The Collegian - Published Feb. 23, 2024

SAN JOAQUIN VOTES

What

to know about local races, the candidates, and how to cast your ballot for the March 5 primary election

CITY OF STOCKTON MAYOR

VOTE FOR ONE (1)

SHAKEEL AHMED

JESUS ANDRADE

CHRISTINA FUGAZI

TOM PATTI

JESSICA VELVEZ

DAN WRIGHT

WRITE IN

STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4

VOTE FOR ONE (1)

JEROME CLAY

MARIO ENRIQUEZ

HENRY RODRIGUEZ III

GINA VALDEZ-BRACAMONTE

RAY ZULUETA

WRITE IN

SAN JOAQUIN BOARD OF SUPERVISORS DISTRICT 1

MARIO GARDEA

CHRIS ROUPPET

MARK STEBBINS

LILLIANA UDANG

TERENCE WEST

WRITE IN

STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 VOTE FOR ONE (1)

JASON LEE

ZOYLA MORENO

RONNIE MURRAY SR.

SATNAM SINGH

KIMBERLY WARMSLEY

RALPH WHITE

IN

COUNTY GETS READY TO VOTE

BY COLLEGIAN STAFF

The California primary election will be held on March 5.

The ballot for Californians will include the presidential primary as the main item, but local election races have been the ones to watch, particularly for Stockton Mayor, Stockton City Council, and the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

Delta College played host to four of many local opportunities where local candidates had a

chance to discuss their platforms and opinions. The campus forums, held in the Dawn Mabalon Forum, were hosted primarily by the League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County.

The last day to register to vote in time for the election was Feb. 20. Mail-in ballots have already been sent out. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 5.

The day the mail in ballot must be received is by March 12.

MORE ON THE ELECTION

Confused about where to vote?

Visit sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place and enter your address to find your designated polling place. Registered voters can turn in mail-in ballots to any polling place on Election Day.

Read Collegian’s extended coverage on three of four the public campus forums by visiting the following links:

• bit.ly/forum2collegian2024

• bit.ly/forum3collegian2024

• bit.ly/forum4collegian2024

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.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH ZANIEL WALDO

Left: Ray Zulueta, Stockton City Council District 4 candidate, and Zoyla Moreno, Stockton City Council District 6 candidate, talk at the second public campus forum. Middle: Angel Sepulveda and Sonny Dhaliwal, candidates for County Supervisors District 3, at the third forum. Right: Chris Rouppet and Mark Stebbins, County Supervisors District 1 candidates, at the final forum.

PHOTOS BY JELISSA KING

ELECTION 2024

Lively Stockton races dominate March primary

BY JELISSA KING Opinion Editor

Delta College played host to political forums put on by the League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County and Delta’s Political Science department, among other local organizations.

Four forums were hosted over a two-week period in the Dawn Mabalon Forum.

On Feb. 7, the first forum for mayoral candidates and Stockton City Council for District 2.

STOCKTON MAYOR

Six candidates are running for Stockton mayor: Jesus Andrade, Christina Fugazi, Jessica Velvez, Tom Patti, Shakeel Ahmed and Dan Wright. Ahmed wasn’t present.

Some of the candidates have experience with local politics.

Jesus Andrade was a city council member from 2017 to 2020. He is also the CEO of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Christina Fugazi was Stockton’s former Vice Mayor and City Council member from 2015 to 2022. She is currently assistant principal at Stagg High School.

Jessica Velvez is a non-profit owner of Red Rabbit Advocacy. The organization is to help support individuals who suffer from homelessness and housing instability in San Joaquin County.

Tom Patti served on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors for District 3. He was also a businessman who owns Delta Cranes.

Dan Wright has served Stockton as city council and as vice mayor since 2015. He is currently the councilman of District 2.

STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2

The last half of the event featured candidates for the District 2 seat, which covers the east side of Hammer Lane, Swain Road and March Lane areas.

Only four candidates are running for this position: Mariela Ponce, Pamela Pettis-Houston, Anthony Silva and Waqar Rizvi. Ponce and Pettis-Houston didn’t participate.

STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4

On Feb. 8, the second forum was for Stockton City Council for districts 4 and 6.

The event’s first half started with District 4 candidates: Jerome Clay, Mario Enriquez, Henry Rodriguez III, Gina Valdez-Bracamonte and Ray Zulueta. District 4 covers the Louis Park area, Pacific Avenue and the Brookside area. Currently, the seat for District 4 belongs to Susan Lenz, where she has served for two terms.

Most of the candidates are newcomers when it comes to Stockton politics. Clay is an employment lawyer and owns a law business, ClayLaw, located by the Sherwood Mall. Valdez-Bracamonte owns a nonprofit organization, Bread of Life, which provides food to underprivileged families in the San Joaquin Valley.

Another nonprofit founder, Rodriguez, started the Sutter House of Hope and Drugless Society, which provides services to people who need trauma and addiction support.

Ray Zulueta is currently the Area 4 representative on the Stockton Unified Board of Trustees. Working with SUSD, he wants to give more back to the community as a city council member.

Mario Enriquez is the Director of the Center for Identity and Inclusion at the University of Pacific (UOP). He was also picked as a leader of the Victory Institute’s Director of Constituent Engagement in Washington D.C.

STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6

The last half of the event featured candidates for the District 6 seat, which covers part of the Weston Ranch, Charter Way, the Metropolitan Stockton airport area and a small part of French Camp.

Four candidates appeared: Jason Lee, Zoyla Moreno, incumbent Kimberly Warmsley and Ralph White. Ronnie Murray Sr. and Satnam Singh didn’t participate in the forum.

Tensions between Lee and White have been high on social media, with the two candidates repeatedly trading barbs in the leadup to the election.

On Jan. 29, Lee made a mini-documentary about White. It claimed White demonstrated a lack of leadership as a landlord, allowing South Stockton renters to live in filth and squalor. White responds by posting Lee’s appearance on the reality TV show, “Love and Hip Hop” from 2015 to 2019.

Kimberly Warmsley is currently Stockton’s vice mayor and District 6 city council member. She is running for her second term.

Zoyla Moreno has been a dedicated community member of the Weston Ranch area, serving as the neighborhood watchman and activist. She says that she is representing the “unheard and last district” of Stockton.

