SOFTBALL WINS FIRST GAME AT HOME
BY JOE DEMASI Sports Editor
On March 29, the Mustangs returned home to Bucky Layland Softball Complex and beat Cosumnes River 7-6 in the first game held there for 2 and a half years.
The Mustangs started the game out strong leading 4-0 by the time the first inning ended with No. 6 3B Elon James knocking in two runs with a single.
It seemed like Delta had closed the door because No. 2 2B Tara Fornaciari hit the first home run in the new stadium in the fifth inning, making the score 6-1 Mustangs.
“It felt really good to hit that homerun honestly I was just trying to put my bat on the ball because I struck out before and I wasn’t trying to do too much I’m more shocked than anyone that I actually hit that,” Fornaciari said. “We can build off this by realizing we can come together and play as a team, you know. We have gone through some ups and downs, but I feel like we’re actually grabbing a hold of it and becoming a team.”
After the homerun athletic director Tony Espinoza retrieved the ball so Fornaciari
could sign it and her family could keep it as a souvenir.
She also credits the hitters at the top of the lineup that got RBIs like James and No. 25 Arianna Coehello who both had two in the game.
“It was exciting to score in the first inning. It is really important that we start well and jump on top early in the game. The energy was great coming from the last game into this game, you honestly just look forward to what’s coming next,” James said.
Cosumnes River only scored one run in the second inning until scoring five runs in the last inning.
Starting pitcher No.5 Ariel Nava, who is committed to the University of Pacific, threw six strong innings but ran into trouble in the last inning.
She walked three batters before No. 24 Brie Tyler was put in the game.
Tyler walked two batters and gave up three hits but managed to get one out during her performance.
Cosumnes River was coming back and the Mustangs needed someone to close out the game because Cosumnes River was hot in the last inning.
The score was 7-6 with the winning runs on base for Cosumnes River until Del ta looked to Pitcher No. 10 Lily Alamillo and she closed out the game by striking out two batters.
“I have to give credit to the coaches and my team mates for having confidence in me”, Alamillo said after the game. “It shows we can com pete and it definitely gives us confidence going forward.”
All three players mentioned that being back at Delta felt amazing and that it was cool to be known as the first team that got to play on the new field.
With the win the Mustangs move to 14-8 overall and 9-5 in Big 8 Conference games which is second place in the conference behind Modesto.
Top: Pitcher Ariel Nava pitching during Delta’s 7-6 victory against Cosumnes River College at Bucky Layland Field on March 29.
Above: Utility player Bianca Quintero hitting during Delta College’s 7-6 Victory against Cosumnes River College at Bucky Layland Field on March 29.
PHOTOS BY LEVI GOERZEN
Softball returns to sweet home Delta College
Well,well, well, look who’s back in the game.
After years of dragging gear to the University of Pacific, the Delta College softball team is finally back where it belongs, on a true home field.
That’s right, folks, the renovations are officially don. At least for now.
The once-damaged field has received a serious face lift, featuring brand new turf and a shiny, freshly-dirted mound.
Can we just say congratulations to the athletes who must be so happy to be home? Nothing beats the feeling of playing on your home field.
It’s like finally sleeping in your own bed after months of running around or a seriously long vacation.
Pure. Utter. Bliss.
For three years, Delta’s athletic teams have had to travel to fields in Stock-
EDITORIAL
ton that were, well, not quite up to our standards.
The old fields here were in rough conditions and had seen better days.
To put it into context, before the first “Iron Man” movie was released.
The athletic program had to make the adjustments before injuries increased. No one wants to break an ankle on a surface that looks more suited for off-roading than softball.
Those days are finally behind us.
With the renovated fields, athletes can stretch, run, slide and dive without worrying about the “surprise” holes that used to pop up at the worst possible moment.
Welcome back, safety.
But the real magic is just beginning.
The softball team is
The Collegian
The Collegian is the student newspaper of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. The paper is published six times a semester.
As a First Amendment newspaper we pride ourselves on a commitment to the students of Delta College while maintaining independence.
We reinvigorate the credo that the newspaper speaks for the students, checks abuses of power and stands vigilant in the protection of democracy and free speech.
the first to regain its field, but don’t worry. Hopefully, the baseball, football and track teams will also have their turn to play on proper fields by next fall semester.
EDITORS
JELISSA
ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON Managing Editor/News
More home games and less commuting for us all.
What a dream, right?
We at the Collegian are counting down the days until next fall when we report on each opening day.
As we all know, the semester is almost over, and the struggle is real. We’re limping towards the finish line, fueled by sheer willpower and energy drinks.
JOE DEMASI Sports ANDREA BALTODANO Opinion
LEVI GOERZEN Feature KAITLYNN BRANDON Entertainment
The softball field hosted its first game since renovation on March 29. The football field and track continues
with
opening in fall. DRONE PHOTO BY COLLEGIAN STAFF
Trump’s scorched Earth immigration policy
BY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON Managing Editor
The Trump administration has made good on a threat to end a Biden-era program that assisted migrants from several countries in entering the United States provided they had financial support.
