Fall 2021 Issue One

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The Student-Run Newspaper of Fresno City College

Fall 2021| ISSUE 1

Students and Community Members Rally Against State Center Community College District Vaccine Mandate

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Students Against Vaccine Mandate. A Big Problem for SCCCD?

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Sports

Friends of the Arts’ Kicks off Fall Arts Series

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Ram’s Volleyball Team Continues It’s Winning Streak in Conference

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Fresno City College Returns In-Person, Safety Guidelines in Place THE RAMPAGE The student-run newspaper of Fresno City College

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Julie Chavez

News Editor Aroara Trimm

Sports Editor Aaron Story

Entertainment Editor Samantha Morales

Reporters Angel De Jesus Cesar Espinosa Christopher Warlick Dyson Vass Ernesto Grijalva Jorge Castillo Joshua Lockheart Jayronan Vanthy Krystle Nozartash Vanessa Jardon A sign near Fresno City College's gym on Aug. 18 welcome students back on campus after more than a year of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo/Julie Chavez

Advisers/Instructors Kathleen Schock

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Any correction needed for an article should be brought to the attention of the staff of the Rampage. The Rampage is committed to accuracy and should be made aware of any mistake in an article that appears in this paper.

Views expressed in the opinion pages are those of the individual writer and not of the newspaper.

The Rampage is produced by students of the Journalism 11 A, B, C, D class.

Krystle Nozartash | Managing Editor knozartash@therampageonline.com

Originally posted Aug. 22, 2021

After more than a year of being closed due to COVID-19, 35% of Fresno City College’s staff and students returned for in-person or hybrid classes on Aug. 9.

The fall semester has also seen the reopening of in-person services such as financial aid, admissions and records, library, business office, counseling and more.

According to Vice President of Instruction, Don Lopez, about 240 class sections are open for inperson learning. The fine arts and communication arts division is open for in-person enrollment. Science and engineering are only offering biology and chemistry labs in-person and math is still online unless specialized.

On grounds labs are a requirement for FCC students transferring to institutions like Fresno State University or going into the medical field, according to Lopez.

Humanities such as English, foreign language and philosophy are currently not offering in-person classes but might later in the semester.

The business division currently has no classes in-person. “We’re trying on a case-by-case basis to be very careful about what we’re offering and where we’re offering it,” Lopez said. “You have to be careful that you’re offering it in the right way, so it doesn’t mess up students who are trying to graduate and go to different institutions.” Between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. are the busiest times on campus according to Lopez.

Though the large number of people

on campus may raise concerns related to the general spread of the COVID, Lopez said FCC is taking students and staff ’s safety into consideration in multiple ways.

For example, he said class scheduling is set to minimize how many students are in a room or building, along with different levels of cleaning being done depending on how often a space is used.

In addition, there is a COVID-19 testing site on campus in the Staff Dining Room and a UCSF Fresno mobile vaccination unit comes to campus on select dates for students who want to get vaccinated.

According to the “What’s New for FCC’s Fall Semester” news release, more hand sanitizing stations will be available on campus and social distancing is required when eating or drinking in the cafeteria.

FCC will also continue to follow current COVID-19 guidelines as directed by State Center Community College District and the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

Students and staff are required to wear a mask on campus, including indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Non-compliant students will be sent to Sean Henderson, Dean of Students. Non-compliant faculty will be asked to see the dean of their division.

If a faculty member or student has a medical exemption, they will not be asked to wear a mask inside but COVID-19 testing may be required for the safety of others on campus,

according to Lopez.

Though FCC does not require vaccinations at the moment, Lopez only had one message for those on campus. “Get vaccinated, it’s on campus and it’s free,” he said.

Prior to the return of the fall 2021 semester, emails were sent out to students regarding the guidelines of being on campus. Students were asked to agree to the COVID-19 Student Safety Agreement which asks them to conduct a self-screening health assessment before coming to campus each day, wearing facial coverings, social distance and more.

Despite safety guidelines, FCC student Leila Howard, who has four children under the age of 12, one whom is immunocompromised, decided to drop her in-person chemistry class and put her nursing degree on hold for the safety of her children.

“It’s just getting too bad again. I can’t put my children at risk and I won’t,” she said. Howard added that Zoom is more convenient for her. However, she said Webadvisor shows that FCC only offers chemistry 3A in-person or hybrid, meaning some online and some in-person.

“It’s such an exciting experience being able to interact face to face after all this time in a pandemic.

Unfortunately, I’ll have to miss out this semester,” she said.

If campus remains open for the spring 2022 semester, Howard said she plans to return for her chemistry class and the campus experience.

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NEWS

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Fresno City College Offering $250 Bookstore Vouchers to Vaccinated Julie Chavez | Reporter Jchavez@therampageonline.com

Originally posted Aug. 23, 2021 During the first week of the fall semester, Fresno City College announced it is offering $250 bookstore vouchers to students who show their current Associated Student Body card and COVID-19 vaccination card.

FCC President Carole Goldsmith is the one who came up with the bookstore voucher idea, according to Omar Gutierrez, vice president of administrative services at FCC. Kathy Bonilla, FCC’s public information officer, said the primary goal of the vouchers is to motivate students to get vaccinated against COVID. Gutierrez added that they are also a way to help and encourage students to enroll in more courses.

According to Gutierrez, $1.5 million of FCC’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds were set aside specifically for this voucher program, giving up to 6,000 students a chance to receive one.

Gutierrez does not think all 6,000 students will show up for their voucher because new programs like this are popular at first and then die out after a few weeks.

However, since the voucher opportunity has been extended until Nov. 4, he said another rush is possible and FCC is ready for it.

Paul Klays, FCC bookstore manager, said the first week offering the voucher was tough as hundreds of students lined up inside and outside the bookstore.

However, he said his team was up for the challenge because their job is to help students.

As of Aug. 16, approximately 1,800 students signed up and received their vouchers, according to Klays.

To manage and checkout students coming in, Klays said up to 15 student employees were hired and hours had to

Jayronan Vanthy | Reporter Jvanthy@therampageonline.com

be extended.

The main problems the bookstore has faced, as a result of the vouchers, include time and shortages of merchandise such as FCC Rams apparel and other school supplies like backpacks.

Klays said these kinds of items typically do not sell out so fast, but now that students have money to spend these items are flying off the shelves.

Klays reassures that supplies will be restocked soon and encourages students to come back to the bookstore at a later date, if items were unavailable.

In addition, he recommends students email the bookstore at 2172mgr@follett. com, as opposed to calling since the bookstore phones ring nonstop due to students calling to ask for specific items.

Regardless of any issues, Klays said it is important to have this voucher available for students and the bookstore is glad to be involved.

“Everyone is coming off a tough 18 months. Not only students, but you, me and everybody else. It [the pandemic] was the biggest weird event in most of our entire lives and so anything extra to help whatever might be hurting you is a super positive thing,” he said.

Klays is unsure if FCC and the bookstore will have another voucher opportunity in the future.

However, he feels this opportunity can serve as a good foundation for the campus to show students what can be done for them.

