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 Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Volume 55, Issue 2

Board fires corner lot construction firm
A DECADE OF GREATNESSThe Womens Cross Country team embraces
Coach Duro Agbede during the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championship
at Balboa Park after learning that they had just won first place for the 10th
year in a row.
Grand finish for cross country
ONLINE
:
By Nickolas Furr
Staff Writer
One year ago this week, donning pressed
suits and ill-fitting construction hard
hats, the previous Southwestern College
Governing Board broke ground to celebrate
the start of construction on the $389
million Proposition R project on the
infamous corner lot. A seven-acre dirt
and gravel feld on Chula Vistas busiest
intersection, the lot has remained empty
for fve decades. In the 12 months since
then, the only meaningful activity on
the property was seasonal vendors selling
pumpkins in October and Christmas trees
in December.
With the pumpkin patch up and
running again this year, the current
governing board unknowing marked
the anniversary of the groundbreaking
by fring Escondido-based Echo Pacifc
Construction, the firm contracted to
provide construction management for most
of the Prop R project. Echo Pacifc, however,
continued on as if it was business as usual.
SWC Director of Facilities John Brown
confrmed the board action to fre Echo
Pacifc. Te frm would continue to be
part of the Proposition AA project, he
said, but the board was already seeking its
replacement for Prop R work.
A recommendation was made at the
October 12, 2011 governing board meeting
by staff to open negotiations with the
number two ranked frm, Balfour Beatty
[formerly known as Barnhart Balfour
Beatty], Brown said.
Chris Rowe, president of Echo Pacifc
Construction, said his company had not
received any sort of ofcial notifcation
from SWC until Te Sun inquired about it.
Te frst I heard of it was yesterday,
he said. Teres been talk of termination
for convenience, which was a clause in
our contract. We worked trying to resolve
the issue because we earned this project
through the interview process and our body
of work. Te last I talked to John Brown, a
week or so ago, we were still trying to work
it out and he was going to get back to me.
Rowe said he was surprised to have
found out in such a fashion and would
like to know the justifcation for the action.
Brown said that the district had sent its
termination letter on Sept. 12, return
receipt enclosed. Te letter was also faxed
Sept. 14. On Sept. 19, the receipt returned
to SWC. He said the last conversation with
By Ernesto Rivera
Assistant News Editor
It has been a relatively quiet frst 50
years at Southwestern College, but
campus ofcals are planning for the worst
while hoping for the best.
SWC hired an outside consultant to
draft an emergency preparedness plan for
the district that meets state and federal
standards.
Gi ven to the care of Carol yn
J. Harshman, Emergency Planning
Consultants (EPC), the contract totals
$81,000 and will be an 18-month
process.
Acting Chief of Police Robert Sanchez
said he was selected as product manager
in the emergency preparedness process
because of his prior experience at Mira
Costa College.
Southwestern is in the same boat
Mira Costa College was in five years
ago, he said. They did not have a
comprehensive emergency preparedness
plan. I was involved from the ground
foor as Mira Costa went through the
process of constructing an emergency
preparedness plan. I know how it works
frst hand. I have enough knowledge of
how it works and how the plan is suppose
to be implemented.
Sanchez said updating the plan and
hiring a outside consultant has been
in motion since late last year. Recent
incidents are a reminder that the plan
needs to be a priority, he said.
Te blackout, the student taking an
attempt on their life, the incident with
Oscar Torres last year making threats to
pull a Virginia Tech on the campus, are all
reminders, he said. Teyre little fashing
neon signs saying clue, clue. Tese are
clues that we need to make good on this
plan and get this plan in place as quickly
as we possibly can.
Sanchez said that Harshman was
chosen out of the fve companies that
applied for the contract because of her
experience developing emergency plans.
Te fact that she has worked very
closely with school districts, including
community college school districts, is
the reason why she was above everybody
else, said Sanchez. She actually wrote
the emergency preparedness plan for San
Diego Community Colleges.
Harshman is a San Diego native and
a graduate of Southwestern College
who earned her
M.A. in public
administration
f rom SDSU
and has been
a d i s a s t e r
c o n s u l t a n t
since the mid-
1980s. Clients
i ncl ude t he
Swe e t wa t e r
Uni on Hi gh
S c h o o l
Di stri ct and
the San Diego
Communi t y
C o l l e g e
D i s t r i c t .
Harshman said
she was chosen
because of her
abilities and
experience with drafting local emergency
preparedness plans, specifcally in the San
Diego region.
This will translate perfectly to
Southwestern College, she said. I
Star runner
detained by
INS, freed
please see Construction pg. 11
College hires safety plan consultant
Minimally
conscious
students
family
fights on
please see Emergency pg. 4
The blackout,
the student
taking an
attempt on their
life, the incident
with Oscar
Torres are all
clues that we
need to get this
plan in place
as quickly as
possible
Robert Sanchez
Acting Chief of Police
By Mary York
News Editor
In a dramatic week of tension, confron-
tation, political intrigue and triumph,
Southwestern College cross country star
Ayded Reyes went from an INS deten-
tion center where she faced deportation
to the 2011 Pacific Coast Conference
Champion.
Reyes, Californias #1-ranked womens
cross country athlete, was held by San
Diego Police after a routine trafc incident
in Barrio Logan, then turned over to the
Border Patrol when she could only pro-
duce student identifcation cards. Reyes
was a passenger in the car. Border Patrol
took Reyes to an Imperial Beach holding
facility.
A clearly shaken cross country coach
Dr. Duro Agbede asked faculty for help
and received it. Human rights activist and
Border Angels founder Enrique Morones
located immigration attorneys and safe
houses across the border should she be
deported. Reyes luck turned when Con-
gressman Bob Filner got involved. Filner
asked to meet with INS ofcials and for
status reports on Reyes. He also insisted
that she not be deported until she had a
hearing.
Reyes said Filner was the primary force
behind her release.
As soon as coach found out about this
he started getting as much information as
he could and he got Bob Filner involved,
she said. Pretty much what got me out
was his help. I didnt know how close I was
to being deported on Saturday until coach
told me. Tank God for all the people who
helped me. Im so lucky.
But the weekend was long and frustrating
for Reyes and those who knew her.
Im just devastated by this right now,
said Agbede the day after her detention.
Im speechless.
Reyes parents called him on Friday
morning about the situation, he said, and
they were frightened and disconsolate.
Agbede said Reyes had many friends on
the team and everyone loved her. Faculty
members who had Reyes as a student
agreed, as did her teammates.
She never talked bad about anyone,
said teammate Valerie Hycz, 19. We spent
every day together for basically the past
two years. She was a hard worker. She did
good in school and running.
Hycz was concerned that if Reyes got
deported, she would be hurt or lost.
She hasnt been to Mexico since she was
about two so she really doesnt know it,
said Hycz. (Te United States) is basically
her home. She knows America but she
doesnt know Mexico.
Agbede said Reyes was born in Mexico,
but came to the U.S. as an infant and never
left. Her parents were undocumented
workers, he said. Reyes grew up in the
United States and graduated with honors
from Mission Bay High School.
SWCs cross country team went to prac-
tice at Balboa Park on Tursday, Agbede
said, but Reyes decided to stay behind
because of a minor injury.
If she hadnt been injured she wouldnt
have been in that place, said Agbede. If
she hadnt been injured she would have
please see INS pg. 4
Campus, 5
Viewpoints, 2
Unsigned, 2
Sex Column, 3
Thinking Out Loud, 3
Sports, 9
Arts, 7
INSIDE
:
By Mary York
News Editor
Family and friends of Alicia Bailey,
the gifted Southwestern College
Student of Distinction recipient in
a minimally conscious state for two-
and-a-half-years, have not run out of
hope. Tey have, however, just about
run out of money.
A Nov. 5 Golf and Dinner Beneft
at the Chula Vista Municipal Golf
Course in Bonita is an attempt to
raise the funds to send Bailey to an
experimental program in New Jersey
that reports success waking up viable
but unconscious individuals.
Doctors gave up on Bailey, but her
family has not. Her mother, Vivian,
an oncology nurse, quit her job and
brought Alicia home to care for her.
She is convinced Alicias brain and
body have largely healed, but that the
midbrain injury prevents messages
from getting through to parts of the
brain required for revival. Te New
Jersey clinic has had success waking
some long-term patients.
Bailey was an outstanding student
at Bonita Vista High School,
Southwestern College and UCLA,
where she graduated summa cum
laude. She was applying for doctoral
programs at Oxford, Cambridge,
Harvard, Yale and other elite
universities when she passed out in
April 2009 from a diabetic blackout
while driving home from work early
one morning. Her car struck a tree on
Otay Lakes Road and Bailey sufered
head and
n e c k
trauma.
Al i c i a
w a n t e d
to change
the world,
s ai d her
mo t he r.
S h e
pl a nne d
to work for
the United
Nations or
a global health initiative to care for
disadvantaged people around the
world.
Friends and former professors
said Bailey was always cheerful and
encouraging, a true gem of gentility
and life. Vivian Bailey described her
daughter as a go-getter.
Alicia was a one-in-a-million
student with so much talent and
enormous potential, said her former
journalism professor Max Branscomb.
Of the many great students I have
had she was defnitely one of the very
best. What happened to her is tragic
and I am hoping against hope for a
miracle.
Baileys family has spent its life
savings caring for her and now
they are asking for help from the
community.
Tose wishing to donate can send
checks to the foundation helping
Alicia. Checks should be made
payable to the T-Bird Foundation,
with the notation On behalf of
Alicia Bailey. Mail contributions to:
T-Bird Foundation Inc. 89 Clyde
Ave., Hopelawn, NJ 08861.
Alicia Bailey
Photo by Marshall Murphy | Assistant Photo Editor
S
ex is everywhere. Its on our
televisions, Internet, cell phones
and billboards. Its discussed
openly in coffeeshops, nail salons
and mechanic shops. It can be a fleeting
moment or a weekend excursion. For
some the sex drive starts in elementary
school. For others, a little later.
What shapes our understanding of
what is attractive has been a heated
discussion for as long as debates have
existed. Billboards, video games and
magazine ads all get our attention by
using scantly clad, perfect-looking
women and buff men to sell their
products. And it works. But through
photo editing and wafer thin models
in inhuman poses, the distorted image
of perfection are a constant subliminal
message that perfect is better, even if it
isnt naturally achievable.
For bodies which do not fit into that
Barbie category, feeling attractive in a
world mesmerized with perfection can
make one feel like a marble floating in a
gum machine. For those with disabilities,
these perfect-looking advertisements can
feel like a slap in the face.
I recently had a conversation with
a family member regarding how
advertising for products geared toward
those with disabilities are starkly
different than those for everyday
products. As I was about to mention the
sheer lack of sexuality in any of these
ads I was showing her, she meekly said
Well, they dont have gender.
This shocked me. What it is that
would cause a person to be considered
genderless? There is no comparison to
what it must be like for someone who
is severely disabled to be considered no
more a man or a woman than a coffee
pot or a pencil. It angered me. But it also
opened my eyes.
Gender labels suggest a persons
individual characteristics, whereas the
next step in being accepted as a free-
thinking human being is to be accepted
as a sexual being. Knowing how people
have reacted when I discuss sex openly
in public, I can understand why few
people with disabilities might step out
of our discombobulated tight-knit circle
of gimp culture and discuss this with the
able-bodied general public, but therein
lies the rub. People wont know unless we
speak up!
From birth to teenagehood people
have mistaken my son as my brother or
as a child Im babysitting for the day.
