Viewpoints Issue #13 May 14, 2015

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viewpoints An Associated Collegiate Press two-time national Pacemaker award-winning newspaper, serving as the voice of the students since 1922.

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VIEWPOINTSONLINE.ORG

VOL. XCIV, NO. 13

WHAT’S INSIDE

yNEWS

MAY 14, 2015

RPD talks mental health

Community panel collaborates to discuss policing and mental health AJA SANDERS

@RCCviewpoints

2 College reps visit RCC campus

ySPORTS

VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS

6 From football to fancy footwork

FORUM: RPD Chief Sergio Diaz (top) opens the “Policing and Mental Health Forum held May 7 at Cal Baptist University. Theresa Newham (bottom) voices her concerns to the panel.

The Riverside Police Department and the Riverside County Department of Mental Health collaborated on May 7 at California Baptist University for a panel discussion about policing and mental health. The panel was comprised of both members of law enforcement and trained experts in treating those with diagnosed mental illnesses. The department of mental health offers training classes for current and incoming officers through the Crisis Intervention Team. New officers are offered training during their time in the police academy and are offered the same classes every two years after. Returning officers are offered the same training every two years as well. Tiffany Ross, who is the primary trainer and coordinator for the team, said that although they offer a total of 12 hours of classroom training for officers, it takes a community to proactively handle a crisis that deals with someone who is diagnosed with

a mental illness. “It is not just the responsibility of law enforcement,” Ross said. “We’re all here to provide a service.” Ross shared success stories where officers texted her about experiences they had when they needed to utilize the tools that they learned during training. Maria and Rick Algarin, who were also panelists shared their personal experiences with law enforcement and their son who is challenged with a mental illness. They said there is more support today than there ever has been. According to Lieutenant Dan Hoxmeier, RPD, Field Operations Division, citizens of Riverside County who make more than $1 million a year are charged a special tax that goes toward the department of mental health. Yo l a n d a Ve n e g a s , a community attendee said that she was impressed with the outcome of the forum. “I am really proud of our police officers,” Venegas said. “I just wonder, how can we get more of our community to come out and support meetings like this?” Vanegas said.

See RPD on page 3

ASRCC candidates speak out at forum

yFEATURES

LUIS SOLIS | VIEWPOINTS

DEBATE: Presidential and vice presidential candidates answer questions and debate on various topics at an open forum in the Bradshaw Building on April 30. From left to right: Nigel Item, Rakhee Uma, Luis Sosa and Megan Contreras.

12 Bud Tedesco in it for the long run

INDEX

NEWS A&E SPORTS VIEWS FEATURES

2 4 8 9 11

ARIEL SCHILLER @RCCviewpoints

The Associated Students of Riverside City College election results will be announced May 15. Candidates running for ASRCC president are Nigel Item and Luis Sosa. Item is running with vice presidential candidate Rakhee Uma while Luis Sosa is running with Megan Contreras. Students running for senator are Paul Coleman, Vanessa Berumen, Marvin Mazano and Leonardo Santiago.

Students were introduced to the candidates present and had the opportunity to ask them questions at the open forum hosted by the ASRCC Supreme Court on April 30. Some of the topics discussed were parking and healthier food options in the cafeteria. If elected, Nigel Item and Rakhee Uma want to focus on major specific events to get transfer students involved. “Hosting meaningful events that include guest speakers and job listings are truly what the students care about,” Item said. RCC Student Carey Lester,

who attended the open forum, was concerned that the issues being brought to the candidates attention are too big for student government to handle. “I think there are a lot of things that are out of their control,” Lester said. Lester’s primary concerns that he thought candidates should address included information on tutors and seldom working elevators with expired permits. “If you’re my president then you should be worried about me and what I need as a student,” Lester said. Sosa and Contreras are write-

in candidates, meaning they have a limited budget and number of posters they can put up, but they are not concerned about it. “Just because we’re write-in (candidates) doesn’t mean we’re any different from the other candidates,” Contreras said. Students had the option of voting at the election booths on May 12 and May 13 or they could have voted online using Webadvisor. Election results will be posted to Webadvisor on May 15. Winners of the elections will begin their terms the first day after the end of the spring semester.


News 2 May 14, 2015 Transfer Center offers free college tours and fair resource the center offered this semester and it’s something the Transfer Center hasn’t done in years. However when the center’s coordinators received a call from Ed Bush, the vice president of Student Services, he granted them the financial resources from the student equity funds to allow students to visit college campuses for free.

GRACIELA VASQUEZ | VIEWPOINTS

TRANSFER FAIR: Tremeal Bradford, University of California Los Angeles undergraduate admissions officer, explains the transfer process at the RCC Transfer Fair on April 27.

LAURA TAPIA

Summer Success!

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May 21st Visit: summer.csusb.edu For more information, call (909) 537-3978 or email summer@csusb.edu

Tw e n t y - n i n e c o l l e g e representatives were in attendance for the Transfer Center’s biannual transfer fair on April 27, allowing students to meet them in person. One of the representatives in attendance was a former Riverside City College student. “For me personally, I got my AA from here, so I have a personal connection because I was born and raised here in Riverside,” Sheryl Blackshire, UC Davis representative, said. Blackshire has one recommendation for students wanting to transfer. “I definitely say visit the Transfer Center because it does exist and often times, as university representatives when we want to provide updates and things of that nature or provide more current information. Our direct connection is always to the transfer center versus the counseling center, so the Transfer Center really becomes the hub of more current information,” Blackshire said. Although the spring transfer fair is half the size of the fall fair it is one of the many resources the Transfer Center offers students to help them transfer. Campus tours are another

