Vol. 101 Issue 12

Emergency on campus

EDITORIAL: Crisis response lacks sense of urgency

Riverside City College students received a text message at 9:36 a.m. April 10 of a situation happening on campus, telling students to immediately shelter in place.

Specifics were not given.

Half the Viewpoints staff was on campus while the others were not. Due to the lack of communication and clarity, we were all left to assume that the incident was extremely dangerous.

Hours later, it was confirmed an unhoused man was wandering on campus carrying a knife. No one was injured.

It would take a full hour longer before the campus alert system let the students know that this was not an active shooter situation, something that many were assuming at the time. Students who were in class when the incident started were locked inside for more than two hours while the situation unfolded in the northwest corner of campus near the Child Development Center & Learning Laboratory. Classes were being canceled by professors who were seemingly just as much in the dark as the students were. Again many who were left locked in the classrooms still assumed it could be an active shooting situation. Due to the national climate those students were preparing for the worst scenario possible.

We have expressed our concerns before about the reliability of safety protocols and communication with all Riverside Police force and school officials. Here we are again worried about what our school will or won’t do to protect us.

A 2016 shooting at White Park, which is located across the street from the Riverside Community College District offices, took over an hour and a half to be

See SAFETY on page 7

Some question District’s tactics

Riverside City College’s safety protocols were brought into question after an incident caused a campus-wide shutdown.

An alert from the college was sent to students by the Riverside Community College District following reports to the campus police of a man walking around the college with a knife in hand April 18.

The man was detained near the RCC Early Childhood Development Center nearly three hours after the initial alert was sent.

RAVE alert system is utilized by the District to alert those who are opted-in for the notifications of any possible security threats and allows users to report incidents and crimes through the app.

According to faculty from the Children’s Center, alerts being

received were not aligning with what they were able to see through their office windows.

ECDC faculty member Emily Philippsen said she is grateful for the immediate response from authorities but there is a need to improve communication.

“From our perspective down here, the RAVE messages were not matching what we were seeing from our windows, which was 40 police officers with their guns drawn for over two hours,” Philippsen said.

She said that there was not much information given aside from the campus-wide alerts.

“We knew it was not an active shooter, we just didn’t know that people would think it was an active shooter,” Beiwei Tu, Director of Risk Management and system administrator for RAVE alerts said.

Tu said they did not send the alert clarifying that the situation

was not an active shooter situation until after the District’s strategic communications learned there was discussion on social media about a possible active shooter on campus.

Following the incident

Philippsen described in an email addressed to the RCC community what the shelter in place order was like with children present and not knowing whether or not there was an active shooter present.

The initial alert sent at 9:36 a.m. read: “RCCD Urgent Alert: There has been an incident at Riverside City College, please shelter in place. More information to follow.”

Over an hour passed before another alert was sent out stating that it was not an active shooter and that police were, “engaged.”

“Even one of our teachers recognized the innocent danger of children having light up shoes in the

dark during lockdown,” Philippsen’s email stated. “Often, our little corner of the college is forgotten down here. Until yesterday, when we were front and center on the news for all the wrong reasons.”

Dean of Instruction of Career and Technical Education Shari Yates was in contact with faculty at the Children’s Center during the lockdown according to Philippsen. Yates said that teachers and some faculty from the center who were present the day of the incident have taken advantage of counseling offered by the college.

“I want faculty, students, administrators and everyone to know that there’s this resource on campus of a mental health professional that can support them when an issue arises,” Yates said. “It’s nice to have someone who can give some extra resources and maybe de-escalate any kind of situation.”

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Police and EMT station themselves at the entrance to the lawn area in front of the Riverside City College Child Development Center where a suspect armed with a knife is hiding in the storm drain. The incident caused the college to shut down for nearly 3 hours.

JENNIPHER VASQUEZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Medieval Times joust continues

Employees throw down the gauntlet

ANGIE ESCALANTE LIFE EDITOR

People continue to walk through the castle doors of Buena Park’s Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament despite the queens, knights, squires, emcees, lords and ladies standing outside with signs picketing.

“We are the performers of the Buena Park castle,” shouted Erin Zapcic, lead organizer and representative of the showcase department. “We are currently on strike, we have been on strike for 78 days! The company does not think they need to bargain with us because people like you cross our picket line every single day! You do not have to be that person! You can make a better choice! You can get a refund if you do not want to cross the picket line!”

Over the past three months, more and more supporters have shown up to stand with the striking performers.

Performers, servers and other employees walked out Feb. 11 and still little to no progress has been made to meet their demands.