On President Donald J. Trump’s first day in office he signed executive order 14159 titled, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” in which he signaled the end of the President Joe Biden administration program “Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans” or the CHNV Program.
END OF BIDEN ERA POLICY
This threat was made good on March 24, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would end the CHNV program for migrants utilizing the program.
“These programs do not serve a significant public benefit, are not necessary to reduce levels of illegal immigration, did not sufficiently mitigate the domestic effects of illegal immigration, are not serving their intended purposes, and are inconsistent with the Administration’s foreign policy goals,” read the noticed posted on the federal registry and signed by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The CNHV program will be terminated as of April 24. Those who utilized the CHNV program are allowed to apply for alternative paths to immigration but, failing that, will face deportation and are encouraged to self deport.
The program, announced in January 2023, allowed people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to work and live in the United States for up to two years. However, in order to do so they had to have a financial sponsor in the U.S. and be able to pass a background check according to the American Immigration Council’s fact sheet on the program.
The Biden administration introduced the program to help curb illegal immigration from the affected countries, which all faced humanitarian crises that lead to surging immigration rates to the United States.
The program expanded on a previous program exclusively for Venezuelan migrants introduced in October 2022.
ICE ENFORCEMENT AND DEPORTATIONS
The removal of the program comes as the Trump administration further cracks down on immigration. With the DHS announcing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had seen a 627 percent increase in arrests, according to a Feb. 26 news release.
“Hundreds of thousands of criminals were let into this country illegally. We are sending them home, and they will never be allowed to return,” said Noem in the news release.
The administration has received criticism for, among many other things, the haphazard and indiscriminate nature of said arrests and the following deportations.
On March 14, Trump issued a proclamation that invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act as a way to deport Venezuelan nationals to a prison in El Salvador.
“I find and declare that TdA (Tren de Aragua) is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States,” said Trump in the proclamation.
Despite the insistence that deportees were exclusively criminals belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, reporting by 60 minutes found that a majority didn’t possess a criminal record.
“We could not find criminal records for 75% of the Venezuelans — 179 mennow sitting in prison,” noted the 60 minutes story by Cecilia Vega posted April 6.
Among those currently held at the prison is Abrego Garcia, who was taken to a Texas detention center before being transferred to the prison, despite his protected status.
“On March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error,” reads a court filing by the Trump administration acknowledging the error.
The Trump administration has maintained Garcia is now under Salvadorian jurisdiction and thus it is are unable to return him.
An order to return Garcia by 12:01 a.m. April 8 was given by United States District Court for the District of Maryland Judge Paula Xinis but a stay was placed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts delaying his return
further.
“The United States has never claimed that it’s powerless to correct its error and before today, it did not contend that doing so would cause it any harm,” said Xinis in an April 7 response to the stay by Roberts. “That is because the only one harmed by the current state of affairs is Abrego Garcia.”
Anti-Trump protest signs from the International Women’s Day March 8, 2025 protest in Sacramento.
PHOTO BY JILLIAN ROHRBACH
Ethnic studies hosts first speaker in spring series
BY ANDREA BALTODANO Opinion Editor
Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, a distinguished educator and activist, addressed a full audience at Delta College’s Dawn Mabalon Forum on Thursday, April 3 as part of the Ethnic Studies Department Spring Series Speaker Event.
Tintiangco-Cubales is a professor at San Francisco State University, where her academic focus is on ethnic studies and education.
Throughout her career, she has been involved in the development of ethnic studies curricula and has engaged extensively in community service projects, being recognized for her contributions to educational policy in California, particularly in integrating multicultural and inclusive perspectives in education.
Tintiangco-Cubales addressed the importance of cultural recognition in education during her speech.
“Cultures are being devalued if they are not white culture,” she said, highlighting the systemic biases that often overshadow diverse histories and contributions within academic environments.
Further emphasizing the need for comprehensive educational reform, Dr. Tintiangco-Cubales argued for the integration of Ethnic Studies across all educational levels.
“Ethnic Studies deserve to be in every school,” she declared, advocating for curricula that reflect and respect the pluralistic nature of society.
The insights shared by Tintiangco-Cubales underscore a growing recognition of the importance of ethnic studies in shaping a more inclusive and comprehensive educational landscape.
Tintiangco-Cubales has been honored as one of the 100 most influential Filipinas in the world by Filipina Women’s Network (FWN), a non-profit organization that recognizes women of Philippine ancestry who have made significant contributions to their fields and are influential on a global scale.
Professor Eugene Gambol, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at Delta College, who organized the event, shared insights into the selection of Tintiangco-Cubales as the speaker.
“Her role in advocating for the California Ethnic Studies requirement both in higher education and at the K-12 level is vital. She brings with her a legacy of commitment to these issues, deep-
ly rooted in the history of the 1968 San Francisco State College student strike,” said Gambol.
The 1968 San Francisco State College student strike, led by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, was the longest campus strike in U.S. history. It resulted in
the creation of the College of Ethnic Studies, pioneering curriculum reforms to include diverse cultural perspectives and address racial injustices.
