By Diana ReyesSTAFF WRITER

EL SOBRANTE — The annual El Sobrante Stroll brought excitement, entertainment and delicious food to San Pablo Dam Road Sunday, with everything from parades and musical shows to BMX performances delighting the community members in attendance.

Bookended by El Portal Drive and Appian Way, the event began at approximately 10 a.m., with the opening parade occurring an hour later.

The Pinole Valley High School Marching band and Sheldon Elementary were pronounced win-ners of the parade, Shirley Sharp, parade judge and member of the Chamber of Commerce Planning and Zoning depart-ment, said.

In addition to those created by local public schools, parade floats were made by an assort-ment of community businesses, such as The World Taekwando School, and featured a wide variety of people, including Olympic medalist Gina Miles.

“The El Sobrante Stroll has been taking place for 15 years,” Sharp said. “Every year it gets larger. There are more people and more vendors.”

The street was filled with community booths and vendors selling jewelry, handmade bags, hats and dolls. A medley of shirts rang-

By Asia CamagongSTAFF WRITER

POINT PINOLE — The words trash, garbage and syringe failed to intimidate volunteers away from participating in the annual California Coastal Cleanup here Saturday morning.

Approximately 100 volunteers, including instructors, students, families and other members of the public, united to contribute their time to the community by remov-ing debris from the shoreline.

“For this site, the number of

people isn’t bad,” Elaine Deshaies, administrative aide for the East Bay Regional Park District, said.

Students from Contra Costa College participated in the event, including members of the ASU, led by President Jeanelle Hope, and officers from the Gay-Straight Alliance.

A junior ROTC group from Oakland High School, two parties of Girl Scout cadets and seniors from Pinole were also amongst the wide variety of volunteers at the cleanup.

“I have an eye for trash because I hate to see litter,” volunteer Roddie Stelle said.

After registering, volunteers were given gloves and two plastic bags. A blue bag was meant to gather trash and a white one was for the collection of recyclable

materials. A sign was posted instructing

volunteers to report and avoid physical contact with any possible discoveries of car batteries and syringes.

Groups scavenged through six miles of shoreline, finding a num-ber of plastic gun shells, cigarette butts, rusty lighters and even a toothbrush.

The cleanup collected an esti-mated 2,700 pounds of trash, Coastal Cleanup Coordinator Kathleen Fusek said.

The high amount of debris scattered across the coast came as a shock to some of the volun-teers.

“There was much more trash than I thought there’d be,” GSA secretary Nick Chin said.

A majority of the cleaning was directed onto the western shore-line because of the wind, Park Ranger Joel Miller said. Due to strong winds, Miller said, trash from Marin washed onto the shore.

Trash is sent to the local gar-bage company and recyclable materials are later retrieved by the East Bay Conservation Corps.

“This is a good environment task with young people,” Fusek said.

For the past 20 years, young

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 19508 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

VOL. 91, NO. 4WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2008

ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

Rolled overAll-Stars eclipse Comets in match

campus beat page 5◆

Beyond this worldDepartment explores galaxies, planets, stars

campus beat page 6◆

Budget impasse resolved

“The El Sobrante Stroll has been

taking place for 15 years. Every year

it gets larger.”

Shirley Sharp,member of the El Sobrante

Chamber of Commerce Planning and Zoning department

MooreMichael Jason Moore, 28, is charged with gross vehicular manslaugh-ter and the unlawful tak-ing or driving of a vehicle.

By Justin MorrisonEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

After 80 days without a budget, California’s record-breaking standoff came to an end Thursday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislature reached a final agree-ment.

On Tuesday, the governor signed the final-ized budget.

Under the threat of a gubernatorial veto, the legislature compromised on the $143 bil-lion budget. This means much-needed funding for the 110 community colleges in California, who had been relying mostly on reserve funds, will now come through.

Luckily, there were few changes for com-

munity colleges, Senior Dean of Research and Planning Tim Clow said.

“We sneaked through,” Dr. Clow said.Despite the expected passing of the budget,

Contra Costa Community College District is taking no chances.

According to Kindred Murillo, vice chan-cellor of districtwide administrative services, the district has set up funding through January, through a two-part loan system.

The first part is named the teeter-plan and will advance money from the county treasury office to be paid back at a later date, Murillo said.

The second part is a tax revenue anticipa-tion note, she said, which should be approved by the district Governing Board at tonight’s meeting, worth $35 million.

Since the governor signed the budget as promised, however, the district will not have to resort to actually using the funds the loans grant.

The loans would only be needed to cover district expenses for the remainder of the impasse, as the district’s reserves have been depleted, Murillo said.

The district has been relying on reserve funding since the beginning of the fall semes-ter, she said. The district runs on an $8 to $13 million payroll per month, Murillo said, which includes payment for staff, faculty, various vendors and utilities.

The reserve funding, however, is only enough to cover for two operating months.

By the end of September, there would have

sports page 7◆

Standing presenceLineman digs out

intensity in trenches

Regional servicelifts ton of trashfrom shoreline

Volunteers beautify coast in cleanup

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Flying high — Joel Hulsey does a Superman seat grab over a tabletop ramp at the El Sobrante Stroll on Sunday. The event also featured a parade and float competition, exhibitions by local groups and an assortment of vendors.

Record

80-day

stalemate

comes

to end in

plan for

current

year

■ SEE CLEANUP: Page 4

Not guilty plea enteredat arraignment

State, district examine FTES

Trash removal — Casey Chesser (foreground) pulls a plas-tic bag loose from veg-etation with Nicholas Chin trailing behind at the Coastal Cleanup in Point Pinole on Saturday. The cleanup was held at multiple locations around the Bay Area in an effort to limit trash in the bay and water ways.

By Brett AbelASSOCIATE EDITOR

The State Chancellor’s Office has asked the district, and spe-cifically Contra Costa College, to examine its number of con-currently enrolled students after a seemingly high number was reported last year, college and district officials said.

Diablo Valley College interim

Dean on Outreach, Enrollment Management and Matriculation John Mullen said an allocations specialist at the State Chancellor’s Office noticed a relatively high number of students under 12 years old taking classes within the dis-trict and most notably at CCC and contacted him about it.

About 25 full-time equivalent students (FTES) under 12 were reported in the district for the

By Alec SurmaniASSOCIATE EDITOR

The man accused of crashing into and killing a Contra Costa College employee in August pleaded not guilty to all charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter and the unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle, at an arraignment held Sept. 16 in Richmond.

After catching the eye of a deputy sheriff, suspect Michael Jason Moore slammed the stolen car he was driving into evening and Saturday program monitor Martin Padilla’s sport utility wagon during the ensu-ing pursuit on Aug. 28 in Pinole, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Daniel Terry told The Advocate last month.

A preliminary hearing will be held for 28-year-old

Community on displayin annual celebration

■ SEE STROLL: Page 4 ■ SEE FTES: Page 4

■ SEE MOORE: Page 4

Suspect involved in death of CCC staffer awaits trial

“It’s just a good thing to do for the Earth.”

Michael Sholinbeck,volunteer

■ SEE BUDGET: Page 4

JUSTIN MORRISON / THE ADVOCATE

1990-91

1992-93

1995-96

1997-98

1998-99

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2007-08

2008-09

31

64

34

49

52

67

33

31

51

80

Longest state impasses

The record-breaking budget deadlock lasted 80 days into the fiscal year.

Asundaystroll

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2008 ● VOL. 91, NO. 4

EditorialsRidiculous

achievement

Benefits of opening up outweigh exposure risks

■ Self-analysis

ike most men, I have prob-lems opening up to others.

Even if I was in imminent danger of bleeding to death, secluded on a deserted island with only the closest of fam-ily and friends, full of lifelong regrets and drunk, anticipating any sort of confession would be foolish.

The practice of revealing intimate information just never seemed appealing.

On a base level, the request for insight into another person’s emotions is commonly hollow and performed merely in the interest of being polite.

Thus, whenever people ask me how I am doing, the per-functory “fine” follows in an almost involuntarily manner. Attempting to explain how one truly feels in the ideal amount of time the inquirer would prefer is impossible.

So, like most humans, I lie.As for the deeper reward of

sharing one’s feelings, I do not see much point.

Telling somebody my prob-lems would only further confirm their transparency and lack of importance, likely making me feel even worse for acting so stupid.

Given this reluctance to divulge private matters, I natu-rally developed an aversion to speech in general.

Talking became an annoy-ance and I vowed to do so solely when necessary or funny.

As a high school student, I identified with author Douglas Adams’ fictional sentient aliens,

Critical self-analysis is diffi-cult, a fact quickly learned upon joining The Advocate.

Dunces with access to the Internet can blog about what they had for breakfast or why they have been wearing their frowny face.

But accurately interpreting oneself, along with being able to communicate said interpretation, demands skill.

Despite assumptions of little payoff, stripping oneself of the guise expected in everyday life can bear tremendous benefits.

It provides essential challeng-es needed for personal growth. It forces one to explore new terri-tories, both internal and external. It proves one’s humanity.

Most importantly, the effort functions as a form of commu-nity service.

Those capable of recognizing their own thoughts and emotions have an obligation to, on occa-sion, convey them to others.

For, this act does not just assist people in similar situa-tions, but also helps them relate to persons they normally would not, creating rapport between humans vital to the species’ evo-lution.

Hopefully, I will progress to a point where I too can connect with people beyond the level of “I’m hungry.”

Then again, maybe this entire piece is just another blanket lie.

Alec Surmani is an associ-ate editor of The Advocate. Contact him at asurmani.advocate@gmail.com.

the Belcerebons. The galaxy’s quietest, and thus most accom-plished, species, they were eventually plagued with uncon-trollable telepathy, as their perpetual silence was deemed contemptuous.

This reticence glorification pleased my elitist mind, which has since likely seen mere tit-for-tat improvement.

The above reasoning, how-ever, served as nothing more than a smoke screen.

In real-ity, I was scared. Weak. Insecure.

Some refer to such lack of courage as pusillanimous, but they would only be getting the first few letters correct.

