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WEDNESDAY 2.5.2020 OUR 70TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.
INTERIM CHANCELLOR CHOSEN
By Jose Arebalo news editor
jarebalo.theadvocate@gmail.com
For the short term, the district Governing Board has chosen an experienced, familiar face to fill in as chancellor while the search for a permanent replacement for former chancellor Fred Wood continues. Interim Chancellor Eugene Huff has a successful record of 19 years within the Contra Costa Community College District starting out in human resources before rising to executive vice chancellor of administrative services. His appointment could last between a few months to an entire year depending on how soon a full-time hire is found. “I’m honored to serve as inter-
im chancellor,” Huff said. “My major objective is to help the board through the next couple months as we continue the search for a permanent chancellor. We have accreditation this year, so we’re wrapping up our accreditation reports.” Huff will balance out his duties across the three CCCCD campuses as the district bounces back from a chaotic year of administrative changes. However, Huff is confident in his abilities. “When Chancellor Wood was out for surgery in 2019, I served as chancellor for six weeks. A lot of the responsibilities and the day-today duties I’m pretty familiar with,” he said. Huff does not have any lofty
n “My goal as an interim is to keep things steady as we go, make sure we have zero issues around accreditation and help get a good permanent chancellor in here.
— Eugene Huff, interim chancellor
ambitions to shake things up in the district. “As an administrator, my goal is to make these decisions almost invisible to the students in a lot of ways,” he said. “One thing we don’t want to do is have administrative stuff get in the way of our students’
education.” “My goal as an interim is to keep things steady as we go, make sure we have zero issues around accreditation and help get a good permanent chancellor in here,” Huff said. Huff plans to work together with Contra Costa College Interim President Damon A. Bell to create an inclusive climate. “Dr. Bell brings expertise and experience as he’s worked at a number of community colleges with similar issues. I believe he will be able to work with the community on what to do next,” Huff said. The past few years have been marked with turmoil regarding SEE INTERIM CHANCELLOR, PAGE 3
LEFT: Two construction workers guide the drill at the Contra Costa College science complex construction site on Jan. 29.
ERIC MARTINEZ / THE ADVOCATE
CONSTRUCTION ADVANCES Electricity, gas to be installed in next phase By Cindy Pantoja editor-in-chief
cpantoja.theadvocate@gmail.com
Construction on stage two of the $68 million stateof-the-art Science Complex will soon be underway. The college district awarded BHM Construction the task of laying the foundation for the new building. During initial planning for the project, construction of the complex was planned to be done in three stages. The first stage consisted of three increments, which were demolition, leveling the ground and the installation of utilities. Increment zero was to tear down the old Health Sciences and Liberal Arts buildings. This was com-
pleted by Central Valley Environmental (CVE) during the summer session. Increment one consisted of leveling the ground and removing excess backfill material, performed by D-Line Constructors during the fall semester. After increment one was completed, CVE treated the soil with an asphalt seal to keep the ground dry during the rainy season. Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said the soil is sturdy enough for the heavy equipment to be installed on the construction site. BHM Construction removed the sealant and is currently driving anchors into the ground for the new building. The next step will be bringing utilities, such as gas and electricity to the site. “During the next month or so, they will get the site ready to lay the foundation path,” King said. “Eventually,
n “During the next
month or so, they will get the site ready to lay the foundation path. Eventually, toward the end of the semester, they might be able to start building up. — Bruce King, building and grounds manager
toward the end of the semester, they might be able to start building up.” The Science Complex was funded by Measure E and is estimated to be completed in 2023. Contra Costa Community College District Trustee Vicki Gordon said the construction of the building was part of the Measure E committee that pushed hard to get the funding for the Science Complex.
SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE
Eugene Huff, the district executive vice chancellor of administrative services, has been chosen as interim chancellor.
