A NAT I O NA L PA C E MA K E R AWA R D N E WS PA P E R

www.theswcsun.com Winter Edition, 2011-12 Volume 55, Issue 4

Sandoval cleared of sexual harrasment charges
By Albert Fulcher
Editor-in-chief
Former acting superintendent Dr. Greg
Sandoval has presented documentation
that he said proves that he was not
guilty of sexual harassment in a case
that preceded the departure of three
administrators.
Allegations of sexual harassment have
followed Sandoval since 2008. After
seeing sexual harassment referenced in
a special edition of e Sun, Sandoval
said it is time to set the record straight
and prove through documentation that
the accusations are not true.
Martha Jimenez, a student services
assistant, accused Sandoval, former
director of Financial Aid Arthur Lopez
and Director of Outreach Fernando
Poveda of sexually harassing her.
For the record here, I hope that this
will satisfy e Sun and everyone else
that I did not have this relationship,
said Sandoval. I want it for the record
that this investigation and the statement
that Jimenez wrote show that I did not
do anything to her.
In a lawsuit against SWC, Jimenez
claimed that Sandoval used a picture of
her in an evening gown as a screensaver.
None of the allegations of me having
inappropriate desktop pictures of her on
my computer are true, said Sandoval.
I remember when she was scheduled
to see me the college had just had a
gala. Nevada Smith (former director of
Community and Media Relations) had
sent out that the college had taken lots
of pictures. I was looking through the
pictures and I saw a picture of Jimenez
with her boyfriend. So when she came in
to see me regarding Poveda, I said, Did
you see the pictures this morning? ey
came out and everyone looked so nice.
He said he showed Jimenez a picture
of her and her boyfriend for a few
seconds and that was it.
Sandoval said he did not even know
how to change a desktop picture. He said
Computer Systems Operations Manager
Paul Norris and some of the computer
guys came out to see him and oered
to vouch for his character.
ey were laughing at the matter
because they said I did not know how
to do that, to put things up on your
desktop, said Sandoval.
Norris said he had a good relationship
with Sandoval during his time working
with him and that at that time Sandoval
did not know enough about computers
to set up a desktop background.
I told Sandoval, You are a good guy
and a smart guy, but not that smart,
said Norris. His desktop background
was the standard background placed
on all of the colleges computers. His
computer faced the door as you walk
into his oce and I told him it would
be stupid of him to do this. I would be
willing to testify in court for that.
Sandoval resigned shortly before
he was made aware of the harassment
allegations. Former superintendent Raj
K. Chopra terminated Poveda during
a controversial reorganization and
dismantling of the Outreach oce in
please see Sandoval pg. 16
Archeologists can still dig up
cavemen`s frst works oI pottery, but
Southwestern College`s Associated
Student Organization (ASO) cannot do
the same with the Clay Club`s allocation
Iorms.
When its club allocation Iorms were
lost in a paper shuIfe, the Clay Club
was leIt dangling without any Iunds
Ior the semester, according to advisor
John Lewis. Club president Edward
Bia and Lewis said they are very
Irustrated because they turned in the
allocations Iorm on September 8,

three
days aIter their weekly Inter-Club
Council meeting.
'We turned in our Iorm earlier than
most clubs because we wanted to make
sure the money would be allocated,
said Lewis, an assistant proIessor oI art.
Lewis criticized the ASO Ior being
disorganized while distributing such
large amounts oI money. He also said
their system is outdated.
'We Iound out the allocations were
lost when it was too late to apply Ior
round two, said Lewis.
The ASO lacks transparency, Lewis
said, and ASO personnel did not fnd
out the allocations were lost until he and
Bia began asking questions. Lewis and
ASO adviser Craig MoIIat exchanged
testy-emails, each accusing the other
oI Iailing to correctly handle the Iorms.
Whittaker exits after a year of successes
Li ke Mar y Poppi ns , I nt er i m
Superintendant Denise Whittaker
floated into Southwestern College
bringing almost magical changes,
hope and healing. But the winds have
changed and Whittaker is leaving an
SWC that must face the future on shaky,
new legs and a newfound condence.
An unexpected mess
It took 10 days for the governing
board to decide Whittaker was the one
for the job. She was initially contacted
in November 2010 about the interim
position but did not hear ocially from
the college until January.
I interviewed by phone in mid-
January and then a couple days later
they ew me out to do an interview with
the board, said Whittaker.
After a year taking care of family
matters in South Carolina, Whittaker
packed her bags and headed for Chula
Vista. She said she knew there were
accreditation problems and there had
been difficulties with the previous
administration, but she had no idea
what she was getting into.
I knew that there were issues, I didnt
quite know the severity of the issues,
said Whittaker. is is probably the
hardest job Ive ever had.
But academi c probati on and a
desperate need for internal reform were
not as intimidating as the emotional
damage shadowing the college, said
Whittaker.
e easy part of any job is just the
mechanics, she said. e hard part
is healing a damaged environment.
at I was totally unprepared for. It
complicates everything you do because
it actually puts a shell around all the
work you need to do. Its like if you
break your arm, you need to put
it in a cast. e healing cant occur
unless its stable. Its kind of the same
situation that you have to go through
in any people environment. You have
to provide stability.
Academic Senate President Angelina
Stuart said Whittakers clean slate and
healing approach to SWC was exactly
what the college needed.
Since we had had a more detached
type of leadership before, I didnt know
what to expect, really, but I wasnt
expecting that it would be so easy to
work with a superintendent/president,
said Stuart. Denise brought with her
By Mary York
News Editor
Club says
ASO lost
allocations
By Valeria Genel
Staff Writer
Unions
seek corner
lot PLA
By Nickolas Furr
Staff Writer
please see ASO pg. 19
please see Whittaker pg. 17
Campus, 2
Arts, 6
Viewpoints, 7
Unsigned, 7
Thinking Out Loud, 8
Sex Column, 9
Sports, 20
INSIDE
:
SWC alum John Farrell
appointed by governor
to the California Board
of Veterans.
Please see Campus pg. 3
ASO chief
placed on
admin. leave
By Alyssa Simental
Online Editor
Craig Moffat, student activities
coordinator, has been put on a leave of
absence after nearly 27 years at the college.
It is a personnel matter and all I can
say is he is on leave right now, said Arlie
Ricasa-Bagaporo, director of Student
Development and Health Services.
Associated Student Organization
President Claudia Duran said the only
information the ASO had regarding
Moat was that he was on leave.
Duran said that the ASO is moving
forward despite his absence.
We are meeting regularly and business
is running as usual, said Duran. e
district has provided us with a temporary
coordinator, Dr. Gonzalo Quintero. Dr.
Quintero is the former coordinator of the
Gear-Up program and has proven to be
very helpful.
Robert Unger, interim director of
human resources, said he was unable to
comment on the matter at this time due
to personnel disclosure regulations.
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
SWC Governing Board President Tim
Naders recent statement that there is
little chance he would sign a union-
favoring Project Labor Agreement
(PLA) for the rst phase of Proposition
R construction has pro-labor activists
crying foul. But pro-business advocates
said they are also feeling unsatised with
the process.
With Phase I construction on the
$389 million Prop R project planned
for early next year and no signed labor
contracts in place, union representatives
and workers tried recently to convince
Nader and the rest of the board that
there is still time to sign a PLA that
would go into eect immediately. Union
members said the agreement would
benefit the college, community and
construction workers of the district.
But none of t hat may mat t er.
Governing board members insist that
construction management contracts
already in place would make agreeing to
a new PLA dicult, at least for Phase I
of the ve-phase project.
Management contracts oversee money,
while construction contracts oversee the
hiring of subcontractors and workers.
Former Vice President of Fiscal Services
Nicholas Alioto signed management
contracts with Seville Construction
Services for project management. e
former governing board approved. Echo
Pacic Construction was hired by Alioto
to handle construction contracts, but the
current board terminated Echo Pacics
contract this fall. Balfour Beatty has
been approached by the college about
assuming Echo Pacifics terminated
contract and assuming responsibility for
construction and labor. No contract has
been approved.
Ken Seat on-Msemaj i , pol i t i cal
director of Sheet Metal Workers Local
206, said that most, if not all, of the
Phase I construction should be subject
to a PLA and that there is still time to
make that happen.
e contracts that have gone out
and been bid upon are the management
contracts, he said. As far as we have
been able to nd out, no construction
projects have been bid at all, none. Our
position is that there is no reason why
a PLA cannot be applied right now
because the contractors havent even
please see PLA pg. 16
Former acting president and VP of Student Services resigned in 2009 under pressure by Chopra
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
LEAVING MORE THAN JUST CHANGE As a parting gift to Interim Superintendent Denise Whittaker, SWC employees
created an ongoing textbook scholarship in her name, donating part of their salaries for the rst $1,000. Whittaker was honored by
college employees with a surprise going away party that featured speakers, music and video tributes.
CAMPUS
Winter Edition 2011-12 Volume 55, Issue 4 e Southwestern College Sun
2
ALBERT H. FULCHER
Imperial Beach is
a piece of Heaven
e
Human
Chord
I
mperial Beach (I.B.) is my home. It
is a small town hemmed in between
two big cities with a life and style of its
own. Its reputation has changed over the
23 years I have lived here from a rough-
neck biker town, riddled with drugs and
gangs to a precious piece of undeveloped
coastal land.
I.B. still has a distinctive, laid-back
flavor that has always been a draw for
those of us who choose to live here. Even
with the massive population explosion in
the past 20 years, you just cannot get the
taste of I.B. out of your mouth. Many
Southwestern College students, faculty
and staff live in this last seaside city on the
edge of the America/Mexico border, still
mostly undisturbed by urban sprawl and
massive construction projects, keeping the
quaint feel that this unique community
has to offer. It is a magnet for people that
want to live here or escape the life of the
larger cities that surround it.
By far, the best attraction in I.B. is the
Tijuana Estuary. One of my favorite things
to do is to take a walk to the mouth of the
Tijuana River. Not through the estuary,
but straight down the beach. Spectacular
views and an abundance of wildlife are
your companions.
On any given day, getting to the beach,
I can see a crowd of people that flock
around the pier. It is always bustling
with people fishing, swimming, walking,
jogging and surfing or just sitting,
enjoying this little ray of sunshine. People
of all ages come here and enjoy what this
tiny town has to offer.
Many people are completely unaware of
the beauty and wonder of what lies south
of the pier. On one of my strolls to the
mouth of the river, groups of the many
species of sandpipers that thrive in this
ecosystem year round are always the first
to greet me. I find it comical watching
them run in and out of the surf searching
for food. They run back and forth, as the
waves roll in and out, as if they do not
want to get their feet wet.
Two lone surfers were catching the
waves away from the more popular section
of beach closest to the pier. Far away
from the lifeguards, they are breeds in
themselves. Waves in this section are more
powerful, rocks are their landing ground
rather than a beach and the riptides
more dangerous, but that does not stop
them from their desire to experience that
oneness with the ocean.
Seeing surfers out on their boards,
particularly while waiting on the next set
and in a more relaxed state, I can spot
their connection with the water and the
wildlife that surrounds them from above
and below the oceans surface. I am not a
big fan of being in the ocean, but I have
always lived close to one, or in places
surrounded by lakes and marshes. As a
sailor traveling the many oceans and seas
around the world, I recognize this kinship
with the sea at a spiritual level.
I was pleasantly surprised in my midday
stroll. Birds were flying back and forth
from the estuary to the ocean, diving for
food. Moving up higher on the rocky
walkway that separates the beach and the
estuary there is a tremendous view of the
estuary, the beach, Mexico and the pier.
Looking towards the estuary, there was
a massive flock of birds of all feathers
gathered together on a tiny patch of sandy
land. Terns, gulls, pelicans, herons, geese
and ducks all huddled together, unaware
and uncaring of their differences. I have
come to call this small aviary airport the
estuarys Time Square.
As you get down to the mouth of the
river, you see it all. All you have to do is
look around in any direction. Mexico
seems a stones throw away, the mouth
of the river is tumultuous and beautiful
and as you look at the ocean there is
rarely a time that you do not see seals and
dolphins bobbing in and out of the ocean
waves.
Forcing itself into the estuary, the ocean
is a living bliss at the rivers mouth and
you experience first-hand how nature
works in balance. The mouth of the river
is a great place to sit for as long as you
are willing to observe the natural beauty
where the land meets the sea. Take a stroll.
Like me, you just might find a small piece
of heaven on earth that can take you far
away from the stressful hustle and bustle
of the living we face every day.
MARSHALL MURPHY /STAFF
SPEAKING UP FOR STUDENTS Philosophy major Carlos Nogeuz was one of about 100
students at the S.O.S. rally in the cafeteria patio.
S.O.S movement is not about to go on holiday
By Angelica Gonzales
Assistant Campus Editor
Southwestern College activist group
Support Our Students (S.O.S) is making
sure students do not slip quietly into nals
week. Members are following up, exactly
what they promised to do last month.
We have been very busy, said Professor
of Political Science Phil Saenz. It has not
been easy. We are not communists. We
support capitalism, but we are also support
fairness and equity. We do not want to be
on the sidelines any longer.
Since the last forum the group has gone
before the Academic Senate, the ASO and
the faculty union to ask for their support to
create a better life for students. Supporters
of S.O.S have already signed a petition
asking legislators to freeze enrollment
fees. ey will be traveling to Sacramento
to hand deliver the petitions and send the
message that students want a stop to the
fee hikes.
Its out of control! when will it stop?
asked Saenz. It went from $26 to $36 and
now they are talking about $46. It ends
now! If they want to raise fees they should
require a 2/3 vote to do so.
In addition, S.O.S has been poking
around and doing some investigating that
is now getting some questions answered.
eir inquiry about the Textbook Swap
Program being close to unknown on
campus has brought the bookstore to
make the swap program more conspicuous
on the website.
S.O.S is asking publishers to contribute
ve free copies to make available on reserve
in the SWC library.
If the publishers can not agree we have
another way, said Saenz. We are asking
the ASO to fund this. After all, you are
ASO cardholders and you pay your fees.
ey have $500,000 on reserve and that
should go to directly go to aid the students,
it is only fair.
S.O.S is making sure that other groups
be held nancially responsible.
I was looking for the answer, said
philosophy professor Alejandro Orozco.
And initiative Proposition 1522 is
that answer. It would slap a 15 percent
extraction tax on oil companies on the oil
and natural gas they take out of California
land. at may sound like an easy solution
but its not. We need 504,000 signatures
to make this happen and we need foot
soldiers to help.
California is the only state that has
oil drilling without an extraction fee
tax. Alaska raised its extraction fee to 25
percent from 22 percent and felt no tug
from it, according to the data collected
by the Rescue Education California
Foundation, Texas oil extraction tax has
helped fund public education $2 million
annually and the states gas is 50 cents
cheaper than California.
Oil companies are going to try and use
scare tactics to keep people from signing
this into action, said Peter Mathews, the
please see S.O.S pg. 5
MARGIE REESE /STAFF
VETERANS HONORING VETERANS SVO President Shawn Buckingham and David
Bonafede stand ready to present plaque and shadowbox to former trustee and Purple Heart
recipient Nick Aguilar at the SWC Veterans Day ceremony.
College veterans advocate is Semper fi
By Margie Reese and Albert H. Fulcher
Copy Editor and Editor-in-Chief
Shawn Buckinghams dreams of being a Marine pilot
came to an end, but not by a surface-to-air missile or
a dogght over the sands of Iraq. His mighty dreams
were shot down by the smallest but most deadly of
mans enemies.
Working as a U.S. Embassy guard he developed
a life-threatening viral infection in New Delhi,
India resulting in Type 1 diabetes. His dreams of
ying grounded, he left the Marines and joined the
private contractor Blackwater. He saw combat as a
member of the Personal Protection Team in Baghdad.
Buckingham was medically retired in 2007.
A shooting war in Iraq was tough, Buckingham said,
but college was overwhelming. He said he quickly
became discouraged with the school process, which
lacked structure.
In the military they tell you what to do and where
to go, said the accounting major. In college I felt
like I was on my own.
Support from other veterans on campus helped
turn things around for him, he said, and now he
is motivated to help other veterans. Veterans need
understanding from the campus community, he said,
and education needs to happen on each side.
What really motivates me are the ones Ive lost,
my friends (killed in action) who became family that
I served with in the Marine Corps who dont have the
opportunity to go to school, he said. ey gave the
ultimate sacrice and I can make sure they are never
forgotten. I used to break down when I said this. We
fought for the rights of everyone on this campus and
everywhere to be outspoken for or against the military,
or wars and they should never forget our veterans.
During his rst semester Buckingham was invited
to a Student Veteran Organization (SVO) meeting
where he met Jim Jones, the organizations faculty
advisor and the colleges Veterans Services specialist.
Buckingham became the treasurer and is now SVO
president. With the help of Jones and fellow veterans,
Buckingham was able to nd his way.
My motivation for joining the SVO was meeting
friends who had a shared background, he said. I
didnt nd too much in common with other students
and didnt have the connection like I did with other
vets.
When Jones rst met Buckingham he said he felt an
instant brotherhood with the fellow Marine.
Once they get connected, they start to grow, said
Jones. It is like adding fertilizer to a ower. ey
start to grow much quicker and they start feeling like
they are a part of the school. at is what I want to
do with all of the vets.
All veterans go through a gauntlet when they
integrate back into society, said Jones. Putting the
SVO together in 2007 was a necessary move for SWC.
It came together quickly.
All I had to do was nd a few interested people with
the military background and they instantly formed a
chain and a chain of command, he said.
Jones said he wants veteran students to get involved
in community service so they can put on their resume
that they did more than sit in class and take a test. He
stresses the importance of developing leadership skills.
e primary purpose of the SVO is to reach out
to our veterans that are coming back from war, but
it is also a healing process for our students and other
veterans, said Jones. It is a time to connect student
veterans with veterans and to let them know that we do
have combat veterans on campus they can relate to.
Combat veterans often feel isolation, do not like
loud noises and are afraid of sitting next to windows,
Jones said. SWC needs a place where veterans can sit
quietly, meet with a counselor or to study.
(We need) a place they can go unlike the
cafeteria that is crowded and noisy and can be quite
intimidating to our combat veterans, said Jones. If
we could create a place, an environment like that
where they can feel at ease, that would be ideal.
please see Jim Jones pg. 4
PHOTOS BY ALBERT H. FULCHER /STAFF
A WARRIOR FOR VETERANS (l) SWC Veterans Services Specialist Jim Jones keeps a steady eye on returning service personnel and the issues that eect them. (lower r) Marine hero and
double amputee Tim Jeers takes his rst glances at his remodeled condominium paid for by veterans support groups, including the SWC Student Veterans Organization.
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
CAMPUS
3
Amanda L. Abad, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
E-mail: campus@theswcsun.com
By Kevin Reyes
Staff Writer
is semester the Southwestern College
Environmental Club reestablished ties
with the Tijuana River National Estuarine
Reserve in Imperial Beach. As part of
their mission to protect the environment
through involvement in community-
based projects, club members took part
in the ongoing habitat restoration eort
organized by the TRNERR Stewardship
Volunteer Program. Members put on
their work gloves and spent the day
uprooting invasive plant species and
replacing them with native gardens
to better serve as homes for the local
wildlife.
More than 370 species
of birds, rabbits, snakes,
coyotes, and other animals
inhabit the Tijuana River
Estuary. A key stopover point
on the Pacic Flyway, the
site is an essential breeding,
feeding and nesting ground
for migratory birds. The
refuge area is one of the few
remaining salt marshes in
California that has not been
lost to development. Sewage
contamination as a result
of runo from the Tijuana
River into the Pacic Ocean
has led to frequent beach
closures and continues to be
an issue of controversy. In
2010, Imperial Beach was
closed for 78 days and Border Field State
Park for 239 days.
Political science professor Alma Aguilar
has been the faculty advisor for the club
on and o since its inception in 1996.
Along with physical science professor
Shery Medler, Aguilar founded the club
to serve as a bridge for students coming
from their team-taught course that
explores topics in environmental ethics,
politics and economics. Titled Our
Global Future: Values for Survival, the
course invites students to develop a
more harmonious worldview and social
consciousness focused on environmental
sustainability.
The class encourages discussion
among students to try to connect the dots
between science, politics and economic
aspects, said Aguilar. e club combines
the learning with actual participation and
gives students the opportunity to make a
dierence in a real way.
Club President Marlene Moran,
an international relationships major,
first discovered her passion for the
environment when she was in high
school. She said the course was an eye
opener for her and inspired her to take
charge in establishing the
club charter for the semester.
Ever ythi ng the cl ass
taught me got me to think
about where our own actions
are leading us and why we
have not done anything
about it, Moran said.
Several on-campus events
to increase environmental
awareness are in the works
for next Spring, including
an e-waste recycling eort
and an eco-film festival
during the month of April
in celebration of Earth Day.
Bringing environmental
consciousness not only to the
school but to the surrounding
community is a big thing,
said Vice President Andrea
Martino, who created and is responsible
for updating their Facebook and Twitter
pages. She said the club is also organizing
a street canvassing project to strengthen
their presence among students and Chula
Vista residents alike.
e challenge is to try to come up
with events that will be designed to allow
for the greatest participation possible,
said Aguilar. Hopefully, these events will
get us thinking, talking and dialoguing
about the environment.
SWC Environmental
Club is cleaning up
Gov. appoints SWC alum to California Board of Veterans
By Angelica Gonzales
Assistant Campus Editor
John Farrell likes to laugh and have a good
time, but when the topic turns to veterans
his elsh eyes narrow like a gunghter at
high noon.
Gov. Jerry Brown liked Farrells passion
for our nations service personnel so much
he appointed the former Southwestern
College journalism student to the California
Board of Veterans.
He serves next to retired major generals
and a lieutenant colonel.
Im seriously outranked, he chuckled.
But when we discuss issues like veteran
homelessness or suicide and we are talking
about how to help vets, rank does not seem
to matter.
Farrell, 71, enjoys advocating for
underdogs, veterans and young people. A
retired lawyer, law professor, journalist and
soldier, Farrell has a rsum like George H.
W. Bush, the mind of a seven-gure litigator
and the sense of humor of a stand-up
comedian. Veterans, though, are a serious
matter to him.
Growing up in the military culture of San
Diego he saw many veterans, but in high
school had his eye on a pretty girl in one
of his classes.
She said she was going to take
photography classes and I gave her a big
smile and said, me too, he recalled. e
relationship never happened with her but
it did with photography.
Farrell freelanced and took pictures that
were published by the Chula Vista Star
News. He graduated from San Diego High
school in 1958 and joined the U.S. Army
two years later. His aection for journalism
came to be an occupation. He scored high
on military placement tests, but was placed
in heavy weapons infantry, only to be
quickly recalled.
I was summoned to headquarters, he
said. I was scared, but it turned out they
called everyone with high scores.
Great news followed and Farrell was
taken out of the line of re. Farrell became
an Army press representative and worked
for the historic military publication Stars
and Stripes. Doing what he loved, he took
pictures and wrote stories, sometimes selling
them to other publications and German
publications.
e extra money was nice, he said.at
is until they catch you selling them to the
Germans, then thats no good.
After lots of traveling in the military,
Farrell decided to part ways in 1963 and
return to San Diego to work for a photo
service as a technician and in sales. He
enrolled at San Diego City College where
he majored in English, until the day he saw
a billboard Western State University (now
omas Jeerson School of Law.)
I looked up at that sign and I told myself,
hey why not? he said.
Farrell said his sudden interest in law
was not so sudden in his mothers eyes. She
recalled him always arguing with someone.
He even slapped on a tie from time to time
for gravitas.
Farrell was accepted to the bar in 1973.
His academic success landed him an adjunct
position at the WSU where he taught from
1975-1983. Farrell started his private law
practice while he was teaching at WSU
with the San Diego County Superior Court
Judge Herbert J. Exarhos. After his partner
left the practice to take his seat at the bench,
Farrell decided to leave teaching to manage
the practice full-time.
I miss teaching the most, said Farrell.
ere is nothing more magnicent than
a young mind and how they learn. My
favorite moment is when a student calls you
out on a mistake. You know they are really
paying attention.
After his 27 years practicing law, he
retired in 2002, though he did pro bono
legal work for mostly military clients until
2004.
He is really the kind of fella you seek
out for information, said Steve Millikin, a
fellow resident at the Chula Vista veterans
home. Many media come to talk to
him about veteran information and his
perspective.