OTHER RACES

Forum three continued into the following week on Feb. 12 for the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors District 3 position and the Area 5 San Joaquin Board of Education.

The last half of the forum, planned to feature Area 5 candidates Jordan Giannoni and Greg Clark, was canceled because Clark wasn’t in attendance.

There are only two candidates,” said the director of the League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County, Suzy Daveluy. “Unfortunately, one of the candidates couldn’t make it,” said Daveluy.

The first part of the forum was for the candidates running for the District 3 Board of Supervisors seat: Angel

Sepulveda, Sonny Dhaliwal and Steven DeBrum.

On Feb. 13, the last forum was for the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors for District 1 seat.

Five candidates are running for the seat of District 1: Mario Gardea, Lilliana Udang, Mark Stebbins, Terence West and Chris Rouppet. West didn’t appear. Mark Stebbins has unsuccessfully run for city council since the 1980s.

Lilliana Udang has worked in the California State Assembly and Senate working with Senator Susan Eggman.

Chris Rouppet has worked as chief of staff for current District 1 Supervisor Miguel Villapudua. Political newcomer, Mario Gardea, has been a “lifelong resident in the City of Stockton.” He has worked as a Stockton firefighter for 20 years.

The forums were sponsored by the League, Delta College, the Business Council of San Joaquin County, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, CSU Stanislaus (Stockton campus), the African American Chamber of Commerce, San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Central Valley Asian American Chamber of Commerce, NAACP and the Stockton Record.

The primary elections will take place on March 5.

A supporter of Stockton City Council Area 6 candidate Jason Lee in the audience of the Feb. 8 forum inside the Dawn Mabalon Forum.

PHOTO BY JELISSA KING

BEE ACADEMY HOSTS BOOK FAIR IN QUAD

BY LA RIE’ RICHARDSON Staff Writer

The Black Excellence and Enrichment Academy (BEE) hosted a free book giveaway on Feb. 16 in the quad with the goal to help promote student literacy both on and off campus.

Genres for books distributed included fiction and non-fiction, self-improvement, history, children’s books and a special section dedicated to Black literature and authors in honor of Black History Month.

“The purpose is to promote literacy,” said Raichelle Grays, Professor and BEE Counseling Coordinator, in an email interview.

Several students gathered around the tables of books and looked through them while the BEE Academy students and staff gave them bags to take their books home in.

“You can never go wrong with anything that’s free, so it was cool to see other people there that were either looking through the books or conversing about literature,” said Aaron Ortiz-Moreno, a Delta College student who attended the book fair.

Referred to as the “Valley’s Own HBCU Experience” according to the academy’s presence on the Delta College website, the BEE Academy is a learning community at Delta College that is designed to increase the matriculation, retention, graduation and transfer rates of Black students.

“The goal is to get students here, keep them here and stay with them through graduation and transfer”, said Grays.

The BEE Academy serves approximately 150 students with program benefits that include priority registration, free textbooks, Black/Afrocentric themed curriculum, cultural enrichment activities and a Honors Program option.

“Teachers are great, give valuable information to help during your time at Delta, they have counselors who are ready to help at any time and they provide tutoring,” said David Nwosisi, a Delta College student and BEE Academy program participant.

Program requirements include making a one year commitment to the BEE Learning Community, pursuing an associate degree or interested in transferring and haven’t completed their general education.

For more information about the program, visit deltacollege.edu, click on Services, then All Support Services, then BEE Academy Learning Community. Students can apply to the program at bit.ly/JOINBEE.

PHOTO BY LA RIE’ RICHARDSON

Chancellor teleconference looks at status of system

BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH Staff Writer

On Feb. 14, California Community Colleges’ Chancellor Dr. Sonya Christian hosted a teleconference on topics currently impacting the system for the month of February. Christian addressed three central topics during the hour-long meeting: Black History Month, Career Education Month and system enrollment.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Christian recognized Black History Month.

“This month broadens the understanding of black history and culture and honors the achievement of African Americans throughout history. And pays tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled to achieve equality, freedom, the right to vote, full US. Citizenship and more,” Christian said. “Our community colleges across the State are honoring black history month with numerous campus events.”

Christian talked about a new initiative called “Educate. Elevate.” That looks to increase student success for Black and African American students.

“Educate. Elevate” is a podcast launched as part of the “I can go to college” campaign aims to inspire

current and prospective Black and African American students, with emphasis on Black males enrolling in community colleges.

“We especially are hoping to reach Black males with this effort as this population, as has had a significant enrollment decline, is part of an expansive effort to illustrate how California’s community colleges are empowering the next generation of Black leaders,” said Christian.

The link for “Educate. Elevate.” is bit.ly/educateelevatepodcast

CAREER EDUCATION MONTH

Christian also discussed Career Technical Education Month, which is also in February.

“We have a great variety of career technical programs, for in demand jobs in competitive and also in emerging industries. For example, community colleges offer various certificates in artificial intelligence Mount SAC offers a certificate in artificial intelligence and business,” said Christian.

ENROLLMENT

“Enrollments are really up,” said Christian.

Christian said in a previous call she noted there were 1.9 million students in the California community system. The number is now above 2 million.

“California’s increase in the Community College enrollment has actually surpassed the rest of the country,” Christian said.“So when you take the California community colleges, we represent about 20 percent of the nation’s community college student enrollments.”

Christian added that when considering data for Fall 2023, the growth numbers mean the system is responsible for more than half of the nation’s growth in community college enrollments.

Christian addressed parts of Vision 2030, the chancellor’s office future plan that looks to equity through people, resources, systems and policy. She addressed infrastructure and sustainability, but also talked about adult learners and how to support students who may not be full time.

“The short term Pell is extremely critical for these students and Vision 2030,” said Christian. “We call out the 6.8 million who are in low income jobs and don’t see a possibility for economic mobility. So the California community colleges, we can take short-term training to these individuals. And with the short term Pell, it’s gonna be absolutely fantastic.”

The BEE Academy held a book giveaway on Feb. 16 in the quad where a variety of books were made available for free.

Delta marks Black History Month with Afro-Haitian dance workshop

BY RYLIE ASUNCION Staff Writer

In celebration of Black History Month Dr. Halifu Osumare, dance educator and choreographer, directed a Afro-Haitian dance workshop in Delta’s Atherton Auditorium on Feb. 8.