“We are discussing that perhaps now is the time to bring back to the Governing Board the idea of another bond or measure because we still have a lot more buildings and lot more renovation to do,” Gordon said. Ben Azarnoush, district design director, said it took several months to bring their vision to light. “This is a three-story building that will complement the campus and it will be unique with stateof-the-art architecture,” said Azarnoush. “We will continue to bring usable spaces for students, faculty and the community.” He said the first floor will house staff offices, a computer lab and six classrooms furnished with anatomy and physiology labs. The Center for Science Excellence, dean’s office and biology labs will be on the second floor. SEE CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 3
ENROLLMENT PLATEAUS AS NUMBERS DECREASE Fractional drop aligns with recent trends By Xavier Johnson web editor
xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com
Enrollment at Contra Costa College has remained relatively stagnant during spring 2020 despite districtwide enrollment decreases at sister colleges Los Medanos College and Diablo Valley College. As of Feb. 1, the current enrollment figure is 2,142 Full Time Equivalent Students (FTES), which is an insignificant 0.4 percent increase from spring of last year. This plateauing is favorable as the district is undergoing decreases since DVC’s FTES has dropped 3.8 percent and LMC experienced a 1 percent drop. The Contra Costa Community College District as a whole experienced a 2.2 percent decrease in FTES as of opening day. FTES is based on the Santos total number of units students enrolled in, divided by 15 units. One student enrolling in 15 units represents one FTES. Dean of Enrollment Services Rodolfo Santos said when analyzing enrollment figures, he likes to wait until census on Feb. 8 as an indication of final figures. “First day is not truly indicative of actual enrollment, in my opinion. They are snapshots of a point in time. Census date is Feb. 8 and that’s an important deadline when we report numbers to the state. Census is the number we usually go with,” Santos said. The drop in districtwide enrollment appears to be in line with national enrollment trends despite some local and state statistical variance. According to a report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, in spring 2019, two-year public institutions saw a 3.4 percent decrease and public college enrollment in general declined 1.9 percent from spring 2018 to 2019. These national figures are similar to local trends as well. “When our nation is in a recession, we see an uptick in enrollment. When the economy is relatively good, we see a slight drop because people are able to find employment. We see some dips. There’s a general decrease in enrollment across the state. There are multiple factors for all of that,” Santos said. Due to the passing of AB 705, the math department introduced one-unit support co-requisites to certain Math 120, Math 164 and Math 171 classes in an effort to get stuSEE ENROLLMENT, PAGE 3
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Quotable “True rebels, after all, are as rare as true lovers, and, in both cases, to mistake a fever for passion can destroy one’s life.”
SKEPTICAL OPTIMISM
Cindy Pantoja editor-in-chief
Leadership shift offers glimmer of hope
Robert Clinton associate editor
Denis Perez creative director Stacie Guevara scene editor Luis Cortes sports editor Jose Arebalo Luis Lopez news editors Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Staff writers Byron Agu Oscar Cornejo Allan Garcia Daniel Hernandez JoJuan Johnson Christian Medina Brenda Mwingira Jose Rivera Sicaly Sorrell Evalyn Soungpanya Efrain Valdez Staff photographers Eric Martinez Denis Perez Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2013 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 2019 Member
Associated Collegiate Press
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Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.215.3852 Fax: 510.235.NEWS Email: accent.advocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.
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EDITORIAL
James Baldwin writer 1950
Xavier Johnson web editor
opinion
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5, 2020 VOL. 110, NO. 10
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM
A
fter a much needed winter break, students, faculty and staff have returned to Contra Costa College cautiously optimistic that administrators who shape students’ academic trajectory are finally getting on the same page. However, many remain pessimistic of the Contra Costa Community College District administrative efforts meant to symbolize stability and show things are under control. In the recent past, flaws in leadership in the District Office as well as at CCC have led to conflicts surrounding the hiring process, class cancellation and student representation — skepticism regarding a course correction is justified. Mistrust has become synonymous with survival. Last semester, the abrupt resignation of district Chancellor Fred Wood followed the ousting of former CCC President Katrina VanderWoude. This, coupled with a number of administrative positions which hadn’t been filled, created an atmosphere rife with cynicism. Campus events fizzled, programs ran underfunded and students soldiered on as residents of the East Bay are commonly known for. However, it isn’t apathy that drives their indifference — it’s the daily inundation of political fodder from people who’ve proved not to be worth the attention. What student has the time to be concerned with the controversial actions of a college president, the president of the United States, classes and work? It starts to be too much to juggle. It’s overwhelming. When students consider college, administrative chaos is never mentioned in the brochure. Politics of some sort have infiltrated nearly every aspect of daily life but selection of Eugene Huff as interim district chancellor has traveled almost completely under the radar. After a tumultuous fall semester and the subsequent hiring of Dr. Damon A. Bell as interim president of CCC, presidential politics were all but inescapable. The impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump dominated media feeds for all of the roughly 40 days of the winter break. Issues start to blend together and ultimately people who hold leadership positions reveal themselves to be nothing more than a collection of people who get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do whatever it takes to keep their jobs. That applies to national politicians or administrators working at or for the CCCCD. On campus, student apathy is seen as a pass to work unrestricted until wrongdoing is directly pointed out. However, despite the cloud of negativity that blankets national politics, Dr. Bell offers a glimmer of promise. His credentials are relevant to the position he holds and his good-hearted nature may help endear him to a community that has been longing for a leader who can make a connection. Still, cynicism runs deep on this campus, members of the campus community have been scorned and the wounds are still fresh. Many of the problems that feed that skepticism have yet to be resolved — fresh starts have come and gone.
DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
■ GENERATIONS
Millennial anger fueled by generational trauma
M
illennials and the generations thereafter are considered to be weaker by people from previous generations. The truth of the matter is past generations have left the economic state of the country and the country itself in shambles, effectively leaving millennials to clean up their mess. Can millennials really be considered weaker or more sensitive when they are in fact more knowledgeable and aware of the world around them than any generation before? A study by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality showed that young adults in their 20s and 30s earn less money with a college degree and are more likely to die pre-maturely from suicide and drug overdose than any previous generation before them. The world left to millennials is one of disarray and chaos. The difficulties of entering the job market during the most recent recession of the late 2000s is something no modern generation can compare to. David Grusky, professor of sociology and director of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality said, “Millennials are the first generation to experience, in a full-throttled way, the social and economic problems of our time.” When a fresh generation of workers were ready to
luislopez
sion. This has left a whole generation of people, now in their 40s, whose careers never had a chance to take off. The difficulty of trying to make it in this economically and socially strained climate has resulted in an increased mortality rate for younger generations. According to the report’s analyses of health, written by Stanford economist Mark Duggan and economics undergraduate Jackie Li, between 2008 and 2016, mortality rates among those between 25 and 34 years old increased by more than 20 percent. These deaths were driven by a rise in suicides and drug overdoses. One has to understand the economic and social context in which millennials have grown up. It is difficult to not have empathy for a generation given so much yet allowed to do so little with it. No other generation before has had unprecedented access to information like millennials, but it has all been for nothing as they arrived to participate in a workforce that was practically nonexistent. Now, subsequent generations following millennials get to take their shot at navigating a broken economic structure — however, to say millennials are weak is just ignorant.
hit the job market, there was no job market left. The often-sought American dream of working 40 hours per week and owning a nice home with that income is a fantasy now — especially in the Bay Area. The ecoThe nomic gap was getting world bigger and left to unemployment was at all-time millennials an high when is one of the first batch of disarray, millennials were enterchaos. ing work. All this added up to one of the most difficult times in our country and to put that pressure on millennials, as they were entering their prime, stunting a whole generation’s growth. It is not only in America that this generation was affected negatively by the past, in Japan what we consider Generation X, they consider “the lost generation”. The generation’s high school and college Luis Lopez is news editor graduates recruited by of The Advocate. Contact companies to work was an him at llopez.theadvocate@ all-time low because of an gmail.com. economic bubble implo-
CAMPUS COMMENT
How many more people have to die of the coronavirus before you start getting worried about your safety?
“I have been worried for a while.” Jorge Tasala
computer science
“I’m already worried
“One dead person is
Arana Bryant
Vint Testa
about all the people who died lately.” nursing
enough to start worrying about our safety.” astronomy
“I would carry a bottle
“If one person becomes
Jennifer Garcia
Tony Luu
of Lysol disinfectant and spray it everywhere I go.” business
sick at my workplace, I am automatically calling in sick.” math professor
“If 10 people were to
die today in the Bay Area, I would lock myself in the house and stay until it is safe.” Bryan Gonzales nursing
ALLAN GARCIA & JOSE RIVERA / THE ADVOCATE
campus beat
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NEWSLINE INTERIM CHANCELLOR | District banks on experience CULINARY EVENT
IRON CHEF BATTLE TEST APPROACHES
The culinary arts department will host its biannual Iron Chef Battle on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Aqua Terra Grill. Tickets are $7 per entry and includes a taste of each team’s appetizer, a complementary choice of tea, water or coffee and a good time. For more information, contact the culinary arts department at 510-215-3878 or by email at culinaryarts@contracosta.edu.
EDUCATION
CAMPUS TOUR INVITES STUDENT A campus tour will be given to newcoming CCC students today from 10-11 a.m. The event will consist of an information session along with a walking tour. For more information, contact the Welcome Center at welcome@ contracosta.edu.com.
DEADLINE
LAST DAY FOR LATE REGISTRATION The final day to add a full-term class is Friday. In order to add a class, attend the class and gain authorization from the professor. For further details, contact Admissions and Records at 510215-6027 or by email at admissions@contracosta.edu.
