The
December 6 - 18, 2010 Vol. 45 no. 6
voice Cabrillo College
news
A Ghostly Tale Cabrillo Stage brings you “Scrooge” with a few new touches pg. 9
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CAMPUS
December 6 - 18, 2010
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Steven Bumgarner
MANAGING EDITORS Ultima Rossiter Nick Norman
PHOTO EDITOR Kevin Johnson
LAYOUT EDITOR Daniel Wootan
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Daoud Anthony
COMMUNITY NEWS EDITOR Arthur O’Reilly
FEATURES EDITOR Dant Rambo
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Evan Simpson Daoud Anthony
SPORTS EDITOR Nick James
COPY EDITORS Annie Ross Daniel Wootan
VOICE STAFF Will Lee Jobe Michael Angulo Gretchen Wegrich Sylvia Benson Edgar Hernandez Jessica Ortega Morgan Anderson Rad Kieding Claire Dunlap Faith Sackett Hagar Barson Kaelin Marsh Cole Bendinelli Mark Felix Shaadi Mansour Yolanda Lovato Kevin Flores Nicolette Nasr Rob McCrea Michael Larsen Alison Maupin Ryan Boysen Henry Ortega Hugh McCormick Evgenia Sokolova
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ADVERSTISING MANAGER Matt Nelson
ADVISER
Brad Kava SPECIAL THANKS TO WATSONVILLE’S REGISTER PAJARONIAN FOR PROVIDING OUR PRINTING SERVICES
thecabrillovoice.com
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cover by Jana Marcus
Offei clears the air Queer prom controversy set straight By Matt Nelson Sexual orientation makes no difference – You still ain’t getting no money. Theo Offei, the Cabrillo Student Senate President has been under scrutiny lately because of his veto of the senate’s approval to fund the “I’m Coming Out” Prom. The November issue of The Voice originally reported, in the middle of a budget crisis story, that Offei had vetoed a request for funds for the Queer Prom, which took place last Friday December 3rd. The notion of the veto immediately raised the obligatory question of prejudice, and turned up an entirely different story within the story. The Voice investigated. He said everything right, or was it too right? When asked if the interview could be recorded, the 22-year old student senate president jokingly replied, “Probably not.” Theo went on to clarify a few things surrounding the veto that caused such a stir. “I understand the whole controversy about this. As a leader I also understand that you have to be ready take the heat for your decisions,” he says, “and whatever way you go somebody is going to point a finger at you. So at the end of the day it comes down to not doing what is popular but doing what is right.” Offei said that any student can ask for money from the student senate, but he stressed the importance of careful planning and budget management to ensure the prevention of “double-dipping,” or rather a more strict sense of fiscal responsibility. “They could even come back with a better plan and possibly get the money, maybe even I could have helped them fundraise for this event Offei mentioned that everybody has an opportunity to ask for money, and there are many different places to get the money from within the school funds. The cultural events account could have been an appropriate program for the Queer Prom prospectors to seek funds, he said. A $2.4 million deficit means existing funds need to be delegated with careful attention. However, funds, and student senator’s time and attention are resources that community college students have full access pending a comprehensible request to the senate. Offei suggests that requests should seek to benefit the majority of students here on campus.
photo by steven bumgarner
The student body president is not one to run from a debate.
campus
December 6 - 18, 2010
PHOTO BY MORGAN ANDERSON
College President Brian King engages in a conversation after the College Planning Council meeting.
A day in the life of our King
Council persistantly manuevering to make up for budget defecit
by Morgan Anderson
It’s 6 a.m., a time when most are home snuggled warm in their beds, but Cabrillo’s president Brian King is already up and running. Literally. The morning mist sits heavy in the frostbitten air as King jogs through his Soquel neighborhood striding with poise reminiscent to that of an ostrich. Then it’s back to the house to eat breakfast with his wife, Cristina and their two children, Christian, 9 and Celia, 11. “We had a nice breakfast today with sausage and eggs and toast. Most days it’s cereal, so that was more than usual,” he said in his office in the 800 building four hours later. On many days of the week, King has a meeting of some kind from 8 – 9 a.m. Today though, King did not have a meeting, so he was able to take his children to school at Twin Lakes Christian Elementary. Normally, King’s wife Cristina, an Emmy-nominated television journalist, drops the kids off at school. With the kids safely at school, which borders the Cabrillo campus, King coasts his pristine green BMW sedan across the street to his office.
At 9:45 a.m., King is sitting in his office speaking candidly with one of the vice presidents, Renée Kilmer. King, 47, stands over 6ft. tall with a slender build, wearing khaki slacks, and a blue button up dress shirt. He has saltand-pepper hair cropped on the sides and sports a goatee. King’s office is not large for somebody who is the highest paid employee on the Cabrillo campus – it’s even smaller than most of the student restrooms - and is decorated with handmade cards from his children displaying “#1 Dad” and “Happy Father’s Day” as well as framed school pictures. Two large wooden bookshelves feature titles such as attorney Gerry Spence’s bestseller “How to Argue and Win Every Time” and Phillip K. Howard’s “The Death of Common Sense”. A framed motivational poster depicts the shadowed image of a mountain climber scaling the face of a massive cliff silhouetted against a mountain landscape with the word “persistence” splayed across the bottom, hangs alone on the white-washed brick wall. King and Kilmer discuss the various cabinet meetings, budget meetings, ad-
ministrative council meetings, and countless other meetings they attend on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. “Renée, and Victoria, and Dennis, our vice presidents, do the heavy lifting,” says King. “And one of the most important things that I do is support the vice presidents.” One of King’s other prime concerns is obtaining grants from various foundations in order to supplement budget cuts and expenses. In the last year, Cabrillo acquired multiple grants, including a $2.8 million grant from the Gates Foundation, and an $800,000 grant from the Hewlett foundation. King is Cabrillo’s highest paid employee, earning $217,000 a year in 2009. He turned down a scheduled pay increase for 2010. At noon, King had lunch with Kristin Fabos, Director of Marketing and Communications and Tovin Lapan, a new education beat reporter for the Sentinel. During the hour-long lunch at Pino Alto located at the Sesnon House, topics of discussion included the Giants World Series domination, Sharks hockey, and life back east in Missouri, where King and
his family lived before 2004, when they moved to Santa Cruz. At 2 pm, the College Planning Council met in the Horticulture Center to go over the prospected budget plans. “Cutting the budget is one of the hardest things we do,” said King. “And unfortunately we’ve been doing a lot of it lately.” This bi-weekly meeting lasted over two hours and by the end of it nobody looked optimistic, assured or more educated than they were before it began. With no actual approved budget from Sacramento, the meeting was mostly speculation, frustration, and bar graphs showing budget deficits. Amidst the yawning and text messaging by members of the council, Brian King sat, quietly listening, looking interested and engaged. When the meeting adjourned at 4:15 pm, King stayed, talking and joking with Economics instructor Paul Harvell and other members of the council for close to a half an hour. While King may not have changed the world or the fiscal fate of Cabrillo on this particular day, he continues to painstakingly work at making the school a better place for students and faculty alike.