“This is the only one we’ve done, in four years,” said Monica Delgadillo, the Transfer Center Coordinator, about the campus tours. The trip which began on the first day of spring break allowed students to visit eight different campuses in a span of four days. Forty students signed up for the trip and according to Kheesa Slaughter, the center’s educational adviser, some students were also recruited by the Transfer Center due to their participation in guidance courses and special programs like Ujima and Pathways. Among the colleges visited were San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton and Claremont McKenna. Surveys were handed out to students by the Transfer Center representatives on their way back to campus to find out how beneficial the tours were, according to Zachary Wilson, a student on the campus tours. “The survey asked if visiting the campuses changed my mind or opened my mind to attending one of them, and my response was yes; had I not gotten this chance I wouldn’t be applying to one of these colleges in the next year,” Wilson said. Planning for this trip began late January when the center’s coordinators received student equity funds to host this trip. In total, the Transfer Center spent about $7,000 on the entire trip, continuing these types of trips is something the center wants to continue, according to Delgadillo. Campus tours have been something they’ve always wanted to do and hope to keep the momentum going; however, as Delgadillo mentions, it’s hard without knowing how the finances will be a year from now. “We don’t know what the financial future holds, so we can’t make commitments on something

if we’re not sure,” Delgadillo said. The Transfer Center representatives are not alone in their hopes to continue these tours; Ryan Rudolph, the newly appointed student trustee notes that it is something he hopes Associated Student Organizations would take part in. “Hopefully in the future we could give more opportunities to our students to go on these tours because students would like to take a look at the campuses where they want to further their education, students want a broader view,” Rudolph said. “I can’t speak for all of ASRCC or all of the other student governments, but personally, I think it’d be beneficial if the student governments got involved in helping fund those tours because if the students want that then the ASO’s should follow and try to make that happen.” Although the Transfer Center tends to go unnoticed because it is located inside the Counseling and Admissions building and tucked away to the right, it makes itself known by sending out email blasts, hosting events like campus tours, transfer fairs and various workshops throughout the year. The center’s representatives try to send notifications, and use other methods of letting the students be aware of the events they hold; however, Slaughter also notices other ways the college can help students know about small departments like the Transfer Center. “I think, just from my observation, signage is important, a lot of students don’t necessarily know where certain things are on campus and then because we are now inside of a building, I think that kind of confuses them they’re like ‘where is the transfer center?’ A lot of students don’t know where we are,” Slaughter said. After the tours were done, the Transfer Center had an array of events to quickly switch its focus to. Those events consisted of the biannual transfer fair it hosted a week after spring break and its upcoming transfer ceremony put on for students transferring this spring. In order to attend the ceremony students must have already submitted an application to the center’s representatives. The center plans to host the transfer ceremony on May 22.

Local police collaborate with community at forum RPD from Page 1 Venegas also said that she was to see the collaboration between the police department and the department of mental health. Elizabeth Ayala, who was also a community attendee, said

that the forum was “informative.” She also wanted to know if the department kept a record of the demographics of those that they receive 911 calls from. Police Chief Sergio Diaz was in attendance. Although he did not participate in the panel, he

offered his support to the event by sitting in the front row. Oliver M. Thompson and Jennifer Vaughn Blakely, who were panelists for the Lessons from Ferguson community forum held on April 9, sat in the audience as well.


News

May 14, 2015

Model United Nations wins for the second year in a row

3

N ews B riefs Remember to use

#RCCnow

on Twitter and Facebook!

Graduation gear available

PHOTO COURTESY OF MODEL UNITED NATIONS

‘AYE’: Students participate in the 2015 Inland Empire Conference of Model United Nations at RCC. “We won most of the awards available and I am proud to say that everyone accomplished their personal goals,” Hill said. Other members of the team who had attended the five-day conference in the Big Apple were Cristian Alejandre, Verity Bowler, Matthew Craig, Andrea Fleming, Zara Khan, Mahnoor Rahmen and Kevin Rivas. In order to finalize which delegates are selected to attend a big conference such as the one in New York, students must finish all their research with a minimum of 50 articles regarding the country they are representing, must have completed all assigned work and demonstrate exceptional publicspeaking and delegate skills. The objective for students in MUN is to enhance their skills in public speaking, researching, and writing. “Extensive research is critical, especially when it comes it comes to position papers for conferences,” said RCC MUN delegate Adam Molina. Many conferences require that each delegation submit a position paper - an essay detailing their country’s policies on the topics being discussed in your committee. Writing a position paper helps organize the delegate’s ideas in able for them to share their prospective country’s position with the rest of the committee they’re presenting in. The purpose of the position papers sent in by the students

JEIANNE BANIQUED @RCCviewpoints

The Riverside City College Model United Nations team returned from the 2015 National Model United Nations New York Conference with six awards in tow, recognizing their countless hours in team preparation. With many other MUN teams from various colleges throughout the nation in attendance at the conference held March 29-April 2, the RCC team representing the country of Andorra, competed hard to receive the conference’s highest honor, the Outstanding Delegation award. It is the second year in a row that RCC’s MUN received this award. In addition, RCC MUN won outstanding position paper awards in four committees: General Assembly First Committee, General Assembly Second Committee, United Nations Environment Programme (sic.), and Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. The head delegate of the team, Argie Hill, who presented in the UNEP committee, was also given the Outstanding Delegate award honoring his admirable cooperation and follow-through in the policy and character of his assigned member state. Voted by members of his team to receive such an honor, Hill took pride in the teamwork they had all demonstrated.

is to demonstrate their own knowledge of the country and its position with the topic. During the conferences, the goal is to create a paper that calls for action on a said subject and ways to improve or fix the issue. Student representatives of each country are allowed to make a speech to persuade all countries to their idea of solving the problem. During informal sessions, students get into groups of countries that follow similar ideals and write the position paper. Matthew Craig, a delegate representative who served in the winning General Assembly committee for his position paper at the conference, felt quite spent when dealing with other delegates from opposing countries. “Through the darkness of dealing with the Italian delegation who was opposed to our working paper, the negative events were overshadowed by my partner and I’s ability to handle these types of situations,” Craig said. It was through MUN’s hard work and dedication that they were so successful. “The events that truly made the trip special were seeing the culmination of all our training bring itself to light as we handled every problem sent to us with confidence and pride while everyone came out ahead. We wrote the best, we negotiated the best, and we had fun while doing it,” Craig said.

Crime Log Date

Crime

Time

Location

Status

May. 1

Stolen Vehicle

2 p.m.

Chavez Bldg

CAA

May. 2

Burglary: Vandalism $400 or more Petty Theft: Bldg/ Vehicle/Etc

6 a.m.

Humanities

P

Apr. 30

Petty Theft: Bldg/ Vehicle/Etc

4:30 p.m.

College PD (Riverside)

I

May. 5

Possess Unlawful Paraphernalia

2:17 p.m.

Digital Library - 1st Floor

May. 5

Nonstudnt Refuse to Leave

2:57 p.m.

Administration

May. 6

Theft of Vehicle Part

9:20 a.m.