Continued from page 1 diversity in upper management at CCC. “There’s some misinformation we’re trying to make sure folks are aware of. We absolutely seek diversity and have hired minority positions in several of our most recent management hires, most obviously, Dr. Bell himself,” Huff said. “The district not only professes to value diversity, but our actions indicate that it is something we will achieve,” Huff said. On Jan. 22, the Governing Board approved the contract to hire our new interim chancellor. “Hiring and firing of the chancellor is the one role that the board has power over,” district Governing Board Trustee Rebecca Barrett said. “We had a special meeting where we heard from constituent groups who felt very strongly it should be an internal candidate.” As a new board president, Barrett said she really wanted an internal hire, since they would already have some familiarity and an established working trust. She said Huff has been very open and accessible. “While serving as acting chancellor, he came in over Christmas break and spent three hours talking me through different things about the district as I had just been voted in as president of the board,” Barrett said. His knowledge is precisely what the board was looking for in this transitory phase, she said. Barrett said, “We’re just looking for someone to keep the district running who knows how the dayto-day is supposed to run. We’re going through the accreditation process and he’s been with the dis-
trict for over 19 years so he’s at least familiar with that process. He can help lead the district and the president’s making sure that’s all submitted correctly.” The Governing Board was not looking for someone to rock the boat, instead they sought someone to handle the current situation. Barrett said Huff identified in his PowerPoint that there are administrative vacancies at CCC. When there are significant vacancies, the job still needs to get done. It just gets moved onto other people who are already working at capacity. “We’re just hoping that Gene (Huff), in this interim period, can keep all the functions moving forward. He’s going to be supportive of CCC’s interim president as they go through the process of searching for a permanent replacement.” Barrett said. Interim President Bell is trying to focus particularly on campus climate, she said. “There’s definitely some things at CCC that the board is aware of and need to be focused on,” Barrett said. “Campus climate is definitely something the board is aware of given the last year.” While some are happy to have an inside promotion with his experience, there are others on campus who see this as the continuation of a negative status quo. “Gene Huff is part of the problem. Gene Huff has no respect for diversity, inclusion or equity,” history, anthropology and geography department Chairperson Manu Ampim said. “Huff has said and done nothing to make sure there’s equity and inclusion of people of African descent, or even Latino for that matter, when it comes to
hiring.” Ampim said administrators have only recently been heeding to the outside pressures from groups such as the African American Staff Association and the Richmond NAACP Chapter. “Huff was fundamentally involved in the disruption of our campus with bad decisions, removing administrators and advising (former chancellor) Fred Wood with input that made no sense for our campus,” Ampim said. “As a top administrator, he has to be held accountable for the districtwide disruption.” Ampim referred to some backlash that previous CCC president Katrina VanderWoude faced while leading a hiring process. “Gene Huff is derelict in his duty. He is irresponsible for not clarifying the policy and procedure that would have exonerated VanderWoude and cut a lot of this nonsense off at the head,” Ampim said. He said while complaints have been heard against previous chancellor Wood, there are still problems residing with our current leadership. “We tell him what’s best for the campus — he agrees and says he’s going to do A and B. Then he goes back to Martinez and they turn him around. What does he know about our campus? Nothing. What does he want to know?” Ampim said. “If he believes that the district is in good shape right now then it shows he’s out of touch. If he believes that there needs to be improvement, then what’s his plan?” Ampim said. “He certainly can make some changes even in the interim position,” he said.
Former Chancellor Fred Wood Was set to retire at the end of the 2020 spring semester, but a family emergency drove him to retire early in December. While there are sure to be some who are upset with the current state of affairs, others are happy to see Huff stepping into his new role. “He has a wealth of experience in the district which, for me, is a big positive,” Athletic Director John Wade said. “Huff knows the ins and outs of the district, the good things and those that need working on. “If we look at it in a positive manner, it should give us an opportunity to move the district forward,” Wade said. In the spirit of improvement, he noted one of the most important things Huff can do. “The biggest thing for our college is to listen to the needs that we have and try to address those needs,” Wade said. “For me, it would be good to have someone come in and listen, take time listening to everybody and figure out what we need from there.”
LEFT: Construction worker using the front loader at the Contra Costa College Science Complex construction site on Jan. 29.
