The Telescope 64.12

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Vol. 64, No. 12

Palomar College, San Marcos, CA

FEES TO INCREASE Palomar officials will visit state lawmakers to lobby against a proposed $10 fee hike

Lobbying 101: What’s happening, and what Palomar wants Calif. Gov. Brown’s proposed budget would raise fees per unit by 38 percent.

Fees up from $26 to $36

It would also cut community college funding statewide by $410m, costing Palomar $5m in expected funds.

Funds down by $5m

Palomar officials hope to stop fee increases and cuts by lobbying with local college officals.

Source: ebudget.ca.gov

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID LEONARD | THE TELESCOPE

David Leonard The Telescope

Palomar officials will visit Sacramento this week to ask state lawmakers to reject fee increases and budget cuts at state community colleges.

The visit is in response to Calif.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2011 budget, which would deeply cut into California community colleges, slashing $400 million from the system’s budget. Brown also proposed a student fee increase of $10, raising fees from $26 to $36 per unit.

The budget’s measures would erase $5 million in funds Palomar expected to receive in 2011, college President Robert Deegan, a member of Palomar’s delegation to the capitol, said Thursday.

“We would have to reduce the size of programs,” Deegan said of the budget’s implications. “There would be less classes. It would be significant.”

Officials from the San Diego

and Imperial Counties Community College Association, a group composed of staff and students from six local colleges, will trek to Sacramento “en masse” to ask lawmakers to consider the budget’s effect on colleges, students and the economy.

“

blunt: “We’ll tell them the budget, as it stands, will reduce access with the highest demand in the history of the system.”

Deegan described community colleges as the “solution” to the state’s economic doldrums, and said reducing access to students

tuck, who will attend the event on behalf of Palomar students, said he hopes to impress on lawmakers how slippery the slope of fee increases could be.

“If you open up (fee increases) as an incentive for the government to use as cash flow, it’s not going to stop,” he said.

“They can take more from the students from the students because they’re willing. One of the main things we want to do is make sure that doesn’t start.”

The proposed fee increase is expected to shut out some stu— Robert Deegan dents who already have a hard Palomar President time paying for tuition. The increases would bring costs from $312 to $432 for full time stuwould only hurt the tentative dents with a 12 unit workload, not recovery. Community colleges including additional fees for Paloencourage growth through job mar students. training and continued education Fees were increased from $20 for the inexperienced and veteran to $26 in 2008, a report from the alike, he said.

Associated Student Governturn to LOBBY page 10 ment President Channing Shat-

We’ll tell them the budget, as it stands, will reduce access with the highest demand in the history of the system.

Association members will host one-on-one budget discussions with area lawmakers, rather than visiting the legislators’ offices as lobbyists usually do, Deegan said.

“We’ll ask our legislators each to come in and talk to all of us,” he said. The conversation will be

”

The Telescope 2.0: A note on our (ongoing) redesign A sleeker, simpler design with more visuals and brighter colors defines the new Telescope editorial staff The Telescope

Welcome to a new semester and a new Telescope.

We’ve changed up our design.

The new look is, in our opinion, more wsleek and modern.

The changes have seen some sections dropped – goodbye, Campus Beat – and others renamed – check out the new Focus, page 6, and Arts & Entertainment, page 7.

Our old logo was tired, and so was our outlook. We aren’t the

Wall Street Journal, and we don’t want to be.

Our new logo, characterized by a smooth font and bright colors defines our mission in producing the newspaper: be bold.

Bold in pursuing all the stories, little or small, that define

daily life at Palomar. Bold in reporting on the controversial. Bold in our designs, which will convey more information with fewer pieces. turn to REDSIGN page

4

Gov. Board meeting sees heated debate Speakers continue to air concerns over resignation of former student gov’t president David leonard The Telescope

Tempers flared and decorum faltered at Wednesday’s Palomar Governing Board meeting.

Supporters of Andrew Bissell, former Associated Student Government president, complained to board members that little had been done in response to Bissell’s complaints of being quietly ousted by ASG adviser Sherry Titus.

Bissell claims Titus falsely told ASG members he didn’t send out an agenda before an Oct. 2009 meeting, igniting impeachment talks that he said eventually led him to resign his post as president. Titus has maintained she did not receive the email, saying it landed in her spam folder or was held up by the network.

“I’ve come here to set the record straight,” Bissell told trustees during the public comment portion of the meeting.

A report commissioned by the board and prepared by Mark Vernoy, vice president of student affairs at Palomar, mischaracterized Bissell’s statements and failed to recognize him as a victim, Bissell said.

The re- Andrew Bissell, forport found no mer ASG president, in 2009. wrongdoing on the part of Titus or her office, the Office of Student Affairs, and supported the conclusion that Bissell’s email had been misplaced by the college’s email servers.

At one point in the meeting, Physics Professor Daniel Fickenthal gave an impromptu questioning of Bissell from the speaker’s podium, talking across audience members to ask Bissell to clarify his experiences and qualms with the report.

“Did you send the email,” Fickenthal asked Bissell, turning from trustees to look out into the audience.

“Yes,” Bissell replied, raising his voice to speak across the room.

“I request that the Office of Student Affairs go under investigation,” Bissell said to trustees during his comments.

A public records request submitted in Oct. 2009 by Fickenthal showed that the email was in Titus’ inbox. Titus said she moved the email after the October meeting, but turn to BOARD page

10

2 [News]

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Campus Headlines Student’s photo art on display

Prop M committee needs volunteer Palomar is looking for a volunteer to fill a vacancy on the Proposition M Bond Independent Citizens Oversight Committee.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old and a resident within the Palomar Community College District, from Camp Pendleton to Oceanside, to Borrego Springs in the east, and from Riverside to Rancho Penasquitos and Poway. Applications are due by Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m.

The ICOC oversees spending of almost $700 million in Prop M funding approved by voters in Nov. 2006.

The committee is also responsible for making sure funds are allocated to projects described in the proposition.

