By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As part of ongoing nego-tiations regarding the finan-cial crisis to the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) system, the local public school district and teachers union returned to the bar-gaining table Oct. 20-21 to reach a tentative agreement.

It was the first time since Sept. 15 that West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) administra-tors and United Teachers of Richmond (UTR) representa-tives met to discuss contract issues involving health care benefits, seniority rights, pay cuts, class size maximums and furlough days, among others.

Steve Hoffman, a teacher for Middle College High School (a secondary school housed on the Contra Costa College campus), said that among the afflictions felt by the teachers, health care is the main topic of discus-sion, because come January, employees’ spouses and dependents will no longer be covered.

These proposed changes are a result of the state bud-get cuts approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in July, which reduced $5.3 bil-lion from K-12 education statewide.

Though the district’s rev-enue and expenditures bal-anced at $285 million last year, the revenue expected for the 2009-10 academic year stands at $251 million with expenditures of $270 million, WCCUSD spokes-man Marin Trujillo said.

“We understand that (the cuts) are not fair,” he said. “We just don’t have funding from the state, and we know that the community does not want us to spend money we

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

Drawing from personal experiences and the experiences of those close to her, Lynne Knight channels her inspiration into award-winning pieces.

Recently, the part-time English profes-sor, who has written thousands of poems, was awarded first place in the RATTLE poetry contest.

“I love poetry, because I think it speaks to the deepest emotions, and poetry can touch people all around the world,” Knight said.

Aside from being published in RATTLE, an ad-free publication of poetry and other writing, Knight has also written several books. Her love of poetry stems from her mother, who, though unpub-lished, wrote poetry as well

Knight remains happy for the recogni-tion she has received for doing what she loves.

Her poem, titled “To the Young Man Who Cried Out ‘What Were You Thinking’ When I Backed into His Car,” was unanimously chosen out of 6,000 other entries as first by a panel of judges, she said.

“For RATTLE to recognize me is abso-lutely wonderful,” Knight said.

In addition to the recognition, the grand prize netted Knight $5,000 and her poem will be published in the upcoming edition of RATTLE for winter 2009 that will be released in December.

Knight is also in the midst of publish-ing her fourth book, titled “Again,” about the pain of losing something, and the joy of finding something new.

“I am very proud to have her here as a part of the Contra Costa College faculty,” said Helen Kalkstein, dean of the Liberal, Applied Health, Vocational Training and Athletics Division.

Kalkstein said Knight is an example of

the great things that come out of CCC and the talent that is here.

Not only has Knight captured the praise of her co-workers, but also that of her students.

Hazel Miller, a student and poet, has read Knight’s poetry and found the poems to be soothing and realistic.

“I have read a number of her poems and have found a great quality in all of them,” Miller said. “It would be a lie to say I had a favorite.”

A prime inspiration in Knight’s love of reading and writing poetry comes from her mother. Her mother kept journals of her works and would sometimes read them aloud to Knight. Listening to her mother’s melodies and rhymes sparked Knight’s interest in poetry and has carried her forward.

Knight’s favored style of poetry is narrative style, where the poem takes the form of a story that may have a simple or complex meaning relating back to the plot.

By Diana ReyesOPINION EDITOR

Due to a lack of funding from the state, hours and courses for the spring 2010 semester are to be cut by 10 percent.

Senior Dean of Instruction Donna Floyd said the num-ber of proposed course section hours reduced has fluctuated, but as of press time Monday, the number of hours reduced for next semester is about 4,000.

“Early on, we were think-ing we had to reduce 13 percent, and that still didn’t seem to be enough,” Floyd said.

Shocking victory

Team nets first win since 2006

Chefs nab silver spot Young cooks excel at crab competition

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

THE WEEKLY STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.SINCE 195016 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

VOL. 93, NO. 8WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009

ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

MentorsPuente experts train rookies

sports page A8◆ campus beat page A5◆

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Inspired — English professor and poetry contest winner Lynne Knight teaches her English 142B class in LA-106 Wednesday.

Collegeto trim courses

Budget reduced

■ SEE KNIGHT: Page A4

campus beat page A6◆

Local schools, teachers stillin negotiation

PLANNING A CAREER

Looking aheadGiven the cutting of sec-tions and increased competition in the job market after college, setting up a detailed, specialized educational plan is a must.

page A2

editorial

Union talks move ahead

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

With the economic crisis crushing state-wide funding, budget cuts are striking com-munity colleges down to the ground.

Alongside suffering a series of other cuts, Contra Costa College has reduced the Buildings and Grounds budget by 16.5 percent, directing its attention more toward the function rather than the fashion of the campus.

The department, which deals with the repairs and maintenance of the college facilities, will tighten its belt to focus fund-ing on “what is urgent for teaching and learning to go on,” Director of Business Services Mariles Magalong said.

In addition to reducing the budget of the program, the state also will not pro-vide any scheduled maintenance funding,

By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Society stresses education as the univer-sal key to success, but in these trying times, even the possession of a college certificate, bachelor’s degree or higher degree cannot guarantee instant job security.

Faced with the reality of a bleak labor market and the obligation to repay debts incurred from college loans, it is becom-ing more common for university graduates to move back into their parents’ home, settle for low-paying retail wages or return to community colleges to pursue other career endeavors.

Mechanical engineering major Tony Tran said the truth of the matter is that when stu-dents make decisions about their educational goals, they must be aware of whether or not their degrees will be of high demand in the industry.

The “Great Recession,” the worst eco-nomic plunge since the Great Depression of 1929, originated in December 2007 after collapses in the housing and credit markets forced consumers to reduce spending.

The slump has struck the United States’ wallet with severe work force reductions and an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent, equat-ing to 15.1 million people without work, according to September reports released by the United States Department of Labor (USDL).

Though the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is seeing improvement, economists say that unemployment is likely to worsen throughout 2010, because there is always a lag between production and job creation.

“Some parts of the recession (are) over, but tragically, employment is going to be the slowest to come back,” Contra Costa College Dean of Economic Development Priscilla

Professor awarded top prize

Sections may see 10 percent overall cut

Knight’s calm poem wins national award

Strong

focus,

solid

goals

required

in

rapidly

shifting

job

market

Buildings, Grounds funding sees slash

■ SEE SCHOOLS: Page A4

■ SEE COURSES: Page A4

■ SEE JOBS: Page A4 ■ SEE GROUNDS: Page A4

JAM

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 ● VOL. 93, NO. 8

EditorialPreparingnecessarySelf-motivation a must for returning students

college education is supposed to open the doors of opportunity.

With the economic downturn, however, those same doors may not open wide enough for the students seek-ing its treasures.

The crises originating from California’s financial disaster have lim-ited college resources to the point that students are competing not only for grades, but also for limited seats.

But rather than waiting for seats to be taken from under them, it is the respon-sibility of students to pick up the slack and prepare for the semester early.

As a result of the $840 million in cuts to community colleges statewide, stu-dents have faced increased tuition costs, crowded classrooms due to enrollment increases, full waitlists and fewer sec-tion offerings to choose from.

Contra Costa College was forced to slash more than 30 sections this semes-ter. Though the exact number of section offerings has not yet been determined, administrators have identified that roughly 4,000 instructional hours must be reduced from the spring schedule to balance financial deficits.

These cuts do not come as a surprise, and realistically, the severity of the bud-get crisis will continue far longer than just the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Truly, continuing students need to be a little more persistent in their educa-tional endeavors, because waiting until the last minute to register for classes is a complete disservice to themselves.

Down on their luck, students experi-ence the feeling of frustration within the initial days of the semester when they try to add courses but are instead turned away due to the lack of space.

Even waitlists have lost their promise to reserve a spot in the classroom, as the budget has forced professors to tighten their belts on the amount of students they are allowed to accept.

Caught in a time when the campus is limited on how much it can provide, it is up to students to take the initiative and find self-motivation through available resources.

Working with a counselor to produce an educational plan, for instance, can make the biggest difference, because it allows the student to gain a clear picture in his or her head about classes need-ed and the best way to balance them throughout future semesters.

The print edition of the spring schedule is expected by Nov. 16. Administrators said that open enrollment for continu-ing students is planned for Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 and noncontinuing students can expect to enroll Dec. 14-20.

By registering early and adequately preparing for classes beforehand, stu-dents can work to alleviate some of damage inflicted by the budget cuts.

These trials are endurable, depending on the steps students take to prepare.

A

“(I’m going to a) Halloween party with my boyfriend, and (we’re) dressing up as Velma and Shaggy.”

Faythe Del Rosarioart

CampusComment

What are your plans for Halloween?

“I have kids, so I’ll be taking them to the Hilltop pumpkin patch.”

Shinita Allencomputer information systems

“(I am) going to haunted houses and (hanging) out with friends.”

Harpreet Kaurnursing

“(I am going to a) party in the city and kick it with friends.”

Jose Aguilarundecided

“(I am going to) stay at home where it’s safe and watch scary mov-ies. (I will) hopefully be at the Fall Festival here on the 29th.”

Kyle McCoyundecided

“(I’m) working Halloween weekend.”

Chuckwunidum Amayiojieconomics

Quotable“The First Amendment is about freedom and

tolerance — to believe, speak, publish, congregate

and lobby as you see fit, while allowing others to

do likewise, even people whose expressions you find

abhorrent.”

Maurice FliessThe Freedom Forum

1998

Holly Pabloeditor-in-chief

Sam Attal

associate editor

Asia Camagongassociate editor

Alec Surmaniassociate editor

Cassandra Junielspotlight editor

Diana Reyesopinion editor

Dariush Azmoudehsports editor

Lamar Jamesnews editor

Brent Baintoscene editor

Jack Andersonspecial projects editor

Isaac Thomasphoto editor

Erik Verduzcoassistant photo editor

Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser

Staff writersNatalie Estrada

Anthony FarrChad Garcia

Malcolm LastraJon Pinlac

Kristina PlazaAlexandra Waite

Staff photographersCrystal Joy BisGeorge Morin

Adam OliverDesmond Sylva

Brian YoungRoman Young

Staff illustratorsJames Heck

Cody McFarlandJoel Ode

HonorsACP National Newspaper

Pacemaker Award1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award

1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000

JACC Pacesetter Award1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Member

Associated Collegiate Press

California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

How to reach usPhone: 510.235.7800

ext. 4315 Fax: 510.235.NEWS

E-mail: advocate@contracosta.edu

or letters.advocate@gmail.com

Editorial policyColumns and editorial

cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and

artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the

Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

CODY MCFARLAND, ROMAN YOUNG, ERIK VERDUZCO AND DARIUSH AZMOUDEH / THE ADVOCATE

Self-strength emerges from stranger’s story

■ Life

or friends, we sometimes do things that we do not

want to do.One of these things is

going to the nail shop.A lot of my friends enjoy

getting their nails done. When it is suggested, my stomach begins to turn, knowing that I will be dragged along.

One reason I do not like going to the nail shop is because I get very impatient waiting for the 45-minute manicure, which can be lon-ger if my friends also opt to get a pedicure.

Strange things always hap-pen to us, and we often meet strange people.

But on one of these jour-neys, I met someone who would teach me persever-ance through her battle with cancer.

When you are faced with the most challenging obsta-cles, sometimes you fight until the end.

She was sitting in the pedicure chair, getting her feet done. When we walked in, she smiled and gave a nod of the head.

She looked nice and had a strong presence.

I quickly gained her atten-tion when I started to talk to my friend about all the violence that was going on in the Bay Area.

She swiftly joined in on the conversation, giving her opinion on what she sug-gested was an outrage and just one step away from genocide.

I agreed with a lot of her views and was intrigued about how passionate she was about the subjects and

how many good ideas she had in terms of solutions to the problems.

We started to talk about the medical marijuana dis-pensary next door.

She said she did not mind it being there, as it is actu-ally a safer alternative than getting it on the streets.

I laughed in agree-ment.

Then, I told her how I thought medical marijuana could be used for good. She shared some of my same views but told me she did not want to try that treatment when she was sick.

“Sick?” I wondered. What kind of sickness could this woman have? She looked perfectly normal.

So I asked her what illness she had.

“‘Have?’ You mean, ‘had’ sweetie. I had cancer, but now it is gone, and I am a survivor.”

That is a very powerful

statement, I thought. I asked if she was scared.

“Scared? I wasn’t scared. I just had to prove to myself that I could get over it and keep on going. I would not let it defeat me, but I defeat-ed it.”

I thought that with all the stuff I go through, if I just looked at it like that, the obstacles would be easier. “How did you do it?” I asked.

“I just never got down. I stayed positive throughout the whole situation. And I told myself that the cancer will leave my body if I con-tinue to live for the Lord and stay on my mission of a greater future.”

My life is a cupcake com-pared to hers, I thought.

She is a survivor, a real life survivor, and she did not let the cancer beat her, but instead she beat it.

That is the important thing.

When she was faced with an obstacle, she did not give in. She stayed strong and did not make any excuses.

I do not remember her name, but I do remember her story — and it was a power-ful one.

While I praise her for sur-viving, I also salute the ones we have lost to this deadly disease.

We all need to join the fight against breast cancer. If we truly love those afflicted by breast cancer, we must make an effort to keep them.

Lamar James is news editor of The Advocate. Contact him at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

JOEL ODE/ THE ADVOCATE

lamarjames

F

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009A2 OPINION

When you

are faced

with the

most

challenging

obstacles,

sometimes

you fight

until the

end.

Season freesappreciation for existence

FORUM WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE A3

ver the recent years, I have looked at this upcom-

ing season with much dread. Summer full of joy and spon-taneity, followed by the beauty and calmness of fall.

It was always a wonder to me why such a thing fol-lowed. It always looked like a punishment to show us how great we had it in the previ-ous seasons.

I have always found myself to be a pretty active and out-door type of person, so the change from warm to cold was a huge turnoff.

The things accompany-ing winter that most people would always look to and enjoy were never my fancy.

Quite the opposite, the way they were supposed to bring cheer and glee to my exis-tence left me feeling down and stagnant.

I have never really thought of myself as having any social issues, but when winter came along, it seemed as if my sub-conscious would bring that part of me out.

Throughout my life, I have tried to keep myself occu-pied with things I felt were productive in the growing of my character. The feeling of being stagnant and not truly alive has always made me very depressed.

This feeling of melancholy unfailingly seemed to follow well into the end of February. I tended to find my happiness out of biking and doing things outside with my friends.

But with the coming of winter, it tended to make me have to stay inside, leaving me with few options. Though most of these inside activities were fun, they left me feeling insignificant and inactive.

Slowly, as the sun made its way back into my life, things would start to look up.

Was this connection between winter and sadness psychosomatic? More than likely. But recently I have been able to appreciate more and more of what it brings us.

Lying in my friend’s room looking up at the ceiling and hearing the rain drops against the roof and windows brought a sense of beauty that I never truly appreciated.

As I relaxed up against a pillow and continued to look out the window, my friend and I proceeded to lie peace-fully, backgrounded by the heavenly sound of the rain.

I closed my eyes and let it all set in and found myself floating in a comfortable darkness, being carried away. I felt myself getting lost in this feeling of relaxation. It reminded me of when I was younger and would lay on the grass in parks near my house for hours on end without a care in the world.

That is when I realized winter is not a punishment, but a reminder to show us what is truly important. Not the constant need of accom-plishment and feeling of being up to par, but the joy of being content.

By keeping me inside, it gives me time to reflect and take time to analyze, rather than be on the constant move – the feeling of being happy with the now.

I was too caught up in the need to feel alive by being productive, rather than being able to purely feel alive off of the fact that I was existing.

George Morin is a staff photographer for The Advocate. Contact him at gmorin.advocate@gmail.com.

georgemorin

O

■ Contentment

Measuring maturity

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

dulthood starts with a new course of action and ends with a new frame of mind.

On a day most would consider the typical rite of passage into adulthood, my sweaty hands clutched the steering wheel in front of me while a seem-ingly unhappy DMV instructor who introduced himself as “Diamond” sat to my right in the passenger seat.

It was the end of my driving test, and there was little optimism in my mind combating the worry from the fact that Diamond did not look the least bit impressed by my driving.

This was the moment that would determine whether or not I would have to keep relying on my parents for transportation or bumming rides from my licensed friends.

“Congratulations, you passed,” he said.

There was not any triumphant music playing in the background, and his magic words did not exactly trig-ger some physical transformation.