The third helper in the bookstore voucher program is FCC’s Student Activities, who has also seen an influx of students in their building, as they rush to take their ASB card photos.

With the voucher program ending on Nov. 10, Klays said staff does not expect any issues with supplies or staffing to arise. Photo/Samantha Morales Though Student Activities is required to help with whatever FCC demands, Bonilla commends its staff for getting students in and out as quickly as possible and not having any complaints about the work.

Janice Wong, senior program specialist of student services, said “Our office has been extremely busy, but we understand that we are here to provide a service to the students and meet the needs of the students.”

ASB cards are used to confirm students are currently attending FCC, making them eligible for a bookstore voucher.

In addition, the ASB card gives students other benefits such as allowing them to attend at home sports events for only $1 and discounts at select places like Dutch Bros.

Money from ASB cards allows FCC’s Associated Student Government to host events like their RamBurger Round-up BBQ in the fall and RamDoggie Round-Up in the spring for students.

Word about the bookstore vouchers got around fast with the help of professors and staff spreading the news, which is how FCC student, Amris Her, heard about it.

“I think it’s pretty cool because people are getting rewarded for getting vaccinated.

You’ll be rewarded for protecting others and yourself,” she said.

Another FCC student, Damian Garcia, seized the opportunity right away and bought snacks with his newly acclaimed $250 from the bookstore, after hearing about it from his father who also attends FCC. “I think it’s smart, it gives people a reason to get vaccinated because it’s $250 and that can be helpful to others who might actually use it for books,” he said.

On the other hand Jeremiah Moua, another FCC student, believes it’s a good idea but that FCC presented it at the wrong time.

When Moua heard about the bookstore voucher, school just started and he had already paid for his classes and supplies, so he believes it would have been better if FCC notified students earlier.

In addition he said, “I think it’s worth it to get vaccinated, but it’s not worth it to get vaccinated specifically for this reason.”

UCSF Fresno Brings Vaccines to Fresno City College’s Campus Julie Chavez | Reporter Jchavez@therampageonline.com

By eliminating barriers such as insurance, copays, and appointments, Field hopes that many FCC students will UCSF Fresno has returned to the Fresno choose to be vaccinated, if they haven’t City College campus to administer already.

COVID-19 vaccines for a limited time.

Sharron Roland, Drug and Alcohol On Aug. 9, FCC announced that UCSF Counseling and African American Studies Fresno will have a vaccination booth set up major, received her vaccine at the UCSF on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. booth on Tuesday Aug. 10. to 12 p.m. for two weeks.

Roland said she had seen UCSF Fresno According to Andrew Field, UCSF hosting their vaccination drive-thru a Fresno COVID-19 Program Manager, the few weeks ago but did not get vaccinated medical school is working closely with FCC then due to skepticism of the vaccines’ administration to design a schedule that suits side effects and how fast the vaccines were the needs of faculty, staff and students. He created. expects to be on-campus several more times What ultimately drove her to get this semester. vaccinated was FCC’s announcement UCSF Fresno created the COVID-19 Equity about the bookstore giving away $250 Project in response to the pandemic and vouchers to students who present their recognizes that underserved communities current Associated Student Government are hit hard by the lack of medical services card and vaccination card. available to them.

Aside from being a fan of the $250 “FCC has a history of supporting voucher, Roland said having UCSF Fresno underrepresented students, so it’s a natural on campus is just a great idea. marriage,” he said. “We hope our presence “It’s better safe than sorry. Whatever FCC on-campus will allow equal access for those needs to do,” she said. “This place has a who may have found it difficult to find whole lot of people who come here. So services elsewhere.” whatever they have to do to ensure safety because it is safety first.”

Originally posted Aug. 13, 2021

UCSF Fresno’s mobile unit was parked near FCC’s main fountain as staff administered vaccines to students on Aug. 10. Photo/Julie Chavez Roland said it is important to have a vaccine booth available because it is convenient and helps those like herself feel at ease, “If they have it on campus, it has to be safe," she said.

For the past few months, UCSF Fresno held a vaccination drivethru in one of FCC’s parking lots.

However, due to the resumption of classes and need for parking lot usage, the drive-thru is no longer active.

“

We hope our presence on-campus will allow equal access for those who may have found it difficult to find services elsewhere."

-Andrew Field UCSF Fresno COVID-19 Program Manager

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State Center Community College District Board of Trustees Pass Vaccination Mandate

Julie Chavez | Reporter Jchavez@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Aug. 25, 2021 Effective Oct. 15, 2021, all employees, students, contractors, and visitors will be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to physically access any campus within the State Center Community College District.

The SCCCD Board of Trustees passed a resolution in favor of the mandate on Aug. 23 during a special meeting on Zoom about COVID mitigation.

“This is truly a consequential decision that the board faces today. Arguably one of the most consequential decisions that we will face,” SCCCD Interim Chancellor, Doug Houston said. “I am proud and appreciative that the board has gone to such great efforts to ensure that this decision is discussed openly and publicly.”

The board’s original COVID mitigation meeting was set for Friday Aug. 20.

However, it was rescheduled for technical reasons after more than 700 people attempted to join, which was beyond the maximum participants allowed by Zoom.

Of the seven board members, trustees Bobby Kahn and Richard Caglia voted no on passing the vaccination mandate. All other members voted yes.

According to the resolution, those who fail or refuse to comply with vaccination requirements or other COVID-19 safety measures implemented may be disciplined.

The resolution also states that there will be exemptions for those with sincerely held religious beliefs and medical conditions.

During the meeting, Houston also provided a presentation about pandemic mitigation protocols.

Current mitigation measures at SCCCD campuses include: • Mandatory employee reporting of vaccination status • Requirement of refresher training for employees on COVID-19 • Requirement of facial masking indoors for all employees and students, regardless of vaccination status • Increase of social distancing • Use of staggered schedules and remote work to reduce on-campus and workplace contact • Provide incentives to students to get vaccinated • Vaccine mandates for specific populations such as allied health students.

The district’s goal, by increasing pandemic mitigation protocols, is to support campus and workplace safety, support regional efforts to reduce the COVID transmission to ease the burden on regional healthcare providers and protect individual rights of employees and students, according to the meeting agenda.

Following the presentation, the district invited the public to comment on the current protocols and the decision regarding the vaccination mandate.

Some of those who spoke include SCCCD campus presidents, including FCC’s Carole Goldsmith. She said FCC has had zero instances of students resisting

to wear facial coverings on campus and that FCC’s $250 bookstore vaccination incentive is working to get students vaccinated.

Despite this, Goldsmith said she is strongly in favor of a vaccination mandate.

“I’ve heard some conversations about safety and whether or not it is part of our goal because it is not expressly stated in our SCCCD mission statement but it is certainly part of our college ethos,” she said. “We do take care of one another.

That is why we have food pantries, clothes closets, medical and psychological services for our students and colleagues.”

Prior to the meeting on Monday, the PDF of public comments was over 47 pages long with input from past and current SCCCD students, employees and other residents of Fresno County.

