Vol. 102, Issue 1 September 14, 2023

RIVERSIDE CITY COLLEGE VIEWPOINTSONLINE.ORG

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

VOL. 102, NO. 1

Wheelock Stadium reopens

Tigers win first game back on home field DALILA ROMERO SPORTS EDITOR

The Riverside City College football team moves its record up to 2-0 in their return to Wheelock Stadium with a fiery win over Golden West College 40-15.

The energy was high going into the game being the first home game in over a year.

“We were really glad to be back at (RCC) and not have to travel,” Riverside head coach Tom Craft said. “We were really thankful that our administration is committed to improving our field, so were really happy with it.”

The Tigers played all of last season’s home games at Ramona High School’s football field.

“The difference was we are at home, it’s time to take it over,” sophomore running back Byrce Strong said. “This is our field, and our first time playing on it and we had to win this one to make a statement.”

Even with a new stadium, RCC struggled to find a rhythm in the first quarter. The Tigers found themselves punting the ball away multiple times and Golden West held RCC scoreless to end the first quarter.

“It was the formation, opening our formations up and spreading the field,” Craft said.

The second quarter was a game changer for the Tigers. After making adjustments to strategies that were not working positive results were seen almost immediately.

With eleven minutes to go in the second quarter sophomore quarterback Jordan Barton would connect to sophomore wide receiver Norion Espadron for a 33-yard passing touchdown. These were the Tigers first points of the game.

“It felt amazing,” Espadron said.

“We had a slow start and I knew once we got one big play we would

See GAME on page 12

6

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Riverside City College Tigers get ready to begin their season home opener on the newly remodeled Wheelock Field on Sept 9. The bleachers remain condemned and unusable for fans, who are required to sit on the visitors side of the field.

Stadium still not ready for primetime AYDEN VASQUEZ STAFF REPORTER

With the football season underway, the renovations of Wheelock Stadium continue as contractors plan to improve the home bleachers next.

With the completion of the newly refurbished field, there is still work to be done regarding the home bleachers of Wheelock Stadium and other aspects surrounding the football facilities.

Head football coach Tom Craft is excited about being able to utilize both the new field as well as the other grass fields close to the stadium “I think this is a positive, especially for practice. We now have multiple fields to work on, but the grass field gets worn down a lot because it needs to be regrounded,”

LIFE

Downtown Riverside coffee house hosts weekly live jazz performances

Craft said. “ But the stadium is a great opportunity for the guys to get some work in.”

After playing most of their home games at Romona High School’s football field last season, the Tigers played their first home game Sept. 9 but due to complications with the home bleachers, all spectators had to sit on the visiting side of the field.

“It’s always nice to be able to play on your own field. And it’s a lot more convenient to not get on a bus and have to travel off campus,” Craft said. “It’s better for the school, it saves money and it gets people on our campus which is really important.”

But with the new field comes problems with the old stadium.

Wheelock Stadium has not had a major upgrade since May of 2005 when the first synthetic turf

9

was added to the football field as well as new stadium lights.

Making the entirety of the stadium quite outdated by today’s modern standards for most college football programs throughout the country.

“We have more players, we are a more competitive program and we have improved and evolved over the course of time. But the ability to properly house a growing football program hasn’t improved.”

Craft said. “I have 130 to 140 players on my team. The stadium was not built for that, it was built for 60 to 70 players. You have to evolve and improve your facility and so those are things that are going to be challenging for us in the future.”

Overall, with the success of coach Craft and the football team, RCC’s football facilities like the weight room, showers,

lockers, training staff rooms, and equipment rooms are unable to fit the expanding team and its needs.

This not only affects the functionality of the football program as a whole but affects the safety of those within it as well.

“If we want to advocate for safety, enhancement of the program, and prevention from injury, we have to have adequate facilities whether it’s on the field or in the facilities around us.”

Craft said.

With all the potential paperwork and future planning for the refurbishing of the home bleachers, Coach Craft estimates that the project will begin in November of this year.

This means that until the project is completed, visitors will have to sit in the visiting side bleachers until then.

EDITORIAL

INDEX

Expensive parking permits and increased traffic causes tardiness

NEWS

2

LIFE

5

OPINIONS

8

EDITORIAL

9

SPORTS

11

2 September 14, 2023

NEWS

Editors: Annabel Silva news.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

College appoints new president A year-long search leads to high hopes STEPHEN DAY PHOTO EDITOR

With every “changing of the guard” comes some uncertainty and excitement for the future and for RCC, the guard has changed a few times over the last year.

Riverside City College on June 20 appointed Clarie Oliveros as President.

Interim presidents filled the role the year prior.

Gregory Anderson — following a vote of no confidence issued from the Faculty Association — was dismissed from the Riverside Community College District in June 2022.

Following that dismissal, Rajen Vurdien was briefly made the interim President, followed

by FeRita Carter, who remained interim President until the Board of Trustees selected Oliveros.

In late May this year, the school held a three-day open forum with the final candidate choices each given an opportunity to present why they would be the best choice for President.

During those forums, Oliveros stated that she plans on prioritizing communication with the RCC community to “listen, learn and enhance.”

