Finding sanctuary in Sacramento PG. 11
Basketball season begins PG. 15
NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR KATHRYN JEFFERY PG. 3 SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1922
VOLUME 100 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER 9, 2015
EDITORIAL
Attempting the impossible
As editor of the Express, I want to thank my tremendous staff this semester and our amazing advisers for attempting to produce the closest representation of what life has been at City College these past four months. This will be the first time in the six print editions produced this semester that we have needed to make major corrections in our reporting. Due to the high quality work produced by my fellow students this semester, I often have to remind myself that we are still in training. As a working media professional studying the latest trends in sharing information in this glorious age of incredible mobile technology, I know that it’s more important
than ever to be accurate. I often forget that what I see on the screen, whether it be television, a desktop computer or a cellphone, is not reality. It’s a facsimile, a reproduction, a canned summation of events transplanted through time and space to be digested at my convenience and enjoyed at my discretion. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that reality does not have a pause button, nor does it have an editor. No matter how many pixels we add, high definition will always pale in comparison to actual human touch, and hot takes on Twitter, no matter how instant, will never surpass the speed of original thought. As chroniclers of human interaction,
Letter to the editor The Nov. 12 issue ran a story, updated Nov. 16, titled “Driving Sex Education: Human Sexuality Students offer Free Condoms, Lubricants, Knowledge.” The most important portion of this article was on the knowledge shared by the Peer Educator SCC students enrolled in Psychology 356, Human Sexuality. Information taught to Peer Educators includes the knowledge of safe sex practices, interpersonal communication skills, and the high rate of sexually transmitted infections in the 14- to 26-year-old population. Sex education at the college level is much more than anatomy, pregnancy prevention and sexually transmitted infections. Current focus in the Psych 356 Human Sexuality class includes teaching
one of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a journalist is that our work is meant to be the truest homage to real life with the full understanding that we will forever be a poor substitute for reality. What we see in the media will never be truly representative of what’s really out there This includes the work we’ve done this semester. We have made mistakes. But I truly believe and am honored to say that we got pretty damn close to reporting accurately on real life at City College. Thank you for reading.
Ariel Pickett & Elasha Young
Staff Writers · apickett90@gmail.com elashayoungexpress@gmail.com Photos by Elizabeth Ramirez · elizabethramirezexpress@gmail.com
What has been the best thing about this semester for you?
Jonathan Taraya
Editor-in-chief · jonathantarayaexpress@gmail.com
Jedrick Andres · Philosophy
communication skills, gender awareness and critical thinking skills. The Sacramento City College “Condom Connection Cart” is a SCC logo-painted electric cart that can be seen twice a week (Tuesdays/Thursdays) around the SCC campus. The Peer Educators who work the cart obtain Service Learning credits and must go through a week of training before meeting the students on campus. Each student has a 30-page training manual that provides correct product demonstration guidelines. This includes how to use a male condom, a female condom, a dental dam, and the amount of lubrication that increases protection from infection. Role-playing training is key in being able to respond or refer the questions
from students regarding safe sex materials. The SCC Condom Cart has been active during the spring and fall 2015 semesters. Much of the cart’s training materials have been adapted from the UC Davis Love Cart project that has been a key feature for the past six years. The next time you see the SCC Condom Cart, please ask students questions about community resources, the health care clinic on campus, how to avoid sexual assault, the current standard of the “Yes means Yes” guidelines for seeking, and giving consent during intimate encounters. Patty Blomberg
Public health psychology professor · blombep@scc.losrios.edu
“I came back this semester. Coming back has been a turnaround — just being able to be in a school setting again and being surrounded by my peers and professors to make a connection with my college career.”
Ruvit Ochoa · Animal science
“I’m getting good grades in chemistry, and that’s a really good thing because I wasn’t doing so well at the university. I learned a lot this semester.”
Express corrections In Issue 5, Nov. 12, 2015, on page 3, the story “New counselor on campus?” has been updated on saccityexpress.com to reflect that Amelia Tauber said the club has 196 signatures, not Taylor Buck, as previously reported. In addition, Counseling and Student Success Center Interim Dean Richard
Editor In Chief Jonathan Taraya Managing/Sports Editor Kristopher Hooks News Editor Vienna Montague Features Editor Robin Fritz Online Features Editor Will Dunne-Phillips Photo Editor Jessie Rooker Events Editor Rosaura de la Cruz Social Media Editor Zachary FR Anderson Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Ramirez Photographers William Grubb, Julie Jorgensen, Genoria Lundy, Emily Peterson, Olga Perez, Christopher Williams
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Yang was the source for the counseling ratio on campus, not Amelia Tauber, as previously reported. On page 6 in the same issue, the story “Driving sex education” has been updated on saccityexpress.com to reflect that the Condom Cart operators demonstrate condom application rather than
Writers Zachary FR Anderson, Mike Brosseau, Robin Fritz, Tyler Herbele, Dean Hyman, Jordan Jones, Nicolas Lee, Ricardo Lopez Jr., Kirk Mattu, Breanna McMahon, Paris Nunn-Chavez, Ariel Pickett, Steve Robles, Aisha Shah, Ashley Silva-Howe, Reanna Simmons, Justin Valdez, Barbara Williams, Christopher Williams, Elasha Young Design Editor Michele Lee Page Designers Kara Beard, Alexander Buell, Dean Hyman, Trevon Norton, Mary Sand, Kathryn Urbik, Carlos Vasquez, Antoine Wade, Kyron Washington Cover Design Kara Beard Cover Photo Vanessa Nelson
Express · December 9, 2015
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sexual intercourse. The cart itself cost $8,000 instead of $800, as previously reported. In addition, the organization that donated the Condom Cart places condom dispensers around the world instead of just Northern California, as previously reported.
Ad Manager Zachary FR Anderson Advisers Randy Allen, Jan Haag, Dianne Heimer, Rachel Leibrock, Marcy Wacker EDITORIAL POLICIES Views published in the Express do not reflect those of the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, the Associate Student Government, City College, Journalism department, administration, student body, or faculty; unless otherwise stated. MEMBERSHIPS Journalism Association of Community Colleges California Newspaper Publishers Association
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CONTACT US Let the Express know what you think. Letters should be 300 words or less. Please include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Express reserves the right to edit or reject any article, advertisement or illustration deemed inappropriate, including letters to the editor. Sacramento City College 3835 Freeport Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95822 Phone (916) 558-2561 ext. 2562 Fax ( 916) 558-2282 E-mail express@scc.losrios.edu Website saccityexpress.com
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Foy Reynolds · Child psychology “Information I receive from other students and faculty — information that will help me succeed in college.”
Nyla Vaivai · Business
“The best thing was I found a new family in the workplace — R.I.S.E.”
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NEWS
Moving forward
President Kathryn Jeffery opens up about leaving City College for a new job Vienna J. Montague
I will have been here nearly eight years, and that’s a very respectable reign as a college president.
Editor’s Note:
Are there any things you wanted to accomplish but weren’t able to?
