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Tuesday, April 5, 2022
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The Voice of San Jose City College Students Since 1956
Volume 92 Issue 3
Former SJCC student killed Rest in peace, Dejon Packer 1997-2022 BY IBER MORENO
TIMES STAFF
A former SJCC student athlete was stabbed to death in his home on March 14, police said. Dejon Packer, 24, attended San Jose City College from 2015 to 2017 and San Jose State University from 2017 to 2019. He was also a football player and a police officer. Many people were devastated when they heard the news, especially the people who knew him and the staff members at SJCC. “Dejon was the type of guy that would do everything right all the time both off and on the field,” former SJCC head coach Carlton Connor said. “He was a good kid and was a good player and a team leader. That’s why he would always address the team and be a star on the field.” Conner said Packer had a great sense of humor and was one of the best football players. “He was really soft spoken and was one of those guys that you really would not know he was there because he was such a quiet person,” Conner said. The equipment manager for the sports team at the college Dwayne Bozich said Packer was one of the best student athletes he interacted with. “He was such a good person to be around, such a hard worker both on and off the field, but his personality was fun and friendly,” Bozich said. “He was a person who didn’t say a lot. He was soft spoken, but he was always a part of the groups and the atmosphere around.”
Bozich said Packer was a good guy for the community, and he was a good role model. Packer always talked about being a nurse, Bozich said. He switched to joining the police academy because a police officer gave the San Jose State football team a career lesson about the police academy. That motivated him to join and become a police officer instead of a nurse.
“He knew where he fit and where he felt comfortable in his career,” Bozich said. SJCC Athletic Director Lamel Harris said Packer was an amazing person and a student athlete who cared about this school and the community.
See POLICE, Page 3
Let’s meet the ASG candidates term 2022-2023
Yang Lei Major: Business administration I was the president when I was in my senior high school in China. I think maybe if I were a president at SJCC, I’ll help students solve their problems. I hope I can start many activities so people at SJCC can all take part in the clubs, and I still want to build some clubs like sports, hiking, so people can exercise.
Fadia Zeid Major: Dance I applied for president and vice-president of marketing because I have been a student here at this school for 11 years. I am a reporter for the City College Times, and I always see problems on campus that I want to fix. I also want to increase the visibility of clubs and activities on campus.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: May 3
Adrianne Belardes Major: Psychology and social and behavioral sciences I am currently a resource advocate at Maintenance for Moms, which is a nonprofit that helps single mothers repair their cars so they can drive safely on the road with their children. I felt inclined to apply for the position since I have a lot of experience providing resources for the community.
Mohammad Shaar Major: Construction technology
Xitlaly Martinez Major: Business management
Leif Benson Major: Political science
I’m applying for director of communications because I’m currently the director of communications, and I think that I’m doing my role really well. I’ve been a student for the past five years, I know what it is to be a student, what challenges students face during their studies. I want to be this guy who make changes to help.
The reason why I decided to apply for vice president of finance is because I have a passion for helping out the community, and I feel this is a great experience for my personal reasons as well as I have aspirations to be in finance. I also applied for director of resources.
I’m applying for president because I want to get things done. I feel like there are things that students deserve on campus such as joining clubs, joining student government and joining the newspaper. I want to have more opportunities like that for students who are interested in all kinds of things on the campus.
EMAIL US: citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu
Van Pham Major: Accounting
I want to help Vietnamese students because when I came to the college I helped a lot of people. Many of these students are old, and they don’t speak English. If I apply to these positions, I have to communicate with a lot of people, and they come from everywhere, every race and every color. I have to be fair, whether they are Vietnamese or Spanish. Compiled by Vy Nguyen / Times Staff. To read the full article, visit http://sjcctimes.com
CHECK US OUT ONLINE: http://sjcctimes.com
2 OPINION
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Language barriers affect health equity Are Vietnamese children still translating for their parents?
