The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010

THE RANGERYOU

GROW,GIRL

Women’s HistoryWeek explores

realities, illusions

A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 Single copies free

Vol. 84, Issue 16 Feb. 26, 2010

CENTRAL PARKING SURVEY 5

NAME THE PORTAL 7

INTV SEEKS PROGRAMMING 17

2 • Feb. 26, 2010 The Ranger

Chancellor: Dr. Bruce H. Leslie201 W. Sheridan, Bldg. B, San Antonio, TX 78204-1429Work: 485-0020 Fax: 208-8149E-mail: [email protected]

District 1: Dr. Bernard Weiner929 Manor Drive, Ste. 7, San Antonio, TX 78228 Work: 735-9151 E-mail: [email protected]

District 2: Denver McClendon3811 Willowwood Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78219 Work: 281-9141 E-mail: [email protected]

District 3: Anna U. Bustamante511 Ware Blvd., San Antonio TX 78221Work: 882-1603 Fax: 927-4557E-mail: [email protected]

District 4: Marcelo S. Casillas115 Wainwright, San Antonio, TX 78211Home: 922-6815 Fax: 923-3167 E-mail: [email protected]

District 5: Roberto Zárate4103 Buffalo Bayou, San Antonio, TX 78251E-mail: [email protected]

District 6: Dr. Gene Sprague14722 Iron Horse Way,Helotes, TX 78023Work: 567-5544 Fax: 520-9185E-mail: [email protected]

District 7: Blakely Latham Fernandez755 E. Mulberry, Suite 200,San Antonio, TX 78212Phone: 244-8879E-mail: [email protected]

District 8: Gary Beitzel15403 Forest Mist, San Antonio, TX 78232Home: 496-5857 E-mail: [email protected]

District 9: James A. Rindfuss109 Laburnum, San Antonio, TX 78209Home: 828-4630 Work: 375-2555 Home Fax: 832-8292 Office Fax: 375-0301 E-mail: [email protected]

Officials

San Antonio College, Dr. Robert E. Zeigler486-0959, [email protected]

Northeast Lakeview College, Dr. Eric Reno486-5484, [email protected]

Northwest Vista College, Dr. Jacqueline Claunch486-4900, [email protected]

Palo Alto College, Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman486-3960, [email protected]

St. Philip’s College, Dr. Adena W. Loston486-2900, [email protected]

Presidents

Guest Viewpoints:

Faculty, staff, students and

community members are wel-

come to contribute guest view-

points of up to 450 words.

Writers should focus on cam-

pus or current events in a critical,

persuasive or interpretative style.

All viewpoints must be pub-

lished with a photo portrait of

the writer.

Letters Policy:

The Ranger invites readers

to share views by writing letters

to the editor. Space limitations

force the paper to limit letters

to two double-spaced, typewrit-

ten pages. Letters will be edited

for spelling, style, grammar, libel

and length. Editors reserve the

right to deny publication of any

letter.

Letters should be mailed

to The Ranger, Department of

Media Communications, San

Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro

Ave., San Antonio TX 78212-4299.

Letters also may be brought

to the newspaper office in Room

212 of Loftin Student Center,

e-mailed to sac-ranger@alamo.

edu or faxed to 486-1789.

Letters must be signed and

must include the writer’s print-

ed name, classification, major,

Social Security number and tele-

phone number.

For more information, call

486-1773.

Single Copy Policy:

Members of the Alamo

Community College District

community are permitted one

free copy per issue because of

high production costs.

Where available, additional

copies may be purchased with

prior approval for 50 cents each

by contacting The Ranger busi-

ness office.

Newspaper theft is a crime.

Those who violate the single

copy rule may be subject to civil

and criminal prosecution and

subject to college discipline.

Editor

Laura Garcia

Managing Editor

Zahra Farah

News Editor

Vanessa M. Sanchez

Calendar Editor

Riley Stephens

Photographers

Tyler K. Cleveland, Rennie Murrell, Alison Wadley

Photo Team

Scott Aranda, Scott J. Bajeck, Jennifer Charo,

Sharon Hensley, Sarah Janes, James Lazo,

Marisa N. Montano, Julysa Sosa, Robert Stofa

Illustrator

Juan Carlos Campos

Staff Writers

Ximena Victoria Alvarez, Jacob Beltran,

Michelle E. Gaitan, Joshua Sanchez Guerrero,

Steffany Gutierrez, John P. Kline,

Mary Lerma, Alexandria Maxwell,

Melody Mendoza, Celeste J. Nentwig,

Victoria G. Ortiz, Amanda M. Rios,

Brandy A. Santos, Tamara Sayles,

Michelle L. Tymrak, Reagan White

Production Manager

Jason B. Hogan

Web Editor

D.A. James

Circulation

Destiny Mata

©2010 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-4299. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger, the student newspaper at San Antonio College, is a laboratory project of the journalism classes in the Department of Media Communications, published Fridays except during sum-mer, holidays and examinations. News contributions accepted by telephone (486-1773), by fax (486-1789), by e-mail ([email protected]) or at the editorial office (Room 212 Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available upon request by phone (486-1765) or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press, the Texas Community College Journalism Association and the Associated Press.

The RangeR

The Ranger • Vol. 84, Issue 16 Feb. 26, 2010 • 3

Online @ theranger.org

People slideshow

And the crowd roared

Associate vice chancellor explains adjunct faculty not getting paid

Armstrong’s pay never left college’s budget despite transfers

Complete Blotter

Go to www.theranger.org

for news and information.

A forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926The RangeR

www.theranger.org

2 Policies and officials

4 BlotterWorker injuredBy Laura GarciaPhoto by Rennie Murrell

5 NewsChancellor says faculty admits to liesBy Laura Garcia

District investigates centralized parkingBy Brandy A. Santos

6 People

15 Calendar

7 PALS renaming contest By Melody Mendoza

NLC credits transfer?By Celeste J. Nentwig

8 Q&A with HR chiefBy Laura Garcia

9 Rental textbooks soonBy Laura Garcia

10 Speaker says everyone goes to probateBy Jacob Beltran

An alternative tospring breakBy Steffany Gutierrez

11 Loston explains Title 3 job jeopardyBy Zahra Farah

16 Columnist discusses aftermath of Sept. 11By Riley Stephens

Photo by Julysa Sosa

17 Armstrong moves to media services from alumni relationsBy Celeste J. NentwigPhoto by Rennie Murrell

20 Fault line shapes city landscapeBy Victoria G. Ortiz

21 Local perseveres to Haiti adoptionBy Ximena Victoria Alvarez

Photo by Sharon Hensley

22 Young Leaders Conference By Steffany Gutierrez

District alert system test postponedBy Vanessa M. Sanchez

23 Castillo worked on behalf of students, staffBy Vanessa M. Sanchez

Project WORTH teams Big Brothers Big SistersBy Steffany Gutierrez

12 PremierePioneers made historyin new spheresBy Celeste J. NentwigCover illustrated by Juan Carlos Campos

14 Prospective writers page through adviceBy Riley StephensPhoto by Tyler K. Cleveland

18 Editorials Move fitness centerKeep VP hereFix Banner nowCartoon

4 • Feb. 26, 2010 The RangerBlotter

SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE

Feb. 14 – An individual reported

burglary of vehicle at Park Place.

