and places in a new light or magnified by technology, the emotions evoked by “Our World Up Close” were fleeting.

Photos were more a testament to the abilities of the students involved rather than an exhibition of beautiful art.

Photo by Nanzi Muro Sometimes distance lends enchantment.

“Our World Up Close” was a bit too close BUGGING OUT — Student photographer Nanzi Muro contributed three photos of insects, which showed her macro lens skills.

She is a frequent contributor to SWC student art shows and an avid member of the Photo Arts Club. for comfort.

A large ancient tree stands in the middle of a dark forest. Four intricate lanterns hang upon the tree’s gnarled branches, shining bright amidst the dark threatening to engulf them. Each lantern represents a poet, voices willing to coax the light from the darkness.

These four poets are part of “Lantern Tree,” an anthology consisting of four separate books of poetry collected into one volume. The books are “A book of ugly things” by Cali Linfor, an English professor at SDSU, “Pacific Standard Time” by Sabrina Youmans, a professor at UCLA, “Under the broom tree” by Chris Baron, an English Professor at San Diego City College, and “Bills of landing” by Southwestern College’s own Heather Eudy.

As part of the spring 2015 literary festival, the SWC Guest Writers Series invited the authors to give a reading in the Student Union East.

Linfor, Eudy and Baron were on hand to read and answer audience questions about the art of writing poetry. Youmans was unable to attend as she now resides in Los Angeles.

Eudy, who is co-director of the Guest Writers Series, said that the seeds of “Lantern Tree” were sowed a while ago, when all four of them were students enrolled in SDSU’s Master of Fine Arts in Poetry program in the late 1990s.

“We used to meet up after classes to share our poems and critique each other’s work,” she said. “We stopped for a while and recently got back into our mini-workshops, because we wanted to dedicate more time to our poetry.”

After a couple sessions, each author realized they had a full collection of poetry ready, so they contacted City Works Press, a San Diego non-profit dedicated to publishing local writers. CWP agreed to publish an anthology containing the four books.

The reading was split into five themes: places, the artist life, questions, home and light.

Baron’s poems revolved around family life, heritage and rights of passage.

One of his poems “Of Elk and Marriage” was written for his wife, Ella deCastro Baron. It detailed her struggles with Eczema, which she wrote about in her own book, “Itchy Brown Girl Seeks Employment.”

“This poem is very emotional and I don’t often read it aloud,” he said. “When we got married we weren’t allowed to touch because her skin was so bad.”

The poem tells of a rather unpleasant honeymoon, when they went to the Tule Elk Reserve in Point Reyes Station, Calif.

“At Tomales Point above the bay, / I hold my wife’s hand. She is quiet / again, lost again, deep within her / brown skin, hiding from the eczema. / She has not slept for days. The itching / mostly comes at night.”

Eudy’s poems revolve around journeys and travel.

Her poem “Along the San Joaquin” recounts a time when, while driving along a San Joaquin Valley highway she got lost in heavy fog. She followed the headlights of a giant truck in front of her and found her way to safety.

“Protected by an assembly / of parts – steel skin, internal / combustion – I fear I may not / survive this highway miasma, / known to cause the most weather / related casualties in the state.”

Linfor related that she was born without opposable thumbs and both her arms were curved in.

“When I was two-years-old, the doctors had to break both of my arms twice to re-set them so I wouldn’t be constantly hugging people I guess,” she said.

She addressed the pain from the surgeries in her poem “Memoir.”

“Today my scars ache. A reopening. Each needle-sized pinch, / pink prayers on the wrist, all along the jagged break / of arms, and other tears in the surface.”

Baron said that while each of the separate books contain their respective author’s voices, they meld into a cohesive whole.

“I think all of the poets’ books give a voice to themes of light, journey, identity and the questions that haunt us all,” he said.

Eudy agreed.

“All the books are in dialogue with one another,” she said. “The lantern tree image illustrates the idea that all of our individual voices come together as a beautiful, luminous, diverse whole.”

Back at the tree in the forest, the lanterns sway in the cold wind. Their flames threaten to extinguish, but no matter how hard the wind blows, the flames burn strong.

They light the way for weary travelers, they blaze brilliantly in the dark – to help those who are lost find a way home.

Drumming up love of African music, culture

By Alberto Calderon Assistant Campus Editor

Todd Caschetta is Southwestern College’s Clark Kent of music.

During class he is a straight-laced professor who could pass as a Bible salesman. Afterwards, though, he can be found banging away on African drums, dashiki-clad, in front of the Caesar Chavez building or jamming at various venues around San Diego with his cover band, Rio Peligroso.

Dance instructor Akayaa Atule and her group have partnered creatively with Caschetta for 10 years on some wild, infectious performances. She said she is always amused to see his quiet side.

“When I run into him in the halls and he’s buttoned up and all Mr. Professor, I just laugh,” she said. “He always says ‘Why are you laughing?’

It’s because I’m always thinking of his other side, he’s a whole different person. That’s what makes him who he is and that’s why I have so much respect for him. It’s wonderful.”

On his way through a conventional Western music education studying Beethoven’s fourth movement in “Symphony No. 9” and the subtext of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” he came across a sound that redirected the trajectory of his life.

“I was at Ithaca College and I heard the (Arab) gamalat (drum) and I thought ‘Oh I like that,’” he said.

“I had been studying classical music for years. I wasn’t really exposed to world music, so when I heard the gamalat a light bulb went off.

It opened my eyes to the rest of the world outside of the typical music education.”

Caschetta said around this time he also became interested in ethnomusicology, the study of music from an anthropological perspective.

Instead of simply analyzing the rhythms and sounds of music, the field aims to understand how and

David Hodges/Staff

HANDS ON INSTRUCTION — Ronald Williams, Christian Lopez, Todd Caschetta and Joe Grant play drums for instructor Akayaa Atule’s dance class.

why music fits into the everyday life of the culture that produces it.

His interest in ethnomusicology led him to seek a grant that landed him in Ghana for a year to live among the natives and study their drumming rituals.

“It was a bit of a culture shock,” he said. “Their dinner is served in one large communal bowl with everything in it and people eat out of it with their hands–I am not a squeamish person by any stretch of the imagination–but those types of customs were a little surprising.”

Caschetta said he decided to dive in.

“Because I was a guest they gave me my own small bowl,” he said.

“I felt uncomfortable with that. I

appreciate and understand that I was being treated as a guest, but I wanted to be like everybody else. That’s when you realize traveling how generous people are. These people were impoverished, particularly in West Africa.”

Atule, who was born and raised in Bulga, Ethiopia, said his commitment to his field is admirable.

“When I first met him, I was like ‘Wow, this guy went to Africa,” she said. “Even me, I was born and raised in a village where there is no running water. You would go hide in the bushes and do your thing. Now living here, whenever I go back there is still an adjustment period, so I have respect for anybody that is interested enough to live it for themselves.”

Caschetta traveled around Africa and shadowed the preeminent drumming group in the area as they played at ceremonies for locals.

He said drumming is very much embedded into their way of life.

Celebrations are punctuated by drummers who lead the festivities.

Caschetta said he shadowed the leader of the group, Fakbari, whose crew had been together for a long time.

