Vol. 71, Ed. 2

Wednesday 10.23.19

Horrors for October Five flicks to set the Halloween mood

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C URRENT American River College Sacramento, Calif.

The

Photo by Thomas Cathey | Sports Editor

Kelvin Burt (left) and Joshua Harris (right) are two of the first students who started Brothers Breaking Barriers, which aims to create a space that supports men of color on the American River Campus.

Brothers Breaking Barriers provides positive space for students of color

By Thomas Cathey tcathey1196@gmail.com Joshua Harris, a student and former campus patrolman for American River College, hopes to help out students on campus in a different way this semester.

After originating as an occasional workshop, Brothers Breaking Barriers has now become a permanent organization at ARC.

As it became institutionalized, Harris was brought in as its student coordinator.

“Brothers Breaking Barriers is a student-led organization,” Harris said. “It’s been institutionalized, so ARC is able to give us more resources that way, which I’m really grateful for … We want to build a community with one another.”

Harris asserts that a positive and helpful community of peers is essential for students of color who

plan to transfer to a four-year university and excel in higher education. According to Harris, Brothers Breaking Barriers was constructed through plenty of research and preparation in order to best serve students.

“In the research that’s been done in helping to cultivate this program,” Harris said. “It was found that a lot of men of color find a way to root themselves in a big university system and reach

their educational goals a lot easier when they have a community of peers and faculty members they can turn to for day-to-day things and assistance with their particular student needs.”

This is Brothers Breaking Barriers’ first semester as a permanent organization at ARC. Before, it was just a workshop hosted on campus.

“We wanted to talk about toxic masculinity and to deconstruct

Vol. 71 Ed. 2

Football Family Grandson of former head coach takes on the season

Page 6

the idea of it. It was a really positive space for all men to be in,” Harris said.

While Harris is the student coordinator and a leader of the organization, he was not the only one involved in launching Brothers Breaking Barriers.

“This was something that was started by my friends, Demelvae Brown and Kelvin Burt,” Harris said.

“They brought me in and I’ve just been carrying the torch, dedicating time to it to help it grow.”

Kelvin Burt, instructional assistant in the Dusty Baker Center at ARC, hosted the original workshop along with Josef Preciado, the Director of California Apprenticeship Initiatives at ARC. For Burt, the purpose of the workshop was to provide resources and support for students of marginalized communities outside of the classroom.

“I just started to think about what I could do to help,” Burt said.

“What do these students need outside of the classroom that they are not getting?”

What drew Burt in was the desire to help students that identify with a marginalized community, like himself.

“I got involved because as a student and a student of color, there’s a need to support [students like me],” Burt said. “I saw that students that identify from marginalized communities: African Americans, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and Asian Pacific Islanders are struggling with their core classes, graduating and retaining [according to the campus data].”

Dean of Equity Programs and Pathways Joshua Moon Johnson noticed the efforts of Burt, Brown and Harris and decided to make Brothers Breaking Barriers a permanent establishment on campus.

Brothers | Page 2

Controversial flyer sparks campus-wide debate

By Jennah Booth

jennahpage@gmail.com A flyer posted outside of the UNITE office in the HUB ignited controversy among both staff and students, and prompted a formal apology from American River College President Thomas Greene.

The flyer which read, “Masculine black men; check your male privilege before entering,” was posted without explanation by paid UNITE interns after internal dialogues about misogyny, according to Joshua Moon Johnson, Dean of Student Services, Equity Programs and Pathways.

“The student interns were having conversations around women of color … and the experiences they have within the black com-

munity,” Moon Johnson said in an interview with the Current. “From that dialogue, it became an 8 and a half by 11 word document printed sign that was placed on the glass door in the UNITE office.”

The flyer was removed on Oct. 8, about a week after it was posted, when a faculty email thread brought attention to the poster’s wording, with many faculty members pointing out that the language seemed discriminatory towards black men.

Greene addressed the situation in a faculty email on Oct. 9.

“The sign was part of the work Black student HUB leaders were doing in exploring issues related to sexism and misogyny,” he wrote. “[T]he sign was posted in a way that individuals not involved

in this dialogue saw it, and became concerned and upset about the language. The sign did not provide the necessary context or background.”

Although they were asked for clarification, staff members within UNITE and the Equity Programs initially refused to explain the exact context of the poster to their colleagues in the faculty email thread, saying it would instigate misinformation.

In his faculty email response, UNITE Faculty Coordinator Rod Agbunag said he would be willing to explain the context to those who wished to reach out to him individually.

“I know many of you are upset (by) what the sign implicates, but please know there is a lot of

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A flyer ignited a campus-wide conversation after this photo, taken by an unknown person, was shared in an American River College faculty email thread, as well as on Reddit and Twitter.

context behind why this sign has been posted,” he wrote in a faculty email. “If you would like to know more on why this sign has been posted, I am willing to meet with you in person to explain or feel

/ARCurrent.com

ARC THEATRE

PAGE 4

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ brings puppets to the main stage

free to contact me directly.”

Agbunag has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Current.

UNITE flyer | Page 3

2

Oct. 23, 2019

ASB NOTEBOOK

NEWS

For weekly coverage of ARC student government, go to ARCurrent.com

ASB APPROVES BUSINESS CARD BILL, PREPS FOR SILENT DISCO EVENT

By Brandon Zamora b14Zamora@gmail.com The American River College Associated Student Body Senate met Oct. 18 to vote on two bills regarding business cards for the senate members, a silent disco event on campus and new topics for future board meetings.

The first bill the board passed was the Senate Bill F19 - XX, the business cards bill. The bill, which passed in a unanimous decision, would allow the senate to spend $1,000 for business cards for ASB officers to help promote the professional name and function of ASB. “It’ll come in handy because students have come up to us and asked for our name and a way to contact us,” Senator Sha-Toyia Anderson said. “This way, people can reach out to us.”