DEADLINE
PLAY AUDITIONS OPEN NEXT WEEK Auditions will be held in the John and Jean Knox Center on Feb. 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. for two drama productions taking place this semester. “The House of Bernarda Alba” will be directed by Carlos-Manuel Chavarria with performances in March. “We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!” will be directed by Angelina LaBarre with performances in April. Auditions for both productions will be held concurrently and students have the option of preparing a monologue or reading from the script. For more information, email Chavarria at cchavarria@contracosta.edu
ERIC MARTINEZ / THE ADVOCATE
CONSTRUCTION | Drilling commences for foundaContinued from page 1
“Students deserve a proper science building that will continue to inspire them and support them.”
because a new science building was very much needed,” Celesia said. He said the poor circulation of air in the current Biology Building makes it difficult for students to concentrate because the temperature in the classrooms could reach up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. “Students deserve a proper science building that will continue to inspire them and support them,” Celesia said. “This new building is not just for students with science or engineering majors — all kinds of students will be able to use the facility,” he said. Before the second stage for the Science Complex began, students and administrators gathered at
the upper plaza of the General Education Building for a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 20. During the ceremony, Contra Costa College Interim President Damon Bell thanked the community and their partners for their contributions. Contra Costa Community College District Student Trustee Shreejal Luitel said it is essential to recognize that most of the students in the CCC STEM program come from low incomefamilies and the Science Center will be a much-needed improvement to their education. “The CCC METAs program cultivated my passion for STEM,” Luitel said.
Wednesday, Jan. 29
The third floor will feature a 55-seat planetarium, laboratories for engineering, ,and chemistry labs as well as designated market space. The roof would be built to reduce vibration and will be used as an upgraded observation deck. Faculty from the science department worked closely, contributing ideas with SmithGroupJJR, the developer of the project, for two years. The San Francisco-based architecture and planning firm is comprised of client industry-focused practices serving cultural, government, healthcare and higher edu-
An auto burglary took place near the Early Learning Center on Upper Campus Drive where an unknown suspect(s) broke into the victim’s vehicle.
ENROLLMENT | Admissions increase below projections
CRIMEWATCH
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Continued from page 1
A student reported that their vehicle was vandalized off campus on Mission Bell Drive near College Lane.
dents to complete their transfer level math courses faster. These courses saw early signs of success in fall 2019, their first semester. Math department Chairperson Terrill Mead said, “We are looking at the people who really need the support class and if they are being successful in the support class. The initial results look positive that it is helping. I’m extremely positive and pleased that we’re doing what we think are good things.” Math 164, the transfer statistics course, saw a 10 percent improvement in retention rate and success rate with the support class. For Math 171, the numbers were relatively close with the support course having a higher retention rate but a slightly lower success rate than the non-support course. The strongest indication of success comes from the Math 120 figures. With support, Math 120 saw an 82 percent retention rate compared to only 73 percent for the non-support course.
Thursday, Jan. 30 A vandalism incident was reported in the Men’s Locker Room where the laundry room door latch was damaged. Thursday, Jan. 30 A student reported that his rental vehicle was vandalized in Lot 14 off of Mission Bell Drive.
— The Contra Costa Community College District is committed to equal opportunity in educational programs, employment, and campus life. The District does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, marital status, national origin, parental status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any access to and treatment in College programs, activities, and application for employment.
Jon Celesia,
physics, astronomy department chairperson
cation. Physics and astronomy department Chairperson Jon Celesia said the new layout of the building will connect the astronomy, engineering, physics, chemistry and biology departments. “I’m just glad for everybody that supported this project
Spring 18 End of Term
FTES Enrollment Numbers Spring 19 End of Term
Spring 20 Projected End of Term
2209
2246
2255
Spring end of term was the lowest of the current threeyear stretch.
Early spring 19 enrollment saw a 6.3 percent growth from previous years.
As of Feb. 1, 2141 FTES is a 0.4 percent increase from spring 2019. ILLUSTRATION BY DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
The course with support had a success rate of 47.62 percent. Mead said the numbers for Math 120 were encouraging because typically those are the least prepared students coming into college level math with a benchmark of 28-29 percent. However, while the numbers
are encouraging, Mead said it would take at least a year to make any declarative statements about the meaning of these statistics. Santos takes a similar approach to analyzing campuswide enrollment figures. “The numbers can tell us some things, but they don’t necessarily
tell us causality. Look at the numbers for what they are and see if there are particular trends. It’s difficult to predict how the numbers will look from semester to semester. You can only do your best to understand and see the patterns and make some narratives out of that,” Santos said.
focus Eviction of mothers draws protest outside of home
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Photos by: Denis Perez For
ABOVE: Supporters of Dominique Walker, 45, and Sameerah Karim, 41, who began living illegally at the house at 2928 Magnolia on Nov. 18 and started the Moms4Housing organization, gather outside of the house after the mothers were evicted in Oakland, California on Jan. 14.
RIGHT: Mother Dominique Walker closes her eyes and takes a breath before a press conference outside of an Oakland home after the Jan. 14 eviction.