One woman whispered in an elevator I
didnt know they could do that.
Images we see geared toward non-
disability-related products are riddled
with both covert and unconcealed
sexuality. Advertisers dont use sex to sell
their accessible vehicles or specialized
equipment. There are no woman in
lingerie promoting cathing devices.
Conceptual perfection can be seen
here as well, though the distortion is
played quite differently. Its basic premise
is to show that those with disabilities
are gaining increasingly equal footage in
the workforce and playing fields just
not in the bedrooms. Messages to the
general public translate the concept that
gimpiness is not sexiness. It is shuffled
off into a medical model rather than a
celebration of our uniqueness.
Perhaps our greatest flaw in America
is that we do not celebrate our
imperfections, but hide them. We are
inundated by the message that we must
be young, slim, have shiny perfect hair
and bleached teeth. We are a nation of
overweight, depressed and shell-shocked
humans unable to achieve the urge of
perfection being flaunted at us at every
turn.
But it is our imperfections which set
us free. Pride in who we are, regardless
of a limp or scar, wheelchair or cane, is
the biggest gift we can give ourselves.
There are no perfect people just those
who think they are. There are no rules to
accepting the flesh we reside in, except
to really enjoy it. From the awkward
curve of my spine, to ankles no bigger
than my wrists, there is not a single
part of me that I do not appreciate
for its unique qualities. And, without
sounding too much like a devotee (a
person whose sexual fetish toward those
with disabilities for the attraction to
perceived helplessness, etc) imperfections
are sexy.
2
Te 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 Te Sun Staf,
the Editorial Board or Southwestern College.
You can reach Angela by e-mail at
angela.vanostran@gmail.com
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Albert Fulcher
MANAGING EDITOR
Angela Van Ostran
NEWS
Mary York, editor
Ernesto Rivera, assistant
Ana Ochoa, assistant
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
CAMPUS
Angelica Gonzales, editor
ARTS
Amber Sykes, editor
Nathan Hermanson, assistant
SPORTS
Jiamay Austria, editor
Daniel Guzman, 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
Demi Alvarado
Jamie Celeste
Lamar Dent
Alexis Dominguez
Gregory L Ewing
Nickolas Furr
Valeria Genel
Kyla Guerrero
Elizabeth Lucas
Kyle Nelson
Ana Ochoa
Enrique Raymundo
Kevin Reyes
Michelle Robles
Stephanie Saldana
Lina Sandoval
Anna Sobrevinas
Eileen Salmeron
Elizabeth L Thompson
Cody Yarbro

CARTOONISTS
Rashid Hasirbaf
Carlos Magana
DESIGNERS
Diana Inocencio
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Juan Castaneda
Amparo Mendoza
Erika Gonzalez
Eter Dafne Estrada
Jeremy Lawson
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
Veterans deserve our respect
Imperfections
are human,
perfectly sexy
editorial
Our Position:
Southwestern College must help reintegrate
veterans and should build a new Veterans Center.
The Issue:
San Diego County is about to receive a wave
of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.
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 infamatory or libelous. Post web
comments at southwesterncollegesun.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. Te Sun reserves the right to edit letters
for libel and length and will not consider publishing letters that
arrive unsigned.
Rashid Hasirbaf / Staff
A
mericas service members are the
guardians of our freedom and the forces
for hope around the world. Americas
military is one of the worlds most diverse
organizations thanks to President Harry Trumans
1946 decree to integrate the armed forces.
United under one flag for 235 years, this nations
armed services has taken men and women from
every small town and large city in America to
protect our borders and defend freedom. Working,
fighting, building and dying side by side, this
multicultural community fights for freedom and
defends the weak and oppressed of the world.
What we do for themor do not dois both
generous and appalling. Last year Congress passed
the Post-9/11 GI Bill, a great piece of legislation
that replaces the weak and miserly Korea and
Vietnam-era veterans programs. Like the great
World War II GI Bill, the new plan will help
veterans attend college and buy homes.
Yet too many vets fall through the cracks.
Unemployment for young San Diego veterans
is nearly 30 percent and the same group has
Americas highest rate of suicide. Too many
mentally scarred and disabled vets live in poverty
and isolation. This is an intolerable situation in a
country as great as ours.
As World War II veterans are steadily departing
this world, younger veterans now represent the
legacy of the reintegration of armed services
personnel into American society. We largely failed a
generation of vets and without some serious soul-
searching we are poised to fail again.
Since 2001 more than 6,200 service members are
dead from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Most of the
men and women who have died are between the
ages of 20-24. More than 500 Californians have
died and 3,000 have been wounded in service of
this country in the last 10 years alone. More than
200,000 homeless veterans are living on the nations
streets and under the nations bridges.
Brace yourself, Southwestern, because a battalion
of veterans is headed this way. They will require
patience, dedication and understanding. We need to
consider their experiences and their needs. A loud
cafeteria can be a bloodcurdling experience for
someone with post-traumatic stress disorder. Even
at the same age, it is difficult for a veteran to relate
to someone who has never left home or seen war
and death. Atrocities of war follow anyone who
has seen its horror.
Many veterans on campus, in classrooms, out in
the community and living in our neighborhoods are
struggling just to get through the day. Many came
back from war with injuries that changed their lives
forever and need help finding their way back home.
Wounded service members are wondering how
they can live the rest of their lives with having
lost limbs, brain injuries and PTSD. SWC has to
help them answer those questions with effective
programs, proper facilities and trained staff.
With the Post-9/11 GI Bill many of these young
service members have a chance to train for a new
life, a new career and a new beginning. The campus
is filled with veterans young and old, and many
more are on their way as the nation withdraws
troops and the wounded numbers increase. Tens
of thousands are coming back through San
Diego bases and many will make a home here.
Southwestern is an emerging gateway for veterans
transitioning back into the community.
SWC Veteran Affairs and the Student Veteran
Organization has made great strides helping
veterans on campus and in the community,
teaming up with SDSU and other institutions of
higher education. SWC is already considered one
of Americas best colleges for veterans, thanks to
leadership by Jim Jones and his colleagues in the
Veterans Center. This college has modeled the
creed No man left behind, and SWC veterans
and volunteers work diligently to create a safe,
welcoming and diverse environment for any
service member or veteran to learn and find their
way back into society. But now is not the time
to rest on our laurels. It is a difficult transition
coming home after life in the armed services, in
peacetime, exponentially more so during times of
war.
There is much work to do here and
Southwestern has the heart, courage and diversity
to tackle the job. Bad economic times cannot be an
excuse. Too many of us will be watching.
The editorial board of the Southwestern
College Sun strongly endorses the idea of building
a dedicated Veterans Center on the corner lot.
We need to create a space for veterans to come
together, a sanctuary to get away when the normal
bustle of the college is too much. Veterans find
comfort in other veterans. A veteran walking
into a room of other veterans can find an
instant connection and comfort. It is a bond that
transcends rank, branch of service, tour of duty,
peacetime or war.
Specialized counselors can help veterans
through the culture shock they face as they
transition into a new beginning.
Make Southwestern College a safe haven and a
path to a brighter future for every veteran in our
community. They have served their country in war.
With hope, education and encouragement, they
will continue to serve our country in peace.
Te
Spinning
Wheel
ANGELA VAN OSTRAN
T
his column is dedicated
to 18-year-old Tyler
Clementi, 15-year-olds
Justin Aaberg and Billy
Lucas, and 13-year-olds Seth Walsh
and Asher Brown. This column is
dedicated to anyone who has com-
mitted suicide because they were
the targets of bullying for being
anything but heterosexual. This is
for anyone who is getting bullied
right now for being anything but
straight.
Tyler jumped off the George
Washington Bridge after his room-
mate and another person recorded
and distributed videos of him hav-
ing sexual relations with another
man.
Justin hung himself in his bed-
room.
Billy hung himself in the family
barn.
Seth was found unconscious after
trying to hang himself in the back-
yard. He died 10 days later.
Asher shot himself in the head
with a pistol in his stepfathers
closet.
These young men are disastrous
examples of the dangers of failing
to live up to socially-constructed
norms. Gay men are more than
twice as likely to attempt suicide,
according to the British newspaper,
The Guardian.
Jamey Rodemeyer, 14, wrote of
his frustration and suffering in blog
posts, and it was on his posts where
his bullies would taunt him even
more than they would in school.
The Guardian quoted a post to
Jamey saying, I wouldnt care if
you died. No one would. So just
do it :) It would make everyone
WAY more happier! Jamey died in
September.
According to the Give A Damn
Campaign, an organization fighting
the bullying of young gays, Three
out of five gay and transgender kids
feel unsafe at school.
Bullying gays to their death is a
hate crime. School officials who do
nothing to stop the bullying, which
is too often the case, are accessories
to this crime and should be pros-
ecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.
A Give A Damn Campaign
report concluded that two-thirds of
gay and transgender students report
hearing homophobic remarks from
school staff, and 95 percent of
high school principals report that
students in their school have been
harassed because of their sexual
orientation.
A study published in the Social
Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epide-
miology said, Men who were
currently or formerly in same-sex
domestic partnerships were eight
times more likely to die by suicide
compared to men with histories of
heterosexual marriage, and almost
twice as likely as men who had
never married.
All of these examples and sta-
tistics show that suicide among
homosexual youths has become in
becoming almostan epidemic. Un-
fortunately, only 16 states and the
District of Columbia have school
laws to combat these hate crimes.
More than 1,200 hate crimes
were committed as a result of the
victims sexual orientation, accord-
ing to the FBI.
Everyone is different and it is
about time that people respect that.
Gays and lesbians around the world
are being stripped of their right to
live, love and be happyand no
one has the right to take that away.
Be brave and speak up when con-
fronted by bullying. It is the right
thing to do.
AMANDA L. ABAD
VIEWPOINTS
Tom Lord, editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
e-mail: viewpoints@theswcsun.com
3
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
Got a burning question? Sex
and The Sun can be reached at
sexandthesun@gmail.com.
OutLoud
Tinking

Bullying of
Gays in U.S.A.
must stop
Its unrealistic and if
you notice, its a bunch
of white people who
arent representing the
whole nation.
Its not enough solid
points, the people that
are out there need
more knowledge on
why theyre there.
Its a breath of fresh
air to see people
actually doing
something.
Noemi Barrios
Political Science, 27
Eric Fareeman
Undecided, 26
Jesse Gonzalez
Nursing, 20
What are your
thoughts on
Occupy San
Diego?
Jorge Landeros
Criminal Justice, 19
I think its going to
take time for people to
actually listen.
Bertha Lopez
Child Development, 46
Its something I support.
I lost my job two years
ago and I feel its
important to get the
message out there.
By Daniel Guzman
Assistant Sports Editor
Coffee beans have been used for
centuries, and caffeine is as much
ingrained in American culture as rock n
roll and fast food.
Being a college student is no easy task.
Homework, exams and extracurricular
activities can be physically and mentally
exhausting. While students navigate the
endeavors of their daily lives, it might
seem easy to crack open an energy
drink or pour a hot cup of Joe to obtain
the coveted jolt of energy that propels
students through the day.
From the Starbucks on every corner,
to the Monsters, Red Bulls and other
mythical creatures that have inhabited
the refrigerators at every quick stop shop
or convenience store, there is no question
that cafeine has become the preferred
digestible energy source for humans, like
gasoline for our automobiles.
As painless and convenient it is to
indulge daily on cafeinated beverages,
they can be seemingly habit-forming.