The live performers had three days of negotiation with the company April 4, 5 and 6 where they made some progress on the collective bargaining agreement but barely any advances on the wages.

Recently, Jake Bowman, one of the lead organizers of the strike who represents the knights’ department, provided photo and video evidence of horse abuse happening within the castle walls.

“If you’re training your dog to sit right, you’re not just going to repeatedly beat the s— out of him with the whip until he sits down or lays down or something like that,”

Bowman said. “That’s just not how you train animals.”

Bowman has been bucked off and kicked by a horse before, which he said resulted in him breaking his back. He explained that the horse had been showing signs of back pain. The trainers allowed the horse to be ridden despite the signs of distress.

During negotiations, the performers presented the company with two and a half pages on horse training and safety protocols but nothing came out of it.

“(The company) rejected it all outright and replaced it instead with two sentences that essentially said the horse training and safety will be the same here as it is in all the other castles,” Zapcic said. “So, the major issues that we’re fighting for, we’re still very, very far apart from.”

As of right now, there are no more scheduled negotiating sessions.

Due to the lack of acknowledgement, Zapcic shares that they have upped their picketing tactics.

The parking lot has crosswalks to safely guide guests. Performers crossed every few minutes which slowed down the line of incoming cars to the park.

Some guests became aggressive and physically assaulted performers by shoving them, or running their car into the walking strikers.

“The man who did the shoving was arrested on the spot and taken into custody and everyone who was assaulted is going to be pressing charges,” Zapcic said. “But the driver of the vehicle did drive off and they don’t know who it is.”

According to one of the lead organizers, most people came out with bumps and bruises. The most serious injury resulted in a

fractured tailbone.

The company painted over the crosswalks within the lot.

The sound and lighting department of the Buena Park castle has filed its cards and its election to unionize with The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE) was expected to take place April 26.

The sound and lighting department employees have actively supported the performers from inside and protest with them on their days off. The department has thought about unionizing before and was finally pushed into it when the general manager accused the workers of sabotaging the show.

“The equipment that the general manager refuses to update stopped working in the middle of the show and he went into the sound booth and accused them of sabotaging the show because they support us,” Zapcic said.

On April 23, various different unions came out to stand in solidarity with Medieval Times Performers United.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Game Workers of Southern California (GWSC), International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Communications of Workers of America (CWA), The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) were just a few of the allies that showed up.

Legal observers, individuals representing civilian human rights agencies, were also called in to make sure none of the performers’ rights are violated and that they are operating within the letter of the law.

CWA brought in Scabby, an inflatable rat that is a labor icon. The name plays on the term “scab,” which is a worker who crosses the picket line.

According to Robin Lobuglio, a game worker with GWSC, Scabby is also there to represent the “ratlike” behavior of some guests who continue to patronize the company during the strike.

“That’s the kind of tactics that management here has been using, flying in workers from other places instead of spending that money on better wages and figuring out how to make this a safer work environment,” said Brian Hill, another game worker with GWSC.

The unionized workers of the Buena Park castle believe they still have a long way to go before any real advancements are made.

“Don’t cross the picket line, don’t support this company,” Zapcic says. “There’s a lot of information that’s currently out there right now about horse abuse, about what’s going on here. So please just educate yourselves. The sooner we can start making a real impact, the sooner we can go back to work. And that’s what we want. We all want to go back to these jobs and we want to make this a better place to work for everyone, not just for us, but for generations to come.”

Editor: Alondra Montes-Martinez & Elaina Kleven news.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

Strikers outside of Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Buena Park ask guests to get a refund instead of attending the show on April 23.

MATHEW ACOSTA | VIEWPOINTS

HAYDEN KULICK | VIEWPOINTS

A disgruntled parent gets in the face of a Medieval Times striker for using profanity in front of their child. The striker then claimed that by bringing their child to the show they are teaching them that animal abuse is okay on April 22.

News Briefs

Moreno Valley Sheriff respond to an assault with a deadly weapon

At 10:20 p.m. the Moreno Valley Sheriffs Station responded to a call at 23000 block of Hemlock Avenue. Upon arrival officials found a 37-year-old male punctured with a stab wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for non life-threatening injuries. The investigation is still ongoing.

Attempted carjacking

involving a firearm

Campus lockdown lasts nearly two hours

from the police in the tunnel.

“Officers were there with him the entire time,” Cano said. “Because he was armed, they had to take a step back.”

Riverside City College sent out an alert to the students ordering all students to shelter in place due to an incident near Wheelock Stadium at 9:36 a.m. April 18.