Upon his entrance to the Chula Vista
veterans home in 2004, Farrell started
taking classes at Southwestern College.
I wanted to show my children they could
go back to school, he said. If an old geezer
like me can take 20 units and get a 4.0 grade
point average, so can you!
Farrell made the presidents list that year
and three out of his four children went back
to school.
He is always very proud of his family,
said Sydney Smith, the Veterans home
librarian and secretary of the Allied Council
at the home. Always showing off his
pictures of his family, John is also very fun
to listen to.
Farrell hopes the folks in Sacramento feel
the same. Veterans, he said, need strong
advocates now that so many are returning
from war. Farrell said he is ready for combat.
Everything
the class
taught me
got me to
think about
where are
own actions
are leading
us.

Marlene Moran
Club President
MARSHALL MURPHY / STAFF
FANTASTIC FERRELL (above) Former army press representative John Ferrell is a veteran, a retired lawyer and editor of
a popular veterans newsletter. (left) Ferrell at the Chula Vista veterans home where he lives and publishes the newsletter and
serves on the Allied Council.
SPREADING THEIR WINGS Students reaching out to nature received a salute from a golden eagle featured in the wildlife presentation at
the Tijuana River Estuarine.
PHOTOS BY AMPARO MENDOZA /STAFF
RESTORATION Members of the SWC Environmental Club weather a cold wind to work on plant restoration at the Tijuana Estuarine in
Imperial Beach. Students replaced invasive plants with indigenous species.
By Cody Yarbro
Designer
Astronomy Professor Grant Miller
spends a lot of his time pondering the
greatest questions of existence. Now
he has a share of the greatest award in
astrophysics, the Nobel Prize.
Miller teamed up with the research
team headed by American astrophysicist
Saul Perlmutter involving supernovas
and raci ng through the heavens.
Perlmutter shared the Nobel Prize
with Australian astrophysicist Brian
P. Schmidt and Dr. Adam G. Riess,
professor of astronomy and physics at
Johns Hopkins University.
Perlmutter team was selected by the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
for the discovery of the accelerating
expansion of the universe through
observations of distant supernovae.
My contribution to the overall
effort was small, said Miller. But
the fact that the project itself turned
out to be so very significant is very
rewarding.
Angelina Stuart, Academic Senate
pres i dent s ai d Mi l l er has been
contributing to SWC for a very long
time. As a former SWC Academic
President he presented at the Academic
Senate of California Community
Colleges, Stuart said. Miller has always
been modest about himself and the
work he contributes to the college and
the world, she said.
His level of dedication and teaching
is emblematic of the level of all the
faculty that teach at this college, she
said. His work and recognition in his
research with Perlmutter is evidence
of that.
Born and rai sed i n Thornton,
Illinois, Miller said living in a small
town did not stop him from reaching
for the stars. He graduated from the
University of Illinois in 1989 with his
Bachelors in Astronomy. Miller said
his parents helped push him to fulfill
his dreams. Millers mother is a high
school graduate and his father never
finished high school, but he said it
was his parents that taught him the
valuable lessons of life that he carries
with him on his journey.
My parents instilled in me a healthy
curiosity, desire to learn, and a rigorous
skepticism, said Miller. I try to
impart all of those to my students.
Miller said he did not develop his
interest in astronomy until he started
college and had to choose a major.
He said he ended up sticking with it
throughout college and at 24 moved
to San Diego to attend SDSU, earning
his Masters.
He is also a 14-year Naval reservist.
He is a fully qualified conning officer
for Nimitz-class nuclear powered
aircraft carriers, and conned the U.S.S.
Ronald Reagan from San Diego to
the Arabian Gulf during a combat
deployment.
When I am forward deployed,
decisions that I make are sometimes
literally life-and-death in nature, and
affect billions of dollars worth of
U.S. Navy equipment, said Miller.
Whereas, here at the college, my
priorities and decisions have little, if
any, influence across the institution.
Housed in the planetarium, Miller
teaches Intro Astronomy and History
of Astronomy classes. He is also the
director of the planetarium and enjoys
guest lectures for young children.
The planetarium reproduces the
appearance, and motions, of the sky
on the inner surface of the dome,
he said. It is used exclusively as an
educational tool.
Aside from being heavily involved
i n the sci ences, Mi l l er l oves the
opera, particularly Puccinis Madame
Butterfly.
The l yr i ci s m of t he mus i c,
combined with the heart-wrenching
story of love, loss, betrayal, regret, and
self-sacrifice is moving, he said.
His love of opera began when he was
a young boy and saw Bizets Carmen
performed at the Lyric Opera in
Chicago.
The broader real-world knowledge
and experience makes me a better and
more well rounded individual, and
thus, hopefully, a better professor,
he said.
During graduate school Miller and
a few of his friends took scuba diving
lessons, and he remains a lover of the
ocean. He also enjoys pumping iron
at the gym.
Mi l l er l i ves i n a Gol den Hi l l s
Victorian home built in 1893.
Joshua Saposnekoo, a student in
Millers astronomy class, said the
professor told his class to not forget
that the greatest evolutionary tool that
has come from stardust so far is the
human brain.
He made me cry with science, said
Saposnekoo. He said that hopes and
dreams reside in the brain, but so does
evil and doubt, but do not let doubt
and evil overwhelm the gloriousness
of the brain. It was just crazy because
he was so black-and-white and then he
leaves us for the rest of the semester
and now everything he taught me
makes sense.
Miller, and now his students, keep
reaching for the stars.
e Southwestern College Sun
CAMPUS 4
Jones said when student veterans start
talking about familiar places there is an
instant connection.
at is what I try to do, to make this
campus a little bit warmer for them and
to help them realize that they can go to
the SVO to nd a home, he said.
It is dicult to tell how many veterans
are on our campus, Jones said, though
Southwestern College serves more
veterans than most Southern California
colleges.
I have watched SDSU grow and have
seen what they have done for their vets
and the way they reached out, said
Jones. I believe they have really set the
example of how to reach out to veterans.
ey have an amazing setup over there
and a wonderful support system. I would
love to see us match that program for
our veterans.
Buckingham said he has great dreams
for SWC veterans. He said there is a great
need for an outreach program specically
geared to guide veterans through the
mountain of paperwork and a mentor
program to assist new veterans. A
Veterans Center is his long-term goal.
is could be in the form of a building
or separate room where a veteran could
meet other veterans, have a cup of coee
and where volunteer veterans could take
a leadership position, he said. It would
be a great opportunity to introduce the
veteran to the SVO.
Facul ty Advi sor Chri s Hayashi ,
professor of psychology, said he rst
thought that would be impossible.
Back when the talks rst started I
thought it was a pipe dream, he said.
And now it is slowly developing into
something that is realistic.
Hayashi said veterans taught him how
to conquer big challenges.
How do you eat an elephant? Bite
by bite, said Hayashi. What is so
impressive about working with Jim
and student veterans is how eectively
and efficiently students get together,
organize, allocate tasks and things get
done.
Jones agreed.
I think one of the things they have
in common are that veteran students are
more focused, have the discipline, the
structure and they are self-motivated,
said Jones. ey have proven to be better
students, they are going to succeed. ey
have the stick-to-itiveness. Everyone on
campus needs to understand that even
though veterans may only be a few years
older than traditional students, they
have already lived a lifetime. Many of
them got to see rsthand the atrocity of
war. ey may only be a few years apart,
but they are miles ahead in lifetime
experience. at is the dierence. ere
is a huge gap.
Hayashi said Jones is an effective
leader even though he is not loud and
outspoken.
Jim is more of a compassionate
leader, he said. He leads by example.
He is very straightforward and at the
same time he really has a great heart.
I think that veteran students gravitate
towards him. ey have a large degree
of respect for him because they recognize
how much he really does care about
them.
Jones has worked at SWC for 12 years
processing veterans benets. He said he
loves to see someone who just got out of
the service come to his oce with the
deer in a headlight stare come back a
few years later to hand him a ticket to a
university graduation. at, he said, is
better than any paycheck.
When a student comes up to me and
thanks me when they graduate, all I can
say is that you did the walk, said Jones.
I just pointed the direction. Just to see
them grow and blossom from the time
they rst got out of the service when
they were thoroughly confused of which
direction to take.
Hayashi said student veterans have
had experiences most college students
have not.
That is something that is unique
about them, said Hayashi. It is a
dierent student population, no matter
how you cut it. What is interesting
about the student veterans is they bring
diversity to the
college. Not in
terms of just
exper i ences ,
but in terms
of geographic
diversity. Most
of the veterans
are not from
Sa n Di e g o ,
whi l e mo s t
of our other
s t udent s are
from within 20
miles of here.
Hayashi said
there are many
i mp r e s s i v e
female student
v e t e r a ns a t
S WC , a n
i n v i s i b l e
population.
at was one of the biggest things
that I learned, what female veterans
bring to the college and the needs that
female veterans have, said Hayashi.
They are amazing people, amazing
students and have amazing experiences
that they bring to the classroom and to
the college.
Buckingham said he enjoyed giving
back to other vets through the SVO
and helping other veterans through
regional organizations like the annual
Veteran Stand Down. SVO has a
close relationship with the Warrior
Foundation, serving wounded and
rehabilitating veterans from all services.
SVO made a donation to the Warrior
Foundation to help amputee Tim Jeers.
He was sent home to Arkansas to visit his
family for a week and while he was gone
the Warrior Foundation transformed
his condominium and made everything
adaptive to his needs. Money raised with
its Wieners for Warriors fundraiser went
to purchase furniture.
He is a double amputee, he also
received head injuries, said Jones. ey
got concrete cutters, electricians and a
whole slew of business people together.
We witnessed the homecoming and it
was very touching.
Hayashi said the Wieners for Warriors
sale is a great example of how the SVO
stands out. No other club on campus
could sell $850 worth of hot dogs.
It has nothing to do with the hot
dogs, said Hayashi. It has to do
with the students really promoting a
good cause, being very vocal and just
being real go-getters. at is what is
so impressive and I have learned a lot
working with the veterans. Sometimes
you just have to be persistent and ask for
things, not give up and things get done.
SVO participates in Deck the Halls at
Balboa Naval Hospital, decorating three
oors for wounded service members.
I know some of these wounded
warriors are here and more are headed
in our direction, said Jones.
Jones served 15 years in the Marines
as a sta sergeant and musician in the
ceremonial unit. He performed on the
Tonight Show and many other shows,
public appearances and played for every
president of the United States from
Gerald Ford to George Bush.
ere are a lot of things I treasure,
said Jones. Ronald Reagan sent us
presidential cuinks as a gift. Bob Hope
sent us a pin when he received a fourth
star on the Walk of Fame and he wanted
us to perform for that. Just to be inside
that little world is so much fun. It was
hard work and a lot of commitment and
preparation, but it was always rewarding.
I loved it.
Jones is married and has a son in the
Marines serving in Afghanistan. He
volunteered. His unit is not there. He
joined another unit to go.
I am very proud of him, said Jones.
ere is a Marine side of me that says
Yeah!, but then there is the father side
of me that says be careful.
As a family man, Jim Jones said he
understands that not all veterans with
families can do traditional college things,
but if they have the time, he likes to see
them connect with some of the SVO
members and the events. He said it is
important that they get to network,
meet some of the people outside that
support veterans, and make those
connections. He said one student met
former Assemblywoman Mary Salas and
a week later, she represented veterans in
the South Bay up at the state capital.
Jones said that is what it is all about.
Jim Jones: Warrior
for SWC veterans
sees a busy future
Continued from Page 2
Veteran
students
are more
focused,
have
discipline,
the structure
and are self
motivated
Jim Jones
Veteran Services
Specialist
ERNESTO RIVERA /STAFF
AT THE SPEARHEAD Veterans Services Specialist Jim Jones served 15 years in the Marines
as a sta sergeant and musician in the Marines Corps music unit.
By Angelica Gonzales
Assistant Campus Editor
One of the South Bays most reliable
traditions has been thrown a curve.
A 47-year tradition, commencement
ceremonies at Southwestern College
will take time off for the graduating
class of 2012 due to the remodeling
of DeVore Stadium. A search is now
underway for an alternate location,
according to Arlie Ricasa, director of
student development.
SWC is looking for a large, outdoor
South Bay venue, Ricasa said.
There are a lot of factors in picking
a new location, she said. We have to
look at the number of graduates that
we will have along with the number
of guests.
Possibilities include local high school
stadiums to the Cricket Wireless
Amphitheater, Ricasa said. A decision
is expected in early March.
Graduati on wi l l take pl ace as
normal, said Ricasa. Same date, same
festivities just a different location.
Graduation
ceremony
will move
DEMI ALVARADO /STAFF
STARDUST MEMORIES Astronomy Professor Grant Miller likes to tell his students that the universe is full of wonder, but the greatest miracle is
the human brain.
Prof. contributed to Nobel Prize research
MARSHALL MURPHY /STAFF
CLOSED FOR REPAIRS Reconstruction of DeVore
Stadium will require moving the 2012 commencement.
Brainy Grant Miller
studied expansion
of the universe
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4 CAMPUS
5
e Southwestern College Sun
lead proponent of the initiative. ey are
going to try and say that if this does go into
eect you will pay more at the pump and
jobs will be lost. But that is wrong. ere
is a provision in the second chapter that
prevents this. If they do try to pass down
any taxes to the pumps they will be ned
twice the amount they passed on.
Mathews is a political science professor
at Cypress College in Orange County. His
Initiative aims to aid education solely by
providing money to make more classes
available, bring more teachers in and lower
tuition rates.
About 11 percent of the tax will go to UC
systems, 14 percent to the CSU system, 38
percent to the community college system
and 37 percent will go to fund K-12
systems.
e money will not be allowed to be
used on construction and salary increases,
said Orozco. is is to put the money back
where it belongs, in education.
S.O.S. called upon students and faculty
to become the petition gathers to help the
bill make the ballot.
You have to be that person outside of
the stores with the clipboards, said Saenz.
You can no longer ignore them.
Among the crowd were twins Kim Cuilty
and Farrah Cuilty students from Miramar
College came to hear Orozco and Saenz
speak. Kim became familiar with S.O.S and
Prop 1522 when she attended the Student
Senate of Community College conference
in San Jose last month where Mathews was
the keynote speaker.
He talked about the initiative, she said.
And I wanted to get involved and I knew
I have the power to get involved, we all do.
Im personally working with my school to
organize rallies like this and getting those
signatures to get this bill on next year ballot.
Orozco and Saenz said they are gaining
the momentum and they need to get SWC
students as well as other colleges motivated.
Mathews plans to speak to SWC next
semester.
S.O.S: Protesters
plan an active
spring semester
Continued from Page 2
MARSHALL MURPHY /STAFF
AIRING GRIEVANCES Phil Saenz explains the S.O.S. movement to a KUSI cameraman and calls for a new oil extraction tax.
By Amber Sykes
Arts Editor
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would urge
people to walk in the light of creative
altruism rather than the darkness of
destructive selfishness. Southwestern
College students Natalia and Felipe
Ramirez have found the light.
Every Saturday the Ramirez siblings
and family members take to the streets
of downtown San Diego to feed the
homeless. ey buy all the food and cook
for about 150 people a week. ey call it
a responsibility.
We dont do it because we want to
give back, said Natalia Ramirez. We
do it because we feel it is an obligation.
Padre Hurtado, a Chilean Jesuit
priest, is one of the familys biggest
inuences, according to Felipe. Dar
hasta que duela (Give until it hurts) is
an Hurtado axiom the Ramirez family
lives by. Originally from Santiago, Chile,
the Ramirez family is nding its nitch
in San Diego County.
What started as an Easter outing for
the family of ve has become a healthy
addiction. Since April the family has been
delivering lunches to San Diego homeless
every Saturday. ey have gone from pre-
packing ham sandwiches to lling foam
cups with spaghetti and marinara sauce,
all cooked from scratch.
At rst, excursions were unplanned.
We went downtown, randomly
stopping whenever we saw a homeless
person and just gave them food, said
Natalia.
On the second trip they were already
recognized by many of the people they
fed. Seven months later, they are now
warmly greeted with applause and cries
of, e noodle people are here!
Dedication fuels the family on long
Saturdays.
Every week we come back empty
handed, said Felipe Ramirez, but with
our souls lled with happiness.
He said the volunteering has changed
him in so many ways. A 19-year-old pre-
med and psychology major, Felipe has
given up his relaxing weekends. Times
have changed but he has no regrets.
at was our old lives, he said. And
to be honest, I dont miss it a bit.
ough they do not do it for the praise
or attention, the Ramirez family is getting
back a lot of love. On their mothers
birthday many of the people they feed
pitched in to give her a chocolate gift
box and card.
It was very emotional, said Natalia.
I dont know how they even knew it was
her birthday.
Natalia said one of the men put his
hand in his pocket and took everything
out and gave it to her mother. He only
had 10 cents and she was very moved
by the gesture.
That was very emotional and
impressive because they dont have
anything, Natalia said. Since they love
my mom so much, that they would just
give everything they have to her.
Many Ramirez family friends and
supporters give their time to help on the
weekends.
Southwesterns Psi Beta Honor Society
has members who help cook and deliver
food. Psi Beta also hosted a fund raiser
to support the Ramirez family operation.
Psi Beta President Brianda Gumbs, 21,
a psychology major, said the bake sale
raised $118 and they hope to do it again
next semester. Money raised helped feed
140 people one night.
Gumbs said she wishes more people
would get involved.
Its a very dierent experience once
you go out there, she said. We all
know there are homeless people, but
you denitely feel something dierently
when you go down there. When youre
home you are just thankful for everything
you have.
The experience gave her a new
perspective on her own life and she said
it cleared up some assumptions she has
heard about the homeless.
I didnt know what to expect when I
went down there, said Gumbs. A lot of
times people have this kind of mentality
that people are going to be kind of
aggressive or mean, but when we went
down there everybody that I approached
was very kind. Even if they declined it
they were very thankful we oered them
a warm meal.
Natalia Ramirez finds time in her
schedule as a pre-med student, president
of American Medical Student Association,
Inter-Club Council representative of the
Psi Beta Honor Society and part-time
tutor to spend her Saturdays cooking and
delivering food to the homeless. She said
even the smallest help is huge.
e cooking is not much, she said.
But the packing is kind of hectic. We
have to be fast so that the food doesnt
get sticky or cold. eres a lot of running
around.
Food and materials cost between $60-
$100 a week, she said, and supporters
often donate through Facebook.
Since were not (a tax-exempt)
organization, its hard for us to ask
companies for donations because they
might not believe us or think well use the
money for something else, said Natalia.
Need is everywhere, she said.
Everywhere we go, we nd people.
We want to get to everyone there rst
before moving on, but we havent been
able to because every week there are more
people.
Students work hard
to feed homeless
e noodle people nourish
bodies and souls on the streets
By Marshall Murphy
Assistant Photo Editor
In t he ever - evol vi ng wor l d of
American higher education, one tried
and true program has managed to stay
on the road.
Southwestern College has the regions
l ar ges t aut omot i ve t echnol ogi es
program and i t shows no si gn of
running out of gas. It hosts 40 work
stations, five classrooms and an official
smog training station with a licensed
smog referee. Serving more than 200
students, the department aims to help
them become certified and employed
through its Associates degree program
and Automotive Service Excellence
(ASE) certificate. A satellite program
is hosted at the Naval Amphibious
Base in Coronado.
We t each t he ei ght subj ect s
of automotive. said Jose Ibarra,
aut omot i ve i nst r uct or. Br akes,
suspension, automatic and manual
transmission, A/C, high performance
and t he basi c f undament al s of
automotive technology.
Automotive technology is a vocational
program with hands-on labs.
We basically tell them how to do
it, we show them how to do it, then
we allow them to do it, said David
Preciado, director of the program.
Through practice and repetition (we
hope) they will master the skill.
Brian Muldoon, 45, automotive
technician major, is working to get his
AA and ASE certifications.
Everything here is fully designed
to get you prepped and ready for ASE
certification, he said. All shops must
be ASE certified to work on vehicles.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
signs are posted on every building.
Certification assures consumers a
credent i al ed and knowl edgeabl e
mechanic.
I know during their time here
with us we do hear about a lot of the
students getting certified and becoming
employed, said Preciado.
Students participate in the World
Experience Education Program, giving
them a chance to work in commercial
shops.
If they dont get hired they could
at least walk away with real world
experience, said Preciado. They are
taught the job hunting process.
Juan Carlos Solorizano, 39, said
he i s worki ng t o earn an AA i n
automotive technology and all eight
ASE certifications.
I think this program is beautiful,
said Solorizano. I come from Mexico
and just to look at all the equipment
they have here, the knowledge of the
instructors and information you have at
your finger tips you couldnt compare
it to other places.
Stephanie Ramirez, 22, an automotive
technology major, was working on the
front brakes of her Honda Accord
with Muldoon. She said she plans to
earn an Associates degree and ASE
certifications.
The thing that captures me the most
is an engine, she said. I dont like the
lectures too much. They bore me to
death, but I like being out here with
hands-on training. I learn a lot better.
Ramriez said she grew up playing
with her brothers toy cars. Today she
is the only woman in the class.
At first it was kind of horrifying
when I walked into the first day of
class, she said. All I saw were guys,
no girls at all. But then again, I was
raised with guys, my dad, brother and
uncles, Ive grown up basically with a
bunch of guys.
Ramirez figures she will fit right in.
After all, if women can drive race cars
they ought to be able to build and fix
them.
MARSHALL MURPHY /STAFF
WOMEN AT WORK Stephanie Ramirez works on the brakes of her Honda Accord at the Automotive Department.
Auto department gets the
students engines roaring
MARSHALL MURPHY /STAFF
BRAKE TIME Instructor David Preciado explains the science of stopping a car to Stephanie Ramirez.
ARTS
Winter Edition, 2011-12 Volume 55, Issue 4 e Southwestern College Sun
Dance of the Motherland
O
n a cold November night,
Mayan Hall was burning hot
with sound. African Dance
class instructor Akayaa
Atule and 15 SWC students
stomped, jumped and chanted to the rhythm
of the drums as SWC hosted A Night of
World Music.
Females of all ethnicities, the African
Dance ensemble performed four songs to
an almost-full house that clapped along to
the beat. Each of the ve drums played a
dierent rhythm, but together blended into
a bright harmony.
Music professor and drummer Todd
Caschetta spent 13 months in West Africa
where he learned dierent drumming and
dance styles from the region. He said this
event was for students in the African dance
class (DANC145) to showcase their talent.
Our dance students work hard at learning
the traditional dances of Ghana, he said. Its
more fun to show o what they have learned
on stage in traditional African clothing and
in front of friends.
As the group began to play A Weh Di
Yeh, a dance rhythm used for celebrations,
contagious smiles emerged from each dancer
and energy radiated to even the darkest
corner of the building.
SWC art major Yessenia Hulsey said she
was excited to perform, especially for her
family in the audience.
Some of the girls were nervous, but were
kind of like a little family, she said. We have
a sisterhood bond. It is an awesome class and
it allows us to share our spirit with others.
Adowa, an original funeral dance of
the Ashanti people from Ghana, included
graceful motions that indicate the more
serious origins of the dance. Audience
members were left in awe.
Caschetta said there are very few
ETER ESTRADA/STAFF
A MOVING PERFORMANCE Akayaa Atule (center left) and 15 of her African Dance students nearly stole the show at A Night of World Music in Mayan Hall.
ETER ESTRADA/STAFF
HANDS-ON MUSIC Percussionist Antonio
Grajeda of Afrojazziacs brought air to the drum
choir.
War games
used for
recruiting
By Nathan Hermanson
Assistant Arts Editor
Video games and the military seem
to t together like burnout celebrities
do with tabloids. Combining the
s t o r y t e l l i n g o f
vi deogames wi t h
t h e r e a l i t y o f
war has not onl y
proved intriguing,
but pr oduc e d a
successful business
model. Over the last
month, the two biggest war-based video
games, Battlefield 3 and Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 3, have sold
19.6 million units and accumulated
around $784 million in revenue.
COD: MW3 is now the largest
entertainment release of all time. It
raked in more than $400 million
dollars at launch.
Developers realized the potential of
the subject matter early on and the
relationship between these war-based
games and the armed forces they
represent go back a long way. One
of the rst games on the Atari 2600
was called Combat and it could be
considered one of the rst popular war-
based video games. Conceptually the
game was simple. Two vehicles (ranging
from tanks to helicopters) moved across
a battleeld, shooting and destroying
one another. It held no true merit with
regards to the military and showed little
by way of realism.
Over t he year s games woul d
emphasize military themes, but they
could never truly grasp the experience
of war. Call of Duty began to close
the gap. Featuring some of the biggest
battles of World War II and showcasing
the shock and awe of war, this game
took the industry by storm. COD
showed what video games could do for
the military.
War-based video games incrementally
upped the ante and the military found
truer representation. Americas Army
broadened the relationship between
the military and gaming. Released in
2002, by the Army, it was essentially
a recruiting tool. With a core design
comparable to the COD series,
(rst person perspective and a focus
on on-line play with multiple people)
Americas Army focused in on realism
%\$QD%DKHQDDistribution Manager
Artful mix
of silicon,
ceramics
By Eileen Salmeron
Staff Writer
One of the oldest forms of art collided
with one of the newest at the SWC
Art Gallery. It
was a winning
combination.
Travel Si ze:
A Ceramic Visit
with Artaxis.org
featured a web-
dr i v e r me di a
r oom, a Cl ay
Club exhibition
and work from
the permanent
SWC ceramics
col l ect i on f or
an i nt er act i ve
exhibit. Gallery
co-director John
Ol i v e r Le wi s
a s s e mbl e d a n
exhibit that was
hi p, edgy and
cool , but wel l
grounded.
The ar t i s t s
decided which pieces to put in the
gallery, rather than myself picking works
from different artists, said Lewis, an
please see Artaxis pg. 14
please see Games pg. 11
please see African pg. 15
Child protg blossoms as musical star
By Cody Yarbro
Staff Writer
Blossoming singer/songwriter Jessica
Lerner has played a star for years at the
San Diego Old Globe eater and San
Diego Repertory eater. Now she is on
the verge of becoming one.
Lerner, 21, has been the featured
singer in the Teatro Mscara Mgica pro-
duction of La Pastorela since she was in
high school, singing the show-stopping
songs of Estrella, the star of Bethlehem.
Minus her rhinestone sta and sparkling
white dress from La Pastorela, she can
still light up the stage with her versatile
voice.
Her much-anticipated rst full-length
CD is on schedule for a 2012 release,
and her already-sizeable fan base is ready.
Like most overnight sensations,
Lerner worked hard to get to this point
in her career. She began piano and vocal
training at age 8 and made her rst trip
to the recording studio as an 11 year old.
She released her rst recording at 19.
Unlike the Nickelodeon teen starlets,
Lerner is an accomplished instrumental-
ist who writes her own songs and records
the piano and guitar lines herself. But
like most young artists, she had to nd
her footing.
I used to think that all the songs I
wrote were dumb, this is silly, nobody
is going to like it, said Lerner. I had
no condence behind the work I was
doing. I would go out there and sell
what I had. When I got my rst bits of
feedback from people that was a huge
boost of condence for me.
ough she needed to gain her song
writing confidence, there was never
much doubt in anyones minds that
she could sing. Lerner sang e Star
Spangled Banner as an 8 year old at
Qualcomm Stadium and has performed
at Padres games ever since. She began
piano lessons at 8 at Southwestern Col-
lege and studied voice with Joni Wilson.
at same year she debuted in her rst
musical, e Return of the Proctor Val-
ley Monster, a Bonitafest Melodrama
that opposed the construction of the
125 Tollway.
She was a featured soloist in the show
that included many of the regions best
musical theatre performers.
Music came to Lerner at a young age,
according to her mother, Pamela. Jessica
rst turned heads as a toddler singing
her ABCs.
It was not really something I chose,
I was just always inclined to music and
singing, said Lerner. There were a
couple of moments that I could think
of right now that were kind of turning
points or realization of this is who I
CODY YARBRO/STAFF
RISING STAR Gifted recording artist Jessica Lerner has her debut CD coming
out in 2012.
please see Lerner pg. 14
www.youtube.com/swcracketroom
For my
students I
tell them
I dont
really care
about the
deadline,
what I
care about
is your
process to
get there.
Nathan Betschart
Artist
6
7
e Southwestern College Sun
VIEWPOINTS
Editorials, Opinions and Letters to the Editor
Opinions expressed in the Viewpoints section
are those of the individual writers and do not
necessarily represent the views of e Sun Sta,
the Editorial Board or Southwestern College.
e
Spinning
Wheel
ANGELA VAN OSTRAN
When the
facts of life
hit home
editorial
Our Position:
The DREAM Act is needed to provide a pathway to
citizenship for the immigrant children of America
The Issue:
Thousands of talented, young immigrants are
foolishly deported despite being raised as Americans
Letters Policy
The Sun reserves the right to republish web
comments in the newspaper and will not consider
publishing anonymously posted web comments or
comments that are inamatory or libelous. Post web
comments at theswcsun.com.
Online Comments Policy
Send mailed letters to: Editor, Southwestern College Sun,
900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Send e-mailed
letters to southwestern_sun@yahoo.com. E-mailed letters must
include a phone number. e Sun reserves the right to edit letters
for libel and length and will not consider publishing letters that
arrive unsigned.
The DREAM Act is a pathway to success
You can reach Angela by e-mail at
angela.vanostran@gmail.com
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
As a parent, the idea of sending
my child into the world unprepared
makes me cringe. Ive taught him to
budget, to cook, to plan ahead and
make sound choices, though hes yet
to experience any of this without the
safety net of mom.
Recently, however, he made his first
move into the world unaided. The
world of relationships.
It was a hard moment to realize
that my son, while still growing
and maturing in many ways, has
formed a bond with another person,
beyond shooting Nerf targets at
the television at least. I thought I
would have at least a few more years
before confronting these issues. But
these issues were my own, and I
firmly believe that a happy, healthy
relationship with another person
cannot be possible for him unless he
is allowed to grow at his own pace.
That said, the rationality
behind it didnt stop the deer-in-
headlights feeling I had when I
spotted them holding hands. It was
a pivotal moment as a mother, to
decide whether to intercede this
rambunxious lawlessness, or accept
that my own fears for him were
highlighted with all new fears. Ive
been there. This path could lead to
limitless possibilities and I could see
them all unfolding before me. My
mother-bear mode kicked in full-
blast. The boy I had raised to think
for himself and trust in himself was
doing just that. I wanted to yank him
aside and quickly tell him everything
we hadnt talked about yet. It wasnt
that I didnt trust him. I didnt trust
what he didnt know yet. But I had
also raised him not to shy away from
life, that experiences both good and
bad are gifts that can educate and
guide us.
Teenagers today have a plethora of
mixed messages regarding healthy,
long-term relationships. Television,
music, peers and adults can all
offer distorted versions of how to
get, maintain and enjoy a healthy
relationship, if they even offer these
messages at all. After seeing someone
watch porn on his cell phone at a bus
stop, I became fully aware just how
powerful knowledge of the world is
in the palm of our hands. Atlas would
be pleased, at least, but as a single
parent I questioned whether I had
given my child the gift of reasoning,
to have an open mind and do the
right thing. Especially at a public bus
stop.
People havent changed and
neither have the times. Whats
changed drastically in the last couple
generations are the dangers out
there, though they are no less scary.
My philosophy has always been to
educate, inform, and offer choices
while never sugar-coating the of each
choice.
Talking about relationships and
sex and everything that goes with the
impending doom of adulthood can
be very scary, especially for single
parents who may carry the weight
of their childs entire future through
their own examples. Though the
most important conversations to have
can be the most uncomfortable, not
having them can be far more painful.
Our educational system sticks to
the biological differences between
the genders, not the sociological or
emotional connections we make with
each other. An increase in sex buddies
without relationships may be an
increasingly popular choice among
young adults, it also leaves less chance
of discussing sexual histories with a
partner or partners.
I am acutely aware of all the
Ayded Reyes has been the face of the Southwestern
College womens cross-country team. She may soon
be the national face of an effort to welcome some of
Americas best and brightest young men and women
into the light of citizenship.
Children of undocumented workers live in the
shadows. If discovered they face an uncertain future
in an unfamiliar country, in a language and a culture
they do not understand. A mockery is made of the
American Dream.
Californias best community college cross-country
runner was nearly deported last month for the crime
of being carried across the border as an infant. Only
dramatic 11th hour intervention by Congressman Bob
Filner saved the 20-year-old honor student from being
shipped off to a foreign country she has not been to
in 19 years. Dumping Ayded Reyes in Mexico would
be as cruel as dumping any of us in North Korea,
Turkmenistan or Libya.
The American DREAM Act can change that.
The Development, Relief and Education of
Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a sensible idea that
is misrepresented by the Limbaugh fringe and
misunderstood by many Americans. It is not amnesty
and it has nothing to do with anchor babies. It is a
gateway for youth that have grown up as Americans
to become educated and productive citizens of the
United States.
There are two pipelines to obtain citizenship under
the DREAM Act, college and the military. Applicants
must serve honorably in the military for at least of
two years or earn at least an Associate degree or its
equivalent.
Students 12 years and older would be able to remain
in this country if enrolled in primary or secondary
school full-time. After high school they would become
eligible to apply for Conditional Permanent Residency
for six years. In order to qualify they must have
entered the United States before the age of 16 and
been present in the U.S. for at least five consecutive
years prior to enactment of the bill. They must be
graduates of a U.S. high school or a GED recipient,
or accepted into an institute of higher education.
Participants must be between the ages of 12 and 35
at the time of application.
Democrats and Republicans ought to love
the DREAM Act. A 2010 UCLA study predicts
the DREAM Act will legalize about 2.1 million
undocumented youth and would pump $1.4 trillion
into the American economy over the next 40 years
(Americas total GNP is $14.5 trillion). In a classic
bit of understatement the study concludes this
bills educational requirements have an underlying
economic stimulus potential that has largely gone
unnoticed by members of Congress.
That is the most conservative study. Another study
by UCLA researchers concluded that DREAM Act
citizens would infuse $3.6 trillion into our economy
over that time.
UCLAs North American Integration and
Development Center concludes the DREAM Act
represents an opportunity for American taxpayers to
significantly increase the return on our investment in
K-12 students. It is legislation that would advance the
U.S. global competitive position in science, technology,
medicine, education and many other endeavors.
Reyes has been lucky so far. She is an attractive,
articulate champion athlete whose case has generated
national attention. ABC, ESPN, NBC, Univision,
Telemundo and other print and broadcast media are
lining up to tell her story. A U.S. Senator is interested
in her case.
Other SWC students have not been so fortunate.
Scores that we know of have been deported in the
past two years and the total may run into the hundreds.
Liberals and conservatives ought to like the
DREAM Act. It honors hard work, service, sacrifice
and success. It could add new energy and vitality to
our sagging economy and aging population. It is a
chance to handpick the best and the brightest.
Race politics by the GOP right is the only plausible
explanation as to why such a moderate, economically-
sound bill that is solidly in the national interest should
have so many senators and congressman acting so
cowardly and dodging this legislation.
The Sun fully supports and defends these de facto
Americans and the DREAM Act. It is time for these
honorable and talented people to come out of the
shadows and take their rightful place in American
society. Too bad we cannot seem to muster up a
majority of our federal elected officials with the
courage to do the right thing and pass the DREAM
Act. If only they had a sliver of the courage of Ayded
Reyes.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Albert Fulcher
MANAGING EDITOR
Amber Sykes
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Diana Inocencio
SENIOR EDITOR
Angela Van Ostran
NEWS
Mary York, editor
Ernesto Rivera, assistant
Ana Ochoa, assistant
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
CAMPUS
Amanda L. Abad editor
Angelica Gonzales, assistant
ARTS
Amber Sykes, editor
Nathan Hermanson, assistant
SPORTS
Daniel Guzman, editor
Alexis Dominguez, assistant
ONLINE
Alyssa Simental, editor
Christopher Soto, designer
MULTIMEDIA
Andrea Aliseda, editor
Walter Graham, staff
PHOTOGRAPHY
Serina Duarte, editor
Marshall Murphy, assistant
Pablo Gandara, assistant
COPY EDITOR
Margie Reese
STAFF WRITERS
Jamie Celeste
Nickolas Furr
Valeria Genel
Kyla Guerrero
Elizabeth Lucas
Kyle Nelson
Enrique Raymundo
Kevin Reyes
Michelle Robles
Stephanie Saldana
Lina Sandoval
Anna Sobrevias
Eileen Salmeron
Elizabeth L Thompson
CARTOONISTS
Rashid Hasirbaf
Carlos Magaa
DESIGNERS
Cody Yarbro
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Demi Alvarado
Jiamay Austria
Juan Castaneda
Eter Dafne Estrada
Erika Gonzalez
Jeremy Lawson
Amparo Mendoza
Karen Janeth Perez
Karime Ponce DeLeon
Misael Virgen
Paula Waters
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Ana Bahena
Daniel Sanchez
ASSISTANT ADVISOR
Amanda L. Abad
ADVISER
Max Branscomb
Honors
Student Press Law Center
College Press FreedomAward, 2011
National Newspaper Association
National College
Newspaper of the Year, 2004-11
Associated Collegiate Press
National College Newspaper of the Year
National Newspaper Pacemaker Award,
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011
General Excellence Awards, 2001-11
Best of Show, 2003-11
Columbia University
Scholastic Press Association
Gold Medal for JournalismExcellence, 2001-11
California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.
California College Newspaper of the Year, 2011-2012
Student Newspaper
General Excellence, 2002-11
Society of Professional Journalists
National Mark of Excellence, 2001-11
First Amendment Award, 2002, 2005
San Diego Press Club
Excellence in JournalismAwards 1999-2011
California Chicano News Media Assoc.
La Pluma Awards 2000-08
JournalismAssociation of
Community Colleges
Pacesetter Award 2001-11
General Excellence Awards, 2000-11
San Diego County Fair
Media Competition
Best of Show 2001-03, 2005-2011
San Diego County Multicultural Heritage Award
2004, 2006
Carlos Magana/Staff
please see Spinning Wheel pg. 8
Spinning Wheel:
Parents need to
be conscientious
about teaching kids
dangers he faces in the world. I
am also aware of all the things I
wish I could have said sooner, the
conversations I wanted to have but
which froze up in the back of my
throat. I also know he can get that
information elsewhere, and Id rather
it came from me than unearthed
from some wacky website. All the
same, sheltering a child can lead to
unhealthy discoveries and mistruths.
Parenting doesnt come with a
manual, especially for teenagers.
What can be done, however, is to
remember the reality of what life
was like at their age, and to keep
those lines of communication open,
so that someday, when that deer-
in-headlights feeling slaps a parent
awake, it wont be too late.
By Kyla Guerrero & Ernesto Rivera
A Perspective
In this digital age we log-in, upload,
update, check-in, re-blog and tweet to a
world that does not care. Smart phones are
making us act dumb.
Proper etiquette dictates that we put
phones away during conversations.
Curt Fletcher of eHow scolded serial
phone users in his article Social Etiquette.
If you are at work, in a meeting or in a
conversation with another person, turn the
ringer o your phone and dont answer it,
he wrote. Interrupting another conversation
to answer your phone is not only rude but it
makes the other person feel less important.
Dr. Leslie Haddon had predicted the
rudeness of Generation Text back in 2000
with her essay e Social Consequences of
Mobile Telephony. She suggested we put
our phones away and warned about creating
our own private spaces in public.
Internet users being on-line and
interacting with distant others may reduce
interaction with those immediately around
them, such as family, she wrote.
Pulling out a cell phone in the middle of
class is an insult to the professor and rude to
classmates. Accessing social media outlets
to express boredom demonstrates a lack
of social etiquette and only makes the user
look uneducated and disrespectful. Why sit
through a class only to update a Facebook
page?
We use social media to fend o boredom
(which we embrace much too easily) and to
distract us from real-life obligations.
(Mobile phones) serve to cut us o from
those immediately around us and indeed
using a mobile telephony can also be used to
give a message to others concerning the users
non-availability to those physically present,
Haddon wrote.
Forget homework, laundry and showering
because our wall posts and our blogs need
updating. We must step away from the bright
screen, throw our phones down and take a
step outside. e sun is shining.
Social networking networking has great
potential and it is unbearable to see it wasted.
Websites like YouTube have allowed many
amateur entertainers to support themselves
through advertisements. Facebook helps
families stay in contact. Twitter can bring
awareness to injustice and revolutions.
Twitter was used by Egyptian protestors
to show the world their disgust with Hosni
Mubarak.
Students, who will one day become
professionals, can use social media so much
more eectively. Instead of using Twitter and
Facebook to say how much we hate being at
work, students can use it to begin building
their futures. Student musicians, writers and
entertainers can use social media to their
advantage and promote their work.
Students who spend their walking-to-class
time with their heads down trying to take in
life through a small screen are missing out
on what our campus has to oer. Worse,
students who spend their class time on their
phones are wasting a great education that
legions excluded from college would love to
have. ey are wasting a valuable seat and
professors should not have to teach in an
environment that is more concerned about
Kim Kardashians newest 140-character
tweet than what a professor is saying. ey
are wasting their money, their parents money
or worse, the taxpayers money.
Too many have become blind to
surroundings but up-to-the-minute on
their virtual lives.
Much time is wasted updating to a virtual
world that does not care. Self worth is being
determined by the number of likes and
followers. As a generation, organic friendship
and authentic conversation is dying. If it is
not hash-tagged then it seems like it is not a
conversation worth having.
Our primary way to interact has devolved
through these digital tombs that conne
us to ourselves. We have reached the
objectification of immortality by being
forever virtually alive. ere is little use for a
legend showing how bored we were in class
or how un-entertained we were by our own
mundane lives.
VIEWPOINTS 8
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
Social networking crippling social interaction
Carlos Gonzalez, 19,
construction management
major
They should have the
opportunity to study here
because they lived their entire
lives in the United States.
Jen Miller, 21,
Biotechnology major
,WZRXOGEHEHQHFLDO
Immigrants are under-
privileged and should take
advantage of what they
have in the United States.
Jordam Jacobo, 27,
Telemedia major

I do support it. I think no
one should be denied an
education.
Professor of Art Raul
Espinoza
Good for the people
coming in, but a nightmare
for people paying taxes.
ThinkingOutLoud
What do you think
about the DEAM
Act?
Franklin Monzon, 20,
Biology major
The DREAM Act is a
good idea and probably
controversial.
Carlos Magana/Staff
By Cody Yarbro
A Perspective
We al have dierent tastes, but no one
wants to have anything shoved down their
throats or their ears. Outer classrooms
at Southwestern College are bombarded
noise pollution, as cars pass the open
doors with music at high volumes.
Whether it be Mozart, LMFAO, or
System of a Down, if it is played too
loud, it is not just music anymore, it
is a distraction from the focus of both
students and professors alike. Students
on campus fail to understand that SWC
is not a truck stop. Sitting in one place
waiting for somebody to get out of class is
as distracting as walking into the class and
grabbing them by their hair and pulling
them out of their chairs.
Imagine sitting in class taking a nal
exam, and all the sudden out of the corner
a catchy song comes on, taking your focus
o of the exam and away from the class.
Rather than focusing on the test, students
are xed on who is driving that car and
why he or she is being inconsiderate to
the surroundings around them.
Not only students are aected by such
a disruption, faculty are as well. Trying
to teach a class while a car playing some
extremely loud music is dicult, with
all the distractions already on campus.
Teachers have to really try and keep
students attention.
Students on campus playing loud
music are looking rather posh or arrogant
instead of coming o as the alpha-male.
Inconsiderate of their surroundings and of
their fellow students. A more appropriate
place to play that noise would be a place
that nobody can hear it, perhaps the
middle of a desert. Not everybody enjoys
listening to the same types of music.
An array of culture brings the students
together at SWC, but what makes students
unique are the varying personalities. Each
student has their own taste of music, their
own way of living. Forcing one to listen
to a style of music causing discomfort
is not something that makes the college
experience memorable or enjoyable, to
say the least. To one student techno is the
sound of their soul, to the same student
hard rock or Metallica sounds like a cat
nails angrily attacking a chalkboard.
If one must play the music at an
extreme volume, then perhaps rolling up
the windows would oer some quiet time
at school. Music is therapeutic, meant to
be an escape, but how far can a student
run to get away from the noise when he
is taking an exam. Be considerate of the
teachers trying to teach a class, instructing
students during a lesson and not disrupt
them with loud music outside. Even with
the classroom door closed, the music can
still be heard. Schools teach students a
lot of lessons, but a lesson that cannot be
taught in a class room is treating others as
you would like to be treated. Treat fellow
students with respect, let the ones that are
here to learn, take in all they can, because
for many students on campus, that one
math class may be their last chance at a
good education.
Blasting music from cars is rude and disruptive
Mary York/Staff
By Ericka Gonzalez
A perspective
Quiero aprender Ingles, Voglio
imparare lInglese, Gusto ko matuto
ng Ingles, Eu quero aprender
Ingles.
ere are so many ways to say I
want to learn English.
About 70 percent of the students
at Southwestern College are not at
college level in reading or writing.
More than half are English as a
Second Language students. English
learners are everywhere in almost
every class.
Learning English as a second
language should not stop students
from reaching for their dreams and
goals. Students learning English
should not feel demeaned. On the
contrary, they should be proud of
where they come from, because only
in this way will they know toward the
direction they want to go.
Lack of uency in English does not
have a direct correlation with overall
intellectual capacities. Yet sometimes
students who are learning English
face di scri mi nati on from thei r
classmates or even their instructors.
ey are treated poorly as if they have
a mental disability, making them feel
embarrassed about coming to school.
Some abandon school or worse, their
dreams.
Having English as a second language
does not limit ones intellectual
potential. Never give up on life
and achieving everything that you
want to do. Never allow anyone to
demean or humiliate you or make
you feel like you are not part of the
team just because you are learning
a new language. Being bilingual is a
great gift.
Where you come from is important,
where you are going more so. Do not
take the counsel of naysayers. Seek
out the dedicated professors, brilliant
students and school sta that make
the dierence. ey are out there.
SWC English
learners need
our support
Continued from Page 7
e Southwestern College Sun
AMANDA L. ABAD
Aer 30 years,
HIV still running
rampant in U.S.
Got a burning question? Sex
and The Sun can be reached at
sexandthesun@gmail.com.
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
e-mail: viewpoints@theswcsun.com
9
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
E
very nine and a half minutes
someone becomes infected with
HIV.
More than 30 million people have died
from the disease since 1981.
In 2008, more than 2 million children
under 15 years old were living with HIV/
AIDS.
Today, there are 34 million people
worldwide that have HIV/AIDS.
HIV causes AIDS. HIV attacks the
immune system therefore leaving the
body to be more vulnerable to catch
colds, life-threatening infections and
cancers. These are called opportunistic
infections because they take the
opportunity to attack when a persons
immune system is weak, according to
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
HIV can be found in tears, saliva,
blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk,
nervous system tissue and spinal fluid.
Only the semen, vaginal secretions, blood
and breast milk are able to transmit
infection to others.
HIV has proven to be transmitted
through intercourse, and through the
blood by sharing needles. A pregnant
woman can give the virus to her fetus
through their shared blood circulation, or
by breast-feeding.
According to the Department of
Veteran Affairs, an HIV-positive person
is said to have AIDS when his or her
immune system becomes so weak it
cant fight off certain kinds of infections
and cancers, such as PCP (a type of
pneumonia) or KS (Kaposi sarcoma, a
type of cancer that affects the skin and
inter organs in HIV), wasting syndrome
(involuntary weight loss), memory
impairment, or tuberculosis.
AIDS is the sixth leading cause of
death among people ages 25 to 44 in the
United States.
On December 1, President Barack
Obama vowed to provide AIDS
treatment to 6 million people worldwide
by 2012.
Long-term effects of HIV-positive
people on anti-HIV drugs are increased
risks of heart disease and diabetes. Some
experience changes in their body shape
and in their appearance by an increased
or decreased amount of fat in their
face, neck, shoulders, breasts or belly.
According to the Department of Veterans
Affairs, experts arent sure whether
these changes in body fat are due to the
HIV itself, or to the anti-HIV drugs.
The visible changes of body fat look like
tumors on the body.
Taking medication for HIV can be
difficult. Sometimes, the side effects
arent worth taking the medication, and
other times the medicine just doesnt
work. When a drug does help a person,
the medicine may become less effective
and stop working. Unfortunately, it is
not always clear if HIV is what causes
someones death.
In 2010, more than 6 million people
were getting life-saving AIDS drugs,
compared to just 400,000 in 2003.
Suppressing the virus through treatment
reduces the risk of spreading HIV by 96
percent, according to studies. Obama
said by 2013 the U.S. aims to provide
anti-retroviral drugs to more than 1.5
million HIV-positive pregnant women
worldwide.
Only 23 percent of children that
have HIV/AIDS who need treatment
are actually getting it, according to the
World Health Organization. In 2010,
250,000 children died of HIV-related
complications. According to Dr. Bernard
Pcoul, Executive Director of the Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative, thats
like 700 dying each day, without
treatment, half of the children born with
HIV die before their second birthday.
This year marks the 30th year since the
first AIDS case was documented. This
was a long tough battle against one of
the greatest threats to mankind and that
the fight on AIDS still isnt over, but its a
nice step forward.
SWC abbreviation commits grammer crimes
By Daniel Guman
A Perspective
Cradled by a pedestal of red bark and
nestled in front of the bookstore under
a shadow draped by an assortment of
beautiful trees, rests a pristine topiary
sculpture that reads SWC. Such a
skillfully-trimmed piece of living art
adds a touch of elegance to the verdant
landscape. It is an iconic campus symbol
of school spirit that is highly visible, well
known and wrong.
Southwestern College has been a victim
of illiteracy for 50 years. SWC is the
incorrect abbreviation for the name of
this college, and it misrepresents the
educational quality of students and
faculty that this institution provides to
the community.
SWC is printed and headlined on every
piece of literature and gear aliated with
the school, except for one organization
correctly abbreviates the initials. The
Southwestern College mens baseball
team has the right abbreviation SC
punctuating its jerseys and hats. So why are
Coach Jerry Bartow and his crew the only
ones who can spell around here?
Apparently a few English, journalism
and marketing faculty of the past tried
to bring this blemish to light. ey were
met with eye-rolling, shrugged shoulders
or blank expressions.
Its always been like that is the mantra
of the spelling-impaired, ignoring the fact
that Southwestern is a single word. We are
not South Western College anymore than
we are Southwes Tern College or So Uthwe
Stern College. Ah, life in the Great Divide.
Some have argued that SC could be
confused with the University of Southern
California or the University of South
Carolina, notable schools with an SC in
their abbreviations. (Although USC is
usually abbreviated as, uh, USC.)
Its hard to imagine anyone confusing
the maroon and gold Jags taking the eld
on Saturday nights with the iconic cardinal
red of Troy or the unmistakable garnet and
black Gamecocks of South Carolina, even
if they share a moniker. Does anybody
confuse George Washington with Denzel
Washington? Or Kim Jong Il with Kim
Kardashian?
Granted, the status of Southwesterns
abbreviation is not as earth-shaking as
accreditation, administrative malfeasance
or funding cuts, but it deserves serious
consideration. We are an institution of
higher education. We should be able to
spell.
Tom Lord/Staff
Illustration by Carlos Magana/Staff
By Mary York
A Perspective
In her rst days on campus, Interim
Superintendent Denise Whittaker
said she felt as though the college
was accepting her with trust she had
not yet earned. True enough, most
of the Southwestern College opened
their arms readily to the woman who
spoke plainly, with sleeves rolled up.
SWC employees were so wounded and
scared that they were ready to embrace
any glimmer of hope they could nd
and cling to it.
During her welcome reception
Whittaker met members of the college
community, including several very
new students. While her introductory
speech told those listening a little about
herself, the question still remained:
who is Denise Whittaker?
e rst thing the college learned
about Whittaker is that she is the
kind of person who gets straight to
work. From Day One she was running
and setting the pace for the college.
ere was a swamp of problems to
wade through and Whittaker did not
hesitate, tackling accreditation, shared
consultation reform, policy issues on
campus as well as myriad personnel
issues and financial obstacles. She
proved she is a problem-solver.
Not once did she waver. Not once
did she show signs of stopping. Unlike
her predecessor, she came in early and
stayed in late. Even as the college was
hit with last-minute accreditation
problems and an overwhelming budget
crisis, Whittaker met problems head-
on. Her example inspired the faculty,
sta, administration and student body
to do the same. SWC learned that
Whittaker was bold.
Faculty and sta aired contentious
issues, like freedom of speech violations
and shared consultation abuses. en
Whittaker proved that she was a good
listener. Providing calm, sensible
leadership, she encouraged the college
to muscle through its problems.
Whittaker met problems with grace.
She proved that she could work for
the college rather than for herself.
Her powerful and calming presence
embedded rays of hope in the cracks
and crannies of the campus and the
college saw that she was responsible.
Her careless, though unintentional,
plagiarism in her September 11
memorial e-mail was a sloppy moment,
but she handled the aftermath with
humility, owning up to her faux pas
rather than blaming someone else. So
she veried that she is a humble person.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, A good
leader inspires people to have
condence in the leader, a great leader
inspires people to have condence in
themselves.
Whittaker is preparing to leave,
and though the college community
will miss her terribly, it is not afraid
like they were when she rst arrived.
We do not cling to her because she
inspired us to trust ourselves. She is a
great leader.
Whittaker still sees those once-new
students on campus. She addresses
them with the tender, my, youve
grown tone of voice and asks how
their year has gone. And that is when
SWC realized that Denise Whittaker
is the genuine article. Atop her many
admirable qualities, she cares for
people. She poured herself, all that she
is, into a college she knew she would
have to leave in a year. How unselsh.
How noble. How humbling.
She had it from the beginning, but in
one year Whittaker earned unalterable,
unconditional trust from this college.
Whittaker has served college brilliantly
Coordinance in different coordinants
Pablo Gandara/Staff
Rashid Hasirbaf/Staff
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
e-mail: viewpoints@theswcsun.com
10
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
T
his letter in response to a students
comment in the Viewpoints page
about the Occupy San Diego
Movement. Its unrealistic and if you
notice, its a bunch of white people who
arent representing the nation.
It is no secret that the global nancial
mess occurring right now, was due to elusive
and highly illegal handling of lines of credit,
mortgages and trading. Not only from Wall
Street, but of governments turning a blind
eye in hopes no one noticed. Clearly they
were wrong.
The Great Recession of 2008 cost
millions of Americans their jobs and even
more so their homes. Companies across
the nation went under and now millions
of unemployed Americans are currently
underwater on their mortgages. To clarify,
underwater is real estate term meaning
that one owes more on ones home then the
current market value.
is complete fall out of the Financial
System, forced the government to pump
billions of tax dollars, to bail these
companies out and secure their businesses
on the contingency that these banks lessen
the burden on citizens who have fallen
victim to the crisis and begin extending
more secure and reasonable lines of credit.
Tax dollars, I might add, that are allotted
for infrastructure and education amongst
many other things vital to the survival of
this nation.
However, the banks never upheld their
end of the bargain, and instead passed on
the fees and interest owed to the taxpayers,
back onto the taxpayers. ey raised fees on
customers, continued to foreclose without
re-nancing or re-modication as specied
by the government.
Ironically, corporate bonuses went up as
well as salaries. Now three years later millions
of Americans are still without jobs, homes,
and even schools. at Southwestern College
alone and throughout the state of California
we have seen an almost unsustainable cut
in class and sta availability, due to lack
of funding. Many municipalities across
the continent are ling for Chapter XI.
Government resources are exhausted and
now the Fed wants to arrange some kind of
settlement with these bankers rather than
prosecute them and incarcerate them for
their disastrous taste for greed.
This brings me to the Occupy Wall
Street and the 99% Movement, which has
branched out across the globe and become
Occupy San Diego, Occupy Oakland,
etc. ese people are protesting any such
settlement and are demanding that these
corporations not only be prosecuted for
their crimes, but that corporate tax holes,
corporate political contributions, and
the overall abuse of tax payer dollars be
eradicated and controlled, in the interest
of protecting the American people from
corporate greed and provide better nancial
security. Protecting things like YOUR
nancial aid, YOUR access to resources,
along with YOUR basic civil rights and
rights of liberty. It is unfortunate however,
that local governments have cracked down
on these protesters in almost inhumane
aggressive tactics that has now sparked
many anarchists to join the group and thus
things have begun to become violent and
rebellious. Fire against re only makes it
the stronger.
is movement is not a bunch of white
people who arent representing the nation.
It is instead American citizens of all
ethnicities, religions, and social status
that have joined under one umbrella
as AMERICANS, who are fed up with
corporate greed and having to foot the bill.
Parker Caddell, SWC Student
By Mary York
A Perspective
Non-traditional casting is getting
in the way of theater, wrote Robert
Brustein in his article Lighten
up, America. Brustein describes
how politics force directors to be
selectively colorblind when it
comes to casting Caucasian roles.
While parts traditionally played by
white actors are now being played by
minorities, roles normally played by
ethnic minorities are untouchable to
white actors. Brustein said the politics
involved in making casting decisions
based on race, whatever they may be,
are damaging the arts.
Art is not the only place that suers
f rom over-correct i ve, ant i -raci st
precautions. Race-based scholarships
and affirmative action, though both
were created with good intentions, have
delayed the healing of wounds wrought
from racism.
Taki ng of f i n t he l at e 1990s ,
scholarships and legislation meant to
help promote the rise of minorities
in the workforce and academic arena
are terribly misguided. Race-based
scholarships are supposed to provide
financial support to underprivileged
mi nori ti es to hel p them through
college to offset the overwhelming
number of white males in American
universities. The problem with this
kind of scholarship is that, instead of
promoting equality, it further segregates
young Americans. ese scholarships
divide Asians, Latinos and American
Indians into groups and subgroups. is
does not create unity or equality.
Mikhail Lyubansky, Ph.D. wrote in an
article published this year in Psychology
Today that race-based scholarships only
further perpetuate mistrust between a
generation of Americans that should
have no reason to hold grudges against
one another. White students who are in
the same position nancially as some
minority students but do not have
access to the same scholarships feel the
system is unjust. Lyubansky suggests
scholarships should be given out on a
need basis, rather than a race basis.
But even worse is the eect on self-
image that these scholarships have.
For t he reci pi ent s , t here are
assumptions that the students are
s omehow l es s qual i f i ed, wr ot e
Lyubansky. is is not just a stereotype
that is imposed by the white majority.
It is also a mindset that is (at least
sometimes) internalized by the students
of color themselves.
After being accepted to colleges
because they help fill a percentage,
mi nori ti es are then subj ected to
armative action policies that further
aggravate racial tensions. Caucasians
claim that armative action unfairly
gives minorities the politically correct
tie-breaker advantage. Minorities
respond with a pointed nger. Despite
the fact the whites are to blame for a vast
majority of historys racial atrocities,
pointing the nger at a generation so far
removed from those events does nothing
to heal past wounds. Creating a system
that pits individuals against one another
based not on talents but on color is not
the answer.
The t r ue br ut al i t y here i s t he
unintended consequence of making
diversity an end-goal, rather than
letting it come naturally as a side eect
of equality. Armative action views
people of ethnicity as numbers to be
lled, percentages to be met, rather than
competent, qualied individuals.
That race helps to determine an
individuals acceptance to a college is not
armative action, it is discrimination
in action, wrote college journalist
Steve Robinson in 2009. Make no
mistake, the yearning for diversity which
motivates such policy is remarkably
beautiful, but it has corrupted the
very idea of character-based judgment
embodied by the civil rights movement.
Both armative action and race-based
scholarships are patronizing and built
on misguided perceptions of equality.
Equality is a college application form
that doesnt have a race circle to ll in.
Equality is a workforce where everyone
is hired based on what they can bring
to the table, even if that means there
are all-white or all-minority offices.
Equality is where directors choose the
actor who can transform into character
with the most grace, not the actor who
has the right skin-tone. Equality is
where people are considered on their
merits, are successful because of their
eorts and are accepted because they
are what we all are: human.
Angela Van Ostran/Staff
Affirmative action not always the
best solution to an old problem
I
greatly appreciate and respect
t he wor k s t udent repor t er s
do in presenting information
and perspective as reected in e
Southwestern College SUN.
is letter addresses a November
7, 2011, ar t i cl e regardi ng t he
Southwestern Community College
Di s t r i ct cons t r uct i on pr oj ect ,
commonly known as the Corner
Lot Project.
e article erroneously stated that
the Southwestern College Governing
Board had f i red Echo Paci f i c
Construction, Inc., the construction
manager on the Corner Lot Project.
This in incorrect. Students would
not necessarily understand that there
is specific contract language that
dierentiates between termination
for convenience and termination for
cause. e governing board did not
re Echo Pacic, but rather decided
to terminate the districts construction
management contract with Echo
Pacic for convenience.
is termination was without fault,
cause, neglect, or default on Echo
Pacics part, and the term ring
used in the article was misleading and
inappropriate. e districts contract
for construction management services
with Echo Pacic was terminated for
convenience, a contractual option per
the terms of the contract that is not
a reection upon the performance or
services of Echo Pacic.
I understand that e Southwestern
College Sun will publish this letter so
that readers can understand the actual
of the action, and correctly reference
the termination as a termination for
convenience in any future articles.
Denise Whittaker
Interim Superintendent/President
Occupy Movement is more than a
bunch of whites who do not represent
Superintendant says Echo
Pacific was not fired
Letters to the Editor
Smells like no team
spirit for the Jaguars
By Daniel Guzman
A Perspective
Gold helmets faintly reect DeVore
stadiums beaming lights into the eyes of
devoted Jaguar supporters as sanguine
cheers and a sizzling hot dog aroma
perfumes the evening.
Football games at Southwestern
College draw crowds that present a
unied collegiate establishment with
radiating spirit, but unfortunately that is
only the shiny side to a weathered coin.
When it comes to support for the
athletics at SWC, the 12 other sports get
snubbed by everyone who is not either a
relative or a friend of an athlete.
A lack of support and spirit from
students at community colleges is
generally seen throughout the country.
Some might believe that because it
is a community college the quality of
the athlete is not going to be at a high
level. at is a misconception, because
thousands of athletes from two-year
schools get recruited into prestigious
Division I programs. Many future stars
compete at SWC and colleges all over
the country.
At SWC some of the blame can
partly be put on the students, but our
school does not do a strong enough job
spreading the word about upcoming
athletic events. Similar to the news
updates that are sent out in the mass
e-mails to the students, sports would
benet from a comparable set of alerts.
College students have their plates
full of lifes endeavors. Taking time out
of your busy schedule to support your
struggling water polo team might seem
like a waste of time, but distractions can
sometimes be breaths of fresh air when
submerged in an ocean of obstacles.
Attending sporting events can be
a net benet for both the crowd and
the student athlete. At these games
concession stands oer the audience
treats and beverages, which provide the
program with proceeds for equipment
and other expenses. Not only can a
spectator enjoy a competitive match
but they can also enjoy an inexpensive
snack.
To expect a packed house at every
game is an absurd and unrealistic
supposition but calling for a consistent
turnout is not preposterous. Students
work hardstudent athletes work
twice as hard. eir dedication and
commitment to the representation of
this college through athletics should be
supported and appreciated by all who
attend that institution.
By Dafne Estrada
Staff Writer
Amer i cas mos t renown Lat i na
playwright crafts inspiring stories of
strong, independent women who buck
convention to chase their dreams.
Josefina Lopez has a great role model
herself.
Cr e a t i v i t y, i nt e l l i g e nc e a nd
determination are traits most parents
try to instill in their children, but for
the daughter of a campesino (a peasant
farmer), this was not the case. Lopez
grew up in San Luis Potos, Mexico
with seven brothers and sisters. Once
a commoner, she is now a successful
playwright, screenwriter and author of
works like Real Women Have Curves,
Simply Maria and Detained in the
Desert.
Lopez chal l enged a Mayan Hal l
audience to question why men were
seen as more important than women,
especially in a traditional Mexican
home.
The fact that I was intelligent and
creative as a woman was such a burden,
she said. If I had been born a boy, those
wouldve been incredible assets.
Lopez has become a motivational
icon for women everywhere. Emotion
filled the theatre as she talked about the
difficulties of growing up in a society
where women are demeaned for not
following traditional ways.
Most of us sell out to be liked rather
than to do what is right, she said.
Lopez said the power of the media
to instill a seed of hope and courage is
strong and should be used to promote
freedom, justice and equality.
Growing up she tried to make her
parents proud and worked hard every
day to meet their standards. Today she
knows the best way to do that is to
do what you love and do it well. Her
mother came to the premier of the film
version of Real Women Have Curves.
She said she was proud of me for the
first time, said Lopez.
Women cannot just stand by, complain
and do nothing when they are degraded.
You have to shut up or do something
about it! she exclaimed. We all have to
honor our spirit because otherwise we
die if we dont.
to provide a fresh experience. Players
are put through boot camp with raspy-
voiced drill sergeants, full-on medical
cl asses, and shooti ng cl asses that
provide a ton of real-world information.
Gamers are rewarded more for use of
tactics and teamwork rather than the
mayhem commonly seen in other war-
based games. Gamers made it one of the
most played on-line games of its time.
Lt. Col. Casey Wardynski developed
Americas Army to reach the tech-
savvy masses and aid recruitment.
Since the release of Americas Army
video games like Battleeld 3 and
Medal of Honor have capitalized
on scenarios that tie into real-world
situations. War-based video games
have increased in importance, due to
growing sales numbers and their eect
on recruiting.
Chris Devereaux, 39, a Southwestern
College computer science major, is a
former Marine who has seen games
of all types. Video games can give
prospective soldier a taste of warfare,
he said.
I think to a small extent at least,
war-based video games give the people
who play a basic idea of some of
what is involved, he said. ere is a
detachment that comes from the fact
that you understand that playing a game
is not reality. You arent getting hurt.
No one around you is getting hurt. No
one is really dying. But you still have
the sense of being on a battleeld.
Devereaux said these video games are
useful for recruiting.
I think gaming is a good tool to
use because it is entertaining, it holds
peoples attention, nobody is getting
hurt, he said. And at the same time
you are bringing forward as realistic a
view to these people as you can, without
spending extra money or wasting
resources.
Devereaux s ai d games can be
educational.
If you really pay attention and look
at some of these games, in a sneaky way,
these games teach history to kids who
wouldnt ordinarily look at it, he said.
A lot of these games now, especially
the ones dealing with WWI and WWII,
are dealing with combat. Sure, you are
talking about weapons and things like
that. But they make a point of historical
accuracy with what theyre putting into
these games.
Sean OMara, 25, a criminal justice
major, is a former Marine and Iraq War
veteran who rst enrolled in 2005.
He said games are only marginal
recruiting tools.
I guess if they intentionally try to
use them as recruiting tools, it might
help, he said. But unless they do that
and they just leave them where they
are at, I think it is just going to be the
same. You know like, Americas Army,
they intentionally use that to recruit.
OMara said video games cannot
realistically portray modern warfare.
With video games, its more always
going, always action, he said. Ive
been to Iraq and its pretty boring to
tell you the truth. ey dont really do
a whole lot of anything anymore. It
isnt really a realistic portrayal of what
its like now, but as far as being a video
game and being more like how it is
when it all rst popped o, yeah. Its
pretty realistic.
e Southwestern College Sun ARTS
Winter Edition, 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
Club Trendz, hip to the unknown
By Kyla Guerrero
Staff Writer
A rst-of-its-kind hip-hop club had a quick opening
in Chula Vista, but may leave just as fast.
Club Trendz had its grand opening this month,
saving Southwestern College students the drive to the
Gaslamp or Pacic Beach.
Owner Courtney Matthews created an entertainment
group called Verbal Assault to handle security,
bartending and pumping up the crowd on opening
night at his new club at Broadway and Main Street.
Club Trendz is licensed to stay open until 4 a.m.,
two hours later than most clubs in San Diego County.
It oered a 1 a.m. open bar to entice club-goers
and locals, but the oer was cancelled due to poor
attendance.
Matthews had a high expectation of 700-900 people
for the grand opening night.
Id be happy with 500, said Ben Brody, a Verbal
Assault team member.
After 1 a.m. the attendance count was 85, probably
due to the $10-$20 cover for an unheard of club in
a remote area.
Over the Border, the nearest competing club, is
a Latin club playing mostly rock en espanol and live
bands. It is less than a mile away.
For Chula Vista its pretty good, said SWC
Student, Karlos Santiago. Ive been to other places
around here and its pretty dead compared to here.
On opening night Club Trendz was surrounded by
tricked-out cars and trucks from Audio Excellence.
ere were a handful of LCD televisions and barstools
against the white walls. In front of the dance oor
there was a projection screen playing music videos
that did not match the music being heard. e screen
also blocked DJ Big Rome.
ere was a VIP section separated by a curtain, with
sofas and another projection screen with a live Twitter
and Facebook feed. e feed lacked updates.
Matthews is an active duty Marine and Verbal
Assault is made up of active duty and reserve military.
e club may be pigeon holed as a military club, but
with more advertising it may become more diverse.
Matthews said he is determined to build Club
Trendz into a Chula Vista landmark, but more
work needs to be put into advertising and customer
satisfaction.
Verbal Assault photographer Gene Arcilla said he
is optimistic that the team has a winning formula.
We felt that us folks in the Chula Vista area shouldnt
need to travel all the way to PB or Downtown, he
said. So were bringing the fun down south.
ARTS online
Simply Maria or
the American
Dream
RAW Student
Art Gallery
Exhibition
Annual Child
Development
Art Show
Directed by Ru Yeager, Simply
Maria or the American Dream,
showed from Nov. 29-Dec. 4. Look
for the review online!
Go online to read about RAW
the latest revolutionary art show
at SWC.
SWCs Child Development
Center Art Exhibit will remain
open until Jan. 18. Check out the
story online!
Games: Video games
prepare some soldiers
for combat situations
Continued from Page 6
>REVIEW
PAULA WATERS/STAFF
Lopez urges women to use their special gifts
Carlos Magana/Staff
COURTESY PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER MARTINEZ
WISE LATINA Writer/activist Josena Lopez encouraged SWC Latinas to stand up for
their dreams following the opening night performance of Simply Maria at Mayan Hall.
11
12
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4 e Southwestern College Sun A PERSPECTIVE 13
ear Mr. Vachon and everyone
there at Vanity Fair,
Vanity Fair does not seem to think much
of Chula Vista. Apparently one of New
Yorks nest tabloid writers took a turn down
Broadway on his way to getting drunk in
Tijuana.
Dana Vachon called e City of Trees a
curiously named town, meaning he speaks
no Spanish or he does not think we are muy
chula.
Que lastima, pobrecito.
Then the fourth trenta espresso from
Starbucks kicked in and he got mean. Really
mean. Really, really mean.
It is a sputtering neon error of beauty
academi es and pawnshops, recentl y
terrorized by homicidal Tijuana drug gangs
skilled at dissolving bodies in chemicals, he
sputtered as the caeine terrorized his body
with chemicals.
When Dr. Cheryl Cox, Chula Vistas
mayor and principal-in-chief, protested in
a good-natured response, Vanity Fair dug
down for some real New York vitriol.
apologies to the city of Chula Vista.
First, for mistaking the citys many thrift
shops for pawnshops. Second, for suggestion
that the presence of gangsters
skilled at dissolving bodies
i n chemi cal s cause
anyt hi ng more
than a shrug
i n t h e
populace. ird, for suggesting that the
citys many ne neon signs are sputtering,
instead of shining with a steady garish glow.
Talk about people who live in glass houses
throwing rocks. Mr. Vachon should scrape
some of the grime and pigeon droppings
from his oce window and gaze out across
his own amboyant but very awed city.
New York fancies itself the capitol of the
world, but it is also one of the meanest,
dirtiest, most congested and rat-invested
metropolises on the planet. Not to mention
the most expensive, dangerous, poorly-run
and poorly-maintained places where no
intelligent Chula Vistan would ever want
to live.
Chula Vista has Americas best climate
(just ask all the New Yorkers who have
moved here) and is a rare city with rivers,
the ocean, mountains, valleys and plains
in its boundaries. New York is all jammed
up on an island in the middle of two dirty
rivers. Some New Yorkers think they can
walk on water and they are probably right.
e East River is a trundling chunky oil slick
that could probably support the weight of
all of its greed-monger felonious Wall Street
bankers and stock market manipulators who
have brought our nation to the edge of ruin.
Chula Vista is an aviary heaven and the
Four Seasons Hotel of the Pacic Flyway
where birds and bird watchers from around
the globe come to visit. New York has
birds too, of course, large ocks of pigeons
and larger ocks of birds ying from the
ngers of belligerent cabbies. (Road rage
is apparently legal in New York, if not
encouraged.)
