The Collegian - Published May 10, 2024

SEASON OF CELEBRATION

Delta College students shine center stage as excitement builds for May 16 graduation in Downtown Stockton

PAGES 2-3

Student success celebrated

Top right: Social Media certificate earner Christina Goodman and Digital Media certificate earner Duane Sanders pose after the CTE ceremony at the Atherton Auditorium. Bottom right: A CTE graduate poses with Superintendent/President Dr. Lisa Lawrenson and Board of Trustees President Dr. Charles Jennings at the CTE ceremony at the Atherton Auditorium. Bottom left: Students celebrate outside Atherton Auditorium after the CTE certificate graduation ceremony. PHOTOS BY JELISSA KING

ON THE FRONT

Joseph “Bones in the Booth” Pethoud celebrates earning a Digital Media certificate of achievement. PHOTO BY JELISSA KING

The Collegian

The Collegian is the student newspaper of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. The paper is published six times a semester.

As a First Amendment newspaper we pride ourselves on a commitment to the students of Delta College while maintaining independence.

We reinvigorate the credo that the newspaper speaks for the students, checks abuses of power and stands vigilant in the protection of democracy and free speech.

The Collegian is a member of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

CTE CEREMONY HONORS CERTIFICATE EARNERS

BY VANESSA GOMEZ News Editor

Delta celebrated its Career Technical Education (CTE) students on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m, with a ceremony at Atherton Auditorium.

Students who have successfully finished a path in a CTE program received their certificate at the event.

“I think the CTE program is something that Delta is very proud of, so students should have a moment of recognition,” said Acting Associate Vice President of CTE and Workforce Development Pedro Mendez in an interview before the ceremony. “I have only been in this position for a short while, but coming from a different college, it’s great to see how much pride Delta has in its CTE program.”

The ceremony was attended by approximately 140 students. Not all students who take a CTE class intend to receive a certificate.

“Students will often explore their career paths, some students as soon as they arrive are dead-set on receiving certification in welding or automotive, for ex-

UP NEXT

Delta College’s main graduation ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 16 at the Adventist Health Arena (also known as Stockton Arena). For information visit deltacollege.edu/commencement

ample. Those are the students who will receive the certificate,” said Mendez.

The ceremony technically is not a graduation, as students who receive a certificate can also graduate with a degree in the same semester, but there will still be the procession of a typical graduation.

“Dr. Lisa Lawrenson and Dr. Charles Jennings will come up and make a statement, and we will also have a student speaker come up as well,” said Mendez, referring to the school’s superintendent and the president of the board of trustees.

Students who attended the ceremony were not allowed to wear caps and gowns, but received a sash when they went up to the stage to get their certificate.

There were also no limits to the amount of guests a student could bring to the ceremony.

Phoenix, Lavender graduation celebrations hosted in April

BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH Staff Writer

At the end of April, two Delta College organizations held their own graduation celebrations, recognizing graduating students and commending those who won awards and scholarships.

PHOENIX PROJECT

On April 29 the Phoenix Project, a group for formerly incarcerated students, had a celebration of graduating students. The formal event included theme decorations and catered dinner.

The presenters included: Dean of Student Services Edward Aguilar, Programs Manager Ana Villegas, and Phoenix Project program specialist Henry Romero. Delta College President/Superintendent Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson was also present.

Romero is the program spe-

cialist of the Phoenix Project.

“First I’d like to express my gratitude and how grateful I am to be a part of the Phoenix Project. As someone who is formerly incarcerated himself I am completely humble to help lead you guys help lend any advice in any way that may help you in your educational journey,” said Romero to the crowd.

“Nights like tonight where we have celebrations recognizing our students’ accomplishments are important for community building within our program but they are also important because it show’s and reflects the hard work and effort that Delta College is doing in Phoenix Project student’s lives.”

At the Phoenix Graduation there were five scholarship students, three award winners and five graduates.

“We’re incredibly proud of you. I’m so excited to see what is going to happen in your future. It’s a huge huge step and I look forward to hearing your

stories,” said Lawrenson to the students. “Anytime that there’s a transition like this there’s a lot of excitement, there’s a lot of reflection, and I would say just shoot high think high think of the many things you can do the fact that you accomplished this goal shows that you can accomplish other goals and just keep on the pathway that you’re on and keep making your own dreams come true. It’s never too late and we’re just so proud of you.”

Primo Bonilla, student worker, scholarship recipient, and the winner of the “Above and Beyond Award” gave the alumni speech.

“I want you guys to take a moment and look around because we are a community that has nothing to be ashamed of. We’re a community that said you know what my past is not going to define me. We’re a community that says give me an opportunity and I’ll prove to you that I’m not a threat. Give

me an opportunity and let me set the bar as high as I can set it and allow me the opportunity to succeed. We’re a community that says we’re gonna leave the past behind, we’re gonna concentrate on the present, and we’re gonna set goals for the future,” said Bonilla.

LAVENDER GRADUATION

On April 30, the Pride Center, a group for LGBTIA+ students, had its Lavender Graduation.

At the Lavender Graduation there were five scholarship students, three award winners, and 15 graduates.

Isaiah Merriwether was one of the student alumni speakers.

“Good evening everyone and welcome to San Joaquin Delta College annual Lavender Graduation ceremony. We are here to recognize and celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the LGBTQIA students of Delta College,” Merriweather said.

Program specialists of the Pride Center Jasmin Arroyo thanked the students.

“As a staff member I had the privilege of witnessing your journey, growths and triumphs during your time here. This event marks a significant milestone in your lives, one you worked tirelessly to achieve,” said Arroyo. “As you step into the world beyond these buildings, remember the lessons you learned, the friendships you made and the challenges you’ve overcome. Take pride in how far you come, but never lose sight of how far you can go because your potential is limitless. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love. It has been an absolute honor serving Delta’s LGBTQ students and seeing how you have grown throughout your journey here. There’s no doubt in my mind that through your bravery you will continue to change the world. Thank you so much.”

Computer Network Security Technician CTE student Hennah Ibrahimi speaks at the CTE ceremony at the Atherton Auditorium. PHOTO BY JELISSA KING

PAID PARKING TO RETURN NEXT SEMESTER

Parking permits will again become necessary at Delta after being suspended for nearly four years; health fee, which covers health services on campus, to be instated

BY DOMINICK DELISE Entertainment Editor

As the next semester begins, students can expect to pay for both parking permits and a new health services fee.

Permits are $30 per semester, summer semester passes are $20 and there will be daily passes available located in parking lot kiosks.

“I think compared to other institutions across the region and Northern California it’s reasonable,” said Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler.

During COVID parking permits were put on a temporary suspension due to the campus lockdown and low enrollment.

“We’ve seen a rebound in our enrollment levels and the college is basically very close to pre-COVID enrollment… that’s part of the equation as well, there’s more use of the lots and maintenance issues start to spring up,” said Breitler.

Prior to COVID, permits were purchased from the Delta book store. Now permits will be purchased from the Parking Management Bureau (PMB) at pmbonline.org.

The permits purchased from Parking Management Bureau on pmbonline. org will be mailed to a student’s house with a temporary pass while the permit ships.

District Police Officer Chief Robert DiPiero mentioned that the pricing

compared to the previous semester is still the same.

“Pricing is still the same…Sgt. Doty is working on getting the link for that,” said DiPiero.

Breitler says that the website should be up and ready by the time this semester ends.

The money spent on parking permits goes directly into improving the campus parking lot as well as maintenance and school security.

“Parking lots at community parking lots have to be maintained with district

funds…our college policy actually requires us to issue parking permits…,” said Breitler.

Most California colleges use pmbonline.org for parking permits.

Parking fines are to be paid via PMB as well. If a fine is paid then a dispute is no longer an option.

According to be pbmonline.org, PMB is not responsible for disputes. The enforcement agency will be the ones reviewing all disputes and determining their eligibility.

Disputes for parking violations must be submitted within the first 21 days of receiving a citation, or 14 days from the mailing date on the delinquency notice.