“If you’re in Ghana and you wanted your party to be happening with traditional drumming, you better call Fakbari,” he said.

Here at SWC many of his students said they were aware of his journey becoming acquainted with the subject he teaches and appreciate it, especially the members of Hip-Hop Nation, the club he advises.

Hip-Hop Nation President Joe Grant said Caschetta truly appreciates the roots of hip-hop.

“Africanism is in all of us, and it’s great to know that Todd Caschetta, a white dude from Baltimore, is in tune with that,” he said. “It’s nice to know there’s someone like that here at school.”

Though Caschetta has become a great music educator, it did not stop him from becoming a proficient musician. He is an accomplished drummer and a fixture at many performances on campus that require drumming.

Grant said watching him drum is truly impressive.

“He can just look at the sheet music think about it in his head for 10 seconds and clap out the entire rhythm,” he said. “It’s crazy because that is so hard. He also has great dynamics. He can play loud or soft, he’s a very impressive artist. I feel honored to drum with him when I get the chance.”

Grant did have one complaint, though. please see Caschetta pg. A12

A12

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

Gabriel Sandoval, editor

ARTS

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

Photos by April Abarrondo

Dance performers hit jackpot VIVA LA DANZA — (above) Jessica Sanchez, Lizeth Tirado and Annette Mendivil change the mood with a belly dance during“Viva La Dance!” at SWC’s Mayan Hall. (right) Andrea Lopez and a fellow dancer perform in “Breaking Strides.”

> REVIEW

By Adriana Heldiz Online Editor

JACKPOT! Like the Las Vegas strip, audience queued up for “Viva La Dance!” waited under the starlight in a line that snaked from Mayan Hall to Jaguar Walk.

Ol’ Blue Eyes himself would dig it, baby!

When an Elvis impersonator kicked off the show, guests knew the old rules were out of the window.

Each dance incorporated famous hotels from The Strip like an Egyptian fantasy at the Luxor and Smooth Water at the Bellagio. Some titles slapped the name of a hotel that was not already being used like Tainted Eyes at the Wynn or Sick Cycle at the MGM Grand Arena.

Dancers of Voice of the Mirage showed their poker face while depicting evil overpowering good.

A lavender screen behind the dancers softened the acrobatic movements, symbolizing the struggle between right and wrong.

During the middle of the routine, some dancers revealed their hole cards and weaved in a flag sequence to romanticize the evil with the dancers. Most of the performers in this dance were advanced and showed they were not bluffing.

They kept their audience rapt by smoothly like sexy cigarette girls working the room.

“Noche de Fiesta en el Circus Circus” shuffled the deck with a lively ballet folklórico. Dancers stomped about in crocodile skin boots and florid costumes from Nuevo León. Passive music led dancers through the number, but the true rhythm of the performance was the syncopated stomping of boots that transformed the stage into a bass drum. Of all the performances, this was the best and highlighted SWC’s richly diverse student body.

“A Moment Of NV at the Tropicana” showcased the Latin dance known as bachata, which involves advanced partner footwork with a kiss of sex appeal. Female dancers spiced up the performance with white-fringed costumes that glided with every turn.

This dance had a great sense of style, though the performers softplayed the intense footwork and the fast pace of the Latin dance, overplaying sex.

Audience members were all in when “Egyptian Fantasy at the Luxor” performed a hotly- lit belly dance. Three dancers with candle lit trays balanced on their heads rolled their midsections in sexy circles. As they hypnotized the audience with their movement, each dancer used tight footwork to saunter over the stage.

At one point the dancers lined up behind each other and swayed their arms side to side like a shimmering Shiva amid the twinkling lights on a hot Nevada night. “Viva La Dace,” as Sinatra would say, was a hit, baby!

Recording: SWC studio offers new summer program

Caschetta: Professor sets tempo on stage and in classroom

Continued from pg. A10

Continued from pg. A11

step back then leave it up to you and tell you what was right and what was wrong.”

Levi Moua, who will earn his Associate’s degree in recording arts and technology this fall, said he is looking forward to Henry’s workshops.

“The skills Jay teaches you, even if you don’t go into the industry, are applicable in other fields,” he said. “By the end of the workshops, I hope students will gain the same knowledge I did (last summer) and be able to apply it inside and outside of the studio.”

Contact summeraudioworkshop@ gmail.com for more information.

“It’s too hard to get into his classes now,” he said. “I would have taken the class he’s teaching now, but it was filled up by the time I wanted to register and I have priority registration.”

After all his music inspired pilgrimages, Caschetta said he was happy to have found a home at SWC. “I love the students here, my classes are always full,” he said.

“I’m not tooting my own horn, but I think the students respond to the types of classes I teach and the way I teach them. It’s just a great place to come to work and I think the students have a lot to do with it.”

David Hodges/Staff

KEEPING THE RHYTHM — Ronald Williams, Christian Lopez, Todd Caschetta and Joe Grant play kutiro drums from the West African country of Gambia.

Gospel: SWC Choir delivers sinfully good spring performance Continued from pg. A10

feebly stepped up to the microphone.

Her voice was low and distant. She peered down at the floor like she

wanted to be swallowed up. The gospel supervisor on the side stage randomly shouted out encouragements to excite Montalvo, but his attempts proved to be futile. Her voice was supple, but her hesitation made it nearly impossible to appreciate.

Angela Gavela-Sermeno joined in and gave the song a breath of fresh air.

She was uplifting and confident – a stark contrast to the nervous Montalvo.

She peered into the audience while she

sang and showed her connection to the song.

Gospel supervisor Leonard Patton coerced the audience into singing. As he turned his attention on the audience, there was shifting in seats and quiet clearing of throats. He soon had the choir and audience going back and forth repeating the same verse from “I Smile.”

Slowly opening up, the audience soon sang to one another and clapped their

hands as the spirit of gospel took hold of the crowd and ignited the room. Amen!

Shyly smiling as she shuffled to the microphone, Susana Gomez was an unexpected performer who surprised audience members. At a tempo that was fast-paced and full-spirited, audience members, still glowing from their participation, vigorously clapped and tapped their toes. Strong and spirited, Gomez powered through the song.

Visions of church pews and robed

singers seemed more fitting for the performance than cheap seats and a small room. Her rendition of “Long As I Got King Jesus” felt refreshing and brought a soundtrack to the sense of joy and spirit that filled the room.

Sincere and energetic, audience members, whether religious or not, sensed the spirit that filled the room.

Feelings of closeness and joy saturated the atmosphere, despite a few sour notes.

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

The Southwestern College Sun

CAMPUS

B1

Mars or Bust Chula Vista Air Force sergeant is a finalist for a one-way journey to the Red Planet See Story Pg. B2

Andrea Aliseda/Staff

Administration of Justice Club lays down the law

By William Nimmo Staff Writer

Good cops need to be good people.

S o u t h w e s t e r n C o l l e g e’s Administration of Justice Club works to create both.

AJ Club is the second largest on campus, with 40-50 active members each semester, according to President Art Sanchez. Club members experience expert speakers, team-building city functions and excursions to Donovan’s Correctional Facility.

Club co-advisor Gary Guthrie said that the club is more than just a group that meets once a week. Its mission is to help Administration of Justice students learn about themselves, their futures, and how they can contribute to society.

