Viewpoints 02-16-2010

February 16, 2010

An Associated Collegiate Press two-time national Pacemaker award-winning newspaper, serving students since 1922. Vol. xxxVIII, No. 8

Riverside, CA | www.viewpointsonline.org

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Riverside’s renaissance For a

FEATURES story see Page 8

Lauren Garcia / sTAFF Photographer

WALKING Tall: People gathered around entertainer Christopher Yates on stilts as he humorously harassed almost every individual that passed by during the 2010 Riverside Dickens Festival held Feb. 5-7 in downtown Riverside.

2 | February 16, 2010

Viewpoints

Serving students since 1922

A new dance vision The Intersect Dance Theatre is a professional dance company that blends contemporary ballet and modern dance. The troupe includes Riverside City College students and professional dancers.

Intersect will be performing at Landis Performing Arts Center on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for students, staff, children and seniors and $10 for everyone else.

For more information call the Landis box office at 951-222-8100 or go to landispac. com.

Train to protect RCC Active shooter training will take place on the Riverside Campus on April 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The training teaches Riverside Community College District students and staff strategies to deter, detect, delay and possibly defeat an active shooter.

For more information on the training and to register contact Sherry Colgan Stone at sherry.stone@rcc.edu

Everybody loves a fair It’s time once again for the Riverside County Fair. The fair runs from Feb. 12-21 at the fairgrounds in Indio. It is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m weekdays and until midnight on weekends.

Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for ages 5-12 and free for children under five.

This year’s headliners include Kansas, Rodney Atkins and SuperFiesta.

For more information go to datefest.org.

Come one, come all to Shakespeare auditions Auditions for the Redlands Shakespeare festival begins Feb. 21 from 1-5 p.m. at the Joslyn Senior Center in Redlands. Directors will be looking to cast about 45-50 actors.

Productions featured include “Romeo and Juliet,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Hamlet.”

For further information in regards to auditions or the festival schedule visit redlandsshakespearefestival.com or call 909-335-7377

A comedy of biblical proportions A comedy loosely based on the biblical story of Job will be taking place at the Wallace Theater at California Baptist University Feb. 19 from 8-11 p.m.

The main character, Joe Benjamin, along with his crazy family, reside in a Long Island mansion. A visitor comes into the picture and provides him with tempatations to get Joe to renounce God. General admission is $12 and $10 for matinee and seniors. For additional information call 951-343-4319.

Moreno Valley celebrates Black History Month The Moreno Valley Campus is having a series of events in celebration of Black History Month.

It all starts with the opening ceremonies on Feb. 16 from 12:45-1:45 p.m. The event will feature guest speaker Woodie Rucker-Hughes and musical entertainment from gospel singers. The ceremony will be held on the Moreno Vally College Library Patio.

Other events include: An open mic on Feb. 18 from 12:45-1:45 p.m. at the Moreno Valley College Library Patio. The event will include a performance by the Dance Troupe from the Riverside campus.

A Healthy Heart event on Feb. 23 from 12-2 p.m. at John Coudures Plaza where there will be free blood pressure and free blood sugar levels checked. There will also be an evening barbecue at the Moreno Valley College Library Patio from 5-7 p.m.

The Renaissance Scholars Program Reception with keynote speaker Anthony Davis.

The reception will be in Humanties 129 on Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.

The Characters Unite National Town Hall is a panel discussion on overcoming differences and becoming a more united country. The panel is presented by the USA Network and takes place in the Moreno Valley College Student Activities Center on Feb. 25 from 12-2 p.m.

Keep up with the latest entertainment news and catch the hit talk show “Inscaped” at inscaped.com Get the Viewpoints sports staff unique take on the latest sports news at viewpointssports. blogspot.com

News

Viewpoints

February 16, 2010 | 3

A guide to the new semester Serving students since 1922

News

Steps to get your foot in the classroom door Shuttle bus to ease parking woes Chanelle Williams interim managing editor Registering for classes has not gotten any easier since the beginning of last fall. Spots are full in classes, waitlists are filling up and there aren’t enough classes to go around.

In the seemingly neverending search and struggle to get classes for the spring semester, here a few pointers to take into consideration

1. Get on the waitlist.

The possibility of getting into the class may be low but do it anyways.