The enforcement agency will review and determine a dispute’s viability within 21 days of a submission. If one fails to comply within the allotted time frame to repeal a violation, a dispute will be voided and the ticket cost plus any late fees must be paid.

Students will have a two-week grace period at the start of the semester before permits become mandatory on Monday through Friday.

Parking is free on weekends, and semester breaks.

After the grace period “No permit” parking violations will be $33; enforced by Student Service Officers.

“Student Service Officers along with Campus Safety Officers will be doing parking enforcement…the bay area col-

leges are more expensive,” said DiPiero. Financial aid will help students who receive California Promise Grant (formerly known as the BOG waiver).

“Financial Assistance Promise Grant, is there for somebody who needs help in terms of paying for parking,” said DiPiero

A $26 per semester health service fee was approved on the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, May 7.

Previously, Delta was one of five existing California colleges that did not require a health service fee.

“We’re one of the only colleges that actually doesn’t have a health fee and that’s a concern because demand for services is really high, especially on the mental health side of things. We’re seeing a lot of need in that area,” said Breitler.

With these newly added funds Delta could have the potential to hire a Director of Health and Wellness, more mental health practitioners, as the need for mental health aid from students is very high. The hours of operation for services is also being considered for expansion. It is likely that these services could expand to Mountain House campus as well.

Students who are dependent on prayer for healing are exempt from paying the fee, and the dismissal extends to students under an approved apprenticeship training program.

Chancellor’s conference highlights enrollment growth as budget cuts loom

BY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON Entertainment Editor

Chancellor of California Community Colleges

Sonya Christian held a teleconference for student media groups across California on April 23. The conference covered many things, most notably that enrollment appeared to be on the rise from last year across the community college system.

“You can see a tremendous uptick in our enrollments for this year, compared to last year,” said Christian while displaying the enrollment data of the previous year.

The 2023-2024 numbers were projected to be about 2,059,879 students compared to 1,923,434 students in 2022-2023. That trend appears to be mirrored locally.

In Spring 2022, Delta had an enrollment of 15,197 while in Spring 2023 Delta saw 15,805, an increase

of 608.

The presentation by Christian did note that “all but four reporting colleges experience headcount growth.” The colleges were not named.

Overall the numbers point to an encouraging upward trend for the community college system following particularly dire straits during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this reprieve from choppy seas may be short-lived.

At the beginning of this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed a budget deficit of $37.9 billion, which was later found to possibly be far larger at $73 billion by LAO ( Legislative Analysis Office), who offer non-partisan analysis and fiscal advice to legislators.

The differing deficits come from vastly during outlooks with Newsom’s approach being far more optimistic about the short term, and LAO’s being less so. Following budget cuts to the community college system in 2023 the question was raised if it could again

be a target of cuts.

“The good news here is that in the Governor’s January budget, the community colleges were kept intact,” said Christian when asked about the possibility of this budget deficit affecting the community college system in the coming years.

But that certainty could not be extended to the future.

“We think that 25-26 (2025-2026) is going to be a very difficult year as well and we’re all locking arms, staying focused on our priorities. We’re being prudent with our budgets,” said Christian. “I am cautiously optimistic. I call on all of us to continue to be vigilant going into not only 24-25 but also 25-26.”

“We at the community colleges, you know, we don’t take anything for granted and I am so happy for the advocacy, right, from our administrators, our colleges, our faculty colleagues, our classified colleagues, and our students,” said Christian.

The parking permit sign located at the Shima parking lot. PHOTO BY COLLEGIAN STAFF

Student art showcased in L.H. Horton Gallery

BY GRACE LAWSON Staff Writer

The 25th annual Student Art Exhibit and awards ceremony held its opening reception on the evening of May 5. It features student art created over the past academic year. The exhibition will run through May 10.

The exhibition features art done in an array of multimedia styles, including, sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, as well as digital art and photography.

The exhibition is featured during the spring semester, allowing students the opportunity to create a full body of work. The exhibit is juried by professors and faculty from outside universities.

“We like to hire, or engage jurors that are art faculty from universities that our students transfer from, or to because it gives them an introduction to those people teaching there, and might, ‘Oh you know I really like this teacher’, you know and check out more of their work,” said Gallery Coordinator Jan Marlese.

This year’s juror was Adero Willard, an artist and ceramics professor at Sacramento State, who was also featured in the Horton Gallery’s last exhibition, “Signing to the Difference: An Examination of Surface Strategies.”

There were 81 students who entered and 49 were selected to be featured, and 61 artworks are currently on display in the gallery and online, according to the exhibitions page on Delta College’s website.

Two separate categories, merit and portfolio awards were given out for media in ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, graphic arts, and photography. Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson selected a piece for the President’s Award. In each portfolio medium $200 was awarded and five $100 merit awards from the gallery sponsor Frank W. Clancy Memorial fund. The portfolio awards were only eligible for students with a major or minor in studio arts or multimedia arts.

As the end of the semester approaches, students featured in the gallery reflect on

their time spent as an artist at Delta and how it shaped their personal art journey’s.

“I didn’t think of myself as an artist at any point, then I joined ceramics class and Shenny Cruces was extremely inspirational and very supportive of my work, and she would always call me an artist even though I didn’t really think of myself, and I think having that support system at Delta helped me,” said featured artist Dylan Jaekel, whose piece is “Spider-Pot.”

Another featured artist, Johnny Sparks, spoke about growing as an artist over the past semester, and how her journey as an artist has evolved.

Her two featured pieces are “Pillow Pet”, and “Life and Death”, both very different, “Pillow Pet” is acrylic on canvas, whereas “Life and Death” is done with soda fired, burnished, natural clay.

“I know what I like more now, then when I started, my Pinterest board is full of ideas … so I really like to see more of what I like to do and going into next semester with ceramics, so I’m like I already know what I want to do,” said Sparks.

The artists draw their inspirations from various sources, including their own interests in various subject matters, or personal experiences.

“I take inspiration from my past, and I just want to work through things I went through childhood, so it’s mainly just to explore my identity,” said artist Leah Le. One of her featured pieces, “A Mother’s Love,” acrylic on canvas, is a close up of a mother embracing her daughter, who lays back on her mothers chest and is looking directly at the viewer.

Whereas other inspiration comes from more playful ideas: “My “Spider-Pot” for my mom, because she’s British, she loves tea, and she absolutely hates spiders,” said Jaekel.

Though not all students pursue a degree in the arts, the opportunity to be part of classes at Delta and expand their skills has provided ways to creatively express themselves, and find recognition and community with their fellow student artists.

Left: Patrons observing Surrealist Self Portrait by Brandon Langehenning, other works shown in photo include Bloom by Kayla Kemper, Drangon’s Wisdom by Emma Toale, Sampaguita (the Movie) by Jewel Marie Raquidan, Remember Me by Milagros Mendoza Right: Three people looking at the displayed work Femminilita by Sophia Torrice. PHOTOS BY GRACE LAWSON

FARMERS MARKET SUPPORTS SMALL BUSINESSES

BY JOSHUA SIMAS Staff Writer

Supporting small business is an integral part of preserving and empowering a community and a farmers market gives Stocktonians the opportunity to do so.

Across the street from Delta College in the Weberstown Mall’s parking lot, farmers markets are held year round every Thursday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. .

On April 28, the farmers market was teeming with food trucks and small businesses as well as fresh produce and consumers at the ready.

“I like seeing all of the different cultures because I love food,” said Jeff Chrisman from Chrisman Family Ranch.

Chrisman was selling honey and said that he and his son procure it from bees in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

“Look at these people with smiles on their faces, they’re gonna go home and cook,” said Chrisman.

They’re was a joyous air about the market that day and among the smiling faces was Rudy Esquibel, a Stockton resident who sells wooden flower holders he builds and designs himself.

“I’ve had this hobby for quite a few years and usu-

ally I sell them in front of my porch, then somebody suggested I come to the Farmer’s market and it’s been very good,” said Esquibel.