This class was open to everyone as it contained a diverse group of dancers from experienced to non experienced. Dancers were encouraged to join Osumare on the stage to stretch and participate in the workshop.

The techniques used in this class were inspired by American dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. These techniques consist of

merging polyrhythmic dance styles in continual motion.

Waunita Clark, member of the SIS Club and an inexperienced dancer, said she was inspired to come up on stage after Osumare said “anyone can dance.”

Dancers were guided through each dance move which were then combined to create a choreographed dance. These dances were accompanied with Afro Asian drumming.

Third year Delta student and experienced dancer, Cheli Nunez said the class was “beginner friendly and a good introduction to dance.”

Osumare led dancers through multiple breath-

Campus continues to follow CDC Covid guidelines

BY DOMINICK DELISE Entertainment Editor

In a recent COVID-19 update Delta will continue to follow Center of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines despite the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Cal/OSHA decision to change these guidelines.

New CDPH guidelines suggest the isolation period for those who tested positive be reduced to 24 hours minimum, and may end if the 24 hours have passed with no fever.

A person exposed to COVID-19 should test only if they experience new symptoms, or are at risk of severe disease, according to the guidance.

The update sent out by Marketing and Communications Director Alex Breitler on Feb. 5 said “Delta College will still continue to follow federal CDC guidelines recommending that persons with COVID-19 isolate for five days and persons exposed to COVID-19 get tested by day five.”

Delta College’s COVID-19 Taskforce met a week prior and came to a different decision.

“Delta College will continue to follow the more stringent CDC guidelines at this time,” stated in the update by Breitler.

The update also reminds staff that there are home test kits available in the Human Resources office, Admin. 202, Monday through Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. There are student at home test kits available at the Delta College Health Center. The nurse triage is also available on campus

Monday-Friday 7:30pm to 4:30 p.m. Anyone can contact the nurse triage at (209) 888-0480.

There is also a test-to-treat site located in the Shima building parking lot, provided by The San Joaquin County Public Health Services. Anyone at these sites can get tested for Covid at no costs, and will receive a prescription if tested positive.

If you have any questions

Delta recommends you email campus.ready@deltacollege.edu.

Delta may soon offer expanded access to lactation ‘pods’

ing exercises in which they could connect with their inner energy. She targeted different parts of the body and explained the importance of connecting with them for the sake of dancing.

Osumare is very familiar with dance and black popular culture as she has been around them for forty years. She has an array of talents as she is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, administrator and scholar. Osumare is a professor at UC Davis and has wrote two books on global hip-hop.

Nunez said the workshop taught her how to be “in tune with my body and add personality with movements.”

BY VANESSA GOMEZ News Editor

Delta may soon be receiving lactation rooms for breastfeeding students and faculty. The Facilities Committee approved the purchase of five lactation rooms: three on the main campus, one for the Mountain House campus and one for the Manteca.

“We are still in the planning stages of this project so the process for access to the pods is still in its infancy stages,” said Vice President of Student Services Lonita Cordova.

According to the California Education Code Section 66271.9, California Community Colleges shall provide, “... reasonable accommodations on their respective campuses for a lactating student to express breast milk, breast-feed

an infant child or address other needs related to breastfeeding.”

This includes having a clean and private facility other than a bathroom and access to a power source for a pump machine.

The lactation rooms are from Mamava. The rooms, or ‘pods’ will be able to be located through a downloadable app. To access the pods, students will have to receive permission from a department in Student Services, and faculty will have to receive permission from Human Resources.

All of the pods will be located indoors. Danner Hall will likely be the location of a wheelchair accessible pod. The rest will be individual pods.

The current single lactation space is in the Child Development Center.

Dr. Halifu Osumare directed a dance workshop on Feb. 8 in Atherton Auditorium.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GOODMAN

Do not overdue it at Goleman library

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

If you have received a book list from one of your classes while at Delta, chances are you have noticed a few books are unavailable at the library due to them already being overdue.

“The Library uses an automated library system which generates notices first to remind students when an item is due, then when it is overdue. These notices are delivered to campus email accounts,” said Professor, Librarian and Coordinator of Collection Development, Dr. Josefina Gomez via email.

If a student does have an overdue library item, they will likely be charged a fine. For items from the Main Book Collection, a $0.25 fine is charged each day the item is overdue, with a maximum fine of $5 per title. Fines vary based on what collection the library item is from, such as reserve titles, careers shelf, etc.

If a student has a certain number of overdue items from the Main Book Collection they will likely be unable to check out any more mate -

rials from the library before the materials are returned and/or fines are paid.

“Users cannot check out more if they have 4 or more overdue titles from the library,” said Delta’s website under the fines, fees and lim -

its section of their library services page.

Though the ideal scenario is that all library materials are returned to the library, sometimes students are unable to return their checked out materials. If a student is unable

to return a library material, they may be issued a fee.

“Our primary goal is to get the materials back into the Library for other students to use. If a student reports that they cannot return the item, a replacement fee (per prior fee

schedule) may be charged,” said Gomez.

Lost or damaged books and printed materials can carry a replacement charge ranging from $65 for general books to $130 for reserve books according to Delta’s website. A full list of possible library fines and fees can be found on Delta’s website’s library page.

If a student is unable to find a book that they are looking for, whether it be overdue or the library does not possess it, students are able to request possible library purchases.

“Our Library Home Page has a Suggest a Purchase link under "Library Services,” said Gomez.

Librarians also make purchase suggestions based on known need and want from the campus community.

“The librarians select new items based on input from students, faculty and known demand, as well as on the basis of reviews or other professional sources. The librarians are each assigned to one or two TrACs to work with the respective faculty to ensure the collection is meeting the needs of the curriculum across all disciplines taught on campus,” said Gomez.

New club creates community for Muslim student population

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

If you were at Club Rush this semester chances were you saw one of the new clubs on campus, the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

When she first came to Delta, MSA president Habiba Afridi was looking for a similar club but there wasn’t one.

“When I just joined Delta, I was searching for an MSA or a club that's familiar to me, of my people or any people of faith, and there was nothing like that, so I decided to start it myself,” said Afridi.

