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 Collegian is a member of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.
March is Women’s History Month (WHM), and Delta is celebrating by hosting several events that focus on issues that women have faced in the past and today, for students as well as faculty.
The National Women’s History Alliance, the organization behind WHM, chooses a theme every year. This year’s theme is “Women who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”
Delta’s WHM events are organized by the WHM committee, made up of Delta faculty.
“We reached out to faculty members who presented on the issue of micro aggressions before,” said Seekatz. “This fits within the national theme but also it gave our students a chance to hear from amazing women on our campus who advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion — Dr. [Malika] Hollinside, Professor [Vienna] Sa, Professor [Nia] Gregory, and Professor [Lorraine] Doria.
Women’s History Month included a variety of events on campus, including:
• Signing to the Difference: An Exhibition of Surface Strategies at L.H. Horton Gallery
Professor Lynn Hawley, the head of the committee, says that the committee has been leading the WHM events for 10 years now.
There were also less academic events that took place on campus. The Pride Center’s event, “Share the Warmth,” focused on crafting blankets for foster youth.
• Women of Color in Higher Education Forum
• Author Talk with Sarah Lohman
• ASDC College Hour: “Who Runs The World? Girls!”
“Women’s History Month is an exciting time for me,” said Hawley in an email interview. “This is the subject I teach all year and have been teaching at Delta College for 26 years now.”
The committee is not the only one creating events. Multiple associations in Delta help organize them.
“Often, we have campus organizations, like the Pride Center, Digital Media, Ethnic Studies, or the Horton Gallery, that will do events or videos annually,” said Dr. Sarah Seekatz, another member of the WHS committee. “They plan them and we include them in our advertising material for the month.
Based on the yearly theme, a few of the WHM events focused on educating both students and faculty on how to be a more mindful advocate in work or in school.
The L.H. Horton Gallery is also hosting an exhibition that features all-women artists.
“Singing to the Difference: An Examination of Surface Strategies” was put together by Professor Ruth Santee and Gallery Operator Jan Marlese to showcase women artists.
“If you look at the statistics, only 46 percent of working artists are women,” said Marlese. “Despite the fact that women earn 70 percent of bachelor’s degrees in fine arts, and 65 to 75 percent of master’s degrees. It seems like in industries where women are at the forefront, they still get ignored.”
The exhibition is expected to run until April 5.
Despite nearing the end of the month, there is always a chance to look ahead at next year. “ I think one of the great things about it,” said Seekatz, “Is each year is an opportunity to explore something new — because women's history is history — all of it — and our experiences are so varied and vast that we'll never run out of wonderful things to explore.”
For those who menstruate, the cost and availability of menstrual products should never impact an individual’s health or be a barrier to their educational pursuits. The Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021 (AB 367) aimed to address these concerns and implement requirements for free menstrual products in California schools.
The facilities department has been recently discussing the implementation of signage in compliance with AB 367 at their past meetings. This signage will direct Delta students and staff to where they can find free and accessible menstrual products on campus.
“The recent passage of AB 367 legislation marks a significant step towards menstrual equity by ensuring that menstrual products are now available and accessible, free of cost, to individuals of all genders on our campus,” says the potential signage.
Links and QR codes on the signage direct individuals to both Delta’s Custodial Department’s website, which lists locations to obtain free menstrual products, and to the text AB 367 via the California Legislative website.
AB 367 aimed to highlight the necessity of accessible menstrual products for all who may need them and the need for cost to not be a potential barrier.
“California recognizes that access to menstrual products is a basic human right and is vital for ensuring the health, dignity, and full participation of all Californians in public life,” said AB 367.
The act also aimed to address that menstruation does not only impact cisgender women and girls, but a greater population as well.
“California has an interest in promoting gender equity, not only for women and girls, but also for transgender men, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people who may also menstruate and experience inequities resulting from lack of access to menstrual products,” said AB 367.
There are many locations on campus which have free menstrual products, and the potential new signage will have a link which both lists these locations and provides a visual map of them.
“Currently, the following restrooms have the units: Horton Administration Building first floor, Goleman first floor, Locke first floor, Holt first floor, Atherton Theater (backstage restrooms), Danner second floor, the Forums, Shima first and fourth floors, Holt 204, men's and women's locker rooms, Athletics training rooms, the Manteca Farm, and South Campus at Mountain House. The Custodial Department is responsible for restocking the units on campus every day,” said Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler via email.
Many staff and programs on campus acknowledge the need for free menstrual products and the need for discretion when retrieving these products. Two locations on campus that provide free menstrual products for those who need them are the Pride Center located in Danner 202B and the digital media lab located in Shima 146.
“I think it's really important to have those products available to our students. And we just started doing it just because we felt like how many times has a student needed to just have that there. And so we always let our students know and tell them to let their friends know, if they ever need to stop in and just quickly grab something, they can,” said digital media department multimedia lab tech Leo Marquez.
Ensuring that menstrual products are easily found will help to ensure that students have access in the case of an emergency or when they do not have needed menstrual products on their person.
“I think having them in all restrooms increases accessibility. I know we have the two restrooms here closest to the Pride Center have free mental products in the restrooms, but I'm not, I don't believe that all restrooms have that across campus and we have them here in the Pride Center. But increasing the accessibility to having them in all restrooms would mean that a student doesn't have to walk across campus to get something that they might need right then and there in the middle of class,” said Pride Center student worker Hallelu Granlund.