Yet, almost immediately, some-thing in me felt a change as all the new responsibilities that came with getting a license began to flood my thoughts.

Like most, I thought this moment would instantly make me a grown-up. Like most, however, I was wrong.

His three words were an invitation, not a greeting, into life as an adult.

Adulthood is an interior achieve-ment that relies on emotional maturity.

It maps how a person embraces responsibility, integ-rity, control and self-lessness.

Rather than vary-ing on age or physical development, adulthood depends on attitude and the way one handles a situation.

Students agree, adding that maturity begins by embracing the power to take care of oneself and learning how to command that power.

“You have to have a certain level of matu-rity to adapt to the real world,” student

Frame of mind defines structure of real adulthood

A

for their debuts as ladies another year older and another year wiser.

The show, however, displayed noth-ing but one whiney teenager after another whose greatest tragedy in life was not getting a new, shiny car (despite not even owning a permit).

Maturity fell from their minds, as the sanctity of the ceremony became blinded by the very celebration cre-ated for its purpose.

Measuring adulthood looks into the core of the individual, calling to atten-tion the importance of oneself and spreading that importance to benefit others.

In Janet Wilson’s “One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists,” chapters reveal the measures taken by chil-dren striving to establish peace in the world.

At the age of 12, Craig Kielburger created Free the Children, an organi-zation giving aid to those victimized by child labor.

It has since then received interna-tional attention, completing projects and building schools in 45 countries.

Rather than being seen for his age, Kielburger was recognized for his goal and the responsibility he took upon himself to achieve it.

Adulthood is the attitude with complete control over what one does and includes awareness of how those deeds affect other people.

In a 2003 survey conducted by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, 73 percent of Americans voted completing an education as the most important pas-sage into adulthood.

Others suggested it was determined by being employed full-time, support-ing a family, being financially inde-pendent, no longer living with par-ents, being married or having a child.

With each of these benchmarks comes a unifying characteristic: the constant growth of responsibility.

True adulthood focuses on the sense of being, shattering the

illusions stemmed from age, sex or parties.

Emotional maturity is the utmost image of what makes a grown-up.

“Congrat-ulations, you passed.”

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com.

Ashlie Madigan, 25, said.At the age of 18, despite mov-

ing out of her grandmother’s house, Madigan said she still did not con-sider herself an adult.

After joining the military, however, she found a sense of maturity being “old enough to protect the country,” she said.

In a world where some “buy booze over bills,” Madigan said adulthood is learning to prioritize and live by responsibilities.

“(Adulthood) is still doing the right thing even when eyeballs aren’t on you,” she said.

Learning when and how to be clas-sified as an adult is a curious case.

Some believe adulthood begins when they turn 18, lose their virgin-ity, enter college or receive a driver’s license.

According to a collection of com-ing-of-age rituals collected on www.religioustolerance.org, various cer-emonies signal the moment when a child is recognized as an adult.

In Judaism, boys and girls com-memorate adulthood through the cel-ebration of bat and bar mitzvahs after reaching ages 12 and 13.

Boys and girls in Korea between the ages of 15-20 commemorate adulthood through a Confucian cer-emony called gwallye, in which ancestral shrines are visited to receive blessings.

With every different culture comes a pivotal moment meant to signal the transformation of a child to an adult.

Yet, when given a dated ritual to be considered mature, some lose the value of what it truly means to be an adult.

The MTV televi-sion show, “Sweet

16,” aired episodes of

young girls preparing

■ Mentality

Anxiety generates ‘active mind’ repeatedly tell myself I’m doing all right. I undoubt-

edly believe it. It’s usually true. And then the smallest things affect me in ways I never thought possible.

When in less-than-ideal circumstances, nearly what-ever I look at makes me want to bang my head into a wall until I pass out. Everything I hear makes me gag.

Uneasiness fills me up with every breath I take. I don’t want to burst. I isolate myself. I try relaxation exer-cises and they work.

I can’t do them forever.After a few deep breaths,

I repeatedly tell myself I am doing all right. I usually believe it. It is undoubtedly true. And yet the anxiousness returns.

I feel like I am going crazy.”

When I posted that Facebook note at the end of August, I had already been feeling that way for a month, but I did not expect to be feeling this way even now.

Everything I do has become difficult. For nearly three months now, I have been overanalyzing practi-cally every single thing that I do.

It is hard to go out with friends. It is hard to place commas. It is hard to get my words out. It is hard to go to sleep. I constantly look back and forth at what I am doing and I judge myself, think-ing about what I have done improperly, what I should be doing next and what I need to do better. Simply trying to get a sentence out becomes a challenge.

Every thought leads me to another; it is a chain reaction – endlessly moving forward, left, right and backward.

It is only every now and then that I catch myself incessantly analyzing, and when I do, this is where I start to feel sick.

Slow breathing and listen-ing to music excruciatingly loud seem to help me the most, but my unsuspecting mind wanders. It is thrust into a different form of over-thinking.

Calming thoughts fill my

mind, usually relating to food. These thoughts make me wonder what I am going to eat at school once I have the time.

From there, I am led to thoughts of my friendships made in the past four years of being in school. I think of how much I care for them, where we are going to be in four years, where we are going to be in a decade.

I am halfway plunged into a dream that will undoubtedly end in a nightmare. A smile emerges. That studio apart-ment I want is going to be mine. Everyone is going to have families. I am going to have a family.

What happens to my thoughts from there? Being happy. Being happy. Being hungry. Being happy. Then it all ends. Having a family, a job, success, leads to death. These topics plague my mind every day.

Though they usually manage to be linked in that order, my thoughts are never restricted to only that chain. Penguins somehow make it into the bunch every now and then.

Some people reason that this is a phase I am going

through. They say that I am obviously trouncing this problem of mine, because I can recognize that I have a problem.

Many people often believe that everything in their lives is plummeting deeper and deeper into dark and confus-ing vortexes. The best that we can do is sit back and spiral down, knowing that we will someday get back up, or grab hold of something and stop, or at least slow the descent so that we land slightly more comfortably.

Skipping the use of hun-dreds of words and dozens of sentences that I have been fumbling with, I will say that for now, my way of coping with this issue is by embrac-ing it. I try to see my over-thinking as an active mind and that is nothing to be bothered by.

That last paragraph is edit number 19. And yes, I kept count, because I overthink and to me, it for some reason matters to my outrageously active mind.

Crystal Joy Bis is a staff photographer for The Advocate. Contact her at cbis.advocate@gmail.com.

crystaljoybis

‘I

JAMES HECK/THE ADVOCATE

don’t have.”Trujillo and UTR President Pixie Hayward

Schickele said they were not able to divulge the details of last week’s bargaining as of press time Monday.

But union officials are currently distribut-ing the information to its members and are expecting to vote on the proposed contract, which will be retroactive to July 1 and run through June 2012, during the first few weeks of November, Schickele said.

In August, 93 percent of UTR members voted to authorize a strike. For precautionary reasons, the district held three trainings for substitute teachers in September.

Both sides are trying to avoid a strike in the interest of the students, Trujillo said.

“We hope to move forward and weather the storm together,” he said. “The most important thing is that we’re talking, and we’re trying to find a solution to a mutual problem.”

Schickele agreed.“We are (negotiating) in hopes that we

can figure a way through this mess,” she said.

The union is com-posed of approximately 2,000 teachers serving students in Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Pinole and El Cerrito.

Contra Costa College is home to one of the dis-trict’s schools. MCHS, a WCCUSD institution, is housed in the Applied Arts Building.

“The purpose of (MCHS) is to give stu-dents an opportunity to experience a more chal-lenging curriculum and to earn 60 transferable college credits con-currently with a high school diploma,” MCHS Principal Hattie Smith said. “In some cases,

they get an (associate degree).”Though working on-site at a college loca-

tion, the teachers are part of UTR and face the same contract negotiations.

Because of the overall reduction of funds, this semester MCHS was forced to decrease its work force by one teacher, which in turn-lessened the number of students the school could accept by 10.

The 308 students at MCHS have not been affected as severely as their peers in regular schools, however, due to the fact that the school operates on both a master schedule and the college’s semester system.

Since students are spread apart in their schedules and take college courses, Smith said, the ratio of students to teacher class sizes is smaller compared to its sister schools.

CCC’s continuing enrollment increases, however, also affect MCHS students.

MCHS junior Lejon Butcher said that since they have to register for classes the same way that everyone else does, they face competition with college students.

“Otherwise, there’s not much of a differ-ence from last year for students,” Butcher said. “We still pay $1 (fee) and get our books for free.”

Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

She said the schedule is a part of the budget, therefore when faculty teach, a lot of the schedule is paid by the C-contract funds. The C-contract pays for all part-time faculty, and the overtime for full-time faculty.

“We only get a certain amount of C-contract money,” Floyd said.

Anyone working during sum-mer, whether it is full- or part-time employees, librarians or counselors, carries a non-instructional load, and the contract covers them beyond their regular load, Floyd said.

“So, because the C-contract is tied to the schedule, we have to look at that as a way to reduce our bud-get,” she said.

Vice President Carol Maga said the state did not give them enough time to discuss the changes, which is why the subject was initially unfore-seen.

“The budget was reduced, and the state said they won’t fund as much enrollment,” she said.

Division deans have further talked with department chairpersons about the decreased hours.

Discussions about flexibility within the schedule have been sug-gested in regard to reducing the number of sections occupied by each course, and also the consideration of fac-tors with respect to those who are close to graduating or transferring, in order to prevent the possible extension of their remaining time at Contra Costa College, Floyd said.

“We are considering the fact that if classes are transferable, they should be left in the schedule since students need them for transferring,” she said. “If enrollment is low in a specific course, we are looking at canceling the class from the sched-ule. Our decisions are made around the discussion.”

Maga said they are trying to keep certificate programs, which are the transfer and career technical pro-grams, as intact as they can.

Floyd said the schedule is expect-ed to be out in print by Nov. 16, a week before priority registration for EOPS, DSPS, CalWORKs and

veterans.“Students must enroll early due to

the fewer classes available. Ongoing students get priority registration,”

Maga said. “They must pay atten-tion and do it as early (as pos-sible). That way, they’ll get their

best selection of courses.”Open enrollment by appoint-

ment for continuing students begins between Nov. 30 and Dec. 11.

Also, open enrollment for non-continuing students, or students new to the college, and the kindergarten through 12th grade system is Dec. 14-20.

“We really try to cancel as few classes as possible, because we want to turn away as few students as pos-sible,” Floyd said. “We’re here to educate students.”

Maga said the proposal for the reinstatement of the classes being cut will all depend on the state budget and the amount of money they are able to fund the college.

“We’re on a down slope now,”

she said. “Next year is going to be difficult.”

Nursing major David Ramirez said the circumstances are bad, espe-cially for those students trying to transfer.

“It prevents them from transfer-ring at the set time they want to, so it prolongs their stay here,” he said.

Ramirez said he was not entire-ly aware of the effect of the class reductions, but had noticed some economy-related changes, such as the cutbacks on paper.

“Teachers used to give us hand-outs,” Ramirez said. “Now some teachers are making students go on Web sites to print out assignments.”

He said he would have never known about the changes being made to the schedule if it was not for his physiology professor, who told the students about the cuts.

Ramirez said it is important for college administrators to raise better awareness of issues such as this one that affect students.

Contact Diana Reyes at dreyes.advocate@gmail.com.

Newsline

Friday, Oct. 16An officer responded to a

medical report on campus.

Monday, Oct. 19An officer responded to a

medical report on campus.

Wednesday, Oct. 21A robbery was reported

on Mission Bell Drive.Grand theft was reported

on campus.Vandalism was reported

on campus.

—Jon Pinlac

CrimeWatch

Courses | Lack of state funding forces action■ FROM: Page A1

accenta d v o c a t e

TwitterReceive breaking news and updates by following The Advocate’s Twitter account, AccentAdvocate.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

“The most important

thing is that we’re

talking, and we’re

trying to find a

solution to a mutual problem.”

Marin Trujillo,West Contra Costa

County School District spokesman

■ WORKSHOP

EOPS/CAREto host event

EOPS and CARE will be hosting a workshop to train EOPS and CARE students on WebAdvisor.

The workshop will run today from 3-4 p.m. and will be held in the Student Services Center, room SSC-104.

For more information contact EOPS/CARE at 510-25-7800, ext. 4357.

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009A4 CAMPUS BEAT

which pays for specific projects within the year, Vice President Carol Maga said.

“(The cuts) are coming from left and right,” she said.

Yet, while certain repairs and maintenance will be put on hold, changes outlined in the college Facilities Master Plan fund-ed by bond money remain unharmed by the cut and will continue to be implemented to the campus.

The plan, funded by Measure A bonds approved in 2002 and 2006, features a list of changes to the college, such as the renovation, con-struction, retrofitting and refurbish-ing of buildings.

“(The master plan) won’t be affected, and (we can) continue with those projects,” Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. “That’s good news, and it’s nice that we have that voted by taxpayers.”

Still, however, the repairs not supported by bond money will need to be organized based on what the college can afford through its general fund.

Magalong said operations threatening the safety of the campus will be prioritized, while other aes-thetic repairs will be put off and addressed at the end of the fiscal year.

“There’s a lot of need on campus (and we) have to prioritize that need, (but) do those that we can afford to do,” she said.

The percent cutback, which accumulates to a $112,886 reduction, is on top of reductions to cat-egorical programs and college expenditures total-ing to a $2.5 million budget cut to the college for

2009-10.“We are not immune to what’s going on around

us,” Magalong said. “As long as we don’t see (the economy) turning around, then we have to prepare doing more with less.”

Buildings and Grounds has formulated a list of priorities working around the budget cut, addressing the needs of the col-lege and the available resources to fund them.

“We have to be very wise and prudent on how we spend our smaller budget,” King said. “(We’re) main-taining what we currently have and keeping what we have looking nice.”

Maintenance demanding immedi-ate attention, including water leaks, electrical outages and uneven pave-ment, will be placed above improve-ments not posing any danger to col-lege, such as a demand for new paint jobs, Magalong said.

“The aesthetics might have to wait and give way to the necessary and urgent (needs),” she said.

When determining what is safe and what is not, Magalong said the projects will be performed based on its ability to making “teaching and learning conducive.”

Also, no solid prediction has been made regard-ing the possible cutbacks to the department in com-ing years.

“(We get) what the state sends us,” Governing Board President Sheila Grilli said. “We are just in a pot with 110 other community colleges.”

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com.

Schools

Leadon said. “Particularly, the graduating seniors at this point are facing more competition than they have in past years.”

The struggle for employ-ment, however, is not limited to the newer work force. Across the nation, older adults and a will-ing-to-work retired labor force are being laid off and in turn, are fac-ing difficulties providing for their families.

Senior citizen James Hillierd of Richmond said that he has been searching for work for about 18 months now, traveling to work-shops and job fairs from this county all the way to Alameda County.

“I’m just trying to stay patient, calm and maintain my sanity,” Hillierd said. “I keep knocking on doors. I went through school to get retrained, but now that I’m trained, there’s nothing to do.”

California is in one of the poor-est conditions when speaking in terms of unemployment, with 12.2 percent of its work force currently without work, according to the USDL. The Employment Development Department’s September reports indicate that, historically, this is a record high for the Golden State.

Economics professor Wendy Williams said that statistics regarding work status are deter-mined through a monthly survey of 50,000 households.

It does not account for people who work part-time but want a full-time job, however, or those who have stopped looking, oth-erwise known as “discouraged workers.”

If the underemployed and dis-couraged workers were actually reflected in the count, unemploy-ment rates could be much higher, Williams said.

Kathleen Young, employer liai-

son at one-stop career shop East Bay Works in San Pablo, said the number of people living under unemployment benefits is also a different sector that needs to be considered.

“After a period of time, they drop off. But in terms of peo-ple who just don’t have a job, there’s twice the amount,” Young said. “They may be doing other things — caregiving, babysitting or mowing lawns. It’s the undocu-mented labor force.”

The Monthly Labor Force Data for Cities and Census Designated Places (CDP) found that 11.2 per-

cent of Contra Costa County’s labor force was unemployed dur-ing the month of September.

“San Pablo is at 21 percent and Richmond is at 18 percent unemployment,” Young said. “I encourage people to go out of the area to look for work. They should be willing to relocate.”