Afridi rushed to register the club in order to be official before this semester’s Club Rush. In three days she was able to fill out all of the necessary forms, write a club constitution in 19 hours and find people committed to filling the roles of vice president, secretary and advisor. It was stressful work that resulted in her and other students on campus having greater access to

community and representation.

“I believe that it is important to have a Muslim Student Association (MSA) club for students at Delta College because we have a decent Muslim population at Delta that needs a place of belonging and social support. We need a club that unites us together and allows students with similar beliefs to connect together. It also increases our representation on campus and may aid in serving as a voice for Muslim students,” said MSA Vice President Aamna Khan via email.

“I wanted to join because of the sense of community, a form of correct representation and the brotherhood, the sisterhood and as previously stated, the ability to share the religion and teach or inform others,” said brothers’ director Waleed Abdullah.

The club is open to all students who wish to join, regardless of whether they are or are not Muslim.

“Something important that I have in the constitution is there will never be any discrimination, whether you're gender, race or religion, any person is welcome

to join, whether if you want to become a Muslim or join in, you're allowed to experience the Islamic culture on campus,” said Afridi.

The club is currently planning their first event for the end of this month.

“So right now we are working on the Ramadan event. It's our holy sacred month for all Muslims. It's such an important month and a holiday,” said Afridi.

The event will be held on Feb. 26 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in Upper Danner Hall. The event is open to everyone and will have guest speaker Sheikh Yousef Skafi, as well games, food, a raffle and a hijab try-on booth.

To join the MSA, students can go to @msa.sjdc on Instagram. In the account’s bio there is a link to a form for new members, which will both show the club that you are interested in joining and add you to an email list that will let you know about upcoming meetings.

Zackary Kirk-Newton returns “The Lorax” to the Goleman Library book drop box. PHOTO BY DYLAN JAEKEL

Late start gen ed classes still available for spring semester

BY JOE DEMASI Staff Writer

Although the semester started, Delta still has open classes for late start this semester. You can search the courses at the Delta College website to see which courses are available with late start dates.

According to Director of Marketing and Communications, Alex Breitler, there are 193 courses available on Feb. 19 for late start classes.

Breitler feels taking late-start classes can benefit students.

“We definitely encourage students who take late start classes,” he said. “These additional dates provide some flexibility for students who may be juggling family or work obligations and may not be able to take a full-term class.”

The most important date is March 18 because that is when 131 late-start classes begin. People who need another class can look into classes like business classes, agriculture classes, science classes and health classes.

An updated list of open classes can be found at www.deltacollege.edu/open-class-list#spring24. One of those classes is ANTHR. 2 Biological An -

thropology, which can cover Life Science requirements for degrees.

It has no pre-requirements but it is recommended that students complete either English 1 or English 2. This course introduces the concepts, methods of inquiry and scientific explanations for biological evolution and their application to humans.

Issues and topics will include genetics, evolutionary theory, human variation, biological adaptations, primate anatomy and the fossil evidence for human evolution.

It is available both online and in person.

If you're not interested in science many more options have no pre-requirements.

Business classes are available like BUS 21 Marketing, this course introduces you to marketing and provides information about advertising, selling and retailing.

It is also available both online and in person.

Lastly, there is a class that is useful because most students use Social Media. MCOM. 5, 01A Social Media/Society is a course that looks at the rise of social media as it pertains to mass communication.

Topics will include the cultural impact of content, the evolution of social media and the positive

and negative impacts of directed campaigns.

This course is only available online.

One of the students taking ANTHR 2 starting on March 18 is incoming freshman Jonathan Flores.

Flores had lots of questions coming to Delta.

He is majoring in Business Administration but he wanted to see what college-level classes would be like. The two courses he took for late start are Biological Anthropology and Health Education.

Flores is grateful that Delta offers late-start classes

“I’m happy Delta has these options for students because I wouldn’t have been able to take any classes this semester but I’m able to take two Gen Ed classes to get an idea on Junior College and my education path,” Flores said. “Balancing school and a full-time job is hard and coming out of High School I didn’t know if I wanted to continue my education or not.”

To qualify for Financial aid you need to take a minimum of 4 classes and using late-start classes can help students fill out their schedules before completing their FAFSA forms for student aid.

Pay raise to benefit fast food industry employees

BY JOSHUA SIMAS Staff Writer

Anyone who has ever worked in fast food doesn’t need to be told that it isn’t the best paying job on the market. Customer service jobs are typically a rough gig for a multitude of reasons, they are also typically the plight of young people.

As a way to address this, in September of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved AB 1228; a bill that will bring the minimum wage for fast food workers up to $20 an hour.

The bill will go into effect in April 2024.

“I feel like we do a lot,” said Allison Ignacio, a nursing major at Delta College, who currently works as a certified nursing assistant but before that she spent two years working at Starbucks.

“It’s stressful dealing with the customers and it was just a lot for only getting paid minimum wage,” Ignacio said.

The pay raise provides the opportunity for people to make a little bit more money. Currently California’s minimum wage is $16 an hour, it is the second highest minimum wage in the country.

“I know in California we get paid a

lot more than other states but if you look at what we have to pay for and how much everything costs out here we could’ve been compensated more for it,” Ignacio said.

In the case of someone who already has a career, now the option to make some extra cash on the side comes with better pay for those considering re-entering service work.

“I’ve consid ered going back because of the $20. I feel like I’m getting paid the same at the job that I do now and doing way more work so I would consider going back,” Ignacio said.

The raise to $20 could prove to be very helpful to college students, students such as Adrian Nonato who’s attending Delta and is currently working

at Starbucks.

Nonato lives at home with his parents and tries to help out financially

“I feel like it would help me be able to help my parents out at home cause it’s kind of harsh for them to be the main source of income,” Nonato said. Not everyone is thrilled about the upcoming raise. Brandon Tran, a Delta College student who has aspirations of being a radiology tech has some concerns that the increase in pay will mean a decrease in people as companies try to make up the gap.

“They’ve talked about cutting people. They’re trying to cut out the older people that have been there longer and replace them with newer people so that our wages won’t go up

further than $20,” Tran said.

Tran’s worries are understandable, with wages for workers going up it only makes sense that these fast food chains will look to recuperate their losses somehow. This raises the question of the raise’s true value.