Esquibel’s flower holders were a hot ticket item; he said that by 11 a.m. he had already sold six.

Esquibel said there was no shortage of helpful Stockton residents either when he got to the market in the morning he began to set up.

“I turn around and there’s two guys helping me already and I said man that’s nice,” said Esquibel.

The market offers a variety of different wares and consumables, but it also functions as an event for friends and family to gather.

“A lot of people take their kids out cause there’s usually live music. I know next to me sometimes a piano guy is here so it’s just fun. It's more of an experience than just going to a grocery store,"said almond butter seller Johanna Faeian.

Though the piano man wasn’t present, sounds of Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You” flooded the market adding to the atmosphere.

“I’m not gonna lie I was thinking about the Stockton reputation and I was thinking am I gonna be safe out here? And I feel very safe,"said Diana Huynh, Event and Outreach Director of Humble Roots, a delivery service for weed.

WEBERSTOWN FARMERS MARKET

Weberstown Mall

4994 Claremont Ave., near Dillard’s Stockton, Calif. 95207

Hours

Thursday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (May through November)

Sunday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Year-round)

Humble Roots operates out of Sacramento and Huynh said she was at the market giving out “free weed education.”

“This is my very first time coming out to Stockton Market, I think everyone is really nice, they’re way more open to it than I thought,” said Huynh.

The Farmer’s market website allows any small business owner to be able to sell products through the market.

“It’s a lot better to support small businesses which a lot of people like because it keeps money here in our communities,” said Faeian.

Mayor Kevin Lincoln awards Key to City to HOPE program

BY ZANIEL WALDO Staff Writer

On April 18, Stockton city mayor Kevin Lincoln bestowed the prestigious Key to the City accolade upon San Joaquin Delta College’s current Dean of Health and Fitness, Lisa Lucchesi, and former dean, Julie Kay.

The award is earned in recognition of Delta's success with the HOPE Program, which has made a significant impact on the nursing program and transformed it into a thriving hub of healthcare education.

“Next thing I know, they’re calling Julie and I, that we’re getting the Key to the City. I wouldn’t be truthful unless I said it was kind of out of left field to me. It is an honor to represent our program,” Lucchesi said.

The HOPE Program was developed by Anitra Williams, an adjunct instructor at Delta College, Kay, and Lucchesi, to support community hospitals and care providers in meeting their staffing needs.

The program is meant to support the constant need for nursing staff in the region's medical field, specifically by retaining new hospital staff.

The program has an 89 percent retention rate and the ever-growing gradua-

tions, reaching 150 students per cohort.

In a breakdown of the nursing field, Lucchesi explained that in the Central Valley, there is an influx of nurses who are not from the area enlisting in campus health care programs.

Upon completing their degree at Delta College, graduates work for the local healthcare facilities and, after attaining experience, leave the county for different

areas of the state.

Facing a constant pattern of nurses entering and leaving communities, the process of onboarding an employee in the nursing field and not retaining them as employees became expensive for hospitals.

Aiming to support the retention rate, the HOPE program was designed in two branches.

One is a high school program that serves as a pathway for Health Career Academy students to get into the nursing program and undergo a fast-track evaluation.

The second was the incumbent worker program. That’s the program in which employees who have taken all of the prerequisites and met all their requirements on the program can be admitted into a cohort of students within the hospitals where they work.

The hospitals included as part of the partnership were San Joaquin General, Saint Joseph, Lodi Memorial Hospital, and Community Medical Center.

Lucchesi further articulated that the sponsoring facilities allow workers within the program to start in positions that pay higher wages than the usual rates.

“It’s a true partnership between industry hospitals, healthcare facilities, and education sites. It’s an innovative program. We’ve been admitting students since 2020, and it gained recognition because of its ability to support our community. I help represent the diverse nature of our community as well. Additionally, it's being recognized by the chancellor's office as a model curriculum for other nursing programs in the state,” Lucchesi said.

Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, not pictured, awarded the key to the city to Delta Health and Fitness Dean Lisa Lucchesi, Anitra Williams, and former Dean Julie Kay. PHOTO COURTESY TIM ULMER

IN VIOLATION

Delta College violates state law related to over scheduling of part-time faculty

Special Report

RECORDS SHOW CONTINUED SCHEDULING ISSUES

Despite two lawsuits and noted need for solutions, over-scheduling of adjunct professors went on for multiple years, with email correspondence indicating hires as late as Fall 2023

BY ANDREA RIVERA Sports Editor

Delta College violated a section of California law governing the maximum hours adjunct faculty can work before being considered full-time employees, resulting in the hiring of at least 10 full-time faculty since 2022. At least two lawsuits alleging violations were also been filed against the college since 2020.

The violations appear to be the result of a combination of administrative decisions, and errors in PeopleSoft, the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software used by the college, according to Collegian public records reporting.

The law at issue is California Education Code section 87482.5, which specifies temporary employees — particularly adjunct faculty — can work at most 67 percent the amount of hours that would be considered a full-time assignment for regular employees.

Because of that limit, the section is sometimes referred to as “the 67 percent rule.”

“I can confirm ... that we have hired 10 faculty because of the 67 percent rule since 2022,” said Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler via email.

Since the violations Delta College has worked with the faculty union to clearly define hourly workload for adjuncts “to make the scheduling for those adjunct faculty counselors simpler and clearer … working with a company that specializes in data visualization to develop reports and timely data that will help deans in catching any future issues related to faculty loads,” said Breitler.

Counselors were not the only positions hired into.

Delta has also implemented new training for all of the deans regarding the 67 percent requirements adding an “improved visibility of data on faculty loads.”

The college’s Strategic Enrollment Management director now sends updates on any issues with faculty loads before schedules go live, and deans are required to fix any issues they are alerted to, according to Breitler. The current director of Strategic Enrollment Management is Christina Snedden.

Elizabeth Maloney, president of the San Joaquin Delta College Teachers’ Association (SJDCTA), said she was unable to comment on the specific violations.

“This situation is related to Education Code and I am unable to give any additional comments on this, as these are personnel matters,” she said.

Maloney, however, did say that efforts were underway to address the problems and prevent them in the future.

“The District has provided training to Deans regarding the law and how the 67 [percent] is calculated,” she said. “There are numerous part [sic] faculty positions being posted and the District is working with SJDCTA and Academic Senate to increase the part-time faculty pool … Multiple employees are reviewing loads.”

LAWSUITS FILED

At least two lawsuits have been filed against the college related to adjuncts being overworked in 2019 and

Two lawsuits were filed in relation to working adjunct faculty beyond part-time status. COLLEGIAN SCREENSHOTS FROM LAWSUITS

RECORDS REQUESTED

The Collegian requested multiple public records related to the alleged violations of the 67 percent rule in September 2023. After a long back-and-forth, the college began releasing records in April. Some of the records were redacted because it “is exempt from disclosure under the public records act, such as attorney-client privilege communications, or confidential personnel information,” according to Delta’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

Some of the requests remain outstanding as of press time.

2020. Neither lawsuit went to trial and both have been dismissed. Collegian obtained these lawsuits from the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

On Sept. 4, 2020, George Yagi filed suit alleging he was misclassified as a temporary employee in three different semesters — Spring 2017, Spring 2018 and Fall 2019, according to San Joaquin County Superior Court records. Yagi was hired as an adjunct history professor as of Aug. 17, 2016, according to board agendas.

Yagi’s lawsuit claims he worked more than the 67 percent limit, which would have classified him as a fulltime employee.

“During Spring 2017, Petitioner taught twelve (12)

traditional classroom units … During spring 2018, petitioner taught fifteen (15) traditional classroom units… During 2019, petitioner taught fifteen (15) traditional classroom units,” read Yagi’s petition.

Yagi eventually filed to dismiss his suit on Feb. 24, 2021. Board documents to not indicate any full-time hiring date for Yagi. He does not appear to teach any classes at Delta currently.