Applications are available on Palomar’s website or by calling Shawna Hearn in employment services at 760-744-1150 ext. 2608.

Editorial I MCT CAMPUS

Calif. colleges propose enrollment caps

The Hearth Rotating Gallery at the San Marcos Community Center will feature photographs by recent Palomar college photography students.

The event will run from Jan. 7 to Feb. 28. The gallery will be open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The gallery features a group of more than 50 images chosen from more than 150 entries by beginning to advanced students.

“Palomar has a well-known and highly respected photography department that has managed a vigorous and varied program for 40 years,” Donna Cosentino, campus photography instructor, said in a press release.

A reception for featured artists will be held at the gallery on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m.

Students interested should contact the photography department at 760-744-1150 ext. 3628.

Talks begin after Gov. Brown proposes $1 billion cut to state unversity funding Lisa Krieger MCT Campus

As California’s college campuses start the student admissions process for fall classes, some are considering enrollment limits in the wake of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed $1 billion cuts from the state’s universities.

“The reality is that we will not be able to admit as many students as we had been planning for this fall,” said California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

“Over the next few months, our 23 campuses will be faced with very difficult admission decisions as they try to manage this reduction. For students and parents, the uncertainty of the situation is even harder.”

San Jose State University spokeswoman Pat Harris said, “If we sustain cuts of this magnitude, we only have two choices _ raise tuition or reduce enrollment. With this comes the possibility of layoffs, furloughs, fewer classes, and other service reductions.

“In essence, it will get even harder to get into SJSU and to graduate.”

At the University of California, President Mark Yudof said he would resist another fee increase.

UC students were handed an 8 per-

cent fee increase last fall and a 32 percent increase the previous fall.

UC might consider reducing the availability of financial aid, cutting enrollment and lifting the caps on out-of-state enrollment, said Yudof.

“The physics of the situation cannot be denied _ as the core budget shrinks, so must the university,” he said.

At UC campuses, students called it bad news.

“Many students, myself included, are afraid of this budget proposal from the governor,” said Patrick Ahrens, 22, of San Jose, a political science major at UCLA who has experienced major fee hikes.

“Many of us are already on the brink of affording school without these proposed cuts to the system _ which will mean more class reductions, more cuts to student services, larger classes sizes, and looming fee increases,” said Ahrens.

In addition, the proposed cuts would restrict classes and services for current CSU students, Reed said.

The cuts come as the number of young Californians is growing and as the economy increasingly demands advanced education, educators say.

Additionally, inflation has driven up the cost of items such as library materials and instructional

equipment.

Brown’s proposed cuts continue two decades of declining state support for increasingly large and expensive campuses.

There was a reprieve after last year’s proposed cuts. Campuses were helped by last-minute extra funding, and they were able to boost enrollment.

“It is disappointing and will make our work much more difficult,” said SJSU President Don Kassing. “But it is not unexpected.”

Reed criticized Brown’s budget

proposal, saying: “Higher education is the state’s main economic driver, and we cannot improve our economy without an educated work force.”

Brown’s budget proposal also takes away a $400 million chunk from community colleges.

Because California has the lowest-priced community colleges in the nation, Brown suggested raising community college fees, from $26 to $36 per unit, or $300 to $540 per semester, for a full-time student.

He also urged cuts to

lower-priority courses, while protecting courses needed for transfer and vocational certificates.

“Given the vast demographic shifts under way in California, now is not the time to shrink public higher education, but to grow it,” according to a joint statement by leaders of UC, CSU and community colleges. “The road to recovery from this recession and prosperity far beyond it runs straight through our many campuses. These universities are the economic engines of California.”

[News] 3

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

New building makes big debut The newly opened Multi-Disciplanry Building was tougher to complete than expected MarK saUNDers tHE tElESCoPE

New and returning students are sure to notice Palomar’s big addition to campus this spring.

The newly finished Multi-Disciplinary building boasts 27 classrooms and 23 labs within a 58-foot-high, 111,000-square-foot complex, according to Grant Fullier, a CW Driver construction employee. The threestory structure also features a first floor auditorium with the capacity for 100 people, a second floor planter and deck and terracotta tile siding flown in from Germany.

College officials will be troubleshooting the new building through the first few weeks of classes,

dEB HEllMaN | tHE tElESCoPE

The Multi-Disciplinary building will house 50 classrooms within its 111,000-square-foot site. Crews will inspect the area following its opening this spring. Classes will still be held unless otherwise stated by campus administration.

according to Interim Director of Facilities Kelley Hudson-MacIsaac.

“Troubleshooting is inherent for a building of this size,” Hudson-MacIsaac said. “The building will be open for classes though.”

If current problems persist some lab classes may be moved temporarily into the now vacant movable buildings in Parking Lot 1, college President Robert Deegan said Thursday.

Issues with the second floor planter and deck troubled builders the week before classes started. Crews continued to patch water leaks in a planter above one of the building’s computer labs. Fullier said modifications may need to be made.

“We might end up filling it with concrete and drought-resistant plants instead. Something so water isn’t an issue,” Fullier said.

College officials agreed that the planter might need more fine-tuning.

“The planter may not be in yet,” said Chris Miller, college facilities construction manager. “These things are typical of a new building.”

Others agree that the only steps that will remain when school begins are aesthetic and most classes will be able to be held without problems. Fullier said that the final week before school resumes was a rush.

“We’ve been rushing near the end,” Fullier said. “We fell behind our construction schedule. You have to problem solve throughout the project.”

The recent problems will not interfere with classes during the beginning of spring semester, Miller said.

“We’ll make up a punch list of

marks on walls and fixture problems,” he said. “It’s all part of the construction process.”

Hudson-MacIsaac said a technician will also remain at the new site for a few weeks to program the heating and cooling electrical control system.

The technician will monitor building use and write a specific program, tailored after the data he collects. This will ensure that certain classrooms get more power at certain times of the day.

Students will also notice the numerous rock gardens across the first floor of the building. Fullier said that much of the rock has been recycled back to the area.

