OHLONE COLLEGE
MONITOR
THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 Vol. XLVIII No. 10
The Niles Train of Lights delivers holiday spirit to Fremont. See photos on Page 5.
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Candles burn in remembrance of Alameda County residents who died last year while homeless, during a vigil at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Fremont on Nov. 21.
Local events, volunteers help homeless MITCHELL WALTHER Features editor This semester, Ohlone student Tala Jamjoum has volunteered for more than 30 hours with Fremont’s Abode Services, helping to direct homeless people to government housing programs and working with landlords to find a place for them to stay. She said the work has had a major impact on her. “Volunteering and interacting with the less fortunate was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done
WE SHOULD NOT HAVE PEOPLE DYING ON OUR STREETS. - LOUIS CHICOINE in my life,” she said. “It really makes one appreciate every small blessing, especially the blessing of being able to go to school and seek a higher education.” Last week, countless volunteers mobilized across
Doctor discusses Ebola ALIZAIB LODHI Online editor
Widespread concern over Ebola is a recent phenomenon. However, the first known outbreak occurred in 1976, and a decade ago scientists already had the makings of a possible vaccine, Ohlone instructor Dr. Gessica Johnston said. “Ten years ago, some scientists in Canada and the United States did an experiment, and they had created a vaccine in the laboratory … that was 100 percent effective in protecting nine monkeys from a subsequent Ebola infection,” Johnston said Nov. 21 in a Science Seminar on the Fremont campus. “If they had developed that vaccine, we would now not be worried
about an Ebola epidemic.” Johnston, who has a doctorate in virology, pointed out the key facts about Ebola, including the history of the disease, current treatment options, and the search for a cure. She began by showing some illustrations of human cells. She then showed what would happen to a cell if it became infected with Ebola. No vaccine for the virus is available. Things could have been different, however. “Ten years ago, these people who developed this virus vaccine decided not to carry on the research anymore because there was nobody out there to give them money to do it,” she said. “Luckily, the Canadian government took Continued on Page 3
the country for the annual National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Meals, homes, events and support groups were organized to provide assistance to the homeless from Nov. 15 to 23.
The goal of the drive, organized by the National Coalition for the Homeless, was clear and concise: “The plight of those without a home, or those living in poverty, can be both lonely and difficult. Addressing their struggles by organizing and participating in this week may bring greater solidarity and understanding, as well as promote future involvement.” Abode also answered the call, putting on two Fremont events. The group organized a “Feed your Soul” music
and poetry event at Mission Coffee on Nov. 20 and a candlelight vigil at St. James’ Episcopal Church on Nov. 21 to spread the news. Abode secures permanent homes for those who have none. With more than 4,200 people homeless in Alameda County, something needs to be done, Abode Executive Director Louis Chicoine said. “We should not have people dying on our streets because they could not find a place to live,” Chicoine said. “It’s a troubling occurrence Continued on Page 4
Buildings 1, 2 and 8 to close RYAN PARCHER Editor-in-chief Next week, when students are heaving sighs of relief at putting their final exams behind them, the construction crews working on the Fremont campus will be revving up for a push during the winter break. Heidi Birch is the lead program manager for Gilbane Building Co., the contractor organizing the construction efforts at Ohlone. Birch said there will be two significant changes on the campus when students return for the spring semester. “The portables will be open for classes and offic-
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Math Professor Geoff Hirsch shows off the abundant decorations in his office in Building 8 before he relocates.
es,” she said, “and Buildings 1, 2 and 8 will be closed and fenced off.” The portables originally
were scheduled to be at least partially available for this semester, but a delay Continued on Page 2
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NEWS
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
NEWS BITES
College to hire 3 teachers
STAFF PHOTO
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE MONITOR
Ohlone will hire three full-time faculty members for math, English and chemistry to begin in the Fall 2015 semester. The hires will not increase the total number of full-time faculty, which will remain at 118. However, college administrators won’t know until June how many faculty members are retiring during the 2014-2015 academic year. “Therefore, as before, we will be a year behind – hiring to backfill to the base number,” college President Gari Browning said. “My hope is that we will be able to continue to build back our faculty numbers next year in addition to keeping pace with retirements.”
Speaker series wraps up Friday Zac Walsh and Eric Heltzel will speak Friday in the final Speech Colloquium event this semester. Walsh and Heltzel will discuss “On Why Uncertainty is Good For Us: A Philosophical Yawp on Humanism” from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 3101 on the Fremont campus.
Warriors game to help pantry The deadline is Dec. 14 to order discounted tickets for the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Miami Heat next month. Club 200 corner/baseline tickets for the game, which will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14, will cost $45 if purchased at www.warriors.com/ohlone, using the password WARRIORS. There are no taxes, surcharges or other fees. Tickets include an invitation to sit courtside from 6 to 6:30 p.m. to watch the players warm up. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Ohlone Pantry, a food assistance program for students.