No suspects.

An individual reported burglary of

vehicle at Park Place. No suspects.


eggs were thrown at her vehicle.

No further information available.


being struck by a vehicle while

walking from Lot 17. Vehicle

did not stop to render aid. EMS

refused.


theft of a bicycle, no suspects

located.

ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE


being advised by a staff member

that his public affection with

other subject on campus were not

appropriate. Campus administra-

tion advised.

An individual reported damage to

district property. No further infor-

mation.

PALO ALTO COLLEGE


a small child playing in a car with

the window down. Everything

found to be OK.

Feb. 18 – An officer request to

stand by while facilities cut a

locker in the women’s locker area.

No further information.

NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE


lost district property. No further

action taken.


a disturbance in the parking area.

No further incident.

An individual reported a hit-and-

run incident. One witness present.

No further information.

NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW

COLLEGE


damage to district property. No

further action taken.


suspicious activity in men’s rest-

room. Subject located.

BY LAURA GARCIA

A construction worker fell

into a 20-foot deep pit near Nail

Technical Center shortly before 8

a.m. Wednesday.

The injured worker was trans-

ported to Brooke Army Medical

Center after city EMS and the San

Antonio Fire Department rescued

him from the pit.

The injured man is employed

by a Vaughn Construction subcon-

tractor. Lt. Juan Velez Jr. of SAFD

told The Ranger that after initial

examination, he believes the man

may have a broken leg and facial or

head injuries.

At about 11 a.m., John Strybos,

associate vice chancellor of facili-

ties, confirmed the incident but

didn’t have any information on his

current condition.

College public relations

released a statement through

PALS, student e-mail notifying stu-

dents of the incident.

The statement said the area

“poses absolutely no risk to stu-

dents or employees of the college”

because it is sealed off with fences.

Sgt. Ben Peña of the district

department of public safety did not

have any details on the case.

Vaughn Construction did not

return calls.

Contractor transported to BAMC after accidentRennie Murrell

District police along with San Antonio Fire Department emergency response teams exit

Nail Wednesday with an unidentifi ed construction worker who fell into an open pit.

The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010 • 5

By Brandy a. SantoS

Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam

Inc. was scheduled to begin work

today on a districtwide parking

survey to assess the value of com-

bined oversight of parking and

traffic throughout the district.

In its regular January meet-

ing, the district board of trust-

ees approved hiring the College

Station consultants for $60,000.

Civil Engineer Justin Reeves

said the firm will start by devel-

oping clear goals of the work that

needs to be performed, such as

collecting field data on current

cost, fine-collection, permit rates,

ticket revenues and site plans.

During field collection, the firm

will conduct on-site interviews

to determine traffic flow, areas of

concern and other intangibles that

are unique to each of the colleges

and sites.

Once the team completes its

survey, the data will be used as a

baseline to determine the durabil-

ity of ground parking versus garage

parking.

Reeves said the firm will pres-

ent parking scenarios to trustees.

According to the proposal pre-

sented to the board, the company

will present anticipated costs for

roughly 10-15 employees, office

space, transportation, technology

and ongoing maintenance for a

combined district parking and traf-

fic office.

Lockwood, Andrews &

Newnam, Inc., has 30 years experi-

ence in working with colleges to

improve parking.

Reeves said the landlocked

state of this college will challenge

the firm to develop a plan that is

unique to this campus.

The consultant’s proposed park-

ing and transportation service unit

will be in charge of ordering and

distribution of permits and issuing

parking and traffic citations.

Moving those tasks to another

office is intended to free campus

police to attend to more pressing

matters.

Reeves could not provide a

timeline for the project nor could

he address potential costs.

District investigates centralized parking, traffic office

By Laura Garcia

Faculty members are liars. Or at least that’s

what Chancellor Bruce Leslie indicated during

a Super Senate meeting Monday.

Faculty Senate presidents from all five col-

leges were present during the 1:30 p.m. meet-

ing with the chancellor when they questioned

why it took so long for him to respond to their

September vote-of-no-confidence statements.

Because there were so many lies and mis-

representations was his reply. Leslie confirmed

Wednesday night in a telephone interview that

he made it clear to senate leaders that the

documents they had produced were full of

falsehoods and lies. “They admitted it that they

made it up. A series of untruths. The documents

that they produced were all false,” Leslie said.

Leslie wrote his own statement to the San

Antonio Express-News and distributed it dis-

trictwide in December more than two months

after the Sept. 15 board meeting in which

Faculty Senate leaders of the four accredited

colleges in the district read statements on the

overwhelming votes of no confidence and the

objections to the chancellor’s leadership.

Leslie told The Ranger that if you do a side-

by-side of his response and their statements,

you’ll see the truths in what he wrote.

Jeff Hunt, Faculty Senate president here,

said, “I’m disappointed that the chancellor

would use a tactic like character assassination

of the faculty leadership.” He said the senate

was meticulous in choosing what to charge the

chancellor with and only included items that

could be backed up with instances and facts.

“The facts are all on paper,” Hunt said, add-

ing the chancellor has his own perspective, but

the senate focuses on reality.

Dr. Mary-Ellen Jacobs, Palo Alto College’s senate

president, said, “That is so wrong. That is absolute-

ly incorrect. I’m heart sick. This is a misrepresenta-

tion of our conversation on Monday.”

George Johnson III, St. Philip’s College’s sen-

ate president, said of Monday’s meeting that the

chancellor basically said he felt there were a lot

of points raised in the vote-of-no-confidence

statements that were incorrect.

“His sentiments haven’t changed. We still

feel the same way,” Johnson said.

Paul Martinez, Northwest Vista College

Faculty Senate president, said, “That’s not true.

We never said that. We never admitted that

there were lies and misrepresentations in the

statements.”