“The club offers a synergistic idea of what’s expected in life,” he said.

“We should all be reassured of our humanity, that not ever ybody is bad. These students want to make a difference, to leave the world better than they found it. This club offers them the opportunities to build on that humanity, to stand up and do the right thing, even when there’s no please see Justice pg. B6

Ignoring our ‘model minority’

By Eliza Cana Assistant News Editor

Jocelyn Melody Dovolos/Staff

ON WATCH — Administration of Justice Club Secretary Shayan Khatiba and President Arturo Sanchez.

Being a “model minority” sounds good, but may not be all it is cracked up to be.

Filipino scholar Dr. Dina C. Maramba said being a high functioning Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) has its drawbacks.

Members of America’s “model minority” are high achievers, she said, but quiet and overlooked.

Maramba, a Filipino-American, said she was not used to talking about what was important to her. At first, she thought of it as boasting. Now she is doing lots of talking as a university professor and guest speaker advocating for AAPI students.

Like many students in this district, Maramba is a firstgeneration American. She grew up in National City where she attended National City Middle School and Sweetwater High.

An Associate Professor of Student Affairs Administration and Asian-American Studies at the State University of New York (SUNY), Maramba said she has worked in programs designed to increase the number of underrepresented students in higher education. She earned her M.S. in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University and her Ph.D. in higher education from Claremont Graduate University.

She contributed to the book “The ‘Other’ Students: Filipino Americans, Education, and Power” with Rick Bonus. It is the first book of its kind to focus specifically on Filipino-Americans in education, she said.

In her first order of business, Maramba spoke eloquently about “dispositionality.”

“By ‘dispositionality’ I mean by what Linda Alcoff, a feminist scholar explains that one’s identity such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation are not fixed qualities but rather markers in relation to order and context which they come.”

She said that knowledge can then be further legitimized and understood when disposition is please see Maramba pg. B6

B2

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

CAMPUS

The Southwestern College Sun

Martian Chronicles 2.0 I Think It’s Gonna Be a Long, Long Time...

By Andrea Aliseda Staff Writer

C

armen Paul is looking forward to the day she becomes a dual citizen. She is already an Earthling in good standing and soon hopes to be a Martian.

Seriously.

Paul, 33, a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, is one of 100 finalists being considered for a one-way trip to the Red Planet launching in 2026 with the goal of establishing the first human colony on another world.

Her husband, Craig Paul, is also under consideration, though there is no guarantee both will be chosen.

Mars One, a Dutch organization, is making plans to establish a human settlement on the fourth planet. Current plans for first shuttle are for a four-person team.

Eventually, if all goes well, 24 Earthlings will become Martians. Paul said she hopes to be on that flight and has no problem with it being a one-way journey.

Space exploration has been a longtime obsession, she said.

“I grew up in Florida watching shuttle launches,” she said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about.”

Martian real estate is cheap, but getting there is not. It is a seventh month flight to boot, even when Earth and Mars are at their closest. Her cozy abode on Mars will be about 1,000 cubic meters and house four.

It is important for the teams to get along with each other, she said, since they will live in close quarters for the rest of their lives. “(We will have) to quickly work together and solve conflict,” she said.

Paul said she hopes to discover life on Mars.

“It would be one of the greatest discoveries in history,” she said. “Just about everything we do will be one big experiment! Walking, eating, sleeping...heck, going to the bathroom.”

Nouveau Martians will set up a greenhouse to grow crops, she said, and maybe a vat to brew beer. Paul is

Illustrations by Michelle Phillips

more of a wine lady, she said, but a pale ale on the Red Planet wouldn’t be too shabby.

What she is really eager to take is her favorite snack.

“I’m still waiting for an answer on how many cases of Doritos we can bring,” she said playfully. “They don’t take up too much space, do they?”

She will also be taking her tablet, a hard drive chockfull of movies and books, pictures of loved ones, her wedding ring set, a pair of sandals, her DSLR camera and, of course, her smartphone.

“While I won’t be able to call from it, I’ll still be able to connect to Wi-Fi and send iMessage or WhatsApp messages.”

There’s free Wi-Fi in outer space, Paul said, so aside from being one of the first humans to potentially habitat Mars, she expects to be one of the first to answer emails and taunt Internet trolls.

Writing a book is also on her to-do list.

“I’m a bit of an amateur novelist and I think Mars would provide awesome fodder for a book.”

Mars tomorrow means hard work today and a focus on training, which involves loads of studying and hitting the gym.

“I studied the entire Mars One website, a bunch of Mars Wikipedia pages, and the interview prep packet they gave us. I’d have to say the thing I’m least prepared for are the media interviews.”

Paul’s background is in electronic systems technology in the Air Force as a technical sergeant.

“I’m hoping that the technical education and teamwork experience will lend me the chutzpah necessary to pull off a huge endeavor like this.”

Mars One has been taunted by some naysayers, but Paul said it is a doable plan.

“Mars One has some pretty impressive brainiacs on its team,” she said.

A former NASA chief technologist and aerospace doctor are among the leaders, she said, along with personnel from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

“I doubt these professionals would do business with an entity if they thought it was just a big scam. If they’re convinced, then I’m convinced.”

Soon skeptics and supporters alike will get a sneak preview of the selection process. Mars One has paired up with Darlow Smithson Productions to document the “most extraordinary and challenging job interviews ever seen.”

Paul said she doesn’t know the full details, but all the same is hesitant about the production.

“I’m not thrilled or excited about it,” she said. “I just hope we’ll be busy enough that the cameras aren’t distracting.”

If selected, cameras may be the least of her worries.

She will have to bid farewell to her family. She and Craig have no children, but they do have other terrestrials they love and will miss.

“The separation from loved ones would be teary and emotional,” she said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be so busy that we won’t have time to be overwhelmingly distraught.”

Her final days on Earth could possibly be full of errands, last-minute preparations and emotional farewells, she said. There may be some Dorito chip munching scheduled, too.

As for her last moments on Mars, Paul said she could only imagine.

“This could go multiple ways,” she said. “One, I could live out a long, productive life and quietly pass away from old age. Two, something disastrous could happen, in which case, everything could be over with very quickly. Three, depending on the speed of progress, there might be a way to come back to Earth to retire.”

Paul said it may be tough to leave Mars.

“It may be as difficult as leaving Earth, especially after calling it home for so long. Not to mention I’d likely end up crippled after spending such a long time in low gravity and then coming back to 100 percent Earth gravity.”

Fear of the unknown is normal, but the unknown has always beckoned true explorers. From 34 million miles away Mars beckons. Paul said she is ready to answer, even if she has to leave behind her family, her planet and her Doritos.

Asjia Daniels, editor

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

CAMPUS

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

B3

JoseLuis Baylon

Tough jouney awaits mars space travelers In recent times private companies have made a footprint on space history.

A man free fell from the edge of space, thanks to Red Bull.

Burt Rutan was inspired by a Native American tale of ambitious birds and made planes that soared into space.

PayPal co-founder Elon Musk created SpaceX and sends payloads to the International Space Station (ISS).