Weather delays trenching work Because of weather delays, the trenching work at the Palm Bosque on the Fremont campus likely will continue until Dec. 8. The work could cause delays for those walking to Building 9. Also, people with disabilities should use Witherly Lane to access the ADA parking spots by the Palm Bosque. – Compiled by Monitor staff
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
From left: Laura Gonsalves, Albert Rebosura, Payal Gupta, Emily Burkhardt, Ryan Parcher, Rob Dennis and Mitchell Walther. Not shown: Alizaib Lodhi and Abigail Moneda.
Portable classrooms open for spring Continued from Page 1 in acquiring the necessary permit caused the administration to rethink its timeframe. As Ohlone Vice President of Administrative Services Ron Little pointed out to the Monitor earlier this semester, the upside to the delay in using the portable classrooms, or “swing space,” is that when students do get to start using the facilities, the asphalt will be resurfaced, the landscaping will be done and the area will look more like a village than a construction yard. One of the issues that originally held up the necessary permit from the Division of the State Architect was the hook-up of low-voltage and data connections, Little said. Because these connections were only considered necessary for the specialized classrooms, the original plan was to complete those connections during “phase two” of the construction, Little explained. The good news for students who will be attending classes in the portables in the upcoming semester is all these connections are or will be done. This means students will not only have a much shorter walk to class, but will have access to Wi-Fi in their classrooms. There will be no more classes in the technological black-hole that is Building 8.
In fact, the “soft” demolition of Building 8, along with that of Buildings 1 and 2, will happen during the semester, Birch said. This will mostly involve the removal of internal structures. Some of the materials taken from the buildings, such as redwood, will be repurposed and used in the reconstruction of the academic buildings. With the demolition and continued construction on campus, Birch said students can expect to see a lot of truck traffic on campus. While efforts are being made
to keep routes open and inconveniences to a minimum, access to the upper campus will be affected by the work. The main staircase will be closed, and a four-way gate system will be erected between the baseball field and Building 9. “It will be open for pedestrian traffic 95 percent of the time,” Birch said, although she acknowledged that students could end up delayed at the gate for five to 10 minutes to allow truck access to the demolition site. The gate will be staffed by a flagman.
There will be no classes at the Fremont campus during the summer semester. All classes and services will be shifted over to the Newark campus. The final demolition of Buildings 1, 2 and 8 will happen during that time. Students won’t be missing out on any dramatic uses of explosive charges in the demolition of the 40-year-old buildings, though. “As exciting as that would be, no, they will be taken down piece by piece,” Birch said. “It’s safer that way.”
MONITOR STAFF
A large puddle forms in Building 1 on Tuesday, reinforcing the need to repair dilapidated buildings.
NEWS
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
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OHLONE COLLEGE
MONITOR
FERGUSON
‘HANDS UP, DON’T SHOOT’
STAFF: Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Parcher Features editor: Mitchell Walther Sports editor: Albert Rebosura Photo editor: Laura Gonsalves Online editor: Alizaib Lodhi Staff writer: Abigail Moneda Graphic designers: Emily Burkhardt Payal Gupta Adviser: Rob Dennis Printer: FP Press
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Ebola vaccine delayed by lack of profitability
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ALIZAIB LODHI / MONITOR
Protesters march through Oakland chanting “Hands up, don’t shoot” on the night of Nov. 24, after a St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The decision sparked protests around the country. To watch video of the Oakland march and shutdown of Interstate 580, go to the Monitor website at www.ohlonemonitor.
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Continued from Page 1 over their research and at least kept the records.” More recently, about two and a half years ago, a drug company on the Peninsula considered developing an Ebola vaccine, Johnston said. “It would (have) cost them $2 billion, and nobody was willing to give them $2 bil-
lion to make a vaccine for a disease that two and a half years ago only infected some dark-skinned people in the Congo,” she said. “Nobody was willing to raise that kind of money.” Johnston said she is confident companies eventually produce a vaccine, but she is uncertain how effective that vaccine will be.
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Ohlone instructor Dr. Gessica Johnston lectures about the Ebola virus and potential vaccines in Fremont on Nov. 21.
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NEWS
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
ON THE ROAD by Mitchell Walther
Trouble with Holidays So today’s challenge is to get through an entire column without talking about the new Star Wars VII trailer the entire time. No promises. Well, we all survived Thanksgiving. The turkey, the football, the wine and the family. We survived it all. It’s the first of the dinner table debates. It’s the day you learn that your male cousin who was studying business has since become a homosexual woman studying Russian literature and now works part time at a strip club and day care, and is also married. People love to say you don’t have to always like your family, you just have to love them. It is those closest to us who are always the ones to test us the most. They test the limits of our sweet demeanor. They have seen us become our best, and therefore are afforded the “luxury” of knowing us at our worst. This randomly selected group of people is shanghaied together and tries to stumble through life without killing one another. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are testaments to how this unlikely knitting works. Thank God for friends, the Band-Aids of familial skinned knees. Friends know us at our best, know us at our worst, and choose not to know the difference. There’s been a trend in Thanksgiving dinners with friends who meet before or after the actual holiday, and white elephant parties can start as early as the first weekend of December. Holidays are about celebration, and it is in that mixture of people we find true meaning of life and ourselves. The phrase “blood is thicker than water” originally reads, “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” The covenant of love is what binds the holiday season. And no matter how many dinner tables we sit at, the faces across from us will always be the most important, no matter who they are. Oh, and the StarWarsVII trailer was really good.You should go watch StarWars.