“Blue granite was blown up from under this site,” Fullier said. “It was my first time watching them blow up rocks. It was a pretty cool experience. It’s a way to recycle the rock too.”

Fullier said that cores were dug and filled with dynamite two years ago when construction began. The boulders extracted from the base of the site were kept, and now sit as landscape features.

The blue granite is not to be confused with the blue glass garden beneath the southwest entrance stairwell.

Students will see more cosmetic construction during the first month of classes as crews finish the new facility.

Major construction modifications are not expected for the foreseeable future, Miller said.

“I’d be surprised if this building doesn’t win an award,” Miller said. “It looks like everything is set to go.”

College hosts hazardous materials drill Agencies simulate chemical spill response and clean up at campus MarK saUNDers tHE tElESCoPE

Bio-hazard suits, chlorine off-gas and stretchers ushered in the spring semester at Palomar last week.

A training exercise staged to prepare local agencies to respond to chemical spills brought together the San Marcos Fire Department, Palomar College Police Department, San Diego County Department of Environmental Health and the Camp Pendleton Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team Unit. The agencies, along with facilities department members, drilled on Jan. 13 and 14 to give members experience in combating spills.

“We are happy to extend the use of our facilities for a hazardous materials training scenario,” Bonnie Ann Dowd, assistant superintendent at the college, said in a press release. “Cooperation between agencies is an essential part of emergency preparedness.”

The event began at 9 a.m. both days and took crews through the steps of assessing a spill, alerting other agencies and executing a plan to address the hazard.

“We spend more time afterwards debriefing on drills than the actual drills at times,” said San Marcos Fire Battalion Chief Brett Van Wey. “Interoperability with other agencies is important.”

Van Wey said the fire department is required to hold hazardous drills at least once a year. These drills keep teams ready for events like combing through the Escondido “bomb house,” an explosives-filled home burned down by local hazardous material teams in November.

The drill also allowed participants to

work together in a relatively safe environment. Making the training as realistic as possible was a primary goal for the facilities department.

“My eyes were blurry and I was supposed to act like my arm was burned,” said Victor Ellis, a facilities department volunteer. Ellis played the role of a contaminated victim during Friday’s exercise. “You have to be very detailed and simulate how you would feel.”

To add to the realism, a mock training dispatch system was in use to simulate actual radio calls during the exercise.

Crews were tasked each day with containing a chemical spill that had taken place in the campus pool house, simulated by smoke from a fog machine. After the “spill” was called in, county health services and hazmat teams arrived to assess the situation and gather information. Selected workers then put on hazmat suits and contained the spill in the pool house before returning for decontamination showers.

Palomar was asked to host the training because everyday chemicals found on campus could pose real hazards, a facilities department technician said.

“We definitely take into consideration that this is a school,”Van Wey said.

The location plays a

large part in how the training exercise is performed, he said.

Organizers slowed down the training to allow everyone to learn each step in the response process. Crews could be seen gathered around as training leaders showed specific processes in detail.

“We try to put on a role that we’re not accustomed to learn more,” Van Wey said. “We may have to use equipment from another agency, too. It helps to know how to use everything.”

The training helps all participating departments to learn what steps must be taken during a real life emergency and what to expect, Ellis said.

“It’s interesting to know how I’ll be treated in a situation and not have to be in the situation,” he added.

KriStEN CaMBridGE | tHE tElESCoPE

(Above) Hazardous materials technicians remove the mock chemicals from the campus pool house.

(Left) San Marcos Fire Department members assist in decontaminating workers acting as hazardous material technicians.

4 [Opinion]

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Park between the lines

OUR VIEWPOINT Governing board should make discussion official Wednesday’s Palomar Governing Board meeting was a circus, but it wasn’t funny.

Board members have failed for weeks to quiet supporters of former Associated Student Government President Andrew Bissell, who claims to have been ousted by Sherry Titus, the organization’s faculty adviser.

If the board refuses to recognize the matter by scheduling it for discussion on the agenda, its meetings may never be peaceful again.

Clearly, Bissell supporters won’t allow themselves to be marginalized -- for good reasons, too.

So far, the matter has mostly been discussed in unscheduled public comments, which are restricted to 5 minutes each. This artificial time limit is demeaning to campus and community activists who want the publicly-elected trustees to hear their complaints.

Now, the board seems to be mostly ignoring the matter. Trustees stare unblinkingly as faculty members and current and former students all express concerns over the treatment of Bissell and the direction of the ASG. The 5-minute time limit on comments is mostly ignored, and speakers plow on even after the board secretary offers a “time’s up” cue card silently.

Why not let these concerned citizens say their piece? By forcing these people under the rug, the board will only deepen their suspicions and make it look incompetent. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for the board

Redesign

Continued from Page 1 Visuals will take a bigger role in future editions. Photos, infographics (like the one above), and illustrations will be used to tell a story, not just support it.

Yes, some things did have to go. The weather has been dropped because it was frequently wrong. For a weekly forecast updated by the minute, visit www.accuweather. com and search for San Marcos.

News has taken over page 2, formerly Campus Brief, which will now feature shorter, punchier updates on important campus news and events.

The new Focus section, for-

to schedule some substantive, public discussion on the matter.

The report on the incident commissioned by trustees and prepared by Mark Vernoy, vice president of student services, did little but make Bissell and company feel more slighted. Critics describedVernoy’s report as incorrect or even blatantly false.

Inflammatory rhetoric aside, they do have a point: Vernoy, who in his position as vice president is hired and fired by college President Robert Deegan and the administration, is hardly without a conflict of interest. Whether or not that conflict compromised his judgment is another matter, but the fact remains: an investigation, and particularly its staff, should be completely removed from its subjects.

At this point, one thing is clear: this isn’t going away. Bissell’s complaints are haunting the Governing Board, administration and ASG. The longer the matter is drawn out, the less respect students and faculty will have for the process.

We don’t want to see anything hasty happen. This isn’t a call for a witch-hunt. The board is neither jury nor execution.

