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OPINIONS EDITORIAL
Tiger Times editor Don Watson wrote columns that attacked right-wing political issues. These articles angered on and ofcampus readers. OPINIONS 13October 21, 2021
PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY
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Exemptions hinder statewide mandate
DAESHA GEAR OPINIONS EDITOR
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s implementation of mandatory vaccination for K-12 students needs to be revised as it is disastrous for school board members, pro-vaccination parents and children.
The mandate offers vague personal belief exemptions, which allows vaccine skeptics to not vaccinate their children.
Newsom announced the vaccine mandate Oct.1, ordering K-12 students, both public and private, to be vaccinated once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves vaccinations for younger children.
California is the frst state to meet this statewide requirement for K-12 students. However, there will likely be diffculties initially, especially regarding exemptions for personal beliefs.
California only offers 10 medical vaccination exemptions for children: chickenpox, diphtheria, hepatitis B, Haemophilus infuenzae type B, measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, rubella and tetanus.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently listed as a mandatory vaccination children must have to attend schools.
However, Newsom proposes adding the requirement with the help of California’s State Legislature.
“To add to a well-established list that currently includes 10 vaccinations and well-established rules and regulations that have been advanced by the legislature for decades,” Newsom said. “To add to the list, the vaccination for COVID-19 — We intend to do that once the FDA has fully approved the vaccine, which will give us time to work with districts.”
Newsom contradicts himself, however, when asked if other exemptions like religion or philosophical beliefs would be considered, as opposed to solely considering medical exemptions.
“Yes, well, exemptions for medical reasons, personal and or religious beliefs, those are in the guidelines as well,” Newsom said.
Parents and guardians can use their personal beliefs as an exemption to not vaccinate their children since there is no authorization from the legislature to make the vaccine mandatory; this causes complications in Newsom’s proposed plan in keeping students safe.
Personal beliefs are a common reason, even for adults, to not get vaccinated or wear a mask. However, the issue with personal beliefs surrounding children makes this vaccine mandate more complicated as unvaccinated children could potentially expose other children, faculty and staff to COVID-19.
Parents who are adamant about masks and vaccines can easily use Newsom’s vague belief exemptions as an excuse not to vaccinate their children.
Newsom’s approval to include belief exemptions is a disservice to pro-vaccine parents who want their children to be protected from contracting COVID-19 from their teachers and peers.
Newsom’s vague guidelines also add more tension to the ongoing confict between school board members and parents regarding COVID-19 restrictions toward children.
For example, vaccine skeptics from San Diego Unifed School District went from protesting about the vaccine and mask mandates to harassing and giving death threats to school board members and parents complying with mask mandates.
Those threats are not restricted to the San Diego Unifed School District. In Amador County, a parent was accused of assaulting a Sutter Creek Elementary School teacher for the perceived double standards of the mask mandate.
With the hesitance of skeptical parents and threats to school boards, it’s challenging to consider that K-12 institutions could easily enforce Newsom’s implementation of mandatory vaccination as multiple contradictory loopholes from Newsom hinder the safety of students and faculty from contracting COVID-19.
It’s problematic for Newsom to urge and implement a deadline for COVID vaccinations for K-12 students and include personal and religious exemptions — that ultimately defeats the purpose of keeping students and staff protected.
Newsom needs to reiterate his guidelines and make adjustments to them as it’s contradictory to the goal he aspires for California to meet: ending the pandemic.
“We want to end this pandemic,” Newsom said. “We’re all exhausted by it.”
Ending the pandemic is challenging to accomplish through Newsom’s contradictory implementation that gives leverage to vaccine skeptics to avoid vaccinating their children.
Newsom’s K-12 implementation does not create a haven for school board members or pro-vaccination parents. Instead, it causes more issues with skeptical parents regarding how COVID-19 should be mandated in K-12 institutions, and children are in the middle of this confict.
Campus Conversations
How well does Riverside City College prepare and supplement students to transfer out?
