The SWC Sun, Fall 2020, Issue 3

San Ysidro redevelopment powered by artists T H E

A N A C P H A L L O F FA M E N E W S PA P E R

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

LAWSUIT CHARGES DISCRIMINATION Black counselors allege unfair employment practices hurt careers

BY ANA PAOLA OLVERA Campus Editor

Five current and former Black counselors have filed a lawsuit against Southwestern College, alleging racial discrimination in the workplace.

Veronica Burton, Dr. Abdimalik Buul, Stacey Mathis, Dr. James Rose and Brandon

B A C K P A G E

Williams described a series of events they said made them feel excluded, taunted, discriminated against, and painted as conspiratorial and scary. “(SC) is in a period of flux,” said Dante Pride, their attorney. “There are groups of employees that feel the relations aren’t good as they should be and they need to be improved.”

A pair of qualitative surveys have concluded that Black SC employees are subjected to “anti-Blackness” and are dissatisfied with the racial climate of the campus. The BELONG Report, a campus climate survey commissioned by the college,

said 80 percent of Black employees were dissatisfied with the racial climate of the campus. About 29 percent of students of color reported that they “did not always feel noticed or supported” by White professors.

Pr e s i d e n t D r. K i n d r e d M u r i l l o acknowledged the college’s struggles with racial tension and said college leaders continue to work to make the college more diverse, inclusive and equitable.

“I think we have admitted in the past that there have been some issues around antiBlackness and we’ve never said that it was in any one group (administrators, faculty or PLEASE SEE Lawsuit PG. 3

BREAKING NEWS

FORMER STUDENT NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT

BY JULIA WOOCK Editor-in-Chief

Cuesta College Vice President Dr. Mark Sanchez, a former Southwestern College student from Barrio Logan, was chosen by the governing board as the next superintendent/president.

He is expected to take over at a yeta-to-be-determined date during the spring semester.

Board President Leticia Cazares said in a statement that Sanchez was selected from three finalists “after

DR. MARK SANCHEZ

PLEASE SEE Sanchez PG. 6

COURTESY PETER BOLLAND

THE VOTE IS IN — Professor Peter Bolland and protégé Ammar Campa-Najjar remain close years after the Congressional candidate was a student.

COURTESY MARIA LLAMAS

I.B.’s Wave of Progress

D

r. Serge Dedina, the intellectual polymath mayor of Imperial Beach, is one of the borderlands’ most prominent environmentalists. He is founder of WILDCOAST/COSTASALVE, a binational organization uniting environmentalists in the U.S. and Mexico. And he still surfs regularly with his adult sons. Sports, Page 18

Powerful posts await trustees Vargas, Nader

BY BIANCA HUNTLEY ORTEGA Copy Editor

TIM NADER

Superior Court Elect

Governing board members Nora Vargas and Tim Nader won election to powerful new positions during the November elections.

Both said their battles at Southwestern College have prepared them well for the challenges ahead.

Vargas will become the first Latina San Diego County

Supervisor this month when she replaces Greg Cox, who is arguably the most powerful elected official in the region.

Nader will achieve his lifelong dream of serving as a Superior Court Judge, having soundly defeated a rightwing opponent.

Nader was dropped into a pivotal moment in the history of Southwestern College when he was elected to the board in 2010.

An incompetent and corrupt administration led by Raj Kumar

Chopra and Nicholas Alioto had terrorized the campus and had the college on the verge of being shut down by its accreditation body. Vargas was appointed to the board in 2013 in the midst of twin crises -- one financial, the other racial.

Chopra’s three-and-a-half year reign of terror culminated in the 2010 governing board election when three of his complicit supporters on the board were PLEASE SEE Elections PG. 3

STAY CONNECTED

@THESWCSUN

ART OF BUSINESS Karla Luna fought back against pandemic by creating a homebased business. News, 3 THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

STRONG CASE FOR CHICANO STUDIES Latino students and a new professor advocate for inclusive curriculum. Campus, 14

THEATRE OF ZOOM ‘Antigone at the Wall’ shows history repeats while we are distracted. Arts, 13

ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS IN SESSION Bolland one of California electors who put Biden-Harris over the top

BY JULIA WOOCK Editor-in-Chief

College professor Peter Bolland said he is no fan of the Electoral College.

He will be in Sacramento on Dec. 14, however, casting one of California’s 55 Electoral College votes for President-Elect Joe Biden.

Like Super Bowl tickets or front row seats for the Rolling Stones, some offers are just too good to pass up.

Bolland’s chance to be one of the 538 Americans to cast an official vote for the president came when former Southwestern College student and Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar asked if he would like to be the elector for the 50th Congressional District.

“I am grateful he picked up the phone and called me,” said Bolland. “My phone rang and he (said) how would you like to be in the Electoral College? I (said) that thing everybody hates?”

Campa-Najjar laughed and said yes, then so did Bolland.

Campa-Najjar said he remembers being a reflective young man in Bolland’s world religions class. Growing up Palestinian-Mexican he figured he had developed a panoramic view of religion by attending Catholic school in Gaza and Islamic school in San Diego.

So he thought.

“Professor Bolland really expanded my horizons and (nurtured) a deep love and respect for Eastern religion and Eastern thought,” he said. “It was a very enriching experience that brought the content out in a way that exploded off the pages and sparked my curiosity.”

C a m p a - Na j ja r s a i d B o l l a n d s o o n b e c a m e a n indispensable part of his life.

“We became friends and he became my mentor,” he said. “He has given me a lot of great wisdom and he’s always been someone I could deeply trust. I think it is really important to have someone like that, who is a little PLEASE SEE Bolland PG. 6

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

PRISON SENTENCE CANNOT LOCK UP LEARNING

BY BIANCA HUNTLEY ORTEGA Copy Editor

Echo Yard looks like a typical SC satellite campus. Six classrooms are appointed with smart boards for students to watch videos and professors to display PowerPoint presentations.

There are a few differences.

Its long metal tables are bolted to the ground and a stern peace officer conducts head counts. There are no student laptops or Internet.

Echo Yard is locked away at Donovan State Prison.

Annette Rempt’s students are investing in their futures while they pay their debts to society.

Shawn Khalifa is one of those students. He was incarcerated at age 15 in 2004 and earned his GED in 2007.

“I wanted to go right into college,” he said. “When I arrived to prison in 2008 I pleaded with my counselor.

‘Hey, I’m doing amazing. I was a peer mentor in juvenile hall. I just got my high school diploma. Can you please send me to Lancaster State Prison or Centinela where they have college programs because I want to continue my education.’”

Khalifa said his counselor told him none of that mattered because he was a lifer.

Instead he was sent to Pelican Bay State Prison. His mom paid for him to take correspondence courses through Coastline Community College, but the prison did not allow him full access to essential study materials. He was unable to complete any courses.

T h at c h a n ge d w h e n h e wa s transferred to Donovan in 2017.

“I never let college leave my spirit,” he said. “I never wanted to stop.”

Khalifa was released in February after the California law that sent him to prison for life was changed. He became a Rising Scholar, a program to encourage a successful transition from incarceration to campus learning.

Like other SC students, Rising Scholars register for their own classes, apply for financial aid and sign up for counseling services, according to Program Specialist Raquel Funches.

Reentering society was difficult, Khalifa said. He battled homelessness and food insecurity, a departure from “three hots and a cot” at Donovan State Prison. He said he is adjusting as the formerly incarcerated must do.

Learning the technology required for remote learning was a challenge, he said, as is balancing work and study time.

“I would’ve dropped out of college if I didn’t have the support of Southwestern counselors,” he said.

MATTHEW BROOKS / STAFF

COURTESY SC

RISING SCHOLAR — Former Donovan inmate Shawn Khalifa (top) excelled in his Southwestern College classes during incarceration and is now free to earn a degree on the main campus. (above) Classes at Donovan are suspended due to the pandemic, but may resume in 2021.

Funches runs the SC Rising Scholars chapter and conducts weekly checkins in an effort to create a community for formerly incarcerated students so they do not feel left behind.

Professor Patrice Milkovich, director of the Restorative Justice Program, began the process of offering SC classes at Donovan.

“Southwestern College is a place where any member of our community can go for higher education and not be turned away for their background, academic record or zip code,” she said. “The commitment to ‘meeting students where they are’ includes our community’s residents who are currently incarcerated.”

SC’s Restorative Justice Program aims to help incarcerated individuals earn Associate’s degrees pathways, transfer to universities and enter careers, said Milkovich. It is funded by the Second Chance Pell Grant and SB 1391.

“The whole thing with the Second Chance Pell Initiative is simple,” she said. “If you give individuals tools the need to be successful when they

are released, they are less likely to recidivate. If they don’t reoffend within three years and end up back in prison, then they’ve basically rehabilitated and are successful in re-engaging in their community.”

A pilot program started in spring 2016 at Donovan with a 25-student cohort, two face-to-face classes and an associate degree for transfer in business administration. Prior to the novel coronavirus, there were 25 classes taught at Donovan and the East Mesa Reentry Facility. An associate degree for transfer in sociology was added, Milkovich said, and nearly 3,000 students had gone through the program.

“There is obviously a need, there’s interest, there’s demand,” she said.

Milkovich said the program has a 95 percent completion rate.

COV I D - 19 co n ce r n s h ave temporarily halted face-to-face classes, but not the Restorative Justice Program, Milkovich said. SC staff is working with UC Irvine to bring the bachelor’s degree program to Donovan. Eligible incarcerated students would be able to transfer to UCI and continue their degree on campus or in prison, she said.

Sociology instructor Christopher Connor has been teaching with the program for three years. He said he is inspired by his students.

“If you haven’t been around the incarcerated population, you just don’t know what to expect,” he said. “There are guys in there that are clearly Ph.D.level thinkers.”

Incarcerated students share what they learn with their partners, families and friends, Connor said.

Psychology instructor Stephanie Hall said most of her students were not successful in the education system as youths.

“School is what we do from the time we’re five until we are 18, and if you do not fit in that mold, what other options do you have but to offend against society?” she said.

Professional development instructor Annette Rempt started in the program by g iv i n g o n e - o n - o n e co l l e ge counseling sessions. She said some of her students initially believe they are not capable of learning because of unsuccessful K-12 experiences.

Rempt said she also struggled in high school and knows what it feels like to be labeled. She strives to convince students they can put failure in the past.

Family studies instructor Marcia Sevigny agreed. “(College courses at Donovan) are beneficial in ways we may not even realize.”

LGBTQ, ANTI-RACISM ACTIVISTS DEMAND REMOVAL OF WILSON STATUE

BY JULIA WOOCK Editor-in-Chief

This summer activists worldwide demanded the removal of statues of racist historical figures. A statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in England and a likeness of Belgium’s Leopold II — who brutalized Black Africans in The Congo — was razed. In the U.S., statues of Confederate figures and colonizers met the same fate.

Downtown San Diego’s statue of former California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson should be next, insist Latino and LGBTQ activists.

Human rights leader Enrique Morones of Gente Unida said a statue of Wilson has no place in modern, diverse San Diego.

“After Pete Wilson stated he supported Donald Trump, family separation, the wall and Trump’s very racist policies, I thought ‘that’s enough!’” he said. “We’ve had so many people protest racist representations like the Confederate statues and demanding changing the Washington football team’s racist name. It is time to remove the Pete Wilson statue.”

Wilson was mayor of San Diego from 1971-83 during a period of intense anti-LGBTQ activity by conservatives, including regular police raids of lawabiding gay bars by San Diego Police he sanctioned. As governor in 1994 Wilson led the effort to pass Proposition 187, a Republican measure to strip away basic educational and health care

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THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

safety net benefits from undocumented children. Though it narrowly passed, the measure was later ruled illegal by the State Supreme Court.

“When he was the voice of Proposition 187 back in 1994 he was promoting commercials which had black and white photos of people running on the freeways with a scary voice and painting the migrant community as criminals,” Morones said. “That was uncalled for. Pete Wilson caused great damage to people of color in California, which at that time was a red state.

Wilson’s attacks on minorities turned California into a solid blue state.”

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez also credits Wilson with unintentionally galvanizing the Latino community to vote for Democrats and toss out racists.

“It is the work Latinos did on the ground — our housekeepers, our janitors and our citizens — who, after Pete Wilson attacked us, rebuilt California as a blue California,” said Gonzalez.

Morones said Wilson was San Diego’s J.E.B. Stewart or Jefferson Davis, an anachronistic racist figure from a repressive bygone age. Wilson may have been popular in the rightwing San Diego of the 1970s like Davis was in the slavery South of 1860, said Morones, but times have changed and San Diego has evolved.

“Wilson represents the worst of the American spirit,” he said. “Pete Wilson is very divisive and has a very racist ideology. Proposition 187 is something

JULIA WOOCK / STAFF

OUTDATED? — Civil rights activists argue a statue of former San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson, like Confederate monuments, is an anachronistic celebration of racism and homophobia that must end.

we will never forget. We don’t want symbols of hate here in San Diego or anywhere.”

Modern San Diegans need to stand up to outdated conservative dictates, Morones said.

“The statement by Pete Wilson’s law partner that said he represents what

San Diego is about has some truth to it because San Diego does have racism in its history,” he said. “The KKK. The wall. The beating to death of a migrant (Anastasio Hernandez Rojas). The Minutemen. There is a history of that in San Diego, so Pete Wilson does represent that. The rest of us don’t.”

Morones said the owners of the statue argue it is on private property, but he insists that is irrelevant because it is in a very visible public place.

“To have a symbol of hate — whether it is a swastika or a Pete Wilson statue — is unacceptable, whether it is on private or public land,” he said. “Does that mean I can place a swastika or a horrible image on a wall that is private, but in a very visible place?”

Wilson gained additional notoriety when he vetoed the Gay Rights Bill of 1991 intended to protect the LGBTQ community from job discrimination.

Wilson greenlighted San Diego police to raid LGBTQ community bars and spaces. Police arrested people there for “lewd behavior” during his three terms as San Diego mayor.

Fernando Lopez, Executive Director of San Diego Pride, said Wilson had the opportunity to stand on the right side of history and failed.

“He refused to meet with LGBTQ leaders and discuss how inappropriate, degrading and discriminatory those (SDPD) practices were for our community at the time,” Lopez said.

It is essential that a modern society address the toxic history statues like Wilson represent, Lopez said.

“As a country we believe in the promise of liberty and justice for all, and that all people should be treated equally,” Lopez said. “It is very clear that Pete Wilson was not a part of that and did not share those values and saw the LGBTQ as less than and as other, so I don’t think we should have a statue of Pete Wilson in our city.”

Lopez said those are not the values the city stands behind and the evidence is that San Diego just elected its first mayor of color and member of the LGBTQ community. Data from SDPD and regional law enforcement agencies show that police are still targeting and mistreating members of the LGBTQ community and brutalizing people of color, including Black, Latino and Filipino, Lopez said.

“While I would like to believe we have come a long way, it is very clear that we have a lot further to go to rectify the legacy of Pete Wilson,” Lopez said.

“Removing that legacy means the proactive work of putting an end to the misuse of force and asymmetrical law enforcement through any police agency.”

Morones said it was important for our children to see that we practice what we preach.

“Martin Luther King taught us not to remain silent,” he said. “We’re always going to remember the words of our enemies, but we’re also going to remember our friends being silent. Our friends being silent is not acceptable. It sends the wrong message.”

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

LOCAL OFFICIALS CALL FOR LATINO SENATE APPOINTMENT

BY JULIA WOOCK Editor-in-Chief

CHICANO PARK, SAN DIEGO — Latinos have changed the face of California and now it is time for the nation’s most Latino state to have a Latino United States Senator.

That was the message of San Diego County elected officials who gathered to press Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a Latino or Latina to the U.S. Senate seat that will soon be vacated by Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.

County Supervisor-Elect Nora Vargas said it is long past time for the governor to make history and appoint California’s first-ever Latino U.S. Senator.

“Latino representation matters in this

country,” she said. “It matters to our state and it matters to our children.”

Vargas was joined by Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas, National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, Oceanside Mayor-Elect Esther Sanchez, San Diego City Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, Congressman Juan Vargas and San Diego School Board Member Richard Barrera in the call for Newsom to appoint a Latino to the vacancy.

Gonzalez said there has never been a Latina in a state-wide position in California even though they are 20 percent of the state’s population.

“You can imagine how far back we are,” she said.

California Democrats owe a debt

to Latino voters, Gonzalez said. Hard work by Latino communities turned California blue after former California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson attacked them in 1994 with the racist Proposition 187, she said. Wilson led the effort to pass Prop. 187, which would have stripped away basic educational and health care safety net benefits from undocumented children. Though it narrowly passed, the measure was later ruled to be illegal by the State Supreme Court.

“California elects Democrats time and time again, and every Democrat has benefited from that Latino vote,” she said. “We saw it again in the presidential election. Our power is clear and our work has been done. We have changed the trajectory of this state.”

Gonzalez said the Latino community has challenges no one other than a Latino can represent. Latinos come from different generations of immigrants and refugees, she said, and understand what their communities need.

Casillas Salas said demographics are continuing to evolve in California as the Latino population grows.

“We know the needs of our community are very different,” said Casillas Salas. “You can see it by looking at a microcosm of Chula Vista or the South Bay, which is 58 percent Latino.

We have the highest numbers of COVID cases, our children are suffering because of the distance learning and the digital divide. It is only through representation of the demographics of this state that we

will achieve equity.”

Newsom has a rich pool of capable Latino candidates to carry out the demands of the position, said Casillas Salas.

Sotelo-Solis agreed.

“We have the experience, the knowledge, the ganas and heart to provide the next qualified U.S. Senator for the State of California,” she said.