Among changes of location, students should be willing to adjust to an industry’s changing needs.

The job market has changed drastically in the past 30 years or so, from a time when self-educat-ed workers were deemed equally qualified in comparison with their trained counterparts.

Now, the modern day assump-tion implies that higher degrees ensure more defined skill sets.

With the world’s growing reli-ance on technology, it has become imperative for students to not only gain understanding of their major field of study, but to expand and specialize in other areas.

Every career field has become more technical, Leadon said, and a background in computer skills and quantitative reasoning will make students more employable.

Even the task of applying for a job is primarily seen online, through uploading a resumé to an

online server, she said.“The world doesn’t want gen-

eralists anymore,” Leadon said. “Students must specialize within their majors, find exactly what the industry needs or lacks and determine if it will be a growing industry for the next 25 years.”

For example, a person with a master’s degree in psychology may have more luck in the job market if they follow a specific career plan to focus on commu-nity psychology, and in turn, join professional organizations that specialize in that field.

“Students should meet with career counselors and be very spe-cific in job titles,” Leadon said.

Through networking opportu-nities and internships, profession-als can also lead students in the right path.

The practical, hands-on experi-ence gives valuable insight as to whether or not the career choice is suitable.

“It’s not always what you know, but who you know,” Williams said. “Ask them what they went through, because they will tell you about the things they wish they would have known in college.”

The recession explores a new paradigm with much higher stan-dards for future generations.

“People are living under an old paradigm and those with old-fash-ioned ways of doing things are barely hanging on, “ Leadon said. “Parents tell their children that if they go to college, they’ll be able to find a job, but there’s no easy way out anymore.”

If the nation is truly easing out of the recession, there is still hope for today’s students, Williams said, especially if they become involved in student government and com-munity efforts.

“Everyone’s got good grades. You need more,” she said.

Contact Holly Pablo at hpab-lo.advocate@gmail.com.

Although poetry is not as appreciated in America as other countries, Knight still loves the medium.

That love is evident in her work, Miller said.

“Knight is a really good poet, and I can see why her poem was chosen as the final winner,” she said. “She deserves it as a writer and a poet.”

Contact Lamar James at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

Grounds | Forces prioritizing

Jobs | Specialization advised

Knight

■ FROM: Page A1 ■ FROM: Page A1

■ FROM: Page A1

■ FROM: Page A1

“We are not immune to what’s going

on around us. As long as we don’t

see (the economy) turning around, then we have to prepare

doing more with less.”

Mariles Magalong,director of Business Services

■ SHOWS

Productionto hit Knox

The Dance Ensemble class will present its act, “Why We Move,” Nov. 6 from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Knox Center.

Tickets are $20 for VIP pre-performance, $15 gen-eral admission and $10 for students and seniors.

For more information contact physical education professor Latanya Tigner at 510-377-5166.

■ FESTIVITIES

Puente Club to host dance

The Puente Club will host its second annual “Dia De Los Muertos” dance Nov. 6 from 6-10:30 p.m. in the Recreation Room of the Student Activities Building.

Tickets are $6 with a col-lege identification card and $8 without. Admission will be sold at the door during the night of the event.

Guests featured in the dance will include the Xicana Club, as well as the CCC Veterans Club.

Food and beverages will be offered.

■ CULINARY ARTS

Hot breakfast meals delight

The culinary arts depart-ment now offers hot waffle breakfasts Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Three Seasons Restaurant.

Individual waffles are served for $2 with the option of having fresh fruit toppings.

Eggs and potatoes are also being offered as hot breakfasts dishes as well.

■ ASU

Festival aims to honor fall

The ASU is hosting the annual Fall Festival Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. in the Amphitheatre.

There will be music, games, contests, food and performances.

By Jon PinlacSTAFF WRITER

The closure of the park-ing lots near the Music Building for repavement and the delays of the process’ completion caused by the weather is increasingly irk-ing students.

“The repavement of park-ing Lots 14 and 15 that began late September this semester is forcing the lots to be tem-porarily closed and unavail-able for parking,” Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said.

This closure has caused many more students to park in Lot 17 and along Campus Drive, he said.

Although parking has often been an issue of annoy-ance for students and fac-ulty, it is particularly more challenging for students with classes in the Biological Sciences, Music and Art buildings, psychology major

Stephanie Folger said.“It’s just making things

very difficult,” she said.Folger has been taking

breadth requirement cours-es in the BS Building this semester and has experi-enced the negative effects of the construction — com-pounded by the rainy weath-er — firsthand.

Not everyone, however, is being inconvenienced by the closure.

“It really doesn’t affect me that much,” Middle College High School math tutor Clifford Stewart said. “I usually park near Police Services.”

But many students who are affected continue to face the burdens caused by the construction.

“It just causes a lot trou-ble, because students have to park farther away,” Folgar said. “It makes them walk farther and can cause them to be late for class. It’s espe-cially hard during the fall

because of the heavy rain.”The gauntlet of walking

through the rain can not only cause students to be late for class, but soak their back-packs and papers, as well as their clothes.

The inconveniences and difficulties will not last very long, however, since repav-ings are not usually lengthy, yearlong construction proj-ects.

“Repaving is about a 45-day process,” King said.

Painting company Pacific Coast, which is in charge of the project, expects comple-tion within two months.

This time frame, how-ever, can be complicated by the rain.

“The process can be delayed by the weather,” King said. “We can’t pave when it’s raining or wet.”

Although the two-month outlook is short for construc-tion jobs, it does not ease the burden that it places on students to find parking and

deal with the wet weather.“I don’t think they should

be doing construction when there are classes in session,” Folgar said. “They should do it on the weekends or in the summer.”

Over the past two weeks, segments of the parking lots have been covered by plastic to protect from the predicted rain and moisture. Sandbags also line the borders of the parking lots to protect from erosion.

The repavement was funded by bond money and will provide a better park-ing lot and give more space, King said.

Yet, once the lots near those buildings are complet-ed, other repavements will begin, he said.

“After Lot 14 and 15, repavement on Lot 3 will begin,” King said.

Contact Jon Pinlac at jpinlac.advocate@gmail.com.

COMPANY REPAVES LOTS

Group explains mission

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE A5

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

As negotiations between the district and United Faculty (UF) association conclude with mutual satisfaction, administrators and pro-fessors plan to focus more attention on other levels of government.

UF President Jeffrey Michels said that although both parties were generally content with the tentative agreement for 2009-10, especially when looked at in the context of a national recession, employees at the district and its colleges must appeal to higher authorities.

“In order to represent facul-ty, we need to get more vocal at the state level,” Dr. Michels said. “We need voters to understand that

investment in community colleges is investment in the economy.”

He said that convincing voters of community colleges’ importance will lead to legislation granting these systems more money.

Since state cuts prevented the district from increasing funds to most sections of budget, much of the tentative agreement concerns how salaries, compensation and time for faculty are organized.

Ballots for voting on the agree-ment’s ratification have been sent out and will be collected by Nov. 11, according to the UF Web site.

Although the agreement con-tains no salary increases for the academic year, it does stipulate that the district will set aside monies for health care cost increases and part-time faculty parity, as well

as add to total district funding for department chairpersons, accord-ing to agreement’s text available at www.uf4cd.org.

The state budget reduced funds for part-timers by more than half, Vice Chancellor of Districtwide Administrative Services Kindred Murillo said, necessitating a district effort to find money as a way to prevent pay cuts. This money will be taken from the reserve if need be, but only addresses the problem for the fall semester, as a spring semester fix will be discussed in future talks, Murillo said.

She said that paying faculty adequately is essential, because of all their efforts in these difficult economic times.

“We would be reducing our budgets a lot more if our faculty

were not being as productive as they are right now,” Murillo said. “We’re serving a lot of students that financially we cannot afford to serve and the credit for that goes to our faculty.”

Coinciding with this effort, roughly $700,000 will also be dis-tributed to the colleges to cover ris-ing health care costs for part- and full-time faculty, according to the text of the agreement.

Additionally, Michels said dis-trict funds for department chair-persons were increased by about 25 percent, which will affect their reassigned time and stipends. This move was made in response to the added amount of work depart-ment chairpersons have had to do in accordance with student learn-ing outcomes (SLOs) required by

the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

For fear of losing accreditation, administrators and faculty have had to put in more work assessing their services, which Michels said is both not represented in their pay and distracting to their duties.

“We’re being buried in paper-work and it’s not productive paper-work. The whole (SLO system) is out of hand,” Michels said.

This frustration, along with the need for more funds to provide better services, has driven district and college officials to begin new approaches to attaining their goals.

“The battle is at the state level,” Michels said.

Contact Alec Surmani at asur-mani.advocate@gmail.com.

CRYSTAL JOY BIS / THE ADVOCATE

Outlining efforts — Counseling department Chairwoman Norma Valdez-Jimenez presents future Puente projects in the Fireside Room Wednesday.

By George MorinSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Current Puente Club mentors out-lined what it means to be a member of their group and what might be in store for new members in the Fireside Room on Oct. 21

The meeting started out with an introduction for former, veteran and new members of the Puente Club, each telling one another a bit about themselves over catered food from El Sobrante restaurant Kaliente.

Additionally, a Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow was on display to communicate the mission of the Puente Project.

“The Puente Project’s mission is to increase the number of education-ally disadvantaged students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders for future generations,” counselor Maritza Vande Voorde said.

The Puente Club was started in 1981 at Chabot Community College

in Hayward. Since then, the program has expanded to many high schools and community colleges throughout the state. Puente staff trains instructors and counselors to implement a program with diligent instructions, focused aca-demic counseling, and mentoring by members of the community, Vande Vorde said.

Near the end of the event, each men-tor was given a questionnaire going over what kind of techniques he or she felt were right for mentoring. Members then divided into groups, where they further discussed the topic.

Once done, they shared their opin-ions with the rest of the groups in the room.

In addition to the event, the Puente Club is planning similar get-togeth-ers like Noche De Familia, academic skills department Chairwoman Elvia Ornelas-Garcia. This event will give people the chance to meet their men-tors and mentees in the Student Dining Room from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 13.

“A lot of people who are in our programs don’t have that parenting or mentoring figure in their lives, so we want to bring that aspect to them,” Ornelas-Garcia said.

Mentors spend a minimum of at least nine hours with their mentee, she

said. Most of the mentors are returning Puente members themselves.

Also, the Puente Club is not exclu-sive to people with Hispanic back-grounds, but is open to anyone who is willing to make the commitment, Ornelas-Garcia said.

Counseling department Chairwoman Norma Valdez-Jimenez said Puente mentors are successful individuals who have at least a bachelor’s degree and are able to share their experiences with new Puente members.

“I want to be that person who’s there if they need me, something past the friend aspect,” Puente mentor Aurelio Ciseneros said, “someone that’s that support they may have never had the chance to have.”

Ciseneros said he can’t wait to fur-ther help his community by continuing to be a mentor.

“It was an excellent and very infor-mative event,” he said.

Valdez-Jimenez said the club is highly important, as people sometimes forget that local communities need a lot of help.

“We can’t forget where we came from,” she said.

Contact George Morin at gmorin.advocate@gmail.com.

CRYSTAL JOY BIS / THE ADVOCATE

Remodel, repair — John Ashley II (left) and Sam Baugh of Pacific Coast General Engineering work on a storm drain in Lot 15 on Oct. 9 as part of an overall effort to renovate the campus parking lots. Funded by the Facilities Master Plan, the project is expected to be completed within two months.

Puente Club hosts explanatory event

By George MorinSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Plans coinciding with the college’s Facilities Master Plan continue with the remodeling of the exterior of the Automotive Technology Center (ATC).

Funded by a capital improvement bond passed in 2002 for the Facilities Master Plan, the project will add exterior metal pan-els, roll-up doors, windows and window shades to the ATC to match the exterior of neighboring Computer Technology Center (CTC), college President McKinley Williams said.

Additionally, new win-dows and doors will also make the ATC a more ener-gy-efficient building, which is one of the many goals of the Facilities Master Plan, he said.

The funding for the remodeling of the ATC is coming from the Measure A 2002 local bond funds, which was for $120 million, Chief Facilities Planner Ray Pyle said. Project Manager Kevin Sanders said a compa-ny has already been assigned to the project.

“Southland Construction is assigned to the remodeling and should begin in mid-November with a 100 days completion goal,” he said.

With recent seismic retro-fitting occurring around the college, some buildings have been left behind in the pur-suit for a more aesthetically pleasing campus, Sanders

said. The ATC is one of the remaining buildings in the area to have not yet been renovated.

Connected to the ATC and occupying the same complex for vocational arts, the CTC was remodeled in 2006 to look and function up to par with the rest of the build-ings on campus, Sanders said. This left the 35-year-old ATC with its original external appearance.

The goal of the remodel-ing is to make the two build-ings look like one whole building, rather then one new and one old, Pyle said.

“We want to provide some consistency to the campus, it has been awhile since that building has seen any improvements,” he said.

The remodeling will not only bring a new look to the building, but better facilities, Pyle said. For example, the old roll-up doors that have been in use since the estab-lishment of the building will be replaced.

“The remodeling will cover getting new roll-up doors, which will be great, since the old ones are very hard to pull up and down for some of the students,” Williams said.

Student Louie Gomez said the roll-up doors are heavy and old.

“We have a lot of women in our class and some of them have a pretty hard time pushing them up,” he said.

College Vice President Carol Maga said it is impor-tant that the ATC looks the same as the rest of the cam-pus to establish a sense of beauty to the college.

Contact George Morin at gmorin.advocate@gmail.com.

Union negotiations spark new outlook

Renovationbrings new aestheticsAmalgamated facilities meet improvements

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

As technology continues to shrink the world and differ-ent cultures slowly mix with each other and evolve new definitions for themselves, many communi-ties place an increasing emphasis on the coping with and eventually thriving amidst globalization.

Contra Costa College and the city of San Pablo may soon be exemplifying this growing focus through construction of an interna-tional student housing complex just off campus.

San Pablo Mayor Leonard

McNeil said the project has the potential to benefit every party involved.

“It’s a way for the community college and the city to tap into glo-balization and provide educational services to students in different parts of the world and expose the students here to experiences, to young people from other coun-tries,” McNeil said.

Although the concept is only 10 months old and has yet to be approved by the city, the current blueprint is to set up an approxi-mately 50-unit facility in Mission Plaza that could house roughly 200 students, said Kelsey Worthy, San Pablo assistant city manager who is in charge of the project.

“The plan is for it to be 100 percent international student hous-ing,” he said. “The secondary plan

is to look to other universities with international students.”

If there is still space left over, Worthy said, the remaining units would be open to market-rate rent-als, essentially any other possible tenants.

There would be no financial or managerial responsibilities on the part of the college, as the city, landowners and banking institu-tions would take care of all funding and administrative details, which is part of what makes the project so appealing, Director of International Education Aleks Ilich said.

“The college’s primary role and responsibility at this point is to pro-vide tenants,” he said.

Since the district already has a combined 1,300 international students, Ilich is optimistic that the college will be able to attract

enough tenants.The complex, which will have

a common room for students to mingle and make connections, is expected to have about 50 two-bed-room units with four students to a unit. Worthy hopes to break ground by the end of this year.

In order to do so, the project must be cleared by the Redevelopment Agency Board, composed of city staff and council members, and agreements must be set up with banks and contractors.

Ilich said that when he, Worthy and others involved in the proj-ect met with the San Pablo City Council, everyone was very excited about and supportive of the pos-sibility.

He also said that if approved, the complex would also greatly benefit the city by creating an international

economic and civic area where international students live, study and shop predominantly in San Pablo.

“Their plan to make an interna-tional village would have a much wider effect (than just benefiting the college,” Ilich said.

Additionally, he said interna-tional students bring a lot culturally and socially to CCC by sharing experiences and interacting with other students, an observation he has seen since his department was first started at the college back in 1993.

McNeil said the college is cur-rently looking for outreach oppor-tunities in Africa, the West Indies and China.

Contact Alec Surmani at asur-mani.advocate@gmail.com.

By Kristina PlazaSTAFF WRITER

More than 40 representatives of universities from across the country provided information for transferring to four-year colleges at Transfer Day, held in the Student Services Center plaza Oct. 20.

Sponsored by the Contra Costa College Transfer/Career Center, the event gave students the opportu-nity to obtain information about colleges they are interested in, as well ones they previously had not thought about.