The Senate also passed the Achieve Silent Disco bill, which will allow the board to spend $400 on

Photo by Alexis Warren | Opinion and Social Media Editor

The American River College Associated Student Body Senate board met on Sept. 20 to discuss and pass two bills beneficial to ARC students.

food and $200 on drinks for the Achieve Center’s upcoming Silent Disco event on Oct. 22.

According to ASB President Aesha Abduljabbar, the event will be held in the Community Rooms at the Student Center from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“It’s to get first-generation stu-

dents to attend but it’s open to all students,” Abduljabbar said. “It’s meant to help out students. We’re here for you.”

Next, the topic of gender neutral restrooms was brought up as a discussion topic for a future board meeting. Many board members

claimed that there aren’t many gender neutral restrooms on campus besides the one in the Student Center, and they not only want to add more, but make sure they’re safe for everyone to use.

The board also discussed wanting to create a specially trained team that will consist of students, staff and other faculty members to help warn students about certain protests that come on campus. According to the Senate, ARC recognizes free speech, but the board also understands that some protests on campus are about sensitive topics such as religion or debate political issues that may be offensive to some students.

This team would help warn students ahead of time about controversial types of protests that come on campus so they are prepared or can try to avoid them all together when navigating the campus.

There will be no senate meeting on Oct. 25. The next meeting will be on Nov. 1 at 10:30 a.m.

C

The

URRENT An American River College student-run publication.

Editor-in-Chief Jennah Booth Managing Editor Ariel Caspar Photo Editor Emily Mello Opinion & Social Media Editor Alexis Warren Sports Editor Thomas Cathey Staff Colin Bar tley Marquala Brown Josh Ghiorso Jack Harris Bram Mar tinez Oden Taylor Brandon Zamora Faculty Adviser Rachel Leibrock Photo Advisers Josh Clemens Jill Wagner Student Worker Ashley Hayes-Stone

(File Photo)

Brothers Breaking Barriers originated as a workshop at American River College aimed to change the narrative surrounding men of color. Now, as an institutionalized program, Brothers Breaking Barriers hopes to create a community for men of color on ARC’s campus.

Brothers Breaking Barriers supports men of color on campus Cont. from page 1 “Young people must hold older g “The dean of Equity saw something that could really be beneficial for students here on campus and he wanted to keep moving forward with it,” Harris said. “They were gracious enough to offer me the opportunity to become the student coordinator.”

“We wanted to talk about toxic masculinity and to deconstruct the idea of it. It was a really positive space for all men to be in.”

Joshua Harris

Student coordinator for Brother Breaking Barriers Currently, one of the issues the club faces has to do with the availability of its participants and trying to find a meeting time that works for everyone. But Harris ac-

cepts that working around the schedules of others is part of his responsibility.

“A lot of what Brothers Breaking Barriers is about student needs.

Students have schedules that they need to adhere to,” he said.

“They’ve got stuff going on outside of school in their personal life. For me, trying to get people integrated into the club and into the program and helping them get the best that they can out of it is about navigating around their other responsibilities.”

The club meets every other Thursday in the ARC club room, from 3 to 4 p.m. Despite the initial struggle of setting a proper meeting time, Harris is pleased with the turnout of the club’s participants.

“I think a lot of what men don’t have on this campus is a space where they can talk about things pertaining to themselves, amongst one another,” Harris said.

“When you have peer support, you can open up to somebody who can understand you a lot more because you can talk about relatable topics and see things from a shared perspective.”

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POLICY

CORRECTIONS In Volume 71, Edition 1 of The Current, the following corrections are listed: In Edition 1 on page 3, the Current incorrectly stated that Deborah Hernandez “attempted to get Gonzalez-Miranda a cancellation of removal letter, which grants an undocumented person a green card as long as the person meets specific requirements.”

Hernandez said she attempted to get Gonzalez-Miranda a letter in support of cancellation of removal, which would persuade the immigration judge to temporarily suspend Gonzalez-Miranda’s deportation so that he would be able to released on bond.

The Current is produced by the students of College Media Production, J410-413. All opinions are signed and not necessarily endorsed by the Current staff. All letters and articles appearing in the Editorial, Opinion or Forum sections are not necessarily representative of the Current staff or American River College policy.

All articles are the property of the Current. Letters must be typed and can be submitted by mail, e-mail or in person at the following addresses: The American River Current 4700 College Oak Drive Portable Village 613A Sacramento, CA 95841 Phone: 916-484-8304 Fax: 916-484-8668 E-mail: Current@arc.losrios.edu www.ARCurrent.com

3

Oct. 23, 2019

NEWS

(File Photo)

American River College President Thomas Greene will retire in June 2020 after almost six years in his position. Los Rios Chancellor Brian King and the Los Rios Community College Board of Trustees will be responsible for finding Greene’s replacement.

ARC President Thomas Greene to retire in 2020 SEARCH FOR A REPLACEMENT WILL BEGIN IN SPRING 2020

By Bram Martinez bramster1@gmail.com American River College President Thomas Greene will retire from his position on June 30, 2020.

Greene first came to ARC in Au-

gust 2014 to replace former president David Viar, who then became president of the Glendale Community College District, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.

“As principal, my main func-

tion is to support faculty and staff, who are incredible people and it continues to be an honor to be a member of this community,” Greene wrote in an email interview with the Current.

ARC’s Vice President of Administrative Services, Kuldeep Kaur said Greene had an impact on the ARC community.

“He provided outstanding leadership in helping ARC raise private

philanthropic support for our new STEM facility to equip it with cutting edge technologies,” Kaur said.

Greene said one of the reasons for his retirement is that he wants to pursue humanitarian ventures with his wife.

“We are also looking at joining the Peace Corps or other, similar volunteer opportunities as a way, outside of education, to serve, and make a positive difference in oth-

ers’ lives,” Greene said.