A lawsuit filed on Aug. 5, 2021, by Dana DeMercurio accused Delta College of assigning her a workload in violation of the 67 percent rule. DeMercurio was initially hired as a Communication Studies adjunct as of Jan. 18, 2017, according to board agendas.

“During the Fall 2019 semester, Petitioner taught (12) units of lecture … During the Spring 2020 semester, Petitioner taught (15) units of course,” read DeMercurio’s petition.

DeMercurio was hired full time at the May 3, 2022, meeting of the Board of Trustees. She filed to dismiss her lawsuit on May 19, 2022, according to San Joaquin County Superior Court records.

No information is available in court records over whether a settlement was reached in the case.

TECHNICAL SCHEDULING ERRORS

By the Fall 2020 semester, Delta staff were noting issues related to class load assignments in PeopleSoft, according to emails between multiple deans.

These errors do not appear to be directly connected to the overworking of adjunct faculty, but do show that Delta staff was made aware of the 67 percent rule and that, at the time, the ERP included guardrails to prevent overscheduling.

Records provided by Delta College list faculty names.

“In trying to change Lorraine Doria’s HIST 34(32502) at [Langston Hughes Academy] LHA to 15 weeks, I am getting an error that she is over the allowed load term … In trying to change Rex’s course for LHA to 15-weeks, I am getting an error that he’s over the allowed load for the term … Is there a trick to override this restriction and save the change … If you have steps on how to handle this, I’d love to learn how to do it in PeopleSoft,” said the Dean of Regional and Distance Education Vivie Sinou in emails sent to multiple deans at Delta College on Oct. 30, 2020.

Those deans were Daryl Arroyo, dean of Social Science, Education and Public Service; Sheli Ayers, then-dean of Communication and Languages; and Christopher Guptill, dean of Arts, Humanities and Multimedia.

Arroyo said he had assigned Doria four classes for the Spring 2021 semester, but he added that other issues were cropping up in assigning workload.

“I had one section as ‘not include’ for workload,” Arroyo wrote. “Thus, she had 4 classes assigned, but only 9 units of workload … the system is only allowing us to assign her 6 units. I don’t see any reason for this to be happening.”

Ayers also noticed problems in load calculations and alerted Snedden, the director of Strategic Enrollment Management.

Snedden then emailed the staff of her recalculations for the faculties workload and explained that all adjunct professors are “always limited to 66.67 [percent] load,ie.10 units, unless approval is given” and that PeopleSoft gives an error code specifically when an adjunct professor is exceeding that number and that it is not a glitch.

TENSIONS SIMMER AT BOARD MEETING

At a Board of Trustees meeting in 2022, faculty made public comments accusing the college of subverting fair hiring practices and ignoring public transparency in the process of hiring full-time faculty.

On May 3, 2022 professors Steven Graham, Lisa Perez, Daniel Fernandez and Nicole Sandoval all spoke against the hiring process.

All professors spoke of the district failing to follow proper hiring protocols to fill full-time positions and lack of transparency.

“Because the district violated Ed Code, the Communication Studies department is being forced to acquire a full-time faculty member that did not have to go through the hiring process to obtain this position. Faculty were completely removed from the hiring process, the person did not have to compete for this position, no rigor had to be proved, no equity practices were followed,” said Sandoval.

“Every policy and procedure needs to follow code and when mistakes are made systems need to be put in place to prevent future mistakes, this is very basic admin 101. So I don’t know how it’s possible we find ourselves in the same situation decade after decade.This is not the first time this has happened,” said Graham. Later in the meeting, when discussing the faculty hiring agenda item, Trustee Janet Rivera went on to ask questions to the board of “why did it happen, how did it happen, and what’s it gonna cost us?”

What is the California Public Records Act?

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

Under the California Public Records Act in California, Californians have the right to request public records and information regarding public business.

“In 1968, the California Legislature enacted the California Public Records Act (CPRA) under Government Code (GC) section 7920.000. In its findings and declarations, mindful of the right of individuals' privacy, the Legislature declared it was the public’s right to access information concerning the people’s business,” notes the California Highway Patrol website.

Public records are written documentation that relate to public business. These records can include meeting minutes, reports, emails and other forms of written correspondence.

“As used in this division, ‘public records’ includes any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics,” notes the California Public Records Act.

These requests can be made for records related to public entities such as government agencies or public educational institutions.

Public records can be requested verbally via telephone or in written form via email or mail.

REQUEST PUBLIC RECORDS

For information about filing a California Public Records Act request, visit bit.ly/californiapublicrecordsact

“Requests can be made by anyone. They don't have to be in writing, but many entities do have an email or some other online option. It also helps to have a day and time it was submitted for the timelines. During regular business hours records are supposed to be open to inspection, but since the pandemic some entities have been limited those hours,” said general council for the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), Brittney Barsotti, in an email interview. Collegian is a campus member of the Calfornia Newspaper Publishers Association. An entity has 10 days to respond to a request, but this response only needs to be that the request has been received. A 14day extension can be made for larger or more complex requests.

“Then the entity responds with the applicable records or a reason why the request has been denied. Sometimes they will respond asking to narrow the request or say it is too voluminous. The entity does have the obligation to work with the requester. They also can only charge for reasonable costs of duplication and provide the records how they are kept. Most recent records are electronic to-

Superintendent/President Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson and Maloney clarified more about the violations. Lawrenson said she was not here when the violations occurred and that initially the hires presented were under CARES Act funding.

“I wasn’t here when this happened, so this is my understanding of it. … For the instructional design positions, those were originally budgeted for and hired using CARES [funds] initially … it was actually put into the college budget, that was my understanding … Those positions were hired as one-year temp positions,” said Lawrenson. “The issue when it comes to Ed Code is, you cannot hire positions for one-year temp unless you’re replacing somebody, but the positions did not exist yet. And therefore, those faculty members that were serving in those roles were going beyond the 67 percent and were basically working full time for an entire year which, according to Ed Code needs at that point, they have rights to a full-time position.”

The CARES Act is listed as a funding source for three faculty members hired at the May 3, 2022 board meeting, but not for DeMercurio, who was hired full time during the meeting and whose lawsuit against the district was active at the time.

day, so there should be not be a cost of duplication,” said Barsotti. If the entity that has received the request determines the records being requested are obtainable and able to be disclosed they will provide an estimated timeline to the requester for when they will receive those records.

“Each agency, upon a request for a copy of records, shall, within 10 days from receipt of the request, determine whether the request, in whole or in part, seeks copies of disclosable public records in the possession of the agency and shall promptly notify the person making the request of the determination and the reasons therefore. If the agency determines that the request seeks disclosable public records, the agency shall also state the estimated date and time when the records will be made available,” notes the California Public Records Act.

Requests need to include the request’s subject, a description of requested records, dates pertaining to the records, names of individuals or agencies in the request, the requester’s contact information and additional information that may assist in locating the records.

“So, as I understand it, if we don’t hire these people, right now, these people are suing us?,” asked Rivera.

Maloney explained the hires were part of a settlement agreement, but also pushed back on claims that qualifications were not proven for the hires.

“This is part of a settlement agreement with the district, and has legal repercussions if we don’t continue to move forward … Three of these positions were hired for distance education and they all had interviews through distance education and did teaching demonstrations. Two of the people were hired and they exceeded the 67 percent rule, well they’ve all exceeded the 67 percent rule because they’ve all been hired wrong. But they were interviewed and gave teaching demonstrations … when they were hired for their adjunct positions.”

Maloney noted a need to circle back.

“We have some ideas, if you could give us like 90 days to where we committed [sic] to work on this over the summer … And, and to come up with multiple ways, so we have checks and balances,” said Maloney at the meeting.

Board of Trustees President Dr. Charles Jennings

agreed with the need for safeguards.

“I don’t know that we need to make policy that says we need to follow the law. The law is clear and the laws in place. What I would be more interested in is hearing potentially a report from human resources in the near future. I’m thinking 60 days to come up with a procedure that’s going to ensure that this doesn’t happen in the future … people have seen this happen before. In my affiliation with the 30 years with the district, I have seen this happen before very rarely in instructional services, but it has happened, and I would hope that we can put some safeguards in place,” said Jennings.