Sotelo-Solis said California’s 15 million Latinos deserve a voice in the Senate.

“If we really talk about the diversity of potential candidates, I think it is really important that we have that balance, that we have that north and south perspective,” she said. “We really need to create that balance with the border PLEASE SEE Senate PG. 6

COURTESY SCPD

SCPD BLUE — Former Chief Davis Nighswonger welcomes Campus Safety Officer Nicole Cervantes, the first female to serve in many years.

JULIA WOOCK / STAFF

RESONATING WITH RESIN — SC student Karla Luna enjoyed success at a pop up stand in Mission Valley. (She removed her mask very briefly for the photo.) Her art honors her Native American and Latino heritage.

accidental entrepreneur Student discovers a profitable talent during pandemic shutdown

BY KRISTEN HERNANDEZ

K

and

VICTORIA RIETZ Staff Writers

arla Luna looked right at home in a Mission Valley shopping mall selling her exquisite resin jewelry and art to ogling passersby.

It was actually her first time as a public artist-entrepreneur, but no one seemed to know.

Had anyone told her in March that she would own a business in November she would have laughed aloud at the notion, she said. Necessity is the mother of invention, it is said, but pandemic boredom gave Luna an extra push.

“Originally I was just doing it for myself,” she said. “Then I thought ‘Oh, maybe I’m making a little too much of this,’ so my mom suggested I start a small business.”

As Luna’s inventory grew, she opened a virtual shop on Instagram to display and market her handcrafted works. Some early successes further encouraged her.

A pop up table at a regional shopping center seemed like a logical next step.

That also went well, she said, as streams of people stopped by to admire her translucent creations.

Stock options and a busy factory may not be in the immediate future, but Luna

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

said she is willing to ride the wave of her fledgling company to see where it leads.

“A small private business isn’t as serious and stressful as the larger ones,” she said.

“Right now I’m just having fun with it, being creative and doing something I love.”

Luna has throughout her life been a creative soul. She was a singing, dancing dervish in the nationally-ranked show choir Sound Unlimited at Bonita Vista High School. At Southwestern College she was an award-winning photographer, writer and editor of the Arts section of The Sun. After school she worked as a dance teacher.

When the college moved to remote instruction in March she embarked on a weekly Do It Yourself column online that encouraged students to engage in inexpensive creative activities using things found in most households.

“Staying busy and being creative is good for your mental health and your soul,” she said. “When you start to feel that itch to do something creative, you should always pursue that because you never know where it could lead you.”

Luna’s jewelry reflects her multicultural upbringing. Her Latino father and Native American mother each taught her beautiful things about their heritage, she said. South County’s rich diversity and creativity also rubbed off on her.

“Exercising your creativity is relaxing and fun,” she said. “Everybody has gifts, but not everyone explores them. They should.”

NEW CSO BRINGS A FEMALE FACE TO CAMPUS POLICE

BY PAULINA NUNEZ Staff Writer

Southwestern College’s campus police department has been almost exclusively a males-only club for the past two decades, but Nicole Cervantes brings a female face to the PD as a Campus Safety Officer.

“It is historical,” she said. “This has always been a maledominated profession, so first and foremost I feel very fortunate that I have been given that platform to work on campus. I like to think of CSOs as the eyes and ears of the department.”

Female students have reported a significant number of sexual harassment cases in the past decade and usually had to share uncomfortable details with male officers. Cervantes said the safety of female students is something she takes seriously and she makes crime prevention a priority. She said she is available to escort students to their cars evenings and strives to be proactive about safety.

“If there are situations (students) do not feel comfortable and it is dark, I will walk with them and take that time to talk to them and ensure everything is alright,” she said. “I want students to feel safe and I don’t want stigma stopping them from getting help or just having someone to talk to.”

SC student Luz Aguilar said it is important to have women on the SC campus security team because it provides a sense of safety for female students.

“Having women officers at school could help a lot of girls that have experienced some kind of harassment,” she said. “As a girl, it’s scary to even walk to your car alone or get catcalled.

It’s just a lot more dangerous. If any girl experiences this at school, they have someone to talk to that will understand them from a woman’s perspective.”

SC student Alejandra Dominguez said her car was burglarized this spring in a campus parking lot.

“When I experienced my shoes being taken from my car, I was very upset and it made me question the safety of the campus,” she said. “However, hearing that we have more female officers on campus makes me feel safer as a woman.”

SCPD Sergeant Robert Sanchez praised the college’s Campus Safety Officers.

“CSO’s are the face of our department,” he said. “They provide a critical role.”

Campus security officers undergo the same training as police officers, Sanchez said. They conduct security checks, perimeter checks, take on cold case crime reports, provide students with support and escort students to their vehicles upon request.

Sanchez said female CSOs are “a phenomenal resource.”

“They play a vital role,” he said. “We would not be able to provide the district the level of service that is expected of us if we did not have these women as CSOs.” THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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Adam Cato is a great guy and a terrific cop. He is a pro to the core and he has our best interests at heart at all times. I feel better knowing Cato is around.

— Silvia Nogales CSEA PRESIDENT

COURTESY SCPD

‘PEOPLE PERSON’ — A former soldier, popular SCPD Officer Adam Cato is a visible and energetic campus presence be it on foot, bicycle, Segway or patrol vehicle. He said he enjoys meeting students and hearing about their experiences.

‘STOIC’ COP RESPECTED

BY CAMPUS COMMUNITY

BY ANISSA DURHAM Staff Writer

A

dam Cato was a good soldier and enjoyed life in the U.S. Army, but something was missing.

So he left.

“The Army had a motto: ‘Be all you can be,’” Cato recalled. “I did not feel I could be all that I could be by staying in the military.”

For 24 years Cato has been many things to many people at Southwestern College, including one of the SCPD’s most respected officers. He is also the only black officer, which makes him a role model and a source of contact for many students of color.

“I am the only AfricanAmerican police officer at this time,” he said. “It’s important that people are able to see themselves in people like me.”

Cato is built like an NFL linebacker and carries a serious countenance, but underneath lives a gentleman who values courtesy, respect and friendliness. He is mannerly and formal, but congenial.

His colleagues say he is tough enough to handle any situation, but prefers to settle issues on the down low when possible. He is, they insist, a natural diplomat and a people person at heart.

“Adam Cato is a great guy and a terrific cop,” said Silvia Nogales, the CSEA president who has worked with him for more than 20 years. “He is a pro to the core and he has our best interests at heart at all times. I feel better knowing Cato is around.”

SCPD Officer David Felix agreed.

“Adam is soft spoken and quiet, but is assertive when necessary and can handle any incident well,” he said. “He likes to engage people with conversation and find a way out of a potential situation if he can. He is always willing help others and guide them down the right path.”

Felix has worked with Cato for

PLEASE SEE Cato PG. 9

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THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

CRITICISM, IDEAS SHARED AT POLICE FORUM Some employees insist Campus Police are overly aggressive, insensitive to minority communities

BY MATTHEW BROOKS News Editor

Campus police, civil rights leaders and community activists came together for a sometimes-emotional discussion of Southwestern College campus law enforcement practices.

Though mostly civil, the evening laid bare much of the raw emotion over police brutality against African Americans and frustration of local police officers who insist they are on the right side of the issue.

SC counselor Abdushakir Omar said he applauded campus police officials for attending the meeting, but criticized what he called examples of police violence on campus, including the beating of a Black faculty member and the manhandling of a Black student over a parking ticket captured on video. He also criticized campus police for wearing Blue Lives Matter insignias, which he said was insensitive and a denigration of the

Black Lives Matter movement.

“We’re talking about today, 2020, when Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back,” Omar said. “He’s never gonna walk (again)... Are we expected to wait for something like that to happen to us (before we demand reform)?

I get tired of having conversations and people being brought into a gymnasium (who say), ‘Hey, tell us what’s the issue,’ then move on. My life depends on me walking outside. I have two kids and soon to be a father of three. There’s a possibility I might not be able to come back home. But we’re not doing actionable, tangible items to say that this is not right.”

It is unwise for SCPD officers to wear Blue Lives Matter items, Omar said, because it alienates people of color who work at the college and is a disrespectful conservative effort to diminish the issues of the Black Lives Matters movement.

“You cannot expect to bridge the gaps when some police officers are

openly wearing Blue Lives Matters facemasks in a predominantly Latinx and African American community,” he said. “That shows me you’re the enemy. There’s no trust in that.”

R e t i r e d S C P D C h i e f D av i s Nighswonger agreed that local police need to do a better job, but he lamented that good police work goes unnoticed.

“Our job is to deal with people effectively,” he said. “In the vast majority of cases, with an incredibly high success percentage, we do that.

Sometimes, on rare occasions, we don’t do it well or we do it critically wrong. But those are the only instances that really get highlighted.”

Nighswonger insisted that SCPD officers are representative of the community.

“It’s far too easy to basically classify people as nameless, faceless uniforms, to stereotype them,” he said, “In my experience at Southwestern College, we don’t have a lot of complaints.

We don’t have a lot of use-of-force incidents, we don’t engage in police violence. Those things don’t happen.

We build partnerships with our

communities.”

Nighswonger said the current climate has made law enforcement especially difficult.

“It’s very challenging now to be a police officer in society,” he said.

“The amount of abuse that you take, the automatic assumption that you’ve done something wrong, it just makes it very, very challenging.”

Andrea St. Julian, an attorney with the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, an organization that represents the interests of African Americans in the San Diego region, said trust is essential. St. Julian is the author of Measure B, the San Diego charter amendment to establish an independent community police oversight committee. It passed by a 3-1 margin last month.

“The community has to trust the police department,” he said. “You’re not going to trust the police if you think police officers and the department are not accountable for their actions. The police department could be doing everything right, but if there’s no transparency the community can’t PLEASE SEE Criticism PG. 6

SCPD PROMISES INNOVATIONS Campus officers will attempt to behave and appear less military, more approachable

BY ANISSA DURHAM Staff Writer

Trust, said the sage, takes years to build and seconds to shatter.

Southwestern College police are on a mission to rebuild trust on campus following a decade of shattering experiences, most in far flung parts of America, but a few on the home turf.

SCPD Sergeants Marco Bareno and Robert Sanchez are jointly serving as acting chiefs of police following the unexpected retirement of former chief Davis Nighswonger. Bareno said campus police are a service-based team focused on protecting students and staff, but he acknowledged that improvements are in order.

“We pride ourselves in always making students our priority,” he said. “We are trying to provide a safe educational environment.

Our main goal is to make sure that equity is always there and we are offering services to everyone.”

Sanchez agreed, but said he and his colleagues know that equity in America is, at this point in time, aspirational and not reality.

“I believe the way our judicial system has treated people of color — particularly Black people — has not been equitable,” he said.

“To say we don’t have systemic racism in our society is ignorant.”

SC police came under severe criticism last October when officers wrestled a Black student to the ground and handcuffed him in front of other students over an alleged misuse of a disabled driver parking placard.

In February some Black employees criticized campus police during a public forum for making them feel unsafe on campus, citing the case of a Black professor who was allegedly harassed and mistreated by campus officers.

In both instances police were exonerated.

Since those episodes SCPD have come out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Officers have engaged in training to improve sensitivity toward people of color and to address implicit bias. Bareno and Sanchez recently attended the Amend organization’s “Defund or Disband” training that explored redirecting police funding to community maladies such as homelessness and mental health.

Police staff responded to the murder of George Floyd by kneeling in solidarity with the Black community in a photo accompanied by a pledge to fight systemic racism and social injustice. SCPD personnel are also redoubling efforts to assure Black students and staff that they are supported and will be treated fairly.

Earlier this year officers were required to retake racial profiling and implicit bias training. The department updated its mission statement to emphasize compassion and respect, Bareno said, in an effort to restore trust with the community.

“We are committed to achieving excellence through professional and unbiased law enforcement services to our students, staff,

COURTESY SC POLICE

STANDING UP BY KNEELING DOWN — SCPD personnel expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for systemic changes to American law enforcement practices.

faculty as well as the surrounding community by treating everyone with dignity and respect and performing our duties in line with the college community’s values and priorities,” reads the modified mission statement.

Police nationwide have come under scrutiny following a series of high-profile killings of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. America’s criminal justice system has drawn the scorn of activists and a growing number of elected officials following 25 years of skyrocketing incarceration rates for men of color.

The world is now looking our way.

A 2018 United Nations report on the U.S. criminal justice system found that African Americans comprise 57 percent of the nation’s prison population. Black men are imprisoned at 5.9 times the rate of white adults.

SC sociology professor April Brenner said honest conversations about race are difficult, but essential. Black Americans must advocate for themselves, she said, and Americans of every ethnicity need to support them in meaningful ways.

“The Black Lives Matter movement is a resilient and vibrant organization... that is integral to the elimination of systemic racism in the U.S.,” she said.

Brenner said SC can do its part to model a new way forward for the diverse South County community. Clearly supporting Black Lives Matter is a must, she said.

Black Lives Matter was created in July 2013

by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullora and Opal Tometi in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida. Though embraced as both a battle cry and a peaceful affirmation by activists as well as Americans who support Black citizens, it has also engendered anger and pushback by conservatives and White Supremacists. There have been many attempts to co-opt or diminish its message, said Brenner, including the notorious Blue Lives Matter organization embraced by some police.

Blue Lives Matter was founded in 2014 by two NYPD officers about six months after Black Lives matter. The stated purpose of the movement was to call for the prosecution of cop killers under hate crimes statutes.

Legions of activists, however, reject that and insist Blue Lives Matter is a mean-spirited counterattack against the Black Lives Matter movement. A study by the Marshall Project examined the controversial Blue Lives Matter flag that is a parody of the American flag done up in two shades of blue with a single black line. Some police have said it stands for solidarity and pride for fallen police officers, but the flag has also been flown

by White supremacists side-by-side with Confederate flags, including at the 2017 “Unite the Right” riot in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, said the Blue Lives Matter organization and its flag are patently offensive to African-Americans because they mock the suffering of the Black community.

“It feels akin to a Confederate flag,” she said.

Abdullah said she has seen images of Blue Lives Matter flags on police and government vehicles, which she called evidence that officials are not doing enough to combat White Supremacy.

Sanchez said he supports both the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements, but understood why AfricanAmericans might not.

“I think the Blue Lives Matter movement is not a good thing when you are pitting one movement against another,” he said.

Brenner said symbolism matters and Southwestern College has inadvertently or otherwise sometimes made choices for names and imagery that may be anachronistic PLEASE SEE Police PG. 6

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

Lawsuit: College remains anti-Black, allege five counselors CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

staff),” she said. “I think anti-Blackness is an issue at the national, state and institutional level that we all deal with.”

Burton is the only full-time Black woman in the counseling department, according to the suit. Hired in 1998, she said she watched as “less-qualified” nonBlack candidates were given promotions over her, including the position of Counseling Department Chair.

In 2018, Burton and Buul applied for the position of Interim Dean of Counseling. The suit claims Burton was the most qualified candidate on paper and had the most relevant experience, and Buul was a high-performing employee respected by his peers.

“These are stellar employees by all measures,” wrote Pride in the brief. “We have people who are doing very well and people who have doctorate degrees. In fact, Dr. Buul left and became Counselor of the Year (at San Diego) City College.

That goes to show you the caliber of the plaintiffs.”

Neither Burton nor Buul got the promotion, according to the brief. Rose,

who was on the hiring committee, stated in the suit that there was a disdain for Black employees among some members of the committee. An outside candidate was selected for the dean position, the suit says, even though he admitted to having issues with Black people.

The lawsuit alleged that an SC counselor sent out multiple emails described in the suit as “anti-Black.” One message allegedly said “Blacks’ voices are amplified too much,” and this was accepted as free speech by the college, Pride wrote.

The same counselor allegedly accused Burton of being too biased to serve on the Dean of Counseling Services hiring committee and tried to get her removed for calling out the successful candidate’s alleged anti-Black prejudices.

Counselors held a vote to pause the committee and Black counselors were explicitly excluded from it, according to the suit.

“SWCCD management knew of these efforts and did nothing to stop the anti-Black rhetoric or insure its Black employees that they were welcome and that their voices did matter,” read the brief.

The lawsuit alleges that perks given to some SC employees are not afforded to Black employees. Buul claimed he was denied an intern because he “needed to become tenured” in order to be eligible

for one. A White woman who was hired after Buul, however, was given an intern, according to Buul.

Mathis said she encountered prejudicial treatment when she returned to work after giving birth. She said she was told she could only pump breast milk for 15 minutes a day at work, which she said was not enough time to complete the process. She was told that anything beyond that would come out of her paycheck or that she would have to work additional hours, stated the suit.

This rule is not in effect for non-Black employees, according to the suit.

Mathis claims she experienced other unfair and racist treatment.

She said she was forced to teach a class at Palomar (High School) when she was experiencing medical issues after giving birth, while non-Black associate counselors were free to refuse assignments at satellite locations.

Pride said the work experiences of Black counselors are exacerbated by the fact that they “are there so much and so often.”

“All of my clients in this lawsuit have sought out treatment and help to deal with the discrimination they have dealt with on campus,” he said.

In response to the 2018 racial climate report by a USC researcher, SC created a task force to address racial issues on campus. Only four people on the

task force were Black, according to the brief, and one person allegedly made insensitive and racist comments.

A non-Black member allegedly accused Buul of conspiring with the author of the study because he had also attended USC and because the author and Buul are both Black. She also allegedly said the “N” word at a task force meeting.

“Her comfort in saying such derogatory terms in a professional setting spoke volumes about SWCCD’s anti-Black environment,” said the suit.