Digital Library- 1st floor

May. 6

Possession of Marijuana

3:56 p.m.

Administration

May. 6

Burglary: Obtain Credit/Etc. Other’s ID, Theft of Access card/acct 4:07 p.m. info, Theft by use of access card

Lot Q

Status Key: I - No ongoing investigation C - Cited and released CAA - Cleared by adult arrest IO - Information only P- Ongoing investigation

CAA I CAA IO I

Riverside City College’s graduation will be held June 11 at 6 p.m. For graduating students rehearsal check-in will start at 9 a.m. in the Landis Performing Arts Center and rehearsal will start at 10 a.m. Caps and gowns are not needed for rehearsal. Ceremony check-in will be at 4:30 p.m. and the commencement ceremony will start at 6 p.m. To purchase your cap and gown head in to the RCC Bookstore between May 4 and May 29. For further information please contact the graduation hotline at 951-222-8233.

Nursing receives grants Riverside City College’s nursing program received two Song-Brown Grants that total up to $325,000 and a registered nurse Education Capitation grant of $200,000. The RCC School of Nursing will use the funds to help with registered nurses in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties. Among other things RCC are going to hire new full-time faculty in order to provide instruction, support and increased enrollment by 10 into the nursing program. The funds that the nursing program will receive will go to carry out an articulated associate degree-to-bachelor’s degree Nursing Pathway with local bachelor’s programs.

Wellness Week comes to RCC May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Mental Health Peer Educators and Student Health and Psycological Services is sponsoring Wellness Week at Riverside City College. Physical Wellness will be the focus May 26 with doctors, dentists, nutrition and health screenings. Free contraception and sexual health resources will be provided May 27 for Sexual Wellness. Orientation will be discussed and support groups will also be available. Diversity, community and open discussion will be the focus May 28 for a day of Spiritual Wellness. May 29 will be on Recreational Wellness with games, food, prizes and entertainment. The event will be on the Bookstore Promenade from 12-3 p.m. for the entire week.

RCC offers interviewing help RCC students are encouraged to attend the “Successful Interviewing Skills” workshop in the Quad 122 on May 19 from 12:50 - 1:50 p.m. Gary Jimenez, an associate professor of Counseling at RCC, is presenting the workshop. The workshop will help students with their interview skills such as on how to dress, questions they’ll be ask and presenting themselves as professionals. For any more information on the workshop contact Gary Jimenez at Gary.Jimenez@rcc.edu or (951) 222-8889.

Corrections and Clarifications In the April 9 issue, Victor Gallegos’ name was misspelled in the article “RCC takes second by surprise.” In the April 30 issue, Alexis Naucler’s name was misspelled in the cutline of the article “Tigers slide into playoffs.” In the April 30 issue, the dateline in the article, “Tigers slide into playoffs” should have read Norwalk, not Cerritos. The competing team’s division was also misstated. The correct division was the South Coast Division. On page one of the April 30 issue in the story “Isaac named president,” the former interim chancellor of RCCD’s name was misspelled. The correct spelling is Irving Hendricks. Wolde-Ab Isaac’s name was also misspelled once in this article.


& A E Sleater-Kinney reunites in L.A. 4

May 14, 2015 “Life

moves pretty fast.

If

- Ferris, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’

you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

CONCERT REVIEW

DOMINIQUE REDFEARN | VIEWPOINTS

COMEBACK KIDS: Funny lady, Carrie Brownstein (left) shreds on her guitar while she looks on to the crowd. Corin Tucker (right) and Brownstein play “Dig Me Out.” DOMINIQUE REDFEARN @RCCviewpoints

Yes, I’m one of those fans that only knows about one of the most influential bands of the Riot Grrrl era because I heard that my favorite actress from a certain sketch comedy show was also in the band. Give me a break, I was in elementary school the last time they released an album. I started following guitarist and vocalist Carrie Brownstein on Instagram last year after binge-watching the IFC comedy “Portlandia” on Netflix and noticed a post in which she displayed seven colorful records and I was intrigued. A few YouTube and Google searches I was immediately immersed in the powerful aura that was punk rock trio SleaterKinney. Often thought of as pioneers in the feminist Riot Grrrl movement, the band released its first album back in 1994, as well as another six albums until the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2005. The trio consists of drummer Janet Weiss with Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, each on vocals and guitar. The band kept busy on their hiatus with other projects, Weiss and Brownstein reunited for their short lived band Wild Flag while Tucker recorded an album The Corin Tucker Band. Brownstein also co-created and stars in the hit sketch comedy show “Portlandia” with former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Fred Armisen.

Last year, Sleater-Kinney released a special edition box set of their past albums which included the lead single, “Bury Our Friends,” from their new album “No Cities to Love.” The single and the album came as a surprise to fans and hinted at the chance of a possible reunion. Since the release of their album they have done numerous record signings and a tour that has stretched from the United States to Europe. The band came back to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly 10 years to two sold out shows at the historic Hollywood Palladium April 30 and May 1. Fans lined up as early as 9 a.m. to secure a spot as close as they could to one of their favorite bands. The show opened with Brownstein’s “Portlandia” costar Fred Armisen who took on the role of his British rocker alter ego Ian Rubbish for a short 20 minute set. He performed a few sillier songs including “Margaret Thatcher” and another about how he enjoys putting his boot in officer’s faces. Seattle-based R&B/Hip-Hop duo THEESatisfacfion followed him soon after with their set. The duo set up their laptop and mesmerized the crowd with their synchronized swaying and powerful bass instrumentals. Singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White’s soulful voice was complemented by Stasia “Stas” Irons’ rapping. Their set consisted of songs that spoke about equality and tolerance to more controversial subjects such as legalizing weed

and embracing sexuality. After their performance and a few quick changes to the instruments onstage, the members of Sleater-Kinney walked in. Their so-called “unobtrusive fourth member” Katie Harkin stood by Brownstein and Weiss onstage as she has for every show to date; the band sought her out on this tour to help them with keys and guitar. The crowd screamed and applauded as the band stood in the dim lights, eagerly waiting for them to open with the song “Price Tag” which is also the opening track on their new album. They proceeded with songs from their six most recent albums like crowd favorites were “Get Up” from the 1999 album “The Hot Rock” and songs from their most recent album. “A New Wave” was a song dedicated to cartoon character Tina Belcher from the Fox show “Bob’s Burgers.” The music video for that song actually portrays the band in cartoon form in the “Bob’s Burgers” universe. “Words and Guitar” was another crowd pleaser; Brownstein withered around on the floor as she has on most nights, which prompted everyone to take out their phones to document the moment. Stage banter was kept to a minimum as they blazed through a 23-song set. The trio never missed a beat. Brownstein kept to her usual high kicks and hand gestures that acted as routines to certain songs while Weiss moved her signature bob back and forth to each song. Each member of the band kept

