THURSDAY
OCTOBER 13, 2016 Vol. LI No. 5
What would you do? Campus Comment See photos on Page 4
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
IVAN VARGAS/MONITOR
Sergio Suarez announces the winners of the B-boy Battle, Eastside Union Crew from San Jose at the Smith Center. More photos, Page 5.
Workers drill, pour concrete as new core buildings take root RONNIE LOZANO STAFF WRITER
It is difficult to walk around the main campus and not notice the incessant clamor. The noise comes from workers drilling deep holes, then filling them with “re-bar”, followed by the forming of concrete. The process is the foundation of the Academic Core Project. Voters passed the $349 million in 2010 and the project began with demolitio n of Build-
ings 1, 2, and 8 which were built in the 1970s. Groundbreaking began in April and since then construction workers have been setting up the foot prints for the Academic Core Buildings at the heart of the campus. The process of the project includes workers drilling piers for foundation 20-40 feet deep, followed by the placement of deep steel cages which are there to eventually be filled up with concrete, which is different
from most procedures. “It takes a lot of effort,” said Robert Dias, Director of Measure G. Being that the location of the project is on a hillside, the procedure is more challenging than usual. The buildings must meet seismic requirements which are strictly controlled by the State of California. “It is different because the nature of the buildings,” said Dias. Continued on Page 2
Transfer deal for deaf students ROELLE BALAN STAFF WRITER
STAFF PHOTOS
Crane lifts and places steel re-bar cages into place, while drilling holes for cages continues on campus.
Ohlone students who complete the ASLEnglish Interpreter Preparation Program can now transfer their credits to Gallaudet University in Washington DC. Ohlone’s Deaf Studies Division reached an agreement in March with Gallaudet that helps students who are in the ASL-English Interpreter Preparation Program to transfer to the campus to further their education. Ohlone College became the first community college to serve deaf students in 1972 when the division was created. The division gave an opportunity for deaf students to continue their education and gain career opportunities. The division serves an average of 200 deaf students each year. The Interpreter Preparation Program is one of the three career pathways offered in the divi-
sion. The program offers an Associate of Arts in Interpretation and a Certificate. The interpreter program is one of two departments in the division. The other department is called American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. In this department, students become fluent in American Sign Language. There are also Deaf Education classes where students can learn how to be teachers for deaf children. Darline Clark Gunsauls, dean of the Deaf Studies Division, speaking through an interpreter, said the Interpreter Preparation Program “Prepares students to facilitate communication, be a communication bridge between hearing and deaf people So they’re translating back and forth between English and American Sign Language.” Gunsauls said the transfer program is Continued on Page 2
Revenue sought from unused land TOMI BOYD STAFF WRITER
In a dusty room at the top of a hill, eight men and women met to decide the fate and future of Ohlone College. The main topic of Wednesday’s board meeting: development of the unused property that extends from Witherly Lane to Pine Street, known as the frontage property. The college seeks to lease out the property as a
means of generating a source of revenue independent from state apportionments, on which the college currently entirely relies. Students and community members were allowed to offer suggestions for the development, bringing ideas such as on-campus housing for financial aid and transfer students. Some concerns from the community included an increase in traffic congestion on Mission Boule-
vard. In response, Sean Absher, an attorney with Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth, P.C. told the board that any environmental impacts, including traffic congration, would be mitigated by whichever developer Ohlone chooses to award the contract. Absher told the board, “Legally, this is the maximum process by which [the college] can generate revenue for that site”.