Rather, it’s a place for public discussion that, until now, has been mostly respectable.

But, by staying the course and ignoring what is becoming a larger and more ugly problem by the day, the board is losing our respect.

So, trustees: open up discussion on the matter. Shed daylight on it. Show that you have faith in the process, and we will, too.

merly known as InDepth, will be a place for unique features on students and what they care about most.

Our retooled Arts & Entertainment (A&E) will again feature reviews and reflections on pop culture items like movies and albums along with continued coverage of campus artists and their achievements.

Bear with us, though, as we continue to make changes.

Look out for a complete overhaul of our website, www. the-telescope, and increased crossover between the online a print editions.

Now, the website will updated more frequently with

the telescope

Vol. 64, No. 12

Editor In Chief | David Leonard Mananging Editor | Matthew Slagle news Editor | Mark Saunders Opinion Editor | Staff focus editor| melina fickas a & e Editor | belinda callin sports editor | matthew slagle Online Editor | Sydney Taylor Address | The Telescope, Palomar College 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 Newsroom | Room MD-228 Phone | (760) 891-7865 Fax | (760) 891-3401 E-Mail | telescope@palomar.edu Advertising e-Mail | telescopead@palomar.edu

Palomar College, San Marcos, CA

copy editor | laura davis

photo editor | deb hellman

Multimedia Edtior | staff asst. to the a&E Editor | sydnIE taylor,

office / ad manager | sara burbidge

Instructional Asst. | Charles Steinman

Journalism Adviser | Erin Hiro The Telescope is published 11 times per semester. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, Palomar faculty and staff members or the governing board trustees.

Staff Writers | TBD Staff Photographers | Kristen Cambridge The Telescope welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters must be typewritten, under 300 words and include the author’s first and last names, major and phone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters can be e-mailed to telescope@ palomar.edu or delivered to the newsroom in Room MD-228.

The Telescope reserves the right to edit letters for space and grammatical errors and not to print lewd or libelous letters.

Letters must be receieved one week prior to the newspaper’s publication to be considered for inclusion.

Associated Collegiate PRess

CFAC

Does anybody know what those white lines on the pavement in the parking lot mean? Clearly all of you missed that day of driving school.

To refresh your memory, those white lines are conveniently on the ground to assist you in parking in an orderly fashion. The only problem is far too many student here don’t seem to care and park however they please.

This often results in a parking space that is sandwiched between two cars who parked on the line, thus rendering the spot useless.

Unless somebody around here drives a smart car or uses the space for a motorcyclist, which brings up another point I will get too soon.

I swear sometimes the parking lot looks like my room after I dumped out my box of cars on the floor when I was little.

And when a picture of a parking lot after a major hurricane isn’t much worse than our parking lot at times, you know there is a problem.

To put the blame on the driver is a bit misleading, the parking lots here may as well have been designed using a toddlers preschool art work.

Another problem is when motorcyclist decide to take a spot for themselves. Again,

short, easily digested bits of daily news. We want it to be the first place the faculty, staff and students check to find out “that weird thing” they saw on campus.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to stop by our new newsroom in MD-228, even just to say “hi” and see where we work. (We’re looking for new staff writers, photographers and editors too – if you’re interested in joining us, drop by.)

Any tips or story ideas can be sent by email to editor@ the-telescope.com.

Alternatively, we can be reached by telephone at 760891-7865.

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Matthew Slagle The Telescope

California Newspaper Publishers Association

California First Journalism Association Amendment Coalition of Community Colleges

part of the blame goes to the fact that there isn’t nearly enough designated spaces for motorcycles.

Starting this semester I no longer care if my large truck blocks you in your stall because you were too lazy and inconsiderate to take the extra minute out of your day to straighten out your car.

I no longer care if the only way to get into your car is through the sunroof.

I no longer care if the only way for you to get out of the spot requires you scraping your car mirror on mine. (Hint, my truck will win and you will have to replace your mirror).

As a matter of fact I am going to start plastering “youparklikeasasshole.com” self made tickets with violations such as, “two spots, one car”, “ummm...a little too close”, “over the painted line”, or my personal favorite “other:” which leaves much room and creativity for you to vent.

I am really not asking for much, just park in between the white lines. Take the extra minutes to avoid the wrath of an angry driver.

Or don’t and risk getting stuck in the spot.

It will lower everybody’s stress and make the day a little less painful.

Contact Matthew Slagle, mananging and sports editor, at mslagle@the-telescope.com

Jon Van Beekum| MCT Campus

Cars scattered around a parking lot by Hurricane Katrina in Pascagoula, Mississippi shown on August 31, 2005.

Internet addict unhooked Katherine Ellison mct campus

In the time-honored tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, I recently entrusted my fate to a higher power — specifically, to a new software program that shuts off my access to the Internet for a designated time.

I finally had to acknowledge that I was helpless in the face of my addiction, which has had me, especially in recent weeks, tapping my e-mail "refresh" button like a lab rat trying to get cocaine.

I know I'm not alone in my hardwired weakness for novelty. Yet while constantly seeking out new things was once a helpful instinct that alerted us to new foods, mates or danger, it's now a siren's call to being chronically overwhelmed. Even bestselling novelist Jonathan Franzen recently confessed to using superglue to block the Ethernet connection on his computer.

Like Franzen (OK, maybe not quite like Franzen) I have a new book out, which has raised my chronic level of Internet checking several-fold.

Why labor over a metaphor when I can check my moment-to-moment ranking on Amazon? Why struggle with a transition when Google Alerts may be telling me at this very moment that my book was featured on yet another tiny blog?

What makes it all worse is that my publisher has encouraged me to leap into the mind-sucking Internet vortex: to put up a Facebook page and post on it regularly, to join LinkedIn, send e-mail "blasts" and tweet away. And this raises a particular problem, in that my book chronicles my yearlong effort to curb extraneous distractions so as to focus on what's truly

important.