BY CAROLINE LE
CONTRIBUTOR
In my household, many barriers prevented my mom from getting her annual physical appointment. She was scared to go to a doctor who spoke a language she could not understand. Would her provider understand her concerns and give thorough explanations to her questions? Money was tight so how could she selfishly go to the clinic and pay the high copayment fees? What if they ignored or brushed away her unexplained sharp pains? Eventually I was able to reassure her and accompany her to her first appointment Even though I am fluent in Vietnamese, I am not well versed in medical terminology. When her diagnosis of stage 4 uterine and ovarian cancers was presented to her, I was not able to interpret the conversation as accurately as I wished to, causing my mom’s concerns to spiral. What are interpreter services doing if they’re not helping? How can reliable health information be easily accessible to all individuals, regardless of the language spoken? How can we advocate for greater accessibility in all health aspects? About 57.6% of San Jose citizens spoke languages other than English in 2018, and San Jose is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of the United States according to the 2010 U.S. Census. In many healthcare settings, there is a bias toward not needing interpreters. If the patient’s children understand their first language, they assume the role of a medical interpreter, but this can have dangerous health implications as the health information presented to the patient is not reliable and may be misunderstood. When there is any indicator of interpreter need, it should be addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Not all clinics have the financial ability for interpretation resources. This is where our county’s funding should provide easily accessible and standardized resources in Vietnamese and other languages at all clinics to serve as an immediate strategy. This includes informational pamphlets on common medical terminology, common diagnoses, common medications, how to navigate an appointment, explanations of the different types of insurance and locations and hours of low-cost and free community clinics. Vietnamese-speaking physicians can also help raise awareness by speaking about these topics. Compiling translations of updated news and developing health information in one central outlet should be prioritized. Medium-term solutions include accountability systems for on-site interpreters and succinct and reliable interpretation on the phone. As for long-term deliverables, there should be linguistic competency to serve the non English-speaking populations. Ultimately, conquering misinformation through greater accessibility of resources will ease the fear, resentment and mistrust of the government and its associated healthcare systems for many in San Jose’s community of Vietnamese Americans. This attitude stems from experiences and observations that were caused by the lack of cross-cultural understanding and language barriers. From an individual level, please interpret, explain thoroughly and share cross-checked information from different local news
COMPILED BYJHARYLL ASUNCION TIMES STAFF INFOGRAPHIC FROM HTTPS://WWW.NATCOM.ORGABOUT-NCAWHAT-COMMUNICATION
The Transaction Model of Communication elements includes the sender, the receiver, message, channel, noise, and feedback. The sender translates their ideas into verbal and nonverbal symbols to form the message. The message is transmitted through the channel to the receiver. The receiver is the audience who is able to decode the message being conveyed. External, internal, or semantic noise can block the message from being sent or received. Feedback from the receiver is sent to the sender to allow for changing the message. outlets and infographic accounts to your close ones. This would open conversations about the cultural stigma, lashback and judgment with asking for help. To impact your local community, please take time to hold your elected officials accountable in the Board of Supervisors meetings and Board Policy Committee meetings, ensuring that they are furthering outreach and interpretation programs. Hand out and post informational pamphlets and fliers on health information in community hotspots. Big or small, a step forward in the right direction is a significant step forward to a more equitable future. For a list of health centers and the languages interpreted in various counties, visit: https://www.chpscc.org For a Vietnamese-English glossary and news in Vietnamese, visit: https://www.pivotnetwork.org/ PIVOT is an organization that promotes Vietnamese American rights, increasing participation and understanding of the voting process and providing mentorship and resources to Vietnamese American youth. To learn more about the key health issues within the Vietnamese American community in Santa Clara County, visit: https://publichealth.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb916/files/ vha-full-2011.pdf to read this report published in 2011 by Santa Clara County. Caroline Le is a pre-medical student who recently graduated from San Francisco State University. She was a participant in Stanford Medicine’s Leadership Education for Aspiring Physicians (LEAP) program in 2021 to spread accurate healthcare information and to increase the accessibility of interpretation services in her home of San Jose. Caroline’s project focuses on the Vietnamese-speaking population in San Jose and the Bay Area. Le was a former student at San Jose City College.
