Fall 2015: Issue 1, Volume 59

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

Volume 59, Issue 1

theswcsun.com

Southwestern student in jail following SDSU sexual assault Man accused of harassing women on two campuses

By Danielle Eldridge Assistant News Editor

A Southwestern College student who was arrested and then released by campus police following three battery complaints filed by female students is now in the South Bay Detention Facility following his arrest

by San Diego State University Police.

Glenn Paulo Balancar is in jail after pleading not guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, his bail was set at $50,000. Five days after his

detainment and release by SWC campus police for battery, SDSU police received multiple calls about a male following and inappropriately touching women on campus. Balancar was arrested and placed in jail after two female students identified him as their attacker.

A week earlier Balancar allegedly harassed three SWC coeds. Two victims were reluctant to be interviewed, the third victim came forward under the condition that her name not be used in crime logs or The Sun. (SWC journalism policy is not to use unattributed sources, though the editorial board agreed to make an exception for victims of sexual assault.)

Campus chief of police, Michael Cash said

September 1 - October 3, 2015

Gov. board votes 4-1 to extend Nish’s contract

By Luz Aurora Aramburo News Editor

Throughout the rocky tenure of Dr. Melinda Nish as Southwestern College president, even her critics will acknowledge that she has replaced the revolving door that used to lead in and out of the president’s office.

Nish was granted a new three-year contract with a raise by the governing board this summer on a 4-1 vote.

Nish’s new contract runs through June 30, 2018. Trustee Tim Nader cast the no vote.

“I was the one,” he said. “I was not

opposed to rehiring Dr. Nish. My concern was very specific with the salary.

I think the reason my four colleagues voted to give her the raise was in recognition that it is below average for the position she holds.”

Nish currently makes $227,700 annually and will receive a 3.5 percent raise in 2016, resulting in $235,700.

Nish became president in January 2012. In the nine years before that a total of 10 people sat in the president’s chair.

With three years and nine months under her belt, Nish is the longest-tenured president since Dr. Serafin Zasueta (1997-2003). Nader said that at the

please see Assault pg. A3

Trustee Peraza says he will not run again

please see Nish pg. A3

Nish

Consultant says budget scare was a false alarm

SONGS OF JOY

By Mary York Photo Editor

By Luz Aurora Aramburo News Editor

Humberto Peraza, a former congressional aide appointed to the Southwestern College Governing Board during a period of intense turmoil, announced that he will step down at the end of his term.

“I’m not going to run for re-election,” Peraza said in an interview with The Sun. “I think we’ve had a really good run here, but I think it’s time to focus on my family, my kids, my wife.”

Peraza first joined the governing board in August 2011, replacing Nick Aguilar who stepped down due to poor health. When Peraza was sworn in, the college was on probation and reeling from the scandalridden Chopra-Alioto years. Later in 2011 the San Diego County District Attorney began a series of raids of the homes and offices of former SWC officials in a sweeping corruption scandal.

Peraza joined a progressive coalition with trustees Norma Hernandez and Tim Nader that oversaw a transformation at the college.

Accreditation was restored, 16 people with SWC connections pleaded guilty to felonies and misdemeanors, and a budget crisis was averted. Now, Peraza said, the college is on “solid footing” and he feels he can move on.

“I never intended to be a life-long or a career politician,” he said. “I got involved in politics because I wanted to help my community. Unfortunately, one of the things that people don’t always get to see is that you’re at all the events, you’re at everything and you are taking a lot of time away from your family. And I need to be there to watch my kids grow up. . . At the end of life, what’s more important? I’d rather be known as a good dad than a good politician.”

Peraza said announcing his decision 14 months prior to the 2016 election was for the benefit of the college.

“I want good candidates to run,” he said.

“I care a lot about SWC and so I think this please see Peraza pg. A3

Free!

Bianca Quilantan/Staff

S

outh County ’s LGBT community and supporters came together for a spirited South Bay Pride Music and Art Festival at the Chula Vista Harbor. Liz Grace & The Swing Thing were featured performers.

SWEETWATER VALLEY ALL-STARS HONORED BY THE CITY OF CHAMPIONS

Pg. A10

Jim Austin, the acting VP of fiscal services, admits he is pessimistic and assumes the worst.

This has members of the governing board optimistic and hoping for the better.

Austin, the highly-regarded former fiscal chief at Miracosta College, stepped in temporarily following the resignation of Dr. Steven Crow. A report by Crow this summer left the governing board with the impression the college had a $6.6 million budget shortfall.

Austin told the board it could relax. He expects a balanced budget, he said, despite a $2.8 million budget shortfall in FY 15-16. Though the shortfall could reappear in FY16-17, he said, there are funds to cover this year.

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish said Crow had all the right numbers, but may not have communicated clearly to the board.

“From my perspective it kind of looked like (the governing board) really didn’t get it, but they didn’t ask any questions,” she said. “So from Dr. Crow’s perspective, he didn’t think they had any.”

Nish said she thinks the governing board did have questions, but probably did not have the time to articulate them. Austin said his budget projections coincided with Crow’s.

Trustee Griselda Delgado acknowledged that there was confusion.

“We don’t see everything that others see and perhaps we didn’t see the numbers (Crow) was seeing,” she said.

Austin said explaining budgets can be challenging.

“What (Crow) said was very consistent with what I said,” said Austin. “Things that to me seem perfectly clear, to you it’s gibberish and the same way coming back, but that is human nature.”

Austin said the budget’s revenue and expenses are hypothetical at this point and will change throughout the year as the state of California adjusts its revenue reports.

“Community college budgets are based upon projections,” he said. “It’s science and it’s art. So if you have about two percent of the students in the state, then you can sort of guess we’ll get about please see Budget pg. A3

A2

Luz Aurora Aramburo, editor

NEWS

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Vol. 59, Issue 1

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

Board reverses decision, pays ACCJC legal assessment fee

By Mary York Photo Editor

COURTESY PHOTO

LEAVING A LEGACY —Former ASO President Juan Luis Espinoza encouraged SWC students to transfer to distinguished universities and was the recipient of the Student of Distinction Award in 2014. He died in an automobile accident this summer.

Former ASO president killed in car accident

By Luz Aurora Aramburo News Editor

Former ASO President Juan Luis Espinoza died in a traffic accident July 18 while traveling between Chula Vista and UCLA, where he was a sociology major.

He was 33.

Espinoza was Associated Student Organization president during the 201213 academic year and Puente Club president in 2010-11. He has also served as ASO Senator of Business Services.

Laura Jessica (del Castillo) Douglas, who in 2013-14 succeeded Espinoza as ASO president, said she was shocked to learn of Espinoza’s death. She praised him as a talented leader whose favorite cause was to ease Sweetwater High School students’ transition into SWC through the Pathway to Success Conference.

Douglas said she did her best to uphold Espinoza’s ideals.

“I hadn’t realized how much impact one person had in my life without me knowing it,” she said.

Espinoza’s Puente Club advisor Sylvia Felan-Gonzales said he grew up in Logan Heights and supported his family for several years as an electrician.

She said she was impressed with him from the moment they met.

“He was digging in his pockets to pay for one of his brother’s courses,” she said.

Felan-Gonzales said Nestor, Espinoza’s younger brother, was the first of his family to attend college. In fall 2010, 28-year-old Juan Luis Espinoza followed in his little brother’s footsteps and applied to SWC. “They were brothers, but they were best friends,” said EOPS Supervisor Leticia Diaz.

Felan-Gonzales said he was at a point of his life where he wanted to focus on himself. “(He decided to) start all over, reinvent (himself ) and do it again!” she said.

“Always open to new challenges. He had to stay an extra year because he wanted to do his all for the projects he started as ASO president.”

Douglas said he inspired his peers to work together to improve the campus experience for students.

“He was like everyone’s big brother and tried to show you how to be successful,” she said. “But he never lectured. We all followed his stream of success,” Douglas said Espinoza had encouraged her and several others to apply to the UCLA Scholar Program which guides students through the process of transferring to University of California schools. Which led to her acceptance into UC Berkeley.

U C Sa n t a C r u z s t u d e n t R a m i r o Rodriguez said he was one of Espinoza’s best friends.

When Berkeley denied Rodriguez’s application to its Transfer Summer Experience, Espinoza convinced him to ask the university the reasoning behind its decision. After the university reviewed his application, Rodriguez said he was accepted.

“There are many of us who owe (much) to Juan Luis,” said Rodriguez.

Douglas said Espinoza helped a multitude of students transfer to universities.

“We are his legacy,” she said.

Diaz said Espinoza studied at UCLA since Fall of 2013 as a sociology major and hoped to someday become a community college counselor.

“I think this last year was probably his happiest,” Rodriguez said. “He went to his dream school and lived in his dream city.”

Three governing board members who had earlier voted not to pay a legal assessment demanded by the college’s accreditation agency have had second thoughts.

Following a 3-2 vote in August to abstain from paying a special assessment for the legal fees demanded by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), the board voted 5-0 this month to go ahead and pay the assessment, which ACCJC is collecting to defend a lawsuit by the city of San Francisco. ACCJC is attempting to close the City College of San Francisco following a showdown over how the college is managed.

Board members said SWC received a letter from the ACCJC threatened that the college’s accreditation would be taken away if the legal assessment was not paid.

Trustee Tim Nader made the initial motion to refuse paying ACCJC’s legal assessment in response to the ongoing legal battle between City College of San Francisco and the ACCJC. “As a legal matter, I think the authority to require a special assessment to compel supporting their litigation is dubious,” said Nader, a practicing attorney. “But as a practical matter, I don’t think it’s in the college’s interest for us to pick that fight right now.”

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish agreed.

“If any institution refuses to pay any part of the amount invoiced by ACCJC, the ACCJC has a policy to administratively withdraw accreditation from the institution,” she said. “We need to be accredited. If we’re not accredited, your units don’t transfer to other accredited universities. You can’t get financial aid. If you are not accredited, for all intents and purposes, we wouldn’t be able to offer you any educational services.

It’s not a small thing.”

SWC’s current accreditation cycle began on August 1. District administration submitted a self-evaluation report, the product of two years of effort by SWC faculty and staff. Administrators had to recall the initial draft due to mistakes in links included in the document, according to Nish, but a subsequent draft was corrected and resubmitted.

SWC also pays annual membership fees to the ACCJC. Payment toward the ACCJC legal fund, an estimated $2,000, is 10 percent more than membership dues SWC annually pays the ACCJC. “I have a real problem with the idea that we’re compelled to spend money that’s supposed to support our students on litigation that has the opposite effect,” said Nader. “I don’t think we should be spending college funds or taxpayer funds to fund the litigation position of a private

organization that is contrary to, in my opinion, our best interests, our students’ best interests and, frankly, is aimed at revoking the accreditation of another community college.”

SWC trustees are not alone in questioning the practices of the ACCJC. Assembly Bill 404, backed by the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC), recently passed the California Senate. It is, according to sponsors, an attempt to improve communication between state community colleges and the federal government in areas concerning evaluations and accreditation. It is now on its way to the governor’s office for executive review.

A California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Task Force on Accreditation released a report earlier this year which called the ACCJC to account for its rough treatment of colleges in the state, citing increased sanctions on schools across the region that it said were unjustified.

“The central focus of accreditation processes should be on providing excellent teaching and learning opportunities and on academic integrity,” the report stated. “The current accreditor for the California Community Colleges has failed to maintain such a focus. Over the past several years, numerous system constituencies have raised consistent concerns regarding various aspects of the accreditation process and the performance of the accrediting commission, especially in areas related to transparency, collegiality, and consistency. This task force finds little evidence that the accrediting commission has the ability or willingness to address these concerns.”

Compiled by community college administrators from around the state, the report listed ways the accrediting process could be improved. Recommendations included focusing on improvement rather than compliance, allowing reasonable time for improvements to be made and providing greater transparency in accrediting decisions.

“The time has come,” the report concluded, “for the California community colleges to address the wide range of outstanding and consistent issues that have been raised regarding accreditation and begin building a structure that is sustainable for the future.”

ACCJC President Barbara Beno did not respond to inquiries from The Sun, but defended the institution in a statement to the San Diego UnionTribune that said the agency has already begun to make reforms.