“(Transfer Day) prepares you for transferring to a university you are interested in. Also, it is a lot cheaper (than actually visiting each college),” radiology major May Chao said.

Transfer/Career Center Coor-dinator Robin Harrison said it was important for students planning

to transfer to come to the event, regardless of when they plan to actually transfer.

She said, however, that the num-ber of attendees was fewer than in 2008.

A theory for this occurrence is because of budget cuts, which might have driven away students and discouraged them from com-ing, Harrison said.

“We just need students to care more,” she said.

Harrison attempted to attract more students, however, by going through classes and promoting the event.

Yet, despite the lower turnout, college representatives spoke cor-dially of the event and its effec-tive impact, as many students were well prepared in planning for their futures on deciding which colleges they might want to transfer to.

“The variety of the (representa-tives) offered here can increase the

students’ knowledge and give them the perfect opportunity to be able to talk to someone face-to-face,” said Deborah Tattoo, summer session representative for UC Berkeley. “I’m a firm believer in personal contact.”

Also, John Caguin, a massage therapy school representative, said he was glad to be able to direct stu-dents on the path they want in order to pursue their ambitions.

Each table was well attended, as representatives distributed hand-outs and talked with the students about the college they represented.

San Francisco State and UC Berkeley were two of the colleges that grabbed the attention of a lot of the students this year.

Some students who attended Transfer Day said they felt that it was worth the time looking through transfer options.

Nursing major Patricia Romero, who expressed interest in attending

Cal State-Sacramento, was grateful for the opportunity to obtain infor-mation about the university.

Similar events and opportunities will be made available for students in the future, Harrison said.

The Transfer/Career Center will strive to improve its efforts to help students transfer, she said.

Contact Kristina Plaza at kpla-za.advocate@gmail.com.

Local housing project in worksIntercontinental students wanted

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009A6 CAMPUS BEAT

By Crystal Joy BisSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Two students from the culi-nary arts department compet-ed and came close to earning first place in the ninth annual Crabby Chef Competition at Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley on Oct. 11.

Diane Borja and Hugo Panuco, both culinary arts majors at Contra Costa College, took part in their first competition, an “Iron Chef ”-style cooking contest that lasted 20 minutes and took second place.

“It was a good experience. It was exciting,” Borja said.

Eight two-person teams participated in the cook-off, including students from the CCC culinary arts department and workers from McCormick & Schmick’s seafood restau-rant chain, and other local kitchens.

The teams were given 20 minutes to prepare their dishes with the secret ingredi-ent, pomegranate, which was announced right before the competition.

Borja and Panuco prepared a crab trio that consisted of

crab bisque, crab Asian salad and a crab cake topped with a dressing that utilized the secret ingredient.

“I didn’t think we were going to place at all. I was just hoping for third,” Panuco said.

He and Borja were the only team to create three items for their plate, while the other competitors took one-dish approaches.

Judging was based on pre-sentation, taste, creativity and use of the secret ingredient.

Editor of Oakland Magazine Judy Gallman, a restaurant reviewer for the East Bay Express, chef May Tien and Anneli Rufus, and a member of Yelp Elite who won a recipe contest that was strictly for highly active Yelp members, made up the judg-ing team.

The first place trophy was awarded to Anna Zulaica and Cristina Lau of Berkeley’s Kitchen. Despite no formal previous culinary training, the two chefs made crab crepes with a pomegranate and apple sauce.

Panuco said he and Borja were not insulted by the fact that inexperienced cooks took

home the trophy, as his team tried its best.

He said felt an adrenaline rush and was excited just to participate, but admitted to being disappointed in not placing higher.

Second place medals were given to the Panuco and Borja, while members of the third place team from Emeryville catering company Paulding & Company walked away with medals as well.

This was not the first time CCC students competed in the event, which first started in 2000.

Spenger’s Public Relations Manager Tom Walton said an average of 400 people were enticed to the Crabby Chef Competition this year, when only 50 or so people would come in earlier years.

Borja and Panuco both agreed that competing in the contest was a learning experi-ence that taught them to “step up” more.

“We hope that we repre-sented (CCC’s) culinary pro-gram to the fullest,” Panuco said.

Contact Crystal Joy Bis at cbis.advocate@gmail.com.

By Jon PinlacSTAFF WRITER

In an effort to aid incom-ing high school students, the college is widening the number of courses students can use for college credit for passing Advanced Placement (AP) examination scores.

Around April and May each year, high school stu-dents take AP tests that are then scored over the summer by AP teachers and college professors. The exams are managed by College Board, which also administers the SAT and ACT tests.

The scores from these tests are used to determine whether the student can be granted credit for certain col-

lege courses or have some prerequisites waived.

In order to gain credits or waivers, the student must receive a score of three or higher.

“Traditionally, AP credit for community colleges has only been given to math and English,” Contra Costa College counselor Frank Davis said.

Currently, most com-munity colleges give course credit for AP exam scores for only a few courses — main-ly beginning college-level English and math, Davis said.

But a framework for granting course credit for a variety of courses is being fully initiated this semester, he said.

“Now it’s being expand-ed to more courses, such as biology, chemistry, history, political science, econom-ics, statistics and French and other language classes and a number of other courses,” Davis said.

He said the expansion of courses that can receive credit through AP exams will save students time and money.

Accounting and eco-nomics major Reggie Tano said, “It sounds awesome. Students deserve to get those credits and waivers since they took those classes and the exams.”

The hours students would have been attending a class can be taken up by another, higher-level course or by

working, Davis said.Additionally, students

will also save money, since they will not have to pay to take the class.

“Everyone’s excited about being able to get credit for more courses through these exams,” Davis said.

He said saving money and time is particularly use-ful in these times when the economy is declining, unem-ployment is rising, personal income is decreasing, yet enrollment at all school lev-els — particularly commu-nity colleges — is increasing rapidly.

While widening the appli-cability of the AP tests at the college level, Matriculation Services Coordinator Kenyetta Tribble said the

college worked with the California Intersegmental Articulation Council to get agreement and certifica-tion for the exams that can receive credit.

Tribble said that although California State Universities have long accepted AP credit, community colleges needed to reach articulation agreements with individual UC campuses.

A statewide proposal for the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirements and certifica-tions, involving almost all California community col-leges, was set up and eventu-ally agreed upon within the span of about a year-and-a-half, Tribble said.

Although it has yet to have a major effect on the demand for certain courses this semester, Tribble said it will probably affect enroll-ment for many higher-level courses in the upcoming semesters.

Right now, the demand is for the prerequisites and other lower-level courses, Tribble said.

There have been more students as a whole enroll-ing this semester who have taken the AP exams, so it will probably affect classes by increasing the number of sections for higher-level courses, she said.

Contact Jon Pinlac at jpinlac.advocate@gmail.com.

CRYSTAL JOY BIS / THE ADVOCATE

Lending a hand — Sacramento State representative Josef Preciado (left) offers information to student Claudia Ledesma during Transfer Day on Oct. 20 in the Student Services plaza.

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Perfect presentation — Culinary arts major Diane Borja prepares for the Crabby Chef Competition on Oct. 9 in the Three Seasons Restaurant.

Visiting colleges enlighten

Crab competition trains young chefs

Expanded courses reward college credit

By Malcolm LastraSTAFF WRITER

Frustration and lack of effort got the best of the volleyball team, as it lost in straight sets, 25-6, 26-24 and 25-23, at home to Los Medanos College Friday night.

The Comets (1-9 overall, 1-8 in the Bay Valley Conference) are currently on a three-game skid after being swept by the Mustangs (6-4 overall, 5-2 in the BVC).

“They (the Comets) need to come out and play hard,” coach Azure’D Nunley said. “We’re always going to be on the losing end if we don’t come out ready to play.”

Contra Costa College looks for redemption today as it travels to play Napa Valley College (8-6 overall, 7-0 in the BVC), which defeated the team in three straight sets on Sept. 25.

In the first set, the Comets showed no effort in chasing down balls and were confused in their positioning, as the Mustangs attacked them with several spikes and aces. The set ended quickly, 25-6.

CCC has displayed these mental mistakes throughout the season, losing their first set in all nine matches.

“The first set was pretty bad. They didn’t even look like a team,” Nunley said. “(It was like) they weren’t awake

at all.”Sophomore middle hitter Emily

Hansen said the team seemed disor-ganized and failed to make any good serves in the first set.

CCC’s poor play in the first set rolled over to the beginning of the second set, as they were behind 17-6 before calling a timeout.

After the timeout, the Comets, with a combination of spikes from middle hitter LaShara Johnson and middle blocker Efaraima Danao, rallied back from the deficit and tied the set at 24. CCC was not able to rise to the occa-sion, however, as LMC scored twice

in a row and took the second set 26-24.

“(The Comets) showed more fight and desire to win in the sec-ond set,” Nunley said. “(But) it’s all about get-ting over that hump and finishing (with a win).”

In the third set, the Comets came out strong, as they fired away at the Mustangs, positioning holes with

numerous spikes and creating a sizable lead of 17-9.

This was one of the first times all season when the Comets had a large advantage over a team in a game.

“We knew we should have had the game,” freshman outside hitter Christine Ambegia said. “We knew we were a lot better than LMC.”

The Comets became too comfort-able with their lead, however, and

allowed the Mustangs to bounce back from a 12-point deficit. LMC held its opponent to a total of six points and took the final set by a score of 25-23.

“We need to work on not letting the other team dictate the momentum of the game,” Nunley said. “Also, we can’t get frustrated and worry about the other team.”

It seemed as if CCC went back to its careless ways it showed in the first set, failing to hustle for loose balls, being disorganized in their formations and simply losing the fire they displayed early in the third set.

“We dropped our intensity,” Hansen said. “It seems as if when we gain points, we continue to rise. But as soon as we lose a couple of points, we con-tinue to fall.”

Despite losing all three sets, the Comets showed in the second and third sets that they can put forth effort and compete with other teams, as they rallied back from a deficit and sparked a lead.

“We definitely need to transition better (in our positioning), because once we determine our opponents’ (game plan), we will be able to work together,” Ambegia said.

Nunley said, however, that the LMC game is only the midpoint of the sea-son.

“They (have) seen every team in our conference this season thus far, and now they have to come out and be ready (to compete),” she said.

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlas-tra.advocate@gmail.com.

By Dariush AzmoudehSPORTS EDITOR

Most colleges have teams of trainers to restore ath-letes into playing condition when they are banged up or worn out, but athletic trainer Brian Powelson is a one-man show.

Whether a player is down on the field or sore in the training room, Powelson is there to get that athlete back on his or her feet for the next round. He’s always on the sidelines doing his duty.

“It’s unbelievable consid-ering all the student-athletes, and he’s just one person,” Athletic Director John Wade said.

When Powelson first came to Contra Costa College in 1994, he was a community service program instructor, and he took over the position of athletic train-er for a friend who was hav-ing a child. It was supposed to be a temporary job, but

the athletic director at the time decided to hire him.

At the time, being an ath-letic trainer was a part-time job. It was not until 2002 when Powelson became full-time, after Wade pushed the district to make athletic trainer a full-time position.

“Wade pulled some strings to make athletic trainer a full-time position,” Powelson said.

In addition to on-cam-pus work with the student athletes, Powelson is also the instructor of the Fitness After Fifty class held at the Hercules Senior Center. He has been teaching the class for more than 10 years.

“It’s great,” Wade said. “He gives to the community, not only at the college but also out in the community.”

Raised in San Bruno, Powelson grew up being around sports and always had an interest in athlet-ics. He went to Serra High School in San Mateo, where he played various sports like track and field and football. After graduating from high school in 1986, Powelson had an opportunity to play football at junior college, but he decided to go to Cal

State-Sacramento.After finishing his gen-

eral education classes at Cal State-Sacramento, Powelson went to his counselor, where he took a career aptitude test, and the result of his test was athletic trainer.

Following the test, he took a sports medicine course and part of his class was to spend time in the ath-letic training room. He per-formed well in the training room and became a student athletic trainer at Cal State-Sacramento before receiv-

ing his degree in athletic training in 1991.

Powelson has been a key part of many athletes road to recovery, such as women’s basketball player Kandice Stewart, who tore her ante-rior cruciate ligament in November 2007. Powelson helped her through rehabili-tation.

“(Powelson is) very giv-ing of himself (and) goes way beyond normal to help-ing the athletes,” women’s basketball coach Paul DeBolt said. “I don’t know

what we’d do without him.”Stewart said that

Powelson helped push her through her training when she thought she could not come back.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him,” she said.

Powelson has developed strong relationships with numerous student-athletes. He said that part of the job is interacting with the students, and if one cannot enjoy that, then he or she will not last long in the job.

“I enjoy working with the

athletes here. They’re fun to be around,” he said.

Powelson said he’d like to see athletic training classes at CCC so students have a chance to be exposed to the profession.

“(The college and sports programs) can’t put a value on Powelson,” Wade said. “We’re very fortunate to have him here.”

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com.

Powelson goes above, beyond call

SPORTS WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE A7

Inconsistent play costs team second win

One-man show trainer helps athletes

ADAM OLIVER / THE ADVOCATE

One-man team — Athletic trainer Brian Powelson (left) helps College of Marin player Emmanuelle Orleans off the field along with Marin women’s soccer coach Carlos Campos at Thursday’s Comet home game.

ScoreBoardMustangs def. Comets 25-6, 26-24, 25-23

Next game: Today at Napa Valley, 6 p.m.

FootballContra Costa College

V S.

Shasta College

When: Saturday, 2 p.m.Where: Comet StadiumRecords: CCC 1-7 overall, 0-2 in Bay Valley Conference. Shasta 3-5 overall, 1-1 in the BVC.

Background: The football team looks for a victory in their last home game of the season against Shasta College on Saturday. The Comets aim to rebound from last week’s 39-20 loss to Yuba College. Currently, Contra Costa College is on a two-game losing streak after getting its first win since October 2007 against West Valley College on Oct. 10. Shasta, however, is coming off a 53-14 victory against Solano Community College. The Comets also seek to get another victory under their belt since losing starting quarterback Don Miguel Tutass to a season-ending knee injury.

— Malcolm Lastra

Game of the Week

SportShortWildcat offense approach not enough to overcome deficit

Box scoresWomen’s soccer (Oct. 22)

Marin,Contra CostaMarin 1 1 — 2Contra Costa 0 4 — 4

First Half1, Marin, Littee 3 , 25th minute.

Second Half1, CCC, Mora 23 , 74th minute.2, CCC, Huizar 15 , 80th minute.2, Marin, Orleans 17, 84th minute.3, CCC, Briseno 12 (Mora), 85th minute.4, CCC, Huizar 15, 86th minute.

Yellow CardsMarin, Emmanuelle Orleans, 37th minute.

Individual statisticsGoals — Marin — Littee, Orleans. — CCC — Mora, Huizar 2, Briseno.Assists — Marin — none. — CCC — Mora.Shots on goal — Marin — 6. — CCC — 8.Saves — Marin —Joyce 4. — CCC — Aguilera 4. Record — Marin 0-8-0 overall, 0-6-0 in BVC. — CCC — 1-9-0 overall,

1-5-0 in BVC.

Men’s soccer (Oct. 23)

Marin,Contra CostaMarin 1 1 — 2Contra Costa 1 0 — 1

First Half1, Marin, Manneh 27, 7th minute.1, CCC, C.Garcia 9 (C.Vargas), 29th minute.

Second Half2, Marin, Manneh 27, 73rd minute.

Yellow CardsCCC, Andre Delgado, 58th minute.Marin, Luis Argueta, 59th minute.CCC, Anthony Palmer, 69th minute.CCC, Tao Sabella, 90+ minute.

Red CardsMarin, Luis Argueta, 85th minute.

Individual statisticsGoals — Marin — Manneh. — CCC — C.Garcia.Assists — Marin — none. — CCC — C.Vargas.Shots on goal — Marin — 5. — CCC — 2.Saves — Marin — Orantes 1. — CCC — Hernandez 3.Record — Marin — 2-5-2 overall, 2-1-0 in BVC. — CCC — 6-6-4

overall, 3-3-2 in BVC.

Numerous turnovers and lack of offense doomed the foot-ball team Saturday, leading to a 39-20 loss to Yuba College in Marysville.