“If you don’t get hours then a raise is pointless. I’d rather be at a $15 an hour job with good hours and healthy management than an emotionally draining environment with no hours and higher pay,” Tran said.

This raise to $20 an hour may just be temporary relief for fast food workers, rather than a long-term solution for fast food workers financially. Though the raise may prove to be useful for new employees, does this raise have the best interests for existing workers?

“If people are constantly trying to apply the moment the raise is implemented then it will make it harder for existing employees to get hours because hours are gonna have to be used on new employees to train them. People that actually need the money that are already working there for an extended period of time are gonna lose out on hours so it’s just gonna make it harder for existing fast food employees,” Tran said.

FROM BOB MARLEY TO WADE WILSON

Cinema in 2024 is going to have a lot of familiar, if not attractive (ahem Deadpool), faces

BY GURMAN SINGH Staff Writer

Movie enthusiasts are looking forward to 2024’s cinematic delights as we make our way into the new year.

This year’s lineup promises to fascinate fans and revolutionize the cinematic landscape with everything from highly anticipated sequels, including “Kung Fu Panda 4,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4”, to more original concepts like “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Red One” and “The Fall Guy.”

Barry Jay Angub, a second-year student, has high hopes and said he is exhilarated about “Deadpool 3” which is slated for release on July 26.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is the movie I am most excited for because I’ve always liked Deadpool movies and no other upcoming projects really interest me,” Angub said.

As the anticipation for the Deadpool movies is high, a new sequel to the series is expected to match previous Box Office success, with the previous two

movies earning $1.57 billion, according to Box Office Mojo, a database of box office records maintained by IMDb (Internet Movie Database).

Fans believe these sequels will have major influence from the last two movies.

“I believe that previous works have major influence in upcoming sequels. For example the new sequels can build upon the characters and story lines from previous movies,” said Angub. “In addition they can also take creative ideas from past films that made the movie so successful and incorporate it into the

sequel.”

Other film enthusiasts including third-year student Lizbeth Pena Lopez are thrilled about Bob Marley’s, biographical film “Bob Marley: One Love” which was released on Valentine’s Day.

“Bob Marley: One Love” is about the legendary reggae singer and recording artist. The story takes place in the period between his peace concerts in Jamaica in 1976 and 1978, it includes music and historical details related to Marley’s life.

“The movie that I am most excited to see is the “Bob Marley: One Love” movie. I’ve listened to his music so I wanted to know a little bit more about his life, how he became famous and how he died,” Lopez said.

Second-year student Chatin Sadhra said he’s also excited for the Deadpool movie set for release on July 26.

“One movie trailer that caught my attention was Wolverine and Deadpool, one part mainly was when they started fighting. That caught my attention because action movies are cool. I love action movies and it looks like they are going to have a lot of combat in the movie,” said Sadhra.

In 2024, moviegoers can anticipate a wide variety of genres, such as comedy, horror, and historical stories.

Some other movies set to release this year also include “Snow White,” “Dune 2,” “Inside Out 2,” “Garfield,” “Venom 3” and many more movies.

‘Let that c**chie breathe’: singing a different tune about profanity in 2024

BY ZANIEL WALDO Staff Writer

Foraspiring music artists, there are now many opportunities to gain exposure and build status through various online platforms, leading to potential industry promotion.

With many rising artists achieving such acclaim, a new controversy has arisen among the general public about provocative music lyrics in mainstream music.

One controversial star of contention is rap artist Sexyy Red.

Advancing in the industry and collaborating with established stars such as Drake and SZA, her music contains words and messages that many consider indecent and obnoxious.

Once an artist develops a mainstream audience, their most prominent singles can be edited for radio but ultimately carry the same essence.

“Personally, I feel uncomfortable when I hear those lyrics. Back when we only had like Eminem or 50 Cent, they have vulgarity, but not to the extent of the lyrics that Sexyy Red has produced. I definitely believe it’s gotten worse,” said second-year Delta student Raul Perez.

Lauren Oaks, a third-year Delta student, also said there was a continual growth in obscene messages.

“I do find it to be a trend. It’s something you see increasingly more, even across different styles of music,” Oaks said.

The consensus among students is that music lyrics

within mainstream music are becoming more explicit for the worse.

Many arguments against such genres also stem from the concern about the potential negative influence music can have on the youth.

A viral video made its rounds through social media displaying a group of toddlers dancing and singing to Sexyy Red’s verse in rap artist Drake’s single “Rich Baby Daddy.”

Reactions to the video varied but were hypercritical of the music industry’s current state, deeming it reflective of society’s regression.

Katrina Espinoza, a second-year Delta student, shared her concerns as a parent, agreeing music can have an undesired influence on children.

“All you have to do is listen to the music, and you’ll see

that it’s not something that the younger generation should be listening to, but it’s something that the younger generation are listening to,” Espinoza said.

Concerns also revolved around such lyrics pushing the borders of what is considered taboo in society, which can allow lewd conversations to commonality.

However, if we take a different perspective upon a broader horizon, we realize scrutiny against upcoming artists and hostile reception to indecent topics have always existed.

In the late 70s, disco-funk artist Rick James produced music that often conveyed messages of promiscuity and drug use.

In the late 80s, Hip-Hop group N.W.A sparked nationwide outrage for depicting stories of gang violence,

narcotic use and sale and explicit statements against law enforcement.

Since its inception, Rock and Roll has faced continuous obstacles in its reception, often referred to as tasteless for its loud and abrasive nature, with many going as far as to call it the “Devil’s music”.

Opinions did shift a bit after considering this information.

“It’s almost like a double standard, really. If you could listen to the old school, then you could probably listen to that. But I think because it is so vulgar it’s just more attentive to the ears. Music in the 80s was more like you have to put two and two together. These days, it’s like they leave nothing to the imagination or put it all in a four-minute song,” Espinoza said.

Still

Learning styles are a myth, students need a mix

Theof approaches to succeed

BY MERCELI RIOS Staff Writer

concept of learning styles sort of just entered our academic lives one day and never truly left. Chances are you’ve probably taken a guess as to what your learning style is or have even gone out of your way to take some sort of quiz to help figure that out.