It won’t hurt and there are students who drop the class or forget to make the payment for the class and are dropped, therefore, increasing your chance of getting the course.

2. Pay for the class

4. Go to class.

IMMEDIATELY.

When you are able to add a class, pay for it instantly.

You will be dropped from the course if the enrollment fee is not paid and you will be back at square-one.

Also, students who do not pay at the time of registration will have a hold put on their record and will not be able to register for classes or receive grades, transcripts, verifications, certificates or diplomas.

3. Go to the class you are hoping to add.

Once school begins Feb. 16, people are still trying to get into classes, so the best chance you have is to attend the class you want to add and get an authorization code.

An authorization code will be given to you from the instructor if there is availability in the course.

After all your hard work to get the class, GO TO IT! If you are not in class on the first day of school, you will be dropped and your space will be given to someone else.

If you do not want to take the course anymore please drop the class so others who need the class can fill your spot. You may fail the course if the class is not dropped by the deadline to drop a class.

Last Date To Add -03/05/10 Last Drop Date Without ‘W’ - 03/15/10 Last Drop Date With ‘W’ - 05/19/10 Last Drop Date With Refund - 03/01/10

ashley robinson / viewpoints archives

parking lot woes: With all the construction taking place, finding parking spaces close to campus will be like finding hidden treasure.

Par king at RCC is not for the weak Trouble with parking oncampus doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

With construction on the new science building and the aquatic center still underway, it is advised that students get to school earlier to get a parking spot or to use the new shuttle service the school is providing.

Parking permits can still be

purchased for $20 online through WebAdvisor.

Te m p o r a r y p e r m i t s a r e available beginning the week before Parking Services start ticketing and are emailed with paid orders placed online.

For the first two weeks of school, Parking Services will not be issuing tickets for student parking spaces.

If you have questions contact the RCCD Parking Office at 951222-8522 or the Public Affairs Office at 951-222-8857.

You can also look for daily updates by logging onto the RCC Web site and following the links to Police and Parking under the Administration link or follow through Twitter@ RCCDPOLICEINFO.

Te x t b o o k b u y i n g m a d e e a s y Purchasing textbooks is another pain in the neck students have to deal with as they prepare for the spring semester. They cost a fortune and seem to hardly be worth the price.

But don’t fret!

Here are some places you can visit that will hopefully save you time and money when it comes to purchasing textbooks:

1. RCC Bookstore.

The advantage of buying at the RCC bookstore is that it is more likely that they are carrying your textbooks, textbooks can be purchased online and purchases can be picked up at the store or shipped.

Although the prices can still be high, they often offer used books that are significantly cheaper than buying brand-new. Textbook

rentals on 47 titles can be made by going to whywaitforbooks.com.

Renting books from the bookstore can be 52 to 58 percent cheaper than buying.

2. Amazon.com.

Many people go the online route.

Buying online allows you to look for better prices and buying is just a click away.

Amazon.com is a frequently used site and got rave reviews from costumers on bizrate.com.

Make sure you buy as soon as possible to give time for the book to be shipped and received.

3. Textbooks.com

They got excellent reviews from consumers on resellerratings. com. Customers praised the low prices, smooth transactions and fast shipping. Textbooks.com

offers a wide variety of used books for up to 90 percent off.

4. Chegg.com.

It seems that Chegg.com may be the new phenomenon that hits the textbook waves.

They are going green by allowing students to rent books at super low prices.

It is possible that they may not have some of the textbooks you need but for every textbook you rent from Chegg.com they plant a tree.

And with the recent devastation in Haiti, every book that is rented they will donate to the Unicef Haiti Relief effort.

Bonus: Returning books only requires you printing out a return label from their site then sending your textbook on its way at the end of the semester.

Relief has come!

Due to limited parking on campus, the school has opened up 400 parking spaces for students in parking lot 33 at Third Street and Magnolia Ave. A shuttle bus will transport students from parking lot 33 to the Digital Library Learning Resource Center.

The shuttle service will be available every 15 minutes and students only need to show their student I.D. to ride the shuttle.

The RTA buses are still available for free to students with presentation of student I.D. and run every 30 minutes at Third Street and the RCC campus.

Shuttle Schedule

Monday through Thursday – 7:00 a.m. –11:30 p.m.

First departure from Lot 33 at 7:30 a.m.