RIGHT: An MRAP, MineResistant Ambush Protected vehicle, was deployed to serve the Jan. 14 eviction of the mothers occupying the Magnolia Street home.
more photos, please visit our website: www.cccadvocate.com
LEFT: A crowd of protesters follow an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy riding on the back of a police van as authorities leave Magnolia Street. The deputies arrested mothers Tolani King, 46, Misty Cross, 38, and protester Jesse Turner, 25, who refused to leave the property. Walter Baker, 28, was arrested later, outside of the house.
LEFT: Oakland resident Alton Fuller (right), 33, records the scenes of the eviction on his steps outside of his home at Magnolia Street in Oakland. Fuller, a neighbor and friend of the mothers, supports the movement the mothers sparked, claiming that Oakland is being gentrified and rent costs are forcing longtime residents to move and be evicted.
campus beat
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A Chevrolet Volt is plugged into the EV charging station in Lot 9. Only EV’s and PHEV’s are allowed to park in the designated parking spaces.
CHRISTIAN MEDINA / THE ADVOCATE
Campus electricity more costly than home By Daniel Hernandez staff writer
dhernandez.theadvocate@gmail.com
Electric charging stations see low use on campus despite increasing access
Tax credits and low upkeep costs are just some benefits and conveniences electric car owners receive. For the few students and staff at Contra Costa College who drive electric vehicles (EVs), the EV charging stations in Lot 9 are an extra convenience to take advantage of. The charging stations, installed over the summer session, are supplied by ChargePoint — a nationwide provider. These spaces are marked by the letters “EV” within a green square and a plug symbol. In order to use the chargers, a ChargePoint account must be made through the app which is linked to the user’s personal payment information since credit card scanners are not available on the machines. Members have the option to scan a QR code on the machine to open the app or have a membership card issued to them to be used at any ChargePoint station. ChargePoint’s app allows users to be notified when their car has been fully charged, view payment information and find available stations. “Tap to charge” is a feature that unlocks the plug for a frictionless experience. Technology Systems Manager James Eyestone said, “If you use it enough, you don’t even need the screen.” The built-in screens feature help assistance, a
how-to-use guide and language settings. Liberal Arts Division Dean Jason Berner, the owner of a Toyota Prius Prime plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV), uses the charging stations every day and finds that EV chargers on campus are beneficial. Berner’s ChargePoint app experience went rhythmically except on one instance in the fall semester when the service experienced a bug and denied him access to plug in his hybrid for a week. Library coordinator Andrew Kuo says his Nissan LEAF can travel roughly 20 miles on an hour of charging. The LEAF’s maximum range is 150 miles. Kuo only plugged in his car twice in the fall semester because he says charging on campus is more expensive than at home where he is billed $0.30 per kilowatt hour. Owners parking their cars in these spaces can expect to be charged $0.42 per kilowatt hour and this is after paying for a Contra Costa Community College District parking permit. The first four hours are free but thereafter the machines will charge $4 an hour. While ChargePoint manages the billing system, Eyestone says the district chancellor’s cabinet determined this system for encouraging EV owners to move their car to another space so that others can access the charging stations. Only EVs and PHEVs are allowed to park in the designated spaces where a valid district
“I think, if a student pays for a parking permit, I’d like to see something where that’s (EV parking) included or maybe a parking permit with a small extra charge.” Jason Berner,
Liberal Arts Division dean
parking permit must be presented along with the car being plugged in. Violators will be issued a $40 citation by Police Services. The ticket cost is almost 84 percent of the price of a parking permit. According to Police Services Lt. Thomas Holt, 20 warning tickets have been written since Oct. 30 and 12 citations pertaining to EV parking violations were written since Dec. 2. Berner, along with the rest of the campus’ staff, receive free parking, though he must pay to charge his EV. No discounts or special incentives are offered by the college district for parking an electric car. “I don’t mind paying a little bit,” Berner said. “I think, if a student pays for a parking permit, I’d like to see something where that’s (EV parking) included or maybe a parking permit with a small extra charge,”
President highlights Millennial MAGIC at college day By Cindy Pantoja editor-in-Chief
cpantoja.theadvocate@gmail.com
All College Day brought back memories from Contra Costa College’s past events and established high expectations for the campus’ future. The faculty-mandated event was held on Jan. 24 in GE-225 and introduced newly hired staff members. Service recognitions of five, 10 and 15 years were honored, as well as honorable mention to Journalism department Chairperson Paul DeBolt for his 40 years of work at CCC. The meeting was led by Interim President Damon Bell, who gave an update of his first three months leading CCC. “The best part of my work here has been getting out and meeting all the people on campus and listening to what they have to say about how they feel about the campus, how they feel about our students and the work that they are doing to help students be successful,” Dr. Bell said. He was selected to serve as interim president in November and will hold the position through June 2021. Bell shared some of the difficulties he has faced trying to soothe the turmoil that brought him to CCC. “The challenge has been hearing some of the difficult times that they’ve gone through over the last couple years and trying to come up with a plan to help people move through that, so that we can all be on the same page to help students,” he said. The interim president announced to the audience what
Health and human services department Chairperson Aminta Mickles writes her thoughts about the Strategic Plan presented in the Library on Jan. 24.