While some were in support of the vaccination mandate and requirement of other safety guidelines such as COVID testing, others were against them.

Concerns about a vaccination mandate made in emails and during the meeting range from: infringing upon freedom of the unvaccinated, being a threat of unemployment to unvaccinated professors and eventually leading to “medical tyranny.”

Nancy Holland, faculty member of FCC’s business division, called in to say, “To require someone to take a vaccine stomps on the freedom of everyone. Just like a flu shot. It should be something that is an individual decision.”

Holland also expressed her concern with

the lack of alternatives to the vaccines mentioned in the SCCCD pandemic mitigation protocols presentation.

Holland listed Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin as some alternatives to treating COVID and added that her neighbor recovered from COVID after taking Ivermectin.

Other comments argued that vaccinations are necessary in protecting SCCCD staff, students and their families from COVID, its variants and its long term effects.

FCC English Instructor, Rebecca Benas, said that she contracted COVID in the summer of 2020 and has been suffering from its long term effects such as loss of smell, taste and body weakness since then.

“COVID-19 is not just about transmission and death rates. There are major qualities of life issues at stake,” she said. “I don’t know if I will ever again smell a baby, flowers, my grandmother’s perfume or a meal before it burns. I don’t know if my hair will ever stop falling out by the handfuls.”

In addition, Benas mentioned that during a medical emergency with a loved one, she witnessed that hospitals are not equipped to handle the large amount of COVID cases and other medical incidents simultaneously.

For these reasons, she supports the vaccination mandates and other safety guidelines in place at SCCCD campuses.

More information regarding the mandate, its implementation and disciplinary actions is expected to be released soon.

FCC Fire Academy Class 56 Goes to New York for 9/11 Ernesto Grijalva | Reporter egrijalva@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Sept. 10, 2021 Class 56 of Fresno City College’s Fire Academy is planning a trip to New York from Sept. 9 – 13, 2021.

The purpose of the trip is for Class 56 to participate in a 9/11 ceremony & parade, commemorating the attack’s 20th anniversary.

During the trip, the class also plans to go to the 9/11 Memorial to learn more and honor those who lost their lives that day.

In preparation for the trip, Class 56 has done quite a bit to raise money for the trip, according to Peter Cacossa, Director of FCC’s Fire Academy.

With an issued flyer, select Panda Express and Chipotle Restaurants in Clovis and Fresno donated a portion of buyers’ meals to the Fire Academy’s fundraiser.

In addition, the academy has been selling lanyards and has done numerous car washes, two of which helped the academy raise over $3,000 each, according to the Fire Academy’s Instagram post.

The cost of the trip came out to be $800 per student, for an overall total of around $30,000 with flight and hotel expenses included for 27 students, according to Cacossa.

Cacossa also added that any money left over from the trip will be donated to people affected by 9/11.

The trip to New York was green lit in a meeting with the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees.

If the academy runs into COVID related issues and the trip is cancelled, Cacossa and the board of directors decided that a refund would be issued.

Three students in Class 56, Zayne Schallberger, Josh Munioz and Adan Viveros, expressed their excitement for the trip and how much of an honor it is.

Schallberger said he can’t wait to, “Pick the minds of the other firefighters in New York. The separate ways they fight fires in New York and their stories of how they became firefighters.”

Schallberger really liked the opportunity to go to New

York with his class because he has never been.

Viveros expressed how much of an honor it is to be part of this trip and how grateful he is. It will also be his first time in New York.

Munioz said this will be his second time going to the Ground Zero Memorial in New York and expressed his passion towards 9/11 participation.

Ground Zero is the 16-acre 9/11 Memorial occupying the site where the former World Trade Center Complex and Twin Towers once stood.

While in New York, Class 56 also plans to have some fun by visiting sites like the Statue of Liberty and going to a Yankees game.

In addition, the whole class will participate in a burpee challenge, which consists of a combination of push-ups and coming up for a jump done in sequence repeatedly.

The challenge will be recorded live on Instagram with the Class 56 competing against City of Fresno Firefighters.

The trip will show respect for the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 and commemorate their bravery and sacrifice, according to Cacossa.

“

Pick the minds of the other firefighters in New York. The separate ways they fight fires in New York and their stories of how they became firefighters.”

-Zayne Schallberger FCC Fire Academy Cadet

A fire cadet does an obstacle course while pulling a fire hose during training (top). Open lockers of fire academy students showing their fire gear (bottom) Photo/Aroara Trimm

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Addison Werth, Turning Point USA chapter president and FCC softball player, speaking at the rally. Photo/Aroara Trimm

Participants at the rally held signs towards oncoming traffic to promote their message. Photo/Aroara Trimm

NEWS

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Richard Moore (left) being blocked by protestors while trying to speak over guest speakers. Photo/Aroara Trimm

Students Against Vaccine Mandate, a Big Problem for SCCCD? Samantha Morales | Entertainment Editor smorales@therampageonline.com

Aroara Trimm | News Editor atrimm@therampageonline.com

Vanessa Jardon | Reporter vjardon@therampageonline.com

Ernesto Grijalva | Reporter egrijalva@therampageonline.com

Julie Chavez| Reporter jchavez@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Oct. 11, 2021

On Oct. 7, a local Turning Point USA chapter held its “Ram up Against Vaccine Mandates” rally at Fresno City College.

According to Addison Werth, chapter president, the goal was to get the State Center Community College District to rethink the vaccine mandate going into effect on Nov. 15, 2021.

“I think the SCCCD should respect that choice as they are not healthcare providers and they are not advised to make medical decisions for students,” she said.

The plan was to set up on the sidewalk of east McKinley Avenue, however due to spacing issues, the rally was held on the corner of north Maroa and east Weldon Avenues.

Approximately 100 people attended, most were community members of all ages, including some young children, and a handful of students.

Werth said she was anticipating more people to come and disagree with what the chapter stands for, but was glad it was only one person.

Said counter protester was a man named Richard Moore, who lives across the street from where the rally was taking place and could hear everything from his backyard.

At the rally, he yelled about the efficiency of vaccines and tried to talk over the guest speakers. People who were there for the protest tried to block Moore with their signs and get him to leave. An elderly woman stole Moore’s hat twice, dropping it into the street and stomping on it at one point.

Moore, who has two bachelor’s degrees from Fresno State in Microbiology and Engineering, and has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, said he attended to advise people of the vaccines’ efficiency so they later can’t claim ignorance.

“In 50 years, all these people here will be pretending that they were never here and they never had anything to do with this. They will be embarrassed in front of their children to admit they were doing this sort of thing,” he said.

He also cited many other times in US history where vaccines have been mandated, dating all the way back to the American Revolution.

After the altercation between Moore and the other protestors Werth said, “This is an event by the students for the students to protect our right to decide what goes into our bodies. This yelling is unacceptable. We are on the right side

of history.”

Overall, Werth believes the chapter’s message came across, especially when she spoke to SCCCD Interim Chancellor Douglas Houston, who was present at the rally.

According to Werth, Houston said that when the vaccine mandate was made they had not considered opposing opinions.