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opinion
Tuition up, initiative down
MILLIONS IN FINANCIAL AID LEFT UNCLAIMED EACH YEAR by Shaadi Mansour Since the economic downturn there has beeen a substantial increase in community college enrollment. More and more students are not able to afford a four year college straight out of high school and many people are going back to school after being laid off in order to meet qualifications for recession proof jobs. This surplus in students requires additional funding to accommodate them. More classrooms, instructors, materials and more actual classes are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of where extra funding is needed when accommodating all these new students. Stimulus funding has been provided by the state but is not expected to continue into the next academic year which could create major problems in an already very tight budget. In the past several years 44 states have had to raise tuition rates at five times the rate of inflation. California, in comparison with other states has tried to keep its tuition rates as low as possible but is coming across some major obstacles in doing so. Finding the balance between low tuition rates and ample funding for schools has proven to be an extremely difficult task. At Cabrillo the basic price per unit for any course is $26 as stated in the course catalog. Now you might find some confusion because next to this tuition tag price there is also a fee chart in which you will find how much you need to pay based on the number of units. This list shows the price of one unit as $53, two units as $80, three units as $107 and so on. As you may have noticed it lists the price for one unit as $53, not $26 as previously stated, and this is where the confusion lies. For each student their first unit includes some other fees in addition to the original $26. These fees, while also listed under tuition and fees are not written to
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look like they are already being charged. These additional fees include a $17 student health services fee, a $1 student representation fee, and an $8 student activity card fee which is added in but optional thus you can ask for it to be withdrawn. There is also a $1 student center fee which unlike the others is per unit which means it needs to be added to every unit, not only the first. When you add these additional fees to the original $26 it makes up that elusive $53 that we were looking for. While these prices may sound expensive it might make you happy to know that fees have not changed from this fall to the coming spring semester. In any case these prices can still be expensive and many students have a hard time affording the tuition. The good news is there is help out there. Financial aid and student grants such as Pell Grants and FAFSA are underutilized. Many students think that they can not qualify for aid and disregard the idea without even trying. According to a study done by the College Board only 58% of community college students eligible for grants actually applied. There is a substantial amount of money allotted for grants, scholarships and financial aid to students but some of this available money ends up going unused because students do not apply. One report even said that the students least likely to apply are the poorest, which are the most in need of the aid. There are many reasons for this, the main reasons being that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding behind what is available and how to attain it. For those of you students that do need financial help to afford higher education, research the options and find yourself what you need because in the end you are responsible for your future. ory on most networks.
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Campus
December 6 - 18, 2010
Image courtesy of progs.housing.berkeley.edu
photo by Rob McCrea
Construction of the new building broke ground November 18.
Breaking ground to save planet
TECH CENTER FOCUSES ON LOCAL INDUSTRIES By Edgar Hernandez In the midst of all the recent cuts, increases in tuition & bus pass prices, Cabrillo is finding ways to continue keep growing. What was once the location of the Watsonville Public Library will become home to Cabrillo’s Green Technology Center (GTC). “The new building will be focused on diesel mechanics jobs, mostly for the agricultural jobs in the community,” says Olga Diaz, Watsonville Center Administrative Director. “I think it will boost the student population attending here—help out the community overall.” The new building will be ‘green’ in more ways than one. The GTC will be geared towards developing new eco-friendly alternative energy sources. It will teach students the skills needed to create these alternative energy sources. With so much agriculture in Watsonville, the idea is that this building will help that boost jobs everywhere. The building itself will help the environment. The whole building will include all the latest eco-friendly technology. Whether it’s solar panels, better electrical systems, water systems, or recycled con-
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struction materials, the GTC will have it. “It will be a green building, and inside the building you will be able to see what materials were used to make the building,” said Olga Diaz. The building officially began construction this past July, most of which consisted of clearing the area and bringing in some materials. However, the actual construction—or putting together process—did not start until November 18. Cabrillo has hopes that the building will be ready to open its doors by Spring 2012. At that time, Cabrillo will be ready to offer courses to an estimated 1,000 students. The over $6 million price tag for both the building and the expansion of the parking lot was covered by a grant directed towards funding this new building—as well as help from all over the Monterey Bay area, according to Olga Diaz. In the meantime the parking situation will be a hassle for the students. For those familiar with the Watsonville Center the only alternative way to the parking lot is through an alley. In the meantime Cabrillo is offering its students a free escort service. To request a security officer call (831) 2128466.