After Greene retires he says he is interested in hiking at various places, like the Camino De Santiago, as well as areas in Wales, Scotland and South America.

The search for a new president will begin next semester.

“ARC will start searching for a replacement for me in spring 2020, the way in which they do so will be with the community’s input, which is a concern to the Board of Trustees,” Greene said.

The qualifications and process of selecting applicants for his position will be determined by the Los Rios Chancellor Brian King and the Los Rios Board of Trustees, according to Greene.

“They gather feedback about the characteristics necessary to effectively lead the college, they then check internally and externally for candidates,” Greene said.

After the replacement is hired, Greene says they will have some shoes to fill.

“They are part of an important community, and as president, making a difference is less about creating something, and more about fixing the issues for our students and faculty,” Greene said, as advice to his replacement.

Kaur said Greene guided the campus through a critical time.

“Greene played a vital role in supporting the college as we worked through the process of developing a new strategic plan, which included a new vision, mission and commitment to social justice and equity,” Kaur said.

Greene’s parting words to students are simple.

“Life is not always fair or easy so be tenacious in the pursuit of your goals. You are worth it,” Greene said.

UNITE flyer prompts speculation and public apologies Cont. from page 1 Satya Chima, equity supervisor for ARC’s Equity Programs & Pathways program, also did not clarify the context of the poster in her email response to faculty, but instead said the Equity Program staff fully supported the posting of the sign.

“The situation which led to this sign being put up, by both Black men and women UNITE interns, was fully supported and continues to be fully supported by Equity Programs staff and faculty coordinators,” she wrote. “Please know that we are willing to engage in a dialogue about this with you individually, rather than on a public forum which often results in much more misunderstanding than clarity.”

Chima also did not respond to the Current’s request for an interview.

Moon Johnson said that while he understands the mentality that prompted the initial faculty email and he agreed that the impact of the poster needed to be addressed, he also believes the issue with the poster could have been handled better with an in-person conversation rather than via a faculty email thread.

“Our typical approach as Equity programs … is, when someone does something that’s micro-aggressive … hurtful, or offensive to you, the best approach typically is

to inquire, ask questions, assume good intentions and approach it with humility,” he said. “Typically that’s done best face-to-face. That was not done in this situation.”

With no official explanation as to the context of the sign, staff, students and commenters on a public Reddit thread about the flyer were left to speculate, many noting that the sign seemed to generalize and single out an entire group of people. Some commenters wrote that the flyer was in response to an internal incident within UNITE, although they didn’t provide any evidence to support the claim, nor was it clear if the commenters had any actual internal knowledge of the situation.

“The sign was in response to an incident that happened weeks before and the student that works within the center decided to post this on the door,” one anonymous Reddit commenter wrote. “Thing is the person who took this photo knew what the sign was referring to but still sent the photo to staff.”

Moon Johnson did not directly confirm or deny the speculation that a specific incident prompted the flyer.

“I think a challenge with saying that this poster is in response to one woman’s isolated experiences is to say that sexism and misogyny only happened one time,” he said.

“In UNITE’s perspective, we don’t address individual specific experiences. We’re looking societally

and institutionally and when a sign is put up like that, it’s because sexism and misogyny is rampant everywhere.”

Joshua Harris, one of the UNITE interns who was part of the dialogue that prompted the flyer, said he wanted to clarify that the flyer’s intention was not to single out a specific person, but instead call out a system of oppression. “[O]ur job is to protect and open up a safe space for all of the students here on campus, especially marginalized students and students of color,” he said. “I don’t want the impression to be that we would ever use our position as student interns to … try and drag somebody else’s character down.

That’s not what we stand for.”

On Oct. 10, UNITE held a closed door College Dialogue on Masculinity & Communities of Color addressing the poster; the meeting was open to both students and faculty, but was not open to the media.

While reporters for the Current were allowed in the meeting as participants, they were asked by administration not to report on the meeting. CBS 13 reporters who were on campus at the time were also not allowed to report on the meeting.

According to Greene’s initial email, those who wished for clarification regarding the context of the sign could attend the UNITE dialogue, or reach out to Moon

Johnson who facilitated the event.

“I think that whole meeting, it definitely had a lot of emotions and a lot of people talked about hurt and anger, specifically around racism and specifically around anti-black racism,” he said.

“Some of the conversation did revolve around experiences here at American River College, but the themes that people were bringing up are true across society.”

“I know many of you are upset (by) what the sign implicates, but please know there is a lot of context behind why this sign has been posted.”

Rod Agbunag

UNITE Faculty Coordinator

Since the UNITE meeting, no other explanation for the poster has been made public by the school to students or staff who could not attend the meeting, but Greene issued a formal apology on behalf of the college in an email sent to students on Oct. 11.

“To all of you in the ARC community who do not feel welcomed and included, particularly in our African American community,

please know that I care, and I am listening,” he wrote.

According to Greene, additional counseling services will be available to students who were negatively affected.

“Your voice is also important in next steps to create a more welcoming environment for all students,” he wrote in his apology.

“We will be providing opportunities for our community to come together to dialogue, learn and heal.”

According to an ARC Communications email sent to students Oct. 18, ARC will hold a facilitated Talking Circle on Thursday, Oct. 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Student Center community rooms 3 and 4.

The Talking Circle will address the flyer and provide a space for students to express their feelings without interruption.

Agbunag also issued a public apology on UNITE’s social media pages on Oct. 14.

“As the Faculty Coordinator, I take full accountability for allowing the poster to be placed on the door,” he wrote. “[I] hope over time, I can show through my actions where my heart and intentions stand. I may make mistakes along the way and if so, I plan to remain accountable and learn from them.”