Oliveros’ background includes program coordinating and executive leadership during her 28 years of professional higher education experience. She will face many challenges as students and staff fully normalize from the pandemic disruptions of the last couple of years. Also on the table are concerns about campus safety following a botched reaction to an on-campus threat on April 18.

Carter, who was also pursuing the position of President, says that

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Claire Oliveros speaks to an audience of faculty, staff, and students as she presents her plan as the next President of Riverside City College in the Hall of Fame on May 24.

the “entire leadership team is going to rally around her [Oliveros] so that she can be as successful as she can be.” Carter went on to say that what RCC needs right now is “cohesiveness” and “leadership” and a “leader that people are going to get behind.”

Bre Acosta, an educational paraprofessional major, says that she’s excited to see how the school will function versus the past few years during Andersons’ administration, since she started

in 2017, especially “now, going forward,will have a good school and foundation here.”

Many students we talked to were unaware that the school had a new President, and many didn’t feel like it would impact their day-to-day life. Others, especially those who had been here during the previous administration, like Emma Hillig, recent RCC graduate, felt that the previous situation with Anderson came on suddenly and ”we as students were left out of

it.” They hoped that this President will provide “more communication about what is happening” at the school.

Faculty, staff, and students had an opportunity to be involved with the decision making process, being allowed to submit feedback on the open forums that were held in May, but many of the students were unaware that they were being held.

Dan Hogan, an English professor since 2016, believes that

the President “directly impacts the day to day life of the faculty and students” and recounted the troubles that the Honors Program faced with Anderson’s lack of leadership. “I faulted him [Anderson] less for things that he did versus things that he failed to do.” Hogan claims “the Honors program has suffered because of a lack of leadership and a lack of guidance.”

Oliveros began her tenure on July 10, and will receive a salary of 275,919.00. Due to scheduling

September 14, 2023

3

Board addresses safety protocols JENNIPHER VASQUEZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Members of the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees complimented the district police for detailed improvements made to safety protocols and emergency communications implemented over the summer.

“This is a lot more impressive than I thought it was going to end up being at this level,” Trustee Mary Figueroa said.

RCCD Police Chief Christopher Cano and District Director of Risk Management Beiwei Tu presented an emergency preparedness update to the Board on Sept. 5. Changes they discussed included safety training for District staff and police, emergency procedures and a student active shooter training.

Tu and Cano said many of the improvements were made in response to the concerns raised from “critical incidents” at RCC and identifying areas of improvement.

“With a systematic approach we have identified target interventions that encompass a range of initiatives,” Tu said. “We provide additional training and handson practice to foster a culture of preparedness among our employees and students.”

She said that they are committed to enhancing police response and refining their crisis communication strategies to ensure the effectiveness and timeliness of crucial information during emergencies.

Emergency communication was a massive concern following an incident on campus involving a man roaming around RCC with a knife in hand the morning of April 18.

Students and staff from the college received sporadic notifications

August 3

Crime: Vandalism Location: RCC Status: Cite Arrest Crime: Battery, Assault, Possession of controlled substance, Paraphernalia Location: District Office Status: Booked August 4 Crime: Grand Theft Location: RCC Status: There is no status available or arrest at this time.

August 5 Crime: Possession of Controlled substance, Possession of Drug paraphernalia Location: Fairfax Ave. and Magnolia Ave. Status: Cite Arrest August 6 Crime: Possession of Burglary Tools, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Location: RCC Status: Booked Crime: Driving under the influence

An emergency call box located at the entrance of the Riverside City College parking garage on Sept 13.

throughout the day.

Eventually, the District sent out an “ALL CLEAR” alert through the District’s RAVE Alert System.

However, concerns raised were about timeliness and lack of clear information on protocol or what the emergency was.

Many said they believed the incident involved an active shooter before it was made clear, hours later, that it was in fact not an active shooter situation.

“I think that was a concern back in April where people were receiving the first RAVE alert and

the second alert, but there was a gap period of several hours,” Trustee Terri Then said.

There was confusion over whether the campus was on a “lockdown” or “shelter-in-place” order and what each of those terms meant.

Defining the various emergency procedures — active shooter, lockdown, shelter in place, fire, evacuation, earthquake and medical emergencies — was a key focus of the presentation.

Executive Director of External Relations and Strategic

Communications for RCCD Christopher Clark gave a portion of the presentation, part of which detailed a District Alert Webpage that is in the works.

“This alerts webpage will have links to authoritative sources like FEMA, the National Weather Service and other sites that offer preparedness information,” Clark said. “When the alerts webpage is activated there will be a centralized place for the public to access alerts and emergency related information.”