News Editor · viennajmontagueexpress@gmail.com
As I sit down in Kathryn Jeffery’s office, the president of City College offers to make me coffee in her usually warm tone. I take her up on the offer, talking with her about her week and the news that she’s found a new job. After making and serving the coffee, she sits at a table in an office that will soon belong to somebody else. I ask her questions about her time at City College, prompting the president to think back through the years to her first time working here as a young woman. As Jeffery recalls special moments in her life, her eyes well up with tears, followed by a catch in her throat, causing her to pause between questions. She reaches behind her, fumbles for a tissue box. Her fingers find one, but it turns out to be empty, so she turns to a second tissue box sitting nearby. As she mulls over her time as a City College counselor, Jeffery talks about the people who have shaped her into who she is today and the students who have affected her most. Her words are saturated with a tone of appreciation for what she’s received, a strength, an ethic, a generous attitude that has she kept with her to this day. At the end of our interview Jeffery gave me a hug as tears sprang from both of us, and I left the office that has always been open to me and countless others, officially as a students, but most importantly, welcoming us as people whom she says she has been honored to serve. Tell me about this new position. I have been approved by the Board of Trustees for an appointment pending contract negotiations to become the superintendent-president of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. Are you excited? You know, I am excited, but you know, it’s also… it also creates some sadness. Sacramento City College has been so much a part of my career, not just during my time as president, but before that when I was a young faculty member. In total, I will have been here in March of 2016 — 18 years — and that’s a long time. And I think it’s a good amount of time to contribute to the development and growth of an organization. As president
We were still working on some things here with respect to building out some of our programs to decrease the gaps in student achievement. That will continue to move forward. In fact, during my time here we made some small strides, but we got some things in place, so that will be important for whoever comes in next to build upon. We want every student who comes into the college with a level of skills and proficiency that allows them to move to the next step in their life, and I think we still have some work to do to make sure students are moving at the same rate. What are you going to miss the most? The students. I’m going to miss the students, some of their stories, hearing about why they chose City College, what motivates them to move in their career direction, hearing them talk about the successes that they had. I know people who live in this community who were students here back when I was here in the ’80s… ’81? ’82? I hate to say what year it was because then people will know how old I am. I see former students now who live in the community who will say things like, “I still have the ed[ucation] plan that you wrote out for me when I was a student starting out, and I saved it because, by following that, by following what you gave me, I was able to complete my degree on time.” So I guess the thing that I’ll leave here, that I would take with me as I leave here, is that knowing when I was doing counseling, I was an excellent counselor. I took great pride in my counseling. I always wanted to make sure that what I gave students was accurate information that related to the direction that they told me they wanted to move toward. I never wanted to give people information that was wrong, and if I made mistakes, and you know — over the course of 10 years of doing counseling I did make some mistakes — but I never left it where I didn’t contact people to say, “You know, I found some new information to update what I gave you. Can you come back in, and let’s make this right? ’Cause I want you to be on track.” People will forgive you a mistake if you tell them.
Sacramento City College President, Dr. Kathryn E Jeffery, speaking at the five-year celebration of the Sacramento City College West Sacramento Campus Jan 29. ¦ Photo by Luisa Morco ·
luisamorco.express@gmail.com
Anything else you’ll miss? This is a fun community, and I’ll miss being a part of the Sacramento community. I was a young woman here in this community and grew up here in a lot of ways, personally and professionally. I made a lot of friends [with] people I’ve known many years now, and continue to have good relationships with those families of people. I think it’s important for me to not just look at where I’ve been but to look at where I’m going, and not to think about leaving City College but to think about the ways in which I’ve affected this institution. I think I have affected the institution, and I think I’ve affected the students in a good way.
What’s your greatest strength and weakness?
When you first came back eight years ago, did you expect this to be your final stop? That’s a good question, because I wasn’t sure. It was hard for me leave the place where I worked before here, and I was only there for two years, but I loved that school, absolutely fell in love with it, and that’s when I was at Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota. For Sac City, I already had roots here, so naturally it makes it harder to think about leaving here. · · ·
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I felt, eventually, it just depended on how things went here. If I felt like I was making a contribution to the school, then I felt like I could just stay and stay and stay. Sometimes programs take on the personalities of the individual, rather than the individuals managing programs., But the organization is so much more than the impact of a single individual, and so I think that periodically it’s good for someone to move out of the way to make room for some other energy. I do think for growth to really occur, you kind of have to mix it up a bit. I thought I would stay, but I didn’t know if I would stay forever.
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My greatest weakness… I have great empathy for people and for situations where folks are challenged, but that’s also one of my strengths. I try to help people move out and away from situations that are holding them back, and trying to help them see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there is a path that you can follow where things can really better. But you have to be motivated to move in that direction. December 9, 2015
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NEWS
Meet ERNI
September campus shooting prompts early release of new alert system Vienna J. Montague
News Editor · viennajmontagueexpress@gmail.com
Instructors and counselors have a new tool to keep students and themselves safe on campus — and its name is ERNI. ERNI, short for Emergency Response Notification Icon, is exactly that — a way to contact Los Rios police on campus computers with a simple click, according to public information officer Rick Brewer. The icon is associated with the user’s log-in, meaning wherever an instructor or counselor signs in, the icon will appear. If an instructor senses danger, he or she can click ERNI, Brewer said, and officers will be called within minutes to the location of the computer where the alert was sent, knowing only the location and which instructor sent the alert. “They know exactly where those computers are, so they know exactly where the alert would be coming from,” Brewer said. However, as many faculty and staff members have learned, it doesn’t take much to trigger ERNI. One double-click and Los Rios police officers are on their way. In fact, Brewer said that since the system was finally installed in Nov. 13, there have been more than 40 false alarms. “Apparently [there were] a lot the first day or two, then tapering down,” Brewer said of the false alarms. “We tried to tell them if you move it on your computer from where it is, it will more than likely trigger.” Brewer said that because the idea is to get help on the way as soon as possible, there was no secondary affirmative action required other than the double click. “If a staff member or faculty member were really having an issue, and the student could see… more bad stuff could happen,” Brewer said. “So the notion is it’s just a double-click.” ERNI is not new. According to Brewer, the system was in beta testing with counselors as early as this past spring before the alerts were made available to the entire district this fall. The Sept. 3 shooting on campus helped expedite the process, but was not entirely responsible for it. “It’s been discussed for quite a while — something that could be very easily accessed or deployed,” Brewer said, “[in a situation where] a staff member really felt like they could not get to the phone in their office and their room and call [police].” City College President Kathryn Jeffery said ERNI isn’t the only tool being considered to keep students safe.
