Vol 6,1 Issue 1

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 o Park

i c hican C e d p n S lt on DACA a Assau

Volume 61, Issue 1

theswcsun.com

September 1, 2017

Warning lifted, accreditation reaffirmed

By Domonique Scott Staff Writer

Southwestern College has received reaffirmation of its accreditation after an 18 month battle. Placed on warning by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in fall of 2015, SWC faculty, staff and Governing Board has had to work aptly to make substantial change.

“Faculty have come together to

reconstruct and demonstrate that S o u t h w e s t e r n C o l l e g e ’s m a i n commitment has always been to serve our students,” said SWC President Dr. Kindred Murillo.

“With the reaffirmation we will be able to continue this commitment and continuous improvement.”

In October, 2015 ACCJC evaluated SWC with a result of 15 recommendations to meet ACCJC standards. Major sanctions involved the college mission

statement, student learning outcomes and distance education training.

Murillo said it was a team effort that put together a 76 page accreditation follow-up report that demonstrates the college’s improvement on all 15 sanctions.

“It was a lot of people. I’m talking 150, she said. “Angie Stewart and Linda Gilstrap really coordinated it well.

There was a lot of pieces to try and pull together and it was really a team effort.”

Professor of Spanish Angelina Stuart said the report was handed to ACCJC in March and from then to June they had been “holding their breath.”

“We had to provide proof that we had evaluated and made positive changes to the 15 recommendations,” Stuart said. “ “We had rallied a team of 15 workgroups that have been working to make sure that these things got done, and we felt such relief when the report came out in June.”

DISCHARGED FROM AMERICA

Police chief resigns with pay until Dec.

By Katy Stegall News Editor

Michael Cash resigned as campus police chief during closed session of a special board meeting, ending a tumultuous career with the college. He will remain on paid administrative leave until Dec. 31 when the resignation officially takes effect. He has been on administrative leave since February.

Governing Board President Tim Nader and college president Dr. Kindred Murillo said they could not comment on the resignation because it was a confidential personnel matter.

Cash had a controversial five-year run at SWC. Since his hiring in July 2012 he has been accused of misfiring police weapons, covering up sexual assaults, misuse of police funds and inaccurate crime log reporting.

Cash was placed on paid administrative leave in 2013 after firing his gun in police headquarters and narrowly missing three civilian employees in the next room. Witnesses reported he fell to the ground with symptoms of a seizure, but Cash later denied the gunfire was caused by a medical condition. An internal investigation by SWCPD Sgt. Robert Sanchez concluded the shooting was not accidental, but an outside investigator stated otherwise. He was reinstated after five weeks by former president Melinda Nish, who hired him.

Cash was placed on paid administrative leave again for undisclosed reasons in early 2017, according to college human resources employees please see Chief pg. A5

Ex-senator expelled in ASO rape case

By Katy Stegall News Editor

Peggy Peattie photo

AMERICA’S SHAMEFUL SECRET United States Army veteran Hector Barajas was homeless, broke and could barely communicate when he was deported to Mexico. He said he deserved to be punished for what he did, but not thrown out of the country he risked his life for. Barajas is the leader of a colony of refugees who served honorably in the U.S. military only to be dishonorably deported.

Donald Trump’s antiMexican, anti-immigrant rhetoric may signal the end of the DACA program.

SPORTS

ARTS

CAMPUS

VIEWPOINTS

Coverage begins on pg. 2

Dan Grayson Cordero, a fan of superheroes, has become a super leader in the LGBTQ community.

Barrio Logan is blossoming in a Renaissance of beautiful art and Chicanismo. Celebrated in edgy museums and shops.

Soccer’s Xolos are the new big dogs of professional sports in the borderlands.

Former ASO senator and student president candidate Roy Castillo has been banned from all Southwestern College campuses following charges that she raped another senator at a student leadership conference in Los Angeles.

Castillo, age, was expelled and barred from setting foot on any SWC campus when a Title IX complaint filed by rape victim Eduardo Orantes was sustained.

Orantes, 19, claimed Castillo plied him with alcohol and raped him at a 2016 leadership conference. Orantes also filed a police report against Castillo and said he will soon file a lawsuit. Castillo is also charged with providing alcohol to someone under age.

Orantes, former ASO Senator of Counseling and Student Support Programs, said he filed a Title IX complaint please see ASO pg. A4

College is conducting 18 investigations

By Katy Stegall News Editor

College trustees and administrators have targeted campus sexual assault through a stronger governing board policy, the hiring of a permanent Title IX coordinator and the keeping of accurate police records.

Trustees are developing Board Policy 3540 to modernize the college’s antiquated rules and regulations about sexual assault.

It is expected to go into effect this month.

At Southwestern College in recent years, Title IX violations have most commonly related to sexual misconduct. A majority of the 18 investigations currently underway at the college are related to sexual misconduct or threats by employees and students.

Dean of Student Services Dr. Malia Flood said she is working with Trinda Best, SWC’s new Title IX coordinator, on sexual assault issues. Flood also said the college culture is changing and the institution is please see Title IX pg. A5

A2

Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

NEWS

Deported veterans fight to survive in foreign lands Honorably discharged military servicemen receive less-than-honorable treatment from the government Story by Michael McDonald Photos by Peggy Peattie

T

IJUANA, MEXICO — Glum immigration officers do not ask deportees if they are veterans when they herd them on to that one-way southbound bus. They do not care if the men are Vietnam War heroes, Desert Storm amputees or PTSD sufferers who battled Al-Queda in Afghanistan.

Out they go, honorably discharged veterans deported in a less-than-honorable end to their lives in America.

Most never return. Those who do, return in a box for burial at a military cemetery with full honors.

Irony abounds for the United States military veterans dumped like spent ordinance in this scarred and hungry Mexican border city.

Hundreds — maybe thousands — of honorably discharged veterans have been dishonorably deported to a country they never lived in and have no connection to. Tijuana’s makeshift shelters, mean streets and filthy riverbed are peppered with U.S. military vets, a sordid secret some borderlands Congress members call a national disgrace.

Since World War II joining the military has been a fast track way for immigrants to become naturalized U.S. citizens. About 8,000 non-citizens enlist annually.

It is possible for most non-citizen military members to become naturalized by the time they leave basic training.

Naturalization, however, is not automatic, leaving many honorably discharged veterans without citizenship. Matters got worse in 1996 when Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, stripping federal immigration judges of their ability to take military service, family or time in country into consideration in immigration hearings.

Hector Barajas, a veteran of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, was deported in 2004. He said since passing the 1996 law, the U.S. has been deporting veterans who previously held legal permanent resident status.

“Before ’96, judges and the courts would go out of their way to not deport somebody if they served in the military,” he said. “Basically (the law) took away the discretion of the federal judges and anybody who breaks the law will be deported if they are not a naturalized citizen.”

Barajas founded “The Bunker,” a safehouse and shelter for deported vets in Tijuana. Resembling a homemade military outpost, the Deported Veterans Support House is adorned with American flags and pictures of their fallen brothers. It is a small, two-

story command center established to lend support to deported veterans who find themselves south of the border.

“First for all, this is a place where you can stay,” he said. “Second, it’s a place where we’ll help you get your ID, we’ll help you get a job. You have counselors if you need help. You have a place to make phone calls, talk to your family.”

Though Barajas is a patron saint to deported veterans, he admits he has not always been an angel.

In 2002 someone in a vehicle he was riding in fired a gun. Nobody was hurt in the incident, but Barajas and the other people in the car were arrested. Barajas and the others all pleaded guilty to illegal discharge of a firearm. He served two years in prison before being deported to Mexico.

Barajas had never lived in Mexico as an adult. He was homeless, broke and could barely communicate.

He said he deserved to be punished for what he did, but not thrown out of the country he risked his life for.

Barajas said the scenario would have played out differently had he received citizenship during his military service. He confessed to not understanding the complicated process as a 20 year old. Though the process improved, he said, there is still no directive for commanders to walk non-citizen members through the naturalization process.

“It’s not like this is protocol for all the U.S. Army that every non-citizen has to, in three months, do this and do that,” he said. “It boils down to chain of command.”

Jaime Orozco Uranga, 55, said his immigration status was never an issue while he served in the Army from 1981-84, but it is now as a deported veteran.

A green card holder, Orozco Uranga said he was accused of domestic violence in 2000 after serving in South Korea and being honorably discharged. Though his partner at the time told the judge no crime was committed, he said, he pleaded no contest. He said the judge told him a no contest plea would get him out of jail.

“Desperate to get out of jail, I pleaded (no contest),” he said. “I was waiting to get out that night and the sheriff told me ‘you ain’t getting out, you’ve got an immigration hold.’”

After his immigration hearing, Orozco Uranga said

Katy Stegall, editor

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

he was put on a bus for Nogales, Mexico, about 75 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. From there he said he took a bus to Tijuana to be closer to family.

Bardis Vakili, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said it requires conviction of an aggravated felony to get deported, but strict immigration laws have broadened the scope of crimes included.

“Aggravated felonies, though it sounds scary, the definition has been expanded in immigration law to very minor crimes that don’t even require jail time,” he said.

Immigration proceedings differ from regular court hearings, Valiki said, often leaving people without representation.

“In immigration proceedings you only have the right to an attorney if you can afford one,” he said.

“If you can’t afford one, one is not appointed. When you combine that with the fact that immigration proceedings (happen) more often than not when you’re detained, it makes it virtually impossible to fight your case. It’s a civil rights issue. They’re denied the right to due process.”

A first offense for possession of a controlled substance or certain DUIs can lead to a life of exile in a country most veterans do not consider their own.

Barajas said many of them only knew American life and are no more Mexican than they are Chinese or Saudi Arabian.

“They got here at a young age,” he said. “They grew up like Americans, doing the Pledge of Allegiance, watching G.I. Joe, listening to hip-hop, rock and roll, Led Zepplin in the ’70s. They grew up in the U.S. like anybody else.”

Orozco Uranga said he has been stranded in Tijuana for 16 years. He said prior to his deportation he had come to Tijuana only once, on a family vacation with his daughter.

“We went to Disneyland, then came down to TJ just for the night to check it out,” he said. “I never in my life thought that I would be living here. But here I am.”

Adjusting to his new life was very difficult, he said.

“I was a stranger in my own (birth) country,” he said.

“At first I felt discrimination, because of my accent. I speak Spanish, but I have an American accent. I don’t hear it, but down here they can tell right away.”

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Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

NEWS

Katy Stegall, editor

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

Natalie Mosqueda/Staff

EXPELLED AND BANNED— Former ASO Senator Roy Castillo is forbidden to set foot on any SWC campus following an investigation of sexual assault and threatening behavior.

ASO: Title IX investigation sustains charges of threats and sexual harassment against former ASO senator Continued from pg. A1

TOXIC TEXTS— Former ASO colleagues have lined up to accuse former senator Roy Castillo with sexual misconduct, threatening behavior and harassment. Former senator Zach Valdez endured a series of abusive texts from Castillo.

after Castillo raped him then coerced him into silence for months. Both charges have been sustained by the college.

Castillo denied the charges and said she would appeal the ban.

President Dr. Kindred Murillo said, “I want to be clear that we will take, and have taken, appropriate action.”

Orantes said the rape occurred in a hotel room he, Castillo, and ASO Senator Lauren Snyder were assigned to share at the California Community College Student Affairs Association. Orantes said Castillo purchased a bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky and encouraged him to drink the entire bottle. Orantes said he drank whisky while Castillo and Snyder smoke marijuana out of an apple.

“Lauren was already passed out, so Roy told me to just drink the rest of the bottle,” Orantes said.

Orantes said after he and Castillo were intoxicated, Castillo began kissing his chest and performed oral sex on him. He said Castillo next compelled him into a sexual act. Orantes said he was very intoxicated, scared and did not know how to react.

“Roy pulled me back (the next day) and told me I had to take it to the grave,” he said. “If I didn’t, she’d make sure I was kicked out of the ASO.” Castillo currently identifies as a transgender female. It is the policy of The Sun to use personal pronouns congruent with people’s sexual identification rather than their birth sex. Castillo publicly identified as a male at the time of the sexual assault, but asked to be identified as female shortly after the incident.

Orantes said Castillo also threatened to tell his love interest, ASO Senator Andreanna Vazquez, if he reported the rape.

Vazquez and Castillo worked in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion under Dr. Guadalupe Corona. Vazquez said Castillo would frequently taunt her about Orantes’ genitalia.

Vazquez said Castillo made comments about size and girth on a sexually provocative way, before Vazquez was made aware of the sexual misconduct.

“It would make me feel uncomfortable,” she said. “It would happen whenever we were alone in the office.”

Vazquez also said she did not report the comments to Corona due to a fear of retaliation.

“I wanted to keep it tranquil in the work place, so I felt like my hands were tied,” she said.

Corona successfully nominated Castillo for a 2017 Diversity Champion of the Year award.

Castillo also ran for ASO President during the spring 2017 semester while the college’s Title IX investigated her for sexual misconduct. Castillo barely lost the race to Kirstyn Smith.

Vazquez said she reported the workplace harassment to Corona. She said Corona warned her of the backlash she would face if she decided to report Castillo.