Rose was threatened with disciplinary measures for merely attempting to respond in a friendly way to a demonstrative colleague, according to the suit. On one occasion a White female colleague did a “happy shimmy dance” and Rose, trying to be encouraging, said something along the lines of “do your thing,” according to the brief. She immediately threatened to report him to HR. It shook him so much that in 2020 Rose shared the story at a retreat. He and his coworkers cried together, according to the suit.

Rose was allegedly given a difficult time during his tenure review by a counselor “closely aligned” with the successful candidate. It reached a point where a member of the tenure committee stormed out of the office when he refused to acknowledge any of

Elections: Vargas, Nader chosen for powerful new posts

by SD County voters CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

up for re-election. Faculty and staff involved in the campaign said it was the hardest fought, highest profile board election in the 56-year history of the college.

Nader and Norma Hernandez turned out incumbents Jorge Dominguez and Yolanda Salcido, both of whom (along with Chopra, Alioto and 16 other local education officials) were later charged with multiple counts of felony corruption by the San Diego County District Attorney. Along with incumbent trustee Nick Aguilar, Nader and Hernandez led a crusade to root out corruption and end a pervasive pay-for-culture at the college.

Nader was immediately named president of the new governing board when it was seated in December 2010.

His prior service as a Chula Vista City Councilman and Mayor helped him get off to a fast start at SC, he said. The trio of reformers cancelled multiple construction contracts that had been awarded to contractors who had bribed Chopra, Alioto, Dominguez, Salcido and other SC employees. At least 21 SC administrators and senior officials were fired or forced to resign, including the police chief and three vice presidents.

Just after Christmas in 2011 San Diego County marshals raided the homes of nearly 20 current and former SC and Sweetwater Union High School District officials and contractors involved in illegal deals. San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis charged the group with 160 felonies in what she called “San Diego County’s biggest corruption scandal ever.”

The reformist board majority also reversed the Chopra/Alioto attempts to shut down the Southwestern College Sun student newspaper, restored its funding and passed a 2011 policy protecting the free speech rights of student journalists and defending the newspaper’s adviser against retribution and abuse from college administrators. Nader, Hernandez, Aguilar and Humberto Peraza, appointed to the board in 2011, were all honored by First Amendment organizations for their defense of the student press.

Peraza praised the work of Nader, Hernandez and Aguilar, whom he said played an essential role in saving SC from being shut down as Compton College had been during the same period.

“I knew about (rampant corruption) from the outside,” he said. “I just didn’t realize how much had really been going on until I got inside and got to see all of the reports and internal investigations.”

Vargas also entered the board during a time of controversy when she was appointed in 2013 to replace William Stewart, who shocked the community DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

COURTESY NORA VARGAS

AN HISTORIC FIRST — SC Trustee Nora Vargas will be sworn in as the first-ever Latina to serve on the powerful San Diego County Board of Supervisors. She replaces 26-year incumbent Greg Cox.

when he resigned months after his election in protest of former president Melinda Nish’s unwillingness to share college financial information with the board. Like Chopra, Nish ran afoul of state accreditors and the college once again faced serious sanctions — 15 in all.

Nish also attempted to cut funding to The Sun, Peraza said, despite board policies that guarantee minimal funding levels. Nader and Peraza were very closely aligned on the defense of The Sun, Peraza said.

“It was crazy that they hadn’t followed their own rules,” he said.

“It was crazy that it was even semi controversial.”

Nader and Peraza demanded the administrators follow college policies and fund 12 newspapers a year. Nader, who attended UC Berkeley, home of the Free Speech Movement, “fought tooth and nail for what he believed was right,” Peraza said.

Nish’s biggest blunder, according to Peraza, was her mishandling of racist incidents on campus and brewing racial tension that lingers to this day.

On Martin Luther King Day in January 2015, five campus custodians and an IT employee -- four of whom were African-American -- signed a letter written by Dean Donna Arnold that charged the college administration with allowing racist behavior toward them. Vargas joined the board just as the controversy erupted.

Vargas, a vice president at Planned Parenthood, took the lead on helping the college work through complicated and painful racial issues, said Peraza.

“We were floored by some of those issues when we found out about them, and she helped lead the fight,” he said.

“She helped to make sure we were not only informed, but that we were trying to do something about it.”

Nader said the racial acrimony was

It is a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly, but I am ready for it. I’ve served in a lot of capacities as the first Latina and I’ve broken many glass ceilings, but I’ve always said I’m never the last.

— Nora Vargas, SUPERVISOR-ELECT by far his most painful experience at the college.

“There were people in positions of non-elected authority who were much more concerned with punishing those who had the impertinence to bring it to our attention than they were with solving the problem of racial injustice at our college,” he said.

“It should have been an opportunity to root out anti-Blackness at our campus, not maintain authority, lie and downplay the issue,” Nader said.

After seven months without success looking for another college president position, Nish resigned from SC in July 2016 with two years remaining on her three-year contract.

Nader and Vargas both agreed that their years on the governing board helped to prepare them for their new roles as Superior Court judge and county supervisor. SC, a campus community of 22,000 during nonpandemic times, is a large enough organization to have a powerful culture and stubborn habits, said Vargas.

“I think SWC is a microcosm of what happens in the county as a whole, and in the country,” she said.

“Campus issues the board has taken the lead on are reflective of what’s happening in our communities outside of Southwestern. I will take that knowledge and experience with me as a county supervisor.”

Peraza recruited Vargas for the

governing board when the unexpected opening occurred in 2013 and called it one of the smartest things he ever did. He said she was insightful and fair, but also tough and decisive when necessary.

“Nora didn’t always make everyone happy as a board member, but I think sometimes that’s what good leadership does,” he said. “She stands up for what she believes in. I think that’s what makes her a really good elected official and that’s what will make her a really good county supervisor.”

Born in Mexico and raised in the South Bay, Vargas is the first Latina to serve as a county supervisor, the first immigrant, first naturalized citizen and a rare woman on the broadly powerful five-person board.

“It is a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly, but I am ready for it,” she said. “I’ve served in a lot of capacities as the first Latina and I’ve broken many glass ceilings, but I’ve always said I’m never the last.”

Vargas said she plans to work hard on issues that matter to the community. One is creating a Campus Climate Action Plan that prioritizes systemic racial inequalities. Another is focusing on the health of the community. She said the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on lowincome Latino and Black communities exemplifies the need to link health, medical care and environmental justice.

Rose’s achievements, said the suit.

Williams also allegedly faced discrimination during his tenure review. According to the lawsuit, a White professor was the only member to give him low scores and made vague stereotypical comments that were racially biased. She allegedly attempted to change a college policy so that she could give him a poor evaluation, said the suit.

Murillo said she could not comment on the details of the lawsuit while it is in litigation or say whether there would be an investigation of the allegations.

“There’s a lot of different issues that are raised that are different from each other,” she said. “We’re still working on those issues.”

Pride said the counselors are hopeful the lawsuit helps to usher in a change in the college culture that will make it easier for future generations of Black employees to succeed.

“They’re looking to be able to work and do their job and not feel like a second-class citizen while doing it,” he said. “There’s no way that we can give them the time back. The time that they spent building these careers, the time that they spent being treated differently or subjected or subjugated. I feel confident that we’ll be able to show this evidence to a jury and they will see the same thing that I see.”

“ Ju s t b e c au s e yo u c a n’t s e e coronavirus doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you,” she said. “Other invisible maladies work the same way. There are conditions that are making people sick that we may not see and do not talk about.”

Nader, a Deputy California Attorney, said being a college governing board member is good training for serving as a judge -- though a UC Berkeley law degree and nearly four decades as a practicing attorney will also help.

“A judge needs to be able to, whatever their personal opinion is, listen to everybody, respect everybody, make sure everybody is treated fairly,” he said.

Nader said the fact he could run on a racial justice platform says a lot about where San Diego County is today.

“I said several times during this last campaign that I think 2020 is the most divisive, and in some ways, most dangerous year America has had since 1968,” he said.

I n 1 9 6 8 1 0 - y e a r - o l d Na d e r experienced the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy. His childhood played out during the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War. He was too young to participate in the Civil Rights marches, he said, but watched them on television, enthralled by American democracy in action.

Nader said he ran for San Diego Superior Court judge on a platform that was strongly supportive of civil rights, was pro-law enforcement and Constitutionalist.

“One of the things I really admired about Robert Kennedy was that he understood that you had to have civil rights and justice, and you had to have law and order, and you had to have them both at the same time,” he said. “Only then can all American citizens live in a just, safe society.”

Civil rights and law and order are complimentary, not opposites like many politicians would have you believe, Nader said.

“To achieve racial justice you need equal protection of the law, and conversely law and order,” he said.

“I hope that I can help increase the confidence of people in their judicial system. I hope that I can increase the understanding of our citizens in our judicial system.”

Jeff Phair, a prominent South County businessman and classmate of Nader’s at Hilltop High School, said Nader will be a great judge.

“Since high school Tim has always had the calling to be a community leader,” he said. “I always found him to be a man of high integrity and focus on his commitment to providing transparent leadership to the community. Tim will be a fairminded and unbiased judge who will not compromise his values.”

Peraza said he is confident Vargas and Nader will achieve their goals and continue to be outstanding public servants.

“I don’t actually need to wish them luck,” he said. “I know that they’re going to do amazing work. I was lucky to have crossed their paths and to have worked with them.”

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

5

Criticism: Reformers encourage switch to community policing CONTINUED FROM PG. 4

know and understand that. That’s where a community-led oversight committee comes into play.”

Chula Vista Police Department Capt.

Phil Collum agreed.

“Ensuring that any oversight community group, advisory group, commission, is a strong one is really, really crucial,” he said, “They need to be committed individuals and that group needs to be tied into the governing board.”

SC should work to build close ties

between the community and police, Collum said, and urged college leaders to move in that direction. “ S o ut hwe s te r n C o l l e ge . . . h a s incredible opportunities to really engage in that police-community relationship connection with much more vigor, passion and success than a municipal police department could,” he said. “It’s a unique opportunity to work so closely with the youth.”

Commitment to social justice by law enforcement can elevate a community, said Brian Pollard, executive director of the Urban Collaborative Project, a neighborhood advocacy organization.

His productive experience with a police advisory committee aided the process of developing new training norms, diverse hiring practices and preparing officers to work in communities of color.

Police: SCPD share plans to demilitarize appearance, encourage approachability CONTINUED FROM PG. 4

or insensitive. Empowering diverse voices helps to prevent these kinds of institutional mistakes, she said.

Students are an essential part of the process, she said.

“Diverse voices are really important to me,” she said. “I try to be as inclusive as I can and intentional in making sure that we have diverse voices so we don’t settle into one (way of thinking).”

College president Dr. Kindred M u r i l l o a s k e d f a c u l t y, s t a f f a n d m e m b e rs o f n e i g h b o r i n g communities for input regarding what they would like to see in the next campus police chief. Brenner said that was wise.

“We were concerned that the (previous) job description did not reflect the mission of the college,” she said. “We were hoping to see different things in the job description in regards to training, education and characteristics the next chief would embody.”

SC’s next chief should focus on developing trust, said Bareno.

Sanchez said more transparency is another priority because it is foundational to trust.

Sanchez said SCPD officers, like doctors, must strive to do no harm.

“We do not tolerate any form of racial discrimination or racial profiling,” he said. “That is not accepted as a practice at this department and will lead to discipline if an officer is found guilty of that.”

Termination could result, Sanchez said.

Bareno said SCPD officers need to be even more approachable than

Bolland: Professor casts Biden-Harris vote at assembly of Electoral College CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

bit older than you, to give you that advice. We’ve had a friendship like that ever since.”

Campa-Najjar said he and Bolland share a very strong bond centered around philosophical and political tho ug ht, inc l udi ng how to be involved in the political process and become agents of change. He said Bolland and his wife visited him in Washington D.C. when he worked in the White House during the Barack Obama Administration.

Bolland recalled the early days of Campa-Najjar’s political career.

Campa-Najjar ran the San Diego County Obama campaign in 2012 and became a White House intern in 2013 during the second term of the Obama presidency. He then worked for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, followed by a position at the Dept. of Labor in Washington.

Bolland said over the course of 12 years he and Campa-Najjar spoke on the phone frequently. He has followed his former student’s career closely, he said, including Campa-Najjar’s candidacy for one of the nation’s most conservative Congressional districts, the East

6

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

Pollard said collaboration between community members and police has dramatically reduced crime at the onceviolent corner of Euclid and Imperial Avenues.

“We met specifically to clean up that area, and we’ve stayed together for three years,” he said. “It has been ugly at times.

But we all stuck with it and we’re now reaping the benefits because the area is now cleaned up like 100 percent. “It’s building trust. I can see the difference in the officers interacting with us. I can see the difference in the residents.”

UCSD Professor Alberto Vasquez, an interdisciplinary scientist, quoted Glennie E. Martin, president of JustLeadershipUSA. “Those closest to the problem are the closest to the solution, but furthest from the power and resources.”

Collaboration between residents of disadvantaged communities and law enforcement, he said, is essential to building trust and fanning justice.

Savana Doudar, a policy associate for the ACLU of San Diego, took a harder line, reiterating the demands of activists for reduced police presence in minority communities and divestment from police budgets to other community support programs.

Doudar advocated for a policy package called Police Accountability Now, drafted by members of the Coalition for Police Accountability & Transparency supported by the ACLU. “ Po l i ce Acco u nt a b i l i ty Now recommendations include ending consent searches and pretext stops, and municipalities decriminalizing low-level offenses and investing

in community-driven non-law enforcement interventions,” she said.

“Research has shown us that policy changes — not more training — have an impact on policing practices. It’s important that (K-12) schools, colleges and universities move to divest from police and reinvest in support systems proven to help students, such as schoolbased mental health services.”

Board President Nora Vargas said trustees are committed to community policing reforms at Southwestern.

“What is really unique about this conversation is that we have members of the Black Alliance, we have members of the Latino Alliance, we have members of the police force, we have faculty, we have students,” she said. “What we want to do here as your leaders is to listen and to create systemic change.”

Senate: Elected officials urge Newsom to appoint a Latino to replace VP Harris

Barrera said it is particularly important for young people to see a Latino U.S. Senator as a role model and symbol of possibilities. He said 55 percent of students in California public schools are Latinos or Latinas.

“We have seen over the course of a few generations as the percentage of Latina and Latino students in our public schools increase a disinvestment in our schools at the state and federal levels,” he said. “We need a United States Senator who understands what young people in this state need. Young people need to see themselves reflected in the next United States Senator.”

It is important for young people to know that they will have someone who

will fight for them and their education at the federal level, said Barrera.

“Our families have been traumatized over the course of this (novel coronavirus) crisis as well as the entire course of the Trump administration,” he said.

“Even today, we see people from the Trump administration wanting to deport children in the last days of their administration.”

Newsom has not made any indication when he will announce his choice to replace Harris. He is also being lobbied

by African-Americans to replace Harris with a Black woman. Harris has not yet resigned her Senate seat, but will have to before her January 20 swearing in as Vice President of the United States.

seen very closely is teaching how to teach students to use the technology.”

Other issues of concern, Sanchez said, are ensuring students have access to adequate Internet and addressing stressors they face in an online learning environment. College leaders must work to engage students and give them the support they need to succeed in an online learning environment, he said.

Sanchez said his best memories of SC involved the quality of instruction and level of commitment from SC faculty and staff.

“They were going to do whatever it took to help you be successful,” he said.

Sanchez said he will bring his leadership experience and strong commitment to community colleges.

He said he looks forward to “working with the amazing staff, faculty, managers and students.”

“My strength and my goal will be to bring those together as they relate to moving the institution forward and continuing the great work that has been done historically at Southwestern College,” he said.

“I truly do understand the depth and scope that is required in the superintendent-president position of Southwestern College. I am going to work hard to meet those expectations.”

Gore in 2000 and Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016. Clinton tallied 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but was denied the White House because Trump had more Electoral College votes.

Saenz said the Electoral College discriminates against communities like the South Bay area of San Diego County.

“The reality is it (is not) fair,”he said. “The South Bay has more people than the entire state of Wyoming, yet Wyoming has three electoral votes.”

Bolland agreed.

“It’s fundamentally undemocratic, still, I am super excited about this opportunity,” he said. “It’s so 1787. I literally have to fly to Sacramento and walk into a room with the other 54 folks and say ‘Biden,’ then fly back home.”

Campa-Najjar said it is important for him to help others, like Bolland helped him.

“I had a hard time growing up and my dad left when I was young,” he said. “My mom raised me on her own. I got lucky because I met people like Peter Bolland who really helped me, but not everyone has those opportunities.”

C a m p a - Na j ja r m ay co n s i d e r running for office again, he said, if it is the right fit and if he is called to serve.

“For now I want to do things that have a direct impact on people’s lives,” he said. “Maybe later I’ll explore what the future has for me politically.”

CONTINUED FROM PG. 3

a doctor or priest. Images of violent and unethical police on television has caused anxiety on campus.

“I think bad apples that do things illegally, practicing excessive use of force and promoting this perception of law enforcement hinders (officers) across the country,” he said.

Police brutality is a crime, Bareno said.

Campus police are reenvisioning the look of their uniform to soften first impressions and make officers more approachable, Sanchez said.

Plans include removing the exterior bullet resistant vest and leg holsters.

A less militaristic look is the goal, he said. There will be no references to Blue Lives Matter flags on the uniform.

“We understand how polarizing that could be,” he said. “It is not authorized for uniform wear nor is it going to be part of our uniform.”