A shaky start buried Contra Costa College early, as the team simply did not come out to play in the first quarter, coach Dave Johnson said.

The Comets turned the ball over five times, three on lost fum-bles and two on interceptions.

“We have to take care of the ball on offense,” Johnson said. “When we play well as a team, a lot more things can happen for us.”

For its next game, CCC (1-7, 0-2 in Bay Valley Conference) takes on Shasta College (3-5, 1-1 in Bay Valley Conference) at home Saturday at 2 p.m.

Collectively, Comets’ quarterback Ryan Walker only managed 55 yards of passing, completing five of 13 attempts.

With the added use of the Wildcat offense in the second half, the Comet offense picked up, scoring 14 points.

“In the second half, Walker played real good. He made audibles and checked off the defense,” Johnson said. “ He got comfortable and made some plays for us in the second half.”

With the Comet defense struggling in the first half, the coaches decided to use some of the offensive starters on defense in the second half.

The move allowed wide receiver Michael Hicks to make 10 tackles at the defensive back position, forcing two fumbles.

“We can’t keep playing two quarters. We have to play the whole game,” Johnson said.

— Anthony Farr

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Hands in the air — Mustangs’ hitter Kendall Davis spikes the ball over Comets hitter Christine Ambegia and Efaraima Danao at home on Friday.

By Malcolm LastraSTAFF WRITER

After having its season can-celed last year, the women’s soc-cer program received its first win since Halloween of 2006, defeat-ing College of Marin 4-2 at home Thursday.

The Comets (1-9 overall, 1-5 in the Bay Valley Conference) bounced back from being down 1-0 to the Mariners (0-8 overall, 0-6 in the BVC) to take the match by way of four second-half goals.

“It feels good to finally get off the goose eggs,” coach Nikki Ferguson said. “They came (to play) and competed very well.”

The last time Contra Costa College won a women’s soccer game was on Oct. 31, 2006 against Los Medanos College by a score of 1-0.

Although the Comets lost Friday’s away game against Solano Community College (13-1-2 over-all, 6-0 in the BVC) by a score of 9-0, they hope to regain momentum on the road against Yuba College (7-6-2 overall, 4-2 in the BVC) on Nov. 6 at 3 p.m.

The first half against Marin was the best CCC has played defen-sively this season thus far, as it

held the Mariners scoreless for more than 20 minutes. The offense still struggled, however, as they were only allowed one shot at a goal.

Although the Comets showed decent effort on the defensive side, they allowed the Mariners to score when Sabrina Littee slipped by Comet goalkeeper Marianna Aguilera for an easy score in the 25th minute.

CCC has not held the lead of a single game at halftime this whole season and continued the trend Thursday, trailing Marin 1-0 after the first half.

“Marin scored a lucky goal,” Ferguson said. “However, we didn’t take any chances (on the offensive end).”

In the second half of the game, the Comets stepped up their defen-sive intensity, playing very physical

with the Mariners and preventing many of their goal attempts.

“We weren’t playing timid (any more) after half-time,” Comet defender Carolina Valero said. “We (definitely) stepped it up a notch.”

Ferguson said that when the team played LMC on Oct. 20, it got “pushed around a bit.” Thus, he tried to create a physical point in the Comets’ game plan for Marin.

The Comets put their first point on the scoreboard in the 74th min-

ute of the game, when forward Marisol Mora kicked the ball in the goal after a corner kick, tying the match at 1-1.

CCC continued its intense defense, as it stole the ball numerous times.

This resulted in midfielder Daisy Huizar pushing the ball all the way downfield to add another goal in the 80th minute, giving the Comets lead by a score of 2-1.

“Our physical presence made Marin frustrated,” Comet for-ward Jessica Miller said.

This was the first time all season that CCC took the lead in a game.

The Comets seemed to have control of the game, until the Mariners answered back when forward Emmanuelle Orleans drew Aguilera out of the goal-posts and scored in the 84th min-ute, tying the game at 2-2.

Defense from both teams stepped up in the remaining minutes of the match, leading to repeated steals from both squads.

After the Mariners kicked the ball out of bounds near their own goalposts, which resulted in a Comet corner kick, CCC mid-fielder Dorothy Briseno received the ball and kicked it into the goal in the 85th minute, giving the Comets the lead 3-2.

The Comets then responded by stealing the ball back and Huizar getting her second goal of the game in the 86th minute, making the final score 4-2.

“Our hard work finally paid off,” Miller said. “Words can’t describe this win.”

Valero said the team went into the game confident.

“We knew what we needed to do and we did it,” Valero said.

CCC hopes to use the win to set the tone for the remainder of

the season.“We can recover from today on

a physical standpoint,” Ferguson said. “At the end of (every) game, (we need) to be competitive.”

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra.advocate@gmail.com.

Squad nets victory, ends 3-year slump

ScoreBoardComets 4Mariners 2

Next game: Nov. 6 at Yuba,3 p.m.

Second-half runhalts opponents

Comets fail to keep up with Mariners

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Success — Comet goalkeeper Marianna Aguilera (left) hugs defender Jessica Menjivar after their 4-2 victory against Marin at home on Oct. 22. It was the Comets’ first win since 2006.

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009A8 SPORTS

By Dariush AzmoudehSPORTS EDITOR

The men’s soccer team was unable to bounce back from a poor first half in Friday’s home game, as it lost to College of Marin 2-1.

Taking a goal seven minutes into the game and trailing 1-0, the Comets (6-6-4 overall, 3-3-2 in the Bay Valley Conference) were able to find the equalizer goal in the 29th minute, thanks to midfielder Chris Garcia.

His goal helped end the first half in a tie. But the Comets could not respond to the Mariners’ (2-5-2 overall, 2-1-0 in the BVC) goal in the 73rd minute.

“We did the best that we could,” Comet goalkeeper Jesse Hernandez said. “Everyone played their hearts out to fight back, but there was nothing we could do. We got unlucky.”

The defeat marks the second straight loss

for the Comets and the first time that they lost consecutive games this season.

Contra Costa College looks to rebound when it hosts Yuba College (8-3-2 overall, 4-0-2 in the BVC) Friday.

The first Marin goal came on the seventh minute, when a passing error in the defense gave Mariners’ forward Musa Manneh the

ball to get the easy chip shot over the Comet goalkeeper to take the lead.

The Comets struggled to get their team together in the first half, par-ticularly their offense, which

rarely ventured deep into the Mariners’ side of the field and only had four shots in the half.

CCC forwards had trouble getting the ball, but when they did they could not get past the Mariners’ defense.

“We needed to play together,” Comet defender Alfonso Martinez said. “We

weren’t getting the ball to the forwards. We (couldn’t) get in good position to score.”

The first shot for CCC came 18 minutes into game, but the shot was taken from far outside of the box.

Eleven minutes later, the first shot inside of the box for CCC was taken.

After receiving a lob pass, Comet for-ward Carlos Vargas shot the ball, which hit the left goal post. The ball would return to the Comets, however, and Garcia would shoot the ball to the back of the net for the game-tying goal.

The Comets spent most of the time in the first half defending each wave of the Marin attack. CCC was successful most of the time, but as soon as the ball got into the midfield area, they would turn it over and the Mariners would start another attacking wave.

“We played too far back and gave them too much room to play,” coach Rudy Zeller said.

He said one of the keys to the Comets’ better performance in the second half was that the team closed down the open spaces that it had in the first half.

In the second half, the Comets’ offense

surged back and began putting pressure on the Mariners’ defense. CCC was able to con-vert their attacking pressure into five corner kicks but was unsuccessful in scoring any goals in the half.

Marin’s goal in the second half began on a corner kick, which ended in a header by Manneh. On the play, Hernandez dove to block the ball from entering, but a Comet defender collided with him and prevented him from making the save.

“We came out kind of slow in the beginning and we paid for it in the end,” Hernandez said.

This was the goalkeeper’s first game back since he dislocated his shoulder in a game against Marin on Oct. 6.

The Comets last shot at tying the game came with seven minutes left in the game, when forward Diego Orellana shot the ball over the Marin goalkeeper, but it hit the crossbar to save the Mariners.

“(We) didn’t get a break. There are no easy games any more,” Zeller said. “Every game is compelling and demanding.”

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmou-deh.advocate@gmail.com.

Offense slow to start, unable to take lead

ScoreBoardMariners 2Comets 1

Next game: Friday vs. Yuba,4 p.m.

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Lead by example — Quarterback Don Miguel Tutass looks to rally his Comet teammates from the sidelines instead of on the field due to receiving a season-ending knee injury.

By Malcolm LastraSTAFF WRITER

Every team needs a leader. Whether it be on the field, the court or even the sidelines, any sense of lead-ership brings direction to a team.

Not everybody can be a leader, however, as it takes the ability to motivate, guide and have faith in, and patience for, one’s team.

While being forced to sit out the entire second half of the Comets’ Oct. 17 game against the College of the Redwoods after spraining his knee, quarterback Don Miguel Tutass displayed those leadership qualities as he continued to rally his teammates from the side-lines during their 41-14 defeat.

A Diablo Valley College transfer, Tutass came to the Contra Costa College program as a sophomore quarterback and quickly reshaped the Comets, help-ing them break an 18-game losing streak.

“Our previous quarter-back didn’t bring anything to the team,” sophomore defensive back Tori Johnson said. “Don brings a fire to the team. He tries to take control, and he’s a pretty

good leader.”The 21-year-old El

Cerrito native grew up play-ing with several of his Comet teammates as a youth, from his days of competing in Pop Warner football for the West County Spartans and Pleasant Hill Rebels to his high school football days at El Cerrito High School.

“When I came to CCC, people already accepted me,” Tutass said. “I wasn’t used to the DVC feel. It just feels nice to come back to a family.”

Although the Comets started the season 0-5, Tutass kept his head held high and still had faith in his team.

“I try my best to lead by example,” he said. “As a quarterback, if everybody is looking at me as their leader, then I have to stay on top of my game.”

In the Comets’ first and only win of the sea-son against West Valley College at home on Oct. 10, Tutass used his leader-ship and pure athleticism to drive the offense down the field and score the winning touchdown with less than a minute left to play.

“He has the mental tough-ness to be a quarterback,” freshman linebacker Kenny Kekow said. “The coaches put the game in his hands.”

Offensive coordinator Jordan Seidem said Tutass “just has a feel for the posi-tion.”

Tutass was born into a family of athletes and lead-ers, as his father, Helmut, coached high school sports for 30 years and his mother, Mary, coached and played volleyball for many years.

He has been involved in numerous sports grow-ing up, playing for various volleyball teams, baseball teams and even being named national champion in judo at the age of 13.

A four-year starting quarterback for the Gaucho varsity football team and a four-year member of his var-sity volleyball teams, Tutass received all-league Most Valuable Player honors for volleyball twice, as well as once for football in his senior year.

Currently, Tutass is the head coach for both the junior varsity and varsity El Cerrito High School volley-ball teams for the past two years.

He said that he would hopefully like to continue his football play at a four-year college, preferably San Diego State University, and to one day become a head coach or assistant coach of football at the college level,

following the footsteps of his parents and older sister, who are all coaches.

“He has good commu-nication skills with people. He really understands them, and that is what separates him from everybody else,” Helmut Tutass said.

Off the field, players and family describe Tutass as a leader and a down-to-earth person.

“Don is a social person and is always good to other people,” Mary Tutass said. “ He inspires people and tries to find the best in every-body.”

With Tutass likely to miss the remainder of the sea-son with a sprained knee, he knows that he has to con-tinue to be that same leader he was on the field from the sidelines and rally on his teammates and quarterback Ryan Walker, who will now take on the challenge of that position.

“Don is (exactly) what you want in a quarterback,” Walker said.

“He is always teaching me something, and at the same time, he learns from his teachings.”

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra.advocate@gmail.com.

QUARTERBACK DIRECTS TEAM

By Asia CamagongASSOCIATE EDITOR

With both parents gone to work, leaving her without a car to use, Kat Hernandez had no idea how long it would take to find an alternate way to get to school that day.

And so she waited, until her

seemingly helpless effort justi-fied the belief that it was time to forfeit the endeavor.

“I have to work around my parents’ schedule, but oftentimes I find myself not wanting to go to school,” Hernandez said.

The Contra Costa College student is only one out of many on campus facing the challenge of dealing with the stresses of

transportation.Complications such as not

owning a car, relying on the bus, traveling in an unsafe environ-ment and paying for transporta-tion create a hindrance for those seeking education.

Consequently, the challenge may affect the motivation and opportunity for learners coming to school.

When selecting a mode of transportation, most keep in mind the factors of convenience, time and money.

Student Jesse Holliday, who uses the bus and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) systems to travel three days a week from Pittsburg to CCC, said his worry does not rest in the commute itself, but in the chance that he

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

ISAAC THOMAS / THE ADVOCATE

Practice makes perfect — Students Dennis McCollins (left) and Lauren Banayat prac-tice a dance on Oct. 2 in GA-10 for an upcoming show. For the full story, see page B7.

BSECTION

WEDNESDAY,OCT. 28, 2009 SPOTLIGHT

Secondhand treasures attract

Thrift shop fashions

new trend

page B5◆

Spotlight index:

More than just tricks, treats

Halloween customs

explained

page B4◆

City provides local, fun haven

Skate park introduces escapes

page B8◆

Neo-soul artist takes spotlight

Maxwell gets better

with age

page B8◆

Class discusses cultures, beliefs

Witchcraft, religions

examined

page B8◆

Transportation a hassle

Carbon footprints analyzed

Students

find

trouble

in daily

travels

In step — Students Miranda Harris (left) and Stanley Payne rehearse for “Why We Move” on Oct. 17 in GA-10. Various classes will per-form at the Nov. 6 show at the Knox Center.

Hygieneaverts disease

Galaxy explored

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

The seasonal flu period runs October through January, where flu activity is at its highest, and there is a tendency for individu-als to practice good hand hygiene — more so, than other times of the year.

“I wash my hands a little more than usual, because it’s flu season,” Middle College High School student Michael Marshall-Thomas said.

Yet, proper hygiene and sanitation is a given and should be practiced and focused on every single day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“I have a problem with people who cough in their hands,” MCHS student Robert Lozano said. “If I was in a position to shake hands with someone after they coughed, I would do it (shake hands) out of respect for them and not to embarrass them, but would wash my hands immediately afterward.”

The spread of germs occurs as one touches others, after accumulating germs

By Kristina PlazaSTAFF WRITER

As the sun was setting and the sky slowly shifted to a rich shade of deep blue, students watched and acquired information about astronomy at the Star Party held on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building Thursday night.

“The most beautiful thing tonight is the moon,” astronomy department Chairman Jon Celesia said.

The moon was shown through a telescope, zoomed in enough to see details such as its craters and rocky surface. The telescope was also adjusted every minute or so as the moon slowly drifted away from the eyepiece.

Sanitation practices key to avoid influenza

Star Party engages astronomy students

By Adam OliverSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

With greenhouse gas lev-els reaching an all-time high in 2007, according to the United Nations, Americans are feeling as motivated as ever to do their all in reduc-ing carbon footprints on the environment.

“Our lifestyle is ensuring that we continue to see a rise in greenhouse gases,” said Debra Berliner, climate action coordinator for the Ecology

Center in Berkeley.If everybody in the world

had the carbon footprint of Americans, she continued, 6.35 planet Earths would be needed to supply the world with all the necessary resourc-es.

The carbon footprint is the sum of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced both directly and indirectly by one’s activity in a given period of time. It can be cal-culated using a number of online carbon emission gen-erators that total the emis-sions produced at home, by transportation and indirectly by food, recreation and even fashion choices among many

others.One’s carbon footprint can

be reduced by a multitude of simple lifestyle, household and community efforts, from recycling and composting to working within the commu-nity to increase the environ-mental sustainability, Berliner said.

The average American household produces around 55,000 tons of CO2 annu-ally, compared to an aver-age household in Mexico that only produces around 10,000 tons per year, Berliner con-tinued.

“We are living on this amazing inheritance,” chem-istry department Chairman

Leverett Smith said. “We are consid-ered by most of the world to be fabu-lously wealthy.”

Although these statistics might be some-what frightening, efforts to reduce the amount of green-house gases produced can be as easy as flicking off a light switch.