Te energy boost can be revitalizing for
a set amount of hours but the efects
of its dependency can be comparably
counterproductive and risky to ones
health.
There are alternative methods and
drinks that can provide the much-needed
boost. Exercise in its simplest of forms,
taking a walk when you feel drowsy
increases heart rate and blood flow.
Stretching in a stationary spot if leaving
is not an option can be stimulating.
Teas and chocolate powders employ
cafeine, but at substantially lower levels.
Tey provide the fexibility to pick and
chose the more palatable options without
compromising the desired vitality and
health risks of their counterparts.
According to a study by Nemours.
org on the effects of caffeine, it was
designated as a diuretic, meaning it
makes an individual want to urinate
often. If a student in the classroom or
a person in the workforce is constantly
interrupted by multiple potty stops,
productivity is destined to sufer.
In a similar study it was found to
antagonize serious health complications.
The most alarming being caffeine-
induced sleep disorder, cafeine-induced
anxiety disorder and cafeine dependency
among the several specifed psychiatric
syndromes.
Mood al t er i ng ef f ect s s uch as
nervousness and constant anxiety are
due to high doses of cafeine throughout
a day. 200 mg or greater would be
considered amounts to negatively afect
ones general mood.
For nondrinkers the efects might seem
irrelevant to their lives, but in a study
done by the cafeine experts at Johns
Hopkins they discover that 51 percent
of college students reported consuming
one or more energy drinks that month
for reasons such as insufcient sleep,
to increase energy and to drink with
alcohol.
Tis means that while one might not
be jolted up on cafeine, more than likely
the people they spend their day with will
be and are subjected to the efects it has
on its consumers.
Caffeine is a drug, and like every
drug that creates a chemical reaction
in the human body that can become
addicting. If the intake is not regulated
a dependency can be fostered similar to
nicotine. Although not the blatant health
risks of cigarettes, a heavy cafeine users
mood without their fresh cup of cofee in
the morning is comparable to a smoker
out of drags. Whoa be unto anyone who
blocks the door to Starbucks.
Students grit teeth without daily grind
By Kyla Guerreo
Staff Writer
Occupy Together has lit a brush fre.
Protesters have gathered in at least 70
cities across the United States. San Diego
protesters have gathered in front of the
Civic Center.
Adbusters, a Canadian magazine,
suggested the idea of protesting against
social and economic inequality, greed of
fnancial corporation, and the power and
infuence it holds. Money and politics
should remain separate, protesters argue.
Their main objective, however, is to
spread the wealth from the exclusive
1 percent down to the self-proclaimed
99 percent. New statistics from the
Internal Revenue Service show that the
economic elite exceed $1 million a year
in come. Some work, some are collecting
interest from trust funds families or lavish
buyouts. About 14 percent are fnancial
professionals, 31 percent are executives,
manager and supervisors, 15.7 percent are
medical professionals and 8.4 percent are
lawyers. Te 99 percent could very well be
part of the 1 percent with an educational
background.
Locally, San Diegans gathered to protest
without specifc demands. Southwestern
College students, faculty and employees
were among the occupiers.
College students are there mostly
because this is the biggest rally against the
Powers that Be they have seen in their
generation. Tey are holding signs and
chanting, We are the 99 percent, but
without really knowing why. A $343,927
annual gross income is a high threshold
to compare to 20-something-year-old
college students smoking their $6-$7 a
pack American Spirits and carrying $500-
$700 SLR digital cameras, living with
their parents and having their education
being paid for by the many grants and
scholarships the state of California has
to ofer.
Tey may be apart of the 99 percent, but
they are not sufering. Tis occupation is
merely a form of entertainment for them.
Something to do while avoiding the stack
of job applications.
Jobs are available for those who want
it, do not expect the government to
hand over a high-salary job without an
education to back it up. Te 1 percent
has worked hard and deserves to reap the
benefts. Whether or not you are the 99
percent is up to you.
Nobody is home upstairs in vacuous
Occupy San Diego protest sit-ins
By Ana Ochoa
Assistant News Editor
Breaking up is hard to do, sang Neil
Sedaka in the 1950s.
Boy is it ever. Break-ups are hard to
get over and social media have made it
worse. Facebook and Twitter have become
disaster sites for young women who can-
not control their feelings. Raw emotions
that would have healed in private prior to
the Age of Algorithms are now published
in an instant for the entire world to see.
Young women need to take a deep
breath before sending out that e-blast.
No one in social media wants their
newsfeed or timeline infested with
tacky phrase like: I thought we were the
perfect match, You completed me,
What am I going to do without you?
or I cant believe this is happening to me!
My heart is broken and I will drown in
my own tears! Melodramatic clichs may
feel good while being typed, but they are
reputation wreckers.
Ladies, you need to know that guys will
always be more resentful than girls. So if
you are done with a guy and the next min-
ute he is already smooching with the chick
right next to you (hopefully not your
mom), smile and be glad you dumped
the man. Tere is nothing worse than a
guy who acts on impulse and goes around
chasing random bimbos for a chance to
get over an argument that went wrong.
Te Beatles were right: Let it be. Do not
go to your ex to tell him you are seeing
someone. He does not care, especially if he
dumped you. If it is the other way around,
that is even worse and is just plain mean
and possibly dangerous.
Do not call him on the phone or text
him for little get-togethers. You were to-
gether long enough to realize you do not
belong together.
After you get of the needy-desperate-
psycho phase and are ready to try dating
again, do not talk about past relationships
with the new guy. Two things guys despise
about relationships are being dumped in
public and hearing about some guy that
used to make out, touch or sleep with his
new girlfriend. If a guy asked, Would
you like to go ice skating? do not say,
Aw, thats where Johnny used to take
me. Of course I want to go! You will
ruin the poor guys entire day. Just give
him a simple answer like, Sure, I love ice
skating! or No thanks, not my thing.
Girls that break these rules end up
with a rep, and possibly on the Top Five
Women You Should Never Date list.
Restraint and dignity go a long way. Be-
sides, not every guy is Mr. Right. It takes
patience to fnd him. Give yourself the
time and give the on-line vitriol a rest.
Breaking up is still so hard to do
Mary York/Staff
Carlos magana/Staff
Strategic Ideas
By Elizabeth Lucas
Staff Writer
After four years of chaos and uncertainty,
Southwester Colleges new leadership has
decided it is time to start looking ahead.
Representatives of SWC and community
leaders from Chula Vista, Imperial Beach,
National City and South San Diego
gathered to discuss a campus three-year with
Interim Superintendant Denise Whittaker
and her team.
Most of you know that the condition
of the state is grim, said Whittaker. My
purpose for being here is to give you a
glimpse of what the budget constraints are.
Tree years of unprecedented budget
cuts from the state legislature have left
community colleges reeling, said Professor
Angelina E. Stuart, president of the SWC
Academic Senate. Colleges like SWC with
special needs and challenging demographics
have been hardest hit.
Operating expenses have overwhelmed
available revenue, said Whittaker.
We do have savings, she said, and those
are for the purpose of emergencies.
Whittaker said the purpose of planning
for the future is to spread the funding over
the next three years to avoid uncomfortable
decisions, like layofs or program cuts.
Necessary expenditures like salaries are
the biggest part of any institute of higher
think the fact that I am local and have
such extensive experience in disaster
management in the San Diego community.
I think a local presence was very important
to the interview panel. You dont want
somebody to fy in to have to do this kind
of work.
Sanchez said an outside consultant had
to be hired.
Te district had no other choice than
to bring someone from the outside that
was an expert so that we meet federal
and state mandates, he said. Lets say
an earthquake takes place and we lose
four or fve of our buildings. Right now
because we dont have an emergency
preparedness plan that meets state and
federal standards, the cost of rebuilding
those buildings would be on us. The
district would have to find money to
repair those buildings.
Sanchez said the district has an
emergency response manual that was
drafted during Dr. Serafn Zasuetas
presidency more than a decade ago.
Te district does have something in
place and people were saying that the
district doesnt have anything in place at
all and thats not very fair, said Sanchez.
The problem is that it doesnt meet
(current) state and federal mandates and
it was never updated and stayed on top
of. If it was, we would have a full blown
emergency preparedness plan thats
comprehensive.
Harshmans contract includes the higher
education centers.
She is going to make an emergency
preparedness plan for the main campus,
then shes going to take that main draft
and she is going to tailor make it to each
one of the higher ed centersSan Ysidro,
Otay Mesa, National City and the Crown
Cove Aquatic Center, said Sanchez.
Sanchez said drafting an emergency
preparedness plan is time-intensive.
This is not an easy thing, its not
something thats going to be done in
three months, he said. Youre looking at
drafting a plan to actually rolling a plan
out. Youre looking at a total of two years.
Harshmans two-year contract includes
writing the plan, and training of SWC
staf and faculty. She said writing the plan
is not difcult, but the planning process
takes six months. Ten comes the training
of faculty and staf to specifc positions
and the tabletop exercises.
Tabletop exercises are people in a room
around a conference table and theyre
assigned specifc roles such as search and
rescue and frst aid medical positions,
she said. A scenario is read and you
systematically go around the room and
people would practice on how to respond.
Just how you have a lot of jobs on campus
from a day to day basis you also have a lot
of facility related jobs that come into play
in an emergency.
Te safety committee will be involved
in input and reviewing of the plan drafted
by Hershman to make it specifc to SWC,
but certain state and federal mandates
must be included.
Her pl ace is to bring us into
compliance, said Sanchez. We need to
weigh peoples opinions and inputs with
what the plan is supposed to do for us.
We need to have some confdence in her
and her abilities and the job shes done
with previous districts and give her some
autonomy to set up that plan to meet state
and federal mandates with our input.
Sanchez said the most important
component is individual training for staf
and faculty.
A lot people think that the police
department is going to run the emergency
operation center and the emergency plan.
Were not, said Sanchez. Were going
to be dealing with the emergency, we
cant run the emergency operation center
and activate the emergency plan when
were out dealing with the emergency.
Tis training is for everybody because
everybody plays a part in this.
Miguel Aguilera, the environmental,
health and safety coordinator, said the
training of individuals and the drills
being in compliance are important but
the biggest issue is a mass communication
system.
Te emergency preparedness plan is
not any good without a communication
system, said Aguilera. We need to be
able to notify, not just students, everybody
that is part of the Southwestern College
community.
Harshman said that emergency
notification is very important and
SWC must have a quick ability to able
to communicate with all the campus
occupants.
One of the things Ill be doing will
be looking at the diferent tools on the
facilities and give recommendations
on maybe branching out into other
modal ities, different methods of
communication, said Hershman.
Aguilera said the college is a long way
from meeting requirements, but 60
percent better now than before.
When we get an emer gency
preparedness plan and the communication
(system), were going to be almost there,
he said.
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Strategic plan will serve as roadmap for college
Te Southwestern College Sun NEWS
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011Vol. 55, Iss. 2
4
Emergency: Sanchez
to manage college
crisis planning
Continued from Page 1
gone with us. Maybe if she had gone with
us we wouldnt be in this predicament.
Agbede said
he recruited
Reyes from
high school
a n d s h e
proved s he
could study
as well as she
coul d r un,
maintaining
a 3.5 GPA at
SWC. Reyes
had guaran-
teed scholar-
ships from several top universities, in-
cluding an Ivy League school. She had
hoped to be able to take advantage of the
DREAM Act, Agbede said, federal legis-
lation that would grant citizenship to the
children of undocumented immigrants if
they earn college degrees or serve in the
military. Te federal DREAM Act lost a
close Congressional vote last spring, but is
expected to come back for another vote.