The website is also intended to

CRIME REPORT

Location: Roadway on RCC Trespassing Status: Booked Location: District Office Status: Booked August 9 Crime: Knife on College August 19 Property, Possession of Drug, Crime: Vandalism Trespassing Location: Kane Building Location: Cosmetology Status: Booked Status: Booked August 21 Crime: Attempted Burglary Crime: Traffic Hit and Run Location: Parking Lot U Location: Parking structure Status: There is no status available or arrest at this time. August 22 C r i m e : A r r e s t Wa r r a n t August 15 Service Crime: Vandalism Location: COIL Building Location: District Office Status: Booked Status: Booked Crime: Traffic Hit and Run August 16 Location: Parking Structure Crime: Grand Theft Location: Parking Lot H August 23 Status: There is no status Crime: Probation Violation, available or arrest at this time. Trespassing, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Crime: Possession of Drug Location: Parking Structure Location: Lime St. and 13th Status: Booked St. Status: Booked August 29 Crime: Arrest Warrant Service August 18 Location: Magnolia Ave. and Crime: Violation of Post- 15th St. R e l e a s e S u p e r v i s i o n , Status: Cite Arrest

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

display the most recent RAVE alerts so that they are easily accessible to anyone, whether they are signed up to receive the alerts or not.

The link, when active, will be displayed on the RCCD website homepage and on the homepage for each district college website: M o r e n o Va l l e y, N o r c o a n d Riverside.

“I would like to commend you for the tremendous progress that has been made over the last two or three months,” Trustee Bill Hedrick said. “This far exceeded my expectation.”

August 30 Crime: Arrest Warrant Service Location: Olivewood Avenue and City College Drive Status: Booked

September 5 Crime: Driving without Valid Registration Location: Jurupa Ave. and Brockton Ave. Status: Booked

August 31 Crime: Stolen Vehicle Location: Facilities Maintenance Yard Status: There is no status available or arrest at this time.

September 6 Crime: Arrest Warrant, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Location: Roadway on RCC Status: Booked

Crime: Vandalism Location: COIL Building Status: There is no status available or arrest at this time.

September 7 Crime: Arrest Warrant Service Location: Magnolia Ave. and Terracina Ave. Status: Booked

Crime: Vandalism Location: Cutter Pool

If you feel you or others’ safety is at risk, please Crime: Traffic Hit and Run contact the RCCD Police Location: Parking Structure Department at 951-2228171 for non-emergency Crime: Arrest Warrant Service c a l l s , a n d i n c a s e o f Location: Market St. and 9th emergency, call 9-1-1.

St. If a crime is witnessed and Status: Booked you wish to report to local authorities call the onSeptember 1 Crime: Arrest Warrant Service campus police at 951-2228171 or in case of emergency Location: Evans Field call 9-1-1.

Status: Booked

Editor: Marc A. Salazar life.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

LIFE

September 14, 2023

5

Car connoisseurs converge at local IHOP KEVIN HORVATH STAFF REPORTER

LEFT Sleek and sportish contrasts against classic style at car meet in diner parking lot.

Every Saturday car enthusiasts in Corona can enjoy all types of vehicles including exotics, classics and the latest luxury cars at Cars and Coffee.

Weekly from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. the IHOP off of 2450 Wardlow Road hosts a community who can gather and talk about cars as well as meet new friends.

The location provides ample parking and a place to eat after the meet. “It was nice to actually have coffee available and be able to grab some breakfast from IHOP,” attendee Mike S. said.

This is the largest weekly car meet in the Inland Empire. It has evolved into “a real community and a social event for people who may have never met otherwise,” said Kraig Strom who founded Cars and Coffee in 2015. “When people gather for a common purpose complete strangers become the best of friends.”

“Most of the car owners love chatting about their vehicles and will answer your questions happily,” Michael Meehan, an attendee at Cars and Coffee said. A way to learn more and get involved in the local car community allows for an event that everybody can look forward to.

Many people who attend this meet make it part of their weekend routine due to the variety of over 150 cars per event. Not everyone has an exotic, classic or luxury car, but regulars can enjoy a large selection of vehicles to admire and it is almost like having an extensive car collection of your own.

FAR LEFT Car lovers enjoy morning coffee alongside a variety of unique vehicles.

BELOW Enthusiasts gather over a common interest for the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

REVIEW: Slowdive’s latest release Shoegaze trailblazers return to the scene ADAM MORSE STAFF REPORTER

From their dreamy debut release “Just For A Day” to the long-awaited return from their lengthy hiatus “Slowdive” (selftitled) Slowdive’s music has always mesmerized fans.

The British rock band is back with “everything is alive” which has eight new tracks all of which are beautiful and somber in equal measure.

The album opens with “shanty”, a track fueled primarily by icy synths with more and more of the landscape developing as the song builds. The ethereal vocals paired with swelling guitars, surprisingly high-energy drums and some harpsichord plucks cap off the stellar intro.

The lyrics are simple but also descriptive and emotional, perfectly encapsulating Slowdive’s best traits in this field.

The album transitions into a different pace with instrumental

Photo by Ingrid Pop courtesy of Jessica Linker/Pitch Perfect PR.

ballad “prayer remembered”. This track is pure melancholy distilled into audio form.

The song sounds like you’re losing once-cherished memories and realizing there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s impressive how vivid this song manages to be on an emotional level with no lyrics spoken.

Unfortunately, we take a downturn with “andalucia plays”.

This is my least favorite song on the record but has its merits. The weak link here is frontman Neil Halstead’s vocals. I’m normally a fan of Halstead’s vocals but in this instance his attempts to suggest intimacy don’t create the desired effect.