Send news tips to citycollegetimes@jaguars.sjcc.edu Editor-in-Chief Vy Nguyen
What do you think about Ukrainians who go back to their country to defend it?
Sports Editor Iber Moreno
Reporters Fadia Zeid
Jharyll Asuncion
Adviser
Farideh Dada
Name: Gilberto Valle Age: 23 Major: Law “Brave people. I know it’s hard for them to stay in the situation they are going through, which instead of progressing it’s only getting worse.”
Name: Andrew Glover Age: 38 Major: Psychology “I wish them the very best. I hope the cycle of violence circling Ukraine stops as soon as possible. I wish they return to their homes.”
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
OPINION 3
Persian New Year celebrations end April 2 Nowruz and how Jags celebrate it BY VY NGUYEN
TIMES STAFF
Persian New Year, also called Nowruz, is an ancient spring holiday rooted in the Iranian people. It begins on the spring equinox and marks the beginning of Farvardin, the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar (an Iranian calendar used officially in Iran and Afghanistan). “It’s once a year, at the end of the year, like how Christmas is; but this is Nowruz … it’s like the New Year,” said Samina Beegzad, an SJCC business administration major from Afghanistan. The day is celebrated worldwide by various ethnolinguistic groups and falls on or around the date of 21 March on the Gregorian calendar. For the year 2022, it falls on March 20. It differs slightly within Asian countries such as: Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. In Iran the holiday lasts 13 days. On the 13th and last day of celebration, people head out of their houses because it is believed that 13 is an unlucky number. “So some people go outside to the parks and then they meet with family, they sit together and then talk and celebrate the new year. In my country, they also wear Afghan clothes,” Beegzad said. “They celebrate it with joy and happiness and picnics and stuff. It’s called ‘samanack.’ It has food that they make. Women sit around, and then they sing songs.” Another practice that occurs during
BRPHOTO | DREAMSTIME.COM
Persian dancers perform at the Nowruz Festival and Persian Parade new year celebration in Los Angeles in 2015. A haftseen can have other items, too. For Nowruz is haftseen, which is a tradition of love; sekkeh (coins) represents prosperity; example: Sumac (spice) represents the sun. setting a table of symbolic items. Haftseen sonbol (hyacinth), represents spring; Ayneh (mirror) represents self-reflection. sabzeh (sprouts) represents rebirth; means “the seven ‘S’s.” A haftseen table Tukhmeh morg (eggs) represents fertility. seeb (apple) represents health; samanu consists of seven items that start with the Shirini (sweets) represents sweetness. (sweet wheat-germ pudding) represents letter S in Farsi. Mahi (goldfish) represents life and The sweetness and prosperity. The items on a haftseen table usually “On that day, they make some dry fruits Qur’an with money inside it to give to are: Serkeh (vinegar) represents age; children represents blessings. that they call seven fruits,” Beegzad said. senjed (dried lotus tree fruit) represents
‘Dancing With The Stars’ back on tour in San Jose BY FADIA VEID
TIMES STAFF
After being separated from their fans for almost two years because of the pandemic, the “Dancing With The Stars Live Tour” returned to the San Jose Civic Center on March 18. Dancing With The Stars is a U.S. version of England’s Strictly Come Dancing dance competition and one of several iterations of the DWTS franchise. It premiered on ABC June 1, 2005. The show pairs celebrities with professional dancers. Each dancer performs a predetermined dance and competes against the others for judges points and audience votes. The couple dance pairs receiving the lowest combined total of judges points and audience votes is eliminated each week until only the champion dance pair remains. The current judges are Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Julianne Hough and Derek Hough. Professional dancers are Alan Bersten, Artem Chigrintsev, Sasha Farber, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Britt Stewart, Sofia Gharami, Koko Iwasahi, Brandon
POLICE From page 1
“Dejon was a determined person. He was a good student and always had good grades,” Harris said. “I felt that he could do whatever he wanted to do in life. He was a standout athlete, and he was a little bit above everyone on the football field. He was a complete person overall.” Harris said Packer was representing the college well, and this is why his pictures are all
Armstrong, Arten Chigvintsev, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Kiki Nyemchek and Alexis Warr. The supervising choreographers are
around the campus and on buses. “I remember him playing on the field and running all over the place and laying people down and hitting people everywhere and being a physical person in every single play. He loved the contact and was one-of-a-kind athlete,” Harris said. Harris was surprised that Packer didn’t pursue a nursing career. “He was all about helping people, and those two jobs (health care and law enforcement) are in
Brandon Armstrong, Kiki Nyemchek and Britt Stewart plus an additional six supporting choreographers. Director Pam Chu is a dancer,
the helping fields,” Harris said. Packer was a leader in the classroom and on the field, Harris said, adding that he was leading by example and his actions showed what kind of person he was. “He also represented what San Jose City is all about by getting his education and betting on himself by walking on to San Jose State and earning that full-ride scholarship with his hard work,” Harris said. Harris said he and the community have been affected so much by his death.