When asked if he supported the rally, Houston said, “I support the board’s policy, but I also support anybody who speaks their mind and wants to influence the decision of any legislative body. So I support the activities that are going on here absolutely.”

The interim chancellor wasn’t the only SCCCD employee at the rally. Teresa Tarazi, FCC English Professor, said she has a few concerns about the vaccine mandate and lack of clarity on it.

She said the SCCCD has made the process to request and receive religious exemptions from the mandate too complicated.

According to Tarazi, Fresno State students seeking religious exemption only have to click yes and provide their name. Meanwhile, SCCCD students must answer four questions in essay form which she said many don’t know how to do.

She added that there was no information about religious exemptions on FCC’s website a few days ago when she checked and when students asked during the Oct. 1 open forum, faculty did not respond.

“It’s confusing. What they’re doing is making it very difficult for students. So that you go, ‘Well, you know what? Just forget it. What am I going to do?’ Either walk away. So you get screwed that way. Or take the shot and you get screwed because it really wasn’t your choice,” she said.

Another concern according to Tazari, is that FCC is asking instructors to work with students who do not meet the vaccination deadline, but Tarazi believes some might refuse to and students will fall behind.

For this reason, she believes the mandate should have been moved back so students could finish out the semester and their financial aid is not screwed up. According to Tarazi, students’ may be penalized financially if they fail courses.

Overall, she believes that students should be given all the information needed to make critical decisions for themselves.

About her attendance at the rally, Tarazi said since it is a student-led rally, she wanted students to know she is here to support them.

Despite this, Houston said the board of trustees tried to listen to as many voices as they can when making their decisions.

While many of those in attendance at the rally were not students, some were.

Diego Rivera, student at FCC, said he agrees with the purpose of the rally, the protestors and sees the mandate as a violation of human rights.

Now that he’s back on campus, he said he doesn’t know how the mandate is going to play out or if he will be able to gain religious exemption, as he believes in his own natural immunities.

Overall, Rivera felt the rally had a good turnout with good signs and great people.

“I’m glad that people are out here doing this. I’m not the only one concerned about it. That’s what makes me happy, people trying to organize and get more numbers for this stance on freedom,” he said.

Rosalinda Perez, licensed psychiatric technician who wanted to enroll into the nursing program, chose not to because of the mandate and will instead continue her alternative lifestyle career.

Perez attended the rally because she believes everyone has the right to make their own choices.

“It’s not right. They’re suppressing our people and I’m not f****** okay with any of it. I’m tired of being quiet. We have been suppressed for hundreds of years,” she said. “This is bigger than color and politics, this is humans.”

Perez added that she is concerned about the vaccine because she believes they are “meant to poison people and kill them off, as that’s always been the objective of the founders.”

Also at the rally was Fresno City Councilman Gary Bredefeld, who was one of five guest speakers.

During his speech, Bredefeld said everyone should have the choice of getting the vaccine or wearing a mask and not having that right is unconstitutional.

“I believe in everyone’s right, young or old, sick or healthy, attending school or not attending school to make their own decision as to whether or not they take a vaccine,” he said.

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Open Forum With the State Center Community College District Chancellor Search Finalists

Julie Chavez | Reporter Jchavez@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Oct. 28, 2021

Finalists of the State Center Community College District chancellor search had the chance to introduce themselves and answer questions from the public during an open forum on Oct. 25.

The three finalists are current Fresno City College President Carole Goldsmith, San Joaquin Delta College President Omid Pourzanjani and former Coastal Bend College President Beatriz Espinoza.

Goldsmith said she has already worked on some of these things while at FCC. Some examples include creating nursing and police task forces focused on eliminating racism in both programs and a LGBT pride flag raising ceremony in 2020.

Beatriz Espinoza

Omid Pourzanjani

Carole Goldsmith

Image courtesy of the SCCCD

Image courtesy of the SCCCD

Image courtesy of the SCCCD

Goldsmith has served as FCC’s president since 2016. Prior to this, she was president of West Hills College Coalinga.

During her forum, she emphasized the importance of inclusivity throughout the district and said it will be her hallmark of her chancellorship.

As chancellor, Goldsmith said she will continue to listen to faculty, staff and students to take action starting day one.

“This would be an incredible challenge but yet an opportunity that we must seize because I believe the future of our valley and state is at risk if we do not select the right chancellor,” she said.

To do so, Goldsmith said she devised something she plans to call a “blueprint for growth,” which focuses on changing the trajectory of the district and its campuses.

The “blueprint for growth” will focus on the following areas: 1. Campus recovery efforts by working with their respective presidents 2. Addressing systemic inequalities that exist at both the district and colleges 3. Advocating for all SCCCD campuses in order to get more resources 4. Accelerating programs available and diversifying staff to reflect the demographics of each campus 5. Taking advantage of technology and using it as an educational tool

As SJDC President, who is on a leave of absence for reasons he did not elaborate on, Pourzanjani believes he could be the chancellor that pushes the SCCCD into state and national spotlight.

During his presidency at SJDC, he was able to overcome issues such as the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system and others caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

When COVID-19 hit, SJDC faculty and staff migrated all services and courses online in 10 days and have since improved this significantly, according to Pourzanjani.

As SCCCD chancellor, Pourzanjani said he would continue focusing on student success in online education and helping employees perform their best in any environment during the pandemic.

For him, this means collaborating with employees on all levels to think ahead and act immediately.

“We have a lot of indicators of what is coming so we can look ahead and ask, ‘Where are we going? What do we want our new world to look like? What is the best way for us to empower students to continue their education in this new norm and what is the best way for us to serve them?’” he said.

In addition to helping the district transition out of the pandemic, Pourzanjani said he wants to focus on overcoming equity barriers.

Some examples of his work in the past include supporting minority task forces and condemning antiLGBT sentiments.

At the end of his forum, Pourzanjani said he hopes the Fresno community can overlook his last name, skin color, gender, country of origin and focus on what he can bring to the district.

Former CBC President, Espinoza said she could help the SCCCD serve its population and close the gaps of student success.

While at CBC, Espinoza faced issues such as financial insolvency and a situation in the nursing department involving administration, faculty and students’ grades.

Despite this, Espinoza said she is still committed to helping students of all backgrounds.

As chancellor, she plans to focus on the following areas: 1. Unifying all SCCCD campuses 2. Transparency on the progress of SCCCD construction projects 3. Inclusivity throughout the district 4. Evaluation of SCCCD’s institutional effectiveness 5. Integrity and collaboration Like Goldsmith, Espinoza stressed the importance of cooperation as she believes employees have the same goal of success for students.

If this is not the goal, she said faculty and staff must take a step back and find out how to get back on track to fill the equity gaps and maximize the resources available.

When applying for the chancellor position, Espinoza said many of her colleagues had no idea where the SCCCD is located nor did she hear back from SCCCD officials when requesting information on partnerships and more.

These are two more issues she believes can be resolved.

“There is no reason for us not to be at the state, regional, national level and international level,” she said. “We have the resources. We don’t need to be our best kept secret. We need to get it out and we need everybody engaged in it.”