If you’ve managed to go this long without having heard of them, a “learning style” is a term “widely used to describe how learners gather, sift through, interpret, organize, come to conclusions about and “store” information for further use” as defined by Nancy Chick on the Vanderbilt University website.

There seems to be a new type of learning style every time one decides to go out of their way to look into them, but there are a select four that most people universally acknowledge; visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic (or “hands-on”).

Basically, the circumstances in which a person with the responsibility of learning something needs to be under for the optimal amount of understanding.

So, if you’re an auditory learner, you have an easier time understanding subjects with lots of details or instructions. If you’re a reading/writing learner, you thrive in situations where you have something to read or write about.

Pretty self explanatory.

While they may all be different (but not really though once you think about it more in depth), there is one thing they all have in common:

It’s all a myth.

Well, for the most part at least.

In actuality, there has been no research showing that the implementation of different learning styles has any correlation to student learning, according to a 2009 study, “Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence” by Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork.

“That’s a stupid question, yes,” said student Giselle Maree Saliot when asked if she thinks a classroom that integrates her learning style would produce a better outcome.

So, why are we so quick to believe in this?

Could it be because it provides a sense of comfort, putting ourselves in this box and having an easy excuse as to why we didn’t have the most seamless experience trying to understand a subject?

There’s no doubt we can enjoy one type of learning style more than the other, and while not absolutely hating the process of learning

something is important, it turns out that it’s actually not important enough to the point that going as far to enjoy it equals more information actually being learned.

“It’s nice to believe that there’s a way to make things easier. It’s nice to think you can have something — like a category you can put yourself in to help you with your struggles more, ya know? It’s nice to have a cop out if you fail something,” Saliot said.

Implementing this idea of learning styles might actually do more harm than good.

By reiterating this idea, don’t we get students too used to this safe zone, where we teach that sticking to your learning style equals more learning, and in turn, stepping out of your comfort zone equals less?

Doing things that don’t come as naturally and easy to you, and putting in more effort can make for a memorable learning experience while also serving as experience for similar future instances where one has no choice but to take things as they are handed to them.

Your classes, your job, the world, will most likely not cater to your learning style.

They could probably care less about it, actually.

Is it nice when learning is fun? Yes. Does it need to be? No. Do most higher ups truly go out of their way to make sure their student or employee is having fun? You get the idea.

On top of that, aren’t all of these aspects crucial for truly understanding a subject?

How many times have we heard students complain about a professor that makes students buy a textbook and then call it a semester or spend their entire class time talking or have their whole curriculum be a collection of Google Slides on Canvas?

It’s easy to have a favorite, but the truth is all of us need a mix of auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and reading/writing learning to understand a subject to the best of our ability.

A lot of the time, the classes we consider our favorite or that we remember the most from, are classes where all of these learning styles were present.

We are more than our learning style, and that can be a difficult habit to break out of.

All it really takes is the curiosity to see just how well we can do under circumstances that we ideally would not have chosen for ourselves. It could take a little more work, but you’ll probably do better than this pseudoscience will have you expect.

Service employees deserve better

BY ANDREA RIVERA Sports Editor

Everyday, customer service employees hope with caution on their way into their shifts, that it will be a good day. It will be a day without issues, screaming or honest mistakes.

What’s the worst part of the job? All the tedious, tiresome and lack of patience from customers that think they are entitled to whatever they want.

“When you’re trying to fix a situation and they don’t want a single solution to it,” said Daniella Ortiz, a Delta College barista at Java jitters on campus for three years.

Employees have been trained to remain calm and help in any way they can however they aren’t trained to re-train customers on manners and common decency. So who and what gives you the authority to screech and holler at an employee for a slight mistake?

“I believe it’s important to be patient with people, because you never know what they’re going through… until people are disrespectful… I try to calm the situation down and tell them ‘Hey I’m here to help you’... but after a couple attempts I’m then getting a manager,” said Brandy Bowers, a cashier at Delta College.

Consumers believe because it’s a minimum wage and requires basic skills you can’t make mistakes or have all the items at all times of the day. The expectation for a 16-year-old fast food worker to not make any mistakes, or that a 32-yearold, two weeks into a barista job, absolutely needs to know the difference between a cafe macchiato and a cappuccino because it’s life or death for that one “soccer mom” is hysterical.

Adjunct Professor Amanda Cardwell has been working in food and retail service for four years and remembers the endless

agony of trying to fix a mistake with a grueling customer.

“She said she came in the morning before, I was there the morning before, we had never seen her… She then said we had messed up her drink… We remade it again and it was incorrect again… the customer then pulled me aside and said ‘she’s going to spit in my drink now isn’t she’ and I went ‘she would never do that, we would never do that.’ I personally made her the drink then handed her the drink and told her, ‘Have a nice day. Please do not come back to this location.’”

I have worked five years and continue to work in the industry, despite the horrors. The act of kindness never gets noticed.

I get yelled at at least five times a day, whether it be on the phone or in person.

And the saying goes, “The customer is always right,” but they aren’t, because what is not known is we get in trouble trying to make that small modification to your liking that the customer thinks isn’t that big of a deal.

If you are coming in with five minutes left until the store closes, and you have special accommodations or a certain diet, more than likely we are out of many products because WE

AREN’T A GROCERY STORE AND WE RUN OUT OF FOOD TOO!

And customers forget we’re halfway through our workday when yours ends, and still have six hours to go with the possible overtime because of that bizarre late-night rush and the public thinking “Oh they won’t mind one more customer before we close.”

Yes. We do mind.

I don’t speak for all food service or any customer service workers, but try to remember what you learned in kindergarten and “treat others how you would want to be treated” and that we are not your punching bag after a long day.

DOOM? GLOOM? ARE WE OK?

BY DOMINICK DELISE Staff Writer

Thetime we’re living in is scary and unpredictable, leaving younger generations with little hope for the future.

The past five years have been tough. Covid left behind empty jobs and inflation. Major unpredictable weather patterns are omnipresent. War between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Israel and Gaza conflict, are part of our mindset.

It’s cyclical for younger generations to feel a sort of future gloom and doom. I am guilty of this.

“I thought housing out of reach in college,” said Economics Professor Eduardo Torres, who was a private banker in Silicon Valley in the 1980s.

The past repeats itself.

I was up late one night anxiously pondering my future. I had just watched a video about how hard it will be for Gen-Zer’s to survive on their own considering the cost of living and the average wages, comparatively.