Escaped convict raises safety questions MORE POLICE THE ANSWER? By Kaelin Marsh After an inmate escaped custody Monday morning during a visit to Dominican hospital, Maurice Ainsworth Jr. went on to hold a neighboring preschool teacher at gunpoint and later held two other hostages at a different location. This has left our community with many questions, like: what went wrong? Should we hire more police? Or should we allocate our current police more accordingly to things like transporting prisoners, which can prevent something like this from endangering our community, as well as our children attending preschools? Ainsworth not only tased the single deputy transporting him but bit her finger and elbowed her in the face—leading to a chase lasting about five hours. After being tased and assaulted, Cathy Bramanti was still able to get on her radio and announce what had happened and where the inmate was headed. Deputy Troy Zube described her actions as “top notch.” Zube went on to explain, if he was in the same situation as Bramanti,”[he] would have done exactly what she had done,” and “probably all of our deputies would have done the same thing.” In Zube’s opinion, there probably should have been more than just the one deputy escorting the inmate and explained that this particular inmate “would have been a threat to anybody,” and ”given the guys size,” 6’7” and 275 lbs, “things could have been done differently. Ten people could have been there, it wouldn’t have
changed [Ainsworth]’s behavior.” According to Sergeant Dan Campos, our law enforcement is generally understaffed, given the population of Santa Cruz County. ‘ “It would be amazing [to hire more police],” Campos stated. “We could have specific task forces, if we had more police it would be great.” Campos explained that given the recent event, there is going to be a review of inmate transportation policies. “It’s unfortunate that something like this triggers change,” Deputy Zube said. Polled Cabrillo students agreed that there should have been at least one other deputy transporting the prisoner. “This could have been prevented with one or two more guards,” said Student Jeff Shaver. “ I couldn’t believe it.” “Even if it was the bulkiest cop in the world, there should have been at least two officers,” said Dave Schechtman. Students agreed that there should be more protection but didn’t believe that meant we should hire more police, just use them differently. “Sheriffs should implement more security,” stated Ramiro Mariscal, going on to explain that he didn’t mean hiring more police. Brandon Mahone feels that police are spending too much time on petty crimes: “They should spend more time focusing on keeping our community safer instead of jay-walking and petty marijuana crimes.” Mahone stated. “They already have too many police.”
December 6 - 18, 2010
campus
photo by steven bumgarner
The Sesnon herb garden is starting small; they are mostly growing herbs in pots. Pictured are mint on the left and parsley right.
Pino Alto reaps what it sows by Nicolette Nasr
Behind the kitchen of the Sesnon House’s Pino Alto Restaurant an expanded herb garden is being planned to yield aromatic inspiration for the young chefs that work there. It is in transition now but if you can see the future through the eyes of Eric Carter director of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management you see thriving bushes of rosemary, dill and salvia elegans—commonly called Pineapple sage. Around on the sunny side of the mansion that houses the program there will be planted olive, fig and dwarf citrus trees. Carter’s eyes light up when he lists what trees will be grown, saying, “kumquats, rangpur and Kaffir limes and Meyer lemons. Lots of citrus is what I want to see.” Last year Cabrillo was the first community college in the nation to perform a Real Food Assessment to determine how much of the food prepared on campus is locally grown, certified organic, fairly traded and humanely raised. It found that 14% of the food served at Cabrillo meets the guidelines of sustainability. The Cabrillo Presidents Climate Action Plan has a goal of increasing this to 20% by the year 2020. Many people at Cabrillo don’t want to wait that long to fulfill this goal and expanding the herb garden at Sesnon House is one of the ways this will be accomplished. Horticulture student Joanne Godoy and her son Brian Godoy who is in the culinary program are the family connection between garden and table here at Cabrillo. Joanne got the idea from her son and
works diligently to nurture the garden. Carter says he has seen her digging away even on Sundays. She has procured most of the plants through her horticulture connections. Pavers salvaged from the Horticulture department protect the garden from the swinging doors that open up to the comprehensive composting station. Tubs that used to hold ingredients for the kitchen have been brightly painted and used as pots for plants. Old wine bottles are pressed upside down into the ground to line the circular plots. Wine is given to the culinary program by local wineries. It is not sold at the restaurant but it can be had for a donation that goes into a discretionary fund that can be used for the garden. So far not one penny has been used from this fund due to Godoy’s thrifty, recycling ways. Heather Blume, horticulture assistant, hopes that “future chefs will learn to grow their own in their backyard and get into the habit of getting the highest yield and highest intensity herbs on the menu” Sam Spiegel, advanced culinary student, showed the progress being made and although he said they dug everything up, many plants are still thriving including a tri-colored sage bush. Although the expansion won’t be ready until January, chefs are using what is available to complete their final graded dishes this week. The last day to eat at the Pino Alto Restaurant is Thursday, December 9. It is open for lunch from 12:00 to 1:30 there will be no more dinners until next year.
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news
December 6 - 18, 2010
PHOTOs BY FAITH SACKETT
These spooky looking creatures are easy to find at holiday dinner tables around the Monterey Bay.
It’s okay to be selfish for shellfish Crustacean flood makes prime time for buyer’s market By Faith Sackett Within a five mile radius of Santa Cruz County you can get live Dungeness Crab for only $5 a piece. This is a delicacy in some places, and a relatively cheap staple in this fishing town. Commercial fishermen have been disappointed in the past years with salmon season because of catches so small the season had to be shut down and livelihoods were cut into. But this is a boom time for crab, with fishermen reporting one of the best years ever. Smiling fishermen say ‘it’s wide-open’ because there is an abundance of crab that are well over the weight limit of six and a quarter pounds. These commercial fishermen are catching anywhere from 4000 to 5500 pounds of crab a day. If you want to catch crab recreationally, you can as
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long as they weigh in at five and three quarters pounds. But with all the hard work it involves, it’s a steal at $5 a piece. Inside the Santa Cruz Harbor is a bait and tackle shop where the staff can explain how you can satisfy your tummies with fresh local Dungeness crab. Bayside Marine has been in business for more than 20 years. The store has everything you need for fishing. It’s a one stop shop. Corey Ragan, 45, is an employee for Bayside Marine, and also the wife of Greg Hill, 49—a longtime commercial fisherman. “Eat Crab and wear Grundens,” says Ragan with a smile when you ask her about crab season. She’s referring to the Swedish brand of rubber like bib pants and jacket usually bright yellow or orange in color that are worn
by fishermen. The season officially started November 15th and goes through the end of June. This is a great business for commercial fisherman and even greater for the seafood enthusiasts who love crab and don’t want to put in the strenuous work it takes to get them. The workday for a commercial fishermen usually starts anywhere between one and four in the morning, and doesn’t end until the work is done—which is usually well into the evening. The crab pots weigh in at 125 to 150 pounds a piece and there are usually 100 to 200 pots per string that are put into the ocean to catch the crabs. The fisherman have to pull these pots in by hand to put bait on them, and then put them back in the ocean where they want to fish for them.