Vanity Fair folks obviously do not think
much of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans,
which is their loss. Mexico has one of
the worlds great cultures and is a global
force in art, music, fashion, food and
film. Chula Vista embraces its
diverse population that includes
Europeans who migrated west,
Latinos who came north and
Asians who sailed east. We
all share neighborhoods,
schools, jobs, teams,
goals and dreams.
New York is home
to people from
many dierent
r a c e s , o f
course, but
they all live
i n t hei r
o w n
separate neighborhoods.
Vanity Fair is the Archie Bunker of the
East Coast Media and evokes his famous
screed, You dont know nothin about lady
Liberty standin out there in the harbor, with
her torch on high, screamin out to all the
nations of the world Send me your poor,
your deadbeats, your lthy. And all the
nations sent em here. ey come swarming
in like ants. Your Spanish P.R.s from the
Caribboin, your Japs, your Chinamen, your
Krauts and your Hebes and your English
fags. All of em come in here and theyre
all free to live in their own separate sections
where they feel safe. And theyll bust your
head if you go in there! ats what makes
America great, buddy!
We do have gangs in Chula Vista, but
Vanity Fair has confused teenage grati
painters with the organized drug cartel
criminals from Mexico and Columbia. New
York, as the cradle of American gang activity,
has no moral ascendancy to on this issue.
New York has an Academy Award-winning
motion picture musical about its gangs,
West Side Story, not to mention e
Gangs of New York. Given the choice, wed
rather have our gangs than yours.
NewYork likes to boast about its arts scene
which is dazzling but seems to forget
that almost all great New York artists
actually came from other places, including
cities like Chula Vista, which has sent
innumerable actors and musicians to the
Big Apple. New York is home to the great
Billy Joel, but does the sta of Vanity Fair
remember that he had to come to California
to get anyone to listen to his music? Piano
Man and his early hits were all written in,
gasp, California. We Chula Vistans love to
remind anybody who loves music that we are
home to the Cricket Amphitheatre, one of
the worlds most beautiful and acoustically-
perfect concert venues. But dont take our
word for it. Ask Sir Elton John, who said
during a concert that it was the best place
I have ever played.
New York has many great things that
Chula Vistans admire like the New York
Times, Broadway, Columbia University,
the Empire State Building and Rockefeller
Plaza. It is also the place where Native
Americans were slaughtered, AIDS took
root in America and John Lennon was
murdered. Beauty and horror. Yin and Yan.
Light and darkness.
So lets go easy on thrift stores, which, by
the way, help the homeless, and pawn shops,
which New York has plenty more of than
Chula Vista ever will.
Go ahead and be smug about being the
Big Apple. We are okay being El Gran
Limn, the Powerful Pomegranate or the
Almighty Avocado. At least those fruits
really grow here. New Yorks are imported
fromChula Vista.
CHULA
SO
U
TH
ERN
CA
LIFO
RN
IAS
B
IGGEST
LEM
O
N
TOP 10 M
OST BORING
BARRIO VISTA
CHULA JUANA VISTA
A
.
K
.
A
LEMONS
INTO
LEMONADE
1. CHULA VISTA NATURE CENTER | San Diego Bay is unique
and so is its award-winning nature museum. New Yorks best
display of sea life is its restaurant lobster tanks.
2. CHULA VISTA MARINA | Americas most temperate
marina averages 72 degrees all year, same as NY ofce
buildings. Going for a sail in Chula Vista does not involve
Saks.
3. J STREET MARSH | An aviary paradise on the Pacic
Flyway. No neon in sight. Plentiful wildlife, but can not
compete in numbers with New Yorks rats, roaches and
bed bugs.
4. CHULA VISTA HERITAGE MUSEUM | It aint the
Metropolitan, but South Bay students can, unlike New
York kids, actually nd friendly, helpful people there.
5. OTAY LAKES PARK| One of Americas most beautiful
lakes hosts Olympic aquatics athletes, shing and
wildlife. No mobsters with cement boots.
6. CRICKET AMPHITHEATER | A musical masterpiece. No less
than Sir Elton John himself said during a concert that it was
the best place I have ever played. Sorry Madison Square.
7. SALT CREEK GOLF CLUB| Chula Vista has three gorgeous golf
courses which is exactly three more than Manhattan. Golf clubs in
Chula Vista are actually used for hitting golf balls, not muggers.
8. OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER | The Winklevoss
twins chose California over New York to train for their
upcoming Olympics and lawsuit against Facebook.
Could it be they Like Chula Vista better?
9. SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE | Americas border college and most
diverse student body is home to the nations best-ranked academic
Mariachi and newspaper (ahead of Columbia--you can look it up!)
10. LEN MOORE SKATE PARK | Chula Vistans actually
like their teenagers and built this state-of-the-art facility
for them. Chula Vistans run for exercise, not to survive
robberies.
11. DOWNTOWN CHULA VISTA | Our downtown isnt as rude or
pretentious as NYC, but we have no taxis, few rats and no gunbattles.
Planet Earths best taco shop, Lolitas, is nearby.
Despite what the trash-talking snobs at Vanity Fair may say, Chula Vista is
a beautiful, diverse, eclectic and unique place. Some sweet spots:
PLACE IN AM
ERICA
DESIGN BY DIANA INOCENCIO | PHOTOS BY ALBERT FULCHER, SERINA DUARTE, DIANA INOCENCIO, ERICKA GONZALEZ, ENRIQUE RAYMUNDO, PABLO GANDARA
By Albert Fulcher, Tom Lord and Ernesto Rivera
Editor-In-Chief, Viewpoints Editor and Assistant News Editor
D
(or so says
Vanity Fair)
would be or this is my calling.
She fell in love with theater and was
given the Billie Award from Coronado
High School for her role as Ariel in
Footloose in 2007 from the Coronado
School of the Arts.
Born and raised in San Diego County,
Lerner has developed a large fan base
and can be found on Facebook, Twitter,
MySpace and YouTube. Fans respect her
great talent, friendly bearing and quiet,
thoughtful nature.
Jessicas really inspirational and she is
one of my role models, said Kaitlin Say-
thong. Even though she has a life of her
own, she is still dedicated to her fans.
Lerners song Miracle sounds like
a love song, but is a blanket message of
encouragement to all young people to see
the wonder within themselves.
at song kind of kept evolving, said
Lerner. I would rewrite it and rewrite
the verse, and add a bridge. When I
learned everything, I had to start with
that one because it just kind of stuck
with me.
Pamela Lerner said her daughter takes
the art of songwriting seriously.
Good lyrics have a way of pulling
people in when the content ts, she
said. Jessica wants the message of her
music to be meaningful and strong.
Influences include Shania Twain,
LeAnn Rimes and Faith Hill, though
Lerner is often compared to Taylor Swift.
Lerner, though, may be Swifts superior
as a vocalist and a musician.
Lerners CD has been nearly two years
in production and should get a general
release early next year. It features a vari-
ety of original pop composition, ballads
and an exciting dance track.
Lerner said she hopes for a breakout,
but will continue down her musical path
regardless.
I have never really been interested in
anything else, she said. I dont have any
other burning passions that I would be
happy with for the rest of my life, so I
hope this works out.
Pamela Lerner told Jessica that she
would be there for her every step of the
way and to always be honest.
Jessicas soul makes her special, said
her mother/manager. Her music is only
one facet that she uses to express who
she is o stage. She is a beautiful, kind,
loving person.
By Daniel Guzman and Kevin Reyes
Sports Editor and Staff Writer
Sorry Bob Marley, but planet Earths
most popular form of island music is not
reggae. Not even close. Indonesias 215
million people prefer Sundanese Gamelan.
San Di egos Kembang Sunda
ensemble performed a fascinating
concert of percussive melodies at a
recent Southwestern College recital.
Traditionally played for the ancient courts
of the Java and Bali regions of Indonesia,
gamelan music is enjoyed today by every
social status, including an appreciative
Southwestern College audience.
e word gamelan is derived from the
Javanese gamels, meaning to strike or
hammer. Most of the instruments of a
gamelan ensemble are metal percussion
made of bronze, which provide the most
pleasing sound compared to other metals.
A distinct feature of these instruments is
that each set is made and tuned to stay
together, preventing interchangeability.
is ties to the idea that one cannot gain
a full sense of gamelan music by simply
playing one instrument.
Forcibly striking metal calls to mind
the thundering sound of Hephaestus
hammer clanging against forged steel.
Sound produced when striking a gamelan
instrument is quite the opposite. One
of the songs, Ayun Ambing, was a
Sundanese lullaby that could cradle the
heaviest of hearts to a blissful slumber
with its contrapuntal and soothing
sound.
Kodoma ng wa s t he one
contemporary piece of the five songs
performed. It honored a true essence
of traditional gamelan sound and had a
cyclical serenity of the song that mimics
the crashing of ocean waves.
Each song owed like the words from a
poets pen, punctuated with a thundering
strike of the gong. Under the direction of
Amy Hacker, the group evoked a feeling
of tranquility within audience members,
each instrument adding its own unique
layer and timbre.
Like two woodpeckers in synchronicity,
the hocketing sarons xylophone-like
instruments consisting of bronze bars
resting on top of a resonating frame
alternated notes and carried pieces to their
monumental climax.
Listening to Kembang Sunda had the
cleansing benets of meditation, relaxing
enough to help 215 million people
unwind.
Artaxis: Arts oldest
form nds home in
the technology age
Continued from Page 6
assistant professor of art. ey sent
me the clay and ceramic pieces they
wanted exhibited, so it was kind of like
Christmas for me to open all the boxes
and look at everything.
Artist Nathan Betschart said the
Artaxis.org website is a great place
to start networking. Students to
professionals can look at each others
art, receive job oers and link to others.
Not everybody is on it, said
Betschart. It is limited in a lot of ways,
but it is a good one. I mean its a start
to where people can go and is held at a
high standard.
Betscharts ghostly abstract piece
gave o an intensity that was alluring
and provocative. He was the most
questioned exhibitor at the artist talk
back.
For me the clay is important, he
said. It transfers a kind of a fragile
permanence. It is a material I can
manipulate to do what I want it to do
and give me the eects I want.
It is a dicult process as clay can
crack and break, but Betschart said he
enjoys the challenge.
To me all that is important is
process and that is hard for people
to grasp that idea, he said. For my
students I tell them I dont really care
about deadline, what I care about is
your process to get there.
Art at the exhibit highlighted the
evolution of pottery, including several
pieces from renown ceramics artist and
teacher Peter Voulkos, whose inuence
on pottery and sculpting came into play
in the 1950s and 1960s. His inuence
on ceramics is still felt in the U.S.
today. Voulkos is well represented in
the permanent collection of his work
on campus.
SWC art student Rohanie Lucero,
26, said the exhibit displays encouraged
her to expand her career goals in
ceramics.
I fully encourage any art class, said
Lucero. Its a fun class, its not an easy
A, but you get to learn a little bit about
yourself and the teachers are full on
ready to help you gure out what you
want to do.
Carlos Cervantes and Joe Grant are
hip and have things hopping. Hip-hop
enthusiasts since childhood, Cervantes
and Grant, aka Grizzo Flowz and Swift
Skillz, founded Hip-Hop Nation out of
love for the culture.
Cervantes babbles with excitement
describing the new campus club.
Hip-hop is my life, it was what I was
born into, he said. It inuences 95 percent
of my decisions. It helps guide me as a
person.
The talented duo said they hope to
motivate students to express themselves
through the four elements of hip-hop:
emceeing, DJing, break dancing and grati
writing. ey also plan on holding spoken
word events.
Hip-hop expresses reality, who we really
are, said Grant. We want to bring some
of the aspects of hip-hop that people might
not have been exposed to or maybe they
havent had enough exposure to and to shed
that light more.
Hip-Hop Nation held its inaugural event,
History of Hip-Hop, in the cafeteria
patio during college hour to showcase the
foundation of the form.
Music from the birth of hip-hop to
the Golden Era, said Grant. ats really
what it is, how hip-hop started to how
it grew.
Brandon Luna, Mexican-American
Studies instructor, manned the
turntables to play music from
legendary rap groups as A Tribe
Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan, as
well as late, great hip-hop pioneers
Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.
As a head-bobbing, hip-
hopping audience grew,
Luna switched the vinyl and
began to play a variety of
instrumentals, inspiring a
freestyle session. Participants
rapped a verse for one minute
to the beats that were being
played.
I was having fun, seeing
everybody there, everybody
happy, said Cervantes. I got
hyped. I was loving it. I was so
enthused and happy with seeing
how many emcees wanted to be
up there.
Hip-Hop Nation hosted a second event
at the SWC amphitheater where students
performed Spoken Word, an art derived
By Jamie Celeste
Staff Writer
JUAN CASTENEDA/
STAFF
HIP HOPPERS (top) Jose Wisdom
Avila was a hands down fave. (center) Stacy
Barnett rocked the rap. (bottom) Anthony
Lava Magdalena was a free stylin force
of nature.
Indonesian musicians
show they got gamelan
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
GAMELAN GAME ON (l)
Max Berry of the Indonesian
mus i c pre s e r vat i on gr oup
Kembang Sunda played a variety
of wood and metal instruments.
Lerner: Singer/
songwriters star is
on the ascendance
Continued from Page 6
WALTER GRAHAM/STAFF
RISING STAR Recording artist Jessica Lerner after her performance in the Racket Room.
please see Hip-hop pg. 15
ARTS
Winter Edition, 2011-12Vol. 55, Iss. 4 14
Amber Sykes, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
E-mail: arts@theswcsun.com
Independence
for H P-HOP
Nation
e Southwestern College Sun ARTS
Winter Edition, 2011-12Vol. 55, Iss. 4
Talent, variety on display at Student Art Show
S
tudent artists maintained
their reputation for great
creat i vi t y at t he 2011
St ude nt Ar t Show. It
showcased a collection of art from
photography, painting, drawing,
pr i nt maki ng, s cul pt ure and
graphics. Some was profound,
some was primary, all was pointed.
Thanks to a Clay Club fund
raiser, visitors enjoyed free coee
with the purchase of a $5 coee
mug handcrafted by SWC ceramics
students.
Professor of Art Perry Vasquez
displayed his students black and
white figure drawings created from
ink and mixed media.
Its an organic process, said
Vasquez. They may have an
original idea, but that idea evolves
and grows just like a plant does.
Kung-Fu by Franklin Segun
is a pattern ink drawing, made by
filling up a plain piece of paper
with ink until a form appears.
In the end they have a general
idea, but they dont know exactly
what is going to be and thats the
point because theyre forced to rely
on intuition and every process of
development, said Vasquez.
A dr a wi ng e nt i t l e d Ja c k
Skelenting by Lindsey Contreras
was made f rom charcoal and
represented a human skel eton
figure. Other figure drawings were
made from live models.
An untitled painting from wood,
acrylic paint and spray paint by
Frank Paredes had a revolutionary
feel . It showed photoshopped
pictures of a Zapatista from Chiapas,
Mexico in a mask and army colors.
Paredes said he likes to use imagery
that goes against the norm.
Usually when you see someone
in a mask you think of them as a
terrorist, said Paredes. For me, I
think we have to function in a daily
society and we have our own views
about different things. That guy is
not a terrorist, thats just a disguise
outside of work and a lot of times
you associate them with terrorism
but my thing is to fight with your
ideas, to fight with your words.
Express yourself in a way that is not
accepted and try to challenge what
is going on around you.
Prof essor of Cerami cs John
Oliver Lewis said he was pleased
with the mix of art from students
of beginning to advance classes.
This is kind of the cool exhibition
that we offer here at Southwestern
College where students are the
showcase, he said.
PAULA WATERS/STAFF
TALENT ON DISPLAY Student work was featured at an eclectic exhibit in the main art gallery.
African: Dance
troupe puts its best
feet forward again
Continued from Page 6
community colleges with classes in
African dance that perform.
If there is anything I want to
show not only to students but to
our community, it is that there is
more to music here at SWC than
Mariachi and choir, Caschetta said.
I only say that because our music
department is probably most known
for those two great musical groups,
but we do have a less well-known,
but every bit as exciting other music
and dance that happens here.
Spectators of the ensemble were
thrilled when the group performed
Gowri e Jam, a rhyt hm t hat
captured the spontaneous spirit of
celebration in the Fra Fra culture in
Northern Ghana. Hulsey said this
jam was her favorite.
is dance lets the energy out,
she said. It lets us go crazy and really
show what weve learned.
Caschetta said that in Ghana many
of the dances are performed for fun.
So everybody there should be
having fun, he said. Too bad we
cant get the audience to dance, that
would be very African. Its about
the community coming together to
celebrate.
Caschetta said he tries to organize
a formal performance for the African
dance class each semester. He said he
often likes to spice up the show with
a guest group that presents some
sort of world-inuenced theme in
their music.
Af roj azzi acs opened f or the
African dance ensemble. Saxophone
player Jesse Audelo, guitarist Louis
Valenzuela, percussionist Jacob
Russo, drummer Fernando Gomez,
percussionist Antonio Grajeda and
bassist Omar Lopez entertained
the audience with their blend of
Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-
American and Afro-Col ombian
music.
My one wish is to see all of you
in the audience up here dancing
along to our music, Lopez told the
audience, because thats what its
all about, bringing people together.
A remix of Celia Cruzs La Negra
Tiene Tumbao was the last song of
the set. As soon as Lopez started to
sing the tune, there was an obvious
wave of excitement through the
crowd.
Caschetta said he wants students
and the audience to have a good
time while being educated in African
culture.
Sign up for African dance class,
he urges. e more in the class,
the better the experience, the more
African it is.
from the Beat Poetry Movement.
Revolutionary poets of the 1950s known
as Beatniks created a new form of poetry
that is presented verbally with rhythm
and emotion.
Spoken word is more in depth,
said 20-year-old art student Brandon
Negrete. It gives you a chance to dwell
deeply into issues that you wish to
express.
Music producer and DJ Jamal Myxz
set the mood for the performance by
mellow instrumentals and Grant opened
the oor for anyone to present their
poetry.
It was a real positive moment,
said Tommy Edwards, 22-year-old
business major. People are able to
express themselves the way they want to.
at works for Cervantes.
I want to see the excitement in
people, he said. I want to see people
happy. I was thinking, if you want to
make a dierence, you got to say the
right kind of things to people, why not
through music then? And thats when it
clicked.
After a year of trying to get the club
organized, the pair agreed to make the
long-anticipated project a priority.
Weve been working on it for three,
four semesters maybe, said Hip-Hop
Nation member Alan Whitfield, a
19-year-old culinary arts student. We
nally got the okay.
Grant and Cervantes promised much
more to come.
Now that we got it rolling, said
Cervantes, were not gonna stop.
Hip-hop: New club
takes upbeat view
of exible music form
Continued from Page 14
By Eileen Salmeron Staff Writer
PAULA WATERS/STAFF
A PLUG FOR ABSTRACTION Installation pieces mixed with paintings, ceramics,
photography and other forms at the Student Art Show.
15
bid yet.
Janet Mazzarella, vice president of
the Southwestern College Education
Association (SCEA), said she was
shocked to hear that early construction,
which includes the new sports field
house at the football stadium and the
highly-visible corner lot buildings,
would not be covered by a PLA. She
said she still hoped a deal could be done.
When discussion about the PLA rst
began, this idea of Phase I being non-
PLA never came up, she said. It has
only been within the last month or so
that we even began to hear something
about this problem getting the PLA in
place for all construction.
Nader said the option of having a PLA
that included Phase I was never even
considered.
I never suggested to anybody that
the PLA would be done in time for the
start of construction, or that it would be
applicable for Phase I, he said. Never,
never, never. In my mind, based on
discussions I had with people involved
with this issue, it was always understood
that this was a Phase II or III proposal.
Nader al so sai d t hat hi s pri or
statements about Phase I actually
referred to a narrower portion of that
phase.
I meant specically the projects that
we signed management contracts for,
which are the bulk of Phase I, the corner
lot development and the eld house, he
said. ose are not the entirety of it. To
some degree, I misspoke in that regard.
Seaton-Msemaji said that a PLA
was nothing more than a collective
bargaining agreement between a city,
school district or water district and the
building and trades commission, which
represents all the dierent crafts in the
trade.
Its an agreement between an entity
who is the boss, he said. e boss
is who controls the money, who says
whats going to happen, what wont
happen and how theyre going to pay
you. ats Southwestern College. ats
the boss. e union is the other party in
the agreement.
Mazzarella described it in even simpler
terms.
A PLA says is is a fair working
wage. ese are benets that workers
can reasonably expect to keep them as
a middle class family.
Mazzarella also said she believed that
a PLA would protect the family.
My grandfather was a construction
worker and he raised eight kids and was
the only income earner, she said. As
a construction worker, you could raise
a family. ats what were trying to
protect now. ats what a PLA would
protect.
One of the problems that people
from both pro-labor and pro-business
positions discuss is the recurring
statement that contracts have already
been signed, implying that it is too late
to establish a PLA.
Mazzarella said that she had heard
that, but did not know what contracts
they were. She believed that one group
might have that answer.
If I went and asked the oversight
committee, they could tell me if the
contracts were signed, she said.
David Adams, president of the Prop
R Oversight Committee, said he knew
little about the contracts and even less
about any PLA.
I havent seen any contract, he said.
ey dont show us any of that stu.
Our committee is a bit of a farce because
we get our information from the school
and the people that work there. Were
e Southwestern College Sun NEWS
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
16
Catholic Charities has spread its
blessing far and wide throughout San
Diego County. And, by the way, non-
Catholics are welcomed.
Sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of
San Diego, the Catholic Charities is a
versatile service organization that assists
with immigrant and citizenship issues
assisting women who have suffered
domestic violence and uniting families
with the Family Visa Petitions and
Family Unity Benets. Accredited by
the U.S. Department of Justice since
1980, it employs qualied attorneys
and paralegals.
Deputy Director Robert Moser said
the charity is always busy. e main
oce is located on 349 Cedar Street in
San Diego with satellite oces through
the county. At least 1,000 people are
served monthly, said Moser.
Every Tuesday morning at 8 a.m.,
the charity offers an informational
session at any of its oces, covering
questions about immigrant services.
Appoi nt ment s ar e r equi r ed f or
assessments and guidance lling out
required materials.
ere are also fee waivers for those
who qualify, said Moser. We are
required by law to be low-cost. You can
try going to a lawyer or notary, but we
pretty much have the best deal in town.
The c ha r i t y r e a c he s out t o
communi t i es, organi zat i ons and
parishes. Reverend Jacob A. Bertrand
said the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic
Parish in Chula Vista has leased an oce
to CCDSD for a year now.
We at St. Rose simply provide them
a place to oer their services here in the
heart of Chula Vista, said Bertrand.
Deacon Gregory S. Smyth of St.
Rose said the CCDSD has been a
l ongstandi ng support system f or
immigrants.
The y ha ve a l wa ys pr ovi de d
immigration services to those who are
in need, said Smyth.
Moser said the charity promotes
family reunication.
We are an experience, qualied and
competent program, he said. We are
here to help.
April 2009.
Sandoval said his resignation had
nothing to do with Jimenez, but her
allegations made him decide to rescind
his resignation and ght back. After a
January 2008 governing board meeting
with discussions on three vice presidents,
Sandoval said Chopra specically asked
him to resign, along with
Dr. Ron Dyste, former vice
president of Academic Aairs.
I was puzzled why he
wanted me to l eave, he
sai d. Dr. Chopra made
life unbearable for me, so
eventually I decided to submit
my resignation, he said. It
was obvious that the board
was supporting him.
Sandoval s ai d he and
Dyste had problems working
wi th Chopras governi ng
philosophy and his way of
doing business in a college
environment. He said he
believes that is the truth
behind Chopras request for
his resignation. It was not
until after submitting his
resignation that he found out
about the sexual harassment
allegations.
When that happened
I wanted to resci nd my
resignation and stay and
deal with that issue, said
Sandoval. But Dr. Chopra
would not allow me to rescind my
resignation. The board had already
approved it by that time.
Governing board members accepted
his resignation in June 2008. At the
governing board meeting in September,
30 community members and faculty
stood in support of rescinding Sandovals
resignation. He reported then that he
had spoken with Chopra in two separate
conversations about extending his job
until January and Chopra said he was in
favor of doing so. But at the governing
board meeting, when questioned, Chopra
refused to comment saying he would not
speak about personal conversations.
