Issue 3

Mountaineer A First Amendment Newspaper of the Mt. San Antonio College Journalism Program

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

www.mountiewire.com

Volume 75 Issue 3

STUDENTS AND FACULTY REACT TO DEATH pg.

2 OF TERRORIST MASTERMIND

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Osama bin Laden shot dead by United States Navy SEALs Osama's Timeline of Terror Feb. 26, 1993: Al Qaeda terrorist detonate trucks full of explosives in a parking garage under the World Trade Center in New York. The blast does not bring down the towers but six people are killed while many more are injured.

Nov. 13,1995: Car bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are linked to Al Qaeda. Six people are killed (five Americans) and 60 are injured.

1996: Bin Laden leaves for Afghanistan. Issues and encourages a fatwa against U.S. military.

1998: Truck bombs rip through U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. 224 killed (12 Americans). A fatwa is issued against Americans and Jews.

June 1999: Bin Laden is added to FBI’s “Most Wanted” list.

Oct. 12, 2000: A suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer USS Cole claims the lives of 17 sailors and injures 39. Al Qaeda takes responsibility Sept. 11, 2001: Hijacked planes careen into the World Trade Centers in New York, The Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. The disaster claims the lives of over 3,000 people.

Oct 29, 2004: Bin Laden praises the 9/11 attacks and takes responsibility for their coordination via videotape sent to the Al Jazeera news network.

July 7, 2005: London’s public transport system experiences a series of explosions. 35 people are killed and 700 are injured.

Bin Laden’s second in command Ayman al-Zawahri says Al Qaeda claims responsibility.

2007: The identity of Bin Laden’s closest messenger is discovered by American intelligence.

2009: Areas of operation involving the messenger and his brother are located Aug. 2010: In finding the brother’s residence, American intelligence locates a compound about 35 miles north of Islamabad in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan. Analysts focus on it due to its size and security.

Sept. 2010: CIA enters into work with President Obama in regards to possibility that Bin Laden is in the compound.

Mid-Feb. 2011: U.S. government decides there is enough evidence to plan a course of action.

Mar. 14: President Obama proceeds with several National Security Council meetings.

Apr. 29: President Obama gives the go ahead for the attack operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan May 1: 2 p.m.: President Obama and his national security team go over preparation.

3:50 p.m.: President Obama is told that the target has been identified 7:01 p.m.: President is informed the there was a “high probability” that Bin Laden is dead.

11:35 p.m.: President Obama gives a televised address announcing the death of terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

!"#$%"&'"(($)* !"#$%&"'()*+$,& On May 1, in a televised address, President Obama announced to the world, that the most wanted criminal mastermind, a man that had taken credit for horrendous offenses against humanity was dead. Navy SEALS had killed Osama bin Laden, leader of the terrorist faction, Al Qaeda, in a raid in Pakistan.

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked commercial planes and crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. The world watched in horror as the collapse of the two buildings was televised globally.

According to a CNN.com memorial special, the disasters claimed the lives of over 3000 people. The world came together in solidarity to mourn the loss of both American and international individuals.

In 2007, the identity of bin Laden’s closest messenger was discovered by American intelligence, and in using this information; they set about a mission in hopes of getting closer to capturing the most wanted man in the world.

In Aug. of 2010, a large compound is discovered in Abbottabad, Pakistan and due to its size and security, U.S. government analysts turned their focus to it.

In Feb. of 2011, it was decided that there was enough evidence for the U.S. government to formulate a plan of attack. In the two months to follow, President Obama became involved in several National Security Council meetings and finally, on Apr. 29, he gave the go ahead for an attack operation to commence.

On May 1, Navy SEALs raided the compound, engaged in firefight, and 40 minutes later, eventually killed the man that had evaded them for a decade, according to a May 2 online ABC news article.

“Bin Laden was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, a senior administration official told ABC News,” according to the same article.

That same night, after extensive DNA analysis, President Obama addressed the world in a televised speech, and said that the man responsible for countless horrors and grievous attacks against the United States, had been shot dead.

“Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children,” the President said, starting his speech.

His address reminded the world of the horrible events of 9/11 and although bin Laden was dead, the U.S. should never let down its guard and that its war is not a religious one. “…his death does not mark the end of our effort.

There’s no doubt that Al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must -- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad. As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not -and never will be -- at war with Islam,” he said.

In days to follow, bin Laden was buried at sea, however there is debate over whether pictures of his corpse should be released or not.

In a May 8 interview with 60 minutes, Obama said “It is important to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool.”

In addition to debate about the photos, there is the issue of celebrating the death of a human being, evil or not.

English professor, Jill Gold Wright, was at home grading papers when she saw the news online. She said her first reaction was that she was relieved.

“I think my initial reaction might have been a little bit of relief, I don’t want to say happiness because I don’t feel comfortable saying that the violent death of anybody makes me happy necessarily, but I do believe that Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization that’s responsible for some terrible occurrences across the globe, and so I suppose knowing that the figurative head was chopped off that organization did bring me some initial relief,” she said.

English professor, John Brantingham, said that he does not see the killing as a step forward.

“I’m not happy that somebody died I don’t think it makes us better or increases anything to have us killing anyone, ” he said. “I’ll be happy if we now are no longer at war,” he added.

Brantingham is not alone in not glorifying the death of bin Laden as students such as Marty Cablay, 20, sociology major, said that regardless of ones past, death is not to be celebrated.

“I was shocked, I wasn’t happy, not like everybody and how they celebrate it. I don’t think we should celebrate the death of a human being like that, I don’t care how evil or bad they are. I was just shocked that they found him and they killed him,” Cablay said. He added that, in regards to the picture of the corpse, the government should release it to remove the public’s skepticism. “They should, to validate it,” he said.

Students like Kaitlin Licata, 20, hospitality management major, see a cause for celebration.

“I think it’s actually a good thing that he’s dead just because, I mean, now there’s less terror and then we could eventually lead into other people, finding who else is going to try and terrorize the United States,” she said.

For some veterans such as Danny Zepeda, 25, political science major, the killing of bin Laden comes as a long awaited victory for the U.S. A former cryptologic technician for the navy, Zepeda experienced skepticism after reading the headline online via cell phone. It was not until he went home and watched the news that he felt excitement.

“Oh man I was happy, like ‘Finally we killed this bastard!’” he said. “He was someone that killed a lot of innocent civilians in New York and when that happened they celebrated it so I don’t get why it’d be wrong for us to celebrate the killing of someone who has harmed us in a huge way,” he added.

Ashley Pacini, 28, a graduate student at NYU majoring film studies, was among the hundreds of people that went to ground zero the night the president made his announcement and described the atmosphere as "electrifying" “I was shocked at first, it really didn’t hit me until I got down to ground zero, kind of what that meant as far as a nation and a city, I’m not one to celebrate in the death of somebody but I can understand why other people, especially people who are from New York or have lived in the city a lot longer than I have,” she said.

However the death of bin Laden does not change the fact that terrorist factions will stop attacking the U.S. According to a May 2 online article posted by The Economic Times, bin Laden’s second in command, “Ayman al-Zawahiri...is now set to succeed Osama bin Laden as the world’s most wanted man.”

In a statement released by Al Qaeda on jihadist forums, the organization stated that they would not be stunted by the death of their leader.

“Sheikh Osama didn’t build an organization that will vanish with his death or fades away with his departure. In this context, we in al Qaeda Jihad organization promise God Almighty and we ask Him for help, support and steadfastness to continue on the path of jihad that our leaders, led by Sheikh Osama chose, and that we will not be reluctant, and will not deviate from that honorable path until God be the final judge between us and our enemy,” the organization said.

Benjamin Myers, 20, NYU student and journalism and politics major feels pride and happiness in the killing of bin Laden. As a cadet in army ROTC, he said the world must stay vigilant against terrorism.

“I think there’s still need for concern just like we’ve had in general for the past 10 years, I mean just because bin Laden himself was killed doesn’t mean that the people wanting to commit acts of terrorism against the country is going to stop, and so I think it’s important not to lose focus on the situation,” he said.

Myers added, “People wanted to attack us before he died, and they’re going to want to attack us afterward, it’s just more that we should not forget to remain alert.”

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Counseling cuts back hours STAFF Claudia Gonzalez Editor-in-Chief Beatrice Alcala Design, Graphics & Visuals Editor Albert Serna News Editor Claudia Gonzalez Opinion Editor Sabina Gallier Features Editor Sofia Jamil, Michael Jaramillo A&E Editors Peter Pham College Life Editor Brigette Lugo Multiculture Editor Justin Enriquez Sports Editor Beatrice Alcala Photo Editor Sarah Venezio Copy Editor Isai Rocha Mountiewire.com Editor-in-Chief Senior Staff Writers Josue Velasquez, Daniel Mansoor, Sofia Jamil, Mitchell McDonough, Jessica Weber, Mimi Lupercio, Sonia Puente, Vinzon Lim, Ricardo Monarrez, Crystal Chavez, James Rojas, Alex Kchouri Junior Staff Writers John Alvarado, Jennifer Cao, Christy Caputo, Georgina Castro, Shalini Chatarpaul, Laura Clayderman, Lizette Contreras, Matthew Foresta, Gilbert Garcia, Kristina Gonzalez, Susy Hernandez, Soohyung Jeong, Bernadette Martinez, Matthew Medina, Nuvia Montes, Nicolette Morris, Cynthia Perez, Marlene Pinedo, Meagan Razo, Jose Rosa, Viviana Sarrade, Jericho Trim, Sarah Venezio, Rich Yap, Ericka Bonilla, Anthony Zhou, Conny Chege, Eric Sagata, Isaiah Ma Designers Beatrice Alcala, Claudia Gonzalez, Josue Velasquez, Guillermo Agueta, Photographers Isai Rocha, Claudia Gonzalez, Libby Freeman, Scott Spencer, Jackson Li, Mo Torres, Josue Velasquez, Peter Pham, Isaiah Ma, Mallorie DeArmond, Jose Rosa, Malena Rodriguez, Loren Serrato, Ulysses Juarez, Lucas Jovel, Daniel Mansoor, Justin Enriquez Cartoonists Adam Valenzuela, Peter Pham, Sabina Gallier Bloggers Peter Pham, Sabina Gallier, Darline Nazario, Bernadette Martinez, Emily Stevens, Jose Rosa, Timothy Nishimura, Austria Calderon, Art Navarro Jr., Malena Rodriguez, Carlos Antimo, Meagan Razo, Alex Abrew, Martin Beltran, Alfred Chao, Mathew Foresta, Jorge Amar, Nuvia Montes, Wendy Torres, Genesis Hernandez, Nicolas Ward, Matthew Medina, Kayla Sargent, Casey Perea, Richard Rodriguez, Taylor George, Kevin Nieves, James Rojas Public Relations Team Aida Holley, Jericho Trim, Viviana Sarrade, Georgina Castro Advertising Veronica Grant Advertising Director Adviser Toni Albertson

The Mountaineer is a college newspaper published by the students in journalism classes at Mt. San Antonio College. The views expressed in this newspaper do not reflect the views of the adviser, administration or the Board of Trustees of the Mt. SAC district. The Mountaineer is a First Amendment publication.