“The task force did not meet or consult with the commission as it developed its report and recommendations,” said Beno.

“And it is not clear whether it considered the ACCJC’s review process and resultant changes.”

In an email to Nish following the could potentially improve, based on board’s first vote to not pay ACCJC’s our collective opinion as a group of 14 legal expenses, ACCJC Vice President people working at different colleges. It’s for Policy and Research Krista Johns, meant to be for improvement, in order J.D. wrote that the policy regarding to improve the programs again and membership payments had been recently the entire academic environment for updated. students. The fact that there’s financial “The method by which aid involved should really institutions which do not be secondary.” remain current are removed Stavenga said he from ACCJC accreditation recognized the importance was recently added into of the situation at CCSF the ACCJC’s Policy on and stated the outcome Commission Actions on would only help to better Institutions,” read John’s email. the evaluation process in John’s cited ACCJC policy: California.

“The accreditation of a “Equally important, and member institution may be that’s part of this whole withdrawn administratively discussion, is improving Stavenga for nonpayment of dues, costs the process of the peer incurred as part of an external evaluation, evaluation,” he said. “One thing that or special assessments, following has come out of the City College of San provision of notice to the institution of Francisco situation is that there now are nonpayment and sufficient time to pay, more faculty members on the visiting and upon providing 60 days notice of the teams, which in itself is an improvement.” impending termination action.”

Nader said improvement is the ultimate A reviewing committee from the goal of accreditation visits.

ACCJC comprised of 14 educators from “Accreditation should be about helping various California colleges is scheduled to all of us to do a better job providing visit the campus September 28 – October educational opportunities for students,” 1. SWC will cover all their expenses, said he said.

Nish.

SWC’s previous accreditation cycle “Every time we have a visit, we incur resulted in the college being put on those costs,” she said. “Additionally, if probation and barely avoiding “show the commission needs to raise revenues, cause,” the step before a college is closed. they can change our dues or they can do Nader said he expects SWC to fare better a special assessment.” this time around.

Dr. Rebecca Wolniewicz, professor “It shouldn’t be a game of ‘gotcha,’” of communication studies and co-chair said Nader. “It shouldn’t be an individual of the SWC Accreditation Oversight trying to impose their ideas over and Committee, said she believes the visiting beyond and outside of the law.” team will demonstrate that reforms to Nader said the overall experience was ACCJC are taking place as promised. good for the college as many internal “As far as visiting teams are concerned, issues finally came to light and were I do understand statewide people addressed formally. Actions taken to complained there was not enough faculty renew SWC’s accredited status brought representation on the visiting teams,” the campus together, he said she said. “And I do know, starting with “It’s an incredible testament to the this cycle, the ACCJC is purposefully quality of, not just the leadership we had ensuring they include faculty on their at that time (2011), but virtually every teams. And that’s good news.” employee of this college,” he said.

SWC’s accreditation process is more During a special meeting on August 27 than just dollar signs, said Dr. Mink the governing board unanimously voted Stavenga, SWC Accreditation Liason to continue paying the special assessment Officer. fee towards the ACCJC legal fund.

“For our western region, there have “I usually don’t reverse myself on been a lot of questions regarding the role something I bring forward, and I have of the ACCJC as an accreditor for our to admit it’s a real hold-my-nose vote, region and for California in particular,” but I did read the ransom note from said Stavenga. “At the moment, there’s no ACCJC,” said Nader. “I recognize option, you have to have accreditation… when our students’ short-term welfare It’s much more than that, though. We’re is immediately at stake, so I will join looking forward to our visit. There will in voting to pay this fee. It’s a little bit be 14 peers, faculty and administrators like your brother’s kids are being held from other colleges coming to us and hostage, but then your own kids are looking at all of our processes and what being held hostage. So in short-term, I we do in terms of providing programs don’t think we have much choice, but I for our students and giving us feedback. hope that at some point ACCJC will get They’ll tell us, these things are what you’re back to its mission of academic-related doing well, here are some areas that you accreditation.”

Neighborhood aims to create residential parking

By Domonique Scott Assistant News Editor

Residents of College Estates have for years seen their streets clogged with the cars of Southwestern College students.

Now they are pushing back.

Homeowners have asked the city of Chula Vista to create a residential parking district in their neighborhood that would ban student parking. It is currently under review by the Chula Vista Safety Commission.

College Estates residents have complained that students avoiding the college parking fee of $40 a semester are crowding their streets, leaving garbage, urinating on their laws and acting disrespectfully. More than 50 percent of residents signed a petition for a parking district and it passed through to the Chula Vista Safety Commission. Next it needs city council approval.

Bob Muff, a 31-year College Estates homeowner, said the district is necessary to control student parking.

“Neighbors cannot park in front of their own houses,” he said. “Students park in areas marked in red, move trash bins and park in our carports. They don’t respect the fact that this is a residential area.”

Residents would need to pay $20 per permit, according to the petition, with up to four permits per household. Muff said the prospect of paying for permits made

END OF THE DODGE — SWC students continue to park in College Estates to avoid purchasing a $40 campus parking permit.

many residents unhappy.

“The biggest reluctance we had here was people didn’t want to spend the money to park in front of their own house,” he said.

“That is the only way this district is going to be constructed, though, by paying for it ourselves.”

SWC campus police would be in charge of enforcing the parking restrictions by handing out citations, according to SWC Police Chief Michael Cash.

Upon establishment of the parking

district, SWCPD would inform students that it is illegal to park across the street and encourage them to buy parking permits.

“People need to have the knowledge and we want to be able to educate our students ahead of time and prepare them for that change,” said Cash.

Some students expressed surprise that they could receive a $40 fine in the parking district.

Soraya Faya, 22, a business major, said that she could not afford to pay for

Luz Aurora Aramburo/Staff

a parking pass because she was denied FAFSA. “I am upset that because other students were parking illegally, I am now going to be forced to pay for a permit,” she said.

Yasmine Navarette, 23, a dance major, said she was also upset about the parking district.

“It is crazy what lengths people will go for comfort,” she said. “They will be paying for it, just like now I have to pay to park at school.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Vol. 59, Issue 1

Peraza: Trustee pushed campaign finance reform and more transparency Continued from pg. A1

gives the opportunity for candidates to step up and start talking to people, rather than me holding out until the very end.”

Peraza has been an instrument of change during his tenure, pushing for greater accountability and communication between the board and the college community.

“I think the governing board’s transparency improved in the last few years,” said former faculty union president Eric Maag. “(Peraza is) always starting the dialogue and he asks a lot of questions. I don’t always agree with where he ends up, but I know that he’ll talk to me about it and argue with me and ask me for my viewpoint, and that’s really all you can ask for.”

Peraza said the college board faced many challenges when he was appointed to the interim seat in 2011, during a corruption scandal, an accreditation report critical of the “toxic climate” of the college and a looming budget meltdown caused by former college officials.

Although SWC is beginning a new cycle of accreditation this year in better condition than 2011, Peraza said, but there is still work to be done.

“When we get to start focusing back on education will be the moment that we climbed out of the mess that we were in,” he said.

In light of the corruption convictions against 12 former SWC officials and construction contractors, Peraza said he felt very strongly about campaign finance

Budget: Consultant tells board there is not a $6.6 million deficit Continued from pg. A1

two percent of that revenue, (but) you don’t have any commitment from the state on how much money you are going to get.”

Though community colleges start their fiscal years on July 1, the state budget is usually not adopted until September. State revenue adjustments are usually made in November and May. California colleges typically operate

Assault: Arrested student was released by SWC campus police Continued from pg. A1

SWCPD released Balancar because under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and college policy, Balancar was cited for a misdemeanor charge of battery against a female student and not sexual assault.

“One of the biggest misnomers is what happened with Balancar,” said Cash. “What he did (at SWC) was battery, what he did at SDSU was a sexual battery. Battery is if someone is touching you and it’s against your will. Sexual battery, you have to touch an intimate part of a women’s body, anything that would be considered a sexual place. We have to go by the penal code definition.”

Jane Doe said she was studying in the library when Balancar assaulted her on Sept.

10. Doe said she was working at a table on the second floor when Balancar approached and began talking to her.

“You know how small talk slowly ends and you expect them to leave?” said Doe. “Instead he stayed and his presence was bothering me.”

Doe said she had moved her chair away from Balancar and he moved over next to her and began touching her inappropriately on her inner thigh.

“So I put my headphones in and that’s

Nish: President gets contract extension, big raise on 4-1 vote Continued from pg. A1

at the time Nish was hired the board was looking for stability.

Before coming to SWC, Nish worked at Orange Coast College as the vice president of instruction.

“I had never been a college president, so it was a big leap for me,” she said. “But I also

have to say that the learning curve was really extreme. There’s no job I’ve ever had in my life that even compares to this. The workload, attempting to achieve a balance is extremely difficult because of the demands. You are

Staff Photo

AGENT OF CHANGE— Humberto Peraza has been an unrelenting advocate for free speech, a free student news media, transparency and campaign finance reform.

reform at the college. A tougher new policy was approved in 2012.

“I’m really proud of the campaign finance reform,” he said. “I think for a lot of the board members that was a difficult decision and I think to some extent a very courageous decision by them knowing that they weren’t going to be able to raise the amount of money that they had been accustomed to raising for elections. But I think it was

necessary to do and it was necessary not only to show the campus, but the community as a whole, that we were making changes, we were reforming. And that meant reforming ourselves, too.”

He cited the passing of the Community Benefits Agreement aimed to ensure contracted jobs to local laborers, work on the reforms to the corner lot plans under Proposition R, and making the

for months without a firm budget.

Trustee Humberto Peraza said he is expecting clearer fiscal explanations from Austin. “(Austin’s) been around for a long time and he’s a real professional,” said Peraza. “I think we’ll get to see an outlet from somebody who’s seen these things before and can explain why we are where we are and why we were surprised to see it.”

Austin said fiscal professionals need to be cautious.

“As the timeline goes I’m going to be really conservative on revenues and really pessimistic on expenses,” he said. “I’m going to assume the worst basically.”

Austin said as the year goes on and numbers from Sacramento become more accurate, he will start to be less conservative on revenue and less pessimistic on expenses.

“I have to balance,” he said. “If you are too conservative, you are shorting the students. You have to balance that natural conservative nature with a cando attitude.”

Peraza said he is confident in Austin.

“Once (Austin) takes a look at it, he’ll come back with something that we can see and it’s going to be explained in a proper way,” he said. “He will show us where we’re going, the direction we need to go in to fix that problem and the deficit that we had never seen before.”

when he started brushing on me,” she said.

“I began to feel really uncomfortable and it was very scary.”

English major Cristofer Garcia said he was present in the library and saw Balancar approach Doe. “When he removed the chairs, that was the moment I realized something was really wrong,” he said.

Doe said she was grateful for Garcia’s intervention.

“When I saw (Garcia) I ran to him, then I just grabbed him and told him (Balancar was) touching me and broke down crying,” said Doe. Alex Tovar, a nursing major and classmate of Doe, said he had returned to see her crying. After Doe told him what had happened, Tovar encouraged her to file a report with the campus police.

“So if it wasn’t for (Alex) I would have never reported it,” said Doe. Doe said that the officer that accompanied her to the police station to file the report made comments that offended her.

“He said, ‘Well of course that happened to you, look at what you are wearing’,” Doe said. “I was dumbfounded. I didn’t think that an authority figure would say something like that, like it was my fault.”

Before Doe came forward, the police received two anonymous reports through email that correlated with Balancar’s description and case, said Cash.

“If I can’t go back and find the person that made the report, when I stop the (suspect) and he asks me ‘why I am being stopped,’ I

have to let him go if I can’t find the person that initiated the report,” he said. “No victim, no crime.”

Cash said it is important for women to speak up in order to stop the assailant from harassing more females.

“If the last girl that spoke up hadn’t, we would have never got him,” he said. “We would have had to wait for another victim to come forward.”

Cash said VAWA allows the police to keep the victims anonymous after they have come forward.

“That’s normal for a lot of young ladies because they do not know how to really come out and express themselves,” he said.