Last departure from RCC at 10:30 p.m.

Friday – 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

First departure from Lot 33 at 7:30 a.m.

Last departure from RCC at 5:30 p.m.

To avoid delays, be ready to go at least 5 minutes prior to pick-up. Shuttles run every 15 minutes and transit time is anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes.

Viewpoints

Serving students since 1922

4 | February 16, 2010

RCC honors one of its own

News

Instructor Glen Hunt dies at 74 stephanie holland editor in chief For 50 years Glen Hunt served the students and faculty of Riverside City College as an instructor, department chair and dean.

He was a leader and pioneer in the mathematics and science departments.

On Jan. 6 at the age 74, Hunt passed away after a long battle with cancer. On Jan. 28 the college honored Hunt with a memorial service in the Digital Library Auditorium.

Attended by his wife of 27 years Judi and their daughter Sabrina, along with other family members, friends and several faculty members, the hour long service was a reflection on Hunt’s extraordinary spirit and his commitment to RCC. Hunt’s cousin Tom Carpenter spoke of Hunt’s wisdom and humility, saying he didn’t wear his intelligence on his sleeve.

“A good teacher has to be able

to listen to his students as much as he listens to himself,” Carpenter said.

He described Hunt as “an educator par excellence.”

The common theme was Hunt’s overwhelming dedication to RCC. His colleagues lauded him as someone they could always talk to or turn to for advice.

Associate professor of sociology Jan Schall opened her remarks with a poem by Mary Elizabeth Bly that holds special meaning for the family.

Schall said that she had known Hunt since she was 17 and had him as an instructor and called him a consummate educator.

Hunt’s daughter Sabrina Enyeart shared memories of her father’s life outside of the college. She spoke of the life lessons her father taught her including their shared love of photography.

Judi Hunt had a poignant memory about the depth of her husband’s commitment to the college.

stephanie holland / editor in chief

in memoriam: Sabrina Enyeart, daughter of Glen Hunt, honored her father during a memorial service held in the Digital Library Auditorium on Jan. 28.

“When Michael Montano asked if I knew I was marrying an institution, I said no I just thought he was a nice guy,” Judi said.

When it was her turn to honor her husband, Judi spoke of Glen’s final hours and their final private words. She also described the uniqueness of their relationship.

“I livened him up and he toned

me down,” Judi said.

She also relayed how much he would have loved being honored by his friends and colleagues.

Family friend Michael Montano said that in one of his final conversations with Hunt he told him “we’re going to give you a decent send-off.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,”

Hunt replied.

Judi said that in Glen’s memory she would continue to support the Glen Hunt Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Mathematics.

Interested parties can support the scholarship with a donation to the RCCD Foundation at 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506.

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February 16, 2010 | 5

Viewpoints

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8 | February 16, 2010

lauren garcia / Staff Photographer

victorian sounds: Among many unique performances during the day at the Dickens Festival was The Belles of Bedlum singing catchy tunes.

Dickens festival proves fun for all Lauren Garcia Staff photographer Even the rainy weather didn’t prevent people from gathering for the annual Dickens Festival Feb. 5-7 in downtown Riverside.

The event had multiple street vendors selling everything from antique jewelry, to costumes, to pottery as well as street performances to view.

Martin Luther King high school performed their version of Charles Dickens’ “The Old Curiosity Shop.” This is King High School’s third year in a row winning best performance in the Dickens festival High School Drama Competition.

Many characters from Dickens’ novels were out on the streets to

speak their mind including Mr. Pickwick, Little Nell, Scrooge, the Crummles, and Marley.

A variety of workshops were also taking place such as tea with the queen, storytelling, and even a fashion show.

Just when you thought you had seen it all, out came entertainer Christopher Yates on stilts, walking the streets and humorously harassing just about every individual that passed him.

Yates also did a show in which he was throwing flaming batons.

There were also interesting interactive environments for people to watch and become involved in such as American civil war re-enactors performed by the Widow Peters’ Parlor, the life of upper Victorian society

done by the East India Social Society and Handiwork and Gossip performed by No Idle Hands Ladies Handiwork Group.

Pastries, popcorn, funnel cake, and soup were some of the many delicious foods available for tasting in the food court.

One event that caught the attention of many was the Gordon Higlanders drill and firing demonstration which took place on Mission Inn Ave. The event filled weekend ended with a flag ceremony, the lowering of the Union Jack by the Gordon Highlanders.