Espinoza said she would go as far as knocking on doors and championing all the SCCCD’s work in order to attract more people.

Carole Goldsmith Named SCCCD Interim Chancellor in a 6-1 Vote Kyrstle Nozartash | Managing Editor knozartash@therampageonline.com

Fresno City College President Carole Goldsmith was named chancellor of the State Center Community College District during a Nov. 29 meeting of the district’s Board of Trustees, putting an end to a comprehensive national search.

She was selected in a 6-1 vote.

State Center Community College District Board President Annalisa Perea announced Goldsmith’s appointment, which is subject to the final approval of an employment contract during a Dec. 14 open forum and will be effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Goldsmith will replace Interim Chancellor Douglas Houston as

the leader of the district's four colleges in Fresno, Clovis, Reedley, and Madera.

Prior to her presidency of FCC, Goldsmith served as president of West Hills College, Coalinga.

Following the announcement, Goldsmith shared that as a child she overcame a learning disability and became the first in her family with college education.

She compared her experience to other students who are struggling to complete their education.

Nasreen Johnson (left) standing next to Carole Goldsmith Carole Goldsmith, new Interim Chancellor, at the podium (right) before the vote on Nov. 29 Photo/ Krystle after giving her speech Photo/ Krystle Nozartash “Don't let somebody else's Nozartash opinion of you define who you are She said her experience over the because you are definitely created I believe education is the path to help you find what that greatness is last five years as FCC’s president will to do something great and within you,” Goldsmith said. ensure a smooth transition.

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Concert band students pose for a photo during one of their practice sessions, on Aug. 26. Image courtesy of Elisha Wells.

Performing Arts Classes Ditch Zoom, Now Back In-Person

Samantha Morales | Entertainment Editor

Vanessa Jardon | Reporter vjardon@therampageonline.com

smorales@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Aug. 26

“I’ve missed my students more than I can express. Connecting Fresno City College performing arts with them in-person, even students are no longer performing though I’m teaching outside in on the screens of Zoom, but are now the hundred-degree temperatures returning to classes and stages inand we’re all wearing masks, is so person.

The FCC concert band has been one much better than Zoom.” she said.

During this semester, Wells of many to make the change. has moved her in-person classes Last year’s music students had their classes on Zoom which Sydney Cook, outside and is having students a flutist for FCC concert band, felt socially distant at rehearsals. limited how much music they could When the students are not play. playing their instruments they are required to wear their masks and sanitize frequently.

Another addition to help keep students safe is having personal protective equipment for instruments and bell covers.

Bell covers and personal protective equipment were paid for by FCC. The concert band and Wells are grateful for the support of Vice President of Administration, Omar Gutierrez and Division Dean Cyndie Luna,of the Fine, - Sydney Cook Performing and Communication FCC Concert Band Flutist Arts Division.

Though the semester just began, the band and its directors are already preparing for their first performance.

Cook remembers it as a time that The concert band’s first live was lonely, repetitive, and boring. performance will be on Oct. 8 However, this semester Cook is on the lawn outside of FCC’s Old already noticing a difference with Administration Building, next to the class being back in person.

“It honestly just feels amazing, just Maroa avenue.

The event will be hosted by the to play music with other people FCC’s FPCA Division with the because honestly, music is not theme of Broadway. something that you do alone,” she While there is excitement being said.

Elisha Wells, concert band director on campus, Wells does have and professor of brass ensemble and concerns with her class regarding convocation for instrumental music the Coronavirus.

Although Wells has been majors, is excited to be teaching on vaccinated herself, she is still campus again. cautious in her classes, especially for the potential students who are

“

MUSIC IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO ALONE."

not vaccinated.

As for enrollment, concert band has seen a drop for in-person classes and Wells urges anyone who has interest in joining to contact her at elisha.wilson@ fresnocitycollege.edu.

FCC’s theater program has also seen changes in enrollment this semester.

Designer and technical theatre professor, Christina MccollamMartinez, has seen an increase in enrollment since starting inperson classes for fall 2021.

However, the theatre department is only seeing classes about half the size of what they usually were before COVID, according to Mccollam-Martinez.

Mccollam-Martinez’s Introduction to Lighting Design course went from having five students enrolled on the Friday before classes started to 11 students enrolled total, the Theatre Practicum class had 18 students enrolled before the start of the semester.

“It’s still kind of low compared to before COVID, but in a way it’s good because you don’t want to have too many people in the classroom since our classroom is small,” she said.

Transitioning to remote learning during 2020 was not a problem for Mccollam-Martinez.

The real challenge was helping students with hands-on learning classes that required students to complete about 54 hours on a production.

Mccollam-Martinez said it was hard teaching lighting design if students can’t see the space, see what controls the lights and don’t know how to set it up.

However, she is glad to be back in

a space where she is able to show them the right way rather than having to show them through a video.

FCC’s lighting design class is the only community college class where students get to design and implement their design in live production, according to Mccollam-Martinez.

Despite the small number of students enrolled, safety precautions are still being followed.

Spraying down props, wiping down tables with disinfectant, and having students wear masks the moment they enter the building are safety protocols being used in class to keep students safe.

Mccollam-Martinez has not encountered any students who are hesitant to be back on campus because of COVID. She said most students are eager to be back face to face.

For those who are hesitant, she said, “There’s always a way to make things work. If a student is afraid to come, then we’ll work with them until they’re not afraid.”

At the moment, no production is being done by theatre students.

However, if the pandemic settles down later in the semester, a live holiday fair outdoor performance in collaboration with the art department will be taking place at FCC, according to MccollamMartinez.

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Fresno City College performing arts professors and students preparing for their Jazz Night performance on Oct. 15. Photo/Krystle Nozartash

Friends of the Arts’ Kicks off Fall Arts Series, Hosts Broadway Night and Jazz Krystle Nozartash | Managing Editor knozatash@therampageonline.com

Vanessa Jardon | Reporter vjardon@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Oct. 21 Fresno City College’s Friends of the Arts hosted its Fall Art Series with Broadway Night on Oct. 8 and Jazz Night on Oct. 15, in the Old Administration Building west lawn courtyard.

Traditionally, Friends of the Arts held annual fundraiser dinners called “Toasting of the Arts.”

However, due to COVID-19, fundraisers were virtual last year.

This year they returned to an in person event, but turned the fundraiser into a large outdoor two-day festival.

Broadway Night was a salute to Broadway and Hollywood, with entertainment featuring FCC’s Concert Band, vocal music from advanced and intermediate students and FCC’s Opera Workshop.

According to Chris Lang, FCC theater technical director and president of Friends of the Arts, preparation began in June.

Leading up to the events, FCC performing arts groups and professors incorporated the Broadway and Jazz themes into the classroom.

“That was really neat to have them take on class projects that would become this,” Lang said. Money raised at both events will go towards scholarships for students in the Theatre, Dance, Music, Communication and Fine Arts division.

Lang expects the combination of Broadway and Jazz Night to outpace what was raised during the Toasting of the Arts virtual event last year.