Fremont lends hand during National Homelessness Week Cafe music night and church candlelight vigil raise awareness for homeless citizens Continued from Page 1 that we need to end.” Jamjoum, a health science major, is volunteering at Abode’s Sunrise Village Shelter for a histor y class focusing on homelessness. She urges students to donate just an hour or two a week, or even month. “Exposure to this kind of environment compelled me to condemn the ignorant stereotype that the homeless are just lazy,” she said. “Seeing them and their families opened my eyes to the epiphany that it really could have been any one of us in their position, but we were fortunate enough not to be.” The “Feed your Soul” night at Mission Coffee was the first Abode event, featuring music, poetry and the opportunity to donate food, clothes, and money to those in need. Mission Coffee owner Gael Stewart said the event “had a good turnout and was well-received.” “It was great, had a very kumbaya feeling going on,” she said. The candlelight vigil at St. James’ Episco-
pal Church also went off without a hitch. The service, which honored and remembered Alameda County residents who died last year while homeless, also offered local residents the opportunity to work with many relief providers. Abode presented information about the services it has to offer, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Fremont, stopped by to give an award to Abode for its good work. St. James’, Resonate Church in Fremont, Newark Community Church, and Compassion Network in Fremont, to name a few, also provide help to homeless people in the area. At the end of the Thanksgiving week, one last outreach was planned; Newark Community Church and Resonate organized a Turkey Dinner tour. They drove all over Fremont, Newark and Union City, delivering Thanksgiving-themed food to more than 350 homeless people. Volunteer Mark Walther helped with the organization. “Resonate provided the outreach locations, and Newark Community provided food,” he said. These events and outreaches fit the season. With the rain finally coming down and the cold weather sweeping in, help is needed more than ever.
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Top: The Rev. Lori Walton offers an interfaith prayer during a candlelight vigil at St. James’ Episcopal Church for Alameda County residents who died last year while homeless. Middle and bottom: Lit candles with the dead people’s names on them were placed throughout the church.
FEATURES
LAURA GONSALVES/MONITOR
The Niles Canyon Railway’s Train of Lights is back, offering hourlong round-trips through Niles Canyon aboard antique coaches and open cars featuring holiday lights, decorations, music and refreshments. Top: A sign directs passengers to the entrance of the Train of Lights. Right: In a crowd waiting to board, two young passengers are eager to experience the train. Below: Santa hitches a ride on the train. Bottom: Lights and garlands decorate the interior of the train as well.
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
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SPORTS
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
KEY PLAYERS ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor The Ohlone men’s basketball team has a history of being a destination for international players. In 2012, the team had nine players from around the world – Australia, Sweden, Norway, China and South Sudan. This season, they have six players hailing from Australia, Japan and Spain, and all are key players for Coach Scott Fisher. Sophomore Ryo Tawatari from Tokyo was known in Japan from accomplishments in 3-on-3 tournaments before arriving in Fremont. Last season he played all 29 games coming off the bench, averaging 4.2 points. This season he’s started five out of the seven games, leading the team in scoring, assists and steals. All three Australians are in their first season with Ohlone. Guard Jesse Wilesmith, from Canberra, was an All-State Captain and seven-time participant at the Australian National Championships before coming to Ohlone. He’s mostly served as Tawatari’s backup at point guard, but has started two games this season. Wilesmith’s lackluster statistics don’t reflect his play; his role so far this season has been a game manager and a distributor. Elliot Warren, from Tasmania, has had a great season so far. Prior to his Renegades career, Warren represented Tasmania by making the first state team in the under-18 championships. He was on the under-20 squad two times afterward. Warren is second on the team in points, and leads the team in rebounding. He’s also started every game this season. He uses his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame to his advantage, playing aggressively on both sides of the court – especially when grabbing rebounds. Warren also has a sweet stroke. He made seven consecutive 3-pointers against American River College, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds in the victory. The third Australian, Marcus Holmquist-Pollock, was a team captain on multiple teams and a Queensland State All-Star. Holmquist-Pollock has a similar play style to Warren. He plays aggressive on-ball defense and does a lot of dirty work that doesn’t appear on the score sheet. The two sophomore Spaniards have a lot in common: the city they’re from, the position they play and their physical – sometimes angry – style of play. Javier De La Blanca played for the Real Madrid junior basketball team before his Renegades career. He’s a stretch-big man who has the ability to score from the post and midrange, as well as from beyond the arc. He’s also one of the best shot-blockers on the team. Dani Busto played at Harcum College in Pennsylvania and IJT Real Madrid before coming to Ohlone. Busto differs from De La Blanca in the ways he scores – he’s a more traditional post scorer. He had a breakout game against Hartnell College, leading the offense with 22 points in the overtime win. After starting the season off the bench, his improved play earned him the start at center the past three games.