Governments around the world still struggle to launch rockets properly and most developed countries use their space programs to place satellites in trajectories. Other than that, the European Space Agency developed modules onboard the ISS and Russian rockets handle all of NASA’s astronaut space flights.

Mars One, which was originally backed by London TV production company Endemol, calls for a mission to the Red Planet in a hasty fashion.

Today there seems like no time to send a man to Mars. America’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras all put emphasis on manned space flight. After the space race, NASA focused on Earth studies, rover exploration and deep space objects. Man was not ready to visit galaxies far, far away.

Getting anything into space, functioning and prepared for duty is astronomical work.

NASA is not even considering manned Mars exploration until 2060. It is technology that is holding us back.

This is no easy task. There is no easy way of saying this either, available technology does not match up with a Marvel film. Despite what a Sony commercial looks like or how a hero uses technology in a film, people should not believe that life has all the cool gizmos in all the right places.

In December 2013 China landed the Jade Rabbit rover on the Moon. Solar radiation and frostbite killed the rover’s driving unit after the first lunar night. In 2014, Orbital Sciences Corp. launched a payload intended to reach ISS. It blew up on the launch pad. Orbital has lost three rockets in a similar fashion within the last six years.

Last year the Rosetta satellite aimed to land on an asteroid, but failed to fire harpoons intended to wheel her into position permanently. The landing botched and Rosetta fell into the dark shadows of the asteroid.

Mars One is not getting anyone on to the fourth planet.

Star Trek’s Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy always had a way of reminding the U.S.S. Enterprise that impending doom was lurked over the shoulder. Our space ships may take hits and mankind does not yet have the ability to yell “shields up!”

Space suits, vehicles and habitat modules still do not protect human bodies from solar energetic particles and galactic cosmic rays, which can range from mild to deadly.

Our solar system is littered by particles cast this way by exploding stars or burping black holes. It is called Space Weather.

Space is not cute. It is ghastly.

Cosmic rays will penetrate astronauts attempting to reach Mars or deep space.

Astronauts onboard ISS are somewhat protected from some cosmic rays because ISS orbits within the Earth’s protective magnetosphere, past there, however, the solar system is a sketchy neighborhood.

Studies from John Hopkins showed that particles flying through space will become quantum-sized bullets to human physiology, affecting the way proteins order themselves in the brain, ultimately leading to a dull reaction time.

At Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York, mice received high-energy radiation from a collider replicating the same amounts an astronaut would receive on a long space mission.

For 250 days the mice were run through daily fitness tests set to measure exactly how fit for duty the brain of a mouse could be after radiation exposure. Results revealed that transport systems for dopamine, needed for alertness, may be impaired. About 45 percent of the mice showed attention-related defects. Of those, 64 percent had lapses in attention. please see Mars One pg. B6

JoseLuis may be reached at plutotoplato@theswcsun.com

B4

The Southwestern College Sun

SPECIAL F

Architecture Club Wins Big at C

S

By Cesar Hirsch Assistant Arts Editor

(SAN LUIS OBISPO) — Southwestern College architecture students lined up in a dimly lit alley near a downtown bar called SLO Brewing Co. where Neil Young was about to give an impromptu performance.

As excited as they were for the chance to see a rock legend perform live, the students begrudgingly walked off into the gusty, cold night back to their hotel rooms to get some much-needed sleep. Design Village 2015 competition awaited the next morning and Neil Young would not be there to help.

Each year the Design Village Conference organizes a competition at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for college students around the nation. Teams design and build structures around a theme. Upon arrival at SLO, they hike up a trail leading to Poly Canyon, assemble their portable structures and camp in them for two nights. This year the theme was clockwork and SWC registered two teams, Helios and Uhrwerk. SWC students brought back two awards, Best of Show and Best Interpretation of Theme.

Diana de la Torre, advisor to the SWC Architecture Club, said she has been taking teams to Cal Poly to compete for four years.

“It’s a great learning experience for the students, not only to visit Cal Poly, which has one of the best architecture programs in the country, but also to learn to collaborate as a team,” she said.

Co-advisor Corey Breininger, a retired SWC professor who now teaches part-time, is a veteran of the competition.

“This year we had two very unique teams competing,” he said.

“They both tackled the concept very differently. The way they expressed their geometry and the way they interpreted clockwork was very interesting.”

On the first morning of the competition teams gathered in a parking lot near the bottom of the trail that leads to Poly Canyon.

They began unloading their dismantled structures under the warm sun. While unloading, two team members ran about a mile up the hills and staked out a spot for their structures. SWC students picked an area toward the middle of the canyon with minimal slope. Soon students from other colleges ambled up the hill and the canyon began to look like a construction site.

Teams carried up their one-of-a-kind structures as their favorite music played. Cole Sicora Friesen, a student from Diablo Valley College, rolled by on a unicycle, balancing a long, wooden beam.

“It’s a nice way to get around and just get a nice breeze going,” he explained.

High on the canyon, the morning surrendered to a warm but breeze afternoon. Gusty winds became an issue, but most of the teams were ready to start building.

“As you can see, this is not flat ground!” Breininger said. “It’s a slope and it’s a rough slope because cows graze on this land, so having to deal with the topography is an interesting exercise.”

The structure created by Team Helios was an abstract configuration of complex angles made of mainly wood, covered by a white spandex fabric. Rene Soler, a member of Helios, called it “a contemporary, parametric jungle gym for grown-ups” as Luis Montoya, another member of Helios, leaped onto one of the top legs of the structure where he hung and proved his point. “(The structure) is organic,” said Montoya. “It has complex angles and it’s massive, which makes it very attractive and it is something (the judges) have never seen before. We didn’t want to work with gears in our structure, we wanted to go back to the early concepts of the sundial were you measure time based on the position of the sun.”

Inside the structure inhabitants could appreciate changes in sunlight through three wooden frames where sunbeams entered at various times of the day.

Team Uhrwerk’s structure was a wooden cube placed on a rectangular base composed of studs and bamboo with two wheels at the very bottom. At its center a wooden column rotated around a dial representing a clock that, when moved, elevated plastic panels surrounding the cube that allowed for the different tones of sunlight and shadows to fill the structure.

SWC student Efrain Camacho, an aspiring architect, said his team’s intention was to create an experience through basic design.

“We were trying to keep it simple and build a mechanism that reflected the theme by emphasizing movement and precision,” he said.

Montoya said that getting a chance to build a design is a rare opportunity for most architecture students.

“To see it live and not just on paper changes everything,” he said. “It’s like a refueling of the soul.”

In the canyon, winds were much heavier than the teams expected.

“You’re looking at 18-20 mph winds,” Breiniger said. “I remember a couple of years ago when the students came back they said to me ‘Corey, everybody’s project blew over except for ours and we still didn’t win anything.’ I kind of wish I had been there to see that actually, but that’s always a factor that many forget to take into account.”

Montoya said his team had trouble putting its structure back together due to a change in their transportation plans and cracks in its wood.

“There are already holes on the pieces of wood and since the new holes that we’re making aren’t falling in the exact same place as the old ones, it’s making the wood in the legs crack,” he said. “So we need to predrill all of the new holes so it doesn’t crack the wood, but the only drill that we have is for concrete and we need a wood one.”