Even though the campus is closed to students and employees, SCPD have been busy, said Bareno. Budget cuts eliminated hourly and student workers as well as overnight and weekend security guards. Sworn officers are picking up the slack.

Police have played a leadership role in the distribution of laptops, food, gas cards, groceries and wifi to students, said Sanchez..

“The men of this police department have been doing a phenomenal job going above and beyond for the community, the college and our students in regards to the COVID-19 response,” he said.

SCPD officers have also been assisting neighboring municipal departments and were called to assist with the La Mesa riot in May.

(region) and the northern part of the state.”

Sotelo-Solis said it was hard for the gathered elected officials to achieve the positions they earned, but they “stood on the shoulders of those who fought before.” Now they must pave the way for others, she said.

a national search and thoughtful deliberation.”

“With housing and food insecurity, online learning challenges and racial inequities adding to the impact of COVID-19 on our South County community, we know Dr. Sanchez is the right leader to advance our work to create a culture and educational system where all students and employees have the opportunity and support they need to succeed and thrive,” she said. “He has the right combination of experience, passion, and commitment to advancing our shared vision of being a leader in equitable education that transforms the lives of students and communities.”

SC President Dr. Kindred Murillo announced earlier this semester that she would retire June 30, 2021, but recent messages from the governing board indicate she might step down in March.

Sanchez said coming home was “a surreal experience.” He can relate to

today’s students, he said, because he faced similar struggles like balancing work, academics and extracurriculars.

Sanchez said he looks to support students however possible and remove barriers hindering their educational goals.

“All of that philosophy really started from my experience as a student at Southwestern College,” he said.

“It has been an amazing journey to have started at Southwestern and to have been in leadership positions throughout the state of California.

Now to be coming home is truly a dream come true.”

Sanchez said Barrio Logan has a rich and profound history, but growing up there during the 1970s and 1980s was a time of turmoil for the community due to gang violence.

“I had a loving family and a lot of support systems, but the community was going through some tough transitions,” he said. “I was always surrounded by a community of care and people who were interested in my future.”

Sanchez said the pandemic is challenging the way colleges serve students.

“Certainly you have technology gaps,” he said. “You can provide technology to students, but the other piece I have

County’s California 50th.

Campa-Najjar said Bolland was one of the first people he spoke to when he decided to run for Congress. Bolland hosted meetand-greets to help with fund raising and networking. A progressive Democrat running for Congress in the deep red 50th seemed Quixotic, but Campa-Najjar landed on the national political radar when he ran competitive campaigns in a district with a nearly 2-1 Republican registration advantage.

Campa-Najjar was the candidate in the March primaries who received the most votes and with that came the opportunity to nominate an elector. He immediately thought of his old profe’.

“The key takeaways from his philosophical teachings were how to show up in the world and be a positive force. So when it came time for me to choose an elector, I knew he would really relish the opportunity,” said Campa-Najjar.

“I knew Mr. Bolland would really appreciate it and he would see the historical significance.”

Honored as he is to be an elector, Bolland said the Electoral College is undemocratic and badly outdated, but probably here to stay.

“Every office in the United States, except President, is elected by direct popular vote,” he said. “The reason for that is the Constitution. It takes you right back to 1787 and that hot summer in Philadelphia (during) the Continental Congress.”

SC Professor of Political Science Phil Saenz said the Electoral College is a powerful dinosaur. America’s Founding Fathers did not trust the “average” 18th century voter to make such important decisions, he said.

Instead they called for each state to choose “electors” to represent them.

B o l l a n d s a i d t h e re wa s a l s o co n ce r n a m o n g t h e Fo u n d i n g Fathers about allowing the Senate or House of Representatives to elect the president. They predicted cronyism would ensue.

“Alexander Hamilton and James M a d i s o n ( f e a re d ) d e m o c r a c y because (they feared) mob rule,” Bolland said. “They were good students of Plato and Socrates.”

The great Greek philosophers thought direct democracy unwise and could lead to a dangerous demagogue, said Bolland.

“When a very charismatic person promises everybody candy and keeps saying how they are going to lower your taxes and put money in your pocket, we are going to vote for that guy,” he said. “Winston Churchill said the best argument against democracy is having a five-minute conversation with the average voter. It’s brutal, right? He has another line ‘Democracy is the worst form of government, except compared to all the others.’”

Saenz said it would be very difficult to change the U.S. Constitution.

“It requires a ⅔ vote in both Houses of Congress and that means you need to have Democrats and

Republicans agree. Then it requires ¾ of the states to ratify,” he said.

“So the likelihood of changing the Electoral College is not very likely.”

S a e n z s a i d t h e 5 3 8 e l e c to rs reflect the number of Senators and Members of Congress. There are 435 members of the House of Representative, 100 Senators and three electors for the District of Columbia to total 538. Actual electors, he explained, are selected by the party in each state that wins the election.

Saenz said 270 is the “magic number” to elect a president because that is the majority of the electoral vote, which is what the Constitution calls for.

Hamilton and Madison were looking for a way to accomplish the impossible, Bolland said, namely to get the independent-minded colonies to agree to be part of the United States of America. Colonies then had vastly different governance philosophies, he said, and everyone had to compromise. Most early Americans could not vote.

“You had to be male,” he said. “You had to be white. You had to own property and have a certain amount of money in the bank. Talk about some hurdles and barriers!”

Conservatives insist the Electoral College is fair because it reflects the popular vote, said Bolland, but in practice it does not. Five presidential candidates won the popular vote, but not the Electoral College, including Democrats Al

Sanchez: Former SC student will take over in the spring CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

E D I TO R I A L S

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O P I N I O N S / L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I T O R

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.

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Julia Woock

Copy Editor Bianca Huntley Ortega News Editor Matthew Brooks

Campus Editor Ana Paola Olvera Viewpoints Editor Chanel Esparza

Arts Editor Aranza Gutierrez Cortes

JI HO KIM/ STAFF

Sports Editor Xiomara Villarreal-Gerardo Photo Editor Amy Morales

President Biden embodies the hopes of students and young Americans

S TA F F W R I T E R S Anissa Durham Robert de Luna Cade Harbin Diego Higuera Alex Kim Angel Najera Israel de Jessus Nieves Paulina Nunez Andrew Penalosa Victoria Rietz Andrew Sanchez

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S TA F F A R T I S T S Baby Bonane Kristen Hernandez Ji Ho Kim

Assistant Adviser Kenneth Pagano Adviser Dr. Max Branscomb

AWARDS/HONORS National College Newspaper Hall of Fame Inducted 2018 Student Press Law Center National College Press Freedom Award 2011, 2018 National Newspaper Association National College Newspaper of the Year 2004-2020 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Awards 2003-06, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012-2017, 2019, 2020 General Excellence 2001-20 Best of Show 2003-20 Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal for Journalism Excellence 2001-20 College Media Association National College Newspaper of the Year, 2020 California College Media Association Outstanding Community College Newspaper

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award California Newspaper Publishers Association California College Newspaper of the Year 2013, 2016, 2020 Student Newspaper General Excellence 2002-19 Society of Professional Journalists National Mark of Excellence 2001-20 First Amendment Award 2002, 2005 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism 1999-2020 Directors Award for Defense of Free Speech 2012 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Pacesetter Award 2001-18 Newspaper General Excellence 2000-2020 American Scholastic Press Association National Community College Newspaper of the Year, 2020

ear President-Elect Biden, Traditionally an outgoing president leaves a letter to his successor in the Oval Office wishing him luck, issuing warnings about looming global threats and offering his support as you assume an awesome responsibility.

We know tactless, graceless and childish Donald Trump will not be writing to wish you luck, so on behalf of sane, normal Americans, we will.

First of all, thank you for stepping up and running for president when your country needed you. We know you are 78 years old and have already done your part for Crown and Country with nearly 45 years of service in the Senate and as Vice President. You could have remained comfortably retired in your lovely home with your marvelous wife.

You did not need to drag yourself and your family through the Trump/FOX/ Limbaugh mud pit.

Secondly, thank you for selecting Kamala Harris, a talented mixed race daughter of immigrants, as your running mate. It is wonderful for women and people of color to see someone like them as our Vice President. Young girls can now dream of being President or anything else they aspire to.

We appreciate that you are taking the high road and modeling graciousness by pledging to represent ALL Americans, not just those who voted for you. We must confess that our mostly-progressive Editorial Board voted for Senators Sanders and Warren in the primary, but united around you later when we saw it was the right thing to do. You are so right when you say that once the election is over, we are all Americans.

We would like to ask you to support issues important to us. We are young and will, God willing, live in this nation for 60-80 years. We are very concerned about the direction America has headed in the last four years. It is unsustainable, reckless and dangerous.

Our Environment – Nothing is a bigger threat to our survival than climate change and out-of-control environmental degradation. The depressing list of specifics would take

The Issue: America’s next president inherits huge challenges after four years of incompetence, cruelty and corruption.

Our position: We need our new leaders to work hard on issues important to young Americans. more space than we have, but please rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, fight for alternative energy, protect our precious wildlife, clean up our air and water, and leave the fossil fuels in the Alaskan wilderness in the ground.

DACA – Our undocumented brothers and sisters at Southwestern College and around the nation are living in fear, with a Trumpian Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

These are solid Americans who, through no fault of their own, were brought to this country as children.

They are college graduates, serving in the military, working at respectable jobs and contributing to the progress of our nation. Why would we not want people like this? End the cruelty of Trump and the right wing, and offer DACA recipients full protection leading to citizenship.

Civil Rights – It is time to end 400 years of mistreatment of Black and Indigenous Americans. It is time to level the playing field for people of color in a nation that declares “All men are created equal” (and that includes women and non-binary people). It is criminal that child survival rates, life expectancy, income and opportunity are shorter for people of color – especially for Black, Indigenous and transgender Americans.

Women’s Rights – It is unacceptable that women make 75 percent of what men make for the same work. It is ridiculous that half of population of a modern, future-looking country still faces serious barriers in so many schools, professions and institutions. It is puzzling that the U.S. ranks near the bottom among industrialized nations

in child care, family support, women’s health and attainment by women – and downright embarrassing that we rank behind even many so-called developing nations.

Economic justice – We tend to agree with Republicans that a strong economy is important, but only if the fruits of our labors are shared more fairly and more equally. The rapid concentration of wealth in the United States should be a cause a great alarm for people of all political stripes. When wealth concentrates, societies wither and die. Just ask the Greeks, Romans, British, Chinese and other societies that collapsed due to economic disparity.

Lack of access to economic attainment is a social justice issue that is fixable.

Education costs and student loans – Students have been victimized by the same scam that kneecapped American farmers in the 1980s and homeowners in the 2000s – predatory lending and runaway interest rates that cause lifetime bondage to crippling payments. It is time for an aggressive student loan forgiveness plan. It is fair, necessary and we can afford it.

There is more, but that ought to keep you and Vice President Harris busy for the first 100 days or so. Thank you for your ear. And don’t overlook us! Call on us if we can be of service. Young people responded to John F. Kennedy when he invited them to join into the work of creating a better America. We will too, if given the opportunity to share our 21st century talents and skills.

Thank you for bringing decency, professionalism and hope back to the White House and the nation. It has been a dark four years. We look forward to a new era of light and progress.

Respectfully, The Editorial Board of the Southwestern College Sun Julia Annette Woock Matthew Brooks Bianca Huntley Ortega Ana Paola Olvera

Chanel Esparza Xiomara VillarrealGerardo Amy Morales Aranza Gutierrez Cortes

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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Involuntary ICE sterilizations of migrant women are barbaric

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JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE JU LIA WOOC K

n September, Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at Irwin County (Georgia) ICE Detention Center, filed a federal whistleblower citing secret hysterectomies on immigrant women.

Trump appointees yawned, but human rights officials at the United Nations were horrified. Secret sterilization is more than breathtaking medical malpractice, it is a crime against humanity and genocide, according to the Geneva Convention of 1948.

New administration must fight hard for Dreamer citizenship

BY JULIA WOOCK A Perspective

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onservatives ought to love DACA. Republicans should be giddy over Dreamers.

They just can’t seem to get past the brown skin.

Republicans who truly care about the U.S. economy should be doing everything they can to keep one of the most productive segments of our aging population -- Dreamers -- here in America and continuing their work. What rightwingers will not admit is that our economy would likely collapse without Dreamers and the economic contributions of immigrants.

An estimated 28,2000 Dreamers are working in the healthcare field, thousands on the frontlines battling COVID-19 and caring for older Republicans. Nearly 15,000 serve in education teaching and supporting the children of Republicans throughout the nation. A whopping 142,100 are spread across the food industry in farming and agriculture, grocery stores and restaurants, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Republicans eat, too, verdad?

Santiago Potes, a 23- year-old Columbia University alumnus and Colombian immigrant arrived in the United States when he was four years old. He was just awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to earn his Master’s degree in international relations at Oxford University.

Potes wants to return to the U.S. and pursue a career at the State Department or the Senate.

Potes is not an outlier or a feel-good anecdote. He is actually fairly typical of the high-achieving Dreamers demographic. Dreamers have higher college attainment rates, are more represented in the military and have a much higher rate of employment than nonimmigrants and White Americans. By any index they are a boon to the economy and an asset to our society.

Dreamers in California pay $2.1 billion in federal taxes and more than $1.2 billion in state and local taxes. Nationally, 700,000 Dreamers pay $5.7 billion in annual federal taxes and $3.1 billion in state and local taxes, across all 50 states.

Conservatives who claim that Dreamers take advantage of Obamacare or Medicaid are dead wrong. Dreamers are ineligible.

Dreamers rely on their employers for health insurance or must purchase it out of pocket. Some states like California and New York have created state-funded programs to aid Dreamers.

While DACA offers Dreamers a path to college, it is not free. Most pay expensive out-of-state tuition even if they have lived in the state since childhood. They are not eligible for federal financial aid and only some states offer state aid. States like Georgia or South Carolina specifically ban Dreamers from enrolling in college as residents or receiving financial aid. Most private colleges charge Dreamers the pricey international student rate, even if they have lived in America most of their lives.

“They are stealing our jobs,” Republicans sputter.

Not true.

In 2017, more than 350 CEOs of major tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Apple sent a letter to President Trump seeking bipartisan legislation for a permanent solution for Dreamers. They argued the economy at that time could lose $460 billion and $25 billion in taxes if Dreamers were deported or further marginalized.

The Trump administration attempted to terminate the program in 2017, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the action unconstitutional this summer. Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf then issued a memo saying that DHS would accept no new applications and renewals would be reduced from two years to one. That was also struck down in court.

Virtually every generation of immigrants has elevated America with their hard work, innovation, tax contributions and entrepreneurial spirit. Millions of Americans work in companies large and small started by immigrants.

Dreamers may prove to be America’s Greatest Generation of immigrants ever. They are the best educated, highest achieving and arguably the most patriotic. These are productive people America needs and should want to keep. Let’s hope President Biden can undo the damage of Trump and start to remove the barriers and stigma from our Dreamers.

American will be better for it.

KRISTEN HERNANDEZ / STAFF

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THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a chorus of legislators that called on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate.

“If true, the appalling conditions described in the whistleblower complaint – including allegations of mass hysterectomies being performed on vulnerable immigrant women – are a staggering abuse of human rights,” she said. “This profoundly disturbing situation recalls some of the darkest moments of our nation’s history, from the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks,

to the horror of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, to the forced sterilizations of Black women that Fannie Lou Hamer and so many others underwent and fought.”

Hard to believe?

Hardly.

Americans may think something this atrocious could never happen on our soil, but Pelosi reminded us that it could and it has.

Henrietta Lacks was a Black woman who suffered from cervical cancer in 1951. Her cells were harvested

without her knowledge and continue to be used in laboratories without any compensation. They are known as HeLa cells and are used in cancer research, in vitro fertilization, immunology and most recently development of COVID-19 vaccines.

It gets worse.

Much worse.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was a 40-year observation of the effects of untreated syphilis in Black men.

It began in 1932 when syphilis had

PLEASE SEE Sterilize PG. 10

Autism is no match for award-winning journalist

BY ANDREW PENALOSA A Perspective

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n a sunny, average day in high school, you would have found me sitting at my wooden desk, opening up my backpack to prepare for my fifth class of the day, Social Communications. One day my teacher put on a videocassette about the characteristics of autism.

I identified with those characteristics. My blissful ignorance of the world was shattered and the pieces were falling off one by one.

Before that day, I was a selfcentered autistic kid who lacked basic social skills like empathizing with people’s emotions, and reading people’s body language and facial expressions. I only had two friends. Everyone else felt far away. Teachers felt like a safe haven as I was comfortable enough to tell them my problems because I didn’t know how to communicate with my peers.

Complex social topics such as politics were of no interest to me, but new video game consoles and Sonic the Hedgehog games were accepted in my small world.

When my world view was broken, I had to adapt to my environment through trial and error.

The biggest obstacle I faced was learning how to approach people without coming off as a “creep.”

I learned this through personal experience, and it had a significant impact on the way I understand myself and others.

I had a crush on an attractive classmate, which is something most people can relate to. My feelings began to soar when I laid eyes on her. I felt that I had to make her my girlfriend no matter the cost, even if I ended up coming off the wrong way.

Once I found her in a hallway, we talked, hugged each other and left. I left that experience thinking it was a good idea to seek her out and talk to her as often as I could. I let my emotions get the best of me as I thought it was okay to find her and talk to her every chance I had.

It ranged from searching for her in the hallways, or finding her among her group of friends at lunch and staring right at her.

The vice principal of the school called me up about it, but nothing clicked. Then another adult at the school called me and informed me that I was stalking her. When my speech therapist informed me that I could never see my crush again, because my crush would call the police on me if I did, I finally broke down into tears.