My initial intention was to leave
because Chopra had asked me to because
things were not working out between
us, said Sandoval. Once the story broke
out about Ms. Ji menez
filing a complaint against
three administrators, I felt
I needed to defend myself
and I wanted to defend
myself, but was not given
that opportunity.
Sandoval sai d he di d
not receive the documents
clearing him of all charges
until after he had resigned
and litigation was in process
wi t h Ji menez and t he
district. He said he rst saw
the documents when the
district attorney contacted
him while preparing his
defense.
When I found the two
documents I was stunned
t hat t he document of
August 30 from (former
Vice President of Human
Resources Fusako) Yokotobi
had cl eared me, s ai d
Sandoval . And i n t he
document from Ms. Jimenez
from January 10, 2008 there
was reference from her that I
had done no wrong to her. When I saw
these documents, I said that if I would
have had these documents, I could have
shown them to the whole world that
I did no wrong and should have been
allowed to stay at the college.
Sandoval said he knew of no reason
why Jimenez included him in her
lawsuit. He said he could only speculate
that people he did not know inuenced
her and that she was motivated by
nancial gain.
An Augus t
30, 2007 SWC
memorandum
from Yokotobi
to Poveda stated
t he Di st ri ct
r e t a i n e d
attorney Ti m
Ga r f i e l d t o
i n v e s t i g a t e
the allegations
o f p o s s i b l e
i na ppr o pr i a t e
behavi or and/ or admi ni s t r at i ve
favoritismthe investigator interviewed
11 individuals and reviewed numerous
emails and other documents in order to
investigate two major allegations.
In the allegation that Sandoval had a
personal relationship with Jimenez and
as a result showed favoritism the ndings
stated that the evidence did not support
that he had an improper relationship
with Jimenez.
Although Mr. Sandoval and Ms.
Jimenez have a friendly relationship as
a result of both working in the One
Stop Center in fairly close proximity
for several years, the investigator found
no evidence that the relationship was a
close or intimate one. e investigator
found no evidence that the decisions
in which Mr. Sandoval was involved
resulted from inappropriate favoritism
toward Ms. Jimenez.
In a l etter to Chopra and the
governing board, Jimenez rebutted the
Administrative Determination of her
complaint of working with Poveda
and the Outreach sta calling it pure
hell and the hostile work environment
was degrading due to her admittedly
intimate relationship with Lopez. In
the letter she said she brought this
environment to the attention of Sandoval
and Yokotobi.
I simply followed my chain of
command, wrote Ji menez. The
department of Outreach could of
addressed Mr. Sandoval if they had
any concerns, but they chose not to.
Mr. Sandoval was always professional
in his role as a vice president. He
demonstrated sympathy and concern as
to how Outreach was treating me. I feel
Poveda and the rest of Outreach have
brought false allegations that gave rise
to an investigation.
SWC governi ng board mi nutes
for June 11, 2008 the board rejected
Jimenezs claim in closed session, but
Sandoval said there was a settlement.
ere were three of us involved and
what they required was a mediation
conference, said Sandoval. There
was a settlement reached, but from my
understanding it had nothing to do with
me. I had the documentation showing
that I had done no wrong. I just know
that in August or September 2009 all
parties signed an agreement.
Sandoval said he served as acting
superintendent for six months from
February 2007 to July 31, 2007 and
then went back to his position as vice
president of student services.
Sandoval said even through all of this
he was able to stick with his personal
goals and earned his doctorate in May.
He currently works as vice president
of Student Services at Moreno Valley
College.
It is a nice community, the college
is very diverse, said Sandoval. It is a
small college with about eight to nine
thousand students. I am its rst vice
president because it just got accredited,
so I am helping putting the infrastructure
in place, getting people trained and being
very proactive in serving students.
Church helps migrant community
Sandoval: Ex-VP
says Chopra unfairly
forced his resignation
Continued from Page 1
By Ana Bahena
Distribution Manager
Sandoval
PLA: Lack of labor
contracts draws re
from local unions
Continued from Page 1
By Mary York
News Editor
Coach Jerry Bartows office at
the baseball field was vandalized
during anksgiving break. ieves
graffitied the walls and wrecked
the oce, throwing uniforms and
left-over concessions around the
room and emptying all the drawers,
Bartow said. Several of the teams
jerseys were stolen as well as the
computer and sound equipment.
Bartow said he discovered the
wreckage on Monday morning and
called the campus police.
e campus police came down
and did a nice job, said Bartow.
ey took the ngerprints so they
might be able to gure out who the
taggers are.
This is the largest break-in the
campus has ever seen, he said.
Despite the nancial setback, Bartow
said the team should be able to
replace the jerseys before the season
starts in January.
By Mary York
News Editor
Students at Southwestern College
are being asked to wait longer
periods of time before receiving
their nancial aid and the delays
are causing unnecessary hardships,
according to Professor of Political
Science Phil Saenz.
ere was a lot of frustration,
he said. Part of it probably is
students not properly lling out
paperwork.
But Saenz said that the system is
clogged up and some students will
not be receiving their nancial aid
until the spring. He said he would
like to see a process published on
the website so students can gure
out beforehand what paperwork
they need.
Is there a step-by-step list of
things that students must have to
process their applications? he said.
When students do not turn in
their applications correctly the rst
time, he said, it backs up the process
and extends the wait.
Saenz s ai d he al s o made a
request to the Associated Student
Organization that it use some of
its funds to help support another
worker in the Financial Aid oce.
ASO President Claudia Duran
said student government declined
taking action on the idea because
it lacked the jurisdiction.
There is definitely a need to
have more sta support to assist
departments such as Financial Aid
to meet the needs for studentsin a
more ecient manner, said Duran.
In this case, the college district
does have the obligation to provide
ongoing resources for personnel.
e ASO resources are not designed
for this manner. However, the
ASO is always willing to assist if
possible.
News Briefs
Professor
criticizes
slow aid
Baseball
office is
vandalized
please see PLA pg. 17
If I would
have had
these
documents,
I could
have shown
them to the
whole world
that I did
no wrong
and should
have been
allowed to
stay at the
college.

Greg Sandoval
Former VP
NEWS
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
17
Mary York, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-5787
E-mail: news@theswcsun.com
Proposition R, the $389 million
bond measure passed by voters in
2008 to modernize and expand the
aging Southwestern College campus,
is slowly unfolding. Campus leaders
said they expect the pace to pick up
in 2012.
It may take 20 years to complete
the long list of projects, which will
be divided into 14 distinct phases.
Phases have been subdivided into
stages on the master plan timeline.
Stages one through four included
t he ne w t wo- s t or y Na t i ona l
Ci ty Hi gher Educati on Center,
preparation for the corner lot for
development, the Time Out Cafe
and the central power plant.
Stage five includes remodeling of
Devore Stadium, classrooms, team
rooms, locker rooms, faculty offices
and the fitness center. Stage six
focuses on recreating energy efficient
power upgrades, while stage seven,
updates the security, fire alarms and
the technology. Stage eight funds
equipment for remodeled buildings.
We are on track, said Dean
of Athletics Terry Davis. These
situations take more time than we
would all like.
Stage ni ne i s the i nstal l ati on
of synthetic turf for the football
stadium, soccer, softball and practice
fields, a proposal that has drawn
some criticism from faculty members
concerned about joint injuries to
athletes. Stage 10 is the beginning
of sol ar proj ects and i nstal l i ng
photovoltaic (PV) plates, an alternate
form of creating energy.
Mayan Hal l i s schedul ed f or
renovations in stage 11, including
improved access for disabled students
and updated plumbing.
Landscaping and remodeling of the
100 hundred buildings are scheduled
for stages 11-13. Stage 14 will focus
on improvements to 210 building.
Campus
renovation
underway
By Cody Yarbro and Elizabeth Lugo
Designer and Staff Writer
no preconceived ideas about what our
college was and, in fact, was willing to
learn about us quickly in order to serve
our community well.
Whittakers work extended beyond
restoring accreditation. Stuart said
Whittaker revived the constructive
energies of campus constituents as
she pieced back together the Shared
Consultation Committee and restored
authority to the Academic Senate.
e positive outlook was palpable
and hope for our college was rekindled,
she said. Placing the SCC back to its
rightful spot of importance and input
was key in restoring faith and trust
from all constituencies. In addition,
the Academic Senate was provided its
rights for those items that are academic
and professional matters, as set out in
Policy & Procedures 2515. is had an
enormous impact in improving campus
climate and in strengthening our shared
planning and decision-making.
Collaboration leads to changes
Whittaker had help rebuilding the
college. None of the accomplishments
of the last year would have taken place,
she said, had it not been for the college
and community.
e college has to take credit for this,
and I believe that heart and soul, she
said. Ive never worked where there are
so many interested students in whats
going on and the student commitment
has been just phenomenal. Its just been
wonderful.
Whittaker said that the quality of the
people made the job easier.
What surprised me most about
Southwestern were actually two things,
she said. One was the amount of internal
passion about this institution, the quality
of instruction and the dedication of the
students. Its extraordinary. It is not
just a job. ere is something unique
that is going on here internally that
is more than a job. e second aspect
was its role in the community and the
communitys obsession -- and thats a
positive obsession -- with interest in
whats going on in their college and
that doesnt happen in most community
colleges. People eat, sleep and drink in
the community what happens in this
college. I didnt know it would be that
way.
is is not to say that it was easy, said
Whittaker. ere were things she wish
she had been able to do at SWC that she
was unable to, she said.
I was so focused on accreditation I
restricted my exposure because there
was so much at stake, said Whittaker.
Theres a loss when you dont have
the opportunity to really visit all the
areas and get more connected with all
the people. e amount of operational
things that needed to be addressed were
pretty profound and it was trading
the luxury of going out and visiting
classrooms and attending more events,
reaching out to the community.
Whittaker said she knew the challenges
and the responsibility of preparing the
college for a full-time superintendent/
president.
I probably would have preferred to do
things dierently, but thats not really the
job of the interim, she said.
Time to say goodbye
As the tumultuous year began to wind
down and it came time to say goodbye,
Whittaker said she had second thoughts.
e college has pulled at my heart
and there was unfinished business
that I thought I could be eective in
helping them take the next steps for
complete healing, she said. I think
the combination of the passion and the
community interest just tugged at me
and made me think twice.
Whittaker said she wanted to make
sure SWC was left in good hands.
It was sort of as a back up, said
Whittaker. If they didnt have the
applicant pool they wanted then I was a
pretty good second choice.
Although her application had originally
been submitted as a safety net, Whittaker
said once she put her hat in the ring,
her heart and hopes followed it. It was
difficult for her when the governing
board selected another canditate, though
Whittaker graciousness following the
selection of Dr. Melinda Nish as the
next permanent superintendent. Nish
is Whittakers protege whom Whittaker
speaks highly of.
Once I had made the leap...I was
disappointed for me, she said. Im
not disappointed for Melinda and
Im certainly not disappointed for the
college. I think we would have had a
good run at it. eres healing to be
done still and it was selsh on my part
to want to be part of continuing this for
the next couple of years. en here we get
it all perfect and the new person comes
in and hasnt experienced what weve
gone through. e new person should
be part of the healing. So I understand
it logically.
In January Whittaker will begin a
year-long term as interim superintendant
of Palo Verde Community College in
Blythe. She said she will take with her
the struggles she overcame here.
One of the things Ive learned is
to maintain calmness in the midst
of what appears to be chaos, said
Whittaker. ere was a lot of blind
trust. I remember with many groups
saying I know we dont know what the
next step is. I know weve never done a
snap shot report before, I know weve
never done a full program review before
or a full strategic plan. And while youre
going through it you dont really know
what the next step is. But trust me.
Whittaker said learning how to
overcome those obstacles with SWC
was enlightening and encouraging.
All of a sudden we get through it
and we look backwards and we go we
really did it, she said. You can have
blind trust without panic and kind of a
comforting that its okay and youll get
through this.
Edice of time
ere is still healing that needs to be
done, said Whittaker. Foundations have
been laid for that, she said, including
a new governing board and a strong
presence of senior leadership in the
shared consultation process.
A governing board that is attentive to
the needs of the institution is signicant,
said Whittaker. at is the start, or
the continuation really, of the healing
process.
But Whittaker said there is only one
real answer.
Time is the only thing that heals, she
said. You have to be able to trust that a
setback isnt the end of the world.
e extraordinary
As Whittaker prepares to leave, much
like Mary Poppins, a deep sense of
gratitude, and underlying fondness and
a touch of sadness for those she is leaving
behind cloud her departure.
Every day is sad for me because
I know it will be the last, she said.
People underestimate whats been given
back to me. Its actually overwhelming.
Its overwhelming joy. It feels odd to
have that much come back to me.
Even through all the difficulties its
been joyful. Its been a life-changing
experience for me.
But Whittaker said her greatest
achievement as SWC was embedding
hope in the college and that will not leave
when she does.
At one of the rst summits we had last
spring we were all talking about where we
were with accreditation, she said. And
at the end of the summer -- I wasnt ready
for it, I didnt see it coming -- people
expressed a side eect of the gathering.
e side eect of the gathering was a
reuniting of family and the reestablishing
of hope. And I think that we arent done
here. ings arent nished, but I think
my greatest accomplishment has been
the reestablishment of incredible hope.
Whittaker said she has never worked
in a place quite like SWC.
is has been the hardest departure
Ive ever had to make.
Whittaker: Restored
accreditation, hope at
a college in turmoil
Continued from Page 1
only as good as the information we get
and the information we get is from
there. What I have heard is that they
have signed contracts, but not under
a PLA.
Tom Lemmon, business manager of
the San Diego County Building and
Construction Trades Council, said it
was his belief that very few contracts
had actually been signed.
As I understand it, the only thing
thats been put out to bid for Phase I is
the actual construction management,
he said. e buildings themselves have
yet to get approval from the Division
of State Architect. I think its safe to
say that without a set of drawings, you
cant get bids. I think it is very likely
that Phase I is still available to be put
under a PLA.
Nader said the board has not yet signed
a contract to provide those services, but
arrangements with both Seville and
Balfour Beatty never included a PLA.
Those [bids] were put out with
the assumption that there would be
no PLA, he said. If they want to
voluntarily manage the project with a
PLA, Im certainly ne with that. But I
dont think theres going to be an interest
in renegotiating existing contracts.
But Nader also said that he would be
willing to consider the Phase I PLA if
certain qualications were met.
If we can do a PLA wi t hout
jeopardizing contracts that have already
been approved and without slowing
down progress on projects, that sounds
great to me, he said. But somebody
has to do more than just give me a lay
opinion about how they dont see why
it cant be done. I would need a legal
analysis.
Ar guabl y t he l ar ges t pr obl em
establishing a PLA is the rift that exists
between the pro-labor and pro-business
sides. Mazzarella said the subject was
polarizing.
Labor feels like a PLA is important
and they have to have it, she said. e
construction companies, whether its
a good idea or not, do not want to be
bound by it.
Adams, who owns and runs Aerial
Construction in Bonita, freely admits
his pro-business position, but said he
understands the others stance.
ere are two sides to this, he said.
But to me there is no advantage in a
PLA.
Chris Cate, president of the San Diego
County Taxpayers Association, said his
groups position was rm.
e Taxpayers Association is opposed
to any requirement by any governing
board or council, whether it is a school
district or a city or what, to mandate a
PLA on a project.
Nader said that pulling the two sides
together would be impossible.
In meetings I had with organized
labor, the consensus was that a PLA
would probably be an insurmountable
barrier, he said.
Nader said he would continue to try
to nd a middle ground where they
could work together.
Im really surprised that at the
point when we have an opportunity to
make some serious and unprecedented
progress, that we would be trying to
revisit this issue without the benet of
some new legal analysis supporting it,
he said.
Mazzarella said that was unnecessary
if the majority of the board supported
a PLA.
If you have the votes on board, move
it forward, she said.
Seaton-Msemaji said that Naders
desire to bring the sides together had
only made the situation worse.
Tim thinks he can somehow mitigate
the disagreement between the anti-
uni on contractors and the uni on
people, he said. You cant. I and most
reasonable people would be in favor of
one. If there was any way we could nd
some middle ground, lets work at it.
Its worth it. But you have to be able to
recognize when thats not possible. Hes
not going to change them at all. ats
not supposition on my part. Weve been
dealing with these people for years. ey
are not going to change.
PLA: ere is still
time to sign pacts,
local unions insist
Continued from Page 16
please see PLA pg. 18
JIAMAY AUSTRIA/STAFF
PACKED WITH SUCCESSES Interim Superintendent Denise Whittaker prepares to exit the SWC stage.
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
A LOT TO CONSIDER Located at
East H St and Otay Lakes Road, the corner
lot has been empty for nearly a half century.
Prop R funds will be used to develop it.
Time Out Caf,
prepration for corner
lot project spearhead
eorts
e Southwestern College Sun NEWS
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
18
PLA: Construction
lobby opposes union
contracts at SWC
Continued from Page 17
Seaton-Msemaji said Nader was a
smart guy, a good person, and a hard
worker, but that he failed to understand
one key issue.
I think hes
tone deaf to
t he ur gency
of t hi s , he
said. Part of
i t i s because
hes ruled out
Phas e I and
Phase II isnt
going to start
for a long time, so he thinks we have
that much time to do it. He just doesnt
feel the urgency.
He also said that board delays had
only made the situation worse.
He told us at the beginning of the
year that he favored the PLA and that
most of the board favored it too,
Seaton-Msemaji said. But he wanted to
hold o because they had to deal with
accreditation and other major things.
We thought that was reasonable. en
after accreditation, they had to deal with
the state budget. en they had to deal
with nding a superintendent. eres
no reason why his subcommittee idea
could not have been established and
have been meeting any time over the
past six months. If that had been done,
thered be no question about being
involved with Phase I.
Nader said that trying to separate
contract from contract did not change
the truth of the matter.
The f a c t t ha t c ont r a c t s a r e
management contracts, and not ones
for actual construction, doesnt change
the fact that there are contracts out for
those projects, he said.
Nader said he thought that organized
labor was focusing its attention on
divisiveness instead of inclusion.
Im really surprised that we would
engage in friendly fire rather than
moving forward at this point where
we are moving closer to something
positive, he said.
But it is not only the unions leveling
criticism at the governing board.
Pro-business advocates decry a lack
of communication and uncertainty
around the very existence of the board
subcommittee tasked with researching
the PLA.
Im not sure of the status of that
committee, Cate said, if it ever met
at all publicly to review these issues or
any potential agreements or contracts.
He sai d that he woul d l i ke the
Taxpayers Association to be included
in any subcommittee.
If we were asked, wed certainly
participate, he said. If we were asked.
But we havent had that invitation.
Adams s ai d he has repeat edl y
inquired about being included in the
subcommittee as well.
I have asked them twice, he said.
Ive sent them emails about it. Ive got
no response, and thats kind of where its
at with that. I dont have a clue whats
going on.
Nader said that there were some
lapses in communication, but pointed
out that responsibility fell in more than
one place.
e thing is that there has been a lot
of indirect communication and not a lot
of direct communication from some of
these parties, he said.
e Problems with a PLA
Adams said any argument that a PLA
would not cost taxpayers dollars was
simply a lie.
Yes, a PLA can cost money, he said.
Ive heard both sides of this story yes
it can, and no it doesnt. I think the ones
who say it doesnt are just trying to sell
the thing. But its going to raise the cost.
Any time you have a third party coming
in and trying to control a project, theyre
making money o it. To me, this is just
another union trying to get in there so
they can spread the wealth around.
Cate said it was organizations desire
to prevent the taxpayers from spending
any unnecessary dollars and were
working to prevent it from happening.
We want to ensure that the oversight
committee has the opportunity to weigh
in and give their opinion about the
use of a PLA prior to it going to the
board, he said. ere is obviously a
potential that the use of a PLA could
increase costs. Im not saying it will, but
theres always that potential, which the
oversight committee has a responsibility
to review.
Cat e s ai d t hat t he Taxpayer s
Association had a rm stance against
a gove r ni ng boa r d ma nda t i ng
r ul e s t o t he ve r y c ont r a c t or s
who woul d be doi ng t he work.
We are opposed to any requirements
or mandates that contractors sign into
a PLA on a construction project, he
said. If a contractor who works with a
city or agency wants to have their own
PLA as a private party, were totally
supportive of that. But the mandated
use of a PLA? No. ats what we have
communicated to the board for four or
ve months now.
Adams said unions are to blame for
many of the problems.
If you look at it, the union worker
is making x amount of dollars and the
business agents are making x amount of
dollars, he said. A union is a business
like any other business, and the more
contracts they get, the more money
they make, and more money they get
to pay them dues. eyre pushing that
PLA so they can make money. eyre
making the money o the backs of the
labor people. eyre not the angels that
they think they are.
Adams sai d a pool of tal ented
construction workers in the area made
it easy to hire quality labor.
There are plenty of people here
in [metro] San Diego that can do
these jobs. Construction workers are
considered blue collar workers and
Chula Vista has a lot of blue collar
workers living there. San Diego County
has plenty of people. ey dont need to
go to Los Angeles or Orange County
or anything like that. ere are some
great craftsmen here and some smart
mechanics to put it all together.
In 1931 Congress passed the Davis-
Bacon Act which required contractors
and builders to pay prevailing wages
on all federal government construction
contracts. is meant that all the workers
on a particular project, regardless of
their actual jobs, had to receive at least
the prevailing wage in their particular
area. Since then, 41 states have signed
laws that require the same standards on
state government contracts. California
is one of them.
In California the legislation is called
the Prevailing Wage Law and it covers all
construction workers, union members
or not. Adams believes that these laws
make a PLA redundant and end up
costing taxpayers unnecessarily.
To give you an idea, he said, I
pay a laborer $17 an hour. When we
work on Prevailing Wage, Davis-Bacon
jobs, it goes up to $27 an hour. If the
laws werent in place, Id say a PLA
is probably a good thing, but Davis-
Bacon and Prevailing Wage are in place
to make sure the workers are getting
paid properly and theyre getting good
money, which they are. That theyre
getting good benets, which they are.
ere are training programs already in
eect. We dont need another company
coming in and setting all this up again
just so they can make more money o
this thing.
e Benets of a PLA
Lemmon said he sees a real value in
what a PLA brings to a project.
Those things vary from a highly
skilled workforce, training, coordination
of work schedules and safety, he said.
Unions, especially construction unions,
cultivate a workforce. SWC students
who want to enter into a construction
program will have opportunities and
may decide that construction is the path
that they choose for a career. Should
they do that, the long-term eect is a
middle class existence.
Mazzarella said the rhetoric about
higher costs under a PLA is false.
The construction people I talked
to tell me it doesnt raise the cost,
she said. [Under a PLA] you cant
hire completely unskilled labor for
minimum wage, but then do you
want minimum wage people without
a background in construction doing
your electrical wiring or pouring your
cement when the safety of your campus
community is at stake?
Seaton-Msemaji said that is what
some contractors want.
What these contractors do is to hire
a few people locally then go and get
whatever they can for the least they have
to pay, he said. ey literally bring
people in from other states Idaho,
Montana, Arizona and pile them up
in motels. ese workers live on top
of each other for the duration of their
work, and God knows what theyre
paying them. eres no oversight.
He asked why dierent districts and
cities kept using PLAs if they were
harmful to the economy.
Just this year, there have been a dozen
new PLAs in California, he said. Its
because a PLA is a value to them. In
this economy theyre not going to do
anything that costs them money. ey
cant.
Mazzarella said she would like to see
a PLA put in place now, but would like
it to be clear.
I think the public would feel better if
the PLA was written so the community
could see what was involved, she said.
It would dispel some of the myths, like
the one about a PLA excluding non-
union members.
Seaton-Msemaji agreed that it was
just a myth.
If youre a human being and you
are within the local hiring zones and
the contractor hires you, youre in, he
said. You never have to go to a union
meeting, sign a union card, or be a
member of a union.
He admits that a PLA would benet
the union members, too.
Because of the economic downturn,
most construction unions have long
lists of out-of-work members, Seaton-
Msemaji said. Im not talking about
somebody new that hopes to work in
construction someday. Im talking about
members who dont work anymore
because of the economy. Getting those
jobs, getting those people back to work
is urgent.
Seaton-Msemaji said that a job in
construction could easily lead to a
career.
A n
a p p r e n t i c e
today in sheet
me t al make s
$15 or $16 an
hour, he said.