California recently passed its own version
of the DREAM Act, designed to help col-
lege students.
Tis is the time for her, said Agbede.
Tey signed this new law that could help
her. Shes been here all her life.
Morones said deportation has been a
huge issue for many who live in San Diego
County.
For me its just so sad to see continuing
deportations, said Morones. Every year,
regardless of the president, they continue
to deport people. Tese people are just
trying to have better lives.
Reyes release came just in time for her
to run in the Pacifc Coast Conference
Championship. Sitting in a cell for fve
days did not seem to slow her down. In
a dramatic climax to her turbulent week,
Reyes ran away with the PCC individual
championship in a commanding wire-
to-wire victory and led SWC to the team
title. SWC women aim to compete in the
California State Championship November
19 in Frenso in hopes of defending their
state title.
I was a little nervous because I hadnt
run in two weeks, said Reyes. I feel like
I should have done better but I didnt have
the practice and preparation. But I fought
with all my heart and ran my heart out. I
gotta do this.
Te race has particular importance for
Reyes, whose scholarships depend on her
performance.
If I hadnt raced this Tursday all my
scholarship ofers wouldve gone away,
she said.
Reyes said she was glad to have a happy
ending to her own story, but really ran for
the team.
Weve had this tradition, weve won the
conference for the past 10 years, she said.
Tis is not going to stop me.
INS: Star runner
freed in time to win
conference title
Continued from Page 1
Sanchez
SWC
Strategic Plan
Planning Topics
Tidal wave
of
Committees negotiate seven important
topics to be tackled in SWC Strategic Plan.
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ILLUSTRATION BY DIANA INOCENCIO
please see Strategic Plan pg.11
Ayded Reyes
CAMPUS
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011, Volume 55, Issue 2 Te Southwestern College Sun
5
ALBERT H. FULCHER
Our government
has not served its
working people
Te
Human
Chord
I
am in the 99 percent. A member
of the majority tired of large
corporations running wild at the
expense of the American people. It
is not a surprise to see the spontaneous
Occupy movement, racing its way across
the nation like a Santa Ana wildfire.
Still in its infancy and growing stronger
every day, the real question is whether
it will last or fizzle as people get tired
and move on to something else. With so
many people out of work, starving and
losing homes, fizzling out is not likely.
As it gains momentum, Occupy is
fnally getting a semblance of leadership
and defned goals backed by legions
of people disgusted over the way our
country is run and the boundless greed
of the powerful and wealthy.
Large banks and corporations have
left middle class Americans on the
brink of poverty. Daily lives are now
dictated by the ups and downs of
stock markets, crude oil prices and
gold markets. How and what we feed
our families depends on the whims
of Wall Street. Unemployment is at a
40-year high as corporations sweep up
billions in profts and cast aside loyal
workers. Average citizens suffer the
repercussions of reckless investments,
a crumbling housing market, crushing
the hopes of students trying to earn
an education to ensure a better future.
Tuition increased and spots for students
in public universities shrunk as our
government cuts education funding to
balance collapsing budgets wrecked by
Wall Street and our nations gluttonous
banks. More than 670,000 would-be
California community college students
have been locked out. Tis does not
bode well for the economic health of
our state.
Too many politicians are ignorant
of the impacts on Main Street as they
serve Wall Street. Getting an education
today is as competitive as searching for
a job. Even our best students cannot
get into our regions state university. It
is taking students twice as long to get in
and out of college as budgets shrank and
classes disappear. Students are left with
very few often-inferior choices. Private
universities cost twice that of public
schools, and both options bury students
under mountains of debt before they
even have a chance to begin a career.
Supplicant elected ofcials, with their
special earmarked projects and support
of corporate giants who buy their own
private Congress are not sitting well
with the American people.
As we enter 2012 elections, politicians
better start listening to the meager
99 percent. We are the core fuel that
can reboot the economy by becoming
educated and becoming productive
citizens. Democrats and Republicans
alike are in trouble and have a lot to
prove to their own constituents, a pissed
of people who demand a change in how
things are happening in the world.
Promises mean nothing when high-
speed transit systems and corporate
hijinx all the way down to SWCs
own Prop. R projects take precedence
over the needs of the students and
unemployed struggling to make in
through this recession alive.
Occupy has the potential to become
one of the greatest grassroots movements
in decades. It would not be the frst time
We Te People united and created a
cascade of events to change the face of
America. Te Civil Rights Movement
and sexual revolution of the 1960s
brought permanent change to the
face of America. Now, with wealth
concentrating in the hands of a few at
the expense of hundreds of millions, the
99ers are starting to get angry.
A sleeping dragon has awakened. We
will be scrutinizing every movement and
dollar elected ofcials decide upon as
they race to gain control of our nation.
People demand to be heard. If you are
in the 99 percent, let all your elected
ofcials know. Government sees us as
Lilliputians to be kicked around, but
remember the storyit was their sheer
numbers that took down the giant.
Students and faculty lace up their shoes and hit the
streets for annual Strides Against Breast Cancer
Pretty in pink at annual cancer walk
By Kevin Reyes
Staff Writer
I
n the morning mist thousands of walkers
decked out in pink shirts, hats, wigs
and feathered boas made their way to
the starting line. The American Cancer
Society (ACS) Making Strides Against Breast
Cancer charity walk was underway and a large
Southwestern College team was walking the walk.
One step closer to a world with less cancer and
more birthdays, was the events motto.
SWC Professor of Health Science Valerie
Goodwin-Colbert, an advocate for womens
health and rights, took the lead in organizing
an SWC team. Players from the Jaguar softball
team, Puente Project students and director Sylvia
Felan-Gonzales, Governing Board President Tim
Nader, and many other students, staff and faculty
laced up walking shoes. Last year the SWC team
was one of many to receive a Blue Ribbon award
for raising more than $1,000. Goodwin-Colbert
said she is passionate about her involvement in
the walk.
A small little pebble of sand on the beach is
still one more voice, she said.
Goodwin-Colbert said that the first year the
team took part in the walk it rained. Despite the
weather, most team members showed up.
People who have cancer go though a lot more
than just walking in the rain, she said. As soon
as you say cancer, the C word, people assume
that youre going to die. I think we need to get
through that mentality. We are here to battle it.
SWC Phi Thet a Kappa Honor Soci et y
members were also there. President Christina
Gutierrez said the experience was unforgettable.
There were so many people all of different
ages and genders coming together for one
cause, said Gutierrez. It was magical seeing
so much pink! I also loved seeing kids walking
for their moms, grandmothers, aunts. It made
it worthwhile.
Breast cancer ranks second among cancer
deaths in women. About 232,600 new cases will
be diagnosed in women in the United States this
year and 2,140 in men.
Bobbing in the sea of pink was ACS volunteer
Stacy Matseas, whose efforts and commitment to
promote breast cancer awareness earned her the
title of No. 1 National Fundraiser for Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer.
Her organization, Stacys Circle of Friends,
the only non-corporate sponsor of the event,
raised more than $127,000 this year, beating out
corporate-sponsored teams like Waxie Sanitary
Supply, Qualcomm and Cymer, Inc. Since its
inception in 2000, Stacys Circle of Friends has
raised an estimated $1.3 million.
After her childhood friend was diagnosed with
breast cancer 11 years ago, Matseas said she
participated in her first Making Strides event as
a way to turn feelings of helplessness and anger
to empowerment.
It brings me some of the greatest joy to witness
other people realize their own abilities by seeing
what I have been able to accomplish, she said.
Its their efforts that are causing the difference
to happen.
Nearly 30,000 registrants attended the San
Diego leg of Making Strides, a 4-mile walk
that looped through Balboa Park. High-school
AMPARO MENDOZA/STAFF
MORAL SUPPORT Volunteers cheer from the sidelines as a river of pink fooded across the Prado Bridge in Balboa Park for the annual Breast Cancer Walk.
ERICKA GONZALES/STAFF
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (above) Dr. Mary Wilde, Scripps
Health Center, breast oncologist, and Susan Taylor, NBC news anchor,
in pinktober attire . (below) Balboa Park is colored in pink by hundreds
of people walking in the fundraiser.
DEMIN ALVARADO/STAFF
BREAST TEAM EVER Participants of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer made teams for the walk to raise
money for cancer research. Many teams picked team names with funny puns.
please see Pink pride pg. 6
Free STI testing for SWC students
Students say Otay Mesa worth the drive
Activist urges men
to respect women
By Marshall Murphy
Assistant Photo Editor
Our country has bred a culture of
rape through the portrayal of women in
the media, glorifying sex and violence,
and associating degrading words with
women. Jef Bucholtz, director of We
End Violence, is tired of it.
With his dynamic speaking and acting
skills, Bucholtz kept the crowd entranced
while discussing tough issues of sexual
harassment and violence. His statics were
alarming. One in four women will be
sexually assaulted in her lifetime and 76
percent of those by someone they know.
Bucholtz said he is giving a voice and a
hand to survivors who will not speak for
themselves for fear of being ostracized.
Men Against Rape starts by asking
the crowd how we defne sex. Most will
agree there is good, sloppy, bad, regretted
and violent sex.
Is sexual violence at the other end
of the spectrum of good sex? said
Bucholtz. No, the defining line is
consent, you have the choice. No one
likes the idea of rape and no one likes
the fact that no one is doing anything
about it. It pissed me of more people
werent doing something.
Evelyn Leon, 19, a psychology major
said she was surprised this information
was coming from a man.
Ive seen other presentations and
they were females, said Leon. He
hit everything. It was entertaining he
kept us engaged and used pop culture
references.
Bucholtz skillfully combined theater
with outrage during his thoroughly
researched presentati on. Hi s ski t
as an anchor for Channel 11 News
demonstrated how the media often
portrays rape as the womans fault. In
another great performance with heart-
wrenching testimonials, Bucholtz held
up headshots of survivors and read
testimonials.
In another exercise Bucholtz called
upon the audience to blurt out names
society calls women who have sex.
Slut! Whore! Hoochie! Skizzy!
were some of the less-than-fattering
adjectives. He then asked the crowd
to do the same for men. Playa! Te
Man! Pimp! Mac Daddy! shouted
members of the crowd, demonstrating
the hypocracy of our society.
Every woman will be called a slut,
says Bucholtz. Te word was derived
from the English court system of days
past meaning a woman who can be
legally raped.
Bucholtz said the best things to say
to a survivor of rape is, Im sorry this
happened to you. Its not your fault.
What can I do for you?
One thing you should never do
is ofer help and dont follow up, he
added.
Bruce Gray, 19, said he got the
message.
It shows how f***ed up our culture
is, how men are glorifed and women are
put down, he said. It was a good and
insightful presentation.
Bucholtz makes fve presentations a
semester on campus ranging from sexual
and relationship violence, masculinity,
feminism and violence prevention in
society.
Captivating Men Against Rape presentation urges
large SWC audience to end sexual violence
MARSHALL MURPHY/STAFF
FUNNY MAN, SERIOUS MESSAGE Adjunct instructor Jef Bucholtz gives a riveting
presentation on sexism and violence agaisnt women in Men Against Rape.
By Jamie Celeste
Staff Writer
With its back against the Mexican
border and its face toward Americas
21st century, the beautiful Higher
Education Center (HEC) Otay Mesa
shines through the dust of the border-
crossing semi trucks.
The servi ces and cl asses are
outstanding and you will be impressed
with the facilities that are available,
said Sylvia Cornejo-Darcy, dean of
the center. It is a beautiful facility,
offering comprehensive services and
excellent signature programs.