Corey Ragan and Joe Tomasello show off a few prime examples of the Dungeness Crab, which are available in abundance right now on the wharf. “It can be real ugly if the weather is bad when you are attempting this,” said Ragan. “You have to do this routine over and over until you get it right and are catching these delicious crabs.” The weather plays a huge part also. It is especially hard when it is cold and wet. The rain can stop these fishermen in their tracks until it clears up. Sometimes they have to sleep on the 60-foot boat depending on where the crabs are and how far they have to go. If they go out to Pigeon Point to catch them it takes six hours one way. You must wear the right protective gear when in these working conditions. Grundens their bodies and gloves and boots, their hands and feet. The
crabs are live and feisty and hurt like hell if they pinch you. People who love crab and live inland have to get this crab shipped frozen. Then when you go to a restaurant or market to buy you could spend $20 or more for a plate. There are many recipes you can make with crab like: crab stuffing, crab omelet, crab salad and crab right from the shell. If you want to buy fresh crab right off the boats there are several opportunites at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and harbor, like Joe Tomasello—owner and captain of the Seabreeze boat on T -dock.
December 6 - 18, 2010
campus
Bah Humbug! Classic Christmas Tale hits the Cabrillo Stage this winter by Rad Kieding Cabrillo Stage is putting on the musical “Scrooge” this holiday season at the Crocker Theater, which is essentially a spectacle about transformation, accompanying a man in the heat of the trial of life. To start off bad, which Ebeneezer Scrooge does as we tune with him in the midnight of his life, is to have a serious chip on your shoulder, and it’s an uphill battle from thereon, where nothing short of alchemy and miracles account for the change of heart. In a nutshell, you’ll see the romantic drama of a bitter old man (Scrooge) who foolishly fights with himself in the cold and dark of a London winter in Charles Dicken’s Victorian London. He receives a visit from three spirits that tell him about the virtues of family, generosity and lovingkindness ; the real presents of Christmas. The role of Scrooge calls the actor, award winner Tony Panaghetti, to perform one of the most challenging tricks in acting: to start off by impressing the audience as a bad guy and by the ned to turn his act around- like in some devoted courtship for the love of an audience that won’t embrace him until he has shown enough proof of the change in his character, said Jon Nordgren, producing artistic director at Cabrillo Stage, who also teaches in the Cabrillo Music Department. “Does he change because he’s scared to go to hell, or does he change because he wants to change?” said the show’s director Andrew Ceglio who grew up in San Jose but moved to Capitola along with his girlfriend just a month ago. They wanted to make sure that the arch of redemption did not happen because of fear. He added that Panaghetti is personally responsible for who he [Ceglio] is today working in the world of showbusiness. He knew right away what they were in for when they cast him. ”We’ll see how Tony does. He looks good to me in rehearsals,” said Nordgren. To transport the audience they give you a seamless merging of music, dance, acting, set, costume, and props. “It’s a visual and oral experience,” said Nordgren. And apparently they work from the ground up. “Other directors seem to have a kind of supreme attitude. I like to bring an organic, collaborative atmosphere,” said Ceglio. In the story about Scrooge they show ghosts, for example, that become transparent and disappear through hidden cracks. They use tricks and imagery, and props like dry-ice smoke, trap-work - things coming out of the floor, all crafted together by a talented cast that gives what Ceglio feels is their all. Like Vaudeville, the heart of American Show business, made up of many kinds of performances from juggling to music, from theater to song, and Broadway, with recognizable shows like “Lion King” and “Cats”, and some recent productions like “Spiderman, Turn off the Dark, which cost $65 million to put on, the ritual of musical theater has roots. Cabrillo Stage, a professional business and also a non-profit, whose tireless collaboration forged the framework for this production, has done well to plug into our holiday calenders, considering all the economic lows and woes that we all live with. “To have a cast coming in after an 8 hour day at their job or school, and give 100 percent of their energy shows
that they care about it as much as I do,” said Ceglio. This is the second consecutive year that Cabrillo Stage is putting on Scrooge, a company that has been entertaining crowds since 1982 and seen tremendous growth from year to year. Putting on the show is hard on family life he confessedJon Nordgren, now with all the shows to make, but it’s indeed intended to entertain the families themselves. “I bring my 7 year old to the theater with me,” said Nordgren. Ritual is important to him. How many times do you watch Charlie Brown Christmas on TV? he asked. Working with Cabrillo Stage, said Nordgren, makes him feel like a professional creative genius. The non-profit Cabrillo Stage and its mother organization Cabrillo College operates in a similar way that Shakespeare Santa Cruz and UCSC does. They provide internships to Cabrillo Students and give them a real professional experience, said Dustin Leonard, managing director of Cabrillo Stage, adding “we want young people not only to get excited about going to theater but also about participating in it.” Collaboration is the heart of theater, and the company has a really nice blend of Cabrillo Theater Arts Department crew and outside, professional designers and directors. As an audience, be prepared for some technical genius from a profesphoto by jana marcus sion band. The music, directed by Nordgren, Award-winning Tony Panaghetti will be playing the brings a personality of perfection to main role of “Scrooge” in this winter production. the stage. The show includes such acclaimed songs as “Thank You Very Much,” “A Better Life,” nant, cutting music – “this is where my little 7 year old and “A Christmas Carol.” gets scared” said Nordgren– but then they redeem it and “I really like the song ‘Happiness’ cuz it’s a really good the music gets happy. song…. it’s probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve “The show must go on”, he said. Note – all of this could heard in my life,” said 16-year old cast member Damien be cut for I think to save space if needed_ Rad Prentice from Delta High School. With a six-day a week performance schedule, it’s im“It’s this beautiful four-part harmony…it’s all about pressive if not suspicious that kids can manage and keep happiness and Christmas and honestly I don’t usually cry up. Dustin Leonard, the managing director, said that the but that song could make me shed a couple of tears.” kids, like the 11 year old girl who plays Tiny Tim, are But as with life happiness must be worked for and this great singers and bring in a lot of theater experience. He production is really about the transformation of fear into said that they understand the professionalism and time joy said Nordgren. commitment. Ceglio said that their focus can be all over “We fear the chaos, the asymmetrical ,” he said “and the place but that they happen to be a very talented and we will use eerie and frightening music at key moments dedicated number of kids. in the play.” Prices to the musical range from $10, for students with The technique is to set them up with some discomfort IDs to $38 for premium seats of Sunday matinees. It preand then resolve it. They go from dissonance, in musical miers on December 17th and runs through the 30th. terms, to consonance. “When you succeed, (in musical theater),” said NorWhen the antagonist Marley gets up they play disso- dgren, “it’s better than drugs.”