Time-wasting, procrastination and the appeal of putting others in charge of our productivity, with deadlines and other kinds of whip-snapping, didn't start with the invention of e-mail. As James Surowiecki notes in a recent column in the New Yorker,Victor Hugoused to work in the nude, telling his valet to hide his clothes so as to prevent him from going outside when he was supposed to be writing.

Today, I've got a virtual valet, courtesy of Fred Stutzman, who came up with the Internet-blocking program, called Freedom, as a graduate student, when he needed to finish his dissertation. For a onetime fee of $10, you can tell it to shut off your portal to the outside world for up to eight hours, and are discouraged from cheating by the fact that disabling it requires you to boot up your computer anew.

Stutzman has since sold his program to more than 75,000 people, and gone on to design a new venture, called Anti-Social, which, for $15, shuts off your access to top time-wasting sites including Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster, StumbleUpon and even EHarmony, DateHookup and OkCupid. "You'll be amazed what you can get done without the distraction of friends," he promises, without any obvious hint of wistfulness.

I once dated a guy who amazed me by his ability to ignore a ringing phone. Embarrassing as it is to admit, this was in the days before everyone had an answering machine.

In the years since, technological progress appears to have overtaken intellectual evolution, however, setting us up for the ironical emergence of programs like Freedom. If we can't beat computers, why not put them in charge?

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

[Advertisement] 5

6 [Focus]

INKED

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Reasons to put art on your body

Above: Pin-up girl that student Brenda Salvador has tattooed on her arm.

Right: Student Nicole Linsenmann shows off her yello ribbon tattoo.

MELINA FINKAS | THE TELESCOPE

MELINA FINKAS THE TELESCOPE

Why would you get that?

I hear this question all the time. The reason: I have tattoos.

People want to know what the big deal is, if they don’t have any. If they do have ink of their own, they want to know you’re reasoning for yours.

Tattoo artist and shop owner Ryan Rankin, known as “The Rev Ryan,” has been tattooing since his teen years and has heard a plethora of different reasons. Though, he finds there are several main reasons: love, self-identification, and affiliation.

Palomar student Winton Sully has several tattoos to represent his family.

“I got a rest in peace for my niece,” Sully said.

Student Brenda Salvador got her fist tattoo at the age of 16 because she was peer-pressured into it. Now, nine years later, she has over 20 of them.

“I was going to get it removed,” Salvador said of her first tattoo. “But I decided to keep it as a reminder of bad times. I started to like them (tattoos), so I got more.”

Almost all of Salvador’s tattoos have special meanings to her, but her favorite are the names of her children. She also has a tattoo of a bow on her finger to represent her business.

Student Mitch Van Winkle believes people get tattooed to express themselves.

“It’s art that is on your body, permanently,”Van Winkle said. “If I get one, it will be something for me.”

Student Angel K. said she has tattoos because it’s the only way she feels that she can express herself. Angel’s favorite tattoo is her wings.

“If I were in another life I would want to be an angel or a bird,” Angel said. “I just want to fly free.”

Tattoos have always been associated with group

affiliation. They started with sailors and military men and the tradition still continues.

“They are showing their pride in different ways,” Rankin said of the military men and women that he has tattooed. “There are always a lot of memorials in a time of war.”

Student Nicole Linsenmann got her tattoo because the military is a part of her life.

“I’ve been to multiple countries in the eastern area,” Linsenmann said. “I took the colors of the flags and intertwined them in ribbons.”

Tattoos are big part of who many people are today. If you’re planning on getting one, make sure the reason is right for you. Each of mine is special to me, and answering the question “why” is always brings back floods of memories.

MELINA FICKAS | THE TELESCOPE

Student Winston Sully got a memorial tattoo for his niece.

[A&E] 7

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

2010 in review Nick Shumate The Telescope

Hometown success

North County is becoming the bridge between downtown San Diego and the Orange County/Los Angles metro. Venues are being booked with larger talent and the creations of new scenes are starting to develop. Most of these were first time events but they were such a success, look forward to seeing them in 2011.

•94.9independenceJam/Coastalinvasion •Leucadia Art Walk •Del Mar Fairgrounds Epic New Years Eve party Halloween Heaven & Hell rave •Anthony Bourdian @ Escondido Center for the Arts

Eye

All photos| MCT campus

Expectations were set, the hype was enormous, the wait gave everyone anxiety, the moment finally arrived and afterward all you could say is “fail”. Over promotion has become a trend that is not only annoying but us as consumers, can’t be ignored. These events fell short of the promise and can’t be forgotten quickly enough.

•Everything having to do with the BP oil spill in the gulf of Mexico •John Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity” presented by Comedy Central •Daft Punk’s “Tron” soundtrack

of the artist

Deb Hellman | THE TELESCOPE

Alex Long

made this

250

pound urn during a

Raku

technique demonstration at the student art sale last fall. It is

63

to something you would have never know you enjoyed.

•Sufjan Steven “The Age of Adz” •Mark Twain’s Autobiography •Restrepo – a documentary •Coachella Music Festival •Radiolab podcast

Major fail

inches tall and

30

inches wide.

Catch a show

Fri. Jan. 21- Hieroglyphics (Alt./hip-hop) @ Sound Wave in Mission Beach Sat. Jan. 22- Dashboard Confessional (Emo/ acoustic rock) @ House of Blues, Downtown Fri. Jan. 28 - Authority Zero (Skate punk/ hardcore/ska) @ Sound Wave in Mission Beach Sat. Jan. 29 - Crocodiles (Indie rock/noise pop) @ Casbah in Little Italy

Get Cultured

Sat. Jan. 22, 7:00 p.m. - The Tell-Tale Brain @ D.G. Wills Books in La Jolla, Free admission Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran discusses his new book, “A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human.”

Gimme more of that

Surprises can be wonderful. It’s pretty sweet when you stumble over a random kickass vinyl or bewildering book you find at a garage sale.

These are completely random things that we feel are worth your time and may even introduce you

That’s just sad In a worldly sense, it’s disappointing to see what is popular in this nation.

