Viewpoints spring 2022 vol. 100 issue no. 10, April 1

APRIL 1,

2022

VOL. 100, NO. 10

VIEWPOINTSONLINE.ORG

in this issue NEWS

Planting their roots on TikTok ANGIE ESCALANTE STAFF REPORTER

2 Local farmers do what they can to save endangered pollinators LIFE

3 Movie Review: ‘Turning Red’ breaks traditional norms

Laughter and big welcomes are some of the things to expect when arriving at a “Succs 2 b you” pop-up.

That big personality, the beautiful greens on sale, the burning incense and the vintage vinyl records on display first went viral on TikTok. And the post’s success helped catapult the Riverside small business.

Jesus Alemán, also known as Jesse Monstera, was born and raised in Riverside — Casa Blanca to be exact. It was a tough, working class neighborhood and Jesus had to work in concrete with his dad and brother at a young age.

However, Jesus showed a passion for creativity and pursued

DJing when he was 14 years old.

But concrete was a family business and had to focus on blue-collar work.

“Concrete was a dream killer,” Monstera said. “It felt like fighting Mike Tyson every day and expecting to win but you never would.”

Monstera, now with his own family to support, was constantly upset and tense as a concrete worker. Susie Alemán, Jesus’ wife, saw the pain her husband endured and felt like something had to change.

“He was unhappy,” she said.

“He didn’t resemble the guy I had met anymore but I knew he was still in there.”

She encouraged her husband to pursue a hobby which led to going

See PLANTS on page 3

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS Jesus Alemán, also known as Jesse Monstera, greets customers outside his plant and succulent pop-up Succs 2 B You March 18.

OPINIONS

5 What “The American Dream” means to Viewpoints staff SPORTS

7 Former track and field state champion looks to break long-held record

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DAESHA GEAR | VIEWPOINTS Riverside City College women’s basketball team unites before the tip-off to final game on Feb. 24

@rccviewpoints @rccviewpoints @viewpointsofrcc

INDEX NEWS LIFE OPINIONS EDITORIAL SPORTS

2 3 5 6 7

Lawsuit pending, hoops coach says DAESHA GEAR ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The fight for equality continues for the Riverside City College women’s basketball team after making a statement at its final home game on Feb. 24.

Alicia Berber, RCC’s women’s basketball coach, declined to further comment on any Title IX updates due to the privacy of and sensitivity surrounding the players.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ensures students’ privacy and prohibits non-disclosable information from being shared to mass audiences.

The coach, however, stated there are student

complaints and the inequalities the women allege is more than just the weight room — it is a “documented fact.”

“Those are the questions that I can’t answer because it is a sensitive topic. There is a lawsuit.

There are student complaints,” Berber said. “I just want to leave it alone at this time and keep it professional.”

One occurrence of inequality Berber claimed involved a male athlete removing equipment from the weight room while her team was training.

Berber stated she felt it was disrespectful but did not want to specify the male athlete’s identity.

“You’re in the weight room, you’re working

out, and somebody just starts pulling bars, weights and everything,” she said. “If it gets any worse than that, then I don’t know what more (of) a disrespectful example you can get. This is a kinesiology class that has a scheduled time.”

This incident was brought forward to Payton Williams, RCC’s athletic director, who addressed the conflict immediately.

Space is limited within the weight room, according to the athletic director. He, however, will continue to emphasize that those seeking to train in the area will have to wait until their scheduled time.

Williams could not further comment on the

See TITLE IX on page 2

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April 1, 2022

NEWS BRIEFS Spring Break: Campus will be closed April 11 through the 17th in observance of spring break.

Mental health workshops: Feeling burnt out with balancing your school and work schedule?

Student Health and Psychological Services of RCC will be hosting a virtual seminar discussing with students the importance of managing work and school life in a healthy manner Monday April. 4.

Job Fair: Looking for career guidance or want to make connections with future employers?

T h e C a r e e r C e n t e r, Academic Support Department and others will be connecting with students’ career goals by hosting a virtual info-session seminar Tuesday April. 5.

Postponed: Guest speaker Dolores Huerta U n i t e d F a r m Wo r k e r s Association(UFWA) President and Co-founder Dolores Huerta was set to be the guest speaker in celebration of Cesar Chavez Day hosted virtually March 20 by the Association of Latinx for Student Success at Riverside City College.