Miguel Vargas of Team Uhrwerk said the harsh terrain was a problem.

“The slope doesn’t really allow us to work freely,” he said. “On campus we worked on a flat surface and here we don’t have that so we have to accommodate by pretty much holding everything up.

SLO RIDE — (top l) Omar Topete saws excess wood from a stand designed to keep Team Uhrwerk’s structure level on the Poly Canyon hillside. (l) Team Helios’ structure rests on the Poly Canyon hillside. (bottom l) Jessica Martinez tests the rotating mechinism that lifts the panels on Team Uhrwerk’s structure.

That woo It h “It your Bre Man finis Tea Af into At high “It’ mou Mo play “It’ Str easy Jud desig “It’ spen with them Jud visit

FEATURE

March 29 - April 6, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

Cal Poly SLO Competition

B5

Photos by Mason Masis

THERE AND BACK AGAIN — (counter-clockwise starting with top) Luis Montoya and Rene Soler drill screws into team Helios’ structure.

Team Uhrwerk’s structure lays quietly in the early saturday-morning sun. Sun Assistant Arts Editor Cesar Hirsch interviews California Polytechnical University, San Luis Obisbo Freshman Nick Imbrial.

Carrying the rotating mechinism part of the Uhrwerk structure, Sergio Ituarte listens to loud techno music and dances his way up a hill.

Cesar Hirsch/staff

t’s the main issue, besides things we might have lost on the way like a bolt or a piece of d. It was a very long walk getting up here.” had been a long walk, about 16 miles. was the workout of the year,” Soler said. “Walking up a hill with a bunch of wood on r shoulders puts so much strain on your body. We went back and forth eight times.” eininger had warned students it would take a long time to assemble their structures. ny expected to party on the first night, but most fell asleep from exhaustion or were still shing their structures. am Helios did not stop working until around 11:30 p.m. fter tightening the last bolt, they gathered their camping equipment and disappeared their structure for the night. dawn teams crept out of their structures and into the crisp morning. Soler sat atop the hest hill of the canyon reflecting. ’s beautiful up here,” he said. “There is no greater feeling than to be surrounded by untains, trees and architecture.” ost of the structures had been built and the atmosphere of the canyon changed. A DJ ed music, food was served and the canyon turned into a festival. ’s kind of like Coachella, but for architects,” said Ivan Murillo of Team Uhrwerk. ructures by Team Helios and Team Uhrwerk survived the night. In the daylight, it was to admire the array of structures sprawled across the landscape. dge Christine Theodoropoulos, dean of the college of architecture and environmental gn at Cal Poly, said the competition was about more than architecture. ’s about the students, their enthusiasm, their collaboration, their stories about nding the night, the stories about getting up the hill, how they solved the problems h installation,” she said. “Those things to me are more important than the structures mselves.” dges strolled up the hill to examine each structure and deliver their verdict. Families and ors also visited.

SWC’s submissions drew a lot of looks.

“It was interesting to see the amount of interest the two structures generated,” Breininger said.

Pamela Anderson-Brulé, a founder and president of Anderson Brulé Architects, said she appreciated the design behind Team Uhrwerk’s cube structure.

“I really enjoyed the simplicity of it and how it can change and sort of adapt to the environment,” she said.

Isha Chhabra, president of the Design Village Conference, announced that team Helios shared Best of Show with Team LX from Diablo Valley College and earned a special award for its interpretation of the theme.

Judge Thomas di Santo, an associate professor at SLO and partner of M:OME, said he was impressed by students from Team Helios.

“They did a really great job of handling the experimental qualities of the theme by interpreting clockwork in a very non-linear, abstract way, which we appreciated,” he said.

“Formally, the structure was attractive from the outside and as you got closer it really invited you into the center and once you were in there you got this very James Turrell-esque experience that changed with the diurnal swings of the day. It could have had better craft, but we forgave that because it did well on so many other levels.”

Montoya said he was happy the judges understood the meaning behind their structure.

“Sometimes when you design something it’s difficult for other people to grasp what you’re trying to convey through your art,” he said. “I feel like the judges really understood what we were trying to say.”

On the event’s final evening, members of Team Helios celebrated their victory at a SLO bar.

One remarked on the unimaginative design.

“It’s such a bad use of space,” Soler said. “You have to keep in mind form and function when you design a place like this.”

Architecture, as Neil Young might have said, never sleeps.

B6

CAMPUS

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Volume 58, Issue 7

The Southwestern College Sun

VIVA LOS ESTUDIANTES — (clockwise from above) Caleb Henderson, David Ramos Chavez, Jessica Casillas, Master of Ceremonies Bernard Gonzalez, Dr. Olivia Graeve.

“ Si se puede!”

Yes They Can Annual Cesar Chavez breakfast honors Southwestern College’s Chicano champions Story by Evan Cintron // Photos by Asjia Daniels “Students must have initiative; they should not be imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.”

– Cesar E. Chavez Five students with initiative from Southwestern College were awarded scholarships at the 11th Annual Cesar E. Chavez scholarship breakfast hosted by the Chicano Latino Coalition. Over the past decade the Chicano Latino Coalition at Southwestern College has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships.

Jessica Casillas, Itzel Tenorio, David Ramos Chavez, Caleb Henderson and Claudia Tirado were presented $1,000 scholarships. The breakfast kept a traditional Mexican theme, welcoming attendees with the sweet smell of chorizo, pollo, and frilojes.

Keynote speaker Dr. Olivia Graeve was an SWC student 20 years ago. Graeve is currently an associate professor of materials science and engineering at UCSD. “Si se puede,” she declared. (Yes it can be done.)

“It’s just the perfect three words,” she said. “It means

Maramba: Scholar urges Filipinos to aim higher, speak up Continued from pg. B1

acknowledged.

To Maramba, the better people critically reflected on their identities in context, the better the chance to have a stronger sense of self. By doing just that, Maramba discovered her passion and what topics to care about.

“I also learned from my mentors that if you don’t create your own stories, someone else will,” she said.

Maramba said most colleges and universities do not have enough Filipino professors.

“I am currently one of the few faculty of color and one of the few Filipino professors at my university,” she said. “Up until two years ago, I was the only Filipino professor.”

Filipinos are the largest AsianAmerican group in California and second-largest immigrant population in the U.S. after Latino, she said.

SWC’s spring 2015 enrollment is 10 percent Filipino.

Filipino-American representation in faculty is important to FilipinoAmerican students’ well-being and sense of belonging, she said.

Maramba’s studies revealed that there are only 114 Filipino college professors in the United States, of which 14 percent are full professors, 40 percent are associate professors, and 14 percent are assistant professors.

AAPIs, as a “model minority,” are assumed to have achieved high levels of educational and economic success.

there is nothing in life that can stop you. It’s like a river.

Water might want to get through and there are big rocks, but you know what the river does? It goes around the rocks.”

Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers coined the motto in 1972 and it remains relevant to this day.

Graeve left students with advice for living life.

“The final message is to have lofty goals,” she said.

“You may think that you are unable to achieve them, but have them anyway. When I was walking the halls around here (SWC) I never thought I was going to end up as an engineering professor at UCSD. You just don’t know where life is going to take you, but think big and in 20 years I bet you will be standing at this podium yourself.”