She explained the situation to me through emotion scales, how my crush felt when she first saw me to how she felt when she called the vice principal. That moment was the emotional slap in the face that I needed. This event in my life made me realize that the world does not revolve around me. There are other people who matter and I cannot disregard them.

As an attempt to help heal the pain and improve upon myself, I started learning how to make friends with people without crossing the line. I wanted to improve upon my relationships and

XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

communication skills with females in particular. Miscommunication, adjusting to casual language and learning how to not take jokes seriously were part of that journey.

During my senior year of high school I had a friend who felt embarrassed when I spoke about randomly seeing her in one of my dreams. I was completely unaware that it had romantic implications even though I did not have a crush on her. I was called to my speech therapist’s office again to explain my situation. I began to break down a little, but then I calmed down. I told them it was a misunderstanding caused by my lack of social awareness.

After that moment I grew some more. I still continue to make friends, put others’ needs and feelings before mine, and am careful about what to say and what not to say.

When I arrived to SC I felt clueless on what I wanted to do with my life. After consulting with a counselor, I followed the path of journalism and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. It led me to a wise professor that guided me to my true calling.

At first he appeared disinterested in what I had to offer through my eyes as I felt I was outclassed by my other peers like having promising photography skills and news writing. After my first class with him, I would continue to take more journalism classes until I registered to be a part of The Sun. Once I arrived, I found out that he was not leading The Sun that semester due to an illness. A substitute advisor came in and led the paper, and I took it as a chance to learn new skills. I had a passion

for telling my peers about what I thought about a product, movie or game that I thought they should use, see or play. To get my feet wet I started to write reviews on campus art exhibitions. When the regular professor came back I did my best to get to know him and show him my developing skills.

He thought it would be a good idea for me to write a review on an upcoming theater production called “Bring it On.” He had faith in me to write up a stellar review.

Theater was difficult for me to review at first because I had to give my thoughts on not just the play, but the actors, music, production values and direction.

I went on to write three theater reviews with confidence and knowledge on how to write them.

Months later, in the fall of 2019, I was made aware that I won an award from the San Diego Press Club for a review I wrote for the play “Waiting for Lefty.” I was completely shocked and humbled.

On October 28, I experienced one of my happiest birthdays as I found out that I had won first place in the category of Critical Review.

These awards are some of my proudest accomplishments. They showed me how far I have come from being a self centered young man who lacked social skills to someone that has grown and is still learning every day. I have had friendships and life experiences that will continue to impact my life and help me get through my struggles with autism.

I may still be dealing with autism, but I am learning and living my life the best way I know how and the most confidently that I can.

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

Cato: Veteran officer a role model to fellow colleagues, SC’s black students CONTINUED FROM PG. 4

XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

Parole worsens park tragedy

BY CHANEL ESPARZA A Perspective

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our friends were smiling and laughing as they browsed the La Raza Motorcycle Festival in Chicano Park on a beautiful fall day in 2016.

Seconds later they were all dead.

Death rained from the sky when intoxicated sailor Richard Sepolio drove his speeding vehicle off the Coronado Bridge transition ramp, crushing the visitors.

Sepolio was sentenced to nine years, eight months in prison, but walked free in less than three years last month, despite an outcry from the community and the San Diego County District Attorney.

He pretty much got away with murder.

Family and friends of Cruz Elias Contreras, 52; AnnaMarie Contreras, 50; Andre Christopher Banks, 49 and Francine Denise Jimenez, 46 expressed shock, as did members of the Logan Heights community.

California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) argued that Sepolio earned early release credits by continuing his education, participating in a “fire camp” and serving as a firefighter during recent wildfires.

Inmates participating in this program receive two days off their sentence for each day they serve as a firefighter. This and time served reduced his sentence to less than six months, making him eligible for release through the CDCR’s efforts to reduce the prison population due to COVID-19.

Injured victims and families of the dead were shocked to learn about Sepolio’s scheduled release a mere two days before his hearing.

MaryAnn Contreras, daughter of the victims Cruz and Annamarie Contreras, was outraged.

“How can a healthy 29-year-old inmate who is not at high risk for COVID-19 be released early and not even serve a third of his sentence?” she asked.

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

How can a healthy 29-year-old inmate who is not at high risk for COVID-19 be released early and not even serve a third of his sentence?

— MARYANN CONTRERAS, DAUGHTER OF VICTIMS CRUZ AND ANNAMARIE CONTRERAS

She is hardly alone.

A Logan Heights resident who lives near Chicano Park said the crash has scared the community away from its beloved park.

“I don’t even take my child there anymore,” she said.

District Attorney Summer Stephan also objected to Sepolio’s early release. In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and CDCR Secretary Kathleen Allison, Stephan called the early release “unconscionable.”

“CDCR’s decision is re-victimizing the family and friends of the four people killed and seven injured who have been devastated by their loss and continue to deal with the financial, emotional, mental and physical trauma caused by the defendant,” wrote Stephan. “This inmate continues to deny and minimize the crime by refusing to admit he was speeding and denying being impaired while arguing with his girlfriend on the phone, which resulted in the devastating crash.”

Sepolio not taking responsibility for his actions is galling. He has not come close to paying his debt to society and continues to lie about what happened.

Here are the facts: He made the decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. He made the decision to argue with his girlfriend on the phone while driving recklessly. He made the decision to speed more than 20 mph over the limit on a twisting ramp, resulting in the crash.

He also still denies that he was intoxicated enough to be impaired while driving. Sepolio had been

having cocktails and wine with a friend before he made the decision to drive his vehicle, despite his friend begging him not to. He was transported by ambulance from the crime scene without a blood-alcohol test at the scene. An hour later his recorded blood alcohol content was barely below the limit. This made his estimated blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash between .08 and .09 percent, which is considered driving under the influence.

Sepolio was going at least 85 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to police.

Richard Sepolio not only killed four innocent people and severely injured seven more, he desecrated one of our community’s most sacred places and scarred a community.

Men, women and children victimized that day were victimized again when he was released.

Worst of all, the Sepolio incident demonstrates once again that racism and different standards of justice trundle along in America. Imagine what would happen if the tables were turned and a drunk Latino drove his truck off the bridge over Glorietta Bay Park in Coronado and crushed four White people. He would die in prison.

Sepolio will have to live with crime forever, but his lying and other shameful behavior seem to indicate he does not care that he is a mass killer. Nor does the CDCR. A few days as a firefighter may get an unrepentant killer released, but it will never bring back Cruz and AnnaMarie Contreras, Andre Banks and Francine Jimenez.

10 years, he said, and learned many valuable lessons from his formidable but friendly friend.

“Adam likes to say that campus police officers should go out there on campus and get to know (people) one on one,” he said.

“That’s better than sitting in a patrol car and driving around.”

Cato is frequently seen peddling around campus on a bicycle and when he is not two-wheeling it he is two-footing it. He is one of the few SCPD officers who regularly walks the campus and talks to students and staff he encounters.

“I am stoic, but approachable,” he said stoically. “I like to meet people. I like to meet our students.

They are all such interesting folks.”

Police brutality is unacceptable and unprofessional, he said, and police officers should never profile.

“Some officers say they have a sixth sense (and can intuit trouble),” he said. “We don’t.

Profiling is a bad thing. A lot of time people seem to think profiling is something that happens on the East Coast or down South, but it can happen anywhere.”

He got a taste of it growing in Santee at a time when black children and families were rare in the conservative East County community some people of color derisively call “Klantee.” Cato was often the only African-American kid in his school and had to deal with primitive racial stereotyping.

He said he would never profile others.

“Every student has the right to be on campus,” he said. “If I see folks with backpacks or notebooks, they look like students to me.”

Cato left Santee for a three-year hitch in the Army that included billets in Germany and Oklahoma.

He said they were three of the best years of his life, but not enough to dissuade him from his goal of becoming a police officer.

Southwestern College was his first job and he liked it so much he never left, even though he had opportunities to join a municipal agency.

“I enjoy the interactions I have with the people at Southwestern College,” he said. “It’s not just an assembly line of students coming and going. It’s not like you just do a report and move on. I feel like I am part of the fabric of the institution. I can check up on people who may need a little support.”

SCPD Officer Zach Jones called Cato his role model.

“He’s everything I aspire to be as I grow older and progress in my career,” he said. “He is a hardworking family man who treats everyone fairly and with respect.”

On a police force with no women, Cato is frequently the officer female students prefer to talk to, according to college counselors. Married for many years and the father of a daughter, he is a good listener and sensitive to many of the issues young women face at college.

“He is someone people just instinctively know they can trust,” Nogales said.

Cato said he plans to retire in three years, but is in no hurry to leave Southwestern. Even during the COVID-19 shutdown of the campus, Cato is there keeping an eye on things, anticipating the return of students and staff.

“It’s a little quiet here,” he said recently as he was about to embark on a patrol of the mostlyempty campus. “We’ll hold down the fort until it’s safe for everyone to return. Hopefully that won’t be too long.”

CORRECTION In Issue 2 of The Sun, photos on the Back Page were taken by Anissa Durham.

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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Loonies steal funding from children in need

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BY JULIA WOOCK A Perspective

merica’s crackpot fringe was mostly harmless and often amusing when it was reporting rides in UFOs, serenades from Elvis and Sasquatch footprints in their backyards.

Now they have gone too far.

Using children for its creepy and delusional political games should not be sanctioned in a civil society, even by the Republican party that benefits from this Facebook-fueled swamp of mental illness.

Right-wing, pro-Trump QAnon disciples have ginned up a sludgy stream of toxic conspiracy theories claiming there is a cult of satanic child-eating pedophiles in the basement of a mom-and-pop family pizza parlor in Washington D.C. (For starters, Planet Ping Pong Pizza has no basement, but that’s another story.) Worse, possibly, they have co opted the name and reputation of legitimate children’s advocacy organizations and are on a psychotic crusade to #savethechildren.

Save The Children (hold the hash) is a legitimate organization that looks to end human trafficking, but the phrase has been commandeered by conspiracy theorists and twisted into #savethechildren.

Big difference. One is legit, one completely delusional.

A flock of cuckoos has even gone so far as to assert that a normal furniture company, Wayfair, is part of a nefarious human trafficking syndicate. Wardrobes sold by Wayfair — insert villainous organ music here — are actually code for children!

Doctoral candidate MarcAndré Argentino is studying this phenomenon and America’s rich history of conspiracy lunacy.

His research showed 114 groups on Facebook claiming to be interested in ending child and human trafficking were really QAnon platforms in not-so-clever disguises. Argentino said there has

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XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

been a 3,000 percent increase in membership to these groups during the Trump Administration. The hashtag #savethechildren peaked the first week of August on Twitter with more than 800,000 uses, according to the Associated Press.

Crimes against children and human trafficking are, of course, a real and serious problem that need meaningful attention and resources to combat.

Conspiracy theorists, unfortunately, siphon money from legitimate child advocacy organizations, including the real Save Our Children.

If they really want to save children

from suffering, Trump sycophants and conservatives need to look at the Immigration and Naturalization Service detention centers in Georgia and Texas where there are 666 children known to be detained in cages (now there’s a Satanic number!). They were separated from their parents, whom ICE cannot locate. At least 20 percent of those children are younger than 5.

In February 2019, the New York Times reported that in a four-year span there were 4,556 complaints of sexual abuse from immigrant children at detention centers. Only 1,303 were referred to the Justice Department. Nearly 200 adult ICE

employees have been charged or are under investigation -- likely only a sliver of the offenders.

Where is the conservative indignation? Why are QAnon and the con trailers so quiet? Why are no Republicans advocating for these children? Probably because they are the wrong color.

We do need to save the children.

We need to save them from hunger and homelessness in urban streets. We need to save them from predatory religious cults, poverty and illness.

We also need to save them from American wackadoodles stealing their resources.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LGBTQIA+ Liaison should be from the community Dear Editor, The A in LGBTQIA+ does not stand for allies.

Often, we see cisgender heterosexual people invade LGBTQIA+ spaces. We saw it when Eddie Redmayne played a transgender woman in The Danish Girl and when Southwestern College appointing a cisgender heterosexual woman as the liaison for LGBTQIA+ needs. While I acknowledge the work SWC has put in to make campus more inclusive, there is still so much more that needs to be done.

SWC needs to give their LGBTQIA+ students and staff more than a month-long celebration for Pride.

As an LGBTQIA+ person, I never felt visible or heard during my three years in SWC. In many instances, I faced judgment and hateful remarks for who I am. In one class I introduced myself with my preferred name and pronouns to the professor and class. I did presentations on issues pertaining to my identity and tried to educate and spread awareness. I was laughed at by my peers. My professor knew of this, yet never stepped in to protect or defend me. This traumatic experience made me realize how unwelcomed I am on campus and I never talked about my identity in a classroom again.

I’m not alone on this. According to a report conducted by Campus Pride on LGBTQIA+ higher education, “Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of LGB respondents said they had been harassed based on their sexual identity, and an even greater percentage (39 percent) had experienced harassment based on their gender identity or expression… more than half of all LGBT students, faculty, and staff hide their sexual identity (43 percent) or gender identity (63 percent) to avoid

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Sterilize: Brutal ICE practice an act of genocide

intimidation on campus.”

Appointed campus leaders should not be allies who will never know the discrimination we confront daily.

Theys will never face the anxiety of being outed. They will never understand the mental toll of hiding your identity from loved ones. They will never be able to relate to our issues. So why is SWC appointing people who could never know the struggles LGBTQIA+ people go through as directors and liaisons?

I was fortunate to find a space within SWC that accepted me and listened to my concerns. There are staff on campus that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and personally know the struggles of being a student facing all these obstacles to pursue a higher education. They understand the work that needs to be put in and what the campus lacks. Though it took time and work, I was able to find these safe spaces by myself.

SWC needs to put in the same amount of work to find a better suited candidate for these positions.

The biggest advice I can give allies is this: use your privilege to uplift the voices of LGBTQIA+ people. Do not take positions from us. Instead, give it up to someone who is best fits and is from the community.

Brin Balboa

Math homework is harmful and counter-productive Dear Editor, Assigning math homework to students is very often a hindrance to learning rather than an asset.

Especially now. The global pandemic has changed the way education is approached for people of all ages. To say online classes, new ways of learning and new assessments are stressors would be a profound understatement.

Assigning students homework making it a large percentage of their grade degrades its purpose.

It goes from being a safe space to make mistakes in order to retain knowledge, to something ominous that can lower grades. The focus shifts from learning to acquiring points by any means possible.

A solution is changing the classroom environment so students can work on problems that would typically be homework during class. This enables students to work together and have the opportunity to ask the teacher questions. They would receive the practice and critical thinking required to progress in mathematics.

This strategy works well in remote education. Students working together in breakout rooms derive more benefit constantly re-watching dreary lecture videos they did not understand the first time they watched it. Passive instruction via video or Canvas has unintended consequences such as prowling for help on YouTube.

Instructors may still provide practice homework problems for students who want more practice outside the classroom. This gives them options, but removes stress and the punitive threats for not completing it. The 2020-21 academic year is a stressful and somewhat chaotic time, but there are silver linings. Rather that dump students online, let’s all try to think outside the box regarding virtual learning and dream up new ways to enhance learning.

Ramona Lopez

Former ASO leader expresses gratitude toward the college Dear Editor, I had always allowed negativity to shroud my mentality. It wasn’t until

I arrived on campus that I had my mind blown with opportunity, support, and motivation.

I applied, figuring I would get an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and maybe transfer to SDSU. My sole focus was to get my business back and never look back. I looked back and it was the greatest decision of my life.

Puente was my initial start into discovering that my potential was greater than I had ever believed in.

A once broken soul that has been revitalized and reconditioned to be more than who I had perceived myself to be. Puente and sensei made my growth possible.

Armed with a new found confidence, I pursued the task of ASO President. It tested the very fabric of my being. Although the circumstances were dire, we were able to navigate and weather the storm as a unified team and subsequently, the pandemic as well.

My academic and extracurricular triumphs led to my recognition as a Student of Distinction. A personal goal I accomplished.

Prior to my membership in PTK (Phi Theta Kappa), I kept a flyer in my binder so everyday I could visualize my goal of lifting my 1.0ish GPA to become a member.

I exceeded this goal, becoming the President of the SWC chapter, Alpha Pi Epsilon.

I never dreamed that I would be a college degree recipient. Yet here I stand—a graduate.

My sights now focused on transferring to continue my academic endeavors. Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate.

SWC holds a special place in my heart and impacted my and my family’s lives tremendously.

I am forever grateful for the people at Southwestern College, I consider you my family.

I will return.

I will pay it forward. #SWCmadeitpossible Christian Sanchez

no cure. When penicillin became available for treatment, the U.S. Public Health Service made sure study victims did not receive it.

The Nuremberg Code and Human Rights Declaration of Helsinki were written to end Nazi-inspired secretive experimentation on humans, but the Center for Disease Control, which assumed supervision of the experiment, ignored the decrees.

It was not until 1972, when the gruesome story was leaked to the press, that the horrific syphilis study ended. By then 128 patients had suffered terrible deaths from syphilis or complications, 40 of their wives had been infected and 19 of their children developed congenital syphilis. Countless others suffered from the painful, pernicious disease, including brain damage.

It gets worse.

Much worse.

American physician John Charles Cutler traveled to Guatemala in 1946 to experiment on vulnerable people by infecting them with gonorrhea and syphilis. He targeted Guatemalan soldiers and prisoners.

He hired impoverished prostitutes to have sex with as many of the men as possible after he had inserted with cotton swabs soaked with pus from the infection into their genitals.

Victims did not know they were infected and received no treatment.