The lyrics are well written but nothing I’m going to remember.

The album’s lead single “kisses” is a perfect gateway into the world of Slowdive. This song’s mix is deeply layered and rich, managing to showcase every aspect of the song without feeling overcrowded.

This album feels special. With

its all-killer-no-filler approach to the tracklist, every song comes together to form a perfect world filled with vistas of hazy memories and echoing guitars. I recommend it to anyone who wants to find a new world to melt into and become one with. “everything is alive” is one for the ages.

6 September 14, 2023

Beats and brews at Back to the Grind Swingle’s Sextet captivates coffee lovers at local hangout

ADRIAN TAYLOR | VIEWPOINTS

Ripley Swingle, tenor saxophonist for jazz band Swingle’s Sextet performing during their Sept. 1 set at Back to the Grind, a coffee shop located in Downtown Riverside.

MARC A. SALAZAR LIFE EDITOR

Swingle’s Sextet captivated customers at downtown Riverside’s coffee haunt Back to the Grind. Fridays at 6:30pm the café is home to a weekly jazz night featuring local performers.

The sextet enchanted café patrons with a rendition of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” on Sept. 1. Ripley S w i n g l e , t h e b a n d ’s t e n o r saxophonist and namesake, led in a slow and controlled progression which induced a distinct pause in customers’ murmured conversations and the clank and hiss of espresso machines.

“I love playing ballads because there’s so much room for emotion,” Swingle said. “When I perform them I feel like I am soaring with the music and I can connect with the audience more.”

Swingle, whose passion for music is evident in her focused demeanor when she performs, has played the saxophone for 8 years. She thanked her mother for introducing her to jazz which she said she had “fallen in love with (due to its) spontaneity… with improvisation and the emotion the music naturally conducts.”

Swingle is a music student at Riverside City College like the other five members of the band.

According to Swingle, although she had met alto saxophonist James Aspan-Martin in April,

the band formed only two weeks prior to jazz night after she was approached by guitarist Elias Valdez. Other members include pianist Elias Rodriguez, bassist Gabby Reynoso and drummer Nathan Gutierrez. Regarding how the band got its name, Swingle said her bandmates simply thought her last name would be fitting.

T h e n i g h t ’s e n e rg y w a s amplified by a crowd cheering at the build-ups of the players’ solos.

“I love jazz even more than I love punk,.”said self-described punk rock fan and RCC student Hugo Anguiano.

He said the percussion section was a favorite from the night’s performance due to Gutierrez’s passionate playing style.

Gutierrez wore a smile whenever it came time to showcase his skill on the drums.

Jazz nights are not a new occurrence at Back to the Grind.

They were a Friday night staple until COVID-19 restrictions caused a nearly two-year hiatus, however, the café’s proprietor assures customers that “jazz nights are back to stay.”

Staff and shop regulars seem enthusiastic about “Friday night jazz jam” which features a rotation of any RCC jazz musicians who would like to get on stage and improvise. Jazz jam takes place the fourth Friday of every month.

Both events are cost-free to attend.

ABOVE Swingle’s Sextet guiatrist Elias Valdez performs a solo for jazz night audience.

RIGHT James Aspanmartin, Swingle’s Sextet alto saxophonist playing during their set at Back to the Grind.

Editor: Marc A. Salazar life.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

PRIDE abounds at IE celebration

7

Inland area revels in LGBTQ+ culture JOANNAH CLEMENTE STAFF REPORTER

Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride event turned the Riverside Convention Center into a lively epicenter celebrating the LGBTQ+ community’s power of selfexpression on Sept. 10.

At the heart of this year’s pride fest, “Pride Equals Power” served as a rallying cry that focused on the queer community’s fierceness, resilience and the unbreakable bonds cultivated in pursuing equal rights.

“We as a community, when we come together, we’re stronger together,” volunteer Leo Serrano said. “We are progressing and we are not going back in history. We’re not letting our rights go. We’re here united.”

The event focused on advocacy for LGBTQ+ representation, particularly within Riverside.

It offered a warm embrace to all, encouraging the type of inclusivity and visibility that has paved the way for greater understanding, acceptance and openness in society.

“Having pride and having it accessible for everyone is a huge thing. You see people who are living their true selves,” Serrano said.

Talented artists such as Jaidha Sky, DJ Aura Josh and Joey Young graced the main stage with their performances. ASL interpreters were placed on the side of the stage to guarantee anyone could enjoy the event.

Mariah Counts, a singersongwriter from Los Angeles, would like to highlight the significance of voices like hers to address experiences within the community.

“There are queer kids somewhere that need to hear the things that I’m singing about and I think (that is) the role that my music plays,” Counts said.

It was a celebration of diversity.

Attendees felt free to embrace their identities without fear of criticism.

“I’m dressed like this today, I feel comfortable, I feel fine because I know I’m in a community that supports me,” divaDean, a hostess at The Menagerie Bar. To m a n y i n t h e q u e e r community, events like this helped them evolve the importance of their individuality.

“It is very much about living your sexual freedom because it was so suppressed, but now because there is so much more acceptance, we’re seeing a lot more younger audiences, and so we’re evolving,” divaDean said.

Pride endures. It’s a celebration within a celebration, an expression of power within power.

Riverside’s Inland Empire 2nd annual Pride Festival kicked off at the Riverside Convention Center on Sept 10, The event featured exhibiters, DJ’s, live performers, and a drag show.

ABOVE DJ Gaspar Fuego opened up the day welcoming attendees with his unique brand of beats.

BELOW Festival attendees wander through the exhibit hall where companies and organizations flout their connection to the LGBTQIA+ community.

BELOW A large blow-up fist adorned with the rainbow and the word “Power” welcome attendees.

PHOTOS BY

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPONTS

The spirit of Inland Empire Pride was on full display with a welcome sign reading PRIDE.

8 September 14, 2023

OPINIONS

Editor: Karly Ortiz

opinions.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

Chino Valley USD endangers queer students KARLY ORTIZ OPINION SEDITOR

C h i n o Va l l e y School District’s newest Parent Notification Policy is detrimental to gender non-conforming students.

CVUSD announced in July they are officially adopting a policy that requires schools to alert parents if their children change their pronouns or preferred name in a classroom setting. The action is essentially just requiring schools to out LGBTQ+ students without their consent.

CVUSD claims the new policy is necessary to keep parents knowledgeable about their children’s needs but it is unclear what the educational goals are. This policy is incredibly dangerous for gender non-conforming students and is clearly less about protecting and more about persecuting the LGBTQ+ community.

According to The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to ending suicide amongst the youth in the community, LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. It’s not known if forced

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS ”Let me be perfectly queer” reads a shirt during a Queer and Trans Kids Autonomy March in Downtown Riverside on March 31.

outing contributes to that statistic, but there are many cases of forced outing causing people to commit suicide to avoid backlash.

What benefit could this policy possibly offer that is worth that risk? CVUSD claims they believe the action will help both parents and students by opening this line of communication, but to do so by force is very damaging.

Gender non-conforming students who live with intolerant parents are going to be the most negatively impacted by this policy.

Children don’t keep such an important part of their existence hidden from their parents to spite them. For these children, school can be an escape from that fear of harm or judgment and an outlet to express themselves freely. All this policy

is doing is scaring these children into silence, or punishing them for speaking up.

I don’t believe this policy has anything to do with helping parentchild bonds. I believe this is a case of conservative board members pushing their views onto the schools and students in their district.

CVUSD members have been in many controversies before for an

abundance of problematic behavior, including making misogynistic and religious comments when discussing school policies. According to The Daily Bulletin, in 2019 CVUSD was sued by the Freedom from Religion Foundation for opening each board meeting with a Christian prayer and speaking about religion for the majority of the meeting time. In June of this year, CVUSD banned pride flags from hanging in classrooms.

This policy is a thinly veiled attempt to eradicate queerness from the Chino Valley area.

However, it is not going unnoticed. Shortly after the announcement of this action, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against the school district based on the new policy violating student’s equal protection and privacy rights.

There is hope that this policy might be overruled, but it is still important to pay attention to the anti-LGBTQ+ agenda taking over schools.

It is important that we see this matter for what it is: persecution.

This is not the first and will not be CVUSD’s last attempt to pass a discriminatory policy. We need to remain aware and take action when they inevitably try again.

Microtransactions in gaming are no fun VICTOR LEDBETTER JR. STAFF REPORTER

People play and talk about video games every day.

This year alone titles like “Spider-Man 2”, “Starfield” and “Armored Core IV” are creating huge buzz in the gaming space.

With all this attention, there are companies looking to gain notoriety and profit. The budget for any AAA game is very high and the time to make one can take up to five years.

The problem is, there are developers that cut corners to save money and they do this by utilizing microtransactions.

Microtransactions are in-game purchases that can cost from 99 cents to $100 or more. These get you in-game currency, special characters and cosmetic items like skins and weapons.

Microtransactions are normally reserved for games that are free but developers also use them within fully priced games.

You can pay for a guaranteed item (which are often expensive and a huge rip-off) or a random reward and while this doesn’t sound bad at first, the way the monetization system is implemented creates more concerns than rewards.

According to Dexerto’s Lauren Bergin, an established editor for PCGamesN, while looking at Valorant’s shop, a standard individual skin costs around $10. If you want the bundle, you will have

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Video Game controller with a credit card slot, with the credit card being slid into it to perform a transaction on Sept 13.

to fork over around $34. If you want a deluxe skin, that is ~$16 per skin, ~$62 per bundle. And a premium skin? That’s ~$23 per skin, ~$82 per bundle.

The thing about buying these skins, is that they don’t do anything.

The art is cool, yes, but they don’t give you any power-ups or abilities.

If you want a slightly easier way to get these skins, you can buy a battle pass. This is a tiered system, which you can progress through by playing the game and completing in game or weekly/ daily challenges.

“Fortnite” is known for influencing the multiplayer market with this monetization option, so much so that every multiplayer game you can think of has implemented the pass into their game.

According to a guide by G2A.

com, a digital marketplace website, getting these rewards aren’t easy and the game punishes you for not having the time to play.

