Vol. 62 Issue 4

A N A C P H A L L O F FA M E N E W S PA P E R 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 62, Issue 4

theswcsun.com

May 9, 2019

President cancels ASO election

Marco Figueroa/Staff

Joshua LePaul Williams/Staff

President Murillo’s decision comes amid outrage over alleged racism and incendiary Instagram post Norquist said she was so upset by the post that she stayed up the entire night prior worrying about someone coming to the May 2 hearing with a gun and shooting all black students.

“I requested that a police officer walk around this building because we don’t feel safe that you would promote something to where someone who is crazy with a gun will come in and attack my black students or attack me for representing [the Black Student Union],” she said. “How dare you put our lives in jeopardy. But a public apology is what you all think is necessary.”

BSU President Monte Clark publicly named four students affiliated with Team Green as potential creators of the Instagram post, based on his review

False shooting report sparks panic

By Sabrina Wu, Steven Sylvia, and Andrew Penalosa Staff Writers

please see False Alarm pg. A2

Assistant football coach Jose Baez became an up-and-coming strongman competitor after injuries ended his playing career.

The tensions began during an emergency hearing on April 29 regarding Loa’s comments about Team Elite.

By Molly Rivas Hernandez Staff Writer

Luis Javier Vargas/Staff

CAMPUS

ARTS SWC’s cast and crew bring youthful energy to “Bring It On: The Musical.”

A week of rising tension.

Ayona Hudson, a presidential candidate for Team Elite, filed a complaint after two witnesses came to her and said they overheard Loa mocking the students for being an all black slate.

Richard Eberheart, the student activities coordinator, said the emergency hearing was crucial because polls were open.

But Student Trustee Rudolph Villegas and current ASO President Jorge Ivan Ortiz both said the meeting was illegal due to an agenda not being posted 24 hours prior. Two additional meetings following the April 29 hearing were postponed due to what Eberheart said was a series of complaints made by Villegas to Murillo, VP of Academic Affairs Angelica Suarez and Dean of Student Services Malia Flood. please see ASO pg. A4

New Dreamer’s Center will be safe space for DACA students

Yet, in the days and weeks that followed, this incident raised questions about how well SWC is prepared for these situations, especially if the next time the threat is real.

At a town hall meeting in March, some members of the college community told SWC President Dr. Kindred Murillo they felt confused and frightened.

“It was also an important learning [experience, “Murillo said. “We are a learning institution and we are always, always learning.”

There was a lack of training and few of those on campus were prepared for this situation.

After the chaos, students, staff and faculty said they were confused with not only what was happening, but also what procedures to take during the

SPORTS

In an instant, a typical Tuesday afternoon turned into a chaotic scramble on Southwestern College’s campus as word spread that gunshots were fired on the third floor of the library.

Confusion turned into panic on Feb. 26 when a faculty member screamed for people to back away from the library.

Crowds ran through the criss-crossing pathways of the campus grounds. Those inside classrooms became fearful, not knowing what to do. The campus was in a state of total disorder for almost an hour.

As time passed, authorities determined there was no shooter on campus. It was a false alarm.

of footage from the protest. With the district investigations still pending, The Sun chose to not reveal any student names.

Numerous members of both teams were in tears by the time Murillo arrived and called for an end to the hearing.

The district has since launched two investigations. Murillo was vague when referring to the investigations. One dealt with “complaints filed on Board Policy and federal and state statutes, the other regarding Instagram Posts,” she said in an email.

Southwestern College nationally recognized as one of the best schools for veterans.

Southwestern College is taking another step to show solidarity with undocumented students.

First, SWC defied President Trump’s push to end Obama-era Deferred Action for childhood arrivals (DACA) by implementing sanctuary policies.

It then offerred a variety of legal and financial resources for students protected under the DACA, who are known as Dreamers. Now a Dreamer’s Center will be the hub of safety and information for DACA students in need of aid.

Dr. Corona de Guadalupe, director of the equity, diversity and inclusion program and Patti Larkin, director of financial aid, evaluations and veteran services collaborated to help write a

Rapper Nipsey Hussle passed recently, but his passion for his community lives on.

grant for the Dreamer Center. Larkin said their goal is to create a place of trust and security, where students can feel welcomed and open to confiding their personal information.

They want to make sure all Dreamers are being helped in every way possible within the law and help those who come from mixed-status families. After learning the individual’s legal status, they can best determine what resources will benefit them the most.

“We want to make sure that there’s a place and location that makes that information and those resources readily available with staff that are well trained and committed to this community,” Larkin said.

A key value that Corona and Larkin share is that finances should not be a barrier to a student’s goals. please see DREAMER pg. A3

@THESWCSUN

Southwestern College President Kindred Murillo cancelled the Associated Student Organization’s annual election last week after learning about a fake Instagram post that made it appear a slate of black candidates was attempting to incite racial violence against their predominantly Latinx opponents.

The black candidate slate, known as Team Elite, denied any knowledge of the post, which called to “chop the heads off of the euro-centrist white supremacist mexicans of the campus,” and accused the predominantly Latinx slate, known as Team Green, of creating the post in attempt sway the election in their favor.

The election controversy is the latest

eruption in a long history of black/ Latinx tensions on campus. It bubbled over May 2 during a discipline hearing by the ASO’s election board on accusations of racist comments made by a Team Green member about Team Elite. Black students reacted with outrage after the board imposed a punishment on the Team Green VP of Public Relations candidate Dimitrius Loa that they felt was too lenient.

Black Student Union Faculty Advisor Trishana Norquist then revealed a packet of printed screenshots of the fake Instagram post. The post, which Norquist said “incited” violence, included a video of Team Elite’s protest over what they consider to be the election board’s inadequate handling of their complaints.

VIEWPOINTS

By Katy Stegall Editor-in-Chief

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May 9, 2019 – Volume 62, Issue 4

Design by Paola G. Labrada

NEWS

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

How SUHSD plans to erase its $30 million budget deficit

By Marissa Romero Staff Writer

Budgeting errors, increases in office staff and employee raises were the main reasons the Sweetwater Union High School District found itself with a $30-million budget deficit, according to a recent report to the board of trustees.

Manny Rubio, the district’s director of grants and communication, said he wants the community to know the district recognized the extent of the issues and they are currently working on a long-lasting resolution.

“These have been very significant challenging times for our district,” Rubio said. “We are projecting that by the end of the year we’ll be able to show

a balanced budget.”

The district is currently examining the number of students enrolled in order to assess the appropriate staffing needed in an era of declining enrollments. Rubio said the standard solution to this issue has been layoffs, but they found a better alternative.

“We don’t believe that layoffs are the right way to go,” Rubio said.

Instead, the district offered early retirement incentives to employees who were getting close to normal retirement age.

Mid-year retirement incentives were offered if eligible employees decided to leave by December 2018, and a lesser incentive was offered if they decided to leave by the end of the school year this June.

Over 300 employees accepted the offer including certified teaching staff,

office management, maintenance and cafeteria staff. This included about 100 teaching positions and 200 other positions throughout various departments.

Patrick Murphy, policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, said budget management issues are not unique to the San Diego County’s South Bay. Districts across the country are having similar budgeting hurdles to overcome, he said. Offering early retirements with an incentive is a strategy used to balance the budget.

“The assumption is that you will replace a person in your payroll with someone who makes less money,” Murphy said. “As employees were going to retire at some point anyway, they already had their benefits in hand and no one could take those away.”

Marco Figueroa/Staff

MONEY PROBLEMS — Budgeting errors and increases in staff and employee wages led the Sweetwater Union High School District to a $30-million budget deficit.

Murphy also said quality is a concern.

If quality teachers are hired to replace experienced teachers, then he said the strategy can be deemed effective.

His concern is the potential lack of experience with new teachers, which he said “is a great unknown.”

Sweetwater’s 2018 retirement wave resulted in a savings of $6-million.

Significant drops in payroll from December to February saved an additional $2-million per month. More saving projections are expected by June, when the second tier of early retirements will happen, but the final numbers cannot be reported yet, Rubio said.