Sure, I could create excuses like, “I don’t care what I have to say, so why should anybody else?” and make claims of ego-centrism.

All lies.I simply could not overcome

the barriers and remove the safeguards fabricated to protect me from humiliation. Perhaps I never bothered to try in the first place.

WRYAN CASTLEBERRY / THE ADVOCATE

Record-high 80-day impasse illuminates flaws in state system

eing 80 days past the deadline for passing the state budget is ridiculous and inexcusable.

This year’s almost three-month impasse is the longest in the state’s history.

The legislature and governor have a duty to all California citizens, as well as all state-run systems, to pass a fair and balanced budget on time.

Though this is clearly both the fault of the legisla-ture and governor, maybe all the blame should not be squarely placed on them.

Perhaps, the system itself is flawed and needs revi-sion to prevent this from occurring ad nauseam.

The budget is the responsibility of the state and it should not come down to individual counties and sys-tems to scramble for ways to secure their own funding as the state squabbles over it.

Our district has an emergency reserve, should the need arise for its use. But such a need should not arise simply because the state is failing to pass a budget on time every year.

Over the past 19 years, the state has failed to meet its deadline 10 times.

Not only does this leave the reserve fund depleted, it forces the district to seek outside funding to cover the monthly $8 to $13 million payroll. To add insult to inju-ry, we also lose the funds we would have gained through interest.

The impasse also hurts those that are in most need.

Students throughout the state depending on Cal Grants to afford college were not able to attend classes because the impasse kept the grant from being distributed.

For our students, however, the district was able to cover Cal Grants by dipping into the reserve.

Our district did a good job in securing funding should the impasse continue and marginalized the budget’s impact upon students so the learning envi-ronment could remain relatively unfazed.

Despite the district’s apt handling of the crisis, it should not have to work to cope with the lack of a budget, but be seeking new ways to enhance the learn-ing environment for students and faculty.

This would be possible of course, if the state worked at passing an on-time budget.

With such an impasse becoming a far too common, and laughable, reality, perhaps it is time for change.

The two-thirds vote required to pass the budget, coupled with a two-thirds vote to override a guberna-torial veto, renders the veto pointless.

It should only take a majority to pass the budget in the Senate and Assembly and then a two-thirds vote to override the veto.

Along with making it possible to pass a budget faster, a veto override would also be more plausible, as the latter action would be legitimately different from the former.

In the stead of changes not occurring, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger needs to be more flexible. Two of his three revisions were met by the legislature and his refusal to compromise further delayed the budget.

At some point, there must be compromise for the sake of the state, or laws need to be changed.

B

alecsurmani

OPINIONTHE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 20082

L

“I throw away trash in the trash cans.”

Alana Aquinoundecided

CampusComment

How do you give back to the community?

“I usually just recycle old papers from my room and pick up bottles and cans and recycle those for how-ever much money the cans are worth.”

Francisco Perezundecided

“I sometimes help out with my little brothers’ football league as a coach.”

Darryl Millerundecided

“I do a lot of volunteer work. I work with kids a lot.”

Janalidae Nortonmusic

“I give back to the community by getting an education and using it to better and help others.”

Ashanti Hookssociology

“I have to do commu-nity service for leader-ship, and I do ‘A Relay For Life.’ It’s a walk for cancer and it’s 24 hours.”

Allison Schneiferarchitecture

“I donate to Green-peace, the largest environmentally friendly agency in the world.”

Fahad Khanbusiness

Quotable“Free communication...

has ever been justly deemed the only effectual

guardian of every other right.”

James Madison4th U.S. president

1799

Justin Morrisoneditor-in-chief

Brett Abel

associate editor

Alec Surmaniassociate editor

Jeff Carillosports editor

Francisco Rendonspotlight editor

Regina SarnicolaLauren Shiraishi

opinion editors

Lamar Jamesnews editor

Isaac Thomasphoto editor

Toni Silvaad manager

Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser

Staff writersSam Attal

Dariush AzmoudehBrent Bainto

Marco BecerraAsia Camagong

Mario DiazAnthony Farr

Ryan JacquesMarika Johnson

Cassandra JunielJazmaine Mitchell

Holly PabloDiana Reyes

Shahruz Shaukat

Staff photographersSam Attal

Erik Verduzco

Staff illustratorsWryan Castleberry

Roeh Floresca

HonorsACP National Newspaper

Pacemaker Award1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,

2004, 2005, 2006

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

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.

MARIKA JOHNSON AND DIANA REYES / THE ADVOCATE

In reality,

I was scared.

Weak.

Insecure.

The budget is the

responsibility of

the state and it

should not come

down to individual

counties and

systems to

scramble for ways

to secure their own

funding.

behind

FORUM WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2008 l THE ADVOCATE 3

hen it comes to rela-tionships, I am proud

to say I am realistically and happily single.

People commonly over-look the benefits of being detached.

The freedom to do as one chooses, more leisure time and having extra money to spend on oneself are just a few examples.

You do not have to deal with the stress and drama of having someone question your whereabouts or the hon-esty of your words.

Whereas some feel they need a boyfriend or girlfriend to be satisfied with their lives, sometimes I feel that I would rather be alone.

As you will probably assume, I have been hurt in the past. But I am not bitter.

Pain builds character and has taught me about asserting my independence and appre-ciating my freedom.

When I started college in the fall of 2006, my life was a mess. Due to conflicting interests with my boyfriend at the time, I ended up drop-ping out of my first-semester classes. It was foolish.

It has been two years and I have long since picked myself back up. Since then, I have achieved balance between school, work, family and friends. I have dated here and there, but it is no longer a significant part of my life.

What many people fail to recognize, just as I did two years prior, is that a relation-ship is supposed to add hap-piness to your life, not make it.

You cannot expect a rela-tionship to stand strong if it is built on instability.

I witness friends in com-promising situations, jump-ing from relationship to relationship or putting too much effort into being with somebody who treats them like trash.

I am compassionate for them, but I realize that we must all learn the hard way.

Relying on someone for gratification is something I refuse to do. True happiness comes from within, when you keep your best interests at heart.

I have observed that as we age, our relationships mature with us. Implementing some type of self-improvement allows us to change for the better.

A friend once told me, “The only time you’re ready for a relationship is when you do not need one.”

These are wise words that will stay with me.

With everything in my life near perfect, it seems like adding a significant other would top it all off. Yet, I think it would make things much more complicated.

Do not get me wrong. I am not promoting an anti-relationship standpoint.

There is nothing greater or more satisfying in the world than love. Emotional, mental and physical intimacy with a special person makes life worth living.

Still, pain is inevitable.I urge you all, whether in

a relationship or single, to maintain your composure. Keep your priorities focused for your own sake.

I have not lost faith in relationships. I just do not need one to complete me.

Holly Pablo is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact her at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com.

hollypablo

Life as single encourages new outlook

W

■ RELATIONSHIPS ■ TELEVISION

By Francisco RendonSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

or years, the United States public edu-cation system has been failing chil-dren K-12 virtually across the board

in all subjects.In 1998, the National Institute for Literacy

reported that more than 90 million Americans were functionally illiterate. Similarly, in the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, scores showed that American teenagers trailed 23 countries in mathematics aptitude.

Although America deals with so much money in its economic, military and govern-mental affairs, countless tests show we are failing to properly educate our young citi-zens.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2006, 9.3 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds had dropped out from high school.

The proposed solution to the compounding failures of the public education system is the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind Act. On Jan. 8, 2002 the act was signed into law and has since been affecting public schools between elementary and high school level across the country.

According to www.whitehouse.gov, its goal is to function as a blueprint to reform education in the United States. While the act is an extensive document, with many differ-ent mandates and policies, it is heavily criti-cized for the sweeping changes it has brought

Educational act’s good intentions marred by flaws

to the country’s learning institutions.The idea behind the act is to improve edu-

cation by setting high standards for students across the country and rewarding schools that meet these standards. It is radically differ-ent from past attempts at education reform because it transfers a large portion of educa-tional policy from the state and local level, to the federal government.

Several specific themes in the act have been criticized in the six years it has been around.

The act proposes the use of Title 1 fund-ing to help students in poorly performing schools to transfer into better schools, even if this results in overcrowding. These schools that test well, will receive more funding as a reward for their performance.

This theme of sending more students and money to better performing schools empha-sizes the idea creating competition among educational institutions.

Senator Howard Dean said, “While the ideals espoused in No Child Left Behind are admirable, the realities of the Bush plan are not...NCLB imposes rigid and expen-sive mandates on public schools. It judges adequate yearly progress using a one-size-fits-all formula, a measure that gives schools an incentive to lower testing standards in order to meet federal requirements and, sadly, to push out students that may bring down a school’s average score.”

One major criticism of NCLB is that it places a large emphasis on test scores as a measurement of a school’s effectiveness. These test scores are largely focused on mathematics and reading, which are essential skills to be sure.

When schools are rewarded for simply focusing on this specific curriculum, howev-er, often times other areas such as art, history and science are neglected.

Also, students are commonly encouraged to transfer to another school when they are not performing well, so that the school’s test scores increase. When test scores become the measure of effectiveness, and are rewarded with funding, students can be removed from the school, so as not to detract from test scores.

The two presidential nominees for the

upcoming November election have both pre-sented views on NCLB, with each in support of its reform.

Presidential nominee Barack Obama is quoted as saying the bill has created “enor-mous resentment” in school districts across the country. Obama said that the idea of high standards is definitely the right idea, but that the bill fails to realize that different schools will start in different places.

“In some cases it’s not possible to meet those measures (set by NCLB),” he said.

Obama has publicly proposed modifica-tions to NCLB, rather than a complete over-haul of educational policy.

Opposing presidential nominee John McCain also said “improve NCLB, don’t discard it.” McCain has publicly advocated choice and competition in schooling.

His ideas for further means of improve-ment include charter schools and vouchers to help students switch schools, plans originally suggested by President George W. Bush.

McCain acknowledged flaws in the act, however, specifically that it did not take into consideration special education means, or the students in need of English as a second lan-guage education.