Solutions were noted.

“Basically all hands on deck that anytime any faculty is going over the 67 percent rule and instruction or student services, that would need to be approved and brought to the board as an agenda item before it would be allowed to move forward. That currently does not happen. And that’s why there, in my opinion there’s been a lack of oversight. And I will say that in districts I’ve worked in previously, that is the standard practice,” said Lawrenson in regards to safeguards being worked on.

During voting to approve the hiring, then-Trustee Elizabeth Blanchard asked whether the board even had a choice on the matter due to the union settlement.

“Not really no, it’s part of the settlement,” said Jennings.

The motion passed with four yes votes, two no votes from Rivera and then-Trustee Kathleen Garcia, and one abstention from Trustee C. Jennet Stebbins.

ERRORS CONTINUE

Scheduling errors were still appearing in February 2023.

Emails were exchanged between Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Instruction Dr. Charles “Kale” Braden and Snedden over improper workloads for adjuncts.

“I’m double checking on the two PSYC adjuncts, granted I’m using the Term Workload PeopleSoft widget, that I am not sure that I should trust,” Braden wrote before listing class assignments for Vienna Sa and Gregory Kirkwood, who were both psychology adjuncts at the time.

“So, the argument for Professor Sa is that because she has worked over 10 units two semesters in a row, we need to move her from adjunct to tenure track?,” Braden asked.

Snedden responded with a database query for PeopleSoft, but expressed frustration with the process.

“I’ve been trying to get an accurate workload report from IT since day one and I got tired of asking. Tracking load is critical,” she wrote. “Vienna Sa worked 25 units (as adjunct) in fall 2022 and worked 22.8 units (as FTT) in spring 2023 - see attached. My understanding is that we technically ‘owned’ her as of fall 2022 since she already worked over 67 [percent] for the academic year.”

Braden noted a single 67 percent rule violation for Kirkwood.

Other emails in the chain were redacted.

Kirkwood and Sa were both hired full-time by the district as of Aug. 11, 2023, according to an agenda for the Sept. 5, 2023 board meeting.

ANOTHER TENSE BOARD MEETING

Almost a year after the May 2022 board meeting, Delta’s hiring practices were once again blasted in public comments. At the March 7, 2023, Board of Trustees meeting, the 67 percent rule and subversion of equitable hiring practices were again the topic of discussion.

“For a second time this year we need to address the continuous and pervasive violation of equitable hiring practices and the non-transparent way this has been handled … The violation of the 67 percent rule resulted in a shockingly long list of faculty hires. This robbed diverse populations of the opportunity to equitably compete for open positions, and it also robbed the tracks of the opportunity to expand the faculty diversity of their programs … However, the Administration has been aware of these violations for quite some time … and yet there has been no direct communication related to the issue or discussion around the prevention or solutions with the shared governance groups, including the task forces. The district still has major anti-racist and equity work to accomplish, especially when equity minded principles can so easily be circumvented or marginalized as illustrated by tonight’s agenda,” said Adjunct Counseling Professor Janice Takahashi in public comment.

Public comments were also made by Mass Communication/Journalism Professor Tara Cuslidge-Staiano.

“In regards to whether it was willful ignorance, carelessness, or the result of compounding years of systematic failures,” said Cuslidge-Staiano. “The reality is that it happened. This is deja vu of the May 7 [sic], 2022 meeting. Leadership mistakes remain the common thread.

TIMELINE OF 67 PERCENT RULE VIOLATIONS AND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

These mistakes are compounded when considering the lift of equity work that faculty have done the past three years … We have been asked to push, to push for diverse hiring polls, to consider campus diversity and to work to match it with our faculty …when the district hires outside of the parameters we are asked to hold dear. These actions result in current faculty quiet-quitting and pushing away from committee work because our work means nothing … Every time we say we’re gonna fix something, we don’t fix it. We don’t learn. And at this point, I know we don’t like to use the term, but the reality of everything I’m seeing in the past year or so is: it remains the Delta way.”

PROBLEMS PERSIST

Load reporting problems persisted for months after the March 2023 board meeting.

On Oct. 13, 2023, Arroyo and Sinou again alerted each other of system errors related to faculty load assignments.

“The only slight issue is that Vienna [Sa] has 25.4 units for Spring. For some reason the system allowed us to do this,” read the emails between Arroyo and Sinou.

“Daryl, Odd that the system didn’t give a warning about Vienna. It typically does,” wrote Sinou.

After a meeting of the Classified Classification & Reclassification Committee (CCRC) on Sept. 27, 2023, a position was created for an Instructional Schedule Technician.

The position would assist TrACs in “coding of their schedules and functions as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) data integrity specialist,” read a document in BoardDocs on the position.

Some of the responsibilities of the technician are to “monitor faculty assignments for adherence to District policies and procedures and class assignment limitations … develops and implements data validation rules to prevent errors from being entered into the system and ensures sufficient accountability … assists instructional TrACs in the scheduling of classes,” said the draft description.

That position has yet to be filled.

“We are actively working through the process to get to the point where we can open the position for recruitment and ultimately fill it,” said Breitler.

Editor’s Note: Tara Cuslidge-Staiano, who is quoted in this story, is adviser to The Collegian.

IT’S A FOODIES’ SUMMER

BY ANDREA RIVERA Sports Editor

Craving that cool, fun and fresh taste that summer always brings?

FROZEN ORANGESICLE POP

This recipe will make six four-ounce pops

Are you a little adventurous with your food choices and looking for something that refreshes your BBQ parties? Well get your taste

Total time: 45 minutes (not including freezer time)

WHAT YOU NEED

6 four-ounce pop molds or ice trays

Blender

4 cups orange juice not from concentrate

¼ cup of organic honey

1 cup of 0 percent fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons orange zest (from 1 large orange or 2 cuties)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Pour orange juice and honey into a wide saucepan, while whisking every 5-8 minutes, over medium-high heat. Cook for 25 minutes or until it’s reduced to two cups of juice and honey mixture. Once done, let it cool completely!

When juice is completely cool add the juice mixture, yogurt, orange zest, vanilla extract and salt to a blender. You’ll want to puree until the mixture is smooth.

Once it is smooth begin to pour into pop molds for at least 4 hours. If using ice trays for minipops, put them into the freezer for 1-hour, then remove them and carefully place toothpicks into pop cubes. Place them back into the freezer for 5 hours.

Remove them from the freezer and sit back and enjoy a frozen creamy orange popsicle!

BUTTERFLY & RAINBOW PASTA SALAD

This recipe will make 4 servings

Total time: 20 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED

Large bowl

Large pot

8 ounces bow tie pasta, preferably whole grain

3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon on the side of extra-vir-

gin olive oil

1 cup thawed frozen corn

1 cup shelled edamame thawed if frozen

1 medium diced red bell pepper

2 medium shredded carrots, will turn into about ½ cup

1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, about 1 ounce

¼ salt

buds ready for these summertime recipes ready to livin’ up any party. Of course make any dietary restrictions as needed.

WATERMELON MOCKTAIL

This recipe will make 4 servings

Total time: 15 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED

Blender

Fine strainer

Large bowl

Pitcher

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon

2 limes juiced, plus an additional lime for a garnish presentation (your choice!)

2-3 shoots of fresh mint

12 ounces of unflavored seltzer (you can use a lime or watermelon flavored seltzer too)

DIRECTIONS

Dice watermelons into small cubes and add to the blender with your lime juice.

Pulse, and then blend on high until mixture is smooth.

Note: This next step is to make the drink smooth with little to no gritty texture, but you can skip it if you would like.

Place your fine strainer over a bowl and pour blended watermelon lime juice through it.

Next, add 8-10 mint leaves to a pitcher and smash it gently (without over smashing!), about 3-4 times to bring in the mint flavor.

Pour the watermelon lime juice into that same pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Once you're ready to serve, fill each glass with ice and pour watermelon lime juice over the top until about three quarters full. Finally top off with seltzer and add any garnish. Enjoy!

