The Skyline View | Fall 2019 | Issue #4

The SKYLINE View The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, Calif.

theskylineview.com

November 7, 2019

Issue 4

Ballooning Administrative Cost Teleconference with Does the paycheck tell your worth, If it does-Is your Chancellor worth more than your Professor?

Chancellor Eloy Oakley Ortiz

By Umaima Ejaz News Editor

According to the Association of California Community College Administrators’ survey, San Mateo county district administrators salaries are ranked number one in the state, where as our full time faculty salaries rank below the top tier of Bay 10 districts and our parttime faculty salary rankings are in the lower half of Bay 10 districts.

With the faculty pay figure dropping down every year the number of SMCCCD administrators has increased 55 percent since 2012.

The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources released a report on its annual survey of higher-education administrators, with results reflecting the standards of our society. It said salaries for administrators increased by 2.7 percent, the overall median salary increase for faculty members during the same span, according to the association, known as CUPA-HR. It also shed light on gender, Deans pay varied widely according to discipline and reflected gender disparities. The report also highlighted for assistant and associate academic deans, having faculty status literally pays off.

Two out of three assistant or associate deans have faculty status, the report says, and they earned more money than did their peers without such status in every discipline except agriculture, continuing education, library sciences, music, performing arts, social sciences, and veterinary medicine. The school spends in two ways; The institutional costs and the administrative costs. The institutional cost is everything that come’s under the banner of college’s primary mis-

By Umaima Ejaz News Editor

Mark David Magat// The Skyline View

sion where as, the administrative costs are daily operational costs.

The question is shouldn’t the college be concerned? Shouldn’t the college leaders have cuts in administrative spending? Is there an accountability problem? For the past eight months, AFT 1493 have been negotiating about the major issues affecting the SMC-

CD faculty but there has been near to no progress. The AFT 1493’s executive committee felt that they had to campaign for a fair contract with the help of their colleagues. According to the last AFT 1493’s contract

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A teleconference with Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley was organized on 22nd October 2019 to keep the people of California updated with top legislative priorities of California community colleges, the new Senate Bill 291. A new bill was proposed that would help cover the total cost of community college for college students was announced by Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley in a teleconference on Tuesday. Chancellor Oakley spoke in detail about the idea behind this new financial grant for low income students.“This is a new grant, which would help students cover the total cost of attending and succeeding in college. So let me give you some of the underlying principles of the proposal. All California community college students with financial need should be eligible to receive financial aid, regardless of their age, how long it’s taking them to get out of high school or how long after high school they come to college, or their high school grades. Students financial aid should be linked to the total cost of attendance, not just tuition and fees, but also things like housing, food, transportation and supplies. These are the real costs of going to community college students should have access to financial aid regardless of the students educational goals. That is regardless of whether the student seeks to complete a degree, a certificate or a short term career technical education program.

Financial Aid should be available equitably,” Oakley said.

“More than half of the students

attending a California community college, have trouble affording balanced meals, or they worry about running out of food and nearly one in five are either homeless or do not have a stable place to live. According to the survey, a combined 52% of students said they either couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals or worried whether their food would run out before having money to buy more.” He requested people to visit truecollegecost. com, a new website designed to educate people about the financial aid proposal. The floor was also opened for student media representatives after he finished speaking about the new grant. A student from Monetary Peninsula College (or MPC), Katie Dane questioned him about her concerns that she heard from underground front line teachers speaking to how these newly implemented funding models affect California community colleges.“My question is, the plan does the chancellor’s office has increased funding models for the community college. Just and how can MTC grow with enrollment and not be penalized by the state financial aid services,” Dane asked. Upon which the chancellor again emphasized that every student applying through the Cal Grant will benefit from this financial aid grant. “Every student who attends any of our community college, including MPC would benefit greatly from the changes that were proposing to the state’s financial aid system, particularly those students who are older, who are pursuing careers, who may have had to work for a while and then are trying to come back to school. Their Cal Grant system has historically not been able to support students like that and the students that attend Monterey Peninsula College so the reform that we are proposing,

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PG&E Power Outages, Air Quality, Wildfires around California-All you need to know

By Umaima Ejaz News Editor

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Twelve days after the Kincade fire, which ignited and quickly spread on October 23. It started by fewer than 1,000 acres the next day and had consumed 77,758 acres. A total of 349 structures, at least 165 of them homes, were destroyed by the flames, and another 55 were damaged, according to a report by Cal Fire.

With that just not being it WPC

reminder looms over of no rain in sight, which means California still remains under threat for wildfire and PG&E power shutdowns. On October 25th, a few days after PG&E notified San Mateo county for it’s second shutdown—San Mateo Community College District (SMCCD) issued a notice for closure. Skyline College and the

Turning PG&E into a cooperative could indeed bring benefits. Focusing utility operations on service not profitability could result in badly needed maintenance, better capital investments, and eventually, lower bills. district office remained closed for three consecutive days, until the school got their power back on Monday October 28. All operations resumed at all SMCCD Colleges.

The power outage troubled people

across the Bay Area leaving millions of people in dark. Many teachers had to reschedule tests and extend homework deadlines. A student from Skyline College, Auxe said “Our term paper deadlines were changed because of the power outages, We couldn’t complete any of our work, which was quite stressful with midterms being so near”. With the recent shutdowns it is clear that PG&E is better if it was turned into a customer owned corporate. Turning PG&E into a cooperative could indeed bring benefits. Focusing utility operations on service not profitability could result in badly needed maintenance, better capital investments, and eventually, lower bills. While air quality has worsened in California during this year’s wildfires, it is far better from what it was last year leading to shutting down schools and being the worst in the world. In all, the 29 counties affected by the power outages experienced what it was like without power, a luxury that many take for granted all across the world.