When that did not yield fast enough results for Cutler, he inserted cotton swabs with the pus deep into the men’s urethras. He also put the pus in people’s eyes and scraped penises with hypodermic needles and dressed the wound with bandages contaminated with syphilis.

Women were made to swallow syphilitic solutions and even had it injected in their spinal cords. One woman named Berta was injected with the infection in her arm and days before her death had gonorrhea pus rubbed in her eyes and was reinfected with syphilis.

Today Guatemalan people still suffer the effects of gonorrhea and syphilis passed down through generations.

America’s Mengele was never brought to justice. He trod over his Hippocratic oath to “Do no harm,” torturing thousands of innocent and unsuspecting Indigenous people.

Fanny Lou Hamer was a midcentury Black Civil Rights activist sterilized without her knowledge.

She later discovered that six of 10 hospitalized Black women were unknowingly sterilized.

The procedure was so common it was known as the “Mississippi Appendectomy.”

Native American women in the 1960s and 1970s were victims of mass sterilization at the hands of the Indian Health Services, an agency originally created to help them. Data indicates more than 25 percent of indigenous women of child-bearing age were sterilized. Researchers said that figure is probably much, much higher.

Between 1970 and 1976 somewhere between 25 to 50 percent of Indigenous American women were sterilized, according to investigator Jane Lawrence. Dwindling Native American populations are the result, Lawrence reported.

The Geneva Convention of 1948 determined “that genocide is a crime under international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of the United Nations and condemned by the civilized world.” Americans have violated many of these articles in the past 70 years. Article II, subsection d, states that the act of genocide includes “Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.” Subsection e, genocide includes “Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” Native Americans have suffered both of these crimes against humanity on U.S. soil.

Sterilizations of refugee women in ICE detention centers are heinous and cruel acts of genocide that must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one engaged in this kind of barbary should be allowed to keep a medical license. It is a slippery slope from here to Cutler, Mengele and other medical monsters.

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

CAMPUS ARTS

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ROSES IN THE CONCRETE— Artists are leading an effort to remake the image of Market Creek and inspire a new era of pride, confidence, prosperity and peace.

Art and volunteering rebuilt my confidence and saved my life.

Without those I do not know where I’d be today.

ANISSA DURHAM / STAFF

— Kim Phillips-Pea CO-FOUNDER SOUTHEAST ART TEAM

New voices celebrate venerable Southeastern San Diego

Artists paint a hopeful future M STANDING TALL IN THE STORM — Kim Phillips-Pea turned sorrow into hope, hope into love and love into art. Her love of the community shines though in her creations.

ANISSA DURHAM / STAFF

ANISSA DURHAM / STAFF

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

FACE BEHIND THE FACES — Raquel Rhone wants all artists in her community to have an opportunity to exhibit their work and to represent Black citizens of San Diego. She said the arts have been left behind for far too long in Southeastern San Diego.

BY ANISSA DURHAM Staff Writer

ARKET CREEK PLAZA, SOUTHEASTERN SAN DIEGO — A rose can grow from a crack in the concrete, wrote Tupac Shukur. In the Market Creek community an entire Black Renaissance has blossomed.

In the luminous shadow of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, three outspoken artists are working to replant a strangled arts community in a soil rich with talent .

Blossoms are beginning to appear like colorful harbingers of spring in the COVID haze of winter.

A pop-up gallery is a small but promising start to what organizers Kim Phillips-Pea, Racquel Rhone and Vee Brooks hope will one day be a field of flowers created by Black artists in an underrepresented community.

“We feel every community should have a gallery,” said Phillips-Pea. “We deserve to have it, we need to have it and we should have it.”

Southeast Art Team, the organization led by the trio, partners with the Jacobs Center on Euclid Avenue to operate the gallery, which is richly stocked with fine art, abstract art, portraits, prints, jewelry and other creations that celebrate Black culture.

Rhone said the very act of opening a gallery is important because it represents a rebirth of a Southeastern San Diego arts culture that has been obliterated by decades of poverty, racial injustice and invisibility. A oncevibrant arts scene that fell dormant is back, she said.

“We want to give artists in the community a chance to shop their work,” she said. “As Black artists in the community, we know how important representation is in Southeastern San Diego. We want people to see art that reflects who they are. It is essential for people within our community to see that we have beautiful arts and cultures all around us.”

Art galleries have taken a beating in San Diego County during the novel coronavirus pandemic. From Ramona to San Ysidro, Logan Heights to Alpine, galleries have been staggered, suspended or permanently closed.

Barrio Logan’s beloved La Bodega closed recently and the ripples were felt throughout the arts community.

Purple may be artists’ least favorite color this year, as the COVID-19 stayat-home orders have starved galleries of visitors and professional artists of customers. Market Creek’s roses in the concrete have been darkened by clouds, said Phillips-Pea, but the trio plans to press on.

Rhone agreed.

“I feel our business is so well received because so many people in the community want to see that, especially in Southeast San Diego where arts and culture tends to get left behind,” she said. “People are happy to see an art gallery for themselves and for their children.”

Dahryan “Street General” Aluqdah, a member of the Southeast Art Team, said his creativity motivates him to address the stereotypes of Black artists.

“I want us to control our own narrative,” he said “Everybody tells our story, but we never tell our own. I want our art to reflect what really goes on.”

Rhone said her visions are cultural and geographical.

“I want to use the gallery as an opportunity to put Southeastern San Diego art on the map as much as possible,” she said. “We need to help local artists network and provide a space for Black artists to reach the next level in their work.”

Phillips-Pea said she would like to see more arts professionals paid for their work.

“We have volunteered to paint murals around the community as a way to showcase our work in hopes that we might get paid,” she said. “Even when local Black artists are paid, most of the money goes back into the supplies, insurance and facilities to continue creating artwork.”

Phillips-Pea and Rhone said they hope to learn more about marketing and selling creations by Black artists. Aluqdah said that is a wise way forward.

“You have to control your art and culture,” he said. “We have to know the business so we don’t have to sell our souls to do it.”

Southeast Art Team also wants to advocate for amateur and beginning artists in the community because of art’s power to express injustice and cleanse the soul. Too many youth in the community face sexual violence and abuse, said Phillips-Pea. She was one of those children, she said.

“Art and volunteering rebuilt my confidence and saved my life,” she said.

“Without those I do not know where I would be today. I was constantly in bondage. Art redirected my focus from me thinking about that violence all the time.”

Sexual violence plagues communities of color, said Phillips-Pea. One in four Black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18 and one in five Black women are survivors of rape, she said. The Southeast Art Team wants to change the narrative about sexual violence, she said, one youth at a time.

Rhone said all artists at any level are invited to reach out to the Southeast Art Team to discuss showcasing their work in the pop-up gallery. Artists and arts patrons should see Black expression, she said, and feel the pride, beauty and creativity of the community.

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Chicano Park children‘s book doesn’t kid around

BY ANISSA DURHAM Staff Writer

Birthing Chicano Park was an act of rebellion.

So was publishing a children’s book about the legendary tierra beneath the Coronado Bridge.

Like their real-life forebearers in 1970, Bettie and Bonky faced an epic struggle to find voice. Like the Logan Heights Chicanos of that fateful April, author Beatrice Zamora refused to give up. Her pen was as the picks, shovels and axes of 1970, scratching out something new in the soil of Aztlan.

A former Southwestern College counselor and long-time Aztec dancer, Zamora created a pair of kids named Bettie and Bonky as a vehicle to encourage children to explore the awe-inspiring murals of Chicano Park, and to delve into its rich and rowdy history.

Chicano Park is a microcosm of the story of abuse and marginalization of communities of color in the New World dating back to Columbus and the

conquistadors. A once-stately shoreline community with successful, diverse residents in Tudor and adobe homes, Logan Heights was relentlessly degraded

by World War II industrial buildup, the military, garbage dumps and pollution. The coup de grace was the construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s, a stone dagger through la corazon of the community.

Then it got worse.

California decided to construct an ambitious, sweeping bridge from Coronado to the shores of the east side of the bay, blowing another enormous hole in the fragmented community. In an effort to salvage something hopeful from the carnage, residents of Barrio Logan negotiated with the City of San Diego for a park under the bridge. An agreement was struck.

Like so many other agreements with indigenous Americans, however, the city went back on its word. On the morning of April 22, 1970, Mario Solis, a student at San Diego City College, was

COURTESY BEATRICE ZAMORA

BATTLING ON — Former Southwestern College counselor Beatrice Zamora’s children’s book celebrates the courage and steadfastness of the park’s founders.

walking through Barrio Logan below the bridge. What he saw jolted him into action. Bulldozers and construction crews had congregated to clear the land.

Horrified residents learned that the city had given their park land over for a Highway Patrol station.

Incensed by the betrayal, defiant members of the community planted themselves in front of bulldozers in protest. Hundreds of Chicanos from around the region poured in, then thousands from across America. AfricanAmericans, Filipino Americans and Anglos joined the siege in support of Loganistas. Using gardening tools from their own sheds, protesters began to scratch out a park by hand. Artists began to paint on the bridge supports.

After a tense 12-day standoff, the city relented and Chicano Park was born. Today is a National Heritage Site and the world’s largest collection of outdoor murals. It is a San Diego County treasure.

Zamora’s characters make the

PLEASE SEE Zamora PG. 17

REVIEW

Jazz duo finds a way to sparkle

BY ISRAEL DE JESSUS NIEVES Staff Writer

Jazz is all about improvising.

COVID-19 is all about improvising, too.

America’s greatest musical form collided head on with America’s great health threat in the innovative “Jazz at Home” concert by husband-wife virtuosos Justin and Melonie Grinnell.

Jazz was the clear winner.

Pianist Melonie and double bassist Justin flexed their musical chops to create something fluid, unexpected and beautiful with the narrowest of opportunity in the largest of crises. Their performances were yet another breath of fresh air from the stubbornly resilient Southwestern College Performing Arts. The duo pushed through sonic delay, latency and other technical challenges to put on an enjoyable concert that felt human. It was not Friday night at a jazz bar soaked with Sinatra-era martinis and hipster suspenders, but the set delivered intimacy and a nascent sense of community.

Richly varied, the performance featured jazz classics by legends like Duke Ellington, originals by Justin and a snazzy interpretation of the theme from “The Mandalorian.”

Justin’s bass launched the melody of a sweet rendition of “Someday My Prince Will Come,”a jazz standard from the film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Melonie’s piano kicked aside a feeling of apprehension and injected a looming expectation of hope.

Justin’s original “Resisting Change” was dark, eerie-ghostly, but vibrant and captured the sentiment of its title. In the beginning of the song there was a sense of two oppositional forces fighting each other between the bass and piano. The bass tried to lead one way while the piano led another, playing a game of musical tug-o-war. They each resisted the sound the other was trying to invoke, until they combined to create a tone of acceptance.

Jazz, the Godfather of all modern music, can be played with a swinging orchestra like Ellington’s or by a lone virtuoso like Chick Corea. Done well, jazz can find form in a piano, trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bass, harmonica or any instrument in the hands of a talented player.

Justin and Melonie Grinnell demonstrated that throughout the night.

Virtual concerts will never replace a smokey New Orleans dive at 3 a.m., but the Grinnells created an intimate musical conversation much appreciated during our pandemic arts desert.

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COURTESY SC MARIACHI

ROYALTY IN EXILE — Southwestern’s globe-trotting Mariachi Garibaldi replaced sold-out concerts at Mayan Hall this semester with virtual virtuosity over conferencing technology.

Mariachi concerts go on hiatus, but la música del cielo plays on

BY VICTORIA RIETZ Staff Writer

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lanet Earth’s best collegiate Mariachi is not about to allow a little inconvenience like a global pandemic make it go flat.

Coronavirus be damned, this is Mariachi, la música del cielo.

Mexico’s favorite musical form is ringing out through cyberspace and will soon be heard again in the Southwestern College community, thanks to determined director Dr. Jeff Nevin, clever music instructor Wendy Green, a little technology and a lot of creativity.

Nevin and the South County’s most popular band, El Mariachi Garibaldi, are preparing new recordings without ever performing together in the same room, no small feat even for the Maestro Maravilloso de Mariachi. Exuberant standing-room-only crowds in Mayan Hall are temporarily on hiatus, but el

espíritu de la música is alive in the blazing trumpets and soaring strings of the players recording their parts in their home studios (previously known as the bedroom, kitchen or garage).

Nevin said everyone is doing their best to keep the flame alive until los mariachis jaguares can reunite in their campus rehearsal space and their home stage in The Mayan — or possibly the brand new theater under construction. He admitted to missing his bandidos and the process of blending Mariachi Garibaldi’s rich borderlands wall of sound. It takes a village of likeminded musical artists, he said, to create the rousing sets South Bay audiences have come to love. “(Playing together) allows a mixing of sounds and creates something you cannot do by yourself,” he said. “That’s a really special thing. It’s the art. I never knew how much I would miss it.”

Music tutor Alejandro Esparza is helping Nevin layer together individual

student recordings that will in the end create a united Mariachi Garibaldi performance.

“We are trying to give students the same feeling as being in a classroom,” he said.

“We want to give the community a taste of the great Mariachi music everyone loved so much and longs to hear once again.”

Greene said students recording themselves and scrutinizing their performances has many benefits.

“It’s as if we are seeing music from the projection angle, not just the performance angle,” she said.

SC Performing Arts Coordinator Silvia Nogales said it is sad that the college will not be able to host its beloved Mariachi concerts this year because they are such an essential part of the culture of this region.

Mariachi shows at Southwestern College typically sell out in days — if not hours — and are the most cherished ticket in town.

“They’ll be back, this is not forever,” she said. “It just feels like it.”

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

Murals: Artists create the face of redevelopment shaping San Ysidro CONTINUED FROM PG. 20

JI HO KIM/ STAFF

NOT ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL — Ruff Yeager’s adaptation of “Antigone” reveals patterns of dark history repeating during the Age of Pandemic and political instability in America.

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n egomaniacal ruler, obsessed with building a wall during a time of plague, refuses to admit defeat. He belittles allies and enemies with equal disdain as he puts himself ahead of the republic.

Drunk with power, he has become his own Light of the World.

Mar-a-Lago was not around when the Greek uber-playwright Sophocles wrote “Antigone” in 441 BC, but one would never know. Classic themes are classic for a reason.

Director Ruff Yeager returned to his fave Maestro of Mayhem with his adaptation of “Antigone at the Wall,” which amps up Sophocles with the COVID pandemic, a mighty democracy in danger and an orange tyrant rampaging over a Temple of Zoom.

Like students in the Age of Remote Education, tyrannical terror Creon (a fantastic Walter Murray) uses Zoom for a press conference to inform subjects that

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

REVIEW loyalty is the price of safety. He urges his tribe not to panic, obey the law and trust him to keep them safe from the virus. Antigone (compelling Lauren Brazell), his niece, has hit her limit. Her brother who died on the wrong side of Creon and the wrong side of the wall cannot get a proper burial because Creon refuses to bury him at all.

Her well-intentioned sister Iseme (a solid Bianca Venegas) warns her not to cross their megalomaniacal uncle, who is known to draw up lists of enemies, then scratch them off one by one. Antigone, a singular strong woman in a man’s world, refuses to be another brick in the wall— a noble, but fatal decision.

Even at first glance it was clear that Brazell’s muscular post-punk Antigone does not suffer fools gladly. She seemed lifted from the grooves of a Green Day album, ready to battle an American Idiot. Like Gandhi and Mandela, she gained strength and clarity in prison, proving that resistance is not futile.

Words may be our most inexhaustible source of magic, but designer/technical director Michael Buckley is a close second.

He and Zoom Webinar Engineer Alvin Angeles worked their illusory sorcery, creating seamless scene transitions on a viable stage of photons.

Stage manager Maria Mangiavellano upped her already top-flight game by transcending chaos and holding it all together.

Murray channelled Trump through Creon, demonstrating once again that ego, tyranny and evil are timeless. Yeager’s deep knowledge of classical theater informed his decision to dust off a Sophocles nugget and his affinity for popular culture inspired a retrofit. (A rare misfire was the surfed out Sentry. Too much Ridgemont High, not enough Hunger Games.)

Yeager and Co., like Antigone herself, would not let “Antigone at the Wall” go quietly into the night. Somewhere, Sophocles smiled.

by 20 miles and two intervening cities. Abandoned buildings dot the area and the pandemic has forced nearly 30 percent of its businesses to close.

Sanchez said he noticed how the redevelopment of Barrio Logan and North Park centered around an art scene. Artist Gerardo Meza also noticed.

“Barrio Logan, after 15 years, is completely different,” said Meza, a Southwestern College alumnus.

“Everything started with the art.

Then they opened up breweries and the restaurants. Now it’s something else. It’s a tourist destination.”

Sanchez said he did not want to wait 15 years.

“I realized that we needed to do something that was much faster,” he said.

San Ysidro has a reputation as a “pass through” community, Sanchez said. People come to exchange money, buy something quick and then they leave for Mexico or points north. BPAC members hope to transform the area into an arts hotspot where visitors stay to eat and hang out, he said.

BPAC painters completed their first mural near the San Ysidro Boulevard border crossing with $15,000 from the Mexican Consulate. It is called “San Ysidro–A Place Where Soles Meet.”

Artists used outlines of the shoes of passersby in an intentional pun.

“Soles” is near a place people are picked up after crossing the border of foot. Sanchez saw elderly people standing and waiting for their rides. He imagined his grandmother standing there alone, he said, so BPAC added 10 benches to the space.