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta as the box or bag label directs. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil to prevent sticking; let cool

In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with corn, edamame, bell pepper and carrots.

Drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and toss coat.

Add the parmesan and ¼ teaspoon salt, then toss again and season to taste. Enjoy!

Entertainment

MARRY YOUR GAYS: QUEER JOY ON FILM

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

Findinggood queer representation in film can often feel like an unnecessarily difficult task. Tropes such as “bury your gays” or the villainization of queer and queer-coded characters make it so that authentic queer joy on screen can feel like a treat. In reality, all people deserve to feel like they relate to someone on screen because film serves as a reflection of life. However, when you constantly see people like you suffering on screen, it is hard to translate that to real life and feel like you belong.

Queer characters are deserving of being messy and even hated at times. Queer characters deserve to be able to die in film, just as straight and cis char-

acters do. A queer film market oversaturated with disproportionate suffering and hatefulness, however, takes away from the ability for queer cinema to be a reflection of the complexities of people and queerness. The following are 10 films in which the queer character does not die, and their queerness is not an obstacle in the way of them obtaining happiness. Not all of the films have exactly happy endings or end with the main character finding all the answers they need; that is not reality. The films depict highs and lows and the individuality of people’s stories.

Jongens (2014): When 15-year-old Sieger develops feelings for his relay race team teammate, he must work towards self-acceptance. Dutch

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999): Megan is sent to a conversion camp after her friends and family suspect she is a lesbian, but to their dismay, Megan begins to find friendship, first love and independence at the camp. English

Anything’s Possible (2022): Kelsa navigates romance, friendship and existing while trans during her senior year of high school. English

Of an Age (2023): Set over two 24-hour periods 11 years apart, ballroom dancer Kol navigates first love and self-identity. English

Bottoms (2023): Best friends PJ and Josie start a female “fight club” in order to impress the cheerleaders they have crushes on. English

Badhaai Do (2017): Shardul and Sumi are both closeted and agree to

marry one another to lessen their families’ nagging. Hindi

Wildhood (2021): Link leaves his father’s home with his half-brother Travis in order to find his mother. Along the way, the brothers meet Pasmay, and Link learns more about his identity and heritage. English, Mi’kmaq

Goodbye Mother (2019): Van returns to Vietnam to visit family after studying in America; with him, he brings his boyfriend Ian, whom Van’s family knows as only his friend. Vietnamese

The Way He Looks (2014): Blind teenager Leonardo’s world changes when he and his best friend Giovana meet new student Gabriel, and Leonardo looks for more independence in his life. Portuguese

Delta takes ‘Our Town’ multilingual in new performance

BY VANESSA GOMEZ News Editor

Delta Drama will be putting on a production of the Thorton Wilder classic “Our Town,” following the story of two young people falling in love in a small town. The play is now more than 80 years old, but it is being interpreted in a new way through a multilingual lens. Delta’s version of “Our Town” will be performed in both English and Spanish.

“People call “Our Town” a ‘Great American Play,’’ said associate professor of Drama Karen Vance. “But, (the play) is performed all over the world. So I looked at the play and thought ‘how can diverse Americans relate to the themes of the play.”

Vance has previously performed ‘Our Town’ herself in college, but she says she has known about the play since childhood, being introduced to it by her father.

Actress and Sacramento State student

Alexa Hernandez, who plays the central character of Emily Webb, also has had prior experiences with the play. “Back when I was a student at Delta, I had the opportunity to read the play and work on scenes in Acting Study II with Professor Greg Foro,” said Hernandez in an email interview. “I instantly fell in love with the story and always dreamed of playing the role of Emily.”

The multilingual version of “Our Town” was translated by playwrights Nilo Cruz and Jeff Augustine. Originally, the Webb family spoke Spanish and the Gibbs family spoke Haitian Creole. But when it came to casting the Gibbs family, Vance was unable to find actors who spoke Creole or French. So, their lines remain in the original English.

“Ultimately, we decided it wasn’t appropriate for us to do Creole,” said Vance.

What also makes this production of

“Our Town” unique is that there will be no English subtitles when the Webb family speaks Spanish amongst themselves. Vance says that having subtitles takes away from the immersion of the play.

“We should be following in their perspectives, how they see the world,” said Vance. Hernandez believes that even if the audience doesn’t speak Spanish, they will still understand the Webbs’ conflicts. “Our director, Karen Vance, worked closely with us to make sure the audience could follow along and understand the significance,” said Hernandez.

Vance said having the actors’ experience influence their performance was important to her.

“The setting of ‘Our Town’ is this classic American small town,” said Vance. “We wanted to have our Spanish speaking actors demonstrate what ‘our town’ as an idea means to them.

To Vance, this production of “Our

Town” has a more personal meaning to her than usual.

“My mother is Puerto Rican and my father is Irish,” said Vance. “Growing up, I didn’t learn how to speak Spanish, and I know there are many people who are in the same boat. I think this story, which portrays such a loving town, can show a blending of cultures, rather than an assimilation.”

Hernandez also found a deeper meaning in this production. “During the rehearsal process, I faced a difficult challenge when I unexpectedly lost my grandfather,” said Hernandez. “It was a scary and emotional time, but when I returned, I poured all my energy into the play. It felt right to honor my grandfather’s memory by giving it my all.

“Our Town” will play April 26, 27, and May 3 at 7 p.m. and April 28 and May 5 at 2 p.m.

Pictured from left to right, Bottoms (2023), Wildhood (2021), Badhaii do (2017), and But I’m a Cheeleader (1999) PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON

STRIKE A POSE:THE STUDENT BODY GETS ACTIVE

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

On May 4, Delta College held its first-ever dance festival in Danner Hall. The event boasted more than 15 performance groups and various vendors selling products ranging from crochet to grilled cheese for attendees to check out.

Performers included Delta’s very own Stockton Delta Dance Company (SDDC) and the dance department’s 36A Hip-Hop class. Other local performers included Cesar Chavez High School’s Titanettes, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, EXP Dance Club, Huitzitzilin Ollin, Bear Creek High School’s Japanese Chinese Korean Club and Uplifted By Energy.

The festival was hosted in partnership with SDDC and the Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC). One of the event’s main organizers, Kayla Bornea, who serves as SDDC

president, felt the event went well, especially due to the energy and support that the dancers and crowd brought to the day.

“I think it went really well.

It looked like people were enjoying themselves like during the workshops, especially too, I thought that was kind of crazy how there were so many people

for workshops. And the performances, the energy was off the charts, like it was for each set too,” said Bornea.

Three dance workshops were taught throughout the day: the first was in swing dance, the second was in flag dance, and the third was in vogueing. Attendees were welcome to get up and learn the basics of a dance style they may have never experienced before. The workshops were seen as especially important because they provided a free learning opportunity.

“It’s just all a part of awareness and spreading the awareness of dance and the 209 dance community you know, not a lot of people have these workshops, and not only that, not all the time that it’s free, so it’s all about giving the people that want to dance and learn more about dance a real opportunity and a free opportunity to try and dance,” said dancer Payton Wilson. Wilson is part of SDDC and a student in the

dance department at Delta; in March, Wilson taught another free choreography workshop for the Delta College Community.

Some attendees who do not consider themselves dancers also took part in the workshops, to which they were met with support and encouragement from everyone else involved.

“No, I am not a dancer. I have two left feet. Even as a child, I was really bad at dancing. However, I’ve always loved vogueing. It’s always something about gay culture that has always been very deep in my heart, especially someone who is gay. So it was very enriching to do that. It felt very scary, and then I got into it, and I felt a little bit at home. It was a very warming experience,” said festival attendee and ASDC secretary, Layla Alaswad.

Alaswad felt that the encouragement felt during workshops and performances was influenced by an overall feeling of encouragement at Delta College.

