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ASCC fills board
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ccclarion.com VOL. LXXV • Issue 3
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
BY SKYLR SCOTT
NEWS EDITOR
SSCOT T@CCCLARION.COM
At the end of August, ASCC filled eight empty positions left open due to low voter participation without formal announcement. The fall 2021 executive board members are as follows: n President: Daniel Caldera n Treasurer: Tae-Wan Kim n Student Trustee: Taylor McNeal n Legislative Liaison: Arvin Shahid n Senator: Hala Fakhoury n Senator: Jessie San n Commissioner-at-Large: Nancy Arita n Commissioner-at-Large: Hector Reyes n Commissioner of Inter-Club Council: Arianna Emajo Flores n Commission of Public Relations: Michelle Barragan After the April election, the executive board was made up of only a legislative liaison, student trustee, and three senators.
Read Board, Page 2
LUCY ARGAEZ - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Citrus student Rolando Zerimar practices the song “That Old Black Magic” on the baritone saxophone with Blue Note on Sept. 15 outside the Haugh PAC.
Unsung hero recognized Bookstore services supervisor honored for going above and beyond for students and staff BY SKYLR SCOTT
NEWS EDITOR
SSCOT T@CCCLARION.COM
Michael Bilbrey joined Citrus College in 1984 as a student employee, and is now being recognized as an unsung hero for his contributions. Bilbrey was the glue that held Citrus together when the school went remote and into a wave of uncertainty throughout the pandemic. His work ethic and dedication did not go unnoticed. His title as the bookstore services supervisor extended beyond taking care of the Owl Bookshop. Enterprise Services Manager, Eric Magallon, who has known Bilbrey since the 2nd grade, said “Michael cares about his job and others. He strives to do the best job possible and will work as hard as possible until the job is done.” Bilbrey has worked with ASCC, California School Employees Association, California Public Employees’ Retirement System, students, faculty and staff in more ways than one. While students were scrambling to find classes and other college related information, Bilbrey was happy to help in any way he could, Transportation and Warehouse Coordinator and CSEA President Jorge Cortez said. Cortez said Bilbrey won the Unsung Hero Award because he
“has been up top with CSEA...He has been on governing boards, he’s gone all the way up to Sacramento and he’s been very involved with our union” Cortez said throughout COVID-19, Bilbrey and his department kept the school afloat. While the campus was closed, he helped the purchasing department by scheduling trucks and taking in all the shipments. Cortez said the usual process of nominating people for the Unsung Hero Award includes the board coming together and listing a BILBREY few possible nominees along with reasons as to why they should win. “This year, I brought up Michael Bilbrey and it was hands down... they were like, that’s perfect. We were all in agreeance, so it was an easy one to do,” Cortez said. On the CSEA nomination form, Coretz said Bilbrey had gone above and beyond when accommodating all departments and assisting students “all while keeping his fellow classified CSEA safe and informed of any changes to COVID-19 protocols.”
Read Hero, Page 2
Vaccine clinics planned STAFF REPORT
CONTACT@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus College is hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the campus center building across two dates in October. First and second doses will be given from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8.
A second dose-only clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29. The clinic will be open to students, employees and the community. Students who are fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 will be eligible for a $150 Owl Bookshop
gift card, an email to campus said. Additional details will be announced soon. To sign up, visit myturn.ca.gov and enter “Citrus College” as your location. The email said to make sure to register as an individual, not a group.
Dean of CTE takes new job BY AARON DEL CASTILLO-GUTIERREZ
STAFF REPORTER
AGUTIERREZ@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus College’s Dean of Career and Technical Education is leaving Citrus after being with the school for four years. Michael Wangler joined Citrus College in 2017 as dean of mathematics and business. He later became the interim dean of Career and Technical Education before accepting a permanent position in 2019. He accepted a position as a director of institutional support at Growing Inland Achievement. He will be working with the 12 community colleges in the Inland Empire to strengthen guided pathways. Current Dean of Mathematics and Business Victoria Dominguez worked with Wangler when she was math faculty and later when she became a dean.
Dominguez said she worked with him on implementing AB 705 at Citrus and developing a corequisite course for introductory statistics, which she said was “very exciting because we were doing something very new.” Vice President of Academic Affairs Joumana McGowan said she enjoyed working with Wangler. “We met for the first time at a dean meeting in December of 2020,” McGowan said. “He was nice, very respectful, and very involved with his staff and he was a great team player.” In his time at Citrus, Wangler enjoyed finding challenges and helping math teachers and students succeed, McGowan said. Wangler has a master’s degree from the University of California, Riverside, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. A memo from Citrus College said that he started teaching earth
science at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon and was a member of the academic senate. “We are immensely grateful for all the contributions that Mr. Michael W a n g l e r has made during his time at Citrus College, and wish him nothing but WANGLER the best in his new position,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Joumana McGowan said in the memo. After 16 years at Cuyamaca College, Wangler started and managed a successful organic food manufacturing business in Idyllwild, the memo said. Wangler was called and emailed four times between Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 but did not respond for an interview.