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We[‘re also] reviewing the installation of doors that can be locked, for the entrances in the buildings,” Jeffery said. “We had already talked about doing the installation of doing these electronically controlled doors. I think they’re already going in at American River.” Jeffery said that the college is planning a drill to evacuate the entire campus. “The logistics of that will be tricky, because you can’t have people saying, ‘Oh, that’s just a drill.’ In order for the drill to be an effective drill, everyone has to participate. I think that will help us all just be more comfortable in knowing what to do in an emergency that requires that type of response.” The campus emergency in September occurred when City College student Roman P. Gonzalez was shot and killed during an altercation in the staff parking lot near the softball field, according to Sacramento Police. Gonzalez’ cousin Rico Ridgway was later arrested, and accused of stabbing Charlie Hola, one of four men involved in the scuffle. Currently, nobody has been arrested or charged with Gonzalez’ death. City College and its administrators were criticized for their slow response time in warning students through the campus alert system. Several weeks after the shooting, an independent review by former FBI agent Mike Rayfield was released, finding that the notifications were delayed up to 40 minutes because of “user error.” “The mass emergency notification was unacceptably delayed, and this delay was caused by human error and lack of practice and familiarization with the system,” Rayfield said in the report. “The response by college personnel was predictably chaotic, as is common in these situations. Training, experience and familiarity with lockdowns and evacuations, however, created an acceptable outcome for this particular incident.” Brewer agreed. “Personally, I would train myself to be more ready for any situation that occurs,” Brewer said. “I thought I was trained well, but it turns out I wasn’t as trained as I should have been, and that falls on me. I take responsibility for that.” Brewer said he is now using his own experience to help other colleges learn to be prepared for the worst. “Do you really feel like you’re ready? Because we felt like we were, and we made some mistakes,” Brewer said, “so maybe learning from our mistakes will help the next time something like this occurs.” · · ·
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ERNI City College staff computers have panic buttons (ERNI) installed on the desktop. ¦ Photo by Jessie
Rooker · jessierookerexpress@gmail.com ¦ Illustration by Michele Lee · lee_ms@me.com
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FEATURES
Non-scientists needed
City College to launch new environmental studies degree program
City College philosophy Professor Elizabeth Forrester says the Environmental Literacy program will likely be established as an Associate of Arts degree at City College come fall 2016. Photo by Elizabeth Ramirez · elizabethramirezexpress@gmail.com
Nicolas Lee
Staff Writer · NLee.express@gmail.com
It seems as if hardly a week goes by on campus without someone with a clipboard asking, “Take a minute for the environment?” He or she is usually a member of Greenpeace or a similar group, but what exactly do these questioners mean? And does one need a degree in the sciences to answer such a question? As it turns out, the answer is no. But City College will likely soon have a new Associate of Arts degree in Environmental Literacy, brought forward and organized by philosophy Professor Elizabeth Forrester, which will offer students an education on the environment from a humanities standpoint. Forrester says this program is for students who don’t necessarily want to pursue higher-level math and science courses, but who still want to work in the environmental sector. “I was first motivated to do this by students asking me, ‘What can I do to work in solar energy or work as an environmental lawyer [but] without having to go through all the math and science?’” Forrester says. In addition to listening to student requests, Forrester says she spoke with employers and activists in the environmen-
tal sector, asking if there was a demand for people not trained in the sciences. “[They said] what they needed were people who could write and argue and think well,” she says. Forrester adds that there has also been a push from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office for colleges to add more environmentally oriented classes and programs.
I think it s a really great opportunity for people to become involved in what s going to be the most pressing issue of the future.
Elizabeth Forrester
City College philosophy Professor
At present, the new program has passed its “second reading,” according to Vice President of Instruction Mary Turner, and must undergo one more step in the approval process before it can be added to the City College catalog. “I think that any time we can help our students become more educated on how to take care of our planet, the environment,
it’s better for all of us,” Turner says. “And this will be unique for our district — we’ll be the only [college] in the district to have an environmental literacy [program].” Courses within the program include basic biology and math classes, such as biology’s “Natural History” and mathematics’ “Intro to Statistics.” Other classes are more specifically related to the environment — “Environmental Philosophy,” for example, a course that Forrester created at City College. The program also includes sociology’s “Social Problems” and economics’ “Principles of Microeconomics,” which Forrester says are designed to give students a wide scope of the issues involving the environment. One course being added to the catalog specifically for this new degree program is English Literature 328: “Literature and the Environment.” It will focus on literature written about the environment and how humans relate to the land, with a focus on U.S. writers. This course was developed by Professor Jeff Knorr, also the poet laureate of the city of Sacramento. He says he had already been thinking of adding it to the catalog, but hadn’t had the time or reason to implement it until Forrester approached him about the Environmental Literacy degree program. · · ·
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“It seemed like a natural pairing,” Knorr says. Knorr, who originally started attending college as a biology major, says he would have done things differently if this program had existed then. “If there was a program that I knew of back when I was in college, I would have gone straight out of the hard-science biology into that. [It] just wasn’t available at the time,” he says. The Literature and the Environment course has already been approved and will likely be added to the catalog during the 2016-17 academic year. The Environmental Literacy degree program is still awaiting approval by the CCCCO, which is a process Vice President of Instruction Marry Turner says can take six months on average. If approved by July 2016, it could be added to the catalogue as soon as next fall. “I think it’s a really great opportunity for people to become involved in what’s going to be the most pressing issue of the future,” Forrester says of the need for such a degree program. “It already is. It’s upon us — global warming and pollution and too many people — all those things. We want to be able to discuss and argue about these positions in a reasonable, well-researched way. December 9, 2015
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FEATURES
Chamber of history
City College s Special Collections Room holds a century s worth of memories Elasha Young
Staff Writer · Elashayoungexpress@gmail.com
Inside the Learning Resource Center, tucked away on the third floor far in the back, there is a room full of the past. Gold letters hang above two dark oak doors with six glass windows that draw the eye. Inside lies a chamber of history for the school — Sacramento City College’s Special Collections Room — also known as the archives. Caroline Harker, Special Collections librarian, has been the City College archivist for the past four years and says she has learned a great deal about the college’s history. It’s the past the college is about to celebrate as it celebrates its centennial beginning in fall 2016. “In the words of former City College President Art Tyler,” she says, “‘We honor the history, the founders of SCC, and all the people who helped make this a great college over 100 years.’” Harker says she is also fond of the college’s first administrator, Belle Cooledge, who wrote in the 1931 yearbook, The Pioneer, “My wish for you all is that you may take the spirit of endeavor and desire to succeed which we have watched grow in you, to your future undertakings, and that happiness and success may be your reward.” Some students don’t even know this special room exists. Althea Bolden, a returning student majoring in Human Services, says she has very little knowledge about the school’s history, and is excited to learn that there is this resource on campus. “There’s an archives here?” says Bolden, spinning in a full circle and surveying her surroundings in the LRC. “Wow, I didn’t know that. Where? I’m going to have to look into that.” The Special Collections Room holds not only some of the school’s most precious treasures, but also tells some of the history of the city around it. In addition, it houses past issues of the Express newspaper, the Pioneer yearbook and college catalogs, all dating as far back as the early 1920s. Most of the items in Special Collections have been donated by former students, faculty and staff as well as Sacramento residents. Although there are some students who don’t know about the tucked-away, moderately sized room, other students are well aware of its existence. Nedra VanHorn, a third-year student at City College, says she loves history and learned about the archives’ existence when her English class took a