Rubio credited the district’s unions for their cooperation with the plan. He said while there were some difficult conversations, the district administration and unions were able to find common ground.

Dr. Angelica Suarez, Southwestern College Vice President of Student Affairs, said SWC offers college courses to students from the Sweetwater district through a dual enrollment program. Students in their junior and senior year of high school can participate in the dual program, which provides them with a college advantage before they graduate.

“We stand in support of the students that they (Sweetwater School District) serve so that we can continue to provide strong partnerships and strong programs,” Suarez said. “We are serving the same community of students.”

Suarez said she favors collaboration with experienced entities.

“Part of working in large institutions is to seek the advice of different experts inside and outside your institution to find some of the best practices to prevent some of these issues from happening in the future,” Suarez said.

Among other things, the district administration and unions talked about

taking a close look after employees leave to determine if a replacement is needed and to evaluate positions that can be condensed, Rubio said.

The district is implementing a preventative measure Rubio calls “position control.” This means it will not hire employees unless the job description and funds are confirmed and deemed essential.

The decision to hire someone will be jointly made by human resources, finance and schools’ administrative teams. Singlesourced funds will need to be confirmed to avoid any confusions when sharing multiple fund sources.

Audits and investigations by outside auditors are currently ongoing in the district’s finance department.

“We want to get to the bottom of this,” Rubio said. “We want to know what happened exactly.”

The district has reached to point where it is developing methods to improve all related finance systems. Also, the district will have multiple levels of authorization to avoid having a single employee in charge of a particular fund, or a single employee signoff, Rubio said.

Tim Nader SWC Governing Board Member said he agrees with additional oversight.

“One of the board functions is oversight, that tends to get ignored in a lot of municipal land and in local districts government in California, because we have this idea that everything supposed to be delegated to administration,” Nader said.

The district set up a webpage for people to send their questions, feedback and recommendations for improvements.

Rubio said he wishes to dissipate the myth regarding speculations on possible reductions of special school programs and said, “Those things aren’t going away, none of that is changing.”

False Alarm: Campus reacts to shooting scare Continued from pg. A1

situation. Gianfranco Dongo, a 19-yearold First Year Experience peer mentor, said he did not know what to do when he encountered the incident.

“At the time, there wasn’t really a clear explanation of what was going on,” he said. “So to be honest I didn’t really know how to react, but I knew that if there was a safety concern my number one priority was my students that I was with.”

Emergency Management Coordinator Zach Jones provides drills and exercise trainings to students, staff and faculty on campus. The trainings include active threats also known as alert, lockdown, inform, counter, and evacuate (A.L.I.C.E.). There are even evacuation drills, fire safety, earthquake preparedness and response, personal preparedness and disaster mitigation.

However, these trainings are not mandatory for those on campus. They are instead offered to students, faculty, and staff interested throughout the school year by the campus emergency preparedness team. Jones said all of the trainings are completely free and open to everyone on campus and in the community.

“At this time I don’t know if they’re making it a requirement for them,” Jones said. “But I know in the town hall meeting they were saying that they were going to make it mandatory for certain campus-wide drills, which I’m all for and really hope we do that.”

SWC sent out an alert message to all contacts during the incident to let people know when they were evacuating the library and locking down the campus. However, some felt that the messages caused confusion and were sent in an untimely manner. Adjunct Faculty Todd Johnson said he had to send out a couple of emails to his students because they were uncertain if they had go to class that night.

“It took awhile for them to clear it up, but then students didn’t see the second email necessarily right away,” Johnson said.

Mexican-American Studies Professor Gerardo Rios was guiding students away from the library during the incident.

As an instructor on campus, his main concern was where staff and faculty should fit a training schedule during the school semester.

“Do we stress this point on opening day when everyone is mandated to be here or do we actually take the initiative to get the additional training ourselves?”

Rios asked. “Is this something that we are going to do as a department? I mean no one has really touched base on that.

It’s not a matter of grave concern, it should be but it is not.”

At the March 14 town hall meeting,

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/Staff

SWC Police Chief Dave Nighswonger EVACUATION — (above) SWCPD officers exit the library after confirming there was no threat to campus. (below) Students said there is a challenge in trying to get evacuate campus following the report of a gunshot near the Learning Resource Center and library. the information out to everyone.

“Unfortunately, few of us are prepared for this. A few of our staff members are really trained with some notable exceptions,” Nighswonger said. “A campus like this, the district, we have classes going on all throughout the day, days and nights, and reaching everybody is difficult. And reaching the students is particularly difficult. Our only source to reach them is through their professors.”

Murillo said out of the 25 incidents she has been involved in as an administrator, this was the most unusual one. She acknowledged that it was a traumatic event for a number of students.

“I think this was incredibly scary for some,” Murillo said. “I think some of you were scared and I know it was really tense for a few minutes. And we want to acknowledge that with you today.”

Following the incident, SWC Mental Health Counselor Dr. Clarence Amaral had several people visit the Personal Wellness Service located in the Student Services Center. The therapists met with those who struggled with feeling secure on campus grounds.

“There were people anecdotally, that everybody [therapists] saw at least two people. Some therapists saw more,” Amaral said. “I think it was mainly people coming in with triggers, or people reacting or that they felt they weren’t safe. With so much going on, it’s important that they had debriefing Luis Javier Vargas/Staff with students.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

May 9, 2019 — Volume 62, Issue 4

SUNBERNED IN SAN DIEGO — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during an appearance at Waterfront Park in Downtown San Diego to campaign for the 2020 election.

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Justin Dottery/Staff

‘The Bern’ is back in San Diego for 2020 Election

By JoseLuis Baylon Staff Writer

81 years ago, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech in San Diego where he said, “the noblest motive is the public good. I think if we all carry that motto in our hearts, in every city and community in the land, there is no question but the proper thing, American democracy, will survive.”

In 2019, it was Bernie Sanders’ turn to do the same.

At Waterfront Park, a crowd of several hundred listened as the Vermont senator delivered an optimistic calling cry to stand with him in the 2020 presidential election. Sanders lost the June 2016 Democratic primary election to Hillary Clinton, but is returning with a recharged energy.

“The underlying principles of our government will not be racism, will not be sexism, will not be xenophobia, will not be homophobia and will not be religious bigotry,” Sanders said.

“Those ugly American sentiments are going to end. Today I welcome you to a campaign which says with confidence, with optimism and with

Dreamers: Center now open for DACA students Continued from pg. A1

Southwestern College was one of 20 to be awarded the Catalyst Foundation grant. This non-profit organization is supporting Dreamers Centers across the state that form a network of centers at multiple colleges.

Scholarships were also made available earlier in the semester for DACA students.

“To hear students who were actually impacted is amazing to hear their persistence and overcoming major barriers to continue their educational goals,” Corona said.

Larkin hopes to promote the ways the Dreamer Center can aid a student in developing a career. DACA students

love, that the underline principles of our government will not be greed, will not be kleptocracy, will not be hatred and will not be lies.”

Carlsbad resident Reese Harris attended high school in Burlington, Vt. in the 1980’s while Sanders was mayor. He said he has a long standing relationship with Sanders.

“Bernie has done a really good job illuminating wealth and inequity in this country,” said Harris.“Wealth and inequality is at the root of poor education in many of the communities where underage kids drop out of school and go through the prison system.”

Sanders called for criminal justice reform within the prison industrial complex and said that the money could be better put to use in other places.

“Instead of spending $80 billion a year locking up fellow Americans, we are going to invest in our young people,” he said. “We are going to invest in jobs and education, not jails and incarceration.”

Sanders then took the time to address hate crimes which have surged 17 percent from 2016 to 2018. His goal, he said, is to dramatically reduce are still living lives of fear and not attending school because they are worried about deportation, she said.

The center will also have an advisor and counselor for students who need to communicate with someone over their immigration status. Currently, there are two advisors who specialize in financial aid.

Larkin said support from the campus community made this project possible.

“We couldn’t do it without the support of our governing board, without the support of Dr. Kindred Murillo and certainly our Vice President of Student Services Dr. Suarez,” Larkin said. “All of them have made it possible.”