Witnesses reported that a man was seen with a knife at around 8 a.m.

“Students were reporting to us that someone was walking on campus with a knife,” Riverside Community College District Chief of Police Cristopher Cano said. “They were sending us photos in which the person caught on camera was walking around with a knife extended out.”

The suspect attempted to run away once authorities arrived.

“(The police) kept driving around the area and then they eventually located him,” Cano said. “Then a full pursuit started. He utilized the washway and then he got into the tunnel.”

The man then attempted to hide

The suspect fled into the tunnel at the end of the drainage line. Due to the darkness in the tunnel police were unwilling to engage the suspect.

Police then sent a robotic device and several officers carrying riot shields into the tunnel. Cano stated that they used negotiation tactics, as well as a mental health worker, and even Riverside Police Departments robotic tools in their effort to get the suspect to comply.

“He was able to get away from our officers at which point he ran through the tunnels and was able to get through the streets and went through a manhole cover and got out,” Cano said. “Luckily officers were chasing after him as well as units leaving here to go after him and they located him behind a liquor store. He still refused to give up. They deployed a taser and

then he was safely taken into custody.”

The suspect was transferred to a hospital to ensure his injuries were “very minimal.” Cano said.

After almost 3 hours, the order was lifted at 12:22 p.m. all activities and classes had been cleared to

resume at 1:30 p.m.

No students or officers were injured during the incident.

RCCD is in the process of arranging crisis counseling for anyone affected, according to Interim President FeRita Carter

Philanthropist provides $1 million printing press

for (the) future.”

Director of RCC Business Services

The donation of a new milliondollar printing press to Riverside City College will enable students in the Applied Digital Media and Printing Program to train using the latest stateof-the-art equipment.

Local philanthropist Janet Steiner hosted a ceremony on April 21 at the college’s lower campus to announce her gift of the Heidelberg Speedmaster press.

Students and faculty are beginning to see the benefits of a more efficient printing press that can provide for services like shipping and product packaging now that the printing press is installed.

“We think this is a great opportunity for us because we even started thinking (about) looking into ways we can bring revenue into the college, ways to make money,” Printing Services Supervisor Juan Lopez said. “It would give the college a chance to expand its program

Liz Tatum, who organized the event, shared her vision about what the donation would accomplish.

“As we continue to expand our services, I think this is a good opportunity for our students to have that hands-on experience,” Tatum said. “It’s putting us on the map. It’s really expanding our services… I’m very proud of everything that we do here at RCC.”

The event drew dozens of attendees including students, faculty, staff, printing industry professionals and college leadership. Several representatives, such as Mark Takano and Ken Calvert, sent local elected officials to attend and present proclamations to RCC to help mark the occasion.

Many in attendance took advantage of the tour of the Applied Digital Media facilities and saw demonstrations of various equipment and the new printing press.

Information on the creation of a new scholarship made possible by

Heidelberg USA was also announced during the ceremony. Steiner partnered with Heidelberg to establish the new Thoro Packaging Printing Scholarship. “For the next five years, $5,000 would be offered to students who enroll as a declared ADM or printing major,” Digital media and graphics instructor Patrick Scullin said.

The program will now offer packaging printing classes for students, according to Scullin.

“What is really exciting is that a successful business woman decided to take her retirement and invest in students, improving the program so that we are at a place where we are gonna do things we never have been able to do before,” he said.

He also shared that this equipment upgrade was almost three years in the making.

Steiner, now retired from leading the Thoro Packaging founded by her parents, said finding a donation recipient was a challenging endeavor but was well worth the effort. She said she had multiple companies deny her offer

before reaching out to Scullin, who “was quick to accept.”

She said the donation will give RCC the opportunity to reconstruct its media and graphics program and more easily recruit potential students to join.

“I know that Patrick has a good plan for training with students, but it is also a ripple effect,” Steiner told the audience. “There are many paths that are offered here and the different departments can develop a marketing plan to seek out potential companies for scholarships and donations to set RCC as the standard of all community colleges.”

Steiner thanked her parents for paving the way to allow her to branch out from the company. She said the hard work and dedication her father put into his company taught her the responsibilities that come with managing it.

“This is for my mom and dad,” Steiner said. “I had to work at it, but to be able to pay it forward for my dad who developed the company after serving in World War II is an accomplishment.”

On April 25 at 3:50 a.m. deputies responded to a call at 12600 block of Frederick St. regarding a carjacking involving a firearm. When deputies arrived they located a 23-year-old male victim sitting in his vehicle. Allegedly while sleeping in his vehicle, two Hispanic males, one with a gun, attacked the driver’s side window. The suspect threatened him, then got in the car, and assaulted him. The victim ran away with minor injuries and then the suspects ran away as well. The investigation is still ongoing.