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City College archivist Caroline Harker displays a historic photo of the Sacramento Junior College quad circa 1940s. ¦ Penelope Kahn · penelopekahn@yahoo.com
field trip to the library. “It’s sort of strange that a good portion of the students don’t [know about it],” says VanHorn. “They don’t know what they’re missing out on.” In the Special Collections Room, students can learn that City College was originally named Sacramento Junior College when it opened in 1916 on the upper floor of Sacramento High School. Forty-six students attended that first semester, and in 1918, six women became the first students to graduate from Sacramento Junior College. The school relocated to its current location on the corner of Sutterville Road and Freeport Boulevard in 1926. It was renamed Sacramento City College in 1959. The Special Collections Room was created in the 1990s, when the new LRC replaced the college’s original library, as a place to keep record of the school’s important memories and mementos. The Special Collections Room is more than just a room on the third floor of the LRC building, however, according to Harker. It’s a place that house’s the history, accomplishments and legacy of what the school has been in the past, and suggests what it will be in the future. “This room holds the 100-year history and hopefully a hundred more years of it,” says Harker. · · ·
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PROFILE
ROBERT HAMMON
Hero storyteller adapts to civilian life Ralph Maldonado
Guest Writer · Ralphmaldonado10@gmail.com Photos by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Honor and belief in duty permeates everything about Robert Hammon. Hammon is a nervous man, quick to help people understand his anxiety disorders and PTSD, pacing often, sometimes on the verge of sweating. But he quickly forgets about all his anxiety when engrossed in storytelling. He gesticulates with his cigarillo while talking. When lost in thought, he chomps down hard on it, and, like the Southern gentleman he is, when a passer-by offers him a dollar for one, he asks if they’re OK with a cigarillo. “Then you’re a dollar richer,” he replies, while handing it to them. Hammon, 38, runs the fiction-writing group in the Learning Resource Center. “A lot of people on campus feel that genre writing is less than acceptable,” says Hammond. “I wanted a group where everyone could gain knowledge of literary writing and apply it to genre writing.” Hammon’s group works to bridge the gap between the two. “I get a lot out of it,” says group mem-
ber and student Aaron Smith. “He’s a very skilled writer and has a lot of experience.” Hammon is quick to point out that writing focused on characters over plot and tropes, which hit universal truths, is just a hallmark of good writing in general. Hammon’s characters hit universal truths in spades. His literary inventions are immature, brash and often in over their heads in situations they can’t understand, learning lessons they themselves may never grasp, flawed, entertaining and altogether human. “People need to look beneath the surface to see what’s right in front of them,” Hammon says. “It’s one of the areas I try and go into with my writing, focusing in areas that people don’t normally look.” “I can see him considering many different aspects of the things we’re discussing,” says City College English professor Marci Selva, regarding Hammon’s contribution to the student literary journal Susurrus, which she advises. “What I like about him is he’s honest about things he doesn’t feel as confident about. For example, he doesn’t really get poetry. But I like that he asks a lot of questions, and he tries to sort of get through it.” In late October, the Susurrus staff attended a poetry reading at Luna’s Cafe in Midtown. Hammon delivered “the first
serious poem I ever wrote.” He was shaking and nervous at poetry night, but “The Warrior” was well-received. Cultural differences between California and his home in Louisiana are a source of fascination for Hammon. He recounts a story of one of his teachers being baffled when a man trying to buy her car on Craigslist tried to haggle her down by offering meat from his farm.
People need to look beneath the surface to see what s right in front of them.
Robert Hammon
Fiction-writing group leader
“Where I come from that’s an everyday occurrence,” says Hammond. “There’s so many things I don’t even think of as stories that trip people out.” Another is how people view the military. Hammon is proud of the tour he spent in the Navy. “We’re going to serve something that calls to us, not as an occupation or a job,” he says. “It’s who we are.” Hammon feels there’s a gulf in how · · ·
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the West Coast and the South view the military. In California he finds people often conflate their views of the “military complex” with “military individuals.” Through his stories he wishes to change that. His largest series, “A Camel Named Asshole”, is about a pair of Navy boys — who may or may not resemble Robert Hammon himself — and the trouble the young men get into at every port of call. Back under the smoking tent, one had to ask. “Why’d you bring me to this smoking area?” “This is the one I always come to,” he says. A few months back, while smoking his cigarillo, gunshots broke out, maybe 50 feet from the smoking tent. Hammon was right there, front and center, and his first reaction was to bolt straight toward the gunfire. “Just military training,” Hammon says. “I’m not one to stand by and watch.” When he reached the victim, Hammon removed his own shirt, shredded it and made it into bandages to stop the bleeding, The incident was the first shooting death in the history of the campus. The shirt is still held as police evidence, yes, for the blood of the victim, but also evidence that Robert Hammon is an honorable human being. December 9, 2015
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PROFILE
JOSH SANCHEZ
Former City College student inspires community growth Neill Little
Guest Writer · nlittle03@gmail.com Photos by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
A calm summer breeze wafts about the block. Multicultural smells of tamales, kettle corn and pizza waft in the air, playfully toying with people’s noses. A mellow roar of children laughing and adult conversation can be heard. A rainbow of colors creates a stunning sunset as a backdrop behind the tents and booths. It is Thursday night at Gather in Oak Park, and Josh Sanchez can see the rise of Sacramento before his eyes. He couldn’t be happier to have a hand in this small success. The farm-to-fork movement is the latest trend in Sacramento, and for good reason. With ample farms in the greater Sacramento region, local, fresh products are easily available to anyone. But great food isn’t the only local resource available. Sacramento is brimming with locals who have incredible talents to bring to the table. They just need the platform and support to do so. Sanchez is one of those people and his talent is finding more people like him.
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Sanchez, 27, is a local product himself. A former City College student who graduated from Christian Brothers in 2006, Sanchez recently graduated from Sacramento State. He is as homegrown as can be. Sanchez says he knew from a young age he wanted to be part of the Sacramento underground scene. Local music and art have always fascinated him. Sanchez knows the building blocks need to come from within to build Sacramento’s culture.
It was one of the most unique and incredible experiences It wasn t just watching a show over dinner, we were in the middle of the show.
Josh Sanchez Farm-to-fork chef
Sanchez interned for Unseen Heroes and then began working with them a little over a year ago. · · ·
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Unseen Heroes, an events marketing agency, partners with emerging businesses to create new experiences for city-goers. Sanchez’s work at Unseen Heroes has given him the opportunity to bring his passions to Sacramento and to expand the views of others to how much the city can offer. Gather in Oak Park has become one of Unseen Heroes biggest events. It is a community event inspired by warm California nights. Gather occurs every second Thursday of the month from June to October and just completed its second year. It’s an opportunity for local residents to meet their neighbors in a setting that incorporates farm-to-fork restaurants, local creators and designers, and craft beer in a family-friendly setting. “Josh has always seen beyond what’s right in front of him,” says Connor Adam, Sanchez’s longtime best friend and current roommate. “He has introduced me to lots of great local music and art from the community that I otherwise may not have ever known about.” A few weeks ago, Sanchez brought home what seemed to be a beat-up old suitcase. Except it wasn’t just a suitcase. It was refitted with speakers and power to
have the ability to plug in an iPhone and play music. It was made by one of Sanchez’s clients, Dominic Odbert of BoomCase. Odbert wanted Sanchez to bring it home and test it. The sound was fantastic and the look was very in style with the local scene. Sanchez was then able to spread the word of this new product and create a buzz for a local business. Recently, Sanchez and his good friend, Jeanetti Alvarez, were invited to a staged Halloween dinner for a potential new restaurant. “It was one of the most unique and incredible experiences,” gushed Alvarez. “It wasn’t just watching a show over dinner, we were in the middle of the show. It was going on about us and we were interacting with the actors and staff and completely engaged.” Sanchez was one of a few invited to the exclusive dinner presented by local chef Derek Alvarez. The dinner presentation received rave reviews and is now moving toward its grand opening early next year. As Sacramento grows, people like Sanchez are showing what the “little guys” have to offer — and giving such people the opportunity to shine.