The 8th annual Criminal Prevention and Safety Awareness Fair was held on campus on March 19. The event featured ambassadors of public safety across San Joaquin County (SJC) to promote the many resources available to local citizens.
Groups from the SJC sheriff's office, the probation department, and even the water police were present in spreading safety awareness.
Booths from the SJC Family Justice Center and the SJC Victim Witness Services were showcasing domestic violence and victim awareness, promoting victim rights.
"We provide a good place for victims to seek assistance without involvement," said Office Technician Coordinator Laura Rouzer-Eash from the SJC District Attorney's Family Justice Center.
Representing SJC victim-witness services was Jordan Rutledge and Grace Lambdin.
"We come to events like this to get the message out. People aren't aware that victims have rights, we help with restraining orders and things like that," said Rutledge.
Fun fact: did you know that drinking on a boat is legal?
WaterCraft Police Officer Micheal Boyd said that while this is the case; drinking on a boat is the leading cause of crashes and deaths on the water.
"You can drink on a boat but you still have to maintain the legal .08 percent alcohol limit while operating a boat, there's a lack of awareness of the rules on the water," said Boyd.
Boyd and his colleague San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Leo Conn was displaying a large boat that sheriffs use while patrolling local waterways like the Delta.
Apart from the boats and SWAT trucks on exhibit, the event also had officers flying drones around. If someone had any questions about drones, Stockton Police Officer Gabriel Cooper was the man to ask. Cooper described drones as an extra pair of eyes during stakeouts or searches.
"We use them for block search, child runaways, and we'll attach a speaker before entering a building to alert anyone inside," said Cooper.
So if you ever see a drone flying above your house here in Stockton, chances are there's someone trying to run from police, as Cooper said these drones can fly at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and can fly out to 3 thousand feet.
Students found the fair to be fun, such as Autumn Cantu, a Criminal Justice major with a minor in law enforcement.
"I was passing through…it's interesting to see the people I'll be working with and lift my spirits up," said Cantu.
Goats are back roaming around Mustang Acres along North Burke Bradley Road on the Stockton campus.
Tina Candelo-Mize, Professor of Agriculture at Delta and the adviser of the Horticulture Club, said the goats are visiting from the Manteca Farm to help graze the urban farmland.
“The goats provide an ecological service to our campus by grazing on our cover crops and our native pollinator habit plants. The purpose of cover cropping is to use a specific blend of plants to encourage nutrient and carbon sequestration in the soil. Goats eat these crops and convert it into a smaller form that can be digested by insects and microbes. This increases the biodiversity of the soil food web, and it improves the quality of our soil,” said Candelo-Mize in an email interview.
“The California native plants we have planted in the Meadow are also adapted to be grazed down by small ruminant animals in the habitats they are endemic to, so each year after the native plants have finished blooming, the goats come in and mow them down. The following spring they grow back vigorously. They also leave stems behind as they munch, which provides habitat for native insects to over-winter in,” said Candelo-Mize.
The goats help with time and resource management related to the Stockton campus farmland.
“They do all of this for us, so we don’t have to! The labor and resources it takes to mow these areas with equipment is offset by the herd. It’s also such a fun sight to see goats on campus, in an urban environment. Folks from all over campus find it relaxing and exciting to watch them graze. It’s a nice break from the norm. It’s also an opportunity to help educate our campus about what urban agriculture can bring to our community,”
said Candelo-Mize.
Donald Drake, who is the farm lab manager for Delta, provides further information about the goats to the Stockton campus.
“We like to use the goats for pasture and land management. We planted a cover crop in Mustang Acres and by bringing the goats to graze (eat) it down, not only are they saving us time and energy of cutting it down, but they are helping by aerating the soil when they pull up the plants and walking around with their hoofs. One other benefit is that they leave a natural fertilizer down during their natural digestive cycle. Besides helping out soils, they provide a calming and relaxing getaway during school/ work hours,” said Drake.
Students like Kaden Phat, said the goats are a great addition onto our school grounds.
“I do think goats are a good addition to the campus as they’re good for the environment and would be a good welcoming space for us to visit. I may visit them if I get the chance as well but overall it is a cool addition,” said Phat.
The goats’ reintroduction to Delta’s Stockton campus can provide an educational moment for both staff and students, although they are only to observe and not to touch (for their own safety), as well as providing environmental benefits through improved soil and land management.
Delta College Area 5 trustee Kathleen Garcia officially stepped down on March 27.
“San Joaquin Delta College Trustee Kathy Garcia stepped down today from the Board of Trustees, after more than three years of service,” reads a news release from Delta’s Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler sent out at 7:21 p.m..
Garcia’s district, Area 5, encompasses east San Joaquin County and parts of Calaveras County.
Details on how the vacancy left by Garcia’s departure will be announced at a later date, the press release said.
“It has been an honor of the highest order to serve alongside you and to contribute to the noble mission of making San Joaquin Delta College a beacon of learning, opportunity, and hope,” Garcia wrote in a letter to the Board quoted in the news release. “The advancement of our college and the successes of our students have been sources of profound
joy and fulfillment for me.”
Delta Superintendent/President Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson also thanked Garcia for her service in the release.