Mark David Magat// The Skyline View

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News

The Staff Editor-In-Chief Daniel Archuleta News Editor Umaima Ejaz Focal Point Editor Milla Tivadar opinions Editor Calixto Reyes Sports Editor Cristian Garcia Copy Editor Ry bevington Misha Berman Photo Editor Gianna Sozzi MULTI-MEDIA Editor Hanz Mathew Pacheco Staff Photographer Kathryn Trefz editor at large Mark David Magat Social media Editor Layna Salinas Staff writers I-Wei ChangFaculty Adviser Nancy Kaplan-Biegel

STEM Center Holds Its First Meeting Ever

By Umaima Ejaz News Editor

The meeting is designed for students who intend to major in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—with more meetings to come over the next few months.

The First meeting ever of the STEM Center Forums was held on Monday Nov. 4, and the theme for it was Identity: A look inwards, hosted by Dr. Angelica Garcia and Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza. The STEM Center Forums was made possible by the President’s Innovation Fund, which is a donated pool of money where staff and faculty can apply and implement some innovative programs or ideas. According to a flyer that was handed out during the meeting, it will be “a monthly lunch forum that will bring together NSF Scholars, peer mentors, and faculty advisors in order to engage in dialogue to foster critical consciousness and empower future leaders and change-makers in STEM.” Brian Swartout, who was at the STEM Center Forums on Mon., said there is a study room for STEM students to use, and it opened yesterday, and it is called the STEM Center.

Swartout also said that the STEM Center Forum is aimed for STEM students to reach their academic goals. You can swing by the STEM Center in Building 7, Room 7-307 to do your homework or study in groups Swartout also said “We really wanted to use this forum as an initiation to kind of help build that

further added “I’m looking to push forward beyond into biomechanical engineering and bionics,” Chantal Sanfeli, who is majoring in microbiology, shared her experience at the STEM forum as well. “There was a lot of talking and I haven’t gone to one of these before. So I was just coming to it.” said Sanfeli. It is clear that the students enjoyed and are looking forward for STEM Center Forum meetings that are to be held between Nov. 22 and in the Spring 2020 semester. The next meeting’s theme will be Equity in STEM, which will be held on Fri., Nov. 22 and it will be hosted by the Dean of Science, Math, and Technology at Skyline College Ray Hernandez. In addition, there will be four more STEM Center Forums to be held every last Friday of the month except in March due to Flex Day on March 27 in the upcoming Spring 2020 semester.

community so that we can all support each other as we work towards our educational goals.” Most of the attendees of the STEM Center Forums on Mon. are majoring in STEM. Skyline College STEM students Dave Camoucha and Chan-

Continued from Page 1-Teleconference with Eloy Ortiz Oakley Want more news? www.theskylineview.com Or maybe you have news for us?

(650)738-4302 Want to yell at us? theskylineview@gmail.com Or use snail mail: The Skyline View c/o Language Arts Room 8-8110 Skyline College 3300 College Drive

San Bruno CA 94066

The Skyline View is a First Amendment Publication. The Skyline View is published bi-weekly during the spring and fall semesters by the journalism students at Skyline College. The Skyline View is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writers and should not be interpreted as the views of Skyline College, SMCCCD, the faculty, administrators or the newspaper adviser. Additionally, the paper does not endorse any of the products or services advertised.

The Skyline View welcomes Letters to the Editors; letters must include full name, address, and phone number for verification. The Skyline View reserves the right to edit letters for length, libel, clarity, and taste.

November, 7 2019

Senate Bill 291 will provide additional amount of resources a significant amount of resources to provide grant aid to those students and become part of the growing umbrella that we call the California College Promise, which not only waives fees for all low income students, but also waives fees for all first time, full time students regardless of what county they’re from,” Oakley said. Another student asked him about when the bill would go in affect and he stated that the bill would go into affect starting in 2020, and in the initial budget year they will be getting an amount of 250 million dollars. He also added that they plan to receive over six billion dollars in the spam of the next six years. In respect to this amount Jason Scholar, another media representative questioned him about the dreamers and how Senate Bill 291 would impact them. “So that’s a great question because, as you may know, the state has provided, not just in state tuition and the California DREAM Act aid to our dreamers. But what we’re hoping is one, this aid, obviously would go directly to those students who apply through the Cal Grant system. But we will continue to work on increasing the amount of aid is available to our dreamers.

Bill 291 will primarily support the needs of all low income students.

And as long as a student has residency here in California. They will be able to access that aid. That does not solve the problem for all the dreamers, as you, I’m sure, you know, so we need to continue to work with the legislature. And with the federal government, but in the near term with the state legislature to increase the amount of resources available to those dreamers who don’t have residency here in the

tal Sanfeli were among of the STEM Center Forums attendees who are majoring in a STEM major. Dave Camoucha who is majoring in mechanical engineering, said “I thought it was a good inaugural event to have and I’m looking forward to future ones.” He

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Continued from Page 1-Ballooning Administrative Cost

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state of California,” Oakley said.

This bill provides funding, upon appropriation by legislature, to each community college meeting prescribed requirements. To learn more about this bill you can visit truecollegecost.com and see how you can support your peers.

Only time can tell what Bill 291 has for the people of California. Until then we can only wait.

negotiations on October 8, they had a discussion on part time parity, and faculty complaints and investigations. In the end they presented a counter proposal on binding arbitration.