a straight face while focusing on the songs. There were a few times that Brownstein looked out to the crowd and would crack a smile because of all of the smiling faces staring back at her. One particularly sweet moment was when she looked to one of the younger female fans in the front row who held up her hands in the shape of a heart which caused Brownstein to look away and smile. They closed out the set with two songs from their 2005 album “The Woods,” high powered song “Entertain” and one of their darker songs “Jumpers” which was written about the increased number of people who committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. After walking off the stage for a few moments, the band walked back onstage to finish off the night with a five song encore. They started their encore with Tucker grabbing a microphone and standing at the center of the stage to thank Planned Parenthood for accompanying them on this tour before beginning to discuss the needs for women’s reproductive rights. She proclaimed, “Give me equality. Give me respect. Give me love” which lead into a song entitled “Gimme Love” from the latest album. Tucker proceeded to belt out the song and interact with fans that were in the front row. They then started riffing on their guitars before starting the energetic “Dig Me Out” that caused the audience to roar with applause. I was pleasantly surprised to hear them perform “Let’s Call

It Love” which they have only played a limited number of times on this tour. The song created a strong presence with precise riffs and Tucker ’s wailing voice accompanied by Brownstein’s breathy vocals. The show was closed with another crowd favorite “Modern Girl” which was also from their album “The Woods.” The stage lights dimmed to a dark purple that calmed the atmosphere since the song was a sharp contrast to the high powered songs that they played previously throughout the night. Weiss switched from drums to the harmonica as Brownstein sung. It was a special way to close out the show because it felt like the perfect wind down to a night full of energy. The crowd swayed back and forth and sang the song at the top of their lungs. As the show concluded Weiss and Tucker left the stage with their arms slung around each other with Harkin following them. Brownstein stuck around for a few moments to hand a fan her set list and gave a few other fans guitar picks before shaking a few people’s hands and leaving the stage. Overall this is one of the best shows I have been to. The set list contained many crowd pleasers, the venue was intimate, and the crowd was ecstatic to be there. To the long time fans it was special to see the band that they grew up with stand in front of them and perform songs that they never thought they would hear live again.


A&E

May 14, 2015

5

‘Avengers’ flat comedy fails to bring laughter TREVA FLORES

IMAGE COURTESY OF: MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

@RCCviewpoints

MOVIE REVIEW

Action, romance and comedic relief seem to be the three main ingredients for a Marvel movie. In a world full of superheroes with incredible powers it’s impossible not to become entangled in their lives. From the perspective of a person who has never read the comics, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was fun to watch. The movie overall felt longer than it needed to be at an extensive two hours and 22 minutes. There were a lot of drawn out dialogue that barely kept the story going and felt out of place. Most of these talks were about Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and The Incredible Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo) budding romance. The new romance made absolutely no impact on the plot and felt unnecessary overall. Although a lot of important character development happened it would have been better to give Black Widow her own movie. This movie also felt lengthy because it was mostly setting up for the second half of the

film. The setup took way too long, but the ending action made it worth the wait. The scenes with Quicksilver (Aaron TaylorJohnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) made more of an impact than anything else as their characters switched from villains to heroes. The comedic relief of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) unleashed their witty one-liners. There were also many continuous jokes that were tossed around from the opening to the ending scene. The running joke did feel a little tiresome, but for the most part remained funny. It was great to see more of Hawkeye’s (Jeremy Renner) character, as the Avengers laid low at his house with his wife and children. Seeing the buffed up heroes hanging out in a relatively normal environment made the characters seem more down to earth with real lives to live outside of saving the world. Captain America (Chris Evans) was just the butt of everyone’s jokes. He was mostly

part of the setup for Civil War as he continuously bantered with Iron Man; overall his character was flat and unmemorable. Ultron (James Spader) was one of Marvel’s most intimidating villains, but his part felt rushed. His introduction didn’t really occur until the second half of the film, yet when he was introduced the film picked up the pace. Jarvis (Paul Bettany) became the savior as he turned into the Vision and battled Ultron. Vision was the most exciting character seeing as he’s the only Avenger besides Thor who can pick up the hammer, Mjölnir. Many feminists disagreed with this film and claimed that director and writer Joss Whedon ruined their strong female character, Black Widow. In a rampant uproar they sent Whedon profanities and death threats. The feminist issues mostly f o c u s o n B l a c k Wi d o w ’s character. There was first a dispute when Evans and Renner called her a “slut” after being asked about rumors of Black Widow wanting to be in a

relationship with Hawkeye and Captain America. The two later apologized with Renner stating to Entertainment Weekly, “I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.” Renner has a point, although media representation is important in the end these are fictional characters with fictional lives. There is no justification for sending death threats to someone via the Internet. Black Widow’s relationship with The Incredible Hulk was also arguable. I agree that the relationship was unnecessary, but I don’t think it ruined Black Widow’s character. Almost all of the men are in relationships, so it shouldn’t seem unusual for her character to become romantically involved with someone. Black Widow is just as strong as ever and it’s pretty amazing that she can calm the Incredible Hulk down without getting killed.

Another Black Widow issue is that she refers to herself as a monster after revealing that she can’t have children. However, she wasn’t the only one calling herself a monster. In the film Captain America said, “Yeah, what kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them in order to protect their country?” In fact each of the characters called themselves or one another a monster and Black Widow was not alone. There was a feeling of brokenness throughout the film, but each character proved that they could do good for the world as long as they worked as a team. Overall the movie was very successful in its debut. According to box office numbers “Avengers: Age of Ultron” made $188 million during its domestic opening following as a close second to the first “Avengers” movie that made $207 million. Although it was not the most perfect film it was still enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

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6

May 14, 2015

Sports

From the football field EDITH NORIEGA @Noriega_Edith

IMAGE COURTESY OF: KENDELL MAYS

FOOTBALL: Kendell Mays running onto the Wheelock Field along side the Tigers mascot and

fellow teammates. Mays wore No. 84 in recognition for his role model and favorite player Randy Moss.