The Ethnic Studies Department at Delta College plans to continue this dialogue by hosting more guest speakers throughout the Spring Series Event.
S.P.A.R.K charter seeks to close equity gaps
BY AMAL KHANSHALI Staff Writer
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs have popped up throughout California, and Delta is no exception.
S.P.A.R.K, or Student Protection, for Advocacy, Resources and Knowledge, was founded this semester to address concerns regarding the Trump administration passing discriminatory laws targeting minorities. It was established to tackle critical issues regarding undocumented students and other vulnerable minorities on campus.
“That is truly our goal. We want our students to know that in the state of California, we believe in education for all. And all means all,” Adriana Brogger, a Digital Media Professor and the co-writer of the S.P.A.R.K. charter, said.
While Delta already has Equity Action Task Forces for Black, Asian Pacific,
Chicanx/Latinx and LGBTQ+ students, S.P.A.R.K. was set up to address more immediate concerns in these programs, which is currently supporting undocumented and transgender students.
The objective is to “significantly reduce equity gaps”, “meet student basic needs”, and “promote student health, wellness, and safety”, according to the Equity Action Task Force Team Charter.
One of their stated goals is to “reduce the percentage reporting basic needs insecurity from 60% to 40%” by fall of 2027.
This has resulted in the collaboration of S.P.A.R.K and the Dreamers Success Center to conduct a Know Your Rights campaign on campus. This is part of a wider campaign to protect undocumented students, as Delta has been a Sanctuary Campus since last December.
“When we do not take time to understand context, or fact check, like how does this impact me and the real impact
this is going to have on my immediate — like right now, then I think that that can create a lot of panic and a lot of stress,” Brogger said.
This includes hosting events to educate students on their rights and passing out Know Your Rights cards, which students can hand over to the police. The card states the students’ rights under the fourth and fifth amendments.
There will be Know Your Rights videos training videos that will be coming out campus wide, as well as training of staff and faculty on how they can best protect vulnerable students.
A student ambassador program may be opened on campus under the Equity Action Task Force in the future.
Due to cuts to federal diversity, equity, and inclusion funding, Delta is looking towards state and grant
funds to cover the costs, according to Brogger.
Dr.Tintiangco-Cubales gives a presentation on the importance of ethnic studies as a field . PHOTO
BY ANDREA BALTODANO
Don’t be koi: A brief history of Delta’s fish
BY LEVI GOERZEN Feature Editor
If you have taken classes on campus, odds are that you have seen Delta College’s koi pond. The pond is located in front of Danner Hall in the center of campus. The koi pond has a rich history on campus.
Construction on the pond started in April 1976 as “The River Danner,” according to Collegian archives. The construction of the river was completed June 23, 1976, according to the as-built diagram, a diagram indicating the version of the pond as of the construction’s completion.
“Within a year of the pond’s completion, fish began appearing in the pond. Most were dark and small and not easily noticed until they began to grow in size and more colorful fish began being mysteriously ‘dropped off.’ Ted Wakabayashi was the head groundskeeper at the time so he took the fish concern to Vice President Lawrence DeRicco,” said Director of Facilities, Planning and Management Stacy Pinola.
The first fish found in the pond were varieties of carp, some consisting of brocaded carp, also known as koi. Since then, there have been koi in the pond for almost 50 years.
Having a feature like this on campus doesn’t come without its mishaps. According to The Record and KCRA3 on June 1, 2010, two 17-year-old teens were seen on security footage beating 12 koi fish to death with a knife and a makeshift spear, causing more than $12,000 in damages to the fish and the surrounding pond. However community support
enabled the pond to stay inhabited even after the death of the fish.
“A month after a dozen prized koi were killed at the San Joaquin Delta College campus, 16 individuals and families have offered to donate their own fish to replace those lost,” according to a 2010 Stockton Record article by Alex Breitler, who is now Delta’s Director of Marketing and Communication.
Then, in the summer of 2023, cranes were the cause for concern for Delta’s koi fish, causing a net to be placed over the highest level of the pond. In 2024, Delta added 15 new koi to the pond, repopulating it after the crane attacks.
Top: Delta College’s koi Fish swimming towards the surface on April 8.
Right: The upper level of Delta College’s koi pond with the protective crane netting over it on April 8. PHOTO BY
Far right: An archive scan of the April 9, 1976, issue of The Impact, now The Collegian. COLLEGIAN ARCHIVE IMAGE
Long waits, lack of etiquette ruin elevator use
BY JOE DEMASI Sports Editor
It is important for all students to feel accommodated especially when they are at school to learn. Elevators are necessary for handicapped students and they must have access to them to make it to class on time.
Users of elevators have said they have long wait times and malfunction occasionally, but the most frustrating thing comes from students who don’t feel their needs are being cared for.
James Cruz, who is in his second year at Delta, has multiple sclerosis (MS), which causes him to use a cane.
Cruz says he has dealt with people rushing elevators because of their slowness.
“I have three classes on campus and two of them are on the second and third floors of various buildings. I find that the Science and Math Building has the best working elevators, but specifically in Holt or Shima the elevators are so slow that people usually rush past me to get in first, which you aren’t supposed to do.”