At home, one can improve house insula-tion and install weather stripping to reduce the amount of heat needed to keep warm during the colder months. To decrease the amount

Choices affect environment

BRIAN YOUNG / THE ADVOCATE

■ SEE SANITATION: Page B2

■ SEE STARS: Page B2

■ SEE TRANSPORT: Page B2

■ SEE CARBON : Page B2

of electricity used, it is important to remember to turn off all lights that are not being used and unplug any appliances that are not in use, Berliner said.

Shopping secondhand for household items and clothing allows for the reuse of still func-tioning items, which eliminates the carbon emissions that would have been produced from shipping and manufacturing that new product, she continued.

“The best type of recycling is reuse,” Dr. Smith said.

There are also many lifestyle changes one can make to decrease one’s impact on the environment, with other associated benefits.

Riding a bike or walking short

distances instead of driving can be healthy, fun and decrease emis-sions, Berliner said.

Buying local organic foods may cost more, but they have the ben-efit of not being treated with pesti-cides or transported a far distance, which decreases environmental impact, said UC Berkeley Director of Sustainability Lisa McNeilly.

Watching the amount of meat one consumes can also cut down on the amount of CO2 produced, Berliner said, as cows expel meth-ane through belching, flatulence

and manure. Additionally, methane is a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon.

Although the volume of CO2 may dwarf that of other green-house gases, other gases still play a significant role in affecting the environment given their calculat-ed CO2 equivalencies, McNeilly said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, landfills are the largest human-related source of methane. By recycling and com-posting, one saves reusable materi-als from ending up at landfills to decompose without oxygen, releasing methane.

Even something as simple as using things longer before replac-ing them with newer technologies

or fashions can be a good lifestyle change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Smith said.

Community actions, Berliner said, hold the most potential for producing enduring and high-impact change.

Berliner said that she challeng-es people to go one day consider-ing what in their personal and communal life they might change to make for a more sustainable society without unnecessary use of CO2 emitting processes and products.

In the morning, one may go to one’s usual coffee shop and realize he or she is using Styrofoam cups instead of biodegradable ones or allowing regular patrons the option of bringing in their own cup for a

discount.Later in the day, one may arrive

at work and notice that many of the computers that are not in use are still on and running and that much of the paper in the office does not get recycled.

There are so many small actions one can take to address the amount of carbon emissions being waste-fully produced in our community, Berliner said.

Berliner said that by actively changing one’s community to pro-mote sustainability, it is “making it easier by changing the infrastruc-ture and scope of what is available to them.”

Contact Adam Oliver at aoli-ver.advocate@gmail.com.

from touching surfaces and objects throughout the day and by infecting oneself by touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

In order to stay healthy and pre-vent the spread of infection, there are measures that can be taken.

Practicing hand hygiene is key toward prevention of illnesses in public, at health care facilities, at home and in schools.

Washing one’s hands often with soap and water, as well as using alcohol-based hand sanitizers (which require no additional water), is one of the best measures to prevent get-ting sick and spreading illness to others, according to the CDC.

Soaps and sanitizers come in dif-ferent forms, although sani-tizers should be used where soap and water are not readily available, or as a follow up to hand-washing with soap and water.

Some sug-gested situa-tions for wash-ing, before and after, are: when preparing foods and before eat-ing, especially when handling poultry and meats; treating wounds or giv-ing medicine; touching a sick or injured per-son; inserting or removing contact lenses; using the toilet or changing a diaper; and blowing one’s nose and handling garbage.

Although this list is not conclu-sive, there is never a time when one should not wash or sanitize enough, according to the CDC.

As alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recommended, the type of soil which may be present on one’s hands significantly impacts the effective-ness of hand sanitizers, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

CDC officials say time of year is considered to be the cold and flu sea-son and both are highly contagious. Although always preventable, there are measures that can be taken to

curtail their spread.According to the CDC, every year

in the United States, on average more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.

Colds and flu are spread from one person to another through respiratory droplets of the coughs and sneezes, called “droplet spread.”

“Droplets spread through the air and deposit onto the person that is nearby’s nose or mouth,” said Janet Frias, a health and human services representative from Cal State-East Bay. “The cold and flu virus may also spread onto a person when they touch the respiratory droplets that come (from sources) such as from a desk, computer keyboards and door-knobs, before washing their hands. They are ‘live’ on these surfaces two to eight hours from being left on.”

Also, coughing in one’s hands, although at one time the way taught by parents, is now not the recom-mended way.

“If I had to interact with a person who I just noticed coughing in their hands, I would offer them a hug instead of a hand shake,” MCHS student Beulah Agbabiaka said.

To prevent spread, it is recom-mended that people cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue and discard the tissue right away, accord-ing to the CDC.

Frias also reminds others to be mindful regarding high contact areas, such as telephones and doorknobs, which should be cleaned regularly.

“In the bathroom, I use paper tow-els to open the door for fear of others not washing their hands,” MCHS student Deheshta Samad said.

Although the initial doses of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine are also available, at the current time, it is only being given to individuals who meet certain criteria. Additional doses will be made available later in the year, according to Contra Costa Health Services.

For daily updates to seasonal and H1N1 flu information, including instructions on what to do if infected, log on to www.flu.gov.

Contact Cassandra Juniel at cjuniel.advocate@gmail.com.

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009B2 SPOTLIGHT

may not be able to later afford it.“Transportation is rough, (and

I) anticipate rougher times,” he said.

Relying on the Tri Delta and AC Transit buses, Holliday spends about $130 to purchase monthly bus passes from both centers. In addition, he pays for a $48 ticket to travel on BART.

Yet, currently living without a job, the promise of maintaining such a system is nebulous and an alternate plan to get to school is unknown, Holliday said.

“(I might) have to start scrap-ing from the bottom,” he said.

Transportation not only demands a sacrifice in the wallet, but also in time.

Holliday said it takes about two hours to get to CCC from his home.

“(Sometimes), I don’t know what to do, (because) I don’t want to get a letter from (professors) because of tardiness or absences,” he said.

Time could also be extended depending on possible bus sched-ule delays or if one happens to miss a bus, resulting in the option of waiting for the next to arrive.

Holliday said the extra wait could possibly serve as a danger factor for students needing to use public transportation at night.

“The bus drivers (won’t) get up to say anything, because they have a schedule to keep and peo-

ple on the streets know that,” he said. “It could be dangerous.”

Middle College High School sophomore Chris Preciado said that missing a WestCAT bus could result in an hour-long wait for the next to arrive.

As a result, some s t u d e n t s take the in i t ia t ive of waking up earlier to increase their chanc-es of catch-ing the bus and making it to school on time.

“(I have to) wake up early to go to school and plan things ahead and how to get to certain places,” Preciado said.

An added stress some encoun-ter is the distance from bus stops to their destination.

“Buses don’t always go where I need to go,” Preciado said.

In order to reach the YouthWORKS offices, Preciado

said he has to get off the bus at the Richmond BART station and walk for 30 minutes to reach the Civic Center.

Others not reliant on bus sys-tems, however, feel unaffected by any transportation problems.

Student Luis Moreno, who has his own car, finds little obscurity in getting from place-to-place.

“I could go anywhere, and there’s no real difficulty in terms of transportation,” he said.

With the exception of gas pric-es and traffic, Moreno said his schedule remains unaffected.

Other drivers try to alleviate stresses of transportation for their friends by carpooling.

“I have a car, and if it saves someone an hour bus ride, then I’m glad to help,” student Chelsea Joshi said. “It’s not as easy when you don’t have a car.”

To others, walking or riding a bike is seen more as a preferred option rather than a last resort.

“The more you can depend on yourself and not some mechani-cal device, the more time you have,” chemistry professor Joseph Ledbetter said.

An avid bicycle advocate, Dr. Ledbetter prefers to walk or ride his bike when traveling to avoid the ecological and economic “hassle factors” of driving.

Contact Asia Camagong at acamagong.advocate@gmail.com.

Carbon | Lifestyle changes may improve environment■ FROM: Page B1

“(I have to) wake up early to go to

school and plan things ahead and how to get to certain

places. Buses don’t always go where I

need to go.”

Chris Preciado,Middle College High

School student

Zhoushan city officials visit

■ FROM: Page B1

By Diana ReyesOPINION EDITOR

Delegates and administrators from Zhejiang Ocean University in Zhoushan, China paid a visit to discuss a study abroad program for teachers Friday.

The visit was planned to discuss the interest and proposal of bringing educators to Contra Costa College with the objective of providing them the opportunity to experi-ence teaching, working and studying in the United States.

President McKinley Williams said the city of Richmond and Zhoushan are long-time established sister cities.

Dr. Zhibo Tang, director of the depart-ment of science and technology at the uni-versity, said Zhoushan has been a sister city to Richmond for 15 years. This was his third time visiting Richmond and second visit to CCC within the year, which is how he became familiar with some of the adminis-

tration.“(It is) a very nice campus,” Tang said. “It

is a big difference between your college and our university.”

Tang said he and the delegates and admin-istrators came to the college, because their mayor is interested in community colleges here in the United States.

Williams said the visits are research for a six- to eight-week program that the univer-sity has in mind for its campus.

“They’re working on a program to train teachers from Zhejiang Ocean University to come to Contra Costa College for English and educational enrichment and also work-ing in the city and community businesses,” Williams said.

He said plans are set for summer 2010.Additionally, they are also planning on

bringing students from Zhejiang Ocean University to partake in the study opportuni-ties CCC offers, Williams said. The planning is still in progress.

SuiFen Liao, coordinator for the inter-national student office at the university, said the delegates want to send teachers and students to CCC because of the study abroad program, which would benefit them

by learning methods of how English as a second language (ESL) is taught here in the United States.

“They want to put them in an environ-ment where English is spoken. Therefore, they are encouraging them to participate in community service work,” Liao said.

Williams said the delegates appeared to be very interested in CCC, as well as the programs offered and the number of interna-tional students there are.

“They were very interested in how our

college runs,” he said. “We answered all their questions, and that was when they began ask-ing about our exchange program.”

Tang said all the activities will be arranged and provided by the Chinese government and university. The number of teachers is still pending, but it is estimated that a number of 10 professors will be participating in the arrangements, he said.

Contact Diana Reyes at dreyes.advocate@gmail.com.

ISAAC THOMAS / THE ADVOCATE

Globalized — Zhou Guohui (left), mayor of the Zhoushan Municipal peoples’ government, talks to student Sharon Henry (far right) near the Library and Learning Resource Center during a tour of the campus Friday.

Possible study abroad program discussed

Sanitation | Prevent

A 12-inch Meade telescope, with a smaller aux-iliary telescope mounted atop the astronomical tele-scope called the finderscope, granted up close and personal glimpses of the stars and crescent moon visible during the night.

Binoculars were also available for use.Celesia demonstrated to the students how the

Meade telescope works. The light comes down the tube and hits the back of the primary mirror, about 12 inches wide. The light then focuses onto the mirror in front, called the secondary mirror. Lastly, Celesia adjusts the eyepiece for preferred magnification.

Jupiter was also visible through the night. Looking through the Meade telescope, one could see three dots connecting a straight line on the left side.

Additionally, zodiac constellations such as Sagittarius and Capricorn were peeking through the sky. It was hardly noticeable, however, from the

reflection of lights from school lampposts and such.“I’ve always loved the stars. Especially more if

the physics aspect of it interests me,” architecture major Christopher Fonseca said. “I never had the opportunity to do this. What fascinates me too is how the moon moves so quickly.”

Additionally, students raised money for the devic-es. The base price of the telescope is about $4,000.

“It makes it all feel more real. You really need to start getting to know the sky,” Celesia said. “All ages come out, and it becomes a nice community thing for everyone to attend.”

Math major Francisco Perez said he feels privi-leged to have been able to come to the event.

“It’s not too often you can use the telescope here,” he said.

Contact Kristina Plaza at kplaza.advocate@gmail.com.

Transport | Difficulties arise

Stars | Event studies the sky■ FROM: Page B1

■ FROM: Page B1

“If I had to interact with a per-son who I

just noticed coughing in their hands, I

would offer them a hug

instead of a hand shake.”

Beulah Agbabiaka,Middle College High

School student

By Jon PinlacSTAFF WRITER

Computer programming is more than just crunching numbers and code into a machine. To decode and program computers one needs to be determined and sharp.

“It takes a lot of brain power and focus to complete the tasks (of decoding computer programs),” student Tareq Saif said.

Saif, who has been attending Contra Costa College for three years, was named first place winner of the Intel Code Breaker 2009 contest on Sept. 24.

Held in San Francisco as a part of the Intel Developer Forum 2009, the competi-tion was open to all programmers — both professional and beginning.

In the contest, Saif competed with experi-enced adult programmers, as well as students like himself, to win first place.

The 18-year-old was surprised that he won, since he considers himself to be only a moderately experienced computer program-mer.

The second place finisher, Alan Yee of Cisco Systems, was only four seconds behind Saif’s time and the third runner-up was Martin Wojtczyk of Bayer Healthcare in Berkeley was just seconds after that.

“Compared to the average user, my knowl-edge about computers is fairly advanced,” Saif said, “but when compared to all the pro-fessionals out there, I’m light-years behind.”

Thanks to the Intel forum, Saif has gained more clarity about where his computer skills stand compared to the industry’s demands and standards.

At the forum he was able to see, meet and connect with other programmers, software developers and device-makers.

Saif was able to hone his skills and knowledge through various workshops and

sessions offered, and he gained insight into the future of technology through various discussions featured at the event.

“I’m very proud of Tareq,” computer sci-ence professor Thomas Murphy said.

Murphy teaches computer programming classes at CCC and considers Saif to be one of his best students.

He is doing exactly what all students should be doing and probably much more, Murphy said.

Saif does the academic work that involves obtaining good grades and completing the program requirements.

But on his own time, he also does the extra work to learn the skills that will get them hired in a career field.

Murphy, who was also announced as

an Intel Black Belt Software Developer in August, was the one who brought a few stu-dents, including Saif, to the forum.

The professor and his students’ atten-dance was paid for by the Intel corporation, who gave each student tickets that were val-ued at $1,500.

Murphy brought Saif, because he applied himself and showed a lot of initiative.

Although knowledge and talent is a key ingredient to success, it is not the only ingredient — nor is it the most important, Saif said.

It is just as important to have good instructors and schools to help develop and enhance those talents.

“Murphy is one the best instructors that I’ve ever had,” Saif said.

He said that Murphy, along with other professors in the program, make CCC’s computer programming department one of the best in the area.

Contact Jon Pinlac at jpinlac.advocate@gmail.com.

StudentsolvesciphersProgrammer decodes against professionals

Club offers support for war veterans

“Compared to the average user, my knowledge

about computers is fairly advanced.”

Tareq Saif,winner of the Intel Code Breaker 2009 contest

GET WITH THE PROGRAM

SPOTLIGHT WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE B3

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

With the influx of veter-ans returning from military service seeking a better edu-cation, Contra Costa College is striving to become a better resource for them.

To accommodate them, the CCC Veterans Club was formed in August for just this purpose, with a mission stating, “To provide a sup-portive organization to ser-vice members, Veterans and their loved ones in reaching their goals while attending CCC.”

No membership fee is required and the key focus is to point veterans toward get-ting started in school through counseling, financial aid and meeting other administrative needs.

“We are now actively recruiting, making our presence known and put-ting together fund-raising events,” CCC Veterans Club President Joseph Camacho said. “There are other things we would like to do in the future for veterans, such as offer scholarships for books and employment workshops, for example.”

Camacho said he has a vision of the club being a one-stop shop for new stu-dents, getting them all the benefits available to them the easiest and quickest way possible, especially since

many are unaware of what is available.

He also wants to help those veterans that feel alien-ated.

“We want to let people know we are here and that we are normal. We are not a dirty secret,” Camacho said.

The CCC Veterans Club hosted its first meeting on Oct. 14 to introduce the group and its officers, wel-come new members and review their roles.

“I am happy to see the CCC Veterans Club come together and looking forward to working with the (veter-ans) and dependents at CCC in the upcoming semesters,” club Vice President Kelly Carlisle said.

She said the government Web site for veterans, www.va.gov is good, but the club

wants to serve as a beacon through which all things one would normally have to search for will be easier accessed.

T h e number of v e t e r a n s enrolled at CCC to date is 33; and in 2008 it was 30.

In its ini-tial stage, the club will strive to make their presence known.