4

Oct. 23, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

Best horror movies to shake up your October “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) directed by Jon-

By Colin Bartley colinbartley99@gmail.com With Halloween around the corner and a semi-recent revival of the horror film genre taking place, you may be looking for some hidden gems or a reminder of the best classics. Either way, this list offers something for you to spice up your October.

Photo courtesy of Orion Pictures

athan Demme While “The Silence of the Lambs” lends itself more towards crime drama than horror, at its core it is one of the best examples of a psychological thriller.

Throughout the entire film the audience is kept in suspense, knowing the genuine threat of its primary antagonist, Hannibal Lector. Director Jonathan Demme tackles rather heavy themes of mental illness and identity under the backdrop of a chase for a crazed killer. All of this is wonderfully brought together by the acting of Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, who really bring the story to life.

“Train to Busan” (2016) directed by Yeon Sang-ho At first glance this may look

like another generic zombie movie. Zombie movies seem to be a bit overdone in recent years. “Train to Busan” works to revitalize the genre in a unique way. Taking place in Korea, it tells the story of a family surviving a zombie outbreak. What makes it unique is that it is a drama first and horror movie second, Director Yeon Sang-ho focuses more on its characters lives rather than the horror that surrounds them.

Gong Yoo plays a father fighting against hordes of zombies to reunite with his daughter.

“Halloween” (1978) directed

by John Howard Carpenter The original “Halloween” is a must watch simply because of its impact in the horror genre.

While it may not be as terrifying or shocking in comparison to more recent horror movies, it still has some genuinely intense scenes. The story, which may

seem a bit tired by modern standards, is held up by the excellent cinematography from director John Carpenter, who shot scenes featuring the terrifying Michael Myers, played by Tony Moran, in tight confined spaces to give an almost claustrophobic effect.

Jamie Lee Curtis also delivers an impeccable performance as Laurie that launched her career.

by Gunnar Hansen, is a genuinely shocking and iconic scene. If you are looking for slightly more lighthearted horror for Halloween, this is a good option.

“Hereditary” (2018) directed

by Ari Aster “Hereditary” is an incredibly disturbing psychological thriller from director Ari Aster that uses its subtlety to its advantage to create a slow build into its disturbing conclusion. It starts as a family drama and repeatedly drops hints to what is really going on behind the scenes. The twist in the plot also makes rewatching it genuinely interesting as it changes the tone of the movie.

Toni Collette and Alex Wolff deliver an amazingly believable performance as an increasingly estranged mother and son. If you like artsy films then you will more than likely be into “Hereditary”.

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974) directed by

Tobe Hooper “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is a unique horror film because it is so campy and silly at times but then switches quickly into some genuinely unsettling scenes. The film gets gradually more strange and disturbing as it progresses. Director Tobe Hooper leans into this awkward B movie aesthetic throughout the script.

Despite all the quirkiness, the introduction of Leatherface, played

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ still surprises after 60 years PRODUCTION FEATURES LARGEST PUPPET TO GRACE THE ARC STAGE

By Ariel Caspar arielcaspar@gmail.com “Little Shop of Horrors” started as a film released in 1960, hit Broadway by 1982 and was developed into another film in 1986 with an all-star cast. It’s been running in theaters all over the world ever since.

This show is a classic example of a dark comedy with elements of absurdity and at times, morbidity.

This fall, the American River College Theatre Department decided to take on the classic, and they nailed it.

“Little Shop of Horrors” follows the life of floral shop employee Seymour, as he quietly pursues his coworker Audrey romantically.

Seymour discovers a one of a kind plant that he affectionately names Audrey II, but soon finds out the plant feeds on human flesh. With a guilty conscience, Seymour chooses to keep Audrey II alive, not fully grasping the consequences of the sacrifices that will be made to do so.

Stand out elements of this production include the vocal direction, costume and set design, and of course, the amazing manipulation of the puppet, Audrey II. This was a talented cast to say the very least, with strong leads, Ethan Mack and Kloe Walker, playing

Seymour and Audrey.

The vocals were impressive and balanced well with the orchestra.

Although the songs were difficult to perform with many overlapping voices, each vocalist was strong and harmonies blended nicely.

The show carried strong comic relief throughout, despite the bizarre and morbid plot. The audience hooted and hollered, rolling back in their seats through the strange and absurd comedy layered throughout the show.

One actor to note is Jonathan Wertz, who played five different roles in the entirety of the musical, includ-

ing the sado-masochistic dentist, Orin Scrivello. He brought different twists to each character, even changing up the accents and mannerisms.

The costume design was superb, representing impoverished 1960’s downtown New York City.

The costume choices reflected the lives of prostitutes, drug addicts and struggling salesmen on Skid Row. The set design was a crucial element to “Little Shop of Horrors,” and it strongly succeeded. The use of dull and neutral colors, oldschool metal trash cans grouped

together, and an abandoned apartment front gave the stage a dark alley-like feel, as if strolling through a bad area of town.

The shop itself blended nicely with the Skid Row setting, but there was an element of charm to the inside of the shop. As the plant continues to bring in more customers, the set design showed the progression of the financial success of the shop, with larger inventory of flowers and more expensive floral arrangements displayed.

Of course the plant, Audrey II, is the quintessential theatrical piece of this show that invites the audience deeper into this bizarre tale. The liveliness of the plant’s manipulation beckons audience members to ex-

pand their suspension of disbelief.

The plant goes through four stages of growth, all entirely mobile and incredible to look at.

Audrey II’s final size was extraordinary with vines growing haywire, leaves dangling out the bottom and a terrifying mouth big enough in diameter to fit at least five people.

The plant manipulation, operated by Fetalaiga Faga, was one of the stand-out performances of the entire production. The audience never sees Faga, since the puppet was so thoughtfully created to hide the manipulator. Faga manipulated Audrey II with near perfectly timed movements to Audrey II’s speaking and singing lines, done by Corey D. Winfield.