With not much progress in negotiations AFT 1493 started the outreach drive, which is a method of union organizing where volunteers (Executive committee members, CFT organizers and the faculty member on each campus) discuss their experiences and concerns and way they can improve them.

AFT 1493 has always discouraged full timers from taking on excessive overload. To aid trustees with such complex tasks the American council of trustees and alumni (ACTA) has en-

couraged the discourse between trustees and institutional leadership about their college or university’s top priorities—Tracking dollars as they flow through higher education systems is inherently challenging. The price of college and how colleges use their money have, for good reason, been top public concerns.

The increase in these salaries have been the back drop of why college is becoming expensive day by day. The question is will national benchmarks for median levels of administrative spending, while issuing an action plan for trustees who are ready to take on challenge of controlling costs and achieving greater financial efficiency and transparency.

November 7, 2019

Opinions

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Medication Does Not Make You Weak

By Calixto Reyes Opinions editor

Mental illness has always been something very difficult for people to understand in our American society and perhaps also in many other societies.

Now, I am not a doctor, not even a mental health expert and I do not work in this field.

But I know that many people have struggled with mental illness. I myself have experienced the lashings of anxiety and depression.

I just want to let people know that medication is not something to be ashamed of.

There is a stigma for individuals taking medication to treat their mental health condition.

Many people are judged by family members and perhaps other people who feel like it is not necessary to take these medications.

Others do not partake in the shaming, but they would argue that other precautions can be taken to treat mental health conditions.

They’ll tell you to change your diet, to exercise and to meditate.

All of which are widely accepted as great ways to live a more healthy and relaxed life. In my opinion, I believe these life style changes can help someone struggling with depression and anxiety.

However, like most things in life, it is easier said than done.

If you have never struggled with a mental illness, you would not know what this is like.

Depression and anxiety can debilitate people.

This means it is harder to get up in the morning, it is difficult to take a shower or to even go

Image provided by Instagram:@dlanxietysupport

to class or work and be forced to socialize.

Now imagine someone who struggles to do these basic things, and telling them that they need to “get up and go exercise and get it done.”

It is not that easy. Depression and anxiety can concur with eating disorders, it can lend itself to insomnia which leads to not having enough energy.

It can lead to drug abuse, cigarette smoking, all of which can cause harm to people and their everyday lives.

Anxiety can lead people to not wanting to go to work or school because it becomes difficult to concentrate or communicate when preoccupied with unwanted thoughts.

There was a period of my life where I struggled with panic disorder. This disorder makes

people suffer from untriggered panic attacks.

Most symptoms will feel like a heart attack and therefore you believe that you are dying.

I started taking antidepressents as a teenager when my mental health started worsening.

Medication is what can help people during these times.I had to start taking anxiety medication so that these panic attacks would stop happening, and over a short amount of time, they had completely stopped.

Everyone is different and medication can affect people in different ways, but it is important to let people choose this for themselves.

I am not telling you that you need to go and ask for medication, but what I am expressing is that people like your doctors should let you be able to choose if this is the best thing for yourself.

Way too often, our family members will tell us that we are overly sensitive, that we are not “truly” struggling because there are people who are less fortunate than us.

Even then, sometimes we will feel ashamed that we are not like others who are “normal.”

But we simply cannot understand how people feel. Sadness is a natural part of life and if it starts to interfere with our quality of life, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with taking action and trying improve that quality.

People will tell us that depression and anxiety are made-up illnesses and that they truly do not exist, they’ll tell you that you just need to get over it.

And truly, this is because a lot of people do not know how to respond to the grief of others if they are not experiencing grief themselves.

This is why the whole field of psychology even exists. To understand human behavior and this is why we have psychiatrists who focus on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Yes, the human brain is truly amazing and terrifying because there is so much that there is to learn about it. You can trust your medical professionals to know what the best treatment for you is. You can tell your medical professionals about how you feel.

Medication has helped me go outside again without the fear of dying. It helped me stop panicking on public transportation. It allowed me to be able to socialize with people instead of hiding away.

Shaming people for taking medicine and shaming people for struggling with mental health conditions is never be okay. Taking medication to help treat mental health conditions is not a sign of weakness.

Would you take insulin away from a diabetic?

Would you let your headache reap havoc without taking a Tylenol?

The answer is probobly no. Talk with your doctor if you feel like you need help and do not feel ashamed if they recommend medicine.

It does not make you crazy, it just makes you take control of your condition again.

The Popeyes Craze Has To End

The Sandwich Has People Literally Dying

By Calixto Reyes Opinions editor

Yes, it is back, the infamous Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. I’ve personally never had it before, but I have heard accounts of it being very tasty. However, it is absolutely ludicrous that someone would actually get stabbed over it.

This what happened in a Maryland Popeyes chain restaurant on Monday night. The victim was a 28-year-old man who happened to cut the line at the Popeyes in order to purchase his sandwich and got in an altercation with another man. The end result was being stabbed in the torso and death when he arrived to the hospital.

I mean, this is really out of pocket. First of all, it is a sandwich. It is nothing to die for, no matter how good it is.

Secondly, I think the whole Popeyes Chicken Sandwich craze is really comical.

It has become quite a phenomenon.

The story behind the sandwich according to Eater.com comes from a Southern California restaurant called Sweet Dixie Kitchen who was caught selling Popeyes fried chicken in a sandwich during brunch.

This led to a collaboration between the two which resulted in the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich which is essentially a fried chicken filet, sour pickles, and mayo on a brioche bun.