The guide detailed that, “It’s not unusual for developers to put some extra stuff in battle pass, that’s either hard or straight up impossible to obtain in the game by any other means. So, if you’re not active, you risk missing the battle pass and losing some cool rewards you wouldn’t be able to get otherwise.”

While the content in the battle pass can last for up to two months, not a lot of people have the time to log in every day.

You also have the daily challenges, but they require a decent amount of time to complete. If you want to be rewarded earlier, there is an option to advance to the end of the pass by paying real life money.

Then there are loot boxes or crates, which cost around $5 and can give you a random chance at getting what you want.

Looking at the odds, you have a 99% chance at getting a common item and 1% at getting a rare item– obviously the chances are very slim. Sure you might get it because nothing is impossible but it would cost a lot of money.

The loot boxes are there specifically to lure consumers into spending a lot of money, which can develop gambling addictions, especially in children.

Forbes article “How Lootboxes in Children’s Video Games Encourages Gambling” by Jason W. Osborne shares that the average 12-to-17 year-old spends $50 every month on loot boxes.

“Importantly, this same research

showed that loot box purchases significantly increased the odds of problem gambling later. Emerging research suggests that loot box purchases and similar gambling behavior among children or teens can lead to problem gambling later in life,” said Osborne.

A gambling addiction is something 1 million California residents suffer from and it is concerning that so many young kids are being set on this path.

These practices ruin video games. Developers are using microtransactions to put content behind paywalls, making said content scant in the process. They are also implementing MTX when they don’t need to, like in single player games.

Being money oriented can often make the games we play very lifeless and of poor quality. I understand that developers need to make money, but can’t players just get all their content in a fair and satisfying manner? Even if a player can, they’d have to go through an unbearable grind every day to even get close!

Now, there are games that don’t rely on these practices but when the first question that comes to my mind is, “Is this a pay-to-win game?” every time a new game comes out, there is a problem.

I get excited with new games and I have played video games all my life but if I pay $70 for a fully priced game with another in-game price tag, I might need to pick up another hobby.

September 14, 2023

Editorial

Editor: Karly Ortiz | opinions.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

9

STAFF LIST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennipher Vasquez viewpointseic@gmail.com

Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.

MANAGING EDITOR Angie Medina viewpoints.managing@gmail.com NEWS EDITORS Annabel Silva news.viewpointsonline@gmail.com LIFE EDITOR Marc A. Salazar life.viewpointsonline@gmail.com ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR Yoselin Vazquez OPINIONS EDITOR Karly Ortiz opinions.viewpointsonline@gmail.com SPORTS EDITOR Dalila Romero sports.viewpointsonline@gmail.com ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Jair Ramirez SPORTS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Jesus Coronel

STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS

Cars occupying the spots in student parking in the parking garage of Riverside City College on Terracina Dr.

Parking stresses students, staff and faculty The surest sign that we are officially free of pandemic restrictions is the fifty dollar bill we dished out for parking this semester.

Despite having over ten different lots, including a five level parking garage, Riverside City College is once again the home to jam-packed parking lots and occasional collisions due to the influx of traffic.

It was nice to be able to park without having to pay over the last few semesters and it made sense since many students were still enrolled in online courses and on campus attendance was still low.

This semester noticeably welcomed an abundance of students and it is more than obvious we’ve returned to being a crowded campus, especially when trying to find a place to park.

If you’ve arrived on campus for a class that starts twenty minutes from your arrival, chances are you will be late. Without fault.

It appears that the majority of students arrive early to begin their search because of the widespread knowledge that parking during the first few weeks will be a pain and insanely time consuming. This creates a massive buildup of traffic on every end of

campus including on Magnolia Avenue, the main street that the college lies on.

Many of you reading this know the pain of circling up and down the parking structure on Terracina Avenue, exiting to the parking lot near the administration offices and then back over to the field lot to, still, no avail.

It’s common to have students trickling into class late for the first 15 minutes all complaining of lack of parking. Many professors have been vocal about the same issues and fortunately for us, as students, they have been forgiving of our late entrances. Or rather, poor attendance right at the start of semester due to lack of parking availability.

Aside from adding more spaces by building onto the already existing parking garage, which would create a whole different nightmare, the administration needs to find some way of managing the parking better.

Perhaps permits that are for specific days, or specific locations based on class location.

These permits could cost less.

Yes, there are daily permits available for purchase but that doesn’t solve the problem for a student who may only need the pass for half of the term, but still pays full price.

The college does offer late start, short term

courses.

Incentivising public transit and ride sharing are other options that the administration should be looking into to curb this ongoing problem for students.

Other community colleges offer free shuttle rides from certain points near the campus to students and staff with their college ID’s who either park far from the main campus or walk to school.

Parking has been aggravated by the clear overselling of parking permits. Oddly, although most of us paid the $52 fee for the permit, some students have said they paid only thirty for the same exact permit.

Viewpoints was unsuccessful in attempts made to contact Parking Enforcement to clarify the gap in fees paid from one student to another for the same exact permit.