SPORTS
OHLONE RENEGADES BASKETBALL NAME Marcus Holmquist-Pollock
NAME Javier De La Blanca
NAME Jesse Wilesmith
NAME Ryo Tawatari
NAME Elliot Warren
NAME Dani Busto
HAILS FROM Queensland, Australia
HAILS FROM Madrid, Spain
HAILS FROM Canberra, Australia
HAILS FROM Tokyo, Japan
HAILS FROM Tasmania, Australia
HAILS FROM Madrid, Spain
YEAR Freshman
YEAR Sophomore
YEAR Freshman
YEAR Sophomore
YEAR Freshman
YEAR Sophomore
NUMBER 4
NUMBER 44
NUMBER 2
NUMBER 3
NUMBER 24
NUMBER 33
POSITION Forward
POSITION Center/Forward
POSITION Guard
POSITION Guard
POSITION Forward
POSITION Center/Forward
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-foot-7, 220 pounds
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 5-foot-10, 175 pounds
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-foot-5, 200 pounds
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-foot-8, 215 pounds
2014/15 SEASON STATS 4.6 points per game 3.3 rebounds per game 1.6 steals per game
2014/15 SEASON STATS 7 points per game 4.7 rebounds per game
2014/15 SEASON STATS 3 points per game 2.4 assists per game
2014/15 SEASON STATS 12.3 points per game 3.7 assists per game 2 steals per game
2014/15 SEASON STATS 10.3 points per game 6 rebounds per game 2.3 assists per game
2014/15 SEASON STATS 8.3 points per game 5.3 rebounds per game
RENEGADES, I N T L .
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MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
COACH FROM DOWN UNDER ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor The Renegades players aren’t the only ones with an international background; their head coach Scott Fisher is Australian. Fisher, a Fremont native, went to Mission San Jose High School and played his college ball at UC Santa Barbara from 1982 to 1986. In 1987, he made his professional debut with the North Melbourne Giants in Australia. He won the NBL MVP and was the Grand Final’s MVP during the 1989 championship season. He averaged 32.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2 blocks during his MVP season. He won the NBL Finals MVP again in 1992, his last season playing for Melbourne. The following season, Fisher signed with the Perth Wildcats. He won the NBL championship twice with Perth in 1995 and 2000. His spent the last 10 years with the Wildcats until his retirement in 2003. Following retirement, Fisher was named the head coach for Perth. He led them to the playoffs each of the seasons he coached from 2004 to 2008. Fisher was naturalized as an Australian citizen in 1993 and represented Australia internationally. He was a member of the 1996 Australian Olympic team that placed fourth in Atlanta. Fisher would don the Aussie jersey two more times in 1998 – at the Goodwill Games, where the team won a silver medal, and the World Championships. He was named to the NBL’s 20th and 25th anniversary teams in 1998 and 2003. In 2007, his career contributions earned him an induction into the NBL Hall of Fame. Fisher played 417 games in the NBL, 247 with the Wildcats. He was a career 51 percent shooter, scoring 22.1 points, grabbing 9.9 rebounds and three assists during his hall of fame career.
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MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
OPINIONS/NEWS
Micro-apartments could be Tenements of Tomorrow NADJA ADOLF Contributing writer An article on a type of new, hip, alternative housing caught my eye; trumpeting the joys of living in a shipping container. This is an experience so incredibly marvelous that it not only received attention on the front page of a popular news website, on the very same day it was featured on an 11 p.m. news broadcast. Not long ago, there was equally heavy coverage about the new trend of “micro-apartments”, tiny spaces that can be as small as a parking stall. Many involve shared kitchen and restroom space. Enthusiastic reporters bubbled over with how one can rent one for as little as $1,000 a month. Neither of these trends is new. In China, people have been living in shipping containers for years; and although the units have electricity and water, Chinese workers and international human rights advocates alike consider them an atrocity.