Journalism instructor Bernard Gonzalez served as master of ceremonies. At the podium, Gonzalez mentioned a Sun reporter asking him what was the best interview he had ever done. Gonzales replied, “It was my interview with Mother Teresa. I was very blessed to be able to interview her in the streets of Tijuana near her order. The one impactful thing that she said to me was there are no great

“Because of that stereotype, many services are not catered to AsianAmerican students,” said Maramba.

“There is this assumption that they are well-adjusted they are fine and they are star students.”

Maramba said Filipino college students enrolling in universities are unintentionally damaging the population. She said most FilipinoAmerican students would mark yes on forms that ask if their parents graduated from college. Many Filipino immigrants, however, have college degrees from the Philippines.

Maramba said that the college experience in the Philippines is very different from that of the U.S. “Filipino-American families do not necessarily have the cultural patronal or social patronal about college to pass onto their children,” she said.

“The real question should read ‘did your parents graduate college in the U.S.?’”

Expectations for Asian-American students to uphold the model minority stereotypes cause anxiety and stress, Maramba said.

“At Cornell University every semester there is a report talking about a number of Asian-American students committing suicide,” she said.

Maramba urged Filipino students to speak up, engage and network.

“Students have so much power, and because students know what the issues are and what is going on campus, you are efficient to adjust to these issues. It’s about working with and supporting your AfricanAmerican brothers and sisters, your Latino brothers and sisters and supporting your Asian-American brothers and sisters. You will find that you have so much more in common than differences.”

Justice: Club shows

students good side of humanity, community Continued from pg. B1

the right thing, even when there’s no personal benefit.”

Guthrie said the club helps broaden students’ perspectives.

“When we’re at Donovan’s, it shows students the realities of incarcerations,” he said. “It’s not (out of a) textbook, this is the way it works.”

Sanchez said the club has helped him grow.

“With our community events, it sort of goes along with the Broken

Mars One: Chula Vista U.S. Air Force sergeant ready to fly Continued from pg. B3

those, 64 percent had lapses in attention.

With medical issues in the field of space medicine, doctors and engineers are finding the umbilical cord between human bodies and Earth difficult to detach. Long endurance space flights are a problem.

The longer the journey through space, the more bodily damage.

Dr. Michael Barratt, an astronaut assigned to Expedition 19/20 on board ISS, began suffering visual impairments shortly after arriving in space. Barratt examined the medical records of astronauts who reported the same abnormality.

Having been undiscovered, it was unknown to NASA that a percentage of astronauts exposed to microgravity develop intracranial hypertension that applies pressure to the fluid inside the eye, creating

things, there are only small things done with great love.”

Gonzalez said events like this mean more than the money students receive.

“When we honor these students, we hand them a check and clap and we think they just go on their way,” he said.

“What we’re doing is really dropping breadcrumbs along the way. We’re telling them if you follow this path, you’re going to be able to live your dreams.”

Honoree Casillas said she has plans for her scholarship money.

“I wasn’t expecting, it but I’m super happy about it because right now my computer broke and my financial aid wasn’t enough to pay for everything,” she said. “I work part time at SWC as an assistant worker, but its limited amount of hours. That computer, I really need it.”

Henderson said he was thankful for the experience.

“This is a very humbling experience,” he said. “I appreciate all the support from all the clubs. My Mesa family came out to support me. My mom, little brother, step dad, and dad couldn’t come, but I had the school’s support and this is pretty much home.”

Window Theory where you maintain c l e a n l i n e s s a n d a s t a n d a rd ,” h e said. “Going out there shows the community that we’re out there to help in whatever way we can, whether it’s removal of brush or graffiti, it shows that we as a community won’t accept that.”

Club Secretary Shayan Khatiba said advisors Gary Creason and Guthrie fuel the club’s general success.

“They’ve really helped us get to where we are,” he said. “They’re always available to talk with all of us about anything. They’re the reason we can do so many of these great things.”

Club members volunteer at the Villa Bonita Senior Living Center dance, a Valentine’s Day tradition, said Sanchez.

“Club member Erin Wells started talking to one of the elderly residents during the dance, and they were really excited about their son visiting for the weekend,” he said. “Erin had a gut feeling that the son might not show up, so the next day she arrived at the place with flowers. And she was right.

I think everyone should strive to be like her and make a positive impact in the community.”

Students interested in law enforcement can practice and learn before beginning the application processes. A Civil Service Interview Seminar showed students how to prepare for the hiring procedures at San Diego County agencies. Guthrie said eight out of the last nine attendees passed their civil service interviews.

blurry vision.

Blurry vision is not the only problem.

Human hearts get smaller and rounder because there is no gravity in space, and they have no reason to work as hard.

NASA researchers worry astronauts will pass out while returning to gravity on Earth or landing on Mars. Every living organism is inextricably tied to Mother Earth.

It is home.

In order to travel to Mars, the human body needs the livable conditions of Earth replicated in space. Right now, though, that technology does not exist.

Future astronauts need to be logical and aware of themselves, like Mr. Spock.

Space crews are required to function in synchronization. Very few know about the Mars 500 mission composed of an international crew of astronauts conducted in 2011. In a study published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the crew played a mock mission to Mars in the confinements of an isolated facility for 520 days. By monitoring

sleep and light cycles inside the cabins, researchers delved into the dynamics of astronaut’s vulnerability to a neurological condition referred to as hypokinesis. If a body does not move enough in space, muscles and memory get sluggish. Despite not being in space, astronauts in Mars500 suffered hypokinesis because as the mission advanced, crew members moved less around the ship. Some crew members became lethargic and would avoid light completely.

By not getting enough light, sleep patterns were disorganized.

Desynchronization occurred when members took away or added hours of their sleep.

If crews are not working attentively, accidents in space are likely.

Space is a dark, cold and dangerous place, but the human condition encourages itself to push the biological boundaries of our minds and bodies. The universe may never roll out a welcome mat, but be advised, we are coming anyway.

CAMPUS

The Southwestern College Sun

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

B7

College estate residents seek parking district

By Domonique Scott Staff Writer

“Star Wars” comes to movie theaters in December, but Car Wars are already here.

Southwestern College’s long-running parking struggle with residents of College Estates across Otay Lakes Road is as contentious as ever, insist frustrated homeowners. College Estates residents complain that students trying to avoid college parking fees are crowding their streets, leaving trash and being aggressive.

Jeffery Ruggers said he has been a College Estates homeowner for 15 years. He is a representative for the residents petitioning for a parking district. He said he wants students out of the neighborhood.

“With cars arriving and leaving all day long, residents are forced to listen to loud car radios and car alarms,” he said. “Our police don’t have the manpower to respond to our calls, so who’s helping us out? No one.”

Dawn Dershem, a College Estates homeowner for 38 years, disagreed. She said she was more than happy to let students park in front of her home.

“We support our students, we disagree with your position,” she said to Ruggers.

“They are a tremendous benefit to our neighborhood and I am glad they are here.”

Dershem said when neighbors knocked on her door and asked her to sign the petition for a parking district she refused.

“Our housing complex is called College Estates,” she said. “If you don’t support the college students, why do you buy a house in College Estates?”