2 Tuesday, September 21, 2021
News
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Board from Page 2
LUCY ARGAEZ - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Citrus student Christepher Abeja sings “Porque te Conoci” in preparation for a show during Hispanic Heritage month at the Sept. 15 Blue Note rehearsal. CITRUS COLLEGE
CLARION Lucy Argaez editor-in-chief Justin George managing editor Skylr Scott news editor Emily Beltran Circulation Manager Staff Reporters: Natalie Castillo, Alexandra Tapia, Aaron Del Castillo-Gutierrez, Ashlee Tulk, Jesse Rivera, Anthony Rossi, Brandy Mullen, Christopher Jauregui, Mina Hunley, Miranda Palmas Clarion advisers Patrick Schmiedt Stacy K. Long
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LUCY ARGAEZ - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Citrus student Jenny Carlson rehearses the song “That Old Black Magic” and keeps in time with the band Blue Note at their practice on Sept. 15.
Football opens strong BY AARON DEL CASTILLO-GUTIERREZ STAFF REPORTER
AGUTIERREZ@CCCLARION.COM
The Citrus Owls football team started its season with two victories against Chaffey College and College of the Desert and one loss against Grossmont. The Owls lost in a close game 42-39 Sept. 18 making it their first loss of the season. The Owls won their first game against Chaffey Sept. 4, winning by a score of 21-16, and their second game against College of
the Desert on Sept. 11, winning by a score of 62-32. They hope to win future games by sticking to their assignment and alignment, avoiding penalties, avoiding contracting COVID-19 and keeping their bodies healthy. Hayashi said the team experienced new COVID-19 challenges while training and playing such as wearing masks inside their helmets, testing twice weekly and limiting time together. “A lot of athletes are mostly
hands-on or visual learners, so it’s kind of tough when there’s no hands-on or legitimate visuals” for them, Hayashi said. Assistant coach for the Owls, Kevin Puckett, former player for Citrus football said, “It’s fun when you see the results, you know, when you prepare for something and the results are coming out the way you prepared for them.” Shane Virnala, another assistant coach for the Owls, was emailed twice between Sept. 13 and Sept. 14 but did not respond for an interview.
Hero from Page 2
Before the pandemic, the Unsung Hero Award was given at a hotel banquet to properly recognize the nominee, but due to social distancing restrictions, it was held via Zoom. A regional CSEA representative presented Bilbrey his award, but Coretz went to greater lengths to ensure he was properly recognized. He said he honored Bilbrey’s accomplishment again at CSEA’s chapter meeting on Zoom, and again in a monthly staff email. Board of Trustees President Patricia Rasmussen and then Superintendent/President Geraldine Perri sent out an email April 14, recognizing Bilbrey of his accomplishments, hard work and
Senator Jessie San was one of the few that were elected formally during the April elections. San said in an email she utilized social media to her advantage by campaigning through group chats from classes and making class announcements. San said she does not have experience in student government, but she is president of the Model United Nations at Citrus which has made her familiar with formal speech and procedures of student government. Due to protective health measures and lack of social engagement, voter turnout was low, Caldera said in an email. “Once we began sending out mass emails and utilizing social media, we began to have more and more people submitting applications to be involved,” Caldera said. He said he gathered over 30 willing students and personally interviewed them through Zoom to fill the open positions. Treasurer Tae-Wan Kim said in an email interview that he was appointed Aug. 31, after the semester started. He also said he has no experience in student government but is familiar with leadership roles. He said he “read a lot about Economics” and is also a business major, which he believes could be beneficial in making governing decisions at Citrus. Kim said his goal is to make a positive difference at Citrus and is looking forward to a student event where they feel engaged and safe. Caldera also said many of the appointees have previous student government experience in high school or work in related leadership positions. Commissioner-at-Large Nancy Arita, who was also elected in late August, said in an email she was active in high school leadership clubs as President of Renaissance and AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination. “I was involved in organizing community service events with my city,” said Arita. “In those years, I learned a lot about my community. I learned about the areas in my community that needed more help and organized service events to give more attention to projects.” Despite the overall lack of experience of the board members, Caldera is optimistic about what they will do for ASCC. “I sincerely believe we have an amazing ASCC executive board consisting of students who possess natural leadership abilities, compassion, understanding, and are just all-around amazing people who just want to make a difference and set the example for future owl’s to emulate,” Caldera said. dedication seen throughout the last year. “We celebrated him as best we could,” said Coretz. Magallon said Bilbrey was nominated for the ABCD award and will receive it in November. Citrus is currently liquidating the Owl Bookshop and outsourcing its operations, Cortez said. “It kind of sucks because I presented him the award and my next conversation was...we need to find something else for you now,” Cortez said. The district is still deciding on a book vendor and where Bilbrey would best fit. Bilbrey was emailed multiple times between Aug. 11 and Sept. 3 and did not respond to interview requests.