In the middle of my existential crisis, I decided to consult Delta College professors in political science and economics to give me insight into where we’re going as a generation.

“Maybe there should be a balance between mindset, and real world problems,” said Delta Political Science and History Professor Dr. Joel Blank.

Unemployment is at a record low 3.6 percent nationally and 2.3 percent in California, so shouldn’t finding jobs be easier than ever?

For those of us who live in San Joaquin County unem-

ployment is at 6.8 percent which is more than three percent higher than the state average. As of December 2023, 23,600 of the 789,410 people living in San Joaquin County were unemployed.

What can we do?

To put it simply, go to school and get a degree, or even a certificate.

Delta provides programs such as the Electron Microscopy, which is the only one in the country. There’s also the automotive, Caterpillar and nursing programs.

“We have an amazing group of people here that can provide a pathway into journalism, media a pathway into medicine…there’s an amazing energy here that students take advantage of. I think they would understand that there really is hope for the future,” said Blank.

He’s right. Going to school and getting a degree provides a good amount of financial security and stability.

But it’s also worth mentioning that this might be easier said than done, because as of 2019-2020 tuition is 180 percent higher than it

was in the 80s. According to education data.org, In California average tuition at a public four-year institution costs $24,015 and just increased by 2.55 percent in 2021.

Voting, especially at a local level, also readily increases our chance for policy that benefits the community and it’s important for people of our generation to stay civically engaged.

“Students really need to be paying attention to local issues…this is where they live… local policy makers will impact a lot of our daily life,” said Delta International Political Economy Professor Cirian Villvecenico.

Blank and Villavecencio mentioned that corruption has perturbed younger generations, and kept them from voting or investing in local policy makers.

“There’s been a lot of corruption in Stockton, and that’s a problem too… city councils, board of education. It’s really something…we

need good people in government,” said Blank.

The corruption Blank is referring to is when Stockton Unified was scrutinized after state auditors found evidence of fraud in the misuse of $242 million of Covid funds last year.

It’s important to vote for legislation with integrity in mind, and do research on who or what you’re voting for. These things can really help us in the long run.

Harsh reality I had to face before going back to school was that I would have to get into debt to make it. Personally, working while going to school, paying bills to stay afloat has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but with that being said, I am also hopeful that this will work out for me in the future.

Positive comes with a price.

Educate yourself.

If the recession after 9/11 was worse than the recession in the early 90’s and then the housing crisis of 2008 was worse than the one before that, then does that mean the next recession will be even worse than Covid?

It seems older generations want to say that it’s us creating these issues because we’re not educated, we care too much about other coun- tries’ issues, or that we need to vote. They say if the system isn’t working it’s not their fault. I’d love to air on the side of optimism here but it’s hard when we’re just being told to wait and see.

I don’t get it.

WOMENS BASKETBALL DOMINATES DIABLO VALLEY

BY JOE DEMASI Staff Writer

The Mustangs beat Diablo Valley with a final score of 86-47 on Feb. 13.

Delta started strong with a 9-0 lead. With two minutes left to go in the first quarter, the Mustangs took a 20-point lead 23-3.

The Mustangs dominated the first quarter and continued with a 30-6 lead at the start of the second quarter.

Coach Gina Johnson said it felt good to get a blowout win after winning a close game against Modesto.

“I’m proud of our girls. We've been working hard defensively and today offensively we were able to work against a zone, which is good to work on something different,” Johnson said. “We are excited that there’s only three games left and we're only one game up in

the (sic) first so we got three really important games after that”.”

At halftime, the Mustangs went into the locker room with a 29-point lead 51-22.

In the second half, it went back and forth between Diablo and Delta and by the end of the third quarter, Delta held out and led 67-37 against Diablo.

Johnson said this game helped the Mustangs on the defensive end because as a team they had 17 steals and three blocks.

Delta shot the ball well from three-point range, shooting 38 percent and making 12 threes to create a gap on the scoreboard.

Freshman guard number 2 Senia Moore came off the bench, led the team in three-pointers made and led the Mustangs in scoring with 17 points.

Moore said it was a great team win and it was a relief to have a blowout win.

“Feels good my teammates found me with open shots. It was a great team win,” Moore said. “It was a relief we have a lot of close games so it was nice to play and just have fun”.

In the fourth quarter, the Mustangs continued to dominate.

With 2:30 left in the game, Delta was up by 41 points 84-43 but the game ended with the final 86-47.

The win moved Delta to 21-4 with three games left. As of Feb. 20 the Mustangs came in first place in the conference and plan to dominate the playoffs.

Round 1 of the playoffs will be on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. but no location has been released yet.

Mens basketball scores eighth season win

BY ZANIEL WALDO Staff Writer

The Mustangs’ Men’s Basketball team won its match against Modesto Junior College on Feb. 9.

The game concluded with a final score of 67-52, making it the team’s eighth win of the semester. The Mustangs showed strong teamwork in the match against Modesto, staying in the lead during the game.

“That’s what you want. It’s definitely a confidence booster. It can be that sometimes you get too high and start forcing to do stuff, but I feel like we did a really good job at noticing when we did get too high or too low and focusing on what we really need to do,” said point guard Dayton Magana.

Delta’s starting lineup consisted of players Julian Brown, Dayton Magana, Andrew Galindo, Dominic Perasso and Victor Domonick.

The Mustangs took the tipoff at the beginning of the match, which came at an advantage as forward player Perasso managed to score.

Modesto scored soon after but took a foul not long after.

Forward player Perasso scored soon after, but a foul led Modesto to retake the ball and score.

The game’s tone soon set with intensity between the teams, the Mustang’s scored one after the other, with Magana, Perasso and Galindo raising the team’s score.

Soon after, the Mustangs took a 30-second timeout, followed by small forward player Julian Brown getting two successful shots and a free throw.

After a time out from Modesto, Brown caught a rebound ball, which he passed to Perasso, who made a successful free throw after Modesto received a foul on a move against him.

The rest of the first half saw more successful plays, with good team coordination, three-player

passes and keeping most of Modesto’s points increasing within the free throws.

At halftime, the score was 38-24, but there were several personal fouls on the Mustangs.

