A N A C P H A L L O F FA M E N E W S PA P E R A N AT I O N A L PA C E M A K E R AWA R D N E W S PA P E R
Volume 63, Issue 2
theswcsun.com
Nov. 21, 2019
NEWSPAPER FILES SUIT FOR SCPD INVESTIGATIONS By Brittany Cruz-Fejeran Editor-in-Chief
The Sun has initiated legal action against Southwestern College for its refusal to release a 2013 investigator’s report of former police chief Michael Cash after he fired his gun on campus. Journalism students have retained San Diego First Amendment attorney Felix Tinkov to take the college to court over its refusal to release any information related to alleged misconduct by Cash and former SC President Melinda Nish. Current president Dr. Kindred Murillo has told editors of The Sun that the California Police Officers Bill of please see Lawsuit pg. 4
ASO INVESTIGATION
Fernando A. Martinez/Staff
RIO DE PUEBLO — Residents of Mexico approach the Tijuana side of the border checkpoint at San Ysidro to cross into the U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics say 9.4 million pedestrians entered the U.S. from Tijuana in 2018, including legions of students.
Two countries, six hours— one long commute to school By Fernando A. Martinez, Assistant Photo Editor
catastrophic delay is six. Juan Carlos gets about four hours sleep a night, he said, rubbing his eyes. His mamá wakes up an hour earlier at 3:30 a.m., to make him a portable breakfast shake and prepare him a lunch. This is often all he eats all day, he said. Lack of sleep and hunger take their toll, he said. El espíritu está dispuesto, pero la carne es débil. “There are some days I’m in class and I cannot pay attention, I’m falling asleep. I’m thinking ‘After this I’m going to this place to buy something to eat,’” he said. “It’s distracting and as whole it doesn’t allow me to continue with my usual activites because I don’t have the same energy level than a regular person does.” Ariana holds a precious SENTRI card from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol given to “pre-approved, low-risk travelers” to cross faster. Wait time at the Port of Entry is greatly reduced, but the commute is still typically an hour—much longer if she is required to endure an entirely random secondary inspection. Ariana said she buys burritos from street vendors at the border for breakfast and lunch. Like Juan Carlos, sometimes
please see Crossing pg. 2
DR. KINDRED MURILLO
Investigators who examined accusations of racism and unfair treatment in the spring Associated Student Organization election concluded that administrators supervising the ASO were at fault for the chaos and racial tension that followed when members of an all-African-American ticket accused a mostly-Latino ticket of racism and character assassination. Students were mostly cleared of wrongdoing and the results of the election were upheld. Dr. Malia Flood, who served as dean of Student Affairs during the election, has been reassigned to the position of director of Disabled Student Services, Murillo said. Brett Robertson, who was director of Student Development, will also be reassigned, but Murillo would not say where. Murillo said that Student Activity Coordinator Richard Eberheart would remain in that position. Christian Sanchez of the mostly-Latino Team Green slate won the ASO presidency. Bamba Chibweth was elected executive vice president. Juliette Garcia was named VP of Finance and Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez VP of Club Affairs. Dimitrius Loa, a central figure in the controversy, was seated as VP of Public Relations. Dae’avion Randle is the Executive Secretary. Eddie Alexander Barbarin is the Social VP and Valdivia the VP of Outreach. Students elected as senators are Samantha Valdivia, Isaiah Adkins, Terry Conklin Jr, Mckenzie Dawkins, Jenai Funk and Albert Robinson. please see ASO pg. 5
Fernando A. Martinez/Staff
SLOW GOING — SC students waiting to cross into the United States join the line as early as 4 a.m. By 6 a.m. the line can stretch for miles. People wait as long as two hours while immigration officers verify documentation. Once in the United States, students commuting to Southwestern College will spend another two hours on the trolley and bus before arriving for classes.
SLEEPLESS IN SAN DIEGO Growing number of homeless students sleep in their car — or worse. CAMPUS, 12
English professor turns her dissertation into a rallying cry for adjuncts By Manuel Gonzalez Assistant News Editor
@THESWCSUN
I'M WITH THE BAND Dean Dr. Cynthia McGregor performs with The Who. ARTS, 15
AYONA HUDSON
By Brittany Cruz-Fejeran Editor-in-Chief
STAY CONNECTED
ACCESS DENIED Students with mobility impairments face dangerous pathways. CAMPUS, 11
CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ
218-page report details chaotic cancellation of racially-tinged student government election
JUAN CARLOS WAKES UP every morning in a “foreign” country. • He rolls out of bed at 4:30 a.m. in the Lomas Virreyes neighborhood of Tijuana, and gazes towards el norte. His Southwestern College class begins promptly at 8:30. • He has an international border to cross. Thousands of SC students make the arduous crossing several days a week, rising before los gallos and returning under the beaming moon and twinkling stars. College officials estimate that 30-40 percent of SC’s students live in Tijuana, Puerto Nuevo or Rosarito. Some come as far away as Ensenada. Most are Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who live south of la frontera, but hundreds —probably thousands— are white, African-American or Asian-Americans who live in Tijuana for its low rents, cheap gasoline and overall affordability. Wait times at the world’s busiest international border are completely unpredictable and typically arduous. Delays can be caused by weather, law enforcement activity, holidays, border patrol shift changes, and even visits by the U.S. President or cabinet officials. Political jousting between the U.S. and Mexico spurs retaliatory shutdowns, slowdowns and showdowns. Even la Virgen de Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint, air brushed on vehicles and tattooed on muchos brazos, has a hard time guaranteeing an easy cross. A good commute for Juan Carlos is two hours, a typical is three and a bad is four. An awful delay is five hours and a
INQUIRY FINDS ASO ADVISERS AT FAULT IN CASE
WAITING FOR LEFTY Dramatists shine in edgy show about fair wages and equity. ARTS, 16
Rachel Nead really likes teaching. A lot. For years before she was finally hired as a tenure-track assistant professor of communications, Nead was an adjunct—the hard working, low paid, far ranging, barely noticed, often abused, seldom hired part-timers who teach 75 percent of the classes at Southwestern College. Nead was the queen of “Freeway Flyers.” There were semesters the Long Beach resident taught nine classes at five colleges in four counties. Even though she travelled 1,300 miles a week bouncing between Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties, she made less than a full-time professor. Much less. Higher education’s abuse of adjuncts is the theme of Dr. Jessica Posey’s dissertation “The Plight of Adjuncts: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor.” What she found was alarming, she said. Most adjuncts reported they lacked job security, health benefits, a livable please see Faculty pg. 5