Fremont celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah
Here in the U.S., as late as the 1980s, cities had many residential hotels and rooming houses that offered single room occupancy units in or near the downtown sections. These rooms can still be found in some cities; they rent for significantly less than the new micro-apartments, although the microapartments are essentially SROs in newer buildings. Even today, an estimated 30,000 people, or 5 percent of the population of San Francisco, live in traditional SROs. Few people realize that homelessness was not a significant problem in the United States until most of the SRO hotels were torn down in the latter half of the 20th century. As fewer units were available the prices went up; rents as low as $10 to $25 per week were not unusual as late as the 1990s in areas where SROs had not been demolished. In the United States, between the mid-1970s and the 1990s, an estimated 1 million units of SRO housing were destroyed. The
destruction continues today. SRO neighborhoods were eliminated because their populations did not fit the goals of the political elite. The former executive director of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency remarked of the South of Market SRO neighborhood, “This land is too valuable to permit poor people to park on it.” From as many as 90,000 SRO units in the early 1930s, the number of SRO units in San Francisco declined dramatically, to approximately 20,000. Under redevelopment, the taxpayers subsidized developers who believed that their greatest profits lay in building highend residential developments and office buildings. The city Redevelopment Agency obliged, condemning the SROs and selling the land beneath them at very minimal prices to favored developers. The irony is that the spiritual heirs of Justin Herman and the modern political elite have realized that they
can gain even greater profits by replacing old SROs and buildings, not with the luxury apartments that gained prominence in the latter half of the 20th century – but with new, high-rent, highrise SROs that rent for many times the price of an old SRO. These buildings do not require the attractive views of a luxury building, nor the nice finishes and features. All they need is a lot where they may cram as many 8-by-10foot micro-apartments onto as many floors as possible. Some cities have assisted developers in making excessive profits by repealing the old airshaft laws, which guaranteed that every apartment had a window and natural light. Eliminating airshafts means more space for 8-by-10-foot cubicles instead of pesky air and light. The justification for cramming people into tiny spaces once associated with slums, and depriving them of natural light and air, is that all of this is allegedly for the good of the environment. While the old SRO low-rise
hotels rooms with windows were considered inadequate housing, the new windowless high-rise micro-apartments are touted as environmentally beneficial; so beneficial, in fact, that local, state and federal governments have raced to provide subsidies paid for by the taxpayer to favored developers’ projects. Not only do developers receive a generous return on buildings packed solid with cubicles masquerading as apartments, but the taxpayers are used to increase their profits. By redefining single room occupancy hotels as environmentally beneficial – a concept known as greenwashing – billionaire developers have persuaded local and state governments to revise building codes as well as provide them with generous handouts. One has to wonder, though. If this were truly needed to save the Earth, wouldn’t the developers be rushing to move their own families into these new windowless Tenements of Tomorrow?
MONITOR STAFF Events to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah are coming up in Fremont. The annual Mission San Jose Christmas Tree Lighting will be on Saturday at the Old School Business Center at Mission Boulevard and Cedar Street, just across from Ohlone’s Fremont campus. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with live music, followed by the tree lighting at 6 p.m. There also will be caroling, balloon-makers, face-painting, refreshments and, of course, the arrival of Santa. Donations of canned goods for the Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank and Toys for Tots are welcome. Then, on Dec. 16, the first night of Hanukkah, the Chabad of Fremont Jewish Center will ignite a 9-foot Menorah erected at Pacific Commons. After the Menorah lighting ceremony, hundreds are expected to gather to dance, sing and eat traditional doughnuts. The event is free and open to the whole community. For more information about Hanukkah and a schedule of local events, go to www.ChabadFremont. com/HanukkahEvents.
PAYAL GUPTA / MONITOR
OPINIONS
MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
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Letter: Misinformation rampant in park debate EDITOR: The Mission Peak access controversy has become politicized, and misinformation is rampant. Reports depict hordes of hooligans, but horde is a derogatory word that describes pillagers and plunderers, not sightseers. Park neighbors, portrayed as protectors of nature, are actually engaged in old-fashioned NIMBYism. They call Mission Peak an attractive nuisance, and they’re right: the park is driving up house prices in the neighborhood. While closing the Stanford Avenue entrance to the Park would let house prices heal, most homeowners would not welcome such a correction. Park critics lament that unprepared people and dogs suffer medical problems in the heat. Instead of addressing this, the East Bay Regional Park District cut park hours in the morning and evening when temperatures are benign. Critics count every emergency call and exhausted canine on a Mission Peak trail as a terrible, preventable tragedy. But those critics will surely look the other way when erstwhile park visitors stay home, sit on their couches and get fat. Proponents of park healing won’t count the ensuing emergency calls, to couches all over the Bay Area for heart attacks. The Stanford Avenue entrance has had a sanitation problem for years, with urine encroaching on neighbors’ lawns. The entrance gate has just one restroom, and a long line forms on sunny Saturday mornings. The park district
website even features video of the restroom line. Families with small children are discomfited by the park’s inadequate facilities. The Stanford gate needs more porta-potties. The city and the park district now are diverting visitors to the Ohlone College trail, fully aware that there’s no water and no restroom there. The park district spokeswoman points the finger of responsibility at Ohlone College in a recent San Jose Mercury News report: “(Spokeswoman Mona Koh) said Ohlone College maintains that side of the park’s trails,” according to the newspaper. “She noted the park district only leases the trailhead entrance and is not responsible for making sure there are adequate facilities, signage, lighting and safety measures in place.” The lack of inter-agency coordination, neither arranging for a restroom nor for water at Ohlone, shows substantial disregard for visitors. Some have proposed a permit and fee system to control “overcrowding,” like the one at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. But Mission Peak trails aren’t crowded, and walking in urban parks should be free. The main Mission Peak trail is 14 feet wide and three miles long. Do the math, and you’ll find that it accommodates a large number of people. Trail congestion is never a problem, so this forces photographers to fake crowding by using telephoto lenses to foreshort-
en the perspective. In fact, parking congestion is the park’s real problem, and congestionbased parking fees are the real solution. Not walking taxes. Furthermore, those oft-cited comparisons to Half Dome or Whitney are false, because those parks are remote from big cities and from freeways. The 3,000 acres of Mission Peak park overlook Silicon Valley, and two freeways serve the Park. Mission Peak should properly be compared to the 4,000-acre Griffith Park in Los Angeles, home of the famous hillside Hollywood sign. Walking in Griffith Park is free, as it is in any urban park. Hiking fees and walking taxes would have no precedent in any urban park in North America. What about the people posting pictures of themselves at the summit? We’ve had self-portraits for five centuries, since Leonardo da Vinci picked up his paintbrush and did a portrait of himself in a mirror. Most summit pictures aren’t selfies, because visitors photograph one another. It’s hard to hang onto the iconic summit marker pole and simultaneously take a good self-portrait. Branding sightseers as selfie-seekers and narcissists is just a way to bad-mouth tourists. The park district and the city will hold a liaison meeting in Fremont tonight, to coordinate the next step in their war on visitors. The park district’s proposal, already on the official agenda, is to demolish the iconic summit marker pole. Their intent is to discourage sightseers, regardless of
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Stephanie Martinez climbs the marker pole at the summit of Mission Peak in Fremont on a clear spring day.