Today BPAC is working on curating art that focuses on love, unity and hope, said Meza. Carley Ealey and Christopher Koneki helped create the “Love” mural on San Ysidro Blvd. right off the 805 South where people get stuck waiting in their cars on their drive home.

Koneki said people need a lift.

“If this brightens their day, even for a moment, then I think we have succeeded,” he said.

Ealey and Koneki got some love from motorists who honked and waved as they painted. Mission accomplished, said Ealey.

“Murals are for the masses,” she said. “It’s not in a gallery or a pretentious museum, or anything like that. It’s for everyone.”

Jerry Villalobos painted a colorful peacock in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Across the peacock’s crown it reads “UNIDAD.” Villalobos said he chose the peacock because “its feathers are all equally beautiful in their own way and they all serve their own purpose.”

Sanchez and Meza said they want San Ysidro to become an international arts hub. Villalobos said the transformation is underway.

“I think overall what they’re doing is a great step in the right direction as far as bringing some more art to the San Ysidro community,” he said.

Today murals are popping up along San Ysidro Boulevard. Some of the more progressive property owners allowed BPAC to paint on their buildings, Sanchez said. He has a message for holdouts.

“Just wait and see,” he said.

“You’re going to want to get on this train.”

Meza and BPAC artists painted utility boxes and other urban canvases up and down the boulevard.

“I think it has had a positive impact to see a local artist who was educated here and at Southwestern College making a difference in his own community,” he said.

Sanchez said his next project is to connect San Ysidro to the vibrant art scene of Tijuana. Meza and the rest of BPAC have a message for the Baja California megapolis — you’re going to want to get on this train.

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XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

FORCED TO GO ELSEWHERE — Elizabeth Campos (l) and Sonia Camargo say it is unthinkable that SC students like them have to take classes related to their heritage at other colleges.

MAS IS NOT COMING Students decry lack of Chicano Studies Program at America’s border college

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BY XIOMARA VILLAREAL-GERARDO and BIANCA HUNTLEY ORTEGA Sports Editor, Copy Editor

outhwestern College, the closest American college to the Mexican border, has no Chicano Studies department.

Or Mexican-American Studies.

Or Ethnic Studies.

Latino students and a young assistant professor are out to change that.

Dr. Gerado Rios is the first full-time Mexican-American Studies specialist hired at SC in more than a decade. Students are encouraging him to build up the MAS program.

If only it were that simple. There is no program.

That does not discourage Rios.

“People say that Rome was not built in a day, but I say Tenochtitlan was not built in a day,” he said. “We’re changing that culture.

Now we’re going to have four classes and I hope within the next year to introduce another course on Mexican-American heritage.”

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Rios has guided the creation of MexicanAmerican Studies courses MAS 141, 142 and 150.

A course titled “La Chicana” is in the works, he said.

In the coming years Rios said he foresees a need to hire more full-time MAS faculty.

Students agree, said Dr. Guadalupe Rodriguez Corona, advisor of AChA and co-advisor of MEChA. “Two and a half years ago the MexicanAmerican Student Organization went to the governing board and asked for more courses and for full-time faculty,” she said. “MAS courses are representative of and vital to the Southwestern College campus community.”

AChA President Elizabeth Campos, a fronteriza, (a person of the borderlands) said taking a MAS course impacted her greatly.

“It really made me connect with my background and it encouraged me to want to continue my education because I got so invested in it,” she said.

Campos said she was raised a binational

PLEASE SEE Chicano PG. 15

If we are truly going to be a successful thriving Hispanic Serving Institution, we have to have a strong academic component that also affirms the student experience both in and out of the classroom.

— ELIZABETH CAMPOS, ACHA PRESIDENT

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I’m glad I got to do that as a kid. I find this time of the year the most enjoyable, from all the traditional ingredients to the decorations.

— ALEJANDRA ACOSTA SC STUDENT

MEChistas open the door for La Posada

BY DIEGO HIGUERA Staff Writer

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BIANCA HUNTLEY ORTEGA / STAFF

PILLARS OF A CULTURE — Elizabeth Campos (l) and Sonia Camargo are among the student leaders calling for Southwestern to create a new Chicano Studies Program and a diverse array of classes to meet the new CSU ethnic studies requirements. Even though San Diego County is a cradle of Chicano activism and SC is the closest American college to the Mexican border, the college lacks a cohesive academic pathway in the discipline.

Chicano: Students urge college to create classes, program reflecting them CONTINUED FROM PG. 14

Mexican-American who was always curious about her history. Taking MAS 141 changed her life, she said, because it helped her connect to others like her at SC. Students have complained that MAS courses are not offered every semester, which can trip up transfer plans. MEChA member Sonia Camargo said she was not able to take the MAS course she wanted this semester because it was not offered.

MEChA Secretary Myriam Ortiz said she had to take a MAS 150 equivalent class at Mesa College for the same reason.

“As students we have a (transfer) timeline,” she said. “What am I going to do with a semester off?”

Mesa College and City College offer Mexican-American history classes such as Chicano Film and Chicano Art not available at SC. Both colleges have Chicano Studies departments, which had Christian Sanchez, a former ASO President, scratching his head.

“Considering that we are a school literally right next to the border, we should be one of the leading schools in terms of course offerings like literature, film, Chicanism and all that,” he said. “There are people on campus who want to learn about their identities, and they want to learn about where they come from and their history.

Chicano Studies departments are in colleges and universities throughout California and the Southwestern United States, said Rios, but not at SC. MAS classes at SC are listed under History.

Campos said it is important to have Chicano Studies at SC to help Latino DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

students feel connected, supported and represented.

SC is nearly 70 percent Latino and is a pioneering Hispanic Serving Institution (a federal government designation for colleges with at least 25 Latino enrollment.)

“Since we are a Hispanic Serving Institution it would make sense to have (a Chicano Studies department),” she said.

MEChistas urged college leaders to create a Chicanx Studies Department.

It started with Ortiz, who devised “El Plan de Southwestern College.” She wrote the 10-point proposal for an assignment at Mesa College and shared it two weeks later at a MEChA meeting. Campos said it would greatly benefit SC students.

“They might not be as prepared if they want to transfer over to a university as a Chicano Studies major,” she said.

Corona, who has a Chicano Studies degree, said her coursework taught her

about her culture, border economics and international politics, but also how her fronteriza experiences contributed to the classroom through cultural capital.

“If we are truly going to be a successful thriving Hispanic Serving Institution, we have to have a strong academic component that also affirms the student experience both in and out of the classroom,” she said.

Last year the California State University system added a new Ethnic Studies requirement for all graduates. A class in Chicano, African American, Asian American or Native American studies would fulfill the requirement.

Ortiz said this makes a Chicano Studies program at SC an imperative.

“It’s the perfect time for us to create this plan because more people are going to now need to take Ethnic Studies classes,” she said. “Why not have Chicano Studies be part of them?”

n a year of worsts, in a year of firsts, MEChA pulled off one for the ages.

MEChistas hosted Southwestern College’s first virtual Christmas posada, a traditional Mexican festival to honor the journey of Joseph and Mary.

In a year of lows, MEChistas took the high road to Belen, celebrating the good things in their lives. Ana Sofia Rivera set the tone.

“I’d like to dedicate this moment to our fellow students and faculty, the community, those who are working and striving out there,” she said.

Elizabeth Campos said posadas are fun and colorful.

Alejandra Acosta agreed.

“I’m glad I got to do that as a kid,” she said. “I find this time of the year the most enjoyable, from all the traditional ingredients to the decorations.”

Professor Dr. Francisco Fuentes offered props to the students for keeping la posada alive in 2020.

“My mom and other mothers on the block kept the tradition going,” he said. “We would meet once a year. It would be all these different families, these mothers, these abuelas who organize us all. It’s really nice that people continue to fight for their tradition. They’re often ignored and I think this virtual posada is so powerful.”

SC’s world-famous Mariachi Garibaldi burst in to sing “De Domingo a Domingo,” a song about a man who wishes he could go to church every day to see a beautiful woman he only ever saw in the pews. Next came “Los Peces en el Río,” about the Virgin Mary washing the diapers of baby Jesus in the river.

Denisse Figueroa brought joy to the gathering with her poem“Mi Primera Posada.”

“I got an invitación to my first posada.

I’m so excited, but what will I wear?

An ugly sweater alomejor.

As I hear the drum beat so does mi corazón.

As I listen to the mariachi, I feel so much honor.

I can’t wait to have some tamales, buñuelos and dance some cumbias, too.

Hoy will forever be in my heart.

This will now be a new tradición I can share with my little ones.

Gracias por la invitación.”

MEChA VP Christian Sanchez thanked the Puente Drum Circle, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Radio SY Mulmenyah for their contributions to la posada.

He said SC is blessed with a strong community of active students and faculty.

“We want to build a community at the college, so it can grow over the years and become a tradition.”

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

NOT FORGOTTEN — SAGA Club members held an emotional virtual candlelight vigil to honor murdered transgender Americans.

TRANSGENDER Transgender people suffer America’s highest per capita homicide rate

BY ANA PAOLA OLVERA Campus Editor

A

t least 50 transgender people have been murdered so far in 2020.

SAGA students made sure they are not forgotten.

Southwestern College’s Sexual and Gender Awareness Club (SAGA) hosted a solemn online vigil to commemorate this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Former SC student Melissa Barton said it is important to remember those who have fallen.

“I’m glad someone’s remembering,” she said. “I’m glad we’re not going to take this lying down.”

Transgender Day of Remembrance was pioneered in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender woman brutally murdered in her own home. It is a way to remember transgender people who have fallen victim to bigotry and violence.

Founded by former SC Student of Distinction Award recipient Dan Cordero, the vigil is usually held on campus, lit by candles to honor the dead. SAGA adapted to the closure of the campus and continued to shine a spotlight on the atrocities committed against transgender people in America and Mexico.

SAGA President Ryan Young compiled a list of 37 transgender people who were murdered this year and displayed their pictures.

Most were transgender women of color, which have the highest murder rate of any American demographic.

Participants offered a moment of silence after Young somberly called each name. Rachel (who wished to keep her last name private) said it was startling to see the faces of the people who died. She said she knows transgender people who are

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THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

MASSACRE afraid for their safety and are too scared to even go outside.

“It’s one thing when you hear about it before you figure out that you’re trans,” she said. “It’s another thing when you hear about it and you’re worried about it happening to either you or someone you know.”

Data provided by the Human Rights Campaign indicates trans people were murdered in higher numbers this year than any since it began tracking the data in 2013. Young said he believes there are many more uncounted deaths because of misreporting and misgendering, as well as homelessness and suicide.

“I think the whole kind of scary notion of it is that it can happen to anyone at any moment,” Young said. “And there’s like a 50 percent chance that the only people who will actually pay respect to the victims are a handful of people.”

Young had to take breaks in between hours of research scrolling through articles detailing the deaths of the victims and the responses of their communities.

Young said that even in death, transgender people are invisible and not treated with respect. Some of the articles exposed the victims’ dead names and showed pictures of them before their transition.

For Rachel and Barton, the vigil reminded them of a scary and cruel reality.

Rachel exercises so she can get out of any potentially dangerous situations. She started medically transitioning this year, she said, and does not feel that she appears feminine enough to dress that way in public. For her own sense of security, she dresses like a man when she is not at home.

“Day by day it feels more like I’m doing drag when I leave my house,” she said.

Our society needs to change the way it frames transgender people, Rachel said. She said educating

Americans about queer people can move society into a more just direction.

Barton said she feels like she is getting off easy, yet she still had to face a lot of hardships in her life.

She grew up in a strict and controlling household, she said.

Barton had been programmed to be masculine since childhood and she served in the military for a short period. What was in her heart never went away, she said, and in her early thirties, she knew she had to do something about it.

“The anguish I was experiencing was so intense that I knew that if I didn’t pursue my transition from male to female I was going to kill myself,” she said.

A few months before she was ready to come out to her parents, someone outed her. Her parents did not take it well, she said.

Barton left home in the middle of the night. No one was going to stop her from transitioning, she said. She wanted to live in a way that was honest and authentic.

Attendees agreed today’s society lacks respectful language and maintains a bewildering resistance to pronoun preferences, even though transgender people have been in existence longer than countries and religions.

Americans are dismissive of transphobia, Rachel said.

“Changing the culture is important,” she said.

“Strengthening our protections against prejudicial firings is important and access to health care is important.”

Courageous conversations are required, she said, and the vigil showed a great deal of leadership from SC students.

Transgender people have only just begun to speak out about injustices and prejudice, Barton said.

“If we don’t stand up for ourselves, there’s no way of knowing who will.”

VIOLENCE STALKS TRANSGENDER AMERICANS The Human Rights Campaign has been tracking antitransgender violence since 2013. In 2020, at least 50 transgender or gender nonconforming people were fatally shot or killed by other violent means. The majority of the victims were Black or Latinx transgender women.

Dustin Parker, 25 Neulisa Luciano Ruiz Yampi Méndenz Arocho, 19 Scott/Scottlynn Devore, 51 Monika Diamond, 34 Lexi, 33 Johanna Metzger Serena Angelique Vélazquez Ramons, 32 Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21 Penélope Díaz Ramírez Nina Pop Helle Jae O’Regan, 20 Tony McDade Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells Riah Milton, 25 Jayne Thompson, 33 Selena Reyes-Hernandez, 37 Brian “Egypt” Powers, 43 Brayla Stone, 17 Merci Mack, 22 Shaki Peters, 32 Bree Black, 27 Summer Taylor Marilyn Cazares Dior H Ova Queasha D Hardy, 22 Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears Lea Rayshon Daye, 28 Kee Sam Aerrion Burnett Mia Green, 29 Michelle Michellyn Ramos Vargas, mid-30s Felycya Harris, 33 Brooklyn Deshuna, 20 Sara Blackwood Angel Unique, 25 Skylar Heath, 20 Yunieski Carey Herrera, 39 Asia Jynae Foster, 22 Chae’Meshia Simms Kimberly Fial, 55

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

‘STRESS BUSTERS’ HELP STUDENTS BREATHE EASY Counselors share tips to manage stress reactions and panic attacks

BY ANA PAOLA OLVERA Campus Editor

College students in America face considerable stress.

Then along came the novel coronavirus.

SC mental health case manager Alex Aiello said the array of stressors from the pandemic are extensive.

“We’re seeing a lot more housing insecurity, financial stress, stress about health, stress about our loved ones and then just general stress about COVID-19 itself,” she said.

One simple and quick remedy is breathing. Aiello said our bodies produce more stress hormones when our breathing is shallow. Blood starts rushing faster and our body’s temperature rises. Deep breathing can calm us back down.

“You want to focus on taking really deep breaths,” she said. “Get that air deep in your belly. A helpful tool is to count and you want to breathe out longer than you’re breathing in.”

Many students have much different roles inside their homes due to shelter-in-place orders.

Routines have been upended.

Homes have become classrooms and offices. Aiello suggested students dedicate specific spaces for school and others for relaxing. It is also helpful, she said, to dress and not stay in pajamas all day.

Stress is reinforced when we focus on what we cannot control, Aiello said, whether family, school or the world.

SC mental health counselor Dr. Clarence Amaral suggested students focus what they can control and take on just one thing at a time. He said the pandemic has introduced a set of nerve-wracking situations that make people wonder “What if?” “’What if a loved one got sick?’

‘What if I lost my job?’” he said. “We tend to catastrophize sometimes and create false hypotheses.”

Amaral said stress is like a snowball rolling down a steep mountain, growing in speed and size. Mindfulness can stop the snowball, he said.

Human “fight or flight response” is a defense mechanism that is supposed to protect us by surging powerful adrenaline to our hearts, brains and muscles. It can, however, also cause anxiety if the adrenaline is not burned off fighting or running away, said Amaral. With so many stressors and obligations, harmful knee jerk reactions can kick in, he said, like blowing off assignments or snapping at a loved one.

You do not have to be a victim of the stimuli, Amaral said.

“Before we react to a stressor, stop and take a breath,” he said.

“Think it through and choose how to respond.”

Zamora: Printing Chicano Park picture book was a battle worthy of April 1970 CONTINUED FROM PG. 12

case that the work to revitalize Barrio Logan is not over. Illustrator Maria Meza does her part with bright primary colors reflective of the bold style of Chicano muralists and indigenous folk artists.

“What I am hoping (to accomplish is to) inspire children and families is to understand that land is very important, the land is to be respected and to be taken care of,” Zamora said.

Meza agreed.

“It’s important for the younger kids to know why we have this park, why it’s important to take care of it, and how they can be involved,” she said.

Mario Aguilar, Zamora’s husband and a Chichimeca DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

PAULINA NUNEZ / STAFF

AMY MORALES / STAFF

XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO / STAFF

BLOWING AWAY STRESS — Mindful breathing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce stress, according to SC Personal Wellness Counselor Dr. Clarence Amaral. Music, exercise, stretching and meditation can also reduce or cancel the body’s stress reactions. Luz Aguilar (top l) listens to music to unwind. A student (top r) taps over his heart to dial back adrenaline and stretches to reduce the “flight or fight” response.

dancer for more than 40 years, said the park symbolizes selfdetermination, resilience and community action.

“I think the biggest lesson of Chicano Park is that people have power when they take it,” he said.

“It’s never given to you, you have to fight for it.”

Zamora said San Diego County was built on the backs of Black and Brown people who have been put at a disadvantage by White counterparts. Children in these underserved communities must find their voices and speak up.

Publishing a book about an underrepresented community was no easy feat, Zamora said. A vast majority of children’s book writers are white, she said, making it difficult to find children’s books authored by people of color when she was raising her own kids.

Little has changed, according to Zamora. Less than 10 percent of children’s books are written by Black, Latino and Native American authors — combined.