Faga and Winfield made a fantastic team.

“Little Shop of Horrors,” although an unusual plotline, makes for a truly entertaining experience that will leave you laughing uncontrollably and thinking, “What did I just watch?” ARC Theatre never disappoints. This is one you don’t want to miss out on.

ARC’s Little Shop of Horrors will have its last weekend of performances Oct. 25 through 27.

Read more Arts and Culture coverage at

Photo courtesy of Brian Williams

ARCurrent.com

American River College Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors” features four different-sized plant puppets, which gradually get larger as the show progresses.

CAMPUS PU

L

SE

“Yes, because some kids go too far ... Some of them are too young for sexy costumes.

They try to grow up too fast.”

-ABRAM MEJIA Social Science Major

Do you think age matters in trick or treating?

“No ... I don’t think that there should be an age limit on that.

Be whoever you want to be, when you want to be.”

-RACHEL HANSEN Undecided Major

“No, Halloween is for everyone.

It’s free candy day.”

-SARAH SHORES Bio-Psych Major

“I would say yes.

Some people are scared about that stuff. We don’t want people to feel uncomfortable.

I would say the age limit is 18.”

-JUNAID KHAN Civil Engineering Major

5

Oct. 23, 2019

FEATURE

Photo by Oden Taylor | Staff Writer

Thirteen year old opera singer Tiara Abraham is one of the youngest students at American RIver College. She’s following in the footsteps of her older brother, who transferred from ARC to University of California, Davis in 2015.

Young opera singer keeps it classical

By Oden Taylor odenshawntaylor@gmail.com In most ways, Tiara Abraham is like all other 13-year-olds: she spends her free time on social media and playing with her cats.

What sets her apart, however, is a love for opera and the fact that she’s one of the youngest students on campus.

Although she has had some successes, Tiara has also faced challenges in the music industry coming up as an Indian-American opera singer.

Tiara, a music major at Ameri-

can River College, has attended classes here since she was only 7 years old. Her brother, Tanishq, graduated from ARC in 2015 at age 11 and is now a student at the University of California, Davis, studying biomedical engineering.

Both Tiara and her brother both joined Mensa International, a group for people with very high IQs, when they were 4, making them among the youngest members ever to join in America.

Tiara says it’s different to be young and in college, but as her mom, Taji Abraham said, “she’s used to it,” as she has been in college for over half of her life.

According to their mother, Tiara and Tanishq come from a long bloodline of very smart people.

Tiara said she has been fortunate to have her brother and mother as classmates.

Tiara said she also likes that there a lot of diversity at ARC. “Having older classmates is fun,” she said.

However, being young on a college campus does come with some drawbacks as she says she often hears inappropriate language from students and professors.

She said dealing with it was harder when she was younger, but

now that she has gotten older she has learned how to ignore it.

Tiara said many people believe that she is being forced into college and that she couldn’t possibly be enjoying her life. However, that is far from the truth, as Tiara says she wants people to know she has fun and a lot of it.

She also wants people to know that she is not always studying and that she loves what she does.

Throughout her college experience, Tiara considered becoming a veterinarian or an artist, but now, she says her biggest passion in life is to become an opera singer. She has sung for the UC Davis Choir as a soloist and hopes to transfer there to obtain a degree in music and vocal performance.

Tiara says her dream is to tour the world.

“I want to help others through my voice,” she said.

Tiara has sung in an opera style since early childhood. Her mother said she even sang nursery rhymes in vibrato although no one had taught her to sing.

Although Tiara has had many successes, she says she has run into a lot of hurdles during her young life. She says the biggest challenge has been the racism she’s faced due to her Indian heritage.

“She deals with a lot of failures coming up as a brown opera singer,” her mother said.

Tiara says she’s had a hard time getting people to believe her talent. She said she’s worried people won’t take her seriously as an opera singer because of her age and race.

According to her mother, they had to struggle to find Tiara a vocal coach and that many people discouraged them from pursuing her dream.

Abraham was eventually able to find Tiara a vocal coach who believed in her abilities and from there, her career was born. When she was 10 Tiara put out a CD of holiday-themed cover songs called “Winter Nightingale.”

Tiara has also auditioned for both “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice,” but did not make it onto the shows. “‘’America’s Got Talent’ was only

looking for a sob story,” Tiara said.

Her mother says she believes Tiara was not chosen because “she doesn’t fit the typical profile [for an opera singer].”

“In the American entertainment industry, they are not used to seeing an Indian-American singing western classical, so this can sometimes be a struggle to be taken seriously as a western classical singer,” Tiara said.

In 2010, during the fifth season of “AGT”, 10-year-old opera singing Jackie Evancho came in second place. She was around the same age as Tiara when she auditioned and performed the same talent, but Jackie is white.

Tiara’s mother said she believes that this proves her previous statement about her daughter not being chosen to be on the show.

Her mother also said people often ask them, “why don’t you do something [more in line with] your culture?”

This has put them in some difficult situations, Tiara said. Her mother said she feels like they are stuck between being seen as either not white or not staying true to their racial heritage.

“Though I am born and raised in Sacramento and have spent my whole life here, coming from an Indian-American background, I sometimes hear, shouldn’t you be singing Indian classical music instead of Western classical songs?”

Tiara said.

While these experiences have disheartened Tiara she says she is not giving up that easily. She said she wants to prove “anyone of color can sing opera.”

Despite her challenges, Tiara has persisted and thrived, Her career has now taken her everywhere from singing the national anthem for the San Francisco Giants to performing at Carnegie Hall.

Tiara’s words of advice to older students, especially music majors, are “work hard and practice, eventually, you will find your path.”

She said it’s important to enjoy what you do, or in her words, “Be classy. Be classical.”