“Dr. Corona told me Roy was a protected class and that I need to be careful,” Vazquez said.

“What I say could come back and shoot me in the foot because she (Castillo) is transgender.”

Corona said she gave Vazquez a choice on filing a Title IX complaint against Castillo, but refused further comment.

“That’s employee conversation that I wouldn’t have with any of my employees in public,” she

“I feel like I let a poison, a parasite, into the ASO.”

-Zach Valdez Former ASO Senator

said.

Snyder was not asleep during the rape and later reported the incident, but declined to comment further.

“I reached out to SWC leadership and nothing was done,” she said. “It was one of the reasons I resigned from ASO.” Students are required to sign behavioral agreements before school trips to ensure orderly conduct. This agreement says alcohol and marijuana not permitted on school-funded trips.

Orantes said he complained to ASO advisor Brett Robertson about sleeping arrangements that had him sharing a bed with a gay male and a woman. Robertson said he tried to make informed decisions about which students to place in the hotel rooms together. Roommates are determined by individual needs of students, he said, but would not specify further. He also insisted he did not make the decision to put Castillo, Snyder and Orantes in a room together.

“I didn’t make that decision,” Robertson said.

“Some of the decisions that were made by some of the students that I didn’t know about.”

Castillo did not publicly identify as female until recently, said Zach Valdez, former ASO senator. Castillo identified as a queer male when Valdez met Castillo at an ICC retreat.

“When I met her, that is not how she introduced herself,” said Valdez. “She had identified as a man a year back.”

Valdez also said Castillo made unwelcomed sexual comments to him.

“She (Castillo) would tell me that I’m attractive and she’d say ‘I would totally sit on your dick’ to me,” said Valdez.

Valdez said Castillo continued to harass him after their friendship ended, sending him numerous text messages telling him to “eat a dick” or calling him a “faggot” or “bitch.”

Castillo also insinuated that the consequences would be dire if the two saw each other again.

“I feel like I let a poison, a parasite, into the ASO,” said Valdez.

A police report was filed by Orantes with Chula Vista Police Department. It was then passed onto Los Angeles Police Department, where the Los Angeles County District Attorney will decide whether to continue pressing charges.

“I don’t think the punishment ( levied by SWC) is appropriate for the level of stuff that happened,” Orantes said. “It just feels like a slap on the wrist for her.”

NEWS

The Southwestern College Sun

Sept. 1, 2017— Vol. 61, Issue 1

A5

Title IX: Director to deal with 18 cases of campus misconduct Continued from pg. A1

JoseLuis Baylon/Staff

SAD END TO A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE— Family and friends of Miylin Chew grieve the tragic death of the popular Southwestern College graduate.

Missing students found dead in Otay Lake

By Alyssa Pajarillo Editor-in-Chief

The bodies of two missing Southwestern College Students were found submerged in a wrecked car in lower Otay Lake, not far from the Olympic Training Center.

Miylin Elizabeth Chew Navarro, 23, and Aser Elshrkawy, 18, had been missing since Sunday. They were co-workers at different branches of The Loft stores. Chew worked at the Otay Ranch location, Elshrkawy in Fashion Valley.

Chew disappeared after leaving her boyfriend’s San Ysidro home around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, according to police. Both failed to show up for their shifts at work. Chew had been in contact with Elshrkawy around 2:30 a.m. the morning she had gone missing. Shortly after, her phone went dark and all calls went to her voice mail.

Elshrkawy’s BMW was pulled from the Otay Lake Reservoir at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. It showed signs of damage from a collision. California Highway Patrol officers said the bodies may have been in the lake since Sunday morning.

San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies found the BMW upside down in the water from a helicopter.

Chew’s family held a lakeside vigil on Wednesday evening in her honor. Tom Bushfield, Chew’s grandfather, said he was touched by the large gathering.

“I cannot believe how many people came out,” he said tearfully. “I just thought it was going to be family and close friends, but she had a lot of friends that came from Mexico. We cannot believe the turnout. It has been fantastic” He r g r a n d m o t h e r, Sa n d y Bu s h f i e l d , s a i d Chew had a warm heart and artistic talent.

“She just loved loved everything and everyone, and that just came through,” she said, “especially through her art.”

Chew had graduated from Southwestern College in May. Elshrkawy was the son of a Saudi medical doctor. Nicko-

“We want to prevent sexual assault and better the safety of our students”

-Jose Gutierrez ASO Exececutive VP

Chew las Furr, who once tutored him in the college Writing Center, said Elshrkawy was “a good guy” who loved school and the United States. Furr said Elshrkawy told him he looked forward to attending an American university and

Programs battle campus hunger

By Carolina Rubio Campus Editor

Thousands of Southwestern College students are hungry for success.

Many of them are also flat out hungry.

College leaders have increasingly expressed concern about food insecurity among students. Though research into the subject is relatively new, 2016 data from the Students Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness reported that 25 percent of community college students suffer from very low food security. SWC estimates range from 25-30 percent, according to adminsitrators, but could be even higher.

The Foundation for California Community Colleges is piloting a program called Fresh Success geared towards helping low-income students in Technical Career Paths. SWC is the third California college to implement the program, which includes free bus passes, school supplies and meal cards.

EOPS Director Omar Orihuela said SWC students need the support.

“We realized food insecurity in our students,” he said. “We were recommended by the office of EOPS at a state level because of the size of the program we have.”

SWC has the third largest EOPS program in the state, supporting about 2,000 students per year, according to Orihuela. A former EOPS student himself, he said it will be helpful for

dedicated to taking sexual assault issues head on.

“We will be collaborating on campus policies and procedures right from the start,” she said. “There is a new policy procedure 3540 that addresses how someone can report a type of sexual misconduct or assault and what happens after.”

College President Dr. Kindred Murillo said policy 3540 was modeled after one developed by the Orange Coast Community College District. It will more clearly define what constitutes sexual misconduct and provide staff with procedures on how to handle sexual misconduct, she said.

Murillo said the new policies would help to bring order to a daunting reporting process students have found much fault with. Title IX complaints are now processed and assigned to investigators within 48 hours, she said. Administrators are required to begin investigations within 72 hours and have “rigorous weekly follow-up” until the investigation has been completed, according to Murillo.

Acting Campus Police Chief Dave Nighswonger said SWCPD is working to produce a more cohesive and compassionate system for sexual assault victims.

“There’s always a little bit of separation with the people you serve,” he said.

“Whatever we can do to bridge the gap is desirable.”

low-income students to have access to meals in a more discreet way than using food stamps.

“Many students aren’t comfortable sharing to others they don’t have money for food,” he said. “What students tend to do is get a credit card and use it at the cafeteria to buy food, but then they’re in debt.”

Although the program at SWC is still not developed enough to define which services it will provide, pilot schools, including Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, offered career assessment, covered costs for fingerprinting, TB testing and other job requirements, as well as emergency housing for up to one month.

“It is a whole new program to develop,” Orihuela said. “The more we go through our semesters the more we realize food insecurity is a big issue. We realized it’s a great opportunity to increase the success of our students.”

EOPS supervisor Leticia Diaz said the program is designed to support students to become more employable and increase retention rates. To qualify for Fresh Success, students must qualify for CalFresh (food stamps) and apply through the school. Diaz said students do not need to show proof of employment.

“It’s additional service overall aside from whatever other benefit they’re receiving on campus,” she said. “It will help them ultimately be successful at school.”

Elshrkawy was motivated to earn good grades.

A CHP spokesperson said the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct autopsies on both bodies in an attempt to determine the cause of death.

Cash: Remains on SWC payroll through Dec. 31 Continued from pg. A1

who would not give an exact date. He has received full pay during his leave and will continue to until Dec. 31, according to college officials. Cash’s salary was $116,000 in 2015 and $103,000 in 2016. Human Resources staff would not reveal his 2017 salary.

A former SWCPD student worker filed a lawsuit against the college, accusing former employee Kevin McKean, Emergency Management Officer Joseph Martorano and Cpl. Ricardo Suarez with chronic sexual harassment and assault at police headquarters.

Jane Doe (a pseudonym) also said McKean and Martorano tried to rape her. She said in her court brief that she informed Cash, but he did nothing.

Acting Campus Police Chief Dave Nighswonger said he did not know the details of Cash’s departure, but said the department “needed personnel changes” when he was hired.

“We had challenges the first week after I got here with the sexual assault allegation,” he said, “but I’m pleased with how we’ve gone forward.We’re making improvements.”

One of those improvements involved updated and accurate crime logs. Nighswonger said he is preparing the college’s annual security report as required by the Jeanne Clery Act, a federal statute.

Colleges that fail to complete accurate campus crime reports are not eligible for federal financial aid.

The SWCPD chief is responsible for the college’s annual report.

An extensive 18-month investigation of campus crime records by The Sun showed that Cash had a history of keeping chronically inaccurate police records, filing incomplete and late reports, and under-reporting crime on campus, particularly sexual

assaults. Nish and Cash dismissed the investigation and insisted college crime records were adequate.

Cash then filed an Employment Development Department (EDD) complaint against The Sun faculty advisor Dr. Max Branscomb, charging racial discrimination. It was investigated and dismissed.

Nighswonger said an inspection by the Department of Education found last year’s annual security report insufficient. It was produced by Cash.

“They found us deficient and we had to hire an audit team,” said Nighswonger. “They found 122 errors.”

Campus leaders told The Sun that Cash hired friends who retired from the San Diego Police Department as lieutenants even thought the college had no openings, no budget and no job descriptions for the hirees. These unbudgeted, unauthorized hires cost the district close to $1 million, according to a campus leadership source with direct information.

The officers and other unauthorized hires were immediately terminated by Interim President Bob Deegan when he was made aware of the situation, according to the source.

Cash had a checkered career in law enforcement prior to landing at SWC. In 1987 he was suspended for excessive force and police brutality while serving in the San Diego Police Department. He worked for the NFL coordinating security at the Super Bowl, but left suddenly under unknown circumstances. In 2007 the San Diego Chargers fired Cash from his position as Head of Security following player curfew violations prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Calls to Cash were not returned. He was last seen on campus in uniform during the fall 2016 semester. Nightswonger became the acting chief in February. College officials said there is not yet a timeline in place to advertise for a new chief.

Nighswonger said the SWCPD is implementing the R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) program, a nationwide training session to fight campus sexual assault.

“The training gives tips on how to defend oneself and how to prevent a sexual assault,” he said. “It makes people that could be victims more aware regarding prevention and resources.”

Best, the former vice president of human resources, has been appointed Title IX officer. Best was relieved of her duties as VP of HR during the summer and was on temporary leave. College administrators would not discuss the reasons for the change in jobs.

Colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to employ a Title IX officer to uphold and investigate acts of gender biases or sexual misconduct. SWC has been rife with complaints by students and employees about rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct for nearly a decade.

Student leaders and assault victims have criticized former SWCPD Chief Michael Cash and former Dean of Student Services Mia McClellan for ignoring or trivializing sexual assaults as well as revictimizing rape and assault victims. The college has also had difficulty keeping an effective Title IX officer in place. A series of people have held the job for short stretches over the past decade.

Best will have several high-profile cases to manage, including that of a former campus police student worker who has filed a lawsuit charging three campus police employees with attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that spanned two years. Jane Doe (a pseudonym) was transferred to “an offsite campus,” according to the lawsuit, in October 2016 before charges were filed. Officer Ricardo Suarez, named in the suit for harassment, was placed on leave during the investigation and has since returned to duty.

Doe was brought back to her previous position while Suarez was on leave and was not forewarned of Suarez’ return, said her attorney Marlea Dell’Anno. Doe resigned shortly after a surprise on-thejob encounter with Suarez, claiming she was not safe.

ASO Executive Vice President Jose Gutierrez said the college needs to be “more modern and proactive in its thinking.” SWC’s “rape culture” needs to end, he said.

“We want to prevent the actual sexual assault itself and better the safety of our students on campus,” he said. “If other students are aware this isn’t okay, it will be a step in the right direction.”

The Southwestern College Sun

Orozco Uranga said he ended up living in Tijuana shelters with uneducated, desperate people. Brought down by alcoholism and a badly mangled foot that limits his ability to work, he said he was able to get into rehab and has been sober for nearly three years. Unable to work, though, he was still living in shelters when he found out about the Bunker. Barajas heard he where he was living and invited him to stay and join the commune of former American soldiers.

Orozco Uranga said he lost half of his foot in a railroad mishap. Barajas and comrades at The Bunker are working to get him a prosthetic foot or orthopedic shoe to alleviate the pain from standing. He said another deported veteran who makes prosthetics may be able to help. Without access to Veterans Affairs medical benefits, it may be his only option.

Paradoxically, VA benefits are not forfeited by honorably discharged veterans even if they are deported. They are still eligible to receive them, but there are no VA hospitals in Mexico and they may not return to the U.S. for care. Most have to pay for medical care out of pocket in Mexican hospitals and clinics.

For Mario R., a 71-year-old Vietnam veteran, this meant waiting in a Mexican hospital without medication for 30 days to have surgery on a dislocated hip and broken femur.