Phone: 909-594-5611 ext. 6123 FAX: 909-468-4106 Building 26-D, Room 3220 Cover photo illustration : Beatrice Alcala, The Mountaineer

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-,.."/"(0+1"()*+$,& As of May 2, students will be unable to make appointments with Mt. SAC counselors on Mondays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Because of budget cuts, the counseling center has shortened the hours for students to make appointments on Mondays and Fridays.

The proposed 2011-2012 state budget from Governor Jerry Brown estimates that California Community Colleges will lose approximately $400 million.

The counseling department has tried to minimize the effect on the students.

“It’s a total of five and a half hours cut,” said the Dean of Counseling, Thomas Mauch.

“We picked those days because they would have the least amount of impact with students.”

Mauch said that the department chose these hours because students are less likely to be on campus to try and make appointments at these times.

“Friday afternoons have been extremely slow. We have part-timers who are here covering that. We have very few full timers here on Fridays. It would affect our staff the least on Fridays. Hopefully this is just minimal,” said Mauch.

Because of the budget cuts, Mauch added, the counseling center has very few funds for not only the adjunct counselors but for the students who work behind the counter as well.

“We don’t have any more money to pay students because it’s all work-study. We have no more work-study hours,” said Mauch, who remains optimistic that this will only be temporary.

Miriam Ramire, 38, business major is worried about the cutback in hours.

“It’s already difficult as it is to get in to see a counselor. You have to go in when it’s open and there are tons of people already waiting and trying to get an appointment,” said Ramire.

Because of her busy schedule, she has had trouble meeting with counselors in the past.

According to Ramire, when she finally made it in to see a counselor, she had difficulty finding one that would help her answer all of her questions.

“It took me three counselors to finally find someone who would really listen to me,” Ramire said. “I couldn’t really make an appointment because they were either already booked or it was very difficult for me to make an arrangement because it didn’t work with my schedule,” Ramire added.

Students like On Quach, 21, aviation science major, see these cutbacks as regrettable but understandable.

“I think that it’s one of the unfortunate realities that we have due to the economic recession,” he said.

Without counselors advising them, students are also worried about what the budget cuts mean in regards to them getting their classes.

“I’m worried about not being able to get classes. I don’t want to get thrown under the bus because of the budget crisis. I hope that they don’t keep cutting down classes and classes until it becomes an all-out gladiatorial brawl for a class,” said Chris Gallego 19 film major.

The Counseling Center is still open for regular hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the rest of the semester.

Future educators stay strong /)*$0-1&2*$.

2$#11(3&+$"& To teach or not to teach, that is the question plaguing many people facing a career as an educator.

According to a survey of students conducted on the Mt. SAC campus, 34 out of 100 students would consider teaching as a possible profession; and of those 34 students, only 11 would still continue to pursue the profession, despite the current economic climate.

Of the 34 possible future educators polled, Seve Chong, 21, advertising major, said, “Education, as an intuition, is too big to fail.”

Chong said that education is no different than the automobile industry, and just like the government bailout, education should be reformed.

According to an April 25 article in the Los Angles Times, the current estimation of the budget defect is $27 billion.

With the threat of larger class sizes, professor layoffs, lack of classes, the current state of education is in freefall, causing virtually every area of the budget to cut back.

“With the least-impact scenario, we could have avoided extensive class reductions and employee layoffs,” President John Nixon said to Mt. SAC leaders on March 4, according to Budget Scenarios Outlined, from the Mt. SAC website.

In the article, Nixon made known the possible scenarios looming over the Mt. SAC campus.

“But with that scenario now eliminated,

coupled with dwindling tax revenues for the state, the much-worse alternate scenarios make layoffs a real possibility for us.” Nixon said.

The PowerPoint shown to employees laid out the possible scenarios starting with a $3.8 million dollar reduction with the lost of 1,200 students, which is no longer an option, and ending with a scenario in which a $16.1 million dollar reduction of funds will lead to the lost of 4,400 students and possible layoffs.

With all of cuts, layoffs and budget uncertainties, why would anybody consider a career as a teacher?

Adam Gonzales-Weightman, 30, professor of communications at Mt. SAC, is a part-time professor and although his future may be hazy for the fall 2011 semester, he will not shy away from his career as a teacher.

“I guess I’ve always wanted to teach though. In third grade I made a crossword puzzle and class activity workshop. I proposed the presentation to my teacher and it was immediately approved,” Weightman said.

Weightman is a former student of Mt. SAC and an active member of the forensics team and public speaking.

After his time at Mt. SAC, he went to the University of Northern Iowa where he became a two time national champion in forensics and graduated with a degree in visual art graphics.

In addition, Weightman could also be involved with another huge FLEX Day Faculty presentation involving new technology in the classroom.

“I became a teacher because I was inspired by the professors I had while at [Mt. SAC].”

Weightman said.

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Smokers make clean air a drag 34"$"-&5" 2$#11(3&+$"& Walking through campus, visitors may take notice of the lush green lawns, the beautiful trees, the modern architecture, and the hundreds, if not thousands of cigarette butts that line our halls and pathways.

Smoking on campus has been a topic of controversy for many years: where does the right for a smoker to enjoy their cigarette end, and the right for a non-smoker to breathe clean air begin?

California has implemented a law that makes it mandatory for smokers to remain at least 20 feet away from the perimeter of a building, making it mandatory for a college campus to enforce the law.

Journalism professor Toni Albertson said it is clear that most Mt. SAC students who smoke do not obey the law.

“Every single day that I am in the newsroom, I have to go outside to ask smokers to leave,” Albertson said. “They are not obeying the 20 foot law.”

Some students who do not smoke said that they feel the smokers on campus should be subject to punishment if they break the law.

Tiffany Lam, 18, art major, said that public safety should issue tickets to those not following the rules.

“I feel like campus safety should go after them more. They should give them tickets as easily as they give tickets to innocent motorists in the parking lot,” she said.

Lam is angered when students smoke in a crowded area.

“I don’t say anything, I just give them death stares and hope they are considerate enough to realize that I don’t want to breathe in their toxic fumes,” she said.

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are exposed

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to secondhand smoke in homes, vehicles, workplaces, and public areas everyday.

The CDC has linked secondhand smoke to heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and a number of health conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and respiratory infections in children.

Eric Nava, 24, fire technology major said, “Even though I am a smoker, I still get irritated when someone from class goes out for a smoke, and comes back smelling like [smoke]. I always wonder if that’s how I smell to other people.”

Sandy Samples, registered nurse and director of health services, said “Their (the smokers) physical health suffers a great deal.

Ranging from a wide variety of cancers, to loss of stamina… and it amazes me that college kids still choose to take on the habit, especially in these economic times.”

According to a 2010 survey done by the Harvard School of Public Heath, more than

one-third of college students reported that they were currently using a tobacco product and nearly half of those surveyed said they had used tobacco within the last year.

Samples added that though it is a serious issue on campus, there is very little we can do about it right now. “We are a huge campus.

We’re huge geographically. The problem with a complete ban of smoking on campus would be that if a professor teaching at the center of campus were a smoker, they would have to walk half a mile just to have a cigarette.

Smokers still have their rights,” she said.

Samples added, that there are many alternatives to an absolute ban of smoking.

“I would think that the most logical solution would be to have designated smoking areas, similar to those found in airports. But again, finding someone who would enforce the boundaries would be an immediate issue,” she said.

Writing Center to lose funding 6"7*"&8("9:)*."% 2$#11(3&+$"& Words like threatening, frightening, and discouraging may come to people’s minds in the year of 2011-2012, when budget cuts will affect the hope of many Mt. SAC students and faculty.

The Writing Center, one of the valuable resources for college students, might be in jeopardy.

According to David Charbonneau, director of the writing assistance center at Mt. SAC, the budget crisis is going to impact the Writing Center.

“We will be cutting back some hours this summer,” Charbonneau said. “We will be cutting back some staffing this summer both for students, and permanent staff.”

Ronald Brouillette, professor of English and literature said, “If you need to cut money, you are going to need to cut people. Tutors would probably be the ones to go first.”

As many students may find, the writing center is a helpful foundation to help them improve both their writing and reading skills. They may also face not being able to get help and guidance for any class that requires writing.

The writing center “provides additional services over and above what English teachers can do in

the classroom,” said Brouillette.

“Especially with grammar and sentence writing.”

Steven Chavez, 22, tutor at the writing center said that without the presence of sufficient tutors and workshops in the writing center, students might encounter no orientation “as far as writing goes.”

For students, the writing center does not only help to build up their skill in writing and reading, but also provides services such as the computers and printers for educational purposes, and accommodates positions for paid tutors.

Nuvia Montes, 20, communication major said the budget crisis that affects the writing center will likely impact “faculties who work there and students who use the services.”

Montes said it would eventually “spiral down to whoever uses the services."

The number of students who are getting the advantages of the services available in the writing center keep rising up from fall 2007-2010.

Charbonneau said that the most memorable event is “the accumulative growth of the writing center over the last three years.”

In fall 2010, the numbers

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would reach “1552 students for individual tutoring for 5641 hours, 697 students come to workshop for 1841 hours, and 176 students who tutor in classroom,” said Charbonneau.

According to Charbonneau and Chavez, big changes are likely to happen in fall 2011.

“That is when our grant money runs out, the district is not coming out with the money to replace those grants, and probably a 20 percent cut or more may

come to next academic year,” said Charbonneau.