Northwest Vista faculty’s statement, present-

ed Sept. 15, compared administrators’ leadership

in developmental studies as worthy of a Dilbert

cartoon — unworkable and demonstrating a

complete lack of understanding of the task.

This college’s balloting drew 75 percent of

eligible full-time, tenure-track faculty, of which

97 percent voted no confidence in Leslie.

Northwest Vista yielded a 96 percent vote of

no confidence out of the 85 percent of tenured

faculty who voted. At St. Philip’s, 70 percent of

eligible faculty voted with 91 percent voting for

no confidence and called for his resignation.

Furthermore, Palo Alto’s faculty, with 91 percent

participation, voted 99 percent no confidence.

Jacobs, Johnson, Martinez and Hunt said they

still stand by the statements presented in the no-

confidence vote.

In a telephone interview Thursday Debbie

Martinez, administrative assistant to the chancel-

lor, was working on the minutes at press time and

said there was nothing in the agenda about that.

She said if it was said, it might have been a discus-

sion and she didn’t hear it.

At the Sept. 15 board meeting, trustees respond-

ed to the no-confidence vote by approving a new

three-year contract for the chancellor.

Mark Sadler, Northeast Lakeview College’s sen-

ate president, didn’t return calls for comment but

was present Monday during the meeting.

Chancellor questions faculty’s honesty

Dr. Mary-Ellen JacobsJeff Hunt Paul MartinezGeorge Johnson III

6 • Feb. 26, 2010 The RangerPeople

Pool power: Biology sophomore Alysson Klein from Brazil swims the butterfly stroke Feb. 19 in the pool in Candler. The pool is open from 1 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Monday,

Wednesday and Friday and 3 p.m.-4:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Klein swims for about two hours every day he can.

Tyler K. Cleveland

Poetry night: English sophomore Granston Loomis performs “Your

Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams Feb. 19 at the Cheshyre Cheese

Club Open Mic Night in Loftin. The next open mic night is March 26.

Brandy A. Santos

Dietary needs: Nutritionist Tracy West of the San Antonio Food Bank uses a

Bill Miller’s BBQ cup as a visual aid during a wellness lecture on Wednesday

in Loftin. West explained that a large sweet tea contains 26 sugar packets.

Julysa Sosa

Dental needs: Daniel Breeden, distance education Web master, talks with dental assisting

sophomores Raquel Rasmussen and Margaret DeLeon at the third annual SAC Dental Fest

in the foyer of the nursing and allied health complex Wednesday.

Rennie Murrell


By Melody Mendoza

Project Phoenix, charged with implementing

the new Banner system, is not only replacing

the student information system, but also chang-

ing PALS, the students’ personalized access to

learning and services accounts.

The new Web-based portal calls for a new

name; that’s where students come in.

“The contest is a good way to get the mes-

sage out to students,” Roger Castro, district

director of information technology services,

said.

“This portal belongs to the students and fac-

ulty, so this gives them more ownership.”

Castro said the new portal is going to bring

the Alamo Colleges together.

Banner is the $6 million software program

that will integrate the Alamo College’s SIS into

a unified system.

Registration for fall 2010 will go through the

new Banner system, Castro said.

Registration begins in mid-April and Banner

will be ready beginning in April.

Also, PALS will be changing to a single point

of access available in fall 2010.

There are many benefits to this new portal.

Students concurrently enrolled in more than

one district college will be able to register in

one sitting, view and pay a single bill, and view

class schedules.

Students will have 24/7 access to all of their

academic information instead of the limited

hours currently available.

Students will be able to get into their

accounts late Saturday night or early Sunday

morning, Castro said.

Castro said the district doesn’t anticipate

any problems with the portal, but there may be

some confusion with registration.

The current PALS portal system will handle

registration for Maymester and summer ses-

sions, but students should be prepared to regis-

ter for fall semester through Banner.

The help desk is getting the correct infor-

mation about the portal so they can navigate

students, Castro said.

Affiliates of the Alamo Colleges are invited

to submit an entry in a Name the Portal Contest

by Monday.

Mail entries to dst-portalcontest@alamo.

edu by midnight.

Include name, address, phone number and

e-mail.

“We’ve gotten well over 100 entries already,”

Castro said.

The winner will receive a Flip Mino HD

Camcorder with FlipShare software and will be

notified no later than April 15.

For more information or to see contest rules,

visit www.alamo.edu/portalcontest.

District to launch new student portal for fall semester

NLC credits transfer to UTSA, not health centersBy Celeste J. nentwig

When Northeast Lakeview College was

denied an application for accreditation last

summer, a question of the transferability of

their credits began to be a concern for students

registered at the district’s newest college.

While UTSA has agreed to accept transfer

credit, other institutions, particularly health-

related and medical schools, are not willing to

take Northeast Lakeview credits.

The University of Texas at San Antonio and

the Alamo Community College District came

to an understanding in which the university

will accept credits from the college as long as

Northeast Lakeview seeks accreditation.

“We have not denied any credits from

any Northeast Lakeview College student,” Dr.

George Norton, assistant vice president of stu-

dent affairs at UTSA, said.

This does not hold true for Texas A&M and

the University of Texas Health Science Center,

nor for the Texas Chiropractic College and other

health career-related institutions, Dr. Beth

Lewis, vice president of academic affairs at

Northeast Lakeview, said.

Lewis said those schools have additional

accreditation boards that will not allow them

to accept credits from an unaccredited school.

She said these students will be accommo-

dated by the college if they plan to transfer to a

medical school or other related institution.

“We will transfer credits to one of the other

district colleges for these students so they may

be accepted to these schools,” Lewis said.

President Robert Zeigler and Vice President

Jessica Howard did not know how this would

work and referred questions to Lewis.

Lorraine Wright, processing manager at UT

Health Science Center, said the center will not

accept coursework from unaccredited institu-

tions and students must submit all transcripts.

“Whatever is on that transcript is what we

go by, not someone’s interpretation,” she said.

Wright said students can appeal the refusal

to accept their courses from Northeast Lakeview

on a course-by-course basis.

They need a letter from the institution,

course description, syllabus and the transcript

submitted to the appropriates dean, she said.

For more information call 486-5401.

Project Phoenix is sponsoring a Name the Portal Contest for all affiliates of the Alamo Colleges, especially students. The

district director of information technology services said it will help students take ownership.

Courtesy photo

Monday is the deadline for the Name the Portal contest.


By Laura Garcia

They’re working on it.