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish said the city of Chula Vista needs to create a parking district that would alleviate the tension between students and neighboring residents.

“Those are public streets, they are not private,” she said. “We as citizens have the right to park legally on those streets as long as we do it legally.”

Domonique Scott/Staff

THE ROAD — College Estates residents say students take up homeowners parking, litter streets and are often disrespectful.

Nish said a handful of students are the cause for conflict.

“Some students have not been good stewards,” she said. “ They have thrown garbage, parked in front of driveways. That is not neighborly.”

Nish said proposals were fielded in 2009 to keep students from parking at College Estates. She said Chula Vista city officials did not want to pay to establish a permitted parking area and SWC leaders felt the college should not have to pay either.

“Some of the neighbors feel that the college has created the problem so the

college should fix the problem,” she said.

Nish said SWC campus police have been the only parking enforcement in the community, yet the college has not received any compensation.

“We don’t get any revenue if there’s a parking ticket,” she said. “We’ve been the ones providing the enforcement.”

As part of the new parking district settlement, the city of Chula Vista would pay for a parking officer, Nish said. She said the citizens of the College Estates are in the early stages of lobbying for a parking district. Such a plan would have to be approved by the Chula Vista Safety

Commission, then the City Council.

SWC Chief of Campus Police Michael Cash said finding middle ground with College Estates would be in the best interest of the college.

“We have good neighbors,” he said.

“They support our bond measure, come to our games, our night events, a lot of them are former students.”

Cash said the college has tried to encourage students to park on campus.

He said two weeks of free parking at the beginning of the semester and lowering parking fees to $20 for BOGW students were the most successful incentives. Cash

said students are parking for free across the street because of the $40 permit fee.

“Out of the 20,000 plus students who attend the school,” he said, “approximately 5,000 buy a permit to park on campus.”

Nish said these initiatives have missed the mark with students who do not receive financial aid.

“We have tried to do alternative pricing and it hasn’t helped,” she said. “Students still park over there because they are use to it and it may be closer than some of our lots. In my opinion, the only way this situation will be fixed is if College Estates becomes a parking district.”

SWC, SUHSD look toward New law puts college level courses in National City for pool help high schools, increases credit limit

By Luz Aurora Assistant News Editor

By Josh Carter Contributing Editor

Southwestern College’s Aquatics Center has been treading water all semester. It will have to wait another few months for its life preserver.

SWC is currently working out a deal with the National City Municipal Pool (Las Palmas).

Terms of the agreement would allow the college, in conjunction with Sweetwater Union High School District, to temporarily use the facility.

Proposition R Program Manager, Mark Claussen, said National City is looking for an entity to maintain daily operations. SWC will work together with Las Palmas to accomplish this, he said.

“SWC, along with SUHSD, would like to use this pool which is a good thing for the city,” he said.

Trustee Humberto Peraza said it is important to have a plan in place before advancing with any construction.

“If you are going to move forward math and science I expect to see a plan in place,” he said. “I think the board wants to move forward with this.”

Updates to the Prop R master plan caused the college to look elsewhere for pool space.

New Math, Science and Engineering (MSE) buildings are scheduled to be built on the site of the current pools.

Claussen said that without an agreement with Las Palmas, the construction schedule would be pushed back.

“This is not an either or thing,” he said. “We are either going to have or we are going to wait on the MSE building.”

Claussen said the college has looked into other options. Las Palmas is the most feasible solution, he said, because building a temporary pool would cost more than $5 million.

Commercial pools, such as 24-Hour Fitness, lack deck space for athletic events. Pools in residential areas are simply not big enough to house extra swimmers. Claussen said finding a place to house both groups is important.

SUHSD swim teams use SWC’s current facility to practice.

“It is a big pool, it has got sufficient lanes for athletic purposes,” he said. “It meets the needs of Southwestern and the needs of Sweetwater.”

Other programs utilizing the aquatic center may find new homes, too, Claussen said.

Turtle Swim is a college-operated program designed to help children learn to swim.

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish said placing the classes in community pools full-time is something being discussed.

“They may be able to help more kids out in the community,” she said. “They are the one group that can thrive in community pools.”

Nish said negotiations like this are typically time consuming. SWC’s Board of Trustees wants to have a resolution in the near future, she said.

Josh Carter/Staff

TREADING WATER — Eastlake High School women’s water polo coach Stuart Sokil and supporters wait to address the governing board.

“I do not think we will get this to the board immediately,” she said. “ I feel it is more likely that this will be a June or July agreement.”

SWC reaffirmed its commitment to student learning with the design of the MSE buildings, Nish said.

“We need the labs desperately,” she said. “Our math people are just spread all over. This is the first time that whole school would be together collectively.”

Nish said completion of the MSE buildings would change the way students experience SWC. Upgrades to the Chula Vista campus would bring the college into a new era, she said.

“We’re going to have this beautiful, most magnificent academic building,” she said.

“You’ll see that with the field house and the library already there. It is going to be a real hub.”

Long forgotten, the college’s corner lot will house the new Wellness Center, a new futuristic pool complex. It will include two 50-meter competition pools as well as a 25-meter instruction pool. Claussen said the facility would attract attention. Similar to DeVore Stadium, other entities, like the California Interscholastic Federation, have expressed intrigue in SWC’s top-of-the-line facilities.

“These are going to be world class pools,” he said. “We have seen a tremendous interest in these pools, which is a good thing.”

Without an agreement with Las Palmas, SWC’s plans for the future will be stuck in neutral.

“I think there’s a lot of promise, I am optimistic,” Nish said. “It will be difficult to continue the construction schedules without an agreement.”

For years ambitious high school students got a head start by attending classes at SWC after school.

Thanks to a new state legislation recently adopted by the college trustees, high school students may not even have to leave their campuses.

California Assembly Bill 288 allows high schools to host college-level courses on their campuses during regular school hours. High school students were previously allowed to take 11 units per semester, but can now take 15, a full load.

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish said the decision to increase the unit limit was made to encourage more high school students to start work on their college degrees.

“The only time we could offer the classes was before or after (the regular high school day),” she said. “It was an inconvenience for the high school students because a lot of them are not going to want to come in at seven in the morning or later in the afternoon because they might have sports or other activities.”

There are 419 students enrolled in SWC College Bound classes at the high schools this semester, the number is expected to increase once the bill comes into effect.

AB 288 also allows college-level courses classes of just high school students. Previously all college-level courses had to be offered to the general public.

Opportunities like AB 288 are usually meant for high-achieving students, said Nish, but the purpose of this bill is to ease any interested high school students into college-level courses.

Authors of the legislation said they are hopeful that it will encourage high school students to get a head start on general education courses and shorten their road through college. It could also serve as a bridge from high school directly to universities and priority registration for classes.

Governing Board Trustee Humberto Peraza said having high school students take college courses as early as possible is a good idea.

“Sometimes going to college is a bit of a shock,” he said. “The course work is harder and the expectations are

higher. Hopefully some day I will be telling my kids to take a few (collegelevel) classes during high school. I think it’s a smart thing to do.”

Nish agreed.

“Students get to dip their toe in the water and test it out,” she said. “They also get to understand that college is not out of reach.”