BACKGROUND PHOTOS BY ALEXIS NAUCLER AND EDITH NORIEGA

A normal day for a football player at Riverside City College typically begins by going to practice from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a break in between for classes. They would then watch football film to study other teams, plays and concepts followed by a later practice in the evening. A day in a dancer’s life at RCC would usually start by attending class early in the morning. Followed by working on homework, mixing music throughout the day, removing profanity from music and layering songs together. Finally going to rehearsal at 9 p.m. until very late into the night. That is not just any typical day for a student athlete. This happened to be exactly what Kendell Mays, a 23-year-old student at RCC days consisted of. Transitioning from football the world he once knew to dance. Mays, born in Torrance Calif. began playing football at the age of five. He moved to Riverside in 2006 and continued to play at John W. North High School as a wide receiver and defensive back. After graduating in 2010 the idea of where to go to college really started to sink in. After many thoughts Mays decided to attend RCC. “My family is really close so

staying home was the choice that I made instead of going off to a four year university across the country,” Mays said. “Staying local, getting my education and following my dream to be a football player from there was something that I choose to do.” Mays attended RCC solely playing as a wide receiver for the Tigers football team. With the help of a new head coach Tom Craft the team went from a losing team to a winning team almost overnight. The Tigers swept the entire league in their 2010 and 2011 seasons and went on to defeat Saddleback 31-14 in the Golden State Bowl in 2011. “We fought until the end,” Mays explained. “We were so into the euphoria we had no idea we would get rings. Football is very team oriented so the things I had to do for this ring it wasn’t just me. I credit everybody on the team the coaching staff, the equipment managers, to the players themselves.” “I’m very proud of it I wear it all the time, it reminds me that I am still that football player at heart,” Mays added. It wasn’t until Mays second year at RCC after football had ended for him collegiately did he begin to really think what he was going to do now. “I chose dance because of a best friend of mine,” Mays said. “One day he needed a ride to an audition to one of the first Celebrate Dance at RCC. He had told me that a friend of mine was auditioning as well


Sports

May 14, 2015

7

TO THE DANCE STUDIO so he kind of talked me into not only giving him a ride but auditioning as well.” Prior to this audition he never had any dancing lessons. He did however find dance as another outlet he can use to express himself. In the end he was chosen to be a part of two pieces. “That was the jumping point from there and it has just escalated since,” Mays said. From then on the transition from football to dance commenced with a dance appreciation class. When he was learning about all the different types of genres and cultures in the dance class he decided he needed to take action. “At first it was hard because they couldn’t believe that one of their football guys was just literally leaving the football field to go into the studio,” Mays said. This is when he noticed who his true friends were and because of the path he decided to take he did lose a couple of so-called “friends.” On the other hand his parents were more confused but later accepting. Coming from a family who played football their entire life they were kind of taken back by it at first. “It was a weird transition f o r e v e r y b o d y ,” M a y s expressed. “ There was a point where I wanted to give up because I wasn’t getting

their support that I felt that I needed. It was a very quick turn around because they saw it was something that I loved to do and very quickly they were on board with it.” Mays, however still participates on a Sunday flag football league called Game Time Football as a wide receiver, defensive player and cornerback. The teams consist of five players each from ages 17 to early 40’s. Instead of playing the length of the field they play sideline to sideline. “It’s a fun sport because I still keep that competitive edge that I grew up with so it keeps me on my toes,” Mays said. After Mays was well into the transition process the actual physical work began. “I found the battement were the hardest,” Mays stated. “In football we do a lot of squats and we learn how to tighten up our muscles and run really fast. In Ballet you have to learn how to be flexible where people can kick up their leg over their shoulder. I would barely go past a 45 degree angle.” Battement, French for “beating” in Ballet, is an extension of the leg to the front, side or back, either repeatedly or as a single movement.

“ The grand jeté came a lot easier because I had the jumping skills that were needed,” he said. “As far as flexibility, I had none. So that was the hardest thing I had to endure was become flexible enough to do the moves but once I did I felt myself getting a lot better at it.” A grand jeté French for “thrown step” is a broad high leap with one leg stretched for waard and the other stretched back. One thing he did take with him that he learned in football to dance was a competitive mindset. “I had no idea going into dance how it would be,” Mays said. “So bringing that same attitude and being able to think on my feet, keeping that same competitive attitude to want to get better to want to grow that really helped take me to the place that I am now with dance.” Mays is also part of Elev8 Hip-Hop Crew a competitive dance group from Rancho Cucamonga started in 2012 by RCC dance instruction Wynesha Garner. In the near future Mays hopes to teach d a n c e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y, choreographing for crews across the nation and dancing with people that he has dreamed of dancing with.

EDITH NORIEGA | VIEWPOINTS

HIP-HOP: Riverside City College student Kendell Mays strutting

his best hip-hop moves to the sound of Beyoncé in professor Wynesha Garner Dance-31 class.


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SPORTS

May 14, 2015

Swim ends strong

“To be number one, you have to train like you’re number two.”

Riverside swim ends season at state championships

VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS

DIVING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP: (Left to right) Riverside City College swimmers Justin Rohn, Daniel Ghomi, and Garret Shimko prepare for the CCCAA Championships at East Los Angeles College. LAURA TAPIA

@LMTReporter

Winning several individual competitions the Tiger’s swim team competed in its last meet of the season at State Championships at East Los Angeles College from April 30 to May 2. Although the men’s swim team finished just one point shy of American River College who finished fourth, they ended their season with 265 points at State. The women’s team was ranked 18 with 54 points; however, both teams had strong individual performances. The Tigers were loaded with record setting swimmer, Adrien Deloffre and the women’s diver of the year, Emily Dunkerson. Deloffre was one of the individual winners finishing first in the 200 breaststroke event for the Tigers with a time of 2:05.31. Deloffre’s win made him the first Riverside City College men’s state swimming champion in over a decade, according to men’s coach Jason Northcott. Freshmen swimmer Deloffre was a surprise addition to the team. “He kind of fell into our laps ... what happened was I got