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Campus
December 6 - 18, 2010
Photo by Rob McCrea
It was a ‘thriller’ night for those who attended the “I’m coming out” Prom hosted by Leading Out Friday night.
A night to free-member
First ‘Prom’ at CaBrillo provides experience many missed in high school B o o m ! by Henry Ortega Boom! Pow!
Slapped the air with heart pounding bass and tweeters filled the quad the Black Eyed Peas beat on Friday night for the “Leading Out” club’s prom. “Leading out” is the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transsexual (LGBT) club Cabrillo has had in 30 years. The prom, themed “I’m coming out”, was Cabrillo’s first prom and open to the public. DJ Carlos Marquez, a former Cabrillo student, filled the night with music to keep the crowds dancing in the outdoor event. Heat lamps at the prom were surrounded by small groups of dancer huddling to keep warm in the coolness of the night. When asked how the idea for prom came about, club president and student senate member Elizabeth Habara said, “We wanted something different. We’re a diverse group, lets do something different” Club member Antonette Kortie elaborated on the motivation behind the prom
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saying, «We wanted to offer a prom at Cabrillo for those who didn’t get to go to prom in high school and for gays or lesbians who didn’t get to go while they were ‘out’.» “ I didn’t get to go to my prom because my fiancé was considered too old and I have friends back east where they didn’t go because same sex couples were banned” Habara said. Antonette added “ We also had prom so students could just get down and dance with their peers!” And that’s what people did despite the 51-degree weather. Entertainment for the night included a Fashion show at 8 o’clock, where the contestants model their outfits and competed for the praise of professional photographers of Casa De Arte y Fotografia. Both the photographers and DJ were from Watsonville. “I wanted to keep everything local,” said Habara. The runway was an imaginary perimeter set between two heat lamps where the contestants participated
alone or in couples. Couples danced their way across the runway twirling and spinning at the end and solo contestants like Mike Martinez walked confidently and proud to “Firework” by Katy Perry. At the end of his walk Mike popped the collar of his fur coat with both hands like a pimp. Professional fire spinners were the night’s surprise entertainment. The spinners showed up at 8:50 and began lighting the dance floor immediately, forming circles of fire on the ground around themselves. The two female spinners lit the sky and danced with flames they manipulated to the beat of their drummer. The crowd would “ooh and ahh” as the smell of kerosene rose from the fire and the flames reflected of their eyes. At 9:00 Habara announced a raffle where the winners received a Pepsi bag, cup, t-shirt and pens; and a photo-shoot for the “No H8 Campaign.” No H8 Campaign is a recent campaign launched after proposition 8 passed in California; and promotes equality through the silence of
photos. People were photographed with a hand over their mouths to demonstrate their support of the campaign. The photographs were taken in the cafeteria, along with prom pictures. The cafeteria also served as a place where people could rest and take refreshment and snacks. Outside, the danced continued with people getting their freak on to Pitbull›s “Bon Bon”, still keeping close to the heat lamps. The DJ played both hip hop & Latin music till midnight ending with “Pobre Diabla” by Don Omar. Donations by community members, funds by the ICC, and fundraisers by the club who raised $161 made the prom possible. “The proceeds raised by ticket sales are going to cover the expenses of the prom” Habara said. If you missed the “I’m coming out” prom you can attend next time next year. “We’re going to plan it in the spring but will most likely have it in the Fall of 2011,” says Habara.
news
December 6 - 18, 2010
Keep Santa Cruz weird Aaron Ramirez was suddenly fired after 5 years because of his zero gauge plug earring holes.
PHOTO BY ALISON MAUPIN
Local fired from Regal Theater for wearing earrings
by Alison Maupin All the empty buildings in Santa Cruz are just begging for a corporate takeover. We’ve changed a lot; from a town that fought billboards on Highway 17 and tried to single-handedly impeach Bush (at least Jon Stewart noticed,) the people keeping Santa Cruz weird are becoming an endangered species in the recession. Economics is behind this push on the weirdos. Whole Foods has come in to displace our thriving local foods industry, the hippy drummers were forced out at the Wednesday farmers market, and the raggedy cliffs of Pleasure Point have been manicured to resemble the concrete walls of the Cave Train ride at the Boardwalk. Now, Aaron Ramirez has fallen prey to this corporate makeover in Santa Cruz. At a manager training for Regal Theaters in Knoxville, Tennessee, the head of Human Resources took offense at his size 0 gauge holes in his ears. He was not at the time wearing his plugs, nor did he wear them at work. “So, I came back from my 10-day trip and I didn’t have a job anymore.” He had the holes the day he was hired, and for five years, his holes didn’t catch the attention of his managers, or even the district manager. Nobody mentioned it.
“People complimented my ears,” said Ramirez. “People were curious, it was more of a conversation starter, people were interested. I wasn’t being outcast-ed or rebellious. It wasn’t a health issue or anything like that.” At the meeting in Tennessee, “when the head of Human Resources saw my ears she didn’t mention anything to me. She called my district manager and told him. She had wanted to fire me on the spot, but she didn’t. The district manager contacted the general manager of the theater, and she called to tell me that the Head of Human Resources had filed a complaint. I got back to discover an investigation was in progress. I called the district manager to find out what I had done wrong. “Their lifestyles in Tennessee were obviously different than things are here. In Santa Cruz people are obviously more diverse. People are more understanding of different life styles here. I mean, speaking from seeing Tennessee for only a week, but still. They are more professional, I think.” The district manager had him take a picture of his ear hole to see what it looked like. “I hear nothing for a week and a half, until just before I left for a pre-approved pre-paid vacation. I left on a Thursday and came back on Friday.” The district man-
ager told him he wanted “before and after shots” at the beginning and end of his ten day vacation. “He wanted to see that my ears healed up by then. I told him that it would take a year to heal up, at least. He said to take the pictures anyways. “I wouldn’t take them out, I thought it was a ridiculous rule. I offered to continue not wearing my plugs while at work, or plug the holes with flesh colored plugs. My general manager asked me what she should do? I said, fire me. Because I wouldn’t voluntarily quit. So she did. “I had been looking forward to coming back to work,” he said, “I brought all sorts of ideas to the meeting about how to improve revenues. I don’t regret getting my ears gauged, I don’t regret standing up for what I believe in, but I do regret giving up so fast.” Corporate didn’t leave any room for reason, said Ramirez, “they want the cookie cutter employee.” He was officially fired for “corporate misconduct.” His record was wiped clean from the system. Far from modeling misconduct, Ramirez was Regal’s “number two man” at the River Front Twin Theater near Trader Joes on River Street. He was their go-to guy for concession sales, stocking, painting, minor electrical work, mechanical operations and maintenance for the pro-
jector, and the assignment of floor staff duties. “I did everything. I was the only full time employee, which meant I couldn’t work less than 36 hours a week. I was the only employee that didn’t require schedule flexibility because I devoted my schedule completely to them. “It’s been my only job since high-school. It’s all I know.” By the end he had achieved a $2 an hour raise and promotion to associate manager. He was also the only nonmanagerial staff receiving health benefits, which he paid $80 a month towards. “When I didn’t feel like a part of the Regal family, I felt like an outcast. I haven’t seen a movie in a movie theater since. I don’t have any desire to watch movies. They not only lost an employee, they lost a customer. “They crushed my dreams,” said Ramirez. “I had so much passion for movies, now I can’t think of them without thinking of my theater.” He points to an upturned cup on his desk and says, “look, this is how you can tell I’ve had nothing to do since I lost my job. I’ve caught two flies in that cup. I thought they were only supposed to live for a few days, but they’re still around.”
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sports
December 6 - 18, 2010
Coach Gabby
The glue that keeps it together
PHOTO BY ROB MCCREA
Cabrillo’s forward Trevor English pulls up for a shot.
Cabrillo continues winning ways, beats Ohlone
Star-shooter drops eight three-pointers
by Nick James
If Marcus Duran continues to singe the bottom of the net the way he did against Ohlone, Cabrillo is going to be unstoppable. Cabrillo proved to Ohlone that it needed to have a little more respect for the Seahawks’ outside game. Cabrillo made sixteen three pointers during the game, eight of those threes coming from star-shooter Duran, who totaled a whopping twentyseven points for the entire game. Trevor English also helped out with eleven points. At the end of the first half, Cabrillo led 42-32, and they never looked back. With a final score of 68-52, they sent a clear message to the rest of the league: Cabrillo is a
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team to be feared. Cabrillo now boasts a record of four wins with only one loss, the loss to Chabot on Nov. 12. Marcus Duran is leading the Coast Conference South with an outstanding 18.5 points per game, or PPG. Darrell Espy and Tyler Velasquez are also notably high on the list at number nine and twelve respectively. Espy is sporting a solid 13.8 PPG; Velasquez is putting up 13 per game. The Seahawks next task is here in Aptos, where they are the host team of the Seventh Annual Cabrillo Basketball Classic. They will be putting their 4-1 record on the line on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. against Porterville. Soon after, Cabrillo will take part in the Skyline College Tournament beginning on Dec. 10.
photo courtesy of www.mbvbc.com
Coach Houston-Neville led the team to #1 in state this year. the team has developed into an art project full of memories for the girls. Before Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Houston-Neville, leaving to state finals on Thursday, she 43, is Cabrillo’s Head Woman’s wore the pants that her and each player of Volleyball Coach. Born and raised in the team decorated. Santa Cruz, Houston-Neville has made “It reminded me of The Sisterhood a title for herself this year at Cabrillo of the Traveling Pants,” said Houstonby taking the woman’s volleyball team Neville. “Each girl on the team added to state finals, but this is not her first something on it before each game.” time taking a team far in a league. The pants were flamboyant with bright She coached Mount Madonna’s girl’s colors, flowers, glitter, and symbolic varsity volleyball, and won the title of references. California’s Interscholastic Federation Not only is she proud of teaching Division V State Volleyball Champions the sport, she feels accomplished to in 2007. With a lifetime of experience have received her B.A. from U.C. playing volleyball, Gabrielle has brought Santa Barbara and a Master’s Degree this team confidence and encouragement. in Exercise Science from Arizona State “She’s awesome, and got the Northern University. Houston-Neville has also had California Coach of the Year Award. She the chance to play against her idol Barbra makes us eat right, and stay healthy,” Fontana—something not a lot of people said Chloe Tushar, outside hitter for the can say to have done in their lifetime. woman’s volleyball team at Cabrillo. Although her mother is the well-known This has been one of Houstonauthor of Farewell to Manzanar, she Neville’s goals since she started at wasn’t as interested in writing. Cabrillo two years ago. “I’ve always been a jock and have “At the beginning of the season we been playing sports and staying active worked out a bunch of goals and one of since I could walk,” said Houstonour big goals was to be a family and to be Neville. sisters and have a sisterhood,” she said. Houston-Neville doesn’t take all the “I really think, whole-heartedly that my credit for Cabrillo’s woman’s volleyball girls can win. They’ve made it so far, and team. She’d like to thank her assistant I think the world of them. They really coach, Dhiraj Coats, Dale Murray, the deserve to be at state.” athletics director, and many more who Houston-Neville close connection to have helped her.
by Jessica Ortega
December 6 - 18, 2010
a&e
The shameless return of “Splatterhouse” Younger generation resurrects classic By Kyle Matthews Way back in 1988, Namco released the original Splatterhouse for the arcade and the TurboGrafx-16 game console. This dark and gory ‘beat em up’ side-scroller gained a small following, allowing the Japanese company to release three sequels. Now, Namco Bandai Games has revived the franchise in a 3-dimensional remake with a heavy metal soundtrack. Sadly, this game is merely the latest to clog the testosterone-filled market of M-rated video games. Splatterhouse brings back the four original main characters. You play as Rick Taylor, a college student who tags along with his girlfriend, Jennifer, to her interview with Dr. Henry West for a college newspaper. But when they arrive at West’s mansion, things go awry. Monsters kidnap Jennifer and unleash an assault on central character Rick. Left for dead, Rick’s blood comes in contact with an Aztec burial mask that has fallen on the floor. The blood awakens a nameless demon trapped in the mask, which tells Rick that they can save Jennifer if he wears the mask. It heals Rick’s wounds and turns him into a muscular freak. Now Rick will have to fight his way through hordes of demons, zombies and genetically-altered mutants to save his girlfriend, all while dealing with the annoying jokes of the demon in the Terror Mask. One thing this remake does right is use a lot of the elements of the original games. While Rick’s primary offense is his unnaturally meaty fists, he’ll also find weapons along the way, including 2x4’s with nails in them, severed limbs and chainsaws. Rick has the ability to heal, even if he loses an arm, which he can then pick up to defend himself. The game occasionally switches to
side-scroller format, paying homage to its predecessors. Also, if there’s an award for bloodiest game of 2010, no one will be surprised when Splatterhouse wins it. If you’ve got a weak stomach, watch out for the gallons and gallons of blood that spray everywhere, including across the screen, when Rick smashes, slashes, shoots, and dismembers his enemies. Blood is even used as currency for upgrading characters, as well as unlocking certain doors. Splatterhouse even provides a decent soundtrack of thrash and death metal, featuring a good balance between mainstream acts like Lamb of God and Mastodon, and lesser-known artists like Invisible Enemies and WolfShirt. Sure, all of this stuff sounds great — if you’re a 14 year old. The gory game play tends to get a bit repetitive; the humor is mediocre at best, and it feels a bit creepy to collect reassembled pictures of Rick’s topless girlfriend (seriously, this is something you actually do in the game). What is it with Mrated games that seem to be made for kids who are too young to legally purchase them? Also, the button command mini-games don’t always seem to respond properly, and items tend to glitch in the air and become unreachable. If you get bored you can also play through the survival arena, and unlock three of the original Splatterhouse games. Overall, this game is a good rental for action fans that need to let out some frustration, but it’s definitely not worth a $60 purchase. Splatterhouse is available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and is rated M for Mature.
Image courtesy of www.comicbookbin.com
Art by Rob Gullory
A taste of, well, something different FDA Detective with an odd Appitite takes a bite out of crime By Arthur O’Reilly If you have a craving for some off color humor and over the top sorties about a cannibal detective, I would recommend taking a bite out of Chew, the Eisener award winning comic created by John Layman and Rob Gullory. Detective Tony Chu, FDA, has the world’s strangest superpower. He is a Cibopath. Whatever Tony eats, he will see the complete history of the given object. If Tony takes a bite of a hamburger, he will see the entire life of the cow he just ate. If he eats a salad, Tony will see the history of each lettuce leaf he digests.. In a world where the government has outlawed chicken because of a very deadly strain of bird flu, Tony uses his power to solve cases for the FDA and help prevent another outbreak. Tony’s supporting cast includes his best friend and partner who has a cyborg face, his girlfriend - a restaurant critic with a food based power of her own, and a champion fighting roster. The first fifteen issues take Tony on a world spanning adventure, from a small island in the
Bahamas that grows a plant of devious origins that is used a chicken substitute, to an observatory in the arctic that may or may not have made contact with an alien race. When you read Chew it is hard to see what is coming next, all you do know is that it is going to be delightfully weird. Chew doesn’t have any pretentions. It doesn’t try to change the world or be the next Watchmen. Chew is all about having a good time reading a comic book. Chew isn’t afraid to have goofy jokes or over the top characters, in fact it thrives upon it’s own silliness. While Tony is having adventures in comic, Chew is going to be turned into a TV series produced by Circle of Confusion, the same people who make AMC’s The Walking Dead. The title role of Tony Chew hasn’t been cast, however Layton hopes that Circle of Confusion will cast an Asian actor in the role. Whether or not the show turns out to be good, Chew the comic will continue to be a goofy experience that everyone should check out.
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Bring your commitment. Engage in field research.
Launch a career.
Humboldt State University has some of the most highly respected natural resources and environmental programs in the nation. Make lifelong connections with renowned professors while becoming an expert in your field.
Environmental Management & Protection Forestry Forest Hydrology, Forest Operations, Forest Resource Conservation, Forest Soils, Fire Ecology, Wildland Fire Management, Watershed Management
Take the next step and help protect the world’s natural resources. Faculty in each department are happy to talk to you about pursuing a degree or contact the Admissions Office to set up a campus tour.