This was the answer heard most

frequently by college faculty when

they met with Linda Boyer-Owens,

associate vice chancellor of human

resources for a Q-and-A session

Wednesday.

Faculty Senate members gath-

ered in the nursing and allied

health center with a collection of

questions submitted by faculty

from throughout the college.

Boyer-Owens began the session

by introducing herself and explain-

ing that she started working in the

district in April 2009 and that many

of the items on the senate’s list of

questions were already on human

resources to-do list.

Dr. Dawn Elmore-McCrary,

vice chairperson of the senate and

English professor, said the most

universal question was in regard

to the confusing hard-to-read pay-

checks.

“I think it’s very confusing,”

Boyer-Owens said.

She agreed with

this and the HR/

Payroll/Banner proj-

ect team added this

to their short list to

be fixed.

“‘They’re working

on it’ is a very dis-

satisfying answer,”

said Carlos Corona,

math and computer

science instructor.

Boyer-Owens encouraged fac-

ulty to e-mail her with questions

and said she would do her best to

give a timeline of when they could

expect changes or updates.

Several faculty members shared

their experiences of not being able

to reach anyone in human resourc-

es by phone or e-mail.

“I just can’t believe that every-

one’s out on the same day,” English

Chair Alex Bernal said.

Senate mem-

bers noted that they

would e-mail human

resources employees

and would never get a

response. They would

have to make several

calls for action to be

taken on obtaining

personnel files.

Boyer-Owens said she had done

test calls to ensure her employees

were responsive in the past and

said she would do that again.

Senate members agreed a

rotary call system would be more

efficient than the current alpha-

betized sections designated to rep-

resentatives. That way if someone

calls, the caller could get an answer

right away.

HR: We’re working on fixing it

Linda Boyer-Owens, associate vice chancellor

of human resources, discusses faculty pay

Wednesday with Linda Lowman, secretary of

Faculty Senate, in nursing and allied health.

Scott Aranda

www.theranger.orgGo online to read fullversion of this story.


By Laura Garcia

The board joins federal and state legislators

in the fight against expensive textbooks.

Tuesday trustees unanimously voted in

favor of extending the district’s bookstore con-

tract with Follett Higher Education Group Inc.

for two years during the regular monthly board

meeting at Killen Center.

The extension would be for March 1 through

Feb. 28, 2012, and includes an amendment with

the option of rental textbooks and e-books this

fall for students.

Alan Stratman, vice president of marketing

and sales for the Follett group, said this district

would probably be the first community college

to put ink to this deal.

He explained that this was a new model for

their company but has so far been successful.

District 9 trustee James Rindfuss said a rent-

al program would be largely dependent on

faculty and asked the Follett representatives to

report to the board about the level of faculty

commitment.

Faculty Senate President Jeff Hunt came to

the podium and said he agreed with Rindfuss

specifically because faculty should have no

more than two textbooks per course and not all

faculty members do that.

Hunt noted that Follett representatives have

been helpful trying to get the word out about

the changing textbook laws.

These include House Bill 1096, which states

that there must be a notice available to students

that informs them that they are not obligated

to buy textbooks through a university-affiliated

bookstore.

A new state law, HB 2504, requires universi-

ties to provide public, online access to course

information and be no more than three-clicks

from the college home page.

Beginning this fall, instructors need to post

their syllabuses and student evaluations along

with required or recommended reading mate-

rial.

The textbook provision of the federal Higher

Education Opportunity Act requires publishers

to provide the net price at which the publisher

would make the material available to the cam-

pus bookstore, copyright dates of the three

previous editions, if any, with a description of

substantial revisions, whether it is available in

any other format, including paperback, and the

price of that material.

Also required is the publication of ISBN

number or International Standard Book

Number of the textbook material in course

schedules.

If this information is not available they must

post “to be determined.”

This federal mandate goes into effect July 1.

The faculty deadline for book adoptions is

March 15 for summer and April 15 for fall.

Amy Turpin, San Antonio College Bookstore

manager, sent a list of policies for the rental

program that included these terms.

The rental policy includes the guarantee that

a textbook is at least half off the price of the new

textbook.

Renters need to be at least 18 years old,

with a valid credit card, an e-mail address and

a driver’s license or state ID. Students also can

use a debit card that bears the logo of a major

credit card company.

Books are due after finals by the return date

on the receipt, and a sticker will be placed on

the textbook as a reminder. The bookstore will

also send e-mails to remind students of the

date.

Should a renter not return a textbook by that

date, the bookstore will charge the rest of the

cost of the book to their credit card along with

a processing fee.

Not all textbooks will be available under the

rental program, but Follett officials assured the

board it will offer as many as possible. E-books

account for less than 2 percent of the 2,600 titles

offered in the bookstore.

Before the vote, Dr. Robert Aguero, vice

chancellor for academic success, estimated the

students in the district would save $882,073 by

using rentals.

All trustees were present except Dr. Bernard

Weiner, District 1; Anna Bustamante, District 3;

Marcelo Casillas, District 4; and Gary Beitzel,

District 8.

In other news, the citizens-to-be-heard

section of the meeting included a full-time

adjunct journalism instructor with suggestions

on improving efficiency in payroll and fair treat-

ment of adjunct faculty members.

Jerry Townsend, who teaches five courses

in the media communications department,

made the point that adjuncts should not be

paid more than six weeks after the start of a

semester.

He said it is unequal and unfair that nonad-

junct faculty get paid on Jan. 15 while adjuncts

are paid their first check on Feb. 12, if at all.

Townsend told the board of another full-time

adjunct in the department who experienced his

health insurance being canceled because he

hadn’t received pay. Another lecturer previously

went an entire semester before she was paid.

While Townsend said some of the issues

were in the process of being resolved, he hoped

the board would make equitable and timely pay

for all employees a priority.

Marketing Vice President Alan Stratman and District Manager Elizabeth Gray of Follett Higher Education Group answer

questions at the board meeting Tuesday. The Textbook Expense Reduction Action Plan requires book rentals and elec-

tronic books as an option for students.

Board opens possibility of rental textbooksJulysa Sosa


By JacoB Beltran

Barbara “Barbie” Scharf-Zeldes,

a probate court lawyer, described

various aspects of her job and

the Bexar County court system

at the Criminal Justice Student

Association meeting Wednesday.

Scharf-Zeldes discussed ways

probate courts deal with docu-

ments such as wills, trusts, guard-

ianships and powers of attorney.

“I really wish these topics were

taught in your last year of high

school because (probate court) is

the one place, I promise, everyone

is going to end up,” Scharf-Zeldes

said Wednesday.