On Thursday, the CCC Veterans Club will participate in the Fall Festival. Also, on Nov. 6, it will co-sponsor a dance, along with the Puente Club, called the “Dia De Los Muertos” (Day of the Dead), to be held in the Recreation

CRYSTAL JOY BIS / THE ADVOCATE

Machinist — Student Tareq Saif, who was awarded first place in the Intel Code Breaker 2009 contest after competing against professional and beginning programmers in San Francisco on Sept. 24, studies on his laptop in the Amphitheatre Thursday. The computer science major was able to learn more about the profession at the event.

Organization helps vets get reacclimated

ADVERTISEMENT

Room at 6 p.m.Another event is sched-

uled in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, with details

to follow, C a r l i s l e said.

Meetings for the club occur the second Wednesday of each m o n t h , but the November meeting will

be held on Nov. 4.Some of the areas the

club will look into include employment and GI Bills for veterans, Camacho said. They also will continue to partner with other clubs for campus events.

Senior Dean of Students Frank Hernandez, who was instrumental in getting the club started, said it was formed in response to the rise in veterans from the Iraq War.

“There are a number of veterans coming from Iraq and other deployments that are hitting the community colleges. Many of the com-munity colleges are not prepared for their return,” Hernandez said.

“We did not have the time or resources to pay extra attention to veterans coming back.”

He said veterans were identified through a distribu-tion of information in 2008 and subsequently the thought of developing a club came about, despite the scantest of resources.

Hernandez said that out of all of this emerged Camacho and Carlisle, who were will-ing to help organize and lead the club.

Also, Hernandez said CCC is participating with sister campuses, discussing best practices for their veter-ans programs.

Under favorable consid-eration is the possibility of a transfer program for veterans through Cal State-East Bay, he said.

“All are excited about this proposal,” Hernandez said.

CCC’s admissions and records, under the leadership

of Director Michael Aldaco, plays a key role in the identi-fication of veterans.

The department is the keeper of the data for stu-dents on campus, made available through the admis-sions applications, as well as through Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications.

“My role is to help pave the way for success,” Aldaco said. “Through the admis-sions department, we serve as the liaison between the veterans and the veterans administration.”

When a veteran enrolls at CCC, his or her first interac-tion is with Norman Lopez, admissions and records assis-tant, who provides informa-tion on benefits for them.

Eligible participants are veterans, dependents of vet-erans and those on active duty.

“My focus now is to serve as a back-up in getting information to the veterans,” Lopez said.

For a veteran to receive benefits through CCC, he or she must have an education plan in place and on file, which is where the counselor comes into play.

Counselors Norma Valdez-Jimenez, Bob Webster and Frank Davis serve this population.

Davis said, “A veteran will come in to see me request-ing benefits from their GI Bill. My role is to prepare a three-year education plan for them that are specific and precise.”

Aldaco said those at the college are trying to make CCC “veteran-friendly.”

They are seeking to do all they can to get troops home, and then provide them with quality education for what-ever their goals might be, he said.

“I think what you will find at Contra Costa College is that the staff and faculty are eager to serve this popu-lation the best way possible,” Aldaco said. “We expect it will grow as troops come home.”

Contact Cassandra Juniel at cjuniel.advocate@gmail.com.

“We want to let people know we are here and that we are normal. We are not

a dirty secret.”

Joseph Camacho,CCC Veterans Club president

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009B4 SPOTLIGHT

Night of FrightHalloween customs stem from various Celtic, Roman, secular traditions merged together

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

Much like the assortment of sweets found in an eager trick-or-treater’s bag of goodies, Halloween draws roots from a variety of sources, both secular and religious.

Before costumes and candy, this autumn holiday signi-fied the meeting of points, the transition – fall to winter, outdoor harvest to indoor self-cultiva-tion and, in the more abstract sense, life to death.

About 2,000 years ago in parts of Ireland, the United K i n g d o m and northern France, the Celts ushered in the new year on Nov. 1 with a festi-val known as Samhain.

According to www.his-tory.com, the event was held on Oct. 31, a day before the Celtic new year began, when it was believed that the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. The Celtic people thought ghosts returned to earth to cause trouble and damage crops.

Presence of other-worldly spirits, how-ever, was also believed to make predictions about the future easier and more accurate, according to the Web site. Druids, or Celtic priests, recognized these prophesies and shared them with others, providing comfort and direction for the upcoming cold, dark season.

These druids, according to www.holidays.net, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest and light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.

On the following day, many people would parade around in the skins and heads of recently sacrificed animals. Also, some would wear masks to fool wandering ghosts into thinking the townspeople were fellow spirits. These acts evolved into the current practice wearing of costumes.

When the Romans conquered much of the Celtic territory in the first century of anno domini (A.D.), they integrated various traditions into Catholicism, according to www.howstuffworks.com.

In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV officially established All Saints’ Day for May 13, to collectively honor all saints at one time. This date was moved in the next century to be observed on Nov. 1.

The celebration was also called, according to www.history.com, All

H a l l o w s ’ , meaning that the day before, what was once Samhain, was All Hallows’ Eve. This term morphed into the name we now refer to the event as: Halloween.

Additionally, at the end of the 10th century, the Catholic Church estab-lished All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead.

These three holidays, Samhain/All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day, were often and continue to be celebrated together, particularly in present day Mexico where they are referred to as Los Dias de los Muertos, meaning The Days of the Dead.

America’s first immigrants brought these traditions to the country, along with other familiar customs many asso-ciated with Saturday’s festival.

Trick-or-treating evolved from the English and Irish practices wherein poor children would beg for food. Families would make simple bread desserts with currant topping, called “soul cakes,” according to www.howstuffworks.com.

As the children would go door-to-

door and collect these treats, they would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of each person who gave them a cake. The practice, which was referred to as “going a-soul-ing,” evolved into the act whereupon children who visited the houses in their neighborhood would be given ale, food and money.

In the late 1800s, however, Halloween began to mold into a celebration less about the religious aspects of spirits, as well as the already common habit of pranks, and more about the secular focus of community and neighborly get-togethers, according to www.his-tory.com.

This led to the now iconic acts of group trick-or-treating and lighthearted gatherings popularly associated with the fall festival today.

Contact Alec Surmani at asurmani.advocate@gmail.com.

Haunted places in the Bay Area

Often seen as spiritual animals, cats are considered to sense good and evil spirits. Black cats were believed to be incarna-tions of people under a spell, commonly associating them with witches during the holiday. Alternatively, black cats were also often thought to be witch-es in disguise.

Antioch, Brentwood, Gravity Hill – In the 1950s, a school bus was driving home from a field trip, but skidded into a wash and all the children drowned. If you go there, put your car in neutral around the turn, you get pushed up the hill. It’s supposedly done by the victims who are trying to stop you from the same fate.

Vallejo, Lake Herman Road – This is one of the places where the infamous “Zodiac” murdered a young lady and her boyfriend back in the ’60s. The hangout of the Zodiac was supposedly on this road as well. The road is nothing but abandoned ranches and utility buildings now, but a strange mist hugs the top of the hills to the left on most nights, rather than sticking to the lake to the right. It is said to be on the right side of the road where the Zodiac supposedly wrote taunting letters to the police. Electronic voice phenomenon equipment recorded picking up a strange heavy berating that seemed to come from a woman, and a strange feeling of not being alone.

Symbols of Halloween

to sense good and evil spirits.

were believed

Vallejo, Naval Training Station – The ghost of a World War II sailor has been seen by various witnesses going down a ladder into the engine room. He then walks to a cubbyhole where there is only a desk and a chair. The mysterious apparition then disappears back into the thin air from whence it came.

San Francisco, Abandoned Army Hospital – It is said that the ghosts of the soldiers who died within in the hospital located in Park Presidio continue to roam its halls. Although the building remains fenced off, trespass-ers who have found their way in claim to have heard footsteps, seen light reflections and felt cold drafts.

According to ancient beliefs, Halloween was the night that super-natural powers would be at their strongest. Witches are seen as tellers of fortunes and cast spells, both good and bad. The image of witch-es has been changed through-out centuries, but the Wicca religion promotes them as a symbol of self-empowerment and wisdom.

According to ancient beliefs,

natural powers would be at their strongest. Witches

Ghosts are a universal sym-bol for spirits. As an ancient Celtic tradi-tion, it was believed that spirits would return to the earth as the bor-derline separating the world of the living and dead dimmed for one night.

PAGE DESIGN BY SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

San Francisco, Whittier Mansion – Many believe to have seen the ghost of William Franklin Whittier, the former owner of the house. People have reported seeing shadowy out-lines and feeling ice cold pres-ences around the basement and the servant’s quarters. Others have felt uneasy while being around the basement area.

source: www.theshadowlands.net and www.hauntedbay.com

By Brent BaintoSCENE EDITOR

Now a staple of modern attire, contem-porary thrift store shopping has transcended frugality to provide a retro fashion sense for younger generations.

Many have speculated and agreed that vin-tage novelty has definitely made a comeback in society.

Lacey James, manager of the Mars Mercantile thrift store in Berkeley, said thrift shopping has become a lot more popular and prominent with youth because of the country’s economic downturn, as well as due to numer-ous urban magazine promotions. Even numer-ous clothing lines model styles around retro apparel.

“Current trends have been following vin-tage (styles),” James said.

Avid thrift store shopper Kat Balmes said she prefers secondhand clothing.

“It seems like older cloth-ing is made much better than new material,” she said.

The growing popularity of thrift stores is also attrib-uted to eminent cultural fig-ures. Balmes said musicians and actors and actresses, both past and present, have influenced the vintage cloth-ing comeback.

Many thrift store loca-tions in the Bay Area have been seeing a growth in younger shoppers. El Sobrante Thrift Town employee Marline Vanroekel said that she has seen more youth interested in vintage clothing.

“A lot of people may not be interested at first, but they (usually) find something that they like,” she said.

Contra Costa College student Paul Torres admitted to having a disposition to thrift stores.

“I’m a fan (of thrift stores),” he said.Though he had prior misconceptions, Torres

contested and said secondhand clothing, such as coat blazers, flannel button-ups, novelty jackets and nostalgic shirts, are among the fashionable articles found at thrift stores.

“It’s other people’s clothing,” he said. “It was kind of hard to believe that other people wore (these things).”

Balmes said people should take time to find out what is offered at thrift stores.

“Just because it’s secondhand shopping, it doesn’t mean that they’re any less than any-

thing from a department store,” she said.Not only has thrift shopping proven to be

beneficial economically, but it has also offered people an outlet for sculpting distinguished personal styles.

James said that vintage shopping offers a way to further define oneself.

“For a lot of people, (thrift shopping for distinct clothing) expresses individuality,” she said.

Michael Gurule, a CCC student, said vintage clothing is unique and each purchased item has a certain sentimental value. Additionally, he said that secondhand clothing is comfort-able. “It’s like living in a previously lived in space; it’s more comfortable than a new room,” Gurule said.

As opposed to department stores, thrift stores often provide manageable prices for shoppers.

“It’s cheap, basically,” Torres said.

Complementing the recy-cled items, new products are also integrated. Vanroekel said that many new items offered are often due to over-stock of department stores.

Thrift stores worldwide have allowed an outlet for shoppers to purchase with little concern of budget expenditure, as well as pro-vided an outlet for people to donate used clothing, electronics and furniture for recyclable use.

James said thrift shopping also allows peo-ple to give back to the community by donating used or unused things to others.

Not only do thrift stores provide affordable commodities, many also donate a portion of proceeds to different organizations addressing different societal issues.

Along with nationally renown organiza-tions such as Salvation Army and Goodwill, California-based thrift chain Out of the Closet has a number of locations in the East Bay alone and a dollar of each purchase made is donated to fund the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Berkeley Store Manager Najib Benhaddou said.

Vanroekel said that Thrift Town donates a portion of its proceeds to a program for the mentally disabled.

“(Thrift Town) has helped fund for activi-ties such as field trips and parties,” she said.

Contact Brent Bainto at bbainto.advocate@gmail.com.

Secondhand shopping popularity rises among youth; vintage, retro fashion entices shoppers

“Just because it’s secondhand

shopping, it doesn’t mean that they’re any

less than anything from a department

store.”

Kat Balmes,thrift store shopper

SPOTLIGHT WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE B5

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Local thrift shops

Thrift Town is a truly eclectic second-hand store in the sense that it carries a wide variety of clothing, accesso-ries, furniture and appliances, among various other types of items for sale. It was first established in 1972 and is located at 3645 San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante.

Buffalo Exchange is a buy/sell/trade clothing store located at 2585 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. It has a knack for carrying the most popular vintage and contemporary fashions. Not only do they pay patrons for their garments, but they also donate any other clothing they may bring in.

Out of the Closet is unique in that it is owned and operated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. One dollar from each purchase is donated to the foundation and certain locations offer free HIV testing and counseling. Out of the Closet is at University Avenue and California Street in Berkeley.

Goodwill is North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, train-ing and career services for people with disadvantages and those with physical, mental and emotional dis-abilities. Stores carry clothing, fur-niture and appliances with locations throughout the Bay Area.

INFOGRAPHIC AND PHOTOS BY CODY MCFARLAND / THE ADVOCATE

�����������

By Isaac Thomas PHOTO EDITOR

RICHMOND — Nestled within the heart of Richmond on 23rd Street stands a nerve center of creativity, imagina-tion and inspiration.

It is a place where hav-ing a developmental disabil-ity does not get in the way of one becoming a creative genius.

The National Institute of Art and Disabilities (NIAD) is a nonprofit visual arts center and program dedi-cated to helping disabled adults express themselves in a way that instills a sense of independence, pride and purpose.

“We believe that even if you have cerebral palsy, or you have mental retarda-tion or you are autistic, you still have the capacity to be a gifted artist,” Executive Director of the NIAD Patricia Coleman said.

She said NIAD pro-vides student artists with the opportunity to learn draw-ing, painting, printmak-ing, ceramics, textile arts and jewelry-making with the help of professionals to guide them through the steps and help them find their indi-vidual styles.

Studio Manager Andres Cisneros, who has been working at NIAD for 25

years, said the students pro-duce impressive work.

Good paintings, good prints and good jewelry are

in abundance, he said, and much of it would be of high enough quality to be repre-sented or shown in a profes-

sional gallery and possibly sold.

The facility includes a 1,000-square-foot gallery, full art studio and a gar-den area where students can grow all types of fruits and vegetables.

“The program gives our students an outlet to put some of their personal issues out there in a visible way that doesn’t have to be spelled out,” jewelry instruc-tor Patti Cook said. “It could

be vague and abstract.”The NIAD opened its

doors in 1982 and grants access to the many who fre-quent its structure five days a week.

It serves up to 50 adult students with developmental and other disabilities.

Coleman said there is a universal appreciation for the kind of art one finds at NIAD.

“The population that we serve is often looked down

upon,” Coleman said. “I think to be able to offer them to do something really fan-tastic is very special.”

She said that it makes the students happy to be spend-ing time on their artwork, but it makes them even happier when they sell that work.

Artists at NIAD go on to sell their work in their online gallery and in their studio gallery and have sent pieces to places like Los Angles and San Diego, to as far as New York, Coleman said.

Cisneros said a lot of the students who attend NIAD have not had, and do not need, any prior art experi-ence to become a selling art-ist.

Fifty percent of the pro-ceeds go to the artists when they sell a piece of art, and the remainder goes to the art center.

Additionally, the NIAD receives donations from dif-ferent companies around the area

The most recent of these donations came from Chevron Corporation refin-ery in Richmond, which gave the center $2,000 on Thursday.

Additionally, the NIAD center also accepts student internships at any time of the year for college credit and experience.

For more information, send a cover letter and resume to admin@niadart.org.

Contact Isaac Thomas at ithomas.advocate@gmail.com.

Annual

event

to unify

campus

through

games,

music,

food

Festival to honor fall holidays

“The program gives our students an outlet to put some of their personal issues out there in a visible way that

doesn’t have to be spelled out.”

Patti Cook,National Institute of Art and Disabilities jewelry instructor

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009B6 SPOTLIGHT

ISAAC THOMAS / THE ADVOCATE

Sketching from the soul — Phyllis Carr (right) spends her lunch Thursday practicing drawing with Ray Brown at Richmond’s National Institute of Art and Disabilities, a center for adults with disabilities.

