A N AT I O N A L PA C E M A K E R AWA R D N E W S PA P E R
Volume 56, Issue 2
theswcsun.com
October 28 - November 16, 2012
Peraza, Stewart win governing board seats By Thomas Baker News Editor
Marshall Murphy/staff
FOUR MORE YEARS — Appointed governing board member Humberto Peraza speaks to supporters after winning a four-year term to Seat #3. William Stewart, in his first stab at elected office, easily won seat #1. Both new board members said they will work hard to protect students and classes from further drastic cuts.
Humberto Peraza and William Stewart won decisive election victories to claim seats on the Southwestern College Governing Board. Peraza easily outdistanced opponent William “Bud” McLeroy for Seat #3. He said he was happy to be elected to a full term, but warned supporters that serious challenges lie ahead. “There’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Peraza. “The perception of the college still needs to continue to be cleaned. There’s still reforms that need to be made. I’m going to continue to ask the tough questions of the administration. I will continue to fight for what I think is the right thing to do.” Peraza was appointed to the SWC Governing Board last summer as a payto-play corruption scandal was coming to light. His primary goal his first year in office was to destroy the pay-to-play culture at SWC, he said.
Peraza said he will continue his work on reform and increasing transparency at the college in order to return forces to the students. “Let’s get back to work, making sure we complete our mission of cleaning up Southwestern College,” he said. San Diego City College Professor William Stewart, a Bonita resident, won decisively over Republican activist Elizabeth Roach for Seat #1. “It looks like my opponent will be filling the seat and I wish him the best of luck,” said Roach. “I think that Southwestern College has a lot of wonderful potential.” Stewart said his supporters are what really started his political machine moving. “Instead of me feeling like I achieved something, I feel like there were a lot of people helping me achieve something,” he said. “It was really an amazing team effort that went into it.” Stewart said what really drove him the please see Elections pg. A8
Prop 30 win Basketball players come from outside district gives SWC leaders new hope for ‘13 By Alexis Dominguez Staff Writer
‘Missed tsunami but still face storm’ says Superintendent Nish By Thomas Baker News Editor
Relieved college leaders said California voters gave the public education system a stay of execution when Proposition 30 was passed Nov. 6. With its passage, along with the failure of competing Proposition 38, California community colleges were spared another round of drastic cuts to their operational funding, having already lost $809 million since fiscal year 2008. Southwestern College avoided an immediate trigger cut of $4.8 million, which would have driven the deficit for FY 2013 to a staggering $11.6 million. An immediate effect of Proposition 30 passing is that the spring and summer 2013 semesters may receive additional classes. Originally the class schedule was contracted in anticipation of the failure of Proposition 30. Administrators warn that SWC is not out of trouble just yet as the temporary 5 percent employee pay cut put in place for FY 2012-13 is set to expire in June. With its expiration, the deficit will grow to $6.8 million, an amount that will not be closed without more discussions among all groups on campus, according to Steven Crow, vice president of Business and Financial Affairs. Superintendent Dr. Melinda Nish said about a third of community college districts had enough money in reserves to survive Proposition 30 cuts for two years, a third would have enough reserve money to finish off this year and a third would not have survived this year had Proposition 30 not passed. “I think we missed the tsunami but we didn’t miss the storm,” said Nish. “The tsunami was Prop. 30 not passing. So we missed that, thank the Lord, but we’ve got the storm to deal with. So please see Proposition 30 pg. A8
In Matthew 13:57 Jesus is quoted as saying “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” Basketball players who went to high school in the boundaries of the Southwestern Community College District may know the feeling. It may be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a Sweetwater Union High School District basketball player to make the team at Southwestern College. There is a good chance an out-of-state transfer is taking the spot on the roster. California community colleges in general have a high rate of out-of-district basketball players, and SWC has one of the highest rates of all over the past seven years, double the state average. In 2007-08, for instance, not a single local player made the SWC roster. Allegations of illegal recruiting by SWC basketball coaches surfaced in February when three players – two of whom were from New York – were declared academically ineligible, causing the Jaguars to forfeit four wins. Former basketball players Keenan Langston and David Warren both said they were actively recruited in New York by SWC associate basketball coach Kyle Colwell. Coach Colwell has refused to speak to The Sun about the charges, but denied them in an interview with a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC)