Power of attorney is a docu-

ment allowing someone to make

decisions for someone else while

they are incapacitated. The legal

designation takes effect as soon as

it is signed, she said.

Along with designation of

guardianship, Scharf-Zeldes dis-

cussed some of the issues that

arise when dealing with child sup-

port and child custody.

Officer elections also were held

during the organization’s second

meeting of the semester.

Criminal justice sophomore

Crystal Casias, who previously was

the group’s secretary, was elected

president.

The Criminal Justice Student

Association is selling polo shirts for

the group for $20 each.


Tiffany Cox, criminal justice pro-

gram coordinator, at 486-0835.

Welcome to probate courtBy Steffany Gutierrez

Habitat For Humanity is seek-

ing volunteers to help build a

home for a needy family during

spring break.

Volunteers can sign up for one

to four days. The deadline to sign

up is March 12.

A home will be built March

17-20 in the vicinity of Palo Alto

College.

A typical construction day fol-

lows this schedule:

• 7:45 a.m. — Sign-in.

Volunteers must sign-in each

day and complete a waiver of

liability each year. Volunteers are

then introduced to the house lead-

er who will direct work for the day.

• 8 a.m. — Safety first.

As safety is a priority, the house

leader will brief on safety issues

that might arise. No one under the

age of 14 is allowed on site.

• 3:30 p.m. — Clean up.

The workday ends after the

site is clean and tools have been

stowed.

Lunch will be provided for all

volunteers on Saturday and for

scheduled groups on Friday.

Volunteers are asked to wear

comfortable clothes appropri-

ate for the work and weather, and

clothing they don’t mind getting

stained, ripped or damaged.

Closed-toed shoes are required.

No sandals are allowed. Sunscreen

and water bottles are recommend-

ed on site. All tools necessary will

be provided.

For more information and to

sign up, e-mail Justin Storrs in the

service learning office at jstorrs@

alamo.edu or call 486-0760.

An alternative to spring breakSpeaker says everyone will go to probate court,

sooner or later.


By Zahra Farah

Employees at St. Philip’s College paid by

grant funds or “soft money” cannot reapply for

their jobs if the positions are absorbed in the

college budget and paid with “hard money,” the

president said Wednesday at a pubic session in

the Heritage Room.

The meeting for faculty, staff and employees

funded with grant money was to clarify con-

cerns about those employees losing jobs and

being unable to apply for their positions if the

college budgets for their positions.

Currently, 80 full-time and 58 part-time

employees are paid with Title 3 grant money

at St. Philip’s and Southwest Campus. SPC is

receiving $5,746, 256 in Title 3 money and

$1,655,250 from the College Cost Reduction

and Access Act money. The total grant funds

St. Philip’s received for fiscal year 2009 was

$7,401,506.

The district’s focus on accreditation issues,

which began in June, has focused attention on

St. Philip’s reliance on Title 3 funds.

“I have been given the charge by the chancel-

lor (Bruce Leslie) to give him a plan on what we

are going to be doing with Title 3,” Loston said.

“One of the things Dr. Leslie said is no monies

would be given to St. Philip’s College, so we have

to do it with the operation budget we have.

“The opportunity is to move poor business

operations off of soft money to hard money,”

Loston said.

Loston said she knows employees are frus-

trated, but district policy currently requires

open positions to be advertised internally.

Grant-funded employees are considered

external, meaning if their positions move to

hard money, they cannot apply for the position.

“I’m not devaluing your services. I’m not

devaluing your contributions,” Loston said.

After the meeting, Ruth Dalrymple, vice

president of academic affairs, said that employ-

ees who apply for grant money positions fill

out a Benefited Employment Acknowledgement

form. This form explains the person recognizes

they are being recommended for employment

in a benefited position, which is funded by

either soft money or revenue-generated funds.

Also, the district or employee could terminate

their employment at any time.

Loston used a PowerPoint presentation to

explain how St. Philip’s relies on Title 3 funds,

which were first given to the college because of

its historically black college status even though

46 percent of students are Hispanic. The grant

money can be used for all students attending a

historic black college.

“Even though demographics have changed,

we still are historically black,” she said.

Title 3 funds are supposed to go into activi-

ties such as student services, educational equip-

ment acquisition, facility construction and fac-

ulty and staff development.

SPC received its first Title 3 grant in 1987.

Since then programs, which were supposed to

be under hard money, slowly in the course of 23

years moved to soft money, she explained.

“We have essentially improved areas in

educational support funded with Title 3 grant

money,” Loston said. “Is that normal? No.”

Title 3 funding now goes into nine specific

programs at SPC — freshmen center, welcome

center academic support, instruction innova-

tion, center for math and science, instructional

technologies, research and college develop-

ment, campus construction and project admin-

istration.

The freshmen center, which would ideally be

funded from the college budget, impacts 2,900

students per semester and consists of honors,

book loan and laptop loan program with 24 full-

time staff and three part-time staff at an annual

cost of $922,721.

The welcome center impacts 45,134 stu-

dents annually and costs $304,711 and employs

six full-time staff and two part-time.

Academic support’s current funding is

$527,606 and consists of three full-time staff

and 31 part-time.

The instruction innovation program costs

$388,379 and employs six full-time staff and

one part-time.

Instructional technologies program, which

advises the college on technology services,

employs 30 full-time staff and 15 part-time staff

with funding of $1,666,169.

The center for math and science houses

eight full-time staff and six part-time staff, at a

cost of $847,830. Research and college develop-

ment costs $161,819 and hires three full-time

staffers. Campus construction’s current funding

is $805,611, and project administration’s current

funding is $121, 410.

Loston said the move from soft money posi-

tions going into hard money is not going to

happen over night. They are going to have to

go through every position and look at what’s

funded out of Title 3.

“Let me say this, it is kind of painful, but if

you’re on soft money, I would encourage you

not to anchor your future to soft money. There

is no other way to say it,” Loston said.

In Q-and-A session with Loston and admin-

istration, Loston asked for attendees to not

personalize questions, but to generalize them.

Rusty Boyd, information technology train-

ing center network/training specialist, asked if

the board considered the past criteria coming

from an April 5, 2001, memo to all employ-

ees from then-Chancellor Robert Ramsay, that

specified the district’s intent to provide internal

and transfer opportunities to Title 3 employees

from Budget Object Codes 12 and 14, regardless

of the funding source.

Loston said the chancellor and the board

were not aware of that, and she would bring it

to Leslie’s attention.

SPC soft money employees worry jobs in jeopardy

Sean Nighbert, professor and chair of English and speech at St. Philip’s, questions President Adena Williams Loston

about the ethics of hiring for the Title 3 grant Wednesday in the Heritage Room at St. Philip’s.

Tyler K. Cleveland

12 • The Ranger PremierePremiere

Reality or Illusion?

Juan Carlos Campos

Premiere Feb. 26, 2010 • 13Premiere

By Celeste J. NeNtwig

A four-day Women’s History Week celebra-

tion begins Monday with speakers, femi-

nists and films on the theme “Different

Spheres: Reality or Illusion.”

The theme was chosen by

Co-Chairs Eileen Oliver and

Robert Gomez.

This is the 20th year the col-

lege will celebrate Women’s

History Week, and 30th

nationally.

The theme questions

whether the boundaries

between genders are natural

or constructed, according to

www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthis-

tory/arts1303.women.htm.

State Sen. Letitia Van de Putte

will deliver the first presentation

on “Women in Leadership” at 10

a.m.–10:50 a.m. Monday in the craft

room in Loftin.

At 9:25 a.m. Tuesday in Room 120 of

the visual arts center, Elizabeth de la Portilla

presents “Night to His Day: the Construction

of the Feminine in the Work of 20th Century

Feminists.”

The Women Make Movies Web site at

www.wmm.com describes the film as “a pow-

erful and inspirational videotape showing

how survivors of domestic violence are work-

ing to change the way the system treats bat-

tered women in search of justice and safety.”

At 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, the film “In My

Father’s Home” will be shown. Filmmaker

Fatima Jebli Ouazzani investigates Islamic

marriage customs and the constraints her

culture and society place on women.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday in the auditorium

of McAllister Fine Arts Center, Dr. Robert

McElvaine will present the keynote, “The

Distance Origins of (Mis)Understanding of

the Sexes.”

McElvaine, Elizabeth Chisholm Millsaps

College professor of arts and letters, is the

author of “Eve’s Seed: Biology, the Sexes, and

the Course of History.”

His topic is “Different Spheres: Reality or

Illusion?”

Historic female characters in cinema will

be honored at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the the-

ater in McCreless Hall.

Richard Reed, associate professor of

anthropology at Trinity University, will be

presenting “From Alpha Male to Nurturing

Father: How Childbirth Affects Dads.”

Reed said, “Many characteristics of the

contemporary dad conflict with our stereo-

types of American masculinity.”

Directly after this lecture, there will be

another film, “Visitors of the Night,” about

the Mosou tribe in southwest China.

Female tribe members are polyandrous,

meaning they take multiple husbands.

On Thursday, the celebration concludes

with an awards ceremony, two lectures and

a film.

Women of Vision Awards ceremony will

be at 9:25 a.m. in Room 120 of the visual arts

center.

Two faculty or staff members will be hon-

ored for encouraging and promoting sensi-

tivity and awareness of the issues that relate

to women.

A presentation, “On Whose Shoulders We

Stand: Women’s Vision, Power and Action in

San Antonio” with Dr. Antonia Castaneda will

close the ceremony.

At 10:50 a.m. Thursday, Gayl Newton,

a life and professional coach and editor of

ignite-She, a local women’s GLBT maga-

zine, will present “Recovering the Stories

of Female Pioneers: How Their Lives Can

Inspire Us Today.”

For more information about the activi-

ties, call Oliver at 486-0577.

Women’s History Events

Monday

Lecture: Women in Leadership with State

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte 10 a.m. in Room 120

of visual arts.

Tuesday

Lecture: “Night to His Day: The Construction

of the Feminine in the Work of 20th Century

Feminists” 9:25 a.m. in Room 120 of visual arts.

Events continue through the week.

Film: “Voices Heard, Sisters Unseen” 10:50

a.m. in Room 120 of visual arts.

Film: “In My Father’s House” 12:15 p.m. in

Room 120 of visual arts.

Lecture: Dr. Robert McElvane discus-

sion “The Distant Origins of Our (Mis)

Understanding of the Sexes” 7 p.m. in the audi-

torium at McAllister.

Wednesday

Lecture: “From Alpha Male to Nurturing

Father: How Childbirth Affects Dads,” by

Richard Reed, 11 a.m. in Room 120 of visual

arts.

Film: “Visitors of the Night” noon in Room

120 of visual arts.

Thursday

Awards: Women of Vision Awards and “On

Whose Shoulders We Stand: Chicana/Latina

Visions, Power and Action in San Antonio” with

Dr. Antonia Castaneda in Room 120 of visual

arts.

Lecture: “Recovering the Stories of Female

Pioneers: How Their Lives Can Inspire Us

Today” with Gayl Newton 10:50 a.m. in Room

120 of visual arts.

Film: “Uphill All the Way” introduced by

Nathan and Michelle Hunt 12:15 p.m. in Room

120 of visual arts.

For more information on Women’s History

Month events, call 486-0577.

Reality or Illusion?Pioneers made history in new spheres, old beliefs


By Reagan White

Aspiring college writers were advised Feb. 18

not to write another “Twilight.”

“Publishers are not buying vampire stories

anymore,” said H. Christine Lindbloom, guest

speaker at “From Writing to Meeting the Editor:

A Panel Discussion for Writers,” sponsored by the

Cheshyre Cheese Club.

Lindbloom, a professional development edi-

tor at Complete That Manuscript and a former

editor at Penguin and Knopf, was joined by, Lisa

Carroll-Lee, a fiction writing teacher, and Jen

Knox, author of “Musical Chairs” and tutor at this

college’s writing center.

Fifteen novice writers gathered in McCreless

theater as the speakers sat cross-legged on the

edge of the stage and spoke for two hours about

their experiences in the book industry.

Knox discussed the writing process and

becoming an author. “I remember when I first

started writing, already thinking about publish-

ing,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘It might take me a

few years, but I’m going to be writing for the New

Yorker.’ But I kind of sobered up very quickly.

Because it’s very romantic, the idea of publica-

tion, but it’s a long road and it’s not an easy road.”

Carroll-Lee shared with the audience the

Amherst writers and artists method as a way of

combating writer’s block. “What the AWA meth-

od will help you do is put aside the analytic side

of your mind while you allow these crazy wild

images to run free on your paper, and then later

you can control them,” she said.

She gave the audience an example of a writ-

ing prompt designed to draw out ideas for future

projects. “It’s a really delicious feeling to have

more ideas that you possibly have time to turn

into stories,” she said. “For the rest of your life,

you’ll never feel worried or empty again.”