How fighting games stimulate growth through struggle

Whenyou hear the phrase “an acquired taste,” you will likely prepare yourself for immediate revulsion or disappointment. Whether it be your friend’s new significant other or a particularly gaudy piece of home decor, it is rarely a prelude to greatness. With that acknowledged, let it be known that I am quite comfortable calling fighting games an acquired taste.

Because anyone who’s tried to get into fighting games has probably been through hell.

Whether it’s jumping online on “Tekken 8” to find a King who majored in crushing dreams and minored in hunting the weak. Or hopping on “Street Fighter 6” to find a Ken who has been hitting DP (dragon punch) motions since you were in diapers.

It’s a harsh environment for new fans, which makes you wonder why anyone would stick with it.

Personally, aside from a yet-to-be-documented form of Stockholm syndrome, the thing that keeps me coming back to fighting games is the fact that no other

Something as simple as notation can be confusing for beginners. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON

genre captures the feeling of self-improvement.

Fighting games, unlike other competitive genres, are 1v1; there are no teammates to blame. This makes it incredibly easy to interrogate your own shortcomings, a missed input or a whiffed punish (Attacking someone when they are unable to block, like right after they miss an attack, making the damage guaranteed). Even times when I’m on a 17-loss streak — like when fighting the aforementioned King player — I still find

myself having fun. Because when the odds are so stacked against you even a single round taken feels like an incredible personal victory.

But even still there is far more appeal to fighting games than just the incessant drive to get better.

“I used to really try to actively get better, and do consider going back to it all.”

Christian Moody, a fighting game fan, said. “What really drew me to fighting games was the community that came with playing locally or even online.”

“It’s this sense of friendship mixed with competitiveness that really kept me coming back,” Moody said

On any given day if you walk through Danner Hall, you will be given a microcosm of the fighting game experience, the highs, the lows, and the upsets. This blurred line between competitiveness and friendship.

“The uncertainty of how each game is going to play out,” said Evan Delph, one of the Danner Hall players. “So many different characters with so many different possibilities, it’s just, it feels endless.”

“I just feel like it’s a lot less toxic than other games in general,” said Delph. “People in the fighting game community tend to bring other people up along with them.”

For a lot of people, fighting games are far more than just a hobby, it’s a skill to be honed, a way to build relationships, or even just a reminder of when you were younger. It’s more about the personal challenge and the striving to get better. They are technical nightmares, demanding far more from its players than other genres — things like motion inputs are quick to scare off new fans — but once you love them, you’re bound for life, like marriage before King Henry VII.

Kimóra BabyPhat engaged in a vogue battle with Ice Telfar. PHOTO

BY DYLAN JAEKEL

BY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON Entertainment Editor

Navigating your ‘Hot Girl Summer’

Hey girl,

What do you have planned for your hot girl summer? There’s a whole stigma of hoeing out (not the farming kind), but “Hot Girl Summer” is way more than that. It’s all about having fun but also self-care. So, don’t sign up for Delta summer classes (unless you’re a “Hot Girl Scholar”)! Step away from studies and let’s chill this summer.

In the month of May it gets pretty warm, but not too hot. Maybe you want to spend your time with nature. Pack a hiking bag with water, some snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, and extra clothes. Find a place where you can meditate and be one with nature. Enjoy the fresh air.

When June comes along it’s hot. So let’s go to the beach or take a dip in the pool. Don’t worry about your bikini body! Remind yourself that you’re a hottie. You don’t have to live up to society’s standards on what a ‘bikini body’ should look like. Get some Vitamin C and sunbathe, BUT don’t forget to put on sunscreen, you’ll get crispy. Make yourself Andrea’s watermelon mocktail (if you’re 21 and older, add some alcohol).

July it’s real hot! You and your girls were invited to a boat party for July 4. There’s food, drinks, and dancing! However, stay hydrated and safe. Make sure you don’t leave your girls behind and don’t accept drinks from anyone. Beware of your surroundings and have fun safely! August is here and it’s that time to go back to school. But you already planned and bought tickets to attend Outside Lands in SF. It’s a three day event, so wear something cute and comfortable. Make sure your funds ain’t low, that means checking your bank account everyday. Sucks to be responsible. Buy yourself a drink from this event (don’t accept any drinks from anyone). Always drink water, stay hydrated!

Maybe this isn’t the exact same guide you’ll be using for your summer. Maybe you’re staying inside and blasting the AC, which is okay too. There’s no right or wrong way to spend your summer. Just remember to take care of yourself. I hope you have a fun and safe hot girl summer!

With love from The Collegian Staff

ASUOP cuts funding for the Pacifican newspaper

BY JELISSA KING Opinion Editor

TheUniversity of Pacific’s student government (ASUOP) cut funding to their student newspaper, the Pacifican.

On April 22, the Pacifican’s editor-in-chief, Zak Baker, posted an article titled “The Post-Apocalypse,” explaining about ASUOP budget cuts, along with links to the article. Annually, the student government budget allocation reports that the Pacifican newspaper ($15,000) and Tiger Radio station broadcasting ($13,000) was cut.

ASUOP organizes Tigerlands every year. This past April, rapper artist Doechii was the main headliner. According to her booking site, the artist costs anywhere between $75,000 to $150,000. Event’s funding was set at $190,000.

The Pacifican has been an established newspaper since

1908. However, the origins of the university’s student newspaper date back earlier than that.

The University of Pacific was the first university in California in 1851, it was originally opened in Santa Clara and then eventually moved to San Jose in 1871. By 1885, the first student publication was called the Hatchet.

By 1886, the newspaper was changed to the Pacific Pharos. In the fall of 1909, the newspaper was changed to the Pacific Weekly, and by 1924 the university moved to Stockton.

By 1967, the newspaper was changed to The Pacifican. During that time, the paper reports from the first meeting of the student radio station (KUOP), to the best school supplies, and suggesting the best places to go in Stockton. The paper kept students informed about on and off campus activities.

The Pacifican has been part of the institution for 116 years.

Student struggles: Where’s

BY JOE DEMASI Staff Writer

New and returning students have had issues meeting with counselors to discuss their future. When you go to the Delta College website, the earliest you can make an appointment is three weeks out from the current date.

Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler says that Delta plans to add more counselors.

“We have 21 full-time counselors and 8 adjacent counselors and we are working to grow these numbers. An additional 4 adjacents have been hired and will soon be going through training,” Breitler said in an email interview, “We’re also in the process of hiring 2 additional full-time counselors, one of whom will serve the South campus of Mountain House”.

Despite Delta increasing the number of counselors, some students, like

So what changed?

Graduated Delta student Megan Silva transferred to the Pacific in August of 2023. By November, she became the Pacifican’s social media and website editor.

“It’s my first year, so I was really excited to report on the news in Stockton. At the very end of spring break, our editor in chief just tells us [news staff], ‘Hey, by the way, we don’t have funding from our student government anymore’... We’re coming back from the pandemic, we just did our first print issue in four years,” said Silva.

ASUOP website has not updated recent agendas or documents of budget allocations. However, Senate meetings are held every Monday on Pacific’s campus and are open to the public and students. They have meeting recordings online, but are only accessible with permission. ASUOP also has cabinet meetings, but they are closed to the public. There are no documents or

my

recordings kept regarding the discussions.

The Collegian reached out to ASUOP and their Director of Finance through email multiple times. Director of Academic Affairs, Haoyun (Youyou) Xu responded.

“Truthfully, I do not know who could explain the budget cuts, nor am I qualified to explain where these cuts originated from,” read Xu’s response. “Therefore, I cannot tell you what I do know about the Pacifican and its budget, because I am not the related authority.”

There have been many college student newspapers that have been under the budget chopping block. In June 2023, Penn State’s newspaper, the Daily Collegian, was cut funding by the board of trustees. That newspaper has been around for 136 years. Recently in April 2024, Rowan University’s student newspaper, The Whit, was also cut by their student government. The newspaper has been around since 1938.

“When you lose your student newspaper, you lose a vital resource of storytelling and narrative of your student body,” said Tara Cuslidge-Staiano, adviser for The Collegian. “This experience also helps students build newspapers and make news judgment calls.”