an email from Adrien because his friend was coming to play tennis here and he was looking to come along and asked about the swimming team, I gave him the information and he pretty much set up everything as far as housing and everything else, and he said ‘I’m coming’, ” Northcott said. “He’s a great talent and he really pushes the guys and it was the first time I was able to hand out medals at State Championships. He got to come up and I got (the chance) to give him a little hug and tell him I was proud of him. I’m excited to have another year with him.” Another individual winner was Dunkerson, who received first place in the women’s 3-meter diving event with a score of 235, she also received second place in the women’s 1-meter diving event with a score of 201.65. “I’m really proud of her, it’s difficult especially since she’s a freshmen ... her top competition was sophomores and hadn’t had a chance to dive in that pool and be in the State Championships before, so for her to come in as a Freshmen and dive on that kind of pressure and that kind of meet, and to still perform as well as she

did, I’m really proud of what she accomplished,” women’s head coach Doug Finfrock said. In a third place finish, the Riverside 800-yard freestyle relay team broke a school record by nine seconds, coming in at a time of 6:48.53. The relay team consisted of Deloffre, Justin Rohn, Brandon Seay and Garret Shimko most of whom have teamed up in relays before. While most of the Tiger swimmers will be coming back next year, sophomore Brandon Seay will be graduating from RCC according to Northcott. Northcott has high expectations for next season’s team noting he wants to keep this year,s momentum going. “With the type of quality individuals that we got this year, I definitely want to look for the type of character of athlete that we have this year, so I kind of know what I would like to see out of an athlete when I recruit,” Northcott said. Previously in Conference Championships the men’s team won second place with 661.50 points and the women’s team came in third place with 508 points.

break the 3-3 tie. The Tigers then gave a wild pitch to give the final 7-3 score. On May 2, Palomar got to an early 4-0 lead shutting down the Tigers dugout through the eighth inning. RCC then arose from a slumber to score their only two runs of the game in the bottom of the eighth. Brody Weiss stepped up to the plate with a run batted in double to left field with Tommy Pincin scoring the first run and Israel Fuentes advancing the third. No. 29 David Schuknecht then reached on a throwing error

by the Comet’s first basemen, bringing in Israel Fuentes and giving the final score of 4-2. The RCC baseball team ended the season in seventh place with an Orange Empire Conference record of 9-12. With an overall record of 22-17. The Tigers had eight offensive players with a batting average over .300. Logan Griffin .360, Israel Fuentes .357, Brody Weiss .314, Garrett Dean .307, Michael Darr and Dajohn Murray .333, David Schuknecht .304 and Mason Fishback .319.

Early exit for RCC baseball EDITH NORIEGA @Noriega_Edith

The Riverside City College baseball team No. 18 seed ended the season in an early curtain call exit in a best-two-out-ofthree series against No. 1 seed Palomar College in the Southern California Regional Playoffs during the first two days of May. During game one both teams battled head-to-head with three runs apiece going into the sixth inning. The ultimate deciding run came in the bottom of the seventh with a bases-loaded triple to

- Maurice Greene

Golf places fourth ALEXIS NAUCLER @alexisnaucler

The Riverside City College men’s golf team scored 743 points, earning fourth place at the State Championship, which took place at Kings River Country Club in Kingsburg, California on May 11. Finishing in front of the Tigers was the College of the Canyons, Reedley College and Santa Rosa College. Who scored 733, 741 and 743 points, respectively. Considering Santa Rosa and Riverside tied at 743, each team’s sixth person had to play a tiebreaker. Santa Rosa’s Cory Giringhelli won by six points over freshman Cody Medin, who scored 84. Sophomore Chad Hambright finished second by five points, earning him an All-State position, behind Jeremy Sanchez of Chabot College, who scored 136. Wes Hatton scored 145 points this year, showing slight improvement from last year’s result of 146. “We had a much more talented

team this year,” sophomore Eric Cross said. “It was a pretty successful year.” Previously at the Regional Championships, the Tigers finished fourth with a score 733 points, securing the last spot to advance to championships Finishing in first place was the College of the Canyons with a score of 710, second place was Santa Barbara City College (723) and third was College of the Desert (725). Hatton led the Tigers, scoring 69 in the first round and 71 in the second. Following closely behind was Hambright who scored 71 and 72 in the first and second round. “The top of our lineup played well,” coach Steven Sigloch said. “Overall, the season has been a great one. This is definitely the most talented team that I have coached at RCC,” Sigloch said. The Tigers finished their season strong, placing first in conference, Sigloch earning Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year and Hambright the OEC Player of the Year.

Where are they now? Brandon Johnson

Brandon Johnson, a former Riverside City College cross country runner, set a new Distance Medley Relay record on the final day of the World Relays Championships held in Nassau, Bahamas on May 2 and 3. The USA team finished their relay in 9:15.50, topping Kenya’s previous record, set in 2006, by a mere .06 seconds. Johnson finished his 800-meter run in 1:44.75 with Kyle Merber, Ben Blankenship and Brycen Spratling who ran the 1,200-meter in 2:53.56, 1,600-meter in 3:51.24 and 400-meter in 45.95, respectively. “Brandon has so much potential,” said RCC track and field coach Jim McCarron. “He definitely has a shot at medaling at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.” Johnson has earned a four-year contract with Nike and is now training for the Olympics in Chula Vista.

Zaire Anderson

Former Riverside City College football player Zaire Anderson has signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted rookie, according to ESPN. He will enter the NFL as a linebacker. Anderson was a starter at Riverside City College during the 2010 and 2011 during the stint in which the football program had a 21-1 combined record. Following his two seasons at RCC, Anderson played for the University of Nebraska from 2012 until 2014. He lead his team in tackles as a senior with 103. During his first year with Nebraska he received a medical hardship after suffering a knee injury, three games into the 2012 season, according to Huskers.com Anderson was a 2014 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by coaches and the media. He was also named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll during the spring of 2014.

Charles Tuaau

Former Riverside City College defensive tackle Charles Tuaau has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. Following his time with RCC, Tuaau finished his career as a student athlete at Texas A&M Commerce. Tuaau was the first known RCC product to enter the NFL since Will Smith, who was drafted last year.