Lindbloom, an experienced editor, shared

her insights into the business of publishing and

warned writers to be careful when choosing a

publisher. “You should own all the layouts and

design. You should not ever, ever have to submit

your own layout. You should get a style sheet.

They should offer marketing classes. They should

have press releases,” she said.

She added that writers should have an intel-

lectual property lawyer look at their contracts to

ensure they do not lose the rights to their work.

“Before you send anything anywhere, get it

copyrighted. It’s the best 35 bucks you’ll ever

spend on anything,” she said.

Lindbloom also shared insights about what

type of work publishers are looking to buy.

“Publishers are buying more character-driven

books because they’re easier to translate to the

screen,” she said. “That’s where publishers are

making 75 percent of their money now.”

Lindbloom said that when it comes to new

authors, publishers are looking for works about

65,000 words long. “They cannot make money

on anything that is 80,000 words long,” she said.

“Anything less than 50,000 words, they’re not

going to publish it because they can’t sell some-

thing that small.”

She also said changes in technology and the

economy have hurt the industry and writers who

want to publish more complicated material.

Premiere

Experts advise prospective writersProfessional development editor Christine Lindbloom speaks to a small audience at the writers panel Feb. 18.

Tyler K. Cleveland

Meet the KSYM DJsWhat is your DJ and real name?

Dallas and Dallas Williams

What’s the name of your show and

what time does it air?

The Nightlife 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Monday

What kind of music is played on your

show?

R&B, hip-hop,

soul, anything

groovy

What is the fun-

niest thing that has

happened while on

air?

So far I’ve only

had one show.

What got you

interested in radio?

I love music, I love people and I love

to talk.

What underground or local band do

you enjoy listening to?

Bad Rabbits, Brittany Bosco and

Hydra Melody.

What would people be surprised to

know about you?

I plan to get a bachelor’s degree in

finance.

What is your favorite thing about

being on air?

Being on air allows me to share fan-

tastic music that you wouldn’t hear on

other radio stations. I like being the “go-

to person” for new and exciting music.

What has been your favorite moment

so far from your show?

Receiving phone calls is always nice.

What new CD will listeners hear on

your show and what’s so good about it?

Blank Tapes was a studio owned by

Bob Blank. The studio was home to art-

ists of every genre, and the birthplace of

some of the most infectious disco tracks.

“The Blank Generation: Blank Tapes NYC

1971-1985,” released by Strut Records,

is a compilation of some of Blank’s best

work, including Gladys Knight on the

track “It’s a Better than Good Time.”

One of the best tracks on the album

is “Itchin for Love (M+M mix)” by Mikki;

it has a heavy bass line, smooth vocals

and a feeling that just makes you want

to dance.

Dallas Williams

Feb. 26, 2010 • 15The Ranger Calendar

Today

SAC Deadline: Last day to apply for

graduation in the admissions and records

office. The final deadline to apply to walk the

stage is March 26. Apply in counseling or

individual departments.

SAC Event: Annual Africa Read-in 10:50

a.m. in the Craft Room of Loftin. English

faculty read their favorite essays,

and students read from Zora

Neal Hurston’s work. Call

486-0661.

SAC Concert: Choral

concert 1 p.m. in the audi-

torium of McAllister. Call

486-0494.

Saturday

SAC Volunteer: San Antonio Food Bank

looking for volunteers 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

Free T-shirt to wear on site. Call Stephanie

Kimball, 486-0763.

SAC Event: Racquetball tourney benefit-

ing kinesiology scholarships 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

at racquetball courts in Candler. $5. Call

486-0125.

SAC Field Trip: Astronomy Club star

party and potluck dinner 5 p.m. at

Guadalupe River State Park, 3350 Park

Road 31. Call 486-0063.

Sunday

SAC Festival: Irish Heritage Day 12

p.m.–5 p.m. in Loftin. Call 946-0294.

Monday

SAC Event: Tennis tourney-singles 1

p.m.–2 p.m. south of Candler. Call 486-

0125.

Tuesday

SAC Lecture: United Methodist

Student Movement Hot Potato 12:15 p.m.

Methodist Student Center, 102 Belknap.

Call 733-1441.

SAC Event: Combat

Veterans’ Readjustment

Workshop, faculty and

administrators assist

returning veterans 2

p.m.-3:30 p.m. in

Rooms 612-613 of

Moody. Call Sylvia De

Leon, 486-0192.

SAC Event: Representatives from

Americorps, NCC Americorps VISTA will

present “How a Way of Service Can

Change Your Life” 3 p.m. Rm 226 of

McCreless. Call 486-0494.

SAC Concert: Latin jazz combo 7:30

p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister. Call

486-0494.

Concert: Faculty recital 7:30 p.m. in

Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, Trinity University.

Call 999-8212.

March 4

SAC Event: Tennis tourney-doubles 1

p.m.-2 p.m. south of Candler. Call 486-0125.

SAC Concert: Alumni reunion concert

7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of McAllister.

Call 486-0494.

March 5

SAC Event: Virtual reality gaming 1

p.m.-3 p.m. in the Cyber Café of Loftin.

Call 486-0125.

March 10

SAC Event: Casino Day

sponsored by student

life,10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the

Fiesta Room of Loftin.

Call 486-0125.

March 12

Performace: Ides of

Texas Playfest 8 p.m.-

10 p.m. at the Overtime Theater, 1414

S. Alamo, Suite 103. Continues through

March 27. Call 557-7562 or visit http://

theovertimetheater.net.

March 13

Event: Dyeing O’ the River Green and St.

Patrick’s Day Parade, river dyeing at 2

p.m. and parade at 3 p.m. Call 227-4262

or visit www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com.

March 15

SAC Closing: College closed for

spring break. Continues through March

21. Administrative offices closed March

18-21.

March 17

SAC Event: Community job fair 1:30

p.m.-4 p.m. Empowerment Center, 703

Howard Call 486-0455 or visit www.

alamo.edu/sac/wc.

March 19

SAC Concert: Faculty recital 7:30 p.m. in

the auditorium of McAllister. Call 486-0494.

March 22

SAC Deadline: Flex

2 census date. Last

day to drop without a

recorded grade of W.

March 23

SAC Concert:

Faculty recital 7:30

p.m. in the auditorium

of McAllister. Call 486-0494.

March 31

SAC Event: Psychic Fair 10 a.m.-1

p.m. in the Fiesta Room of Loftin. Call

486-0125.