Newspaper production in general has been under fire for years. But as college students learning how to design a newspaper is important. The younger generation doesn’t even know how to open a newspaper, let alone fold it. We shouldn’t let newsprint become obsolete. Newspapers have been around since 1605, it’s the oldest physical form of news. Whatever is going on in the world, it keeps the public informed, engaged, and relieved. The Collegian supports all student newspapers. We want to advocate for the student journalists who are being cut by institutional entities that don’t support the students' creativity and experiences.

counselor? My future’s in your hands

former Delta student Julia Rodriguez, have had difficulty getting appointments.

Rodriguez had many issues communicating with Delta employees over the phone and noted how Delta should try to make things easier for students.

She feels Delta needs to change how they schedule counselor appointments.

“I don’t like the format they use and I feel it can assist students more if they had more options for students like me who don’t need a sit-down appointment. Students who go to Junior College need to know their academic future because most students' goal is to transfer and move on to a UC or CSU”, Rodriguez said.

Currently, she is studying business administration at Arizona State.

“I just had one question for somebody and I couldn’t get on the phone

with anyone who could help me”, she said, “I wanted to see if I take Delta classes in the Summer would they transfer over for my Arizona requirements.”

Rodriguez mentions that it is frustrating that it would take three weeks to get an appointment.

According to Breitler, the delay in appointments helps students plan.

“We want to do everything we can to help students get the assistance they need as soon as possible. The reason we schedule appointments 3 weeks in advance is to allow students to plan. Otherwise, the entire semester would be booked up quickly,” he said.

Due to Rodriguez being in another state, she couldn’t go in-person for a drop-in appointment. She says that she had to go through Arizona State to see if her credits would transfer from Delta to ASU.

Drop-in appointments are the perfect solution for students with one or two questions.

Breitler agrees and feels drop-ins are very convenient for students.

“There is no appointment required and they are usually quick sessions that last around 15-20 minutes,” he said. “Drop-ins are available every day and we try to have at least 2 counselors available throughout the day.”

Supposedly drop-ins have been very popular this semester.

“Altogether, there have been more than 4,400 drop-in visits so far this semester. It's a good opportunity for students who need to see counselors in a hurry!”Breitler said.

I’m one of those 4,400 students and found that drop-ins are easier for me.

The counseling center is on the second floor in the DeRicco building room 234. You can call the counseling center at (209) 954-5151, ext. 6276.

BASEBALL WINS REGIONALS

BY JOE DEMASI Staff Writer

The Mustangs had another successful season, winning the Big 8 conference for the second year in a row and going 27-13 on the season.

Game 1 of Regionals occurred on Thursday, May 2 against Taft at 3 p.m. The postseason game was played at Islander Field in Lathrop.

The Mustangs dominated the game, winning 25-10, picking up 24 hits, and hitting four home runs.

“It felt like we needed all 25 runs today I mean they were scrappy and it was a day where the wind was howling out, a miserable day to pitch, but our guys had a pretty good approach,” Head Coach Reed Peters said. “I know it’s cliche but at this time of year it’s just one game at a time, it will be a big game tomorrow.”

Delta started the game strong, scoring three runs in the first inning and two runs in the 2nd inning making the score 5-0.

Unfortunately, Taft scored six runs in the third inning making it 6-5. Therefore Delta was forced to respond with a big inning in the bottom of the third.

To start it off 2nd-baseman No. 35 Drew Giannini hit his second home run making it 7-6. The Mustangs went through the lineup meaning Giannini batted twice hitting a double in his second at-bat. He boosted Delta’s confidence and started the huge inning in which Delta scored 11 runs.

Giannini was pleased to help his team with three hits.

“It felt great coming through for the team with a home run which put us up one I think it gave us a lot of momentum. As long as we feel confident heading into tomorrow we should be fine, they’re gonna throw some better guys tomorrow so you know putting up 25 runs like we did today makes us confident,” he said after the game.

The score was 16-6 Delta at the start of the fourth inning. Taft scored three more runs in the fourth making it 169. Despite giving up six runs, starting pitcher No. 24 Tyson Pereira went five innings, struck out 8 batters, and picked up his fifth win.

The fifth inning was the first scoreless inning. However, in the sixth inning, Delta put the nail in the coffin.

Delta loaded up the bases with Designated hitter No. 26 Grant MacArthur coming up to the plate. He hit a grand slam knocking in all four runners making it 20-9 putting the game out of reach.

MacArthur felt like he did his job well.

“I mean it was awesome that’s what I was going in there to do. I mean, I hit clean up — that’s my job, to get RBIs for this team. Going into playoffs we feel great putting up 25 we just have to keep building off it and keep hitting,” Macarthur said.

Pitcher No. 6 Drew Peters shut down Taft for two innings only giving up two

hits and remaining composed on the mound.

In the seventh inning, Delta got a little run. Shortstop No. 27 Dominic Rodriguez doubled and scored. Then 1st-baseman No. 99 Blaine French knocked Rodriguez in with a home run to right field making it 24-9.

French said Delta can build off the win.

“It felt good. I had some tough atbats earlier, got pretty unlucky, tried to stay with it and I was able to get the pitch I was looking for. I think we’re gonna reset and keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing. We have been playing really good baseball the last couple months and as long as we keep with our approach and listen to our coaches we should be fine,” French said.

French was correct because Delta won the series on Friday, May 3 by a score of 32-2. Super regionals will be May 10-12.

Does watching sports lead to health issues?

Since the 1920s, spectating sports has been a popular form of entertainment, according to Expedia. Watching sports provides a sense of adrenaline, dopamine, and a source of connection with others. However, some concerns suggest sports watching may be bad for your health.

According to Robert H. Shmerling’s article on Harvard Health Publishing, “Can watching sports be bad for your health?” watching live sports in person may lead to heat stroke, dehydration, hypothermia, frostbite, stampedes, riots, brawls between rival fans, and the risk of being struck by flying objects such as balls or bats.

Cardiovascular health is also at risk with the stress and excitement sporting events can implement onto fans via in-person and broadcasts.

“I’ve seen it firsthand while working in a walk-in clinic near Fenway Park, where people would show

up bleeding from cuts that needed stitches (from trips and falls at the stadium), broken bones (from trying to catch a foul ball or an altercation with another fan), and dehydration,” said Shmerling in the article.

Sports such as football, soccer, baseball, and then some typically take place outdoors.

Weather conditions can leave fans too cold or hot if they’re not properly prepared with accommodating clothing. Extreme cold temperatures could lead to hypothermia or frostbite while hot conditions could lead to heat stroke or dehydration if spectators are not consuming enough water. Alcohol is often sold at these venues and that affects proper hydration.

Manny Ponce, a Delta College student, said he checks the weather before going to sporting events so that he can stay comfortable.

While sporting events can promote bonding experiences, different fans bring different ideas and sometimes these strong opinions can quickly escalate. Stampedes, riots, and brawls can occur and lead to injury. Injury can also occur via flying objects such as

balls or bats.

“There was a time we watched football and the kicker missed the field goal and my friend pushed me and I pushed him back, words were said,” said Juan Jimenez, a Delta College student.

Cardiovascular health can be affected by heightened emotions and salty junk foods served at events.

“Older studies have linked hospital admissions for heart failure and cardiac arrest with watching sporting events,” said Shmerling in his article.

“It stresses you out if you are a real fan,” said Jaelyn Butler, a Delta College student. Butler said he feels like when his team is winning he’s winning and when they’re losing, he’s losing. Sporting events are meant to be a source of entertainment and though these health concerns are possible, the chances are not high and they can be prevented.

Shmerling recommends being prepared for the weather, taking your medication if you have cardiovascular disease, staying hydrated, consuming alcohol in moderation, and staying alert at live events.

BY RYLIE ASUNCION Staff Writer

Above: Players embrace after home run.

Right: No. 26 Grant, MacArthur hits triple right field. PHOTOS BY JOE DEMASI