In the April edition of the Mountaineer, it was reported that in the year of 2011-2012, the Mt. SAC administration is likely to encounter lessening programs and services.

Charbonneau added that this "downsize of programs and services” might result in the surplus demand of students and deficit amounts of tutors available to provide the service.

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Editorial Bin Laden’s death, a step toward healing

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Editorial Attention youth! It is your duty to stay informed

The death of Al Qeada leader Osama bin Laden is a step towards healing psychologically for America.

No one will ever forget where he or she was on that bright September morning. Waking up to an eerily silent home, all the televisions on, class lectures cancelled, tearful eyes glued to the screen as fire and ash rose from the World Trade Center, our false sense of safety shattered forever.

America was hurt both physically and mentally, the first attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor more than 60 years prior.

As time passed, we attempted to heal from the violent attacks on 9/11 and we began to rebuild and return to a sense of semi-normalcy, but the emotional damage may never be undone.

Ten years later, Americans across the country revel in the glory that someone who caused so much pain is no longer amongst the living.

Americans have the right to be excited about bin Laden’s death because of the undeserved terror he brought out in the people. For nearly a decade, bin Laden was the face of a war that tore family and friends apart, bin Laden was the person associated with terrorism.

Bin Laden was the callus that kept Americans from healing and on the edge of their seat.

Bin Laden’s death also marks the end of a chapter in American history that changed the way of life for millions of people. Now that he is gone, we are able to feel some closure, but we may never return to where we were before as a nation. The celebration across the country is not because someone died, but because of this feeling of closure.

This victory is also a rise of moral to both members of the military and to those who lost loved ones in the violent attacks.

After a decade of war, it is easy to lose site of the goal and for people to lose hope, but bin Laden’s death reaffirmed the strength and commitment of the people in our nation.

His death is a symbol to American soldiers who are fighting in the war, that their efforts have not been in vain. Even those that did not lose a loved one or who are serving in the armed forces can feel the moral uplift.

Americans understand that terrorism is a threat, not just to national security, but to freedom. It is good for the people to see the fruit of their labor, and to rejoice that we are one step closer to where we started before that calm September morning.

No matter how close we are to fully healing though, the scars of violence and hate will always remain.

We feel that our generation is not informed on the topics that truly matter such as social, political, and economic affairs.

The news cycle is spinning faster and faster every day. People know Tuesday’s news on Monday, and by Tuesday it is already already old news.

As a group we acknowledge, even as journalists, that we lack the motivation to be and stay informed. The information is just coming out too fast.

Though we are surrounded by media, it is not necessarily the type of media needed in order to stay informed and active as citizens and community members.

We, as youth, need to be reminded to stay active and informed.

We need the ability to filter through what is fact and what is not, what is important and what can be looked over.

Our priorities have changed and we somehow lost the need to stay updated.

Our youth is more interested in celebrity news and gossip than in wars and people dying in the name of freedom and their rights, like the revolution that recently took place in Libya.

Unlike other countries, when our rights are threatened, many of us shrug our shoulders rather than reacting or taking any action at all.

We, as a people allowed our privacy to be invaded (to protect and secure us, as a nation) through the Patriot Act. What happened to the values of our forefathers on which this country was established? When did we stop caring about what is going on and turn our cheek?

Some students at Mt. SAC, for example, are unaware of significant situations, like budget cuts, that will severely affect them.

Students are often surprised when informed. It is no wonder that the information people want and need sometimes doesn’t even reach their ears. It could simply be due to being media illiterate.

It seems to have become a chore to stay informed. As citizens, we’ve earned the right to vote and with that the responsibility to stay informed to make educated decisions for the community and our lives.

However, the attitude of the youth is nonchalant when it should be the opposite.

We are in the beginning of a new era, a new age, the age of information.

Like any other time in history, this is a significant time to be involved. We cannot lose our involvement because than we lose our representation. If we do not represent ourselves, who will?

Albert Serna, Jessica Weber for the Mountaineer Staff

Sofia Jamil for the Mountaineer Staff

Artist Opinion

Father of the year

by Adam Valenzuela

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

E-books ruined the bookstores !"#$%&&'()*""#+$% !"#$$%&'(")' When the news of Borders filing for bankruptcy flashed upon the television above me, I was running at the gym; I nearly fell off the treadmill.

My heart crumbled to pieces as the CNN news anchor spoke with the Borders CEO about the company’s challenge of staying afloat against the spreading technology of the e-book.

Borders books has always been more of my sanctuary than anything; no matter what I was dealing with in my life, there would always be a million different answers to any question I could possibly have on the shelves before me.

I would sit on the carpeted floor of the narrow aisles with a pile of hard covers and marvel. I have a bone to pick with the ebook. The e-book stole my sanctuary.

If the e-book were a person, I’d beat it up and steal its lunch money, guaranteed. I have always read the end of my books first; it is how I know whether I want to buy the book and spend my time on it or not.

I honestly believe you can rate the entirety of a book simply by reading the ending first. I pick it up, get a feel for its mass, and flip it open. I can not do that with an e-book. I have to buy the book, end of story, no pun intended.

Books have a certain some-

thing special to them, a personality all of their own. The sandpaper texture, the musky smell, the worn look of the edges; the value of a book seems to increase as its new appearance decreases. Ebooks do not smell.

Most of us read them on expensive devices such as Kindles. If you drop a Kindle it will probably break into little tiny pieces.

A device such as a Kindle does not have a value increase with age, it just gets outdated and replaced.

Your eyes hurt when you read from a Kindle for too long; it is a weird looking rectangle, yet it is replacing the traditional book.

Many argue that the creation of e-books will save trees, and prevent waste.

But who in God’s name throws books away? This is not the Nazi book burning of 1933, this is 2011.

And when an updated form of reading e-books is produced, we are going to have a lot more lead in our landfills from these outdated devices than the 40 percent that makes up our landfills as it is.

And what will come of those who can not afford slender devices to read e-books? Are we going to be stuck lugging laptops around everywhere? If your computer gets a virus does your memory take your electronic library down with it?

The original purpose of the e-book was, as Kindle and Project Gutenberg founder Michael Hart explains, “to provide as many e-

*)")'%*+#,-./01"#(1))'% books in as many formats as possible for the entire world to read in as many languages as possible.”

As the project slogan explains, “to break down the bars of ignorance and illiteracy.” And this is great, it is amazing that information-suppressed countries will be able to reach restricted literature because of the e-book popularity over the internet, but also we have to think about how easily these publications could be modified, fade out, or be erased because of its format.

I would like Orwell’s “Animal Farm” to remain about Stalin’s five year plan, not be tweaked over time to turn into a simple

story about some talking pigs and cows; this is not Babe. Generally there is a simple solution to this; do not buy e-books.

It is a waste of money. Get in your Prius, plug in your iPod, get GPS directions to the nearest Barnes and Noble, and go buy a REAL book. Technology has gotten to every other aspect of the modern world, let us keep books a thing of tradition.

Let us make books cool again.

Besides, we both know that standing in line for the new Twilight series release was a lot more fun than clicking a download button would have been. That goes for you too, boys.

Letter to the Editor On Friday, April 15, a contingent of (I assume) Mt. SAC students marched a drumbeating conga line through the campus and then down to the intersection of Temple and Grand protesting the possibility of an increase in tuition.

The protest offered some interesting facets of and for study. One participant held up a sign proclaiming, “Education is a human right.”

Now, I don’t want to get too deeply into the argument of whether or not education is an actual human right (obviously I do not subscribe to the theory since I’m bringing it up), but I found it a bit ironic that someone participating in a raucous demonstration would then take such a stand given that people were in class at the time.

Does that mean that those protesting for education as a human right were interfering with others people’s “human right” to be educated?

What really caught my attention was the chant that was being repeated during this “educational march.” While I could not catch the entire chorus, I was able to understand the last line, which was that “education should be free.”

First of all, some side questions: Is it possible that we can ever get an argument from presumably educated people that does not include banging on a drum and shouting a redundant and simplistic slogan?

And if that is the preferred method of argument, can said chanters at least enunciate so that the entire message can be understood?

However, what I want to address here is the notion that post-secondary education should be “free,” meaning of course free of charge.

Where do I even start?How about noting the fact K-12 education is now “free” to all students, and how well is that working out?

We now have a preponderance of remedial classes on college campuses to compensate for the educational shortcomings of people being handed high school diplomas.

So, the quality of said “free” education might be questioned. Still, what should be of greatest concern to students is the question of what would be the “cost” of a “free” education?

Let’s face it: if one expects to get a “free” education, somewhere the costs have to be recovered from someone.

Who would pay for this “free” education?

The quick answer is the government, but there is one problem here in that the government can only pay out what it collects from taxpayers. Remember that governments do not “make” money; they only “take” money.

So, it’s simple, right? Allocate tax revenues to college tuition for students attending college. After all, a well educated populace only helps society.

Here comes the rub: if society (in the form of taxpayers) is going to pay for the education, then eventually society (in the form of politicians, they being the ones controlling tax dollars) will start placing rules and restrictions on the education being “given” for “free.”

In other words, what a student studies (as

well as how long the student has to complete the coursework and what classes will be taken as well as where and when graduates will work and how much they should get paid) will eventually become the decision of the society.

So how many of those there on Friday, whether in body or spirit, are prepared to have classes, curriculum, even their major chosen for them?

It’s called the law of unintended consequences, and it historically follows political action. See, while students attending college do not get their schooling provided for free, they are still “free” to choose what degree they desire to pursue.

I guarantee that if the payments are handed over to the government, then the government will start making all sorts of decisions that were never considered beforehand. Here’s a mini-assignment for the readers here since Mt. SAC has a sizeable Chinese and Vietnamese population.

These are two nations that do provide “free” higher education to their citizens. Ask those students who have come from those countries to ask their parents why they chose to send their sons and daughters to the United States to get their degrees.

I bet a surprising number of said parents will respond through their progeny that it was the freedom of choice that the American system affords to its students.

Then, perhaps you might want to reconsider how ardently you want a “free” education and what definition of “free” you prefer to live with.