“They are a little nervous and don’t know how or where to get the information.”

Students can call or make anonymous tips to the police through the use of the MyPD App, however, Cash said the most effective way to make a difference is by coming forward in person to the police department.

In response to the recent arrest of Balancar, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is holding a “Day of Action” in order to advocate against sexual assault on campus. Day of Action is a part of the It’s On Us campaign launched by President Obama last September. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage bystander intervention against suspected sexual assault on campus and teach students practical tools to use in suspicious circumstances. Day of Action will take place on October 22 from 11:45a.m. - 12:45p.m. on Jaguar Walk.

actually wearing two hats.”

Nish’s formal title is superintendent/ president because she oversees the district as well as the college.

Nish stepped into a bubbling caldron in January 2012. Just after Christmas 2011 the San Diego County District Attorney and armed marshals raided the homes of several former SWC administrators and board members. All eventually pleaded guilty to felonies and misdemeanors related to what D. A. Bonnie Dumanis called “San Diego County’s largest corruption scandal ever.”

SWC had only recently dodged being shut down by its accreditation agency. The college was still recovering from a series of free speech scandals, including an attempt to shut down The Sun. “This district is coming out of shock

and reaction and depression of a bad public image,” she said. “Given the environment and what we were dealing with externally and internally, it wasn’t just jumping into a regular superintendent/presidency, it was a lot to handle there. So that was kinda that first order of business, establish a reputation of transparency and honesty.

And also to really establish this goal of stability and I think we’ve come a long way from where we were.”

Nader agreed.

“The expectation I think was that we would continue on the trajectory we had established by then,” he said.

“If you compare the college now to where it was five years ago, there is no comparison. We are way better off.”

budget bigger and more transparent as achievements.

“We basically went in and changed the way we do business to be more transparent, to not allow what happened before to happen again.”

To its credit, the SWC governing board was able to implement these changes quickly, said Peraza, which helped restore the college’s credibility.

Trustee Nora Vargas said Peraza’s shoes will be hard to fill.

“I think it’s important to have someone who really cares about our students,” she said. “[Someone] who is willing to advocate to ensure that our students have the best opportunities possible. Somebody who is not afraid to ask questions and think outside the box, a champion of higher education and for our region and our community. That’s what we need to continue doing the work that we are doing.”

Maag said Peraza has made an admirable effort to understand how people view the college and its issues.

“I’m disappointed that he’s leaving,” he said. “I think he’s been a good governing board member for us. He’s one of the more vocal governing board members. He talks to a lot of people on campus and makes sure he gets different opinions so he can have a good understanding of what’s going on. He has a really good way of talking to a lot of different people. He’s very friendly and makes people feel comfortable, so I think he’s able to access a large group of people to get advice from and that’s a strong characteristic to have.”

Maag said he hoped Peraza’s replacement would have his level of dedication to the school.

“They’d have to be charming like Humberto,” he said. “Someone who puts the needs of the students first and helps this college be successful in our mission to

A3

provide a good education. Someone who has a strong vision and is able to communicate that to get people to work together towards those common goods. Someone who cares deeply about us.”

Peraza said elective office is not the only way to affect change.

“I also really believe that you can be involved in politics and have an impact on your community, and sometimes a bigger impact on your community, when you’re not an elected official,” he said. “So I am not going away, I’m just not planning on running for office. I’m passionate about activism and involvement in the community from residents and my neighbors. That is never going to stop. I’m always going to be involved.”

Peraza said leaving board will be hard.

“It grows on you and it becomes family,” he said. “That made this a much more difficult decision, but that’s what I’ll miss probably the most, the people on this campus.”

Peraza said he expects the college to continue to improve.

“I hope that the climate continues to get better on this campus,” he said. “I hope we find a way to bring people together on this campus, to work together to make this a better place for our students. In the end, we’re all here for one purpose and that is to make this a better campus for our students, to provide a great education, so that we can put people out into the workforce or go on to the university.”

He offered advice to his replacement.

“Don’t be afraid to ask the questions,” he said. “Be courageous. Stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes it’s not easy. People will criticize you for whatever decision you make, but stand up for what you believe in and you can’t really go wrong.”

Voting on values is something this board has done well, said Peraza.

A4

The Southwestern College Sun

VIEWPOINTS

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

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

ALYSSA PAJARILLO

Jaime Pronoble

Right wingers’ attack on Planned Parenthood is misguided

MANAGING EDITOR

Nicholas Baltz PRODUCTION MANAGER

Bianca Quilantan COPY EDITOR

Brian del Carmen SENIOR STAFF

Andrew Perez NEWS

Luz Aurora Aramburo, editor Danielle Eldridge, assistant Domonique Scott, assistant

VIEWPOINTS

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor Stephanie Garrido, assistant Victor Santander, assistant

MICHELLE PHILLPS/staff

CAMPUS

Asjia Daniels, editor Mariah Boyd, assistant

editorial

Eliza Cana, assistant ARTS

Cesar Hirsch, editor Andrea Aliseda, assistant SPORTS

Alberto Calderon, editor Netzai Sanchez, assistant ONLINE

Mirella Lopez, editor Rudee Amaral, assistant

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mary York, editor Nathaniel Park, assistant

STAFF WRITERS

Kimberly Ajayi

Diego Gomez

Darcy Aguayo

Viandy Gonzalez

JoseLuis Baylon

Martin Loftin

Andrew Dyer

Elizabeth Lugo

Caitlin Flynn

Priscilla Mendoza

Cristofer Garcia

Chariti Niccole

Abraham Gertz

Stefanie Tellez

CARTOONISTS

Karen Agubya Dan Cordero Alan Luna Michelle Phillips Blake Tomczak PHOTOGRAPHERS

Alonso Ackerman Sergio Esparza Alexa Flores Colin Grylls David Hodges Adriana Molina 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

The Issue: SWCPD continues to downplay or ignore this college’s sexual assault problem.

Our Position: Our governing board needs to get tough on administration and police chief to make campus safer for women.

SWCPD blunders yet again by releasing serial assaulter, insulting victim There is no more room under the rug for Southwestern College’s Police Department to hide sexual assaults. This time, thanks to a brave victim, the professional campus police at San Diego State University and the county news media, the rest of the region may finally start to see what we have seen at SWC— a campus police department and administration more concerned with public relations than the safety of our female students.

After harassing and assaulting three women on SWC’s Chula Vista campus and being released from police custody, perpetrator Glenn Balancar was arrested and thrown into the South County Correctional Facility after assaulting a woman at SDSU. News outlets including the San Diego Union-Tribune, NBC 7/39 San Diego, San Diego 6, The CW, KUSI News and La Frontera San Diego covered the SDSU assault while Balancar’s three previous assaults were buried in the obscure terminology of SWCPD’s turgid crime log.

This should surprise no one. Lina Chankar’s exhaustive investigation of SWCPD reporting failures (The Sun Jan. 21-Feb. 13, 2015) showed a police chief incapable of doing basic paperwork and a campus out of compliance with federal law.

Already frightened by the assault in the library, the victim said she was scolded by her police escort over her outfit. Nevertheless, she found the courage to sign the paperwork to press charges. As usual here at SWC, nothing happened. Another assault on another woman goes unanswered.

SDSU by comparison, takes violence and sexual harassment seriously. They arrested Balancar, turned him over to San Diego Police, pressed charges and had him put in jail where he cannot hurt any more women.

It is ridiculous that women’s cries for help are being muffled and ignored as our administrators and police department continue with the SWC tradition of trying to save face, rather than saving women. They need to face the reality that the system is broken and the staffers responsible for these cases are not doing their jobs.

Our elected officials are not helping the situation, either. This campus has a documented pattern of sexual assault and harassment against women that SWCPD Chief Michael Cash and Dean of Student Services Mia

Online Comments Policy

McClellan continue to downplay or ignore. Our governing board is guilty of applauding the minimal efforts of Cash when it should be reprimanding him.

Cash’s answer to our dangerous campus? Developing a safety app that most students will never download. Even the blue poles he is taking so much credit for are a result of Prop R and not our campus police.

Our administration and governing board need higher standards for themselves and our campus police.

Consistently letting criminals get away with a slap on the wrist is disturbing. SWC administration and police need to stop the dog-and-pony shows at board meetings and start protecting the women that attend this school.

Southwestern College is not a safe campus for women.

Our campus police park empty cars all over campus in a menacing fashion, but the cops themselves are invisible.

No one walks the campus. No one makes accurate, timely reports. SWCPD is toxic, dysfunctional and ineffective. It needs to be overhauled or dissolved.

Sexual assault should not be tolerated on this campus and perpetrators need to be dealt with firmly. These four steps should be taken immediately: 1) Hire a female police chief and some women officers.

Some of our men in blue are good cops, but others need a rap on the head for their sexist attitudes.

2) Amend the Campus SaVE Act for clarity and provide standards to protect women and expel perpetrators.

3) Make the police department release clear, accurate reports through text or email in a timely manner when assaults occur on campus.

4) Hold Nish, McClellan and Cash accountable. SWC’s top cop is incompetent, hyper-defensive and was fired from his last three law enforcement jobs. Our Dean of Student Services is stubborn, lazy and disinterested in the well being of students. Nish, who is smart and a hard worker, is sitting pretty in the president’s office with her new three-year contract, turning a blind eye to the dark side of SWC’s police force and administrators. We expect more from a female leader and role model.

Sexual assault is a serious black eye for the college and our leaders are sitting blithely on a PR, legal and safety time bomb. Do something. Please!

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Just when it seemed that America’s increasingly loopy right wing hit a new low with Donald Trump and company comes a disgusting new attack on Planned Parenthood.

Over the summer a series of fabricated videos against Planned Parenthood surfaced on the Internet, faking a tale of sales of aborted fetus body parts through the family planning group. Hysterical and shrill as Nazi propaganda, the video of Planned Parenthood is comparable to the videos of the terrorist group ISIS. Seriously.

Unfortunately, Planned Parenthood personnel have grown accustomed to defamatory stunts. These videos are only the latest in the right wing agenda to defund America’s preeminent family planning organization, which ironically, is our nation’s best preventer of abortions.

Contrary to what the right thinks, the public overwhelmingly supports Planned Parenthood and a majority of American women have relied on it for services at one time or another. A recent national survey shows that Planned Parenthood is far more trusted and respected than the Republican Party. Oopsie.

As much as the uptight white right would like to paint the non-profit as the evil town abortionists, Planned Parenthood is an effective and multifacetted family health organization.

More than 60 million people a year get information on sexual health from Planned Parenthood online and 2.7 million Americans have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic. More than 1 million people get all their sex education from Planned Parenthood. Chances are you or someone you know has relied on Planned Parenthood at some point.

Planned Parenthood is actually our nation’s best hope for lowering the abortion rate and which it has been for decades. It provides services like contraception, STI testing and preventative healthcare like cancer screenings and Pap smears.

Defunding Planned Parenthood and its services would cause the abortion rate to soar.

A war on Planned Parenthood is a war on women and on healthcare.

It is a war on anyone who has ever been in need of STI testing, a pregnancy test or mammogram.

Defunding Planned Parenthood would cost American taxpayers billions and cause social unrest.

In 2011 Texas lawmakers cut funding to their family planning programs by $73 million. As a result, the government was hit with a hospital bill of nearly $273 million in delivery costs for 24,000 babies women would not have had if the family planning budget had stayed the same.

Planned Parenthood is cost-effective and a bargain for America. For every dollar spent on providing women contraception, the government saves about $7.09 by avoiding unwanted births, according to The Milbank Quarterly. That is on contraception alone, not including all the preventative care Planned Parenthood provides like Pap smears and cancer screenings.

Politics and religion aside, the country clearly relies on this family planning program more than it realizes. Planned Parenthood is and should be treated as a cornerstone service for the public. It should be protected and funded as a fundamental part of our society.

Alyssa may be reached at sexandthesun@theswcsun.com

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor

VIEWPOINTS

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

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Vol. 59, Issue 1

A5

Training memory can improve academic performance

By Brian del Carmen A Perspective

“I’m a horrible test taker.”

“I study and study but once I sit down to take the test my mind goes blank.”