Murillo, SWC’s president, said people feel vulnerable and isolated from the public because of their legal status, but she hopes the center will change that.

“The Dreamer Center sends a message that you are visible, we care, and we want you here,” she said.

hate crimes against marginalized communities.

Sanders supporter Mark Raymond said he enjoyed the senator’s simplicity.

“If you have a candidate like Bernie who is sponsored by hundreds of thousands of little people, who do you think he works for?” Raymond questioned. “If you have a candidate sponsored by big oil or a pharmaceutical company, who do you think they work for? Not you!”

Sanders is considered one of the front runners for the Democratic nomination. The field already includes more than 20 other candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman from Texas and California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Roosevelt may not have “felt the Bern” if he was alive, but the San Diegans rallying behind Sanders are ready. Sanders said he sees a shift in government that will focus on justice if elected.

“The principles of our government will be based on justice, economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice.”

Justin Dottery/Staff

Photo Courtesy of McDaniel family

LEAN ON ME — SWC English professor Cynthia McDaniel dedicated her life to helping students reach higher education. She is remembered for always keeping her door open for students, regardless of their problems.

English professor mourned by community

By Gamaliel Carreno Staff Writer

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

A DREAM NOW REALITY—With help from a Catalyst Foundation grant, SWC will open a center to help undocumented students.

Southwestern College English professor Cynthia McDaniel, 57, died in San Diego on March 26.

She was born and raised in San Diego and graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor of arts in English. McDaniel became a full-time SWC employee in 2006.

She taught a variety of English courses and courses that prepared future educators.

Her colleagues remember her as a warm and humorous woman who was passionate about her work.

Learning Assistance Services Coordinator Andrew Rempt said he

remembers McDaniel as someone who would give little presents to her peers.

“She was always very thoughtful,” Rempt said.

Former student César Cabrera said McDaniel was a dedicated instructor who understood and helped students when they had struggles.

“She was a really great professor and an even better human being,” Cabrera said.

Her willingness to help students encouraged them to pursue a higher education. Her patience made them trust her. Her smile inspired them to keep smiling.

English professor Elisa Hedrick said her colleague was extremely giving with her time and as an instructor went above

standard protocol for her students.

“She had a real generosity spirit when it came to interacting with students,” Hedrick said.

McDaniel was a senator in the Academic Senate for English, a visual audio monologue p erformance coach and focused on helping survivors of abuse and internment camps.

She was also involved in the creation of the education program for SWC students who wanted to transfer to a four-year-institution and obtain a teaching certificate.

She is survived by her husband Jerry, her daughter Megan and brother Mike Blair. There will be a reminiscence ceremony and a celebration of her life Saturday, May 25, at 1 p.m.

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NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

Events leading up to the cancellation Thursday, April 25

Witnesses inform Team Elite ASO presidential candidate Ayona Hudson that they heard Dimitrius Loa, the Team Green VP of Public Relations, make racist comments about Team Elite.

Wed. Night, May 1

Friday, April 26

Hudson files a complaint with the ASO Election Board and Student Activities Coordinator Richard Eberheart.

Wed. Afternoon, May 1

Team Elite affiliates discovered an Instagram post that attempted to incite racial violence.

Thurs.

Afternoon, May 2

Election Board holds disciplinary hearing for Loa. Team Elite affiliates make the contents of the Instagram post public after dissatisfaction over the perceived leniency of the punishment.

Murillo announces investigation and ends meeting.

Monday, May 6

Murillo sends out email announcing that two investigations have been launched.

Another planned Election Board meeting is canceled.

Team Elite holds a protest outside the Student Center.

Thurs.

Night, May 2

Murillo sends “Thing to Know” email to employees and specific students to announce the cancellation of the ASO election.

Sunday, May 5

Team Green sends statement to The Sun contesting faculty and administration’s involvement in the ASO election.

Monday, April 29 Election Board holds an emergency meeting where witness testimonies are shared. Student Trustee Rudolph Villegas says meeting is unconstitutional because the agenda was not posted 24-hours beforehand.

Tuesday, April 30

A follow-up meeting with the Election Board and both teams is canceled, but a scheduled public forum is held outside the cafeteria.

Friday Morning, May 3

Murillo sends campus-wide email announcing the cancellation to students.

Friday Afternoon, May 3

Team Green and Villegas meet with The Sun, but decide not to go on record. They say they will release a statement on behalf of the team.

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

May 9, 2018 — Volume 62, Issue 4

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Marco Figueroa/Staff

ASO: SWC President cancels ASO election, announces investigations Continued from pg. A1

On the afternoon of May 1, Team Elite gathered outside of the Student Center to protest the cancellation of the meetings. As Hudson paced across the cement platform with a microphone in hand, various Team Elite members held a protest sign that read: “Let my voice be heard!”

Hudson said black student voices were being ignored, and that this spoke to a deeper problem of institutional racism on campus. A few dozen students and faculty members formed around Hudson as she called for action against racism.

“I should be able to be comfortable on this campus, and I’m not,” Hudson said.

“I’m not comfortable. I want you to feel how uncomfortable I am.”

Someone in the crowd recorded video of Hudson’s speech and used it as the backdrop of the fake Instagram post.

Murillo said she was sent screenshots of the post that evening, but wanted to abide by the student process of the Election Board hearing before she intervened. Murillo said she spent most of her Wednesday night trying to figure out who made the post, and said the issue with students reflects the racial tension seen among faculty, staff and administration.

Years of racial strife.

Racial tensions have increased on campus in recent years. In 2018, a report commissioned by Murillo found that among 50 campuses studied, SWC suffers from some of the worst anti-black racism. The team led by Dr. Shaun Harper, the executive director of USC’s Race and Equity Center, outlined a myriad of issues including a predominantly white staff that ignores racial tension between Latinx and black communities.

Among other things, the report found that qualified black employees are passed

up for jobs against lesser-qualified Latinx faculty members, often due to Latinx nepotism. It also found that Latinx employees have a strong camaraderie on campus and they look out for one another. Black classified employees said those with the “strongest sense of belonging and inclusion” were Latinx employees.

“A college with racial problems as pervasive as Southwestern’s cannot afford to sustain an environment where its employees talk around race, only to discuss it with others in their respective racial/ethnic groups, or abstain all together from conversations about race,” the report stated.

A series of meetings were held last year to address the report, including a public town hall on October 16 2018 where Norquist and Hudson spoke out against the racism on campus separately.

At the town hall meeting, Norquist said she had experienced four acts of racism in the two years she had worked on campus, all by different aggressors.

She asked how administration is intending to reach out to those who need to hear this dialogue the most and were not at the meeting. “ Ho w a m I s u p p o s e d t o f e e l comfortable to stay,” she questioned.

“How am I supposed to feel comfortable to continue to teach my students, to mentor my students? What are we doing?”

Crime and (no) punishment?

In the aftermath of the report, Murillo said administration is still working hard to resolve the racial tension on campus.

But, she said, improving relations will require a cultural shift, which at Southwestern, will take five to seven years.

The lack of progress was on display at the May 2 meeting when the Election Board revealed Loa would not be disqualified from the election and his punishment consisted of completing an implicit bias training and facilitating a retreat on race relations.

Team Elite and affiliates erupted at the news and said this was an injustice typical of SWC. “Are you proud of failing us,” Hudson questioned. “This is a fucking joke.”

Students argued across the table as the mediators begun to lose control

of the room. It was at this time that Murillo stormed in and announced the hearing was over and to respect the decision made by the Election Board regarding Loa. She also said all allegations throughout the election would now be passed off to a third-party investigation team.

Team Elite stood and exited the room together, leaving an empty row of chairs pushed in at the table.

Two investigations filed.

Later, Murillo sent an email to all faculty and staff via her “Things to Know” email saying student elections were cancelled and reminded readers to not let faculty/staff agendas or opinions affect the students. Her first email was sent on the night of May 2 to select students and faculty and she followedup with a campus-wide email on the morning of May 3.

“This is not, and should not be, an opportunity for college employees and community members to play out their agendas and emotions,” Murillo wrote in one her emails. “Our students look to us for guidance and as role models. As a college community, we are working hard to build a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion.”