Us ual l y you
go to work in
the classroom
and on the job.
So you make
$16 an hour,
y o ur he a l t h
insurance starts
i n a c oupl e
o f mo n t h s ,
your pensi on
accrual starts
immediately. An
apprenticeship
lasts ve years.
Every year you
get a raise. By
the time you nish your apprenticeship
and youre a journeyman, youre making
$30 an hour. In a couple more years,
youre making $70,000 a year. ats a
way for a person to have a career and
not just a job.
Mazzarella agreed.
Not everyone wants to go to college,
she said. Not everybody wants to be
a doctor or lawyer. We need people in
the working class that can earn a good
wage, have benets and health care, and
raise families.
Seaton-Msemaj i sai d a PLA i n
place keeps taxpayers money in their
communities.
Without one, the bond money
comes in and it goes out and doesnt
do the local economy a damn bit of
good, he said. It doesnt put people to
work that live there. One eect on the
community is the opportunity to have
local hire. Southwestern College can say
they want to give a preference to locals
living within the school district, then
in metro San Diego, then within the
county, before you go outside the area.
You cannot do that legally except under
a PLA. If a contractor goes through all
that and still cant somebody, he can go
to the moon or Mars or wherever he
wants to go.
On June 8, 2010, Chula Vista voters
passed Proposition G, called the Chula
Vista Fair and Open Competition
Initiative, by a 56-44 margin. Prop
G banned PLAs from the city. Seaton-
Msemaji said that doesnt matter.
That bal l ot meas ure coul dnt
prescribe what other jurisdictions could
do, he said. All it could do is to aect
projects overseen by the city of Chula
Vista. It has nothing to do with the
Southwestern College district, or the
Sweetwater High School district, or any
of the water districts.
He said that was an example of how
anti-union, pro-business advocates
worked.
ats one of the reasons that the
anti-union contractors are so successful
at ghting PLAs sometimes, like with
Prop G, Seaton-Msemaji said. I bet
if you were able to survey those people
that voted that day, 90 percent of
them wouldnt know what you were
talking about. The voters of Chula
Vista did not ban PLAs. They were
tricked by some very clever and eective
electioneering, and it worked. Fair and
Open Competition? ere were union
members who voted for that. Fair and
Open Competition? Weve been waiting
for that our whole lives. Of course!
Lemmon said that San Diego Unied
School Districts $2.1 billion agreement
was a good example of a PLA done
right.
One of the things that weve done
really well was in SD Unied, he said.
e school board wanted to put people
to work from the district. In addition to
that, they wanted to reach out to those
communities in the district that had
high unemployment and high levels of
poverty. ey had a goal of 35 percent
hired from there. To this point this year,
were at 47 percent union referrals on
that project, which is pretty amazing.
Projects are coming in faster than
they expected them to, meaning that
theyre getting completed quicker than
engineers estimates. ats a real good
savings to the district.
Seaton-Msemaji agreed.
Some of these are getting done
quicker, he said. Not just on time,
but ahead of time. They bid 20 or
21 projects there and all but one of
them has come in under their budget
estimate. e rst one didnt because of
an architects error. All the rest came in
under budget. ats a fact.
He sai d the PLA was good for
the district, but also good for the
contractors.
Those 20 or 21 contracts? Most
of them were bid on and won by
non-uni on contractors. You cant
discriminate like that against them,
Seaton-Msemaji said. In SD Unied,
written right into their PLA, it says
if the contractor has benefits equal
to or better than union benets, the
contractor can use theirs. Who decides
which is better? e school district is
the arbiter. e union does not get to
decide.
Mazzarella said that not only was
having a PLA put in place immediately
a benet, but if they had one in place
earlier, it would have already helped
the college.
That snack bar area she said.
What if your PLA said that if you ran
over by a certain amount of time, youd
have to start giving back your prots
on this project? at thing could have
been done a year ago. It is bad project
management to let them run over and
drag their feet. ats a good example
of how a PLA could have beneted us.
Mazzarella also said there was one
simple reason why the PLA should be
in place immediately the voters.
I think hiring local labor was a big
selling point to get the taxpayer to vote
for Prop R. And if that is in fact the
case, they should stand behind it and
hire local workers.
She said that there was public support
for the agreement and the governing
board needed to get started on it right
now.
I cant tell you how many letters have
been sent to Tim from the city councils,
from senators, from various unions and
organizations. Ive seen probably 10 of
them that all said, Get it done, get it
done, get it done. is is important.
Seaton-Msemaji said that continuing
to try to nd a compromise with anti-
union activists was a waste of time.
ose guys are not going to change
their attitudes about this for one
reason: most of the things they say in
public about why theyre against PLAs
arent even accurate. How can you
change somebody who knows theyre
misrepresenting the facts? ey have
their reasons why theyre doing it and
we cant change them. Its not possible
with them.
If we can do
a PLA without
jeopardizing
contracts that
have already
been approved
and without
slowing down
progress on
projects, that
sounds great
to me.
Tim Nader
Governing Board
President
Repeat
policies
tighten
By Kyla Guerrero
Staff writer
A last-minute reprieve has spared
Southwestern College students a
$10 per unit fee hike for spring
2012, but the relief will be short-
lived. In summer a new $46 per
unit fee goes into effect.
California Community Colleges
Chancellor Jack Scott and the
California Legislature decided to
delay the fee increase to summer
even though falling state revenues
will force another $30 million cut
from community colleges. As many
as 200,000 students may lose access
to classes.
I was pissed when I learned
i t went up to 36 (dol l ars per
unit), said Esteban De Leon, 22,
a telemedia major. I wouldnt
be as mad if they managed to
use the increase in price for
things that benefitted the students,
especially for me as a film student,
where funding and classes get cut
severely.
Community colleges nationwide
have increased tuition rates 8.7
percent according to CNN Money,
bringing community college tuition
to an average of $3,000 a year.
SWC s t ude nt s wi s hi ng t o
further their education beyond
an Associates degree have more
financial worry. College costs are
rising across the country. About 50
miles away CSU San Marcos is the
hardest hit in the nation, raising
their fees 31 percent. SDSU has
not raised fees, but has severely cut
enrollment.
SWC s t udent s wi l l al s o be
subject to a new course-repeat
and withdrawal policy starting
t hi s s ummer. The Cal i f or ni a
Communi ty Col l ege Board of
Governors passed a revision to Title
5 restricting students to repeat a
course if they have received a D,
F, NP or W three times. Students
who wish to retake the course a
fourth time, they will have to take
the course elsewhere.
Much of this new policy is meant
to foster student responsibility.
I think the policy is good for
a person that has gotten three
D or F grades, says De Leon.
Because if you are a student and
you havent managed a good grade
thats your fault. Students like to
blame teachers, but when it comes
down to it, its almost never the
teachers fault.
SWC officials are encouraging
students to be real i sti c about
their ability to complete courses
successf ul l y and to read cl ass
syllabi to ensure attendance and
participation requirements can be
met. Educators are growing less
patient with students who take
valuable seats in classes only to
dump or fail them.
So me s t ude nt s , howe v e r,
expressed concern about the policy.
There is one class I need to take
that Im having difficultly on, said
Veronica Golenia, 22, a public
health major. If I fail it a third
time I wont be able to transfer.
The policy has captured many
students attention.
As a new student I have to take
classes seriously, said Ernie Hicks,
18, a mechani cal engi neeri ng
major. I want to get out of here in
two years and the new repeat policy
could be a good motivator.
Nader
ONLINE
:
Visit e Sun
Because quality should be accessible.
NEWS
Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
19
Mary York, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-5787
E-mail: news@theswcsun.com

10% with Flyer Valid until 12/2011
(Across from Bonita High next to WingStop)
1550 East H Street Suite J
Chula Vista, CA 91913
619.600.3560


Moffat was not available for comment.
He was recently put on administrative
leave by the college for reasons that have
not been disclosed.
Director of Student Activities Arlie
Ricasa said Moffats leave was not
related to the Clay Club controversy.
Lewis said the ASO needs to come
clean and do its business in a more open
manner.
We would like to know how these
decisions are made, what other clubs
ask for and where the money is going,
said Lewis. It is a mystery.
Clubs turn in allocation requests to the
ASO every semester to receive funds
that are used to fnance club activities.
Allocations must be turned in before the
deadline and usually within two weeks
clubs receive award letters stating the
amount of money the ASO is giving
them.
Tameika Guerrero, vice president
of club affairs, said that clubs must
go through two cycles to apply for
allocations. About $12,000 is allocated
in the frst round, she said, and $3,000
in the second. Forms must be thoroughly
completed, legible and detailed or the
club will not receive any money.
Al l ocat i ons have never been
misplaced before, she said.
Guerrero said she does not feel that the
aairs of clubs are private. She said she
has an open door policy and encourages
anyone to contact her about any questions
they have.
Money allocated to the dierent clubs
is public record and this information
can be requested if at any time anyone
would like to see them, said Guerrero.
Inquiring minds could also go directly to
club executives for information regarding
how much they received from allocations.
Bia said the ASO allocations system is
awed.
I would like to know why they do
everything in paper work, said Bia.
Nowadays everything is done digitally
and it is much less likely to be misplaced,
a record of turned in allocations should
be kept so proof exists and issues can be
avoided.
Guerrero said she appreciated Bias
suggestion, but insisted paperwork is
more appropriate.
e reason we do paperwork instead
of digital is because we want it to be
ocial and in their hands, she said. We
are considering a receipt process for next
semester.
Decisions regarding allocations give
lenience towards new clubs, Guerrero
said, and priority to fund raisers and
events that benet the most students.
We discourage excluding people,
she said. We
want clubs to
pl an events
t h a t w i l l
benef i t t he
whole school.
New clubs
are less likely
to have their
own money
s i nc e t he y
have ne ve r
raised funds
b e f o r e .
Guerrero said
the ASO tries
very hard to
keep thi ngs
fair, but some
clubs need the
money more
than others.
C l u b s
can ask f or
whatever they
n e e d , t h e
rewards letter
explains the
reas ons f or
how and why
the money was
di s t r i but ed
that way, said
Guerrero.
At the beginning of the semester
the ASO holds Club Training Day.
ASO treasurer Angela Ramirez held an
allocations workshop before training
day. If any other questions come up
representatives must make sure to ask the
vice president of club aairs so that no
mistakes are made when lling out forms.
With the help of Jasons Courtyard
coee cart, the Clay Club funded its own
ceramic cup sale on November 22.
We always try to plan ahead when
it comes to educational activities, said
Lewis.
The club also raised $1,500 Ior a feld
trip.
ASO: Clay Club
complains about lost
funding paperwork
Continued from Page 1
Eastern Chula Vistas only public library
branch is moving from Eastlake High
School to a storefront at Otay Ranch
Town Center. Proponents of the move
and said it will generate more visitors,
help neighboring businesses and create
new jobs.
Even so, the move did not excite
everyone at Eastlake High.
Jim Merzbacher, Eastlake High School
librarian, said the librarys closure is
unfortunate and will hurt students at the
campus.
In 2008, I helped organized a concerted
eort to prevent downsizing and closure at
that time on behalf of the eastern Chula
Vista community, said Merzbacher. e
closure seemed to be inevitable because of
budgets, desire or necessity to downsize, as
well as their desire have more autonomy
by their middle and upper management.
Tim Colby, general manager of the Otay
Ranch Town Center, said the neighboring
community is excited about the opening
of the library.
is popular destination will further ties
the shopping center into the community
and provide families with yet another good
reason to visit the center and oer exciting
opportunities to work with the library
to promote their programs to mutual
benet, said Colby.
Library employee Jodie Sawina said the
new facility will feature Wi-Fi inside and
outside of the building. It will also oer
family-oriented events and will stay open
more hours.
We are expecting our presence at
Otay Ranch Town Center will create an
additional draw for busy families in eastern
Chula Vista, said Sawina.
Construction of the new library is
currently under way and will take six to
eight weeks. Plans are scheduled to have it
open in January or February 2012.
Eastlake Library moved to Otay Ranch mall
By Daniel Sanchez
Distribution Manager
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
ALL BOOKED UP Otay Ranch Town Center will soon be the new home of Eastern Chula Vistas only public libary after its collection and sta were moved out of Eastlake High School.
I would
like to know
why they do
everything in
paperwork.
Nowadays
everything is
done digitally
and it is much
less likely to
be misplaced.
A record of
turned in
allocations
should be
kept so proof
exists and
issues can be
avoided.

Edward Bia
Clay Club President
SPORTS
Winter Edition 2011-12Vol. 55 Issue 4 e Southwestern College Sun
20
Speedy cross-country champion Ayded Reyes is
usually the fastest person around, but one evening
fate caught up to her. So did the INS.
After her boyfriend was pulled over on a
routine trac stop by two Harbor Police ocers
in Chicano Park, she was unable to prove U.S.
citizenship. Even though she was the innocent
passenger in the car, the Border Patrol was
summoned. Reyes found herself sitting alone in
INS detention cells for four days, uncertain of what
her once-bright future might hold.
I came here when I was a baby, said Reyes, who
was born in Mexico City. I was brought here by
my parents. I had no control over that.
Reyes said four days in detention cells was a
horrifying experience and she wonders how many
students like her have gone through a similar
ordeal, lost and
deported to a
country they
never knew.
She said this is
the reason she
is willing to tell
her story to help those who do not have the
same support that saved her from immediate
deportation.
It was nerve-wracking, said Reyes. I cried like
Ive never cried before. Im usually a lot stronger
but this was just
Reyes said she was very uncomfortable with the
sudden attention she has received from the news
media, but as bad as it made her feel to talk about
her ordeal she knew she had to.
I started talking because I want to bring
awareness to how horrible the conditions are for all
the other people that have to go through this, she
said. Its too personal and I dont know if I want
everyone to know. Its something I went through
that was really hard. Ive never been treated that
way or put through such bad conditions.
Taken initially to the Imperial Beach holding
facility, Reyes said INS agents began trying to get
her to sign paperwork saying she wanted to go
back to her country immediately. She said she
remembered a warning from a high school Spanish
teacher to not sign anything under pressure by the
Border Patrol or INS. Her teacher taught her that
everyone in America has human rights, including
the right to due process.
e rst thing they gave me was this paper in
Spanish, even though I was speaking to them in
English, said Reyes. When I asked for paperwork
in English and told them I was going to college
the ocers didnt believe me. ey were making
fun of me. Im an immigrant, but Im not dumb.
Reyes refused to sign the paper, which made the
agents unhappy. Reyes stood her ground.
Im not going (to Mexico), said Reyes. I have
family, but I do not know anyone there. I kept
wondering what I was going to do over there,
where I would go. Tijuana is a very dangerous
place to be now.
Reyes said the pressure and the stress made
her just want to sign the papers, but she knew
better. She said the most important message
she wants to get out to the public is the horrible
conditions in immigration detention centers and
the mistreatment of detainees.
What about all the other people that dont
know they have the right to go to court? she said.
What about the way theyre treated? Its not right.
While sitting in holding facilities, Reyes said
many questions went through her mind and she
felt completely isolated. She wondered what would
happen next, what she needed to do and did not
understand why she was being treated so badly.
Ive worked so hard (to earn a university
scholarship) and now I can just lose it all, she said.
e reason my parents came here was to succeed
and when you see that you can just lose everything
in a minute its horrible.
Reyes was shued from detention facilities
in San Ysidro, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach.
She said in between transfers she was held in a
small holding facility. She said the conditions
were hideous and does not understand why they
make people go through what she described as a
nightmare.
eres no bed, you sleep on the oor, said
Reyes. ere were three of us in there. We only
had one really thin blanket each and the air
conditioner was on high. eres a sink on top of
the toilet and you are supposed to drink out of the
sink with no cups, you have to slurp.
Reyes said no one knows what people go
By Albert Fulcher, Ernesto Rivera and Serina Duarte
Winning the Race
OF HER LIFE
please see Reyes pg. 21
Geriatric Jaguar, 55,
inspires the young pups
By Alexis Dominguez
Assistant Sports Editor
At an age where some professors are
retiring from Southwestern College,
55-year-old Dave Wade has just begun
his career chasing around teens and
20-somethings out on the football
eld. Not as a coach, but as a player.
Wade strolled into the locker room
for summer football and exited this
month, making school history as
SWCs oldest student ever to play on
the football team. He is the only SWC
athlete ever known to be eligible for an
ASO card and an AARP card.
Football head coach Ed Carberry
said he found it hard to believe Wade
would be able to make it through the
whole summer of training, let alone
keep up with 20-year-olds.
I thought he would quit within a
week, said Carberry. I saw him and
I told him that this was a little more
up-tempo than maybe he was used to.
He got in there and he asked for no
quarter, which is a military term for
saying no break. He asked not to be
treated dierently. He wanted to do
all the work everybody in the class was
doing, which involves a lot of heavy
lifting and exercises that most older
peoples lower backs might go out on.
At the end of summer, Wade gave
Carberry his biggest surprise.
He really hung in there and did a
great job all summer, said Carberry.
Summer is over you gure, Well, he
is done, nice experiment, you surprised
everybody, and then he tells me, I
want to try out for football.
Athletic Director Terry Davis said he
was surprised when Carberry told him
of the geriatric Jaguar.
It was strange news, said Davis. I
did talk to Dave about it and he said he
wanted to play football his whole life
and he never had the opportunity. He
wanted to take the opportunity, which
I thought was phenomenal. It was also
a little scary because youre concerned
for his health and welfare.
After passing his physicals and
practi ce assi gnments, Davi s and
Carberry decided to give Wade the
go ahead.
He went out there and he survived,
said Carberry. He practiced hard
everyday and was on time to the
meetings. He was an inspiration, really,
to a lot of people.
Wade was no ones token old guy. He
became a big hitter on kicko units.
Offensive lineman Marc Pouvave
said he looks up to Wade.
He sure has inspired me, said
Pouvave. Especially when I feel hurt,
I look at him and hes 55 and has no
complaints about anything.
Once during practice Pouvave sent
Wade ying through the air on a tackle.
Pouvave blocked him down eld and
hit him pretty hard. He was amazed
that Wade got right back up. Pouvave
is 6 feet 4 inches tall and 340 pounds.
I have knocked a lot of guys out this
season and he got up, said Pouvave.
Some of the other players didnt.
Pouvave said Wades attitude towards
playing is great. He always comes
out with a good attitude and no
complaints, he said.
Wades older brother, Paul, who
lives in Peoria, Arizona, found out
his younger brother was going to play
football over the phone.
It doesnt surprise me that he would
try something like this, he said. I
asked him why he was going to play
football and he said he never had a
chance to play. He thought he would
give it a chance, so I said go for it.
Paul Wade said when Dave gets
something in his head he just goes full
blast for it.
Its one thing trying out for it and
its another thing when they actually
put you on their team, he said.
JIAMAY AUSTRIA/STAFF
TOUGHER THAN THE REST Homeless and 55 years old, Dave Wade was a force
on the SWC special teams. He also achieved his lifelong dream of playing college football.
New soccer
coach kicks
up interest
please see Wade pg. 22
please see Figuero pg. 21
By Michelle Robles
Staff Writer
K
aryna Figuero grew up in a
household where her father
made a living throwing a
baseball. She gets her kicks
with the ball on the ground.
Figuero, Southwestern Colleges new
womens soccer head coach, learned to
appreciate hardball from her father, a
professional baseball player.
I started playing soccer in New Jersey
and we moved a lot because my dad played
baseball, said Figuero. From there,
we moved to Florida and played there
until college because we stayed there the
longest.
As a freshman she made the varsity team
and was named oensive MVP. Figuero
credits high school soccer for helping her
learn about discipline, responsibility, and
teamwork. After high school Figuero went
on to play for Florida Atlantic University.
I played at a really high level, said
Figuero. I was so used to playing and
starting that it was dierent for me because
I didnt start. I came o the bench so that
was an adjustment for me. I had to learn
that it wasnt about me it was about the
team and that helped me a lot to become
more humble.
Figuero and the womens soccer team
had a humble season this fall with a 6-11-
2 record, but the new coach expected
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
A FORTNIGHT AND ODD DAYS Ayded Reyes was nearly deported, spent ve days in INS de-
tention, then won the PCC cross country championship and took fth in state despite being tripped at the
starting line.
through at these facilities until someone who
has been there can go out and tell everyone.
She said the Chula Vista detention facility
was a little better, she at least got to take a
shower. Guards, however, demonstrated a
sadistic streak and subjected detainees to
sleep deprivation and other tactics from
prisoner of war or concentration camps.
Its horrible, you dont even see the
sunlight, said Reyes. At night when you
were sleeping they would knock on your
window just to wake you up. For no reason.
ere are little things like that that are just
not right.
Reyes said she wonders about all the
people sent o to foreign places that were
never their home.
All those people probably had it worse
than me, said Reyes. It just makes me
wonder. You dont know how they were
treated and how they were sent back. Its sad.
I dont think it is right. eyre humans.
Reyes said her four-day incarceration
felt like months. But she said she had to
compete that week and wanted to be there
for the team. Determined to do well at the
Pacic Coast Conference Championship,
she immediately focused on training and
homework after her release. She did not
want to break the Southwestern College
streak of winning the conference over the
past 11 years and said, is is not going
to stop me.
It felt great to have something positive in
my life, said Reyes. I was a little nervous
because I hadnt run in two weeks. But I
fought with all my heart and ran my heart
out. I just kept telling myself I have got to
do this.
In a storybook nish, Reyes won the
PCC Championship going away. SWCs
championship skein lived on. Reyes
was the favorite to win the California
championship a week later in Fresno. Her
heroic accomplishment could not have
happened without the support she received
from people she had never met.
I didnt know how close I was to being
deported until Saturday, when coach told
me, said Reyes. While in detention I
didnt even know what was going on.
I actually thought they werent doing
anything for me, but a lot of things were
going on I wasnt even aware of.
Cross-country coach Dr. Duro Agbede
said he was contacted by Reyes parents
on Friday and informed that she had been
picked up by Immigration.
When I got the call from her parents I
was shocked, he said.
Agbede said that Reyes has been in this
country all her life and her arrest caused
many people to stand up for her.
Its not just her being a star student,
said Agbede. Its that shes a student at this
college and every student from this college
has a lot to oer to this country.
Agbede said he was blank after receiving
the call, wondering what he could possibly
do to help Reyes. He first contacted
Professor of Journalism Max Branscomb
and Professor of History Laura Ryan.
Branscomb immediately contacted a human
rights law rm recommended by Governing
Board Vice President Norma Hernandez to
block an immediate deportation.
Immediately Laura and Governing
Board President Tim Nader got involved,
said Agbede. We were on the phone all
day Saturday. From that Friday, especially
that Saturday, which was the critical time. I
was on the phone back and forth, back and
forth with Mr. Nader. It was tough, it was
really tough. I really have to thank him.
Nader said he rst heard about Reyess
situation when he was approached by Ryan
while attending an SWC Chicano/Latino
function. He said he put Ryan and Agbede
in touch with Congressman Bob Filners
sta and also contacted an immigration
lawyer that is very committed to this type
of situation.
As a lawyer myself, I believe it is best
to get the best representation in this type
of case, said Nader. It is very important
that you have good representation in this.
Nader said he made several phone calls
to faculty, federal authorities, Filner and the
detention facilities to let them know how
concerned the entire college community
was in the possibility of losing a star student.
She is like the poster child for the
many students that face this problem, he
said. She is one of the best students that
represents the college and deserves the right
to fair representation.
Nader said it was a collaborative eort
by many people on campus that helped get
Reyes out of the detention facility and he
was happy to do what little he could do
to help the process.
When I spoke to the INS authorities,
they said they were receiving many phone
calls from people expressing that Reyes
should be released, he said.
Nader said the family had called an
immigration lawyer, but the fees were
well beyond their nancial abilities for a
sustained legal ght.
I tried to put them in touch with
resources that I know that are aordable or
free, said Nader. I am not sure whether
they found the help they needed there,
but felt it was important that she received
good representation at a cost the family
could aord.
Agbede said Saturday was a critical day
because Filners oce contacted him and
told him Reyes was being prepared for
immediate deportation.
at was the critical period and luckily
I was able to contact, for the rst time,
the supervisor from where Ayded was
being held in detention, said Agbede.
I explained to the supervisor the people
already aware of Aydeds situation. ey
needed to know that she was not alone.
I was direct and I was forceful in making
him understand that this is the type of girl
you have.