PROFILE
LARA GARY
Professor’s studies parallel real life Richard Gebo
Guest writer · rgebo129@gmail.com Photos by Julie Jorgensen · juliejorgensenexpress@gmail.com
One day during her commute to school, Lara Gary’s 1974 Honda Civic broke down during the 50-mile ride. She pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. Having learned how to fix simple car problems, she immediately went to work figuring out the issue. It turns out the points weren’t opening in the distributor. She had been wearing her hair up that day, and without anything else to use to fix the problem, Gary jammed the hairpin in to prop the points open. After that, she went home to actually fix the car problem. This type of ingenuity and self-determination is evident in the conditions under which she received her Ph.D. Through much personal struggle, Gary, a City College English professor, was able to persevere. On a recent windy Friday in her office at the City College Davis Center, Gary sat down to talk about her Ph.D., among other things. Gary’s voice is soft-spoken, but full of compassion. She wears a zippered vest with blue jeans and her hair down.
Her neatly organized office desk has Post-Its and little reminders. Books are stacked atop a cabinet. Talking to Gary is inviting. She is a person you would want to tell your innermost secrets to because she listens and understands. “I have found her to be a good ear when I need to vent, and insightful when I need advice,” says Lori Maloney, a City College math professor. “Overall, I would say she has a unique combination of professionalism and kindheartedness that make for a brilliant teacher and colleague.” Gary says her Ph.D. was on 20th-century British, American and Canadian women writers. She focused specifically on absent mothers and their daughters’ writing. “You can stop me when you get bored,” Gary, 53, says when discussing her Ph.D. For the feminist psychoanalytic literary criticism she gathered, she says she studied writings of women who found mother figures who were not actually their own mothers. But then she noticed something strange: a parallel between her dissertation and her real life. The people working on her dissertation were disap-
pearing like the mothers in the works she was writing about. “It was sort of like every single one of my dissertation readers suffered some sort of tragedy,” Gary says, describing the events that had happened. “I had all these absent mothers.” People had told her that when she chose a topic it would overlap with her life, but she hadn’t believed them. Gary’s own mother had been there throughout the whole process. “I remember one evening I called my mom kind of late,” she says with a laugh, “and I said—there was no preface to this at all—I just said into the phone, ‘Mom, I feel like I’ve been a bad daughter.’” Gary was referencing her dissertation at this point. She was thinking about the recent things that had happened to her dissertation readers. Her mother, in response, said she would never read the dissertation unless Gary wanted her to. To Gary, the subject matter had nothing to do with her relationship with her mother, but she had the sudden feeling she could lose her mother after all the events she had witnessed. Her mother’s response was perfect, she says, because it was a reassurance that she was still there. · · ·
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Gary grew up in a small town and wanted to vote for Jimmy Carter. She had been too young to vote in the election for Carter, but she still considered it. “I remember feeling vilified for considering it,” Gary says. “If I could have voted for a Democrat, I would have voted for a Democrat.” Gary’s mother displays a similar fortitude. “My mother was registered as a Republican for most of her adult life,” Gary says. “She switched over when Bush— George W. Bush—was running.” The Republican Party representative for her county called Gary’s mother to ask if someone had used her name to change her affiliation. Gary says her mother responded by saying the Republicans ought to be ashamed of themselves. Gary’s fellow English instructors are among those who value her stories and warm friendship. “Lara is an exceptional teacher and colleague, and I enjoy sharing an office with her at the Davis Center,” says Marci Selva, a City College English professor. “We share stories about our lives, as well as insights about teaching, and we laugh a lot. I couldn’t ask for a better officemate.” December 9, 2015
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PROFILE
CARMEL WRIGHT
City College student marches proudly into public service Taylor Buck
Guest Writer · taylorbuck532@gmail.com Photos by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
On any given weekday, the state capitol building in Sacramento is a bustle of activity. Inside, legislative staff run materials to Senate and Assembly members as laws are reviewed. Schoolchildren, sitting in the chamber balcony, see the legislative process unfold. Outside, professionals dressed in power suits enter and exit the building. Joggers run the perimeter of Capitol Park, and state employees take brisk walks on their lunch breaks. For some, a visit to the Capitol is just another day’s work and a chance to take a tour. But for others like Carmel Wright, a trip from Redding to the Capitol was what she needed to reaffirm her dreams of writing legislation. Wright, 23, is a second-year student at City College, serving as the Phi Theta Kappa honor society’s executive vice president and studying political science in hopes of one day writing legislation to reform the K-12 education system. “I fell in love with the city in a very big way,” reflects Wright. “I realized that Redding wasn’t big enough for me to dream. Obviously, visiting the Capitol and sitting on the steps and everything, I realized this is where I want to come.” Wright, uses the term, “stateswoman,”
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instead of “politician,” to describe her ideal career. Her careful choice of words reflects her poised demeanor and clear speaking style. “She distinguished herself immediately by the way she articulated herself,” says City College English professor Sally-Anne Jackson, who instructed Wright in her honors writing class. “I wish everyone would have her enthusiasm and vision.” Wright’s journey to Sacramento has been defined by perseverance. Born in Bremerton, Washington, and raised near Salem, Oregon, she was the primary caregiver for her three younger siblings. She worked three jobs in high school. After graduating, Wright decided to leave her hometown and move to Redding, California. There she did volunteer work caring for children and began focusing on the issue of education. While there, she began pursuing the legislative process. “I began to dream about what it would look like to write legislation that would help the children’s education issue on a larger scale,” says Wright. After living four years in Redding and continuing to explore her passion for helping children through the legislative process, Wright suddenly lost the use of her right leg. After undergoing an extensive diagnostic process, she found out she had a rare form of myositis ossificans, a growth in her leg muscle. She decided to undergo surgery at UC Davis Medical · · ·
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Center that could have potentially left her without the ability to walk. The surgery went successfully and she then began the process of rehabilitation and recovery. After being bedridden for three months, Wright realized she needed a goal: her education. “I needed something to look forward to and something to push myself to recover for,” she says. Having been missed the UC and CSU deadlines and denied a special case for applying late, Wright began considering community college. She was informed she had one day left to apply to the Los Rios Community College District. “Within a week, I had enrolled, been accepted, found a place to live and had several leads on a job,” Wright says. Wright has certainly capitalized on her opportunity. Carrying 20 units during the fall 2015 semester, holding a job, serving as the Phi Theta Kappa honors society’s executive vice president and playing on the women’s intercollegiate tennis team, Wright is a very dedicated student. Wright works closely with the honor society president to improve new students’ access to resources on campus they may be unaware of, such as scholarships. “I couldn’t have imagined that I’d be at Sacramento City College two years ago,” says Wright, “but there are things I’m doing here that I’d always imagined myself doing, such as advocating for others and helping students access things.”