He mentions that the Science and Math Building being the newest one on campus can factor in for
how fast the elevators are.
According to the 2025 Facilities Plan Update, Delta College plans to “upgrade elevators to comply with current building codes” in older buildings.
Cruz questioned if they were even up to code now.
The plan notes that the Locke elevator isn’t big enough for the nursing department’s beds. They hold classes on all three floors of Locke, so this is a big issue for the students and staff.
The plan also notes attempts to fix Delta’s Legacy buildings “aged outdated design,” which includes problems of flooding and ADA noncompliant elevators.
Legacy buildings are buildings that were built in the 1970s and are over 50 years old. These buildings include Shima, Budd, Danner, Locke and Holt.
Cruz also says he feels a lot more comfortable being with someone on the elevator and not alone.
“I’ve had some students and staff stand up for me when kids aren’t being the most respectful but for the most part as long as the elevators are working well I’m a happy camper,” Cruz said.
The blue phones located around the elevators aren’t only for emergencies — if something isn’t working correctly, they can be used to contact campus
police or staff according to Delta College’s website. Linda Conyers is a business major who frequently takes the elevators because she just finds it easier than the stairs.
“They definitely need an upgrade because I feel the ones I ride in Locke are just too small to accommodate our handicapped students,” Conyers said.
“They are very slow and although I haven’t heard of any this semester, previous semesters they have had a lot of breakdowns so hopefully they are updated now, but due to how they work I doubt it.”
She also describes how she has had to tell people to let handicapped students go first on elevators because they have priority. She says maybe Delta should put up signs about etiquette in the elevators and push students to be helpful instead of disrespectful.
Both students questioned what to do if the elevator breaks down and they are on one of the top floors and there are solutions to that problem.
You must notify either staff or police or they can contact someone by using the blue phone. Once mobility experts and campus police are contacted they can assist and use special wheelchairs or mobility machines to bring them down.
PHOTO BY ELLIS GRIFFIN-JEWETT
LEVI GOERZEN
DELTA COLLEGE’S CALL OF THE WILD
BY JOHN NGUYEN Senior Staff Writer
You’ve heard of the koi at Delta. You’ve literally heard the geese at Delta. But have you heard about the cats or shrimp at Delta? Many other animals can be found on Delta’s campus beyond
SHRIMP
just the typical fish, bird and of course, human.
Of Delta’s ecosystem, these are among the most peculiar animals that have graced Delta property.
What? What are shrimp doing at Delta? Actually, the better question is what was Delta doing at a vernal pool of shrimp, and the answer was to abandon ship. In 2006, the Delta College Board of Trustees purchased a rural plot of land along Liberty Road in Galt, with the hope of building a campus there. However, the project was not feasible and had to be put on hold due to various reasons, one of which being that federally protected vernal pool fairy shrimp were found inhabiting the property. Delta essentially owned pools that fill with shrimp every winter and spring, from the property’s purchase in 2006 to Delta’s sale of the property to the San Joaquin Council of Governments around 2023.
CATS
Cats can be found at Delta’s campus, typically around the parking lot of the Budd building, where they frequent most. According to mathematics professor and caretaker for the cats, Dr. Jacek Kostyrko, they are feral cats that are fed and cared for by a group of volunteers at Delta. Volunteered cat committees have operated at Delta before; according to a Collegian article from 2013, a cat committee was founded several years prior to the article’s publication, disbanding before being revived during a rodent population issue for Delta’s campus. The volunteers also publish annual Delta Cats calendars that can be purchased at the Cashier’s Office; the 2025 issue is currently sold out.
GOATS
On occasion, the Manteca Farm will send in a herd of goats to Delta’s campus to graze along Burke Bradley Drive or the Information Technology and Data Center. These goats are invited by Mustang Acres to help maintain their farmland, as the goats graze upon cover crops to be broken down by other organisms to bring nutrients to the soil. These goats can also graze upon harmful weeds, break up soil with their hooves and leave behind fertilizing manure among other agricultural benefits.
SQUIRRELS
Squirrels can be found across most green areas of Delta’s campus among Delta’s more than 3,000 trees and shrubs. They are a naturally-occurring squirrel population that have survived on their own without any intervention or interference from Delta faculty.
A squirrel sitting on a bench on the Shima patio on Jan. 12, 2021.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TARA CUSLIDGE-STAIANO
Goats grazing off of Burke Bradley Drive at Delta College in November 2023. PHOTO BY DYLAN JAEKEL
A cat sitting on old car hoods near the Budd shops at Delta College on April 10. PHOTO BY JOHN NGUYEN
Immigrant students become easy targets
BY ANDREA BALTODANO Opinion Editor
TheTrump administration is targeting immigrant students. We must call it what it is: political persecution.
I’ve been called emotional. Dramatic. Paranoid.
That’s what people say when you warn them that a democracy is crumbling. When you tell them it doesn’t take a dictatorship to silence dissent — just enough fear, repeated often enough, until even the boldest voices begin to shake.