“I’d like to thank Trustee Garcia for her years of service to Delta College, and wish her well in her future endeavors,” said Lawrenson.
However, as of press time, the district’s lawsuit to remove Garcia, The People of the State of California on Relation of San Joaquin Delta Community College District v. Kathleen Garcia, is still listed in the San Joaquin County Court system.
Garcia is accused of simultaneously holding two public offices in violation of California Government Code 1099. She was elected to Delta College’s board in 2020 for a four-year term that would have ended on Dec. 13. In November 2022, she was appointed to the Eastside Rural Fire Protection District.
An opinion issued by the California Attorney General’s Office on Nov. 23, 2023, found there was “substantial legal issue” that Garcia was holding two
incompatible offices. The opinion gave Delta College permission to sue Garcia in an effort to remove her from the college board.
Garcia was issued a summons on Feb. 16, and served on March 1, according to court records. and was given 30 calendar days to file a written response with the court.
Delta was concerned that Garcia has had potential clashes of duties and loyalties that are listed in the Attorney General’s eight-page opinion.
Specifically, Garcia has allegedly sought collaboration between the districts including acquiring real estate/ property, the ability of the fire district to enforce fire codes, and levy fees and creating service zones, as noted in the lawsuit.
In particular, when the community college planned to create an Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic program, Garcia advised against conducting a program with any other districts, according to the Attorney General’s opinion.
“According to the College District, Garcia asked the community college’s superintendent and president if Garcia should tell a different fire protection district who had expressed interest in the program to go ‘pound salt.’”
GARCIA
The Collegian reached out to Delta College Superintendent/President Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson for comment if Garcia resigning her seat was due to the pending litigation. Lawrenson did not respond as of press time.
Delta College officials also declined to comment on whether or not Garcia stepping down from her seat is related to the lawsuit. Brietler said the college doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Garcia also declined to comment when contacted after the release was sent out on Tuesday evening.
The Office of Student Activities in partnership with the Art Club held a “Paint & Sip” on March 19 in Upper Danner.
The event had themed non-alcoholic mocktails, canvases to paint, and snacks to enjoy. Danner quickly filled up, as more than 100 participants pre-registered for the event.
Available drinks and snacks were quickly grabbed as the students took the tables that were scattered with specific colored acrylic paint and brushes, as it was yet to be revealed what participants were painting.
“I wanted to come because it was something new … it was fun … I’m excited to paint, and have a good time and good conversation with my best friend,” said student Sashimi Rigamoto.
Once the attendees were seated, Art Club Volunteer and Presenter Angel Mercado unveiled the artistic Koi fish the attendees would attempt to paint.
Art Club President Sophia Torrice said koi fish were picked as the centerpiece because the student body easily recognized the fish.
“We love koi fish here! We think Koi fish should be the mascot,” said Sophia Torrice. “We have the pond here and a lot of Delta students, you know, go and sit by the pond.”
As students sat and drank mocktails, Mercado began the demonstration by starting with the background for the fish, followed by an outline of the koi fish, then with the different colors of the fish and finally the small details were introduced.
Student Emelia Leang said that her interest in coming was because she wants, “to use all the Delta resources and cherish it while I can, while I'm still here. And it’s an experience with my friend.”
The Art Club is hoping to do more Paint and Sip events with the help of ASDC for students to help relax during the semester after seeing the impressive turnout.
“We would love to do more in the future. There are so many different subjects we could choose or we can do a free-for-all…I’m very happy…we weren’t expecting this. We’re a small club, but with the reach that ASDC has given us I think this is a great turnout, this is great for us,” said Torrice.
Missed the Paint and Sip, but want to try a mocktail? Here are the ingredients to make one on your own at home.
DELTA DAIQUIRI: Lime juice, mango syrup and ginger ale
FIERCE FUSION: Redbull, mixed berry juice, blackberry syrup and cherry syrup
MUSTANG MIMOSA: Orange juice, Topo Chico, pineapple juice and mango syrup
SHIMA TEMPLE: Sprite or other lemon-lime soda, cherry syrup and maraschino cherries
MOUNTAIN HOUSE MULE: Ginger ale, lime juice and pomegranate syrup
At 14, Delta College student and President of the Black Student Union (BSU) Davis Dotson found himself homeless, aimlessly wandering the streets, and learning how to survive.
"That time…when I was 14, there was a brief moment…it was the hardest time of my life, because I didn't know what to do," said Dotson.
Every morning Dotson rolls out of bed, greets every passerby with a hello, straps a 100-pound blue travel bag to his shoulders and walks to Delta College to shower. The water starts out cold so he waits for it to warm up before jumping in.
His foster mother was a nurse and his twin sister was a pharmacy technician, through them he was able to find things such as running water.
"As I got older I got wiser, I got adaptable; carry less stuff, and if you are working don't look like you're making a lot of money," said Dotson.
A part of utilizing resources is going to school, Dotson says and he urges students who are financially struggling to use the services that Delta or any other school may provide. He visits the food pantry at Del-
ta, which is open three days a week.
Now in his early thirties he has personally decided to stay on the streets to finish his degree in Criminal Justice and Early Childhood Education.
"I have 36 units left right now … I have a house in Pineville after my brother passed away it became mine. I could go there, but I want to stay here and finish school," said Dotson.