Interviews by Kelsey Olarte Photos by Daniel Hernandez
“Pretty good. Most of my friends all transferred out to great schools. That is why I decided to go to community college. I am just here for the GED, and then I am out of here ASAP.”
-Ryan Im
“The teachers and the Promise Program have really helped me. I met up with a counselor, and he recommended all the classes I should take regarding my major. I think all students should meet up with a counselor to develop a student plan; it really helps you stay on track and make sure you are not taking classes that you do not need.”
-Mason Roa
“Good enough, I guess. I have only talked to one (counselor) over the phone. It did not really work because I was just sitting on my bed, and it is different when you see them in person. When you see them in person, there are enough resources.”
-Mohammad Moradi
“I feel like it’s really good, especially when it comes to the Career and Transfer Center. I did take a student job there, so I’m in that environment of trying to get students to go where they need to go. I also feel like the teachers prepare you, give you opportunities of what is out there, and support.”
-Izabella Cisneros
“They do quite well. One of the diffculties I have noticed with transferring is the interaction over a computer screen versus the interaction in person. Online interactions feel quite stagnant. I have had multiple counselor appointments that have been online, and most of those feel like I am just talking to a wall.”
-Nicolas Salonen
Campus Conversations is an open forum for Riverside City College students to voice opinions and share ideas.
ditorial E
Campus communication must improve
DANIEL HERNANDEZ | VIEWPOINTS RCC students continue to struggle this fall term due to poor communication between students and ongoing changes on campus.
Riverside City College’s lack of transparency regarding COVID-19 has been detrimental to its students’ well-being.
Students have been inconvenienced at every turn throughout the fall semester. From the late implementation of a vaccine mandate, to the last minute reminder about the vaccination deadline, RCC’s lack of communication regarding COVID is something that needs to improve in order to better protect its students.
We, the Viewpoints editorial board, believe that RCC should implement a new communication strategy that better informs students about potential coronavirus exposures on campus.
When the fall semester began there were CLEARED4 check-in stations, but those checkin stations disappeared within a week, without RCC students knowing why they were no longer available on campus. An explanation was offered via email after it was noted that those stations were gone.
What is left of the CLEARED4 system is a mandatory survey given each week that asks yes or no questions about possible COVID symptoms, but it’s not enough.
Exposures to COVID-19 have made their way onto campus, with many RCC students unaware and uninformed.
On Sept. 15, an email was sent out selectively notifying some faculty and students about two employees and four students who had been exposed to COVID-19.
The individuals made several stops around the campus, including the Wheelock Stadium, the Nursing Building and the Math and Science Building.
However, those were not the last exposures that occurred at RCC.
On Sept. 24, another email was sent notifying a small number of students about more exposures at the college.
Two students tested positive and visited rooms in the Math and Science Building and the School of Nursing Sept. 20 and 22.
An alarming number of RCC students were not notifed of the dangers they could have been exposed to by visiting those same locations. Additionally, there may be other areas on campus the infected students visited of which everyone is unaware.
Emails have been a frequent form of communication that RCC has used to communicate with its students, especially at the beginning of Riverside Community College District’s shutdown in March 2020.
However, daily emails from Canvas, CLEARED4 and student services have become repetitive, bombarding RCC students with overfowing inboxes and making it diffcult to decipher what is important.
It’s a disservice to RCC students to not disclose the COVID-19 exposures occurring on their campus that could affect the entire student body. RCC administration needs to improve its communication, not just through emails, but perhaps through phone calls, Zoom conferences or livestreams on social media platforms to ensure that students and employees are informed of recent exposure risks. Students and employees deserve to be aware of what is happening at their place of study and work.
Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.
STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Leo Cabral
(951) 222-8488 viewpointseic@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR
Daniel E. Hernandez
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Matt Schoenmann
matthew.schoenmann@rcc.edu FACULTY ADVISERS
Matt Schoenmann Angela Burrell
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ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS Andrea Mendez Liv Pearson
SPORTS EDITOR Daniel Hernadez
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LETTERS
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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. PRINTING SCHEDULE
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Tiger Tales, a student handbook in the 1950s, had 13 sections within the publication. This includes “Tiger Romp,” a section dedicated to sports. SPORTS
October 21, 2021 15
Runner sets the pace
Briana Rodriguez, a Riverside City College women’s cross country athlete, motivates teammates through work ethic, talent
MYA CASTRO STAFF REPORTER
Throughout the Riverside City College women’s cross country season, Briana Rodriguez has become a top runner for her team.