Even a brain tumor can’t stop this music-driven professor

By Jack Harris

jharrisarc@gmail.com Arthur Lapierre arrived before the rest of his class to a room with walls lined with acoustic padding and a plethora of orchestral instruments and equipment pushed up to the edges. Lapierre wheeled the grand piano across the empty floor, swept the cover off and started to play.

After five or so minutes, his class arrived. Lapierre didn’t stop playing as the students, set up music stands, chairs, and no instruments in a snug horseshoe around his piano.

Lapierre is the director of the Advanced Vocal Jazz group at American River College. He’s been teaching jazz at the college level across the country for years. He takes his job very seriously, feeling that there is a depth of learning only possible through higher education.

“College is [meant] to open your eyes and your mind to all the possibilities that are out there,” Lapierre said. “Come on, isn’t that hip?”

At the beginning of the year, Lapierre couldn’t be there to lead his group. In August he had an

operation to remove a golf-ballsized meningioma, a benign brain tumor, from his olfactory groove.

“It’s beautiful actually, like a headband,” Lapierre said, revealing the scar.

Lapierre displayed his scar that went from one ear, across his hairline, and ended at his other ear.

He says he only wishes that the rest of the symptoms were as good.

“I have no sense of taste or smell… and now that I’ve moved into this month, I have a terrible taste in my mouth, and a terrible scent. I mean it’s vile,” he said.

After a warm-up with the whole group, they started with the same piece that Lapierre had been practicing before their arrival. Soon, Lapierre was dissatisfied with their harmony, and it became clear why they meet for four-and-a-half hours on Fridays. Lapierre spent 30 minutes working them on just five words of the tune, and in just over the course of an hour they only got through nine words.

Lapierre said he first started playing guitar in rock bands starting in the seventh grade, covering the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Who. Then,

he joined a southern rock group, covering the Allman Brothers and Charlie Daniels, and it needed a singer. He said he was initially reluctant, but that didn’t last.

“Once I discovered that girls like singers, I was hooked, man,” Lapierre said.

Lapierre said he had a good enough ear to play just about any instrument he picked up, but singing was his musical outlet of choice from then on. He sang his way through Fullerton College, California State University Fullerton, and CSU Long Beach, and the University of Northern Colorado.

Lapierre was a student teacher in middle schools and high schools, but quickly moved on to larger schools, like CSU Los Angeles, Rancho Santiago Community College, and CSU Long Beach. He also taught summer programs in Germany for several years, and just before coming to ARC, he taught at Berklee College of Music, one of the largest and most prestigious music schools in the country.

Lapierre has taught since he was 21, and the experience shows.

With the Advanced Vocal Jazz group he said he held firm in his expectations of them, but the en-

Photo by Jack Harris | Staff Writer

Professor Arthur Lapierre directs his MUP 401 Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble class at American River College on Sept. 20, 2019.

vironment was still warm, with a greater sense of familiarity than one would expect from a group that’s been whole for only a few weeks.

Steven Frantz, the student that Lapierre went after the most that Friday, still managed to be lighthearted.

“I took him [Lapierre] to the doctor’s office and we’re sitting in the library and there’s a stupid ad on, and he asks me what the interval is. I took him to the doctor’s office and he asked me the interval,” Frantz laughed.

Lapierre says it’s better to just

let students study in fields they’re truly interested in.

“When you get deep enough into any field you realize there’s a great art to everything,” he said.

Lapierre added that it takes integrity to become truly great at something.

“There’s a great art to planting grass, growing flowers,” he said with a smile. “I think we don’t get deep enough into hardly anything that we do… I think if we let people do what they really wanted to do, they’d be way more passionate about it, and that’s when the art really gets created.”

6

Oct. 23, 2019

SPORTS

Photo by Colin Bartley | Staff Writer

James Ghilardi leans on a tackle sled on the American River College football field after practice on Oct. 16 2019.

ARC football player follows in his family’s footsteps

By Colin Bartley colinbartley99@gmail.com James “Jimmy” Ghilardi comes from a family deeply rooted in athletics and coaching, and in keeping with the tradition, he has continued his football career into American River College, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

Ghilardi’s father and grandfather were both coaches, so he says he was raised with a love of the sport and a healthy competitive spirit. Ghilardi played football at Christian Brothers High School with his father as the coach and has now moved into his role in the offensive line for the ARC football team.

Outside of the already demanding sport, he strives towards an administration of justice degree, hoping to carve out a career in the law field down the road. His coaches encourage him to take at least 18 units to make sure he is reaching his goals.

“Our coaches are very encouraging. Obviously academics are the most important thing,” Ghilardi said. “So, they constantly make sure we are on top of our academics, making sure that the football guys are subverting expectations.”

After finishing his education, Ghilardi said he hopes to use his administration of justice degree to better his community.

“Right now my career goal is to be a district attorney and work

more with the court side of law enforcement. I’ve always wanted to help people in my community.”

Ghilardi said.

Ghilardi has grown close with his coaches and teammates over the seasons with them.

“The team is always like a family, and you are close with most of your coaches because you are all out here for the same reason,” Ghilardi said.

With the football season just starting, Ghilardi says he is genuinely optimistic and hopeful that the team will play to their full potential.

“I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season ... everything we set out to do is still ahead of us,” Ghilardi said. Ghilardi grew

up being coached by his dad in a variety of sports he wanted to try, and then was coached by his dad for part of his high school football career. Ghilardi was thankful that his dad never played favorites on the team and always challenged him.

“He was a lot harder on me and I rose to the occasion, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I loved playing for my dad,” Ghilardi said.

Ghilardi has always grown up in this athletically competitive environment. His grandfather coached at ARC through the late 1980s and 1990s, which led to Ghilardi’s dad to also coach on the campus before moving to CBHS. “I come from a family of coach-

es; my grandfather, my dad and also my mom’s side. Everyone had a tie to some kind of sport,” Ghilardi said.