“No matter how hard I try I just don’t get the material.”

These mantras of despair have been echoed by centuries of students at countless academic institutions throughout time.

Academics, young and old, have wallowed in self-doubt and testophobia.

Some believe that the academic problems facing these fearful folk are caused by an innate inability to learn. Many simply give up. People are the way they are so why even try to change them?

But that is wrong. The issue is not learning, it is forgetting.

Psychologists define forgetting as the deterioration of a learned behavior following a period without practice. More specific to students is “retroactive interference,” forgetting caused by learning that occurred subsequent to the behavior in question, and “cuedependent forgetting,” memory lapses that result from the absence of cues during training.

Simply put, every action an individual takes following a study session has the possibility of scrambling the information s/he has learned. While students often concern themselves with where and when they study, what they should be truly concerned about is where and when they test.

Minimize the amount of information to retain more If a test is going to cover 50 pages of text, then an individual needs to condense those 50 pages into as few pages of comprehensive notes as possible. They should limit themselves to core concepts and brief explanations. Students should then take those pages of notes and condense them even further by removing as many words as possible while still retaining understanding. No one has to be able to make sense of these notes besides those who made them.

For example, the text reads “Coleman wrote ‘Lonely Woman,’ his

best-known and most frequently performed piece, in 1954, inspired by a painting he saw in a gallery.” The initial notes read “Coleman.

Best known for ‘Lonely Woman,’ in 1954. Inspired by painting.”

Which is condensed down to “Coleman Lonely Woman. 54. Painting.”

Now when students go back to study for the test all they have to review are these condensed notes instead of rereading the text in its entirety.

Mi n i m i z e t h e monotony When students review their notes they should read them in different ways. Not just front to back, but back to front, and not only from left to right, but right to left. In rereading a n d re w r i t i n g t h e same concepts different ways they reaffirm their understanding and increase the chances of it staying in their long-term memories.

Individuals should also switch up when they go over their notes. Any time students have a few minutes available they should look them over. No need to overexert.

Just glances at each item is enough to keep the information fresh.

The variation will keep their minds alert.

Minimize the amount of novel stimulation between learning and testing Novel stimulation is anything that competes for room in long-term memory. Watching television, checking Facebook, talking on the phone or listening to music can push away new information. Even the smallest distractions can disrupt memory, so avoiding them after studying is best. Study before sleeping and study immediately before taking a test.

Minimize the differences between the study environment and test environment This simple trick works wonders. Consider where students study. Late at night, in bed with music playing in the background or at the kitchen table with their family watching TV in the other room. Now picture where and when they test. Early in the morning, sitting at a desk in a room silent except for the sounds of pen on paper and the breathing of students. A notable disparity.

Athletes and thespians understand the need for practice conditions reflecting testing conditions. Scrimmages or dress rehearsals normally occur toward the end of a practice cycle because they are usually a good measure f af of how prepared the group is. The same should be t /s done with test takers. ya u b Students should take the condensed notes to the testing Ag n site and review the information in the seat they will be taking e ar K the test in. Reviewing the notes in the testing environment will help prevent test anxiety.

Finally students just need to make sure their notes are securely put away before the test begins. After all it would be a shame to have done all that work and then be accused of cheating. But it is not cheating. It is minimizing.

ASO president supports honors courses, better transportation, cheaper textbooks and improvements to campus safety

By Bianca Quilantan Production Manager

Melissa Rodriguez was busy enough last year when she was active in the ASTRA Community Service Club, Phi Theta Kappa and the ASO. This year the 19-year-old honor student is ASO President and Student Trustee.

SWC’s busiest young woman on campus sat down with The Sun to discuss her goals for this year.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities as ASO President?

There are many specific duties that are outlined in the ASO Constitution, for example the power of appointment to campus-wide committees, chairing the executive board meetings and providing leadership and oversight to the entire ASO. However, there are a lot of duties that the president has that are not written in the constitution exactly. For example, I meet a lot with (SWC) President Dr. Melinda Nish, Vice Presidents and the Academic Senate president and we discuss ideas of what we can do for the students so I can get the scope of different perspectives on campus. So there are a lot of responsibilities that are not necessarily written in the constitution of the ASO President duties, but if you want to do the best job possible, you would go above and beyond that.

How will you help combat student apathy and promote a “Jaguar spirit” on campus?

We are planning to start task forces on campus, and one of those is going to be an athletic spirit/pep-rally task force. We are going to try to get different students, even if they are not part of the ASO, to try to promote spirit on campus and support our athletics programs and arts programs because they all work really hard and they need to know that we are there for them, we support them and we are proud of them. The way to do that is by going to all of these events and promoting these events.

Last year’s voter turnout was slightly larger than the year before, however still only five percent of the students on campus voted. How do you plan on involving students more this semester?

Our biggest problem on this campus is students are not informed of the activities that happen on campus and voting is a part of that. They do not know the candidates and I believe that is what stops students from voting because they cannot make an informed decision. I believe that the fact that the ballots are now available online should increase voter turnout because it is easier to access. It is just a click to vote!

One of the ways we are reaching out to students is by letting them know that we are a community that they are a part of. We try to be out on Jaguar Walk every day in order to get students signed up for our newsletter and updates on activities happening during the week and how they can become involved.

Social media is probably one of the most important and effective tools to reach students. I have been

?

working a lot with our vice president of public relations, Priscilla Morales, to help promote the activities not just from the ASO, but the entire campus.

As you’ve mentioned before, you are also the student trustee. Can you talk about what that means?

The Student Trustee is the student seat on the board of the locally elected trustees. I am there to provide a student perspective on policy directions and decisions that the board makes. Not only am I the student trustee, I represent the well-being of the entire institution so I must also take into consideration the campus community perspective while also providing input from students.

Although I cannot formally vote, I have a very important advisory vote and am entitled to ask questions and provide my opinion on things as well as receive the same materials that other trustees receive. I can always take concerns to the board from the campus community in order to make a change, policy-wise especially.

Is there any issue that you would take a hard-line against the governing board on if it was brought up and you were against it? Something that you are passionate about?

What I am really passionate about is anything that involves students. Any cuts being made against the library services, hiking fees in the bookstore, anything that would affect tutoring or the Academic Success Center and of course the student center are all things that affect students. Overall, I would take a hard-line on anything that infringes on the students’ rights.

Could you talk about your fellow executives on the ASO Executive Board?

Alyssa Cox is the executive vice president and she is in charge of overseeing the Senate, appointing any chairs to senate committees, giving the ASO reports at governing board meetings and taking my place if I were ever unable to make it. She’s my right-hand.

Our social vice president is Virginia Perez-Gonzalez and she is in charge of organizing all of the senators to help put on events, chairs the activities committee and is in charge of all of the activities and events that occur on campus.

There is also Aileen Contreras, who is the vice president of clubs. She chairs ICC and Club Links and overall is in charge of helping the clubs with their training and seeing that they are being heard and represented.

Our vice president of public relations is Priscilla Morales and she is in charge of promoting events on campus and informing students on any policy changes that occur and any national or local legislation that is passed and affects students directly.

We also have a vice president of finance and that is Estela Delgado Rodriguez, whose budget was recently approved. A few differences in her budget include that she has increased allocations for clubs this year

and we are looking to write an amendment later this their input. I think it’s a great way for students to get year in order to increase funds for scholarships. to know who we are and how we can best serve them Finally, we have Ruben Meza, who is our executive and have a real dialogue. secretary. He is in charge of recording all of the One of our bigger goals, which we are not sure will minutes and organizing all of our documents and get done in our term but would like to start researching, resolutions. is tackling the transportation issue that a lot of the How do you feel about the sexual students face when crossing the border to assaults that have occurred on get to school. What we want to do campus? is start a shuttle service from I think things will be San Ysidro to SWC that goes improving because we will directly to SWC without be hiring a new Title IX having to make different coordinator and we transfers on buses and have the new blue trolleys. We plan on poles. I think the conducting a survey demonstrations to attain statistics on how to on how many use the blue students make poles will that 3 a.m. trek help students every day. feel more We a l s o comfortable would like going up to reform to the the textbook button and r e n t a l pressing for p ro g r a m . I help. I don’t believe that think many the agreement students are we currently going to be have with the willing to try bookstore is not it and push the working because button themselves there is only a few until they see dollar difference f f ta between purchasing someone else try s / ak the textbook and renting it. I also think that cz m it. That’s not what we if violations arise and To e students feel uncomfortable wanted. We originally wanted k la B going to an administrator, having a 40 percent deduction. We are not someone to express concerns to will seeking to make any profit. We would Rodriguez help students be heard. prefer to reinvest the money and be able to buy What are your current ideas and specific goals more textbooks. We would also like to start a textbook for the ASO? lending program with the library. Students would Our first goal is to increase the amount of honors not have to pay at all and would be able to check it courses offered because the rate of completion for the out like any other book at the library and keep it the program is excruciatingly low. We want to promote whole semester if needed. We want to provide a lot of awareness of the honors program because it really helps affordable options for students. students stand out in the transfer application process.

Our next goal is to modernize the marquee outside We want to be able to help students transfer by allowing of the Cesar E. Chavez Student Services Center. What them to take these courses that will further prepare we are thinking of doing is buying a digital bulletin them to take the classes at the UCs or CSUs that are board and placing it in the student center so they will more intensive. look at it and see events happening when they walk in.

I feel like many students on this campus do not Our final goal is the laptop rental program. We tried know who their ASO representative is or what ASO it last year, but it wasn’t very successful. A huge problem even is, so our most simple but important goal is to was that it was started with Chrome Books, but then have monthly open forums in the student center or when I received one, I realized that I did not have access right outside of it. These will be helpful so we can really to Outlook or any other Microsoft programs because communicate with students and so that they know who it was Google based. Students were just unable to get we are and feel like they can come up to us and give us the programs that are crucial to being successful here.

Thinking Out Loud What was your class registration experience like this semester?

“Sometimes it’s hard to get your classes. A lot of people go to this school. Otherwise, it was easy.”

Pablo Bello, 19, Biology

“It was annoying. Some classes were not available or did not have a professor listed.”

Heather Serafin, 21, Social Work

“It was pretty easy.”

Eric Hunts, 26, Civil Engineering

“When WebAdvisor actually works, it works well. I got all the classes I wanted.”

Austin Wolfe, 20, Philosophy

“I registered late so it was hard to find classes and the weird time schedule didn’t help with the situation.”

Emily Espinosa , 19, Child Development

A6

The Southwestern College Sun

ARTS

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

Painter of the stars is now one himself

Self Portrait. 2003. Acrylic on paper. 29 x 23”/Courtesy of Don Bachardy and Craig Krull Gallery

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS AN OLDER MAN — Don Bachardy’s acrylic self-portrait shows his signature brush marks and bold use of color.

By Gabriel Sandoval Staff Writer

T

he Southwestern College Art Gallery featured a few fresh faces this month, and a few famous ones as well.

Don Bachardy, the renowned Santa Monica-based portrait artist, has painted some of Hollywood’s most illuminating stars, from c l a s s i c ( K a t h a r i n e He p b u r n , Rita Hayworth, Henry Fonda) to contemporary (Angelina Jolie, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Nicholson). He had his first show in San Diego County at the SWC Art Gallery, titled “Hollywood: Paintings & Drawings,” Bachardy’s exhibition consisted of drawings and paintings from an impressive five-decade career.

Bachardy has had solo shows in galleries across the United States.

He is collected by some of the world’s finest art establishments, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the M.H. de Young Museum of Art in San Francisco, the Fogg Art

Museum of Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Portrait Gallery in London.

SWC Gallery Director Vallo Riberto said students, collectors and art aficionados of all kinds were welcome to attend. A longtime admirer of Bachardy’s work, Riberto said Bachardy’s portraits are exemplary constructions of beauty with bare, skeletal appearances that are never overworked and seemingly done with ease.

“The truth is he’s an amazing draftsman,” Riberto said. “His paintings are like colored drawings — he draws with paint. He leaves the brush mark, he builds plains, he builds shadows, values, with these very strong, deliberate brush marks that are very powerful and mature.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1934, Bachardy studied art at the Chouinard Art Institute and the Slade School of Art in London.

