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Student Life Student Voice • VCCCD • Dec. 9, 2009
Brennan Whitmore News editor
Two characters dance on screen, exchanging blows in a duet that culminates when one falls to ground, knocked out. This is how some students like to unwind during finals. “I’ll play against someone even if I know I’m going to lose instantly,” said James Marzec, a 20-year-old psychology major and frequent visitor to the Moorpark College Arcade. “It doesn’t bother me.” The arcades at the three colleges in the Ventura County Community College District all have different machines and locations. The main goal of them all, however, is to create a sense of community among students, as well as give them something to relax with. “I think there should be more opportunities for people to hang out, and I noticed for the arcade it’s kind of like a meeting place,” said Ryan Krebs, Moorpark Associated Student president. “I always see a lot of people playing games and hanging out, talking.” Krebs also noticed that despite the small space, there are usually more than a few students crowded around the machines. Whereas in Oxnard, despite having an air hockey table and a jukebox, the game room is usually deserted, according to Oxnard Associated Student President Anna VanderStouwe. “ H o n e s t l y, most of our students don’t know about it,” said VanderStouwe. “I don’t think our games are used that much.” While VanderStouwe says that a game room can help students feel more relaxed on campus, she would like to also have an area with a big screen TV or projector for movies and other activities. “As a student myself, I’ve never attended the game room, and I can’t see large use for it,” said VanderStouwe.
Moorpark College Photo by Tony Sintic
Oxnard rents the machines from a vendor who splits half the profits with the Oxnard Associated Students. According to Maureen Ecki, administrative assistant for the b usiness office at Ventura College, the arrangement is the same there. At Moorpark, however, the money goes back to the college and covers the overhead for the machines themselves, according to Moorpark College Business Manager Darlene Melby. “I got to tell you it’s kind of a losing proposition for us, we don’t really make any money at the end of the day,” said Melby. Melby estimated that in a good month Moorpark College earns $400 off the machines, which after upkeep and electricity costs, usually results in breaking even or sometimes taking a loss. Despite this, she says nobody has officially proposed taking out the machines. “It’s more of a public relation, student relation tool,” said Melby. “We never really saw it as a huge profit maker.” Melby also added that the college has paid for a new change machine for the room, which cost them $828. Krebs said that if they could open up suggestions to students on what kind of arcade machines they would want to see installed, it could bring in some extra profit. “A big money maker would be a claw machine, people would really get into it and you could have a claw machine with like a DS or something like that inside,” said Krebs. Melby said that the idea of opening up recommendations to students has never been brought up before, and she sees no reason why it couldn’t be done. “I don’t think there is any problem with anybody bringing forward recommendations,” said Melby. “We’re pretty open to it.”
Digital Relief
Oxnard College
Photo by Franz Tinio-Lopez
Ventura College Photo by Angela Braza
Transfer Center offers resume review Mallory Martin Staff writer
Writing a resume can be the most challenging part of preparing for a job interview. Judi Gould, the coordinator of Moorpark College’s Career Transfer Center, has some tips for students on how to write a good resume. “The most important message I would give to students is that you have to have more than one resume,” said Gould. Job seekers should have a basic resume, very detailed with all skills, references, numbers, salaries, and other information on it. This basic resume should be a reference point for the resumes that are actually turned in. For each job application, a new resume should be created that is tailor-made to the company being considered. Each business is looking for different things from their employees. One way to help mold a resume to the specific company is to research before hand. Know what the companies’ values are and what they want from an employee. Then, keep these points in mind when setting up the resume. “Companies will find it impressive to see that you have a specific resume for them,” said Gould. “They will immediately begin to feel the match.” There are different formats of resumes that people can use to market themselves. The three formats that Gould suggested are the reverse
chronological resume, the skill-based resume, and a combination of the two. In all three designs of resume, it is best to outline the objective clearly at the top, underneath the contact information. The objective should be different for each job interview; it needs to apply to the desired position at the company. According to Gould, a reverse chronological resume begins with the most recent position and works backwards. Applicants want to use this form when seeking a job in a field that is similar to where they’ve worked before. The negative side of the reverse chronological form is that it will draw attention to any large gaps in employment. A reverse chronological resume begins with your most recent position and works backwards. You want to use this form when: • Seeking a job in a field that is similar to those you’ve worked in before. • Your careers show a steady progression in responsibilities (ex. From hostess to waitress) • When you’ve held impressive job titles and have worked for big-name employers. Gould suggests that if applicants want to draw attention to specific job skills, then the skill-based resume form might be better suited. The format focuses on professional skills and puts less emphasis on past work experience. This form is preferable when: • You are changing careers and want to show
off specific transferable skills. • You have minimal work experience, or you have been working for one employer for a long period of time • You have worked in many different areas, or in very similar areas of employment • When you have little work experience, but very relevant coursework or training. • When you have noticeable gaps in employment. Combining the two formats isn’t as commonly done, according to Gould, but it can be good because it utilizes the benefits of both styles of resume. It’s best to do this when: • Each position you’ve had had involved a different job. • You want to highlight internships and volunteer positions related to the job you are applying for. • You want to highlight and support your listed skills with your employment history. You have to be sure to make this style of resume very clear and logical, and be certain that your points obviously support your objective. All three campuses offer weekend workshops regarding things like writing resumes and interviewing techniques. For more information call Moorpark College at (805) 378-1536, Oxnard at (805) 986-5838 and Ventura at (805) 654-6411 or (805) 654-6473.