With so many sights, tastes and activities, the annual Riverside Dickens Festival proved to be a fun-filled event for family and friends of all ages.

jeff Castanon / Staff Photographer

Left: Robbie McKnight, member of the Gordon Highlanders, plays the babgpipe.

RIGHT: Rochelle Riggs watches as her young daughter Rylee plays with building blocks.

Features

Viewpoints

opinions Serving students since 1922

Viewpoints Staff

February 16, 2010 | 9

EDITORIAL

The most important class ever

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Stephanie Holland (951) 222-8495 viewpoints@rcc.edu eic@viewpointsonline.org INTERIM MANAGING EDITOR Chanelle Williams (951) 222-8488 managingeditor@viewpointsonline.org

Emergency preparedness is the responsibility of the entire campus

INTERIM ADVERTISING MANAGER Vanessa Soto (951) 222-8488 viewpoints.ads@gmail.com

California is a great place to live.

There’s the beach, the mountains and lots of great landmarks. However, a large price is paid for all this greatness.

The shadow of the big one constantly looms over the postcard perfect views.

Over and over again we hear that a big earthquake is supposed to happen; yet, we’ve been hearing this for the past three decades, and during that time we’ve become jaded and complacent.

In the wake of disasters such as the Virginia Tech shooting, Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian Earthquake it’s time for us to put down the suntan lotion and get prepared.

It is harder to get a college prepared for a disaster or an emergency because most campuses are open. As for Riverside City College, well they are working on that.

“When you’re ducking and holding under your desk that is not the time to be planning” Sherry Stone explained to participants at the Rubidoux Annex Campus disaster preparedness workshop.

Stone was hired May 2009 as the Emergency Planning and Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, her job is to train the faculty and staff at RCC on emergency and disaster preparedness.

“I think probably compared to most community colleges we are probably way above most community colleges at this time,” Stone said.

Most staff and faculty have been trained by her or have been given the resources to get the proper training.

“For management and staff there is mandatory training and it’s called SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System), NEMS (National Incident Management System) and ICS (Incident Command System). I call the workshops Disaster Preparedness with NEMS, SIMS and ICS,” Stone said.

“So our faculty and our management have to be familiar with that because they either supervise people or students,” Stone said. “So we have to have them up to par on their training so that they can serve and help people if some sort of disaster happens.”

If it is mandatory and the training is made accessible to students as well then RCC should be in good hands right?

“If the students are concerned they can actually download from the Disaster Preparedness Web site guidelines and protocol for the first day of class and hand it to the professor and say it’s recommended we go over this in class and see what they say,” Stone said.

Personal responsibility plays a major role in disaster and emergency preparedness, although it may be mandatory for staff, it is not for students.

Students need to be sure their instructors are aware of all the proper safety protocols.

FACULTY ADVISERS Allan Lovelace Dan Evans INTERIM ONLINE EDITOR Khai Le admin@viewpointsonline.org INTERIM OPINIONS EDITOR Sade Hurst opinions@viewpointsonline.org INTERIM INSCAPE EDITOR Christina Espinoza inscape@viewpointsonline.org INTERIM SPORTS EDITOR Javier Cabrera sports@viewpointsonline.org

STAFF Jeff Castanon Lauren Garcia Daniel Torres

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR Letters to the editor should be kept to 250 words or less. Deliver letters to the Viewpoints office in the room behind the Assessment Building. Viewpoints reserves the right to edit letters for space and to reject libelous or obscene letters. Letters to the editor and columns represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire Viewpoints staff, Viewpoints faculty advisers, student government, faculty, administration nor the Board of Trustees.

Instead of just taking a 50/50 chance this semester it would be in the students best interest to challenge at least their instructor on the first day of class.

“People do what they are last trained to do, if I sit through a fire alarm and let all my students sit through a fire alarm, the next time my students go through a fire alarm they might just sit through the fire,” Stone said.

It may look a little uncool to some of the other students in the room, but remember we live in California and it is predicted the big one is coming soon.

“I don’t care if you look ridiculous because you don’t know in those first few seconds if it is a 4.0 or an 8.0. So I think the important part in training is training people on what to do in those first crucial seconds,” Stone said.