On March 26, a student — Rumeysa Ozturk — was detained by President Donald J. Trump administration.
Her “offense”? Being one of several authors of a March 2024 opinion piece in The Tufts Daily, calling on the university to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and divest from companies tied to Israel.
She did what every student
BORDERLINES
with ANDREA BALTODANO
is taught to do: question power. Speak out. Use her words. And for that, she now faces deportation.
She is not the exception.
Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident and student activist at Columbia, is also in removal proceedings after organizing pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and peacebuilding scholar at Georgetown, was arrested in his Virginia home in mid-March after his J-1 visa was revoked.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Khan Suri via X of spreading “Hamas propaganda” and claimed ties to a Hamas advisor — yet no charges have
been made public. He now sits in a detention center in Louisiana, stripped of his freedom for expressing an idea.
These aren’t isolated incidents. This is a calculated crackdown. A targeted campaign against immigrant students, especially those who speak the name “Palestine” out loud.
This isn’t happening on the other side of the country. It’s happening right here in California. College officials have confirmed that federal authorities have revoked at least 83 foreign student visas within the UC and CSU systems and private schools like Stanford within the past week.
“The federal government has not detailed the reasons behind these terminations,” said a campus notice from USCS Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “We have notified the three students and are in direct contact with them to provide support.”
These are our classmates, our friends, our partners. They came here to contribute, to learn, to grow. This wave of repression is local and personal.
When you’re undocumented, international or here on a temporary visa, your voice is a gamble. Your body is policed. Your existence is conditional. And when you dare to speak — they come for you.
I know this because I live it.
Every time I publish a piece like this. Every time I click “submit” and see my byline on the screen, I pause. I breathe. I wonder:
Is this the one? Will I be next?
The students being detained aren’t threats. They’re reminders. Reminders that this country’s promise of “free speech” was never built to include all of us. And that when we challenge that — when we refuse to be silent — we are treated like enemies.
So let’s be clear: if we don’t
Is global journalism on the frontline of genocide?
BY BELINDA SEIBEL Staff Writer
OnApril 7, Israel targeted a tent in southern Gaza housing exclusively journalists with an airstrike, killing Hilmi al-Faqaawi and Ahmed Mansour of Palestine Today, wounding seven other journalists.
Prior to that, on March 24, Israel killed two journalists: Hossam Shabat of Al Jazeera and Mohammed Mansour of Palestine Today with targeted airstrikes. Shabat was killed in his car while Mansour was at home.
Journalists are protected as citizens under Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention and Rule 34 of Customary international humanitarian law under the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“International law is drawn both from treaties and from the behavior of states that states engage in with the understanding that they’re doing it as a matter of legal obligation, even from times when there is a treaty that a state hasn’t signed on to, and Israel hasn’t signed on to the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, the
1976 Protocol,” said international law professor Omar Dajani at University of Pacific’s McGeorge Law School.
“The protection of journalists, which is an extension of the general protection of civilians, which is the most fundamental rule of international humanitarian law, is also part of customary international law.”
On April 1, Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs published a report titled “News Graveyards: How Dangers to War Reporters Endanger the World,” stated that “The war in Gaza has, since October 7, 2023, killed more journalists than the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined.”
The report details at least 232 journalists have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel has a history of targeting journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists detailed that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has a “decades-long pattern of targeting journalists with impunity,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. Reporters without
Borders filed four reports to the International Criminal Court alleging Israel is targeting journalists because “journalists are being slaughtered at an unprecedented pace,” said Antoine Bernard, RSF’s Director of Advocacy and Assistance.
On Oct. 23, 2024, the IDF published the names and photos of six Palestinian Al Jazeera journalists, which included Shabat, stating they were either a part of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. What makes this particularly interesting is that these journalists were some of the last journalists who remained in north Gaza after Israel closed the Netzarim Corridor, which separates the north and south of Gaza.
Additionally, on May 11, 2022, Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh of Al Jazeera was shot in the head and killed while she was reporting on an IDF raid in the West Bank and clearly wearing her press vest.
Dajani referred to her as “Palestine’s Christiane Amanpour.”
Journalists being targeted in such a manner leaves many questions for the treatment of war coverage reporters, and journalism as a whole.
“What the targeting of journalists by
raise hell about students being deported for publishing op-eds and speaking up, then we’ve already accepted a future where protest is punished and truth is criminal.
This column isn’t just about Khalil, or Ozturk, or Suri. It’s about how fascism grows quietly, not with tanks in the streets, but with the quiet compliance of those who think “it’s not that serious.”
Because here’s the truth: they don’t need to deport everyone. Just enough of us to scare the rest into silence.
And that’s how democracy dies. Not with a bang, but with an inbox full of warnings, with visa revocations, with ICE at your door, and no one left to care. That’s why I will keep writing.
I believe in the power of student media. I believe in using my voice while I still have it. And I believe that silence — especially now — is complicity. So no. I won’t be silent.
Israel really means for society is that this very vital occupation is going to endure even more derision than it already is, if not outright attacks, and it’s tolerated. Obviously this isn't unique to Israel. There was the killing of a journalist by a Saudi prince a few years ago.” said Delta College journalism student Zackary Kirk-Newton, referring to the slaying of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi authorities in 2018.