Across the world, people are starving to death while we watch a guy who eats himself to the point of physical pain.

The analogy of our nation as “the New Rome” is creeping closer and closer to a truth. Self reflection and interest in bettering the whole community have gone the way of the do-do bird and here is the proof.

•The Jersey Shore •Man vs. Food •TMZ •Kanye West

8 [A&E]

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Social Distortion delivers old sound B-

Belinda Callin The Telescope

The deaf like it loud

Mustaches, Camel Tails, Kat Von D. Nick Shumate The Telescope

A new year means new tunes, new threads and, most important, a new direction.

First a recap of 2010 and what we learned.

We learned that Mel Gibson wasn’t really acting when he starred in the film “Mad Max.” We found out that Jesse James is almost as big of a tool as singer Kanye West.

Women found knee high boots and even bigger sunglasses while guys found tighter skinny jeans and redoscovered mustaches. Guys, one of those two has to go because together, it is making the gay community extremely uncomfortable.

The camel tail (men’s version of a camel toe) makes everyone in the room feel awkward.

Cheers to the gays who can now openly serve in our military. Thank you for serving. The celebrities who came out to show their support to the gay community, like Lady Gaga with her YouTube video asking people to write their congressmen, reminded us social issues should matter to everyone.

While 2010 wasn’t a bad year; we’re over it and let’s get on with the party.

San Diego County stands out as an alternative venue that has retained a classic beach feel with a lack of skyscrapers. The industry is filled with stadium seating but aesthetics are where the cash is at.

Giving musicians and performers the ability to have a beautiful sunset over the water as a background is paving our way to having larger names frequent our community.

The Strokes new album, due to be released in March, already has fans bursting with anticipation.

Other major releases expected to hit this year are Fleet Foxes, Radiohead, Bon Iver and Cut Copy.

Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) will be re-releasing their first album completely re-mastered with an additional four songs as well as a brand new album expected in the fall of 2011.

A new semester means new clothes. The theme for 2011 spring is the throw back motorcycle look.

Dark leather, zippers, chains, guys think James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” and chicks should think KatVon D but not so… revealing.

All in all in the Arts and Entertainment world, at least our little slice, is moving forward. With stagnation effecting so many others areas, that’s a big check in the positive column. The only real complaint I have is that the local music scene in North County needs to get a little help from its friends. We have so much talent here that moves north or heads south because there isn’t enough promotion happening. We need to grow our music scene from the inside out.

Cheers.

Social Distortion is back and shows are selling out up and down the west coast, with the release of their new album, “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.”

The void left in the San Diego and Orange County music scenes

by Social Distortion and lead singer, Mike Ness, had yet to be filled.

What better way to feed starving punk fans than with a new album of completely new songs instead of another rerelease. Signature Social D. sound pervades the album and Ness’s voice has aged like a fine wine, coming back grittier than ever. The album hits stands Jan. 18.

Social Distortion remained with record label Epitaph for this release, but went from a three- to a four- man show.

The band now consists of Danny Mc Cough, on organ and piano, Josh Freese on drums, Danny Frankel for percussion and lead singer/ guitarist Mike Ness.

As an Orange County punk from the 1980s, Ness continues to connect with those carving a path of individualism through rough chords and defiant lyrics.

As sole songwriter for this album, he threw in a few songs of hope but even these come from a place of fighting through hard times. The album cover, a throw back from the depression era, shows just what the listener is in for.

Social D. lyrics have always come straight from the heart of addiction and poverty and even though the album release tour has sold out in Los Angeles and San Diego, as it always does, Ness’s success has not improved the hard times he shares through his music.

(Stranded in) ”Bakersfield” is about as painful a song to listen to as if one was actually stranded in Bakersfield. Ness has the amazing

Album Cover | Courtesy Epitaph Records

ability to translate his grief, loss and loneliness into his music without the twangy whine of a country western song.

The fight comes in through the hard-edged Orange County puck chords. “Machine Gun Blues”

speaks of more days of runnin’ and gunnin’ and could possibly be considered the new “Ball and Chain”.

There is one tribute track to Hank Williams Jr. as Ness stays true to his influences.

In a new age form of DIY (Do It

Yourself), the full album was posted on the band’s website prior to release.

For each 100,000 plays the preorder price of the album on Amazon.com dropped by $1. It will not be available after release.

Green Hornet has audiences buzzing B+

and Christoph Waltz bring the movie down. Diaz is no more than a distracting loveIt may not be worthy of interest for both heroes. a sequel, but “The Green A secretary unknowingly Hornet” won’t leave auditeaching crime fighters ences stung this winter. what a criminal’s habits are “The Green Horgrows old fast. net” stars Seth Rogan Waltz acting as a gangas wealthy playboy Britt ster going through a midReid, who begins searchlife crisis isn’t convincing ing for his calling after enough either. the sudden death of his faHis character is too weak ther, “The Daily Sentinel” and undeveloped in the beeditor-in-chief James Reid ginning to save regardless of (Tom Wilkinson). the actor’s talent.

When Reid wakes withThe movie’s stings are out his morning coffee, soothed by cool cars, fast he finds himself tracking paced action and surprisdown former estate emingly good performances by ployee, Kato (Jay Chou), to Rogan and Chou. return to work. Before you The movie’s effects team know it, the soon-to-be healso fuels the fun with roes are bonding over neg“Kato Vision,” a Predatorative memories of Reid’s Jamie Trueblood | Courtesy columbia pictures/mct Campus like, slow motion vision aufather and team up to fight Jay Chou,left, and Seth Rogen star in Columbia Pictures’ action film, “The Green Hornet,” opened Friday Jan. 14. diences experience when injustice in Los Angeles, in Kato fights crime. disguise of course.

It’s obvious that some adaptation, while casual audiences

The relationship also high After saving a couple are likely to be pleased. The film is lights how much more of a hero scenes were made for 3D and, from thugs one night while vandal- the brain child of Seth Rogan and Kato is than Reid. This adds a great thankfully, they work well. izing James Reid’s grave, Reid and should therefore not be taken as an deal of struggle to Kato and Reid’s Audiences who see the same Kato decide to be a different type accurate adaptation. relationship as crime fighting part- scenes in 2D though will not be disof hero.