In a situation like Haiti, Stone describes the first few seconds the Earth will shake lightly and then evolve into a bigger shake, she stresses the importance of what to do in the first few seconds of an Earthquake.

Sharing information between staff and students would be helpful to ensure we’ll be a little safer on the campus if disaster strikes.

Besides asking instructors and staff what the plan is in case of an event of an emergency or disaster, students have other things on campus to alert them.

“Alert U will help students and staff on different types of incidents that might be going on that they need to be aware of,” Stone said. “Like the time that they had a mountain lion on the Moreno Valley campus they told students not to walk alone at night.”

On the college’s Web site under the student services link it will lead you to the police and parking link where you will finally find a link for emergency preparedness.

There you will find tips and information to educate yourself on the campus’s plan for an emergency.

If you would like to go the extra mile like some staff, there is a Homeland Security class that goes into more extensive detail about emergency preparedness; it’s taught

by Stone on Tuesdays.

Students and staff can also take steps to keep emergency kits in their cars, offices and common meeting areas.

According to FEMA, emergency kits should include enough food, water and first aid supplies for three days. The kit should also include any special items like medication.

Whatever steps any student may take to inform themselves on what to do in the event of a disaster or emergency is a life saving one.

It’s up to everyone on RCC’s campus to be responsible for themselves and others safety.

Living in California is fantastic but it comes with the responsibility of being aware and prepared.

Recent events have shown that the right training and preparation can literally be the difference between life and death.

Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints student editorial board.

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Reach us: PHONE: (951) 222-8488 E-mail: viewpoints@rcc.edu Editor in Chief PHONE: (951) 222-8495

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Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. © 2010 by the Viewpoints staff, Riverside City College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA. 92506-0528. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the Viewpoints Editor-in-Chief.

Viewpoints

Serving students since 1922

10 | February 16, 2010

A fresh start with a new face

An inside look at RCC’s new head football coach, Tom Craft’s resume and stopping grounds Sports Column daniel torres Interim asst.

Sports editor After several seasons of disappointment and angst in the football program, Riverside City College Athletic Director, Barry Meier, has brought in former San Diego State University head coach Tom Craft.

A very prominent figure in the junior college coaching system, Craft, 56, now takes over a team in dire need of a turnaround.

During the past eight seasons, RCC posted a humiliating 34-46 record, reaching only one postseason game in the process.

This was a team that looked more like the Aint’s instead of the Saints.

Fortunately for RCC, Craft has been put in a similar situation when he took over the head coaching position at Palomar College, a school, who before Craft, had won one game their previous three years.

In 1989, under Craft as its head coach, Palomar went on to win its first of five consecutive conference titles, along with five straight bowl wins, two state titles, and two national titles.

In 1994, Craft, a San Diego native, accepted a position with San Diego State University as its offensive coordinator.

In ‘95 and ‘96 SDSU’s offense ranked top 10 in the nation.

SDSU running back George Jones rushed for over 1,800 yards

in ‘95 to break NFL star Marshall Faulk’s record he set at SDSU. During Craft’s time as offensive coordinator, SDSU became the first school in the nation to ever have a 1,500 yard rusher, a 3,000 yard passer, and two 1,000 yard receivers all in the same season.

Craft returned to Palomar College where he once again worked his magic leading the team to four more consecutive conference titles, along with another state and national title.

During Craft’s run, Palomar produced seven All-American quarterbacks.

In 2002, Craft, then went on to become the head coach at SDSU. In his first year as head coach, SDSU went on to break the school record for passing yards in a single season with over 4,300, going from 89th in the nation to 5th.

In ‘05, SDSU, under Craft, defeated, both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University in the same season; a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in over 19 years.

SDSU’s game attendance also rose from an estimated 21,000 to approximately 38,000 per game.

Craft’s repeated success at SDSU was trivialized by a mediocre record with the team amid the time SDSU’s athletic program was in debt and the inner workings of the athletic department were greatly criticized after SDSU went through four athletic directors in five years.

“It was a very unstable athletic department. The leadership in the

school is, to be diplomatic, in question,” Craft said.

While SDSU was firing AD’s faster than Donald Trump was firing interns, the nation was taking notice to Craft.

The Washington Redskins offered Craft a position as their quarterbacks coach. Craft respectfully declined the NFL job to stay close to home.