Education is a unique and important aspect of the human experience and cannot be marginalized by forcing schools to con-form to federal regulations.

While the ideas and rhetoric behind NCLB are admirable, the act is often inflexible and at times ineffective. Education cannot be treated as a competition, for competition ulti-mately results in winners and losers.

This act, while a step in the right direc-tion, must respect the fact that education is a complex process and requires more than just mandates and funding.

Contact Francisco Rendon at frendon.advocate@gmail.com.

F

ROEH FLORESCA AND WRYAN CASTLEBERRY / THE ADVOCATE

Viewer ponders attraction of ‘reality’

laurenshiraishi

how terrible a singer she is. Being famous (or famous by association) does not make one talented.

Already washed-up celebrities are hopping on the reality bandwagon as well.

Paris Hilton, whose claim to fame came from “The Simple Life” rather than the fact she is an heiress, is set to “star” in a new series called “My New BFF,” in which Hilton searches for a new sidekick.

But who actually cares? Why would anyone want to waste their time watching stupid young women kiss up to try and win over an even stupider, yet considerably richer, woman?

The appeal of this kind of enter-tainment is beyond me.

On the other hand, I admit to having discovered “America’s Best Dance Crew” as a guilty pleasure.

Although cynics may say that tal-ent contest winners are only taking the easy road to success, one has to admit they possess more talent than the cast of “Laguna Beach.”

Lauren Shiraishi is an opinion editor of The Advocate. Contact her at lshiraishi.advocate@gmail.com.

found on MTV, are often famous for reasons they should not be.

Being the “mean girl” in high school is not a legitimate reason for getting one’s own television show. If anything, it only gives them the attention they crave.

In these reality dramas, even the most trivial arguments are played up for the camera. The consequences, however, are not always so funny.

Through these high school “real-ity shows,” the girl-next-door can be portrayed as, well, a bitch. I know I would not want that label.

It is difficult enough being judged by high school classmates, let alone an entire nation of television watch-ers scrutinizing your every move. The mistakes of average teens are noticed by their peers; reality TV stars’ mistakes are blown out of pro-portion in tabloids.

Reality TV provides the opportu-

nity for nobodies to try and launch their own careers.

By the time “Laguna Beach” ended, Lauren Conrad was practi-

cally a house-hold name. With her “fame” she was able to land a job, which in turn led to her current real-ity show, “The Hills.”

Members of famous families also try to pave their own way to success through their own shows. Brooke Hogan, daughter of pro-fessional wres-tler Hulk Hogan, was put under the spotlight in their VH1 show

“Hogan Knows Best.”While the show quickly ended

after less than a year, Brooke is still trying to make it as a pop singer. Upon hearing her single, “About Us,” I could not help but laugh at

erhaps one of the easiest ways to achieve instant TV superstardom is by appearing on a reality show.

Better yet, make that a MTV reality show.

Those in search of 16-year-old prima donnas being shipped off to Third World countries, rich SoCal girls and their yo-yo relationships or watching celebrity families go about their daily lives need look no further than MTV.

The channel that introduced “The Real World” to the public has suc-ceeded in producing a new genera-tion of even more mindless enter-tainment.

Several years ago, “Laguna Beach” arrived on the scene, and for reasons I never understood, became a hit.

My friends could often be found discussing the previous nights’ epi-sode at the lunch table. I would hear about LC, Kristin and Jason as if they were upperclassmen that went to our school. It was as if the fights, breakups and make-ups of these privileged teens were so exciting to analyze that they needed to be talked about all the time.

Reality stars, particularly the ones

P

In these

reality

dramas, even

the most

trivial

arguments

are played

up for the

camera.

Leaving convention

Newsline■ ELECTION

ASU needs acts to ‘rock’ event

The ASU is currently looking for anyone interested in perform-ing for a Rock the Vote event to be held on Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Amphitheatre.

Rock the Vote is an event to inform students of issues in the upcoming November presiden-tial, state and local elections.

Students can use this opportu-nity for volunteer hours or class credit, with approval from an instructor.

The deadline for sign-ups is Oct. 9.

Those interested in participat-ing should contact ASU Student Activities Coordinator Kristin Shiloh at 510-235-7800, ext. 4237.

Tuesday, Sept. 16Officer responded to a verbal

dispute between a male and female in front of the Gymnasium.

Suspect was arrested, cited and released for possession of mari-juana.

Wednesday Sept. 18Officer responded to a student

injury report.Victim reported theft of her

vehicle from Lot 6.Officers responded to a report

of a male suspect that stole a female’s purse in front of the Applied Arts Building.

A female reported that an unknown male threatened to scratch her vehicle.

Three male suspects vandal-ized an exterior part of the Art Building with spray paint.

—Anthony Farr

been no funding left to pay for services, she said.

On top of rapidly running out of reserve funding, the district was also losing interest revenue that would have been accumulat-ing if the reserve funding could have been left intact.

“We have already lost about $50,000 and it just keeps going up by the day,” Murillo said.

The money gained through interest could have been spent on students, but was not generated because the state did not pass the budget on time.

For community colleges, the newest budget includes further cutting of the State Chancellor’s Office budget by $200,000, which was already “running on bare bones,” Clow said. Yet, this is substantially lower than the origi-nally proposed $1 million in cuts to the office.

For the United Faculty, the lim-ited increase to the cost of living adjustment (COLA) was disap-pointing, UF President Jeffrey Michels said.

“COLA only went up 0.68 percent, when the cost of living has risen 5 percent,” Dr. Michels said.

The desire of the UF is to have COLA go up proportionally to the cost of living, in order to keep salaries competitive with other districts, an area the district has not kept up with in recent years, he said.

Despite the disappointment, Michels said it could have been worse.

“Health care got hit a lot harder than (community colleges) did,” he said.

Michels believes community colleges were spared in part do to Proposition 92, which did not pass, but helped send a message

to the legislature and governor about the purpose and importance of community colleges.

“We didn’t get cut to the extent we might have,” Michels said.

On another positive note, the district will be reimbursed by the state for the money they advanced to students in the Cal Grant pro-gram, Murillo said.

While community colleg-es have been somewhat spared during the budget crisis, the California State University and the University of California sys-tems were not so fortunate.

When initial funding was requested back in January for the CSUs, it was rejected and the governor issued a 10 percent funding cut for the system, said Teresa Ruiz, public affairs com-munication specialist for the CSU system.

Those cuts were too deep for the CSUs and the second pro-

posal in the May budget revi-sion restored some of the funding, Ruiz said.

The remainder of the fund-ing had to be made up by the schools.

This shortage of funding was made up by increasing student fees, which occurred back in May, and curbing student enrollment, she said.

Curbing the enrollment meant that schools could not admit all qualified students who applied and had to close enrollment ear-lier than desired.

Any other loss of funding had to be accounted for individually by each school, Ruiz said.

“(Cuts) could be reflected in many ways — increased class sizes, or loss of services,” she said. “We are very glad that things have been restored to some extent from initial cuts, but we are still hurting because we do not have

the funding that we might have needed.”

The UC system saw similar funding cuts, spokesman for the UC system Ricardo Vazquez said.

Funding for 2008-09 will be the same as the previous year, he said.

“We will not be receiving funds for increased student body and the cost of increased infla-tion,” Vazquez said. “We have to reduce expenditures by over $100 million.”

Like the CSUs, the UCs also increased tuition, in this case by 7.4 percent, and cut administra-tive spending, saving $28 million, he said.

“(The budget) has certainly had an impact on the campuses, the students and on the system,” Vazquez said.

Contact Justin Morrison at jmorrison.advocate@gmail.com.

Budget | Both impasse, resolution cost colleges money■ FROM: Page 1

CrimeWatch

CAMPUS BEATTHE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 20084

ing from religion-based designs to promotional ones supporting the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama were sold, along with clothing sport-ing the event’s logo.

“The vendors pay for their booths and then they participate,” Barbara Luna, president of the board of the El Sobrante Boys and Girls Club, said. “The businesses donate the money for the T-shirts.”

The money raised at the event goes to a number of the Chamber of Commerce support groups and toward the funds for the next year’s Stroll, Luna said.

“Each year, we piggyback from a previous event in order to pick up from the previous year and make (it) better,” she said.

The day featured different types of musical perfor-mances, including “Elvis,” the Downtown Rhythm Band and the Randy Band among others, along with cultural dances.

Contra Costa College students Mark De Leon and Jocelyn Sanchez both said they were there to support the local businesses.

“I’ve been coming ever since I moved here, which was about 10 years ago,” De Leon said.

In addition to the various performances, delicious food, including soul, Mexican, barbecue, along with a number of snacks and drinks, were sold at the event.

Community business booths also included Avon makeup, Contra Costa Yellow Pages, H&R Block, El Sobrante Optometry, El Sobrante Club Scouts and the CCC EOPS/CARE Program.

EOPS/CARE Outreach Coordinator Kenneth Reynolds represented CCC at the event.

“We are trying to expose the college to the com-munity,” Reynolds said. “We are trying to get the word out for more people to go to school.”

A lot of people do not take advantage of the opportunities at CCC, he said.

College representatives were also handing out

course catalogs and issues of The Advocate news-paper.

Along with the many other festivities, The Pedaler bike shop hosted a BMX performance featuring riders from Santa Cruz professional biking team TwoHipBikes.

“It is a fair and essential attraction for the event,” Ron Hamer, who is in charge of sales and mechanics at The Pedaler, said. “It distracts people from the rest of the Stroll.”

De Anza High School also participated in the Stroll by raising funds for their sports teams. Vincent Hoesl represented the girls’ basketball team, selling Star Wars action figures for $5.

Another De Anza booth raised funds for the building of the new De Anza High School.

“It is a $125 million project,” Ryan Kolb, director and coordinator of student activities, said.

According to Kolb, the new high school will be finished in the 2011-12 school year.

Among the other attractions, the Stroll showcased a fully restored vintage car exhibition, with classics ranging from Chevrolet Camaros, Chevelles and Cadillacs.

CCC student David Castro showed off his custom white ’86 Chevy Monte Carlo.