Wright’s involvement with Phi Theta Kappa has also allowed her to access some of the resources she advocates for. She is one of this year’s recipients of the Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education award, a nationwide scholarship awarded to only 10 students. With her work in Phi Theta Kappa, her scholarship and her schedule, Wright’s work ethic and investment in her campus community is admirable. “She cares about things in our campus community,” says City College English professor Jodi Angel. “She cares about things beyond herself. Everybody should have a Carmel in their class if possible.” Wright’s dedication to her education and community indicates she is an unstoppable force. She says she believes her weakness is planning out her life too extensively. On the contrary, it may be her greatest strength and a testament to her goal-oriented outlook. “I’m a happy, optimistic person,” she explains. “I’m also incredibly determined. People usually describe me as intense.” Her determination is leading her closer to her dreams. It is easy to imagine Carmel Wright sitting on the steps of the Capitol and feeling at home. It is even more probable that soon she will sit in the Assembly chambers voting on an education measure she authored. For now, Californians will just have to wait until they see her name on the ballot.
FEATURES
Finding sanctuary in Sacramento Baghdadi artist travels a long way to study at City College Steve Robles
Staff Writer · steveroblesexpress@gmail.com
Every semester, hundreds of students come to City College from outside the United States, hoping to experience a piece of the American dream. According to Kim Goff, dean of admissions at City College, 371 students from other countries around the world are taking classes at City College this semester. Most, she says, come from Asian countries such as China and Japan, but increasingly students are arriving from war-torn areas like Syria and Yemen. One such student, 52-year-old Ghanim Alobaidi, was a famous, prosperous Baghdadi artist. But one day in 2005, after turning his attention from pastoral streetscapes to something more political, he says he experienced something which altered the course of his and his family’s future. “I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone before,” Alobaidi says, serving refreshments in his lushly decorated space in Warehouse Artist Lofts, located in the R Street Corridor of midtown Sac-
ramento. “I was working on a rendering of da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper.’ It wasn’t a literal translation — it was an idealized Jesus, not the actual figure. And Judas represented al-Qaida.” He says it was not long afterward that three masked men came to his house one night and gave him an envelope. Inside was a bullet. They told him that “to be a true artist, you must leave the country or we will kill you and your family, and burn your house to the ground.” Alobaidi says he fled, leaving behind what he estimates to be hundreds of his works, which he suspects were put on the market when he left. “These militias, they have no interest in art or music or dancing or anything like that. What use would they have with them?” he says. He escaped to Syria, he says — a move that made sense in 2005, when the country was much more at peace than now — and re-established himself as a prominent artist there. But, he says, in 2010, this prominence came back to bite him, as the burgeoning extremist movement in
the country created the same environment which had purged him from his native Iraq. And Alobaidi describes how the country itself crumbled swiftly into chaos. “When I left Syria, it was a nightmare,” he says. “There were dead bodies in the streets.” He’d arranged to be relocated through the United Nations, but in order for Alobaidi to be eligible, he had to begin the journey from the country of his origin. And that meant going back to Iraq with his family. They hunkered down at his brother’s apartment in Baghdad, he says, managing to remain safe until passage could be made to Jordan, and then to Chicago. Like many Middle East refugees, Alobaidi says he came to Sacramento through the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit organization whose Sacramento branch relocates people who are fleeing war, famine and other humanitarian crises. This agency favors Sacramento because the area is large and yet still more affordable than many surrounding areas, according to Goff.
Alobaidi is currently taking courses in English as a second language at City College. Shantra Muther, ESL department chair, has worked with Alobaidi and speaks highly of him. “Ghanim is a great student, and a sweet guy,” Muther says. “He has a really amazing attitude, considering what he’s been through. His mission was to learn how to speak English flawlessly.” Alobaidi says he is grateful to be in the United States, although many of his works still reflect the landscapes of his home. However, he says he is now turning his attention to a work that will be a tribute to his new home. “When I think of Sacramento, I think of green and trees,” he says. “I think of peace and smiles and love. If you mix them, you have Sacramento.” He says his next project is a group of mixed media pieces which he intends to donate to a museum “as a gift, a peace offering to Americans” for his new life. “I hope they accept it,” he said, smiling.
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FEATURES
Leaving a legacy in electronics
Mel Duvall says farewell after 31 years of teaching... for now Tyler Heberle
Staff Writer · tylerheberleexpress@gmail.com
During the Vietnam War, a City College student served as a U.S. Army engineer in Yuma, Arizona. This student was later deployed at an equipment repair facility in South Korea, returned to the United States to take classes at Sacramento State, and by 1981 obtained degrees in both electronics and environmental studies. Electronics Technology Department Chair Melvin Duvall has been a professor at City College since 1984, a total of 31 years. On Dec. 17, he’ll retire from full-time teaching and leave a legacy of engineering expertise. Electrical engineering was Duvall’s first major at City College. After a year, he switched his focus to environmental studies. By 1969, Duvall had been drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. He soon used his engineering skills to repair military vehicles in Yuma. One job involved the creation of a practice shooting target. “They gave us a task…, so we built a target vehicle,” Duvall explains. “[It was a] remote controlled vehicle [made from] a ’68 Oldsmobile, and all the electronics for braking and acceleration I built.” After his brief tour in Korea, Duvall returned to the United States. Between 1971 and 1981, he finished an associate degree in electronics at City College, earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Sacramento State, and held jobs as a technician at Sound Tech Lab and Lombard’s Lafayette Radio Electronics. Since starting a full-time teaching job in 1984, Duvall has been a prominent figure in the electronics technology department. He has taught every type of electronics course at City College, from photovoltaics to semi-conductors. Remnants of his work can be seen sitting in his office, including a software defined receiver in the form of a small, black flash drive. In addition to teaching regular semester classes, Duvall has overseen the robotics program during the summer. While taking on such responsibilities, Duvall shifted control of entry-level courses to professors such as microwave specialist Wang Ng. “We still would rotate it so we wouldn’t be teaching the same courses every semester,” Ng says. “But for the more advanced courses we would teach our own specialties.” Ng adds that this collaborative process was quite informative for him. “[Duvall] was my mentor when I first started at City College 18 years ago,” Ng says. “He basically taught me every-
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Electronics Technology Department Chair and Professor Melvin Duvall will retire Dec. 17 after teaching at City College for 31 years. Photo by William Grubb · williamgrubbexpress@gmail.com
thing about teaching.” Duvall has worked to ensure that would-be technicians can obtain sustainable jobs through his information. He names McClellan Air Force Base and Sacramento Army Depot, now both inoperative, as places where his students have previously found employment. “[I try to] help my students see that there are avenues where their expertise [and] internal skills can make it so they can earn a paycheck with what makes them happy,” Duvall says. Despite Duvall’s impending retirement, Electronics Technology Department Dean Donnetta Webb says students won’t be seeing the last of him any time soon. “It’s not like he’s going to disappear,” Webb says. “He hears from former students frequently. He’ll always be a mentor or guide.” If Duvall has his way, he says he would officially remain part of the department. Even though he looks forward to spending time with with his wife and two children, hiking, and working on outdoor projects like greenhouses and gazebos, Duvall confirms that he wants to return to City College. “And I hope to come back to continue teaching part time after I full-time retire,” Duvall says. “That way I’ll spend a little more time with the family and still do what makes me happiest inside.” · · ·