“The reason why I did that was because my kids were in their youth years where I wanted to share in their community activities; they were athletic and into sports,” Craft said. “That’s really the main reason, not moving my family around.”

One of the new AD’s that stepped onto campus, at that time a common custom for SDSU, decided to bring his own line of coaches and start fresh with the football program.

Craft was let go by SDSU, a move that proved costly being that the program has floundered heavily since.

In 2006 Craft headed to Mt. San Antonio College as an assistant coach where he helped the Mounties reach three consecutive championship games, last season even winning the state and national title.

Just a friendly reminder, Craft and the Mounties came

into Wheelock Field and handed RCC a devastating loss 45-12 last season.

Craft now comes to RCC as an icon in the junior college sports realm.

He comes with a myriad of championships, as well as the honor of being the only coach in history to produce so many AllAmerican quarterbacks.

One of those quarterbacks, his son Kevin Craft, who he coached at Mt. SAC, went on to be the starting quarterback for UCLA in the ’08 season.

Another one of those AllAmericans is Tyler Lorenzen, now a tight end on the NFL Champions, New Orleans Saints.

So why would Craft choose a school like RCC? “I think the thing that’s appealing to me about this (RCC Football) is that the college is surrounded by the community of Riverside,” Craft said.

When Craft was offered the job, he researched it and found the job had a lot of potential.

RCC should thank Craft’s wife and children for being a deciding factor in his move to Riverside.

“One of the reasons why I picked this place (RCC), I ended up marrying the girl I grew up with in high school, we went to college together and got married, and I

always wanted to be involved in a community setting,” Craft said.

So maybe Craft feels he has some civic duty to fulfill to the city of Riverside by way of football success.

It could also be that he just wants to augment his legacy by reviving another withered program.

He goes on to say that one of his top priorities is implementing an academic program to get his athletes out into premier four year colleges.

“Education is top priority,” Craft said. “We want to give them the chance to transfer at the highest level and not have to settle.”

How does someone go about implementing such a program, especially so early in their start?

“We need to have a point person. Someone on the coaching staff to who is in charge of pointing the athletes in the right direction,” Craft said. “Someone who knows the inner- workings of the financial aid department, DSP&S, the admissions office, and of the transfer center.”

Whatever his reasons may be, this championship fiend of a coach appears very promising to a program that’s been one of the least successful in the Orange Empire Conference in recent years, but not for long we hope.

Viewpoints

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February 16, 2010 | 11

Viewpoints

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Looking to repeat as champs 12 | February 16, 2010

javier cabrera interim sports editor A season of championship domination can be used to describe the Riverside City College men’s basketball team.

A season of winning tournaments, at one point ranking No. 1 in state and having a double figure winning streak, the RCC Tigers seek to follow up last season’s success with a consecutive title.

Starting the season in San Jose, RCC has shown the performance of consistent balance on offense and defense winning two tournaments and coming close to a third in San Jose.

“We use tournaments as a gage of how to teach them how to win in playoff times, because the playoffs are like a big tournament,” said John Smith.

When the team is in tournaments, Smith tries to break it down in simple terms for the team.

“In order to win a championship you have to win the first game of every tournament, in order to win the state championship you have to win every first game of a playoff,” Smith said. “We use that as a motivating factor.”

On the season the Tigers have averaged 75 points and 11.9 assists a game on offense, and have averaged 38.2 rebounds, five blocks and 12.2 steals a game on defense, making a balanced team game on both sides of the ball.

During the midseason, RCC was ranked No. 1 in the state before being brought down by Oxnard, but now the team looks to finish in the top 10.

The Tigers opened up the season at home by revealing their second state championship banner in team’s history.

“It was a great feeling, it took a lot of hard work to get to that,” Smith said. “It had been 43 years since there was state championship on the men’s side.”

The last championship for RCC men’s basketball team was won by Smith’s father’s team, and it added more emotion to Smith once his championship banner was revealed.

“My father was a part of that team and some of his teammates were here to celebrate with us in the ceremony,” Smith said. “There was a lot of energy that night.”

Once the competitive tournament competitions were over, the Tigers set their mark on conference play, winning eight straight before a three point loss courtesy of Irvine Valley.

“One game at a time, we are just taking it one game at time,” Smith said about his basketball team’s dominating performance in the Orange Empire Conference.