which trail they use. Visitors don’t like the demolition idea, and neither do local business owners who stand to lose tourist dollars. Has the park district obtained a proper demolition permit? Matt Graul, the park district’s chief of stewardship, should halt the demolition, attend the liaison meeting, and prepare a written for-
mal determination, similar to an Environmental Impact Report, of the status of this cultural resource under CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. The most-photographed landmark in Fremont is surely worthy of preservation. Kelly Abreu Mission Peak park user
Free Speech Movement couldn’t happen today NADJA ADOLF Contributing writer Recently, the Monitor ran an article that suggested that the Free Speech movement at Berkeley ended in triumph with a decision that regulating speech and advocacy was a function of the state, not the university. In actuality, the decision was that students, and others, had a right to free speech on campus. There was no decision that regulating speech or advocacy was a function of the state; the Berkeley students were in fact protesting because an arm of the state, the University of California system, was attempting to regulate both speech and advocacy. There is no meaningful activism today in large part because the younger generation has accepted that people have no rights, merely privileges granted
by government that are, and should be, revocable if they cause discomfort, or are perceived as doing so. The current UC administration suppresses unpopular speech by suggesting that free speech is only valid when everyone feels respected and the speech is civil. Since respect and civility are matters of opinion, this neatly permits the university to exonerate individuals who attack others for unpopular speech by blaming the victims for failure to be respectful and civil. This set of criteria also neatly enables the destruction of academic freedom and obliterates research into controversial areas, creating the American ideological version of Lysenkoism. The objective of the Free Speech Movement was to permit the expression of unpopular, controversial and unconventional ideas. This
is in contrast to those today who think the purpose of the movement was only to determine which governing body was the arbiter of what opinions could be expressed. If one were to poll the students here at Ohlone, it is likely the majority would favor measures restraining speech that fell into the nebulous domain of being “hurtful speech” or “hate speech.” They are not alone in this – when the former president of Harvard suggested three possible explanations for the gender gap in the sciences, he was accused of hate speech and bigotry and was harassed into resigning. He was promptly replaced by a woman. When people elevate hurt feelings over honest intellectual exploration, and grant government the power to monitor telecommunications and conduct warrant-
less searches, there is little interest in any change, research or discussion that might lead to controversy,
conflict or discomfiture – the latter three being the inevitable results of questioning accepted authority.
PAYAL GUPTA / MONITOR
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Leagues soar in popularity Continued from Page 12 so much on the line, fantasy owners manage their teams, search the waiver wire, research players, read injury reports – the list of tasks goes on and on. “An hour-and-a-half to two hours,” Gamble said when asked how many hours per day he spends managing his three different fantasy teams. “I have four teams so I spend at least 30 minutes every day,” Chan said. “If not, then a whole hour.” With NFL games being played on Monday and Thursday, the waiver period on Tuesday and free agency the other days, fantasy football conflicts with the school schedules of students. “I can’t check in my psychology class because there’s no (cell) signal, but in my speech class I check my phone and my fantasy team,” Gamble said. “I used to have a night class on Thursdays and I checked my team at least twice,” Jannu said. “I would rush home after class to check my team.”