News
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 3
CLARION
Review
Ancient alien makes contact
Paranormal expert writes about his experiences and communication with paranormal beings BY JUSTIN GEORGE
MANAGING EDITOR
JGEORGE@CCCLARION.COM
Oftentimes when people picture aliens, the green, scaly skinned, humanesque creatures from popular works of fiction come to mind. However, a Citrus professor paints a much different picture. In his new book “Anzar the Progenitor,” Bruce Solheim, who teaches history courses at Citrus College, shares his story of alien contact through documented experiences. Anzar is an ancient alien mystic who Solheim says he has been in regular contact with since 2018. Solheim contacts Anzar often on his meditative “spirit walks,” where he exchanges messages with the Anzar and his late longtime friend Gene Thorkildsen, who are his
spirit guides. A philosophy Solheim reiterates throughout the book is that the quantum, spirit and alien worlds are one, and that all who inhabit this “quantum nexus” are related. The role given to Solheim by Anzar is to be a voice of comfort and help others transition as their understanding of the universe shifts. The messages Solheim receives on his spirit walks, despite often being cryptic and fragmented, carry dire warnings for humanity. Although no specific dates or details are given in their predictions, Anzar, Gene and others foretell a series of catastrophes accelerated by greed, partisan politics and disease. As it would so happen, COVID-19, the unrest after the
“‘Anzar the Progenitor’ is inspiring in the way that it makes readers think beyond the material world to gain a more complete understanding of the universe.” killing of George Floyd and the capitol insurrection would follow these warnings. How readers are supposed to look at these coincidences and alien figures and not conclude Solheim is making them up is unclear, but Solheim says in his book that he would not take such a bold risk to his academic career if his writings weren’t true. Solheim also addresses that the
study of the paranormal is flawed. The existence of telepathy, ghosts, UFOs and aliens is supported by experiencers like Solheim, who are instantly written off as coocoo and evidence, which the government can’t be trusted to disclose. After learning of Solheim’s experience with aliens, it is clear that no government can disclose the existence of aliens in the amount of detail that experiencers can. Solheim stresses the importance of not waiting for the government to disclose the existence of aliens and listening to those who have experienced alien contact themselves. “Anzar the Progenitor” is inspiring in the way that it makes readers think beyond the material world to gain a more complete understanding of the universe.
Some readers may find that they themselves have had paranormal experiences but were never taken seriously due to stigma. Solheim’s approach is to tell his personal truth boldly, and hopefully readers are encouraged to do the same. In addition to traditional history courses, Solheim teaches a “paranormal personal history” course at Citrus, which began in 2018. In 1999, Solheim told a colleague about Anzar and was called a “spacey dude.” His novel is the first time he has opened up about Anzar since then. Despite the catastrophes Anzar warned of and the anxiety it has caused Solheim, one piece of wisdom reappears in each bit of advice Anzar gives Solheim: always operate from a position of love.
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The American Veterans Honor Guard presents an American flag for soldiers who were never given a proper military funeral Nov. 1, 2012, at the seventh annual “Saluting Our Veterans” appreciation celebration on campus.
Donor gifts $26,500 Anonymous person gives a large donation to the Veterans Sucess Center BY KATIE MCGRUDER
STAFF REPORTER
CONTACT@CCCLARION.COM
An anonymous donor gifted Citrus College’s Veterans Success Center $26,500 that will be used to help veterans achieve their academic and professional goals. The donation was given to Citrus by a first-time donor whose goal was to help support veterans and their families, a Citrus College press release said. Citrus College is known for being a veteran-friendly school. It has been recognized for this achievement 11 years in a row, the press release said. “We are grateful for this donation, which will allow Citrus College to enhance the student veteran experience further by scaling up plans and accelerating timelines to
implement an invaluable student veteran peer mentor programs,” Vice President of Student Services Richard Rams said. The launch of the student veteran peer mentor program will assist veterans who are entering college for the first time, the press release said. Current veteran students at Citrus College will be trained to assist the incoming veterans with their needs. The program will “provide access to resources that support the completion of their academic and professional goals,” the press release said. Through the peer mentor program, mentors and mentees work together to create a smooth transition into the college experience, the press release said. Mentors will be taught
“leadership skills, new knowledge related to coping skills and strategies and an expanded career network,” the press release said. The goal of the program is for mentees to have a smooth transition into the academic environment, be exposed to transfer opportunities and other educational support, the press release said. Director of the Veteran Success Center Maria D. Buffo was contacted twice between May 28 and June 1 but did not respond to requests for an interview. Former Superintendent/ President Geraldine M. Perri said in the release that Citrus College takes its veteran program seriously, and the men and women who have bravely served this country deserve to be given the resources they need to succeed in college.
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