With about seven years of experience under her belt, Rodriguez has remained one of the top fve runners for RCC.
At the team’s most recent race at Vanguard, Briana placed 12th overall out of 74 girls. Rodriguez’s outstanding work ethic and race times have helped the team’s placement in four of its meets.
As she continues to stay motivated and eager to improve, Rodriguez feels great about the season and is excited about the team’s future endeavors .
“I feel like it’s been really great. I’m in the best condition I’ve ever been in and I’m just excited for the season and for state,” Rodriguez said.
Like many other athletes, the sophomore did not get to compete or train with her team last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rodriguez found that challenging but persevered and continued to work hard, looking forward to the next season.
“It’s easier to slack off when you’re not at school and they’re (the coaches) not watching you, but one thing I did was get a gym membership,” Rodriguez said. “I was going every day to the gym to keep in shape, and I wasn’t doing a lot of mileage but I would just run on the treadmill.”
Rodriguez’s hard work during the off season and the beginning of this season has not gone unnoticed. Her teammates believe that she sets the example of what everyone on the team should be striving for this season.
“Her running performance has been consistently progressive, which not only helps our team scores during competition but she serves as an excellent example to our fellow teammates,” Briana Mendez-Espain, a runner on the women’s team, said.
Laila Wright, a friend and teammate of Rodriguez, believes that Rodriguez has a talent like no other when it comes to training and competing and is why she plays such an important role on the team.
“Briana is an asset to the team because she has natural talent,” Wright said. “She is one of our top girls and she makes it look easy.”
Outside of training, the star runner remains focused on her studies, and spends time with family and friends when she is not working a graveyard shift.
As a biology major, Rodriguez likes to plan out her week for a less stressful environment to work in.
“I already have everything scheduled and planned for the week so I try to stay on track, I also work and it’s kind of hard balancing all that out at the same time,” Rodriguez said. “I enjoy what I do and I love running so as long as I keep everything on plan, it turns out okay at the end of the week.”
As Rodriguez continues to put in the work for her academics,
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANA RODRIGUEZ Briana Rodriguez competes in a 2019 women’s cross country meet.
the future biology graduate hopes to become a pharmacist and live fnancially stress free.
“I want a job that makes me financially stable and it’s also something that I like,” Rodriguez said.
While school, work and sports may be stressful for Rodriguez, spending time with her family is always something she enjoys doing in her free time.
“I always go out with my family,” Rodriguez said. “We like traveling just for the weekend, anywhere from Tijuana to San Diego to Las Vegas.”
Along with family, the hot wing and boba lover also enjoys spending time with her friends whenever she can because she knows her free time is limited.
Rodriguez was excited to share the best boba spot in town.
“My favorite boba spot is Boba Time,” Rodriguez said. “I get the Oreo boba tea and it’s so good.”
Wright can attest to Rodriguez’s sweet personality, not only during training but outside of it as well.
“I’ve hung out with Briana a few times outside of training and I can say she is such an amazing person,” Wright said. “She is funny and always has a smile on her face.”
As Rodriguez gets further into the season and school year, she gives one key piece of advice for younger athletes who also may be struggling.
“I would say honestly you just need to set a schedule and have everything planned, I feel like that is the only way you can get through it,” Rodriguez said. “You just have to love what you do because it’s not easy.”
Team bounces back after abrupt regional exit SPORTS BRIEFS
Women’s Volleyball
RCC lost to Golden West 3-0, dropping their record to 6-9 and 3-6 in conference play. Their next game will be against Saddleback College on Oct. 22.