FCC’s Jazz Night celebrated jazz instrumental and vocal musicians and included five musical performances from FCC’s music department, an Art Space Gallery pop-up, food trucks, a silent auction and children's storytelling area.

Julie Dana, director of voice and choral music, said it was the division dean who visualized the event before instructors knew whether ensembles would be able to perform live concerts on campus venues.

Dana said practicing was a challenge because jazz and more traditional forms of music need time to capture the style correctly.

In addition, performing groups had to follow COVID-19 protocols during rehearsals.

For example, the choir groups used singer masks, which pull the mask away from the face but still made singing difficult, according to Dana.

Despite this, FCC music instructor Paul Lucckesi said it was wonderful to prepare music for live public performance since the last in-person event in March 2020.

“Live events are essential for student musicians and the community,” he said. “Every concert is a once-in-a lifetime experience between the performers and audience.”

Miguel Mulliner, a FCC student who was part of the choir group for Jazz Night, also said it was exciting to be able to perform in front of people.

“It feels good to be up there and nice to be able to show people what we have been working on and how it was whenever we were practicing,” he said.

Mulliner said the group worked hard but practice was nervewracking because they did not know if they were performing virtually or in-person.

“Every concert is a oncein-a lifetime experience between the performers and audience.”

-Paul Lucckesi FCC Music Instructor

Upcoming events include a concert by FCC’s Jazz Composers Orchestra, Oct. 25 in the FCC Theatre, and the Guitar and City Singer Ensembles joint concert on Nov. 17 in the Old Administration Building.

Return of the Audience

FCC Dance Department Performs for a Live Audience Once Again Samantha Morales | Entertainment Editor smorales@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Nov. 5 Fresno City College’s dance department headed back to the stage with their fall 2021 City Dance Concert.

Cristal Tiscareno, a FCC dance professor, plans for not only dancers, but musicians and artists at FCC to showcase their talents throughout the concert.

The variety of performing arts in this concert was important for Tiscareno to have, since most of the performing arts students have not participated in public in-person events recently.

“My goal was really just being community oriented here at city college and maybe abroad,” she said. “But, just to bring all of the arts together, it’s such a beautiful thing to be back in front of people.”

In total there are 20 dancers involved and ten pieces will be performed.

According to Tiscareno, the ten dance pieces are organized in a flexible manner, with no dependency on an individual, just in case someone does get sick so someone else can take their place.

Most of the dancers are in Dance 21, a performance

dance class, while others are in the modern composition class, who are taught how to make choreography.

Angel Pinedo, dance major at FCC, is one of Students performing at the City Dance concert on Nov, 6 2021. Photo/Samantha the students that made choreography for his solo Morales performance along with performing in three The only conflict was the mask-wearing for the dancers, as most different dance pieces. were worried about how wearing one would affect their breathing He said the starting process was difficult and his when performing. choreography was scattered and detached from Agnes Kamara is an English major who is performing for the first each idea at times. time with FCC at the concert.

However, it all became easier once Tiscareno Kamara said the obstacle of a mask made her focus more on stepped in to help. Overall, he is grateful for the breathing techniques when dancing. opportunity.

Understanding masks would keep everyone safe, her mentality As this is his third year performing at FCC, he was to just take the deepest breath and push through her piece. said his experience so far is something he values The dancers hope people come to support the arts and be able to because it is not a competitive atmosphere. show off their skills and talents they have not been able to due to “Here at City they opened up my heart, my eyes the pandemic. and my mind and showed me that it doesn’t have to "Being a performer, the performance is what you want out of it. be like that. What you can bring to the community, There’s nothing better than just being like, hey I worked on this and to art and in itself, is beautiful,” he said.

I want you to enjoy it,” Kamara said.

Tiscareno said preparation for the concert The concerts are free to attend and performances will be held Nov. went smoothly due to support from the entire 5-6 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. in the FCC Theatre. performing arts department.

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Latino Faculty and Staff Association’s Efforts to Bring Fun Back to Campus

Jayronan Vanthy | Reporter jvanthy@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Oct. 19

On Oct. 14, Fresno City College’s Latino Faculty and Staff Association hosted its Cantarito Fundraiser, an hour-long event of folklorico performances and the sale of Latino inspired beverages, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Money raised will go to scholarships that the Latino Faculty and Staff Association provides, as they are an organization devoted to supporting the Latino community at FCC. However, vice president of the association, Maribel Ternate, insinuated that after more than a year of virtual events, this year’s fundraiser was also a way to bring some fun back to FCC. “We are going to do everything that our community college expects us to do in regards to the pandemic but let’s move on,” she said. “Let’s bring some fun back to FCC.” Ternate added that incoming freshmen and most students at FCC have only gotten to experience college life online which might give them a boring impression of the college scene.

Despite expecting a small amount of foot traffic, Ternate said the committee is working valiantly to show how far they are willing to go just to bring life back on campus.

Due to the suspected low rates in attendees, the Latino Faculty and Staff Association was aware of the possibility that not much money would be raised and ditched the idea of having a goal for this fundraiser.

However, the event’s timing and placement near FCC’s cafeteria contributed to the size of the audience of approximately 60 people, and the selling out of items like the cantarito cups.

Victor Torres, adjunct professor of chicano studies and folklorico dance, noticed there were high school students who came to FCC on a school trip at the event.

According to Torres and some folklorico dancers, the performance was stressful due to the lack of time they had to practice, as they were only able to meet once a week.

Despite this, Jessica Cruz, one of the folklorico dancers, said it was a really fun experience for a lot of the girls and it was just about rekindling friendship.

Food Service Management Students Test Their Cooking Skills

Students of Fresno City College’s folklorico dance course performing during the Latino Faculty and Staff Association’s Cantarito Fundraiser on Oct. 14, 2021. Photo/Jayronan Vanthy

Mark Santuyo, another member of the folklorico squad and the only male dancer at the event, said he needed more units to become a full time student so he tried the course and ended up enjoying it.

“It was really fun to learn the traditional dances from Mexico,” he said.

"LET'S BRING SOME FUN BACK TO FCC.” -MARIBEL TERNATE Latino Faculty and Staff Assocation President

After tasting the student-made food, Banks said he would recommend Jayronan Vanthy | Reporter students attend and come try it out. jvanthy@therampageonline.com “I find it nice that they do this, getting faculty and staff.

Originally posted on Nov. 2 more meals out there to see if the However, since most are off campus students like it. It gives the students now, Food Service Management Free hot meals cooked by the Food a chance to show their skills without instructor Jonathan Davey said Service Management class at Fresno being too high in the workplace,” he said. students needed a crowd to serve.

City College are being served at the This is an accurate interpretation for This crowd is made up of FCC Ram Pantry starting Oct. 21 to Nov. Food Service Management student students like Ramon Banks, who 18, 2021. learned about the opportunity after Alyssa Chaporo who said she is happy Before the pandemic, the Food overhearing one of the working FCC to be cooking for people since she Service Management class primarily hopes to become a chef one day and chefs talk about it. provided these types of lunches to open her own bakery.

“I love it when people eat my food and I love to see their reactions to different types of foods,” she said.