During the day, Dotson likes to hang out in Danner Hall, where he uses the free WiFi to finish up homework, work on events as the President of BSU and talks with his friends. By night he works as a program manager for "Right at School" before going back to a church near Quail Lakes where he sleeps.
It was 2016 in a moment of spontaneity, Dotson was helping a group of kids play basketball at a Morada park when a parent offered him the role as coach for the kids at YMCA.
"I have passion for it, I do it for free and I like to give back to the community," said Dotson.
He said he later left the Y after a disagreement with a supervisor. It was 107 degrees outside, a child wanted water but the supervisor wanted them to finish their exercise.
"I was keeping it real … this is not a prison. Why
would you want a child to finish walking lines in 100-degree weather," said Dotson.
During COVID, he was living in his car and claimed he was arrested multiple times.
There was also a time he dubbed "the pandemic accident" because he was side swiped by a car, crashing into a telephone pole and was hospitalized for a few days.
Dotson gives back to his community, helps others around him and stays positive, he believes preconceived notions and judgment still follow him because of his homelessness.
"A lot of people try to bring me down, people try to judge me for my situation. Don't say all homeless people are dirty and drug addicts. I don't do drugs ... my job has nothing to do with my homeless situation," said Dotson.
For people who aren't happy and have a roof under their head, Dotson understands that life can be hard and sympathizes with the human condition. His advice is to utilize the resources and to manage your money wisely.
"I would say cherish the moment…if you have a roof over your head you can still get stressed out. It could be worse," said Dotson.
Delta offers programs and resources to students who need support. Resources for mental health, career guidance, basic needs and more.
Being a full-time student isn’t easy, especially if you work part-time. As a student, trying to grocery shop for yourself is difficult with inflation. The pantry offers students food, hygiene products and sometimes clothing.
The student food pantry is available to all students, as long as they are enrolled at Delta. Students can apply online and don’t need to meet certain requirements. No gimmicks. However, you must reapply every academic year to have access. For example; if you apply in the fall, you don’t have to reapply in the spring.
The food pantry works through a point system. Students have a total of 100 points each semester, but can only use 16 points each week.
“Me personally, I always tell people about it because it’s a really good program,” said Delta student Lishe’a
ILLUSTRATION BY DYLAN JAEKEL
Wilkerson, also known as Queen Rajah. “And just with the food discrepancy in Stockton is crazy… If people knew about it, it would save money and time.”
Valerie Valera is the acting student programs assistant for the food pantry.
Her role oversees the volume of food and students, as well as who and what comes in and goes out.
Valera mentions the struggle of the large student volume and keeping the shelves fully stocked. “We do have a monthly budget that
we can’t exceed. Our busiest days are Tuesdays, we normally get over 200 students on Tuesdays alone… We get majority of our stuff from Second Harvest because we have a grant with them and we get deliveries every other week. We would get fully stocked, however, due to the influx of students it’s not nearly enough. We’re trying to get sponsors to keep the food pantry running. It can be a little overwhelming, however, it just proves that a lot of students have food insecurity and how essential the food pantry on campus is.”
When asked about her opinion on Delta promoting the food pantry more, Valera doesn’t think that’s the problem.
“We do get a lot of students in here, so I feel like students are aware of the pantry. It’s funny because I feel like mostly the faculty, professors and some of the programs aren’t aware of us.”
The spring hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shima 101. The last day the pantry will be open is May 16, 2024. It will be back open in the fall.
Students at Delta College often don’t know about all the resources available to help them succeed as students.
Yes, Delta has a website. But let’s be honest, nobody is checking the school's website.
Delta also has social media but it doesn't really give all the information behind the programs that Delta has to offer. That’s fair, Delta offers more than a 100 degrees and certificates, social media can’t cover all of them.
So how can we find out about programs and what’s happening at Delta College? Collegian asked Delta College Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler. Breitler serves as the lead for external communications with the public. He also is a moderator in a Delta College Facebook group with more than 8,200 people.
QUESTION: “Why does Delta's Facebook page doesn't mention any of the programs at Delta?”
ANSWER: “We do feature specif-
ic programs from time to time on our social media accounts. We actually just ran a paid digital ad for our HVAC program (screenshot attached) because there were late starting classes in the evening that we thought might be helpful for working adults in the community. Because there are so many programs, we have to be strategic about when it makes the most sense to promote them on social media.”
QUESTION: “Do you feel as if Delta should broadcast information on their Facebook page pertaining to certain programs that's offered at Delta?”
ANSWER: “We definitely want students to be aware of our programs! We do know, however, from surveys we have run in the past, that students want more than just information about programs and services on social media. They want to experience a sense of community, which might include photos/videos of campus life events, recognitions of their favorite faculty members, or even just publishing photos of the beautiful poppies that are blooming on campus right now, as we
did a few weeks ago. We don't want our social media platforms to be only about our programs, as wonderful as they are.”
QUESTION: “How do you feel about students not knowing information about the programs that's offered at Delta?”
ANSWER: “Delta College is a big place, and there are many programs that we want students and community members to know about. Certainly, the College as a whole can improve in how we spread the word about these programs. But that goes beyond social media. We are looking at making some improvements to the Delta College website to make it easier to find that kind of information. Our weekly Delta Digest feature every Monday sometimes mentions specific programs, deadlines to sign up, etc. We're also refreshing some of the program-specific marketing materials, like the rack cards that you'll find on display in many offices on campus. Of course we are always open to ideas and sugges-
tions on how we can make it easier for Delta students to learn about the many options that are available to them. Feel free to reach out to us at any time at info@deltacollege.edu.”