He said the month of pain was unbearable.

“Now I know why they kill horses when they break a leg,” he said. “Thirty days, no morphine, no nothing. Just over-thecounter painkillers. The only time I saw the surgeon was when I had the operation. No follow up. Never saw him again.”

Vakili said access to treatment often comes too late for aging veterans.

“These Vietnam-era veterans that have been deported are really struggling medically and would be entitled to VA care if they were in the United States,” he said. “The only time (Customs and Border Protection) has ever let veterans in (the U.S.) is when they’re at death’s door. So we’ve had veterans paroled in only to die within a couple weeks because they were never let in beforehand (when they needed medical care).”

Barajas said the U.S. Embassy and Consulate do not provide help.

“The U.S. Embassy has nothing to do with us,” he said. “Once deported you lose your social security. The embassy and consulates are only for social security and citizens.”

Valiki said getting deported veterans back into the U.S. is extremely difficult.

He searches, on a case-by-case basis, for errors in the original convictions, which is a low-percentage strategy.

“There are very large obstacles to do that,” he said. “Most notably, they’re deported so they can’t come in and fight their cases in court. And it’s very hard to vacate a case.

You don’t just walk into court and say ‘Your honor I’d like the conviction wiped out.’

You have to identify an actual legal error.”

Honoring veterans is a popular talking point in political campaigns, Valiki said, but actual commitment to veterans by the U.S. government is weak. Bringing home veterans who have taken an oath to defend the Constitution is an issue that should transcend party lines, he said.

“I think it’s safe to say that common sense legislation on this stuff is going to

NEWS

Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

A3

HENCE FROM AMERICA ART THOU BANISHED — Honorably discharged United States Army veteran Hector Barajas was deported to Mexico, though he never really ever lived there. In his exile he organized other deported veterans and established “The Bunker,” a safe house for his comrades-in- arms living as refugees in Tijuana.

Congressman Juan Vargas and other borderlands elected officials have called the deportation of military veterans “shameful” and a dereliction of America’s obligation to treat its veterans with care and respect.

be difficult,” he said. “But if there is one issue that can unify the parties, it’s got to be honorably-discharged veterans trying to get back home to their families.”

Barajas agreed.

“Before 1996, this law didn’t exist,” he said. “Why not change it? We are talking about honoring our veterans, supporting our troops. At one time these men wore the uniforms and they’re veterans regardless of where they are. They should be honored. Not when they die and they are taken home in a box, buried with benefits and their VA marker. There’s no honor in that.”

California legislators are leading the efforts to reunite deported veterans with their families. On April 15 Barajas received a full pardon from Governor Jerry Brown, the first clemency of its kind. This spring the State Assembly passed a bill by Assembly Member Lorena Fletcher Gonzalez to establish a fund to provide legal representation to honorably discharged deportees.

Progress has been much slower on the national level.

Last summer, Congressman Juan Vargas of California’s 51st District introduced a trio of bills addressing three of the major issues faced by deported veterans. H.R. 6091 would track the number of veterans deported, which is not currently being done. H.R. 6092 would allow deported veterans back into the U.S. to receive medical treatment. H.R. 6093 establishes protocol for naturalizing non-citizens while enlisted.

None of the bills made it out of committee.

In March, Arizona Congressman Raul

Grijalva reintroduced the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, which would allow deported veterans to obtain visas and return to the U.S. This bill would directly impact those veterans already deported, Vakili said.

“The Grijalva bill really gets to the heart of the problem for veterans that have been deported,” he said. “That would go a long way to reuniting these families. It’s reasonable legislation that I think can be supported across the aisle.”

For Orozco Uranga a reunion with his family would be a chance to see the little girl he took on a family trip to Tijuana so long ago, but who has since grown up. He longs for a chance to meet the grandchildren he has only spoken to on the phone.

“I have a daughter I haven’t seen in 17 years,” he said. “I missed out on her graduation, her marriage, her giving birth.

I have four grandkids. I want to hold them.

I want to hug them.”

Since his pardon Barajas continued the process of gaining his American citizenship that he began before any conviction. He said he plans to continue working with deported veterans at The Bunker. In April he opened another support house in Juarez, Mexico. He plans to open others in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Barajas and his supporters insist too many soldiers have suffered too long in ditches, alleyways and Third World flophouses for minor crimes. The much bigger crime is what was done to these American patriots who were never officially welcomed in as Americans.

No soldier, Barajas said, should be left behind.

Sept. 1, 2017— Vol. 61, Issue 1

VIEWPOINTS

The Southwestern College Sun

A6

Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor

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

ALYSSA PAJARILLO

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alyssa Pajarillo

Phony birth control is dangerous

COPY EDITOR

Brian del Carmen NEWS

Katy Stegall, editor CAMPUS

Carolina Ruiz Rubio, editor VIEWPOINTS

Matthew Reilly, editor ARTS

Marty Loftin, editor SPORTS

Ivana E. Morales, editor ONLINE

Anibal Alcaraz, editor Alejandra Castorena, editor PHOTOGRAPHY

Thomas Contant, editor Victoria Sanchez, assistant SENIOR STAFF

Natalie Mosqueda

STAFF WRITERS

Alyson Atencio

Brelio Lozano

Jay Bueno

Alejandro Morales

Alan Cazares

Juan Morales

Yazmin Chavez

Alex Nuñez

Jaeneen Chung

Luis Orantes

Brittany Cruz-Fejeran

Chelsea Pelayo

Justin Dottery

Arianna Pintado

Karen Estrada

Domonique Scott

Sara Gonzalez

Maxine Silas

Victoria Gonzalez

Paulina Valdez

Paola Gutierrez

Grace Vasquez

Sydni Ingram

Dasha Vovk

Kareem Kanaan

PHOTOGRAPHERS

CARTOONISTS

Alexander Contreras

Dan Cordero

Ailyn Dumas Leon

Larry Estrada

Maria Joaquin

Stephanie Garrido

Aileen Orozco

Michelle Phillips

Alex Shinder ADVISOR

Dr. Max Branscomb

AWARDS/HONORS Student Press Law Center National College Press Freedom Award, 2011 National Newspaper Association National College Newspaper of the Year, 2004-17 Associated Collegiate Press National College Newspaper of the Year National Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2003-06, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012-2015 General Excellence Awards, 2001-16 Best of Show Awards, 2003-17 Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal for Journalism Excellence, 2001-16 California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.

California College Newspaper of the Year, 2013, 2015 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 1999-2017 Directors Award for Defense of Free Speech, 2012 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Pacesetter Award 2001-17 General Excellence Awards, 2000-17 American Scholastic Press Association Community College Newspaper of the Year San Diego County Fair Media Competition Best of Show 2001-03, 20052017

editorial

Salvador barajas/contributing artist

The Issue: President Trump wants to overturn the DACA program, which would result in more than 750,000 students losing their education.

Our Position: Our nation has a moral imperative to protect DREAMers from malicious deportation.

Hide and seek, a favorite childhood game, is not so much fun anymore if you are an immigrant student.

College students all over this country who are not U.S. citizens must hide in fear of being deported back to their “country of origin” because of President Trump’s draconian stance on immigration.

Problem is, many of these students have zero recollection of their “country of origin.”

Students that were illegally brought to the U.S. as minors, called Dreamers by President Obama, are currently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. With this 2012 executive order, Dreamers were given written confirmation that they would not be targeted by law enforcement as long as they were in school, the military or working, and avoided criminal behavior.

With Trump’s repeated promise to overturn Obama’s DACA program during his campaign, his election escalated fear in the immigrant community. If Trump repeals DACA more than 750,000 students would have to abruptly end their educations. Thousands of undocumented students and their supporters have demonstrated on college campuses throughout the U.S., insisting that schools become sanctuaries.

Trump’s hostile campaign rhetoric and propaganda bombarded Americans with falsehoods about vile Mexican immigrants raping, stealing and smuggling their way from sea to shining sea.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said when he announced his candidacy. “They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapist.

And some, I assume, are good people.”

Since being elected, Trump has publicly switched sides and said he would not overturn the DACA program. Then he said he would.

Then he said he would not.

“They (Dreamers) shouldn’t be worried,” he said to ABC news in January. “I do have a big heart.”

And a big mouth, which he can speak out of from both sides. Fortunately, Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and House Speaker Paul Ryan have gone on the record saying DACA is alive and well.

Trump’s actions, however, did not match his fellow Republicans’ words. A law abiding Dreamer was deported from Calexico, California in February.

Juan Montes, 23, was brought to the U.S. by his parents when he was 9. After a day spent with his girlfriend, Montes stopped to get food and was approached by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Unfortunately, Montes had left his wallet in his friend’s car and had no proof of his DACA status on him. Within hours he was back in Mexico, the first undocumented immigrant with active DACA status to be deported under the Trump administration.

Even before Trump’s election cities nationwide that wanted to protect their friends, neighbors and co-workers were declaring themselves “sanctuaries.” These cities vowed not to actively assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.

This is nothing radical. Most local law enforcement already have policies not to ask people about citizenship so as not to racially profile or to cause anxiety and mistrust in the community. Most local police want people in their communities to trust them and not be afraid of them.

Immigrants who do not trust police do not report crimes.

Sanctuary protection, be it a city or campus, is largely undefined and differs by location. Some believe a sanctuary should protect the undocumented citizens or students from federal deportation at all cost, while others view sanctuaries as a safe haven that allow students and residents to live without constant fear.

Some conservatives question the legality of safe havens. Many Republican lawmakers think it is protecting people who are in the country illegally. Some have drafted laws to prevent colleges and universities from

America has always been a sanctuary for productive immigrants

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A new and very dangerous form of faux birth control has been slithering around social media for those who hate wearing condoms. Jiftip is marketed as “your new wingman, a pullout shield.”

Jiftip’s toxic website blurs the lines between being safe or not so much.

Robin Thicke would rejoice.

The company promises a more “free” and “undetectable” experience with their product. Jiftip is simply a sticky adhesive strip designed to seal the urethra shut.

Though Jiftip is marketed as a condom alternative, it does not offer the same protection as condoms. Jiftip issues this haunting disclaimer at checkout, “It’s NOT a condom, do not use for preventing STIs or pregnancy.” Jiftip, in all reality, offers no more protection than scotch-taping the urethra shut.

Jiftip can only be found on the company’s grossly misleading website, quoting dubious studies from artificial sources in an attempt to back its deceitful claims.

On its FAQ page, Jiftip listed several bogus claims that its product is safe, including “Remember the last time you held your sneeze in and your eyeballs popped out? lol. Seriously, when we studied the incredible elasticity of the urethra, using it as an indoor cum-tainer makes perfect sense.”

Jiftip propaganda then states that a renown urologist named Dr. Paduch testified that the products is safe, followed by a misleading link to an article on self. com titled, “PSA: Penis Stickers Are Not Effective Birth Control.” Dr. Paduch was interviewed for the article and spoke against Jiftip for vaginal intercourse.

When asked if it is safe to hold semen in the urethra, Jiftip links to a study by Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a contributing writer to the Kinsey Institute’s website.

The Kinsey Institute has been a pioneer in the study of human sexuality since 1947. While the credentials of the link are impressive, Dr. Lehmiller’s research was limited to whether it is dangerous for males to prevent ejaculation during orgasm, not whether it is dangerous to keep semen in the urethra. His research was not conducted with Jiftip in mind.

Jiftip even addressed the looming question: Does it hurt? The response?

“Of course it hurts and you’ll love every moment of it.”

Potential consumers were prompted to do a simple test to see if holding their semen would be painful for them.

“Hold the tip closed (and) pee until it’s uncomfortable.”

This is an unwise idea that can cause painful urinary tract infections in males, and puts individuals at risk for bladder infections and damage to their sphincter.

Jiftip’s website is very male-centric and abusively ambiguous. In an interview with NBC News, Dr. Lauren Streicher warned that Jiftip might be used to fool potential partners.

“The big danger is when a guy goes and buys this product and he shows up and says to a woman ‘Oh, this is going to be better than a condom,’” Streicher said. “She doesn’t have the opportunity to necessarily go on the website or read about it.”

All of Jiftip’s testing allegedly comes from beta users, without the supervision of the FDA or scientific research.

Jiftip is not FDA approved. It is not a reliable or an even remotely safe alternative to condoms. It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy.

Because of its ridiculous nature and claims, Jiftip may seem like a fake product, but unfortunately it is real. Individuals need to be aware that this product is dangerous and ineffective. Simply taping your penis closed will not help you prevent pregnancy or STIs.

Alyssa may be reached at sexandthesun@theswcsun.com

A7

?

Thinking Out

Loud

How would you be affected by the Affordable Care Act repeal?

“I think socialized health would open up people to do jobs that they actually care about as opposed to taking a job for the benefits. We’re lacking compared to other countries.”

Matthew Reilly, editor

VIEWPOINTS

Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

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

¡No mas cervesa! Cinco de Mayo is a day of service

By Mike McDonald A perspective

St. Patrick feels your pain, Cinco de Mayo.

Pity the patron saint of Ireland whose birthday has become the National Day of Drinking in the United States. Now thirsty party hardy Americans have coopted a minor Mexican holiday and turned it into “Drinko de Mayo.”