investigator in June. The Sun, invoking the California Public Records Act, acquired a summary of the investigation this fall. Langston, Warren and Langston’s father have stuck to their allegations during recent telephone interviews and insist the two Brooklyn high school players were recruited by Colwell. They signed First Contact statements that they were not illegally recruited, but several months after their New York meeting with Colwell, they both said. A number of other former SWC players have made similar claims of being recruiting, but said they are afraid to speak on the record for fear of reprisals. PCAC Commissioner John Woods said the number of out-of-state athletes in California community college athletics is increasing. “The number of out-of-state athletes in the California community college system is growing each year,” he said. “With the number of California Community Colleges competing in athletics (104) we are a destination for a large number of out-ofstate student athletes. If you look at other California community colleges you will find they participate in nearly every sport. The Southwestern basketball program is not unlike a large number of other men’s and women’s basketball programs statewide.” Over the past seven years, however, Southwestern College has exceeded state
Ernesto Rivera/staff
please see Basketball pg. A8
Student workers take salary reduction By Nickolas Furr Senior Staff Writer
Faculty and staff voted to take a 5 percent pay cut last spring to prevent more class cuts. Student workers on campus also took a pay cut, but never got a chance to vote. Some insist they were never told. There is also confusion about what college records say students are making and what they are actually paid. Students, like employees, are making 5 percent less, but official college payroll records do not reflect the pay reductions. One student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had worked at the Academic Success Center (ASC) for years. According to payroll records he is making $11 per hour. In reality, after the cut, he is paid $10.45 an hour. He said the monthly contract he must sign to keep his job
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stipulates he will be paid at his original rate of $11 even though he is actually making $10.45. “Every month we sign our HRTs (Human Resource Transactions), the form which shows how many hours we worked and what our rate of pay is,” he said. “Every month I signed that timesheet at the beginning of the month, and again it said I would be paid $11 per hour.” Andrew Rempt, director of the Academic Success Center, said all the student workers he knows are being treated the same way. “These students have to sign these HRTs to get paid,” he said. “Each HRT shows what they are contracted to be paid. The HRT goes to Payroll and then the college takes off the 5 percent. But that means the students aren’t being paid what the school is contractually bound to pay them.”
A super bowl performance by best SWC football team in a generation Sports, B1
Rempt said he believes the college is in violation of the law. “Because the hourly and student workers aren’t covered by collective bargaining agreements, they did not get a vote [on the pay cut],” he said. “They’re not represented. One interpretation of the law would be that they’re independent contractors, which is what gives the district the leeway to let them go whenever they want. What this means, though, is that when the district enters into a contract with them, it’s binding.” The anonymous student said he wanted people to know what was going on, but because he is an at-will employee the district could fire him without reason. He feared he would lose his job for speaking
Hot singers make for a very cool Jazz Cafe Arts, A9
please see Paycuts pg. A8
Stunning Chilean tapestries cry out for reconcillation and justice Campus, B5
Campus police again take aim at new rifles By Lina Chankar Assistant News Editor
A long-simmering debate about whether or not to purchase long rifles for the Southwestern College campus police is moving back to the front burner following the hiring of a new campus police chief and progress on a college emergency plan. Chief Michael Cash said he is doing an evaluation of the campus police department to determine whether officers need rifles. “I will make recommendations o ff o f w h a t I t h i n k i s s a fe s t for students, faculty and staff,” said Cash. “I take it to heart that when any student or faculty steps on this property their well being is my first priority.” Cash said he wants officers to have what they need. “If I’m going to put my life on the line I want to make sure that our people have the best equipment to stop whatever is going to come across, please see Rifles pg. A8