Home Invasion Robbery in Moreno Valley

On April 22 at 6:52 a.m. deputies responded to a call of an home invasion robbery at 22000 Block of Climbing Rose Drive. The suspects fled the scene before police arrived. Allegedly two suspects entered the home, one with a knife and the other with a handgun demanding property. The investigation is still ongoing.

Social media post warns officials about school threats

On April 19 at 10 p.m., deputies from the Riverside Sheriff’s Lake Elsinore Station received tips about a social media post threatening potential violence at Lakeside High School, in the City of Lake Elsinore. Investigators from the Lake Elsinore School District received authorization to have several search warrants of electronic data conducted.

To stay up to date on upcoming campus events, visit the Viewpoints calendar listed at viewpointsonline.org

If you have events happening on campus that you want featured on the calendar, send information about the event to news.viewpointsonline@ gmail.com

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

ALYSSA VELASQUEZ & ANNABEL SILVA

HAYDEN KULICK & ELAINA KLEVEN

Riverside Police Departments robotic unit is unloaded and used to go into the storm drain after an armed suspect hiding in the storm drain. The incident caused the college to be shut down for nearly 3 hours. No injuries came from the incident.

Police and EMT station themselves at the entrance to the lawn area in front of the Riverside City College Child Development Center, where a suspect armed with a knife is hiding in the storm drain. The incident caused the college to be shut down for nearly 3 hours.

A shell-shocking adaptation

A twist on the classic Super Mario Bros. games

CHRIS DIOSOMITO STAFF REPORTER

The Super Mario Bros. Movie released in theaters April 5 and has since then raked in $700 million in the box office. It is the highest grossing movie of 2023 and is looking to hit a billion dollars before its theater run is over.

The entire movie is a love letter to the games it’s adapted from. The film brings the Mushroom Kingdom that many of us have played through at least once to life.

As you would expect from a video game world, the animation throughout the film is very colorful. The iconic green pipes make an appearance and like in the games, bring you into a whole new world. Piranha Plants, Bullet Bills, Question Mark Boxes and many other features from the video games come up on the big screen.

The movie added a lot more depth to these characters which made them feel more like heroes as they go on to save the day. Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) truly come off as brothers who care and depend on each other.

The opening sequence featuring the brother’s plumbing commercial unites the brothers. It

is fun and feels like two siblings came up with the idea together. Immediately after the commercial finishes up, the pure joy on their faces is very wholesome and establishes their connection early on.

The love Bowser (Jack Black) has for Princess Peach (Anya

Taylor-Joy) is goofy in the best way possible. His love for a girl who doesn’t care about him is both funny and sad as we see his gestures throughout the movie.

The voice acting performances by the star studded cast is where the film gets iffy. The controversial pick of Chris Pratt led many to be

skeptical of the film, but Pratt’s performance was good overall.

Mario didn’t have the iconic Italian accent that we hear in voice lines during the games but it was not enough to ruin the movie per say.

One aspect of the film that stood out to me in regards to the

voice acting was Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong. The actor spoke like he would normally. He made no effort to give DK a unique voice. In one particular scene where DK laughed, it was just Rogen’s normal laugh which we’ve heard many times in his other films. The recognizable laugh made a funny moment funnier–for the wrong reason.

Despite the lack of effort at times by Rogen, Jack Black seemed to always put his all into the character. Bowser’s personality was amplified by Black’s performance. His character stole the show every time he entered the screen.

There are lots of references to the Mario franchise throughout the film for a seasoned veteran to find. You can watch the movie multiple times if you’re looking to go hunting for easter eggs. Even if you’ve never played the games before, the movie is still a very fun watch!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fun film for the whole family to enjoy. It’s for the older siblings or parents who have played the games and the younger kids being introduced to this video game world for the first time.

TigerCon brings life to the library

Opportunities to share art open for students

JOHN MICHAEL GUERRERO ONLINE MANAGER

The Salvatore G. Rotella Digital Library and Learning Resource Center’s food lounge bustled with life when the second annual TigerCon opened. Various students and local vendors could be found in the main lounge displaying and selling their work.

A Smash Bros. and Super Mario Kart competition took place in DL 206 for students to participate in. Three guest speakers were also present throughout the event to share their experiences and work in the world of art.

TigerCon is an event coordinated by the Digital Library, Associated Students of Riverside City College (ASRCC) and faculty of the college.