Offensive line coach Julian McElroy works closely with Jimmy on and off the field. They share a mutual respect for each other that shows through the way they communicate.

“Jimmy is a natural born leader for sure. Having him on the team helps a lot because Jimmy is a 4.0 student. He’s a smart guy, the way he carries himself is very professional,” McElroy said. “He’s one of those guys we can look to and say, ‘Hey, we need things to get done this way,’ and Jimmy will definitely get it done.”

According to a statement from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the organization does not fully side with Newsom’s decision.

“As more states consider their own specific legislation related to this topic,” NCAA said in a statement following Newsom’s signing, “it is clear that a patchwork of different laws from different states will make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field for 1,100 campuses and nearly half a million studentathletes nationwide.”

Although this act doesn’t benefit community college athletes, those who are transferring to a university to continue playing a sport, could be looking at a change in history.

“I think it’s a really good idea.

Most [D-1 athletes] lives are just their sport, and their schooling is kind of a second after-thought,” said American River College softball player Jennifer Bartholdi.

“They’re committing everything, giving their all to the sport and getting nothing back for it, really.”

In disagreement with NCAA, Newsom says that by signing this bill, it with will initiate change amongst other states.

“It’s going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation,” Newsom said in a clip from “The Shop.” “It’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interest finally of the athletes on par with the interest of the institutions.”

“They’re committing

Photo courtesy of Tiffany Miras American River College alumni Tiffany Miras now plays soccer for Sacramento State as an NCAA athlete.

Fair Pay to Play Act will allow NCAA athletes to earn money

By Alexis Warren alexis.warren81@gmail.com California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 206, better known as the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” on NBA player Lebron James’ HBO show “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” alongside other athletes, including Diana Taurasi of WNBA, retired

NBA and ABA player Ed O’Bannon and former UCLA athlete Katelyn Ohashi.

As of Jan. 1 2023, California will become the first state to allow college athletes to have the ability of getting paid through endorsement deals, according to a recent bill signed by Newsom.

College athletes bring in a fair amount of money to their schools,

but this bill won’t benefit them of this money. Instead, it will allow and protect said players in profiting from the use of their names, images and likenesses along with potential sponsorships and endorsements.

The protection in this bill declares it illegal for organizations and colleges in California tofrom denying these opportunities.

everything, giving their all to the sport and getting nothing back for it, really.”

Jennifer Bartholdi ARC Softball

Newsome has been very vocal with his stance on the new law, given that he used to play baseball for Santa Clara University.

“The gig’s up. 14 plus billion dollars goes to these universities, billion plus revenue to the [NCAA] themselves and the actual product, the folks that are putting their lives on the line, putting everything on the line, are getting nothing,” Newsom said in a clip from “The Shop.”

ON THE WEB For more ARC sports coverage, go to ARCurrent.com

7

Oct. 23, 2019

OPINION

CURRENT EDITORIAL

Administration responds poorly to controversial flyer

By Current Editorial Board current@arc.losrios.edu In early October, American River College’s UNITE interns hung a flyer in the HUB which read: “Masculine Black Men; Check Your Male Privilege Before Entering.”

By the school’s own admission, it was placed there by a group of UNITE interns — who are paid employees of the college.

While these interns are encouraged to dig into complex and touchy concepts surrounding race, gender and social justice, and told to be bold and passionate about these topics it does not mean that they are infallible.

When they posted that sign, they targeted every single black male student attending ARC and created an unsafe learning environment for untold others, violating the fundamental principles of a learning institution. The administration responded by supporting the intern’s work, but refused to publicly clarify what prompted the flyer, instead only providing vague, roundabout explanations about the complexities of the context behind it.

A spokesperson for UNITE would later say the sign was posted as a result of internal dialogues about misogyny and sexism in the black community, and referred to an unknown incident that prompted the posting—but nobody who saw the sign knew that.

At best, it irresponsibly attacked an entire group of vulnerable students, and at worst, it was school-sanctioned hate speech.

When people started to take offense to the sign, multiple campus officials told staff and students that anyone insulted by the message should talk to them personally, forcing students to schedule meetings with faculty inside the very office where the sign was displayed.

Furthermore, when the Current reached out to multiple people from

Photo illustration by Emily Mello | Photo Editor

After several requests to speak to people within the UNITE and Equity departments about a controversial sign singling out black men, the Current was ignored or told to direct their questions elsewhere.

both UNITE and the Equity Department, to determine the cause and meaning of the sign, we were met with resounding silence or rerouted to a single source, Joshua Moon Johnson.

It became clear that the administration wanted to keep the fiasco quiet and try to control the narrative internally.

It is unacceptable for a college administration to condone this kind of targeted rhetoric toward one of its most vulnerable populations and then force them into closed door meetings if they are offended.

Internal faculty emails show that dozens of staff members argued about the sign and its intentions, with some labeling it as hate speech.

In response to this, administration and faculty members involved with UNITE refused to explain what the flyer was about, saying they didn’t want to reveal the reason why the sign was posted, because it could lead to misinformation—despite allowing the sign to hang in a public office without context, which in and of itself allowed nothing but misinformation

and confusion to grow.

As word of the sign spread to Twitter and Reddit and the controversy grew, campus officials decided to hold a closed door Brave Space dialogue to try to clarify some of the context and provide a space for people to open up about how the sign made them feel. No members of the press were allowed in that meeting and the meeting was not announced publicly, save for the private faculty email thread that had been circulating.

It wasn’t until CBS13 showed up on campus that ARC President Thomas Greene decided the sign was worthy of public comment to those outside of the faculty emails, sending out a mass email to all students and faculty a day after the segment aired on TV. “On behalf of the college, I want to formally and officially apologize for the hurt and pain some of you may be feeling as a result of the poster that was discovered on campus,” Greene’s email read.