I play fantasy football because it’s a great way to bond with friends and family. It’s fun competition and I love football. -Ariel Leary The Chicago Tribune estimates that fantasy football has cost employers up to $13 billion due to the lack of productivity. As much as everybody wants to win their fantasy leagues, the actual participation and interaction, on top of winning, makes the experience memorable for league members. “I play fantasy football because it’s a great way to bond with friends and family,” said Ariel Leary, who went to Ohlone from 1994 to 1996. “It’s fun competition and I love football.” Leary has been in the UCLS Legends fantasy football league since its creation during the 1997-98 season, and is a two-time champion. “It’s fun to compete against family and friends every week – especially when you win.” said Chan, who also happens to be in
the UCLS Legends league and is last year’s champion. Impressing league members with funny team names like “Turn Down for Watt” – merging Lil John’s song and J.J. Watt – or “Beats by Ray” – poking fun at Ray Rice – is another way participants entertain one another. In the UCLS Legends league, the champion of the previous season gets the honor of naming the lastplace team for the upcoming season. The small things like team names, bad trades or draft picks, the memorable games and, in Gamble’s league, the punishments, help keep players involved every year. “We make bets every year,” said Gamble, who’s been in his father’s Redzone Rampage fantasy league since he was 12. Some of the losers had to wear Speedos during drafts
ALBERT REBOSURA / MONITOR
The top three teams since 2001 in the UCLS Legends fantasy football league. The league started during the 1997-98 season, and was conducted offline before using the Internet.
or post a humiliating Facebook video – that included a Popsicle. Fantasy football’s newest types of leagues: the daily or weekly leagues on Draft Kings and Fan Duel have lured more fantasy fanatics with an opportunity to make money every week rather than once a season. “It’s getting bigger,” said Sahota. “I see commercials all over TV about daily leagues.” Gamble added, “In five years I think fantasy foot-
ball will gain in popularity and more sites will make fantasy football-type games such as Draft Kings and Fan Duel.” Fantasy football is evolving: between all the money and shows like FX’s “The League,” which bridges the game with a mainstream audience. When it comes down to it, fantasy football isn’t just about the money. “There’s nothing better than bragging rights,” Chan said.
SPORTS
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MONITOR DECEMBER 4, 2014
Rough week for Lady Renegades basketball Continued from Page 12 Sarah Hardin, who contributed defensively but also were the designated players on throw-ins. Freshman goalkeeper Nicole Costello will expect to have an expanded playing role after only starting four games behind sophomores Luisa Cardenas and Preslee Rivera.
Women’s Basketball
The Lady Renegades had a rough week losing both of their games. They had a tough matchup last Thursday against Sierra College and were blown out 100-59. Ohlone fought hard in the first half and kept the game close against a Sierra College team that was riding a six-game win streak. They began the secondhalf with the score of 40-32 but Sierra College caught fire scoring 60 points to Ohlone’s 27. With only seven players available, Coach Liz Rizza had to squeeze every bit of energy out of the players she had. Center Tarryn Clark stepped up, leading the team with an impressive stat
line: 18 points (8-13), 24 rebounds and six blocks. Forward Jessica King added 13 points and 19 rebounds. Top-scorer and starting point Crystal De Los Reyes missed the first game but played in the second game against De Anza on Monday. Ohlone fell to De Anza 83-57. De Los Reyes scored 11 points in her return. Clark and King played well for the second straight game with a statline of 20 points and 18 rebounds, and 13 points and 15 rebounds, respectively. The Lady Renegades are now 1-7 to start the season. The rough start was expected because this is a rebuilding season. Coach Liz Rizza is still looking for players. If you’re interested, contact her at erizza@ohlone.edu.
Men’s Basketball
The Renegades lost 79-73 against Merritt College in the championship game at the Shasta College Tournament. They faced a familiar foe Cabrillo College in the first round. Ohlone won 7253 earlier this season and blew them out again at the
LAURA GONSALVES/ MONITOR
Elliot Warren (with the ball) grabs a rebound in Ohlone’s first matchup against Cabrillo College on Nov. 7. Warren is averaging 10.3 points per game along with 6 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Shasta Tournament 61-48. The Renegades played well defensively, forcing 18 turnovers and totaling 16 steals as a team. After being down 32-25 in the first half, the Renegades poured on 55 points in the second-half, securing a second round win over American River College. Forward Elliot Warren did his best Stephen Curry-impression making seven consecutive
three-pointers. He finished with 23 points on 7-8 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Ohlone couldn’t top the pre-season top ranked Merritt College in the championship game. Thirty of Merritt’s 79 points came from the free throw line and outrebounded the Renegades 48-30. Guard Ryo Tawatari shot 7-8 from the field, leading
the team in scoring with 21 points. Forward Mike Bethea played well off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals in a losing effort. The Renegades are now 5-2 and are the tenth ranked team on the latest Northern California CCCAA poll. Their next game is at the Epler Gymnasium on Friday against San Jose City College.
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The hottest trend in sports Fantasy football’s popularity sweeps Ohlone students and the nation
ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor Austin Gamble sits in the Speech Lab on his phone – not checking social media or email, but managing his fantasy football team. Gamble is one of many at Ohlone and millions worldwide who participate in the gaming phenomenon. According to Forbes.com, more than 33 million people play fantasy football today and it has become a $70 billion market. The idea of fantasy football actually originated here in the Bay Area – in Oakland – by Bill Winkenbach in 1962. The following year, Winkenbach, a businessman and minority owner of the Oakland Raiders, with help from Scotty Sterling and George Ross, who worked for the Oakland Tribune, created the first fantasy football league: the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League. Winkenbach, the “Godfather” of fantasy football and the first commissioner, died in 1993 at the age of 81. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimated 1 million to 3 million people played
Giving thanks
ALBERT REBOSURA / MONITOR
Sophomore Austin Gamble manages his fantasy football team through an application on his phone. He is among many in the nation and Ohlone who participate in the growing online game.
fantasy sports at the time of his death. It has grown exponentially since then, and is still growing today. “I think it’s fantastic,” said Allen Chan, who went to Ohlone from 2010-2012. “As more people begin to play fantasy, their football awareness increases. Now fantasy football is an everyday conversation starter.” Business major Amanpreet Sahota and criminal justice major Anant Jannu met in a statistics class this semester – thanks to fantasy football. “I saw him checking his app and I asked him, ‘You play fantasy?’ ” Jannu said.