QUESTION: “Will Delta add more information on their Facebook page in the future?”
ANSWER: “When it makes sense to do so, yes we will certainly promote programs on Facebook and other social media channels. For example, the upgrading of the photo lab would be a great opportunity to showcase our photography program. We are always looking for opportunities like that. We are currently running social media ads geared toward high school students and their parents that talk about the affordability of Delta College and the quality of the instruction here. Although those ads aren't promoting a particular specific program, they are an important way to spread the word in the community about the kind of experience a student can get at Delta College.”
Once niche crowd grows into large community where people watch, share, and interactBY GRACE LAWSON Staff Writer
The once niche crowd on TikTok where people posted quotes and showcased lists of their favorite books, has now grown into a large online community where people watch, share and interact with accounts dedicated to books and reading.
The community calls itself “BookTok,” and if you’ve been in a bookstore in the last four years, you’ve probably seen tables labeled something like “BookTok Favorites”, where books from all genres are grouped together by what is currently trending in the social media sphere.
On TikTok, #BookTok currently links more than 30.1 million posts. And if you’ve received a recommendation recently from a friend, it’s most likely because it made its rounds in the BookTok community.
“I think it’s a great way to get fast feedback and raw reactions to books and literature in general and also help promote authors that are really trying to start up their careers,” said student Ella Frey, who had first discovered the series, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” through BookTok. “Reading the ACOTAR series, literally changed my life, it’s a series that got me out of my slump that I had been on for a while and helped me delve into the world of fantasy in general.”
The community itself provides users with recommendations for books, reactions to scenes, context, aesthetics, fanart, opinions and author promotion. Books that have come out in the last couple years have been popular amongst users and even
resurgences of books that are much older have had time in the limelight.
BookTok has been an outlet in which fans can be introduced to reading, rediscover their love for it or find books suited to their interests and tropes they favor.
BookTok offers alternative ways to approach reading that isn’t only the summary on the back of a book cover. Its ability to cater to all audiences and their genre preferences allows for books to gain popularity and reach even outside of the TikTok sphere, recommendations passing from those on BookTok spill over to friends and family. The community does have its fair share of cons, especially since it has grown to cater to so many people across the platform.
“I’m all for knowledge being able to be more accessible in the terms of being on social media, especially TikTok. But I am a bit wary of too much information, especially “wrong” information or negative information being spread as well,” said student, Theo Chin.
BookTok has created such a large community that has made it so many people search for tropes in books instead of plots, or glorify authors whose books may perpetuate negative stereotypes.
“While BookTok has rekindled a love for reading amongst many people, it focuses too much on tropes and aesthetics rather than quality writing and powerful prose. BookTok perpetuates a culture where tropes and books rapidly gain popu-
larity like microtrends, each month pushing out a new hyper popular trope,” said student, Sofiya Ollamova, president of the Book Club on campus. BookTok’s has both its pros and cons that custom-
arily come with such a large Online community, but it’s universally agreed upon that since its birth mid pandemic, its created a space where many are able to enter the reading community and find a place for themselves.
Big movie franchises have been getting remakes in the past couple of decades. Most remakes don’t follow the same plot-line or keep the same characters as the original film.
Recently, I had a debate about the new “Evil Dead” films compared to the original franchise from the 1980s.
“I’m kinda tired of seeing women taking over the male roles in these new generation remakes. I understand we should support women but promoting feminism through films is repetitive,” said Stockton resident Michael Moreno. “Like where’s
Ash? They should keep it to the original plot, not revise it. Like, the Ghost Busters [2016] with an all-female cast was stupid.”
Personally, I thought the new “Evil Dead” films were great. The female lead(s) executed the male-dominant hero role. It’s more thrilling to see women-led roles in action and/or horror films. It shows the perspective that women can also fight and be just as strong as men, if not stronger.
However, some men have the same opinion about gender role-switching in films.
“So what about Angelina Jolie’s role from Tomb Raider?” said former Delta student
Vic Wagner. “If they remade ‘Tomb Raider’ and picked a man to take the role, there will be an uproar from men and women. It’s not the same. They better not change Indiana Jones into Indiana Jane.”
Okay, so what about women-led roles in prequels?
In 2015, “Mad Max: Fury Road” starred Tom Hardy as Mad Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa. It was rumored that Warner Bros was going to make a prequel explicitly based on Theron’s character, but nothing was confirmed for a few years. In January, a preview for “Furiosa” was released on YouTube; the film will be
in theaters on May 24.
I agree that a film’s quality often depends on production casting choices, sometimes the actors/actresses cast in remakes and prequels weren’t the best choices.
However, I disagree that switching gender roles in films is problematic. Why can’t a man play Lara Croft in “Tomb Raider?” What’s wrong with an Indiana Jane?
These opinions/complaints are sexist. The conservation of remakes, prequels and spinoffs casting a female lead(s) annoys male consumers. Which makes sense since the film industry is male-dominated.
Where is the line in separating the art from the artist?
Whether the conversation is
Kanye West’s recent comments on the Jewish population or controversies involving names like Michael Jackson or R. Kelly. Fans in recent years have been left with a moral decision to separate the art from the artist or separate the artist from their media consumption.