choreographer and producer; and Justin Timberlake is an exclusive choreographer and co-creative director. This year’s dance theme was ‘’Dare To Be Different.” The show was amazing and full of energy with dances like the cha-cha, foxtrot, salsa, tango and others. The DWTS live tour will continue in other cities across the U.S.
“How could someone so young with so much life ahead of him and so much to give be taken away so soon?” Harris said. Harris stressed that he had never heard anything bad about him. Harris referred to Packer as an impactful person around the community of San Jose and “especially to the people he cared about and who he played with.” “Being a local kid from Gunderson High School and going to SJCC and then going to San Jose State and earning a full
ride from athletics is an inspiring story for many student athletes and many young kids in the community knowing that anything is possible with dedication and hard work,” Harris said. The funeral was on Saturday, March 26 at the Redemption Church followed by the burial at Oakhill Cemetery. SJCC plans to do a memorial for him as well, Harris said. Also, a scholarship under the name of Dejon Packer, in memory of his hard work, will be created.
NEXT NEWSPAPER: MAY 3 EMAIL US: CITYCOLLEGETIMES@JAGUARS.SJCC.EDU CHECK US OUT ONLINE: SJCCTIMES.COM
4 News & Campus life
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gets married in jail
Announcements Scholarship for transfer students The Robert N. Chang Scholarship is now available to fall 2022 transfer students. More information can be found on the Career/Transfer webpage. Students will not submit the Chang Scholarship application materials through AcademicWorks this year. Students may request letters of recommendations from their SJCC professor, which can be submitted by students or directly to International Counselor/Coordinator Doriann Tran at doriann.tran@sjcc.edu. All required information must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday, April 28. For more information, visit https://sjcc.live/Chang2022
Student Center to have a new name
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN GOMEZ / DREAMSTIME.COM
A supporter holds a sign at the “Don`t Extradite Assange” rally in London in protest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange`s court hearing and possible extradition to the U.S. on Feb. 22, 2020.