Team Elite said in a statement to The Sun they support the election being declared void.

“Elections were supposed to be a fun, competitive, and light hearted ordeal,” Team Elite’s statement reads. “However, elections have caused nothing but tears, fear, and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety for us. It is unfortunate we have learned that this is the norm for anyone who is Black and running for ASO office. We feel that having the elections voided is what was best because of the trajectory that the campaign season has gone toward. At some point, we must put our foot down.”

Team Green agreed to meet with The Sun May 3 for an interview and five team members, along with Villegas, showed up. After a 45-minute conversation, they decided to not go on record and submitted a joint statement the morning of May 6.

Their statement reads that they are “deeply saddened” by the interference of faculty, staff and administration in student elections. Faculty interfered

and slandered students en masse, which, they wrote, has caused them to be in an unsafe work environment.

Team Green’s statement also said Team Elite needs to work alongside them for student independence.

“We all as students must fight for the right to govern the services of our own students and have the power of recognition to validate our ASO General Elections,” the statement reads. “We call on Team Elite to join us in this fight. We the members of Team Green, members of various minority communities that have been affected by bigotry and racism, understand the concerns of our fellow students. Because of it we must stand together to deal with these issues and dispel any racist language, acts, and/ or policies.”

Team Elite also denounced Team Green’s call for working together, and said their pain needs to be acknowledged.

“We don’t blame Team Green, we blame the environment that has allowed the mentality that it is okay to throw stones and then hide your hands,” their statement reads. “Team Elite is, yet again, just requesting that they show

their hands and acknowledge what has been done to us. We just want to be acknowledged, not as a team, but as a community that is hurting. At the end of the day tit-for-tat helps no one, running away from this helps no one, and shifting blame helps no one. As our mentors have taught us: Team Elite wants to be the voice for the voiceless.”

Full statements from both teams can be found at theswcsun.com Murillo said students reporting allegations to her forced her hand and the college takes this issue seriously.

“By coming to me the students invited me into the process, we did not intervene until the complaints came to us,” Murillo said. “As a college president, I honor and try to support students in their processes, free speech, and rights.

This is supposed to be a developmental learning opportunity for our students, and when potential violations of Board Policy, federal and state statutes occur, on behalf of all students, faculty, staff, and administration, I have a duty to intervene. The physical, mental, and emotional safety of all college constituents is my highest priority.”

Marco Figueroa/Staff

NULL AND VOID—(Top) Members of Team Elite during a May 2 disciplinary hearing after they heard the punishment of Team Green member for his alleged racist comment. (Above) Team Green candidate Rafael Bermudez reviews printed copies of Instagram posts. (Left) Team Elite’s seats emptied after they walked out in unison after SWC President Dr. Kindred Murillo cancelled the election.

Joshua LePaul Williams /Staff

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May 9, 2019 — Vol. 62, Issue 4

VIEWPOINTS

The Southwestern College Sun

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.

SIOBHAN EAGEN

The “P” in HPV does not stand for panic

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Katy Stegall PRODUCTION MANAGER

Marty Loftin NEWS

Sabrina Wu, editor Jordyn Bryant, assistant CAMPUS

Mikayla Moore-Bastide, editor VIEWPOINTS

Steven Sylvia, editor ARTS

Jahaziel Valencia, editor SPORTS

Justin Dottery, editor Brianna Juarez, assistant PHOTOGRAPHY

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran, editor Marco Figueroa, assistant Karelly Vidrio, assistant

Victor santander/ staff

SENIOR STAFF

editorial

JoseLuis Baylon

STAFF WRITERS

Alan Baquera

Jaime Ramirez

Matthew Brooks

Melissa Rivera

Gamaliel Carreno

Marissa Romero

Siobhan Eagen

Alejo Rosete

Paola Labrada

Sydney Stanley

Ramona Lopez

Aide Valdez

Alan MonterrubioCazares Andrew Penalosa PHOTOGRAPHERS

CARTOONISTS

Ailyn Dumas

Jaime Ramirez

Joshua Williams

Victor Santander

Advisor

David Washburn

AWARDS/HONORS Student Press Law Center National College Press Freedom Award, 2011, 2018 National Newspaper Association National College Newspaper of the Year, 2004-17 Associated Collegiate Press National College Newspaper of the Year National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2003-06, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012-2017 General Excellence Awards, 2001-17 Best of Show Awards, 2003-19 Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal for Journalism Excellence, 2001-18 California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.

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

2002-17 San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award Society of Professional Journalists National Mark of Excellence, 2001-17 First Amendment Award, 2002, 2005 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards 19992017 Directors Award for Defense of Free Speech, 2012 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Pacesetter Award 2001-17 General Excellence Awards, 2000-18 American Scholastic Press Association Community College Newspaper of the Year San Diego County Fair Media Competition Best of Show 2001-03, 20052017

The Issue: Senate Bill 1421 requires police departments to release records of officerinvolved shootings and sexual misconduct.

Our Position: The college needs to comply with the spirit of the law instead of hiding behind loopholes.

While new state legislation promotes transparency, SWCPD still hides behind blue shield Those curious about the myriad issues swirling around the Southwestern College Police Department have had difficulty peering beyond the blue wall of silence.

For years the Police Officer’s Bill of Rights (POBAR) made the wall too steep to climb in communities across California. But Senate Bill 1421, which went into effect this year, took a sledgehammer to the wall and required departments to release previously confidential records of officer shootings, sexual misconduct and lying during an investigation.

Police officer unions across San Diego County filed a joint lawsuit arguing that the legislation was not retroactive.

In other words, police wanted the sins of prior years to remain unearthed. SWC was no different.

The college had five tumultuous years of rule under former Chief Michael Cash before he was placed on administrative leave and ultimately resigned. Cash, according to many accounts, ran a dysfunctional and corrupt department. Among the complaints: • In August of 2013, Cash fired his gun in police headquarters and the bullets narrowly missed three college employees.

• Cash routinely filed late and inaccurate campus crime reports.

• The department failed to adequately provide police escorts for sexual assault victims who had requested protection.

• Overspent his budget by $1 million.

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• Illegally hired and ar med friends who were former San Diego Police Department officers.

The college denied numerous public records requests filed by The Sun regarding the investigation of Cash’s weapon misfire in 2013.

A recent CPRA response by Vice President of Human Resources Rose DelGuadio said the incident did not fit the parameters of the new law because Cash did not intend to shoot a person.

“The change to POBOR does make some, but not all, records regarding an officer’s discharge of his weapon disclosable,” DelGuadio wrote. “However, the change limits disclosure to records involving the discharge of a firearm “at a person by a police officer.” Chief Cash did not discharge his firearm at a person in the 2013 incident. As a result, the District does not believe the report is disclosable under the new law.”

We wonder if the three people his bullet narrowly missed would agree with DelGuadio’s statement.

Journalists across the state stood in solidarity and took the fight to court. Judge Eddie Sturgeon oversaw San Diego’s battle and ordered the departments within the county to release records prior to 2019.

It is time SWC do the same.

A lack of transparency has been an issue of the college for decades.

President Dr. Kindred Murillo has been provided numerous attempts to tear down the wall shielding our campus police and has yet to comply with the transparency she said she wants the college to have.

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People with STIs are not dirty or damaged.

In fact, they are just typical.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes (HSV) are so common that most sexually active people will contract one (if not both) in their lifetimes according, to the Center for Disease Control. There is no reason to panic.

Chances are that if a person contracts one or both viruses, they may never know. There is no reason to uphold society’s social stigma against people who have sexually transmitted infections or diseases.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, followed by HSV. About 80 percent of sexually active people are infected with HPV at some point in their lives.

HPV is not totally benign. High-risk strains of HPV causes about 5 percent of all cancers globally and HPV 16, and HPV 17 alone cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. These are still statistically rare in terms of viral variations and quantity of global HPV infections.

There are many variations of the virus, very few of which are dangerous and that have an observable effect on the infected person.

Though most people with these viruses never experience any symptoms, the CDC also cites that most HPV infections go away on their own within a years time.

HPV and HSV are so innocuous that most physicians do not test for them in “full panel” STI tests. Typically, physicians only look for potentially cancerous strains of the viruses via pap smears. While this process may seem counter-productive, physicians have a good reason for not testing patients or informing them of a possible infection. Sexual health professionals believe informing an individual of their HPV or HSV status does more harm than good.

The stigma against STI-positive people is much more pervasive and harmful than the viruses itself. It would cause more stress and damage to one’s self-esteem and anxiety if they know about their HPV and HSV status.

Due to sexual education courses in the U.S. using fear-tactics to scare people out of having sex, public schools display gruesome images of genital warts and extreme cases of infections left untreated. This as a result polarizes young people to think negatively of people with STIs. STIs are not a death sentence for someone’s sex life.

For those who are HPV or HSV positive and experience symptoms, they often face an overwhelming sense of shame despite their status may be being no different than their peers. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that stress and depression play a significant role in whether an HPV positive individual’s ability to fight off an infection.

The stigma and shame they face certainly does not help and it is an unfair lottery of who has the virus and is symptomatic. If all sexually active people came to understand there is no difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic STI positive, the stigma towards STI positive people can be lessened significantly.

Using barrier methods such as condoms, HPV vaccinations against cancerous strains and regular STI testing are necessary for individual and society-wide sexual health.

Just because the most common forms are not typically harmful, does not mean individuals should not take all necessary precautions to keep themselves and others sexually healthy.

Disclosing STI to partners is encouraged and a staple of consent. Though the idea might make most people uncomfortable at first, it is worth noting if the STI is asymptomatic and nonthreatening, physicians tend to support that it is ultimately a personal choice to disclose this information to sexual partners.

In a perfect world people could disclose their STI status without fear of social backlash.

There are steps everyone can take to make this world tangible.

If everyone became more educated about the holistic reality of STI and equipped themselves with knowledge instead of fear-driven bias and changed their language around STIs, then society would have a healthier and less stigmatized view of those who are positive.

Often times when people get tested and have STI negative results, they tell people they are “clean” or had a “clean bill of health.”

This language implies that those who are STI positive are “dirty.” Instead, the language of “STI negative” or “STI positive” should be adopted at large.

It is time to be better at discussing sexual health and time be better to each other.

Siobhan may be reached at sexandthesun@theswcsun.com

VIEWPOINTS

The Southwestern College Sun

May. 9, 2019 — Vol. 62, Issue 4

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Inspiration porn misrepresents deaf people, culture

By Brittany Cruz-Fejeran A perspective

I used to watch videos of abandoned dogs finding their forever homes and deaf people being able to hear for the first time to help soothe me on a bad day.

I did not realize until recently how condescending it was to put a human being’s experience and a dog’s experience in the same category of “feel good” videos.

A person’s life was reduced to a few seconds of tearjerking happiness, and then on to the next video.

Any video that displays a deaf or disabled person’s success at doing something that would be deemed as “normal,” is what the community calls inspiration porn.

Inspiration porn is a term coined by disability rights activist Stella Young. She defines porn as the objectification of one group for the benefit of another group. Just as a man or woman’s body is objectified to satisfy anyone’s particular fetish, deaf and disabled people’s “incapabilities” and “challenges” are often objectified as a comparison to an able-bodied person’s problems.

Young’s most important point was the falsehood society has taught us about disabilities.

“We’ve been sold the lie that disability is a bad thing,” Young said. “And to live with disability makes you exceptional.”

Inspiration porn makes a person want to pick themselves back up and tell themselves that life is not all that bad. It makes them think, “At least I’m not deaf.”

That is what the hearing world gets from inspiration porn. But what does the deaf community get from these videos that make others praise curing deafness?

The problem is no one in the hearing world has any exposure to deaf culture and their community.

Without the knowledge of a community that is diverse and capable, how can the masses even know what being deaf is like?

Cochlear implant activations have become the representation of deaf culture. To many in the deaf community, these false representations are extremely damaging.

Getting a cochlear implant is not the miracle that doctors and the hearing world preach it to be.

Inspiration porn promotes a false idea that cochlear implants will automatically make a deaf person’s life better. They will accumulate a language, hear music, communicate with hearing children and have an easier time making friends.

This is true to an extent, but there is a whole other side of the coin that no one is looking at.

Cochlear implants cost $50,000 without insurance.

Inspiration porn does not show people the decades of speech therapy and auditory training the deaf child will need to go through in order to start using their voice. It also does not represent the steep costs that come with breaking and replacing implants. Even if a child took great care of their implant, technology will improve and eventually make an implant obsolete, forcing parents to spend more money on the improved version of the implant. Inspiration porn also masks the issue that few will be compatible for a cochlear implant.

Southwestern College American Sign Language (ASL) professor Shaun Mains said he was six years old when he was forced to get a cochlear implant.

After several cycles of them breaking and buying replacements, he did not care to replace them for 10 more years. When his son was born, Mains said he decided to get his implant fixed in order to hear his baby cry in case anything was wrong.

What the hearing world fails to realize is that a cochlear implant is a tool, not a language. The idea

Ramona Lopez/staff

that cochlear implants are the only form of accessibility ironically further disables the deaf community. Mains said more research needs to be done about deaf culture and that there are unseen opportunities with learning ASL. “Ninety percent of deaf babies are born to hearing families, the more implants are given (because it’s the only solution those hearing parents know or will consider),” Mains said. “The deaf population dwindles and pretty soon most will be implanted and illiterate to sign language or the community in which they could relate better.”

Southwestern College ASL professor Ana Cesia Madera recounted having a deaf friend with a cochlear implant when she was ten years old.

“He would have headaches while he was playing because of the implant,” Madera said. “He didn’t feel normal even with the implant. Hearing people thought he was normal, but that is not how he felt.”

In Madera’s ASL 201 class, she discusses the common loss of identity when it comes to deaf children deprived of language. When a deaf child does not know sign language, they do not know the language that they

can best express themselves in. Just as Mains said, they become deprived of a community that they have the most in common with. Rather than constantly accommodating to the needs of hearing people around you, the deaf community understands the struggles and are there to help combat them.

Nyle DiMarco, American model, actor and deaf activist advocates for the acceptance for ASL as an acquirable language for deaf babies. He uses his success as a platform to inform the hearing world about deaf culture.

“Every time there’s an inspiration porn video of a deaf baby hearing for the first time, I’m going to share a video of a deaf baby recognizing and acquiring an actual language... that is sign language,” DiMarco said.

In one such instance, there is a video of a deaf baby and their deaf grandmother communicating through sign language.

“You are so cute,” the grandmother signs. “Can you sign ‘grandma?”’

Absolute joy radiated from this baby girl (who is less than a year old) as her grandma helped her learn to sign by using slow and exaggerated hand movements. This

learning technique is the same as when a hearing family tries to teach their child new words by exaggerating vowels and speaking slower.

Happiness from these babies in both videos are the same. The only difference is one baby is being exposed to deaf language and the other is being deprived from it.

The hearing world grossly underestimates the deaf community’s capabilities and assumes that none of them can take care of themselves. The lie that Young brings up is the real injustice to the deaf community.

Young said she does not consider herself disabled but subscribes to the social model of disability.

“We are more disabled by the society we live in rather than our bodies or our diagnoses,” Young said.

Instead of watching a “deaf baby hears for the first time” video for a daily dose of happiness, people need to learn more about the group in which these videos objectify.

Deaf people do not need pity, but people need to question the morality of letting inspiration porn tell their stories for them. Videos that should go viral are ones of deaf individuals actually achieving something and celebrating their deafness, not antagonizing it.

‘Streets ain’t for everybody, get your grades up’ L.A. rapper Nipsey Hussle is dead, but his revolutionary push to combat gang violence with education must continue

By Justin Dottery A perspective

“Damn I wish my brother Fatts was here, how you die at 30-something after banging all them years?” -Nipsey Hussle, “Racks in the Middle” No one knew Nipsey’s line about a friend in his final single would describe how many of us feel.

Ermias Asghedom, better known as “Nipsey Hussle,” died at 33 after being gunned down outside of his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles on March 31. Nipsey’s death was momentous for the black community.

Nipsey’s death means more than the loss of a Grammy-nominated rap artist.

Nipsey was a leader in the streets of LA and helped pave the way for the next generation.

Nipsey was a beacon of hope who did not care for the mistakes of your past, rather he looked towards inspiring others make a brighter future. To many, he was a role model in the community.

In a 2018 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nipsey talked about the importance of being a force for positive change.

“Growing up as a kid, I was looking for somebody— not to give me anything —but somebody that cared,” Nipsey said.

“Someone that was creating the potential

for change and that had an agenda outside of their own self interests.”

Nipsey became the person he and millions of people from impoverished communities sought out. He repaved basketball courts to give kids a place to play, created a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center for inner city kids, created co-work spaces where people from the community can work and network, and employed felons in his businesses to give them a chance at a positive life.

Nipsey’s death serves as a wakeup call to all minority groups in this country.

We cannot move forward as a people if we continue to kill each other. It is a time where we need to come together in unity to honor the legacy he left behind, while doing our best to inspire others to better others.

Los Angeles resident Diamon’ique Samon’e, 24, said Nipsey inspired her and his death impacted her on a deep level.

“I can’t explain how it feels,” Samon’e said. “It feels like I lost a big brother, not like one that lives in the house with you, like the one that pulls up on you on random summer days in his new car and takes you places.”

“I lost a leader, someone who I would’ve followed blindly,” Samon’e said. “It’s weird cause I listen to him everyday and I still can, but now the words are less lyrical and more like directions and help along

Jaime Ramirez/staff

my journey.”

The black community lost an icon, and a leader who fought for his community.

After his death, it was reported Nipsey had a meeting scheduled with the Los Angeles Police Department to combat gang violence. He was attempting to

make strides with law enforcement to make his community a safer place.

His death had a bittersweet impact in Southern California, especially in L.A. Local gangs in L.A. even called a truce in order to honor Nipsey’s memory.

We cannot let the legacy of Nipsey

Hussle die along with him. As a people, now is the time to come together and honor the legacy of a man who worked so hard to better his community and promote unity and love to everyone. To carry on that legacy, as Nipsey would often say, “the marathon must continue.”

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May 9, 2019 — Volume 62, Issue 4

SWC

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

ready to

‘Bring

It On’ >REVIEW

By Andrew Penalosa Staff Writer

At the final round of the National cheerleading competition, two high schools compete against each other. But the competition is as much about race relations and coming of age as it is about moves on the gym floor.

“Bring It On: The Musical” is based on the 2000 film of the same name, but diverges significantly from the screen version. Ruff Yeager, who directed the Southwestern College production of the musical, captivated the audience with dance routines, songs and acting while telling a story about friendship and acceptance.

When the play begins, it is quickly established that Campbell Davis (Mikaela Celeste Vilaprado) has it all: a boyfriend Steven (Marcel Ferrin) and two best friends, Bridget (Melissa Wildasin) and Skylar (Susana Cafasso Alvarado). Not only that, but she was just announced as the captain of the Truman High cheerleading squad. Suddenly, she gets redistricted to Jackson High and must adjust to a new environment. After learning the truth, she forms a cheerleading squad out of a hip-hop group to enact revenge against the new captain named Eva (Audrey Lacher).

To differentiate between the two high schools, the set design had two big columns that rotate to signify where the next scene is taking place. Red columns are red to signify Truman High and they become green when the scene shifts to Jackson High. Sometimes, the columns have no color to show that the scene is taking place at a restaurant or a bedroom.

Other props included a projector for computer visuals, painted lockers for the schools, voice modulators to emphasize Campbell’s thoughts, and careful lighting to set the mood for each scene.

The costumes design was going for a modern, high school look, with the casual clothes and cheerleading outfits. The actors looked relaxed, composed and hip to portray the high school setting while the cheerleading outfits looked identical to each other save for the colors that distinguish the two.

While most of the technical aspects did a great job, one of them got laughs for the wrong reasons.

When portraying Eva in a bad light, the projector showed her looking uninterested, wearing a hoodie and having flames coming beneath and above her. It looked so rough that the audience giggled.

There was also a “liar revealed” part of the story that felt boring and formulaic. Once it’s revealed, Campbell mopes and dopes, has an epiphany, then patches things up and everyone is happy.

The music was easily the best part as the actors did a phenomenal job performing each musical number. The lyrics were wonderfully written and left the audience engaged.

Another standout moment was at the beginning before the show started when the actors gave the safety warnings in the form of a cheerleading routine.

Campbell’s singing voice also sounded angelic throughout the play, especially during her first song, “One Perfect Moment.”

Here was a particularly captivating lyric: “I’m seventeen, there are so many things I can’t control.

If I start to freak or feel we felt toe tapping and funky. This was especially true when the Jackson students sang, “ Move!!”

While there were some things that could have been improved upon, there is so much that the play does right for them to be distracting. With the wonderful songs, fantastic performances and excellent choreography, it was more than enough for Yeager and the cast to “Bring It On”.

BRING IT ON — An adaptation of the Broadway play, “Bring it On” comes to Southwestern College with cheerleaders from Truman High School (bottom) taking the stage and Audrey Lecher playing Captain Eva. (top)

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

May 9, 2019 — Volume 62, Issue 4

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Generation-Z conducts ‘Gender: X’ show

> REVIEW

By Sydney Stanley Staff Writer

St. David’s Episcopal Church was filled with the haunting voices of the choir group as their most recent performance tackled the subject of empowering women.

SACRA/PROFANA, a professional choir group from San Diego, opened with the feminist inspired hymn of “I Himmelen.” Four women begin in each corner of the large room, their voices crying out as they move forward the rest of the group marching through the pews, powerfully harmonizing the composition.

“What crystal purity / den Not even the sun in clarity / Can shine as bright as He, / Who is the sun that never sets, / He never even darkened gets.”

In another performance, called “Gender: X,” SACRA/PROFANA speaks about controversial topics that many choral groups shy away from. They delivered raw and real compositions that

focused on sexism, speaking honestly of the pain of those around the world.

They also performed more uplifting and empowering songs.

The group’s chosen compositions sound beautiful, but as audience members read the lyrics to the songs performed, they can get a sense of underlying messages.

In their March 22 performance at St. David’s Episcopal Church, audience members were eye-to-eye with the performers and felt the intense emotion sprouting from the songs. The floors of the church curved around the hall, allowing the singers to circle around the audience in the church pews. With the additional space for movement, audience members constantly looked around for the source of beautiful voices and were fully engaged in the performance.

“Strange Fruit” was a piece with eerie out-of-sync vocals describing black people lynched from trees. Its composition moved the audience with feelings of fear and anger.

“Southern trees bear strange fruit / Blood on the leaves and blood at the root / Black bodies swinging in the southern

breeze / Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.”

Speech against sexism was the main topic of the performance as the singers delivered several songs preaching about strong women. One composition performed by three women in the group, “What Happens When a Woman?” challenged the patriarchy and presented their ideal society ran by women.

“What happens when a woman takes power? / What happens when she wears the crown? / We rise above; we lead with love. / We have won; we’ve just begun,” composed by Alexandra Olsavsky, arranged by Artemisia.

Lara Korneychuk, SACRA/ PROFANA’s core alto and assistant conductor, spoke of how they wanted to paint a picture of women around the world and their many struggles. “ We t r y t o g i ve a p o r t r a i t o f many women from several different backgrounds to really get into the intersectionality of feminism and women who are suffering throughout the world in various situations and represent that through choral music,” Korneychuk said.

Ko r n e yc h u k s a i d h e r f a v o r i t e composition of the night was “Womanly Song of God,” composed by Libby Larsen, because its movement of vocal range and message of a maternal world spoke to her. The song gives an organic sense of the power of giving life that women have and gave goose bumps to the audience with its heavenly notes accompanied by meaningful words.

“I am the birthing woman / Kneeling by the river / Heaving, pushing forth a sacred body!”

The premiere of “The Devil’s Tower” left the audience with chills. SACRA/ P RO FA N A h a d re c e n t l y h e l d a composition competition with Sarah Rimkus’s rising long above nearly 80 their entries. Rimkus said she was elated to win the competition and have her composition be featured.

With the overlapping and repetitive lyrics of a story that starts out sweetly, S A C R A / P RO FA N A c a r r i e d t h e audience through “The Devil’s Tower” with heart wrenching sensations of a story getting progressively more traumatic.

Rimkus told the story of her piece, saying it was based on the tale of young sisters escaping the clutches of a beast that was once their brother, a Kiowa legend in Crook County, Wyo. “The bear rears to kill the sisters, / But they are beyond his grasp. / He scored the bark with his claws. / The seven sisters are borne into the stars.”

Emilie Amrein, a guest conductor for the Gender: X event with over a decade of experience within choral music, says that she found it wonderful to work with SACRA/PROFANA. Amrein said she hopes that more choir groups will move to change the course of choral music in a more positive way.

“Reinventing the choir, asking important questions, and kind of challenging some of the traditional practices of choir,” said Amrein.

SACRA/PROFANA is never shy in delivering raw truth and emotion to their performances. As a choral group, it is important they represent different races and identities in a discipline that is fairly more ‘traditional’ and almost backwards in thinking.

STRANGE FRUIT - Professional choir group SACRA/PROFANA sings a wide range of pieces at their “Gender: X” performance, ranging from female empowerment to the horrors of lynching.

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

Del Barrio Market is a multicultural Mecca of vendors

By Aide Valdez Staff Writer

Strong communities are built by those who shop locally.

At the Barrio Logan Flea Market, one can find almost anything. Café de por Vida (Coffee for Life) originally organized the event over four years ago.

Aromas of handmade tortillas, tacos and grilled corn welcomed people arriving to Logan Avenue.

Starting on May 25th the market will be moved to 1900 Main Street next to Northgate Market under the name of “Jefitas Del Barrio Market”. This change of venue will allow for more artisans and performers to come to the market.

People gathered at open doors of art galleries to see different sculptures and paintings from local artists.

Families strolled through Barrio Logan with faces of joy, enjoying churros and beer throughout the night. During a fresh but chilly night by San Diego Bay the weather led families stop to try some hot drinks like café or Mexican champurrado from the vendors.

On Facebook, Jesus Nieto rated the market 5 stars and said was “mega bomb.”

“I bought so many wonderful things from pain killer products with DCB to mole to a painting to much more,” he said.

“I truly love everything I got,” said Nieto.

Many galleries taught people about Mexican culture and indigenous roots, including murals and of Aztec emperors

like Montezuma II were adorned in vibrant colors and feathers.

A flea and art market also offered visitors unique handmade jewelry including colorful sets of earrings and bracelets made from tiny beads called Chaquiras. These Chaquiras are shaped into flowers, stars and animals.

Hand-embroidered blouses and bags had the faces of the famous Mexican personalities like Frida Kahlo and Selena.

The flea market, however, was the main attraction of the night. At the entrance, hot churros vendors welcomed the crowd with the smell of sweet desserts as old school hip-hop played in the background. The patchouli and sandalwood incense hits visitors as they enter, transporting them into a spiritual and ancestral experience that calms and relaxes their nerves.

“This market is different than others because it includes art, culture and food from local small business from the same street, to support street vendors that are starting with their changarrito (small shop),” said Abril Ramirez, café manager and coordinator of del Barrio Market.

Ramirez also mentioned that this event is a platform for local artists who want to showcase their creations to the public.

“Barrio art crawl is where people from other cultures can learn and taste what the Mexican-American culture is about without going too far,” Ramirez said.

As the night flowed the cultural diversity did too, faces of surprise and delight filled the market.

The experience was diverse, unique, and for everyone.

Karelly Vidrio/Staff

BARRIO ART CRAWL— Locally made arts and crafts, good food and music are found at the Del Barrio Market every second Saturday so people can shop in between visiting the Art Galleries Barrio logan has to offer.

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May 9, 2019 – Volume 62, Issue 4

The Southwestern College Sun

CAMPUS

?

Thinking Out

Loud

What were your thoughts on the college admissions scandal?

“If you look at us, we’re working our way to a fouryear institution, while they’re paying for it without even trying. It’s kinda unfair for us.”

David Uvna, Computer Information Systems

Best school for vets

Photos by Karelly Vidrio/Staff

“I really don’t like seeing that happen in terms of rich people getting more priority than the rest of us.”

Maria Pedroso, Paralegal Studies

Southwestern College was nationally recognized by Military Times as one of the top colleges for veterans, in part because of the assistance offered by the Veterans Resource Center

Former Chief Petty Officer Paula Jansen said one of her most prominent memories of college was the lack of sleep. Jansen’s days were busy balancing family, school and work. Her nights were extended by essays or interrupted by blasting alarms. The alarms were a reminder that she needed clean clothes for the next day of class.

He r s t o r y w a s f a m i l i a r to student veterans of Southwestern College. As a daughter of a veteran, Director of Financial Aid and Veterans Services Patti Larkin said she remembers how educational opportunities made her father’s college journey easier.

Militar y Times recently recognized SWC as one of the best colleges for veterans.

The college was one of 208 schools in the country, and one of 33 community colleges, to receive the recognition. SWC provides services to more than

1,100 veterans and military dependents. Larkin works along with coordinators and tutors to offer services to student veterans, including peer-to-peer tutoring.

Peer-to-peer tutoring connects tutors and students on a deeper level with the goal being better communication.

Student veteran and tutor Anthony Lince said sessions become more personalized due to a deep connection the tutor and the student share as members of the military.

“It’s specifically made for veterans and all the tutors are veterans themselves,” Lince said.

Lince is a writing tutor, but help is provided for all subjects.

He said veterans get a one-hour, one-on-one session with a tutor who guides them through their assignments.

Veterans Resource Center Coordinator Jonathan White said a key to the success of the service is the peer-to-peer sessions.

“It makes a seamless connection,” White said.

He added that the success

of the service would not be possible without the support of the Academic Success Center and their tutors. Larkin agreed and said the tutoring service is just one of the many services offered by the Veterans Resource Center on campus.

“It provides a sense of community for veterans,” Lince said.

The center’s purpose is to provide both resources for students and create an environment where veterans feel welcome. Lince said the center offers free printing, various materials at a reduced price and books students can check out based on an honor system.

White said the center also includes a computer lab where students can study and do homework. It has meeting space as well where students can stop by and relax.

“It’s a combination of a meeting place, a study place and resources,” White said.

Larkin said the recent national recognition is proof of the staff’s

dedication towards the Student Veteran Success Center.

“I think it is a testament to the work that everybody is doing our veteran’s service staff,” she said.

Another event, held on April 11, 2019, was the Sisters in Arms organized by the Student Veteran Organization and SWC to honor and celebrate women in the military.

They recognized the courage of Jansen and four other women who decided to serve the nation and complete a higher education.

Each of them shared their journey and addressed how hard it can be to balance a life as a veteran

woman and a college student.

Larkin said the center is now working on getting a counselor for veterans who would assist students with specific problems and concerns.

Larkin said the staff is looking forward to move to a new location that will have a larger computer lab and a conference space for students to meet with counselors and attend workshops.

White said SWC staff listens to veterans to meet their needs and improve the offered services.

“We are going that extra mile to make sure we are doing everything we can for them,” White said.

“It’s not a big surprise, even though it’s not supposed to be. But that’s how some of the world is right now.”

Issac Montiel, Animation

“If you think about how that girl took someone else’s spot, someone who tried really hard to get into school, that’s not right.”

Vanessa Sanchez, Humanities

“It’s kinda wild because it devalues everyone else’s degree. It doesn’t mean as much as it did before. It kinda sucks that everyone that can afford it is getting a bump up.”

Camilo Molina, Studio Art

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SISTERS IN ARMS— (left) Retired Chief Petty Officer Paula Jansen talks about her experience in the Navy at Sisters in Arms on April 11. (above) Sgt. Tammy Rivera, an Army veteran, serves as the Master of Ceremonies. (top) Staff Sgt. Macarena Cardenaz of the Army, Sgt. Gracie Camacho of the Marine Corps, Petty Officer Second Class Michaela Bayas of the Navy and Staff Sgt. Lisa Hawey of the Air Force are recognized for being women in the military who continued their education after serving.

@THESWCSUN

By Gamaliel Carreno Arango Staff Writer

May 9, 2019 – Volume 62, Issue 4

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

No pain, no gains

SWC running backs coach turns to weightlifting after injuries Justin Dottery Sports Editor

Jose Baez said he needed a new intense activity. A torn ACL, MCL and meniscus meant the former offensive lineman had to improvise.

Baez traded the gridiron for the weight room, and in just two years he lifted his way into becoming one of the top up-andcoming strongman competitors.

Baez said weightlifting more than filled the football-sized hole left in his heart.

“I said I wasn’t going to play another down of football for the betterment of myself so I chose to hang up the cleats,” Baez said. “I knew I needed to take time to rehab my body and weightlifting was a good way to do that, and I have always liked to lift weights.”

Baez began lifting weights again and posting his workouts to Instagram.

Former teammate and SWC offensive line coach Eric Burhop said when he and his roommate and strongman coach Arnell Casteel saw a video of Baez, they were taken back.

“My roommate was impressed when I showed him a video of Jose doing a 315-pound seated overhead press a few years back,” Burhop said. “Coach Casteel and myself kept trying to get him to come try it out. About two years ago Jose and myself went to Strongman Sunday at Deadweight Strength and he was hooked.”

Strongman became the adrenaline fix that Baez was looking for. As a football player, Baez was known for his hard-nose competitive fire. The first word out of SWC football head coach Ed Carberry’s mouth to describe Baez as a player was “tenacious.” This trait translated to his strongman career.

“He was a stay after it kind of guy and very meticulous about his business in preparing for football games, and you see the same thing in the weight room,” Carberry said. “He’s what happens when genetics and hard work comes together.”

Burhop agreed and said Baez’s mental strength also gives him a leg-up on other competitors.

“In a sport where 99.9 percent of the competition is with yourself, Jose is able to bring the best in himself and push

through mental barriers,” Baez said. “If he can use his mental fortitude and amazing hips, he has true potential to go as far as he wants.”

Baez did not have the normal start to his strongman career. He surpassed the novice division where most begin and was bumped up to the open division due to the strength he already had.

Baez remembers his first competition as a learning experience. In the first event he followed 10-year strongman competitor Alex Bromley in the log press lift. He got nervous when he saw Bromley lift the heaviest weight right before him, but he eventually settled into the competition.

“I decide to lift the second-heaviest weight to be safe, and this guy grabs the heaviest log right before me, knocks out three reps and wins the event automatically,” said Baez. “I’m sitting there like ‘I don’t want to fail’ with wobbly feet and I’m shaking everywhere. But after I found my confidence, I started tearing things up and felt like I had been there before.”

Baez added that the extra motivation worked, and his performance earned him a reputation in the strongman community.

“I believe I was one or two points from first place,” Baez said. “Everybody just kept telling me to keep going, so I took some bruises, took some losses and from there I think I was on the rise.”

Though his reputation has grown, one thing Baez hasn’t seen rise is the number of Latino strongman competitors. Baez said he hopes he can be an inspiration for more to compete.

“In my experience you see strongman competitors who are European, some really big Americans and you don’t really see the Latin-American community represented a lot,” Baez said. “I feel like if I can show that it can be done and we are strong enough to do it, it can motivate some people to do something incredible.”

Bruises left by his first love have long since healed, and a new love has more than filled the void. While football was able to provide him with an education, Baez’s newest endeavor has given him the chance to inspire and show people the strength of the Latin-American community.

Courtesy Photos

“I feel like if I can show that it can be done and we are strong enough to do it, it can motivate people to do something incredible.”

-Jose Baez SWC assistant football coach

FOR MY PEOPLE—(left) SWC assistant football coach Jose Baez performs an overhead barbell press at the 2019 Arnold Sports Classic, put on by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Baez (top) digs deep to pull the rope during a heavy sled event.

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The Southwestern College Sun

May 9, 2019 – Volume 62, Issue 4

BACKPAGE

Lachelle Autry

Tajanique Bell

Photos by Johua LaPaul Williams/Justin Dottery/Staff

Records shattered at PCAC final Brianna Juarez

Assistant Sports Editor

SWC women track and field exceeded its lofty expectations at the PCAC Finals. The women led the way, winning four events and the men added another two.

Head coach and former Olympic medalist Tonie Campbell said the team set the tone at prelims.

“We worked all year long to be the best w e c a n b e ,” Campbell said. “ I ’m l o o k i n g forward to putting my girls on the line and see what they can do.”

Sophomore Tajanique Bell broke two records and won three gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

She became the first woman at SWC to run a sub-12 seconds 100-meter dash with a time of 11.99s. She placed first in the 110-meter hurdles (14.02s), and the 400-meter hurdles (1:02:01s).

Sophomore Lachelle Autry also put on a great show, getting first place in the high jump (1.45m), the triple jump (11.40m) and in shot put (10.20m). Autry also got second in the Long Jump (5.57m).

The performances by the women came as no surprise to Campbell, who described the team as a “powerhouse.”

Sophomore Faith Stevens returned to competition two weeks after spraining her ankle at the Arine Robertson meet.

“She gave a yeoman’s effort and get out there and give it her all for the team,” Campbell said.

Campbell praised Stevens’ toughness after she finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.

“She did that for the team, and that’s the type of athlete we had,” Campbell said. “That was a gallant, painful effort for her.”

The men also had a favorable outcome in the 100-meter dash with the Jaguars sweeping the top four places.

Freshman Cullin Paisley placed first beating his teammate Marvin James, by three-

hundredths of a second, and Ezekiel Cruz was third, barely beating Diego Sanchez. Paisley, Brown, Sanchez, and James also formed the winning men’s 400-meter relay team.

Brown also came in second place in the 400-meter dash and Paisley placed second in the 200-meter dash.

Campbell said the future is bright for the men’s team.

“We have some really good young talent that I am looking forward to working with another year,” Campbell said.

Though the Jaguars did well in their individual events, SWC’s small roster kept them from climbing the team standings.

“Because we don’t have the numbers, we have to rely on the quality of our team,” said Campbell. “I think our quality is high and our quantity is low.”

Campbell emphasized SWC takes a hit in a number of events by not having individuals to compete for any of the throwing or distance running events.

While the meet generally went smoothly, there was a bit of controversy in the women’s 400-meter relay race.

San Diego Mesa College was in the third lane and SWC was in the fourth lane. When Mesa passed the baton on the third leg of the race, the incoming runner slowed down and stepped to the right into the fourth lane in front of Bell. Bell abruptly stopped and went around Mesa’s athlete, impeding her progress.

“Tajanique made a herculean effort to get back up to speed and to catch Mesa and nearly caught them, but we came in second,” Campbell said.

Campbell filed a petition, but, it was unsuccessful because there was no official video evidence and the official had not seen the incident.

“I wasn’t going to be mad about it,” Bell said.

“We still have another chance to run the four by one again.”

Campbell is confident in his team’s ability to compete at the state meet.

“I think they have a chance of making it,” Campbell said. “The quality of our team will make itself known.”

“We worked all year long to be the best we can be. I’m looking forward to putting my girls on the line and se what they can do.”

-Tonie Campbell, Track and Field head coach

Joshua LaPaul Williams/Staff

Brianna Juarez/Staff

Tajanique Bell (Above) 100m dash: 1st place 11.99 110m hurdles: 1st place 14.02 400m hurdles: 1st place 1:02:01 Lachelle Autry (Left) Long Jump: 2nd place 5.57m High Jump: 1st place 1.45m Triple Jump: 1st place 11.40m Shot Put: 1st place 10.20m TRACK AND FIELD— (above) Tajanique Bell leads in the hurdles and dash competitions. (left) Lachelle Autry won gold medals for her high jump, triple jump and in shot put.

Brianna Juarez/Staff