“Fouls are not too much of a concern, as we’re more worried about ourselves and doing what we have to do to sustain the lead and win,” said Brown.

The second half did begin on a sour note, with a foul on the Mustangs and Modesto getting in two free-throws as a result.

Nevertheless, the score was brought up again with successful shots between Galindo, Magana, and Perasso.

After the score margins increased further, Modesto did get a shot-clock violation, with the Mustangs getting the ball and making more successful two and three-point shots.

Later in the second half, Domonick showed exceptional initiative as he picked up the ball, after it fell out of players’ hands, and ran unguarded across most of the court to jump and dunk.

Mustangs continued to make more free throws and two-point shots as the game ended.

“A win is always good, especially on a night like this where we’re playing for something bigger than just basketball. Supporting all those with breast cancer, it’s always good to win on a night like that and show support to those people who are actually in need,” Magana said.

The night’s game for Men’s and Women’s Basketball also had a simultaneous event for Breast Cancer awareness, and players wished to acknowledge its significance.

“I have two grandmothers that both had cancer, so I really wanted to set out to win for them tonight. I suit up every game for them, so I really feel every game is necessary for me to win for them,” Brown said.

Sophomore guard Julian Brown going for a lay-up against Modesto Junior College on Feb.9. PHOTO BY DYLAN JAEKEL

WOMENS WRESTLING TEAM TAKES THE MATS

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Editor-in-Chief

Delta has a new team on campus. Women’s wrestling is in its first season at Delta.

Recruiting for a new team was done in person and through flyers posted on campus. Work to create a women’s team has been going on for years and has finally come to fruition.

“So, this has been in the works at the JC level for probably five years. And we had talked in the past about possibly doing a club team, which some schools are still doing right now because it hasn't moved forward, but women's wrestling is the largest and quickest growing sport in the United States right now, and so we knew that there was a need that we had to fill with the JC women's program,” said Head Coach Michael Sandler, who has been coaching the men’s team since 2003.

Currently only five women are competing, with one athlete dividing time between wrestling and track. Sandler is working to recruit new athletes in order to grow the team next season.

“We don't even feel the full team right now. The girls I have are extremely talented. But my goal is to have 20 plus girls in the room next year,” said Sandler.

Despite the small roster, the team is showing promise. At its first open tournament of the season, the team finished 8th out of 19 teams. Individually, freshman

Valentia Ortega finished in the top eight, freshman Samira Mason took 3rd place and freshman Isabel Zepeda took 2nd.

Sandler expects the team to continue its success.

“You know, I think for sure all four of my girls could be state placers. They'll be the first state placers ever in the history of Delta College for women. I think a couple of them, probably, we have a good shot at being in the finals,” said Sandler. Tournament success is motivating, but the love for the sport can be even more important.

“I just expect us to have fun, like when we lose. We're there to wrestle, having fun, not worrying about ... whether we place at state or placing at tournaments,” said freshman Perla Camacho.

Samira Mason is excited for the opportunity to wrestle and to be the first in a program expected to grow in the coming years.

“I feel really honored to be like the first, what is it,

like pioneer I guess, to be like the start of the program. It's really cool. I love wrestling. It is like my favorite thing. It makes me so happy. So, I'm just so happy to be here. I'm glad that I can make like a name for this place,” said Mason.

Camacho and Mason hope to use this season to improve and further explore technique. They expect to take what they learn this season to improve their own performance, as well as be there for the new women expected to join the team next season.

Delta’s next tournament will be at Sacramento City College on Feb. 29.

Athletic fields still on track for renovations

BY ANDREA RIVERA Sports Editor

In September 2022 the Athletics Field began its renovation of all damaged fields to protect athletes from future injuries, due to poor irrigation and water damage causing potential tripping hazards in the football, softball, baseball, and track and fields.

According to Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler “As of right now we're still on schedule for construction to start late spring. Since we know it can be a long lead time to order some of these materials, we're working with the coaches over Spring Break so that we can get the product ordered in April. The cost has not changed at this point, and we're doing our best to keep everything moving forward,” says Breitler.

“The team is working with coaches to determine what the best product will be for the fields and track… they are taking field trips and looking at various types of products,” said Breitler.

That team includes, “Director of Athletics, Football Coach, Softball Coach, Baseball Coach, Track Coach, Director of Facilities, Energy/Maintenance Manager, Athletic Field Attendant, Groundskeeper/ Irrigation, Electrician, Plumber, Assistant Director of

IT, Network Specialist, VP of Administration, VP of Instruction and Director of Procurement,” according to a presentation at the Sept. 6, 2022 board meeting.

The college decided to go with a design-bid-build process in September 2022, advising that this process will offer a “delivery system including accelerated completion of the project, cost containment, reduction of construction complexity, and reduced exposure to risk for the community college district,” according to the presentation.

At the Nov. 21, 2022, board meeting the construction team McGuire & Hester was awarded the contract by the board.

According to the meeting notes McGuire & Hester was chosen because, “The Proposers’ Price Proposals, as set forth above, also included pricing for Project Insurance Costs, as well as General Conditions, and Overhead and Profit the latter two costs provided as a percentage of the Design-Build Entity’s total direct/ hard construction costs during Construction Phase Services.”

As of Dec. 12, 2023, the Athletic Fields project team had asked the board to release “construction service funds and increase the existing contract… amend the contract with McGuire and Hester for the Design-Build Contract RFQ/P #23-04 to release

construction services funds and increase the contract in the amount of $4,000,000. The budgeted source is Measure L Bond Funds.”

The team is looking to start Increment One work to be conducted on the Athletic Fields Renovation Project. “The Increment One work consists of the following: The purchase of materials, such as the playing field carpet. The purchase will take place after team meetings with the coaches to choose the appropriate products. Earth Work to remove the fields and start the preparation of the land,” according to the Dec. 12 meeting.

Increment one will also allow the project to secure carpet purchase and delivery early to delay any product delays, as well as the start of the fields being removed, irrigation repaired, and land prepared for the incoming fields.

It will then be followed by the second increment which is the Division of State Architects approving the drawings and costs associated to finish the project construction.

In the meanwhile games are still being held at the University of Pacific and McNair High School, and contracts for transportation to get to the games have been increased while Delta discusses plans for the fields and coaches look for the best products.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT