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Campus display honors sexual assault survivors See Page 2
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Disbilities Counselor DSPS hires its first full-time counselor News, Page 3
ISSUE 5 Spring 2016 Student voice of CRC since 1970
Tiny Houses
Students start construction for Tiny Houses Competition Features, Page 5
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APRIL 21, 2016
>>News
WEAVE raises awareness Campus aims for all of sexual assault at CRC students’ success By Courtney Fong cofong.connect@gmail.com Cosumnes River College’s Clothesline Project gave students, faculty and staff an opportunity to decorate and display T-shirts in support of sexual abuse survivors on April 11-13. The Clothesline Project is a nationwide program that gives an artistic outlet to survivors of sexual abuse. CRC hosted the event for sexual awareness month in collaboration with WEAVE, a Sacramento organization that provides crisis-intervention services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. “It allowed survivors a way of expressing themselves, unburdening themselves a little bit with whatever message they wanted to put on the T-shirts,” s a i d E v a
Rhodes, sexual assault awareness month coordinator. “In conjunction with that, they’re getting information about services that are available. And then it raises awareness for everybody else.” Rhodes said 50 shirts were designed over the three days. The T-shirt table was open to everyone, and by the third day hanging shirts crowded the WEAVE tent with messages from both survivors and those indirectly affected. Al Bacon, 53-year-old business major, sat at the table the last day of the event outlining his message “As precious as a choice” on an orange shirt. He knows many
survivors of sexual assault. “No one can actually tell a person how to recuperate from it. They’re lost in a situation they shouldn’t even be put in in the first place,” Bacon said. “When you take a person’s choice, you don’t know how it’ll impact them. Not just in that moment, but for the rest of their lives.” Rhodes shared one story from WEAVE Campus Violence Prevention Coordinator Xitlalic Martinez about a sexual assault survivor who was unable to get help because she was not aware of free crisis services. “This assault occurred, happened to her, and she’d been carrying it around for years and years,” said Rhodes.
Rhodes said that the survivor did not know where to turn to until Martinez was able to show her where she could find the support she needed. “She just thought she had
“When it occurs,
when it happens if we handle it in a unified way, we send a powerful message, ”
-- Eva Rhodes
administration assistant
to deal with it on her own. And so Lalic talked to her and she found out all these services are free,” Rhodes said. The objective of bringing the Clothesline Project to CRC’s campus was to raise awareness about the issue and resources available “The Clothesline Project is a great visual display to honor those who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault,” said 22-year-old human services major and W E AV E Educat i o n a n d Pre-
vention Program Intern Danli Chen. “I think it’s really important for students to understand that these issues happen closer to them than they think.” On CRC’s campus there have been five forcible and two non-forcible sex offenses reported 20122014, the most of any other Los Rios colleges, according to the Los Rios Jeanne Clery Disclosure report. “When it occurs, when it happens if we handle it in a unified way, we send a powerful message,” said Bacon. For more resources and information regarding sexual assault and domestic violence, visit WEAVE’s website at http://www.weaveinc.org/.
By Oksana Barrios obarrios.connect@gmail.com The Cosumnes River College faculty, with the help from fellow staff members and students, have implemented a Student Equity Plan to achieve one major goal: help all students be successful. The Student Equity Plan is aiming to close the opportunity gaps that exist between different student population groups in all the different areas. “We want to know what students are disproportionately impacted,” said the Student Equity Plan Coordinator, Tadael Emiru. “We focus on what students are not coming to CRC and the idea is that, based on the research, the identified student groups
counseling to make sure students are getting the services they need and also working pro-actively with students so they can come and see a counselor,” said Emiru. “But also working with our high schools so that when students come in they can have a smooth transition.” Students who are proactive are able to be seen by counselors and therefore take advantage of this particular opportunity to further their academic success. but there are many other students who are missing out. “How do we get to those students who are unmotivated so they take advantage of the opportunity? How could we be proactive with those students and impact them so that they can come in and see a counselor, complete their ed plan, and put them on a
“Students need to ask questions because at the
end of the day it’s about them not about anyone else.”
-- Tadael Emiru associate dean
will be targeted so that we can increase the number of those students here and help them reach success so that every single student has an opportunity to be successful.” The equity plan focuses on access, course completion, basic skills completion, degree completion, and transfer in order to allow every student equal opportunity for success. The faculty are pushing initiatives with funding from the Student Equity funds in order to provide key classroom support. “Providing support such as tutoring and supplemental instruction will allow us to go above and beyond what the faculty could do in the classroom,” said Emiru. “So we just want to provide that level of extra support.” There is also a number of faculty members and students who will be providing support and pushing initiatives outside a classroom setting, emphasizing student services such as counseling. “The many different aspects include student services, in terms of working with
path to success,” said Emiru. “That’s where this equity plan comes into place.” Because this project is an all-encompassing plan that has many components to it, it requires everyone to work together. “We want to know how all of CRC is able to work together at these tasks,” said Emiru. “We want students to work together to be able to help other students be successful when it comes to the five categories of access, course completion, basic skills completion, degree completion, and transfer.” – The Student Equity Plan is currently in the implementing stage and requires the engagement and involvement of all CRC students. “At the end of the day this is the Student Equity Plan so the students are front and center. We need their active involvement in this process and throughout the implementation part because they have a very strong voice,” said Emiru. “Students need to ask questions because at the end of the day it’s about them not about anyone else.”
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Day of UNsilence addresses LGBT rights By Erica Trujillo etrujillo.connect@gmail.com
The Day of Silence has been going on since 1996 according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ,GLSEN. On April 13 in the morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the cafeteria, The Social Responsibility Committee hosted an event called the Day of UNsilence. The purpose of the day is to bring awareness of the harassment and bullying of the LGBT community and to bring togetherness throughout the school through education on April 15. Usually in the Day of Silence, people devote to not talk the whole day
in awareness. This year the committee decided to do something different and be vocal. “This coming up Friday, it’s usually the Day of Silence nationally and so we usually do something for that event every year but this year we decided to do the UNSilence so we could talk and have dialogue about it,” said Laura Roccucci, a 38-year-old anthropology major. The main goal of the event was for students to see that there are people on campus who care and want to talk people through coming out, or just be a friend when in need. The committee wanted everyone to feel welcome and make sure that all students on
“We want people to walk away with the sense
that like, yeah it matters, it matters how I treat people. ”
-- Anastasia Panagakos
anthropology professor
campus never feel ashamed of who they are. At the event they handed out fliers supplied by the Amnesty International-LGBT Ally Toolkit, encouraging people to speak out against harassment and bullying of others. The fliers talked about being open to other ways people live their lives and how gender is not just male and female. The people who were
hosting events were also wearing name tags with preferred pronouns of what they would like to be referred to by. The flier mentions never to assume someone’s pronoun and how it would make someone feel if a person ignored using someone’s preferred pronoun. “It’s a really important way to make sure that our campus is a safe, open, tolerant and welcoming environ-
ment,” said English Professor Heather Hutcheson. On the back side of a flier it gave an LGBT dictionary for people to “understand sex, gender, sexuality, and identity,” according to the glossary page compiled by the University of California, Los Angeles. The main idea of the Day of UNSilence is to speak out for others who are being harassed or bullied, show tolerance and togetherness by being a friend. “We want people to walk away with the sense that like, yeah it matters, it matters how I treat people,” said Anthropology Professor Anastasia Panagakos.
