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Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 • deltacollegian.net
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Obama reinstates view on diversity applications
INSIDE
by micheal johnson news@deltacollegian.net
Delta’s soccer field in need of repair Page 7
PHOTO BY CHRIS HOWZE
Students take part in world’s largest scavenger hunt Page 4
LIGHTING UP: Student Aaron Jimenez lights his cigarette in Shima parking lot earlier this week.
CAMPUS SMOKERS UNITE Smokers organize to create designated smoking areas, away from Delta’s populace
by justin tristano ju.tristano@gmail.com
Pros and cons of the Affordable Health Care Act Page 2
UPCOMING Mens soccer vs. College of the Sequoias on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. Delta Volleyball vs. Santa Rosa Jr. College today at 6 p.m.
FIND US
Delta College’s smoker population is organizing to create a group that specifically advocate for a place to light up on campus. The goal of the group currently is to fight the proposed implementation of AP 2602, which would completely remove smoking areas from the Delta campus. The change will be brought up at a future Board of Trustees meeting. According to the bill, the purpose for removing smokers from campus is due to several complaints from students and staff about smoke blocking the path-
ways, which leads to health problems from second-hand smoke. “Campus Police continues to receive numerous complaints from students and employees including smokers that have to walk through clouds of smoke due to people smoking on the perimeter of our parking lot,” the proposal for Policy Procedure and Review, which would modify a policy adopted in 2009. A group of smokers who hang out in the Shima parking lot are now organizing after hearing rumors that their place on campus was threatened. Now, the group wants their voices heard.
See SMOKE, Page 2
President Barack Obama recently restated his administration’s dedication to use race-based admissions to increase campus diversity. The Department of Education and the Department of Justice wrote a letter to all college and university presidents letting them know that the agencies will continue to support them in pursuing an ethnically and racially diverse student body in a lawful manner. This letter was written in the wake of the Fisher vs. University of Texas case. Abigail Fisher, a Caucasian woman decided to take her case to the Supreme Court when she was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Fisher argued whether the school had abused the racial standards in making the decision to reject her admittance. The Supreme Court reached a 7-1 decision to continue to use race as an aspect in the admissions process “as long as the race-based policies were necessary to achieve diversity,” according to the decision. Affirmative action is one of the many issues that have divided Americans since it’s implication in the 1970s. People in favor of the policy say it gives students of color the possibility to rise above the effects of long-term discrimination. Others feel that this is racial preference. Despite numerous Civil Rights policies, racism has not been eradicated. A Gallup Poll in July discovered that 67-percent of U.S. adults are against race-based college admissions. That means that the majority of Americans believe admissions should be merit based. However, a break down of those number show that 75-percent of whites are for admission solely based on merit, while only 44 percent of African Americans and 59 percent of Hispanics polled responded the same. The Obama Administration’s main focus is to bring educational opportunities to all minorities.
‘Day of Unity’ brings awareness to domestic violence by christina cornejo news@deltacollegian.net
College Hour took on a somber tone Thursday, Oct. 3 with the Day of Unity, marking the start of Domestic Violence Awareness month. Organizations such as the Women’s Center of San Joaquin County, El Concilio and Fathers and Families of San Joaquin, set up booths in order to promote awareness of the resources that are available to victims of domestic violence, and for those who
need a place to go in times of crisis. “It’s a cycle, and it won’t end if you don’t take a stand,” said Jawad Yusufzai, a case manager for the Women’s Center. All became silent midway through the event when a few Delta students shared stories of struggle and how they were able to escape from the cycle of violence. Annalise Sanchez began by explaining the physical, mental and
See UNITY, Page 2
PHOTO BY CHRISTINA CORNEJO
SPEAKING UP: Donna Armstrong shared a poem written by Kimberly A. Collins to the gathered crowd on “Day of Unity.”