For Chaporo, the most challenging aspect was the mathematical elements used in cooking. Metric conversions, measurement accuracy for tablespoons and more, for example.

The experience and value of learning has a lot to do with the drive for these student cooks as Jasmine Perez Lozano said she is taking the FSM-38 class for the skills, experiences and a certificate.

Students in the food service management 38 class pose for a photo. Behind them is a white board with a Perez Lozano said she doesn’t cook check list and each students’ role for the day on Oct. 28. Photo/Jayronan Vanthy much elsewhere so some things in the

class are challenging but it is all about learning so she is able to go at her own pace.

In addition, Perez Lozano said that by providing meals, students in the class are helping feed people on campus who might not have a lot of money.

According to Davey, students enjoy this assignment very much because knowing that the food will be consumed by people other than their instructors makes the experience more meaningful.

For the most part, the assignment is just meant to give students a chance to cook larger quantities of food but he said feeding the community is a great side benefit.

Davey also said he hopes to continue the Food Service Managment-38 class and Ram Pantry partnership even after faculty and staff return to campus.

Students must sign up at the pantry using their name and student ID to receive the free meal consisting of regional American recipes like BBQ pulled pork, clam chowder, philly cheese steak and many more.

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Fresno City College Community Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos, Host Week-Long Event Vanessa Jardon | Reporter

Originally posted on Nov. 5

vjardon@therampageonline.com

An ofrenda set up by FCC’s Latino Staff and Faculty Association and Catholic Student Association inside the FCC library from Nov. 1 – 5. Photo/Julie Chavez

The Latino Faculty and Staff Association, Catholic Student Association and Fresno City College Library collaborated on a week-long event for Día de Los Muertos at the FCC library.

As the Latino Faculty and Staff Association executive board worked on Hispanic Heritage month, plans were also being made for the Día de Los Muertos celebration, according to Ernie Garcia, president of the association.

Día de Los Muertos originated in Mexico and was celebrated on campus Nov. 1- 5 by displaying ofrendas (altars) in the library foyer, providing free pan dulce and hot chocolate for students and staff and displaying classic cars with ofrendas in the trunk.

The purpose for celebrating Día de Los Muertos is to honor and remember loved ones with photos and their favorite foods that can be found on the ofrendas.

Estefana Antonio, a member of the Catholic Student Association, said the event was held throughout the week in accordance with the traditional timeline.

Antonio added that the associations are excited to be hosting this event on campus once again because it gives everyone the opportunity to learn more about Día de Los Muertos.

“If they have never heard about or seen a

The Latino Staff and Faculty Association set up outside the Fresno City College library to give away free pan dulce and hot chocolate on Nov. 1. Photo/Julie Chavez

real altar, this is an excellent opportunity to do so,” she said.

Stephanie Bustos, biology major at FCC, heard about the event from her classmates and decided to attend for the free hot chocolate.

While she was there, she won a Starbucks gift card and candy by playing a game of loteria, a traditional Mexican card game.

Bustos added that it would be great if similar events were hosted on campus as it gives students like herself the chance to talk to people she normally would not talk to.

“Somebody show up to these events, please. I need friends on campus,” she said.

Carlos Bustos, business administration major at FCC, also participated in the game of loteria.

Bustos has attended other events at FCC and believes having more events with prizes can attract student participation and increase school spirit.

“Before COVID everything was more lively, I loved it,” he said.

Antonio said the association hopes to make this an annual event in order to make sure FCC continues to share the tradition with the campus community.

Vice President of the Latino Staff and Faculty Association, Maribel Ternate (right) raising a card during a game of loteria with students at the event. Photo/Julie Chavez

Fresno City College’s City Singers and Guitar Students Come Together for a Concert Originally posted on Nov. 15 Samantha Morales | Entertainment Editor smorales@therampageonline.com

Fresno City College’s City Singers and student guitarists are collaborating for their first in-person concert since the pandemic started.

The concert, “I Shall be Beautiful: Music for Choir and Guitar” is organized by choir professor Julie Dana and guitar professor Kevin Cooper.

Some pieces consist of the works of English Renaissance songs by John Dowland and the masterpiece of “Romancero Gitano” by Castelnuovo Tedesco.

However, the main piece for the concert is “The Dawn’s Early Light” by Kile Smith.

The piece highlights the life of a Native American woman, Sarah Winnemucca, and how she remembers her life during the 1800s. Also in the piece, Winnemucca incorporated things that are different from what we learned in our lives.

According to Dana, one of the things that was different to Winnemucca was “The Star-Spangled Banner” as it had a different tune than today’s version.

For the concert, students will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” from Winnemucca’s perspective.

Dana, whose advanced chamber class consists of 14 singers, said the only challenge besides the difficult music was the possibility of someone getting exposed to COVID-19, not getting to attend the rehearsal, and being unable to hear all of the parts together.

Samantha Arellano, a City Singer, also said coming back to perform during

the ongoing pandemic was a challenge as she worried about herself, fellow musicians and the audience.

Despite this, Arellano is excited for the concert, because they will be inperson again.

“The moment that we found out that we were going to be performing in person, I think that was probably the best news that we’ve gotten in a while,” she said.

All of Cooper’s students, no matter their level, will participate in the concert.

He said his reasoning behind this is that students, “Often cannot believe that they are capable of contributing to such a successful production.”

However, he is worried students might not feel as accomplished about the concert as past students since some did not have in-person classes or rehearsals.

Both Dana and Cooper hope there will be an audience in-person and streaming, not just for them, but for their students.

“It’s an insurmountable joy to be able to be standing in front of an audience and I think our students deserve to have that,” Dana said.

The special guests for the concert are Brandon Mendez and Carlos Vasquez, former FCC students, Robert Myers another guitar instructor at FCC and Dieter Wulfhorst who is a professional cellist.

The concert will be held Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the old administration building auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for general admission.

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Fresno City College Athletics in Full Swing for Fall 2021 Semester Aaron Story | Sports Editor astory@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Aug. 29

All 21 of the sports programs at Fresno City College are slated to play this year, according to coaches, who said they are fully committed to having a good and safe year.

FCC Athletic Director, Derrick Johnson, said he is excited and ready to have a safe and full sports year.

Students and coaches are also thrilled because last season FCC’s fall sports didn’t get to play.

FCC’s women’s volleyball team will have the first games of the year on Aug. 27. Their full schedule for the season can be found here.

All the sports programs are following safety guidelines and protocols that are enforced in order to have a safe year.

Johnson said all the teams are taking precautions by being sanitary and wiping down all equipment. FCC also makes sure that other teams who come to compete against them follow all protocols as well.

Up to this point, there haven’t been any problems following the rules for the individual sports programs, according to Johnson.

“We have rules and regulations that we have to follow or we can’t compete. As the athletic director, that decision comes to me. Last semester some student-athletes weren’t able to get to the testing center that we had on campus and if they don’t make the testing deadline, they don’t play. It’s for everyone’s safety,” Johnson said.

Though the Delta variant is spreading, Johnson believes everything is under control.

