Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif. Monday march 15, 2010 Vol. 63, No. 18
the-telescope.com
Palomar stakes out new turf
INSIDE O p ini o n
melissa caston the telescope
page
5
Capitalism undermines skating principles
courtesy photo
Chelsea King, a local 17-year-old high school senior, disappeared Feb. 25. Her body was found five days later.
Learning from page New Gorillaz album tackles big issues
8
Focus The raving scene: pills, music and more page
9
Sports
“America’s Team” is bollocks
page
12
tragedy Student caution is on the rise 25% 25%
50%
courtesy photo
Amber Dubois, a local 14-year-old high school freshman, disappeared last year. Searchers found her remains on March 6 at the Pala Indian reservation.
yvonne lanot and melody parks The telescope
Palomar students are starting to take more precautions about safety and question whether or not they should walk alone at any time of day after two North County teenagers were killed recently. Escondido High School student Amber Dubois, 14, was abducted in February 2009 and her remains were found on March 6 of this year. Another victim, 17-year-old Chelsea King, was abducted in February and her body was discovered
days later in Lake Hodges. One suspect is in custody for King’s murder, and under suspicion of killing Dubois. After hearing the news of their deaths, the majority of Palomar College students interviewed agree that they feel less safe now. “We need more protection,” said student Yadria Moreno. “I know that when I was younger I felt safer because where ever I went there always seemed to be a cop around. Nowadays there seems to be less turn to safety page
3
In an online poll, 50 percent of respondees said that the murders have concerned them, but they haven’t changed their lifestyle. 25 percent said that they’re not worried because they believe that the perpetrator has already been caught. The remaining 25 percent were worried to the point that they made some sort of change to their lifestyle.
turn to new center page
Mormon missionaries take on Palomar christian fortmueller The telescope
Most people have seen them; dressed in white, collared shirts, dress slacks ties and black name badges. They walk through neighborhoods, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells, offering their literature and a helping hand. They are the elders, Mormon missionaries, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Two such missionaries currently serving in the Palomar area are Elder Christian Jones, 20, of Alpine, Utah, and Elder Joonmo Kang, 20, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “I knew it was the right thing to do, and I felt the desire to share with others the joy of the gospel,” Kang said of his service. It wasn’t such an easy decision for Kang’s companion, Jones. “I didn’t always do the best things growing up, I didn’t make the best choices,” Jones said. “It kind of came to a point in time where I needed to find out spiritually where my loyalties lie. I did some research and had some spiritual experiences, and that prompted me to serve.” Palomar student Jonathan Behymer, 19, is leaving for his mission in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 26. Behymer admitted he is a bit apprehensive. “This will be my first time away from home,” he said. “Well, I’ve gone on trips with
my family, but this will be my first time away from them.” According to mormon.org, missionaries teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and perform community service worldwide. Both men and women can serve as missionaries. They are called to serve for either 18 months or two years. Serving is not a requirement of the church. In reality, potential missionaries are interviewed by a church leader to determine their worthiness to serve and then must submit an application. If chosen, missionaries report to a church training center for a three-week training (nine weeks if learning a foreign language). Attribution? Missionaries are volunteers and they pay to go on their mission. According to Jones, it costs $10,000, most of which is used for the missionaries’ living expenses. When asked to describe the turn to church page
3
Elder Christian Jones, left, and Elder Dustin Ladroga have taken two years out of their lives to spend as a missionary for the Mormon church. Elder Joonmo Kang, who is mentioned in the story, had transferred by the time this photo was taken.
melina fickas | THE TELESCOPE
E n t e r ta in m en t
Palomar College officials have purchased 85 acres of land on the east side of Interstate 15, north of Highway 76, for a new North Education Center set to be built in 2013. The new campus will be the 8th addition to the seven already existing Palomar educational centers. “Palomar College expects to provide a North Education Center that will meet and/or exceed the needs of the students, faculty and staff,” said Mike Ellis, Palomar facilities director. “The North Education Center is expected to accommodate 1,000 full-time students, which is around 3,400 student head count.” This new center is set to have three to four buildings on 100,000 to 150,000 square feet of land. It will offer basic skills courses, general education classes and tobe-decided career technical programs. “The Educational Master Plan for the center will determine the best offering of classes and programs for this site,” Ellis said. The center will be similar to the Escondido Education Center, having full amenities, including a quad area, a small library, food and counseling services. Initially, the center will have buildings on 53 acres, and with time the rest of the acres will be used. Robert Deegan, president of Palomar College, said construction could take up to 15 years. As of press time, there is no estimated cost, but “$25 million has already been spent on the purchase of the land and the total cost could be in the $100-million
3