Campus hires full-time disability counselor By Oksana Barrios obarrios.connect@gmail.com
Cosumnes River College has hired its first full-time disabilities counselor, Teresa O’Brien. All other Los Rios campuses have full-time disabilities counselors and now CRC has joined by hiring a passionate Disability Support Programs and Services counselor. “I love this job, I love the students and I feel so privileged to do what I get to do,” said O’Brien. “When the position came up I jumped at the chance to get to do this.” O’Brien said she is super excited to be working with the students, and as a full-time counselor she offers a lot of availability to students. “I’m here and I’m meeting with students everyday,” said O’Brien. “Basically what I kind of do is meet with the student and help come up with reasonable accommodations that they will use while they’re taking classes here.” When she is meeting with students in the DSPS portables, she helps with many different types of accommodations for both students who are recently diagnosed or have been diagnosed for years. “Some students may be newly diagnosed with a disability and some students have a history of using accommodations so we of course
meet the students where they’re at in terms of any limitations so they can do their best,” said O’Brien. O’Brien also offers services to students for academic and support counseling. “I also do academic counseling which includes doing ed plans and career planning so answering questions like what should your major be,” said O’Brien. “We do all that kind of counseling as well and then we do support counseling so if the student ever has an issue I hope to provide a place where there is always someone they could talk to and get some help.” Aside for providing an environment of academic and mental support, O’Brien would like this environment to be easily accessed and being a full-time disabilities counselor allows it to happen. “Having all these types of counsellings available is an attempt to increase availability and access and that’s something I’ve been trying to do to help any students’ needs,” said O’Brien. “If a student wants to meet with anyone in DSPS we want to help provide that quickly.” Because a lot of students are using the program, having open availability is very important. “A lot of students are benefiting from our services,” said Keith Ellis, a student personnel assistant. “Students are using our note-taking services and test-prepping services so it’s pretty great to see
Courtney Fong| The Connection
Disability counselor Teresa O’brien works with front office staff to ensure students get the resources they need.
students getting help.” The services provided aim to make things simpler and more helpful for students. “I have arthritis in my right hand so I don’t write as fast but the DSPS program is extremely helpful,” said Justin Martinez, 25, a clinical psychologist major. He also recommends the program to other students with disabilities because he believes they are doing great at meeting students needs. “They make it easier to overcome obstacles and achieve a degree, I am very grateful to have a program such as this,” Martinez said. Along with being CRC’s full-time disabilities counselor and offering her services
and help to students, O’Brien also has some big goals for the future. “In the future I would love to start a club for not just students with disabilities but maybe for disabilities awareness, a club where students with disabilities can get together and socialize,” said O’Brien. “I want them to have fun, and maybe help people who are interested in going into special ed. A club where we can all get together with shared interests and maybe provide something that is fun and supportive.” Even though O’Brien has never worked at CRC before, she is bringing in her expertise from being a disabilities counselor at Sacramento City
College. “I have so many favorite parts of the job, to see so many students go on to successful career, to watch students transfer to University of California Berkeley or University of California Davis to any state school or get an AA and get a job,” said O’Brien. “I’ve seen so many success stories and it’s such a privilege to be part of helping a student get to their success, students are great it’s a ton of fun.” O’Brien said she is extremely thrilled at this opportunity and absolutely loves it. “Doing all this makes for a busy day, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because that’s what it’s all about,” said O’Brien.
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APRIL 21, 2016
CRC participates in model U.N. By Kayleen Carter kcarter.connect@gmail.com
Student delegates of the club called Model United Nations, advised by Political Science department chair Martin Morales, prepared to attend a Conference where they represented the People’s Republic of China April 15-18. There, were 13 student delegates who were in attendance at the Conference in San Francisco, Burlingame, for four days where they spoke to an audience of 100 counselors about China’s climate stability. “The conference is set-up with an agenda each time, and this time, it’s sustainable developments, so concerning everything from climate change, poverty, environmental concerns, anything that pretty much falls under that category,” Said Olivia Askins, a 24 year old international relations major, and President of the Model U.N. on campus. “Even further than that, there’s sub issues for each committee that fall under that greater category of sustainable environment, and within all of that, there are multiple papers, policy papers, and committee profiles.” In 2014, CRC’s Model U.N. attended the conference representing the country of Morocco, and was one of the 15 participating colleges to win the Slanczka Award for Diplomacy out of 85 colleges that attended. This year, the delegates met beforehand with ambassadors of the PRC at Burlingame on March 25, and were welcomed with open arms by a receiving line. They were presented with an abundance of information to aid in their research on the topic presented, as well as to get an overall historical and social idea of China, in preparation for the April conference.
Morales, who said he advises but doesn’t lead discussions and meetings between the student delegates, expressed his thoughts on the three day model U.N. event. “My anticipation for the conference is that my students are going to have a tremendous opportunity to learn and experience diplomacy first hand,” Morales said. “It’ll also teach them life skills that, really, we’re not in a position to teach in a classroom.” Even so, some of the students said they felt anxious with departure looming ever so near. Some said they tried to
mentally prepare. “Honestly, just kinda trying to take it day by day, making sure I have all my ducks in a row,” Said Brittany Cox, a 22 year old pre-med and international relations major. The participants said that they try to remain positive no matter the outcome of the event. “In my head all I keep saying is, ‘you are amazing!’” Said 24-year-old Adalyn Makihele, nursing major and next year’s president of Model U.N. “Because if I say anything else than that, I think I’ll be a little scared.”
The Students for a Sustainable Future Club gathered their tools on April 14 and reached out to students about the importance of using tap water over bottled water. The outreach event took place in the quad during the afternoon and had a display showing how many plastic water bottles an average American uses per year. With the help of the displays and informative flyers, the club gathered signatures from students who pledged to not use water bottles. “Honestly taking a pledge can really motivate some people to really stop using what-
DATE CAMPUS READ
OneBook will be speaking about “Fresh Fruits, Broken Bodies” in the Winn Center Community Room on April 28 and 29 from 1-2 p.m. OneBook is a campus wide novel that classes and individual students have been reading.
PET ADOPTION
Vet Tech Pet Adoptions will be held on April 24 from 10-2 p.m. at the soccer field.
HIP-HOP COMPETITION
At 7 p.m. on April 29, there will be an Urban Hip -Hop Competition in the main gym in the athletic building on campus room number CAC 100. Tickets are $5 and available at the door.
Courtesy Photo
Martin Morales, center right, talks with another instructor at the consulate, on March 25.
Students work to rid bottled water on campus By Ashley Navarro anavarro.connect@gmail.com
SAVE THE
ever it might be,” said Jaime Gonzalez, 24, environmental studies and sustainability major. “Even if these signatures don’t go towards anything, it can really help motivate habits.” Members have been working hard to not only help other students change habits to be more environmentally friendly, but to also make Cosumnes River College a more sustainable college. According to a study done by University of Oregon, the average American uses 168 plastic water bottles per year. The SSF club has joined with the Take Back the Tap campaign to change that. Take Back the Tap is a nationwide campaign started by the non-profit Food and Wa-
ter Watch organization. The campaign has been able to reach colleges like CRC and join together with like-minded students to reach a bigger audience. “Being able to spread the information on campus shows that we are working for sustainability even though the campus tries as much as it can to regulate what we do,” said Rosalia Adams, 19, biology major. The campaign Take Back the Tap is just one approach the club is taking to promote better habits. With the collaboration of the CRC Foundation, the club hopes to create a lasting change. “We would like to get the use of one-time bottle use banned from campus, that’s
the number one goal,” Gonzalez said. Besides banning the use of one-time bottles, the club hopes to provide access to clean and free municipal tap water for students by making sure drink fountains are working as well as upgrading them to retrofit hydration stations. Though the SSF club have made a considerable difference with promoting sustainability on campus, the club still has issues with enacting major changes because of the lack of responses from faculty and administration. “We struggle so much with getting our voices heard,” said Cesar Aguirre, 28, environmental studies and sustainability major.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CELEBRATION
The Child Development Center celebrates 40 years on April 22 with an open house from 2:30-4:30 p.m inviting all students and faulty to attend.
CLASS REGISTRATION
Registration for Summer and Fall Classes begins on April 25. Check eServices to see your scheduled enrollment date.
DENIM DAY
Health Services is hosting Denim Day to show awareness of rape and sexual assault and will be collecting jeans to give to the WEAVE organization. WEAVE will be donating the jeans to families and individuals of sexual assault and domestic violence. They will be in the quad collecting jeans from 11-2 p.m. on April 29. The actual Denim day to show support is April 27.
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thecrcconnection.com
>>Features
Tiny houses, big competion: campus hosts contest By Tyler Santana tsantana.connect@gmail.com Under 300 square feet on average, tiny houses have made a big impact on the idea of living sustainably. Now students can see first hand what a tiny house is like at the Tiny House Competition on Oct. 15. Cosumnes River College will be hosting the competition put on by SMUD that features 10 colleges competing to build the best tiny house under 400 square feet. Some of the schools competing include Sacramento State, University of California Berkeley, California State University Chico, San Jose City College, and Laney College. “We have a philosophy here and that’s do as much as you can in the smallest amount of space you can,” said Architecture Professor John Ellis. The house will roughly be about 240 to 250 square feet. Although the maximum amount of space allowed is 400 square feet. The tiny house competition started in Fall 2014 and it’s a two year long project and so far they’ve been actually working on the tiny house for
Tyler Santana | The Connection
CRC will be hosting SMUD’s Tiny House Competition in October. Students in the architecture program have started the construction on CRC’s tiny house.
just about a year, Ellis said. “The first semester we attended seminars and meetings about the project, then the next semester we started designing the structure, then the semester after we started with construction documents, or blueprints, and Brenda was in that class and we ended up choosing her document,” Ellis said. Brenda Delgado a 24-yearold architecture major is the lead architect and designer of
the tiny house. Brenda also said she has taken over 30 courses for architecture both here at CRC and at San Joaquin Delta College. “If I am going to be at school I might as well take classes that will help me out in architecture, and I guess it did help me out because I got to design the tiny house,” said Delgado. The project will end up costing a minimum of $25,000, which has been met by a grant
and design competitions the architecture students have entered and won. “We are budgeting $25,000 for it,” Ellis said. “That is the minimum that SMUD is letting competitors spend, and they allow you to spend $60,000 but every thousand after the $25,000 you get penalized in the judging process.” Some of the supplies and appliances will be donated by sponsors, Ellis said. “We’ll get Home Depot or someone to see if they would let us loan a toilet for the competition and have it advertised that the store provided the toilet for us,” Ellis said. Another key element to the design of the tiny house is that it has to be a zero energy home, which means that the house must be self-sustainable and receive no outside energy. Professor of construction Ryan Connally, said that going zero-energy is only harder because it requires more thought and cooperation from everyone involved. “In mainstream construction you have the insulators there just to insulate and they don’t necessarily care what the plumbers are doing or what the builders are doing, but
to build a zero-energy house they all need to work together to achieve it,” Connally said. Although the thought process can be kind of difficult, which Delgado said she is learning about with the creation of the tiny house. “Some of the difficulties with the project were zero-energy, and fitting everything into such a small space because it’s only 30-by-8 and a half feet and the height max is only 13 feet and that’s including the trailer,” Delgado said. She also said that the project is preparing her for what life as an architect might be like. “It is a big learning experience, like a reality check,” Delgado said. “It showed me how the actual industry works,” Delgado said. “We are used to designing something and thinking it’s going to work and be perfect, but with the tiny house we have to take the designs to the engineer and then the engineer would have changes, then the engineer would give it to the builders and they couldn’t do some of the parts so we would have to change the design again.”
Campus sees past media with Global Islam presentation By Matt Johnson mjohnson.connect@gmail.com Cosumnes River College hosted a Global Islam lecture and Q&A session focused on bringing attention to Islamic culture and an understanding about the Muslim faith and the Quran on April 12. The lecture, which was hosted by History and Humanities Professor Rosalie Cuneo Amer, had over 60 people in attendance. The diversity of the crowd stood out and was seen as a positive by several in attendance. “I felt happy that I saw people from different backgrounds. The diversity I saw today was really, really nice,” said Reem Olaby, 32-year-old alumna of The American University in Cairo. “I feel that this means people are eager to break these barriers that are created by politics and created
by the media.” Olaby said she was also pleased with the lecture overall and the knowledge and how it brought people closer together. “We are all human beings, so it’s always good to try to bring them together in order to try and break the barriers between the different understanding and break the stigmatization,” she said. Members of the Muslim Student Association were also in attendance. Zamir Omaid, a 25-yearold software engineering major said he was pleased with the turnout for the event and hoped people walked away with a better understanding of Islam. “I hope a lot of people took the knowledge they gained from [Cuneo Amer] and hopefully they share it in a positive light to everyone
they can meet,” said Omaid. “If someone says something wrong about Islam, hopefully people can correct based off what they learned here.”
hour or just one session like this. It’s a continual learning experience for everyone, no matter how smart someone is,” Omaid said. “It takes a
“I feel that this means people are eager to break these barriers that are created by politics and created by the media.” --Reem Olaby The American University in Cairo Alumna Omaid said he also encourages those who were in attendance or anyone interested in learning more about Islamic culture to take Professor Cuneo Amer’s humanities 324 class, introduction to global Islamic cultures and civilization. “Islam can not be described in an instant or an
lifetime to learn about themselves and Islam.” Cuneo Amer’s presentation also looked at specific examples in the Quran, including a central focus of Islam and how it ties to this campus. CRC’s motto is “seek knowledge,” which Cuneo Amer said connects with the Quran
in an amazing way and can serve as a great message to prospective students who are Muslim. “I have thought this ever since it became our motto. This is what I’ve personally thought, when people know that and they are Muslim, they will relate,” said Cuneo Amer. “Seeking knowledge is maybe important in other traditions, but it’s really important in Islam.” Gaining knowledge was a focus of the lecture and an opportunity for people to learn about Islamic culture and its diversity, which also ties in well with CRC’s campus and its diversity. “Islam is a very diverse entity, with so many populations around the world. This college is a very diverse campus of peoples from all over the world, so the two kinda fit,” Cuneo Amer said.
April 21, 2016
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Animals get second chance with CRC adoption day By Oksana Barrios obarrios.connect@gmail.com The Cosumnes River College Veterinary Technology program is having its annual pet adoption day on April 24 from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. With five dogs and five cats ready for adoption, the Vet Tech program is hoping for a great turnout. “After having all the animals here for over a year we’re anxious to find them homes,” said Cheryl Buch the Vet Tech Instructional Aid. “At the end of the year the students put together this adoption day by putting posters up all over town and online as much as possible. We want to get as many people we can get to show up because that’s the hard part.” All the pets available at the adoption have been greatly taken care of, from being spayed or neutered to getting x-rays and blood tests, the pets are adoption ready. “All dogs have vaccines and been monitored, microchipped, tested and treated for diseases,” said Cheryl Buch the Vet Tech Instructional Aid. The families who adopt a pet will not only go home with a certificate from a participating hospital but the Vet Tech students have also volunteered items meant to be taken home with the animals. “We made adoption day baskets,” said Karli Williams, 23, a Vet Tech student. “All
Sacramento International Film Festival
Sacramento will be hosting an annual festival that will include work from local and global filmmakers including workshops and conferences. The event will take place from April 23 to May 1 in various Sacramento locations. Ticket prices vary on event. Visit seller website for more information. Nicole Goodie | The Connection
The Veterinary Technology department will be hosting their annual adaption day on April 24. All cats and dogs up for adoption are fixed and microchipped. From left to right, top to bottom: Hamlet, Chester, Salem, Harper.
All the students and staff are ready for the adoption but so are the pets. “We’ve been getting all the animals ready, the pets have been trained on initial obedience, we bathe them to get them all clean and constantly watch them,” said Castleleyn Carmona, 27, a Vet Tech student. All the students and staff are hopeful that every pet will be adopted and is able to find a new loving home, especially the cats because the program finds difficulty in getting them
of the students had to donate different items such as treats, bowls, play toys, baskets so that they have something to take home with them.” The students and faculty hosting the adoption are also prepared if more than one family contains an interest in the same dog or cat. Just incase more than one family wants to adopt the same animal we will put the names in a raffle and the winner gets to take the pet home,” said Kaley Andrews, 22, a Vet Tech student.
adopted. “We don’t want them to go back to a shelter so the purpose of this event is to get them all adopted,” Williams said. The adoption day will be held on the soccer field under the shade in front of the Vet Tech building. There is a fee to adopt the pets in order to cover all costs, dogs are $150 and cats are $50. “All the animals are pretty great and awesome so we hope people come out and adopt,” Andrews said.
5K Fun Run
A 5k run will be open to community members of all ages at Sacramento State University on April 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fee: $29 Location: Sacramento State University, 6000 J St.
Movie Premieres
April 22 “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” “Elvis & Nixon” “A Hologram for the King”
#TrendingNow San Francisco supervisor Jane Kim proposed to eliminate community college fees and provide grants for low income students to those who live and work in the city. “That’s awesome. I think that when some people who can’t afford it see that it is free then they will be able to go to school and have more opportunities,” said 21-year-old biology major Archy Singh.
rotest A man was arrested in front of the state capitol after blocking off a street with his car and protesting. He was arrested for having a hoax device and resisting an officer. “It isn’t fair to those around not only because he’s blocking traffic but he’s probably scaring a lot of people as well. It’s just unsafe,” said 20-year-old Vet Tech student Monica Camarra.
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Compiled by Ashley Navarro All photos are courtesy photos
ooks After more than a decade of a battle, Google won a courtcase against the Author’s Guild on the fair use of copyrighted books being posted online through Google Books. This means Google can legally post books on their library for free. “It’s great if you like online books. If you don’t then you’re still stuck buying paper books,” said 18-year-old design major Ahriana Johnson.
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Students examine cultural holidays for APA Heritage week By Kayleen Carter kcarter.connect@gmail.com Political activist and humanitarian Mahatma Gandhi once said “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of it’s people.” Embodying the spirit of these words, Cosumnes River College, in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage week, held a lecture on April 13, presenting the customs and rituals of three Vietnamese Holidays. Sandra Carter, an English-As-A-Second-Language professor and the host of the day’s event, addressed the crowd and introduced the three female presenters, Le Minh, Jasmine Nguyen and San Ton who would each in turn be speaking about the: Tet Holiday in China and Vietnam, Buffalo Sacrifice Festival and Teacher’s Day. Minh, Nguyen and Ton, were all former students of
Carter’s, and were born in Vietnam before coming to the United States. Minh was the first to speak, presenting on the customs of the Tet holiday. She explained that the Tet Holiday was the most important festival of the Vietnamese calendar, as it marked the beginning of the lunar new year. Customs before and during the holiday generally included: cleaning the house to bring in the new year, getting new haircuts and clothes, cleaning the family’s ancestral altar and visiting the Tet market. Minh ended her presentation by providing some tips on how to celebrate the Tet in the U.S. Next was Nguyen’s presentation on the Buffalo Sacrifice Festival. Nguyen said that the buffalo sacrifice had a symbolic and spiritual meaning that was associated with bonding human beings to
mother nature. Only strong, male buffalo’s were chosen for the sacrifice, and the family whose buffalo was chosen was considered to be chosen by God, Nguyen said. The Buffalo would be tied as villagers would pray, then sacrifice with Bamboo made Javelin sticks and prepared as an offering. Ending on a thankful note, Ton presented the Teacher’s Day holiday that was celebrated every year on November 20, to honor teachers and professors. During this time, former students would visit their teacher’s home. Primary students and higher education students alike create thankyou books, bake cakes and bring flowers to show their appreciation for their educators. She ended the presentation with a traditional viet-
namese song about teacher appreciation and with a Vietnamese proverb: “When eating the fruit, one should remember those who planted the tree.” After the presentations, the crowd were given lucky, red envelopes, each filled with a note wishing them well. The crowd also received additional prizes but only if they answered questions concerning aspects of each presentation correctly. “You’re in college,” Carter said to a laughing crowd. “You’re here to learn.” After the lecture, Minh, Nguyen and Ton presented their powerpoints to ESL Professor Minh Doh’s advanced Vietnamese class in Vietnamese. Sang Nguyen, a 20-yearold chemistry major, who was born in the central region of Vietnam and came to the United States when she was 15,
said she learned new things hearing the women speak in Vietnamese compared to English. “Like the way we talk is different, and the way we learn is different.” Nguyen said. “Some words, we didn’t know about how it work, like normally I just say it in Vietnamese. Different regions will have different tradition. Jaime Murro, a 20-yearold nursing major, was interested by the different aspects of culture. “The more you look at different people’s and different cultures, the more you find, you know, ‘wow, so, that’s what they think is important,’” Murro said. “Or ‘that’s what other people understand and how they understand it and how they celebrate’, you know, our way is not the only way is way is what I’m saying.”
Ready for Spring classes? Ever thought of seeing your work in the pages of The Connection? We need YOUR help to make our award-winning student newspaper and website even better. We’re looking for photographers, writers, editors, online producers, videographers, cartoonists and more. The Journalism Department offers general education courses for transfer as well as A.A. and A.A.-T degrees. Our graduates work for publications, websites, public relations firms and broadcast television and radio stations.
Come learn more at our
Open House
Thursday, May 5 in LRC 109 Enroll in Journalism 410 (Course Code 15080) or 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. & email Professor Gulati at gulatir@crc.losrios.edu to find out more about spring classes. 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. Drop in between classes or stay a while and chat with current students, counselors and faculty. You coming? www.thecrcconnection.com
PAGE 8
APRIL 21, 2016
>>Opinion EDITORIAL
Spike in local overdoses demand immediate action People have long looked at prescription painkillers as a safer way to get a high than taking other opioid type drugs like heroin, because painkillers are typically prescribed by doctors and professionals in the medical field. However, safer may not be the case. Sacramento has seen a huge surge in drug overdoses within the last month. The city has seen 52 opioid overdoses, and 10 of those who overdosed died, according to San Francisco’s Drug Enforcement Agency division. The drug that is reportedly causing all of these overdoses goes by the name of fentanyl, which can be 100 times more potent than morphine and up to 50 times more potent than 100 percent pure heroin, according to the DEA. However, fentanyl isn’t being sold as is. Fentanyl is being mixed in with hydrocodone which are more commonly available on the street, all to create a more a potent product. Street drug dealers are selling the mixed drugs under the misconception that they are pure hydrocodone, according to the DEA. Hydrocodone or any other prescription painkiller on its own is not purely safe, but it is nowhere near as lethal as when it’s mixed with fentanyl. Even grain amounts of fentanyl have been reported to cause overdoses of its users, according to the DEA. The U.S. has experienced a fentanyl epidemic before, between 2005 and 2007, when it was estimated that more than 1,000 people died because of the drug, according to an article featured on the Guardian’s website. Users of the mixed drugs claim that they fell unconscious after only taking one or two pills, according to an article by The Sacramento Bee. This is all the more reason to start treating prescription painkillers just as serious as any criminalized opioid, like heroin. Many suspect that users of this drug cocktail are unaware that they are taking Norco and or Vicodin laced with fentanyl, because many users have claimed they received the drug from a close family member or neighbor. That being said, many people are taking the dangers of painkillers too lightly. Painkillers should only be taken when prescribed by a doctor and received from a reputable pharmacy. Drug addiction is something that affects even those who aren’t addicted because many may know someone who is, whether it’s an extreme case or one that seems very minor. Greater awareness is needed in order to put a stop to the consumption of any illegally obtained painkillers. California isn’t the only state experiencing drugs laced with fentanyl. New Hampshire has seen a large increase of fentanyl related overdoses this year as well, according to another article published by the Guardian earlier in March. The only way to completely ensure safety when taking drugs of any nature is to consult a doctor prior to use. Painkillers should only be taken by those in need of it and only if prescribed by a medical professional. Without exercised caution, there’s only a matter a time before increasing death tolls trigger a state of emergency. Agree? Disagree? Let us know at connection.crc@gmail.com or thecrcconnection.com
Letters to the Editor RE: “Students still need free college tuition” Issue date: March 10
RE: “Scholarship opportunities still available for students” Issue date: Feb. 25
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
Thank you for putting out an opinion piece regarding free college tuition. I think that tuition should be free and that education should be free. Hopefully Obama’s plan, America’s College Promise proposal, even though it fell through during his administration, will be revived during whoever wins the next presidency. Education is an important institution necessary for a great society. The more educated the people of a society are, the stronger the society. Knowledge is power and education can improve health, increase life expectancy, decrease poverty, opens more doors to success and promotes gender equality. Going to college can also help one make connections with others that can foster personal and professional life. Since recently being granted the Board of Governors fee waiver, I can attest that financial aid and having tuition costs covered can definitely relieve a of pressure.
Many students neglect to take advantage of this great opportunity to help raise funds for their continued education. I am personally a success story of applying and receiving one of Cosumnes River College’s student scholarships. The entire process took less than an hour and was well worth it! Not only do you receive the monetary value from the award of the scholarship itself, but the college also hosts an award night for recipients, providing dinner for them and a guest! Seems like a win-win to me!
Jenina Pulanco, 25 Nursing
I wish to congratulate you on this well written and informative article. It is nice to know that there are programs available to students that help with getting an internship and work experience. Makes you wonder how other schools’ programs compare to the one at Cosumnes River College. I wonder how many students are using these programs to help with finding work and an internship for the career/major they are following. I know I will be using the program at the school to which I transfer when I am focusing on my major. Again, thank you for providing this information.
RE: “Gender neutral bathrooms a step forward for gender equality” Issue date: March 17 Dear Editor, I really do find it rather funny that the topic of gender-neutral bathrooms is met with such resistance when, in reality, it’s just a room in a building for people to excrete and/or wash themselves and move on with their day. Personally, I don’t talk to anyone, make conversation, make excessive eye contact in public restrooms; I do my business, wash, and get out because that’s the point of the facility. Transgender and non-conforming individuals face a much harsher and potentially dangerous reality with binary bathrooms, and I like to think that we, the youth, are about tolerance and acceptance. We seemingly have fallen into the habit of making non-issues and moments of progressive change into problematic scenarios. There are plenty of anecdotes and personal stories that relate the same story of, “It was totally normal. Not a problem at all.” I would like to think that we’re much different than North Carolina, and I pray that the community feels the same way. Josiah Quirós, 19 English
Cameron Crouch, 20 Agricultural Business RE: “Program helps applicants with summer internships” Issue date: April 7 Dear Editor,
Christine Garcia, 27 Communications RE: “Professor’s cookbook acts as a guide to healthy eating” Issue date: April 7 Dear Editor, I read the story and it seemed really interesting how a healthy cookbook can get you hooked with different ways to prepare a dish. It was written well and interesting as it used the analogy of a taco bar. Although convincing, I have interviewed Professor Hagenburger in the past and I’ve seen her dishes in person, however I’m not really into green stuff so I wouldn’t get the book. Francisco Rodriguez, 21 Communications
S s
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Man in the mirror
Two different candidates, same radical philosophy By Matt Johnson mjohnson.connect@gmail.com
While much of the media attention has focused on Donald Trump, largely seen as the most radical and divisive Republican presidential candidate, fellow Republican candidate Ted Cruz has made just as many divisive statements. Cruz, a senator from Texas, has been described as a freedom fighter by many Republican voters. He has been a major advocate for limited government and gun rights, fighting against any proposed restrictions on the second amendment. Yet for someone who is for the rights of the people and protecting their freedom, his stances on marriage equality and abortion are a greater indication that Cruz isn’t the freedom fighter his supporters make him out to be. During campaign stops in Iowa, Cruz said the U.S. was in a time of crisis and “losing who we are,” in response to a supporter who said it was a sad day for her when the capitol building in Washington D.C. lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate the supreme court’s decision on marriage equality, according to The Washington Post. The Texas senator also supported Kim Davis, the county clerk who refused to sign same-sex marriage li-
censes. Cruz also condemned a city’s mayor for taking part in a gay pride parade, according to KERA News. Cruz isn’t a defender of freedom, he’s a hypocrite. He will defend your freedom to own a semi-automatic rifle without having to undergo a thorough background check, but he doesn’t support marriage equality or a women’s right to have an abortion. Cruz defends his stance against marriage equality and abortion on the basis of his Christian beliefs. On Twitter, Cruz stated his plans to defend religious freedoms against what he calls the greatest moral threats the country currently faces, a perceived verbal assault on Judeo-Christians from Washington D.C. and the media. For Cruz to state that perceived verbal assaults on Christian beliefs is the greatest moral threat to the U.S., takes an incredible amount of ignorance. Racism, sexism and homophobia still exist. To view any potential verbal jabs on Christians as a greater problem than racial issues in the justice system, women making less than men and being treated as lesser people and businesses refusing service to a same-sex couple, shows the mindless views Cruz is running on. But the issues with Cruz go beyond that, he is also a divisive can-
didate. Cruz is disliked by both Republicans and Democrats. Senator Lindsey Graham said you could kill Cruz on the senate floor and no one in the room would convict you, according to CNN.
“The only difference between Trump and Cruz is that Trump is better at drawing attention to himself and pulling in media attention.” Cruz called President Barack Obama the most radical president in U.S. history in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, a Christian-oriented religious television network. He has gone after the president for continuing to fund Planned Parenthood with federal funding. He has called out the Republicans in Congress for not doing more to stop the funding of Planned Parenthood. In a speech on his YouTube channel, Cruz said “Liberty isn’t safe in the hands of a politician that doesn’t hold all life sacred. For anyone that doesn’t hold life sacred can’t possibly know what true liberty is or where true liberty comes from.” Perhaps voters should follow Cruz’s own words and defend lib-
erty, which would not be safe in the hands of a politician that doesn’t hold the lives of people sacred. Because if Cruz did, he wouldn’t impede every gun control measure that has come along in Congress. But Cruz’s most radical and alarming remarks came in wake of the Belgian attacks. In the hours after the deadly attacks, Cruz released a statement advocating for law enforcement “to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized,” according to CNN. Advocating for Muslim neighborhoods to be monitored and taken over by law enforcement is a radical, right-wing extremist view. It’s just the latest example of a candidate advocating for racial profiling, targeting someone on the basis of their religion. Cruz is an advocate for religious freedoms, but really that only applies to Christians. There is not just one radical, ignorant Republican presidential candidate. The only difference between Trump and Cruz is that Trump is better at drawing attention to himself and pulling in media attention. Both candidates are fighting against the freedom and solidarity this country should be about and have no business being president.
PAGE 10
APRIL 21, 2016
>>Sports
Young swim team enjoys record-breaking season By Erica Trujillo etrujillo.connect@gmail.com With the season coming to a close, the women’s swim team can say they went out with a bang. The team set multiple school records and it helped propel them to work even harder as athletes and students. The team set 13 school records this season alone. Sara Krajnovic, Liz Padilla, Suraya Golden, Natasha Supan and Lindsey Meister now will all go down in CRC’s swim history for their accomplishments. “You improve basically just by giving your all at practice and committing to the practices, showing up today like super early,” said freshman Suraya Golden. Having only one sophomore on the team may be difficult, but Suppan served as another helper on the team, giving her teammates advice on how to achieve their goals and be succesful. “Yeah, sometimes I help them through their warm-ups at meets and stuff, but for the most part it goes well and smoothly, “ said sophomore Natasha Supan. “It can be challenging. A lot of times they don’t understand my mindset because I’ve had what they’re
School records set by the 2016 women’s swim team 50 Butterfly: 32.92 Seconds - Natasha Supan
100 Breast: 80.67 Seconds - Sara Krajnovic
50 Backstroke: 34 Seconds - Natasha Supan
100 Free: 80.67 Seconds - Suraya Golden
50 Breaststroke: 37.52 Seconds - Sara Krajnovic
100 Breaststroke: 61.11 Seconds - Suraya Golden
50 Freestyle: 27.47 Seconds - Suraya Golden
200 Individual Medley: 154.14 Seconds - Suraya Golden
100 Butterfly: 69.73 Seconds - Suraya Golden
200 Breaststroke: 177.33 Seconds - Sara Krajnovic
100 Backstroke: 71.85 Seconds - Natasha Supan
200 Backstroke: 155.73 Seconds - Natasha Supan
experiencing now, I’ve already experienced, so it’s a little different,” Supan said. Head coach Liz Abrams is proud of the team’s effort this season and is happy with the season-turnout. Now she hopes the women use what they have learned in swim and apply it to the real world.
“Being a student athlete requires a lot of dedication, commitment and time management so I hope that they take away from the experience some life skills that will only help them in their future academics and in the workplace,” Abrams said. “If they continue on as student athletes at a four-year university as well,”
Abrams said. On such a young team it was important for the freshman to gain experience from this season and deal with what Abrams called a “huge learning curve,” she said. Abrams said that with the players experience and growth, those who return next season can bring experience and leadership for the new players coming in and also set higher goals for themselves. “My hope is that the returning sophomores who are freshmen this year will be leaders for the freshmen that are coming in,” Abrams said. “They’ll also have a much better intrinsic motivation to set those goals and meet them within the scope of our season.” she said. Being such a small team, it was easy to for the women to see each other like family. “A lot of us like to hang out outside of swim,” said freshman Sara Krajnovic. “That’s how you know you’re really friends if you’re going to be swimming 20 hours a week with someone and want to see them afterward,” she said. The team will finish off the season on April 21-23 at the Big 8 Conference Championships.
Freshman player uses basketball to overcome obstacles By Erica Trujillo etrujillo.connect@gmail.com Freshman forward Gerard Andrus had a great year and made a big name for himself. He was named the Big 8 Conference’s’ Most Valuable Player. Andrus has worked extremely hard to reach the success he has so far and persevered through hardships, all because of his love for basketball. He lives with his brother in Sacramento while the rest of their family remains back home in Lafayette, La. While he is far away from the rest of his family, Andrus says he knows he is here for a purpose. “I just set myself a goal that I’m here for a reason, I have to handle business,” he said. Andrus started playing basketball when he was a 15-year-old freshman in high school. He immediately loved the sport because he liked being “pushed and loves hearing people in his head telling him he can’t do it.” He perseveres through the negativity and rises above it, living by the motto that if you want to play hard in games, you have to practice hard. Going from high school to college, a lot of people had high expectations for him to be the best because of how good he was in high school.