The sandwich suddenly became celebrated by fast-food eaters during its early August release. Competitor Chick-Fil-A argued with Popeyes claiming ownership of the chicken sandwich and other fast food companies chimed in on Twitter.

The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich became sold out nationwide since they did not expect its large success. Popeyes received over $23 million dollars in free publicity and were reportedly selling 1,000 sandwiches a day.

All images by Creative Commons

We have to remember, companies spend millions of dollars on advertising. The advertising business is huge and is what drives a lot of our media. With the internet, some companies (like Popeyes) and even small business owners have become very lucky by getting free publicity via the Internet.

The internet certainly did it for Popeyes with Twitter being the most popular platform in which fans shared their love of the Chicken Sandwich.

I believe that people were not really interested in the sandwich but instead had some ulterior motive that involved showing the sandwich off to their social media following.

It is almost like when suddenly everyone started buying air-pods or fidget spinners.

There is always some kind of intrinsic want for people to want to feel like they aren’t being left out.

To me, what is crazy is the fact that this

time it wasn’t a fidget spinner or a Juul pen, instead, it was a sandwich from a fast-food restaurant and it would go on to sell so much.

I have to ask, why do people want it so bad? Why can they not wait? I’ve read reports of customers asking for 15 sandwiches at a time. No one eats 15 sandwiches in one sitting.

Is the need to fit in really that bad? Are people seriously having that much FOMO (fear of missing out?)

My other concern is how the workers at Popeyes must be treated. I’ve also read accounts of customers pulling out guns on the fast-food workers and even threatening to file lawsuits.

Even now I can see videos on Twitter and Instagram showing customers arguing in line and being disruptive.

This poor behavior is inexcusable. There should be no reason that people would become violent or belligerent at any time

but most certainly over a food item at a fast food joint. And especially not when you could literally just pick something else to eat.

Workers are already subject to low wages and having to work awful hours. Now, this with the added stress of getting people their chicken sandwiches because there are more than 100 people in line is the pressure that nobody working for minimum wage or over little minimum wage should have to deal with.

It is also completely unfair to workers to take anger out on them when they are working to their fullest capacity. We, the public who are not Popeyes employees do not know if they are receiving bonus incentives for their work at Popeyes, I would highly doubt that they are benefiting from the large success of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.

Companies always make a lot of money and seldom give it back to their employees having to deal with angry, irrational or just plain ignorant customers.

We shouldn’t have to follow these absurd trends just to get on our hands on something to tell other people that they couldn’t get it.

It is actually very stupid. I really hope that the Popeyes craze ends soon before anyone else gets hurt.

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Opinions

Editorial

Voting Matters, Do Your Research

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You’ve heard many people tell you that voting matters. And truly, it does.

Voting matters so much so because it is your vote that can impact change. Many countries around the globe do not allow their citizens to vote.

And not too long ago, women couldn’t vote. Even today, there are some restrictions on who can vote or not depending on the state, city, and county where one resides. These laws are unfair and do not allow people to have a voice in their election.

The majority of young people becoming involved with politics has increased since the election of Donald Trump and democratic political candidates like Bernie Sanders.

This is great news because it means more people will have a voice when it comes to electing the next President of The United States.

With the recent political drama surrounding President Donald Trump and his administration, we need to have our eyes wide open when researching what we will be voting for. Not only has there been fake news surfacing since the 2016 Presidential elections between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump but this fake news has caused outrage, one which is not precedented by factual information.

It is imperative to be able to step aside from your political point of view whether it is on the left-wing or the right-wing or even slightly to either side and take a look at the larger picture.

The reason that this is important is because we are living in the digital age. We can choose what we want to see online.

We can choose to ignore the republicans point of view, we can choose to ignore the democratic point of view. We can choose to read articles that paint some of

the democratic candidates in a negative light.

For instance, logging in on Twitter to see younger folks speaking negatively about democratic candidate Kamala Harris tweeting about her past decisions and political actions that discredit her from being a potentially great President.

Many younger folks are letting these online opinions sway their votes without doing actual research and getting to decide for themselves.

Taking opinions from people online and applying them to the real world in ways such as voting is irresponsible. Recently Twitter banned political advertisements after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg chose not to do so.

In a series of tweets following the announcement on Twitter, CEO Jack Dorsey said “A final note.

This isn’t about free expression.

This is about paying for reach. And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle. It’s worth stepping back in order to address.”

Other political figures chimed in like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who tweeted “This is a good call. Technology - and social media especially - has a powerful responsibility in preserving the integrity of our elections. Not allowing for paid disinformation is one of the most basic, ethical decisions a company can make.”

The major point was that political

November 7, 2019

Artistic License

advertisement could be dangerous. Especially when social media and the internet are so new to us which is what Dorsey explains when he says “that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle.”

The same applies to tweets that are not advertisements but endorsements from your fellow peers or just other people whom you might follow. These endorsements can sometimes not be completely accurate and it is disinformation that is wandering about.

We can choose to be careful about what we pay attention to.

We can opt-out of looking at opinions that only favor us and look at every single point of view.

It is okay to disagree with others, but the fact of the matter is that we must take voting very seriously and this means doing proper research.

Some people argue that there have been dangerous rhetoric that the President has put on the United States that has influenced many and led to violence and a more visible face on racism in the country.

This has led to a great divide in the country, one we have probably never witnessed as younger folks.

We used to think we lived in a country where everybody felt the same about bigotry and ignorance, but now we have realized that these things have been amplified by our political climate.

The reason it is important to do your research is so that we can all take accountability for what happens.