“We can appreciate what someone can do but we don’t necessarily have to appreciate the person producing the art,” Julianna Guerrero, a psychology major at Delta said.
This is a sentiment many people can relate to although everyone has their limits. For Guerrero that limit is endangering another person.
Guerrero said she was once a fan of a band called The Growlers, but in July of 2020 allegations of sexual misconduct were made against them by an artist named Arrow De Wilde who was touring with The Growlers in January of 2020.
After these allegations came out Guerrero said it became very diffi-
cult for her to support the band.
“I had to make that personal choice to be like I don’t want to go to any of their concerts, I’m not gonna buy a vinyl, I’m not gonna support them, I can’t support someone who’s physically harmed someone else because I can’t let that be ok,” Guerrero said.
The Growlers have 1.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, clearly a devoted fan base but allegations like sexual misconduct can definitely tarnish the reputation of a band.
Kanye West has 78.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, despite media missteps, raising the question of how much a reputation getting tarnished matters when the fan base is so large and devout that they will support the artist through anything?
“Everytime I hear a song of his I always think about what he was saying, I think about it like damn should I be listening to this?” Mansour Sagna, Sacramento State alumni said.
Sagna said he has been enjoying songs from the West for a long time and it would be difficult for him to stop listening now.
“I believe that some artists just can’t be canceled because they have reached
the point where their fan base is so large and so passionate,” Kilee Malone, Delta college student said.
Examples of this idea Malone poses aren’t difficult to find in the modern music era, but perhaps one of the best examples is Michael Jackson. The King of Pop is renowned for his discography but more recently with the release of the documentary series “Leaving Neverland” people have become more familiar with his alleged pedophilia relationship with children.
That being said, every October when Halloween comes around, the sounds of “Thriller” can be heard on television sets and in grocery stores.
“It’s so interesting how people in society say you shouldn’t do this, this and this but these people who reach fame especially like crazy levels of fame, they can get away with a lot more,” Sagna said.
Though the previously named artists are responsible for their collective crimes and controversies, it’s up to the listener to decide if they support
In 2023, UCLA conducted a Hollywood Diversity Report. The report went over statistics on ethnicity, actors with disability and gender.
“Women accounted for 38.6 percent of film leads in 2022, a more than five-percentage decrease from the 44.1 percent figure evident in 2019,” according to the report.
My issue is women are underrepresented in the film industry and in general. Who cares if a woman is the main character of a remake or a prequel. I understand people want to stick with the original storyline but keeping it the same can be repetitive and predictable.
them.
“You have to be aware of why people are being canceled, if it’s someone you care about artist wise I feel like you have to do your own due diligence,” Guerrero said.
That’s not heaven you see, it’s just a Jeep; brighter vehicle headlights create unsafe night driving conditionsBY ZACKARY KIRK-NEWTON Staff Writer
And God said, let there be light: and there was light.” So the often quoted bible verse goes, but what is rarely mentioned is the possibly apocryphal continuation that has come about in the intervening years: “and God wept, For the light paled in comparison to the Jeep Wrangler on the other side of the road at 4 a.m.”
Since the introduction of LED headlights in 2007 with the Lexus LS 600h sedan, they have continued to replace the previously standard halogen bulbs and while they offer improved visibility and clarity they aren’t without their detractors.
r/F@#!yourheadlights is a subreddit with around 30,000 members that is entirely dedicated to the seething hatred of LED headlights, posts range from well researched deep dives to general bemoaning about the retinal distress caused by whoever happens to be tailgating them on their commute. The Reddit community includes the profanity without redaction. Collegian standards prevent running of the word in its original form.
As someone who routinely drives home from work at 1 a.m, I have often been blinded by oncoming headlights that may as well rival the glare from the sun I get on my way to work. So sympathizing with the plight of the denizens of r/F@#!yourheadlights comes quite naturally.
Even when it’s not a direct danger — a car behind you being the one with the headlights is much less risky — the annoyance generated by a beam of bright blue photons is certainly enough to make you grimace.
“The light emitted by LEDs has become bluer, brighter, sharper, and more focused,” says an article by John Bullough and Mark Rea for LEDs magazine in June of 2023. “A bluer LED light in fact is brighter to the human eye than the same measured level of yellower light.“
The human eye’s sensitivity to blue lights means that even when the intensity is tech-
nically the same. An LED light will often produce more glare for an oncoming driver, which can be a factor in collisions and accidents.
“Half of the fatal accidents on U.S. roads occur at night, and the number of traffic accidents caused by glare from the highbeam headlights of oncoming traffic at night accounts for 12 [percent] to 15 [percent] of all traffic accidents” according to a study titled “Study on the Influence of Opposing Glare from Vehicle High-Beam Headlights
Based on Drivers’ Visual Requirements” conducted by Jiangbi Hu, Yunpeng Guo, Ronghua Wang, Sen Ma and Aolin Yu for the Beijing University of Technology from Feb. 27, 2023.
While this study specifically refers to high-beam headlights it underlines the importance of reducing glare to increase safety.
Exacerbating issues of glare are the positions of headlights with many cars like trucks and SUVs being lifted raising the headlights into clear view of any poor vehicle in front of them .