Obviously, not all students have to be on campus at the same time. So, more parking permits than there are parking spaces can be sold with the expectation that overlap will be rare.

Is that the case though?

Most classes run two times a week, and the majority of students are on campus between 8 and 5 Monday through Friday.

The overlap is as real as the struggle.

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REPORTERS:

Ethan Aguilera Izaiah Cerratos Joshua Cervantes (JC) Joannah Clemente Alison Cuevas Dee Davis Keya Davis Hannah Enriquez Coral Giacoppe Jennie Hernandez Kevin James Horvath Keziah Love Letty Maddox Adam Morse Caitlyn Nelson Isaiah Ramos Cesareo Arreola Saldana Analucia Solis Lindsey Tovar Ayden Vasquez FACULTY ADVISERS Angela Burrell Matt Schoenmann JOURNALISM SPECIALIST Matt Schoenmann matthew.schoenmann@rcc.edu

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Editor: Dalila Romero sports.viewpointsonline@gmail.com

SPORTS

Sophomore Center Nicolas Sadowski set to score a goal during the men’s Alumni Water Polo Game at the Riverside Aquatics Complex on Sept. 1.

September 14, 2023

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PHOTOS BY JESUS CORONEL | VIEWPOINTS

Iron sharpens iron, present vs. past AYDEN VASQUEZ STAFF REPORTER

The Riverside City College men’s water polo team hosted its program’s very first alumni game.

The team went on to defeat its very own alumni 20-15 at the Riverside Aquatics Complex (RAC).

Although it was only a friendly match, it was still a hard-fought back-and-forth game. Both teams possessed solid defense, had great playmaking and an even greater scoring ability.

The alumni team had total control over the current roster for majority of the match. Going into the third quarter, the current roster’s team was outscored by the alumni 12-9 with seven of those 12 goals coming from alumni center Christopher Forte.

“I felt pretty good in the water today. I’ve been training non-stop so I’m glad I’m able to come out here and show these young guys what I can do,” Forte said.

Halfway through the third quarter, RCC changed the momentum and gained the lead after a skip shot past

the goalie from sophomore driver Nicholas Sadowski.

“That shot is something I plan on perfecting,” Sadowski said. “I want to utilize it in more games throughout the season.”

Following Sadowki’s goal, the current roster went on to score a total of 11 unanswered goals of their own in the fourth quarter.

With the help of substitutions made by the men’s water polo head coach Jason Northcott, the alumni squad could not seem to catch a break only scoring three goals in return.

While their scoring ability was slowing down, the alumni squad was still playing a very physical game.

Their agility in the water allowed them to switch from a physical offense to a physical defense.

This strong and physical style of play demonstrated by the alumni showed the flaws in the Tigers’defense.

“They posed a challenge for us early on today defense-wise. So I feel that today is a good learning opportunity,” Northcott said.

The speed of the Tigers this season looks to be the most vital

Sophomore Center Nicolas Sadowski looking to pass the ball during the Men’s Alumni Water Polo Game at the Riverside Aquatics Complex on Sept. 1.

aspect of their game. Although they do need to work on a few things, the alumni believe that success for this team is soon to come.

“They look promising,” Forte said. “They have a little bit of work to do when it comes to communication and teamwork but I believe that will come with time.”

Overall, it was a high-scoring and eventful game that will only help propel the team forward

throughout the rest of the season.

“We are early in the season so we have big improvements everywhere,” the head coach said. “Every day in practice those flaws are eliminated and today is no exception.”

With many in attendance, the support of the alumni and the dedication of the men’s water polo program showcasing its rich history, this event was an allaround success.

“The goal of today was to show our guys that the alumni are here to mentor them. To let them know that if they put trust in this program, compete with discipline, and commit to the team they will succeed in not just water polo but in life as well,” Northcott said.

As they prepare to face Golden West at the RAC on Sept. 13. The Tigers currently sit at a 2-1 record on the season.

RCC’s volleyball team’s road toward redemption ETHAN AGUILERA STAFF REPORTER

After ending the 2022 season 4-12, the Riverside City College women’s volleyball team can only hope for a better outcome in the upcoming 2023 season.

Which is not a easy task to overcome giving the circumstance of sophomores, Mya Castro, Maggie Aburto and Jessica Lepe moving on from RCC. Jessica Lepe ended the 2022 seaosn with a average of 2.17 kills per set percentage as well as a 1.53 hitting percentage in conference play.

This pushes the upcoming sophomores to grow into the role of team leaders and educate the upcoming freshman of stategy and gameplans in a short amount of time.

The incoming freshman will

have to accommodate quickly to the collegiate level play.

From the non-season games, the tigers ability to block hits at the net, which was not so easy during the prior season.

Even after a win, their coach, Clara Lowden, pushes them in practice so they get better by the day.

The Tigers are going into the season with a semi-experienced squad, as half of their roster is sophomores, while the other half is first-year members.

The ability to have an experienced squad can be beneficial by helping the players adapt to the collegiate level.

With a current record of 5-4, the Tigers seem to be on pace for an aggressive season opener against Orange Coast College on Sept. 15.