HEC Otay Mesa opened in 2007
and houses some of SWCs signature
programs . Nurs i ng, Emergency
Medical Technician, paramedic, fire
science, the police academy and a
variety of business programs are
housed at the Otay Mesa campus.
Were all here for your success,
said Cathy McJannet, director of the
nursing program, Thats truly what
our vision is.
Yara Barron is a nursing student
at HEC Otay Mesa. Her goal is to
become a registered nurse and work
in pediatric oncology, the diagnosis
and treatment of children with cancer.
Its a one-stop program, said
Barron. I can go from certified
nursing assistant to associates degree
in nursing to become a registered
nurse.
Emergency Medical Technology
(EMT) is a 17-week program broken
into two courses. Students also receive
ambulance rotation and emergency
room experience.
I like the schedule of the program.
They offer both day or night classes,
said EMT student, John Carter, 31.
All the instructors are really good, so
Ill always be getting the same level of
education.
Students often avoid taking classes
at HEC Otay Mesa because of the
distance, but the programs attract
many students who are focused and
are attracted to the special focus
courses.
Nick Ritter is a 26-year-old student
majoring in human biology who
makes the effort to come to Otay Mesa
twice a week.
I dont enjoy driving here, he said,
but I come for this specific EMT
program for health care experience.
SWCs rebuilding Police Academy is
an Otay Mesa mainstay. Students are
certified after an 11-month program.
Lecture classes are held at the Otay
Mesa campus and additional training
takes place at the San Diego Sheriff s
firearms range in Miramar. After
completing Police Academy courses,
students are expected to meet the
training requirements of a peace
officer
Theres no drama, its stress-free,
its calm, said Maria D. Martinez,
Education Center Assistant. We dont
get wind of things that main campus
does. Its its own little environment.
KAREN PEREZ/STAFF
BORDERING ON EXCELLENCE Fire science, nursing and police academy courses are
just a handful of specialized classes the Otay Mesa campus ofers for professional occupations.
By Alexis Dominguez
Staff Writer
College students like STI tests even
less than biology tests, but Planned
Parenthood is looking to change that.
Planned Parenthood staf is ofering
free testing for sexually-transmitted
disease once a month this semester with
tentative plans to return next semester.
Testi ng for HIV, gonorrhea and
Chlamydia is free for SWC students.
Spokes per s on Marcy Cl ays on
said she will provide presentations
on human anatomy, birth control,
sexually transmitted infections and
reproductive health. She said she spoke
with SWC Campus Nurse Grace Cruz
and suggested the college provide free
STI testing.
Planned Parenthood is doing a new
community outreach, Cruz said. It
funded the testing equipment and the
staf that was needed.
Clayson said this is the frst time
Planned Parenthood has provided free
testing at SWC on a regular basis. State
funding pays for the service.
We had a really good turn out,
Clayson said. We were here for about
four hours and tested more than 50
students.
Free condoms, morning after pills
and brochures with information about
safe sex where also available. Anyone
over the age of 12 can be tested
without the consent of parents. Due
to California State Law, Planned
Parenthood cannot notify the parents,
partner or friends, Clayson said, and
results of the tests are confdential.
If an adult has a signifcant other
and that person wanted to know
information about the adults results,
we wouldnt release it, she said.
Everything is strictly between Planned
Parenthood and its patients.
Abizay Santos, president of EOPS
Club, said he decided to get tested
in order to receive extra credit in his
health class.
Te whole testing experience was
pleasant and did not take much of my
time. It only took around 15 minutes,
said Santos. Te staf was very friendly
and professional throughout the whole
process. Having the testing on campus
was very accessible because we dont
need to drive of campus. Te service
is within our reach and it is free.
SWC student Brandon Chambers
took the time to get tested as well.
Te procedure was painless. Just a
little stub on the fnger, Chambers
said. Some people might not have
the opportunity during their busy
schedule.
Clayson said Planned Parenthood
does not provide direct medical care to
people whose STI test returns positive.
We can defnitely link them to all
the places they can get help from,
she said.
San Ysidro Health Center has a
program that ofers counseling directly
to STI positive patients.
Pink pride: Walkers
show solidarity in
cancer struggle
ERICKA GONZALEZ/STAFF
PINK JAGUARS (l-r) Professor Ester Alonso, Governing Board President Tim Nader,
Professor Valerie Goodwin-Colbert and Instructional Support Specialist Heidi Newhouse
walked in support of breast cancer research.
cheerleaders, volunteers and spectators
hollered words of encouragement from
the sidelines and gave out high fives.
At the finish line walkers were met by
live music and refreshments. Making
Strides organizers announced that this
years event raised more than $800,000.
Its not over today, Matseas said.
We need to think about promoting
awareness as often as we can and help
in any way we can.
That would tickle Matseas pink.
Continued from Page 5
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
CAMPUS
6
Angelica Gonzales, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-6368
E-mail: campus@theswcsun.com
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By Esteban Alcala
Staff Writer
Nothing borderline about Borderline
Brass, the all-star ensemble can put on a
stellar show.
A hand-pi cked super group of
Southwestern College professors and
musicians from the La Jolla Symphony,
Borderline Brass presented Music from
the Teatre with fair, technical fuency
and, well, theatricality. Best of all they
jammed.
Music professors Dr. Cynthia McGregor
and Dr. Jef Nevin showed their students
how it is done. Tey were playing dual roles
as teachers and performers as they blazed
through numbers from theatre classics like
Carmen and West Side Story.
Nevin and company rocked the Leonard
Bernstein classic America from West
Side Story. Its volatile syncopation and
punchy melody were no match for el
maestro as Nevin kept his ensemble locked
onto the complicated tempos. Te spirit
of Chita Rivera swept into the hall as the
musicians swung their skirts, stamped their
feet and celebrated joie de vivre through
their transcendent playing.
Professors and symphony musicians have
another talent that might be overlooked
they know how to put on a show! Audience
members bonded with the performers and
went along on a musical journey that was
built on enthusiasm and trust, much like
a great classroom. Of course, at the end of
the day, that is what a great college musical
performance should be.
Borderline
Brass shows
how its done
please see Film pg. 8
ARTS
Te Southwestern College Sun
7
Oct. 14- Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Issue 2
Successful
encore for
film festival MARIACHI
MAGICA
MARGIE REESE/STAFF
SOUTHWESTERNS CALLING CARD Mariachi Garibaldi is the only SWC program with an international reputation, and it is a great band to boot. Dr. Jef Nevin (l),
not one to blow his own horn, enjoys sitting in with his students, including singer Perry Chacon.
By Angela Soberanes
Staff Writer
Padre Hidal go ignited the way to
Mexican independence with his spirited
El Grito de Dolores, Viva Mxico!
Viva La Independencia! Dr. Jeff Nevin
honored the secular Mexican holy day of
independence with his blazing trumpet
and the world-renown Mariachi Garibaldi
of Southwestern College.
San Diegos acclaimed music venue
Anthology in Little Italy was Mxico
Central for day as flags, streamers, and
lights of green, white and bloody red
honored those who fought for freedom
in La Madre Mxico. Nevins talented
crew was la crema en el caf and put on
a dazzling concept of traditional and
contemporary Mariachi favorites.
Nevin and his musicians have been busy
ambassadors for Southwestern College
and Mariachi music. They have traveled to
Mxico, Russia and Europe spreading the
gospels. Nevin said it is a role he cherishes.
When we go down there the audience
really respect us and recognize were
performing very traditional mariachi
music and were doing very well, said
Nevin. Its important for me to teach
my students the traditional mariachi
repertoire.
Professor Nevin, founder of Americas
first collegiate Mariachi, was recognized
for his contribution to international arts
and culture by the Mexican consulate of
San Diego by Remedios Gomez.
Mariachi is a marriage of fundamentals
and f l are, and t he SWC ensembl e
embodied both.
Nevin has consistently demonstrated
the abil ity to make beginners good
musicians and good musicians great ones.
Carlos Castaneda, 20, a music education
major, is a member of Mariachi Garibaldi
ensemble class and has studied European
classical music. He said he hopes of
transferring to CSU Northridge next
semester. He credits the SWC program
for giving him opportunities to audition
with professional Mariachis.
Nevin is a really good teacher and a big
influence, I would like to teach Mariachi
like him, said Castaneda.
Many students cross the border for a
chance to study with Nevin and earn an
associates in Mariachi. Recording studios
and local bands and restaurants look for
please see Mariachi pg. 8
By Angelica Gonzales
Campus Editor
Comics are serious business to
Neil Kendricks, the multi-talented
photographer, flmmaker, writer and SWC
adjunct instructor. Now he has a new title
comics documentarian.
Kendricks project, Comics Are
Everywhere, is a documentary about
comic books and chronicles four artists
and their struggle to follow their dreams.
Its people who are picking up a pencil,
a blank piece of paper and dreaming away,
he said. And when you get to see their
dream on paper, whatever form it may
be that is awesome. Tat is something
Ill never get over, it will never get old.
Kendricks teaches photography at
Southwestern College. He said he sees
talent and promise in students and enjoy
working with him. Adrian Talamantes, 36,
business major at SDSU, met Kendricks
while studying flm and photography at
Southwestern College.
I was recommended to Mr. Kendricks
by several professors on campus, he said.
I was one of few who knew how to load
the camera he uses.
After transferring to SDSU, Talamantes
reconnected with Kendricks in passing at
school. By the next summer, Kendricks
invited him to sign on to the documentary.
I had never worked on a documentary
before but it was awesome, he said. Te
crew was very close it was like we had all
been friends for years, but it was only the
frst day. Working with Kendrick was the
most natural and easiest thing Ive ever
done.
Production of Comics Are Everywhere
is based in Los Angeles, but Kendricks
chooses to stay in San Diego and travel
periodically by train to L.A., lugging with
him gear and production journals.
Cinematographer Nathan Gulick is
Kendricks right hand man. Kendricks
stays in San Diego, Gulick said, to stay
grounded.
He comes from an honest place and
not a commercial one, said Gulick. He
is doing this because he is truly passionate
about it.
Gulick met Kendricks in San Diego
while attending a film festival at the
Museum of Contemporary Art where
Kendrick works as a curator.
Immediately after the event I had to
know who organized it and I needed to
meet him, he said.
As a flm curator Kendricks is breaking
down the walls of traditional flm festivals
with his annual Alt.Picture Show.
In a traditional flm festival you buy
MARSHALL MURPHY/STAFF
BIRTH OF A SUPERHERO SWC photo instructor Neil Kendricks said his interest in the creative process inspired his documentary,
Comics are Everywhere about the comic book industry.
Film documents seriousness of comics
please see Comics pg. 8
By Anna Ven Sobrevias
Staff Writer
Dinorah Guadiana-Costa had a good
little idea in 2000. Now it is a good big idea.
SWCs ebullient professor of Spanish
started the International Film Festival after
witnessing the success of Spanish movies.
Now the popular event is an SRO tradition.
I started it because we wanted to bring
in culture to our students experience of
foreign language, said Guadiana-Costa.
One thing is to have a wonderful book
and be able to learn from it, but another
thing is to experience culture as much
as possible.
Guadiana-Costa and her colleagues
choose the films. Aside from being in
a foreign language, the films should
provide cultural enlightenment.Cultural
and historical contexts are a must. Tis
year featured films such as Biutiful
(Spain),In the Mood for Love(Japan)
and Inang Yaya(Te Philippines).
English Professor Heather Eudy said
she always encourages her students to
participate in the yearly festival.