We can all choose what the outcome will be. We have the right to be able to choose who we want our leaders to be. This is what living in a democracy is all about.

We Do Not Want To Over Stay Our Welcome At The Good Place

By Cristian Garcia sports editor

On June 7, 2019 Michael Schur announced that upcoming fourth season of his highly praised show the Good Place was going to be its last. And in today’s world it is unheard of successful show ending on it own terms but in fact this decision should be respected.

When a person thinks of long lasting comedies they think of The Office, Friends and The Simpson’s shows that have went on to have a combined 1,104 episodes. In world where we the consumer wants more and more we should appreciate when we have less and less.

Shows that go on and on tend to become overrated and lose their value. The Good Place proves that when show is great, let’s end it before it goes on for too long.

In the fall of 2016 The Good Place premiered on NBC, the show centered around four recently deceased humans living in a heaven like Utopia. A brand new viewer can see promotions for this program and wonder how can you make a show about having a perfect life in heaven?

How can stretch concept so much when you’re living in the perfect afterlife. Once you have the first episode on the viewer will understand this not a show about having a perfect life, it was even more than that.

Every episode ends with a cliffhanger that leaves the viewer in shock and wanting more. We live in a world where shows get every episode dumped at once so it’s a great feeling to have a show that entices a viewer to want more.

Every season has ended with

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huge plot twist that makes every season unique in their own way.

The viewer believes the show is only about the after life but as they continue to watch they find out the show is about how humans are not perfect.

What also makes this show so unique are the amount of episodes.

Every season has consisted of 13 episodes instead of the average 22 for network television.

This makes every episode actually matter with no fillers in between taking the viewer away from the actual story.

Today a regular television viewer wants more with everything they watch. More episodes, more seasons and spin offs.

Take a look at a program like Game of Thrones, which in reality

should have only been five seasons to go with the five books that were released before the show was created. But the show went on to have eight seasons and after it came to an end it was announced that the series would go on to have two more spin offs. When a series goes on to have over one hundred episodes these shows seem to lose their values. Comedies like The Office went on to have nine seasons and the episodes talked about the most were ones when the character Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell was in the series.

Once he left the series The Office did not feel the same. That is an example of one show being stretched due to its popularity. The Good Place is based off the idea of the after life there’s so much a

group of writers can write about a show about heaven until the comedy loses its value and viewers begin to not care.

The entire plot of How I Met Your Mother is in the title the entire series revolved around one character telling the story on how he met his future wife. But, once the viewer goes on that 208 episode journey on how Ted Mosby met his wife the audience actually stops caring once the series finale comes.

Michael Schurs decision on ending this beloved comedy after four seasons should be respected. “This show is a rare, creatively fulfilling, joy,” says Schur, when explaining why four seasons was the right decision in a goodbye letter on Twitter.“At the end of the day, we

don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant.” he said.

Schur and his writers want this series finale to feel special and not have viewers overstay their welcome to the Good Place.

The Good Place makes their viewers treasure every episode that have been really crafted and not squeezed out of its existence.

There are currently three more episodes ready to air on NBC until the series goes on winter break and for those who don’t know the crazy after-life world Michael Schur created viewers can enjoy the first three seasons on Netflix right now to find out why we enjoy the small amount we have.

Nov. 7, 2019

Focal Point

More Than A Snap Shot How to take better photos with your smart phone

All photos taken on the Samsung Galaxy S8

By Mark David Magat Editor At Large

With a world so connected and having no signs of stopping here, taking photos with a DSLR or other dedicated camera can be a bit of a nuisance, as there is so much additional hasle for better image quality. Adding to that, cameras can get pricey and overly complicated. But there is a way to take amazing photos with nothing more than your smartphone.

The first tip has to do with composition, probably every master photographer’s best friend. Most photos aren’t remembered or analyzed through technical specs and know how. It’s done with story telling or how the contents of the image play with each other or don’t. Learning

the rules of composition and the ways you can manipulate and break them is the number one way to create stunning images with nothing more than a phone from 2017.

Another great way to step up you photo game is downloading free photo editing software. The mobile version of Adobe Lightroom is a great free software for your phone and can really turn a mediocre photo into a masterpiece in the right hands. Playing with what style you want and not just with the image you have is what divides the good photographers from the greats.

And lastly, working with what you’ve got. Most phones have a wide angle lens and if you know how to use it well, use it to the best of its ability. But if you have a more advanced phone with different special features, utilize what that phone has to offer. But

Mark David Magat/The Skyline View

just a word of caution, don’t use these effects as a crutch and depending on them to turn your image great, because they won’t on their own.

At the end of the day, the best advice I can give you is to be creative and find new ways and workarounds to solve these shortcomings and turn them into an advantage. Be unconventional, be bold, try something you’re 90% sure won’t work, because you’ll never know if you’ll find a new way or system to make better photos. So go out there and shoot

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Focal Point

November 7, 2019

Jojo Rabbit: Shedding Light in the dark past

By Cristian Garcia Sports editor

The imagination runs wild when Taika Waititi latest film Jojo Rabbit brings comedy to a time where laughter was not ideal in Nazi Germany during World War II. Waititi known for writing, directing and starring such great independent comedies such as What We Do in the Shadows and blockbuster hit Thor: Ragnarok, his latest film takes a new turn when he adapts a film about naive 10 year old boy living in Nazi Germany during the height of World War II. The inspiration comes the Christine Leunens book Caging Skies, about a young boy who discovers his parents are hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

Waititi gives in his own twist when he adds a more comedic taste to the film. When the film is described the first thing that comes to mind is sadness but Waititi really brings the comedy off the bat before the harsh realities set in. The film revolves around 10 year boy Johannes “Jojo” Betlzer who has a very

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obscure imaginary friend Adolf Hitler who is played by Waititi himself.