This is a non-apology.

The sign was not “discovered” on campus, it was posted by paid interns with

approval from faculty within the UNITE center and then defended for over a week by administration.

The email also doesn’t apologize for the content of the sign or acknowledge responsibility for posting it, instead reshifting the blame towards people who were hurt and offended.

To ask someone who was hurt by the flyer to enter the space and talk with the people who are responsible is an unempathetic approach and to dictate how someone should express their concerns or hurt is manipulative and the administration is guilty of both.

In fact, a campus official told the Current that the person who originally took a photo of the sign, should have shown “humility” and tried to resolve the matter internally before posting the picture.

However, when signs reading “It’s okay to be white” were found posted on campus last year, Greene sent out an email that same day proclaiming that “hate has no home on our campus. We recognize that such language causes fear and anger, particularly for those who are the target of such messages. Everyone in our community deserves a safe and welcoming environment free from hate.”

Yet he remained silent as masculine black men were targeted by his own staff and held his tongue as his administration defended the sign.

The absolute lack of transparency over something that can be damaging to students is alarming. The school is more interested in saving face rather than actually dealing with the repercussions of allowing the sign to be posted.

There has been zero accountability. A closed door dialogue, a superficial apology and a refusal to speak to the media have not done anything to repair the loss of trust caused by the poster, if anything, they’ve added fuel to the fire by trying to distance themselves from responsibility.

Greene, the Equity epartment, and UNITE need to hold themselves accountable for having abused our trust.

College athletes deserve payment

By Thomas Cathey tcathey1196@gmail.com The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a business powerhouse, earning about $1 billion each year according to BusinessInsider.com. However, the mass amount of money generated from this corporation seems to end up in the hands of everyone involved but the ones who actually generate the money: the athletes.

Since they are the ones who attract the attention, bring in the money and make college sports what it is, these student-athletes should undoubtedly be compensated for the time and effort they put into their respective sports.

On Sept. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which will give student-athletes at California universities the right to earn money from their likeness as of Jan. 1, 2023.

But until then, student-athletes will remain uncompensated for their efforts and will not be able to sign endorsement deals or anything of the sort to make money.

The 2019-2020 edition of the NCAA Division I Manual, Section 2.9: The Principle of Amateurism states that “student-athletes shall be amateurs in an intercollegiate sport, and their participation

should be motivated primarily by education and by the physical, mental and social benefits to be derived.”

There is no denying that college athletes—especially those who compete for Division I schools— are generally taken care of. Many receive scholarships that include free tuition and campus housing.

While student-athletes may receive these “physical, mental, and social benefits” in abundance, they still receive zero monetary compensation for their sacrifices in the sport in which they compete. In a field of competition as demanding as college athletics, these athletes run the possibility of seriously injuring themselves, preventing the opportunity for them to make money in professional sports.

Kevin Ware is a professional basketball free agent that played at the University of Louisville from 2011-2014. During a March Madness game against Duke University in March of 2013, Ware suffered an open fracture of the tibia in his right leg. It was one of the more grotesque injuries not just in college athletics, but in televised sports history.

Although Ware was able to return to basketball the following season, his athletic career was never quite the same after his cat-

Photo illustration by Emily Mello | Photo Editor

As of Jan. 1, 2023, college athletes will be able to accept endorsements and sponsorships for their name, image and likeness of the sport they play, according to Senate Bill 206 signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

astrophic injury. Ware eventually went undrafted by the National Basketball Association in 2016 and has since played on a few different international teams since then.

It is unclear whether or not Ware’s inability to be drafted by the NBA was due to the injury or his skill level, but regardless, his story is an example of what could happen to a student-athlete on their way to the professional ranks.

While student-athletes like Ware are putting their bodies on the line in front of millions of viewers on national television and receiving no money to do so, they

might seriously hurt themselves, preventing them from actually making money in professional sports.

Even more egregious is the inability of student-athletes to generate revenue from their likeness in things like sponsorships or NCAA video games. The second half of The Principle of Amateurism states that “student participation in intercollegiate is an avocation, and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises.”

So, while these student-ath-

letes are not being paid for their physical efforts in their respective sports, they are also unable to make money outside of the sport they are competing in. Thankfully, Newsom’s bill will put an end to that.

For an industry that makes upwards of $1 billion a year to not pay their athletes, and then stop them from making money in other ways, is simply robbery. If the athletes are instrumental in bringing in that money, they should definitely be receiving some.

8

Oct. 23, 2019

BACKPAGE

Archery PACT 300 Want to skip sweating up a storm and still fulfill the physical education requirement while getting your Katniss on? Enroll in archery during the fall semester, where students such as Brittany Commins, learn the basic techniques of safety.

Offbeat

Costume Construction TA 430 The show can’t go on without the proper attire and that’s where the introduction of costume construction comes in. Here, Kris Grill irons a costume in a course that dives into the beginning knowledge of theater costume design production and sewing techniques. The prerequisite for this class is Fashion 374 or Theater Arts 430.

Course Catalog

By Emily Mello

emilycastellar97@gmail.com

American River College offers classes of all kinds. From learning how to handle a bow and arrow to studying pricing for caskets, these are some of the unique classes you can find in the college catalog.

Blacksmithing Art 376 In this blacksmithing class, student Jacob Cross uses blow torches as a paint brush and metal as their canvas.

The class gives hands-on basics, metal forming and provides emphasis on the use of the anvil and gas forge. There’s no prerequisite to take the class.

Merchandising Funeral Service FSE 330 Interested in a career in helping the living deal with death? Enroll in merchandising funeral service, which covers construction of caskets as well as pricing and presentation. Here, students (pictured from left to right) Taylor Hashimoto, Celeste Mendoza, Chesaray Inez and Ace Tanguines, study casket presentation. The class’s prerequisites are FSE 310 and 320.