“Most of the vendors here are students, so this event allows them to showcase their work, see other artists’ work and connect with the community,” Daniel Slota, outreach librarian, said. “Art inspires across the board. It is a human trait and need that transcends pathways and majors.”

He states local advertising during the downtown Riverside Arts Walk and across campus helped to further promote them.

One of the main highlights

was that almost every vendor who attended the event were current RCC students.

Leah Magdalemo was one of the student vendors selling stickers and homemade paintings. Being a vendor from the first Tiger Con, she made a return to continue networking and growing her community outreach.

“I have met so many people here at the event and I was able to make a lot of new connections,” Magdalemo said.w

Victoria Reyes, another student vendor, used this as an opportunity to expose her work as a studio arts major and aspiring illustrator to the community at the college.

“It’s awesome RCC actually provides events like this to young artists like me, who are barely getting their feet in the world of art, to gain exposure in a safe and welcoming environment,” Reyes said. “This environment is the perfect stepping stone for artists. It really is a learning environment like what can I do better next time and seeing examples of artists’ work.”

She said many people gave her feedback on how to improve her business practices and style.

Reyes appreciates the constructive criticism and hopes to utilize it to grow.

“Practice makes progress. As long as you continue, stay

consistent and stay innovative, your art is going to take you a lot of places,” she shared. Both student vendors said the money they earned from Tiger Con will be used to improve their art and business.

“Art inspires across the board. It is a human trait and need that transcends pathways and majors,” Slota said. “Art is for everyone, and if you would like to pursue it as a career this is a great place to hone in on that interest and skills.”

Student artists and vendors displayed their wares at the booths, some for sale, others just for display at TigerCon held in the Digital Library on April 20.

PHOTO COURTESEY OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

The top three winners of the cosplay contest held for TIgerCon at the Digital Library on April 20.

LIFE

Editors’ Eats

Warm welcomes at Mama Wale’s

ELAINA KLEVEN & JAZMYN DE JESUS

Being greeted by fresh comfort food, warm lighting and a wholesome smile from behind the counter is something one can expect when entering Mama Wale’s Rice African fusion restaurant in Riverside. Friendly service and an inviting space perfectly sets the tone for what will be a hearty West African meal.

Located on 195 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite #8D, the restaurant has a family-friendly style seating with pictures of West African cities decorating the walls.

The home-style furnishing and warm colors adorning the inside of Mama’s brings a classic comfort to what some might think would be an unfamiliar experience when visiting.

This fusion restaurant serves typical West African cuisine like Jollof rice, swallow and plantains with a unique twist on the preparation.

Mama’s serves its food hot bar style with toppings, sides and stews all being made before ordering. The quick-service style allows the customer to receive their meal in no more than 10

minutes.

The Fufu & Goat meal comes exactly as it sounds. The fufu is made of pounded cooked yams, West Africa’s version of a swallow. It’s meant to be grabbed and flattened into a disk with your fingers. Then dunked into the egusi stew and swallowed, not chewed, which is where the name comes from.

You’d think a dough swallowed with goat and a slimy stew would easily make someone skittish, but Mama’s fufu meal is like American Thanksgiving. The egusi was flavored like southern greens and the fufu is comparable to mashed potatoes.

The Jollof rice bowl, a traditional staple in many African countries, is offered at Mama Wale’s. Your choice of classic or fried Jollof rice can be paired with up to two proteins. The options are chicken, beef and sweet plantain. The flavorful and tender meats complimented the freshness of the veggies and smoky tomato flavor of the rice.

The fusion aspect of the restaurant definitely shows in this dish as it is topped with collard greens and pickled cabbage. Various pastries were also available to grab on the side, including Puff-puffs and

meat pies.

The meat pie has a thick flavorful crust that makes it difficult to get to the center. Once you make it to the filling, the flavors balance out nicely. The pastries could easily make a fast on-the-go meal for someone looking for a quick West African fix.

The restaurant offers various types of imported bottled and fresh drinks to pair with your meal.

The VitaMalt sodas are an imported soft drink from the Caribbean. The tropical flavors complimented the seasonings well and they were far lighter compared to soft drinks we are used to in the U.S.

Another beverage that is offered here is Zobo juice, which is very similar to a Jamaica agua fresca but with more of a ginger lime kick to it. Its simple yet acidic taste was refreshing to sip when paired with the meaty entrees.

Every bite was familiar in the most nostalgic ways, giving a self explanation to the African Fusion label. The variety of meals, with comfort laced in them will leave every customer with a full stomach.

This can become anyone’s classic spot to hit up in Riverside.

Beef, from the Rice bowl with beef, is complimented by the Jollof rice, veggies and fried plantains.

Mama Wale’s Rice ordering counter allows you to see all your options, with the exception of goat meat and seafood options which are made to order, while keeping a stylish separation.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Plenty of seating, with booths that have tables that can be pushed out allowing for more space, decorated with photos of West African cityscapes and industrial lighting and ceilings.

Editor: Maria Odenbaugh opinions.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

ILLUSTRATION BY ELAINA KLEVEN

Starbucks let me down again literally Demoted after a year of dedicated service

MARIA ODENBAUGH OPINIONS EDITOR

Starbucks let me down.

Before I could set my bag down, get prepared for the shift to come, or even clock in, I was informed by my boss that I was demoted. After a year of working to become a shift supervisor, I was told I had to be demoted back down to a barista role because Starbucks hired too many shift supervisors.

It’s been a year and a half since I joined the company.

A year and a half of committing to a company that has always supported me in continuing my Starbucks career.

I am an employee of a multibillion dollar company. I know the resources, benefits and advantages they have. Management told an

18-year-old me that they had my back. I bought in. I was eager to be part of a company who took care of its employees. But the more I got comfortable and felt I was an important factor on my team, that slowly faded away. The irony is that as I grew to love my job, the company seemed to start undermining me.

I always wonder if my personality and work skills will mesh with my superiors when new management comes in.

It’s impossible to be heard because they see you as just one of half a million employees.

It was an incredible feeling knowing I earned my role when I was promoted to shift supervisor. I knew my experience as a barista would give me advantages. However, not once did I think I would be demoted.

In April I heard cuts had to be made at each store. Heard is the key word.

Rumors flowed between the partners.

I started hearing things like: “It should be this person. Who would be chosen and why?”

Before my boss could announce it in the quarterly shift supervisor meeting, it spread like wildfire to every partner. Working that week was scary and it was apparent my name was in the rumor mill.

I was hired and promoted with the knowledge that I was a full-time community college student and my availability to work was five days a week.

The main reason my boss gave me is that I was the next person to leave. This is true.

I planned on transferring stores as a supervisor because I am transferring to a university. I never intended to leave the company. I work hard to support myself, I need the money. I feel defeated and like I wasted my time.

I’ve given my opinion before

on Starbucks union busting, but I never thought Starbucks would undermine my store or me. I was wrong.

My demotion put me in a spot where I no longer feel supported or comfortable working at Starbucks. This was a hard concept for me to wrap my head around.

I had so much care and love for my job. The love I had for the people, the moments connecting with strangers and knowing I was part of a company that believed in the same ideals I did, were all taken away in a five-minute unprofessional conversation.

I’ve had several people ask me why I care so much about my job and that I could easily go find another.

Sure, I can easily find another job with my experience but I couldn’t walk away even after this embarrassment. I put too much effort into this job. My effort was thrown out like the old espresso

CAMPUS CONVERSATIONS

TOPIC: SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER FROM APRIL 18

grounds every hour.

Starbucks promised me a role with better pay, opportunities and set hours. But what did I need to promise back? Complete loyalty.

I vividly remember my interview. I stated I would always choose school over my job. They knew school was my top priority but now that has been used against me. With my record being free of any corrective actions, write-ups or any actions to make my boss worry about me, I can’t help but think this decision was completely based on my decision to move.

Starbucks’ 2023 new mission statement and promises were released the same week these cuts were made: “Our partner promise: Bridge to a better future.”

This promise does not apply to all partners, if anything Starbucks destroyed my bridge for a better future as a partner.

What was it like when the alert came out?

“I was in the art building. We locked the doors, turned off the lights and huddled in hiding spaces. We heard the helicopters go right over our building while the police were shouting.”

Do you feel safe on campus?

“I do. (I was in) a pretty sturdy building and our teacher acted very quickly. We locked the doors before we even got the alert.”

What was your experience like?

“(The professor) had us on lockdown, and we tried to stay updated on what was happening. And after that we tried to keep the class going but everyone was focused on their phones.”

Do you feel safe on campus?

“I do feel safe. I do wish we talked about it more on the first day of class, like what exits to take and what to do in those situations.”

What were your thoughts when you got the alert?

“I was really concerned because I wasn’t sure if another school shooting was happening. It was just scary because of the recent events that happened with other school shootings.”

Do you feel safe on campus?

“I do feel safe. I’ve never felt unsafe. I know there are two officers on patrol that are sitting there just in case of an event like this.”

Were you scared that something might have happened to people you know on campus?

“I was because (RCC) didn’t really specify what happened with the first notification.”

Do you feel safe on campus?

“For the most part yeah, but I see what happens at other schools…and anything can happen.”

Interviews and Photos by Peter Gibbs

Brendan Villarreal

Jocelyn Ruiz

Katie Haigh

Keyla Preciado

E ditorial

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

STAFF LIST

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jennipher Vasquez viewpointseic@gmail.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Hayden Kulick viewpoints.managing@gmail.com

DESIGN DIRECTOR

Elaina Kleven

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Officals poorly handles crisis

Students, staff left in the dark

SAFETY from page 1

be reported to students, according to a story previously published by Viewpoints. The shooter initially got away on foot and White Park is one mile away from RCC. Like the most recent incident, rumors flew on social media.

Not much has changed in seven years.

This time, the campus announced the “all clear” at 12:22 p.m. and students were released from their classrooms and allowed to leave. In those three hours students and staff could have been communicated with and protected better. The man who presented a danger to the RCC community was secured in the northwest corner of the campus. While that was happening there

was no extra police or security communicating on actual campus what was going on.

If there was an incident on the campus that required students to be locked into their classrooms for several hours, then why wasn’t there any police presence on campus to enforce the shelter-in-place orders, or to actually lockdown the campus?

It is unconfirmed if all students are properly signed up for these resources. Members of our staff received text and phone call alerts from three different numbers.

The system that potentially could be the only communication with what’s going on outside a lockdown, is disorganized and leaves students out of the loop.

It’s clear campus officials are being reactive instead of proactive.

The Viewpoints editorial board feels the RCC administration needs to take a serious look at its current policies regarding threats and safety incidents on campus. Releasing information in a timely manner would quell rumors easily spread via social media and alleviate the mental trauma associated with being in a lockdown situation.

There have been 172 mass shootings in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It’s not even May.

The handling of the college’s recent lockdown proved that if we did experience an active shooter situation we would be unprepared and in danger. RCC needs to make the safety of its students first priority.

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© 2023 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.

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MEMBER:

Students were locked into classrooms, and children in the day care were under a “code black” meaning they had to sit in the dark for several hours, but campus police allowed people to freely roam about the campus, including this man with a gopro on his helmet who rode right up to the scene without interference during the campus lockdown on April 18 at Riverside City College.

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Tigers triumphant tumbling

being next to or competing at the same competition as some of the best athletes in cheerleading.”

Once time for competition, the ladies were prepared and had gone through the routine plenty of times.

Their hard work paid off with a first place finish over top ranked colleges such as Connors State College, Eastern Florida State College, and Iowa Central Community College.

In the event, the max score allowed was 90 and RCC ended with a 92.1713 as their event score.

“It just comes to show that hard work truly pays off. It feels good to know that all the sacrifices we made to be at practice lead us to that moment.” Martinez said. “I just feel blessed to have been able to experience going out to Daytona, Florida with my team, giving it our all and now be able to call ourselves national champions.”

The team attributes its victory to the chemistry each member built throughout the year.

Sports Briefs

Cheer

Riverside City College’s co-ed cheer team placed third in the NCA College National Championship.

Baseball

The RCC baseball team lost to the Saddleback Bobcats 5-2 on April 25. Men’s baseball has a record of 27-10 for the season.

Softball

RCC’s softball team was defeated by the Santiago Canyon College Hawks 7-3 on April 25. RCC‘s softball team holds a record of 14-25.

Beach Volleyball

The RCC women’s beach volleyball team defeated the Fullerton College Hornets 5-0 April 21. The Tigers finished 4-18 on the season.

Tennis

For the first time in the history of the program, the Riverside City College’s cheer team won a national title.

RCC’s cheerleaders returned home as the Intermediate All Girl Junior College National Champions at the 2023 NCA College National Championship.

The five day event took place from April 5 to April 9 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

On a big stage for cheerleaders, they knew their routine had to be executed perfectly which starts with the preparation.

“During practice we would condition, work on different

combinations of skills for our stunts,” sophomore base Ivy Martinez said. “Tumblers would throw their tumbling sequences and then we would throw our whole routine full out which means we would do all the skills that are in our routine.”

While the conditioning and tiring practices were large contributors to their success, maintaining a good mental headspace was important to the Tigers.

“We went through as a team more mental (practice) than physical,” sophomore main base Destiny Rodriguez said. “We knew we had the talent to win but everyone had to mentally be on the same page of wanting it and put all

the fears aside.”

Once landed in Daytona, the cheerleaders were met with many different types of emotions.

“It was very intimidating and exciting at the same time,” sophomore flyer Savanna Shaffer said. “Our first practice in Florida, there were so many teams around us which got a little bit intimidating but that only pushed us even harder.”

This was also not just any competition. The event had been broadcast worldwide on Netflix in the past.

“We saw some teams from the Netflix show ‘Cheer’ and being able to see them in person was just really exciting,” Martinez said. “You don’t really picture yourself

“Hands down my favorite team I’ve ever been on, these girls are so incredibly special to me, I see them like my sisters. I look at them and just see family,” Rodriquez said. “I don’t think there is any other group of girls I’d want to have been with me for this last ride. This team is just indescribable.”

With the win being at the national level, it could bring attention to RCC and it’s athletics program.

The Tigers hope that this victory will help break any barriers that doubters may have on women in sports since they feel like people have overlooked both women and cheer in the past.

“This win proves RCC cheer is just as competitive as any other sport on campus and should be treated like one,” Martinez said, “I feel like we get overlooked by the athletic teams here but I hope this proves otherwise.”

Baseball loses series, slumps to end season

PETER GIBBS

SPORTS EDITOR

From the first batter of the game, pitching for the Riverside City College’s baseball team struggled against Fullerton College.

Freshman Dakota Gray got the start for the Tigers but his performance started by giving up a hit to the leadoff hitter of the Hornets. The rest of the inning saw Gray fail to hit his target consistently, allowing a run to score off a wild pitch.

“In the bullpen, the fastball command was not normal,” Gray said. “I thought it was manageable. Once I got on the mound, it was hard to get the ball over (the plate).”

After loading the bases in the third inning, Riverside ended Gray’s day early. However, reliever

Charlie McBride instantly gave up three runs. He hit the first batter he saw, was part of an error on a throw to home plate and allowed another run to come in after a wild pitch.

The game was never close after that.

Overall, the bullpen was unable to stop the bleeding. RCC used eight different pitchers and gave up 12 runs, with four of those coming from either a wild pitch or hit batter with the bases loaded.

“I saw a lot of passiveness, a lot of tentativeness and a lot of uncertainty,” Riverside head coach Rudy Arguelles said. “It’s going to be tough to find any kind of success and consistency.”

The Riverside offense didn’t do much to fight back either.

Situational hitting was a weak point for the Tigers, with the team going 1-8 when it had runners in

scoring position.

“The approach isn’t a team one. Each individual has to understand who they are,” Arguelles said. “Stick to your strengths. I’m looking for a quality at-bat.”

The only momentum the offense could muster came in the third when sophomore left fielder Adrian Arechiga singled in the sole run. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the rally came with two outs and Fullerton quickly finished the inning without any other damage.

RCC mustered only six hits, mostly due to Hornets starting pitcher Freddy Castaneda settling into a rhythm by getting fast outs in the first few innings.

“Early in the game we were being aggressive, trying to hit pitches,” sophomore right fielder Matthew Bardowell said. “Towards the end there were some long

innings, so we tried to give our guys some rest by seeing more pitches.”

Bardowell led the team with three walks, all coming with nobody on base. It was a sign that Fullerton did not want to let him do any damage after having five hits earlier in the week.

Fortunately for the Tigers, this was the first series loss of conference play. The team is confident that it can succeed in the playoffs if it grows from the loss.

“This is not the time of year that you want to have a slide,” Arguelles said. “Every championship club has those moments. Those clubs have the ability to get out of it quickly and don’t prolong it.”

Riverside will look to regain momentum when it plays its final regular season home game against Saddleback College on April 27.

RCC men’s tennis team was defeated by Ventura City College Pirates 5-1 in the SoCal Regional Semifinal. Men’s tennis finished with a record of 14-3 for the season.

The women’s team finished the OEC Championships on April 7 with three doubles squads and four single players qualified for the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship in Ojai, Calif.

The Tigers ended 7-5 for the season.

Golf

The RCC men’s golf team placed third in the OEC Championship on April 24 with a total of 757 strokes.

Swimming & Diving

RCC’s women’s swim and dive team placed second place at the OEC Swim Championships April 22.

The men’s team placed third place at the OEC Swim Championships April 22.

Track and Field Men’s track placed first place at the OEC Prelims April 21.

RCC’s women track team placed first at the OEC Prelims April 21.

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DALILA ROMERO STAFF REPORTER

The entire RCC cheer team celebrates its first ever NCA College National Championship in Daytona, Fla.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAYLIE FAWCETT