When he was 18 he met English novelist Christopher Isherwood,

who was then 48, while walking along the beach in Santa Monica.

A year later the two began a r e l a t i o n s h i p . It l a s t e d u n t i l Isherwood’s death in 1986.

Their love and lives together inspired their art, most notably Isherwood’s 1964 novel, “A Single Man,” which was in 2009 adapted into a film by fashion designer Tom Ford.

In addition to Hollywood luminaries, Bachardy’s subjects h a ve i n c l u d e d w r i t e r s ( A n a ï s Nin, James Baldwin, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer), directors (Gus Van Sant), musicians (Elton John), poets (Allen Ginsberg) and artists, all of which were rendered in person, as a collaborative effort between sitter and artist. Bachardy has said he never paints from photographs, preferring to only create from life. Each portrait includes a signature in the bottom right-hand corner by its sitter.

Riberto said not since the conceptual artist (and former faculty member) John Baldessari and sculptor/photographer/

performance artist Dennis Oppenheim had their solo shows – seven and 11 years ago, respectively – has there been an exhibition with as much fanfare and buzz.

Bachardy, 81, bespectacled, with white dignified hair and the charms of a dandy, gave an artist talk at the show’s opening on Sept. 10.

“He’s an amazing draftsman. His paintings are like colored drawings...”

Vallo Riberto SWC Gallery Director

Cesar Hirsch, editor

ARTS

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

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

A7

Viewers fired up over student ceramic show

> REVIEW

By Andrea Aliseda Assistant Arts Editor

C

e r a m i c students a re u s e d to a ha nds-on approach to their art, but staging their ow n ex h ibit

really got them fired up.

Julie Green, a two-year ceramics student and the ICC representative of the Clay Club, curated the Student Ceramics Show at the SWC Student

Art Gallery. It was a finely-glazed success.

Functional and sculptural styles were featured at the exhibit. Two functional works explored sleeklyglazed, earthy-colored and roughlytextured household items like plates, bowls and even a little pot, while the sculptural delved more deeply into the artistry of SWC’s ceramic artists.

Case in point, a pair of twinned and twisted Egon Schiele-esque feet by the curator herself that stood near the entrance of the gallery. The surrealist piece boasted a pair of opposing feet tied together like a plastic bag. They were a product of Green’s figure model class in ceramics, but due to limited time with the model, she did not finish the piece. This inspired its title,

“Dragging My Feet.” Green’s work was compelling.

In another corner of the gallery a man hung vulnerably with largely disproportionate ha nds a nd feet. ”Yellow Man” by Rosa Sandoval bore bold style, but the docent assured its artist would not sell. Too personal, she explained.

Other pieces were inseparable from their titles, like “Zeus with Dionysus,” a sculpture of a shrinking man inside the limb of a torso with revealing ribs

by Margot Villa, engaging the viewer and enriching the piece with its context.

Across the gallery, pieces possessed h a r m o n y a n d c h e m i s t r y, e a c h demanding attention to their fine craftsmanship. Student ceramicists are kil’n it.

Photos by Mary York

EXCELLENT FROM HEAD TO TOE— (left) “Dragging My Feet” by Julie Green was a favorite at the Ceramics Show at the SWC Student Art Gallery. (top) “When the Two-Headed Snakes Eyes Meet, There Will Be Peace on Earth” by Colleen Fleming lends a soulful gaze to the Ceramic Art Show, which showcased the work of SWC students.

Acting is no laughing matter to Paul Rodriguez (well, um, actually it is totally a laughing matter)

By Andrew Perez Senior Staff Writer

Top comic Paul Rodriguez has learned in his 30-plus year career that the key to being a successful comedian and actor boils down to being observant.

This was the lesson Rodriguez impar ted on the burgeoning thespians of William Virchis’ “Acting for TV and Film” class, where Rodriguez was a guest lecturer.

“On your own time, I want you guys to sit in the busiest part of the campus,” Rodriguez told the class. “Just watch everyone, see how they move, how they behave, assess them. Invent your own story for them and work from there.”

Born in 1955 in Mazatlan, Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles, Rodriguez first studied to be an attorney, but found that comedy was a more appealing route. After honing his craft doing stand-up at various comedy clubs throughout Los Angeles, Rodriguez was noticed by television producer Norman Lear, who developed such shows as “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Sanford and Son” and “Maude,” among others.

Lear created a short-lived show centered around Rodriguez called “a.k.a. Pablo” in 1984.

Since then, Rodriguez has risen to the top of the comedy food chain and was ranked one of the “100 Greatest Standups of All Time” by Comedy Central in 2004 and has starred in such films as “Born in East L.A.,” “Ali,” “Tortilla Soup” and “Made in America.”

“If you want to get into this business because you want money, you’ll have better luck in Vegas,” Rodriguez said. “You need passion, passion for what you do. Otherwise, why are you even doing it? That’s all you really need.”

Rodriguez has plenty of passion,

said Virchis, who has known him for many years and is directing his play “The Pitch” at the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza.

“When I first met him, he was this young guy with long hair and he had such a fire in him,” Virchis said.

“When I look at him now his hair may be shorter, but he still has that same fire in his eyes.”

Rodriguez said that the best acting advice he ever got was from Russell Crowe.

“We were doing a scene (for the 1995 film “Rough Magic”),” he said, “and the actors would be doing these poses you learned in acting school, ‘I am a tree, I am a chair,’ all that stuff, and Russell just said to me, ‘That’s a bunch of bullshit.’”

Virchis said that Rodriguez is a master of his craft.

“I think he was born with this immense gift to perceive,” he said. “He, like all comedians, has a way to grasp pain, internalize it and make it funny.”

Before the class let out, Rodriguez had one last lesson to impart, this time courtesy of the great Anthony Hopkins.

“I was working on a movie with him a while back (“The World’s Fastest Indian”),” he said, “and I was nervous.

He turned to me and asked if it was because of him and I said, ‘yeah,’ and he lets rip this really loud fart. And in an instant he went from Hannibal Lecter to a nasty old white guy. I had to roll Mariah Boyd/Staff down the window, it was that bad. Then I thought to SPECIAL GUEST STAR— Legendary comedian Paul Rodriguez entertained and inspired Bill myself, ‘Man, this vato from Virchis’ acting class. the barrio has really come along way.’”

> PREVIEW

‘In the Heights’ gets an encore production

By Cesar Hirsch Arts Editor

Broadway’s “migrant musical” is taking a curtain call in the land of immigration.

South County theatre-goers, who missed the Sweetwater Union High School District production of Tony Awardwinner “In the Heights” in San Ysidro this summer, will get a second chance at Southwestern College this month.

Set in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, “In the Heights” is a musical mural of the lives and relationships of an immigrant neighborhood.

Director Ruff Yeager said the 2007 musical is as relevant as ever.

“The immigrant is looming large in our national and global dialogue,” he said. “This play speaks to those issues.

Even though it centers on the Latino immigrant experience, I think its message is universal and especially relevant today.

Many in our student population are second or third generation immigrants and it’s important to me to tell that story.”

Usnavi, a small bodega owner, runs his business while tending to an aging Cuban woman who serves as the matriarch of the vibrant neighborhood. Usnavi sings and raps of winning the lottery and retiring to the beaches of his native country, the Dominican Republic. He also pines for a beautiful girl who works in a beauty salon next door. Meanwhile, Nina returns from her freshman year at Stanford with troubling news.

Yeager said he hopes to spur change through this production.

“In an educational setting, working with young people, I think we have a responsibility to embrace the social aspect of our art and encourage change,” he said. “Why else do art if not to change the world in a positive way? This is our positive protest.”

“In the Heights” runs Oct. 14 – Oct. 25 at Mayan Hall. Tickets are $8 for students.

A8 The Southwestern College Sun

CAMPUS

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

JoseLuis Baylon

Common virus can fly in from anywhere, make us sick

WIRED UP — Arduino Inventions and Robotics Club President Ariel Stutzman works on a pair of LiDAR goggles for the blind as part of a project the club presented at a science fair at the NASA Ames Research Facility.

NASA helps launch SWC Robotics club “It was a little like Christmas morning. We got this from NASA, NASA sent this to us. It was really exciting.”

-Yousra Yassein AIR Club Vice President

Story by Alberto Calderon // Photo by Mary York ome clubs bake cookies. Some clubs watch movies. Others build robotic hands controlled by brainwaves.

Last fall eager students tore open packages in the MESA Center from NASA Ames. Filled with arduinos – microcontroller-based kits for building digital devices that can sense and control the physical world – the boxes were given to 13 members of the Arduino Inventions and Robotics (AIR) Club who were challenged to use them to engineer and program innovative inventions.

AIR Vice President Yousra Yassein, who said her life ambition is to work for NASA, recalled her excitement.

“It was a little like Christmas morning,” she said.

“We got this from NASA, NASA sent this to us. It was really exciting.”

The program, headed by the California Space Grant Consortium (CaSGC), was created in response to universities like UCSD lamenting the fact that many of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) transfer students are not properly prepared for higher level projects. Its goal was to provide students with technology they might not otherwise have access to.

Professor of Mathematics Bruce Smith advises the AIR Club. He said the arduinos have provided his students an invaluable opportunity.

“This gives them a look at what real world engineering is like,” he said. “It’s one thing to sit in a physics class and draw a resistor. That’s not what they’re doing. The value in this is that they move from the abstract theory of engineering and see where the rubber meets the road.”

In September the SWC AIR Club participated in a showcase at NASA’s Ames Research Facility. Their inventions included distance sensing LiDAR goggles

for the blind, a grey water filtration system and a DNA replicator.

Club president Ariel Stutzman, a self-taught computer programmer since he was 12, said he was very excited to show off his work to NASA scientists.

“This is the very first year that NASA is doing this, so I feel very lucky to be a part of this project,” he said.

“I mainly worked on the LiDAR goggles and I was happy with how it turned out, but the incrementally better versions of it down the road when there could be 3D mapping of entire cities, just the actual idea of that, I couldn’t wait to show them.”

Yassein said she still had not come back to earth since the NASA trip.

“For me it’s NASA, there’s really nowhere else I’d rather work, to actually meet NASA scientists and directly present to them was mind blowing,” she said.

“I made a lot of really good contacts, a lot of the employees encouraged me to apply for an internship because they are currently doing research on sonic shockwaves and I am a part of an internship that is also working on that.”

Yassein moved to the U.S. from Morocco when she was 14. She said the transition has been difficult at times, but opportunities to learn make her sacrifices worthwhile.

“In Africa opportunities like this are non-existent, especially for students,” she said. “People are very limited, that’s why I made the decision to leave my family and come here. My Mom is my best friend, but to this day she doesn’t fully understand (why I left). It’s just tough. I did it to excel and grow in my education.”

America’s decline in STEM education has been well documented. In the 1980s, 40 percent of the world’s scientists and engineers resided in the U.S compared to 15 percent today. In 2008 four percent of U.S. Bachelor’s degrees were awarded in engineering, compared to 31 percent in China.

The Obama administration has made it a point of emphasis to create programs that help bolster our global standing in STEM fields. California’s Space Grant Consortium is an example of how smart and well-targeted government programs can have a profound impact on America’s students, said Smith.

AIR Club will continue to participate in the NASA program and is currently looking for students to participate in next semester’s presentation, said Smith.

“The goal of the club is to create opportunities for students to get exposure to science, engineering and programming,” he said. “Opportunities turn into internships, which turn into jobs. It offers so many advantages over the student who (has less experience).

This creates students that can say ‘I built this and that and I presented at NASA.’ That really allows our students to rock and stand head and shoulders above the competition.”

Riding high off of the momentum from the success of the NASA projects, AIR Club is looking to take on other challenges.

Stutzman said they want to take it up a notch.

“The club definitely has a life outside of the NASA project,” he said. “I have this contact with a doctoral candidate from MIT that I met. He’s going to work with us on building an EEG shield, which measures brain waves. We’re going to use arduinos to read your brainwaves and react based on your thoughts, so you could have a robotic hand that moves if you want it to.”