Kirk-Newton also sees a pattern being repeated here in America.
“It’s a very difficult thing to ask to be courageous enough to speak up, knowing you’ll face bodily harm or death, and I think that is the intended effect in a way, this chilling effect on journalism as a whole, and we’re seeing this to a degree in America already. We’re seeing this when, y’know, if you have a work visa, and you write an op-ed about immigration or anything critical of Trump, then you’re gone.” said Kirk-Newton.
The Israeli legislative body also voted unanimously to ban Al Jazeera, and doesn’t allow Western journalists to come into either Gaza or the West Bank.
This all begs the question: What is Israel so afraid of?
PREP FOR THE FEMININE APOCALYPSE
What do you do when your civil rights are revoked?
Here’s a guide to prepare you to become the strong female crusader. Untame the lioness and fight the patriarchy.
BY JILLIAN ROHRBACH Staff Writer
BEAR SPRAY OR TASER
Choose your defense weapon of choice depending on what kind of retaliatory rage you’d like to engage with if aggressively approached by a strange MAGA man.
A POCKET-SIZED GENERIC WHITE CIS MALE
Keep one on you at all times in case you’re not being heard or taken seriously in male dominated spaces and need a guarantee of respect.
CHAPPELL ROAN AND PARIS PALOMA ALBUMS
Listen to both to reawaken that female rage and use it to inspire self-worth and lean into your “nasty” female energy.
FRAMED PICTURE OF PATRON SAINT RUTH BADER GINSBURG
To have a reminder of feminine greatness and to take inspiration from the women whom we stand on the shoulders of.
HEELYS
PLAN B/ MIDOL
Stay stocked up on the “essentials” before Trump republicans strip all of women’s health and services and backslide to our bodies being seen as just mini versions of men’s.
Wear a pair to kick out those wheels and make a quick getaway, while simultaneously turning off every man in sight with your aggressive skating skills and poor fashion choice.
HANDMAID’S TALE/ PROJECT 2025
Keep a copy of both groundbreaking works to see what the conservative republican vision is for us ladies and study the “offense” and build a “defense.”
Delta's history now digitized
BY KAITLYNN BRANDON Entertainment Editor
Inthe heart of The Goleman Learning Resource Center,
Librarian Lena Zaghmouri converts memory to video.
Positive memories, like the “Exposure” fashion show hosted by Miss America 1996, Shawntel Smith.
Or memories that shouldn’t be forgotten, like a talk from Elane Norych Geller, a Child Holocaust survivor.
These memories come in the form of early analog video recordings that urgently need to be preserved, “We’re going to lose it [the footage] if it’s not done somewhat soon” said Zaghmouri.
“Once it can’t be played, it can’t be digitized,” said Zaghmouri, who archives footage between her other responsibilities at the library.
The process can be time consuming because the thumb-sized converter, an Elgato Video Capture, when plugged into compatible devices like laptops, iPads and even VHS players, must run the entire video to finish digitizing. This can mean hours of conversion before the content is ready for YouTube.
“Once it can’t be played, it can’t be digitized,” said Zaghmouri, who archives footage between her other
Top
responsibilities at the library.
Elgato is also limited in the material it can convert. Chief of concern is the U-Matics, a small videocassette often used for broadcast television in the 1970s, which requires a U-Matic player, an old form of technology that Delta doesn’t have.
For memories this historic, Zaghmouri must outsource to Smooth Photo Scanning, a digitization company in Lodi, New Jersey. The exchange, Zaghmouri said, adds a couple of months to the process. In exchange, the library saves money and receives a greater quality remaster than in-house devices could provide.
Space, said Zaghmouri, is another concern. When converting video for the Drama Department, the VHS tapes had to be returned rather than stored in the library due to the lack of space. This could affect other departments with more videos to convert.
With such an unforgiving deadline of degradation, and nowhere to store all of the waiting memories, Zaghmouri can devote only so much time to the conservation of Delta history.
To ease the strain, could a dedicated archivist be in The Goleman Library's future?
“That’s been tossed around for the past like 30 years,” said Zaghmouri, “but I don't know where that’s going.”
Perhaps there is no need for a dedicated archivist.
Perhaps there is no need for a dedicated archivist.
“It’s a team effort,” said Librarian Steve Schermerhorn, adding that some of the video’s dates -- which are unknown due to technological limits of the past -- could be recovered and archived by long time Delta faculty such as himself, and
even by his extensive email history which could pinpoint more exact dates.
So until the digitization project can find time, space and funding, the librarians strive to preserve what they can.
“The goal is mostly to get as much done as quickly as possible to make sure they don’t degrade anymore,” said Zaghmouri, who projects continued small scale plans for the project of Delta’s memory preservation.
animated series to stream this summer and where to watch
BY NADAR WILLIAMS Senior Staff Writer
Thissummer, the animation world is heading up with an exciting lineup of animated shows including superheroes, sci-fi thrillers and dark comedies, there’s something for every binge-watching session.
YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN
Disney+ treats Spider-Man fans this year with a fresh take on Peter Parker’s origin story. With standout animation that celebrates Spider-Man’s comic book roots, and a plot that focuses on Peter’s emotional growth, this series is a fresh take on the nostalgic classic. A combination of nostalgia and modern sensibility makes it a must watch for long-time fans and newcomers.
COMMON SIDE EFFECTS
Debuting this year, Adult Swim’s “Common Side Effects” is a wild ride through the world of magic mushrooms, conspiracy theories, and government secrets in which two high school lab partners discover a mushroom with healing powers, and their lighthearted experiment evolves into a dark tale of drug cartels, big pharma and government cover-ups. With sharp wit and offbeat humor, "Common Side Effects" combines outrageous storytelling with a serious undercurrent of social commentary, an ideal pick for viewers who enjoy a blend of comedy and intrigue. Watch on Hulu or Prime Video.
INVINCIBLE SEASON 3
“Invincible” returns for its third season on Prime Video, and is more intense than ever. Mark Grayson, now a Viltrumite human-hybrid faces more challenges as he balances his heroic identity with his personal life.
In Season 3 he grapples with hero responsibilities the emotional toll of powers on the complex relationships in his life pushing the boundaries with thrilling action sequences.
If you’re ready for a deep dive into the world of “Invincible” and love a killer finale, this season will not disappoint.
PANTHEON
A sci-fi with heart and moral dilemmas, main character Maddie Kim is now an Uploaded Intelligence (UI) on a mission to grant digital immortality to UI’s. Season 2 questions ethics, morality and artificial intelligence, all set in a visually stunning world. Catch it on Netflix.
SOLO LEVELING
Season 2 of “Solo Leveling” has arrived on Crunchy roll. Sung Jin-woo faces powerful monsters and uncovers dark secrets in the Red Gate arc.
With these exciting animated series hitting the screen in 2025, this summer's binge watching sessions are set.
Elane Norych Geller, Holocaust survivor, gives speech at Delta's Atherton Auditorium. SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF SJDC LIBRARY VIDEOS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Ally Ratto earns 3C4A Student-Athlete Award
BY ANDREA BALTODANO Opinion Editor
Delta College sophomore Ally Ratto has been awarded the 3C4A Student-Athlete Award, recognizing her achievements in athletics and academics while overcoming personal adversity.
The award, granted by the California Community College Counselors/Advisors Academic Association for Athletics (3C4A), honors one male and one female student-athlete from each college who have succeeded despite significant challenges.
Ratto, 18, has faced more than her share.
In September 2022, her mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer — a moment Ratto said “changed everything.” One year later, her teammate Kayla Crespin died in a car crash, shocking the Delta Athletics community.
In the months that followed, Ratto said her focus and grades suffered as she navigated the emotional toll.
“My high school GPA was 4.2, and my first semester in college it dropped to 2.4,” she said. “I had to put aside my academics to take care of my mom.”
Now, she’s turned a corner. Her mother has been cancer-free for a year, and Ratto earned a 4.0 GPA in fall 2024. She also helped lead the women’s water polo team to the 3C2A State Championship Quarterfinals — milestones she credits to determination and a
strong support system.
“I learned how to lean on my team, my coach, the athletic department and my community,” she said.
Each year, 3C4A academic athletic counselors nominate student-athletes for the award, with winners selected by a statewide committee comittee of experts.
Ratto said the award also acknowledges those who stood by her.
“It shows that what I went through was hard,” she said, “and it gives my mom recognition for the fight she’s been through, and my team for putting up with the fight of losing a teammate.”
Delta College Head Water Polo Coach Nathan Varosh praised Ratto’s resilience and maturity.
“Ally has made tremendous progress through the past two years,” he said. “She has faced adversity with grace and poise. She’s mature beyond her years and has a bright future ahead.”
Ratto wants others facing similar struggles to know they’re not alone.
“There are so many resources to help you, and it’s okay to ask for help,” she said, crediting Delta’s Basic Needs and Resource Specialists for supporting her.
Ratto plans to continue her education and athletic career at the University of La Verne, where she hopes to pursue a degree in psychology.
For now, she remains focused on discipline, supporting her teammates and honoring those who have helped her persevere.
Baseball gets series win against Modesto
BY ELLIS GRIFFIN-JEWETT Staff Writer
On April 4, Delta beat out Modesto Junior College (MJC) 2-1 in a tense, three-game series on Klein Family Field at University of the Pacific.
“It’s a big rivalry, always has been, always will be,” said Coach Bob Kittle. “It was a game of karma.”
This season’s series is underscored by a long-standing rivalry between Delta and MJC, with a total loss in the 2024 season.
“We had to come out with some fight,” said Mustangs Pitcher No. 24 Cory Sugg. “We got swept last year and there’s a chip on our shoulder but we did our job this time around.”
The series started with a 5-3 victory for the Mustangs at Billy Hebert Field while the Pirates took home the victory in the second game 8-6 at MJC.
“It was tight the whole way, we came through in the first game but the second game was
a battle we didn’t come through on,” said Sugg. The final game between the rivals this season was tense and came on the heels of a narrow loss for Delta with both teams trading the lead this time around off of some solid runs
and a persistent heckling from the visiting team’s dugout.
Mustangs were down 6-5 until they would tie it at the bottom of the seventh inning with a run that would bring them up to 6-6 going into the eighth
“It was a high-energy game
… both teams wanted it,” said catcher (no. 28) Caleb Velo
For the first half of the game, MJC seemed in great shape with tight runs, reliable catches and a palpable confidence on the field.
A particular turning point in the Mustangs’ favor was at the bottom of the eighth when
batter Sutter Moss (No. 6) cracked a pitch into the outfield, securing two runs for the team before being tagged out at first base, bringing the Mustangs to the winning 8-7 lead.
The Mustangs record is 1716 on the season 9-9 in conference play which is fifth in the Big 8 Conference.
Ally Ratto with her award standing next to her biggest inspiration, her mother, who is a cancer survivor.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Left: Center fielder No. 6 Sutter Moss gets his second hit of the game on Klien Family Field at University of Pacific in a series against Modesto. Above: Third baseman No. 19 Samuel Rivas makes tag in 3rd inning against Modesto on April 4.
PHOTOS BY ELLIS GRIFFIN-JEWETT
BEACH VOLLEYBALL EXTENDS WIN STREAK
BY ELIJAH PROSSER Staff Writer
On April 4, Delta’s beach volleyball team played two home games against Solano and Marin at the University of the Pacific’s Raney Sand Volleyball Courts.
The game against Solano started at 10 a.m., and Martin started at 1 p.m. The final scores of both games were 5-0 Mustangs.
After winning the games, each volleyball team is on a three-game winning streak while working to finish off the season strong and earn a spot to compete in the postseason.
During one of the matches, a Solano women’s player got injured, resulting in a forfeit.
Interim Head Coach Kristie Plateau said the wins are important to the team’s morale moving forward.
“I think our wins are great for confidence, and you know our program, we focus more on improvement if they’re playing well, there are no bad losses
if you’re playing well and improving, but I do think wins do gain confidence for the team,”
said Plateau.
She said the team had amazing confidence going into the
season and noted that it had some great wins under its belt.
The energy the Mustangs
showed as the team got more adjusted in the game proved which team was better on match day.
“It improves with the wins and losses you have to be each other’s supporters, no matter what I think that going through everything together like we had a lot of injuries, and trying our hardest and giving it our all had made us sure a close team because we know we can lean on each other for everything,” said freshman Delta beach volleyball player Catherine Frias.
The team knows that there are a lot of ways to get better and learn from the wins that they earned before their last conference match on April 18.
“Each game is an opportunity to get better because each opportunity plays differently, and playing different teams means you see something new every time,” said Frias.
The Mustangs currently sit at 13-7 in season play, and after that win the Big 8 playoffs, regional playoffs and state.
Softball loses game 2 of doubleheader
BY NADAR WILLIAMS Senior Staff Writer
After a two and a half year wait, the Mustangs softball team returned to Bucky Layland Field on Saturday, March 29. The highly-anticipated homecoming games saw the Mustangs face Cosumnes River College in a doubleheader with the teams splitting the series.
Delta College won the first game but fell short in the second, losing 10-7.
The stands were packed with families, youth teams, and supporters from other Delta sports, including football and track, creating a welcome home atmosphere.
Free hot dogs and water were offered to fans for coming out to support, reminding folks of the sense of community surrounding the event.
Pitchers No. 5 Ariel Nava and No. 10 Lily Alamillo pitched in both games with Nava starting out and Alamillo coming in relief.
In the second game, Delta struggled early, falling behind 7-1 in the third in-
ning after Cosumnes River exploded for six runs, including a three-run homer from Ariana Fuentes
Despite a valiant rally by the Mustangs, which saw the Mustangs score six runs in the fifth inning, the team couldn’t overcome the deficit.
The Mustangs refused to back down showing resilience and determination.
The team responded with a rally in the fifth, scoring six runs to pull within two.
The rally was powered by key hits from Tara Fornaciari, Brooklin Preece, and Hailey Bacon who each contributed RBIs.
Fornaciari drove in two runs, while Bacon added two RBIs. Cosumnes River answered with a run of its own in the sixth inning to seal the win leaving the Mustangs with a 10-7 defeat.
Lily Alamillo was outstanding in relief, throwing 4.2 innings, and limiting the damage, allowing the team a chance to close the gap.
The Mustangs move to 15-12 for the season which is fifth in the Big 8 Conference.
Their next home game is Tuesday
April 15 against Sierra College at 3 PM. From then on The Mustangs play
five straight home games up to April 22.
Sophomore No.5 Bella Cormack spiking a ball against a Solano player looking to score for The Mustangs.
PHOTO BY ELIJAH PROSSER
Pitcher Ariel Nava pitching during Delta College’s 7-6 victory against Cosumnes River College at Bucky Layland Feild on March 29. PHOTO BY LEVI GOERZEN