Men’s Water Polo
The men’s water polo team defeated Citrus and Palomar College on Oct. 15 following a four game losing streak. RCC faces Long Beach College on Oct. 22 at Golden West College campus.
Women’s Water Polo
RCC women’s water polo’s last match against Santa Ana College on Oct. 13 was canceled. Next up for RCC is the Long Beach Tournament on Oct. 22 where they will face Cerritos College at Long Beach College campus.
RCC Tigers
After losing two games in a row, the RCC football team followed its bye week with a 47-21 victory Oct. 16 over the Palomar Comets. RCC will be away on Oct. 23 at Mt. San Antonio College.
Men’s Cross Country
RCC’s men’s cross country team placed third in the Vanguard Invitational in Costa Mesa on Oct. 8. It’s the second time the Tigers landed on the podium this season. RCC will be at the Titan Invitational at Cal State Fullerton.
JESUS CORONEL ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
The last time the Tigers basketball team took the court, it was in the third round of the California Community College Athletic Association Southern Regional Tournament. Then the pandemic ended all athletic activity.
The team won the Orange Empire Conference tournament that year, propelling it to the regional tournament.
An exhibition game was held at Riverside City College between the Tigers and Southwest College on Oct. 9 in preparation for the upcoming 2021-2022 men’s basketball season.
The Tigers finished the game with seven assists and 13 turnovers. The team also committed seven fouls by the end of the third quarter.
However, the team also
BRIAN CALDERON | VIEWPOINTS Amir Davis battles with a member of the Southwestern team for the ball Oct. 9.
came up with 14 steals and 23 rebounds.
After the Tigers’ game ended, head coach Philip Mathews was not satisfed with how the team performed offensively. The Tigers had possessions that didn’t play out in their favor, which caused turnovers and very little assists in the game.
The team gave up eight fouls in the third quarter.
“We were gambling,” Mathews said. “Trying to make the big play instead of playing solid defense.”
However, he is very happy that he and the team are back on the court after the pandemic shutdown.
“For me, after sitting out a year and a half, it’s a godsend,” Mathews said. “The players are repping to go.”
Guard Edwyn Collins is among the players looking forward to returning but knows he could be playing better.
“I missed a couple of wide open shots, a couple of passes and was reaching on defense,” he said. “That’s something to take note of for the next scrimmage.”
Also returning for the Tigers isMelvinWalker,whowashappy to be alongside his teammates again, although he got “hurt in the first half.”
“My teammates kept me in it,” he said. “They motivated me to keep playing.”
The season will begin on Nov. 4 with the We Play Hard Tournament at Ventura College.
All of these dates are subject 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.
16 October 21, 2021
Fresh start
WIN from Page 1
rushing touchdown.
“He’s resourceful and kept us alive in the pocket, that’s what he does well,” Craft said about Barton.
Leading the running attack was freshman runningback Lawrence Starks with 93 yards and one touchdown on 16 attempts.
RCC also had a strong defensive performance against the Comets.
The Tigers shutout the Comets in the frst and fourth quarter and held them to 26 rushing yards for the game.
The defense showed fashes of the explosiveness it had exhibited earlier in the season by putting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the rush.
The Comets managed only two feld goals in the frst half.
RCC recorded five sacks. Sophomore defensive lineman Randell Turner had two and a half sacks and fnished with six total tackles.
“I feel like we played great, we played fast, we got to the ball pretty quick,” Turner said.
“We improved a lot this week, we became a stronger defense.”
Freshman kicker Ricardo Chavez kept the pressure on Palomar making all four of his feld goal attempts.
“I think Ricardo Chavez is the best feld goal kicker in the state,” Craft said.
RCC’s next game is Oct. 23 at Mt. San Antonio College.
Jacquez Jones (18) rushes for a one yard touchdown during the Riverside City College homecoming game Oct. 16.
Jammal Houston (19) celebrates after scoring a 40 yard touchdown on Oct. 16. Elton Adigwu (middle) recovers a forced fumble at Palomar’s 27 yard line and rushes to Palomar’s 22 yard line Oct. 16.
PHOTOS BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ
