The Albany Bulb park brings nature and art together Page 6 www.thecampanil.com
VOLUME 96 ISSUE 5
Tuesday | Oct 19, 2010
Prop 19 now up for debate
Oakland’s undead bike their brains out Stephanie Scerra FEATURES EDITOR There are plenty of reasons to wear a helmet while riding a bike. Aside from the obvious safety measures, it can keep your head dry when it rains, hide your bad hair day, or protect your brain from cranial-craving, grey-matter munching-zombies. With their clothes and faces splattered with red “blood,” the undead of all ages embarked on a 13-and-a-half-mile Zombie themed ride through the streets of Oakland on the night of Oct. 8th. The ride was the sixth hosted by the East Bay Bike Party, a new non-profit aiming to create a community of riders who bike the second Friday of every month. “Fun” is exactly what volunteers like Nick Urffer are aiming for, for the bikers and for themselves. “I feel like I should just answer with a urrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhh,” Urffer, the undead, said, but then allowed his mortal side to
speak. “We want people to have fun, but we want to be safe and respectful, too.” Urffer and the rest of East Bay Bike Party’s members host their monthly rides on a different route each time. The Zombie Ride’s route sparked numerous goulish groans of approval, for being concentrated solely in Oakland compared to the other rides in the Bay Area. “I love Oakland, just the idea of a ride around Oakland,” said rider Carl Vu, as he gathered with other zombies in Frank Ogawa Plaza before the ride. “There’s a lot of bad things going on here, but there are good things, too.” The East Bay Bike Party also ensures a good time by giving each ride a theme, hence this month’s zombie attire. Riders embraced the theme, sporting torn clothing, gray makeup, and “bloody” mouths. Some even carted around fake human heads and giant speakers playing zombie tunes. “I thought it was really cool,” Mills College Junior Jillian Harris said. “Being on a bike, you’re see
Zombies
page 5
Anna Corson CONTRIBUTING WRITER
STEPHANIE SCERRA
Anxiously awaiting the start of the sixth East Bay Bike Party, one zombie rider attempts to unclip a fellow rider’s helmet so she can snack on her brain. Zombies: more reasons to wear bike helmets.
WHRC comes out to party Lauren-Marie Sliter BREAKING NEWS EDITOR
HEATHER MCDANIEL
Top: WHRC volunteers, Michele Collender and Isabella Vargas pose during their smoke break. Bottom: Partygoers dance the night away.
GAIN ACCESS to all of this...
The Women's Health Resource Center hosted their third annual Coming Out Party on Oct 7, in an attempt to spread awareness about their programs and the importance of women's health on campus. Despite its name, the party was not intended as a space for people to come out of the closet, but rather, was in anticipation of the day when the WHRC will be able to move out of its current location on campus. "We want to come out of our closet of a space," Lilah CrewsPless said, one of eight board members and the resources coordinator for the WHRC. The volunteer-centered organization supplied attendees with snacks, wine, dance music, along with condoms and dental dams. "We are trying to raise awareness," said first year Solana Willis, who has just started volunteering for the WHRC this year. "Not a lot
of girls are showing up" to the resource center, she said. Willis was in charge of greeting people and showing them the array of safe sex goodies available at the WHRC. The WHRC has been on campus since 2005, though it was not an official student resource until 2008, when it was able to find a space in Cowell to call home, according to Crews-Pless. The program has been there ever since. The WHRC is, however, applying for a larger space on campus, hence their "Coming Out Party", referring to the hope of one day moving out of the closet-sized space the organization currently occupies in Cowell. In its current state, the WHRC provides students with confidential services pertaining to safe sex, domestic violence, nutrition and information about local health care providers and doctors. "Our mission is to create a student-run, sustainable, on-campus space that provides confidential, safe access to information and
resources concerning health and safety for all Mills College students." Even though the organization is aimed at women, it also provides resources for trans-gendered students as well. "The WHRC is a huge trans ally and it has tons of trans resources," Crews-Pless said. As far as the event goes, Crews-Pless was pleased with the turnout. "Mills women do not come out to things often," she said. The event had gathered 86 RSVPs on its Facebook page, according to Jisel Moore, a junior at Mills and a volunteer with the WHRC for three years. "We throw some pretty bomb parties," she said. The party got off to a slow start, but the pace picked up as the night progressed. "This party is the 'da bomb!" said transfer student Kate Cohen. Heather McDaniel contributed to this report
On Nov. 2, Californians will be asked to vote on the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana as posed by Proposition 19. Currently, in the state of California, marijuana use is only legal for those who have a serious illness and obtain a doctor’s recommendation to use medical marijuana, which is sold at medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. Prop 19 would allow all Californians aged 21 and above to legally consume marijuana for recreational purposes. Mills students are generally in favor of passing Prop 19. “I think I’m going to vote yes on it because I think by legalizing it there will be less criminal activity. And it has been shown that by legalizing it, it will be taxed which means more money for us,” said Morgane Bradley, junior at Mills College. According to the California State Board of Equalization, taxing marijuana could generate about $1.4 billion in revenue annually, which would help to close the states current $20 billion deficit, creating more funding for schools, parks, health care and jobs. One big question that institutions both public and private, like Mills College, are facing is how their rules in regards to marijuana consumption would be altered if Prop 19 were passed. Mills College is currently working on a policy for medical marijuana patients, though Proposition 215, which allows for people to use marijuana medically, was passed in 1996. The Division of Student life is working on a medical marijuana policy because it recognizes marijuana as a treatment for certain medical needs that students may have, according to Monique Director of Young, Residential Life. “We are discussing a policy with Jess Miller, SDS, and Public Safety. The policy has to be vetted by the campuses’ legal counsel,” said Young. Whether Prop 19 passes or not, it seems that people, especially young people, want to change the stigmas surrounding marijuana. “People are going to do it anyways," said sophmore Willoughby Smith. "So why not legalize it and all the hype will calm down about it. After awhile I think it will be as normal as alcohol and cigarettes.”
Gain access to our RSS feed, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts. Simply visit our Web site and click the corresponding buttons.
...at www.thecampanil.com
2
News
Oct 19, 2010
Brown, Whitman spar in final debate Steven Luo THE CALIFORNIA BEAT The gloves flew off as Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown traded blows in their final debate before the November election on Oct. 12 in San Rafael. The candidates answered questions from NBC News’s Tom Brokaw on the budget, pensions, immigration, and the state’s landmark global warming law. But Whitman and Brown found room in the free-flowing format to trade zingers, question each other’s facts, and drag out the recent controversies over Whitman’s undocumented former housekeeper and a Brown staffer’s use of the word “whore” to describe Whitman. Brown offered an apology when asked about a staffer’s use of the word “whore,” caught on tape by a Southern California police union during a phone call to discuss endorsements in the governor’s race. “I’m sorry it happened,” he said during the debate. But Brown attempted to downplay the significance of the incident, which he said was based on a “garbled” recording of a “five week old” event and questioning whether taping the phone call was legal in the first place. Whitman pounced on what she saw as a hedge to the apology. “The people of California... deserve better,” she said, calling the term “deeply offensive” to Californians, especially women. Whitman, meanwhile, was asked by Brokaw how she could expect employers to find out whether their employees were in the country legally if she couldn’t discover for nearly a decade that her former housekeeper, Nicandra Diaz Santillan, was undocumented. “It broke my heart” to have to fire her, Whitman said, suggesting “this is why we need a very good everify system” to allow employers to verify potential hires’ documents. But Brown questioned whether Whitman really cared about Diaz. “She didn’t even get her a lawyer” after Diaz told Whitman she was in the country illegally, he said. Candidates trade sharper blows on budget, taxes
Whitman, who is trailing Brown by small margins in most
THE
COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA BEAT
Jerry Brown, the democratic candidate (Left) and Meg Whitman, the republican candidate (Right). The two primary gubernatorial candidates faced off in a final debate on Oct 12 in San Rafael.
recent polls, came out swinging in very pointed exchanges on taxes and the budget. Brown, when asked about how his plan for fixing the state’s budget differed from the status quo, said he would start the process earlier, involve all of the state’s legislators instead of just the leaders of the two parties, and “take (the process) on the road” to hear from ordinary people and get them to “articulate in a very clear way” what the state government should be. “I don’t have to learn on the job,” he said, touting his prior experience as governor. But it was his oft-repeated pledge to cut 10 to 15 percent from the budget for the governor’s office that drew one of the best lines of the night from Whitman, who said that cutting 15 percent of the governor’s budget would save only $2.7 million at a time the state faces a $20 billion deficit. “If that is your plan for fixing the budget, we have really big problems ahead of us,” she said, addressing Brown directly. But Brown defended the idea. “I want those in power... to lead by example,” he said. Brown said that Whitman hasn’t provided any details of the billions of dollars in cuts she proposes. Both candidates backed
CAMPANIL
Tara Nelson Editor in Chief eic@thecampanil.com 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613 510.430.2246 phone 510.430.3176 fax
Proposition 13, the 1978 voterapproved initiative which caps property taxes, when asked by Brokaw whether it needed to be changed to fix the state’s budget crisis . The candidates then used the ensuing discussion to trade barbs on taxes and the economy. Brown again attacked Whitman’s plan to eliminate the capital gains tax, calling it a break for “millionaires and billionaires” and saying it would add $5-10 billion to the deficit, forcing the state to take money from schools. Whitman, as in past debates, defended the proposal, calling the tax a “tax on jobs” and “investment.” “How much money would you save?” Brown asked Whitman, a former executive with online auction site eBay. But Whitman was ready for the attack. “My track record was creating jobs,” she said. Then she addressed Brown directly. “Your business is politics,” she told him, adding “you have been part of the war on jobs for 40 years.” Candidates say little new on global warming, pensions, campaign cash
Responding to a question about
AB 32, the state’s landmark law to control the greenhouse gases which cause global warming, Whitman repeated her call for a one-year moratorium on the implementation of the law, claiming it would do “real damage” to what she said were the 97 percent of the state’s jobs not in the green sector. “We can be green and smart,” but “cannot jeopardize” jobs, she said. But Brown said that “no credible study” supporting Whitman’s claim had been published, saying that a California State University Sacramento study which forecast significant economic harm from AB 32 had been “thoroughly debunked.” He again promoted his green jobs plan, saying that building new clean energy plants and retrofitting existing buildings to be more energy-efficient would create jobs. Brown defended the California Teachers Association in response to a question about the teachers union’s role in education, calling it a “strong advocate” for increased education funding. He went on to again defend the role of unions in his campaign and assert his independence from them. But Whitman called the teachers union bosses “part of the problem” with the state’s K-12 educa-
Chief News Editor Heather McDaniel
Asst. Design Editor Christina Macias
Breaking News Editor Lauren Sliter
Sports Editor Bonnie Horgos
Opinions Editor Lauren Soldano
Webmaster Yun Miao
Features Editor Stephanie Scerra
Copy Editor Ellen Newton
Online Editor Melodie Miu
Calendar Editor Vanessa Soto
Design Editor Nicole Vermeer
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
tion system. The union “fights change every step of the way,” she said. And she once again pointed to unions’ political spending in defending her record-breaking personal contribution — now in excess of $140 million, including a $20 million contribution reported today — to her campaign. The massive outlay “does allow me independence,” she said, whereas union bosses would “collect IOUs” from Brown if he were elected. As in the past, Whitman questioned whether Brown’s dependence on union backing would allow him to carry out reforms to the state’s underfunded employee pensions. Pensions are “squeezing out” higher budgetary priorities, she said, though she said she would not support rolling back benefits for current retirees. Brown, though, said he had lost endorsements from police unions because of his refusal to offer them a special deal like Whitman. Free-flowing debate allows extended exchanges
The one-hour debate, held at Dominican University in San Rafael and sponsored by NBC, was notably more open and free-flowing than the two that preceded it. Opening and closing statements, usually a chance for candidates to recite talking points uninterrupted for a few minutes, were omitted, and moderator Tom Brokaw — a veteran of several debates, including the second presidential debate in 2008 between John McCain and Barack Obama — allowed the candidates plenty of time to respond to each other’s accusations. There was action outside in addition to the now-conventional groups of supporters of the candidates demonstrating outside the debate, too. Green Party gubernatorial candidate Laura Wells, who did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the debate, was arrested while trying to get in. Voters will go to the polls to choose a governor Nov. 2, though most absentee voters have already received their ballots, and early voting has begun.
Contact Steven Luo at sluo@californiabeat.org.
The Campanil welcomes public commentary on subjects of interest to the campus community, as well as feedback on the paper itself. Submissions for Open Forum should be no more than 400 words. Letters to the editor should be no more than 150 words. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions must include the author’s name and contact information and may be submitted via e-mail or in typewritten form, accompanied by a CD. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Submissions must be received one week before publication date to appear in the next issue. The Campanil reserves the right to upload all content published in print, in addition to original content, on our website www.thecampanil.com. The Campanil is published every other Monday. The first copy of The Campanil is free. Additional copies are 50 cents. Students interested in joining should contact the editor in chief.
News
Oct 19, 2010
3
Attorney for Mehserle seeks new trial Tashina Manyak STAFF WRITER THE CALIFORNIA BEAT
The defense for Johannes Mehserle, the former BART Police officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting of unarmed passenger Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART Station New Year’s Day 2009, has filed a motion seeking a new trial, claiming “newly discovered evidence” supports Mehserle’s case. The motion, filed Friday and posted Monday to the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s website, includes a statement from a Kentucky police officer who said he shot a man in the back in 2008 because he confused his Taser with his gun, despite the fact that his Taser, the same model and color as Mehserle’s, was in a “strong hand, cross draw position” — the same place Mehserle’s was. In his statement, Lieutenant William Jones of the Nicholasville Police Department, who said he had 18 years prior law enforcement experience at the time of the shoot-
ing, claimed he had “no conscious recollection of making the necessary movements” to draw his handgun from his holster. When he noticed the Taser wires didn’t come out, “I looked in my right hand and saw I was holding my gun,” he said. The shooting victim, a white male, did not die despite being critically injured. Jones was suspended three weeks without pay, but not charged with a crime. “I was informed that no charges would be filed against me as the case was determined to be a ‘muscle memory accident,’” he said. Defense attorney Michael Rains says the defense was unaware of the details of this incident until July, after the verdict in Mehserle’s trial. Rains, who argued at trial that Mehserle confused his Taser and his gun when he shot Grant, argues the statement is evidence demanding a new trial because prosecutor David Stein repeatedly argued at trial that “never ... had any officer” whose Taser was set up the way Mehserle’s was accidentally con-
fused the Taser with a gun. According to Rains, the prosecution’s closing argument “contains nothing upon which the jurors could have based a finding that Mehserle was criminally negligent other than its argument that the mistaken shooting here was so extraordinarily unlikely because of the color, weight, and holster configuration of Mehserle’s Taser.” But Grant’s uncle Cephus Johnson questions the validity of admitting this case as new evidence. “It really doesn’t make sense to call this new evidence because six other cases were presented in the trial already,” he said. Judge Robert Perry, who presided over the trial, will hear the motion for a new trial Nov. 5 in Los Angeles, where the case was moved due to concerns over whether Mehserle could receive a fair trial in the Bay Area. If the motion is denied, Mehserle will be sentenced that day.
Contact Tashina Manyak at tmanyak@californiabeat.org.
COURTESY LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
Former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle photographed by Oscar Grant moments before the fatal shooting.
Team Awesome brings silly to Mills Loren Sanchez CONTRIBUTING WRITER Just last month, Mills was voted one of the coolest schools by Sierra Magazine. Now there’s a club that could take the campus from cool to awesome. Team Awesome, a club created to give Mills women a chance to have some fun, had its first and only meeting Sept. 30 in the Mills Hall living room. "Team Awesome exists to make ridiculous happen and ridiculous happenings at Mills," said a message sent out to Student-News. According to club co-president Colleen Kimsey, who started the group with Ariana Cuellar and Zoe Marcus, Mills women are in need of a break. “Mills is a serious place, so I thought, what if we did ridiculous stuff instead of serious things.,” said Co-President Colleen Kimsey, a sophomore. “Team Awesome is born.” At the club's one and only meeting, those in attendance discussed the types of events they would want to create for the Mills community this academic year. A few of the awesome ideas discussed were having guest lecturers like poet and activist Andrea
Gibson, a giant hopscotch game, a zombie apocalypse, and matchmaking. For the month of October the club plans to host a guerrilla art workshop and franken-stuffed animals workshop, where participants can tear apart stuffed animals and sew different parts back together to create a new stuffed animal. In November the club plans to have a story time with cookies and milk. Kimsey led the meeting and explained the reason for having only one meeting and how the events are organized, planned and carried out. She also explained the structure of the group. “No one’s in charge, it’s collaborative,” she said. Team Awesome plans an event for each month. Members sign up to organize and participate in an activity of their choice, according to Kimsey. Members are given a month to plan and execute their event. First-year students were also there to participate. “The meeting was interesting. The off-the-wall events make me excited to make it happen,” said first-year Eve Bauman. For more information on ways to become involved see page 9. Paid advertisement Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
4
Events & Information
October 19, 2010
OCTOBER 19 - NOVEMBER 1 19
Tuesday
20
Wednesday
Contemporary Writers Series Who:Hiromi Ito When: 7 p.m. Where:Mills Hall Contact: kmiltenberger@mills.edu
M Center Deadlines! What: Last day to drop a class, decrease credit, or change grade option from graded to pass/no pass Contact:(510) 430-2075
Sunday
Monday
24
Sunday Streets What: Streets will be blocked from traffic, bring your bike! When: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Where: Civic Center, SF
29 Friday
25
Songlines Who:Jim Denley & Kim Myhr Cost: Free When: 7:30 p.m. Where:Music Building, Ensemble Room
30
Saturday
Rock & A Hard Place When: 8 p.m. Where: Littlefield Concert Hall Cost:Free for Mills students, faculty, and staff. $15 general admission
Rocky Horror Cost: $10.50 When: midnight Where: Clay Theater, San Francisco Contact:(415) 346-1124
Boo At The Zoo
Lucha VaVoom
What:Enjoy the Halloween themed events at the zoo! Kids in costume willreceive a free train ride. When: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Cost: Adults $12.50 Kids $8.50 Where: Oakland Zoo Contact:www.oaklandzoo.org
What:Show that combines Mexican Luchadores with comedy and striptease. Come in costume! When: 8 p.m. Cost: $44.70 Where: The Fillmore, SF Contact:(415) 346-3000
21
Thursday
Alcoholics Anonymos Meeting When: 1p.m. - 2 p.m. Where: Chapel Contact: health@mills.edu
26
Tuesday
Sufjan Stevens When: 8 p.m. Where:Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland Cost: $35 Contact: (510) 465-6400
31 Sunday
Happy Halloween!
HALLOWEEN DAY & NIGHT EVENTS
22 Friday
Garden Gathering When: 10 a.m. - 1p.m. Where: Community Garden Contact: Christina McWhorter (510)430-2230
27
Wednesday
Speer Family Pumpkin Patch When: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Where: 5600 Christie Ave, Emeryville Contact: (510) 705-2352
1
23
Saturday
David Dunn Concert When: 8 p.m. Where: Littlefield Concert Hall Cost:Free for Mills students, faculty, and staff. $15 general admission
28
Thursday
Polaroid Stories What: Laney College’s Fusion Theater presents the play by Naomi Iizuka When: 7:30 p.m. Cost: sliding scale $5 - $100 Where: Laney College
M Center Deadlines! What: Last day to file for degrees to be conferred Fall ‘10 or Spring ‘11, last day for those graduating Fall’10 or Spring ‘11 to declare a minor
For more events, check out www.thecampanil.com If you have events for the calendar, email soto@thecampanil.com
Ghosts & Jazz
Dracula
Monday
What: Bram Stoker’s gothic What: Performances on masterpiece performed by koto, taiko drums, saxoCenter Repertory Company phone, and Noh-style When: 2:30 p.m. drama Cost: $41 When: 7 p.m. Where: Lesher Center for Cost: $15 - $20 Where: Yoshi’s Jazz Club & the Arts,Walnut Creek Contact:www.centerrep.org Japanese Restaurant, SF Contact:(415) 665-5600
BY INQUISITIVE COONEY
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com.
Arts & Features
Oct. 5, 2010
5
East Bay Bike Party’s sixth ride has zombie theme
STEPHANIE SCERRA
Zombies from page 1
Riders mount their bikes in zombie attire - their clothes and faces splattered with red “blood.” From affar, Oakland residents can hear the crowd screaming, “BRAINS!”
Haunts and Crafts: How to dress your pumpkin to petrifying perfection
moving really slowly and you see a lot you wouldn’t see in a car.” There have been all sorts of themes in the past, including Superheroes and Western. This time around, cyclists not only dressed the part,
but acted it as well. “I represent social oppression. Zombies are discriminated against,” Urffer said. “I think times are changing and if someone wants to eat brains, they should be accepted.” Or as rider Demetrius Marcoulids put it:
“BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAINS!” Harris said she definetly plans to ride in future East Bay Bike Parties. “Hands down yes. Always,” Harris said. “You meet the funniest, the nicest people there.”
Helpful information
- East Bay Bike Party’s website: http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.c om/ - Text ebbikeparty to 41411 for information on upcoming rides
ELLEN NEWTON
Top left: Snow Leopard Pumpkin. Middle left: Stained Glass Pumpkin. Bottom left: Voodoo Pumpkin
Ellen Newton COPY EDITOR If your approach to “pumpkin season” is anything like mine, you recognize Halloween as America's unofficial arts and crafts holiday; a time of friends, ghosts and paint. To get those ambitious dead souls up from the grave and running, I've taken a few spins on traditional Halloween pumpkins for a tour of decor possibilities that will make you the coolest kid in the pumpkin patch. The Snow Leopard Pumpkin
This is the prettiest pumpkin and the easiest. Start with a small white pumpkin or paint an orange pumpkin in white acrylic. (Don’t worry, it will look real.) Using black acrylic paint and a thin, flat brush, paint the leopard spots on in uneven, broken "rings" with the occasional splotch in between them to give the pattern a convincing look. The devil is in the details, so
paint as many spots as you can, trying not to make it too uniform. Add a giraffe and zebra pumpkin to make a crazier display. For extra cool kids points, hand out bottles of PBR to trick-or-treaters - or maybe just their parents. The Stained Glass Pumpkin
Visually speaking, this pumpkin is eerily becoming. Start with a bigger pumpkin, as you'll need spacious "windows." Empty the pumpkin of seeds and then carve out windows - squares, circles, you name it, just make them unique. Using colorful transparent fabric or paper - like wax paper - cut out shapes aligning to the window sizes, and then pin them inside of the pumpkin. I used blue and green paper with ‘veins’ from Blick’s Art Supply to give the windows texture. You can get more creative by drawing stained-glass patterns on the material. Be careful to avoid loose paper, or the whole pumpkin could go up in smoke! Place a small tea candle inside and turn off
the lights for a flickering night that harkens to the Dark Ages. The Voodoo Pumpkin
For a pumpkin with a real twist, you'll need to get creative. Bright neon feathers, glow-in-thedark paint, beads – you can find them all at an arts and crafts shop. Start with a big pumpkin. If you can’t find a dark one, paint its surface green, purple or black. After emptying the pumpkin of seeds and making a lid from the stem, start carving. Make big circle eyes and a long, round mouth with sharp teeth at the bottom. Using a thin brush and white acrylic or glow-in-thedark paint, draw lines and dots that emphasize the eyes and mouth in crowded, geometric patterns. Finally, add some of those feathers by punching small holes at the top or on the sides, so that the feathers span out from the pumpkin. Put a row of beads at the neck or around the eyes. Put a candle inside and dim the lights. This pumpkin is guaranteed to scare small children.
6
Oct. 19, 2010
Arts & Features
One man’s trash, a community’s treasure: Locals love the Bulb
Lauren-Marie Sliter BREAKING NEWS EDITOR Proof that one man's trash is another man's treasure, the Eastshore State Park, or the Albany Bulb, has served as the Bay Area's creative dumping grounds for over a decade. The Bulb displays a world in which nature and its inhabitants have collided and now creatively coexist with one another. This 8.5 miles stretch of land, which extends into the San Francisco Bay just north of the Bay Bridge, has a rich history, but has gone in and out of development as far back as the 1800's. The land, now recognized as part of the city of Albany, has been developed by Spanish conquistadors, railroad companies and gold miners. What is now the Albany Bulb was once a small dump in the early 20th century. The landfill closed in 1984, and was all but forgotten
until the 1990's. It was then that a community of homeless people and local artists gathered there and claimed the Albany Bulb for their home, according to The College of Natural Resources at University of California, Berkeley's website. "It became a mecca for artists who created numerous pieces of outdoor 'folk art' from found natural objects and human debris," the website's report said. Throughout much of the 1990's, the collaborative community of homeless and local artists were able to thrive in the Albany Bulb. The most prominent art group, Sniff, began as a group of friends who took it upon themselves to decorate the Bulb. They contributed much of the artwork that can be seen there today. During the 1990's, California had begun purchasing land on the shoreline from Richmond to Emeryville, including the Albany Bulb location. By 1999, the City of
Albany had evicted most of the homeless population in the park. Despite City plans in 2002 to renovate the park, adding areas for water and land sports, popular demand has kept the City from removing the artwork and homeless population altogether. Much of the popular support for maintaining the Bulb's original form has come from the East Bay dog walking community. "We mostly still enjoy walking our dogs off-leash on the various paths and the little sand-beach where they have a place to romp, play, and swim," said Mimi Nielsen, a first year graduate student at Mills, and consistent Bulbgoer. "Only occasionally does someone mention that they have been ticketed by a park ranger for having their dog off-leash there." The park is riddled with trails, which lead into the farthest reaches of the brush and along the shoreline, where San Francisco can be
seen across the Bay. Depending on which trail you choose, you could end up on the outermost rim of the bulbous land mass, where the most outstanding pieces of art meet the bay waters, or stepping through the front porches of nearly a dozen homeless camps that still reside within the park. Most of the local community keeps to itself, but their friendly chatter can be heard as you walk through the park. As for the sculptures along the shore, they couldn't keep to themselves even if they tried. Entering the Bulb, the first statue you see is of a giant woman. With open arms, she greets you, ushering you through a maze of odd collections of meticulously twisted metal and drift wood. Her face is weathered, pieced together with small nails dotting her proud face. She is accompanied by a male figure, nearly as tall as his she is,
along with a scrap metal samurai just returned from battle, a seagull carved out of drift wood, a wiry angel with a rose for a face and a dragon with a lingering tale and a stoic rider. These sculptures line the western edge of the Bulb, as if keeping watch over its inhabitants. They are the glue between humans and nature at the Albany Bulb and the heart of the unique space its visitors love. "The views are stunning, the waters of the bay are up close and personal, and the freedom for spontaneous interaction with the environment still rules," Nielson said, who recommends the Eastshore State Park to anyone "interested in urban-nature interfacing." Nielson recommends the Albany Bulb to adventurers and art lovers and offers only the following advice: "Just wear good shoes and an open mind!"
ALL PHOTOS BY LAUREN SLITER
Top: A sculpture of a woman greets visitors to the Albany Bowl. Bottom: Another sculpture at a park filled with the trails and trash that keep visitors coming. Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
Arts & Features
Oct. 19, 2010
7
Thongs, transvestites, toast:
Rocky Horror premiers for Mills Melodie Miu ONLINE EDITOR
Hips shook from side to side with hair tossing and lips puckering. Dark heels clicked across the stage at Lisser Hall as a formation of girls dressed in red and black seductively swung their fishnetclad legs up into the air with ease. The new Mills College Dance Club performed their debut at the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday, Oct. 9 to the delight of a hollering and whistling audience. The Office of Student Activities (OSA) hosted the show as a Second Saturday event, which took over a month to organize and produce. Chloe Garcia, a senior and the events assistant, recalled difficulty finding a cast "because October is basically the most popular month for Rocky shows." Eventually, they were able to book UC Santa Cruz’s Rocky Horror troupe Slugs in Fishnets, who acted out all the movie scenes for the night. Dance Club co-presidents Ashley Ramirez and Keeley Driscoll approached OSA with the idea of performing the pre-show. Members frequently met over the course of two and a half weeks to choreograph and rehearse their routine. Kristinä Acösta, the Slugs in Fishnets director and actress, who played Dr. Frank-N-Furter, was impressed with the club’s opening. “The entire cast thought it was really cool. We’ve never seen people dance to (the song) ‘Sweet Tranvestite’ like that before,” Acösta said. Driscoll thought their debut went well, especially considering the little rehearsal time they had. "It really brought us together as a club. We helped each other do make-up, we comforted each other with nerves before we went on," Driscoll said. Lupita Molina, club member and senior, was also proud of the growing organization. "I heard that someone said it
was degrading and slutty, but I think it's because they didn't know what Rocky Horror was. Other people liked the choreography; they thought it was classy, sexy and cute," Molina said. Like many audience members, Molina had never seen a live event of the Rocky Horror Picture Show prior to attending the Mills' show. “The whole show was really weird and funny, but it’s kind of perfect for Mills because we’re a weird and funny school,” Molina said. So what is the Rocky Horror Picture Show? It is only the longest running release in film history since 1975 which parodies science fiction and B-rated horror films mostly in reference to Frankenstein. In the movie, a couple named Brad and Janet experience a rainy night of sexy shenanigans when they witness transvestite scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his minions from the planet Transsexual of Transylvania bring his creation, a gorgeous muscle-toned man named Rocky Horror, to life. The movie gained its cult following when audience members started yelling at the screen, dressing up in costumes and bringing props to viewings, making the movie a huge participatory event. The UCSC cast was initially nervous about the performance but surprised by the enthusiasm radiating from the Mills audience. “We were thinking, ‘Okay, this is a girl’s school. They’re probably a little conservative,’ so we weren’t expecting so many people to show up,” Acösta said, unaware of Mills’ annual Sex Positive Fair and Fetish Ball. “It was a really awesome turnout.” Nearly every audience member was dressed in lingerie, fishnets and high heels, keeping in step with the Rocky Horror look. Some others gender-bended by wearing beards drawn on with markers and by dressing in stiff blazers and colorful ties, sometimes with no shirt
underneath. People were really able to express themselves without shame. "Rocky Horror is a huge stress relief. The audience really gets into screaming and dressing up. So what we really try to do is allow people to let loose and go crazy," Acösta said. The Slugs in Fishnets handed out free gift bags to the first fifty people to line up. Divinia Anderson, a senior and ‘virgin’ - a term coined for those who have never seen Rocky Horror snagged one. “Inside was a piece of bread, a rolled up piece of toilet paper and a latex glove. At first, I didn’t know what they were for,” Anderson said. She later discovered that the bag items were movie props. When a specific line is said, such as Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s line “cards for sorrow, cards for pain,” audience members use or throw the appropriate prop up at the stage - in this case, playing cards. The event ended in loud applause and people clamoring around the cast to take group photos. Overall, the reactions toward the Rocky Horror Picture Show were positive. "It was a whole lot of fun and very engaging. I would go again," Anderson said. Since about a whopping two hundred people showed up, it's likely that the OSA will host another show next year. Garcia hopes that Mills students will be more interactive in future screenings and will be able to yell out even more ridiculous things. "I know the first time you go, it's overwhelming," Garcia said. "But then it can be really fun once you learn what to say," You can follow the Slugs in Fishnets on Facebook or contact them through e-mail at slugsinfishnets@yahoo.com. Learn more about audience participation on the Rocky Horror Picture Show's official fan website.
ALL PHOTOS BY BONNIE HORGOS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LEFT MIDDLE PHOTO - COURTESY OF LUPITA MOLINA - AND THE LIPS - COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
8
Opinions & Editorial
Oct. 5, 2010
STAFF EDITORIAL Increasing Support for LGBTQ Students: What Will It Take?
In light of the recent hyper-coverage of “gay teen suicide,” we at the Campanil have been having a discussion about the questions the events and their coverage raise. Here are a few of our questions and answers we came up with. These tragedies might be partially blamed on lack of support for the GLBT community on the part of the administrations at which the suicides occurred. This raises the question - could
something like that happen here? Does Mills provide enough resources for its queer students? Mills prides itself on being more progressive than many colleges and therefore more in-step with queer rights, but there is definitely room for improvement. Mills has periodic support groups and with Queer Melanin on hiatus this semester, only one club for LGBTQ individuals. Some of us feel that providing a Queer Lounge would be a valu-
able resource and huge demonstration of support on the part of the administration. Also, most of us agree that there are virtually no resources for trans students - this may be changing with the new student-led Queer/Trans Headquarters initiative, which would provide a resource center and safe space for all queer and trans-spectrum students on campus. We agree that this would be a valuable source of
support for an underserved Mills community. Is all the media hype actually doing anything to further equal treatment or real justice for queer kids? And is gay teen suicide actually on the rise? We can’t say for sure whether it is or not, but it is definitely nothing new. However, it is possible that so much coverage could bring about policy change. We all agree that it has brought awareness to the
issue of bullying and harassment of queer youth, specifically cyber bullying. It’s no surprise queer kids are being victimized in a culture that still doesn’t give queer adults full rights. We hope that the increased media coverage will somehow lead to more school administrations creating an environment where bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students is replaced with resources and support.
O PEN F ORUM
Why you should consider quitting Facebook Dear Students,
Please remember Facebook exists for advertising and advertisers. It is a corporation no different than Coca-Cola or McDonalds. Like McDonalds, Facebook also creates a problem of “obesity” - but it is one of “data-obesity.” Our physical bodies require specific amounts of nourishment to maintain good health. These needs are absolute and when we don't meet them we feel the results:
headache, dehydration, etc. People who routinely eat food without complete nutritional value will continue to feel “empty,” though they may consume a lot of food. The same is true with our spiritual selves. Inside each of us lives a soul both fragile and resilient, with very absolute needs. When we don't meet these needs we feel the results like loneliness and depression. Part of spiritual “food” is social interaction and positive social relationships. Facebook pur-
ports to provide this food as a service, but a Facebook “meal” is nutritionally deficient. Soon, like the physical body in the same predicament, the spirit reaches an unhealthy imbalance. If it continues looking for nourishment in the same place without intervention it becomes “data-obese.” Facebook values self image, the visual over the physical, the prompted over the spontaneous, and the convenient over the well earned. For example, many Mills
Jerry Brown for governor — again?
Andee Sunderland CONTRIBUTING WRITER
My parents raised me with a consciousness edging on creepy hero-worship of Edmund “Jerry” Brown Jr., who was governor of California before I was born and ran against Bill Clinton in the Democratic primary for President of the United states when I was just a toddler. In my parents’ home, there is a small framed print of Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial portrait that has had a place on our mantel for as long as I can remember. Since coming to Mills my opinions of his policies, politics and persona has certainly widened and gained complexity - as opinions so often do at Mills - but I still tend to laud him to anyone who will give me the time of day. When explaining my love of Jerry to friends from out of state, or anyone actually (I’m always surprised how few people know who he is), I tend to focus on the eccentricity, radical liberalism and foresight he exhibited as governor of California from 1975 to 1983. I recount facts such as: he rented an apart-
ment across the street from the capitol building rather than living in the newly constructed governor’s mansion, slept on a futon, was driven around in a Plymouth Satellite from the state auto pool rather than the traditional limousine, and was often spotted walking the streets of Sacramento without any shoes on. I share that he got his derogatory nickname “Moonbeam” Brown, or Governor Moonbeam, for proposing that the state of California purchase an emergency communications satellite - something that is now a very normal part of state policy. When someone asks me what he accomplished as governor, I first point out that sodomy was decriminalized under his governorship. He was very socially liberal for his time and for the office he held. He was especially concerned with environmental issues, he appointed more women and minorities to office than any previous governor, and he strongly opposed the death penalty. In one (anachronistic) word, he was progressive. But it is important to recognize that fiscally he was strongly conservative. No, not the neo-conservatism we are so familiar with - I’m not talking about privatization of government programs. He
cut costs, accruing a huge surplus in the budget, until Proposition 13 pulled the rug out from under city and county governments and he had to spend the surplus to keep us afloat (while continuing to cut costs.) All of these things allow me to trust and adore him. What gives me pause are the policies he put in place attempting to gentrify downtown Oakland during his time as mayor. Plus, there is a scary edge of conservatism to his current campaign ads and some of his proposed policies. He bills himself as “tough on crime” which reads to me as “not critical enough of the inherent racism of our criminal justice system.” I recognize that some of this is reasonable pragmatism and most of this is probably political angling but as a dyed in the wool progressive and a freshly educated academic idealist, I find these campaign tactics disconcerting at best. When it comes down to it, I think he’s hoping that there are enough Republicans in this state who will see him on TV - a 72 year-old with a face like a bald eagle - and forget about his Moonbeam days, swallow his rhetoric and vote for him. Me? I’m going to vote for him because he’s qualified to do the job.