CINDY PANTOJA / THE ADVOCATE
n “This group is going to bring the next generation of leaders.”
—Dr. Damon Bell, CCC interim president
will be in store in the coming months, such as the Millennial MAGIC project. MAGIC stands from the Millennial Advisory Group to Innovate the College. The purpose of it is to gather a group of young people who can bring innovative ideas to campus. “I want them to advise me as a president as to how we might look at our current policies and norms of the institution and how we might
change or adjust those policies,” he said. “This is an opportunity for me to do some professional development with them. This group is going to bring the next generation of college leaders.” The planning committee also introduced the development of the Strategic Plan, another project that would help CCC move forward to successful accreditation. Classified Senate President Brandy Gibson said they have been working on the Strategic Plan for a month before the start of the semester. “We got together and discussed what we needed to present the plan, what kind of information we wanted to get back from the campus community, and the best forums to do that,” Gibson said.
“In the beginning, we were talking about presenting the plan in GE or Fireside Hall. In the end, we decided to use the Library for logistical reasons.” Academic Senate President Katherine Krolikowski said the Strategic Plan is the guidance document for the work at the college. The district has a strategic plan that guides all the sister colleges, and the state C h a n c e l l o r ’s Office has a Krolikowski vision for success that is like the overarching strategic plan. “One structure proposed for our new Strategic Plan is a pyra-
mid, with a functional college at the bottom, having support and tools to do our work in the middle, with both of these supporting student successes on the top,” Krolikowski said. “This is important to students because it directs the college’s work, which is, after all, educating students.” After the presentation of the plan at All College Day, the crowd was asked to move to the Library where everyone had the opportunity to share their opinions and concerns on paper taped on the walls of the Library. All College Day was concluded with a group picture that consisted of over 200 members of faculty, administrators and classified staff.
campus beat BURGLARIES COST CAMPUS THOUSANDS 6
WWW.CCCADVOCATE.COM 2.5.2020 l WEDNESDAY l THE ADVOCATE
By Luis Lopez
Location: Art Building
n “I believe because we
news editor
llopez.theadvocate@gmail.com
Over the winter break, the level of criminal activity increased on campus as between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5 four separate burglaries were reported. The series of thefts targeted the Art Building, Music Building, Automotive Technology Building and custodial area in the Applied Arts Building. Although the alarms deterred the burglars once they were in the act, no arrests have been made in the investigation. Police Services Lt. Thomas Holt said all the burglaries had one thing in common: “The only consistent pattern was the break-ins occurred when the school was closed, or there was limited staffing on site.” Holt While Police Services still does not know exactly how the burglars got in, they have conducted an investigation, which has led to some theories. Fin and media arts department Chairperson Anthony Gordon had his office broken into when offenders targeted the Art Building between Dec. 19 and 22. Gordon said, “Not only was my door forced open so the lock was messed up, but there were a lot of ceiling panels out of place —one right above my computer and one in each of the men’s and women’s bathrooms. There were also ceiling panels moved in the hallways.” Gordon said throughout the building there were splinters everywhere from the burglars trying to pry open wooden doors. The professor theorizes the burglars’ entrance into the building was not a forced entry. “I believe because we have a lot of people coming in and out of the
Location: Music Building
Summary: Projectors and computers worth $5,500, Dec. 19-22
have a lot of people coming in and out of the building, the burglars may have been hiding in the ceiling panels and waited for the custodians to lock up before dropping back down.
Summary: Computer equipment stolen worth $660, Jan. 3-5
— Anthony Gordon, fine and media arts department chairperson
building, the burglars may have been hiding in the ceiling panels and waited for the custodians to lock up before dropping back down,” he said. In the Art Building, thieves got away with three audio/video projectors, two computer towers and a printer adding up to about $5,500 in losses. The automotive department had a window in one of its trailers broken between Dec. 20 and 21, but nothing was taken. However, the main automotive building was burglarized Dec. 24. Automotive instructor Lucille Beatty said the burglary was a forced entry. “The alarm went off and scared the burglars away, but they did cut a panel on a roll up door and had enough time to take one projector,” Beatty said. She is thankful for the alarms because they scared the burglars before they could take more. “The alarms obviously scared them off — they ended up leaving their tools and only taking one thing. I am thankful for preventive services like that and think it helped a great deal,” she said. Lt. Holt said the custodial areas of the AA Building and the Music Building were also targeted. “The doors were pried open in the custodial area between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2 and a toolbox was taken valued at $1,192,” he said.