-Bill Cushing, professor of English

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Student recognized for outstanding campus participation Honored with a Student of Distinction award for Service Achievement !"#"$%!&'()!"#$%&'$(() ,-.%/&-)0123&)45%/#1.6&)24&"7#.)0(%#8&!%#$#&91"#:#&;)/4<"/=&;)#&>)14&"--& 12&.;%&-"/?&"-&)&@.$4%2.&"-&A1#.120.1"2&)<)/4B

!"#$%&'%()#*$%+ !"#$$%&'(")' “One day, my son, you are going to be a great person, and you are going to help many people who are in need of help.” Before his passing, Jesus Rios’ grandfather instilled this message in his heart.

Mt. SAC student, Rios, 21, kinesiology major has been announced to receive one of the school’s highest student honors. Rios is one of the 20 Student of Distinction award recipients for his service achievement to the campus and community.

“I was blessed when I got nominated…but I never thought I would have won it. When I saw I had received the award, I was very humbled and pleased,” he said.

Rios’ story is a rough one. “If you had asked me a few years ago where I would be, I would have not imagined myself here,” Rios said.

Born in Whittier, Calif., Rios grew up in an unsafe environment. “[It is] a quiet and safe city… But where I lived, which was right next to the 605 freeway, [it] was a dangerous place. At that time my street was just a road of dirt and was a gang territory with the spread of drugs all around the block,” said Rios.

His mother raised him and his older brother when his father moved back to Mexico.

Today he sees the difficulty that she faced as a single parent.

“With the lack of resources and being a single parent, my mother [had] to work two jobs at the time,” said Rios. Although he had a mother who cared for her two children, Rios said his exposure to neighborhood influence was constant.

“The only thing I ever saw were gang members flashing their cars and their lifestyle at a young age,” he said.

As a result of dangerous surroundings, his mother later moved the family to a mobile home park in the city of La Puente.

They soon found that the new area was as unsafe as the first and again decided to pack up and move, this time to Walnut.

“This had a huge impact on me because growing up in a very Latino neighborhood that spoke predominantly Spanish, I found myself as an outcast once I started to attend school in Walnut,” Rios said.

From his first entry into the Walnut school system, Rios remembered the behaviors of his old friends.

“I remember how the kids in my old school would fight to defend themselves from the other gangs. I started to hang around the wrong crowd because I knew this was the only way I would be left alone,” he said.

As Rios transitioned into middle school, he saw a drop in his grades [a 1.58 GPA] and

engaged in violent behavior by getting into fights.

In seventh grade, Rios finally realized that the only way he would have a future was by changing his behaviors.

“It was not until my seventh grade math teacher [pulled] me to the side… and made me realize that the pathway I was heading into was not going to take me very far,” he said.

“She told me… Jesus you are still young, you have a lot of ambition and I see a lot of potential in you and if you keep living your life like you [are] living, you are not gonna go nowhere,” he added.

Rios said that while everyone else had given up on him, it took that one person to make him realize that he had a future and gave him that drive to make a change in his life.

He began to serve his community during his sophomore year, volunteering at his church by raising money to remodel it, and also volunteered at a local hospital.

“I volunteered at the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital for three years, which gave me an insight into the health care field, ” said Rios.

He said that for anyone who has been in a hospital, it is a depressing place; however, it was very inspiring to see many people benefiting from his work. With this volunteer opportunity, Rios began to look into health careers.

“Now, I am studying to go into physical therapy rehabilitation,” he added.

In 2008, Rios began to attend Mt. SAC. He decided that he would be an active student and become involved rather than revert back to destructive habits.

At Mt. SAC, Rios found the perfect opportunity to make an impact on his community by joining the campus student organization Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success [I.D.E.A.S].

“The purpose of this club is to help undocumented students to pursue higher education,” he said.

While working as a student-at-large for the Student Services Committee Rios created ideas and concepts to aid undocumented students.

Juan Carlos Astorga, director of the Upward Bound and TRiO student services programs said that Rios has excelled as a participant on campus.

“He has brought up the idea of creating a program for students to really educate the campus community on the issues that impact undocumented students.

Throughout the year he has worked really hard to put that together and is a very dedicated young man,” he said.

Astorga sdded that Rios “was always well prepared, participated, a very eloquent and intelligent young man that has a good heart

and is dedicated in helping others.”

While Rios continued to work with I.D.E.A.S. and undocumented students, the issue of immigration hit close to home in November of last year when a friend’s sister was detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement [I.C.E].

“My friend’s mother lost her job while going to court to fight for her daughter. Now they sell and deliver food in order to sustain themselves,” he said.

Rios is saddened by the reality that his friend faces.

“It makes me sad to see a family going through times like these when four children are depending on a single parent,” he added.

As a charitable gesture, Rios helps this family by buying groceries for them and helping with their food sales.

“My involvement on campus does not compare to what I have done for this family,” he said.

Celeste Navarro, 21, hospitality major said that Rios’ aid has been more than helpful.

“Jesus is a big supporter and a hard worker; he will take his own time to come to my house and help us. On the weekends he’ll come to my house and help me drive…when my sister got arrested, he bought food for us because my mom and sister did not have a job,” she said.

Navarro added that Rios has been one of her best friends and has been there for her during the good and bad times.

“Right now we are passing through these hardships with my family, and he has been there 100 percent. He is a very [generous] person and is always encouraging others to do something,” she said.

Navarro said that “thank you” is not enough for the things that Rios has done for her and her family, and his award was well deserved.

“I just want to say thank you so much and that he really deserved the award. He is a great person and he is always helping everyone,” she said.

Rios will be graduating this June from Mt. SAC with a 3.2 GPA. His educational objectives are to transfer from Mt. SAC, obtain his Bachelor’s of science in kinesiology, minor in nutrition, and ultimately work as an athletic trainer for the major leagues.

As of now, Rios has planned to transfer to Cal State Northridge but is currently waiting on admission decisions from the University of Southern California and Azusa Pacific University. He would ultimately like to attend USC. “My stay here at Mt. SAC has been better than I expected. When I got here I thought junior college was a waste of time but that has been proven wrong. These three past years since I have been here… have been the most significant times of my life,” said Rios.

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Student Health Center provides variety of services !"#$%&%'("#)#*+#,$ !"#$$%&'(")'

*)")'%*+#,-./01"#(1))' -01'1,."'#1'2314'54&#'#&6'23#&&#'74*8493'#*4':,$$;'.#+#<$4'3:'+*3=%6%&>' 1),64&)1'?%)"'846%.#$'#11%1)#&.4@'

The Student Health Center, located in Bldg. 68B, is a medical clinic with licensed doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, counselors, and chiropractors on campus to assist students with their health needs.

Director of Health Services, Sandy Samples, said that some students are aware of what their health fee covers.

She added that younger students are unaware and do not inquire about the fees they paid, the services available to them, and that they do not take their health seriously until they are older.

“How you treat your body and mind today will catch up with you,” she said.

Devin Ablard, 23, communications major, never inquired about the health fee.

“Well, when you sign up there are a lot of little fees. I thought that was one of them in case something happened,” Ablard said.

He added that he was interested in hearing about the services offered by the clinic and was excited to discover that the center offered chiropractic services.

“I might have to take advantage of that now that I know why the [health center] is on campus,” Ablard said.

Andres Morales, 40, finance major, visited the bursars office inquiring about going to the health center for a headache and was told that it was for emergencies only.

“I never looked for the [health

center] or inquired about the services any further,” Morales said. He was surprised when he learned about the services available.

“I need to talk to someone; I am very stressed out,” he added.

Samples also said there are a few reasons why students may not want to use the health center even if they knew about it.

“Some students do not use the health center due to fear of confidentiality; afraid that parents, a family member or even their teachers may find out,” she said.

According to Samples all patients’ records and information are kept private.

“This is why we do not have student volunteers and student employees working in the clinic,” she added.

Samples said one of her main concerns is new students not knowing where the health center is located.

“I hear the same things over and over from students, ‘oh I didn’t know you were here,’ even when the clinic was located in the smack middle of campus,” she said.

Angelica Garcia, 28, child development major, said she knows about the Student Health Center only because she had to take a TB test for a child development class.

Garcia said while she was at the clinic, she took it upon herself to grab flyers on

See Health P. 17

Campus ecological sustainability on the rise -%."'/#+ !"#$$%&'(")' Eco-aware Mt. SAC individuals continue to maintain and increase the ecological sustainability of the campus as well as spreading the word about possible steps to take.

Ecology student and E.A.G.L.E. club member, Joy Inton, 20, is one of the many students who are unaware of the various sustainability measures implemented. She said, “If there are, I’m not hearing about them.”

As an eco-conscious student, Inton said the campus is not as eco-friendly as it could be.

“I see it in the way they [students] leave cigarette butts and trash in the parking lot,” she said.

Craig Petersen, co-director of the E.A.G.L.E. club and professor of biological and environmental sciences said,“I don’t think Mt. SAC students are inherently evil, they’re just not aware,” said Petersen. “So anything the college community can do to increase their level of environmental awareness and sensitivities would be very helpful. The college needs to set the example and set the bar high.”

One way Mt. SAC is showing its efforts is through the recycling program put in place in 2008, which mandates that a blue recycling bin be placed in each classroom.

Under state legislation the college is required to recycle at least 50 percent of its waste. Mt. SAC has taken this a step further by including this in the new construction contracts, allowing it to exceed the requirement by 20 percent.

This brings the grand total of recyclable waste to 70 percent. In addition to these bins and the construction contracts, there are other things going on under the hood that are having a positive impact on the environment.

“Mt. SAC is not cutting edge, but we are ahead of the curve,” said Gary Nellesen, 46, Mt. SAC’s director of facilities planning

and management. “We’re going in the right direction.”

In lieu of the budget cuts, sustainability measures are not in danger of being cut because the money used to implement these measures comes from bond money stipulated in Measures R and RR, and they help the school to save money in the long run.

Nellesen highlighted the school’s efforts to reduce water and power usage as well as the new sustainability standards used in the new building construction.

According to Nellesen, Mt. SAC currently buys most of its water supply from the Metropolitan Water District, which pumps water from Northern California and Colorado.

He explained that the campus is pushing to significantly reduce using this source by opting for water wells to pump the local ground water supply.

This method is already in place to irrigate the school’s ball field and wildlife sanctuary, which has reduced the usage of imported water by 10 percent with a goal of a 30 percent reduction.

The school has reduced its peak energy usage by 40 percent, saving it about $780,000 in energy costs. This was achieved by buying its power supply at night and storing cool air in underground facilities.

The campus also has its own cogeneration plant that uses natural gas for producing electricity as well as for heating and cooling buildings. The new buildings under construction are being built to at least “silver certification” or better under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system.

It has become a commitment to make all future construction projects reach that minimum standard. Nellesen said he hopes some of these new buildings will also use automation technology, which allows a building to automatically light a room as well as heat or

cool a building based on the presence of human activity.

Nellesen said this technology is already available and affordable, and the college even has a certificate program in building automation. Solar technology has also been budgeted from Measure RR, but the college will not be using it any time soon until it can calculate how much is actually needed.

The technology is costly, and the economic downturn has already slowed the current construction projects. In spite of these setbacks, Mt. SAC does what it can with the money that has already been budgeted.

The school has composted its food waste for many years and will continue to do so, and has committed to using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for the new buildings being built or any future remodels.

This means the wood comes from responsibly grown and managed forests.

Nellesen says that this wood costs more, but in the long run it will be better for the environment.

Environmental policy student, Fannie Hsieh, 19, said, “Everything we do affects us in some way—it affects the future, human health and the economy, but people aren’t educated enough on how it all affects us.”

Petersen and Nellesen said they believe Mt. SAC can continue to improve and help raise the eco-consciousness on campus by doing a better job of publicizing its own contributions to the environment.

Petersen would like to see the college use more xeriscaping, a type of gardening and landscaping that would use less or no water.

He would also like to see more charging stations for electric cars installed on campus, and for the school to find a way to encourage less driving among the student body. Nellesen

See Sustainability P. 17

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

9

Former Marine faces ‘coming out’ !"#$%&'($%)* !"#$%&'()*+ Courageous, strong, loyal, and gay. All are words that can be used to describe former Marine Robert Cortez. From serving his country, to being homeless and drug addicted, to cleaning himself up and fighting for a better life, it is easy to say that Cortez has faced adversity and came out on top.

Cortez, 24, a kinesiology major, always knew he was different, and in the fifth grade he realized it was his sexuality that set him apart from the other boys. Living in a conservative Christian household, Cortez made the decision to try and hide his attraction to other boys by delving into the closet.

“I put down my own happiness to make my family happy,” said Cortez.

Elliott Russell, who has known Cortez for over eight years and is a close friend, said, “He’s an all around good guy. He’s always kind, caring. He’s a good friend.”

After graduating high school, Cortez immediately joined the Marines, a decision he said was motivated by his desire to serve his country.

“I’d do it over again,“ said Cortez. “Till the day I die.”

After enlisting, Cortez enjoyed a year of service before injuring his back and being put on maintenance duty. All the while Cortez was forced to keep his sexuality a secret because of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”

“It was like a leash on my neck,” said Cortez.

However, he was fine with this, because he said his sexuality came second to his duty as a U.S. Marine.

After two years of doing maintenance, Cortez was honorably discharged due to his injury, at which point he entered a depression.

Cortez said the reason for this was because he only wanted to serve and was unable to express his sexuality in a healthy way. To compensate, he turned to drugs like meth and marijuana. He left his home in Diamond Bar to live in central California with a friend from the military.

“I got pretty depressed,” said Cortez. “[I] got into drinking, and meth. I was homeless for five months.”

Cortez said that during this time he would discreetly look for other men to have sex with in bars, and was overly cautious to avoid getting caught.

“Anything gay I wouldn’t go to,” said Cortez. “I would usually lie about where I was going.”

When his roommate confronted him about his drug use, Cortez decided it was time for a change. He quit his addictions and cleaned up his act, eventually meeting a man that would become his boyfriend of four years.

See Marine P. 17

!"#$%&'($%)*+!"#$%&'$(() +,#$%&'-,%&$.'/$*"&'01&2'3$*%4',3',4&%*5146'1)'&2$'7*%1)$4'1)'%$8*%/4'&,'214'2,6,4$9:*"1&;<'

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

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For more information on earning your bachelor’s degree, please visit DeVry.edu/cc.

Program availability varies by location. ©2011 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved.

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

11

Budget cuts threaten campus Child Development Center *)")'%*+#,-./01"#(1))' -%),((&.")/0&120&3",$)+,,&4%5(60&78%9,&:$*;&;$,&<%"/;*+6&=")&.")/0&1>&

!"#$%&'()*+, !"#$$%&'(")' Learning, playing, and growing do not stop at the Child Development Center (CDC) even though it is facing budget cuts from the state.

“We know for sure that our state funding is going to be cut about 15 percent. That’s for sure.

They’re considering cutting another 10 percent,” said CDC Director Janette A. Henry.

The CDC is currently losing state funding due to the ongoing economic crisis. Students receiving state funds to pay for the CDC services may be affected.

According to Henry, the CDC is fortunate that it does not receive all of its revenue from

the state. Not all of the children that receive care at the CDC receive state help.

Henry said, that about one-third of the children are from full cost families who pay fees.

She added that the CDC is waiting for the final budget and that they have possible scenarios planned if necessary. One of these scenarios may lead to the possibility of classrooms closing.

“I think we’re going to have a rough patch; I’m hoping that we don’t have to close classrooms but we don’t know for sure,” Henry said.

The CDC currently cares for about 200 children, two-thirds of which receive some sort of aid. Henry said that if the classroom-closing scenario occurred about half of the funded

ACCELERATE YOUR PROGRESS

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CAL POLY POMONA Hurry! Select your courses today. Summer registration for all sessions begins May 2!

Classes are open to visiting students, newly admitted students, recent high school grads and members of the community. Admission not required.

children might not be able to attend.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accredits the CDC. “About 8 percent of child development programs in the United States have this accreditation. So it’s a small number. We are amongst the elite,” said Henry.

At the center, the children are enrolled in curriculums that enhance their early math and reading skills.

They are encouraged to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. The instructors at the CDC do not use timeouts to discipline.

Lupe Medina, 35, a teacher for the young

See Child P. 17

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

1 2

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63rd annual student art exhibit preview The annual student art exhibition opens May 10

!"#$%&'()# !"#$"%&'($)*+,-",./$%0 The Mt. SAC gallery will host its 63rd Annual Student Art Exhibition from May 12 until May 26.

The exhibit will feature original artwork by Mt. SAC students from the art, photography and animation classes.

Pieces such as Estrada Ramiro’s “OMG” and Joseph Navarro’s “As the days go by,” display contemporary social messages in street-art style.

Sprinkled around the gallery are sculptures ranging from ceramic, to clay, to porcelain.

Photography such as Elizabeth Zangenberg’s “Hoping for son’s safe return” gives an emotional perspective as a series of flags on grassland are shown waiving in the photo.

A series of cartoons are also displayed, as there will be an array of art that caters to different tastes.

The opening reception will be held May 10 at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and there will be live acoustic musical entertainment provided by jazz artist Tyrone Anthony of the Tyrone Anthony Group, food for sale and door prizes.

The Art Gallery will be free and open to the public during its normal hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, Tuesday Evenings from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and closed Friday through Monday.

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TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

13

When the wall becomes the canvas !"#$%&!$'()(*+% !"#$$%&'(")' There is not a single person living in Los Angeles, or perhaps in any part of the world that has not seen a certain type of street art that is being showcased in one of Los Angeles’ own museums. This art is called graffiti, and whether or not these people thought of it as art-- well that is a completely different story.

Since street art’s rise in popularity beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it has evolved from amateur tagging in subway tunnels in New York as wells as gangs marking their turf in Los Angeles, to a global phenomenon.

Some people never thought they would see the day, while others prayed it would never come- but for the first time in history, street art is now considered contemporary, museumworthy art.

The Geffen Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles is currently featuring an exhibit aptly named “Art in the Streets.” The exhibit features 50 of the most infamous street artists from the movement’s short but flourishing history. Pieces come from around the world, with artists from New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Sao Paulo, Munich, and more. Museum-goers can find how the sub-culture of street art became popular through being intertwined with popular culture, being featured in music, videos, documentaries, and movies.

Street art has become more than tagging a street corner. It means so much more to these artists than marking territory. It has become a politically-charged, guerilla attack on society. The exhibit does an impressive job of portraying the social taboo, history, and lifestyle that this movement has become.

This exhibit is clearly not your everyday art show that your parents would take you to. You find yourself venturing through a maze that features street art and graffiti on walls, canvas, cars, mailboxes, freeway signs etc.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of the exhibit is the “Street” area: a mini replica of a city which engulfs the viewer in the grungy, dingy city living that bore life to tagging.

This part of the exhibit is complete with animatronic taggers, as if you are on a Disneyland ride featuring graffiti’s best artists.

There are massive controversies that come with an art show like this.

The winds of controversy blow strong around the exhibit’s graffiti filled walls, mainly regarding the curator of the show, MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, and those artists he handpicked to showcase in this exhibit. In fact, other artists have shown their disapproval of ‘the chosen few’ by tagging their art as close as a block or two away from the exhibit, resulting in heavy police activity around the museum.

Deitch was recently hired to the MOCA to redefine the museum and bring new audiences to the location, which has been troubled with financial problems recently.

Although many argue against his decisions regarding this exhibit, Deitch did a great job in picking iconic artists and pulling in an audience that would not normally attend an art museum.

Graffiti. Some call it art, while others see it as an abomination.

Whatever your stance may be, popular culture has latched on to this so-called art form, and ran with it.

It is time for people to explore a new art culture by visiting the “Art in the Streets” exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles, which will be shown through Aug. 8.

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Jeff Ellwood, Igniting student talent in jazz Ellwood’s influence stimulates passion for student dedication

!,##%-.&!-/"), !"#$$%&'(")' Jeff Ellwood conducts his band with verve, scatting out the sound he wants to hear. His band matches his enthusiasm by being focused on their playing; if not playing, they are poised and ready.

Despite their disciplined performance, this is not a professional jazz band playing a gig; this is the Mt. SAC Jazz Band at practice.

In addition to Ellwood, the students often confer with one another to discuss improving their sound. Even when the session is officially over and Ellwood, director of the program, allows students to go home, many stay and continue experimenting with their instruments.

Ellwood has been in charge of the program for five years. Under his direction, the program won first place at the Western States Jazz Festival and the Reno Jazz Festival in 2009, and more recently, they won second place at the Reno Jazz Festival in April. Elwood said he value the impact that his teaching has on his students.

“My students’ sucscess means everything to me,” he said. “I have a great program filled with amazing musicians, but more important, great people.”

River Harris, 19, music performance major, said, “[Ellwood] is unlike any teacher I’ve ever had. He wants us to be perfect in all

senses of the word; at the same time, he wants us to have our own identity.”

The students match Ellwood’s passion for jazz with their own strong statements about the genre. To have a great jazz performance is “the best feeling you’ve had in your life, times ten,” said Kyle Martinez, 20, music education major.

Just as Ellwood’s students are extremely excited to perform well, they are also disappointed when they come up short. After taking second place at the 2011 Reno Jazz Festival, “we were upset that we didn’t win,” said Harris, “but we played our butts off and we have to be happy that we did.”

Jazz as a genre of music is not as popular today as it once was, and the Mt. SAC band recognizes that challenge.

“Yes, it is a problem because there are a lot of cheesy tunes,” said Martinez. As a result, people’s views on jazz are distorted. “ Really, what it comes down to is awareness,” he said, adding that jazz has an important place in the history of American society because it is “one of the few genres of music that was actually born in America.”

The program does get enough recognition and attendance on campus, Ellwood added. However, he continued, jazz as a whole does not. “We just need more education to help us develop a stronger community appreciation for this great American art form.”

14

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

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Brotherhood unites for their educational future

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Low graduation rates. Lack of awareness of learning resources. Financial instability.

Although these affect all demographics in community colleges, minority students, especially African Americans and Latinos, have more trouble dealing with them than other groups.

These are also the problems the new and upcoming club, the Brothers United Nation, works to solve.

The Brothers United Nation is a club that “is a retention program designed to enhance the experience of today’s African Americans, Latino, and Pacific Islander male students at Mt. San Antonio College.”

The Brothers United Nation is headed

by President Marvin Thompson, 20-year-old sociology major, along with adviser Amanuel Gebru, 31, who works in the BRIDGE program on campus.

Together, Thompson and Gebru plan to use the club as a network to help its members succeed not only academically in college, but also in life.

Gebru created the Brothers United Nation to help deal with the troubles male minorities

face on campus. The most important of these problems are academic and graduation problems, which are highlighted in the Divided We Fail report by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy.

According to the report, after six years of enrollment in a community college, nearly 75 percent of black students and 80 percent of Latino students did not graduate.

The cause for the low graduation rates can be debated, but Thompson said, “One of the primary reason people are failing to succeed in college is the lack of awareness of resources.”

Through the network of the Brothers United Nation, members can be advised on what resources are available on campus and how they can be used to their advantage, such as tutoring, financial aid, and counseling.

The creation of the Brothers United Nation, however, did not originate at Mt. San Antonio College.

The model of organization of the Brothers United Nation was based off of a similar club Gebru worked with at Los Angeles Southwest College. Gebru wanted to expand the positive influence the club presented onto this campus.

Many of the activities members do to help each other succeed would be what many students already do, such as studying in groups, using

tutors, or just keeping tabs on each other.

Many values are emphasized through the members of the Brothers United Nation. One is professionalism, to show that members are held to a higher standard than normal and to help prepare for a career.

For example, once per month, members are required to wear a suit and tie to campus and to the club meeting.

The most important value stressed by the Brothers United Nation is accountability.

While those of the Brothers United Nation are dependent on their network of club members for support, they must take responsibility for their own actions.

Although the focus on the club is on male minority students, no one is barred from participating in the Brothers United Nation.

In addition, some focus has been set for getting females involved in the club. One event planned by the Brothers United Nation is focused on appreciation for women, scheduled to occur in June.

Any person who is interested in becoming a member, or for more information about the club can either contact the club through its e-mail at brothersuntiednation5@gmail.com, adviser Amanuel Gebru’s e-mail at agebru@mtsac.edu on campus.

ESL program provides tools for immigrant students to succeed D.2.1"1'E1+1/, !"#$$%&'(")' “They have the mental stamina and determination to overcome anything,” said English professor Richard Myers, 53, about ESL students. But what is ESL? ESL stands for English as a Second language.

In building 66, the ESL program is designed for immigrants to learn English with the ability to choose the morning schedule, or afternoon for those who have to work in the morning.

But the program is not only about teaching English. ESL offers Citizenship Preparation to pass the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) interview.

Learning and studying English does not stop when ESL students get out of class. They are expected to commit additional hours at the Language Learning Center (LLC), which provides personalized software to improve speaking, listening, and pronunciation skills.

The director of the ESL program Dr. Liza Becker, a former ESL student said, “We are as rigid and demanding as any other program, and our immersion style offers long hours per week, instead of three or four hour programs.”

Alumni Karen Pumagualli, 21, undecided major, said, “I literally lived at the ESL

program; I had to go Monday through Friday almost four hours per day, and besides I needed to do lab hours.”

Fernando Boada, 23, sound engineer major and former student of the ESL, expressed his gratitude for the program.

“It was overwhelming to move to the U.S. especially at the age of 20, but the ESL program made it fun to learn from a new culture. I even listen to the Beatles now.”

Boada added, “Trying to overcome the language issue with my classmates created a unique bond between us; they are more than my friends.”

English as a Second Language not only helps people who want to earn a degree but also those who already have one from their home country by providing the VESL. VESL is the Vocational English as a Second Language program which offers Career Paths by gaining credit in classes such as microcomputer applications, career planning and others.

There is also the VESL, Health Care Interpreting Program, designed for those who have a higher knowledge of English and experience in the health field to become bilingual interpreters in health care settings.

Myers said, “Second language learners have done something more difficult than

native English speakers; learning a second language despite their adversities.”

Many students have been forced out of their countries to look for a better future due to economic reasons, personal safety and even those who are war refugees. The ESL program has a multinational culture, and with it, the mission to give academic support to everyone.

Good News, the ESL magazine, is where students of the program can show their writing talent and potential to encourage other students to keep on learning.

Good News allows students from different levels to talk about their experience in the U.S., what they do on at daily basis and their career goals.

The magazine is not just about magazine articles, but also includes helpful tips for career development of how to write a resume and study techniques for one’s improvement.

For the students who are about to finish the program, ESL offers a $ 500 scholarship for those who are willing to continue their education by taking credit classes.

For more information about the ESL program, contact: the ESL Department located at building 66 - Language Center, (909) 594 - 5611 Ext. 5235, and eslreg@mtsac. edu.

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

15

Women in minority groups experience acceptance !"#$%&&%'()$* !"#$%&"#$"'()*+%$,') Women in minority groups have made progress in American society, both locally and nationally.

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor have given young minority women role models to look up to.

But what happens when a woman belongs to a minority within a minority? Lesbian and bisexual minority women often do not have the support that straight minority women receive from their community.

Melissa Wang, 21, graphic design major considers herself bisexual-lesbian. Wang is Chinese American and said that she is aware of the stereotypical constraints of the Chinese culture on the issue of sexuality.

“Sometimes when I’m out with the larger extended family members, or when I’d visit my grandparents, I’d worry that they would not be as understanding or as accepting of my sexual orientation. At times I’d dress more lady-like… to avoid awkward situations,” said Wang.

Wang often fears becoming an outcast in her own religion.

“It’s hard to fully express yourself when it comes to religion. I had met great people at church, but in the back of my mind, feared if I told them my sexual orientation, they would not want to associate with such people or they’d drown me in holy water till I turned straight,” she said.

Kristin Perez, 22, law enforcement major, has a Cuban father and German-American mother.

She said she was raised Catholic and began dating men to please her family.

“I was treated like a ghost by my mother for almost two years after I came out when I was 13,” Perez said. When Perez came out to her father, he said he had always known, but wanted her to say it aloud.

Perez has an affectionate relationship with her girlfriend, Angie Platten, 19, law enforcement major, but in order to respect the wishes of Perez’s grandmother they avoid displays of affection in her presence.

Some women have had less struggles with

their religion and culture when coming out.

Emily Tromble, 22, sign language interpreting major, said, “My family’s culture is that you have to choose your own lifestyle as long as it is not hurting other people…I knew I would always have their support.”

According to Tromble, she is aware that her family’s support meant that she has had the advantage of being herself, and not all women are fortunate enough to have a supportive group of peers and family when it comes to their sexual orientation.

Safraproject.org is a project “working on issues relating to women who identify as Muslim religiously and/or culturally.” They participate in conferences, retreats, and various events worldwide relating to their Muslim faith while in connection with the LGBT community.

In an article published by Anisa de Jong and Suhraiya Jivraj in 2002, they said, their aim is also to “…provide information on the treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in countries with a predominantly Muslim population…”

The authors go on to state that they provide support for refugees who have fled their countries “because they suffered persecution” due to their sexual orientation.

Asylumlaw.org, a website built to help lawyers with asylum cases through information, has posted documents written by a coalition of Mongolian LGBT rights activists from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 2008.

The authors of the documents stated that the Mongolian LGBT community could not go to their government representatives effectively for help against “ostracism and harassment” because of “victimization and stigmatization… and are largely excluded from mainstream and social discourse.”

No matter how difficult the struggle, there is hope.

“Fight for what you believe in even if it’s not easy. You may think you’re alone, but others will support you,” Tromble said.

Perez said that there is a way for the culturally oppressed women to overcome discrimination.

“Even though your culture tries to prevent you from expressing yourself don’t let them.

You are your own person and you have a right to be who you are. I know that its hard, but we all can get through it.”

Authority figures on campuses can be oblivious as to what happens to those who “experience same-sex attraction.”

According to a study conducted by Regent University School of Psychology and Counseling for the Journal of Psychology and Theology in 2009, 77.9 percent of course instructors had “never heard stereotypes, negative remarks or put downs” directed at students who considered themselves a part of the LGBT community on a predominantly Christian college campus.

Of general staff members, 80 percent never heard any either. Students, however, heard it all, with a percentage of negative remarks at 73.1 percent.

A professors that touches upon the subject of lesbianism and bisexuality in her class is professor Rose Preciado, department chair of psychology.

Preciado said there are certain standards, especially in Latino culture, upheld by women.

“We are expected regardless of our cultural background or orientation, to get married and have children and I think there may be something in a culture that finds that to be even more important I would say in Latino culture,”she said.