“I realized that (publishing) has

traditionally been a very White world that has not been open to diverse voices,” she said.

Her work-around was the establishment of Tolteca Press, a publishing company focused on producing materials relevant to her community and empowering voices of color.

“Our children need to have local heroes, they need to know that their neighbors take to heart community service and seek to improve the environment for everyone,” Zamora said.

Meza concurred.

“It’s unsettling to think there hasn’t been a book for our children to read and learn about their culture,” she said. “(Latino children) are not taught about Chicano culture in school.

Bettie and Bonky are depicted with dark brown indio skin.

Zamora and Meza said they wanted to show children that however dark their skin is, they should be proud. Aguilar said this message resonates in 2020.

“As Chicanos we need to be

proud of who we are, never be ashamed of the color of our skin, our hair and our noses,” he said.

Education is the great equalizer, Zamora said, and something no one can ever take away.

Aguilar agreed.

“Our future relies on educating ourselves on Indigenous traditions and making sure our children get the best education possible so that they can take our place in this society,” he said.

Bettie comes to understand that young girls and women can empower themselves through higher education.

“Being a person of color, even if you don’t say one word, your presence changes the conversation,” said Zamora.

Aguilar and Zamora employ dance to contribute to the conversation.

“We use our culture not to entertain people, but to educate them,” Aguilar said. “When I put on my headdress and dance regalia, these are not costumes, I become another part of who I am.”

Aguilar said the Danza Azteca

Another way to de-stress is exercising. Amaral said he tries to exercise at least four days a week.

Exercise is a natural antidepressant, he said, and sometimes that is what can get you through a rough day.

Isolation stimulates negative thinking, Amaral said, and can cause people to start focusing on the pain, which makes things worse.

Human minds naturally wander, he said, and people can get swept up in a wave of negative thoughts.

Amaral said stressed people often formulate hypotheses about themselves and the world that are tainted emotionally. You have to allow the wave to pass over you, he said, and focus on what is important.

“People get so anxious,” he said.

“They get anxious about getting anxious and they focus on the anxiety and they start to focus on the somatic feelings and that cascades and it becomes worse.”

People can get caught up in their inner turmoil and it can create a lot of distress. There is a grounding exercise that can help you get out of your brain, Amaral said.

“Look around the room and out loud save five colors,” he said. “But remember them, really focus, and come back and repeat it back to yourself.”

Another technique to relieve stress is gently tapping your fingers over your heart, Amaral said. It is a type of traditional therapy that incorporates acupressure points, he said.

“It bilaterally stimulates different parts of the brain and helps you soothe and ground yourself,” he said.

College leaders know students are stressed and want to help, said Ronnie Hands, interim director of Student Development. SC’s Personal Wellness Center is offering Zoom workshops called “Stress Busters” spring semester. Times will be listed on the college’s website.

SC’s free mental health services are available through Cranium Cafe.

troupe is a gateway to Chicanos’ ancestral culture and pride.

People of color are still overlooked, Zamora said.

Indigenous people are an afterthought. Columbus Day should be renamed Indigenous Peoples Day, she insisted.

“We are still here, we haven’t gone away, we didn’t all get killed, we didn’t all die,” she said. “Many of us survived. We are thriving and reviving our heritage.”

Revival powers “The Spirit of Chicano Park.”

“It’s about the spirit of the future, the spirit of our children armoring themselves with information and education (so they can) move forward as true cultural warriors,” said Zamora.

“The Spirit of Chicano Park” may be purchased on Amazon.com. A limited number of free copies are available at the Logan Heights Branch Library.

Proceeds will be divided between the Chicano Park Steering Committee and the soon-to-open Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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CAMPUS SP ORTS

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F E AT U R E S

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A LT E R N AT I V E S P O R T S

making

BY XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO Sports Editor

I

MPERIAL BEACH — Dr. Serge Dedina has been mayor of Imperial Beach since 2014.

Since 1977 he has been Chairman of the Board.

His surfboard.

I.B.’s brainy polylingual environmentalist-author-middleaged-super athlete attributes all his powers to the water.

The Pacific Ocean.

“My parents were both (European) immigrants, so the beaches in Southern California, for them, were a miracle,” he said. “My mom would take me to the beach in the winter. I grew up on the beach. Camping at the beach and all of our family out at the beach.”

Dedina started surfing when he was about 13, he said, and was stoked from the first wave.

What inspired him, though, was noticing how so many surfers traveled to exotic places to catch a wave. As a teenager Dedina was eager to travel himself, even if it was to surf breaks just over the border. He and a tangle of other Mar Vista High School shredders started crossing the border a few times a week to paddle out in Baja California.

In 1981, Dedina traveled to Michoacan for the first time and said it was one of his greatest ever experiences.

“It was the real Mexico, like the real old Mexico,” he said.

“A hurricane hit, there were banditos, an Indian village. It was great and the surf was amazing. We got chased out of the water by sharks. That adventure part of surfing is what I really continued to love.”

Dedina kept traveling. He spent two years in Europe, then lived in Africa, then in South America for a year, followed by two years in Mexico.

“I spent a long time living in different countries chasing waves,” he said.

Besides Imperial Beach, Dedina said his favorite place to surf is Mexico. Oaxaca and Baja California have amazing surf and culture, he said. Spending so much time in Mexico enabled Dedina to learn Spanish fluently, which helps him today as mayor of a borderlands city and doing his environmental work.

On his surfing bucket list is Jeffrey’s Bay, the legendary break in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the #2-ranked surf spot on the planet and a well-known hangout for Great White Sharks. Both appeal to Dedina.

“I would love to go to South Africa, not just for the surf, but to see the wildlife and landscapes,” he said.

Dedina said his favorite surfing day is waking up before sunrise and driving to the boards to Imperial Beach, La Jolla or Trestles Beach with his 22 and 24 year old sons, both of whom grew up surfing at Imperial Beach with their dad. Dedina and his sons like to surf “dawn patrol,” which means paddling out in the dark and trying to get a few waves before it gets crowded.

Surfing helped inform Dedina’s environmental activism, as did health issues stemming from pollution at Imperial Beach that flows out of the Tijuana River. Bacteria from sewage spills damaged his sinuses and inner ears, he said. This summer Dedina underwent ear surgery.

“The pollution has really wrecked my health,” he said.

“That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard to clean up the Tijuana River and get Mexico to clean up sewage.”

In the 1990s Dedina earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Texas, Austin and worked with an organization called Nature Conservancy that advocates for the development of national parks and wildlife preserves in Baja California. Dedina formed own non-profit organization in 2000. WILDCOAST/COSTASALVAJE has grown into an international team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems, and addresses climate change.

Today, WILDCOAST has 20 employees, four offices (one in California, three in Mexico) and works on ambitious projects, including protecting endangered sea turtles and grey whales.

Back on dry land, Dedina enjoys writing. He has published three books, including his latest “Surfing the Border: Adventures at the Edge of the Ocean.”

Dedina’s inspiration for his first published book, “Saving the Gray Whale: People, Politics, and Conservation in Baja California,” praised Mexico for helping save endangered whales and marine mammals. A fundamental philosophy of WILDCOAST is to end political finger pointing between Mexico and the U.S. over environmental issues and to encourage collaboration.

“I think there are a lot of negative stereotypes about Mexico in the media,” he said. “But the Mexico that I’ve worked in for the last 25 to 30 years is a very different place. People are friendly and you can get amazing things accomplished.”

Dedina, a Southwestern College honorary degree recipient and member of the Sweetwater Union High School District Hall of Fame, encouraged SC students to take advantage of the remarkably-diverse natural world of the South County.

“Get outside!” he said. “Go to the beach, enjoy the bay, enjoy the trails. And when we can cross the border again, celebrate all of these amazing places that we have in South County and Northern Baja California.”

His Honor has spoken.

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waves Imperial Beach Mayor Dr. Serge Dedina leads the fight for clean water and ocean wildlife

The pollution has really wrecked my health. That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard to clean up the Tijuana River and get Mexico to clean up sewage.

— DR. SERGE DEDINA, IMPERIAL BEACH MAYOR

COURTESY DR. SERGE DEDINA

SHREDDING BARRIERS — Dedina has worked for decades to reset the relationship between the governments and environmental communities of the U.S. and Mexico, encouraging cooperation rather than blaming.

DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

SIDELINED ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME

BY ISRAEL DE JESSUS NIEVES Staff Writer

“Baseball is 90 percent half mental,” said New York Yankees catcher/philosopher Yogi Berra.

A pair of brainy Southwestern College coaches may argue with the math, but not the thinking.

Traditional training thwarted by the pandemic has evolved into a mind and body approach under soccer coach Carolina Soto and football boss Ed Carberry.

Soto sent her players training kits, then invited a yoga instructor and a sports psychologist to work with her team over Zoom.

“I’m a big believer in mental health, so I reached out to the clinical staff at the Personal Wellness Center,” she said. “We had a sports psychologist come in and it was really cool because he talked about things that we missed like the mental game and competitive mindset, and how to apply sports psychology methods to enhance our performance.”

Soto said she tries to instill in her players the need for flexibility.

“Life is about that,” she said.

“You’re not gonna have everything the way you plan it, so you do have to be able to cope and adapt and to build that resilience when challenges come.”

Soto said she is very confident that when her team hits the field it will be ready to compete because of the effort invested in home training.

Michelle Posada, an attacking left back, said the pandemic has not stopped her from staying fit, but made it difficult to do school work and soccer practices through Zoom.

“I’ve been more fatigued than usual,” she said. “It’s been tough, but I’ve been trying my best to stay fit in other ways besides soccer.”

Aside from online practices, Posada said she runs, walks her dogs regularly, and trains at the park and gym. A psychology major, she said she enjoyed the opportunity to listen to a sports psychologist in action.

“It was really interesting getting to see that aspect of the game from a psychologist’s point of view,” she said. “It shows me that every part of the game is mental.”

Soto’s drills focus on dribbling, first touch and endurance, Posada said. There acknowledged

We had a sports psychologist come in and it was really cool because he talked about things that we missed like the mental game and competitive mindset, and how to apply sports psychology methods to enhance our performance.

— CAROLINA SOTO, SC SOCCER COACH

BY ISRAEL DE JESSUS NIEVES / STAFF

SEASON UP IN THE AIR — Southwestern College soccer players follow a prescriptive remote condition program from their coach, some of which can be done on a sandy beach (good for the lower legs).

improvement in her game, she said, but wished she could practice long distance runs and crosses.

Since training has been relegated to her backyard, the improvements Posada has manifest are technical

skills like ball movement and control, she said.

Attacking right back Norma Kacsinta said she has suffered from unreliable Internet and sometimes does not know how coaches want

drills done, but she does her best.

In the early days of the stay-athome order she used “Insanity,” an intense cardio workout she credits with boosting her endurance, confidence and discipline.

“It’s affected my cardio a lot,” she said. “Before my endurance wasn’t even there. I couldn’t even last, but doing the Insanity videos I felt so light doing the mile runs.”

Joey Rodriguez, a lefty freshman pitcher, has relied on a home gym, healthy diet and Cutter Nation, a training facility he regularly attends.

“I’ve been lucky to have the chance (to attend Cutter Nation) because there’s not a lot of people that I know that have the chance,” he said. “I know some of my friends that have not been doing baseball at all for a couple of months.”

Rodriguez said he has been able to play baseball in Arizona and Mexico. He said he is thankful for the opportunity to play and immerse himself in new cultures.

Carberry said he and his staff have done their best to keep football players in shape, but keeping track of 50-plus young men has been challenging.

“It’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s like they say about the boxer who has a plan on how to win until he gets punched right in the nose then his plan doesn’t look very good.”

Some colleges in nearby counties are allowed to practice in person, Carberry said, and he remains hopeful SC will get the same opportunity.

Aside from physical fitness and endurance, Carberry said he has placed added emphasis on the mental health of his athletes.

“We’ve brought in some guys that played at Southwestern or worked at Southwestern...that’s been a real positive,” he said. “We ask the players to tell us what they took away from that experience and a lot of them say, ‘well, it was a struggle.’ They are right. No matter what, it’s going to be hard.”

SCHOLARSHIP ATHLETES STANDING BY—WHEREVER Alumni scholarship student-athletes find COVID delays nerve wracking

BY CHANEL ESPARZA Viewpoints Editor

America’s decidedly mixed responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic has affected Southwestern College alumni on athletic scholarships. Though there are no known cases of COVID-19 among former SC athletes, they still cannot breathe easy.

Basketball players Joshua Roberts and Jordan Cooke were able to keep their scholarships, but have not played much basketball. Likewise soccer player Andrea Camacho.

Roberts has had a turbulent scholarship ride since he signed with Robert Morris University in Chicago.

Just two months into the semester Morris was closed and merged with another Chicago school, Roosevelt University.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

“It put our recruitment on hold,” Roberts said, “I wasn’t really too worried about it. I kinda figured that things were going to work out.”

Roosevelt started a season, which Roberts said he was happy about.

Cooke’s CSU Sacramento team was en route to an early-season tournament when it received word that all CSU fall sports were being put on hold.

“We had to drive back 10 hours,” he recalled. “We aren’t happy about how DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3

COURTESY SC ATHLETICS

KEEPING IT TOGETHER — University scholarship athletes like SC alumnus Joshua Roberts face an array of delays and COVID-19 protocols depending on the politics of the state they are in. Some red state universities have lax protocols, while blue states tend to be more cautious.

it was handled, but we’re just doing our best. Our coaches and staff are doing their best just to work through it, so we’re pretty determined to do our best with this situation.”

Cooke said he, his teammates and the women’s basketball team have also dealt with a series of stress-inducing false-positive COVID-19 tests. Staff suspected that they were false positives, he said, but had the players quarantine for a week and take two additional tests before being able to play again.

“We have to practice with masks all the time,” he said. “Everything just became a hundred times harder. It feels like being waterboarded.”

Sacramento State hoopsters were recently cleared to practice on the court without masks, but must use face coverings in the weight room and other areas where there is a higher risk of contracting the virus.

SC soccer coach Carolina Soto said she worries that young university athletes must feel pressure to practice

and play.

“I think a lot of players on academic scholarships feel a responsibility to go back and participate even if they don’t really feel comfortable,” she said.

Camacho, one of her former standout players, agreed. Signed to a scholarship at Dixie State University in Utah, she said she did not know whether women’s soccer players could opt-out of playing and keep their scholarships. That pressured her to return to Utah, even though the community surrounding the campus was a coronavirus hotspot.

San Diego County was taking the virus seriously, she said, while much of Utah was not.

“Being in California (coronavirus) was handled a lot differently,” she said.

“I was just more hesitant because I didn’t know how (the spread) was going to be handled (at Dixie State).”

Her fears were justified. She said the Utah town has very loose coronavirus precautions and most people refuse to wear masks correctly or at all.

Her team has resumed training, she said, and masks are de rigor. She and teammates take regular tests for the novel coronavirus.

Camacho said the conscientious practices of her coaches are paying off.

Dixie State is one of the few teams in her league that has not had a positive case. Knowing that her team is one of the few that is taking safety precautions helps, she said, but does not alleviate ‘Rona anxiety.

“It’s kinda scary,” she said. “This is your career and if you get (coronavirus) your career can be taken away because of (the effects on) your respiratory system.”

VIRTUAL WORKOUT GETS REAL RESULTS College Fitness Club works remotely with housebound employees to maintain good health

BY XIOMARA VILLARREAL-GERARDO Sports Editor

“Hunk, chunk or drunk!” declares the social media shorthand to describe COVID America.

Sadly, it may be true. Alcohol sales are up nearly 25 percent and beefier Americans joke about the “COVID 19” around the middle.

Brian Cameron, general manager of the Southwestern College Health First Fitness Club, wants to help people get in touch with their inner Hunk — even if they cannot use the college gym.

SC Interim Director Campus Enterprise Services Marquise Jackson said the Health Club works collaboratively with EXOS, a human performance company. SC Health Club members are able to access guided workouts through a remote program called “EXOS at Home” which shares live streamed training, recipes, diets and fitness articles.

Club member Lillian Leopold, the college PIO, said she misses attending in-person workout classes at the Health First Fitness Club, but thinks that being able to virtually pick and choose home workouts is an excellent alternative.

“I think they are great,” she said. “You can do yoga, high intensity training and workouts that target certain areas like your arms or abdomen. They are all online, so you can use them at any time convenient for you.”

Leopold said she has made some Fitness Club recipes and attended “Virtual Healthy Happy Hours,” where trainers stirred up healthy drinks.

SC’s multi-million dollar Health First Fitness Club shut down with the rest of the campus March 13. All memberships and fees are frozen until the college reopens. That date remains undetermined, but the college is committed to remote instruction through May 2021.

Cameron said the health and fitness industry is adapting.

“We know it is probably not going to look like February or (early) March,” he said, “but we are hopeful there is some semblance of normality. Most importantly, we just want to keep people healthy. We are figuring out creative ways of doing that.”

Fitness Manager Dan Williams is creating an online exercise library that models proper form and technique.

“I can have a Zoom meeting with a member or talk with them over email to find out what kind of equipment they have and what their goals are,” he said. “Then I create a workout program for them and lead them through it.”

Leopold said she participated in a virtual personal training session.

“I had a Zoom training with Dan where he basically made me work really hard,” she said.

Williams said the Health First Fitness Club’s YouTube Channel, Facebook and Instagram are open to everyone.

Its YouTube channel has more than 60 guided workout videos and hosted livestream events open to the public to debunk chunk and drunk.

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE SUN

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DEC. 11, 2020, VOL 57-A, ISSUE 3