“Contemporary headlight beams are more focused than previous technologies, a significant increase in glare from misaimed headlights is more likely” say Bullough and Rea.
This is in turn made worse by the fact that only 10 states in the U.S. check headlight alignment when doing annual inspections. California is not one of them
While the scourge of LED headlights is currently omnipresent, there may be solutions on the horizon. ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) headlights are the best of both worlds, the brightness of LEDs but without the adverse effects of increasing glare for other drivers.
However ADB’s were not allowed under US auto safety regulations until 2022.
“But, according to automakers and safety advocates, the new rules make it difficult for automakers to add the feature” says an article by CNN which indicates that even with the changes it might be a while before we get relief.
In September 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20.
According to the Executive Department of the State of California, “It shall be a goal of the State that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks will be zero-emission by 2035.” This includes all vehicles sold in dealerships.
The report gives another goal regarding larger vehicles: “that 100 percent of medium and heavy-duty vehicles like semi-trucks and buses in the State will be zero-emission by 2045.”
The order will not prevent people from owning or selling gas-powered cars on the used car market. It just requires all new cars to be electric by 2035. Some automotive workers question how California will be able to regulate this.
Brenden Garcia is a former student at Delta who only took one semester because he wanted to work full-time instead of continuing college.
He questions California’s intentions.
“They say this is good for the environment but just to build one electric car battery, they use tons of fossil fuels and require over 50 tons of ores from around the world,” Garcia said. “Californians have always driven places using gasoline and I feel our grid wouldn’t be able to handle a large amount of electric cars if this were to go in place.”
He also questions how California will punish dealerships who go against the order.
Garcia feels that gasoline-powered vehicles are more reliable than cars with zero emissions.
“I hear people with electric cars who start to have issues at 30,000 miles and my father's Honda has 180,000 miles and it runs fine with no problems,” he said. “I have family members who work in the oil industry and I just don’t want this to affect their work.”
Others feel the change can be a good thing and can benefit the auto industry like Professor Alberto Luna.
He is one of the three full-time faculty members of the college’s automotive program and he serves as the Automotive discipline chair.
In his opinion, workers' wages and hours will increase because of how skilled you need to be to work on electric vehicles.
“The auto technician wages will increase because of how complex electric vehicles are and they will have to be highly skilled on electric vehicles,” Luna said in an email interview. “We offer the training in our program, Tesla already hires many of our students and the college owns a Tesla and several hybrid Prius models to train our students.”
Luna offers a solution for students like Garcia who may hesitate to switch to electric or hybrid.
“The other technology out there is hydrogen vehicles. They use gas engines like Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) with hydrogen fuel. This can work very well but there needs to be gas stations across the state able to fuel them.”
He also feels that the order would address the carbon emissions problem in California.
“When we get to 2035 this will clean the air in California,” said Luna. “During COVID-19 our air quality was greatly improved according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). No one was commuting so as a result there was very little traffic at the time.”
This is causing lots of questions not only on the state level but Federally too.
In September 2023, The House Of Representatives passed a bill aiming to revoke the mandate, arguing the E.P.A. doesn’t have the power to give out that type of order. This is unlikely to pass through a Democratic Senate.
When it comes to smoking weed or eating edibles, which do you prefer: sativa, indica or hybrid?
What’s the difference between the three? Which is the best one for your needs?
The three types of strains that I mention hit differently and yes you will still get high.
Indica- if you only want to relax, Sativa- you will be able to function. Hybrid- it’s a mix of both.
Personally I had all three either smoked it or had edibles and I could tell the difference between them.
“Patients will typically find that indica based strains are more relaxing,” according to the Canabo Medical Clinic website. An indica strain will usually be associated with more bodily sensations. Therefore, these strains are often recommended for nighttime use.”
This website gives information on marijuana and is based in Canada.
Which is good for me since I have problems falling asleep — I also prefer indica due to my chronic pain to take the edge off from it.
And at times I do get tired of taking pills every night because I can get very tired if I don't sleep my medications off, which throws my day off because I’m fighting to stay awake, focus in class and do my homework.
“I prefer indica to help me fall asleep
derson. “It also helps me to relax.”
On the other hand, with sativa you will have more energy and not feel sluggish or stuck in place from smoking it or eating an edible or two.
“Sativa products usually come with a cerebral feeling,” according to Canabo Medical Clinics’ website. “Traditionally, sativa strains are more uplifting and euphoric and are recommended for daytime use.”
Hybrid, which is a combination of both, can give you the energy needed but it also has you in a relaxed mode.
“There are very few cannabis strains that are of true indica or true sativa variety,” according to the website. “Instead, most strains of cannabis are a hybrid of the two. Within this subset, there can be indica dominant, and sativa dominant strains.”
“I prefer Hybrid and indica,” said Delta student Nick Michelsen. “I like indica because of the feeling of melting into the vibrations of the universe. And that it’s great for sleep and general chill modes.”
Marlene Rosas who’s also a student chimed in via Delta’s Facebook.
“It depends on the day for me… if I need something to relax on a busy day and stressful day at then indica,” said Rosas. “But when I need something on the weekend to enjoy like a party or a girls night out then sativa. But my go-to is always hybrid.”
On March 21 the Delta College baseball team won 13-2 against Sacramento City College in their last game of a three-day game series held at the Klein Family Field on the University of Pacific campus.