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FEATURES
An advocate for access
New Learning Resource Center dean clears the path to success Ariel Pickett
Holiday art sale
Staff Writer · Apickett90@gmail.com
On the second floor of the Learning Resource Center, in Room 226, students will find a man living his dream. As the center’s new dean, Kevin Flash is in charge of the main campus facility where students go to study and get help with their academics. Flash, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, describes himself as a friendly, open-minded person who likes to solve problems and wants to help students in any way he can. Flash says coming to City College was his dream. “I love the diversity of students on this urban college campus,” he says. Flash graduated from Ohio State University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He moved to California in 1996 and worked as a computer consultant at the University of California, Davis, for about a year and a half. In 2002, Flash managed the student information system for the Los Rios Community College District. He received his master’s degree in higher education leadership from Sacramento State in 2014. Flash says his dream of being at City College became reality in July. “I was so excited when I got the position and still am,” he says. Flash says he keeps his office organized, but welcoming. Two chairs face each other across a table decorated with family photos. To the left stands a bookshelf filled with white binders, each neatly and specifically labeled. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” Flash says. He comes into his office most mornings around 7:30 a.m. and enjoys his Japanese Sencha green tea from the Sacramento Food Co-op while checking emails before attending morning meetings. When Flash has time to spare, he says enjoys getting out of his office and mingling with students. “I like to walk around the campus and buildings from time to time to see people and to recognize them. I want to take the opportunity to be where the students are,” Flash says. Flash says he receives support from other faculty, staff and deans at the Davis and West Sacramento Centers as well as on the main campus. He says they help him to implement his ideas for more accessible resources for students, which can help them succeed in their college careers. His co-workers and friends call him charismatic, friendly, organized and open-minded.
Thurs, Dec. 10 ‒ Mon, Dec. 14 10 a.m.‒3 p.m. and 5‒8 p.m. Kondos Gallery
View and purchase art by City College students, staff and faculty.
7th Annual Macy’s Theater of Lights Through Dec. 31 6:15‒7:45 p.m. 1002 2nd St.
Enjoy Macy s magical light show in Old Sac featuring free performances.
Downtown Sacramento Holiday Ice Rink 2015 Through Jan. 18 6:15‒7:45 p.m.
7th and K streets Join the winter wonderland in the heart of Sacramento.
Finals Week
Fri, Dec. 11 ‒ Thurs, Dec. 17 It s officially time to put that brain to the test. Kevin Flash became the dean of the Learning Resources Center in the fall 2015 semester.
Winter Recess
Photo by Vanessa Nelson · Vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Art Pimental, West Sacramento Center dean, knew Flash when he worked for the Los Rios district in 2002. He believes that Flash is a huge asset to the college and is a pleasure to have as a colleague. “Kevin has a wonderful personality. He is energetic and customer-service oriented. He came to know the services for students and to understand the needs of the centers,” Pimental says. Flash says he wants identical learning resources available to all students, whether at the main campus or at one of the outreach centers. “He wants [all] students to have access to the same services, like a math lab and writing center. He believes in the work we do,” Pimental says. Main campus LRC Administrative Assistant Catherine Murillo says she enjoys working with Flash because he always tries to find a solution to every problem. “He is a learner and wants to be involved,” says Murillo. “He always tries to find the process to the solution, he takes into consideration how things were done in the past and uses that as a reference, and [considers] whether or not it can be solved by the division, or if other depart-
ments or staff and faculty needs to be involved.” Flash says he is looking forward to accomplishing many goals, such as providing more resources to every student who needs them. “I want to look into ways to get affordable textbooks for students, provide more tutors for more students, and online tutoring for students who are parents and have to work and don’t have the time to get that face-to-face tutoring needed,” he says. Flash adds that he wants to see the college’s resources help students on a larger scale. “I want more students to reach their dreams this year than last year,” he says. Flash and the Distance Education Department are partnering with the Behavioral and Social Sciences Division to pilot a program to improve faculty readiness for online instruction. According to Flash, this program can be beneficial for students who can’t attend courses on campus throughout their college career. “We are planning to expand it to be a full program,” says Flash. “I want to create an atmosphere of hope.” · · ·
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Through Jan. 18
Settle down for a long winter s break.
December 9, 2015
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SPORTS
City College athelete slips hold of his past
Isaac Pilgrim finds brotherhood in Panthers wrestling after a life in foster care, military
City College wrestler Isaac Pilgrim (right) is ranked No. 5 in the state in the 133-pound weight class. ¦ Photo by Dianne Rose · dianne.rose.express@gmail.com
Kristopher Hooks
Sports Editor · khooksexpress@gmail.com
When a wrestler goes out onto the mat, it’s him or her against a single opponent. But as many City College wrestlers will say, the Panthers are more than that. The camaraderie between the athletes makes them like a family of brothers, and it’s that unity that appealed to one of the Panthers’ top wrestlers. Between trying to fit in with new teammates at City College and trying to survive in a new city, Isaac Pilgrim, a 23-year-old out of Fresno, California, had a tumultuous first year in Sacramento. “To be honest, there were some times where he was pissing some people off,” Pacheco said. “It’s like sometimes he had these demons in him that he just holds on to. But he’s worked on it.” Pilgrim spent the majority of his life in the foster care system searching for some stability. At 4 years old, he was taken away from his biological parents, two people whose names he doesn’t even know. You could put something here about how the wrestling has also given him stability— does he say anything to that effect? “I think my biological parents were addicted to drugs,” Pilgrim said. “I remember them getting taken away, and that’s
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pretty much the last thing I remember.” He moved into a foster home with a woman he says took him in for the money. During the next 10 years, Pilgrim tried distancing himself from her. Once he got to high school, he began to sleep at his friends’ houses, and when he felt like he was overstaying his welcome, he says he even slept overnight in local parks. It wasn’t until his sophomore year in high school that he found a home with a new family. Pilgrim met his best friend Brandon Wright when the two wrestled together. Before they became friends, Wright said he only knew Pilgrim through mutual friends at school. “Honestly, when I first met him, I thought he was a [jerk],” Wright said jokingly. “But when I got to know him, I could tell he would do anything for his friends. He was like a big brother.” According to Wright, his parents, Billy and Lashandra Wright, always treated their children’s friends as family, no matter how long they’d known them. So once his parents found out that Pilgrim didn’t have anywhere to stay, they welcomed him into their home. “People always ask me, ‘Do you ever want to search for your biological parents?’ and I always say no every time,” Pilgrim said. “In the basically five years · · ·
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that [Billy and Lashandra] had me, they taught me so much that I needed to learn growing up. They never shunned me away, they never turned their backs on me, and they’ve always supported me as much as they could, even though I wasn’t necessarily theirs.” After graduating high school, Pilgrim went back out on his own, moving to the Bay Area to wrestle at Santa Rosa Junior College. He spent one semester there, but he couldn’t afford Bay Area rent. In 2012, he decided to join the Marines because he said he knew that they’d pay him.