V iews As green as Californian grass May 14, 2015

Tell

KENNEDY BLEVINS @RCCviewpoints

Fresh drops of dewy rain, dark grey clouds and brisk chilling winds give hope for the future. That’s what Californians facing an intensifying drought would like to think. The California drought is a threat to both our ecosystem and our economy. The El Niño - Southern Oscillation Alert System reports an El Niño advisory f o r t h i s f a l l a n d s u m m e r, which could help face the drought. El Niño reverses the flow of weather systems, which would bring rain to the

California coast. “There is an approximately 70 percent chance that El Niño will continue (in) summer 2015 and a greater than 60 percent chance it will last through autumn,” the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center reported April 9. But it’s not likely that El Niño rains will be enough to reverse the long-standing drought. Not only must rains struggle to replenish surface water levels but also depleting groundwater levels, which have been overdrawn during drought conditions. “During dry years, groundwater contributes up to 46 percent or more of the statewide annual supply and serves as a critical buffer against the impacts of drought and climate change,” the California Department of Water Resources reports. Like surface water, groundwater is limited and the overuse of it poses a threat to the ecosystem. If too much groundwater is pumped out, levels can drop

9

us what you think, in a letter to the editor, in an email, or use #RCCnow.

too low and possibly dry up entirely if there is not enough precipitation to replenish them. “ O n N O VA ( a B r i t i s h Broadcasting Company documentary program) they show that they put a satellite up in the ’80s to show how much groundwater there was in the world; and back in the ’80s everything was nice and tan colored showing that there was water under the ground, right now you can look all through the California, it is all turning black because there’s no water,” said Ruben, a grocer for Crown 12 Ranch since 2002, at the local Riverside Farmer’s Market. Not only is our ecosystem i n g r a v e d a n g e r, b u t o u r economic power is as well. Ruben speaks about how the size of their fruit has gone down over the years as a result of low water levels. Water is an important asset to the farming industry, especially for citrus fruits, which are a popular export for California. Falling behind in the farming industry would mean a setback

us from costly ventures for for the California economy as water down the road once a whole. we use up our own rapidly If we’re going to sustain shrinking supply. our economy and our As inhabitants of the ecosystem, we have to do planet, it’s not just mother a little more than rely on n a t u r e ’s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o this year’s El Niño. Though sustain us, but for us to i t ’s b e e n s a i d b e f o r e , i t ’s contribute our share as well. more important now than Otherwise, we’ll all be washed ever that Californians take up and dried out. the initiative to combat the drought both individually and as a community. We n e e d t o do more than just take shorter showers or not run the water while we brush our teeth, as we were taught in the past. We should look toward longterm plans like drought resistant lawns and highefficiency washers and dryers. With IMAGE COURTESY OF: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES everyone making a l i t t l e e f f o r t LOW LEVELS: A chart showing the current now, it will save water levels of California’s major resevoirs.


May 14, 2015

Editorial

10

Views

RCC misplaces learning priorities

The life of an adjunct professor is not an easy one, especially when our college is misplacing its priorities. O u r d i s t r i c t ’s administration needs to prioritize the annual budget and set aside enough funds to hire more full-time faculty. You can usually tell who these adjunct JACOB FILEK | VIEWPOINTS professors are. They AWARENESS: RCC part-time instructor Jacquelyn Bang (center) informs students tend to tell their classes Angela Williams (left) and Synnora MacLeod (right) about Adjunct Walkout/ how difficult their job Awareness Day. is; how they can’t help “So far I have heard all the good words and the them after class because their next class is an hour right words from the chancellor, so far we don’t have drive away at a different campus. disagreement. He says, ‘oh I’m committed to hiring They have trouble meeting with students because more full-time faculty’ but I will not believe it until they can’t have office hours, and they don’t have he does it, ” Haghighat said. offices to meet in. While talks continue between the Faculty They are the part-time professors that work on Association and Chancellor Michael Burke, adjuncts a short-term contract; lower pay, no guarantee of can only try their best to make up for the deficit that continued employment, no benefits, no paid holidays has been created. or time-off including for emergencies. In the March 12 issue of Viewpoints, a staff The recession we faced as a nation from 2007 writer mentioned that adjunct professors are being to 2009 led to a lacking budget that prevented paid $20,000-$25,000. This is right around the the administration from offering more permanent federal poverty level for a family of four according to positions, but what is our excuse now? the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Our budget continues to grow according to Tom The average income of a full-time professor is Allen, a part-time English professor expressing his three times that of an adjunct professor. concern in a faculty forum. Likewise, so do demands In order to become a full-time faculty member, from students, and the number of full-time faculty there must be a full-time position available in the has not kept up. first place; many needed positions are not. Positions At Riverside City College full-time faculty have are then posted online and open for anyone to apply. retired and continue to retire leaving a void where A panel of full-time faculty then must gather the those faculty members were. In certain disciplines applications and screen the applicants. This process only a few full-time faculty remain. If those encourages more people to apply and promotes remaining full-time faculty continue to retire, what hiring higher quality full-time faculty, it is a long are students left with? What kind of education would and complex process that discourages the college that department be giving its students? from opening positions in the first place. “How can you have a discipline with no full-time If administration wants to meet the mission faculty … can you imagine a discipline with no office of the college to offer “a high-quality affordable hours because it is run by all part-time faculty?” education,” then they must hire full-time faculty and Dariush Haghighat, the president of the Riverside stop misplacing priorities. City College District Faculty Association said. He While hiring more full-time faculty is expensive, went on to explain various examples where full-time it should be given a higher priority in the college faculty is decreasing due to retirement. budget. It would have an immediate and profound The Faculty Association is in constant effect on the quality of education, even greater than communication with RCC’s Administration.

LETTER TO THE

EDITOR Dear Editors, It has come to my attention that the ‘free speech zone’ is more than just that, it is completely unsafe. Last week, a man holding a sign stepped in front of me and block my path until I took literature. An older man with a beard and staff. I asked him to move, he refused to move, I raised my voice and asked again. That was when the man threatened to ‘kick my ass’ and told me he does not have to go anywhere and he has a right to block people. I spoke with security about this, apparently, the man has a long history of confrontations with students, but he is allowed here. We do not know his name, if he is a released sex criminal or murderer. All we know is the school has a policy of letting anyone on here including violent criminals and they do not make them leave if they threaten students. This campus has an open policy encouraging non-student violent predators to come here and say what they want. This puts students in danger and is wrong. I am sure there are plenty of victims of rape or violent attack that would not be pleased in knowing the campus encourages such people to come here and act in hate. If this policy continues I will be forced to transfer to another school for safety. This college should reconsider its policy and mandate background checks for people and make them leave permanently after violence occurs. Best regards, Eric Ridenour that of raising shiny new buildings. “Institutions that have large numbers of adjuncts or students that take lots of classes with adjuncts have lower graduation rates,” according to Adrianna Kezar, head of the University of Southern California’s Delphi Project. This will be the reality at our college if current trends don’t change. Students who want to change how the college and District hire full-time faculty should write a letter to the chancellor, the college president, student government or Viewpoints as a letter to the editor. Contacting members of the state Legislature will also help ensure this issue addressed not only locally, but also statewide.