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
music students enjoy the easiness Facebook provides for promoting concerts. But which is more rewarding, a concert for five of your best friends or a concert for five hundred Facebook friends? I highly encourage anybody using Facebook to question the necessity of its usage. In fact, I advocate for the absolute discontinuation of Facebook as soon as possible. Instead of relying on status updates, the next time you see your best friend or long-estranged sib-
ling and ask them “what have you been up to?” you can do so honestly and with ears that are curious to listen because you honestly will not know. It is sometimes good not to know, and to be curious. So in sum, stay curious, stay out of the loop, and stay off Facebook! Sincerely,
Justin Nash, graduate student, Music Program
Vote No on Prop 23 There are many propositions on the ballot in California this year. But one proposition in particular really irritates the hell out of me. Proposition 23 is attempting to repeal California's air pollution and clean energy law, Assembly Bill 32. California has been a leader in environmental justice - the passing of AB 32 in 2006 made California the first state in the nation to place a cap on global climate change pollution for the state's biggest polluters. AB 32 has already led to significant reductions in air pollution, but this new proposition would destroy these basic energy and pollution standards, result in more air pollution (do we really need more of that?) and increase public health risks: doctors frequently cite air pollution as being among the top reasons for increasing numbers of asthma and lung disease. How did this ridiculous proposition manage to get on the ballot? Oh right . . . because 88% of its funds are supplied by major Texas oil companies, Valero and Tesoro being the largest two contributors. Why would these companies do that? Because they want to keep polluting, of course. They don't care about the ill effects the proposition is going to have on the people and the environment. Supporters of Prop 23 say it is about jobs. The language of the proposition states that AB 32 would be suspended only until unemployment falls to 5.5% for a full year. Well, guess what? California hasn't seen numbers like that in over thirty years. As of July 2010, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates are currently at 12.8%, and they aren't getting much better. Now, let's think. What is one of the
most rapidly expanding fields in the state and in the nation? It's clean technology and green jobs! There are currently over 500,000 jobs in this industry - and the numbers are growing every day. If Prop 23 passes, it will kill clean technology jobs. Loss of jobs leads to higher unemployment. Higher unemployment leads to a failing economy. A failing economy leads to the Dark Side of the Force. . . Well, you see what I mean. So, there are the facts. Prop 23 is damaging to people, destructive to the environment, and detrimental to the economy. Please join me in voting NO on Prop 23 this November. The environment and the people of California will thank you for moving us forward into a greener, healthier future - not backwards as the oil companies would have us do. Now that you've heard about how you can help the environment on a state level, come to the Earth Corps Campaign Kick-off and hear about what you can do for your campus. We'll be meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge, adjacent to the Tea Shop. Pizza will be served! We'll be addressing climate change through expanding compost in the dorms, and reducing personal energy consumption on campus.
- Emily Csikszentmihalyi, President of Mills College Earth Corps
Opinions & Editorial Letter from abroad
For the past month and a half, my home has been in Edinburgh, the charming capital of Scotland. I have chosen to spend my time abroad studying and interning through Arcadia University’s Scottish Parliamentary Internship Program. The program consists of five weeks of comprehensive classes on U.K. and Scottish government and society and ten weeks of interning and researching for an MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament). As of right now, my classes are over (with the exception of a few more finals), and I’ve got my suits and umbrella ready to go for the rainy months ahead walking to Parliament each day for work. The MSP I am working for is Sarah Boyack, Labour Party MSP (the U.K.’s major socialist party) for Edinburgh constituencies. She also serves as the Shadow Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Rural Affairs. The majority of the internship is spent researching for Sarah’s
policy on the sustainable renewing of low income Edinburgh housing, as well as helping prepare its budget I also draft briefings, letters, petitions, and do the occasional grunt work. It’s exciting that this semester isn’t just for a grade or a professor, but is actually for the “real world” and has the potential to influence policy and society. What’s even more exciting is seeing the Obama poster hung up next to my desk every time I enter Sarah’s office. She claims it’s always been there, but I like to pretend “Team Boyack” put it up just for me. Besides classes and the beginnings of Parliament adventures, I’ve been gallavanting around Scotland and experiencing the major sights. The Isle of Skye, the Highlands, Stirling and Glasgow have kept my weekends busy with spectacular architecture and phenomenal natural beauty. I’ve also experienced my fair share of haggis, bagpipes, kilts, sheep and hairy coos … all adding to the charm of this experience. My time in Edinburgh so far has completely surpassed my expectations, and there’s nothing greater than knowing the ins and outs of a new place and comfortably calling it home.
Have something to say?
LET US KNOW. e-mail soldano@thecampanil.com
Q u e s t i o n o f t h e
W e e k
9
Clubs in the Spotlight
Scottish Adventures and Parliament Lessons Bianca Louie GUEST COLUMNIST
Oct. 19, 2010
National Society for Collegiate Scholars has big plans this year The Mills College chapter of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars is using this academic year to affect a much needed change in the local community. At its latest meeting on Sept. 7, the Mills College chapter of the NSCS discussed its plans to focus on two overarching themes this school year: community involvement and educational awareness. The Mills College chapter of NSCS is particularly focused on incorporating Oakland youth into the national society's PACE (Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence) program. The program is designed to help students graduate from high school and attend college. Terrylynn Cantlon, the vice president of the PACE program for the Mills NSCS chapter, in conjunction with the Phi Alpha Delta chapter at Mills, has organized an event inviting students from local schools to visit the Mills campus. These students are members of the BUILD program, which facilitates entrepreneurial experiences for youth in
under-resourced communities by helping them develop and sell their own products. On Oct. 19, BUILD students will be attending Mills College to pitch their products and to learn more about the college experience. The Mills College chapter of NSCS is also planning to hold its own March to College Day, an event started by the society in order to educate youth about the opportunities they will have if they choose to go to college. The event will take place on March 27 of next spring. In order to prepare for this big event, the Mills chapter of NSCS is asking for volunteers from any corner of the Mills community. By bringing together the entire college, the NSCS chapter at Mills hopes to provide a cohesive and true representation of the college experience for those students attending the event. In order to better serve the Mills community, the NSCS chapter on campus is also planning to help sponsor events on campus, such as music recitals
and community service projects. "We do have a lot going on on campus," said Ziyong Lin, President of the Mills College NSCS chapter. "But not a lot of students attend. Our main purpose is to encourage people to get involved." The chapter plans on introducing a $50 scholarship for community service/participation. The award would go to the Mills student who has spent the most time at college and community events. Lin and the rest of the Mills NSCS chapter hope that this scholarship will be an incentive for members of the Mills community to participate in local events and projects. If you wish to learn more about the Mills College NSCS chapter, or the events it is planning, please visit http://www.nscs.org/chapter/mill s-college or contact Ziyong Lin at zlin@mills.edu. -Lauren Marie-Sliter, Vice President of Public Relation, Mills College NSCS Chapter
Team Awesome wants YOU for the Army of Awesome
I admire a lot of values at Mills. The spirit of collaboration, the drive to innovation and the abundance of good ideas are all incredibly inspiring. But what college wouldn't be better off with the occasional zombie apocalypse, giant nap-in or strap-on harness making workshop? Team Awesome exists to make those kind of absolutely
silly events happen at Mills. We take those values and apply them to our structure. The seventy plus members of TA form smaller teams to make individual events happen. The person who makes the fliers is no less important to the team than the person who teaches the workshop on the history of guerilla art. If you are interested in any of the events mentioned, or have an
idea for an event or want to share your feelings/thoughts on the Boer War/pictures of cute kittens, feel free to contact us at teamawesome@mills.edu -Ariana Cuellar, Colleen Kimsey, and Zoe Marcus, Co-Presidents
If the age-old tradition of passing out candy during Halloween suddenly changed, what should be passed out instead?
“Firm handshakes.”
— Kitty Gibson, junior
"Condoms. Or money.”
— Raquelle Juarez-Cruz, first-year
“Feminist propaganda.”
— Terra Mikalson, junior
"Brochures for colleges."
— Hazel Wheeler, senior
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
Opinions & Editorial
Oct. 19th, 2010
10
My “no” is not a “yes,” a “go ahead,” or up for discussion Melodie Miu ONLINE EDITOR I told my mom, "I'm going to get a restraining order." I was instant-messaging this to her so she couldn't hear the crack in my voice or see my eyes redden and well up. It was extremely difficult to type out that sentence for me since I hadn't had that conversation with my parents in so long. About six weeks ago on Friday, Sept. 3 at around 1 p.m., I received a phone call from a number I recognized almost immediately – it was my ex-boyfriend’s. I didn’t answer his call, waiting for him to eventually hang up. For the last two years since we've broken up, he has tried to contact me every now and then even though I specifically and constantly told him not to. I wasn’t surprised to see his call that afternoon. However, as I watched the phone continue to ring, something from within stirred – a sick-in-the-stomach creepy kind of feeling that something awful was going to happen to me that day. Unfortunately, my instincts were right. About fifteen minutes after the call ended, he showed up right outside the door of my residence hall. Someone had let him into the building; he was able to find my unit and stood just few feet away from me. Seeing him in physical form
again after so long scared me. I immediately told my roommate to close the door on him and I called Public Safety. I wasn’t able to explain to campus security what he was wearing as I had only seen a sliver of his face from behind the door frame and threw him out the moment I heard his voice. The next few hours were a flurry of meetings. I met with my R.A., then a residential director. I asked my cousin, who was in Hong Kong and about to go to bed, to look for a picture of my ex to give to Public Safety - I didn’t have one anymore. Later in the week, I met with the director of Wellness and Community Outreach and signed up for counseling at Cowell. The words 'restraining order' and 'police report' came up a lot. Throughout the next month, I felt like I was riding an emotional roller coaster even though he immediately became banned from campus. I broke into sobs during random times of the day and cut class when I wasn't mentally prepared - it felt like I was going through a really bad break up again. I didn’t want to believe what became official the moment I saw him again: I had a stalker. A freakin’ stalker. I started to become incredibly distrustful of others. I was angry with Public Safety for giving him a parking pass, I was mad at whoev-
er told him where I lived - I even messaged my first suspect, a former Mills student who was in the same high school program as my ex. She said she didn't and I realized I was getting paranoid. Discouraging thoughts flooded my mind, like "he didn't hit you or anything" and "maybe you ARE overreacting." I was fairly sure I hadn't written anything online about my address. But maybe in my excitement over getting my room I had blabbed about it. That thought scared me so much I made my Twitter, Facebook and other online accounts private and changed all of my passwords. It was a relief to learn that many other women on campus had filed restraining orders too - it was a weird connection - but at times, I felt my situation didn't warrant one because there was no physical violence. I couldn't even express myself like I usually do by writing about it because I was so afraid he was going to read and message me to deny everything like he did in the past. Despite everything, my ex didn't stop contacting me - it's because of his emails that my parents didn't want me to file a restraining order. He sent them a sob story about how remorseful he was for 'scaring' me and how he wouldn't try to bother me again. My parents believed him. I was utterly heartbroken, but
I understood they couldn't be blamed when they didn't really k n o w the whole story. I tried to muster up the same hope they had for the situation. However, my hope disappeared as he continued to contact people I knew to forward me messages. I realized he wouldn't stop and no matter how many times I said "no." I didn't recognize this person I used to care for and the only way to stop him was to serve him a court order. I received a forwarded message from my ex in my email, but I didn't read it and instead archived it for evidence. I lied to my parents because I thought I couldn't trust them - I decided to file the order by myself. Eventually, I decided to tell them. They weren't the enemy and after some reflection I realized they probably didn't want me to because they were worried and just didn't know how to handle what happened to their daughter. After I found out that restraining orders weren't criminal and wouldn't go on his record, I was even more energized to file one. During the IM conversation with my mom after I admitted everything, she typed: "I understand ... and we'll support you." It seemed that the whole weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders; I shivered in relief.
Where to find help outside of Mills
The Alameda County Family Justice Center is a onestop center made up of several non-profit and governmental agencies who are there to help victims of domestic and sexual violence, including both child and elder abuse. They are located at 470 27th Street (between Broadway and Telegraph Avenues) in Oakland, CA, open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.and can be reached at (510) 267-8800. Along with a restraining order, they can help you get: • an emergency protective order • legal assistance with divorce and custody matters • on-site child care and counseling for children • individual and group counseling • interfaith spiritual counseling • shelter referrals • emergency food, clothing and housing • assistance in accessing public health benefits • immigration assistance • prosecution
KATIE SUNSHINE
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
Sports & Health
Oct. 19, 2010
11
The lives of student athletes: juggling homework, workouts, sleep and friends Shelby Gibbs STAFF WRITER For Mills athletes, homework is the least of their worries. Kirstyne Lange, a junior public policy and economics major and volleyball player, begins her days before 6 a.m. Living off campus, Lange usually arrives at Mills at 5:45 a.m. to get to her 6 a.m. practices on Mondays and Wednesdays. Lange’s days – organized in her planner, computer and phone – are spent not only working with the volleyball team and on her school work, but also as Editorin-Chief of the College yearbook, The Crest, co-president of the Black Women’s Collective - all while working three jobs. “For some people it seems strange, but for me it’s being normal. If it means sacrificing time with my friends to be ahead academically then I’ll make that sacrifice,” Lange said.
The roughly 120 student athletes at Mills navigate weeks filled with schoolwork and practices, games and exams and occasionally part-time jobs. Amidst their busy schedules, they try to enjoy everelusive free time with friends. But just because they're working out multiple hours a week doesn't mean they can slack off with their schoolwork.
According to Compliance and Sports Information Director, Elese Lebsack, athletes must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA and be enrolled in 3.5 credits per semester to be eligible to play. Student athletes must have one day off per week.
Colleen Kimsey, a sophomore public health major and crew team member, divides her life into half hour segments on an Excel spreadsheet she keeps on her laptop. Monday through Friday, her days start off with 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. practices at the Lafayette Reservoir 25 minutes from Oakland, and continue with classes from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. “Every morning I wake up and I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to leave my cozy bed to get in a van with a bunch of grumpy rowers," Kimsey said. "There is nothing sadder than a Cliff Bar at five in the morning." However, Kimsey said she continues to row for her teammates, making the time spent worth it. “I’m doing this for my team and myself," Kimsey said. "There is no way I would wake up that early just for myself." For Kimberly Chew, a senior psychology major and crosscountry team captain, her passion for running is just a fact of life. Despite the new early morning practices, from 6:15 a.m. until 8 a.m. on most days, plus another in the afternoon on Mondays, Chew has never considered a life without running. “I’ve been running for a long time," Chew said. "It’s something I don’t see as making a sacrifice for. It’s become as much a part of my life as eating and drinking." Some athletes, however, have a different reason for their steadfast dedication. “I love rowing,” Kimsey said. “It’s so – I’m a really distractible,
angry person. (Rowing) is the only thing that makes me feel so good and quiet in my body.” Yet, with this love and sense of necessity comes some sacrifice. Many athletes use precious free time for homework and studying, leaving socializing at the bottom of the to-do list. “You have to have priorities and sometimes the choices you have to make aren’t the ones you want to. My degree comes first, taking care of myself and my body comes second. Then crew,” “Friends, Kimsey said. Facebook, Internet is distant.” Lange finds having similarly committed friends makes finding a balance between them and her activities easier. “Most of (my friends) are on teams and in clubs, so they know that my time is precious," Lange said. "People that are still my close friends know why I keep myself so busy." To make the most of what little spare time she finds in her day, Chew takes advantage of any opportunity to do her schoolwork that she stumbles upon. “I study any free time I get," Chew said. "Sometimes I’m studying while I eat, in the ice bath, on the way back from meets … I don’t go home nearly as much as I did last year. I don’t go out on the weekends as much." So, why do student athletes keep playing? “I do it because I love Mills and I love all the things that I’m a part of,” Lange said. “If you don’t have that type of commitment, it’s going to be harder to stay on track for everything.”
KURT LOEFFLER
KURT LOEFFLER
KURT LOEFFLER
Volleyball player Kirstyne Lange, cross country runner Kimberly Chew and rower Colleen Kimsey are three of the roughly 120 Mills College athletes. All Cyclones must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher while balancing multiple hours of practice per week along with sleeping, studying and free time with friends.
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
12
Oct. 19, 2010
Sports & Health
BONNIE HORGOS
Nathalie Huerta, co-owner of the Perfect Sidekick, a personal training business that focuses on fitness and nutrition for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Pain to champagne: a new way to work out Bonnie Horgos SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR “I don’t look like a Barbie doll trainer,” Nathalie Huerta said. Not unless Barbie sported tattoos, an all-black wardrobe and never gave Ken a single frozeneyed glance of admiration. Oh, and not unless Barbie could benchpress 150. Huerta co-founded the Perfect Sidekick, a personal training business aimed toward lesbian, bisexual, queer and transgender hopefuls looking to shed a few pounds and maybe meet some cardio comrades over mimosas along the way. A current second-semester student working toward a master’s in business administration, Huerta is offering Mills students half-hour training sessions for $29. “The idea of the Perfect Sidekick
kind of started as a joke,” Huerta said. “It was like, instead of being a trainer, being a wing-woman: the perfect sidekick.” And Huerta does seem like an ideal sidekick. Her tattoos alone are inspirational; she has “Self-Made” inked on the back of her neck to symbolize a person’s responsibility for accountability. Another tattoo on her left shoulder proclaims “BEDOHAVE.” “You need to be, you need to do, and you need to have,” Huerta said. “It’s there because I don’t want to have a chip on my shoulder.” Keeping that philosophy in mind, Huerta started the company in July with her partner Mila Diane. The Perfect Sidekick now trains 13 people of various abilities. One client, Andrea Laymon, has lost 50 pounds since July with the help of Huerta’s training, which
includes weightlifting, cardio and good old-fashioned sit-ups. “So far the results have been wonderful,” Laymon, a warehouse manager, said. "I definitely feel the results and see the results.” Laymon discovered the Perfect Sidekick when she stumbled upon an ad Huerta posted on Craigslist. Laymon said the business’s specialization in LGBT training was one of many selling points. “It wasn’t the deciding factor, but it definitely was one of the deciding factors,” Laymon said. “But mostly I wanted to get back on the market.” And if there’s one thing Huerta knows it’s how to get someone back in their britches. “Fitness is like dating,” Huerta said. “You have to go and find something that’s comfortable.” Huerta herself has dealt with
weight problems. Athletic her whole life, Huerta played basketball for Dominican University for two years before getting her bachelor’s of science in exercise and sports science at the University of San Francisco. After college, however, Huerta gained 70 pounds. “Gaining the weight, I didn’t want to go out; I didn’t want to be seen,” Huerta said. “So I went through the emotions of dropping all of that weight.” Huerta said she thinks her ability to empathize with her clients makes her a more effective trainer. “I’ve always said that just because you know how to work out doesn’t mean you know how to train,” Huerta said. Huerta, however, knows how to work out and train; she’s currently preparing to run a marathon this December with her partner. And
when it comes to training, Huerta likes to get creative. The Perfect Sidekick hosted a free 30-minute boot camp, called Pain and Champagne, at Lake Merritt on Sunday. Afterward participants enjoyed brunch with bottomless mimosas at the Terrace Room Restaurant in Oakland. “It’s a way for us to strengthen our relationships and to meet new people,” Huerta said. The Perfect Sidekick’s next event is the Warrior Dash at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30, a threeand-a-half mile obstacle course complete with rubber tires and muddy terrain. “It’s easier for clients to work toward an event and have another sense of accomplishment,” Huerta said. “Otherwise, people just go to the gym just because they’re getting a little fluffy.”
Healthy, low-sugar Halloween treats Bonnie Horgos SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR A diabetic’s first Halloween is always bittersweet. Oct. 31, 2001, age 11, three months after my type one diabetes diagnosis. Dressed as a blind mouse, I scavenged for treats that wouldn’t make my blood sugar spike. I settled for sugar-free jellybeans I shoved into my pocket. Their artificial sweetener sugar gave me gas for the rest of Halloween night. Now a little more seasoned and completely sick of aspartame, I’ve realized my lack of insulin production put me ahead of the pack. I knew how to count carbs (which became way hip in high school) before most of my peers knew the nutritional difference between apples and caramel apple lollipops. So while most kids were gobbling various manifestations of corn syrup and then crashing, I was seeking out healthy treats. Plus, refined sugars found in common Halloween candy makes everyone’s blood sugar spike and crash, diabetic or non-diabetic. And
everyone knows the awful trick or treat hangovers. Nine years later, I’m quite content with the following recipes. All of them exclude refined sugars, focusing on fall’s fabulous flavors. No candy crash, just healthy treats for a guilt-free Halloween. Monster Mash Trail Mix Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup coconut flakes 1 cup dried cranberries Directions: Scooping out the guts is always my favorite part of pumpkin carving; now you can take pumpkins to a whole new level by incorporating the pumpkin seeds into a trail mix combining ideal amounts of protein and carbohydrates. While carving your prizeworthy pumpkin, set aside the innards. Dig out the seeds, then rinse and dry them off. Preheat the oven to 350 F while lying out the pumpkin seeds on a shallow baking pan covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle on a desired amount of slivered almonds and coconut flakes and bake for five to ten minutes or until golden.
After letting the pumpkin seeds, almonds and coconut flakes cool, mix in the cranberries. Boo! Doctor Baked Apples Ingredients: 4 medium apples 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice, such as Naked Juice’s Chai Spiced Cider Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wash and core the apples, then place them in a baking pan. Put one tablespoon of raisins in the middle of each apple; pour the juice over the apples and cover with tinfoil. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the tinfoil, pouring more juice over the apples. Bake for another 20 minutes until the apples are tender. Vegan Vampire Smoothie Ingredients: 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup soymilk scoop vanilla soy yogurt 1 frozen banana 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Adjust the ratio of soymilk, soy yogurt and banana for consistency.
Find more stories, photos, videos and live updates at www.thecampanil.com
TARA NELSON
Straight from the patch: pumpkin seeds saved from carving can be incorporated into Halloween recipes for a guilt-free holiday.