So what is fantasy football? Fantasy football is an interactive game that’s primarily played online, which allows users to draft and manage NFL players to create their own unique teams. The participants are essentially “pretend” NFL general managers. They draft, trade, add and drop players. They set starting lineups and bench players every week like a head coach. Fantasy football simulates an actual professional football team. All leagues are different, from the way they draft to the way teams are scored,
to the amount of players teams can have on their rosters. All of that is based on the preferences of participants. The uniqueness of every league is fascinating. Leagues can be playing for $25 to $1,000 or even more in a season. But not everyone plays for money; some leagues play for trophies, WWE-style championship belts or any other item that players value. Whether it’s for money, a trophy or pride, managing a fantasy football team is a 24/7 operation, and with Continued on Page 10
ROUNDUP
SOFTBALL
Women’s soccer eliminated from playoffs in first round
Lady Renegades win awards
Lady Renegades unable to overcome 4-0 deficit to Feather River after first half
ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor
ALBERT REBOSURA Sports editor The ninth-seeded Lady Renegades soccer team’s tournament hopes came to an end after a first-round exit to the eighth–seed Feather River College, losing 6-2 on Nov. 22. It was a disappointing end to a great season for Ohlone, which finished with a 12-6-2 record. Feather River took the lead 4-0 in the first half and never looked back, scoring goals in pairs in the 12th and 14th minutes, and the 41st and 45th minutes. Ohlone freshmen midfielder’s Analysia Flores and Melissa Urena each scored goals in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to over-
LAURA GONSALVES / MONITOR
Freshmen Shelby Richmond, left, and Analysia Flores, center, watch the play downfield. They are among 15 returning players.
come the huge deficit. The six goals scored against Ohlone were the most they’ve allowed all season – they’ve allowed two or fewer every game. Urena led the team in scoring with 10 goals and seven assists. Sophomore forward Cristina Mendoza was second, scoring seven goals and four assists. With 10 sophomores leaving and 15 freshmen remaining next season,
Coach Larry Heslin will have an experienced group of girls looking to build off their first-round loss. Four of their top five scorers – Urena, Flores, Dina Ramos and Vanessa Villanueva – are freshmen and will be back next season. The Lady Renegades will be losing key members from their backline in sophomores Madison Cook and Continued on Page 11
Sophomore softball players Karissa Francis and Shelby Hodges were named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Junior College All-America Scholar Athletes for the 2013-14 season. The NFCA’s prestigious award is given once a year to softball student-athletes who maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher. There were 4,687 softball players across the country named in seven different divisions from NCAA Division I to high school. Francis and Hodges were among the 183 players honored in the junior college division. Francis, Hodges and the 13-time Coast Conference champions will begin the 2015 season season on Feb. 3 against Diablo Valley College.
It’s the season of giving, and the local football teams were feeling extra-thoughtful, giving their opponents easy wins this week. On Thanksgiving, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense played like the aftermath of a Thanksgiving dinner, losing to their arch enemies, the Seattle Seahawks. Their “Quest for Six” Super Bowl championships have turned into a “Quest for Six” points because they can’t score a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders’ seven minutes in heaven ended abruptly with a 52-point slap backto-reality from the hand of the St. Louis Rams. Overall, the 49ers and Raiders didn’t give fans anything to be thankful for with those lackluster performances. Since the Monitor took a break on Thanksgiving, I didn’t have an opportunity to share what I’m thankful for. So these are a few things, and I hope they make you forget about the local NFL teams and the status of your bank account after Black Friday. I’m thankful that I’m not NFL players Stephen Tulloch and Lamarr Houston. They each tore their ACLs doing an intense pelvic-thrust celebration, ending their season in one of the most embarrassing ways possible. I’m thankful for moments like when Raiders linebackers Khalil Mack and Sio Moore got carried away dancing and doing an epic handshake after a sack – almost ruining the Raiders’ only win, against the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m thankful for tremendous individual efforts, like when New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham III had the whole country talking about his one-handed catch a couple weeks ago – it’s still all over nightly highlights to this day. I’m thankful that theWarriors are playing great and have been the only team in the Bay Area that hasn’t been losing lately. Lastly, I’m thankful that you are reading my column. This is the last Monitor issue this semester and I’ve had a blast writing this column. I hope you’ve enjoyed my writing and I look forward to entertaining readers next semester. Thank you and happy holidays.