Although the jargon and complicated hardware may seem intimidating, Yassein said now that they have some experience working on complicated projects they are eager to help expand the club.

“When I first started I really did not know what an arduino was,” she said. “Now I’ve made a filtration system and went to NASA. Anybody who is interested should try AIR Club. All it takes is commitment.”

I n Ju l y a b o u t 7 0 a w a r d w i n n i n g Sa n Di e g o C o u n t y journalists - including 24 from the Southwestern College Su n - b e c a m e d re a d f u l l y i l l after a Society of Professional Journalists award banquet at the Bali Hai Restaurant. For the next 2-10 days some of San Diego County’s finest journalists had diarrhea, muscular fatigue and severe vomiting. They had been exposed to human norovirus (HuNoV).

Sa n Di e g o w a s t h e c e n t e r of norovirus notariety barely three months earlier when two Royal Caribbean cruise ships pulled into port full of infected passengers who contracted the illness in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. An airborne pathogen, norovirus can glide through the sky and live in water for two months or more.

We m a y n e v e r k n ow w h a t caused the outbreak at the SPJ b a n q u e t . Pe r h a p s s o m e o n e carrying the virus failed to completely clean their hands or maybe the particles blew in from somewhere else, landed and wreaked havoc. San Diego County’s Health Division did not publicly identify a patient zero. There might not have been one.

Norovirus can travel remarkable distances, drop in and make a lot of folks really sick.

Norovirus has much in common with gliding neotropical canopy s p i d e r s . Ab ov e t h e t re e t o p s of the jungles in Panama and Chile, researchers heaved those flat, ugly spiders into the air to study the origins of animal flight. Apparently the spiders a re n a t u r a l s k yd i ve r s w h i c h use aerial reflex and per fect body positioning to grant them control during aerial descent (glides).

Hu No V p a r t i c l e s a r e a l s o great gliders, which is why it is possible to get infected with norovirus without having to be in direct contact with a patient zero. They can literally drop i n u n d e t e c t e d . Wo r s e , t h e y are highly contagious. People encountering someone who is sick can become ill, too, as several journalism students family members did.

Vomiting can spread the virus, even if the sick person hits the toilet squarely. Researchers from North Carolina State University established that sprays of viral particles mist around the area of the vomiter. If a person is a c a r r i e r o f n o rov i r u s , t h e y will aerolsolize the virus. Once airborne, it will linger in the space. When the bathroom door is opened, the particles can fly right on out.

S c i e n t i s t s f ro m Un i ve r s i t é Laval took air samples during norovirus outbreaks at eight healthcare facilities in Quebec, Canada. Ranging from 13 to 2 , 3 5 0 Hu No V p a r t i c l e s p e r cubic meter of air, the virus was detectable at one meter away f ro m t h e p a t i e n t . It d r i f t e d out the facility, flowing to the hallways and nurses stations until it had almost the same concentration of particles as patient rooms.

please see Norovirus pg. A9

CAMPUS

The Southwestern College Sun

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

A9

Campus to snub out all smoking Domonique Scott Assistant News Editor

Southwestern College’s governing board has kicked butts off campus.

This fall SWC is a smoke-free campus following a unanimous vote by the board.

Satellite centers in San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and National City will also ban cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

To ease the transition, college administrators said they have developed a plan to educate students and employees that SWC is now smoke-free through signs and friendly reminders, said Academic Senate President Patti FloresCharter.

“Now is the period of time for explaining that there is a ban, that it is on college property, and that it includes cigarettes and electronic cigarettes,” she said. “Through community policing one would first let whoever is smoking know we have a comprehensive ban and you cannot do it anywhere, and that we do not want whoever is smoking to receive a citation.”

SWC has worked with the American Lung Association to promote the ban and provide information for smokers who want to quit, according to Public Information Officer Lillian Leopold.

“Why reinvent the wheel when we know organizations already have them?” she said, “What we’ve decided this semester is to do an outreach and education campaign.”

Leopold said 60 no smoking signs have been posted and 40 more will be installed by the end of the semester.

Information on how to quit smoking are being distributed she said and banners are to be hung around school entrances.

SWC Chief of Police Michael Cash said verbal warnings are in effect.

“We want people to have awareness of the ban,” he said.

“We want to make sure we give them ample time to change and get used to it.”

Citations will not be given out this semester, Cash said.

“The third step is enforcing, giving citation and misconducts,” he said, “We will not see this for a couple of semesters, since we are still in the educational phase.”

Cash said the ban aims to create a healthier school.

“Smoking affects our whole student body so we have to change and educate them that this is a health issue,” he said, “We must create an environment that is healthy for everyone.”

Car buffs race to Qualcomm gathering

Domonique Scott Assistant News Editor

O

bsidian asphalt boiled, rocks quaked and European dragons roared, streaming smoke from beneath

Nathaniel Park/Staff

UP IN SMOKE — A Southwestern College student who refused to give his name smokes with classmates on campus. SWC has banned smoking and, after a grace period, will issue citations.

their bellies.

Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines!

With faces soaked in sweat and oil emblazoned from the observant sun, Southwestern College auto enthusiasts joined the fun and battle lust at the 13th Annual Big SoCal Euro at Qualcomm Stadium. Big SoCal Euro provided more than 3,000 car enthusiasts with the biggest congregation of European vehicles in San Diego County.

European car fans gathered for a day of hanging out, drag racing and flashing their rides.

Lon Mok, founder of Big SoCal Euro, said he held smaller meets in the past at Starbucks throughout the county. Weekly meets included his small group of friends and some other car clubs ranging from 10 to 15 members. Hosting these weekly car meets was difficult because of the bad reputation that tarnish the car scene and lowriders. Mok searched for a permanent location.

“One day I was hanging out with my car club and we decided we wanted to start a bigger car meet,” he said. “It was very hard, there are a lot of groups that mess it up for everyone else and that’s why we scouted out a venue like Qualcomm where we have a lot more control.”

Now car clubs that host their own meets in San Diego County attend Mok’s event, including Eminent Society. SWC student Christopher Overall, 24, a psychology major and Eminent Society member, said he was impressed with the organization of Big SoCal Euro.

“The turnout was amazing,” Overall said.“The organization isn’t one I see often. It is definitely something I would like to see at our own car meet.”

Overall said car meets are usually hard to maintain because of illegal drag racers that have created a bad Asjia Daniels/Staff reputation for car enthusiasts. He said BOYZ -N- THE HOOD — SWC students admire a sweet ride at the Big SoCal Euro car gathering and drag races. the public forms its impression of car meets from movies and pop culture. his community. Castillo, president of “Many guys come to my car club’s a club called CarMeats, hosts meets meet every week thinking that it is to fundraise for organizations that give going to be like Fast and Furious,” back to the community. he said. “It is funny to see them “We fund raise for the homeless, disappointed when they realize we are those in poverty and Toys for Tots,” just a group of guys who want to meet he said. “Our last meet raised 2,000 up, eat and talk about cars.” pounds of cat and dog food for the Smaller meets like Overall’s are what Helen Woodward Animal Shelter.” lead to the bigger events, said Mok. Castillo helped sponsor Big SoCal “I did the weekly meets in San Diego Euro as well as help drivers sign up for and that is what led me to this event, to the races and car showcasing. make a good name for car enthusiasts Mok said he was pleased with the to have fun in a legal environment,” event. he said.

“I really think that cars bring us all Another car enthusiast from SWC, together,” he said. “You make lots of Edwin Castillo, 29, took it upon himself friends and eventually your car club to use his passion towards cars to help becomes part of your family.”

Norovirus:

Virulent virus can fly in from afar, wreak havoc among humans Continued from pg. A8 Bioaerosol of this nature, if inhaled, can bunk out in the back of the throat and subsequently be swallowed. For some human immune systems it only takes 20 norovirus particles to become infected.

A traveling girl’s soccer team from King’s County, Washington fell ill in 2010 at a tournament when a grocery bag full of snacks carried the virus. Oregon’s Public Health Division determined that when one of the girls was ill, she threw up in the hotel bathroom.

Snacks were left on the bathroom c o u n t e r. S i x t e a m m e m b e r s got sick after they handled the snacks from the grocer y bag.

Investigators swabbed the bag two weeks after the outbreak and still found traces of norovirus.

Lingering is a notorious ability of viruses, especially in water.

Emory University, known for its research training in microbiology a n d i m m u n o l o g y, f o u n d t h a t norovir us could sur vive more than two months in groundwater.

Researchers placed a mock version of HuNoV called Nor walk in groundwater collected from a well that met clean EPA standards.

For 61 days, 10 of 13 volunteers drank the water in a special research facility and became infected. Emory scientists were surprised the water was still infectious after the 61st day.

Fu n d i n g d i d n o t a l l o w t h e project to continue testing human i n f e c t i v i t y a f t e r d a y 6 1 . No t letting science go to waste, they stored the water in a dark room for 622 days. After 1.7 years, the water was tested and the viral RNA had not diminished. Once more, the water was stored and 1,266 days later, the water showed little change from the last result.

Mo re d i s t u r b i n g , t h i s m e a n t norovirus is highly resistant to environmental degradation in clean groundwater.

Sometimes everything changes when little things travel remarkable distances.

Spiders can release a little bit of silk and let the wind take them.

While on his historic voyage, Charles Dar win and his crew always wondered how spiders kept showing up in the ocean.

JoseLuis may be reached at plutotoplato@theswcsun.com

A10

The Southwestern College Sun

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

SPORTS

Heavy hitters return as heroes Sweetwater Valley All-Stars electrify the country in Little League World Series

Darcy Aguayo/Staff

STAR TREATMENT FOR SUNNYSIDE SLUGGERS—Sweetwater fans and players celebrate a historic run to the semi-finals of the Little League World Series at a rally on their home field on San Miguel Road.

By Chariti Niccole Staff Writer

Sunnyside’s boys of summer are still rock stars in the fall.

Players from the Sweetwater Valley Little League All-Stars made it to the semi-finals of the Little League World Series and were regulars on ESPN as they blasted 86 home runs and ran off a 17-game winning streak. They were eliminated in an extra-inning nail biter just two games from the finals.

San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox and Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas were among the fans pulling for the SVLL boys in blue.

“For the few glorious days you were playing, all the people of Chula Vista and Bonita were one,” said Casillas Salas.

Cox and Casillas Salas joined Grammy–nominated R&B singer Frankie J and more than 200 excited fans at a rally in Sunnyside to welcome the team home. Players and coaches were also honored during the Bonitafest Twilight Trail Parade, the Bonitafest Street Fair and the Bonitafest Melodrama, where they were written into the show.

SVLL was one of 28 teams from around the world to qualify for the Little League World Series. Parents watched from the stands filled with astonishment and pride, according to Cecille Barbabosa, mother of center fielder, Cameron Barbabosa.

“It’s surreal,” she said. “It’s a mini Major League feel.”

SVLL won every game it played for three weeks until a pair of losses to a team from Pearland, Texas, ended the magical August. SVLL player Levi Mendez said the team did its best.

“In our stomachs we knew,” he said. “Someone was gonna have to lose, someone was gonna have to win.”

Coach Jaime Ramirez said the season was amazing and the he still happy that the team made it as far as it did. Frank Baptista, father of pitcher Jacob Baptista, said he was proud of his son and urged him to enjoy the ride.

SVLL is the third local team to make it deep into the Little League World Series in seven years. In 2009 the Chula Vista Blue Bombers from Parkview Little League won the world championship. In 2013 a team from Eastlake Little League in Chula Vista finished second in the Little League World Series.

Most of the players on the 2015 team attend Bonita Vista Middle School less than a mile from Southwestern College.

Many SWC students, and at least one professor, played on the SVLL All-Stars when they were younger.

SVLL’s home field is on San Miguel Road in the unincorporated community of Sunnyside. Bonita Vista Middle School is within the boundaries of Chula Vista in the Bonita area. Alumni of the SVLL include Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star, first baseman Adrian Gonzales and former San Diego Padres infielder Edgar Gonzales.

Quirky quarterback quandry leaves coach scratching head, lineup Luke Napolitano

4

Joe ‘Jo Jo’ Hudson Corona Del Mar High School

By Alberto Calderon Sports Editor

Every winter, in the greater San Diego area, there are six high school CIF-winning quarterbacks.