“I entered my car through the El Sobrante Town Garage,” Castro said. “I showed up one day to their garage and they asked me if I wanted to enter my car into the show.”

Although owners had to register and pay $15 to enter their car in the show, the event was not judged and no winners were announced or prizes given.

“Overall, I really liked the entire day, which was full of everything involved with a great community festival,” Castro said. “They had food, free water, professional BMX show, parade with floats and, last but not least, all the extremely nice cars.”

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

Stroll | Parade unites neighbors■ FROM: Page 1

2006-07 academic year, Mullen said.

One student taking 12 units is equal to one FTES. Students taking 300 units is equal to 25 FTES.

Last year, Mullen said, the dis-trict had more than 30,000 FTES.

The state funds its 71 com-munity college districts based on FTES, which is roughly calculat-ed by dividing the number of units all students are enrolled in by 12, the amount of units one needs to be a full-time student.

Colleges receive funding from the state based on FTES projec-tions set before the school year and if they do not match or exceed those projections, the colleges have to return funding to the state at the end of the year.

The district is funded almost entirely, Mullen said, by the state’s apportionment funding, receiving approximately $150 million of its $170 million budget from the State Chancellor’s Office based on its FTES.

“Bigger colleges get more money, smaller colleges get less money,” Mullen said. “It’s a game you’re playing, trying to get your slice as big as you can get it.”

The district receives $4,564.83 for each FTES in credit courses and $2,744.95 for non-credit.

Mullen brought up the issue at the college several weeks ago when informing a large group of CCC employees, including administrators, managers, faculty and classified staff, on the chang-es of how colleges and districts report FTES.

Dr. Tim Clow, CCC senior dean of research and planning, said when he heard of the number, he asked, “What’s this?

“In all the years I’ve been here,” he said, “I’ve never looked at this.”

Mullen said although the state is asking the colleges and district to look into the reported num-ber of students from the 2006-07, there will be no sanctions against the colleges or districts.

“Basically, it’s done (for 2006-07),” Mullen said. “In terms of the whole budget of the district or college, we wouldn’t be giving it back.”

Nevertheless, the three colleg-es in the district — Contra Costa, Diablo Valley and Los Medanos colleges — will be backtrack-ing, looking over their records of students in K-12 from the last two years, starting in fall 2006.

If it turns out the numbers were incorrect for 2007-08, it can be corrected in an end of the report sent to the state in November, Mullen said.

The state reviews all college’s management information systems after the academic years, Mullen said. The MIS reports include birth dates.

The colleges are looking at the records of their students under 12 to see if there were data entry errors, Mullen said.

Before the CCC admission

process was moved to almost 100 percent online, Clow said, there was a greater margin of error.

“Several semesters ago, we didn’t have 100 percent of stu-dents filling out CCC Apply Online, it was hand entry,” Clow said. “The possibility of making errors is greater, but we’ve taken care of that.”

Clow said he saw one admis-sion form that had no date of birth.

“It was obvious to me it was a hand entry,” he said. “It was one out of thousands.”

Mullen said although the col-leges and district can review their records before they send them back to Sacramento, if the State Chancellor’s Office does not approve of the changes made or believe what has been reported, after an audit, it can take money back from the colleges.

“It has happened,” Mullen said. “One district got a bill for $11 million.”

The district is in no such dan-ger, however, as the maximum amount it could be billed for would be $114,120.75.

Former CCC Admissions and Records director Jeanette Moore, who retired in 2004, is now serving as an adviser in the Admissions and Records Office and looking through letters per-mitting K-12 students to enroll in courses at CCC.

According the state’s Educational Code, Moore said, students from as young as kinder-garten are allowed to attend class-es at community colleges if the purpose is to achieve scholastic or vocational education. The prin-cipals of these schools, however, need to write letters permitting their students to enroll at colleges, she said.

For more than a week, Moore has been looking through the let-ters to confirm all the students reported in CCC’s FTES have a letter from their principal.

One reason CCC’s concurrent-ly enrolled students’ age may vary more than at LMC or DVC is due to the way the colleges allow con-currently enrolled students.

She said DVC and LMC only allow students who are in at least 10th grade or above, while CCC, in compliance with the Ed Code, allows all students in the K-12 system.

Chris Yatooma, director of fiscal planning for the State Chancellor’s Office, said most concurrently enrolled students are in high school taking career tech-nology courses or have exceed-ed the courses offered at their schools.

He said the students younger than 12 years old are often tak-ing courses in the arts, including plays. However, he said, “some-times you get the brilliant 10-year-old who has gone through all the math offered at primary and secondary schools.”

Contact Brett Abel at babel.advocate@gmail.com.

FTES | Questioned■ FROM: Page 1

adults have made up 65 percent of the volunteer turnout, Fusek said.

“It’s just a good thing to do for the Earth,” returning volunteer Michael Sholinbeck said.

Sholinbeck has participated in the cleanup four times with his daughter and believes it is impor-tant that people are aware of their trash.

Environmentalists arranged a stand near the registry offering posters, maps of the county shore-lines, wildlife pamphlets and iron-on patches available for children and volunteers.

Much interest was accumu-lated when an event aide brought out a gopher snake named Lucas to show to the volunteers.

Additionally, many local com-

panies such as Starbucks, Noah’s Bagels and Krispy Kreme donated food and beverages to the event.

Water bottles and juice were also provided for volunteers.

“It was a good experience,” ASU member Kristin Shiloh said.

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

Cleanup | A ‘good experience’ ■ FROM: Page 1

Moore, who is also charged with resisting an executive officer and violating parole, on Oct. 24 in either Richmond or possibly Martinez, Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove said.

At this hearing, all of the evidence will once again be examined by the district attorney, Grove said, possibly leading to higher charges, such as murder in the sec-ond degree.

“The evidence is presented in a mini trial without the jury,” he said. “At that point, we may reevaluate the case as all the evidence unfolds.”

If convicted of his most pressing charge, vehicular manslaughter — the unlawful killing of another without knowledge or intent — Moore would likely be incarcer-ated for six years, Grove said. A charge of second-degree murder, however, could result in anywhere from 15 years to life in prison, he said.

Moore, who sustained a head injury as a result of the collision, was taken to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek shortly after the incident, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office Jimmy Lee said. Following treat-ment, Moore was released and booked into a county detention facility in Martinez on

Aug. 29, Lee said.According to Terry, Moore led sheriff’s

deputies on a high-speed chase through Pinole, including Interstate 80, on Aug. 28. After taking the Pinole Valley Road exit, Moore lost control of his vehicle and crashed into Padilla’s wagon shortly after, killing him.

Due to the incident’s circumstances, Grove said, the case is being investigated by multiple agencies.

“Whenever there is an officer involved in any kind of serious physical harm, the District Attorney’s Office investigates the case along with the agency (originally

involved in the investigation of the inci-dent),” he said.

In addition to the DA and sheriff’s offices, the investigation will also include the California Highway Patrol, because of the brief stint on I-80, and the Pinole Police Department, as the event occurred within its jurisdiction.

Grove said the various agencies worked together on the case, which is near comple-tion, barring a possible charge of murder in the second degree.

Contact Alec Surmani at asurmani.advocate@gmail.com.

Moore | Alleged manslaughter culprit to stand trial■ FROM: Page 1

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Down the line — De Anza High School students dance in a conga line at Sunday’s El Sobrante Stroll. The students were raising money to help fund the reconstruction of the high school.

In the article, “Increasing inten-sity” on page 6 and the ScoreBoard on page 11 of the Sept. 17, 2008 issue of The Advocate, the score of the game between Contra Costa and Diablo Valley colleges was incorrectly stated as 66-0 and 67-0, respectively.

The score was actually 65-0.The Advocate regrets the

error.

Correction

■ ASU

SLW to teach stress release

The ASU will be hosting a Students Living Well Workshop on Oct. 7 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room.

The subject of the workshop will be “Test Anxiety” and the ASU is looking for anyone inter-ested in teaching relaxation tech-niques to students.

For more information, contact the Student Life Center at 510-235-7800, ext. 4237.

■ DRAMA

Theater season to open in Knox

The drama department will be presenting two different shows for the price of one. “Night at the Fights,” directed by Andrea Weber, and “Night at the Comedy Improv,” directed by Kathryn McCarty, will be held on Oct. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. in the Knox Center.

Tickets are $10 for students and seniors and $15 for general admission.

To reserve tickets, call 510-235-7800, ext. 4274.

■ HOLIDAY

Campus closed Friday, no class

There will be no classes held Friday and campuses across the district will be closed for Native American Day.

Saturday classes, however, will be held and all courses will resume Monday.

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2008 l THE ADVOCATE 5

By Brett AbelASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, a group of community college and district employees from across California, placed Diablo Valley College on warning for not following an earlier recommendation after a special visit in June.

Taking special consideration for student grades and records, the ACCJC recommended DVC change leadership of the records from the information tech-nology department to student services.

Despite the warning, DVC administrators did not, and were not planning on, changing their ways.

“Leadership for students’ records, it appeared to the team, were provided by IT,” ACCJC President Barbara Beno said. “In a well-functioning college, it needs to be run by student services.”

Contra Costa College Senior Dean of Students Frank Hernandez said student services oversees records at CCC.

DVC was told to accomplish nine topics regarding grade and records security in a report published by the ACCJC in March.

DVC President Judy Walters said, “We com-plied with four, we’re working on three and two we still had to do.”

The ACCJC went back to DVC Friday for a follow-up report and visit. Beno said the results of that visit will not be made public until January.

Walters said although the college was not going to change their records’ leadership, the actions of the ACCJC meant they had to.

“(We changed because) they put us on warning!” she said.

Walters also said the commission told DVC to improve its records system. The college’s and district’s use of an old database called Legacy, which was developed in the early 1970s, was holding records as late as 1997.

Colleges in the district tried moving records over to Datatel’s Colleague database from Legacy from 1997-99, but found several problems, said Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, vice chancellor of information tech-nology.

“In 2002, when the accreditation commission was (at DVC), some had not moved records,” Walters said. “No schools in the district had moved them over. The person who came visiting DVC was a little sharper.”

The accreditation commission’s demands have accelerated and motivated a program to move all records in the district from Legacy to Colleague, Mehdizadeh said.

The district’s and the colleges’ IT and admissions and records departments, she said, have been work-ing together recently on a four-phase plan to move records over.

Initial efforts to move records over in the late ’90s resulted in complicated and confusing transcripts, Mehdizadeh said.

For instance, she said, if a student elected to repeat a class, both grades would show up on the transcript instead of one with a comment mentioning the grade was alleviating another.

Also, she said, if a student were to take a course that was deleted but reinstalled with a different title, the grade would show up on the transcripts like it was with the new class.

Ultimately, however, Mehdizadeh said, the tran-scripts would be correct, but jumbled.

“That’s ugly, that’s bad,” she said.Phase 1 of the project — importing transcripts

to Colleague — is about 75 percent complete, Mehdizadeh said.

She said it is on schedule to finish by Tuesday, and Phase 2 would start immediately after.

Contact Brett Abel at babel.advocate@gmail.com.

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Inside drive — Sam Craver (right) goes in for a layup past the extended arms of technology systems Manager James Eyestone at the exhibition wheelchair basketball game held in the Gymnasium on Thursday.

Players, facultyraise awarenessat hoops event

Former professor and adviser passes on

Accrediting commissiondemands improvements

By Regina SarnicolaOPINION EDITOR

Former English professor and adviser of The Advocate, John P. Christenson, died on Aug. 16 of complications resulting from cancer.

E i g h t y - n i n e - y e a r - o l d Christenson, who retired in 1983 after teaching English and jour-nalism at the college for 33 years, was known for his soft-spoken and amiable personality all the way up until his passing.

“John cared about his friends very much, and even though he retired 25 years ago, wherever we went, former students would come up and talk with him. It was remarkable,” Christenson’s wife, Marilyn, said.

“I remember he had this won-

derful calm smile and very patient manner,” former Contra Costa College staff member Bruce Carlton said. “He was a very refreshing person to encounter.”

Born and raised in Clifton, Texas, Christenson graduated from Clifton High School and Clifton College and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1941 from the University of Texas in Austin.

With this degree, Christenson’s first job was as editor for a trade magazine in Beaumont, Texas before volunteering for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

He attended UC Berkeley after his discharge as a graduate stu-dent and obtained his teaching credential.

After teaching at Vallejo College where he also met his wife,

Christenson came to Contra Costa College and taught English.

“We had an incredible English department (in the early days of the college) with many great teachers,” Paul DeBolt, journal-ism department chairman, said. “It was, and still is, one of the strongest departments on cam-pus.”

In addition to his English classes, Christenson also served as adviser of The Advocate, rotat-ing the position with several other

teachers.“I think he turned out a great

paper. He was quiet, yet confident and very capable,” Robert Pence, a former professor who preceded Christenson as adviser, said.

Along with serving as advis-er for The Advocate and teach-ing English, Christenson was also actively involved with the California Teacher’s Association, Governing Board trustee and for-mer CCC professor Tony Gordon said.

Christenson was also a mem-ber of professional educational fraternity Phi Delta Kappa, the West Contra Costa Retired Educators Association, The United Nations Association and the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco.

“He worked more or less by my side and never had a com-

plaint about anything,” former CCC professor Dave Jacobson said. “He was modest, reliable and well-liked.”

Christenson and his wife also loved to travel and their trips included visits to South America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Mexico, Canada and various parts of the United States.

According to his wife, one of her husband’s hobbies was mak-ing movies of their travels.

Art department Chairman John Diestler also mentioned Christenson’s interest in home videos.

“He developed an interest in making home movies and actually started the first film class on the campus,” Diestler said.

A memorial scholarship was set up at CCC in Christenson’s name. His wife asked for any-

one who wishes to make a dona-tion in memory of her husband to consider the memorial schol-arship, Sutter VNA & Hospice Foundation or a favorite charity.

Despite his absence from the college since his retirement, Christenson is still remembered for his contributions and will be greatly missed, not only by his daughter and wife, but also by those who knew and worked with him.

“I remember he was one of the few people at the college that I regularly received a Christmas card from every year. I’ll miss see-ing the card this year,” Jacobson said. “We all remember him with great affection.”

Contact Regina Sarnicola at rsarnicola.advocate@gmail.com.

By Dariush AzmoudehSTAFF WRITER

An exhibition game of wheel-chair basketball designed to raise disability awareness through friendly competition was held Thursday in the Gymnasium.

People of all ages turned up for the game, which pitted the Bay Area Outreach Recreational Program (BORP) All-Stars against the “CCC Comet” team.

The “CCC Comet” team was made up of faculty, staff and students, coached by Athletic Director John Wade.

As most of the team had lit-tle experience playing the game, players had difficulties handling the wheelchairs, dribbling, pass-ing and shooting the ball.

Admission to the game was free.

The idea to have an exhibition game of wheelchair basketball was proposed by DSPS Manager Yasuko “Sue” Abe.

She said the reason she wanted to have the game was to show the crowd that people with disabilities can play sports too.

“I’ve known BORP for 10 years,” Abe said. “I thought it would (be) a good idea to have a wheelchair basketball game. I hope this is the first of several dis-ability awareness events.”

BORP and the athletic depart-ment, along with Abe, helped make the game possible.

“I think the event was a suc-cess, there was a lot of positive feedback,” Wade said. “It brought good athletes with disabilities to the campus, which helped DSPS to gain more support.”

CCC was spotted 40 points at the start of the game, but the lead would shrink due to the constant turnovers and lack of experience.

Within 15 minutes, the All-Stars had tied the game and by halftime had the lead 55-44.

At halftime, the All-Stars divided up into two teams and played against each other for eight minutes in an exhibition match.

In the beginning of the second half, the CCC team was once again spotted with points and started the third quarter with 110 points.

Just like the first half, however, the All-Stars caught up.

The “CCC Comet” team put forth an admirable effort, mak-ing the last minutes of the game exciting.

Fans rallied to help CCC win, but the All-Stars took the lead in the last minute and won the game by a score of 123-118.

The “CCC Comet” team scored only 12 total points, not including the 106 already spotted to them.

Both teams, however, played a good game that both entertained and heightened the awareness of those in attendance.

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

By Lauren ShiraishiOPINION EDITOR

Due to a local small business rob-bery attempt, a temporary campus shelter-in-place was implemented on Sept. 16.

At approximately 5:05 p.m., two men entered A and L Posters in San Pablo, one carrying a sawed-off shot-gun.

When one of the men jumped over the counter, the owner of the store shot and killed him.

The other suspect fled the vicin-ity and was last seen running east-bound, in the direction of Contra Costa College.

Although police are working sev-

eral promising leads, he still remains at large.

A and L Posters, located at 14650 San Pablo Ave., is less than half a mile away from the campus.

Police Services Sgt. Jose Oliveira said he first learned of the incident when he heard via radio that a city dispatch had sent San Pablo units to the scene.

Concerned for the safety of the campus, he sent some of the campus officers to assist before contacting President McKinley Williams around 5:15 p.m.

“I informed the college president it would be prudent to have a lockdown take place,” Oliveira said.

According to San Pablo Police Lt. Mark Foisie, it was later found out that

the suspect never made it to the cam-pus, instead heading northeast.

Still, precautionary measures were taken, and Police Services officers sur-rounded the area near the Gym Annex Building.

“I suggested that we set up a perim-eter around the PE area,” Oliveira said. “We wanted to keep people out of that area.”

Following Oliveira’s phone call, Williams in turn informed the deans of his decision to issue the lockdown, around 5:15 p.m.

Students and teachers were told to stay indoors for roughly 15 minutes, until Williams ordered that the shel-ter-in-place be lifted at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Evening classes then resumed as

usual.“I wasn’t monitoring the time close-

ly since it all happened very quickly,” he said. “But it was all over before 6 p.m. The lockdown was lifted when we felt it was no longer a threat.”

The district has the campus prepare for various emergency situations. In November 2007, shortly before the shooting of police aide Edgar Rocha, college administrators set up a plan of action in the case of a gunman coming near or on campus.

“We’ve done a lot of training (to prepare for this type of situation) and will continue to do so,” Williams said.

Contact Lauren Shiraishi at lshi-raishi.advocate@gmail.com.

By Regina SarnicolaOPINION EDITOR

Vice President Carol Maga is taking a temporary leave of absence due to injury.

Maga, who broke both her arm and leg, is hoping to return by Oct. 1, prior to the accredita-tion committee visits on the 14th, Senior Dean of Instruction Donna Floyd said.

“She is really biting at the bit to come back,” Dr. Floyd said. “These injuries have not daunted her.”

Maga is currently staying in

an assisted living facility in El Cerrito and taking time off to rest and heal, Floyd said.

Floyd is taking over Maga’s responsibilities as vice president, with help from various faculty and staff members and President McKinley Williams, until she returns.

“I’m sitting in on her behalf at meetings she chairs and attends, as well as numerous other things like hiring staff. I’m just trying to keep things afloat,” Floyd said.

According to Williams, since Maga expects to only be absent for a month, there was no talk of plans to bring someone in to take

over on an interim basis. “It didn’t seem prudent to bring

someone from the outside in. It is much easier for us to pick up her duties and responsibilities and I am proud of the people that are pulling together to help out,” he said. “We are making it happen.”

Williams did mention however, that he is sending a request to the district to set up an active position for Floyd as vice president until Maga’s return.

“It is a big position to fill,” he said.

The temporary absence of the vice president has not only left a hole in the administration, but has

also affected a number of her co-workers on an emotional level.

“We miss her and our hearts go out to (her) and her family as she recovers,” Michele Jackson, community and educational part-nership liaison, said. “We all real-ize, considering (Maga’s) energy level, these are challenging times for her now.

“But she will heal and be back on campus handling the business of the college soon,” she said.

Contact Regina Sarnicola at rsarnicola.advocate@gmail.com.