“We focus on whoever the next opponent is and make sure we are completely prepared for that opponent.” Smith said. “Then we will look to the next game.”

A sports philologist, conditioning trainer, and assistant coaches are the backbone of the team’s season success.

“It’s a collaborative effort from everyone,” Smith said. “They

have been sacrificing time and other things to make sure we are successful.”

Before the loss to Irvine Valley, the Tigers had won 10 straight, eight coming from the conference, plus wins against Long Beach City College and Pasadena City College.

“We are not are looking forward, we are not looking backwards, we are just looking at the moment,” Smith said, “Staying in the moment.”

RCC’s chase for a consecutive title begins Feb. 27, the difference this time around, is RCC will not be able to sneak up on teams.

“People will be prepared for us,” Smith said. “If we continue to do what we are doing and play the way we are capable of playing, then we have a good chance of being successful.”

So even without the element of surprise, the odds are greatly in the team’s favor this season if domination remains the focus.

Sports

Jeff castanon / Staff Photographer

defense wins games: Spectators looked on as Santa Ana’s Thurman Woods (32) drove

to the basket, but is stopped by the Tiger’s defense on Feb. 3, in a 105-60 Riverside City College victory. In the win, RCC had won its tenth consecutive game.

6 | February 16, 2010

Viewpoints

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‘Alice’s’ new ‘Wonderland’

February 16, 2010 | 7

stephanie holland editor in chief

As far as fairy tales go, “Alice in Wonderland” is the most surreal and abstract story ever told. Those elements make it perfect for director Tim Burton to put his modern spin on it.

In this latest incarnation, Alice is returning to Underland following her father’s death. She is unsure of her future and uses the experience to help discover her true self.

Up and coming actress Mia Wasikowska plays Alice, now 19 years old, as she returns down the rabbit hole.

As is the case with most Burton films “Wonderland” is a trip into the unreal unknown. Many of the roles are portrayed by actors in unconventional ways, whether it be through voiceovers, make-up or special effects.

Nothing is ever what it seems in Underland.

Frequent Burton collaborator Johnny Depp is the eccentric Mad Hatter. This role appears to be tailor made for Depp. He is allowed the freedom to head full steam into his quirkiest part yet. While The Mad Hatter is known for his eccentricities, he is also quite an emotional character, which allows Depp to showcase the full range of his talent.

This is Burton and Depp’s seventh film together so there’s a comfort level that translates to the screen.

Another Burton favorite, Helena Bonham Carter, portrays the The Red Queen. Bonham Carter seems to be attacking this character with all the wicked gusto that she brought to the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in the “Harry Potter” films. While she is known now for playing eccentric characters, Bonham Carter started her career working in period dramas. This style comes in handy as The Red Queen is completely crazy and classically royal at the same time.

Portraying her sister The White Queen is Anne Hathaway. The White Queen comes from the same dark place as her sister but, she recognizes it and trys hard to keep those wicked tendencies in check.

Joining in all the ridiculous fun as the rest of the assorted “Wonderland” characters are Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts, Michael Sheen as The White Rabbit, Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat and Alan Rickman as The Caterpillar.

The cast also includes stage and screen legends like Christopher Lee, Lindsay Duncan and Michael Gough.

Because this film is derived from such imagination rich source material, Burton is able to mine his creative abilities for a visually interesting movie. The film appears colorful and full of interesting angles making it completely different from anything else currently in theaters.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, screenwriter Linda Woolverton spoke about adding her own touches to such a familiar story.

“First of all I wasn’t going to try to redo Lewis Carroll and that particular version,” Woolverton said. “In my mind, it was interesting to ask ‘What if Alice was older and she went back?’ That was why I engaged this project at all. That idea and the challenge of it.”

Woolverton was also aware that some of the fans of the original story may be offended by the differences in this new version.

“I can only say at this point that I was trying to recreate his work,” Woolverton said. “I hope that the movie inspires children who haven’t read the books to go back and read the books.”

For fans of the story of Alice and her friends’ adventures through Underland, this new film it hoping to provide a different perspective from which to view the story as well encourage them to become more familiar with Carroll’s original masterpiece.

“Alice in Wonderland” opens in regular theaters and in 3-D on March 5.

Images courtesy of: Walt Disney Pictures