I wanted to be a part of, not just a wrestling community, but a wrestling family.
Isaac Pilgrim
City College wrestler
He served for two years, doing a sixmonth tour in South Korea, but he later realized that, too, wasn’t for him. After two years in the Marines, Pilgrim reached out to City College wrestling coach David Pacheco about competing for the Panthers. “As I got out of the military, I realized that I wanted to continue wrestling,
and I always remembered the camaraderie and the coaching staff [at City College],” Pilgrim said. “I wanted to be a part of, not just a wrestling community, but a wrestling family. That’s pretty much what led me to come to Sac City.” When he came here, Pilgrim said he paid two months up front for a unit at Public Storage in Downtown Sacramento. He worked a few jobs on campus, went to practice, and then slept in the storage unit. On top of that, Pilgrim said he was the new guy on the wrestling team who didn’t click with anyone and always stayed to himself. “I’ve seen a big turnaround since last fall when he first started working out with us,” Pacheco said. Pilgrim later moved out of the storage unit and, according to Pacheco, began staying with one of his teammates. Since that year, Pilgrim, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the state at 133 pounds, said that he’s clicked with his teammates and has even found a brotherhood in the City College wrestling program. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of a great team,” Pilgrim said. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like the program coach [David] Pacheco and coach [Walter Ulrich] built here. I’d say I’ve found what I wanted.”
SPORTS
City College basketball season underway
Men, women s teams look to bounce back after disappointing 2014-2015 campaigns Justin Valdez
Staff Writer · justinvaldezexpress@gmail.com
Chemistry is a focal point this fall semester in the City College gym, but not the kind that’s taught as part of a science class. Instead this type of chemistry is between the players of the men’s basketball team. It’s an important part of the success lacking from a season ago according to Panthers point guard Devin Joseph. “The main difference I see is we are doing things collectively as a group, and we’re staying with it,” Joseph said. “Our whole mentality and principles so far this season [have] been to be together.” Last season the men’s team finished last in the Big 8 Conference with a 2-12 record (8-19 overall). Looking ahead to this season’s conference play, however, head coach Andrew Jones says he believes experience will help bring the team success. “The best thing that happened from last season to this season is we have a lot of freshman back,” Jones said. “Virtually our whole front line [is] sophomores, so they got a lot of time last year, and that helped them improve.” The Panthers, who have started the season 6-3, have a balanced roster of six incoming freshmen and six sophomores, and even though the team is lacking in size, with the tallest player measuring 6 feet 5 inches tall, they make up for it with ball movement and unselfishness, according to Panthers forward sophomore Arnie Vargas. Although the team opened up the James Clark Classic tournament at Consumes River College on Dec. 3 with a loss, the Panthers went on to win their next two games including the Consolation Championship against Siskiyous. Jones
City College head coach Andrew Jones talks to his team during a timeout in the first half of the game against Feather River College Dec. 3. Photo by Kristopher Hooks · khooksexpress@gmail.com
attributes the team’s early success to the player’s close-knit relationship. “We’re not relying on any one person. We’re definitely a more together team,” said Jones. “I don’t see a lot of selfishness. I don’t see a lot of ‘me, me, me’, we’re team oriented.” The men’s basketball team isn’t the only program looking to have a turnaround season from last year. After leading the women’s basketball team to a 5-21 overall record (2-12 conference) in her first year as head coach, Julia Allender says she hopes her team will be
City College teammates Mikaila Royster (left) and Aleea Reese discuss the play during the fourth quarter of the game against San Francisco City College Nov. 21. ¦ Photo by Dianne Rose · dianne.rose.express@gmail.com
relevant in a very competitive division. “I know I’m playing in the toughest conference, if not in the state, definitely in Northern California,” Allender said, “but from this point on, I expect the program to just get better and better and compete for a Big 8 championship every year.” Unlike last year, experience is one of the Panthers’ strengths this season. The roster consists of eight sophomores and five freshmen. One freshmen, however, has been a real bright spot for City College, according to Allender. This season redshirt freshman Jessica Lauderdale is second on the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) behind sophomore Aleea Reese (15.5 ppg). “I’d say [Jasmine] Bernardo and Lauderdale are the two most steady kids, but we get showings from all of them. That’s a huge difference from last year,” Allender said. The women’s team doesn’t just have new faces suiting up to play, it will have a new member of the coaching staff, too. Bob Roehl, the team’s new assistant coach, will be next to Allender, helping guide the team this season. Roehl brings an extensive resume with him to City College. In his career, he’s coached overseas in Denmark, in Silicon Valley at Menlo College and spent many years coaching high school basketball in the Bay Area, according to Allender. “He’s great. He’s one of the best,” Allender said. “It was always important to me as a head coach to keep people on my · · ·
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staff who are as good as me or are better and I have that with both my assistants.” The Panthers recently extended its record to 6-2 after winning the Consolation Championship game against Antelope Valley College in the Gilcrest Tournament at College of the Sequoias on Dec. 6. Allender believes moving forward the team will continue to make strides on becoming a better team.
I don t see a lot of selfishness. I don t see a lot of me, me, me , we re team oriented.
Andrew Jones Head Coach
“We improved so much from our first game. I’m looking forward to the improvement out of everybody,” said Allender. “It’s fun this year—it’s a lot of fun.” Although City College men and women’s basketball teams have already started their 2015-2016 seasons with separate out of town tournaments in November and early December, the only home game until January is Dec. 18 when the women take on Feather River College. The men’s basketball team doesn’t have a home game until they begin conference play against Sierra College on Jan. 5. December 9, 2015
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CITY MOMENTS
The new Student Services building opens for the start of the fall semester. Photo by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Friends of the Sept. 3 shooting victim Roman Gonzalez pay their respects at a candlelight vigil. Photo by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Family, friends, faculty and students gather on the second floor of the new Student Services building for the opening of the Emma gallery, a series of photos taken of and by City College student Emma Foley, who died over the summer. Photo by Vanessa Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Kj Duronslet and Michael Smith (left to right) help pass out condoms and candy to the student body near the City College cafe Nov. 3. Photo by Emily Peterson · emilypetersonexpress@gmail.com
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Express · December 9, 2015
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The team listens to input from students and faculty at an Oct. 7 forum. Photo by William Grubb · williamgrubbexpress@gmail.com
Tower Records Founder Russ Solomon debuts his Community photo gallery including portraits of integral members of Sacramento s community. ¦ Photo by Jessie Rooker · jessierookerexpress@gmail.com
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