Mexican-American history instructor GregorioPantojais saddened by the “Cinco de Drinko” phenomenon, but insists May 5 can become a day of thoughtfulness and service.

“Cinco de Mayo: An American Celebration,” hosted

Latosha Owensturner, 37, International Logistics and Transportation

“It would affect me financially since I’m barely on my second year of college and just started working. I do not have the funds needed for health care services.”

Jorge Ezquivel, 19, Psychology

Joaquin Jünco / contributing artist

by the college on May 4, was an attempt by Pantoja and colleagues to bring the community together through a traditional celebration of food, music and culture. Learning, he hoped, would follow.

“This Cinco de Mayo event is really centered around community outreach,” he said. “At the basis of the holiday are what were called juntas patrióticas or patriotic groups. With the battle of Cinco de Mayo the juntas started to fundraise and get the community involved.They became the news and support center for community members.”

Juntas were groups of people banded together to support the war effort against France, which invaded Mexico in 1861 ostensibly to collect an unpaid debt. Pantoja said they sprouted out of the American Southwest as Mexican-Americans found a renewed sense of pride in their heritage.

When news reached the U.S. that Mexico had defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, the first Cinco de Mayo celebrations were held in el norte in Tuolumne County.

Juntas raised money to support the soldiers defending Madre Mexico, but they were much more than fund raisers, Pantoja said. Juntas were the news centers, helped with legal costs and burial services, and looked out for their communidades.

“They began to be the center for community members,” he said. “Although the main point was to support the wars and find out what was going on with the news, they then became more involved with the community around them.”

Pantoja said he wanted to welcome students and members of the broader community.

“At the heart of Cinco de Mayo is community involvement,” he said. “(There is a tradition of) looking out for each other, taking care of each other and helping out people in need. We have to, as a school, become a part of the community and the community needs to become a part of us.”

Students from MEChA, Puente Project and Mexican-American Studies Scholars organized the event, which included performances by ballet folklórico dancers and SWC’s world-famous Mariachi Garibaldi.

MAS Scholars student Anna Buhrend said getting students, clubs and families involved benefits everybody.

“Most clubs don’t talk to each other,” she said. “Students don’t talk to each other. Faculty and students don’t talk. We need to bridge that gap. To come together and actually be there for each other is important in a campus climate.”

Pantoja explained how, at the time, Mexico and the United States were fighting simultaneous wars for the future of the western world. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juarez were allied in existential struggles against slavery and French imperialism.

For the juntas and the people living in former Mexican lands of the American Southwest, this instilled pride and love for both countries, Pantoja said.

“This dual identity came about,” he said. “(Patrioticas) were Americans (that) supported Abraham Lincoln and the Union, but they were also Mexicanos and supported Benito Juarez and our mother country.”

That dual identity continues today, Pantoja said.

“We have students that cross the border every day,” he said.

“Depending on what day it is or where you’re spending your weekend, you’re either American or Mexicano. We’ve been socialized to believe that we’re supposed to have a singular identity, which is a complete fallacy.”

Buhrend said learning the history that ties the countries together has given her an understanding of her heritage she did not learn growing up.

“There’s so many things to be proud of being Mexican-American, but they’re just not taught,” she said. “It’s either Mexican or American. Most people don’t acknowledge the middle ground.”

Pantoja said he wants “Cinco de Mayo: An AmericanTradition” to become the seminal event for Southwestern College’s MexicanAmerican studies program and to grow within the Chula Vista community. He said that through education a commonality can be found porque somos una familia (we are a family).

Governing Board President Tim Nader said he supports the idea. He said education on the shared history of the two countries is essential, especially in these tumultuous times when relations between the Untied States and Mexico are strained.

“Anything that educates is beneficial,” he said. “Many people, probably on both sides of the border today, are not totally aware of the common heritage we have in this region. Especially in these times where on a national level we see a type of rhetoric that feeds on ignorance and fans hostility of people toward each other, learning about our common history and heritage is more important than ever.”

T rump has lost America’s respect

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cord.

Despite not doing anything in office besides sleeping in bed for 30 days, he was elected based on the premise that he was a war hero. In 1841, being a war hero essentially meant you had murdered countless Native Americans, which Harrison certainly did during the War of 1812. His death, resulting from an extremely long and overblown inaugural speech given on the coldest day of the year, gave rise to John Tyler, the only former president to side with the Confederacy during the Civil War. Even a slight bit of research illustrates that no President is wholly good. Though some entered office with good intentions, most had moments when they left the path of service and light.

DACA must be de-politicized and protected for the good of America Defend DACA: Foreign born, American raised Dreamers must be protected.

Continued from pg. A6

Theswcsun

F

Rafael Bermudez, 20, Biology

F TA

“I cannot afford that. If I cannot pay, I will not be provided with the necessary health care for me to recover.”

/S

Breana Rodrigues, 17, Nursing

W

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“As a college student, I am already paying for college, so it’s kind of hard already.”

Osama bin Laden all while lying to the American people.

Even John F. K e n nedy, who brought Camelot to the White House, had his fair share of terrible moves. The Cuba Missile Crisis resulting from The Bay of Pigs invasion put the U.S. on the brink of nuclear war.

His actions to promote civil rights were slow and although he called for a ban on racial discrimination in 1963, he mocked civil rights activists like the Freedom Riders, once demanding of an advisor, “Can’t you get your goddamned friends off those buses? Stop them.”

Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, is lauded for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but only did so after immense pressure and prodding from prominent civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He also escalated the Vietnam War, causing thousands of deaths.

Even William Henry Harrison, who holds the record for shortest U.S. presidency, does not have a clean re-

HE

IL

Jaqueline Camacho, 41, Business Administration

There is no inherent dignity in, or respect due, to the office of United States President.

Though President Donald Trump has not passed any important legislation during his time in office, he at least succeeded in destroying the jingoistic ideal that whoever holds the office of President of the United States is always to be respected. Many presidents have overseen or authorized heinous acts, including war crimes, espionage and human rights violations. This includes presidents that many still admire and respect, like Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.

It is rare for anyone to make a mockery of the office in the way Donald Trump has, though some obvious contenders have tried. George W. Bush started the “War on Terror” which single-handedly devastated and destabilized the Middle East, and inevitably gave rise to terror groups like ISIS. Richard Nixon resigned from office in disgrace after being caught up in the Watergate scandal and began the catastrophic failure known as the War on Drugs. Herbert Hoover is responsible for exacerbating the Great Depression, which was eventually ended by the great Franklin Delano Roosevelt through a series of social programs known as the New Deal.

This is the narrative many learn in high school, perpetuated by the media and the federal government.

Many do not realize how instrumen-

tal FDR was with Executive Order 9066, which effectively imprisoned Japanese-Americans during World War II without due process, purely based on race. While many JapaneseAmerican soldiers were fighting for the U.S., many of their families were interned. Yet FDR still remains a hero to many for his successful intervention in the Great Depression and leadership during a catastrophic war.

Ronald Reagan is still seen by many as a conservative icon. During each election cycle since he left office, Republican candidates for president have been rated based on how Reagan-esque they are. He is seen as a figure to admire and revere, but why anyone would want another Reagan is beyond the scope of human thought. For example, “TrickleDown” economics worked exactly as intended, benefiting the wealthiest at the expense of the working class.

It drastically increased economic inequality and shifted most of America’s wealth to the top.

Reagan was an imperialistic, farright oligarch. He hated the poor.

He hated gays. He hated leftists. He hated communists and was pretty sure you were one if you disagreed with him. He never met a social program he didn’t scorn. He never met an American in need he wanted to help.

His response to the AIDS epidemic is one of the most sickening, coldblooded expressions of pure murderous political evil in American history.

He also illegally funded the murderous Nicaraguan Contras, illegally sold missiles to Iran, and gave assistance and comfort to Saddam Hussein and

AT T

RE

“I have an eight-year old son and I am always thinking about his health and wellbeing. I want to be able to go to the doctor if we are ill.”

By Matthew Reilly A perspective

M

declaring a sanctuary campus by threatening their federal funding and financial aid.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbot brashly tweeted that he would personally prevent sanctuaries.

“Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities,” he wrote. “I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status.”

With the fear of losing federal funding, many institutions of higher education have been hesitant about taking on the title. Others caved in to the pressure.

Garrey Carruthers, president of New Mexico State University, said banning federal agents from campus might jeopardize its federal funding so the campus will not be a sanctuary.

Others have acted with a fearless commitment to serve as a safe space for all students. Portland Community College voted in December to declare itself sanctuary campus in response to

the plea from the student body.

Southwestern College and the city of Chula Vista are having it both ways. They are avoiding the politically connotative term “sanctuary” and are instead calling themselves “welcoming” institutions. Bottom line, though, SWC and Chula Vista are on board with protecting undocumented members of the community.

Thousands of SWC students would lose their chance for higher education if the college lost its federal funding, which pays for most financial aid. About two thirds of all American full-time students in 2014-2015 paid for college with some financial aid. At SWC the number is nearly 90 percent.

Even so, colleges must not cower to Trump’s bluster. Higher education stands for freedom, courage, hope, equity and advancement.

These are ideals worth fighting for. Colleges that engage in cowardice do not deserve any students or financial support.

Students protected under the DACA program were brought to America by their parents in hopes of a better future. They had

no choice and did nothing wrong. Their parents risked everything to bring them to America and give them better then what they had. These kids were raised in America. They attended elementary school, middle school, high school and now college, all in the U.S. They pledged allegiance to the United States.

They played football, debated, served in ASB, were cheerleaders, homecoming queens and valedictorians.

Dreamers are solid American kids, insisted Obama.

“I will urge the President Elect and the incoming administration to think long and hard before endangering the status of, for practical purposes, American kids,” he said.

SWC is the closest American college to the Mexican border. It has hundreds — even thousands — of students pursuing their education and chasing after dreams under the DACA program. Some are out in the open about it, many are not.

Governing Board Member Roberto Alcantar said SWC will do whatever it needs to do

to protect its students.

“Right now is a time for us to stick together, because our students are scared,” he said. “We are a target, our college is a target and our people are a target.”

Standing next to our college brothers and sisters is more important then ever. America is known as the land of opportunity. Immigration and second chances built this country.

Men and women tired of the oppressive British monarchy came here for a better life for themselves and their children. Same with people from Ireland, Germany, France, Poland, Nigeria, Argentina, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Egypt, China, Japan and dozens of other countries. So why single out Mexicans?

Colleges need to be courageous and ethical and stand up for its most vulnerable students.

These are productive, educated, law-abiding Americans same as the descendants of Europeans, Africans and Asians.

The DREAM must continue. We all need to do our part to keep it alive.

Carolina Rubio, editor

CAMPUS

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

Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

A9

JoseLuis Baylon

Enormous hurricanes a new normal

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER— SAGA Club members embrace the LGBTQ community at the Gayties, the club’s big Spring event.

Boy Wonder: President of SAGA Club emerges as a powerful LGBTQ leader Continued from pg. A8

activism completely drew me in.”

Friends crowned him the King of the Gays, but Cordero blushes at the homage and said he is a service leader who models respect and acceptance. When Cordero first decided to go to a GSA meeting, it was a tiny club of four people, including the advisor and himself. It had the potential to be great, he said, but lacked vision.

Cordero changed that.

SAGA advisor Shannon Pagano, a psychology instructor, said Cordero transformed the club into something unique and powerful.

Un d e r C o rd e ro’s l e a d e r s h i p, SAGA was named the 2017 SWC Diversity Award recipient. Cordero was also honored individually for his outstanding leadership. He is also a Student of Distinction Award recipient.

“It just became this phenomenon,” Pagano said.

“He singlehandedly made SAGA what it is.” SAGA became a safe space for members of the queer community to have the full college experience. It grew from club of four to a family of activists. Cordero’s leadership role solidified after the election of Trump and a conservative backlash against the LGBTQ community reared its head.

SAGA Treasurer Oliver Byrd said Trump was a turning point for Cordero.

A BEAM OF LIGHT– During

“That’s when his passion for the community really showed up,” said Byrd. “He was always an activist, but now it’s more charged—because it has to be.”

SAGA took its first real step into the broader campus spotlight with the decision to host “Gayties,” a 1980s-themed gay prom. Byrd said it was a statement to tell the college that the queer community was present and out in the open.

Ever y hero has a battle to overcome. Gayties was Cordero’s as the event seemed snakebit from the start.The venue was locked, though it had been reser ved

months in advance. There was no electricity in the building, which almost proved catastrophic considering they were to have a photo booth and a DJ throughout the night.

Cordero handled it as he handles all stressful situations— he rolled his eyes and then he jumped into action. Volunteers tore down the entire set up they had just finished with less than three hours to spare and moved it outside into the cafeteria patio. Pagano said

his transition Cordero related to Batman’s sidekick Robin, formerly known as Dick Grayson, who was undergoing his own transition into Nightwing.

Cordero was running around like a chicken with his head cut off well into the event—but prom happened.

Gayties was a highlight of the SAGA year, but Cordero said he wants the club to be remembered for its advocacy for a Southwestern College LGBT Center. SAGA members said they feel supported by some people on campus, but some top-level administrators may need more convincing. Cordero said he will not let resistance deter him.