ADRIAN TAYLOR | VIEWPOINTS The Riverside City College volley ball team celebrating after defeating the San Bernadino Valley College volley ball team in the Wheelock Gymnasium at Riverside City College on Sept. 6.

September 14, 2023

Sports Briefs

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Women’s Volleyball The Tigers had lost their most recent match up 0-3 against Mt. San Jacinto RCC has their first conference play match against Orange Coast College on Sept.15.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DAY I VIEWPOINTS

Riverside City College Tigers line up for the national anthem for their first game of the season against Long Beach City College Vikings.

RCC narrowly wins season opener

Close win sparks concern of Tigers’ coaching staff and players JAIR RAMIREZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The most successful coach in Riverside City College football history, Tom Craft, was upset after his team’s season opener.

“I think we showed signs of having the potential of being a pretty good team,” Craft said.

He said that every area of the team can show improvement.

The Tiger had a lot of penalties that slowed their momentum down in key moments throughout the game. RCC finished with nine penalties for 77 yards.

RCC managed to hang on to the lead after a turnover filled fourth quarter. The final score was 45-40.

“We had some penalties, like the 15 yard penalty when I hit

the quarterback,” sophomore linebacker Matthew “We just got to get better on stuff like that, Eskridge said.”

The Tigers finished the game with four turnovers, three fumbles and an interception.

“We made some mistakes but we’re young,” Eskridge said.

“We’re just going to learn on Monday and get back to it.”

Eskridge had a big game with nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

LBCC came back to make it a one possession game. LBCC had a chance to have a game winning field goal but shot themselves in the foot by missing two extra point kicks and failed on a twopoint conversion. Although RCC allowed multiple big plays, their defense did buckle down and

freshman defensive lineman Esaia Bogar had two sacks on LBCC’s last drive to close out the game.

“We played hard all the way until the end, we didn’t give up,” Eskridge said. Quarterback Jordan Barton had an impressive first game back after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.

“I was excited,” Barton said.

“Excited just because I was back playing with Riverside on my chest again. It feels good to play for the city again, it really does.”

Barton stressed the need for more game reps.

“We just need to perfect a lot of things. First game out we had a lot of mistakes. It was a good learning experience.”

Barton completed 26 out of 35 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns.

STATS JORDAN BARTON #15 QB Completed 20 of his 26 passes attempted cp JESSE CAMPBELL #3 Campbell would earn 120 recieving yards in the game, with a average of 24.0 yards per reception. He would go on to score two of RCC’s touchdowns.

BRYCE STRONG #2 RB Had 12 rushing attempts that would add up to 70 rushing yards. Strong would average 5.8 yards per carry.

ESAIA BOGAR #97 DL BOGAR would be credited with two sacks on the LBCC quarterback, Will Madonna, for a total loss of 21 yards.

MATTHEW ESKRIDGE #33 LB ESKRIDGE was responsible for 2 tackle for loss, causing LBCC to lose

12 yards total. As well as a sack, resulting in a 8 yard loss.

LEFT Riverside City College Tiger quarterback, Jordan Barton, spots wide receiver, Jesse Campbell, open and launches the ball at him during the season opener at Veteran’s Memorial Field in Long Beach on Sep 2. Tigers defeated the Vikings 45-40.

RIGHT Riverside City College Tigers celebrate in the end zone after Jacqueze Modica scored a touchdown during the season opener at Veteran's Memorial Field in Long Beach on Sep 2.

Football The Tigers won the first game of the season 45-40 against Long Beach City College.

RCC had only a 47% third down completion rate, completing only 7 out of 15 attempted.

Quarterback Jordan Barton, completed 326 paasing yards, with 5 touchdowns.

The Tigers went 2-0 after their matchup against Golden West College on Sept. 9.

RCC dominated the match up completing thirty first downs, while Golden West only completed twelve throughout the whole match up.

Men’s Waterpolo RCC completed in their first ever program alumni vs current students game.

The current roster would defeat the alumni 20-15 on Sept. 1.

The Tigers will enter conference play against Golden West College on Sept. 13.

Men’s Basketball The Men’s basketball team will get back into action competing in the SoCal Jamboree tournament on Sept. 15.

The Tigers finished the 2022- 2023 season 17-13, after losing in the CCCAA Southern Regional, 94-77 against East Los Angeles.

GAME from page 1

start rolling.”

The Tigers second quarter success did not stop there and went on to score seventeen points after the touchdown.

RCC’s defense came out of the end of the first quarter timeout determined and focused.

“The defense being resilient,” sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Jones said. “Not settling and acting like the score is 0-0.”

The Tigers would close out the first half of play in control of the Rustlers, 24-6.

After regrouping with coach Craft during halftime, the Tigers out of the locker room dominating till the final play.

“We were faster than them and it showed,” Strong said “We came out of halftime ready to run and they weren’t.”

The Tigers were able to defeat the Rustlers in a game that seemed close in the first quarter but would break open into a Tigers home opener blow out.

“If we can keep up the tempo, pick up the intensity in practice,” Jones said. “I think we will be able to execute throughout the rest of the season.”

RCC will take on El Camino College at Wheelock Stadium on Sept. 16.