By Kristina Plaza STAFF WRITER

Music, games, contests, food and performances will soon fill the Amphitheatre Thursday, as part of the ASU’s annual Fall Festival.

The event will occur from 12-4 p.m. and is free for all stu-dents at the college to celebrate Halloween and other various fall holidays.

“We want our kids to feel like they could unify with other students. We want to boost their morale and (allow) stu-dents to just have fun,” ASU Vice President of Clubs Henry Parker said.

There will be costume, dance and pumpkin-carving contests, he said. Students are

welcome to sign up in a sheet in the Student Life Center or simply show up at the event.

Although the festival attracts an older crowd, one can still get the same old trick-or-treat-ing idea from past childhood experiences, Parker said.

The dance competition, dubbed “The Jerk Contest,” is named after the song “You’re a Jerk” by the New Boyz. It will be held inside the Student Dining Room.

Winners will receive gift certificates and cash prizes. First-prize winners will be awarded $25 in cash.

A dance performance will also occur in the Amphitheatre.

The event is reminiscent of a carnival, except without the rides, Parker said. He also

said that about 50-75 people are expected to come join the festivities.

Students are also decorating the Student Dining Room with different Halloween adorn-ments, such as spider web stickers on the door, plastic bones on the trees and bats hanging from ceilings.

Only six or seven clubs attended last year’s Fall Festival, Parker said. This year, however, 15 clubs are participating in the event, providing services or goods for fundraising pur-poses.

“Our motive whenever we throw these kind of events is for students to be able to inter-act with other people on cam-pus,” ASU President Kristina Bautista said.

The clubs will be selling

different sorts of food, such as popcorn and cotton candy, and handing out free candies.

The International Club will host a version of an off-cam-pus restaurant in its booth, and the ASU will be selling Jamba Juice.

Nachos and tacos will also be on sale, ASU Senator Pedro Araujo, who is also a member of the Latino Student Union, said.

If rain occurs, the event would be relocated inside the Student Dining Room.

There will also be mem-bers of clubs recruiting to give students the chance to become more active at their college, Bautista said.

Contact Kristina Plaza at kplaza.advocate@gmail.com.

Magic, witchcraft, religion course enchants students

By Diana Reyes OPINION EDITOR

Although the class discusses it, Jayne Smithson’s Anthropology 150 class is not about religion.

Rather, the anthropology pro-fessor analyzes attributes of reli-gion, such as magic, divining and talking to the dead. The course is centralized on the existence of the supernatural, as well as the differences of how it is culturally interpreted.

Magic, Witchcraft and Religion, which meets Tuesdays from 6:30-9:20 p.m. in LA-207, discusses not just the anthropology of religion, but also what it accomplishes for people.

Anthropology, Smithson said, is the science and study of human behavior, and the class is only a small portion of the functions and study of the supernatural.

“(It is) such a huge subject. You need at least six subjects to cover the course of anthropology,” she said. “The students learn the dif-ferent ways each culture embraces different belief structures, which influence the view of the world.”

Smithson has been teaching the class for more than six years. She said there are always a few students who sign up for the class knowing

what to expect. Some initially sign up for the class hoping it will teach them alchemy and magic, but that is not the case.

“I don’t think people really know what they’re getting into (in this class), but they pretty much seem to enjoy it,” Smithson said. “The funny thing is that no one ends up disappointed.”

Jason Melgard, anthropology major, said the class is generally what he expected.

“(The class) is a cross-section of the various cultural viewpoints and aspects of witch-craft and religion,” he said. “We have learned about the differences between institutional-ized spirituality (and) religion and individual practitioners, such as sorcerers.”

The class has also developed some insight on various rituals, as well as knowledge on altered states of consciousness, both drug-related and spiritual, Melgard said.

In addition, he emphasized that the importance of knowing which way to develop the knowledge gained from the course. Melgard believes people should be aware of the distinction between the nega-tive and positive ways to use the information.

“Any knowledge is going to give you power over your own life,” he said. “It’s anthropology. (It is) an objective view of cultural behaviors.”

Smithson said her plans for the remainder of the semester are to discuss aliens and possession,

along with Native American sha-manism, which is a process for psy-chic, emotional and spiritual healing and for explora-tion, discovery and knowledge gather-ing about nonma-terial worlds and states of mind.

Student Anya Goldie said her motive for taking this class came

from her interest in different cul-tures, as well as her curiosity to learn various types of magic and outlets of expression.

“The class is better than I thought, because I have a great teacher,” Goldie said. “It’s a little different, but in a good way.”

She said she enjoys how pas-sionate Smithson is about the sub-ject, because it helps students keep focused in class.

“She’s very animated,” Goldie said. “I know it keeps everyone else participating and focused. It’s one of those classes where people are like, ‘Yeah! I’m going to class’.”

Coinciding with Halloween, the class has been studying magic and witchcraft.

Smithson said that, as far as existing, magic is within the realm of thought.

“(It is) a very interesting class,”

Melgard said. “My only complaint is that it’s not enough hours and not enough days a week.”

Contact Diana Reyes at dreyes.advocate@gmail.com.

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Magical enactments — Anthropology professor Jayne Smithson acts out the curriculum for her Magic, Witchcraft and Religion course in LA-207 on Oct. 20.

Visual art center instills pride Disabled findoutlet through creative crafts

Cultural theories explored in class

The 5 WsWho: The ASU and cam-pus clubs

What: Will be hosting the annual Fall Festival com-plete with music, games, costume, dance and pumpkin-carving con-tests and performances. The Student Dining Room will also be deco-rated with Halloween adornments.

Where: Amphitheatre

When: Thursday, 12-4 p.m.

Why: To unify stu-dents and boost their morale, while simultane-ously allowing them the chance to just have fun.

“(The class) is a cross-section of the

various cultural viewpoints and

aspects of witchcraft and

religion.”

Jason Melgard,student

By Dariush AzmoudehSPORTS EDITOR

“Out of Ashes,” the debut album from Dead by Sunrise, delivers strong and deep tone lyr-ics while incorporating alternative and metal sounds.

Despite “Ashes” being its debut album, Dead by Sunrise already consists of well-known rockers from other bands.

It was created by Linkin Park’s lead singer Chester Bennington as a side project band with Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh, both members of Orgy and Julien-K. The band also includes other members of Julien-K.

The album consists of vocals from Bennington and a tempo similar to Linkin Park, with a hint of Julien-K’s electronic beat.

“Ashes” has similarities to Linkin Park’s latest album “Minutes to Midnight,” because it contains mostly fast-tempo

songs and some slow songs that are meant for the lyrics to express more.

The lyrics of the song take a similar tone to most of Linkin Park’s, but have a darker and more personal influence, as Bennington talks about the experiences that he went through in the dark periods

of his life. Bennington

came up with a few of the songs while creating Linkin Park’s “Minutes to Midnight,” but he said he felt like it was not right sty-listically for that band.

“Let Down” starts off slow and calm while Bennington sings the intro, before

breaking into a heavy beat with drums and guitar.

The song’s shift in tone transi-tions from calm to heavy without changing the overall mood. The lyrics speak about avoiding the

repetition of mistakes. “Crawl Back In” is the best-

known song of the album, as it was the first released single. Its lyrics have similarities to certain Linkin Park tracks.

The guitar parts in the song, such as the opening and the solo, add to the overall feel of some-one’s need to escape.

Overall, the album gives an enjoyable mix of guitars and

drums, along with tempos that accompany the lyrics.

Any fan of Linkin Park should give this album a try to hear a dif-ferent, yet familiar type of rock. The album is not anything monu-mental, but it is something to listen to while waiting for the next Linkin Park album.

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com.

Dance ensemble show to entertain

By Chad GarciaSTAFF WRITER

Asata Iman is busy trying to get her students to decide what costumes they will wear.

The women rummage through various skirts and shoes deciding what they like best. Colors of green, red and black are chosen. They have rehearsed well, and there appears to be no

hesitation in their movements. Soon, the music stops, and she walks onto the floor to explain what they did wrong and what they did right.

“I want you guys to be like smooth rocks, so I can just move you around,” she says.

This is the Egyptian Belly Dancing course, and physical education professor Iman is preparing her pupils for their show “Why We Move.” to be held in the Knox Center Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The production will include Iman’s group and performances from other dance

groups from various physical education courses at the col-lege.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.

Iman then replays the music and physically instructs what she would like to see her stu-dents do. The process requires a lot of patience and practice.

Student Uzamaka “Amaka” Ofoegbu said the class is some-thing like a family unit.

She said that they have to be very close and comfortable with one another to be able to

coordinate their movements.This semester, the Knox

Center performance will include Ofoegbu’s class, as well as students from the Dance Ensemble course.

The class allows all the pro-fessors to choreograph a ses-sion with their particular class for the event.

“This was thought of last year,” said Latanya Tigner, physical education profes-sor who helped coordinate the production. “This class had replaced Dance Production, a sort of precursor to the now

Dance Ensemble.”She said the move opened

up a variety of positions for students, as basically all dance classes are allowed to perform.

Students will have a chance, however, to perform their own choreographed dances.

In terms of dance, Tigner said the production will have lots of variety and will display the various talents of the col-lege.

Contact Chad Garcia at cgarcia.advocate@gmail.com.

By Holly PabloEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Standing amid an orchestral ensemble, Maxwell’s voice was the strongest and most powerful instrument during a concert at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord on the evening of Oct. 17.

For the past 15 years, Maxwell has blessed the world with beauti-ful music that speaks to the soul and warms even the coldest of hearts.

With his sultry lyrics and undeniable charm, the 36-year-old neo-soul artist proves that just like a bottle of fine wine, his crafts are only getting bet-ter with age.

Whether fans are cur-rently in a relationship, unattached or mending a broken heart, Maxwell’s poetic verses are motivat-ing enough to evoke hope in the most despondent of spirits.

The tour, accompanied by supporting acts Chrisette Michele and Common, comes after Maxwell’s eight-year hia-tus from the spotlight and the release of his fourth studio album, “BLACKsummer’snight.”

For more than two hours, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native performed new songs and a variety of career-spanning sets, from the sensual tunes of “’Til the Cops Come Knockin” from his 1996 debut album “Urban Hang Suite,” to the liberating melodies of “Lifetime” from his 2001 album “Now.”

The result, simple and soulful performances about being in love or dealing with lost love, shows that Maxwell’s music will con-tinue to transcend time.

While crooning beautiful lines from the 2001 hit, like “I can let

my life pass me by/or I can get down and try/work it all out this lifetime/work it on out this time,” the entertainer invited the crowd, which exceeded 10,000 people of all age groups, to join in singing.

Based on the participation from audience members whenever prompted by Maxwell to make some noise, the crowds that filled the stadium consisted of mainly couples and groups of single women enjoying a girls’ night out.

During times when he tried to call a reaction from the men in

the audience, he received nearly no response. While it was not a major surprise, it was somewhat amusing.

As if complementing his new album, which Maxwell refers to as the “mature” and “dark” segment of a trilogy of albums that will continue for the next two years, the singer and entire orchestra were dressed in matching attire.

The men donned black suits with white button-up shirts and the women wore long, black dresses.

The sameness of their wardrobes worked, as it helped unify and complete the stage setup.

Different combinations of col-ored lights illuminated the white background of the stage and its floor throughout the night, how-ever, in some instances, a blinking white light was blinding and dis-tracting.

But Maxwell never lost the crowd’s attention, especially since surrounding both sides of the arena were two gigantic projection screens that showcased the enter-tainer’s every dance and step.

Unlike many of today’s artists who have ventured into the land of audio processors, such as Auto-Tune, Maxwell’s latest album was recorded in the studio with live musicians rather than machine-made instrumentals.

Thus, the stage renditions of these songs were amazingly pre-cise, if not better, than what is heard through the CD recordings because of their involvement. If the ensemble were not part of the tour, the concert would have been incomplete.

The most anticipated song of the night had to be “BLACKsummer’snight” premiere release, “Pretty Wings,” which served as one of the closing songs.

The lullaby is a reminiscent and bittersweet song about meeting the right person at the wrong time.

The song ended with a tremen-

dous emission of white feathers that swirled like magic through the crowd.

It was one of the most strik-ing performances of the night. Because Maxwell wrote the song about his last relationship, it felt as if he sang it with a different and indescribable energy.

The artist knows how to engage the audience because he not only expresses experiences that many people can or will relate to, he shares that he is living proof of it.

Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

SCENE WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2009 l THE ADVOCATE B7

Newreleases:“Ice Age:

Dawn of the Dinosaurs”

(PG)

“Nothing like the

Holidays” (PG-13)

“Orphan” (R)

“Whatever Works” (PG-13)

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan”

(NR)

Games

CDs

DVDs

Movies

This week:“The

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day”

(R)

“Gentlemen Broncos”

(PG)

“The House of the

Devil” (R)

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It”

(PG)

Newreleases:Between

the Buried and Me:

“The Great Misdirect”

Devendra Banhart:

“What Will We Be”

Tegan and Sara:

“Sainthood”

Trans-Siberian

Orchestra: “Night

Castle”

Unleashed

Editor’s note: This column

lists popular new (and upcoming)

releases for the week.

Newreleases:“Ratchet & Clank

Future: A Crack in

Time” (PS3 – E)

“Tekken 6” (PS3/

XBOX360 – T)

“Forza Motorsport

3” (XBOX360

– E)

“Out of Ashes”

★★★★★Artist: Dead by SunriseGenre: AlternativeLabel: Warner Brothers RecordsRelease date: Available now

cdreview

“BLACK-

summer’snight

tour”

★★★★★Headliner: MaxwellWhere: Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord

eventreview

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Soul power — Maxwell sings to swooning audience members with his uniquely soothing voice during a performance from his nationwide “BLACKsummer’snight” tour in support of his new album.

Maxwell croon serenades fans

Knox Center to host ‘Move’

Concert showcases soul singer’s talent

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Band on the rise — Dead by Sunrise includes the vocal talents of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington (middle) and Julien-K gui-tarists Amir Derakh (left) Ryan Shuck (right).

Dead by Sunrise emerges in ‘Ashes’Side project band makes solid debut

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, OCT 28, 2009B8 FOCUS

Story and photos by Isaac Thomas

rom the second you set your wheels down on the slick con-crete, you know you are about

to get into something special.Children from Richmond no lon-

ger have to worry about being kicked out of spots around the town for skateboarding in unauthorized areas.

Richmond’s Nicholl skate plaza, located at Nicholl Park on Macdonald Avenue, is the only standing skate park in West Contra Costa County since the closure of Hercules’ skate park in 2004 due to vandalism and graffiti.

The skate plaza has a lot to offer to the locals of the area, with endless possibilities of grinds and transi-tions.

There is something at the plaza for everyone. The street obstacles are the main attraction at the plaza, with

a circular pyramid and elevated and curved manual pads.

Also, the A-frame rail is one of the most popular obstacles at the plaza. Its kicker ramp setup allows for additional pop and round rail, making any type of grind possible.

The skate plaza has become a become a popular hangout spot for adults and children alike.

Recent talk about skate parks opening in the neighboring cities of Pinole and El Cerrito set the bar high, but the Richmond skate plaza delivered.

Its construction was just a small step for skateboarding, but a giant leap for the city of Richmond and West Contra Costa County.

Contact Isaac Thomas at itho-mas.advocate@gmail.com.

F

SKATINGIN THE

RICH

Cone Zone —Hercules resident

Kyle “OC” Neesan

ollies over a cone placed

on top of the huge

hump Sunday

at the Richmond

skate plaza

Sunday.

Flipping out — Local skater Jinny Robinson goes for a nol-lie hardflip at the Richmond skate plaza Saturday.

Hugegap—Hercules resident Kyle “OC” Neesan pops a huge ollie over the manual pad/fun-box at Richmond skate plaza Sunday.

Going for it — Local skater Clint Ayres does a backside lip slide at the Richmond skate plaza Oct. 20. The A-frame rail has become one of the most popular obstacles in the park.

Blowing in the wind

— The Richmond

skate plaza has a 20-foot windmill

inside the park. It is

one of the plaza’s

signature features.

A better day —Pro skater Karl

Watson shows

up to the Richmond

skate plaza

Sunday and signs

some auto-

graphs for local fans.

Opening of the Richmond Nicholl skate plaza offers alternative activity