BY STEVE HILL
CONTRIBUTOR
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange wed fiancé Stella Moris in a London maximum security prison on March 23. Moris, whose real name is Sara Gonzalez Devant, is a South African citizen of Cuban, Spanish and Swedish descent who first met Assange when she was part of the legal team defending him from extradition to Sweden. She has a master’s degree in refugee law from Oxford University. Moris wrote in a March 23 op-ed piece for the Guardian British daily newspaper prior to the wedding that “She will go through the gates of the most oppressive high security prison in the country and be married to a political prisoner.” Only six people were allowed by security officials to attend the small Catholic wedding, including the groom’s two brothers, his father, as well as the couple’s two young children. “I’m very happy and very sad,” Moris said in a televised statement outside Belmarsh Prison after the wedding. “I love Julian with all my heart, and I wish he were here. What we’re going through is inhuman.” Assange spent six years as an asylum seeker in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London before being dragged out by British police and put in Belmarsh. He has been charged with no crime, but has been kept in prison since 2019 while the U.S. attempts to extradite him on espionage charges related to Wikileaks’ release of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables and military information. If Assange is extradited to the U.S., he faces a
maximum of 175 years in prison under the 1917 espionage law. No photos of the wedding ceremony were released as prison officials deemed it a security risk. However, Moris posed for photographs outside the prison with family members, guests and supporters. “The prison states that our wedding picture is a security risk because it could end up in social media or the press,” Moris wrote in the Guardian. “How absurd. What kind of security threat could a wedding picture pose?” Moris also wrote that Belmarsh prison regularly permits photography. “Tommy Robinson and other convicted prisoners were allowed to be interviewed on camera when ITV filmed inside Belmarsh prison,” Moris wrote. “But for Julian, who isn’t even serving a sentence, there appear to be a different set of rules. What are they so afraid of? According to police estimates, approximately 500 people gathered outside of Belmarsh prison in what Moris called a “solidarity vigil” where she cut a wedding cake. “I am convinced that they fear that people will see Julian as a human being. Not a name, but a person,” Morris wrote in the Guardian. “Their fear reveals that they want Julian to remain invisible to the public at all costs … especially on his wedding day, for him to disappear from the public consciousness.” American journalist Chris Hedges said in a broadcast statement after the wedding that the U.S. has no basis to charge an Australian citizen under the U.S. Espionage Act. “It is the most important battle for press freedom of our era; and if we lose this battle, it will be devastating not only for Julian and his family, but for us.” The British Supreme Court recently refused to hear Assange’s latest appeal against the extradition.
The Dedication of the Robert N. Chang Student Center at San Jose City College will take place on Wednesday, April 27, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. outside of the Robert N. Chang Student Center. To register, please visit bit.ly/ ChangFoundationCelebration2022 For more information, contact Takeo Kubo, director of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs at Takeo. Kubo@sjcc.edu
Student Government to hold election Associated Student Government will hold the election April 5, 6 and 7. More information can be found on the ASG main page at http://sjccasg.org. For questions contact ASG President Francis Seludo at asgpresident@ sjcc.edu.
Employees will be recognized San Jose City College Distinguished Employees of 2022 will be announced in a ceremony Wednesday, April 27 from noon to 1 p.m. Recognitions are for the following categories: distinguished administrator, classified professionals, full-time faculty, associate faculty and community leadership. Nominations were due by April 1. For more information contact Professional Development coordinators Madhavi Sudarsana at madhavi.sudarsana@sjcc.edu and Huimin McKinlay at huimintracy.mckinlay@sjcc.edu.
ESL Lab is open to all students The ESL Lab offers many services to students, including tutoring, workshops and basic tech help. Students do not need to be taking ESL classes to use ESL Lab services. Students just need to be registered for at least one SJCC class to enroll in a lab section. For more information, contact Patricia do Carmo, ESL Lab coordinator, at patricia.docarmo@sjcc.edu.
Indian humanitarian to be celebrated International student Aruna Shamkuwar Masoorkar along with the Student Activities & Development and support of International Programs will celebrate Indian humanitarian Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s 132nd birth anniversary on campus Monday, April 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dr.Ambedkar had enormous contributions to raising the status of India’s marginalized population. For more information, contact Blake Balajadia, director of Student Activities & Development, at blake. balajadia@sjcc.edu
Tutors available on campus The Learning Resource Center, on the first floor of the Cesar E. Chavez Library, provides Zoom and in-person tutoring to anyone who needs help with their homework. The Center offers assistance in math, statistics, physics, chemistry, accounting, Spanish and essay writing. For more information, contact Tutoring Center Coordinator Peiman Gheibi at Peiman.Gheibi@sjcc.edu or René Alvarez, dean of Academic Success and Student Equity, at Rene.Alvarez@sjcc.edu