She added, “The whole motherhood push, the mandate, it exists everywhere but I think especially for Latin cultures,” she said.

Preciado also said that within the Latino community the factor for discrimination against homosexuality may be lack if education and strong Catholic belief, which is at the core of what the culture values.

Despite of obstacles that may arise when pertaining to a specific culture or religion, Preciado said she encourages those struggling to “be genuine and to do what ultimately for them is fulfilling and personally validating.”

“I think it’s important to recognize that you don’t have to get somebody else’s approval… ultimately you have to have a self-acceptance.

It becomes unproductive to try and open the ignorant’s eyes,” Preciado added. “Instead, to live the life that you wish to live, to hurt no one in the process to be genuine to yourself and your relationships.”

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How do you celebrate your culture?

Brian Chi, 19, geology major-Taiwanese “We have Chinese New Year.

We just hang out with family members. We have a gigantic family reunion and a large dinner and have fun. It’s almost like an Asian version of Thanksgiving kind of.”

Michael Sandoval 20, computer science major-Mexican and German

Dylan Gosland. 21, English major- Italian American

“Even though my family is mostly Hispanic, we are acting more along the lines of how white people are perceived. We are getting more into the higher paid jobs, living the American dream.”

“I connect with my Italian culture. They go back about five generations. We just live the way we are. We have big family gatherings and I get to be snooty about pasta, so that’s nice.”

16

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Students make money on buyback !"#$%&'()*)+" !"#$$%&'(")' Every semester there is one thing that every student has to do: buy textbooks, and at the end of the semester there is one thing students hope to do, and that’s to sell them back.

The Sac Book Rac offers 50 percent of the price of the book in buyback with a few conditions.

First, there must be an order for the book in the next semester. Second, the book must be in good condition. And finally, there must be a need for the book, such as a lack of inventory.

“The money they give in return for the books is absolutely ridiculous,” said Audrey Richards, 20, undecided major. “I think we should get at least 70-80 percent of the money back that we paid for.”

Suzanne Luetjen, Sac Book Rac director, said, “When you ask about a lower buyback price, what you probably don’t realize is that we partner with a wholesale book company that buys books on speculation.”

Luetjen explained, “Meaning, they have no idea if the book is going to be used anywhere in the nation, but they are willing to pay something for that book in the hopes that a school somewhere will order it from them.

They may get stuck with the book and never sell it, but they are willing to offer a lower price to take that chance.”

This is an explanation as to why it is that

students sometimes earn much lower than they expect for their old textbooks, especially in the instance of it being bought back for the whole sale company, which pays out at a rate of 20-30 percent of the original book price.

It is tough for students, with the rising fees and falling numbers of classes, to try and make a little extra cash, be it for their education or themselves. Selling old textbooks may be a way that students search for that relief of recession troubles.

“To sell a book, people usually put ads on Facebook, Craigslist, or bathroom stalls, but the funniest is when they are just on campus yelling out that they are selling a book or standing by the door of the classroom,” states Richards.

There are options. The price of a very common book in a Mountie’s curriculum, the Intermediate Algebra Package, runs at $127.95 new and $95.95 used.

This means that if the bookstore were to buy the textbook back, then a student earns about $63.98 for the textbook.

One problem is that the store can only purchase a used book and not a used package, so there must be a price cut for that.

And that is if the edition has not changed.

So what should a student do with a ten-pound math book that no one wants?

Instead of purchasing the book a student could rent the book.

Luetjen says, “with a rental you only need to have money for half of the price of the book

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

at the beginning of the semester as opposed to when you buy the book, where you need to have enough money for the full price of the book.”

“When you purchase a book, yes, you can sell it back and hopefully get 50% back (if we have a order and need it), but you are taking a chance. Keep in mind we don’t have every textbook available as a rental,” Luetjen added.

Some students enjoy the option of rental on campus. Ericka Bonilla, 22, communications major, said “I’ve rented textbooks from here once. It was actually pretty convenient because it was a little more than half off. So I only spent $50 as opposed to $120. I don’t really mind not getting reimbursed for my book.”

Other students prefer to go the traditional route. Marlene Pinedo, 20, communications major, said, “I don’t rent them only because I don’t have any chance of getting my money back. I just assume that people either don’t know where to look or don’t look enough… I always sell here or on Craigslist, but I don’t go all over to bathrooms or parking lots. I only post flyers at the door of the class.”

If a student is looking for other options besides the Book Rac, many rental resources are online, and among them are Amazon and Chegg. On Chegg, The rental price for an Intermediate Algebra textbook by Blitzer runs at $33.49, a fraction of the cost of a new book.

Students have the option to sit and suffer, and sell their own textbooks, or take the rental option.

$500

TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIP

To learn if you qualify call 800-746-0353.

BUDGET CONCERNS

WE’LL NEVER PUT YOUR BUSINESS DEGREE DREAMS ON HOLD. Budget crunches may have other schools cutting courses, but Brandman is expanding. We’re adding business classes to meet the increasing demand.

Brandman partners with community colleges to make transferring credits

*)")'%*+#,-./01"#(1))'% “Financial aid is the main ingredient of why I go to school. It’s why I am able to go to school. Without financial aid I have no way of paying for tuition. If the budget cuts affect this, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Heather Borras, 26, animal science major

ONTARIO CAMPUS EARN YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS ON CAMPUS OR ONLINE. EMPHASES AVAILABLE IN: • Accounting • Entrepreneurship

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CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Brandman University is a non-profit institution accredited by, and a member of, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

BUCO0270_BBA_QP_MSAC_March_em0.indd 1

2/11/11 5:19 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

Cont. from Child P. 11

Cont. from Sustainability P. 8

toddlers at the CDC, said that they will still be able to care for the children in the same manner despite the budget cuts. She said that the cuts have not affected the curriculum.

“You still have to do activities with the children. You still want to encourage their learning, so you learn to be resourceful with the other things that you have,” said Medina.

Materials at the CDC get used on a regular basis and with the budget cuts, it is not easy to replace them.

“Like for instance, right now the tricycles that we have for the children to use. It’s so hard, they get used on a daily basis by a large group of children, the wheels wear off. These are maybe some materials that were designed for home use with one child. So when the wheels are falling off, it’s gone and you don’t get another one for a while. Because there’s no money for that,” Medina said.

Some of the students who use the services at the CDC for their children receive state aid. Leticia Corral, 41, business major, considered her options when asked what she would do if she lost her aid. Corral said she would possibly have to move in order to get help with the care of her son.

“I might have to quit school; maybe I could just take one class a semester and I’d be here forever,” added Corral.

For Kimberly Davidson, 23, nursing major, it would simply mean asking her mother to care for her son. She added that this would mean rearranging her schedule to coincide with the times her mother could watch her son.

The CDC has a particular child to teacher ratios varying by age group. In order to uphold these ratios the center needs to have the appropriate number of staff members.

When asked if teacher layoffs would occur, Henry said, “Right now the answer is no. We are not letting anyone go. Not right this minute. Six months, I don’t know.”

Medina added that all solutions would be tried before layoffs occurred.

At the center, children receive high-quality early childhood programs as defined by the NAEYC Accreditation. According to a NAEYC pamphlet, a high-quality early childhood program is one that provides a positive environment that promotes physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of young children.

Despite the cuts, “we’ll just keep going,” said Medina.

hopes to see an on-site recycling center in the future for the campus to consolidate all the recycling and waste reduction for the college and local community.

They both said they hope that these current projects and an increased visibility of the college’s sustainability efforts will encourage eco-consciousness in the future generation of Mt. SAC students.

Petersen pointed out that it is a social responsibility to care for the environment.

He said, “During my lifetime, the population will jump from two to nine billion and each person has a greater and greater impact, and therefore has an even greater responsibility to mitigate those impacts.

This is the generation that must make the choices for survival.”

17

Cont. from Health P. 8 information regarding diseases, workshops, and other services offered.

“Things I did not know about and certain diseases I learned about them when I read the flyers,” she said. Garcia is aware of most of the services and will look into others.

“They do a pretty good job trying to let students know about the clinic by putting up flyers and providing information for students on campus. I think students are just too busy with other things on campus and forget about the clinic,” Garcia said.

Samples said that the services entail four main components: the clinic functions as a regular doctor’s office, an urgent care for people who need immediate help, chiropractic services for anyone experiencing neck pain, back pain etc; and personal counseling for students with depression, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, rape and sexual assault, sexuality issues, and adjustment to academic environment.

Other medical services include STD/HIV testing, contraceptive options, self-defense workshops, and seminars about medical marijuana and alcohol abuse. Services are free for credit students. Any lab work and medication require payment.

All information is provided on the college website www.mt.sac.edu.

A list of services is provided, as well as hours of operation and contact information. Students are welcome to walk in for information.

Cont. from Marine P. 9 After a year together they moved back to Diamond Bar, spending the next three years living together with their dog, Kush. However, Cortez was still not out to his family and friends. The struggles of not revealing his sexuality weighed heavily on his relationship, and eventually they parted ways.

“I was an asshole to him,” said Cortez. “He’s better off without me.”

This was another catalyst for Cortez, who then decided the only way to continue was up and out and in March, he came out to his family and friends. He did so through Facebook, by changing his “Interested in” section to men.

What Cortez was met with was not the love and affection a family shows a son and brother, but with anger and hostility. He was made a pariah, even being disowned by one of his aunts, who said gay people were a disease, and that he would go on to molest children because that what gay men did.

“It totally made me sick to my stomach to hear that,” said Cortez.

“How can someone of faith say these ugly thing to their nephew? She used religion as a weapon.”

Cortez said it was a shock for his family because he is not obviously gay, and is very masculine in both attitude and looks. His mother and aunt went so far as raising money for reparative therapy, however Cortez declined.

“I said ‘no’ because I’m not sick,” Cortez said. “I’m proud to be gay.”

Most of his fellow Marines abandoned him because of his sexuality.

The time and camaraderie that was built and forged vanished in an instant because of his sexual identity.

“Most of them didn’t like it, I lost a lot of friends,” Cortez said. “[I am] pretty sure most of them thought I was crazy. I felt like the ugly duckling.”

Despite this loss, Cortez is still a firm believer in good and only has high hopes for the future. He decided to enroll at Mt. SAC to learn and grow as a person.