The film takes you on a journey on how a child is understanding the world when so much wrong is going on. Jojo’s one goal through the film is to become a Nazi and fight side by side his hero Hitler. Waititi finds a great way of showing that the making child Nazi soldiers is ridiculous idea

that showed be laughed upon but was also a harsh reality that existed at the time.

Waititi portrayal of Hitler made him look like an over the top child who always is trying to get what he wants, something that Hollywood has famously shown in great films, such as The Producers and Downfall. When an accident occur in his first day of Nazi Camp Jojo discovers

he does not have what takes to become a Nazi, but he does whatever it takes to support the cause. An unexpected turn comes into his life when he discovers that his mother played by Scarlett Johansson has been hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa, who is played

by Thomasin McKenzie.

Jojo’s world has now changed forever when this girl changes his ideas and beliefs.Jojo’s mind

was taught to believe that Jewish people were the enemy and in his highly imaginative is taught that they are monsters. Jojo’s life is now changed forever when Elsa helped him discover that these thoughts he had against Jewish people was not right to believe.

The film was not all laughs when it comes down to the harsh realities of what was going on Waititi knows how to show emotion. Waititi who is known for his over the top comedic films has proven in the past that he could add emotion to his films like his 2016 film Hunt for the Wilderpeople. There’s something about his films where he brings the best out of young child actors.

Roman Griffin Davis who plays Jojo truly makes the viewer believe that he is naive child who is discovering new emotions.

The emotions that his beliefs are changing and he will do anything to protect the young Jewish girl he is hiding.

Overall the film has a really good balance of heart and comedy that can make the audience both laugh and cry. For those still hoping to watch it Jojo Rabbit is still out in select theaters now.

It’s Not Just About You

By Misha Berman & Milla Tivadar Copy editor

We’ve all been in a situation where we had to tell someone something they don’t want to hear. Everyone has the right to assert themselves, in fact we should all learn ways how to advocate for ourselves. Even though it’s important to assert ourselves, we also have to be aware that we live a in a world with other people who have equally valid feelings and needs as our own. When you are speaking up to someone, you should do so in a way that avoids being cruel, and keeping in mind it’s not only your feelings that matter.

“Treat others the way you want to be treated,” is a popularly known The Golden Rule. Cited by many people, this phrase can be used as a way being assertive without being cruel. Think of a time you heard something from someone that you didn’t want to hear, and how cruel it was interpreted initially. Think about how you felt. There were most likely feelings of hurt and in some cases, small, wishing they could have spoken to you more respectfully.

Imagine yourself speaking to someone the way you want to be spoken back to. When delivering the bad news apply this rule considerately.

In the next two scenarios, there are examples to better have a discussion with someone under difficult circumstances: Scenario 1: Person One is the manager of a company. One of their daily responsibilities is to assign weekly project reports to their employees that must be submitted by the end of the week to be thoroughly edited.

Person Two, (an employee of Person One) has a habit of being late in submitting their weekly reports the night it is due. This is

Image Edited by Mark David Magat

a problem for Person One due to the 20 other reports set up to edit one-by-one, and this issue needs to be addressed to Person Two to help the work load become more efficient.

What Person One should not do, is let the problem continue and ignore their frustration towards them. Although Person Two is clearly in the wrong submitting late work, Person One needs address the fact they have feelings and personal situations that may not align with the necessary time management.

To accurately assert what Person Two is doing as a problem, Person One should avoid causing any humiliation or shouting by ask the employee to step into their office to speak in private. Person One should be cautious not yell or attack Person Two, but instead, address the problem by stating they facts first. Being the last to submit their project causes the workload to take longer than expected for the boss. Then it’s important to bring up why Person One hasn’t been caarrying their load on time.

Discussing these issues openly can dissolve any tension between

a worker and an employee. Before you attempt to throw your anger onto someone at work or in any close relationships, set a time and space for discussion. If there is no room for comply, it is time to let that person go. Comprimise to reach a conclusion, and most of all, ask the right questions.

Scenario 2: Person One and Person Two have been dating for a while. Person One has come to realize that as they have gotten to know their significant other, they see the relationship turning into more of a friendship. While it is normal to fall out of love with somebody, it is important to express those feelings in a respectful and honest way. It is not what you say but how you say it. After all, Person 2s feeling has not changed, it is fair for them to hear how their partner feels but also to be let down gently and not hurtfully.

Both Person One and Person Two should have been communicating openly and honestly throughout the relationship. At the end of the day, you want the person you are dating to be like a good friend who is open and honest as well as kind to you.

You never want to bring the person you are dating down because you’re romantic feelings are closed off. No matter how a relationship is defined (platonic or not) the moment you need to tell someone what they don’t want to hear, the bad news should seem gentle and honest.

It is human nature that when someone is cruel to us we will see everything they do in the future to be clouded by the fact that we think they are a cruel person. We tend to hold onto first impressions, and it naturally follows the person until they see a change in behavior.

According to Psychology Today’s article “The Halo Effect in Overdrive” by Kayla Causey and Aaron Gretzky, “This is referred to as the ‘halo effect’ because often it seems one characteristic (albeit positive or negative) seems to ‘outshine’ others and bias our perception in the respective direction.”

It’s important Person One should be open and honest, not believing in the relationship romantically will save them from a hard conversation on how they really feel.