With that said this comedy, key- ners and friends through much of appointed.

They begin to pose as the bad word there, pokes fun at the hero the film.

Be aware though, this is not a guys in order to get closer to the coming-out process and does so Audiences will find themselves family film. There is a healthy dose criminals they seek to catch. This with great success. expecting the two heroes to fight of vulgar language and fighting. turns dangerous when criminal unViewers will no doubt draw simiThe hero/sidekick dynamic ex- each other just as much as crimiderworld leader Benjamin Chud- cels here. Reid’s negligent egoma- nals. The chemistry between actors larities from Rogan’s 2008 “Pinenofsky (Christoph Waltz) feels niac character matches well against Chou and Rogan sells this film. The apple Express” and the 2010 movie threaten and seeks to end the Hor- Kato’s multi-talented personality. comedy and the action explode “Kick-Ass.” However, movie goers net’s flight. looking for a movie worth the price Thankfully, the film sets the person- only when both are on screen.

Die-hard fans of this char- alities to clash rather than sit alongPerformances by Cameron Diaz, of admission can’t go wrong with acter will be disappointed with this side each other. as Reid’s secretary Lenore Case, this film.

Mark Saunders The Telescope

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

[Advertisement] 9

10 [News]

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

board

lobby

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

before the records request.

“This is the second time we’ve had discussion about the former president of ASG,” newly seated trustee Paul McNamara said during his report to the board. “It’s pretty clear there’s a process, and that process needs to be re-

Palomar President Robert Deegan said a report would be prepared for the board to clarify ASG’s finances.

“In the end, the money translates directly to student power,” said Channing Shattuck, student trustee and ASG president. Shat-

posed budget.

If approved by lawmakers, the proposed budget would cut $400 million from state community colleges and raise fees from $26 to $36 per unit, a 35 percent increase.

Board members said they would lobby lawmakers on behalf

California Community College Chan- sumption that state voters will vote cellor’s Office shows. Before 1984, to continue temporary tax increases state community colleges charged in a special election that same month students no fees, the report said.

– even though voters rejected similar “The truth is, community colleges measures in a 2008 election. were always meant to be completely Palomar’s budget may be cut even free,” Shattuck said. “Though (cur- more if those tax increases aren’t aurent fees) may seem a low price com- thorized. The college’s funding could pared to other colleges, the point is be reduced by as much as $9 million, we’re still Deegan leaving out said, spellthe free ing out cuts part.” in classes T h e and enrollASG is ment. And planning college to attend officials a “March won’t know in March” the status event at of the 2011 Fiscal Year Fee (per-unit) the capitol budget unto again til June.

1984-85 $5 ask state For now, 1991-92 $6 legislators officials not to inhope law1998-99 $12 crease stumakers will dent fees. reevaluate 1999-00 $11 “Basithe cuts, un2004-05 $26 cally, it’s for derstandthe budget ing how 2006-07 $20 cuts. And seriously 2009-10 $26 to stop they would them from affect the 2011-12 $36 (proposed) increasing state.

Source: California Community College Chancellor’s Office our school “ W e c o s t s ,” want an unShattuck derstandsaid. ing of what this would mean to us,” Lawmakers will vote the pro- Deegan said. “We’re a solution to the posed budget on in June, and media fiscal crisis the state finds itself in.” reports show that hot debate over its measures will likely continue in the Contact David Leonard, editor in chief, coming months.

Brown’s plan is based on the as- at dleonard@the-telescope.com

FEE HISTORY

Fees have fluctuated over the years at state community colleges, and there were no per-unit fees before 1984.

David leonard | THE TELESCOPE

Trustees on Palomar’s Governing Board listened to comments from supporters of Andrew Bissell, former ASG president, on Wednsday. viewed.”

McNamara suggested the board bring in an independent arbiter to evaluate everyone’s claims and find the root of the problem.

“I don’t feel as though anyone feels satisfied,” he said.

Speakers also questioned the amount of money ASG receives, and how that money is disbursed to the organization by the college.

tuck said a report on how ASG receives its money would be helpful to him and the organization.

While the fiscal services department offered up a clean financial audit at the meeting, which showed that college finances are in line with the administration’s bookkeeping and projections, trustees expressed concern over Calif. Governor Jerry Brown’s pro-

of the students to stop budget cuts, but echoed their belief that smart money management would ultimately help Palomar.

“It’s the dance,” Governing Board President Mark Evilsizer said of balancing the budget. “This year is going to be tough.”

Contact David Leonard, editor in chief, at dleonard@the-telescope.com

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

[Sports] 11

Comet Sports On Deck

What you missed during break...

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

16 (Jan.)

17

18

19

20

21

22

5:00p M Basketball

5:00p M Basketball 9:00a M Volleyball

v. Imperial Valley

v. Miramar

Palomar Invite

7:00p W Basketball v. Mira Costa 23

24

25

26

27

28

29

7:00p M Basketball

30

31

1 (Feb.)