He does think FCC’s athletics is moving in the right direction after dealing with COVID last year and managing it with the minimal outbreak.

In addition to sports seasons being back, FCC Athletics has hired three female coaches.

Haley Janzer is FCC’s new softball coach, Meghan Thomason is women’s golf coach and Hillary Boos is the new women’s swim and dive and water polo coach.

Hillary Boos is entering her first season as head coach for women’s Swim and Dive and Water Polo at FCC. She recently coached at Sanger High School, where she won 12 out of the last 17 championships, according to Johnson.

With the water polo season coming up, Boos wanted to make her impact before the school year started by hosting workouts for the players in the summer.

For this reason, the team practiced over summer with whoever could make it, anywhere from five to eight athletes, according to Boos.

The team’s official practice began on Aug. 9 and the team has been practicing five days week since.

Robert Haynes (middle) is Fresno City College’s new basketball coach. Haynes was hired during the summer of 2021. Image courtesy of Fresno City College

Boos is fired up for her future as a Ram. “I’m excited for the growth of the kids and seeing what we could do in one year. I’m really looking forward to next year to see where we pick up and how we grow from this year,” she said.

Boos makes her FCC water polo coaching debut on Sept. 10 at Cuesta College.

FCC also hired Robert Haynes as the new head coach of basketball.

Haynes was the head coach at Porterville College since 2013.

When asked about the status of FCC’s basketball team, after last year’s events, Haynes couldn’t say much about the situation but he does know the team faces a two-year ban from the playoffs and four-year probation in general.

Despite the ban and being on probation, Haynes is delighted about the new start but will have to adjust to the new job.

Haynes said teaching the players about basketball is the easy part.

The hard part is teaching formality to his players, learning about the different teams and his division will be the difficult part but he is confident everything will be fine once he figures that out.

Haynes’ number one goal is to continue the winning tradition at FCC but mainly wants the team to have fun because he feels they sometimes forget about doing that.

Like many other coaches being hired during a pandemic, Haynes has faced some challenges.

Haynes said it has been tough because players still have masks on and many adjusted to not doing anything due to the pandemic.

“My thing is we have to get them to focus to get back to real life, how it was before. That’s probably the toughest part,” he said.

Sports Recap: Fresno City College Women's Soccer Team Coming Back After Rough Start Dyson Vass | Reporter dvass@therampageonline.com

Originally posted on Oct. 21

Fresno City College’s women’s soccer team got off to a rough start this year. The team started the season by losing two of their first three matches, with the other landing in a tie.

However, they have since prevailed, remaining undefeated in their last 10 games with nine wins and one tie.

Some game highlights include defeating Diablo Valley Community College in a whopping 10-0 and most recently, defeating College of the Sequoias 7-0.

Despite the team’s rough start, head coach Oliver Germond said the team has managed to get back on track.

“We struggled early in the season, but it’s been good for us to allow growth individually and as a team,” he said. “We played two of the best teams in the state in our first three matches, so it was definitely a learning experience.”

Watching footage from prior matches allows players to learn from their own play on the field and study opposing teams which has been helpful, according to Germond.

He said the team spends about an hour after each match watching the footage to see what each player can improve on and then try to incorporate new techniques into their practices.

Germond believes his team is very athletic with a lot of speed. However, it has taken some time for players to learn to play with each other due to the lack of experience.

According to Germond, the team only has three returning players from their previous season, which he believes is what makes it challenging for the team to learn the system.

Sarah Cox, a midfielder, said that as a team consisting mostly of freshmen, they are still learning to play together and figuring out what will make them successful.

She added that despite this, their hard work and perseverance will be the difference maker on the field.

The team’s goal, to win their conference and make it to the state final four, remains the same as at the beginning of the season.

According to Germond, the final four provides a lot of opportunities for players to transfer on scholarships.

“Our success in the classroom and on the field is to help our players transfer,” he said.

For now the team is taking the momentum into each game hoping for the same outcome.

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Ram’s Volleyball Team Continues It’s Winning Streak in Central Valley Conference Aaron Story | Sports Editor

The Tigers had a different flow than the Rams but the team kept its pace and didn’t slow down.

Originally posted on Sept. 27 The second set started off with a point from Sophomore Setter Victoria Custodio. Outside The Rams volleyball team Hitter Freshman, Kylie Kerney also contributed continues their winning with an ace and a spike. streak in the Central Valley The Rams dominated this set as well winning Conference after defeating the 25-11.

Reedley College Tigers and Freshman Outside Hitter, Lexi Pagani, Porterville College Pirates last dominated the last set with several aces and week.

On Sept. 24, the Rams defeated spikes, leading the team to a 25-11 win and the Pirates 25-9, 25-15, 25-5 completing the sweep. resulting in a 3-0 set.

Despite these two wins, Roblee believes the team This lands the Rams in first can get better, if they can execute in serve, receive place of the conference with and not get into long rallies, as that’s always an a 4-0 mark and 13-2 so far advantage for the team. this season, according to the For the next game, Roblee said the Rams want women’s volleyball schedule. to practice on their offensive spread, meaning the setters seeing what the blockers are doing on the other side so they could create matchups.

“Our vision and set selection is getting better.

We’ve also enjoyed seeing the array of us not attacking out of the front row and using the back row as well,” Roblee said.

When asked how it felt to defend home court, [The] team has a Roblee said the team has a determination to defend their home court, no matter who they face, determination to it could even be the women’s national team. defend their home In addition to how successful the season has been, Roblee feels it’s just been awesome to have court, no matter who friends, families and fans back in the stands again. they face.”

“Being back together and enjoying the day is one of our biggest focuses because we don’t know -Kieran Roblee what might happen tomorrow,” she said. “We’re Volleyball Coach just focused on being present and enjoying our company and laughter.”

According to Roblee, FCC will host the California Community College Athletic At their game on Sept. 22, the Rams swept the Tigers 3-0 sets. Association Volleyball Championship later this year with a goal of playing in it.

In preparation for this game, Volleyball’s next home match is on Friday, Oct. 1 the Rams focused on the at 6 p.m. against West Hills Lemoore. offensive spread, the vision astory@therampageonline.com

“

and set selection, according to Women’s Volleyball Head Coach, Kieran Roblee.

For this game, she wanted the team to focus on hitting efficiency, minimizing runs and preventing the Tigers from getting any momentum.

The goal was to not let the Tigers get three or four points in a row.

In the first set, Sophomore Middle Blocker, Diamond’nigue Young, took over with several hard spikes.

The strategy, to minimize runs and prevent momentum, worked well and led the Rams to a 25-6 victory.

Defensive Specialist, Ali Santoyo, attempting to stike the ball down onto the opposing team's side. Photo / Aaron Story

Outside hitter, Lexie Pagani, serving the ball as her teammates watch from the sidelines. Photo / Aaron Story

Outside hitter, Lexie Pagani. jumping to hit the ball the opposing team sent over the net. Photo/ Aaron Story

Rams volleyball coach. Kieran Roblee (middle), speaking to the team before their game against the Porterville College Pirates on Sept 22. Photo / Aaron Story