High school students will receive credits for high school diploma and an associate’s degree when enrolled in a college-level course, said Nish.

“If they could couple these units and do some more outside of their regular day, for example in the summer, they could actually put together an associate’s degree,” she said.

Qualified high school teachers may be allowed to teach college classes on a high school campus, otherwise a college professor or an adjunct instructor will be assigned.

SWC already has adjuncts teaching after-school college courses at several Sweetwater Union High School District campuses.

AB 288 gives high schools the option to partner with any community college, not just its district’s overlapping college.

Security organization gives SWCPD $3,000 grant to purchase cameras

By Asjia Daniels Campus Editor

Campus police will soon be outfitted with body cameras like other law enforcement agencies across America working to stem the tide of police violence.

SWC received a $3,000 grant from the San Diego Chapter of ASIS International to purchase and test body cameras that will be able to record officer’s day-to-day interactions. Ideally, cameras will provide clear and concise records of police interactions with civilians. They will also record evidence.

SWCPD Sergeant Robert Sanchez said there are issues with the new body cameras that need to be worked out.

“The camera is recording in HD and if you are recording all of the events for a 10-hour shift for an officer for 40 hours a week, that equates to a lot of data,” he said. “Unfortunately data storage is not infinite.”

Since this technology is so new,

Sanchez said, it opens up new questions.

“We’re trying not to take up a lot of data storage,” he said. “We need to figure out how long we need to retain the records that we need to keep and how long for the ones we don’t need.”

Chula Vista’s police department received a $5,000 grant from ASIS. Each camera can cost from $300 to $400, according to CVPD Lt. Vern Sallee. He called body cameras “a game changer for law enforcement.”

“Having a third eye or independent witness to every contact that we do will only help protect our officers and protect the public with regards to our operation,” Sallee said.

When students were asked their opinion on the body cameras, some responded with hostility, but Alexa Nejera, 19, an art major, said he favored them.

“With the cameras, I think officers will have to be held accountable and they will watch and be more cautious

Jocelyn Melody Davalos/Staff

CRUISIN’ FOR CROOKS — SWCPD police cruisers are not equipped with cameras. Their officers, however, soon will be, thanks to a grant.

about how they treat civilians with the knowledge of knowing everything is being recorded,” he said.

Only three complaints were filed against the SWCPD in 2014, Sanchez said, but he expects body cameras to have a positive affect on the campus.

“The main goal is to reinstill trust within the communities.”

Body cameras should be fully implemented by the SWCPD by the fall 2015 semester.

Contributions made by Mason Masis

Page Design by Anna Pryor

B8

March 29 - May 15, 2015 — Vol. 58, Issue 7

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

BACKPAGE

Xolos are soccer’s Big Dogs Story by Netzai Sanchez // Photos by David Hodges

Two nations are unified through graceful exchanges of futboleros and soccer balls gliding under the bright lights of what is known to be Estadio Caliente, “The biggest dog pound in Mexico.” Fans from California and Baja California join together, creating an ocean of red and black, unified to support the Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente or “Xolos,” Tijuana’s professional soccer team.

Founded in January 2007, in just eight years the Xolos have won the hearts of its followers while gaining respect in the soccer community. Their mascot, the Chihuahua-like Xoloitzcuintles, is the legendary dog of Aztec emperors and Mexican royalty.

Los Xolos are represented well at Southwestern College.

Every day students or staff can be seen sporting a jersey, hat or warm-up jacket. Many who take the trolley have bumped into Xolos fans on their trek to Estadio Caliente. Fans flock across the border and cause traffic jams, prompting many to take the lengthier trip by foot.

“La Masakr3,” members of Club Tijuana’s official fan club, gathered in May 2011, to celebrate a realized dream.

Directed by coach Joaquin del Olmo, Los Xolos ascended into La Primera Division de Mexico with a 2-1 victory over Freseros de Irapuato who were led by legendary forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

When Los Xolos became a first division team, Zona Rio exploded with futbol euphoria.

Just 18 months later Los Xolos completed their Cinderella story by winning the Liga MX Torneo Apertura 2012 and Mexico’s national championship by defeating Los Diablos Rojos de Toluca 4-1. Determined to remain an elite team, Los Xolos have worked doggedly to develop star players of the future. That has become a truly international effort.

A recent Xolos soccer clinic was held at SDSU before an exhibition match against the Aztecs. A small crowd of 1,572 spectators may have witnessed history as Los Xolos U-19 players tied SDSU, 1-1.

Los Xolos created the Xolos Academy in Chula Vista with the goal of training players at an early age and helping them develop with the club. Alma Carranza, administrator of the academy, said she has seen great potential in the local players.

“I have worked with other teams, but have never seen what I see with Xolos,” she said. “They are one of the few teams that focus on their players in their early development.

The sports director comes by twice a week to see the children and see who has potential to be on the club. We

are developing the players for the 17-and-under team.”

Carranza said that it is important to promote soccer to children at a young age.

“We work with them until they make the first team,” she said. “Even as 12-year-olds we take them to Tijuana. If we get them as mini-Xolos, that is what we want.”

Carranza said the club’s focus is comprehensive.

“We have physical trainers, goalkeeper trainers, a nutrition professor, psychology professor and a chef,” she said. “It is a future that they have here.”

The team’s focus on the young players has paid off, said Carranza. Luis Chavez, 19, who scored against SDSU, said he has been with the club for three years.

“It’s a nice friendship,” he said. “Maybe the team is successful because we have played together since we were younger.”

Chavez said the academy is an opportunity for aspiring young soccer players.

“I think it’s a good project for the kids to start here,” he said.

“Then go to Tijuana and play with the team.”

Fernando Arce, a former Xolos player, said he has seen the product of the team’s dedication to youth. Born and raised in Tijuana, Arce is currently playing for Club Chivas de Guadalajara. He has also played for the Mexican National Soccer Team, though he said he left a part of himself with the Xoloitzcuintles.

With a kiss on the cheek, Arce Sr. left his spot on the field to his eldest son, Fernando David Arce Jr., 18. A native Chula Vistan, Arce Jr. debuted in professional soccer at a friendly against Club America in the Torneo Clausura in 2014. He also debuted in 2014 for the U.S. National 20-under team.

Arce Sr. praised the Xolos Academy.

“The idea was for the kids to get close to the club,” he said.

“With this the club grows and there will be more players on the U.S. side of the border.”

A r c e S r. s a i d h e h a s s e e n h i s s o n progress since he joined the club at 15.

“It has been great because the formation that is given to them in the institution is becoming very important,” he said. “There is a lot of follow up that is given to the players as well as preparation so they grow as people and also as players.”

There has always been a rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico and many people say there is no such thing as a friendly match. Clearly Los Xolos thought differently.

TRANSBORDER LOVE AFFAIR — (clockwise from top) Alfredo Moreno walks off of the field after playing in his 400th professional game. Monterrey coach Antonio “Turco” Mohamed gets emotional remembering his time with the Xolos and speaking of his desire of returning to the team. Gabriel Hauche readies himself for a goal attempt. Richard Ruiz blocks off a defender as he attempts to navigate to the goal. Captain Javier Gandolfi scores Xolos’ first goal.