This season Southwestern College has three of them.

Well, it did.

Mired in inconsistency and miscues, the Jaguars’ start to this football season has been disappointing, especially for a fan base that has become accustomed to not only winning, but winning in style.

SWC’s lackluster 2-3 start was highlighted by a demoralizing 52-10 loss at the hands of rival Grossmont College.

Nothing has been more emblematic of SWC’s dysfunctional season than the topsy-turvy quarterback competition between Connor Wynn, Luke Napolitano and Joe “JoJo” Hudson. Before the season the idea of three CIF winners competing

8

High School

for the starting job seemed exciting, but through five games it has resulted in an abrupt departure, a broken hand, 10 interceptions and five fumbles. With a cumulative completion percentage of 56 percent and a third down conversion rate of 31 percent, the quarterbacks have struggled to get the offense on track. SWC is averaging an anemic 13.8 points per game, 30 less than last season.

Head coach Ed Carberry said having three quarterbacks with impressive pedigrees does not guarantee wins. No one has stepped up and made an authoritative claim on the position, he said.

“The spot is sort of up in the air right now,” he said. “They all bring something different to the table, but no one has brought the consistent production that we need from that position.”

Coming into the season Carberry tapped Wynn to be the starter and said he felt very comfortable he had his signal caller.

Rudee Amaral /Staff

THE PUCK STOPS HERE— San Diego Ducks goalie Joe Chavez braces for a shot in game one of the three-game series with the Phoenix Coyotes.

By Nicholas Baltz Managing Editor

“As far as understanding the offense and what we want to do he is the best by a wide margin,” Carberry said. “We feel confident we’ve picked the best player.”

In the season opener at Grossmont, Wynn threw for a total of 42 yards and turned the ball over three times. By the fourth quarter, Luke Napolitano had taken over and ended up leading the Jag’s to their lone touchdown in the blowout loss.

Based on the strength of Napolitano’s performance, he received the majority of the snaps in the second game against Santa Monica, where he suffered a fluky injury.

Napolitano said it happened early in the game.

“At the end of the first quarter I clapped my hands together because I was pissed off and then my hand grew to twice the size,” he said. “That is not the reason I played bad, but I fractured my hand and my wrist.”

Napolitano stayed in the game,

Joe Chavez has become a community legend for his leadership on disability issues and his play for the U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team. Now the influential SWC student has a new motto: “Put your disability on ice.”

Chavez has switched from soccer to sled hockey and is now the goalie for the San Diego Ducks, an affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Chavez and the Ducks took on their Phoenix counterparts, the Coyotes, for a three-game series at the UTC Westfield Ice Sports Center in La Jolla.

Phoenix, the more experienced squad, swept the series with puck control and pressure on net, taking each game by four goals or more. They left town with plenty of bruises, though, from a scrappy Duck squad that took out their frustrations on the yelping Coyotes.

Ducks head coach Pete Bellen said it was the debut for many of his players and he was proud of their progress.

“We’re glad that they were able to come in and have some fun with us,” he said.

“Yeah they beat us up, but that’s OK, we learn that way.”

Bellen said the standard of play is high.

“This isn’t a house league hockey… this is full check,” he said. “We’ve evolved from a c-team, now to a b-team, then an a-team to make a run at a national championship one day. That’s what we are trying to do.”

Sled hockey is nearly identical to traditional stand-up hockey and anyone can play. Players are strapped into a sled and given two hockey sticks with serrated ice picks on one end to propel forward and traditional hockey blades on the other end are used to control the puck.

In game one Chavez was solid in net, stopping 18 of 22 shots, despite facing a constant barrage of pucks.

Chavez, who was born with cerebral palsy, said he encourages people to pick up a hockey stick, hop in a sled and join him in action.

“I’ve come up with another message that I go by,” he said. “Put your disability on ice, come have fun. That’s what I’m doing.”

Chavez even has his father, John, out on the ice, watching his back.

John Hamilton, a seven-year Coyote veteran, said the team really took off two years

please see Football pg.A11

please see Sled Hockey pg.A11

Connor Wynn St. Augustine

Soccer Paralympian puts disability on ice

12

Mission Hills High School

“I love contact sports, so to be able to do it again and do it legally, it just made my day and it feels like I’m alive again.”

Wesley Barrientos San Diego Ducks

Alberto Calderon, editor

SPORTS

Fall Sports Preview

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

Sept. 1 - Oct. 3, 2015 — Vol. 59, Issue 1

A11

Mary York/Staff

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Football

Oct. 31 vs. College of the Desert

rk /

’s en

These bitter rivals have lost once so far this season in what could be a conference title match.

SWC has won 3 PCAC titles in a row but cannot overlook the Knights, who handed them a 1-1 tie last year.

Nov. 3 vs. Cyuamaca

If SWC has hopes of a PCAC title, it needs to sweep the Coyotes, who have started 1-3 in conference play.

Surging Lady Jags look to improve to on last season’s 3-1 defeat to the Spartans.

Oct. 16 vs. Grossmont

Em Do man min ue Dav gue l id Hod z ge s/S taf f

Volleyball

Young Lady Jags will be tested by the undefeated perennial powerhouse.

After losing both matches to the Arabs last season, a new SWC coach may change the culture.

Kassandra Naranjo

Continued from pg. A10

ago when the some alumni donated new equipment.

“We were losing a lot of guys because we didn’t have enough sleds,” he said. “I used to play hockey until I was 18, so to get back on the ice, smell the fresh air, it’s just an amazing experience.”

While the Coyotes have been around for a decade, the Ducks are in their first year. Sarah Bettencourt, who was medically discharged from U. S. Marine Corps, founded the Ducks after seeing sled hockey at a ski camp.

Chavez In one year she has transformed her dream of a sled hockey team in San Diego into a reality.

“I had nothing, no team sports, no group activities that I had thrived on in the Marine Corps,” she said. “I was looking for something that wasn’t ‘Oh woe is me, I’m a disabled person, please help me.’ That’s not what we’re about. I fell in love with it up at the camp and when I came home, didn’t find sled hockey here so I went and started a program. A lot of people don’t know about sled hockey, let alone standing amputee hockey, deaf, hard of hearing or blind hockey.”

Bettencourt was not the only Marine attracted to the Ducks.

Star winger Hans Blum is a USMC veteran who was injured in Afghanistan in 2012.

Football: Rough start for defending PCAC champions

Continued from pg. A10

committing four turnovers in the 48-21 defeat. SWC coaches still had no idea who would be taking snaps under center for its home opener against L.A. Pierce.

On the night before the game Connor Wynn, the week one starter, walked into Carberry’s office and quit, stunning his teammates and coaching staff.

Carberry said that Wynn’s decision blindsided him.

“I just don’t have a good answer for why he would do that,” he said. “ I figured if any guy would stick it out it would be him. You can’t please everyone. It’s the 10 percent rule, you get 100 guys a steak dinner and 10 of them are going to be upset they didn’t get chicken.

But he totally understood, he just wasn’t producing.”

With Wynn departed and Napolitano injured, “JoJo” Hudson would have complete control of the offense without having to look over his shoulder. It wasn’t always pretty, but Hudson played an effective game going 19-30 and throwing for 161 yards while leading the team to its first victory over L.A. Pierce, 23-20. Hudson came through on three crucial fourth downs, using his mobility to extend plays and find open receivers. SWC’s defense tamped down the Brahma’s explosive skill players and cemented the win when it stopped Pierce on a fourth and four in the waning minutes.

Receiver Travis Gardner said he was happy to see Hudson get his chance.

“I would have picked JoJo from day one,” he said.

“When Carberry actually made the announcement after a team meeting, I walked really slow out of the room to overhear who was going to be the starter. When

“Last year under pressure we fell apart.

This team is more resistant when they play back they can score

Lady Jags’ Sister Act

Oct. 30 vs. Imperial Valley

Sled Hockey: SWC soccer Paralympian slides smoothly from pitch to ice

Coach Quote

31% 3rd down conversions- Jaguars inability to convert on the “money down” has stalled far too many drives this season.

Soccer

Bl u m s tar te d playing sled hockey with the USA Warriors before he Colin Grylls/Staff found the Ducks.

Forward Wesley Barrientos said he enjoyed the finer points of hockey, like knocking a guy flat onto the ice or into a wall.

“I was born in Guatemala,” he said. “I am a tropical guy, so being on the ice and being able to hit people after my injury, ah, I love it.”

Looking ahead, coach Bellen said the Ducks have a lot of big games being planned, including a March rematch with Coyotes in Phoenix. They also have planned an international match with an Austrian team, a tournament in Los Angeles with South Korean teams and a matchup against the L.A. Kings Sled Hockey.

All while playing against local high school stand-up hockey teams to keep getting better and bring awareness to the sport.

Barrientos said he is looking forward to each and every one.

“I love contact sports, so to be able to do it again and do it legally, it just made my day and it feels like I’m alive again.”

I heard him announce Connor, I was shocked.”

Gardner said Hudson earned the start.

“He threw for the only touchdown at Santa Monica and then got sat,” he said. “We were all looking at each other like why didn’t JoJo get more opportunities, but coach Carberry obviously knows what he’s doing. He came out and started him and we prevailed.”

Carberry said Hudson gave the offense a muchneeded spark.

“The game came down to very important fourth down plays,” he said. “JoJo was pretty much the guy on all of those. We can’t have a game manager at that position we need to have a playmaker. We’re definitely a throw first, run second team. We are going to throw the ball 45 times a game one way or another.”

Carberry has become accustomed to an aggressive aerial assault. An offensive guru, he has made the Jags one of California’s most explosive offenses in recent years. Despite the yearly turnover that is so common to community college programs, SWC has averaged more than 40 points per game the last three years. Carberry admitted the inconsistency is driving him nuts.

“The first drive of the season we are down at the Grossmont five-yard line and we end up kicking a field goal,” he said. “That should be a touchdown 100 percent of the time. We have missed 12 touchdowns this season due to overthrowing, under-throwing the ball or dropping it. That’s part of the youth of this football team. Last year we did not have these kinds of mistakes. We’d throw the ball on the money and convert touchdowns.”

Gardner, a starter from last year’s team, said he also senses something different.

“I think some of the guys came in and didn’t really buy into the program,” he said. “Last year we had a lot

Co-captains and sisters Brenda and Brandi Sanchez lead a squad that has started 3-0 to open PCAC

-1 -1

Women’s Soccer

Oct. 20 vs. MiraCosta

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Men’s Soccer

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After starting poorly, the Jags have rebounded nicely on defense and remain in the race for a bowl game.

X-Factor

Malik Kimbrough is SWC’s Swiss army knife, he contributes as a receiver, running back, cornerback and returner.

Playoff Outlook

Lady Jags look poised to win their 4th consecutive PCAC title and push past their postseason woes to make a run at the state championship.

Women’s Record: 3-4-2

X-Factor Record: 3-7 Team 1st year head coach Jennifer Taeatafa has Strength already tripled last year’s win total so far.

Key Returners

The stout defense has kept the team in the thick of the PCAC race.

Kassandra Wright Alexis Benevides

Me n Coa ’s Qu ch ote

“SW wo C has na nev sh Brianda Diaz at t ould h title. W er he t a itle ve a s e h g la z yea ame t ot W r e o r his me .”

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Oct. 27th vs. San Diego City

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Oct. 13 vs. San Diego Mesa

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On Halloween night SWC hopes to receive more treats than tricks in this pivotal conference game.

Key stat to improve

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Last year the Jags escaped with a 34-31 win on a missed field goal.

The Eagles look to get revenge @ DeVore Stadium.

Ma

Outlook

of returners who were vocal leaders, we still haven’t found our identity this year.”

Carberry also had a hard time pinpointing leaders in the locker room.

“Cody Springsguth is someone who has been vocal because he’s been around and understands how this program is supposed to function,” he said. “Like if you’re going to an away game you should be wearing khaki pants and a collared shirt. Nobody should look like Joe Crap and the “We can’t just start changing things too much. Ragman. We’re going out there It would invalidate our professionally. core beliefs. What worked We had five last year when we went guys tr y to 10-1 will work this year.” get on the -Ed Carberry bus to go to Head Football Coach G r o s s m o n t wearing shorts.