“It feels great. We started the year pretty slow. It feels good to have our offense back to where it needs to be,” said sophomore first base Blaine French.
In the first inning, the Mustangs quickly set the pace for the day's game with sophomore infield Mateo Garcia drilling a hit down first base bringing in two runners, followed by sophomore catcher Joseph Barnhardt taking one for the team with a ground out hit to center field bringing in one more batter before the inning was over, making the score 3-0 Delta.
By the second inning, Sac City Panthers scored a run shaking the Mustangs offense up before getting their third out.
Infielder Garcia encouraged his teammates during these trivial moments so the team could stay focused.
“We try to stay focused… Keep everyone up and preach high energy at all times… I think it’s one of the biggest things that's helped us this far,” said Garcia.
In the fourth inning, sophomore infielder Drew Giannini hit a single out to right field allowing two runners on base to score, tailed by freshman outfielder Dominic Rodriguez with a sacrifice pop fly to Sac City’s infield but leading to another player on base scoring. The inning concluded with a strong score of 6-1 Delta.
After a quick top of the fifth and one run scored by Sac City, the fifth inning became the most exhilarating.
The Mustangs were up to bat, ready to leave Sac City in the dust, Giannini came up to bat and landed a walk that led Garcia to score, freshman outfielder Park Romney to advance to second base, and freshman outfielder Braeden Schnabel on to third base.
Next up came Rodriguez with a strong single straight down center field allowing both Romney and Schnabel to score. Sophomore left-handed pitcher and outfielder Logan Drummond hit a hearty single, granting another runner to score, French advanced to second but Rodriguez lost out at third ending the inning with a score of 10-2 Delta.
“Our mindset is to go out there and compete every game. Whether we’re facing the top team or the bottom team,” said freshman right-handed pitcher Michael Banderas on how the team stays timid during high-scoring games.
Delta scored three more times in the final four innings of the game. Twice in the sixth inning by Barnhardt on a wild pitch, and a grounded out hit by Romney to Sac City’s shortstop allowed freshman middle infielder Jackson River to score, 12-2 Delta.
By the seventh inning, Garcia hit a solid single out to left field that brought in one runner. Leaving all bases loaded, the Mustangs looked to drag
Sac City through the dirt some more, River came up to bat but fell short, ending the inning 13-2.
Head Coach Reed Peters felt good winning two out of the three-game series and is looking forward to improving as the Mustangs get closer to the championships.
“We kind of gave game one away, so it was good to see us respond and play the baseball we're capable of playing… we’re getting near the end, so we have to get better every week,” said Peters. “We have a bunch of injuries… It's a grind from here on out.”
On March 19, Delta Softball went up against the Diablo Valley Vikings for the first time this season.
The game was a landslide, resulting in a score of 9-1 in favor of Delta. The game ended in five total innings due to the run-ahead rule, which allows for the plate umpire to decide an end to the game if one team is ahead by eight or more runs after five or more innings.
The win extended Delta’s winning streak to six games, leading them to 15 total wins for the season out of 18 games.
“It feels really good and it gives me a sense of like security within our team because every single game that we've won, we’ve won it in a dif-
ferent manner. So, I kind of, we've kind of learned like how we can go through the ups and downs, and how we can pull out a win of every game,” said sophomore utility player Caitlynn Campbell.
The team's continued success throughout the season looks to be an indicator of how the team will fare as the season goes on and eventually reaches its end.
“It feels pretty good. I mean the team's looking great and we feel very confident of us going far. I think if we just keep working and feeling confident and communicating as a team, I think we're gonna be doing good,” said sophomore infielder Cheyenne Torrez.
Success is not a thing that comes naturally, and it is evident by their win record that these players put in the work
allowing them to grow as athletes and as a team.
“As a team we do a lot of conditioning at practice and I feel like that's helped a lot especially with our stamina for like the double-headers that we have,” said Campbell.
Head Coach Jim Fisher puts the women through practice to grow their abilities and to prepare for what may be thrown their way in the future.
“I mean Fisher works us pretty hard. I mean mainly we're, right now what we're doing is conditioning. He's kind of giving us like mentally making us mentally stronger and obviously physically stronger. And since we have a long season ahead of us and we're not playing easy teams. So, we're just trying to be ready for whatever comes our way,” said sophomore infielder
Erica Tovar.A mindset of many of the players is to do better today than you did yesterday, motivating them to improve their skills on and off the field.
“My own personal goals is to just do the best I can and to do better than I did last season. Whether that's, I don't know, having a better batting average or literally anything. Just do better than I did last year,” said Campbell.
This year’s team is largely new to college softball, with only six sophomores on the roster of 18 total players.
Due to the income of new talent to the team, sophomores like Torrez have taken on a mentorship role, to help the incoming freshman and to form better connections throughout the team.
“I love them. It's actually, it's
been a great experience. I feel like I personally learned a lot being a mentor, like communicating better and just having a better teammate, and like a better person towards somebody, and just kind of, and just kind of like you know helping them have a good experience here at Delta, but they're a good young group of girls and they're really fun to play with. So, I’m very proud of them,” said Torrez.
Last season, the Mustangs reached the second round of playoffs after a 27 win season and this year the team has big goals to continue their successes and go to state.
After their March 19 game, the team extended their win streak even further with two wins against the Butte College roadrunners on March 20.