BORP All-Starsentertain crowdin friendly game

DVC givenwarning ininspection

Local robbery incites safety response

Injury to Maga drives temporary solutionVice

president

forced

into

short

leave of

absence

“Leadership for students’ records,

it appeared to the team, were

provided by (information

technology). In a well-functioning college, it needs to be run by stu-dent services.”

Barbara Beno,ACCJC president

“He had this wonder-ful calm smile and very

patient manner.”

Bruce Carlton,former staff member

By Sam AttalSTAFF WRITER

Despite its numerous wonders, many people may not be aware of the hidden Planetarium housed within the Physical Sciences Building.

They may also be oblivious to the fact that on the roof of that very building is an observational deck housing a high-powered tele-scope.

Jon Celesia’s Elementary Astronomy students, however, know full well of these tools, as they will be implementing them throughout the course of the semester.

Offered in three sections, all at the instruction of Celesia who serves as department chairman of the physics and astronomy departments, the course has a dif-ferent approach from the typical science class, astronomy student Marykate Rossi said.

“The class is not really what I expected. There’s a lot more sci-ence and physics,” Rossi said. “I like it because it’s challenging.”

Students are required to study the sky, planets, stars, constel-lations, galaxies, the zodiac and astronomy history using not only textbooks, but also basic hands-on techniques and advanced tools.

“It’s my actual first class where I have looked outside the class and books,” student Cruz Peregrina said.

Through the use of the Planetarium, students are able to take in a visual description of the lectures during class time.

“As I became department (chairman), one of my goals was to work on the astronomy pro-gram,” Celesia said. “We fixed up the Planetarium. It’s a really nice presentation room.”

During the first few weeks of instruction the students were trained to be what Celesia describes as “ancient shepherds observing the sky.”

This meant using only their fists, eyes and minds to analyze constellations. Celesia applied these basics in an outdoor stargaz-ing event on the observation deck three weeks into the class.

“I like the courses to be excit-ing, challenging and fun (to) change the way people view the world,” he said.

Students used their 10 fingers to measure the distance between stars. These “Star Parties,” as noted by Celesia, will be featured approximately every two to three weeks to apply what the students learn through lecture.

“Doing (Star Parties) is as hands-on as you can get from so far away,” Astronomy Club President Cameron Patterson said.

Celesia created the Astronomy Club this semester in order to aid him with Star Parties, field trips, telescope explanation and to form a solid astronomy following on campus. “We went to draw from the community, bring people into the program,” he said.

Celesia’s curriculum went through a makeover after he took a sabbatical leave from teaching for a year. After his leave, he returned with a textbook in hand, titled “Your Astronomy Coach,” which he created himself and is currently selling beta copies in the Bookstore.

“I’m thinking about publishing it myself and keeping the costs

down (for students),” Celesia said.

According to Patterson, the book meshes Celesia’s writing and lecture styles to create an enjoyable summary of the lessons learned throughout the course.

“He’s a really fun teacher, because he’s goofy and a dork at times in his book,” Rossi said. Celesia is continually writing his book, while maintaining his sense of style and ideology created dur-ing his years as a teacher.

After a long his-tory of c o l l e g e experience as both an instructor and pupil, C e l e s i a joined the C o n t r a C o s t a C o l l e g e faculty in 2000.

Celesia attended UC Davis where took up an interest in theo-retical physics, but faced difficult professors.

“I found very capable people being demoralized by the physics classes. The courses were taught by people whose purpose wasn’t to teach,” he said. “I think we lose a lot of dedicated talented people through the first two years at a larger university.”

After his experience as a student at a four-year universi-ty, Celesia became inspired to become an instructor at a two-year college.

“I learned that a wiser student starts at a community college,” he said.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.

STAR

“It’s my actu-al first class

where I have looked out-

side the class and books.”

Cruz Peregrina,Astronomy 120 student

CAMPUS BEATTHE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 20086

PHOTO BY SAM ATTAL AND ILLUSTRATION BY JUSTIN MORRISON / THE ADVOCATE

Exploring space — Astronomy department Chairman Jon Celesia teaches three sections of Astronomy 120, Elementary Astronomy. His classes, held in the Physical Sciences Building, educate students about the nature of the universe, including planets, galaxies and stars.

By Cassandra JunielSTAFF WRITER

The Dreamkeepers Emergency Financial Assistance program, aiding students in unexpected financial crises, is now in effect.

A grant through program administrators Scholarship America was awarded on Sept. 15, with applications being accepted the next day. As of Monday, seven awards were made available to stu-dents, Student Life Director Jennifer Ounjian said.

“We’re really pleased to make assistance for stu-dents available and want them to take advantage of it, but also recognize the intent, which is to remain in school,” Foundation Director Linda Cherry said. “The funds are available and they must do what it takes to remain eligible.”

Donations for the program are currently being accepted by the college Foundation and can be writ-ten off as a tax deduction.

Applicants eligible for Dreamkeepers must be students seeking a degree, certificate or transfer to a four-year university.

First-semester students must be enrolled in at

least five academic units in line with their declared majors. Continuing students, however, must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 and continue to make progress toward their declared education goals noted in their education plans.

Additionally, first-semester students must dem-onstrate their intent to stay in school.

Interested students may obtain applications from the Student Life Center.

A copy of the student’s current education plan, appropriate documentation of the need (food, trans-portation or notices, such as for an eviction or three-day shut-off notice) and a statement outlining the circumstances for the request must be included with the application.

Determination of the type of assistance provided is based on the student’s need.

First-semester students receive grocery gift cards, gas cards and bus passes. Continuing students receive, in addition to the cards, assistance with delinquent rent, utilities, childcare and bills.

“Dreamkeepers is for unexpected, emergency occurrences and do not include the purchase of books,” Ounjian said.

The cards are distributed through the Contra

Costa College Cashier’s Office, while assistance for utilities and health care is paid directly to the vendors.

Once the applicant completes the interview and the request is approved, the process is carried out within a 24-hour time frame, in most cases.

“Our goal, once an application is approved, is to process the request as quickly as possible, whether it is within that same day or within a 24-hour period,” Ounjian said.

The recipient of the award must submit receipts to Ounjian within seven days of issuance. Attendance in a budget counseling workshop, still under devel-opment, is also required, as well the completion of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

All types of awards have been given out, however, the majority have been for transportation and food assistance, Ounjian said.

“This is an opportunity to remove some of the personal barriers to our students at CCC,” Kenneth Reynolds, EOPS/CARE outreach coordinator, said. “It is a great retention tool, which is our goal.”

The majority of students that seek help through EOPS/CARE are in need of funds for food and trans-portation, he said.

“Transportation usually outnumbers other requests,” Reynolds said.

He encouraged a few students who are in need of transportation assistance to apply through Dreamkeepers, and was pleased to discover that they were awarded.

“Students are very serious about their educa-tion, but are burdened by the problem of getting to school,” Reynolds said.

He shared the story of a young man, new to CCC, who walked from Oakland to the college on his first day, due to lack of transportation. The student tele-phoned him, requesting that he advise his teachers of his dilemma.

“There are many students with many needs, yet it is in these type situations where the need shows to be the greatest,” Reynolds said.

“I am glad to know that this type of program is available to students,” Student Life Center assistant Latanya Mosley said. “Even though it is new, stu-dents are coming in, calling and scheduling appoint-ments and hopefully getting the aid that they need.”

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

Astronomy classdazzles studentsunder night sky

By Holly PabloSTAFF WRITER

Discussing racial equality, participants felt positive vibes during the ASU event, “Bridging the Gap: Between Latinos and African-Americans” on Sept. 17 in the Fireside Room.

Guest speaker Gerald Lenoir, the director from the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), said the purpose of the event was to “unify the community to promote social and economic justice for all.

“We are a small organization with a big agenda,” he said.

Hosted by the ASU, the event’s empha-sis was placed on the struggle of racial discrimination that African-Americans and Latino immigrants share and how they are connected.

Jeanelle Hope, ASU president, said she began planning the event last year after hearing about the nonprofit orga-

nization.BAJI was founded in April 2006 to

engage people in open forums, open dis-cussion and debate to introduce reform in the U.S. immigration system and elimi-nate racial inequalities.

The event turnout was successful, ASU Senator Nicholas Chin said.

“We ran out of chairs. They were all filled. Only standing room (was avail-able),” Chin said.

Lenoir explained the reasoning behind the movement by providing insight into history. This was followed by open dis-cussion where students and faculty were invited to voice their opinions.

“Often times, we as Americans are very ignorant as to what is happening in the world,” Lenoir said.

Globalization of large corporations in the Third World, or countries that are economically unstable, Lenoir said, open up the market for American goods. Lower industries cannot compete and become obsolete, creating even further financial hardships.

“We often think immigrants want to leave their countries (in search of) the American dream. Sometimes they have no choice,” he said.

African-Americans are feeling the

pressure as employers are favoring hiring immigrants, Lenoir said. Their lack of legal documentation, he said, is thought of as a “lack of rights” that makes them easily exploitable.

“We’re fighting each other for the crumbs on the table. Immigrants are not the ones taking our jobs,” he said. “It is the employers.

“Black and brown (people) are at the bottom of the heap,” Lenoir said. “It all comes down to how we talk to each other to resolve issues.”

Contra Costa College student Tori Johnson said he learned a lot during the presentation.

“(Lenoir) enlightened you on a bunch of different things, like immigration. It was educational,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed seeing that much support for a school event.”

Some thought that the hour-long event, which went from 1 to 2 p.m., did not include enough time to talk about such a massive topic.

“It was just the beginning. We barely

scratched the surface,” community activ-ist Janie Anker said.

Questions, such as what citizens can do to contribute to the solution, still need to be addressed, she said.

There will be another opportunity to do so in the future, however, Lenoir said.

“I would like to come back,” he said. “It’s important to follow up and hear peoples’ issues and concerns.”

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

ASU works to unitedifferent groups in‘bridging’ gathering Collaborative eventbetween ethnicitiesemphasizes diversity

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

Full house — Students convene to listen to director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Gerald Lenoir (background), speak about racial unity and the promotion of social justice in the Fireside Room on Sept. 17.