SWC Governing Board Trustee
Humberto Peraza said he was taken aback
when he heard about the Reyes saga and
immediately contacted Filner and his sta
for help. Reyes situation really touched
a lot of people, he said he wanted to do
as much as he could to help. Peraza, a
former member of Filners sta, said it was
the combined help of everyone who got
involved that got her out.
She is an amazing young woman, said
Peraza. She is a great student and athlete
and she is an American just as much as any
citizen of this country.
Peraza, a former high school cross-
country runner, said he knew how hard
it is to sit for a week, then compete. He
said he was amazed at how quickly Reyes
bounced back.
It is astounding to me, after the stress
and fear she went through that she went
straight to competition and came out
victorious, he said. I am so proud of her.
Peraza said he is working with Filner and
Reyes to do private legislation because he
believes it really aects an individual that is
going through this process. A U.S. Senator
is also interested in the Reyes case.
Agbede said the contact with INS
intensied once he learned Reyes had been
moved to the San Ysidro detention center.
Once theyre moved to San Ysidro its
straight across the border, said Agbede.
After that discussion Ayded was moved
back to Chula Vista.
e ght from Agbede, Nader, Peraza
and Filner paid o.
By Monday, I called the congressmans
oce, said Agbede. ey requested me
to contact Aydeds parents and send them
down to the INS oce and pick her up
and by then Mr. Peraza sent an e-mail to
everybody that Ayded would be out in
two hours.
Reyes said she is very thankful for the
people that helped her through this ordeal.
I thought I was going to get bailed out
by my mother, said Reyes. But thanks to
Bob Filner I was bailed out on Monday.
Agbede said Reyes said is an extremely
talented student and athlete.
e most important thing is that here is
a girl who will denitely go to a university
on a full scholarship, said Agbede. She has
had an outstanding performance including
winning the 2011 Pacic Coast Conference
Championship and still remains among the
best female distant runners in the state.
Agbede said that Reyes PCC title
enhances her opportunities for a full
scholarship.
If she didnt run in the Pacic Coast
Conference (nals) she would not have
had the opportunity to run for regional
and state, said Agbede. Winning the
conference championship places her at a
higher rate of a full scholarship. Without
that, it wouldve been a hard sell because we
would have basing her performance on the
previous year and athletics is what have you
done for me lately? Where are you now?
Agbede said that Reyes timely release
was pertinent.
Reyes said her parents and sisters are her
strongest support, and this experience has
brought them all much closer together. She
faces a court date on March 1, 2012 and
has a pro bono lawyer building her a case
to help her stay in the U.S. She said she is
unsure what is in store, but she is going to
ght hard for the future she has worked so
hard for.
Agbede said in the end he was lled with
happiness and relief`.
e joy was that someone who had been
through this situation and with this kind
of stress was able to let everything out and
give the best performance of her collegiate
career, said Agbede. It was very, very brutal
competition.
Agbede said Reyes feels all students in
a similar situation should be educated on
their rights.
ere should be a way to reach out the
students in her situation and explain their
legal rights to them, he said. Everybody in
this country, whether theyre a citizen or not,
has rights. Not only as an American but as
human beings, fundamental human rights.
SWC should provide all AB 540 students
with information about their rights in case
situations like these occur, Agbede said.
Either through orientation, through
counseling or through the international
student department, he said. Letting
them know that in case this happens, these
are your rights, this is what you can do, this
is important.
Agbede said detainees are greatly
pressured to sign a document approving
their deportation before they have an
opportunity to seek representation.
Once they are taken theyre extremely
fearful, he said. When you are in detention
you can not be contacted by anyone.
Agbede said Reyes was lucky because
she was able to get assistance and believes
everyone should be able to have that.
Ayded wouldnt be in this situation if
she had no one to call, said Agbede. A
student should know if they have this kind
of problem they have someone to contact
that can be of assistance and have their
rights protected.
Agbede said a lot of people helped Reyes.
e credit goes to everybody. All the
people that made this possible, said
Agbede. Id sincerely like to express my
thanks to everybody. Particularly, Ms.
Laura (Ryan), Mr. Branscomb, our board
president and Mr. Peraza.
Reyes has been oered scholarships by
several universities, including Ivy League
schools.
ere are a lot of reasons for me to stay
here, I have a lot to lose, she said. Right
now I just want to go to a good university
and one that has a good biology program.
I study here and Im going to get a full
scholarship, so Im not even going to put
the government in debt with loans. Im
doing this by myself and I have worked
very hard for this.
SPORTS
Vol. 55 Issue 4 Winter Edition 2011-12
21
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
DOWN BUT NEVER OUT PCC Cross Country Champion Ayded Reyes has had numerous
full-ride scholarship oers, including Ivy League Brown University. A biology major, she has a
3.5 GPA taking rigorous classes.
SERINA DUARTE /STAFF
A NATIONAL ROLE MODELReyes story is now being told on national television
networks like ESPN, Univision, NBC and ABC.
Figuero: A new era
for the Lady Jaguars
soccer program
Continued from Page 20
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Daniel Guzman, editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
e-mail: sports@theswcsun.com
Reyes: Locked up,
knocked down but
still in the race
Continued from Page 20
2 record, but the new coach expected
a year of adjustments. Figuero said
the elements are in place for years of
successful soccer at SWC.
Lady Jaguars captain Francine Celis
said the team has come a long way.
Coaches really cared about us,
its more than just soccer, its about
getting ahead in school, she said. We
improved a lot and we showed it. We
ended good.
Players said Figuero did a great job in
her rst year as a coach and liked that
she grew up playing soccer like them.
Figuero said she always loved sports,
but in college she realized how important
education is. She took an internship
with the Houston Astros and the
many opportunities that exist working
insports. She began her coaching career
in San Diego working with younger girls
at a club. Soon enough she was coaching
high school soccer and in short order got
the job as assistant coach at Grossmont
College. After just a year she landed the
head coaching job at SWC.
Figuero said she was intrigued to
come and coach at one of the nations.
The culture down here, being
Hispanic myself, I felt I could really
relate to this group in general and I
could give them something to look
forward to in life, said Figuero. Just
because we are females doesnt mean
we dont play sports, we dont get an
education, we stay at home and raise
the kids. I want to lead by example.
Lady Jags learned more than how to
score a goal from Figuero.
She showed us that no matter what
you do not just in soccer you just cant
give up, said freshman midelder Laura
Del Castillo. Its about your attitude
not so much about what you are doing
but who you are as a person.
Figuero said in seasons to come the
team will improve.
ere is a positive, we are going in
the direction in which we need, said
Figuero. Its going to take a while. It
might take a year or two but they are the
beginning of it. at is what I am trying
to get them to understand. Maybe they
wont be the conference champions, but
in four years from now they can say we
were the ones that started that.
Figuero hopes to turn the program
around and make it a more desirable
place for students to come.
I hope to draw a lot more talent to
the school, and to make them see there
is a future here and its worth coming
here.
e Southwestern College Sun
SPORTS
Winter Edition 2011-12Vol. 55 Issue 4
By Alexis Dominguez
Assistant Sports Editor
Aaron Harris, the record setting
running back for the Southwestern
College Jaguars, is rushing toward a
bright future as a scholarship athlete
at a major university program. Not
bad for a guy who had no intention of
playing college football.
SWCs star was an undersi zed
defensive lineman who loved to hit
when his high school coach ipped
him to the other side of the ball.
My freshman coach saw something
I did not, he said. I thought there
was too much into the running back
position for me. at is why I would
rather stay on the D-line. It was a lot
easier than I expected. It was pretty
much getting the ball and I would
run.
Harris holds the Jaguars record for
most yards in a season with 1,128
yards in 2009. is year he set a new
college career rushing record with an
even 2,000 yards. His eorts, even on
a scuing team, have attracted much
attention.
Ive had coaches actually y down
here to see me, he said. ats when
I decided that football is actually going
to get me somewhere.
Harris said he did not plan to play
college football, even though he was
successful in high school. Small for
defensive linemen at 510, 200 lbs.,
he said he planned to play basketball
or run track. After learning more about
SWC and its program, he decided to
give football a chance.
Harris said he chose SWC because
Coach Ed Carberry did not promise
anything he could not deliver.
I prefer to be told the truth than
giving me the fairytales, said Harris.
Athletic Director Terry Davis said
he is a fan.
He is a phenomenal athlete, said
Davis. He has the burst of speed to
really get going. He has the tools and
the consistency. He is a true talent and
thats rare.
Carberry said he is impressed with
the progress Harris has made.
There are two kinds of running
backs, VHS and digital, said Carberry.
A VHS running back sees it, thinks
about it and then does it. A digital guy
sees it, thinks it and does it all at once.
Harris is a digital running back.
In his first year at SWC Harris
suffered a shoulder injury that he
thought could end his career. Harris
decided not to have the surgery and
instead embarked on a seven-month
rehab. He came back to participate
with team workouts last spring.
Im just not a surgery type of
person, he said. I believe that its
better to let stu heal naturally.
Players, coaches and trainers all have
to communicate, said Harris. Working
through the injury with the coaching
sta, Harris said he was not going to let
the injury stop him from his long-term
goals of playing at a university.
An injury, as long as I am able to
bounce back from it, is not going
to aect me and thats exactly what
happened, said Harris. The most
important value is the relationship we
have with each other. You are not going
to have a united team if you cant talk
to each other. If youre not able to have
a conversation with your coaches.
A running back must have speed,
agility, strength and patience, but one
trait is often overlooked, said Harris
e most important thing for you
to have is reaction, he said. You gotta
know where the D-linemans going and
be able to act on what hes doing. ere
are certain things you have to notice.
Harris has been frustrated by the
Jaguars meltdown after a great start.
His last home game was not the
ending he had imagined. On a muddy
gridiron, the SWC Jags were walloped
by Santa Ana, 35-17. Harris churned
for 166 yards and a touchdown,
but i t wa s
not enough
t o gi ve hi s
team the lift
it needed.
At games
end, Harri s
s t o o d o n
t he mi ddl e
of field with
his helmet in
his hand and
his uniform
c ompl e t e l y
c ov e r e d i n
mud. He got
down on one
knee with his
helmet in his
r i ght ha nd
and started to cry. His best fiend,
teammate Marcus Clements, and
quarterback Brett Nelson joined him
and gave him words of encouragement.
By the eort that everybody put
in, I couldnt ask for a better team and
family, he said.
Harris name will be immortalized
in the history of SWC Athletics,
but he said he is o to seek his next
achievements.
Its a great moment in my career,
said Harris. In any school that I go to,
I plan to break some record. I like my
name being known. I put in the work
to keep my name so that everybody
can remember it. I always want to be
known.
He admitted he did not know how
to react when he started hearing from
college recruiters.
Its a surprise, he said. I have
never had anything like that happen.
Ive gotten these letters that they send
to everybody, so I was not expecting
much.
Harris said big-time programs are
reaching out.
I hear from the Ol Miss coach at
least once or twice a week, he said. I
get a phone call or a Facebook message
from the University of Cincinnati
coach all the time. ey really like me.
Having to choose between three
universities is a tough decision but
a pleasant problem when both have
oered full scholarships.
Harri s has narrowed down hi s
choices to University of Cincinnati,
University of Georgia and is waiting
to hear from University of Indiana.
His decision will be made in mid-
December, he said.
If I had to choose between the three,
it would be Cincinnati, he said. ey
were the main school that showed
me love when they found out I had a
shoulder injury. ey stayed with me.
Even though his football career is
doing well, Harris still has academic
goals.
I want to be the rst person in my
family to get a degree, he said. I want
to get a Masters in business and minor
in drafting and engineering. Drafting
and engineering was my main goal
and then I got into business. I want
to start my own business, but I still
like making and inventing these new
designs of buildings.
Building structures will have to wait.
Harris is too busy building a legend
at SWC.
Record-settingJagrushestoD-Icollege
RUSSELL SCOFFIN/STAFF
BIG TIME RUSHER Aaron Harris became the rst SWC running back to run for 2,000 career yards. He also holds the single season record of 1,128.
I decided
that football
is actually
going to
get me
somewhere.

Aaron Harris
SWC Running Back
Wade said he believes the most important
body part in football is the heart.
I did some boxing and that was a tough
sport, said Wade. I dont know which one
is harder, football or boxing, but both of
them take heart because you know you are
going to get hit and you are going to get hit
hard. Its knowing if you can mentally and
physically take it.
On the fth game of the season, Carberry
decided to put Wade in the game against
San Bernardino Valley College on kick-o
coverage.
Wades memorable first play against
SBVC is his favorite.
I was nervous and scared because you
dont know what was going to happen,
he said.
Wade ran down the eld towards the
ball carrier as fast as he could. He saw that
the ball carrier had him beat running up
the middle of the eld. Wade angled in on
him, stretched his left arm out under the
players chin and smacked him straight to
the ground.
Everybody in the sideline realized Pops
was on the eld, said Carberry. He makes
the tackle and people just went berserk. All
the players ran on the eld to high ve him.
Wade said he did not realize what had
happened since it happened so fast.
Our bench erupted and my teammates
were slapping me on the helmet, said
Wade. I didnt know what was going on,
it happened so fast! e rst thing I saw
after seeing the guy go down was Carberry
jumping up-and-down.
Carberry embraced the moment along
with all his players.
You can get penalties for excessive
celebration, but they didnt really care,
said Carberry. I was chest pumping and
jumping in the air, too.
Wade showed toughness, passion and
heart that some players lacked this season.
He has grit, said Carberry. He has
that toughness that allows people to ght
through hard times. He has the ability to
continue and ght through and press on
even at times of adversity. He tells me Hey,
Im going to dress up every day. Yeah my
shoulders hurt and my knees hurt, these
things happen, but I am going to keep
coming. And thats what he did.
Adversity is nothing new to Wade. Going
through the ups and downs throughout his
life, he struggles with tough times in San
Diego county. Currently homeless, he lives
in his van that remains parked on the same
spot it has been in for three years.
It would be much easier living in a house
or apartment, but I have gotten used to it,
he said. Not having a job, Im not able to
aord a place. Hopefully that will change
soon.
Wade said he will attend City College
next semester to earn his AS degree in
manufacture engineering in hopes of
landing a better career and job.
Carberry said he will not remember Wade
as SWCs oldest player, but as an inspiring
soul.
He was a great teammate, said Carberry.
He was respected by his peers and I think
thats the hardest thing to earn. He was
productive because of his games and because
everybody saw him here every day on time at
the meeting. He didnt let things get in the
way. He understood what his responsibility
was from a student and athletes standpoint
and he lived up to it.
Davis said he believes this was a unique
experience.
at is what we do as a college, said
Davis. We help people achieve their
personal goals. We should all wish that we
have a chance to reach our personal goals in
life as we go on.
Wade has no rituals or good luck charms,
but he gives credit to his higher power for
his ability to play football.
Lets face it, I am 55 years old, he said. I
have never heard of anybody playing college
football at my age and I do not think it is
me. As long as I am entrusted in Him, He
will take care of things. I give credit to Him
for giving me the opportunity to do this.
Wade said he can check an item o his
bucket list.
I have watched football all my life. Ive
always wanted to play, but I didnt have a
chance to play at the schools I went to. I
nally got the chance at SWC and I tried
to make the most of it.
D-Wade: Freshmen
Jag football player is
also a real life Senior
Continued from Page 20
B
ernie Fine and Jerry Sandusky
are making headlines, but it isnt
for their sporting achievements.
Fine is from Syracuse, and has three
victims. One of his victims alleges Fine
touched him from the beginning of
seventh grade until he turned 27 years
old. Officials are still investigating the
alleged sexual abuse case.
Sandusky is from Penn State.
Through his non-profit charity for un-
derprivileged boys, The Second Mile,
Sandusky was able to molest 10 boys.
Sandusky is being charged with 40
counts relating to the alleged sexual
abuse of eight boys he met through
The Second Mile, according to CNN.
Before Fine and Sandusky, there was
Donald Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick molested nearly a dozen
young African-American boys, at
Winter Haven, Fl., while he was the
clubhouse manager for the Red Sox.
Fitzgerald was charged with four
counts of attempted sexual battery
between 1975 and 1989.
Rick Lopez, a womens basketball
coach for the high school basketball
travel team Colorado Hoopsters, was
charged with 59 counts of physical
and sexual assault in July of 2004. In
December of 2004, he hung himself in
his jail cell.
A 1995 study by Sandra Kirby, a
sociology professor at the University of
Winnipeg, concluded that 22.8 percent
of a Canadian sample had sexual in-
tercourse with a coach or other person
in position of authority within their
sport.
In 2003, a Seattle Times investiga-
tion found 159 coaches reprimanded
or fired for sexual misconduct in the
past decade in Washington state alone.
The investigation also stated that 98 of
the 159 still coach or teach at schools.
The common ground among all
these cases is that they all involve
coaches taking advantage of their play-
ers or younger, defenseless children.
But more recent cases have surfaced of
athletes themselves victimizing their
peers.
In Massachusetts, two younger play-
ers on Andover Highs mens basket-
ball team were forced to play ookie
cookie, where one of the younger
players was forced to eat an Oreo
cookie, covered in bodily fluid. The
other player switched schools.
An incident closer to home is the
Castle Park High Schools football
team hazing of another member on the
team with a pencil.
In a study by Alfred University in
2000, found that 1.5 million U.S.
high school students 48 percent of
students who were members of school
groups were subjected to hazing each
year. Hazing has gotten more violent
and sexual since 1995.
In sports, it is easy to not be aware
of or to look the other way because
coming forth might label one a traitor
or disloyal to the organization. But
the trend of sexual assaults in sports,
whether it is between coaches and
ball boys, charity founders and under-
privileged boys, or players and younger
teammates, is in fact showing disloyal-
tyto humanity. Coaches are the faces
of their respective organizations and it
is their duty to represent their school or
organization with honor and integrity.
Players must represent their organiza-
tions with those same principles. So
when players and coaches think they
are being loyal to their organizations
by sweeping the rug over these horrific
incidents, they are in fact doing their
organizations a huge disservice. They
are showing that protecting criminals
and winning games is more important
than the life of innocent individuals.
At the end of the day, its not about
the program.It is about morality. It
is about protecting the safety and the
basic human rights of these innocent
lives.
AMANDA L. ABAD
Sports has a
bad record of
sexual assault
22
oey Chavez is going to
London, the birthplace of
soccer. Fitting, as Chavez
seems to have been born to
play the planets most popular
sport.
He was also born with
cerebral palsy, but to the hard-
charging exercise science major that
detail seems merely a footnote. Chavez
is the striker on the national Paralympics
soccer team and his goal is to score goals.
A striker is the teams primary scoring
threat.
I feel a lot of pressure being in that
position there are a lot of responsibilities,
he said. (But) get the soccer ball under
your feet and it will nd its way to the
back of the net.
Chavez and his teammates all have
cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder
that aects motor skills. Some may call
it a disability but not Chavez.
Ive never actually ever felt that my
disability is a bad thing, he said.
His father, John Chavez, said his son
is a role model for those in the disabled
community.
(Joey) has done a lot for people with
handicaps, to show them you never stop,
keep trying, said John Chavez. When
he was born they said he would never
walk, but he has been running. He is
an inspiration to kids with handicaps.
ere is always something you can do,
dont stop.
Once Chavez puts on his uniform and
gets on the eld, he is determined to let
no obstacle stop him.
ats the thing, we never let that
get in our way, said Chavez. We dont
like to think we have a disability. We
like to go out and play soccer. We have
that same thing, we come from the
same story, we live our life and try to
overcome those obstacles.
Chavez said he would like to work
someday as a personal trainer, physical
therapist or adaptive PE teacher.
I know how it feels to be a client and
I want to help others with disabilities,
he said. I love to see the smile on their
faces when they have their needs met.
August 29 is the ocial start of the
games and Chavez said he intends to
be in optimum competitive condition.
is may mean he has to put the pencils
down for a while to keep his cleats on.
I want to be in the best shape I can,
he said. I know where I started and
what has set me back, the surgeries.
I want to focus less on time studying
and replace that with more time on the
soccer eld and training. Every day Im
training, the day I miss I know someone
else is getting better.
Hi s parents support hi s soccer
sabbatical.
I am his number one fan, said his
mother, Vickie Chavez. If you ask him
he will tell you. He is amazing I am so
proud of him, I think I taught him to
never say I cant, just keep trying keep
doing.
e Southwestern College Sun
SPORTS
Vol. 55 Issue 4 Winter Edition 2011-12
23
877- NUGOLF-1
WWW.NUGOLFACADEMY.ORG
Z0 PALCMAR AlRPCRl RCAD, SllE 10 * CARLSBAD, CA P2011
! Online or on-campus programs
! State-of-the-art swing lab
! Financial aid and transfer scholarships available
! Streamlined transfer admissions
PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
! Associate of Science with a Major in Professional Golf Management
! Bachelor of Arts in Sport Psychology
! Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in
Professional Golf Management
NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY
GOLF ACADEMY

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Disabled in name only
Southwestern College soccer star is training hard
for 2012 summer Paralympic Games in London
J
Marshall Murphy | Assistant Photo Editor
MARSHALL MURPHY/STAFF
A GOAL TO SCORE GOALS Joey Chavez did not let cerebral palsy prevent him from making the 2012 U.S. Paralympic soccer team that will play in London this Summer. (bottom) Chavez prepares for the match against Canada.
BACKPAGE 24 Design by Pablo Gandara and Serina Duarte Winter Edition 2011-12 Vol. 55, Iss. 4
STAR-CROSSED CROSS-COUNTRY SEASON
$VWRU\ERRNQLVKWDNHVDXLVKWXPEOH
Palomar Invitational
(Men) 2nd place overall
Ansu Sowe, 1st place
(Women) 2nd place overall
Ayded Reyes, 1st place
Riverside Invitational
(Women) 18th place overall
(Men) 19th place overall
Stanford Invitational
(Men) 23th place overall
(Women) 29th place overall
PCAC Championship
(Women)1st place overall
Championship 11th year in a row
Ayded Reyes, Individual Champion
Valerie Hycz, 2nd
(Men) 2nd Place Overall
State Championship
(Men) 14th place overall
(Women) 15th place overall
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PHOTOS BY SERINA DUARTE
Story by Serina Duarte
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
RACING FOR THE FINISH LINE (l) Jasmin Romo blistering the home
stretch. (c) Blood streaming from her knee after a bad fall, Ayded Reyes sprints to catch
the pack. (r) Ansu Sowe grabbed 15th. (bottom) Reyes jumps to the lead in the State
Championship race in Fresno.
GRAPHIC BY PABLO GANDARA/STAFF
A
yded Reyes usually brings competitors to their knees with
her blistering times, but this time it was the states #1-ranked
cross-country runner who had fallen to her knees.
Moments o the start line of the California State Championships in
Fresno, Reyes was kicked and tripped by another runner. She fell hard
on both knees on concrete, and worse, fell behind the entire pack.
Reyes scrambled to her feet and, with blood streaming down her leg,
sprinted back to pack and all the way to second place as she neared the
nal stretch of the 3.1-mile race. Her starting line exertion caught up
with her and so did three runners, landing her a fth place in the race
she was heavily favored to win. Wracked by the u, SWC women-pre-
race favorites-stumbled in at 15th place.
I couldnt believe that happened, but it did, said Reyes. Sometimes
the most dangerous part of a big race like that is the start. Somebody
kicked me hard in the calf and stepped right in between my feet. It hurt
a lot, but I just thought about getting up and catching up.
SWC men grabbed 14th in the 27 college eld. Most of the athletes
on both Jaguar teams were sick, despite coach Dr. Duro Agbedes eorts
to put the most noticeably ill people in separate vans from those who
seemed healthy.
I didnt work, Agbede said. e viruses were smart. ey found
everybody.
A team that ew over the nish line in rst place at the SoCal
Championships was nished by the u at the state meet. Runners used to
the top 10 in races were scattered throughout the nish roster. Flu-addled
Valerie Hycz placed 84th, Prisma Mendoza 91st, Karla Gadea 148th,
Mariam Cardenas 152nd, Jasmin Romo 171st and Maby Castan 174.
Flu also chased down the mens team. Race favorite Ansu Sowe of
SWC sagged to 15th as he battled illness.
ere will be many races in the future for all SWC runners, as most
have already been oered generous university scholarships. Sometimes,
Agbede reminded his team, you can win without crossing the nish
line rst.