Person One should have also been reliable, supportive and kind to Person Two that way when Person One tells Person Two that they are not interested in dating anymore, the other does not feel lead on and betrayed after all the time and energy they invested into the relationship.

Person Two will of course be hurt when they are told the person they are dating just wants to be friends.

Everyone would be hurt in this situation no matter how respectful you tell someone you are not interested anymore. You can lessen the hurt of the blow if throughout your relationship dynamic there was a pattern of openness, honesty and respect so that when you do tell the other person they don’t feel like a piece of trash that was thrown to the side because you had a history of not being honest with the person.

You don’t have to be best friends with everyone and you don’t have to do anything you do not want to.

Just be respectful and honest with other people the way you would want others to be with you that way you can assert your needs but also not hurt others while doing so.

November 7, 2019

7

Sports

Skyline Women crush Marin in Home Opener

I-Wei Chang / The Skyline View A Marin shot is blocked O’Donoghue

By I-Wei Chang Staff writer

The Skyline Women’s basketball team won their first game of the season against Marin College led by sophomore player Olga Faasolo who scored 22 points, shooting 10-15 from the field.

Faasolo helped the team dominate as they defeated Marin 72-23 on Saturday November 2.

Throughout the first half of the game, Skyline had great ball movement along with a good amount of wide open three point attempts. Michala O’Donoghue, starting shooting guard, made the first two 3-point shots jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the beginning of the game. Faasolo, the starting center dominated the paint, and

I-Wei Chang / The Skyline View

settled down the game in the first half as they led by 24 points.

However, in the second half, the Trojans started to exert pressure on the defensive side making the Mariners shot selection difficult.

Focus and playing double-team on defensively, restricted Mariners sophomore Kaleah Williams to score and have an impact in the second half, while on offense, all the players for Skyline contributed themselves for the first home win of the season, as they cut off the slow ball movement for Marin’s and makes a lot of transitions fast break layup.

Plus, the ball movement starting in the second half was a lot more smoothly, and they created a lot of wide open shots pulled away to

a 61-17 lead, leading by 44 points at the end of the third quarter.

In the last quarter of the game, both teams played their reserves and the game ended with a 72-23 final.

As a team, the Trojans shot 40.8 percent shooting 29-71 from the field. And on the free throw performance, Skyline made over 50 percent a total of 10-17. As for the record on the rebound, the whole team has grabbed 48, compared to Marin only having 21.

Talking about the winning strategy today, Skyline Women’s head coach Chris Watters points out the whole team was doing great on defense.

“I think we did a really nice job, stopping (Williams) from

Marin, that was really our focus was, to make sure that she didn’t get going, and she didn’t get hot and start scoring because the rest of their offense would open up,” Chris Watters said. “ I think defensively we did a really good job on her, and the player who weren’t guarding her did a good job of helping to make sure that she didn’t start scoring.”

As the Trojans was on fire on offensively today Michala O’Donoghue, the sophomore shooting guard explained the first two three points shots was one of the important elements for the first win of the season. “it was really exciting. Because I was ready to go straight away.

And I think that anytime that your team starts with a lead, like you

get comfortable, and you’re ready to play and like you think, we got this we can win this game.”

Faasolo led all scorers with 22 points, talked about the defense communication since it was such a massive part for the first game of the season. .

“We had a lot of communication, great communication with each other. And we did.

We did have this certain energy today. We were, we were ready to go today. So we knew what we had to do on defense, and we just had to talk it up.”

The next women’s game will be held on November 15 here at Skyline against Siskiyous in the first game of a tournament.

The Halfway Point of the NFL Season

The 2-Minute Read With Daniel archuleta As we head into the second half of the 2019 NFL season the San Francisco 49ers are by far the most surprising team, as they outlasted the Patriots being the last team to remain perfect.

An astonishing start coming off the 4-12 record last season. So far, San Francisco looks to be a lock to make the playoffs.

Yet even in Oakland, the Raiders are playing good football through eight games. Optimism should be in the air as the Raiders remain in the playoff hunt. Even with all the preseason drama with Antonio Brown and spending six weeks away from playing at the Oakland Coliseum.

Shock wins on the road against the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears in London have given the Raiders life.

Led by a healthy Derek Carr at

quarterback and rookie running back Josh Jacobs, Oakland only has one more game against a team with a winning record, that’ll be against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. This is the Raiders last chance to salvage a winning season in what might be their final season playing in Oakland.

In their recent game against the Detroit Lions, Carr showed great poise with his game winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

It’s also easy to see that Carr is playing his best since his broken fibula he suffered in December 2016. Entering Week 10, he leads the league with a 71-completion percentage through his 250 passes and has only thrown four interceptions all season.

The duo of Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock is working which might not have been said by many after the drafting of Clelin Ferrell and all the spectacles that occurred during the preseason.

But Ferrell has suited well for himself despite being criticized early on. The trade of Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans allowing rookie cornerback Trayvon Mullen to have more playing time has worked nicely.

Selecting Hunter Renfrow looks to be a steal after getting him in the fifth round. Finally, the additions of Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller gives Carr more pieces to work with.

Over in Santa Clara, what else

“So far, San Francisco looks to be a lock to make the playoffs.” could be said about the 49ers?

Other than the season-ending injury for linebacker Kwon Alexander, everything has been clicking. The mixture of running backs has given Jimmy Garoppolo the luxury of not having all the pressure being put on him to win games. However, Garoppolo third in completion percentage just behind Matt Ryan and the aforementioned Derek Carr.

Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman have combined for 879 rushing yards through the first half of the season, and that’s even with Coleman missing two games.

Emmanuel Sanders is exactly what this offense needed in order for San Francisco to be true Super Bowl contenders, the first two games with Sanders in the lineup has been productive with 137 yards and two touchdowns.

He definitely fits the scheme that Head Coach Kyle Shanahan runs.

On the other side of ball, Robert Saleh has his defense playing true to its original saying, “All gas,

Through eight games the 49ers defense has 30 sacks, ranking them second in the NFC.

no brakes.” The defensive line of Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Dee Ford and Solomon Thomas have been just lethal to whichever quarterback they have faced weekly.

The secondary led by Richard Sherman has accounted for seven interception. Even with teams not targeting Sherman; Emmanuel Moseley, K’Waun Williams, and Ahkello Witherspoon have been pleasant surprises that have only strengthening the defense.

We will see exactly how good this 49er team can be within the next six weeks. The games against Seattle and Green Bay at home will be big not just for the team but for the crowd as well. Levi’s Stadium hasn’t had a winning team this deep into the

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season, and the home field advantage for the 49ers doesn’t seem intimated yet, compared to where it once was at Candlestick Park.

Eight weeks left. A lot of football is left to be played and the 49ers and Raiders are both in the spotlight which is good for the Bay Area, considering how the Warriors are looking right now.

8

The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, Calif.

The Skyline View

October 24, 2019

TROJAN ATHLETICS

Freshman led Trojans win first game of the season

13 of the 14 players are in their first year here at Skyline

Upcoming Games

Men’s Soccer

Nov. 8 vs De Anza (12:30 p.m.)

Nov. 12 at Cabrillo (2 p.m.)

Nov. 15 at Hartnell (3 p.m.)

Women’s Soccer

Nov. 8 vs Canada (2:30 p.m.)

Nov. 12 vs Ohlone (2 p.m.)

Wrestling

Nov. 14 at Modesto (7 p.m.)

Nov. 16 at Santa Rosa Women’s Tournament (10 a.m)

Women’s Volleyball

Nov. 8 at San Mateo (6:30 p.m.)

Skyline head coach Justin Piergrossi talking to his team during a timeout.

I-Wei Chang / The Skyline View

Nov. 13 vs Las Positas (6:30 p.m.)

Nov. 15 at Foothill (6:30 p.m.)

By I-Wei Chang Staff writer

The 2019-2020 Trojans basketball season began last Saturday with a 69-66 win as Skyline won their first game of the season against Marin College. Sophomore guard Nosh Haynesworth got a clutch offensive rebound in the last ten seconds, helping the team to hold the victory .

Throughout the first half of the game, Skyline had great ball movement along with a good amount of transition on the fast break. Walter Lum, who was the starting point guard, hit some tough 3-point shots in the corner baseline had a total of 12 points. Colby Vazquez, the starting shooting guard who had multiple cuts into the lane for layup’s included 13 points which helped Skyline pull away from Marin as they lead by 12, 38-26.

However, in the second half, the Mariners of Marin College started to exert pressure on the Trojans on the defensive side making the Trojan shot selection difficult.

Plus, due to the physical strength lost, the Marin college gradually caught up and tie the game in the last 5 minutes with a 55-55 score. Additionally, in the last two minute, the Mariners took the lead thanks to sophomore center

Ethan Battistini, who hit a hook shot inside the paint. At this time, Skyline head coach Justin Piergrossi called a timeout, looking to spark a comeback. Walter Lum hit a three-pointer giving Skyline the lead by one, also Vazquez made a teardrop to put the score up by three in the last minute.

Jump to the last 12 seconds in the game, Colby Vasquez missed a wide open three-pointer but luckily, Haynesworth grabbed the rebound, sealing the win for Skyline and the lost for Marin.

Regarding the clutch offensive rebound, Haynesworth explained how important the rebound was for game-winning and his role on the team.

“It was very important, my role on the team is to crash the offensive glass and defensive guard is really big for me, I wasn’t crushing all game,” Haynesworth said “My old assistant coach was embarked on me, asking me when I am going to crash the board, that was a moment that I had to start crashing on.”

In addition, Skyline head coach Justin Piergrossi point out Noah’s offensive rebound was huge for game winning.

“It’s huge, because they were a

lot of taller and bigger than we were, so rebounding was gonna be a tough challenge for us today,” Piergrossi said. “We didn’t get a lot of offensive rebounds, but that was an offensive rebound that gave us another position, so that they had to start following us.”

Walter Lum who led all scorers with 20 points, explained his performance on offense after the game.

“Today I was hitting the last shot, it’s like a clutch shot that we needed, the more important in offense is just being a point guard, just try to get the ball around. “ This season, Skyline has enrolled a total of 13 freshman player to the team, regarding the first victory, Colby Vazquez the freshman shooting guard who scored 16 points the first game, explain the importance of the first win of the season.

“This first win of the season is huge for us as we are starting the season on the right track,” Vazquez said “This is also a good confidence booster as a young team, this gives us the confidence that we can really battle with other teams that are older and more experienced.”

Men’s Basketball

Nov. 8 vs Los Medanos (7 p.m.)

Nov. 9 vs Solano (5 p.m.)

Women’s Basketball

Nov. 6 at De Anza (7 p.m.)

Nov. 15 vs Siskiyous (5 p.m.)

Noah Haynesworth lines up a free throw attempt.

I-Wei Chang / The Skyline View

Noah Haynesworth is the lone returning player on the Men’s Basketball team Walter Lum setting up a play.

I-Wei Chang / The Skyline View