Relief program brings assistance for needy

S TRUCK

By Jeff CarilloSPORTS EDITOR

Even during his team’s most devastat-ing blowout losses, when several of his Comet teammates have essentially given up, sophomore Sakpa Kpaka can still be seen playing with the same level of inten-sity he has all game long.

The drive and passion he displays on a weekly basis for Contra Costa College is the fuel for the team’s young and improv-ing defense.

“On the field, he’s just intense and he’s our leader,” freshman defensive back Mike Davis said. “He’s always trying to pump everybody up and get them to work hard.”

Born in Liberia, located on the west coast of Africa, however, Kpaka was seem-ingly destined to be anything but a football player, he said.

“Football just didn’t exist in Africa,” Kpaka said. “Soccer and track were more known in Africa, but I was always a physi-cal kid because my grandfather had a farm where I was always active back then.”

Kpaka was raised in Sierra Leone and grew up with four brothers and three sis-ters, of which he is the middle child.

Even after moving to the United States as a 12-year-old in 1997, the defensive line-man had to be convinced by his father and his coach at the time to play football.

“I just didn’t look into it all that much at first,” Kpaka said. “But I got bigger and

taller each year and I decided to play.”At the time, Kpaka was only 5 feet 5

inches tall and weighed about 145 pounds, but starting with his freshman year at Lincoln High School in Stockton, he under-went a major growth spurt.

The Comet grew with each year and now stands 6 feet tall and weighs 225 pounds.

After making the decision to play foot-ball, it would not be long until Kpaka became a starter on Lincoln’s defensive unit as a free safety all four seasons.

During Kpaka’s tenure in high school, the team was successful and won its divi-sion championship during his senior sea-son, but even then, football was not a seri-ous matter to the now 22-year-old.

Once he graduated, Kpaka took a year and a half off from college and football altogether, but he soon realized that football was his passion.

“I always loved the physical aspect of football,” he said. “I knew I needed to find something that I’m passionate about and I knew it was football.”

Soon afterward, Kpaka became the ded-icated athlete that can be seen on the field at Comet football games this season.

“I want to give it my all during every game for myself, my teammates and coach-es, and the college,” he said.

It was after attending Laney College for one semester when Kpaka decided to enroll at CCC, which proved to be a great deci-sion for the student-athlete.

“(Coach John McDermott) welcomed me and took me in because he knew about me,” Kpaka said. “I ended up liking every-thing about the school and the program they have here.”

McDermott saw Kpaka working out one

day in the Fitness Center and invited him to play on the football team.

“I saw him doing his workouts and I was just amazed at the things he was doing,” he said. “I had to go and tell him that he’s got to come play with us.”

Kpaka also draws motivation from his mother in Africa, who he has not seen in 15 years due to his parents’ separation.

“I play every game for her as well,” he said. “She’s an inspiration to me, even when she’s so far away.”

The adjustment from high school to col-lege football proved to be difficult for the sophomore, as he transitioned from free safety to defensive lineman in college.

“In high school, I used to think speed was everything,” Kpaka said. “Learning when to speed up and slow down was tough for me at first.”

Heading into this season, Kpaka dedi-cated himself during CCC’s offsea-son program.

Under new defensive coordi-nator Mark Stantz, the lineman worked all summer to increase his speed, strength, agility and game smarts, Kpaka said.

Off the field, Kpaka is known for his friendly demean-or to many of his peers, a contrast to his intense on-field persona.

“He cares a lot about his family and just people in gen-eral,” Sakpa’s sister Baindu Kpaka said. “He’s always been a really focused and caring individual.”

“If you’re new, he’ll accept you with open arms,”

Davis said. “He made me better and he worked with me when he didn’t have to, and that to me shows the kind of person he is.”

When Davis came to the team this sea-son, Kpaka was the only person willing to help him out, he said.

Football has become such an important fixture in Kpaka’s life that he plans to dedi-cate the rest of his life to the game.

“I want to play football wherever I go,” he said, “and I want my kids to play the game or be around the game, too.”

Kpaka hopes to transfer to Temple University and major in finance.

As for playing football, he says if his energy is still in playing and competing, he plans to enter the NFL draft after he graduates.

“All the tools are there to make a good football player,” McDermott said. “He’s a

good kid, he’s coachable and he’s continu-ing to learn and study on

the field.”

Contact Jeff Carillo at jcarillo.

advocate@gmail.com.

son program. Under new defensive coordi-

nator Mark Stantz, the lineman worked all summer to increase his speed, strength, agility and game smarts, Kpaka said.

Off the field, Kpaka is known for his friendly demean-or to many of his peers, a contrast to his intense on-field

“He cares a lot about his family and just people in gen-eral,” Sakpa’s sister Baindu Kpaka said. “He’s always been a really focused and caring individual.”

“If you’re new, he’ll accept you with open arms,”

ing to learn and study on the field.”

Contact Jeff Carillo at jcarillo.

advocate@gmail.com.

By Jeff CarilloSPORTS EDITOR

In a game where it scored the most points it has in a single game this season, Contra Costa College was still handed its third loss on Saturday against Hartnell College 35-21 in Salinas.

Despite the loss, coach John McDermott said the game against Hartnell (2-1 overall) was “night and day” from the Comets’ (0-3 overall) first two losses against Los Medanos College and Diablo Valley College.

“The offense was put-ting things together and the defense played great,” McDermott said. “Our next step for our next game is to get that first win.”

The biggest highlight of the game came from the Comet defense, when defensive lineman Tavita Feao picked off a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to tie the game in the first quarter 7-7. With roughly three minutes left in the first half, CCC tied the score at 14 points each.

“After our first two losses, they could’ve rolled over and not showed up, but they worked hard in practice all week and it showed in this game,” McDermott said.

At the end of the first half, CCC was only behind by a touchdown, but it was a seven-minute stretch in the third quarter that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

CCC committed three turnovers in the third

quarter, two fumbles and one interception, all by quarterback Royce Hughes.

The two fumbles were recovered by Hartnell and returned for two touchdowns.

“I blame the offensive line for those turnovers,” McDermott said. “They missed their assignments and (Hughes) was forced to scramble all night.”

The offensive line has had difficulties all season providing a clean pocket for Hughes to operate and make accurate throws..

Defensively, CCC played its best game of the season. Led by sophomore defensive lineman Sakpa Kpaka, the Comets allowed 21 points and scored CCC’s first touchdown on the interception return.

“(Kpaka) was a monster all game long,” McDermott said. “On the field, he was everywhere making plays.”

Kpaka took on a Hartnell offensive lineman 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 290 pounds and domi-nated him all game long, he said.

McDermott hopes that the team can continue to improve and get its first win next week against De Anza College in Hercules at 1 p.m.

Ball security will be the Comets’ main concern heading into their next game, as it was the differ-ence against Hartnell.

On offense, McDermott mentioned wide receiv-er Deonta’ Allen as a breakout player.

“(Allen) finally played to his potential (against Hartnell),” he said.

“We don’t want any turnovers for our next game,” McDermott said. “If we play the way we did (against Hartnell) and translate it over to next week, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can win.

“We’re not looking down on De Anza, but we know that we match up well with them and we can beat them,” he said.

Contact Jeff Carillo at jcarillo.advocate@gmail.com.

SPORTS WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 2008 l THE ADVOCATE 7

PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MORRISON / THE ADVOCATE

Intensity personified — Defensive lineman Sakpa Kpaka leads the Comets’ defense in 2008. The 22-year-old was raised in Sierra Leone, until moving to the United States at the age of 12. Since then, football has been Kpaka’s greatest passion.

Sophomore Kpaka represents dedication, heart on the gridiron

ScoreBoardPanthers 35Comets 21

Next Game: Saturdayvs. De Anza,at 1 p.m.

THE FACE OF DEFENSE

anthonyfarr

pirit. Spirit. We got spir-it. We got spirit. How

’bout you?”Why are the students not

supporting the student-ath-letes?

Contra Costa College is a diverse campus. There are students from many different backgrounds.

We have many student-athletes, both male and female, who work hard to perform on and off the field.

There are enough students to fill the stands at every home game at the college. But more often than not, there are more fans sitting in the visitors’ section at every single one.

Support from family, friends and fans can really energize a team.

It can make a huge differ-ence at game time, as players thrive on the energy from the crowd.

When you are at a home game and there is nobody in the crowd, it can really deflate a team.

Athletes need and value the people who attend their games.

It makes players feel appreciated for all the hard work they have done.

Support is usually needed for most stu-dents to succeed in a col-lege sur-rounding, no matter where the support

comes from.Students risk a lot when it

is time to play ball, and most give their all just for the love of the game.

They go out there and try to play the best they have ever played every single game.

Due in part to this, I do not know one athlete who likes to lose.

It is not by choice that a team ends up with a loss — it just was not their best day.

If there were more fans in the stands, then students probably would feel good about going out and having their best performance.

When you give your all and lose, it feels a hell of a lot better to have people tell-ing you, “Good game, you’ll get them next time.”

Why don’t we put the remote down, get off the Internet and call a friend of a friend to see what time the game starts?

With all the things we do in our lives, showing some-one you care can impact their life for years to come.

This support should not just be applied to athletes, however, but extended to all students on campus at what-ever they choose to do, as it will help them become suc-cessful.

We as students have to support and stand up for one another, because if we do not, no one will.

For some players, team-mates and fellow students serve as their only support systems.

Although not every stu-dent-athlete falls into this group, support from fellow students and community members is essential to the success of each and every student-athlete.

Anthony Farr is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact him at afarr.advocate@gmail.com.

‘S

School spirit absent when needed most

VolleyballContra Costa College

V S.

Hartnell College

When: Monday, 6:30 p.m.Where: GymnasiumRecords: CCC 0-0 overall, 0-0 in the BVC. Hartnell 0-4 over-all, 0-0 in the Coast Conference.Background: The Comets return to action in 2008 the same way they opened last year, with a home game against Hartnell College. CCC lost in four sets, but hopes to start its season on a positive note after finishing winless last season.