We left them.

I’ve told them before. Lesson learned.”

Although the season has been disappointing, it shouldn’t be completely surprising that a team trying to replace their number one quarterback, running back and receiver would be slow out of the gates. Since Hudson has taken over as quarterback there has been improvement. Pre-Hudson the Jag’s were outscored 100-31 in their first two games. In the next two games following his installment they have been much more competitive, getting outscored a more manageable 57-

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Water Polo

Must Watch Games

Oct. 24 vs. Mt. San Jacinto

Record: 2-3

en Sn 3 4 yder a n d posting their first victory.

Hudson is not getting too comfortable in his new role.

“Anything can happen,” he said. “Connor was first string and I was second string the first week, then I was third string the second week and now I’m the starter.

Anything can happen.”

Even with Hudson’s success, Carberry will continue to use his unorthodox approach of playing the backup quarterback at least one drive per game.

“My philosophy with that is that quarterbacks gets hurt every year and I want the backup to prepare like he’s going to play every game, because he is,” he said.

“My daughter is after me all the time telling me to quit taking the quarterbacks out. She doesn’t like the way I handle it, but I keep telling her they need the reps.

They’re getting hit by big guys.”

Carberry said success is not matter of tinkering with strategy, but executing it.

“We can’t just start changing things too much,” he said. “It would invalidate our core beliefs. What worked last year when we went 10-1 will work this year.”

“A fiery chariot, borne on buoyant pinions, sweeps near me now…ready to reach new spheres of pure activity!”

¬–Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Young athletes steered their chariots of fire across and over the campus this summer, emblazoning the image of athlete along the way.

SWC played host to the 29th Annual Adaptive Sports and Recreation Association (ASRA) summer camp. SWC was overrun by children giddily taking part in various sporting stations. Young athletes tried their hand at archery, basketball, golf, tennis and rugby. A portion of the campus was even converted into a downhill racetrack.

ASRA is a nonprofit that helps facilitate athletic activities for disabled children yearround. Its flagship event is the annual Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp at SWC. First-time volunteer Carol Rothenberg said she enjoyed watching the kids come out of their shells and enjoy the camp.

“There’s kids that when they get here they’re not really sure,” she said. “They are timid, many of these kids don’t spend much time away from their parents. Then they get out here, playing one of the sports and they get really excited. You can see how much confidence it gives them.”

Fueled by 140 volunteers and local restaurants like Luna Grill and Hodad’s, the event served 61 children with disabilities.

Eunice Williams, mother of a camper, said the level of dedication touched her.

“I was surprised they had so many volunteers,” she said. “I’ve never left him before but I didn’t have to do anything. They’ve got it all covered.”

Many volunteers were once participants.

Patrick Ivison, 21, said he has been attending the camp since he was four.

“The camp taught me to be an athlete,” he said. “Or more importantly, that I could be athletic. Now I’m on Team USA as a surfer.

It would have taken me a lot longer to realize I had these capabilities. There were a couple campers that their parents were pushing them around. I totally nixed that. If they’re on the court or a flat surface, they’re pushing themselves.”

Central to ASRA’s philosophy is that if children with disabilities feel more physically empowered, it opens up other avenues for them. ASRA Executive Director Marti Hess said stories like Ivison’s are common.

“This has been the best camp yet,” she said.

“We’ve had some great stories. One girl named Allison who played wheelchair rugby got a scholarship to Arizona State University. She already graduated and is now going to law school. That is not unusual. It teaches them that there are tons of possibilities, not limits.”

Ivison said he cherishes giving back to a camp that has given him so much.

“I can’t imagine not coming to the camp every summer,” he said. “It’s been such a big part of my life. I’ve been both a camper and a counselor and I prefer being a counselor because I get to help people reach their potential but also because I get to sit in the shade whenever I want.”

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

BACKPAGE

WIND IN THEIR FACES —Adaptive Sports and Recreation Association (ASRA) had a new sport available this year, downhill wheelchair racing. In its 29th year at Southwestern College, hundreds of kids and volunters join forces to put on a week-long camp full of adaptive sports. Starting at SWC’s Crown Cove campus on the Silver Strand with sports such as canoeing, hand cycling, tubing, kayaking and wheelchair dancing, they then move to the Chula Vista campus for three days of basketball, archery, golf, soccer, tennis, rugby and swimming.

Wheelchair athletes push beyond limits

Athletes On A Roll

Story & Photos By Alberto Calderon/Sports Editor

A12 Page Design By Nicholas Baltz Tel: (619) 482-6368 E-mail: web@theswcsun.com

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

n o i t i d E l a Speci theswcsun.com

Volume 59, Special Edition

September 1 - October 3, 2015

Mary York // Photo Editor

Brace yourselves, here come the accreditors.

Accreditation is a controversial, often misunderstood process with profound impact on Southwestern College and its community. In the balance hangs financial aid, transfer to universities and jobs.

After four years of behind-the-scenes work, the spotlight has swung back to SWC’s accreditation, which was nearly lost in 2010-11.

August 1 hailed the start of a new accreditation cycle at SWC. Each cycle, which lasts six years, begins with a self-evaluation report assembled by administration and faculty committees. It takes several years to compile and covers the four evaluation standards: institutional mission and effectiveness, student learning programs and services, resources, and leadership and governance.

In 2010 SWC was placed on probation by the Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) due to continued reports of a climate of fear and intimidation on campus. After months of cooperation, during which time Interim President Denise Whittaker worked tirelessly with campus leaders to address the issues brought to light by the ACCJC, SWC finally regained its fully-accredited status, tarnished though it was. SWC’s board then chose Dr. Melinda Nish to serve the school as president, largely because of her knowledge and experience with the process.

Only fully-accredited institutions are eligible to receive government funding, student loans and

financial aid. Only accredited colleges can transfer students to universities.

After the self-evaluation report has been filed comes a campus visit by representatives of the ACCJC. Representatives visited SWC on September 28-29 to speak with students, faculty and administrators.

In 2010, SWC was placed on probation by the ACCJC due to 10 administrative deficiencies and continued reports of a climate of fear and intimidation on campus under former president Raj Kumar Chopra. After scandal, an election that turned over the governing board and a year of productive collaboration between faculty and Whittaker, SWC regained full accreditation.

Nish became president in January 2012, largely because of her perceived knowledge and experience with accreditation.

Accreditation is meant to help the education community police itself and maintain the highest standards of service. It functions like a validation slip, promising a quality product to the students who attend.

Many college educators are critical of accreditation, claiming it does harm by taking so much time away from teaching and learning. It is, however, a federal requirement that is likely to remain in place for the near future.

All five of SWC’s governing board members have said that a smooth accreditation in 2015 is a priority.

B5 B3 September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

SPECIAL FEATURE The Southwestern College Sun

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S W C

Welcome to

Accreditation World

THEY LIKE US!

A few things to fix...

TRY AGAIN!!

Accreditation strikes fear into the hearts of college campuses throughout the state. With life and death power, the Accreditation Commision of Community and Junior Colleges can decide whether an institution may receive financial aid and award degrees.

In recent years ACCJC closed Compton Community College and it is currently trying to close the City College of San Francisco.

Southwestern College was nearly closed in 2011, but rebounded and remained fully accredited.

Congratulations!

You are accredited for six more years!

SWC

elf Study REJECTED

Accreditation Team Reports!

PROBLEMS!

Probation!

Time to get your act together

WE FIXED IT!

Sorry!

You are now closed.

TRY AGAIN!!

ACCEPTED - RECEIVE VISIT FROM ACCREDITATION TEAM

OOPS, WE CAN’T!

Show cause...

You are in serious trouble!

Karen-Alleluia Agbuya, Michelle Phillips, Dan Cordero, Stephanie Garrido, Victor Santander, Blake Tomczak

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The Southwestern College Sun

VIEWPOINTS

September 1 - October 3, 2015 — Volume 59, Issue 1

Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor

Dan Cordero/staff

The Issue: Barbara Beno and the ACCJC are way out of line demanding taxpayer funds from SWC to support their effort to close City College of San Francisco.

editorial

Our Position: SWC Governing Board should have stood its ground and refused to be bullied by Beno’s renegade accreditation body.

Board should not have caved in to extortionary demands of ACCJC Barbara Beno and her gang at the Accreditation Commision for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) are terrorizing the kids on the playground.

Instead of forcing kids to eat dirt from the sandbox, ACCJC and vengeful Beno are killing off and beating up the community colleges they are supposed to be helping.

Beno’s latest rough stuff is straight out of the Al Capone playbook. She is shaking down every ACCJC member college for $2,000 to build a large defense fund for herself.

Seriously.

During the August SWC Governing Board meeting trustees Tim Nader, Humberto Peraza and Nora Vargas voted against paying ACCJC’s extortionary legal assessment which Beno is wringing out of California’s two-year colleges to help ACCJC fight the city of San Francisco and shut down the City College of San Francisco.

That’s right. Beno is demanding that taxpayers throughout the state turn over ransom money to her so that she can close California’s largest community college, an esteemed institution that serves 80,000 citizens each semester.

SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish, a Beno acolyte and apologist, said this is a result of our college being a member of the ACCJC. “We provide the revenue to run the organization,” said Nish.

“We all pay membership dues based on the number of students we have. In addition to that, we have to pay any costs associated with our own accreditation.”

Nonsense.

Besides losing our money, SWC leadership has lost its principles and any semblance of courage.

SWC paid the bullies $1,000 before, but once is never enough. They will come back as long as they know we are their piggy bank.

ACCJC put SWC on probation in 2010 and the college richly deserved the thrashing it took. SWC was hit with 10 serious administrative offenses which pushed the college to the brink of shut down. It bears repeating that all problems were administrative, none academic. It was an epic melt down of SWC’s “leadership” that was soon exposed by this newspaper as corrupt and criminal. A purging of the board by angry SWC district voters was followed by the firing or resignation of more than 20 inept administrators. Next came more than 140 criminal indictments.

Through it all, faculty led the college back from the brink behind the leadership of Academic Senate President Angelina Stuart and her team.

After years of heroism and reform, our governing board seems tired and may have lost its nerve. No way the 2011 board would cave into a bully like Beno, a bitter former college president. No way that principled, anti-corruption board would wimp out to a tyrant like Beno.

Our board’s fear of ACCJC is understandable. Accreditors have a near death-grip on the throats of California’s colleges.

This is the board that wants to end the community perception that SWC is a shaky college.

There are people who are still under the misconception that SWC is on probation or that the college’s accreditation was lost. Too many still refuse to let their children register here.

Enrollment is down more than 3,000 students from preprobation days. This school of all schools must take extra care in its accreditation efforts.

What we do not need is our college president stoking unnecessary fear and paranoia. Nish’s prattling about micromanagement is self-serving and needs to end now.

Her line that the board’s refusal to pay the fee could be seen as micromanaging by ACCJC is hogwash, and part of her slow and steady power grab and emasculation of the board. Her rhetoric and strategy come straight from Beno, a virulent hater of democratically-elected school boards who has actually said outloud that school board boards should be eliminated and college presidents should rule by fiat.

Nader, Peraza and Vargas voting not to pay ACCJC was not micromanaging, it was a vote based on principle and the should-be-obvious reality that forcing a community college to pay the legal fees of an organization trying to shut down a fellow college is disgusting.

Let’s get real about micromanagement. When the 2002 governing board of Yolanda Salcido, David Agosto and Terri Valladolid fired Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Kendra Jeffcoat days after she was hired by former SWC President Norma Hernandez so they could install a crony — that was micromanaging. Board members showing some temporary spine in 2015 was not.

Nader, Peraza and Vargas were right the first time and should have stuck to their vote against paying ACCJC’s ransom.

The idea of SWC supporting the shutting down of another community college is sickening and we should be ashamed that we are forking over blood money to a tyrant who will use it to try and close a vibrant and excellent college in San Francisco, Shakespeare was right, “a coward dies a thousand deaths.”

Until this college can stand up for itself, the bullies will continue to beat us up and steal our money.