Location: Automotive Technology Building
Location: Applied Arts Building Summary: Stolen tools valued at $1,192, Dec. 19 and Jan. 2
Summary: Overhead projector stolen, Dec. 24
INFOGRAPHIC BY CINDY PANTOJA, DAN HERNANDEZ / THE ADVOCATE
The Music Building was burglarized between Jan. 3 and 5 with computers being stolen valued at $660. The culprits gained entry by unknown means. Total college losses added up to almost $10,000. The campus burglaries all took advantage of moments when there is a limited authoritative presence on campus. Holt said although there are various investigations, no arrests have been made. Police Services worked special missions in an attempt to find criminal activity and look for witnesses, however, no leads or evidence to follow up on has been discovered. These were not all necessarily break-ins or forced entry robberies, but they did take advantage of open buildings and lack of security, he said.
LUIS LOPEZ / THE ADVOCATE
A ceiling tile inside the men’s rest room in the Art Builidng was removed by the burglars and was suspected to be a hiding spot for the burglars after custodians finished working in the building on Dec. 19.
Familiar faces acquire new positions By Stacie Guevara scene editor
sguevara.theadvocate@gmail.com
At the beginning of the spring 2020 semester, many staff and faculty members were promoted at Contra Costa College, fulfilling new roles and carrying out new duties. One of those newly promoted staff members is Director of College Advancement Sara Marcellino, who previously held the title of CCC Foundation development officer. Marcellino explained there was a big fundraising advancement in summer and fall of 2019 where she made plans to continue not only raising money, but spending it, too. She works with the members of the CCC Foundation Board of Directors — all volunteers — and sorts out useful ways to spend the foundation’s money. When Marcellino first started at CCC, the Board only consisted of eight members, but now she’s almost doubled that number to 15.
Many wonder how she was able to recruit another seven people — but the simple fact is she went out and talked to them. “My focus for this foundation is on people, because we are constantly trying to connect the college to the community,” Marcellino said. According to Marcellino, approximately 5 percent of philanthropy in the U.S. comes from businesses, 20 percent comes from foundations and 75 percent comes from individuals. Marcellino’s course of action was to talk to philanthropists, connect them to CCC and receive donations from Marcellino them. “From the beginning, that was my strategy, and it paid off,” Marcellino said. Most donations come from individuals, and Richmond and the West County are no different,
she said. In 2016, the CCC Foundation had about $67,000 in scholarships. Now, it has over $235,000. Marcellino is still a fundraiser, but in order to fundraise, the Foundation also needs to spend money. Marcellino wisely makes those decisions on what their money should be spent on. Another staff member who was promoted is administrative assistant Jacqueline Oré, who was previously the senior accountant clerk. Oré has been working at CCC for eight years, first working for Admissions and Records. She was then hired as senior accountant clerk and now holds the title of administrative assistant III. She works in the Payroll Office and oversees the payroll, Buildings and Grounds, custodial and human resources divisions. If someone wants to rent a room at CCC, she is in charge of organizing that and she also over-
sees campus events. She is the person who makes sure tables and chairs get set up for events and get put away properly at the end of the day. Two more recently promoted staff members are interim nursing department chairpersons and directors Jacki Wright and Dr. Angela King-Jones. The two share the positions of director and chairperson but are both interim as the duo will be retiring at the end of the semester, along with nursing Administrative Assistant Janie Franklin. The nursing department is in flux, Dr. King-Jones said, and a lot of the faculty are tenured. The problem is many are retiring. Wright actually became chairperson in summer 2019 and has been working at CCC for 10 years. She specializes in labor and delivery and graduated from CCC’s nursing program when she was a student here. As co-director, Wright makes
sure their budget is taken care of and ensures their students can go to hospitals for work study. She makes sure their accreditation process from the California Board of Registered Nursing is up-to-date and everything is orderly and running smoothly in the department. Dr. King-Jones schedules clinical sites for their students to gain work experience. They currently have 15 clinical sites, including various hospitals such as Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center and even a hospice center. Dr. King-Jones said the goal of the nursing program is to turn out great, competent and caring nurses. The five position changes are down from last semester which saw about 24 new faculty and staff hires, who were either promoted from within the college or are joining CCC as first time or full-time hires.
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