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

LETTERS

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF James H. Williams 951-222-8495 viewpoints@rcc.edu MANAGING EDITOR Valerie Osier viewpoints.managing@gmail.com ADVERTISING MANAGER Valerie Osier viewpoints.advertising@gmail.com JOURNALISM SPECIALIST Matt Schoenmann matthew.schoenmann@rcc.edu FACULTY ADVISERS Allan Lovelace Jim Burns

TO THE

OPINIONS EDITOR Lawrence Manns viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com

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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.

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Viewpoints is a public forum, First Amendment newspaper. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. © 2015 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.


Features Local church feeds homeless May 14, 2015

DANYEL WHYTE

DANYEL WHYTE | VIEWPOINTS

@RCCviewpoints

How would you feel if you had to wait all week to enjoy sweet company and a warm, balanced meal? Unfortunately for many members of our community, basic necessities are a luxury. For the last 30 years, the Hot Meals Program, located at C a l v a r y

Presbyterian Church, has opened its doors to the public every Sunday in hopes to ease some of the suffering of the homeless community in Riverside. “It’s not just about the food,” said Theresa Anderson, program interim coordinator. “We want to show people they are cared for and how they feel matters. It gives them a sense of belonging and community.” With support from volunteers and donations, the Hot Meals Program is able to serve anywhere from 120-150 homeless guests each week. Although food is a large part of the program’s mission, hospitality is equally important. “All of these people have a story, and a lot of them just need someone to listen t o t h a t s t o r y, ” Anderson said. The program is open to anyone including adults and families. In addition to providing meals, the program

supplies information about local agencies and organizations that can provide additional and ongoing help with identification, Social Security benefits, job assistance, housing, food stamps and medical care. Once a month, the Loma Linda Dental School brings their fully equipped Dental Van. The Path of Life Ministries also brings help with their Health to Hope Medical Van equipped with volunteer doctors and nurses. Guests are also invited to visit the clothes closet each week, an area set aside with personal hygiene products, shoes and clothing that are provided by locals. This offers a sense of protection and social acceptability to the participants. If the program receives more supplies than needed, it is donated to other neighboring organizations that support the homeless as well. “I have been coming off and on for a few years now,” said Jessica Pitzek, RCC student and volunteer. “Serving changes your perspective on things.” This program is committed to finding the right position for

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community members looking to help out. Different teams, including table setup, afternoon setup and cleanup teams work together to make this possible. “Help is appreciated,” Anderson said. “We take it wherever we can get it.” Word is spread through the grapevine from Riverside to Lake Arrowhead and through programs offered at neighboring schools. 30 consecutive years of time and effort have been dedicated to The Hot Meals Program in hopes to make Riverside a better place. This organization sets an example of what is possible when people in a community pull together. People from different faiths, backgrounds and organizations come together with one goal: to bring hope to the community. If interested in participating in the Hot Meals Program, contact Theresa Anderson at mthhfamily@sbcglobal.net or show up at Calvary Presbyterian Church on the corner of 15th Street and Magnolia Avenue, Sundays at 5:15 p.m.


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May 14, 2015

Features

FTV teacher avoids retirement to help students

ANGEL SANDOVAL | VIEWPOINTS

RCC SPOTLIGHT: Early retirement leads Bud Tedesco back to Riverside City College as a part-time instructor to help inspire the next generation of film makers. DANYEL WHYTE @RCCviewpoints

Retirement does not keep Bud Tedesco from “the real world of make believe.” If we go behind the scenes of the television department at Riverside City College we find Tedesco, after his retirement three years ago, still contributing on campus. With a background in editing for ABC Television Network and a history with the Academy Awards, the former instructor sticks around to share his knowledge of the industry. “The challenge now is to share my experience with the students here,” Tedesco said. “A lot of the instructors here are sort of industry trained which is different from the academic

route that a lot of instructors have because they haven’t really been exposed to the real world of make believe, that’s what I call it.” Tedesco continues teaching at RCC to give students a different perspective based on what the television industry is like outside of the academic realm. He specializes with hands on learning to help his students be the best they can be when they move on from school. He hopes to bring the experience of the outside world into an environment that is typically sheltered. “We try to bring that little bit of realism from that real world of make believe to here and hopefully it pays off,” Tedesco said. “Instructors come here with

whatever position or discipline they’re teaching and if they have worked in that area, they’re bringing something really special and additional to the classroom to the students and that’s what I hope to bring.” According to Tedesco, his teaching experience now is much different from the academic protocol of teaching full-time. The part-time instructor now gets to focus his time inspiring students. “I enjoy this because a lot of our students have moved on and are working in the industry as producers, associate producers and directors displaying their talent in front of the camera,” Tedesco said. “We focus our students to be multi-skilled and to learn different jobs because you have to

be multi-skilled in this business.” Tedesco first started the Film and Television Program at RCC over 25 years ago and it is still running strong. There are over 25 different courses with degrees and certificates in different areas of television and film offered. “The program definitely has a special place in my heart,” said Jimmy Moreno, an RCC student and staff member. “This program kind of creates small families. We all shoot together, love film and cinema. This place gives us a place to do that stuff.” Tedesco has influenced RCC students to go the distance and exceed their expectations, and develop into competent students ready for the real world. “Bud has a lot of influence on the program and has built a lot of

personal relationships with the students and really enabled them to do the things that they had to do,” said Rahul Thakar, student lab aid for the FTV class. “He puts cameras in your hands right away. He is very encouraging. I mean there have been times where we go to accomplish certain things and all we would have to do is approach him and he would figure out ways to help us.” The stepping stones of retirement have led Tedesco down a path that keeps him as part of the department’s team. There is something special that he can bring to the FTV where according to Tedesco, “All the arts kind of come together in the film industry- acting, music, graphics, art…that’s where it happens.”

Viral social media trends What in the world!?

Ice bucket challenge

Cinnamon challenge

Kylie Jenner challenge

MIRIAM RUIZ | VIEWPOINTS


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