So many come to class and leave and
never participate in any of the campus
activities and often dont even know whats
ofered here, said Eudy. Te more you
participate, the more you belong, the more
you value your educational experience.
Eudy said the flm festival supplements
her lessons.
I think all of my classes beneft from
the festival because it requires their
critical thinking and writing, said Eudy.
I have them respond to the flms in a
critical manner.
Films can ofer what travelling does in an
artistic form, said Guadiana-Costa.
Many times, one can explain things in
the classroom as a teacher or bring stuf in
from the Web, but one of the best things to
do is to travel, right? said Guadiana-Costa.
And in the absence of that opportunity,
watching a flm that tells it like it is, lets
say it brings you the culture to your living
room or in this case to your school.
Trough the years, the growth of student
and staf participation helped expand the
flm festival.
We noticed that there were people not
able to sit down, said Guadiana-Costa.
Tere were too many people attending.
So from that the idea progressed into one,
lets show a movie in every language that we
teach. Two, lets get a bigger venue. Its really
expanded and we have about an average of
50 people at every flm.
>REVIEW
Renaissance man Kendricks wraps up his latest doc project, launches film festival
ARTS
8
Amber Sykes, editor
Tel: (619) 482-6360
e-mail: arts@theswcsun.com
Oct. 14- Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Issue 2
actual experience and contemporary
performance abilities when auditioning
new members to play, enabling SWC
students to get good gigs, he said.
Mar i achi Gar i bal di i s hel d i n
very high regard in the motherland,
including Guadalajara home of the
international Mariachi Festival. SWCs
Mariachi Garibaldi has been embraced
by the worlds most distinguished
groups. Including improvised sessions
in hotel lobbies.
Party for the mari achi guys i s
when you go to the jam session, said
Castaneda.
The best performance was when we
played Teatro Degollada, a very iconic
theater in Mxico. It was awesome.
Ma r i a c h i Ga r i b a l d i s n e x t
performance Celebrando El Mariachi
Concert will be on December 8, 7:30
p.m. at Mayan Hall Theatre.
By Andrea Aliseda
Multimedia Editor
Anyone who thinks Occupy Wall Street
is likely to fzzle and be forgotten should
take a cue from Chicano Park, a movement
that started in 1970 and is still going
strong. San Diegos venerable outdoor
Latino art museum is currently undergoing
restoration of its murals, said to be ready
by its 42nd anniversary April 22, 2012.
Victor Ochoa, who helped to spearhead
the Chicano Park movement, was born in
East Los Angeles. He was once deported
to Mexico for the crime of being Latino,
but before the 1970 uprising, Chicano Park
was a desolate plot under the Coronado
Bridge scheduled to become a California
Highway Patrol substation.
Chicano Park is world famous for its
passionate Toltec and Chicano murals.
Vibrant images of indigo, cadmium and
cardinal speak insistently to viewers,
even those passing at 65 mph on nearby
Interstate 5.
Unlike the term Mexican-American,
Chicano implies a certain pride and
responsibility one cultivates for being
Mexican, Ochoa said, specifically for
Mexicans away from home. Ochoa said
he has identifed himself as a Chicano
since 1966.
Ochoa said Mexicans are portrayed in
the media as trafcantes (drug dealers) as
well as dirty, lazy and negative. Chicano
Parks art demonstrates Mexicos heritage
of pride, honor and hard work.
Whats on the murals is like an open
book, it contains certain aspects of our
history, he explained.
Chicano Park started out from the
ombligo (belly button) of Barrio Logan.
It was somewhat like a hub, said
Ochoa. There was a lot of Mexican
infuence in the barrio (neighborhood),
tortillerias on street corners, and Spanish
movies playing in the theatres. In years
past, the only way to get tortillas was to
go to the barrio.
Life was sweet for the people of the
barrio, until the federal government
built the I-5 and I-15 freeways through
their community. Then came the state
of California with the Coronado Bridge.
Almost 5,000 people lost their homes.
Nobody came and said We want to
build this huge bridge on top of you. We
want to annihilate you once and for all with
something so big your humanity will just
wither up and die, said Ochoa.
A slab of concrete just on the outer corner
of what was left of the barrio was the one
of the few free spaces residents had. A long-
promised access corridor to the bay never
happened. Te substation was the last straw,
Ochoa said, and the citizens fought back.
Loganistas blocked bulldozers and occupied
the site. Tey were soon joined by Chicanos
and their supporters from Los Angeles, San
Jose and beyond. Occupiers began to paint
murals on the bridge supports.
During the 60s there was a movement
of people and an art movement parallel to
the Chicano movement, Ochoa said.
Painting started without permission.
Artists have been painting bridge supports
in Chicano Park for 42 years now without
censorship.
I see art as a tool for some of the solutions
immigration, racism, knowledge of our
own history, (being) bilingual, police
brutality, gentrifcation, said Ochoa.
Today the goals of Chicano Park remain
rooted in its past and the Spirit of the
Chicano Movement is still very much alive
in the bold murals and festive celebrations.
Restoration of the murals is scheduled
to be finished by April 22, the 42nd
anniversary of the park. Ochoa expects
25,000 people to attend.
Cutting expression out makes us a
weaker people, Ochoa said. In that
spirit, lets use the tools of art as means of
expression to strengthen us as a whole and
to lead by example.
Chicano Park is a dynamic example of
strength through art.
JEREMY LAWSON/STAFF
A SAN DIEGO WONDER Chicano Parks world-famous murals are being cleaned and
touched up in time for Aprils anniversary celebration.
Chicano Park murals receive a freshening up
Mariachi: Musical
ambassadors have
put SWC on map
Continued from Page 7
Comics: Creators
are the superheroes
of documentary
Continued from Page 7
your ticket and sit through each flm,
he said. People during this event dont
have to feel confned to a flm. Tey
can get up and move to the next if they
lose interest.
While reinventing film-going
experiences, there are some things
Kendricks said he appreciates about the
past. In his flm he explores the reality
that technology is replacing hard copies
of things he holds dear such as books,
music and photography. With digital
downloads, comic books are available
at the click of a button instead of a trip
to book store.
Tere is a certain nostalgia about
walking through a stack of books, he
said. Te reading experience is tactile.
I like to have something in my hands
a book or comic book. Books are
these beautiful objects that you share
with your friends. Tere is something
about a book that is dog-eared and you
can tell its been read a lot or more so
loved a lot. And when you give that to
someone else, it is not like an e-mail. It
is an object you cared about.
Before film consumed Kendricks
life, he had a deep-rooted passion for
art and built a reputation in concert
photography. During the 1990s he was
a student at SDSU and an arts editor
for the Daily Aztec newspaper.
During the day I would go to
class, said Kendricks, and at night I
would attend concerts and take photos.
Sometimes the bands would even take
notice of my work.
Kendricks has photographed Nirvana,
U2 and Depeche Mode, among others.
With technology moving forward, he
teaches a beginning digital photography
class, but remains loyal to his classic
flm camera.
Im an old school guy, he said. But
as times progress the industry does as
well.
MARGIE REESE/STAFF
ALL THE RI GHT
NOTES. . . Ma r i a c h i
Garibaldi has earned the
respect of the worlds best
mariachi and has played
side-by-side with super
groups l i ke Mari achi
Vargas.
GET THE
WHOLE PICTURE
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT
THESWCSUN.COM
,
Alexis Dominguez
Staff Writer
Ca r o l Ni e k r a s z , a s a t hl e t i c
department administrative assistant
ext raordi nai re, al ways hel ped t o
organize the Southwestern College
Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet. This
year she was a guest of honor.
Ni ekrasz and four athl eti c and
coaching standouts were immortalized
at this years ceremony, which also
honored 18 2010-11 award-winning
coaches and student athletes.
Enshired with Niekrasz were football
star Stephen Pierce, legendary tennis
coach Susan Reasons, baseball standout
Alex Palaez and football coach mainstay
Gil Warren.
Pierce, a wide receiver at SWC in
1983 and 1984, was MVP both years.
He was awarded a scholarship to the
University of Illinois and earned a BA
in political science. He was Rookie
of the Year at Illinois and the second
leading receiver in the Big Ten. He is
president of the NFL Former Players
Association and CEO of the Stephen
Pierce Foundation. His mother, Ruby
Pierce, said she was proud of her son.
It is a great honor to be put in a
position to do the things that I have
done, said Pierce. I was blessed with a
great wife, family, players and coaches.
It could not be done without them.
Reasons was a star tennis player who
earned All-Pacific Coast Conference
honors, but is best known as a coaching
legend in San Diego County. She
earned a BA in physical education at
SDSU with an emphasis on coaching.
Reasons said the night was fantastic.
To be honored for something I love
is indescribable, said Reasons. I dont
know quite how to put it in words.
In 2001, her first year coaching at
SWC, her team won the Pacific Coast
Conference Championship. SWCs
tennis program was suspended for two
years in 2010 due to budget problems.
Despite not coaching, Reasons still
contributes her time as the director of
the SWC Community Tennis Center.
Pelaez played baseball under Hall
of Fame Coach Jerry Bartow and was
All-Pacific Coast Conference in 1995
and 1996. He was also All-Metro in
1992-1994 in high school. At SDSU he
was WAC All Conference in 1997 and
1998. He is currently the hitting coach
for the Dayton Dragons in the Pioneer
League and instructor at the Gonzales
Sports Academy in Chula Vista.
For people to acknowledge you
for something you did 20 years ago is
awesome, said Palaez.
His mother, Susanna Pelaez, said she
was very proud of her son and that it
was a joy to watch him grow up to be
great at baseball, the sport he loved.
Ever since he was wearing diapers
he was swinging the bat and his father
and I enjoyed seeing him play baseball,
she said.
Carol Patrice Surette Niekrasz started
at SWC as a student worker for the
Arts Department. She worked her way
to clerical assistant I and currently
serves as the Pacific Coast Conference
secretary to the PCC commissioner.
She was an anchor of the SWC sports
program.
I found a second home in the
athletic department, she said. The
true joy was watching the athletes
succeed.
Niekrasz helped manage the athletics
budget and processed student athletic
Al ex Pel aez
Baseball
INDUCTEE
PCAC andWACAll Conference Player
Billings Mustangs Hitting Coach
Instructor at the Gonzalez Sports Academy
Stephen Pi erce
Football
INDUCTEE
University of Illinois Rookie of the Year
Philanthropist
CEO of Stephen Pierce Foundation
Gi l Warren
Football
INDUCTEE
SD County High School Coaching Legend
1996 CIF Division 2 Champion
Former SWC Offensive Coordinator
Carol Ni ekrasz
Administrative Assistant
INDUCTEE
22 years in athletics department
Guided deans and coaches
Mentored student athletes
Athletes, coaches,
administrators
are enshrined
|
GAME REPORT
|
Serina Duarte/Staff
GETTING IT OFF HIS CHEST (above) Jaguars goal keeper Alejandro Casteeda rises from the pool for a block against Grossmont College. (below) Womens goalie Liz Crockor blocks a grossmont attempt.
Water polo teams struggle to
keep their heads above water
By Mary York
News Editor
J
ust when the mens water polo
team seemed to be drowning,
it came up for air with an
inspiring 13-12 victory over
#2-ranked Palomar College.
The Jags 13-12 victory over the #2
team in the conference came at just the
right time.
In my time here I dont remember
ever beating them, said coach Jorge
Ortega.
After taking a 22-4 beating from
Grossmont on Sept. 21, the team
needed the pi ck-me-up wi n over
Palomar.