Pagano said students of SAGA rely on Cordero. “ When you’re young and LGBT, it’s like a ship at sea in the fog,” she said. “You know you’re going forward because the ship keeps moving you, but you don’t know where it’s leading you. You don’t have direction because you can’t even see the stars that guide you. Yet out of the fog comes that beam from the lighthouse. Just like those sailors who cling to the beam of that lighthouse, SAGA members have clung to Dan for their salvation. SAGA members have clung to Dan to learn how to be gay and have it be okay.”

Cordero identifies with the hero Grayson, but also the conflicted Beast from Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast.” Part of him relates to the flawed and insecure prince, afraid that no one will learn to love the beast within. Pagano said Cordero is sor ting through his own bursts of heroism and bouts of anxiety.

“We can look at Rick Grimes and Dick Grayson and they’re both true to him,” she said.

“But the one we need to look at is The Beast. People have to help him learn that many people have already learned to love the beast. And there will be more.”

Thor’s hammer is something that electrical engineers would love to have.

Today’s technology does not have a material that can sustain the power of a lightening bolt. An actual earth lightening bolt.

Mjölnir, is a hammer that allows Thor to channel electricity.

In some parts of reality, the electromagnetic waveform is emitted by stars.

Satellites in space can catch patterns from these stars. Our sun, recently revealed its ability to hurl lightening towards the United Kingdom by magnetically bending the Earth’s magnetosphere and letting charged particles run their course through the upper atmosphere.

Researchers from England’s University of Reading realized this was due to the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF). Earth and the Sun have magnetic fields that shove one another for their own space. Like siblings fighting for the same land, they both want to occupy a geometry plane found 3 degrees into the equator of the Sun where the Earth revolves.

The span of the Sun’s magnetic field is superior than the Earth’s. At the times when it influences lightening the most, the Sun’s magnetic field is facing away from the Earth. This causes the Earth’s magnetosphere to follow the direction of the HMF, which in turn, causes the magnetic fields protecting the Earth to become thin and even break around global locations.

Because the planet revolves around the Sun, as opposed to being stationary like the Sun, it always has to compensate for the hot and cold dynamics forming on the planet as temperatures change when energy flows in or out by pressure changes. In other words, daytime and night time or simply, a rotation. This is what the 1st Law of Thermodynamics is all about.

Isobars are used in meteorology to define weather patterns. Fred Hafer’s oceanography class at SWC explores hot temperatures move to a right angle against the cold. On Earth, this effect created the conveyor belt system which circulates the ocean currents.

Scientists long ago figured out that this natural right angle effect actually creates a spin. Soon after, the vortex was discovered. Modern meteorology was created when the math of all these right angles began making sense about the larger structures in the atmosphere such as currents and storms.

Hot follows cold and the way cold flows dictates how hot follows.

In Hinduism, a samsara is to go full circle.

In the Marvel Universe, Thor takes his hammer by the strap and twirls it in the air. Hurricanes twirl in air and they come with lighting and thunder.

In October 2015, Hurricane Patrica smashed Mexico, Olaf appeared in Hawaii, and the islands in Micronesia had a potential typhoon at the same time.

At the time of these events, five powerful electromagnetic storms occurred on the equator of the Sun, these were cause by sunspots. Being the coldest areas of the Sun, sunspots naturally repel the hot solar surface and jet all the surface energy with a right hook up into the atmosphere, accelerating the energy particles further and faster into space. Any solar activity headed towards the same plane of the Earth increases the likelihood of direct impact.

Unfortunately, if Loki, the evil brother of Thor, had to show up, it is here. Solar physics can seem counterintuitive within nature. There are currently no weather models that take into account the geophysical properties of Sun along with the data of Earth’s climate and chemistry in real time. Its a work in progress that dates back to Galelio.

In 2015, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and U.S. Air Force launchedsatellite operating with sensors facing the Sun and the Earth at the same time. It hopes to unlock some mysteries and secrets of our universe...maybe even how Thor’s hammer works.

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Sept. 1, 2017 – Volume 61, Issue 1

The Southwestern College Sun

CAMPUS

A NEW HOPE—Dan Grayson Cordero ponders the many options before him among the racks of Comics-N-Stuff clad in a vest that bears the mark of his favorite superhero, Nightwing. The transgender man found solace in comics during his transition.

The Boy Wonder Takes Charge Story By Katy Stegall News Editor

Photos By Annibal Alcaraz Online Editor

an Greyson Cordero is the Rick Grimes of Southwestern College, leading his ragtag team of queer survivors to a sanctuary of safety.

His weapons are intelligence, talent and courage—sprinkled with moments of doubt. He is a classic Joseph Campbell hero who transcended his ordinary life to face down danger and serve his people.

C o rd e r o , t h e i n s i g h t f u l a n d articulate president of the SAGA Club (Sexuality And Gender Acceptance) is lobbying college administrators to create a safe space for SWC’s queer community. He is getting stiff pushback, he said, but he can push back, too.

He has the strength of a Jaguar offensive lineman. Anibal Alcaraz said he is fortunate to be a friend.

“When I meet people like Dan, it reminds me that there’s a great change in people happening right now,” he said. “It’s going in a direction that’s more empathetic, more understanding. The world could use more of that mentality.”

As a transgender man, Cordero had his own rocky journey to self-acceptance before he could be a beacon for others. Emotional claustrophobia was a constant in his adolescence, he said. He felt something was not right.

Society, friends and family saw a girl when they looked at him, and so did the mirror. His heart said otherwise. In middle school he decided to become the man trapped in his body.

As he transitioned from female to male, he found solace in comic books. Dick Grayson, formerly known as Batman’s sidekick Robin, The Boy Wonder, was undergoing his own transition into Nightwing.

Cordero saw himself in Grayson.

Nightwing is a man with integrity who was, nevertheless, afraid of losing everything. Grayson was iconic for his role as Batman’s sidekick and considered Bruce Wayne family.

Wayne did not approve of Grayson’s transition to Nightwing and he severed ties when Grayson left to become leader of The Teen Titans.

Cordero could relate. Grayson’s narrative of transition into Nightwing mirrored Cordero’s transition.

“Ultimately, when I look at Dick Grayson, I see myself,” said Cordero. “I see the 4’11” Chicanx transman who just hopes and dreams that one day his art can affect someone

else in the positive way that Dick Grayson affected him.”

When it came time to legally change his name, Cordero adopted Grayson as his middle name. He introduced himself as Dan years before the legal change. Money was a barrier. On Transgender Remembrance Day, members of SAGA presented to Cordero the money they had fund raised for him to legally change his name. Trump’s election was the catalyst, he said.

“I think after the elections last year, changing my name was something I felt like I really needed to do for my own safety,” he said.

Cordero said he was fortunate to have supportive friends and parents. His father and mother welcomed the closeted teen into the open.

Bruce Wayne was the only family Dick had, but Cordero had more support.

- Shannon Pagano Coming out is not a narrative that typically ends well for transpeople, he said. Cordero’s parents handled his transition better than Bruce Wayne handled Grayson’s. Cordero affectionately calls his dad Mufasa, the Lion King.

“I’ve been really fortunate to have a good relationship with my dad throughout the course of my life,” he said. “My transition didn’t negatively impact it at all. Both of my parents were of the mindset that ‘we’re going to do whatever it takes to make you happy.’ That’s a privilege that so many transpeople don’t have.”

Art also helped him through his transition.

Drawing became cathartic. Cordero became a star artist at the Southwestern College Sun student newspaper as an illustrator and editorial cartoonist. He won state and national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other professional organizations. He served as a cartoonist at The Sun for four years, until he discovered SAGA, formerly the Gay Straight Alliance.

Dr. Max Branscomb, the faculty advisor of The Sun, said he tried to convince Cordero to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper or run for ASO president because he is very intelligent and a natural leader. Cordero declined the offers to remain with SAGA because he felt the club’s work on campus has just begun.

“I stayed at the paper for so long because I had found a place that worked as a community and a family,” he said. “Then when I came across GSA, it was even stronger as far as passions go. The

“When you’re young and LGBT, it’s like a ship at sea in the fog. SAGA members have clung to Dan to learn how to be gay and have it be okay.”

please see Boy Wonder pg. A9

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Carolina Rubio, editor

CAMPUS

Sept. 1, 2017 — Vol. 61, Issue 1

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

Photos by Natalie Mosqueda/Staff

THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART –

Maria Pseudónima (a pseudonym) and her brother roll out of bed by 4:30 a.m. to hit the road by 5 a.m. Though SWC is 15 miles from her parents’ house in Tijuana, the commute north over the border takes three hours on a good day – five on a bad day. (above) Maria waits in line during a June sunrise as thousands of students and workers crawl along in a walking line to go through Homeland Security. (l) Street vendors are Tijuana’s version of the drive-through. Motorists can buy sweet café de la olla, breakfast burritos, tacos, deep-fried suger-crusted churros and other portable delicacies.

Long day’s journey into night 4:30 a.m.

5 a.m.

5:30 a.m.

6 a.m.

Wake up, get ready Drive to La Frontera Wait two-five hours in line

Churro y café from street vendor

7:45 a.m.

Drop brother off at school

8:30 a.m.

First class at SWC

6 p.m.

7:007:30 p.m.

Pick up brother from practice Finally get home. Dinner, homework, then bed. Tomorrow is another long day.

Education is worth a killer international commute

By Maria Pseudónima When my “early-rising” classmates are slapping the snooze button on their 6:30 a.m. alarm, I am behind the wheel of my idling car in a smoggy serpentine line at the international border.

I have already been stuck in the creeping formation of rumbling vehicles oozing towards la frontera for an hour, since 5:30 a.m., poking the buttons on the radio while my little brother sleeps. We have at least an hour more to wait.

God forbid, maybe more.

Light is slowly silhouetting the eastern mountains, but the line pointed towards el norte is a river of light in the gloaming from thousands of cars and trucks whose low beams illuminate the way to work or school. Flinty roadside entrepreneurs sell breakfast burritos, tamales, tortas and an array of traditional Mexican breakfasts from dented aluminum trays or slumping chunks of cardboard. I eat at home to save money, but sometimes I cannot resist the urge for a warm, sugary churro. Thick as a broom handle and gratuitously greasy, churros are the Dunkin’ Donuts of border crossers, a guilty pleasure.

Southwestern College is only seven miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and about 15 miles from my house as the crow flies.

Even so, I get up at 4:30 a.m. every day and plan on a 3-4 hour journey. It does no good to think about the fact that in the time it takes me to go less than 20 miles to school, a classmate starting at SWC could drive to Magic Mountain or Yuma, Arizona or Bakersfield or most of the way to Las Vegas or Phoenix.

It is the commute from hell, but it is worth it to attend Southwestern College.

Born and raised in the United States, I grew up going to local schools in Orange County never more than a 15-minute walk from home. Three years ago my parents decided they wanted to move back to their native Mexico after living in the United States for 25 years. They wanted to spend their retirement in their Mother Country where they grew up. Americans to our red, white and blue cores, my younger brother and I found ourselves living in a foreign country in the teeming border city of Tijuana.

I was a second semester college student at the time of the move and I did not want to abandon my dream of a degree from an American university to study at a Mexican university. I could not have made it, anyway. I had never gone to school in another country. I had never taken a Spanish class. I knew that if I enrolled in a Tijuana university I would struggle and ultimately fail. Tijuana’s three universities are rigorous and science-oriented. I did not feel confident pursuing a degree in a language I did not grow up practicing in school. Even though my DNA says I am Mexican, I would be an American outsider.

My younger brother felt the same way, but he was braver than I was and gave school in Mexico a shot. He attended a middle school in Tijuana for a year, but suffered greatly.

He would often come home from school in tears and with a headache. His Spanish is not as good as mine. He did not understand what was going on in class.

Like me, he was submerged in American culture his entire life. He attended elementary schools where the majority of his classmates were white and English speaking, so he did not get to practice Spanish.

Going to school in another country where the native tongue was completely different was brutal. He may as well have tried going to middle school in Japan, Nigeria or Latvia. After seeing him come home in tears after his first day, I knew that I could never do what he did.

I also knew crossing the border to get to school would be a grind. Gone are the days we can wake up for school at 7 a.m. They now start no later than 4:30 a.m. and we are out the door no later than 5:30 a.m.

I give myself three hours to cross, drop off my brother at his school and get to my 8:30 a.m. class, but that does not

always happen. Wait times to cross vary tremendously. On average, we spend two hours in line, but there have been days when we wait more than five hours. We miss class and our grades suffer. Most of my professors understand when I tell them I live in Tijuana and I sometimes might arrive late, but I also have professors who lecture me on how I must arrive on time with no excuses.

There is nothing that can brighten up my day more than finding out that I only have to wait an hour to cross. It is still a much longer commute than most students, but I do not care. I gain an hour back! I cherish each hour of the day, so if there is less than two hours of wait time, I am in heaven.