Total Points: Assists: Rebounds: Blocks: Steals: Points/ Gm:

2

3

4

5

3:00p Softball

2:00p W Tennis

1:00p Swimming

9:30a Swimming

v. Santiago Canyon

v. Saddleback

Waterman Festival

Waterman Festival

13

14

12

2:00p Baseball

2:00p Softball

11:30a M Volleyball

v. Santa Ana

v. Oragne Coast

v. Saddle Back

v. L.A. Pierce

2:00p W Tennis

5:00p M Basketball

5:00p W Basketball 12:00p Baseball

v. Victor Valley

v. San Diego Mesa

v. San Diego Mesa

v Santa Ana

15

16

18

19

9

2:00p Baseball

2:00p Baseball v. College of Desert

259 83 147 13 29 14

W-L

L W W L L W

86-75 101-69 97-81 77-68 73-60 73-67

Ray Purtle Derick Jones Greg Anderson Greg Anderson Derick Jones Ray Purtle

Record (7-7) (8-7) (9-7) (9-8) (9-9) (10-9)

(Guard/ So) (Guard/ Fr) (Foward/ So) (Foward/ So) (Guard/ Fr) (Guard/ So)

Woman’s Basketball 11

8

Team

Mon. Dec, 27 Antelope Valley Tue. Dec, 28 Orange Coast Wed. Dec, 29 Fullerton Wed. Jan, 5 SD City College Fri. Jan, 7 Southwestern Fri. Jan, 14 Cuyamaca

Leaders:

v. San Diego Mesa 7

Date

v. Mira Costa

7:00p M Basketball 6

Men’s Basketball

10

17

Date

Mon. Dec, 27 Tue. Dec, 28 Fri. Jan, 7 Wed. Jan, 12 Fri. Jan, 14

Team

Mt. SAC Santa Monica Imperial Valley SD City College Grossmont

W-L

L L L L L

113-26 82-36 83-38 84-27 89-28

Record

(0-8) (0-9) (0-10) (0-11) (0-12)

12 [Sports]

the telescope Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

Athletic complexes to get much needed face lift MARK SAUNDERS

The Telescope

Baseball field first step in road to state of the art athletic facilities, other buildings yet to be addressed Palomar’s plan to move the entire sports complex to the northern end of campus are expected to begin with the relocation of the current baseball field this spring, according to campus President Robert Deegan.

However, construction on the new field is estimated to take at least nine months to complete when approved, according to Facilities Interim Director Kelley Hudson-MacIsaac.

After the new field is relocated, the football field, track, pool, tennis courts, and gymnasium will eventually be moved to Parking Lot 9. There are currently no plans to begin construction on other projects, however, plans for the future structures can be seen in Palomar’s 2022 Master Plan.

Land behind Parking Lot 9 must also be acquired before certain structures are considered, according to HudsonMacIsaac.

Athletic Director Scott Cathcart said its no secret Palomar’s facilities are in need of renovation.

“The last thing I want to do is give the appearance that we’re ungrateful,” Cathcart said. “We have done the best with what we have.”

Cathcart said he agreed with Deegan that these renovations will only enhance an athletic program already recognized as one of the strongest in the state.

Currently, the separation of fields used for both varsity sports and physical education classes has caused problems for athletes and coaches. Athletes must traverse from the back of Parking Lot 9 to the athletic center located near the clock tower to transfer

MASTER PLAN N

equipment and receive medical attention. Cathcart said that this can cause athletes and coaches a great deal of struggle if problems arise.

With the lack of key staff members as well, Cathcart said having a sports complex will help provide athletes and coaches of all sports taking place simultaneously the assistance and equipment they need in a timely manner.

“We have made improvements,” Catchcart said in regards to current athletic facilities.

The current plan for the sports complex allows facility department heads to change the approved plan if necessary, according to HudsonMacIsaac.

Vice President of Student Services Planning Council Mark Vernoy said that changes to the baseball field might be implemented when construction begins. Thanks to Palomar selling off the Series B bond portion of Proposition M funds in December 2010, Deegan said construction on the field will likely begin soon. Palomar will receive $175 million for construction projects listed under the Series B bond.

A dirt lot, already visible behind Parking Lot 9, signal the new ball field’s location. Deegan said he knows parking issues will arise but expects construction to go quickly.

“We have to (build) it right,” Deegan said. “I want facility users to walk in and say ‘Yes.’”

Construction on new baseball field set to begin Spring 2011 on dirt lot behind lot 9 Due to safety concerns, the baseball field was ruled a priority project among other sports facilities. Moving the current field will prevent interference from wayward baseballs into traffic along nearby Mission Road. The current location will be moved from the south end to the north end of campus and allow space for a future parking lot, Deegan said.

Deegan added that the new field will complement an outstanding program.

“We have one of the best community college baseball programs in the state,” Deegan said.

“It’s well deserved.”

The baseball field relocation project was approved in January of 2009 but has sat on the bench waiting for California Department of State architect approval. The primary worry of environmental surveyors is the Natcatcher habitat behind Parking Lot 9, according to HudsonMacIsaac. She added that the location is not a prime habitat for the bird that should no longer be nesting in the area.

The second obstacle was complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Path of Travel. A handicap-accessible sidewalk must also be established through the entire campus up to the new field location.

“This (sidewalk) will be worked on at the same time,” Hudson-MacIsaac said. “We will keep the old field in place until all is finished.”

BA ASEBALLL FIELD RELOCA ATION

Contact Mark Saunders, news editor, at msaunders@the-telescope.com

Architect:: Davy Archite ecture: Ric Daavy Design: En nrique Rodrigguez.

Constructtion Managem ment Firm: Swinerton n‐Scott Stites.

Delivery M Method: Multtiprime.

Project Inspector: Unassigned.

Fuunding Sourcce: Prop M. Other facilities and playing fields dent of enviro on planned toConstruction S be movedStart: Depend to the north p ermits. corner of the campus “With the new field, (Palomar) is more likely for regional (athletic event) hosting,”Vernoy said. “It’s a real ideal place for a baseball field.”

The new baseball field will not only be the beginning of a future sports complex, but also a future parking lot located at the field’s old location along Mission Road, according to Palomar’s 2022 Master Plan.

All athletic facilities will eventually join the new field at the north end of Palomar. Physical education classes will also be moved to the new sports complex.

“Eventually old areas will be parking lots,” Vernoy said.

“With every new building, it energizes our students and faculty.”

When the new baseball field is completed the area where the old field was will be used by other sports “Once the baseball field moves we can use the field for auxiliary football practice,” Cathcart said.

Cathcart added that the fields today take a beating and having a new field to use between other sports will cut down on field wear. He also said the athletic department will look into implementing synthetic turf.

“We’ll give the architect a list of what’s needed,” Cathcart said.