“I love school, in a way I’ve been wanting structure,” Cortez said.

He has also been exploring the gay community, in attempts to connect openly instead of in the shadows of secrecy.

“I’m still new to the gay community,” said Cortez. “I just need to catch up.”

On the whole, Cortez’ positive attitude has kept him afloat in his darkest times, and the experiences have only made him a stronger person.

“I learned a lot, to love someone you need to love yourself,” said Cortez. “Learn to go, learn to accept who you are.”

PAY OFF

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18

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2011

Mounties swimming finish season strong Men’s take 1st and women’s take 2nd in conference championships, finish 6th and 7th in respective state championships.

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!"#$%&'()# !"#$"%&'($)*+ After strong regular seasons, the Mt. SAC men and women’s swim teams had tremendous showings in the 2011 California Community College Athletic Association Championships and South Coast Conference Championships.

The men’s swimming team finished in 6th place with a score of 161 overall and the women’s team got 7th place posting a score of 178 in the CCCAAC. On the men’s side, sophomore Cody Yeo placed in 3rd in the 1650-yard freestyle competition with a time of 16:17.39, 5th in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:11.30, and 7th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:44.13. Jake Fletcher also had a strong showing winning 2nd place in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.03 in the CCCAAC. The woman’s team had sophomore Nicole Blum winning two championship titles in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:03.46 and 1650-yard freestyle with a time 17:27.83. She also placed in 4th place in the 1650-yard freestyle, 7th place in the 100-yard butterfly stroke and 8th place in the 500yard freestyle.

After winning the South Coast conference title last year, there was not much of a drop-off for the lady Mounties this season as they finished 2nd behind Chaffey College. Although they will be losing Blum next season, the women’s team will

be returning nine swimmers who will be leading the way next season.

The men’s team went undefeated on their way to their 2011 South Coast Conference championship. In the conference finals the men’s team finished 1st in the 800-yard free relay and 1st in the 400-yard medley relay.

“Cody Yeo broke two or three of our school records,” Men’s head coach Marc Ruh said. “A couple of our relays smashed on school records as well.”

The Mounties’ combined score in the conference championships was 799 as they beat out Cerritos College by 143 points.

The team will have a good core of returning freshman that did well this season in Kyle Biederman, Hunter Schneider, Matthew Rutledge, Dennis Taylor, Joseph Ciati and Derrick Beltran.

“We got to bring in some big guns as well,” Ruh said. “The recruiting has gone pretty well, so we’ll have some guys. One thing that’s always worked to our advantage is depth. We usually get a lot of guys who are solid, so that usually works to our advantage.”

Ruh gave high praise to his team this year saying they worked hard every day and earned everything they won this season.“We had a good group of guys, there was not one of them who didn’t show up to practice,” Ruh said.

Both teams will have high expectations next season after setting a high bar this season.

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

The martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

19

Helping students grapple their way to physical fitness !"#$%&"#' !"#$$%&'(")'

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In the brisk morning a group of karate kids gather near the Wellness Center preparing to go to battle. These individuals happen to be the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu students here on campus. “It’s been here since the 80s,” said Steve del Castillo, professor of physical education martial arts.

There has been a high demand for martial arts classes here on campus, especially for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Filipino stick fighting. It has become popular with male and a few female students. Professor del Castillo said classes started booming in 2001 and have stayed strong ever since.

The sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gained worldwide recognition through Royce Gracie in the mid- 1990s, according to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.org (bjj.org), its primary focus is submission grappling when both competitors are on the ground trying to control one another by applying techniques to gain control and eventually ending the human chess match by submission to win. A submission can be anything from a choke, an arm lock, leg lock, spinal twist and neck crank. There are a series of transitions that lead up to these results.

As popular as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, many students end up dropping out of because of its physical demand. According to del Castillo many students lack the required physical fitness and have a problem with the up-closeness of the game. del Castillo said, “It does take a toll on the body if one is not in shape, but it’s also the motivator for students to take the class because it is a great way to workout and get into better shape.”

Andrew Maldenado, a 21-year old music major, saw the movie “Red Belt,” which made him curious about Jiu Jitsu. He found out that Mt. SAC had a Jiu Jitsu class and decided to join. Since then he has never looked back and continues to participate in the class after two semesters. Maldenado had Jiu Jitsu compared to music: “you just have to flow with it,” and “in Jiu Jitsu you don’t fight against your opponent, you fight with your opponent,” He added, he plans to train Jiu Jitsu for the rest of his life because would like to get promoted to a Black Belt which the highest rank in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu system.

There are many different kinds martial arts classes here on campus: Jeet Kune Do, Tai Chi Chuang, kickboxing, karate, and yoga.

There will be a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament the week before finals, which is held every semester for students to get a taste of live competition. It will be against the afternoon Jiu Jitsu class, taught by David Rivera. The tournament will be on Sun. June 12 at 10 a.m. Admission is free with proof of current student ID and there will be a spectator fee at the door of only $10.

PREPARE TODAY TO LEAD FOR A LIFETIME. What do you need to succeed in today’s climate? You need to START STRONG.SM In Army ROTC, you’ll do just that. While attending college, you’ll gain strength, character, and unmatched leadership skills to lead the most well-trained individuals in any field. And when you graduate and complete Army ROTC, you can be commissioned as a U.S. Army Officer. Plus, to help pay for your education, you can earn a full-tuition, merit-based scholarship. ROTC will give you strength for a lifetime of success. There’s strong. Then there’s Army Strong.

For more information, visit goarmy.com/rotc/startstrong.

©2009. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

5

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011

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20

Field of dreams Cya Neal, the proud mother of two sons, is trying to achieve success both on and off the field !"#$%&'(&)%*"+, !"#$%&'()*%#$ For a single mother of two, it is usually hard enough finding time in the day to breathe. However, Cya Neal is finding the time to follow her dreams.

“Not many get second chances and this is one thing that I’m taking and running with.

I’m not going to allow this to bring me down, I’m going straight for it,” Neal said.

Neal, 21, kinesiology major, is a sophomore player for the Mt. SAC softball team and she is one big reason for the team’s success this season. With a 36-4 overall record and 20-1 in conference, the Mounties took home the South Coast Conference Championship and look to make a run at the state championship.

In addition to the team’s accolades this season, Neal took home first team all-conference, first team Southern California regional, and AllAmerican. Her accomplishments are not just on the field, as Neal also made the Dean’s List for her academics.

Her journey on the softball field began at 4 years old as something to do for fun.

Her father began to coach her when he saw how good she was and she has stuck with it since. Neal attended California High School in Whittier where she was a standout player and was offered a full-ride scholarship to Washington University.

However, in her senior year of high school Neal became pregnant with her first child, Ezekiel, now 3. As a result, she did not get to graduate with her class, dropped out of high school, and lost her opportunity to go to Washington University.

“I thought my whole life was over. Here my dream was to get a Pac-10 scholarship and I got that, but it was unfortunately taken away,” said Neal.

Neal added that her friends and family reacted with disappointment because they knew how hard she had worked.

“I was the last person that everybody thought [it would happen to]. I had my head

on straight, I had great grades in high school, I already had the full ride in my junior year of high school, and then this just comes out of nowhere, one guy just comes in and changes the way my whole life has gone,” said Neal.

One of the hardest times for Neal was when Washington University won the National Championship in 2009. It was always a dream for Neal to play for a Pac-10 and play on TV. “I bawled my eyes out. At that time; I wasn’t doing anything, I wasn’t going to school, and I wasn’t playing ball,” Neal said. “I was supposed to be cheering with them; I was supposed to be on that field. If I want to make a difference then I need to go back now.”

Neal went back to school and got her high school diploma. She cites her second child, Matixx, 2, as being her main motivation to get herself back into school. “Not just for myself, but also for people around me who have gone through the same thing. It’s never too late to fulfill your dream. I just took those obstacles and turned them into opportunities. “ In 2009, Neal began going to Mt. SAC after a phone call to softball Head Coach Kelly Ford, whom she has known since she was 10.

Neal said she believes that her friendship with Ford was a major factor in her coming back to school and getting a second chance.

“She’s [Ford] really an amazing coach, she is very inspirational. She always tells me that I’m an inspiration to her, but I literally think it’s the other way around. She is what drove me to come back out here and be successful,” Neal added.

Neal is one of the Mt. SAC softball team’s best athletes and vocal leaders. Head Coach Kelly Ford said, “Her athletic skills are incredible. She is one of the best second basemen Mt. SAC has ever had on the field and I could definitely go out there and say she is one of the best second basemen in the state.” Ford also said she believes what separates Neal from the rest of the athletes is her maturity due to her life experiences and says having her on the field is like having another assistant coach.

Neal has the fourth best batting average in the conference at .471 with 39 runs, 56 hits, and 13 RBIs. Most notably, Neal led the south coast conference with 28 stolen bases this season. Neal’s best friend and teammate Alyssa Maldonado, 19, communications major, said, “She is the most amazing athlete I have ever watched. She always strives to be the best and she always puts her whole heart and effort into everything she does on the field.”

Juggling all the facets of her life does not exactly come easy, though she said the people around her believe she makes it look that way.

Ford said it is like Neal has three full-time jobs; school, softball, and role as a mother.

“I mean the kid is non-stop and you would never know it because she is like a breath of fresh air when she comes on the field, she is ready to go. She is a gift.” Neal credits all her support systems, such as her friends, family, teammates, coaches, and even teachers, for making it easier to handle all the things she needs to get accomplished on a daily basis.

In the end, Neal’s dreams of playing for a Pac-10 team on TV may come true as UCLA has expressed interest in her. UCLA’s softball program is among one of the best in the nation, as they won the National Championship last year. Neal is excited with the possibility of being a part of such a prestigious program. “I know I used to be at that level and I would just love an opportunity to be at that level again. To be able to be coached by such great coaches, I would be so excited. I’m even excited just talking about it,” said Neal.

Sky is the limit for Neal and she knows through hard work and dedication she will one day be able to achieve success. Neal said that even though she is a single mother with two kids, in the end she just wants to be successful. “I don’t want anybody to judge me. I don’t want people to have pity on me.

I just want people to see the hard work that I put into my daily life in order to become successful and to reach the goal that I want for myself,” said Neal.