Huerta, who co-founded the UFWA alongside Chavez, was unable to speak due to technical difficulties. RCC’s Associate Professor of Sociology, Eduardo Perez, announced at the brief zoom meeting that the event will be postponed for a later date.

Students can still visit the Salvatore G. Rotella library at RCC to visit the display of books and resources about the labor movement and Chavez’s work curated by the librarians.

All of these dates are subjected to change due to possible regulations to come involving the containment of the coronavirus.

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 viewpoints.news@gmail.com

Editor: Jennipher Vasquez | viewpoints.news@gmail.com

Pollinator population plummets Farmers for Monarchs educates local farmers SAMANTHA ASHLEY STAFF REPORTER

Pollinators, animals that aid in plant reproduction in ecosystems, are dying at unsustainable rates worldwide due to habitat loss, environmental changes and diseases.

Locals and farms across Riverside County, however, are adapting to help endangered native pollinators.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats and beetles.

Among the top global pollinators, butterflies, honey bees and bats are the most effective and at-risk pollinators.

“Estimates indicate that almost 90% of wildflower plants and 75% of food crops around the world depend on pollination for successful seed and fruit production,” according to the National Park Service.

“Pollinators are vital to our food security, economy, and overall environmental health.”

So what is the current state of pollinators?

Fewer than 2,000 monarch butterflies are left as of the year 2020. The Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit organization, states this number is far below the extinction threshold and must be drastically increased soon to begin saving the species.

The honey bee population is declining at a rate of 40% each year since 2018, according to Cornell University.

The United States Geological Survey notes that diseases, particularly White Nose Syndrome, has killed 90% of native bat populations in North America.

The continued urbanization of cities, like Riverside, dwindles the number of native plants that

produce nectar and pollen for pollinators. According to the USDA habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants have contributed to the declining numbers of pollinators.

Local farms in Riverside County have started to adapt and incorporate ways to help native pollinators.

Liberty Naud, a member of Sunsets and Citrus at Narwhal Family Farm in Riverside, has attracted pollinators by planting milkweed, lavender and vibrant roses meant for pollinators across 1.5 acres of land.

According to Naud, hundreds of monarch butterflies visited the Narwhal farm last season but says she has yet to see a decline in pollinators and mentions that the location and abundance of plants and flowers are likely the cause of this.

She recommends catering to pollinators and being pesticide, herbicide and fungicide free and to be conscious when interacting and providing for pollinators.

“Just let nature be nature,” Naud said.

Jillian Bottini, a geologist major at Cal State San Bernardino, believes humans should plant flowers for pollinators and also recommends being conscious of our personal impact on nature.

As a former RCC student, Bottini believes the college is making an effort to be more ecological and environmentally friendly but has concerns about the declining number of pollinators and worries about how this will affect the planet.

“We need bees not just for flowers but for us to survive,” Bottini said.

Mariela Buenrostro, a member of Raul & Family Farm, also in Riverside, sees a noticeable decline in pollinators over the years.

Buenrostro mentions that although they do not have plants dedicated for pollinators, planting them would be advantageous to all.

JENNIPHER VASQUEZ | VIEWPOINTS

A yellow Canadian tiger swallowtail butterfly feeding in a bush of flowers.

Left: A bee searches for pollen among flowering plants. Bees rely on pollen as their primary source of protein and in return spread pollen that attaches to their bodies from one flower to another.

Bottom: A butterfly flits between flowers searching for nectar to drink.

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

“If we were a bigger farm we would have a plot for pollinators that would obviously benefit us,” she said.

Farming organizations like Farmers for Monarchs devote time to working with and educating farmers on how to grow more sustainably. Farmers for Monarchs encourages planting of milkweed — the lifeline for the monarch butterfly.

The loss of native plants such as milkweed and nectar producing flowers has brought the population of the monarch butterfly to the

brink of extinction.

The milkweed plant is the only plant on which the monarch will lay eggs, hatch and consume until forming a chrysalis to become a butterfly. Without this plant, the most vital first stages of this pollinator lifecycle cannot be enacted.

To aid the strife that pollinators now face worldwide, locals and farmers in Riverside County are willing to make changes and adapt better ways to farm, plant and interact with the environment to assist native pollinators.

From court to courthouse, questions abound TITLE IX from page 1

women’s basketball team’s hours.

“When it comes to the weight room itself, I don’t handle the scheduling,” he said. “But I tried to make sure that people who would have better connections to (scheduling) or would know how to get better connections to that were aware of the situation.”

Access to the weight room is class-driven and is determined through the kinesiology department, according to Williams.

S t e v e S i g l o c h , R C C ’s kinesiology chair, declined to comment on Berber or her team due to an unspecified ongoing litigation.

The women’s basketball team

alleged it experienced another form of inequality at the RCC men’s basketball playoff game against Copper Mountain March 3.

The game was held in RCC’s gymnasium, but Berber and her players had to pay admission to see their counterparts in the same building where they practice and have games.

The incident did not sit well with the team, and the players turned to social media to voice their displeasure, according to Berber.

There was an error in communication between the state policy for playoff games for those who have unique passes, according to Williams.

According to the California Community College Athletic Association’s (CCCAA) 2021-

2022 Constitution and Bylaws, coaches who have up-to-date memberships with the association are honored with complimentary passes for playoff games.

Williams claims the issue was resolved and assured it “won’t happen again.”

“The mere fact of asking them to pay when they’re already in the gym, (and) sending them to the door to pay is enough to make me want to throw up,” Berber said. “I don’t care if it was a mistake. I’m tired of the mistakes. Enough is enough.”

RCC President Gregory Anderson and others are in communication with Berber and her team regarding issues surrounding inequality.

“It is the commitment of the entire college leadership and

the district leadership to use resources in such a way they are addressing concerns as they arise,” Anderson said. “We’ll spend money or put people in place — we’ll do what it takes to make sure that we are upholding the mission of the college to deliver.”

FeRita Carter, vice president of Student Services and Academic Affairs, says an official Title IX complaint has not been filed or made known to the college.

Lorraine Jones, RCC’s Title IX coordinator, has not responded to requests for comment on the situation.

The president and others plan to meet with the women’s basketball team in the near future to continue listening and addressing further concerns.

Editor: William L.G. Stephens viewpoints.artsentertainment@gmail.com

‘Turning Red’ understands

LIFE

April 1, 2022

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PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAY

the pre-teen experience VIANNEY MORALES STAFF REPORTER

Pixar’s latest animated film “Turning Red” is the first Pixar film that explores the topic of puberty.

What’s even more intriguing is it’s the studio’s first film to be entirely written, produced, and directed by women. The authenticity of the writers’ experiences from their adolescence shines bright in the newest animated flick.

“If you honor your parents too much, you might forget to honor yourself,” is a line from the opening monologue, delivered by the protagonist, that encapsulates the film’s message.

The film takes place in Toronto, Canada in 2002. It follows the story of Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) beginning her path to womanhood.

Unfortunately for Mei, she deals with the intense moments of puberty by turning into a fluffy red panda whenever she experiences extreme emotions.

Mei is born into a proud, but rigid, family that she assists by operating one of the oldest running temples in Toronto. Mei’s mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), expects Mei to prioritize excelling in her academics and contributions to the family. Unfortunately, this leaves little room for Mei to pursue her individual interests outside of the collective’s.

Up until Mei begins puberty, she doesn’t mind this arrangement.

Naturally, the onset of puberty is tumultuous for Mei Lee. Her group of supportive friends helps her navigate her concurrent transitions when her mother fails to address her emotional needs.

Mei’s newfound appreciation for friendship guides her desire to break away from the cut-throat mold that her mother has created.

We see Mei wanting to establish her identity and embrace her interests.

She begins to understand the value of her friendships and, inadvertently, how much she overvalued her mother’s happiness instead of her own.

Not only does the film have a meaningful message for those that have similar experiences to Mei Lee, but it also nails the early 2000s nostalgia and overall preteen experience.

From the boy band craze to Tamagotchis and an embarrassingly ravenous interest in boys, “Turning Red” hilariously addresses the many pitfalls of the pre-teen experience. The film is heartfelt and comedic, complete with music from the fictitious boy band 4*TOWN. Despite the lack of theatrical release, “Turning Red” has just as much heart as its Pixar predecessors.

Jesse Monstera, stands in front of his Succs 2 B You plant pop stand with his boombox planter, which blends his hip hop and Chicano culture with his love of plants, at pop-up event held at the Jurupa Valley Spectrum on March 18.

Blue-collar worker with a green thumb PLANTS from page 1

to plant stores with him. Jesus began bringing plants home and the family agreed it made everything feel homier. Susie said the impact plants had on Jesus made him seem “more alive.”

He would work on little succulent arrangements and it helped him relax. The more he did it, the more he wanted to learn.

He began to share what he learned about plants with his family.

Monstera began spending more time with his wife, Susie Alemán, and bonding with his daughter, Incense is placed in one of the plants in the Succs 2 B You plant Genevieve Alemán. pop-up, to provide customers with a soothing aromatic experience “We got into this and it brought as they shop for their next plant, at the pop-up event hosted by us closer as a family,” Susie said.

Jurupa Valley Spectrum on March 18.

Jesus knew that he had to leave the concrete industry even though he was comfortable there.

“I was afraid,” Jesus said.

“During the pandemic, people were getting sick and I was afraid I would die doing concrete. I had dreams.”

So Jesus quit his job and began his own plant business.

At first, he worked with

“

succulents and made custom arrangements. Now, he offers various plants and selections from a record collection.

In December 2020, Genevieve began posting about her dad on TikTok. The feedback Monstera got motivated him to keep pursuing his dream.

“A lot of times, things are scary,” Genevieve said. “(Like) posting videos, doing these popups — but just do it. Without opening the door, you’ll never walk through.”

The Alemán family is very passionate about their plant business.

“We’re not in it for the money anymore,” Susie said. “We’d rather see the smiles on people’s faces.”

Eventually, Monstera wants to have an art gallery with all of his arrangements as well as a shop.

“Plants softened my heart, I’m so much happier,” he said.

“When people come to our plants it’s a blessing, we get to share our happiness and encourage them to shine.”

Plants softened my heart, I’m so much happier.

Jesse Monstera, stands in front of his Succs 2 B You plant popup, talking with potential customers as he shows them different plants that may be of interest at pop-up event held at the Jurupa Valley Spectrum on March 18.

- Jesus Alemán

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April 1, 2022

Editor: William L.G. Stephens | viewpoints.artsentertainment@gmail.com

PHOTOS BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ

A huge crowd gathers at the Mad Hatter’s Castle stage to enjoy a DJ’s mix of dubstep and bass house on night one of Beyond Wonderland on March 25.

Down the rabbit hole Beyond Wonderland returns to its regularly scheduled time slot Tokyo machine plays his first in-person festival since 2019 at night one of Beyond Wo n d e r l a n d .

His set included songs that were featured in the video game Rocket League.

A giant caterpillar, held up by performers, walks around the festival grounds and greets festival goers.

ABOVE: A totem pole with the words ‘WHEN THE BASS DROPS’ flies above the crowd.

A man holds onto the rails at the front of the Mad Hatter’s stage and head bangs to music played by DJ 4B.

LEFT: A festival attendee showcases her day one outfit.

Editor: Darlene Dukelow-Burton

viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com

OPINIONS

April 1, 2022

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PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY

American dream rhetoric is harmful

ALEXANDRA UGALE FILARCA STAFF REPORTER

I remember it vividly as if it were yesterday. I walked up the stairs to see a pile of boxes scattered on the floor while clothes and other belongings were already packed inside by my family members.

Eyebrows arched in confusion as 10-year-old me tried to process what had been going on.

“What are you doing, Ma?” I

ask my mother.

“You’re going to the States,” responded my aunt, beating everyone else to the punch.

“The States? What’s that?”

While listening to my aunt’s explanation, I started to feel excited about moving to a foreign country.

In a poverty-stricken nation, your resources are limited.

Immigration comes with the idea that you are given a clean slate in life and opportunities, so you better take it when you are given a chance.

Along the lines of feeling hopeful, 10-year-old me failed to notice the tears my relatives held back. I never looked back on that memory until I reminisced years later.

As a child, the American Dream I experienced was nothing like the promises.

My family told me that everyone who came here would

be affluent, so why are many people still living paycheck to paycheck?

Why will you still be faced with shortcomings regardless of how hard you work, to the point where you sacrifice what you’ve always known and loved?

Individuals get conditioned into believing that the American Dream automatically grants them an easy-going life when, in actuality, that mentality leads to disillusionment.

Some will try to stop you from achieving those visions.

Unfortunately, many people do it out of bigotry. Some of the issues immigrants face are xenophobia, racism, prejudice — to name a few.

One of the problems that thwarted me from accomplishing my dream was my identity.

Identifying as a person of color — Asian to be specific — I’m also a woman and a bisexual.

Identity affects the American Dream in a way that can either aid or hinder a person. If they do not retain traditional ideals, they are bound to be ostracized.

Perhaps the difficulty that has challenged me most is familial pressure. The roadmap of the American Dream that they had set up for me was to do well in academics.

There was never a time when they didn’t ask how my grades were or how well I was doing in school.

In some countries, such as the Philippines, education is not free, so having access to it is considered a privilege.

Somewhere along the way of trying to fulfill my family’s wishes from overseas, I developed this sort of impostor syndrome.

I was never satisfied with my work and always wondered if I could’ve done more. Soon enough, that destructive mind-frame consumed me until it affected my

Campus Conversations TOPIC: The Riverside Community College District’s Board of Tr u s t e e s v o t e d t o discontinue the mask and booster mandates.

Riverside City College students are responding to the district’s latest decision.

Interviews and photos by Daesha Gear

“I’m fully vaccinated, so either way, I don’t mind.

I think it’s pretty cool that we don’t have to wear masks anymore because, like most of us, (we) don’t like them, and I still wear a mask only because I feel weird not wearing one.”

-Lisa Hines Major: psychology

“(It) depends on the person.

Some people have family who are sick and prone to be infected — it’s going to be hard for them because a lot of people are not going to wear the mask, and they’re going to be more exposed to it.”

-Estrella Ortiz Major: forensic science

“I thin k it could be controversial, depending on who the person is. If you look at it mentally, most people might think a mask is more like an accessory because COVID has lasted for so long. Personally, I don’t mind it: mask or no mask.”

-Gorge Rojas Major: sociology

mental health.

Young immigrants don’t get enough credit that they deserve.

Growing up and experiencing two different cultures, they encounter an identity crisis.

As they try to assimilate with the alien American foreign society, it is a matter of fitting in.

They still try to preserve their roots as they carry their family’s burdens.

A great amount of work must be done in order to attain this idealized dream. However, there is only so much one can accomplish due to current circumstances.

One way to aid ambitious individuals is by opening up more opportunities.

As a result of an insufficiency in resources, they miss out on several opportunities because they are not qualified for them. By removing barriers, only then will they be able to bring their dream into fruition.

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April 1, 2022

Editor: Darlene Dukelow-Burton | viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com

STAFF LIST

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Leo Cabral viewpointseic@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR Daniel E. Hernandez viewpoints.managing@gmail.com

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

ADVERTISING MANAGER viewpoints.advertising@gmail.com NEWS EDITOR Jennipher Vasquez viewpoints.news@gmail.com ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Daesha Gear SPORTS EDITOR Daniel E. Hernandez viewpoints.sports@gmail.com ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS Jesus Coronel, Jair Ramirez OPINIONS EDITOR Darlene Dukelow-Burton viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com LIFE EDITOR William L.G. Stephens viewpoints.artsentertainment@ gmail.com ASSISTANT LIFE EDITORS Elaina Kleven, Sean Ryan PHOTO EDITOR viewpoints.photo@gmail.com MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Tim Nacey multimedia.viewpoints@gmail.com PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS

Need a ride? Pay the price Ride shares are hidden cost of college The rise in Uber and Lyft fares poses yet another obstacle for college students.

Many college students rely on ridesharing services daily to get to and from school or work, but now they must pay fuel surcharges on top of other attached fees.

California colleges and universities are gradually transitioning back to predominantly face-to-face instruction.

This trajectory makes getting an education less accessible to those who are busy, immunocompromised or don’t have the wealth to spend on rising ride fares.

Not all students live close to campus, which also increases the total ride fare and the number of time-consuming bus transfers.

There aren’t any known student discounts on Lyft or Uber’s websites, and it would be highly beneficial to students if they had that option — considering that many students may work or live on their own, don’t have many people to rely on and can’t afford much.

Students have reported instances where

drivers have called them to cancel the ride they picked up because, if the rider cancels, the driver still gets paid for having picked up the ride, leaving the rider with extra charges for the cancelation.

Some students have to request numerous rides because their initial driver canceled the ride due to the distance between pickup and drop-off locations.

Rather than serving as a convenience to its users, ride-sharing becomes more of a hassle when you consider the ride fee, service charges, Lyft’s 75-cent California Driver Benefits Fee, and now a gas surcharge — is it really worth the strain on students’ wallets?

The Riverside Community College District gives every student a free Riverside Transit Agency bus pass, but public transportation is not the safest option for those who often have night classes. It’d be safer to fork up the cash for an Uber or Lyft ride home, but that brings us back to the issue of affordability.

LETTERS

TO THE

Letters to the editor should be kept to 250 words or less and include contact information. Email letters to viewpointseic@ gmail.com. 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 faculty, administration or the Board of Trustees.

Students will have to resort to asking someone they know for a ride, taking the bus or missing out on class for the day.

Riverside City College does offer a Lyft promotion code on its website but that is only available for new riders. No such promo code seems to exist on Norco College or Moreno Valley College’s websites.

The district has taken a couple steps to assist its students with transportation.

However, if the district wishes to move toward its pre-pandemic educational structure, then it’s time for the district to consider relieving the burden of transportation costs on students.

College students, especially those who don’t receive financial aid, have to work strenuous hours to keep up with tuition fees, food, bills and every other cost of life instead of keeping up with school work — not to mention familial obligations in addition to that long list of responsibilities.

The cost of transportation doesn’t need to be another obstacle to education.

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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. © 2022 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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SPORTS

April 1, 2022

7

One step — or inch — at a time Athletes perform well at RCC Open, display consistent growth HAYDEN KULICK STAFF REPORTER

The Riverside City College track and field team is continuing their steady pace as they competed at the RCC Open on March 18.

Joshua Hornsby, RCC football wide receiver turned track athlete, had a dominant performance in the 110-meter hurdles.

Hornsby had a firm lead throughout the entire race, crossing the finish line in 14.38 seconds and .5 of a second ahead of second place.

“We have a plan and we’re executing it, we told him to run under 14.5 and he ran 14.3,” hurdles coach Nanyo Segura said.

“We are on schedule to peak at the right time and hopefully run sub-14 at the state meet.”

At first, Hornsby seemed to be vastly ahead of that schedule when the time clock showed a time of 13.33.

Hornsby, along with his competition, looked at the time clock and began to celebrate when the record breaking time popped up next to his name.

However, the coaches and race officials rushed to point out the inaccuracy and worked to set the official time.

Mario Jacobo, middle distance runner for RCC, showcased improvement in the 1500-meter race.

Jacobo finished in 3 minutes 59 seconds which was 2 seconds faster than his personal record (PR). Jacobo made his move with 250 meters to go.

DANIEL HERNANDEZ | VIEWPOINTS That ended up being a good Darius Hill leaps over the pole and earns first place in the high jump event at the RCC Open. decision as he passed multiple racers in the process while also avoiding dying out at the end.

“For the first two laps it felt comfortable, that’s the pace that we practiced,” Jacobo said. “The last two laps were just what we had inside and went out there and did our best.”

Distance runner Briana Rodriguez ran an unusual few races today as she primarily focuses on the longer distances.

However, today she raced in the 1500-meter run and the 800-meter run.

“Actually it was a pretty good race because this is the fastest time I’ve run. It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought It was going to hurt,” Rodriguez said. “Last week I did Steeplechase so this week I kinda did one week shorter distance and I haven’t ran the 1500m this year yet, so I’ve just been trying to get my steeple to a standard in which I did last week.”

RCC’s next meet will be at the Arnie Robinson Invitational on DANIEL HERNANDEZ | VIEWPOINTS April 1.

Briana Rodriguez (7) runs in middle of the pack in the 1500-meter and finishes in third place.

A former state champion looks to break one of RCC’s oldest records DANIEL HERNANDEZ MANAGING EDITOR

It has been 33 years since the Riverside City College high jump record was set and a former Division 1 high school state champion has his eyes set on breaking that record.

Darius Hill, one of track and field’s newest recruits from Vista Murrieta high school, joined the team with an impressive résumé.

Hill placed first in every high jump event he competed in throughout the 2021 season, including the postseason.

“He graduated from my high school … and if you didn’t know, Vista Murrieta is a really big track and field powerhouse,” coach CJ Alumbres said. “(I’m) really excited to get a quality athlete like him because he is really coachable.”

The most notable accomplishment on his resume, however, is his high jump personal record (PR) of 6-10 — a mere couple of inches away from the RCC record.

The record, set in 1989 by Brian McCurdy, stands at 7 3/4. It is one of the oldest standing records in Tiger track and field history, with the oldest being 4-mile relay event set in 1979.

And it looks like Hill might be the one to finally break the longstanding record.

Hill started the year strong by placing first at the Moorpark Open on Feb. 4 and set a collegiate PR of 6-8 3/4.

But after that first meet, it seemed Hill had trouble clearing the high bar he set for himself. Hill jumped two inches under his PR during the next two meets and it looked like he had plateaued.

That is, until the Ben Brown Invitational on March 12 when he once again reached 6-8 3/4.

He went on to clear the same height once again at the RCC Open a week later, proving his previous performance wasn’t a fluke.

“I couldn’t even get to 6-8 3/4 (before) so I’m glad to be able to get there so easily and consistently,” Hill said after placing first at the RCC Open. “Now we can only go up from there.”

It’s taken some time for Hill to adjust to the collegiate atmosphere but he seems to progress as the season does.

“I’ve been getting a lot more endurance and all that stuff so all my marks are off from high school,” Hill said. “So it was just a lot of playing with marks, a lot of doing little tweaks and I think we finally found a mark

See HILL on page 8

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April 1, 2022

Editor: Daniel Hernandez | viewpoints.managing@gmail.com

Sports Briefs

PHOTOS BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ

Track and Field The track and field team competed at the Team 4 Titus and Ely invite at Concordia University on March 26. On the men’s side, Darius Hill set a new collegiate personal record (PR) of 6-9, Donal Aluesi placed first in Discus with 157-6 and Gonzalo Sanchez placed first in the 800-meter event.

The women’s team had one first place with Soleil Russo winning the 10,000-meter race. The women’s 1,600 relay team finished third with a time of 4:21.42. Laila Wright also placed third in the 800-meter 2:19.99.

Their next meet will be at the Arnie Robinson Invitational at San Diego Mesa College on April 1.

Joshua Hornsby speeds past the competition in the 110-meter hurdles and finishes with a time of 14.38 seconds.

Fast feet, high hopes HILL from page 7

that works.”

After reaching his PR at the RCC Open and after the other competitors were eliminated, Hill attempted to reach 6-10 again.

It seemed like Hill was going to clear the new height on his first attempt until his back leg scraped the bar. He walked back, consulted Alumbres and set himself up for his second and, inevitably, third attempt.

He wasn’t able to break the mark that day but got a step closer to reaching his new goal.

“All the attempts today at 6-10 looked really good,” Hill said.

“We are getting there. It’s going to happen.”

But it is going to take Hill getting out of his head according to Alumbres.

“The main thing with him is just him being himself,” Alumbres said. “At practice we do a lot of nitpicking and working on details of his approach but when it comes to meet day I just tell him ‘hey this is your event’.”

Once Hill puts all the pieces together, that school record is surely in sight.

The women’s 1,600 relay team wins the event with a time of 4:05.06 at the RCC Open.

Softball The softball team broke a four-game losing streak with a 10-5 win against Saddleback College on March 25. The team’s next game will be at home against Cypress College on April 1 at 2 p.m.

Men’s Tennis The men’s tennis team won five out of its last seven matches as the team defeated conference rival Orange Coast College 8-1 on March 24.

RCC is second in the Orange Empire Conference with a 5-2 record in conference play and has a 7-6 overall record as of March 29.

RCC will be in the Orange Empire Conference Championships starting April 7.

Swimming and Diving The women’s swimming and diving team placed first in the second meet of the Orange Empire Conference on Mar. 25.

The men’s team finished fourth.

Swimmer Lindsey Habegger finished with 57 points as she won the 50 and 200 free and finished second in the 100 free.

The Tigers will host the RCC Invitational on April 8.

Women’s Beach Volleyball RCC lost to Cypress College 5-0 on March 18 and are 1-9 in the season, 1-2 in conference play.

All of these dates are subject to change due to possible regulations to come involving the containment To stay up to date on upcoming campus events, v i s i t t h e Vi e w p o i n t s calendar listed at viewpointsonline.org.

From left: Elani Huntley (2), San Diego Mesa’s Yahaira Zuniga (3) and Moorpark College’s Vanessa Avila (1) lead the pack in the women’s 1,500-meter run.

Darius Hill, a field event competitor, competes in the men’s 1,600 relay at the RCC Open.

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