Fisheries Biology Oceanography Rangeland Resource Science Wildlife Conservation Biology/Applied Vertebrate Ecology, Wildlife Management & Conservation, Environmental Ethics
Deadline for Fall 2011 applications is Nov. 30, 2010! Apply now at csumentor.edu 866.850.9556
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humboldt.edu
December 6 - 18, 2010
a&e
Audiofauna has hip pop soul “Drunkards, sick of love rambles, and snow bound ghosts.” KUUMWA JAZZ CENTER $10 adv./ $12@ door Doors at 8pm, show 8:30 Fri. Dec. 10 by Gretchen Wegrich Local Santa Cruz band Audiafauna pours a witches brew of folktronica, then adds in dashes of indy pop, hip-hop, soul and classical to round out its spellbinding sound. Somehow, Audiafauna overcomes this smorgasbord of musical influences without bipolarity or a lead instrument. Instead of allowing guitars or keys to set the tone, Audiafauna intoxicates listeners with violin, cello, drum samples, beat box and glass bottles. This eclectic mix of instruments is woven together by the powerful vocals and stage presence of frontwoman Kelly Koval. With poetic lyrics that stay far away from clichés, Audiafauna draws comparison to Florence The Machine. Intrigued? A legendary February show
at the Crepe Place sold out and left enraptured listeners standing out in the rain, their ears pressed against the glass. Audiafauna is unsigned. Sharing the billing with Audiafauna are local boys Joshua Lowe and the Juncos, a rockabilly-bluegrass crew of porch stompin’, chair rockin’ Santa Cruz hillbillies. Lead singer Lowe puts his banjo and guitar to work on a series of bluegrass melodies and folksy ballads, while the original lyrics regale listeners with an epic lineup of characters including “drunkards, sick of love ramblers, and snow bound ghosts,” according to bluecoastrecords.com. Besides Lowe, The Juncos are Chris Lynch on violin, mandolin, piano and vocals, and Jeff Kissel on the double bass and harmonies. Tonight they celebrate the launch their new album, At The Feet of Old Bristlecone. If you aren’t afraid to embrace an evening of live music that sounds like it belongs on KPIG 107.5, the rootsy Americana of Joshua Lowe and the Juncos will take you back in time amidst the sounds of jug-band, honky-tonk, folk and alt-country.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUDIOFAUNA
Audiafauna & Joshua Lowe and the Juncos get down.
THE UGLY MUG
Kera and the Lesbians 6 p.m. Thur. Dec. 16
by Gretchen Wegrich
Don’t be thrown off by the name, this isn’t a girlpower garage band.
Besides Kera, who sings some of the time, the rest of this group of indy folkrockers are dudes. Mellow and beachy, Kera and the Lesbians’ Southern California sound reverberates with the instrumentation of 1950s surfer pop, which contrasts the serious lyrics and pacing of their slowed down, thoughtful ballads. Solid riffs provide the music with a sturdy baseline. Hailing from the thriving indy music scene of the North County of San Diego, The Ugly Mug will be one of the band’s final stops on their San Francisco tour before they head South for the winter. The cozy coffee shop vibes at Soquel’s Ugly Mug should be the perfect backdrop for Kera and the Lesbians to seduce the audience, whatever their sexual orientation. Image courtesy of Kera and the lesbians band
December 6 - 18, 2010
Arts & Entertainment
Music Dec 10th and 11th
Sports
The Expendables and C- Wednesday, December 22 • Men’s basketball VS. Money Pacific Avenue Snow Night Foothill 7:00 The Catalyst, Santa Cruz Play in real snow! From 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Pacif- $20 advance/ $25 at the Wednesday, Jan 12 door ic Ave. near Cooper St. • Men’s basketball VS. Special appearance by the one 16 and up Hartnell 5:30 Doors at 7:30 and only St. Nick! • Women’s basketball VS. Hartnell 7:30 Dec 15 Saturday, Dec. 11th Cabrillo Piano Ensemble Coastal Collision Cabrillo Music Recital Friday, January 14th Top amatuer mixed martial art- Hall • Women’s Basketball VS. ists from around the bay area Donations requested at San Jose City 5:30 • Men’s basketball VS. will go toe-to-toe for your the door San Jose City 7:30 Doors at 7:00 viewing pleasure. Santa Cruz County FairFriday, January 21 grounds • Women’s basketball VS. Doors at 4:30, fights begin at Dec 17th Mission 5:30 Los Lobos 6:00 • Men’s basketball VS. The Catalyst West Valley 7:30 $23 in advance/ $27 at Dec. 17-Dec. 19th the door Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre Ages 21 and up Friday, January 28th presents: “The Nutcracker” • Women’s basketball VS. Doors at 8:00 Civic Auditorium Ohlone 5:30 • Men’s basketball VS. Dec 18th Jan. 8th to Jan. 9th Gavilan 7:30 Byron Space Circus Santa Cruz Fungus Fair The Crepe Place Wednesday, February 2 Fabulous mushroom displays, $8 • Men’s basketball VS. delicacies and cooking demon- Doors at 8:00 Monterey Peninsula 5:30 strations • Women’s basketball VS. Louden Nelson Center, 301 Dec 30th Monterey Peninsula 7:30 Raindance Presents BluCenter St. etech plus Little John 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Thursday, February 3 Don Quixotes in Felton • Softball VS. Diablo Valley $12 in advance/ $14 at Jan 15th College 3:00 the door Wine Passport Program • Doors at 9:00 A chance to visit wineries of Friday, February 11 the Santa Cruz mountains not Dec. 30th • Softball double header VS normally open to the public. Porterville College 12:00 Let Abbey Road Be Located at various wineries, The Rio Theatre • Men’s Basketball VS. De for more info call 831-685- $25 to $40 available at Anza College 5:00 • Women’s basketball VS. De VINE Streetlight Recors Anza College 7:00 Doors at 7:00 11 am to 5 pm
Thursday, Dec. 9th