Theres no shame i n l osi ng to
Grossmont, said Ortega following
SWCs match with the #1 team in the
conference.
Ortega said his small team lacks
substitutes to spell starters.
In water pol o that one-mi nute
breather is huge, he said. My guys
know that. We just have to adjust.
There are no excuses.
Jags play Palomar again Oct. 24
and Ortega said the previous win will
provide inspiration.
Theyve had all this time to think
about what happened, he said. That
motivates our team.
With 10 games left, Ortega said he
hopes for victories over Saddleback and
Mesa before the season finishes.
SWCs womens water polo team is
facing a similar challenge loaded as it
is with new players.
This team does not have a lot of
playing experience, said womens
coach Jennifer Harper. Its just a
transition. But they are all committed.
They all want to achieve playing at a
higher level.
Despite the difficulties, the women
are improving.
We handle losses the best we can,
said driver Danielle Harrington. I feel
we just learn what we can from those
games and use the new knowledge for
the next game. As a team we do our best
to not let the losses get to us, we just
push forward and work even harder.
A t ournament host ed by Mesa
Five SWC legends added to campus Hall of Fame
please see Water Polo pg. 10
SPORTS
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7 2011, Volume 55, Issue 2 Te Southwestern College Sun
9
please see Hall of Fame pg. 10
Susan Reasons
Tennis
INDUCTEE
Two-time Pacifc Coast Coach of the Year
More than 40 tennis titles
Director of the Community Tennis Center
Susan Reasons
College was a turning point for the
team, said Harrington.
During the Mesa tournament we
really started to pull together as a
team, she said. We had added a lot
of new defenses and offenses, which
seemed to work out really well. I feel
this is the first tournament we really
started to understand each other and
how we each play.
For Harrington, unity is a priority.
I have high hopes for this team,
she said. We have so many good
players, we just lack experience
playing with each other. We all come
from different schools with different
playing techniques and were just
trying to mesh all of our styles into
one team in a short period of time,
but I believe we are getting there.
Harper said that the team will
come together with is time.
Theyre like a soup, she said.
You throw it in a pot and get it
to a simmer and get the flavors to
blend.
Harrington said she is upbeat
about their chances.
I be l i e ve at our Mi r amar
tournament and the fol l owi ng
tournaments, ever yone wi l l be
seeing a new team, she said. We
have been working very hard the
past couple of weeks and have many
new plays and defenses. I believe we
are way stronger as a team than we
were at the beginning of the season.
We are ready to win.


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


eligibility for 18 teams every year. She
said she was especially proud of going
in with four other athletes.
Warren was a scholarship football
player at SDSU, where he played
for legendary coach Don Coryell.
Warren won three CIF championships,
including an undefeated season as
coach of Castle Park High School.
He was recruited by SWC Hall of
Fame Coach Bob Mears in the 1980s
to be the offensive coordinator of the
football team. Warren said he was
surprised to receive the award.
I have been coaching for years and
years and it is a real thrill, said Warren.
I never knew they were considering
me, but this is a real honor.
His wife, Cheryl Warren, said she is
a true football widow after 24 years
of marriage.
I am very proud of my husband,
he loves football and coaching, she
said. He is passionate about it and
very humble.
Current coaches and athletes shared
the stage to receive 2010-11 awards.
Academic Athletes of the Year are
swimmer Imelda Gonzalez and soccer
standout Isaac Veenstra. Coaches
of the Year went to cross countrys
Dr. Duro Agbede, and basketball
coaches John Cosentino and Kyle
Colwell. Basketball player Anthony
Cosentino is Male Athlete of the
Year and members of the womens
cross country teams shared the award
as female athletes of the year. SWC
women have won 10 straight PCC
championships and are defending state
champions SWCs only state champs
in 50 years.
I am most proud for my athletes,
said Agbede. I am glad all my athletes
were recognized. It is important for
them and I thank my assistant and the
college for such a great night.
Ayded Reyes, captain of the womens
cross country team, said she was
extremely proud of the team.
Our achievements in cross country
have given us something to bond us for
life, she said.
Karen Day Cravens, part of the
Athl eti c Hal l of Fame Pl anni ng
Committee, said the Hall of Fame is
a way for the community to recognize
the value of SWC.
I think it is long overdue that we
have history of our athletics at SWC
and I think this is invaluable to show
the surrounding community, said
Cravens. Not only do we have a
great athletic department, but that
the col l ege in general provides a
great setting or our athletes and their
education.
Water Polo: Jags
struggle for now but
vow to fght on
Continued from Page 9
Hall of Fame:
SWC enshrines fve
sports standouts
Continued from Page 9
Freed Reyes leads Jags to title
MARSHALL MURPHY/STAFF
FROM DETENTION TO ELATION- Ayded Reyes spent fve days in INS detention, nar-
rowly averted deportation, was freed thanks to eforts of faculty and her Congressman, then won
the Pacifc Coast Conference Cross-Country Championship.
Te Southwestern College Sun
SPORTS
Oct. 14 - Nov-7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
10
By Alexis Dominguez
Staff Writer
D
istracted but not deterred
by the made-for-TV drama
of the near-deportation of
its captain, the Southwestern College
womens cross country team was focused
on crossing its own border at the Pacifc
Coast Conference championshipsthe
fnish line.
Embattled captain Ayded Reyes,
competing hours after being release
from an INS detention center, ran
off with the conference individual
championship followed in close order
by her teammates. SWC won its 10
th

straight conference title in a tune-up
for a defense of its California state
championships.
Unable to train due to a minor
injury, Reyes was detained in Barrio
Logan by San Diego police after a
routine trafc stop of a car in which
she was the passenger. SDPD ofcers
turned her over to the Border Patrol.
She was placed in INS custody and
pressured to sign papers facilitating
her deportation to Mexico. Reyes was
carried into the country as an infant
by her undocumented parents and
has never lived in Mexico. She was
released when Congressman Bob Filner
intervened.
Reyes finished first with a time
of 21:07. Next across the line was
teammate Valerie Hycz in 21:16. Karla
Gadea came in at 6
th
with a time of
22:32 and Prisma Mendoza ran her
way to 8
th
place with a time of 22:50.
All seven SWC womens runner scored
the top 25.
Despite not running during the two
weeks prior the race, Reyes jumped into
the lead from the start and never looked
back in her wire-to-wire win.
Im a fighter, I dont want to be
second. said Reyes. I think it did afect
me, but just the fact I really wanted
to win and not only for me, but for
everyone that has supported me in every
single way. It made me want to win it.
Cross-country coach Dr. Duro
Agbede said he thought 2011 would be a
rebuilding season and was not expecting
to win the championship.
Since 2000, this was the closest race
we have ever had, said Agbede. More
people will know we are still not dead.
SWC men fnished second behind San
Diego Mesa City College. Ansu Sowe
grabbed third in the time of 22:07.
Jonathan Limon fnished ninth in 23:04
and Alfredo Rodriguez followed in 10
th

with a time of 23:07.
Sowe said his strategy for preparation
consists of focus, training hard and
getting rest.
I was hoping for my best, said Sowe.
Ten I started to feel a pain in my back
during the race, so I tried my best to
make it to the fnish line.
Agbede said an injury to a key runner
may have cost the men the title.
Te only problem with the mens
team is we lost our ffth guy to a foot
injury, he said. We could have done
better. We didnt have that ffth runner.
Next up is the So-Cal Championship
at Gusti Park in Ontario.
NEWS
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
11
Rowe was on Sept. 28.
In this conversation there was some
misunderstanding on what Mr. Rowe was
asking, Brown said. I was somewhat taken
aback by his approach, that he wanted to
continue the contract relationship. I
thought he was asking for a modifcation
to how the relationship ended. As the
governing board had not reported out from
closed session [of October 12] yet, I did not
feel at liberty to discuss it.
Rowe admitted he received a letter of
termination, but said that he did not
believe the action was legal.
At that point, based on the statutes that
govern a situation like this, termination
can only happen through a public board
meeting, he said. It has to be on the
agenda and there has to be a public
discussion. There are exceptions that
would allow it to happen in closed session,
but nothing in this situation meets the
exception.
He said that there was nothing about
their termination on the October 12 board
agenda, so he was shocked when Te Sun
inquired about it.
I did not see it on the board agenda,
Rowe said. I didnt see it on previous
board agendas. It certainly wasnt on any
board agenda around the time I received
the letter from Mrs. Whittaker, so it meant
nothing to us.
Rowe said that he continued to have
conversations with Brown about their
relationship. He said it felt formal.
When youre talking about hundreds
of thousands of dollars and a $4 million
contract, I dont think anything is informal
chit-chat, he said.
Rowe said he never thought the project
was dead and had not put together a total
cost to the college for the termination.
I think thats probably an important
thing for the board to know before they
make any decision, he said. Because
convenience is one thing, but if it costs
several hundred thousand dollars, that
makes it a little less convenient.
Mounting Frustration
Rowe said the entire episode was
frustrating.
Weve never had any action like this
taken against us in any of our hundreds
of projects over the past 18 years, he said.
Id be interested in fnding out what their
reasoning was.
Echo Pacific had been contracted
to provide construction management
services for Prop R contractors and
subcontractors. Pasadena-based Seville
Construction Services is in charge of
program management, providing oversight
for financial, community and design
issues, as well as working with the college
itself.
Neither Seville nor San Jose-based BCA
Architects, the designers of the corner lot
project, were afected by this decision.
As Rowe wrestles with the boards
decision, board members continue to
wrestle with concerns and construction
delays on the $55 million corner lot project.
Governing Board President Tim Nader
spoke highly of the team now overseeing
construction. It includes Brown, Interim
Vice President of Business Bob Temple
and Seville project manager Bob DeLiso.
One thing that I feel pretty comfortable
saying publicly is that weve put a new
administrative team in place and vetted
them a bit more thoroughly with the
campus and the project community at
large, Nader said.
Board Out of the Loop
Nader also said the team was concerned
with accountability and transparency, and
keeping the board apprised of progress and
problems.
Tere are entire aspects of this project
that are now being brought before the
board that the board was never aware of,
both the old and new members, Nader
said.
A few of those issues he couldnt comment
on, he said.
Some of that has been subject to closed
session discussion that I cant really go into,
he said. But one thing we have found is
that the uses that were contemplated for
some of the [new corner lot] buildings are
probably not the best uses for the college
and community. Tat requires that we
rethink some aspects not the entire
project, not even most of it, but some
aspects of it.
Nader said that there had been some
public discussion during the boards Prop
R workshops and that others had expressed
their concerns, both publicly and privately,
about these issues.
Whether its really wise to move the
cafeteria to the edge of campus, or the
bookstore, or the police station those
types of things, Nader said. What other
uses those might be better reconfgured for,
so that when we do build the project, its
one that gives the taxpayers the best use for
their money.
New board trustee Humberto Peraza
agreed that changes were necessary.
Youd be making a mistake as a board
member or member of administration in
putting something out there you know isnt
going to work, thats going to fail within
the year, he said.
Peraza said it was important that the new
board do things right.
You cant just decide youre going to
put something out there and say, Wooo!
Lets go! Lets be cowboys and put whatever
we want out there and make it a dream!
without going through the process, he
said.
Nader said that the felt the work to
modify corner lot buildings would not
involve major structural changes.
I think the changes that were likely
to make, in terms of optimizing use of
the corner lot, are not changes likely to
significantly affect when we can start
building, he said. Were looking more
at internal reconfgurations or allocations
of use, as opposed to a radical change in
the building footprint, or anything of
that nature. If we decide were not moving
the cafeteria into that space that doesnt
mean we cant build the footprint of that
space pretty close to what was previously
designed.