As the semester grinds on I run out of ideas of what to do in my car as I wait. What keeps me going every morning is morning talk radio. It feels like the conversation I am not having with my sleeping little brother. Some days I get creative and complete unfinished homework, eat or jam out to my music while waiting. There are other days I can barely keep my eyes open after waking up so early. It takes a toll on my body. I envy my sleeping brother.

Heading back home is also a challenge. My brother is a versatile athlete at his high school who plays sports year-round. He practices after school every day until 6 p.m. Rush hour is at its peak, which means we also have sit in traffic to get home. This commute from school to home usually takes about an hour, but anything can happen, including the closing of the border during a high-speed freeway chase, a terrorist threat or Attorney General Jeff Sessions popping in for a visit.

My brother and I typically spend about 12-14 hours a day away from home. By the time we arrive home it is already dinnertime. We have to eat dinner, shower, do as much homework as possible and then we are off to bed since we have to wake up at 4:30 the next morning.

The only time we can do everyday things like watching television, going to church or shopping is on the weekends.

I prefer to nap.

Sometimes I feel like I am wasting my youth sleeping on Saturdays, but I would much rather rest after my hectic weekdays than to go grab a drink with my friends. Time for activities like hanging out with friends, going to movies or even relaxing has almost entirely vanished.

Still, I feel blessed. I am determined to complete college and be a successful American. So I decided to cross la frontera daily. I thought that crossing the bworder every day would be manageable, so I enrolled in college and started my daily international commute. A year later, my younger brother joined me on this journey.

Because we are American citizens we are able to cross the border every day to attend school. Students with residencies or who are undocumented cannot. An undocumented student would not be able to cross the border and face immigration officers every day and not get caught. Regardless of people’s perceptions of the Border Patrol, it does a good job of catching people who try to cross the border illegally by car or walking.

People are usually shocked when I tell them I cross la linea every day. Sometimes I have to fight not to roll my eyes when I see the same classmates who live in town show up late to class day after day after day.

I think my college odyssey gives me a better appreciation for my opportunity to attend school in a country that has such a great education system. Americans who complain about our education system are like fingernails scraping a chalkboard or grinding teeth. There are people who are willing to make enormous sacrifices a lot to attend American schools and colleges.

I know. I am one.

“Gone are the days we can wake up for school at 7 a.m.

They now start no later than 4:30 a.m.”

September 1, 2017 — Volume 61, Issue 1

SPORTS

The Southwestern College Sun

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Soccer’s big dogs run loose in the borderlands

Natalie Mosqueda / Staff

GOOOOAL! - Named for an Aztec-bred dog attributed with special powers, Los Xolos are one of the planet’s truly international teams, drawing fans from Baja California Norte in Mexico and Southern California.

By Ivana E. Morales Sports Editor

IJUANA, Mexico - Soccer is the “Beautiful Game,” but few people expected it to have the power to lift and heal a city racked with violence.

Tijuana’s little big dogs, Los Xolos, have not stopped this city’s gruesome drug wars, but they have brought a new hope and new energy to Mexico’s largest border city.

Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente was founded in 2007, an especially horrible year during the war between drug cartels for dominance of this international gateway.

In 2011, Xolos earned the right to compete in the top tier of the Mexican professional soccer league, Liga MX. One year later, the team improbably won its first national title. The presence of a champion professional soccer team provided salve for the scarred image of the city.

Soccer-crazy Southern Californians also love Los Xolos and flood across la linea in their red and black jerseys for matches at Caliente Stadium, the “biggest dog pound in Mexico.” Ignacio Palou, Xolos General Manager, said the team binds Mexico and the United States as one of the world’s few truly international teams.

“Since the beginning, Club Xolos has been characterized as being different,” he said. “We are a binational team. Thousands of families come from the other side of the border to watch the games and feel a passion for our sport. They celebrate the same goal.”

Los Xolos takes their name from the ancestral Aztec dog, Xoloitzcuintle (cho-los-wink’-lay). In Aztec mythology, the hairless canine was a gift from the god Xolotl, and considered a fearless guardian and loyal ally.

Roberto Cornejo, Director of Soccer Operations, said Xolos symbolize hard working people from both sides of the border who, day-to-day, fight to succeed in life.

“The spirit we demonstrate in every match tries to emulate those immigrants who came to our region searching for new opportunities,” he said.

Spanish and English can be heard in the dorms and locker rooms at the Caliente Stadium. Soccer players with dual nationality pepper the roster.

“La Jauria” has star players like Paul Arriola, Amando Moreno, Joe Corona, Michael Orozco and Alejandro Guido, who represented the U.S. national soccer team in World Cup qualifiers and international competitions.

Southwestern College student Alejandro Guido, an attacking middle fielder, said he has soccer running through his veins. He started playing when he was 4, with his father and brother teaching him how to kick a ball.

“I used to live in Tijuana,” he said. “I remember playing in a local league during the mornings and then I crossed the border to play in the United States in the evening.”

Guido, 23, was part of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program tasked with developing young prospects who could play for the United States national team. A turning point in his soccer career came when he was selected for the U.S. squad at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Mexico.

“Many doors opened after the World Cup,” he said. “I went to Holland to be part of the SBV Vitesse, an Eredivisie professional team, but sadly, things did not work out. Then Xolos offered me an opportunity to fulfill my dream and I did not hesitate.”

Guido’s first match as a professional soccer player was in Copa MX

(Mexican Cup) against the Celaya Futbol Club. Two years later, Guido made his first appearance in Liga Mx against the legendary Mexican team Chivas de Guadalajara. He was 20.

“It was a dream come true,” he said. “A lifetime’s work was finally paying off.”

The Mexican-American player said the team has given him the chance to interact with people, especially children, who find happiness through the “Beautiful Game.”

“It is an incredible feeling,” he said. “You have the opportunity to meet people who infuse you with joy for life.”

Guido said he believes Xolos is a team without borders.

“I have learned how to embrace my two nationalities,” he said. “Xolos takes the best of both cultures to create success.”

Xolos have become a bridge for young athletes on both sides of the border who want to be professional soccer players, said Palou. The team offers a platform for players to mold their technical skills and give them tools to reach the top level of the Mexican soccer league.

“Our fans are everything to us,” he said. “We want to acknowledge that

“Xolos takes the best from both cultures to create success.”

-Alejandro Guido

support by providing a platform where young talent can have an opportunity to develop technical skills and fulfill their dreams.”

The team is building an ambitious youth program that includes the CIX, Centro de Iniciación Xoloitzcuintle on the Mexican side and the Xolos Academies in Chula Vista, Temecula, Oxnard, Minnesota, New Jersey and North Carolina.

Director of Xolos Reserves Ignacio Ruvalcaba, said the academies reinforce the connection of the borderlands and their social impact is inarguable.

“Our doors are open for everyone,” he said. “We do not care about the nationality, we care about the talent.”

Xolos offers education scholarships, psychological preparation, housing, physical trainers, sports physicians, and nutritionists to young players who want to be part of the first team. Some players even receive monthly stipend provided for their transportation. Economically speaking, it costs almost nothing to practice with the reserves. Cornejo said having a foundation is key.

“Our mission is to build a solid base with players from our reserve teams,” said Roberto Cornejo. “We consider California and the Southwestern region of the United States as important targets where we can find and develop young talents.”

Xolos reserve teams are divided into multiple categories according to the players’ age. These categories include players born in 2002, 2003, 2004,

2005, 2006 and 2007. CIX admits candidates born 2013 or later and it currently has six schools in Tijuana. The under-15, under-17, and under-20’s squads are part of the Mexican league. The team currently has 25 MexicanAmerican players on their roster and 15 Xolitos are already branded with “international experience,” either representing Mexico or the United States.

Scouting is essential when it comes to evaluating talent. Once discovered, prospects have a short period of time to demonstrate their abilities on the “green carpet.”

“We give 22 days where the prospect can practice with the team according to his age,” said Ruvalcaba. “Then we make a comparison with other players to finally decide if he stays or not.”

Jesus Enriquez, who plays as a left-winger for the Xolos U-20s, moved from San Francisco to Tijuana at a young age to pursue his dream. Risking it all, he left his family and friends behind after Xolos offered him an opportunity to prove himself on the soccer field.

“When I first got the call for the tryout I had to talk with my parents for a while” he said. “They were not really going for it, but I was able to convince them. That is when everything started.”

Enriquez said moving was not easy, but he adapted quickly to the city. Being away, he said, has helped him to cherish his family, appreciate American bounty, and the opportunity the club has given to him.

“I have learned that in the United States some things are just given to you and we do not care about it,” he said. “Here in Mexico, people actually appreciate what they have.”

The connection between San Diego and Tijuana may grow stronger thanks to soccer. After Alex Spanos announced the Chargers’ departure to Los Angeles, new plans arose to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium with a Major League Soccer team. SoccerCity would include a new stadium surrounded by parks and recreational areas. Having another professional soccer team in the borderlands could further Futbol fanaticism.

Ignacio Palou said he believes a San Diego team and Xolos can exist side-by-side with a positive impact on the border.

“Just imagine the possibilities,” he said.

“Competition is always good and we can have an amicable partnership. Xolos fans are loyal and they will not stop supporting our team.”

Like art and food, soccer can erase the border. A little hairless doggie is showing the way.

Sept. 1, 2017 — Volume 61, Issue 1

ARTS

The Southwestern College Sun

A13

Dull architecture is strangling our culture

By Marty Loftin Arts Editor

Southern California has become a melting pot of world cultures and immigrants make an exceptionally large part, but in the San Diego region their influence on architecture is restricted to a few surviving examples of Spanish colonialism and the revival movements inspired by the building style of those Catholic missionaries.

San Diego has long since evolved past being a Spanish colony. It represents much more now, but it might be hard to tell by looking.

Future architects might consider drawing inspiration from the wide variety of cultures that exist here, lest the region become dominated by modern and postmodern designs. Of the 32 tallest buildings that define the San Diego skyline, only the 31st tallest building, the El Cortez hotel, evokes the spirit of immigrant culture with its Spanish Colonial Revival style.

San Diego County is the second largest county in California and the fifth largest in the United States. It has a population of 3.1 million people and 21.5 percent are immigrants who collectively speak 68 different languages, according to the Health and Human Services Agency of San Diego.

37 percent of San Diego residents under the age of 18 are Hispanic and that population is expected to continue to grow.

The architectural obsession of the early 20th century with the old and exotic which fueled the Mission Revival, Spanish Revival, Pueblo Revival and Mayan Revival styles that exploded across California has since faded away.

While there are examples of Spanish-inspired architecture scattered throughout San Diego, which consists of primarily churches and museums, it is disappointing that immigrant cultures are not also represented through architecture.

Inspiration can come from anywhere in the world, whether it be the Great Mosque of Djenné in the Sudano-Sahelian style of West Africa, known for its use of mud bricks, adobe plaster and cross beams that just out like spikes on a cactus, or influenced by Indian stupas, Japanese pagodas or Southeast Asian wats. It should not be that the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park is the only public place to future Asian architecture in San Diego. The different cultures of San Diego should be valued and must be represented more fully.

Non-white, non-Christian immigrants and their families should be able to worship in places that are comfortable and have all the amenities they might expect from their homelands. The Islamic Center of San Diego, for example, would not be recognizable as a mosque if not for its humble dome and spire.

People can learn to accept what they cannot control and adapt to changes, but their culture should not be hidden from the eyes of the public.

Balboa Park is home to some of the finest architecture in the region thanks to the Panama– California Exposition in 1915, which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and helped put San Diego on the map. At the time, San Diego was the least populated city to host an international expo and many opposed it so planners had to get by without federal funding.

Bertram Goodhue was the architect that masterminded the construction of many of the iconic buildings found in Balboa Park. His genius can be seen in the California Building and adjoining California Tower, which successfully combine elements from Gothic, Plateresque, Baroque, Churrigueresque and Rococo, all of which were know for their lavish ornamentation, to emulate a Spanish Colonial church.

Although Goodhue drew inspiration primarily from Western European cultures, this type of design process that draws elements from across a wide array of sources from around the world is an excellent way to promote diversity through architecture. As the non-white population continues to grow in size and influence, they will want to live in homes and work in buildings that reflect their homeland and will not accept There are also many variations of thatched, wooden huts found across the Pacific islands, such as the Fijian bure, Samoan fale or the triangular men’s huts of Palau. Just because a place does not feature buildings made of stone or clay does not mean that it cannot be translated into modern architecture.

Although upper-class neighborhoods like Mission Hills and Point Loma have the luxury to copy architectural movements that thrived in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, the cultural influence on this region has largely been watered-down to allow for the mass production of acceptable knock offs.

Many homes and businesses in Southern California imitate the pale adobe walls of the Spanish Missions, with their curved arches, white stucco and ruddy-colored tile

roofs, but other cultures have almost nonexistent influence on architecture.

These types of homes metaphorically dip their feet in the waters of immigrant culture without diving in.

Catholic missionaries cast the first seeds of western civilization across the West Coast in the 17th century, but over the centuries the architectural mingling of Spanish and Native American culture has been reduced to a few examples surrounded by modern architecture.

T h e St . Fr a n c i s Cathedral in Balboa Park, the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park and the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown were built to celebrate the Spanish influence on the region. Now is the time to go beyond Spanish and recognize other cultures that have become a part of San Diego.

How refreshing it would be to see modern architectural styles that blend i n f l u e n c e s f ro m Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American and African peoples instead of rehashing European designs over and over.

Pe o p l e from all over the world call Southern California their home and it is time for buildings to look as multicultural as the people that live in them.

The Balboa Theater

The California Building

Photos by Maria Joaquin and Mason Masis/Staff

San Diego Museum of Man

Facade of the Museum of Man

House of Hospitality

San Diego Museum of Art

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Sept. 1, 2017 — Volume 61, Issue 1

“All the focus is on the first match. You want to play at the highest possible level. That is how we look at it.”

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

SPORTS

“I want my players to work hard. Wins come with hard work. We want to make every team earn anything from us.”

“I am not a coach that looks to wins or losses. I look at their performance and their ability to play together as a team.”

-Water polo coach Jefi Harper

“I want to field a team that will play hard every game.

I am expecting our players to embrace the challenges that await us this season.”

-Water polo coach Jorge Ortega

-Soccer coach Carolina Soto

“We are still rebuilding.

I just want them to have expectations themselves, so I can push them to be whatever they expect to be.”

-Volleyball coach Jennifer Saleaumua

-Soccer coach Cem Tont

“We have some really good athletes this year. They are going to lead by example.”

“This is a group of full-grown men that are desperate to move on to the next level. This is their chance to prove themselves on the field.”

-Cross Country coach Tonie Campbell

-Football coach Ed Carberry

Matthew reilly / staff

8

Formidable Fall

Intercollegiate teams competing this fall.

223

Student-athletes suiting up for Southwestern College athletic teams.

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Water Polo

Women’s Volleyball

San Diego County has been relieved of its once-beloved Chargers, but South County sports fans can still look forward to some exciting football at Southwestern College. The defending league champions kick off a defense of their Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title against the Palomar Comets.

Eight other inter-collegiate teams are also primed for a competitive fall season.

Athletic Director Jim Spillers said he is upbeat about the fall cohort of athletes.

“Southwestern College should be really competitive in our conference,” he said. “We have good numbers and good squads. The focus is not on wins and losses, the focus is providing opportunities for our student-athletes.”

The “Beautiful Game” looks very attractive for SWC this fall. A topranked Southern California program, the Jaguars look to dominate the PCAC this year after finishing second in 2016. Team captain Marco Sanchez will provide the leadership for a side composed mostly of talented newcomers.

“We have a young but a very strong team,” he said. “I feel we can go to the playoffs this year.”

The Jaguars had a rough start. They lost their first two games against East Los Angeles College and Compton College.

Must Watch Game: San Diego Mesa College, Oct. 8, at SWC.

Last season was flat-out challenging.

SWC finished last in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, the pool on campus was demolished and the team had to play at Las Palmas pool in National City. Coach Jorge Ortega said he is expecting similar challenges and the player turn-out will be low, as SWC continues as a team without a home.

“I’m expecting our student-athletes to learn from this experience and to enable them to embrace challenges that will continue to confront them in life,” he said.

Mu s t Wa t c h G a m e : M i r a m a r College, Sept. 27.

Southwestern’s volleyball team, led by coach Jennifer Saleaumua, finished strong last year with a five-set victory over San Bernardino Valley College.

“They got more aggressive towards the end of the season,” said Saleaumua. “They learned how to win.”

Despite having only nine players on their roster, the Lady Jaguars look forward to the fall season. They face a daunting challenge against the formidable Grossmont Griffins, the reigning champions of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Notable Matches: Imperial Valley, Oct. 6. Grossmont College, Oct. 11.

Football

Women’s Soccer

Women’s Water Polo

Cross Country

College football looms and a pack of gigantic Jaguars commanded by coach Ed Carberry is getting ready to roar once again. Last season started with eight straight victories, but a Cinderella season ended with an agonizing 24-16 loss to Los Angeles Va l l e y C o l l e g e i n t h e A m e r i c a n Division Championship Bowl. This year’s success relies on the team’s tremendous speed on defense and what Carberr y calls the deepest receiving corps in years.

Mu s t Wa t c h G a m e : Pa l o m a r College, Sept. 2, at SWC.

Fall 2016 was bittersweet for women’s soccer team. Handicapped by limited resources, the Lady Jaguars built momentum for 2017. With seven returners, the team has a solid base for a competitive squad. “ This year I expect to be ver y competitive,” said Coach Carolina Soto. “We are very focused on staying strong.”

The Lady Jaguars crushed Norco College 7-0 in their first match of the season.

Must Watch Game: San Diego Mesa College, Oct. 8th.

The Lady Jaguars will face a season on the road due to construction of new pools on campus. Their first competition will be the Saddleback Invitational on Sept.

8. Coach Jennifer Harper said it took her squad a while to come together as a team last season.

“It is different every year,” she said. “For me, the most important thing is to unite the group first and then we pick up the leadership.”

The team will play at Las Palmas Pool in National City.

Must Watch Game: Miramar College, Sept. 27.

To n i e C a m p b e l l s a i d h e w a s pleasantly surprised during his first year as the head coach of the crosscountry team.

“Our athletes knew they had the talent,” he said. “I was extremely happy with their performance.”

Both teams finished third last season and Campbell predicts improvement, thanks to motivated runners and strong leadership from the team captains Agustin Barreto and Alyson Atencio.

The Cross Country teams will begin their season at the Palomar Invite on Sept. 8.

By Ivana E. Morales Sports Editor

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Sept. 1, 2017 — Volume 61, Issue 1

ARTS

Marty Loftin, editor

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

Art galleries fuel a Barrio Logan Renaissance

wonderland. Gallivanting gallery goers come PANCA PACKS PUNCH —“Intima” (above) and the clay figures (below) in the PANCA exhibit at Bread & Salt, an art for the art and stay for the craft beer, coffee, gallery located in a former bakery warehouse in Barrio Logan. PANCA is a Tijuana artist whose gritty style of art is well record stores, lively music and Mexican street suited for urban galleries.

There is something about Barrio Logan that food. Neighboring the La Bodega Gallery is LB will not tolerate ugly. Beauty has sprouted like Studios, home of radio stations such as Impulso desert flowers on bridge supports and freeway and art studios where artisans sell handmade abutments, utility boxes, sidewalks, walls, crafts. Across the street is Salud, a hip cocina fences, mailboxes and concrete benches. specializing in Mexican street food that regularly Chicano artists did not stop with Chicano has a line snaking out the door. Just down the Park. They have also breathed beauty into grey, street is the cozy coffee shop Por Vida, home of industrial warehouses with art studios, galleries the horchata latte and delicious jamaica iced teas. and creative cocinas. Artisans and entrepreneurs Border X Brewing Company serves up converted these locales into venues that open delicious Mexican-inspired brews such as the their doors to monthly art crawls garnering German style gose dubbed “El Saladito” and the attention of the San Diego art world.

Horchata Golden Stout to accompany an order Logan Heights, locally known as Barrio of tacos prepared from their beer garden.

Logan, has had a strained relationship with Barrio Logan’s lively gastronomic and art the city of San Diego that dates back to the attractions have increased the foot traffic of early 1930s. Evident in the architecture, a stroll surrounding art studios which pre-date the through the area shows remnants of a World founding of La Bodega. Bread & Salt is a gallery War II military-industrial takeover, which established in a former bakery warehouse that obliterated neighborhood homes to make way dates back to 1876. Building manager Jim for warehouse factories, junkyards and city Brown said that the gallery has been active in the infrastructure incompatible with the existing Logan Heights community since 2011. Bread community. In 1970 the people of Barrio Logan & Salt is much more than a gallery, he said, it said ya basta! (enough) and took over the land is a space that doubles as a venue that regularly underneath the Coronado Bridge and created hosts community events such as baptisms and the now-iconic Chicano Park murals. quinceañeras. It also hosts guest lectures, art New galleries and studios do not seek to workshops, fundraisers and community classes gentrify Barrio Logan, but to pay homage to such as the “Escuelita Aztlan” which teaches its rich culture and promote awareness of the young students about Chicano culture. artistic inspiration Most galleries fired by strong and studios in community values. “Nobody was coming to this area. Logan Heightws La Bodega Gallery, When we opened La Bodega a are communityopened in 2014, has oriented. Adrian Sierra lot of our friends were happy revolutionized the Garcia, an ephemeral San Diego art scene with the area and what we were artist and architect, by offering the same doing, so they started to open up carefully crafted using accessibility and light fixtures to fit strong community businesses right next to us.” the aesthetics of the ties of the local -Soni Loez-Chavez space. Sierra set up tiendita through his installation at the monthly galleries BasileIE gallery on that present upscale art to enthusiasts of all types. Logan Avenue and it is one of a kind.This exhibit Soni Lopez-Chavez, who co-founded La was curated by Chris Martino, manager of CM Bodega Gallery with her husband, Chris Curatorial, a company that draws in artists to Zertuche, said they saw promise in the area their Barrio Logan gallery. despite the Barrio’s dull urban faćade. “(CM Curatorial) is doing a great job.” “(Logan Avenue) was completely dead,” she Sierra said. “They’re really bringing high quality said. “But at that time we felt like San Diego artists into (what is) a very, at the moment, was really craving a space to showcase artists underground stage and that’s kind of a pity.” and bring the community together. It worked Sierra says that the underground reputation perfectly.” of Barrio Logan makes it harder for companies Lopez said she and Zertuche have been active like CM Curatorial to recruit world-class artists, in the San Diego art scene for 10 years and but the artists that do venture out of the beaten initially used the space to showcase the work path are attracted to the freedom to experiment. of friends.

Sierra, a Tijuana native, said he has spent the “Little by little outside artists started hearing last decade in France using his architectural about our gallery name and they wanted to background to study and create site-specific participate and it’s been like that ever since,” installations in unconventional urban settings. she said.

One was displayed at the Simon De Beauvoir Lopez-Chavez said La Bodega relies heavily footbridge in Paris. It immersed passersby in on social media to promote events. It showcases an interactive red light display. Sierra adapted sartists from throughout the globe. Families it to the BasileIE gallery’s space. The final come with children to teach them about their manifestation of each installation, he said, is heritage and expand their appreciation for art. based on the architecture of the site. Barrio It fueled a Logan Renaissance.

Logan has changed dramatically in the past “Nobody was coming to this area,” she said. decade, he said.

“When we opened La Bodega a lot of our “I think that the art around here is pretty friends were happy with the area and what good,” he said. “You know people are not we were doing, so they started to open up just doing it for art’s sake. Everyone is really businesses right next to us.” passionate and they’re really trying to put Today Logan Heights is an art lover’s something forward that is really meaningful.”

Story and Photos by Chelsea Pelayo Staff Writer

The Southwestern College Sun

ARTS

Sept. 1, 2017 — Volume 61, Issue 1

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Chicano Park’s guardian angel

Story and Photos by Chelsea Pelayo Staff Writer

CHICANO PARK —Antonio Chavez Camarillo takes a moment to appreciate the park he has spent 40 years caring for. (below) Aztec dancers and visitors celebrate the birthday of Cesar Chavez.

Antonio Chavez Camarillo wakes up everyday at 3 a.m. to get to work at Chicano Park by 4 a.m. He sets up a trash bag packed with cleaning supplies on a worn bench, takes a sip from a small Styrofoam cup of coffee and starts his work day with a prayer.

Chavez Camarillo, beloved by locals as “Tio,” is the official unofficial groundskeeper and guardian of Chicano Park, a national landmark established by a community uprising that took place April 22, 1970 in Barrio Logan.

A sprightly 78, Chavez Camarillo came from Guanajuato, Mexico to the US in 1956 when he was 17. He has tended and guarded the park for 40 years, and made it his duty to keep it safe and welcoming for everyone. He has no job, no title or salary— just an immeasurable love for the rich history the park encapsulates.

“Aquí llegué y aquí voy a morir,” he said. (“I arrived here and here I will die.”)

His devotional altruism, though rare in nature, is a testament to the do-ityourself spirit and community pride that created the remarkable park. Today it is a national historic landmark, a point of pride and America’s largest outdoor gallery of murals.

Chavez Camarillo and many others, however, can still recount the tense struggle to wrestle the park away from the California Highway Patrol following a promise broken.

“It has a lot of history,” he said. “There has been a lot of suffering here. You can’t imagine the amount of history that has happened here— there can be books and books filled with it.”

In the early 1920s, San Diego’s bayfront Logan Heights community was home to the second largest Chicano barrio (“neighborhood”) on the West Coast, with a population of 20,000. When World War II ended, in 1945, a sudden change in zoning laws transformed elegant Logan Heights from a residential community to a gritty industrial area. A once neat and prim neighborhood of split-level Victorian houses, neat yards and free-roaming children was forcefully and forever changed.

By the 1950s Logan Heights had suffered an invasion of warehouses and auto junk yards that crowded out homes and local businesses. When Interstate 5 was built in 1963 the freeway bisected Barrio Logan and displaced even more residents. When construction of the Coronado Bridge was finished in 1969, Barrio Logan was again vivisected. Its population shrank to 5,000, a 75 percent decline from the early 1920s.

Alberto Pulido, a member of the Chicano Park Steering Committee and Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego, said the story

of Chicano Park is inspiring.

“It’s a story of rebirth,” he said.

“It’s a story most definitely about resistance and it’s a stor y about self-determination. Those are all really important values that we hold regardless of where we are from.”

In the face of unwelcomed changes forced on Logan Heights by city, state and federal government, community leaders began to push for a neighborhood park in 1967. Two years later, on Nov. 9, 1969, the petition to establish a park under the Coronado Bridge was consolidated by a new state law that allowed the site and “other unused parcels of land near highways to be used as community recreational areas.”

City leaders thereafter were not responsive. Five months passed and there was no progress towards the park.

On April 22, 1970 bulldozers appeared unannounced among the pylons under the bridge. Construction crews had come to develop a California Highway Patrol Station where the park had been promised. Unbeknownst to Barrio Logan residents, the land promised to be a park had been acquired by the state shortly after the Coronado Bridge opened.

Logan Heights residents were furious

men, women and children. Police backed off.

Demonstrators planted cactus, magueys and flowers, and raised the Chicano Flag on a telephone pole.

Also known as the flag of Aztlan, the Chicano banner is a green, white and red flag that resembles a Mexican Flag.

Instead of an eagle is the symbol of the three-face image. It represents the Spanish (European), the Native and the Mestizo identity. The flag raising is reenacted every year at noon on Chicano Park Day. Chicano Park’s story of community collaboration is now depicted on the forest of pylons holding up the Coronado Bridge. Patricia Aguayo, who painted several murals in the park, said art played an essential role.

“In 1970, when the park was taken over by the community, the city finally saw that the (people) weren’t going anywhere,” she said. “Their presence and chaining themselves to these bulldozers established ownership of the park.”

Residents gained legal ownership of Chicano Park in 1972. Residents and artists continued to homestead cultural ownership of the place. Salvador Barajas painted his famous “Founders Mural” on a wall. Mexican and MexicanAmerican political, human rights and artistic heroes were painted large like a walk-up textbook. Barajas recently added Chicano rights icons Herman Baca and Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez to his wall of fame.

Aguayo said the artists of -Antonio Chavez Camarillo 1972 helped to memorialize heritage.

“The other thing they did was about the surreptitious acquisition of claim the space with art, and not just any the community’s land by the city. That art but history, Chicano history, Mexican fury led to a community uprising. history,” she said.

People streamed out of their homes, Aguayo owns a free lending library in schools and jobs to occupy the land.

Barrio Logan that houses Chicano studies Jo s e A r t e a g a , t re a s u re r o f t h e and literature for those seeking to learn Oldies Lowrider Car Club, said he more about the heritage. She said she aims remembered the day. to translocate the knowledge from a place “I was 17 years old going to San of academic privilege to a location that is Diego High School when they called accessible to all. us to come to see what was going on Like an artfully-curated urban museum, at Chicano Park,” he said. “When we a record of Chicano Park’s history is got there they were already digging up beautifully depicted on the walls and the land and the police were trying to pylons refusing to recede into obscurity. kick everyone out.”

Muralist Guillermo Rogel’s piece closely Demonstrators arrived at Chicano depicts the story of the “Chicano Park Park at 7 a.m. and were joined Takeover.” throughout the day by residents, Tio Camarillo has earned a spot on the students like Arteaga and sympathizers. mural, but his work continues. The way They formed a human chain in he is depicted on the mural is how he is front of bulldozers and forced the today. Resplendent in a white sombrero construction to stop. Others began and billowy white mustache, Camarillo working the land with shovels, picks tends to the land and keeps the park and rakes. Construction of the park clean. He stands in solidarity with the was underway. volunteers and activists that created the Activists from throughout North national landmark.

America drove, flew and hopped “Here the community sees me as trains to Chicano Park to support s o m e t h i n g g o o d ,” h e s a i d . “ L a the takeover which was made up by comunidad es mi familia.”

“Aquí llegué y aquí voy a morir.” (“I arrived here and here I will die.”)

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Design by Marty Loftin Tel: (619) 482-6368 email: arts@theswcsun.com

¡Viva la revolución del Mariachi!

Photos by Victoria Sanchez/Staff

MARIACHI MAGICO, FOLKLÓRICO FUERTE— Mariachi and ballet folklórico groups from across the U.S. and Mexico came together to share their love of traditional Mexican song and dance as well as raise money for the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation at a benefit concert held at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Other events were hosted by Southwestern College.

By Marty Loftin Arts Editor

An international pilgrimage of talented performers congregated in San Diego County to celebrate their shared love for traditional Mexican culture through glorious song and dance.

Mariachi Garibaldi of Southwestern College has helped put the art form on the musical map worldwide by performing in Europe, South America and Asia. It teamed with groups from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico to celebrate their art before attending

a benefit concert for the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation at the San Diego Civic Theatre.

Nearly $500,000 in college scholarships has been awarded to students via the Mariachi Scholarship Foundation during its 20-year history.

A two-day program of workshops was available for students who came to SWC to learn more tricks of the trade and share their favorite songs during student performances.

Hosted by Mariachi Champaña Nevín, a professional ensemble that features SWC professor and virtuoso

trumpeter Dr. Jeff Nevin, the benefit concert featured talent from far and wide.

Seldom do groups like Ballet Folklórico from the University of Guadalajara and world-renowned Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán join forces with San Diego’s world-class Symphonic Mariachi Champaña Nevín, the Orquesta de Baja California and the San Diego Binational Symphony Orchestra to show the profound beauty and cultural power of mariachi and ballet folklórico. It was a treat as rare and spectacular as a total eclipse.

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 o Park

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theswcsun.com

Volume 61/Special Edition

September 2017

Community rejects the end of DACA protections

By Katy Stegall News Editor

President Trump decided to push for an end to DACA. San Diego County pushed back.

More than 1,000 suppor ters of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order rallied outside the San Diego County Administration Building as the sun set on the horizon and DACA was sunset by Trump.

DACA recipients stood before the crowd with compelling personal testimonies and examples that showed why the program is essential to America.

DACA recipient and immigration attorney Dulce Garcia said the message delivered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions was cruel, un-American and a serious political miscalculation.

“We are unafraid and we’re here to stay,” she said. “We’re not going to forget your attack on us today.”

SWC student Arantxa Calles said targeting innocent young Latinos who are productive members of American society reflects a symptom of a corrupt system based on racism.

“The point of cutting DACA is to build an environment of fear so (vulnerable Latinos) can be further exploited,” Calles said. “Like my favorite chant says, we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.”

College graduate Jesus Mendez, 24, admitted to being nervous.

“I don’t know what will happen to my work permit if it expires after the repeal,” he said.

He encouraged other DACA recipients to stand strong and stick together.

“Don’t isolate,” Mendez said. “I can understand the pressure, but we can get through this.”

Aerospace engineer Ir ving Uriel Hernandez de la Torre said he is a DREAMER because his family sacrificed everything. The Trump administration, he said, is dehumanizing his parents.

“This announcement is only the beginning,” he said. “Today set us back many steps to the few that have been gained.”

Hernandez de la Torre and the crowd began chanting “si su puede,” as the audience’s fists raised with solidarity in the air.

S o u t h w e s t e r n C o l l e g e ’s Governing Board and President Dr. Kindred Murillo attended the rally. Governing Board President Tim Nader said college leadership enthusiastically supports DACA students and will not submit to the Trump administration if it authorized illegal immigration raids on campus. “ We will not cooperate with any registries based on factors like religion, ethnicity or immigration s t a t u s ,” s a i d Na d e r. “ We w i l l scrutinously follow the law, which I don’t think this administration is doing.”

Trustee Norma Hernandez agreed.

“We’ve taken a strong stance,” she said. “We want to support our students. We want to be advocates and strong activists wherever we can.”

Calles also said turning people away from one of the biggest global superpowers is a testament to how inefficient and cruel the government is right now.

“800,000 human beings woke up to news that their lives, dreams, their piece of mind and safety are all insignificant in the face of oppression,” they said. “That’s simply not the justice and liberty to reach about.”

PERCHANCE TO DREAM - Protesters swarmed the County Administration Building to oppose Trump's repeal of

Natalie Mosqueda/Staff

DREAMer's Nightmare

In an unprecedented span of barely three days, San Diego County Latinos and their supporters were dealt a traumatic onetwo punch by President Donald Trump and his supporters.

On Sunday, pro-Trump white nationalists threatened to destroy the iconic murals of Chicano Park in “retribution” for the removal of Confederate monuments in San Diego and across the nation. Members of the American Nazi Party and the anti-migrant Minute Man Project were prevented from getting anywhere near the murals by more than 1,000 demonstrators who linked arms and formed human chains around each of the towering works of art. Air Force veteran and legendary artist Salvador Barajas stood in front of the mural he painted for Border Angels.

“We are standing here in Chicano Park because we are standing against racism,” he said. “Look at all these wonderful people here standing guard over our park. This is the best of

America facing down the worst of America.”

On Tuesday, Trump broke a campaign promise as well as a commitment he made to President Obama by calling for the end of DACA. This special edition of The Sun tells the story of our community’s resistance to the assault on Chicano Park and DACA in words and photos. Nearly 6 in 10 of Southwestern College’s 19,074 students are Latinos, hundreds are DACA students. The Sun is committed to covering these issues as they continue to develop.

Alyssa Pajarillo Editor-in-Chief

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September 2017—Vol. 61, Issue 1

Alyssa Pajarillo, editor

NEWS

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

Community forms human barriers

By Katy Stegall News Editor

W

hite supremacists who threatened to destroy murals in Chicano Park were met by a turnout that rivaled the 1970 uprising that created the iconic national landmark.

More than 1,000 people of many races and ethnicities came to the park to protect its world-famous murals, the largest collection of outdoor artwork in the nation. Counter-demonstrators linked arms to form human shields around the towering murals in a multicultural show of solidarity with the region’s Latinos. No murals were damaged.

Meanwhile, police formed a protective circle around the small group of white nationalists. A member of the group who would not give his name said they were supporters of Donald Trump who were “just having a little picnic.”

White supremacists from the American Nazi Party and the Minuteman Project took to right wing websites to urge local politicians to take down the murals, claiming the artwork was “un-American and endorsed human sacrifice.”

Some said they were acting in retribution to the removal of a plaque honoring Confederate president Jefferson Davis from Horton Plaza. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulkner ordered the plaque to be removed early one morning without fanfare.

Border Angels founder Enrique Morones said the counter-protesters were successful in their goal. “ We s t a n d h e r e u n i t e d against hate, against racism,” he said to a cheering throng.

“You can feel the love here.”

A series of Chicano activists took the stage and addressed the crowd, encouraging strength and community as “Chicano Park Samba” rumbled from loudspeakers. The

voice of the late Chunky Sanchez rekindled memories of the 1970 uprising when members of the Logan Heights community blocked construction of a California Highway Patrol station on the land beneath the Coronado Bridge. The land had been promised in 1967 by the state to the community as parkland.

Music and the smell of burning sage anointed the air as the crowd collected underneath Coronado Bridge. The counter-protesters turned from d e f e n s i ve t o c e l e b r a t o r y a s police escorted the white supremacists away from the park.

Legendary Chicano painter and activist Salvador Barajas smiled as he stood beside “The Historical Mural,” a piece he helped paint in 1972 and restored in 2012.

“Following the displacement of 1,500 families in the neighborhood due to the freeway and bridge construction, the area was lifeless,” Barajas said.

“Each of these pillars were just grey. There was nothing to show our culture.”

Barajas painted the park’s newest mural, a salute to the humanitarian work of the B o rd e r A n g e l s . He w a s re cently commissioned to paint a new mural that he hopes to start soon. The septuagenarian linked arms with friends and family to protect his Border Angels mural.

Chicano supporters poured into the I-5 onramp as they walked around the circle of police, chanting “No Trump, n o K K K , n o f a s c i s t U S A .”

Cheers erupted among the crowd as officers escorted the nationalists away from Chicano Park.

Chicano political cartoonist Joaquin Junco Jr. said he came to protect the park. “ This place represents my hopes and dreams,” he said.

“It’s documenting history of where we came from and what struggles we’ve been through.

Today was a win for us.”

The Southwestern College Sun

NEWS

September 2017—Vol. 61, Issue 1

to protect historic Chicano Park

WE SHALL CONTINUE TO FIGHT, MY FRIEND—News that white supremacists threatened to destroy murals in Chicano Park drew more than 1,000 to the landmark on short notice. A multicultural, multiracial crowd of likeminded people put their bodies in front of the murals to protect them. San Diego's mayor and police chief were among those decrying the threats and offering support for the National Heritage Site.

“This place represents my hopes and dreams,” he said. “It’s documenting history of where we came from and what struggles we’ve been through."

-Junco Canché

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September 2017—Vol. 61, Issue 1 Special Edition

Educators, military, employers oppose ending DACA

HOPE DIES LAST OF ALL - More than 1,000 protestors assembled at the County Administration Building on the harbor within hours of President Trump's call to end DACA. More and much larger protests are being planned.