— Jeff Carillo

Game of the Week

SportShortSoccer team drops two straight, fast start offset by selfish play

After a strong 2-0-1 start to the season, Contra Costa College began to lose its rhythm with two consecutive losses, the latest one being 1-0 against Skyline College Friday in San Bruno.

The Comets started well for the first 25 minutes of the game, until they surrendered the only goal of the game.

At the beginning of the second half, both teams were even until the 75th minute, when the Comets lost midfielder Diego Orellana, who received his second yellow card of the game.

With the one-man advantage, the Trojans (4-1-1) were able to put pressure on CCC’s defense, preventing them from tieing the game.

CCC had only five shots, none

on goal, coach Rudy Zeller said.After a good start to their sea-

son, CCC (2-2-1) was handed its first loss by a score of 3-0 on Sept. 16 at the hands of undefeat-ed Santa Rosa Junior College.

“Our first month went to our players’ head and got them over-confident,” Zeller said, “and now we need to try to turn it around.”

The Comets are looking to bounce back as they begin Bay Valley Conference play. Their next game is at home against Napa Valley College (0-1-1) on Friday at 4 p.m.

“We’ve got to start playing as a team again. We weren’t prepared and fell to pressure which led to our disappointing performance,” Zeller said.

— Dariush Azmoudeh

Support

from family,

friends and

fans can

really

energize a

team.

STARE DOWN

CCC stays winless against PanthersThird quarter turnovers ruin bid for first victory

By Justin MorrisonEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Take Me Back” the musical trans-ported the audience back in time with original music, reminding people to always chase their dreams.

Held in the Knox Center on Friday and Saturday night, “Take Me Back” offered up the story of Wendell, played by Faron Griffon, who put his dreams on hold for the sake of his family.

“ ( We n d e l l has) a good heart, but there are two sides,” Griffon said, “The sensitivity and the fire.”

Thirty years after his first attempt at star-dom with the rhythm and blues group Onyx, Wendell gets a second shot at his dream when someone digs up their old record, writer and producer Karen Basey said.

He then decides to chase after the dream he gave up long before, she said.

On opening night, the show sold over 120 tickets, according to the Box Office, with proceeds going to the West Contra Costa County nonprofit organization Girls Incorporated.

“I thought for the most part, it was well put together,” audience member Keeley Williams said.

The singing was well executed,

she said, and flowed well with the story.

“I really like Star, (played by Ria) her singing was excellent,” Williams said.

She also said there was a nice dynamic between the musical and comedic sides of the play.

Humor was intended for comedic relief from the classic musical por-tions, director David Sonnier said.

The classic musical portions con-sisted entirely of original pieces from the actual 1970s group Onyx, he said. The pieces were chosen for their reflection of a particular mood in the musical, as well as their originality.

The play was divided into three settings, in which the story unfolded across four acts.

Two of the areas were chosen for their familiarity in the formation of the group, Sonnier said.

The third was the home, important to the development of Wendell, he said.

“(The home scenes) demonstrate him dealing with a dominating wife and his career,” Sonnier said, “as well as his failure to reach his artistic potential.”

Even though there is the serious side to the play, it was also intended as a chance for the audience to just relax, unwind and enjoy the show, Griffon said.

“We are not immune to the things going on (in the world),” he said.

It was Griffon’s intention that the audience walked away with a firm grasp of their dreams.

Regardless of what it might be, they should leave and take a step toward fulfilling them, even if it is as simple as just wanting to be a good parent, he said.

Overall, both Griffon and Sonnier thought the program went well, with only a few minor issues that required some tightening.

“It went well considering the time we had to work in the theater,” Sonnier said.

Contact Justin Morrison at jmor-rison.advocate@gmail.com.

Newreleases:

Sex and the City — The Movie” (R)

“Run, Fat Boy, Run”

(PG-13)

“Leather-heads” (PG-13)

“Deception” (R)

By Lamar JamesNEWS EDITOR

Words will flow and rhymes will glide for the Speech and Debate team’s slamming Poetry Slam to be held in the Student Activities Building’s Fireside Room today.

The event is a fundraiser for the team, as it is trying to raise enough money so that it can attend various events, such as a national competition.

Extending their welcome to all stu-dents, faculty, staff and community members at the college, the Speech and Debate team members suggest anyone interested in sharing some of

their poems with a live audience to contact them about participating in any upcoming events.

Poets are encouraged to come and perform their original works, Speech and Debate team co-captain Julie LaBrincha said.

“We are trying to get people to come and perform,” Nicholas Chin, co-captain with LaBrincha, said. “We want people to express their talents and their individuality.”

The Speech and Debate team is also in search of students who are not afraid to speak and perform in front of a large group of people.

This is a part of their effort to find new members to add to the club, par-ticularly those willing to participate in fun and exciting events, LaBrincha said.

“We are trying to meet more public speakers,” team member John Adams Austin said, “and new faces willing to

partake in debates and enjoy exciting and fun public speeches.”

Additionally, the team is trying to set up more fun public speaking events on campus that cater more toward stu-dents, Chin said.

The team asks that students come and participate and see what the club has to offer, Austin said.

“We are also trying to get the com-munity involved. (We are) reaching

out to them, asking them to come and share their poetry with the students and bridge a gap between the commu-nity and the students on this campus,” Chin said.

The Poetry Slam is for all poets and there is no specific type of poetry that will be emphasized at the event, Austin said.

“It is going to be a fun and interest-ing event and I want to find people that are poets,” LaBrincha said. “(The team would like) people who have a little bit of acting in their blood who want to perform poetry and dramatic interpretations.

“If you enjoy theater and speech, come to this event,” she said. “You might find that this is the club for you.”

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

Books

CDs

DVDs

Movies

This week:“Miracle at

St. Anna” (R)

“Eagle Eye” (PG-13)

“Nights in Rodanthe”

(PG-13)

Newreleases:

Plain White T’s: “Big

Bad World”

Kings of Leon: “Only

by the Night”

Mogwai: “The Hawk is Howling”

Jackson Browne:

“Time the Conqueror”

The Pretenders:

“Break Up the

Concrete”

Unleashed

Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releas-

es for the week.

Newreleases:

Joe Vitale: “The

Attractor Factor: 5

Easy Steps for Creating

Wealth (or Anything

Else) From the Inside

Out”

Nicholas Sparks:

“The Lucky One”

Alice Schroeder:

“The Snowball:

Warren Buffett

and the Business of

Life”

SCENETHE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 20088

ERIK VERDUZCO / THE ADVOCATE

‘Take Me Back’ inspires audience to follow hopes

Poetry Slam to raise funds for trip

Musical captures essence of 1970s

“(The home scenes)

demonstrate him deal-ing with a

dominating wife and

his career, as well as his failure to reach

his artistic potential.”

David Sonnier,director

Belting it out — In the musical “Take Me Back,” (L-R) Wendell (Faron Griffin) and AJ (Jimmy Esao Brown) look on as Pearl (Ana Tili) sings for the audience. The play examines the aspect of having a firm idea of one’s goals and taking the steps needed to achieve them, no matter how simple or complex they may be.

By Sam AttalSTAFF WRITER

Two years ago, Orange County indie rock band Cold War Kids composed its debut album “Robbers & Cowards.”

The effort brought fame to the band’s high vocals, melodic bass lines and vari-ety carried from song to song.

Three EPs later, the band released its second full-length album.

“Loyalty to Loyalty” does not ade-quately follow up with the expectations of listeners who liked the band’s original album, yet exemplifies conformity to contemporary standards.

Although the band does still value its ability to change up the sound for each track, the songs have been toned down a bit for the sophomore release.

Lead vocalist Nathan Willett keeps his distinct strengths hitting both high and low chords, but refrains from using his near-poetic style from earlier efforts.

The Kids kick off “Loyalty” with a mellow track titled “Against Privacy,” which slowly builds up near the end of song. A lethargic and boring way to grab the listener’s attention, the song features sleazy bass and guitar lines along with a generic drum beat.

The next song, “Mexican Dogs,” hints that the band has not completely lost the identity of its debut singles.

With passionate, yet easygoing vocals that overpower the instruments, the song

Band’s ‘loyalty’ to industry, not listeners

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Not hot — Southern California’s Cold War Kids released their second full-length album, “Loyalty to Loyalty,” which failed to match up to the excellence of their debut.

sets off a positive feel among the ears of the listener, although the vibe is nowhere near that of the first album.

Four tracks into the album, the listener finds what may be the gem.

“Something Is Not Right With Me”

stands out when one searches for a track closest to the older material.

With a poppy guitar line and mini-malistic drum and piano lines, the band pulls through with an actual solid track, which may be compared to “Cowards.”

“Golden Gate Jumpers” and “Avalanche In B” are pathetic examples of the band heading in a major new direc-tion in music.

Giving off a miserable and depressing tone, the band makes a mistake by taking a downtempo approach to the composi-tion and structure of the instrumentation.

“I’ve Seen Enough” is a decent attempt at combining both the band’s early elements and new direction. With vocal style from past EPs and modernist guitar and drum licks, the album rescues itself halfway through. From here on, however, the majority of the album is a complete failure. The band’s new slow and dragging style makes the listener want to skip the rest and jam to the old Cold War Kids.

The fuzzy sound of “Relief,” along with its boring lyrics, drags the listener to the final track, titled “Cryptomnesia.” The majority of the song consists of Willett singing to an array of soft and quiet instruments.

With a few strong points, the band saves itself from creating a total disaster, but overall, the album will put the listener to sleep.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.

“Loyalty to

Loyalty”

★★★★★Artist: Cold War KidsGenre: Indie rockLabel: DowntownRelease Date: Now available

cdreview

The five W’sWhat: Speech and Debate team Poetry Slam

Who: Any person interested in express-ing poetic works or participating in public speaking

Where: Fireside Room in the Student Activities Building

When: Today, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Why: To raise money for the Speech and Debate team to attend various events, such as national competitions

Club encourages people to express their individuality

“We are trying to get people to come and

perform. We want people to express their talents and

their individuality.”

Nicholas Chin,Speech and Debate team co-captain