Spring Ahead
Temple said he believed construction
would fnally begin in the spring and there
was sound fnancial reason to do so.
I do not expect any signifcant delay,
he said. One of the primary reasons for
the changes being considered is to bring
the corner lot project back into the board-
approved budget of $55 million.
Peraza said the public is tired of seeing an
empty lot and wants to see progress begin.
Jus t becaus e s omeone had a
groundbreaking a year ago and said
something was happening when it really
wasnt, he said. Well do it when theres
actually going to be a shovel in the ground.
Were not going to put on a show when
nothings happening.
Peraza said he knew one thing he
would like to see on the corner lot, a large
and well-appointed hall that could host
community activities.
Our community has wanted a place for
kids to have their proms, he said. Tey
shouldnt have to go downtown and put
our tax dollars into another community
rather than spending it right here in our
community. If the Chula Vista Chamber of
Commerce wants to have a dinner in their
own city, they cant do it. We dont have the
ability to do those things.
Changes to the building design have led
to questions that these plans were not the
ones the voters initially supported.
Tats ridiculous, Nader said. Tat
plan wasnt even drawn up when Prop R
was passed. So how could that be a change?
Te voters were not told they were going to
have a separate private bathroom for every
member of the administration on campus
as part of this project. For us to remove that
from the project is certainly not a betrayal
of the voters. Quite the opposite.
Going into Labor
Delays are issues for the college
community, but also Prop R construction
workers.
On October 10, members of several
diferent labor unions showed up at the
governing board meeting. Janet Mazzarella,
vice president of Southwestern College
Educators Association (SCEA), said they
were there for a reason.
Tey were all asking the same thing, for
the board to hurry up and please get this
Project Labor Agreement signed, she said.
Te PLA, if signed, would regulate the
administrations hiring of construction
workers to hiring union workers for all
Prop R work. Mazzarella said didnt know
if a PLA would be able to be signed soon
enough to afect Phase I work which
would include the corner lot building or
if it could only be for Phases II V.
Phase II is a long way out, she said.
Im personally hopeful that Phase I is
correct, because thats clearly what the
community and these workers want to
see happen.
Nader said that was likely.
The labor agreement that our
subcommittee is going to be working on
will almost certainly not be applicable to
Phase I, he said. It will be applicable
to subsequent phases. And you have the
little problem that contracts have already
been let out.
Nader said that a series of rumors,
including one allegedly reported by a local
television news channel, were unfounded.
Tere have been a lot of weird rumors
out there, he said, but one of those
was that the commencement of Phase
I construction is tied to completing the
PLA, and thats completely false. Teyre
completely separate from each other.
Even with design alterations, a change
in construction management, public
perception as it is and a possible backlash
from organized labor, members of the
board and administrative team are
convinced that the project will still progress
with little delay.
I am not going to predict that were
breaking ground before the end of the
year, Nader said. I think its more realistic
to expect that happens next year. I hate to
see the project delayed, because I want to
see people put to work as soon as possible,
but you have to consider we only get to
build this thing once. And we need to have
a project that best serves the community
college.
In the meantime, vendors sell pumpkins
on the empty lot, and shortly after
Tanksgiving, a new operation will begin
selling Christmas trees. Cinderella missed
the deadline once already and saw her
magical vehicle reduced to jolly orange
gourds. SWCs corner lot continues to
wither on the vine.
Mary York, Editor
Tel: (619) 482-5787
E-mail: news@theswcsun.com
Construction:
Union questions
termination of
Prop R contract
Continued from Page 1
SERINA DUARTE/STAFF
WAITING FOR THE GREAT PUMPKIN After a year of no construction, the Pumpkin
Patch manages to carve out another year of business on the corner lot.
education and unexpected situations are
hard to deal with in a tight budget scenario.
Tat is where good planning comes in, said
Stuart.
Every community college must have a
strategic plan, she said. It guides funding,
projects, developmental policies, and creates
the path of the college. It is based on the
community, the campus and the needs of
the students.
Stuart said SWC has to get current with
its human resources technology to help the
college to be more efcient.
Stuart said many employees track their
time and sick leave on 3x5 cards, and if
computer database were available, it will free
the people in HR from their responsibilities
with reports and positions needing to be
flled.
We dont have any infrastructure, Stuart
said. We dont have any computer database.
For students, if we cant track what faculty
we have, how can we provide the services
we have?
Program ideas for information technology
(IT) include helping students with limited
physical or emotional abilities, interpreting
and captioning, which are federally required,
she said, and increasing database security.
The Shared Consultation Counsel
(SCC), a governance committee Stuart
and Whittaker co-chair, makes decisions
on policy procedures, strategic planning and
curriculum development. SCC provided
$250,000 for program review of items and
another $250,000 just for IT needs, Stuart said.
Tis is the beginning, she said. We take all
these ideas and we start forging them into our
next plan. And its taking everything to put it
together. So its not one person, its all of us.
She said the campus needs to be brought up
to speed so all the services can be provided
for the students, such as fnancial aid.
Its amazing, Stuart said. When Im
doing strategic planning with Denise, it
feels like Im sitting on one of those big
huge waves in Hawaii and Im like that
tiny surfer.
Arlie Ricasa, director of Student
Development and Health Services, sees her
focus more on student access and success.
I think they are critical to make
everything else work, she said. How
are we making sure that we are open to
everybody?
The institutions job to ensure that
the students meet their goals, whether
transferring, achieving a certifcate, gaining
knowledge in a particular area.
We need to make sure that we have
strong support program services to meet
those needs so the students can actually leave
Southwestern College with their degrees
and certificates, said Ricasa. The best
result will be combining all of those various
interests in order to achieve these things.
Students are being asked to pay additional
fees, on top of the increase in tuition this fall
semester to $36 a unit. Fees could jump to
$46 a unit next summer, said Ricasa. CSU
and UC fees have also increased.
Because of the economic situation our
nation and our state is in, that is why there
is an increase in student fees, she said. So
what does that do to the students? It limits
their ability to go on to a higher education,
to aford education. What does that mean to
the impact of educating our next generation
of leaders?
The nation has hit public education
so hard that the ramifcations in the next
couple of generations have not yet been
seen, she said. Ricasa holds perspectives of
an educator, a college administrator, a policy
maker and a parent.
Im glad I have that perspective, she
said. And sometimes its very challenging
because I understand were in a real difcult
position. But Im more concerned of whats
going to happen for the future.
Whittaker said that areas of greater
opportunities are in looking at diferent
ways to increase income. For the next 15
years, community colleges in the State of
California will generate one-third of income
from external sources other than the state.
Where I come from, the leadership
groups meet in shared consultation and we
have had success, she said.
She said it is really important that those
who are leaders understand why information
is important in decision-making.
It is critical to look at how our
community is going to influence the
planning, Whittaker said. Te planning
drives the budget, and that budget drives
the plan. But you have to keep in mind the
restrictions we have right now.
The restrictions are diminishing
enrollment and there is a need to meet
the demand for surveying the greater
population. Despite these restrictions and
the budget, there are still needs that are to
be addressed, she said.
I see this as a short-term and long-term
plan, she said. If were optimistic, the
pendulum will swing back and well get back
on our feet and we will be able to do some
greater things that require greater dollars.
Strategic Plan: Next
three years mapped
out for college
Continued from Page 4
Te Southwestern College Sun
BACKPAGE
Oct. 14 - Nov. 7, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 2
12
Were Occupied!
By Angelica Gonzales
Campus Editor
Occupy San Diego was rousted in a
cloud of pepper spray, but even police
cannot disperse the spirit of the rebellion
that is gripping much of America.
Protestors eight-day occupation of
a concourse near San Diego City Hall
ended abruptly when police began to
enforce an order to vacate the premises.
A few die-hards defed the sunrise ultima-
tum and were pepper sprayed by ofcers.
Te event, until then, had been entirely
peaceful.
Just hours earlier occupiers were given
until midnight to leave or face arrest. As
midnight neared, a swarm of media and
police descended on the handful of tents
still standing near City Hall. Demonstra-
tors pulled a wagon-train defense, locking
them inside the circle of tents.
This is a peaceful demonstration,
someone shouted through a megaphone.
We will defend our Occupation.
John Roselli, 31, of North Park said
he came to take his tent down by mid-
night but the powerful words over the
megaphone made him think twice about
backing down.
I have to stick with what I believe
in, said Roselli. Tey can arrest me,
spray me and beat me but I will remain
a peaceful protester.
Linking arms and asking police not to
intervene, demonstrators prepared for the
consequences. Te clock struck midnight
and onlookers and occupiers held their
breaths. SDPD gave occupiers one last
warning to move the tents by 7 a.m. or
face arrest. Cheers of victory flled the
crowd at City Hall as they had won the
fght, at least for seven hours.
Trough the night occupiers put skills
to work and rallied for support to prepare
for what the morning would bring.
Parking lots fooded with police across
from City Hall. Occupiers multiplied
their numbers. Videos of tents being
ripped out from under occupiers, endur-
ing physical force and pepper spray from
SDPD hit the mainstream and social
media. A medical team of occupiers stood
by, prepared for the police and pepper
spray. Standing among them was a San
Diego City College student and Navy
corpsman named Josh.
Josh said his military experience kicked
in when the crowd became chaotic and
emotional.
I was trained for combat and other
high stress situations, he said. It is
important to remain calm. Tere were a
lot of emotions running high that day.
Carrying supplies during the assault
on Oct. 14, he remained away from the
protest and went to the aid of fellow oc-
cupants. Several occupants were sprayed
directly and indirectly. SDPD spokes-
person refused to comment about the
confrontation or justify its use of pepper
spray on occupants.
Occupiers remained at the City Hall
with one small blue tent allowed to stand
as a token resolution between the occupi-
ers and SDPD.
Machael Basillas, 26, Occupy San
Diego facilitator, said the protest was the
result of a sufering and angry nation.
Desperation overrides patience, he
said. When you dont have a place to
sleep, you are losing your job and your
way of life, logic kicks in, and this is the
only logical solution.
Basillas helped organize marches and
facilitated nightly general assembly meet-
ings. He said the government is not solv-
ing the economic problems that the lower
and middle class face everyday.
Te government can aford to del-
egate and go through the motions
because they have the money, said
Basillas. But every minute that they
screw around, someone loses a job or
a house, and someone loses their life
because they didnt act fast enough.
Freelance paralegal Porsha King, 32,
broadcast her live stream accounts of
Occupy.
I want my cut, said King. Te banks
got bailed out and I have student loan
people calling me. Te schools I went to
promised me lifetime job placement and
went belly up on me. I still have those
student loans on my bumper asking for
$30,000, Where is my job? Where is my
bail-out?
King said she is fghting for the social
and economic inequality that separates
the nation. She used multiple Twitter
accounts, live streaming video and her
Internet radio show, In Te Closet.
Broadcast daily, she told people to join
the 99 percent of America that continues
to fnancially struggle while 1 percent
controls most of Americas wealth. To
truly understand the movement a person
needs to spend a night in solidarity with
the occupiers, she said.
Tensions still run high across the coun-
try and the grassroots movement Occupy
touched a nerve. A general ideology is
that Wall Street is not the peoples street
anymore.
Marshall Murphy/ Staff
TAKIN IT TO THE STREETSMore than 2,000 protesters march from the Civic Center to Childrens Park in downtown San Diego in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
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