This opportunity also meant a lot to Andrus’s family as he became the only person in his family to go to college. “They look up to me to just try and make them proud and that’s all I want to do,” Andrus said. The 20-year-old said his favorite thing about the team is Coach Devin Aye. Aye puts his passion for the game into the players. He pushes the players to do their best,” Andrus said. He gives basketball all he has because he doesn’t want to be average and wants to be the best for his teammates and coach. “He tries to get the best out of me at all times. My teammates taking me to another level, meeting new people, going through these different wars with them. It’s a blessing to be able to play with them,” Andrus said. Because the team lost a number of players during the season due to low grades, he made sure throughout the season to stay on top of his school work and hopes to raise his GPA. “I like to plan things out on a calendar and do my work ahead of time and look at my syllabus so I can put my time into the gym,” Andrus said. Winning is important to him and
he aspires to be the best. One of the greatest moments of his life was winning the MVP for the Big 8 Conference. “The sprints, the time at the gym, just everything felt like it finally came into use,” Andrus said. “I accomplished something. It meant a lot for me.” “I lost two of my brothers this summer and I didn’t know if I wanted to play basketball anymore. I was kind of losing the love for it. Instead, I just took all that emotion and put it into
“I stay hungry. You can’t get complacent with yourself. You still ain’t the best, don’t forget. There are still other people in the world that want to do this too.” -- Gerard Andrus
Freshman forward
basketball,” he said. Basketball was there for him after he lost his brothers, serving as a way to get away from it all. “I just used basketball as a way to
get out, to go the other direction,” Andrus said. “Instead of bringing all that negativity, I used basketball as a way to separate myself from all of that.” Andrus said he is always looking to improve as a player and leader. “I want to be a better vocal leader. Like coach says, sometimes it’s not the way you say it, but how you say it. I need to try not to get down on myself when things aren’t going right,” Andrus said. “Sometimes you have to follow to be a better leader,” he said. Andrus said the team is like his family, they’re all brothers and their ability to stay together and keep fighting through adversity helps drive his fire to keep working. “Never give up. You gotta keep fighting because it isn’t over till the buzzer,”Andrus said. “Make sure you give it your all every game and every practice. Practice should be harder than the game, he said.” Andrus stays humble throughout his success. “I stay hungry. You can’t get complacent with yourself. You still ain’t the best, don’t forget. There are still a million other people in the world that want to do this too,” Andrus said.
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Softball drops doubleheader to Sacramento City College By Matt Johnson mjohnson.connect@gmail.com The softball team had an opportunity to pull into first place in the Big 8 Conference on April 16, but dropped both games in their doubleheader against Sacramento City College. The Hawks lost 6-3 in the first game and 2-0 in the second game. As a result of the two losses, the Hawks dropped from one game behind the Panthers to three games behind and slipped a game behind Sierra College into third place. “We just didn’t play solid ball all the way around,” said head coach Kristy Schroeder. “We gotta score, we had some opportunities, we came up a little short in our meat of our lineup and when we’ve been winning those last few games, that meat of the lineup has been doing well for us,” she said. Freshman pitcher Angelica Dark took the start in the second game and got off to a strong start, keeping the game scoreless in the first. But in the bottom of the second, a few mistakes came back to bite the Hawks. Dark left the ball up and Panthers sophomore catcher Kaitlyn Leffle hit a solo home run over the right-field wall to give Sacramento City a 1-0 lead. After allowing a single to sophomore outfielder Morgan Welch. Dark was able to record a strikeout before a groundout advanced Welch to second. Then with two outs on a ground ball to sophomore shortstop Brenda Velasquez, her throw widely misses sophomore first baseman Raechel Hooper’s glove and the ball bounced off the fence and rolled around, allowing Welch to score. After a difficult second inning, Dark was able to remain focused and kept a positive mindset on the mound. “I just let it go, shake it off because there are going to be good batters out there, people are going to make mistakes, everyone is human, no one is perfect, no one is a robot,” Dark said. “You really just have to stay positive, take the situation and look at it in the positive light,” she said.
Editor in Chief: Tyler Santana News Editor: Tyler Santana Features Editor: Nicole Goodie Opinion Editor: EJ Aguayo Sports Editor: Matt Johnson Faculty Adviser: Rubina Gulati
Staff: Ashley Navarro, Brennan Smith, Courtney Fong, Eb Arreola, Erica Trujillo, Evan Pacheco, Kayleen Carter, LeShea Munoz, Oksana Barrios, Quincie Pruitt
“I just let it go, shake it off because there are going to be good batters out there, people are going to make mistakes, everyone is human, no one is perfect, no one is a robot.” -- Angelica Dark
Freshman pitcher
After the challenging second inning, Dark allowed just four hits and zero runs across the next four innings, finishing the day with six innings of two-run ball. Even when Dark gave up hits, freshman catcher Courtney Beatty backed her up behind the plate. Beatty threw out three Panthers’ runners attempting to steal second base, two of which ended the inning. “It’s a really good feeling, especially to end the inning and help get out of situations when there’s a runner on base,” Beatty said. The Hawks struggled to get on base until the fifth inning when Velasquez and sophomore third baseman Kacey Lutz reached on back-to-back, one-out singles. With runners on first and third, freshman outfielder Amber Wright hit a fly ball to right field. It was caught and Velasquez scored from third, but the umpire determined she left third base early and was ruled out. Coming off the two losses, the team knows they just have to get back to practice and focus on getting back on track to return to the success they’ve had for much of the season. “I think we’re just going to re-focus on batting, trying to keep our attitudes up and focusing on just doing what we do best,” Dark said. Following the two losses on April 16, the team was able to bounce back on April 19 against American River College, winning 3-1 and improving their record to 28-9. The Hawks play their final regular season home game on April 21 with a doubleheader against Sierra College at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The Connection is an award-winning newspaper published bi-weekly by the Journalism 410 & 411 media production class. Editorials and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the students, staff or faculty of CRC or Los Rios Community College District. The Connection is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and California Newspaper Publisher’s Association.
Letters to the Editor must be typed, signed and include the first and last name of the author and a phone number. They must be 200 words or less and may be edited for length, clarity or taste.
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NFL’s substance-abuse policy fails at-risk athletes By Matt Johnson mjohnson.connect@gmail.com When an NFL player fails a drug test and is suspended by the NFL, fans across social media chastise the player for being unable to give up marijuana when using it could bring an end t his career. While something could certainly be said about being unable to give up a substance when using it can lead to you losing your job, it also serves as a sign that the athlete needs help. But the NFL’s substance-abuse system isn’t designed to help players in need, it seems designed to fail them. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is serving a year-long penalty suspension after consuming alcohol in February 2015, which violated the terms of his previous suspension for failing a drug test. Gordon was eligible for re-admission into the NFL this offseason, but reportedly failed another drug test in March. Gordon’s failed test came when his “A” and “B” urine sample tested below the NFL’s 35 nanogram threshold, but both samples were diluted resulting in a failed test, according to Fox Sports. This is the first problem with the NFL’s testing program, the threshold they use to count as a failed test. Looking across sports, there are a variety of higher thresholds. Major League Baseball holds a 50-nanogram threshold and the World Anti-Doping Agency, which tests for the Olympics, holds a 150 nanogram threshold, according to USA Today. The NFL’s standards were even worse two years ago, when the threshold was set at 15 nanograms, according to Fox Sports. Gordon isn’t the only player impacted by the NFL’s policy either. Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon is still under an
indefinite suspension and hasn’t played since 2013. Young men who had substance-abuse issues were in need of help and instead the NFL turned them away. When the NFL suspends a player, they don’t just take him off the field and suspend his pay, that isn’t enough for them. The player is banned from team facilities and can’t be in contact with the team, according to CBS Sports. When you spend most of your days with a team for half the year, they essentially become your family. Teammates are your brothers who are there to support you both on the field and off. For young players in need, a strong locker room can also provide structure and guidance. If you were to construct a system that identified young men with substance-abuse issues all while dealing with the pressure and emotion of being a professional athlete, the last thing you would think of doing is removing their support system. Removing them from their family of teammates, where they can be around older players who have experienced similar things and can be a mentor to them, is setting these players up to fail. Football is a violent game and players are likely dealing with physical pain on a daily basis. NFL doctors can hand them bags of painkillers to numb the pain even at a time when there is growing misuse of pain medications at a rate more than four times higher than the general population, according to ESPN. Yet the NFL sees the use of marijuana as a significant violation of league rules and even when it’s evident athletes have a substance-abuse problem, the NFL throws them aside indefinitely. It’s time for the NFL to make a serious change to its entire substance-abuse system and focus on the health of these young men.
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April 21, 2016
Tennis teams gain experience in trying season By Courtney Fong cofong.connect@gmail.com As the men’s and women’s tennis season comes to a close, the Hawks reflected on the past three months as a new team under first-year head coach Brandon Ellis and assistant coach Edmund Carter. Though the men had a 2-7 record and the women went 0-11, the teams were successful in developing a team culture, building a foundation of players’ tennis skills and gaining experience competing against tough teams. “We’re a young program, so that’s something we’re looking at - building a foundation and then growing for the future,” said Ellis. “But in terms of this season, it’s been a fun challenge.” Progress is evident in Corinne Hand and Yasmin Elsayed’s ability to hold their own against opponents. Both joined the Hawks this season with no experience in tennis, but after only three months they were rallying for points. “Our mentality has improved a lot,” said Hand. “I think we had a tough season but we stuck with it, and so we’ve toughened up.” Many players said that they improved both physically and mentally. They became more confident and comfortable facing tougher opponents, seizing the opportunity to learn from teammates,
LeShea Munoz | The Connection
Freshman Joshua Frazier and freshman Abiel Lazcandon sitting down after a match against Fresno City College on March 16. For both teams, this season was more about gaining experience than a season record.
coaches and competitors alike. But improvement didn’t just come overnight. The Hawks have worked hard to make noticeable progress. Quinn Dobbins and Kevin Thai, a redshirt for the men’s team this season, could often be found on the court two hours before practice officially began. “The athletes have become more responsible for their own game, and more independent,” Ellis said. Abiel Lacandazon said his progress this season has only made him realize how much more he can still learn. “With tennis, I’ve learned that hard work pays off even if you don’t see it,” said La-
candazon. “I think overall our skill level has improved, we’re definitely different tennis players compared to the fall semester.” Players faced challenges together, bonding in practice while learning more about each other over post-match meals, said Aston Wong, who is redshirting this season. “At the beginning, I would say that the atmosphere was pretty loose,” Wong said. “But as the weeks went by people got more focused and overall they just tried to focus on their game and improve, which you can really see now.” One lesson the young team learned this season was the importance of balancing
tennis and school work. “There’s been some hiccups and some stumbles along the way,” Ellis said. “But I always try to use those moments as lessons, because I always emphasize the fact that your grades are really going to stick with you forever. Academically, they’ve matured as well.” The student-athletes will soon return to their classes full-time as the season wraps up, but they’ll still have a chance to play quality tennis. A few players qualified for the California State Community College Team Championships that will be held April 20-24. Men’s doubles Yashneel Krishna, Stephen Albert, Ab-
iel Lacandazon and Joshua Frazier and women’s doubles Taylor Galya and Clarence Fernandez qualified at the Big 8 South Conference Tournament that was held March 31-April 2. Galya also qualified in singles as the only freshman among four semi-finalists. “A lot of those doubles matches [at the conference match], they were come from behind, so that’s expressive to me of being able to overcome challenges within a match,” said Ellis. “I think that’s a sign of maturity in terms of their match experience.” Ellis said he is looking forward to seeing the sophomores mentor new players, and believes that having more players will establish an environment of healthy competition. This summer Ellis and Carter will work on recruiting players who are academically-focused, enthusiastic about tennis and can contribute positively to the team. Players are looking forward to winning and improving their game in the supportive, positive atmosphere in the fall. The Hawks can now set high expectations for next season after building a foundation this season. Lacandazon summed up this season simply: “Overall, it’s just been a great experience.”
Freshman tennis player named athlete of the week By Courtney Fong cofong.connect@gmail.com After qualifying for the California State Community College Team Championships in doubles, Yashneel Krishna was named Cosumnes River College’s student-athlete of the week for April 10-16. He said he was surprised to be student-athlete of the week because he feels like he still has a lot to accomplish. “It didn’t really sink in. I got called in for it, I was surprised,” Krishna said. “I’m like, ‘that’s cool, awesome,’ but I feel like I have to prove more.” His competitive spirit drives him, even when competing as the men’s No.1 against others who have much more experience.
“You gotta realize that they’re better than you. Most of the guys I’ve played, they’ve had like 10 years plus more experience than me,” said Krishna. “So I accept that, and then I take the challenge.” But he also doesn’t let the competitive nature of the oneon-one sport overwhelm him. Krishna remains grounded by his love for tennis and the sense of peace he feels on the court. “On the court, I’ll push myself, get motivated, but I’ll have a laugh with it too,” Krishna said. “Even after an intense loss or an intense win, I’m satisfied in working hard on the court and forgetting about the outside world.” Krishna’s passion for tennis started in high school. He picked up the game quickly
because of his athletic ability and “just loved it, [I] couldn’t stop playing.” He attributes much of his tennis knowledge to his boss, Director of Tennis at Park Terrace Swim and Tennis Club Monty Basnyat. “[Working at Park Terrace] got my game up and I was able to come out and compete,” said Krishna. “Though there was a big gap between me playing number one here versus other number ones, I was able to hang, like I didn’t feel out of place. And I wasn’t intimidated.” Playing for the Hawks is always fun, intense work for Krishna. He said part of the enjoyment comes from working with welcoming and understanding coaches who challenge the team.
Courtney Fong | The Connection
Yashneel Krishna was named athlete of the week for April 10-16 after he qualified for the California State Community College Championships.