Calendar Legend

SAC: San Antonio CollegeNVC: Northwest Vista CollegeSPC: St. Philip’s CollegeSWC: South West CampusPAC: Palo Alto CollegeNLC: Northeast Lakeview College

For coverage call 486-1773 or e-mail [email protected] two weeks in advance.

www.theranger.orgComplete calendar online.

By AmAndA m. Rios

Students may learn about

careers in financial services at a

seminar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday in the Fiesta Room of

Loftin Student Center.

Speakers will discuss the skills

needed for careers in the finan-

cial services industries. Among the

careers that may be discussed are

banking, insurance, investments

and related fields, Maria F. Davis,

associate professor and coordina-

tor of the finance and financial

services program in the business

department, said Tuesday.

The event is planned in col-

laboration with the career ser-

vices center. Scheduled times and

speakers include:

• 10 a.m., Dawna Mitchell, vice

president of Morgan Keegan and

Co. Inc., will discuss financial secu-

rity and investments;

• 11 a.m., David Wallis, man-

agement partner of ILIT manage-

ment group, a fourth-generation

banker, will speak about the bank-

ing industry; and

• 12:30 p.m., Laura Piemont,

Allstate Insurance representative,

will discuss insurance and invest-

ments.

The seminar is open to stu-

dents interested in majoring in

finance and financial services.


Davis at 486-0191 or the career

services center at 486-0135.

Financial services career seminar Thursday


By Riley StephenS

“It was a traumatic experience

seeing other peoples’ fears, but it

also was exhilarating to report on

what was going on,” Cary Clack,

San Antonio Express-News colum-

nist, said Tuesday, recalling writ-

ing columns from New York in the

aftermath of 9/11.

He spoke to about 50 Travis

Early College High School dual

credit communication students

as well as journalism faculty

and students in Longwith Radio,

Television and Film Building.

The event was sponsored by

the college chapter of the Society

of Professional Journalists during

Black History Month.

“I remember going into work

on Sept. 11, 2001, and being told to

pack my bag because I was head-

ing to New York that same day,”

Clack said. “I remember interview-

ing families who were waiting on

information about their loved

ones.”

He said none of them received

good news.

Clack said he grew up in a fam-

ily that received three newspapers

a day.

“We got the Express in the

morning, the Evening News in the

afternoon and the San Antonio

Light in the afternoon.”

He said the newspaper busi-

ness has changed since then.

“It’s a much different day. I

know that many journalists don’t

even read the newspaper as much

as they should, but still I’m very

proud to be able to call myself a

newspaperman. And I may appre-

ciate it more because it took me

longer than most people to get

into. I didn’t get my foot in the door

until I was in my 30s,” Clack said.

Clack attended this college

for three semesters. He graduat-

ed from St. Mary’s University in

1985 with a degree in political sci-

ence. His first published article as

a journalist was an opinion piece

for the Express-News in January

1983 encouraging the adoption of

Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a

national holiday.

“I’m proud to be a part of a

profession that I believe is the fore-

front of recording some of the most

important of things, like how we

treat one another,” Clack said.

Clack also signed copies of his

book, “Clowns and Rats Scare Me,”

a compilation of 84 of some 2,000

columns he has written for the

Express-News.

Local columnist discusses aftermath of Sept. 11Julysa Sosa

Columnist Cary Clack of the San Antonio

Express-News answers questions from

the audience Tuesday in Longwith dur-

ing an event sponsored by the Society of

Professional Journalists.


By Celeste J. NeNtwig

Kathryn Armstrong, coordina-

tor of special projects, has been

reassigned from the alumni rela-

tions office to the media services

department.

In her place, the college has

hired a full-time director of insti-

tutional advancement and a part-

time alumni relations coordinator.

“The association was taken

over by part-time employee

Emily Kahanek,” President Robert

Zeigler said. He said the move was

prompted by budget concerns.

Kahanek was employed at

H-E-B Grocery Co. for 13 years,

seven of those as senior public

relations coordinator.

She planned the Christmas Tree

Lighting at Alamo Plaza, as well as

the annual Feast of Sharing, which

raised an average of $12,000-13,000.

She said, “I attended a couple

of classes at SAC during the ’90s,

and I am excited to be a part of an

alumni association that is just get-

ting off the ground.”

“She will take the current proj-

ects and expand on them, and

develop more long-

term goals,” Zeigler

said.

The alumni fund-

raisers that were pre-

viously planned by

Armstrong, such as a

recycling fundraiser

and the SAC coffee

blend, are still being

researched and considered.

Regarding the department

change, Armstrong said, “I strug-

gled with letting the alumni asso-

ciation go because I had worked

to get it up and running, but I’m

pleased to be in this new position

as it is a wonderful opportunity.”

Kahanek said the association

plans to continue offering insur-

ance benefits and the Savings Plus

program. “We are also trying to get

benefits from local and national

merchants,” she said.

Pamela Tyler, coordinator of

donor relations in the district’s

office of institutional advancement

for five years, was hired as the col-

lege’s full-time director of institu-

tional advancement.

“We are looking into something

exciting to offer alumni, to intrigue

and inspire people to join,” she said.

Kahanek will be working closely

with Tyler, who spent two years

fundraising for all five colleges.

Tyler said, “We don’t want to

change too much but enhance

what’s there and find what works.”

Kahanek and Tyler also will

be working with Susan Espinoza,

director of resource and college

development, in the college and

grants development office.

Tyler said the departments are

separate here, but at most institu-

tions of higher education, they are

the same and should be married.

Dr. Alice Johnson, dean of learn-

ing resources, said, “Armstrong and

her supervisor, Barbara Knotts,

chair of media services, will be

working with public television sta-

tion inTV,” the City of San Antonio’s

educational access channel.

As program man-

ager, Armstrong will

work with the city and

Knotts to find and

schedule events and

shows, such as gradu-

ation ceremonies,

campus events and

performances.

The station is

available on cable channels 98 with

Time Warner Cable Co., 21 with

Grande Communications Co., and

99 with AT&T U-verse.

The district just received

$100,000 from the city for

new equipment and supplies,

Armstrong said. She said her job

now is to find the programming

that will work best for this station.

For more information regard-

ing the alumni association, call

Kahanek at 486-0743, and for inTV,

call Armstrong at 486-0904.

Armstrong moves to media services from alumni relations

Kathryn Armstrong

www.theranger.orgGo online to read story about Armstrong’s pay.

Rennie Murrell

The Ranger 18 • Feb. 26, 2010 Editorial

Juan Carlos Campos

A fitness center in Loftin Student Center is a horrible idea. Loftin is already crammed with performances, students studying, eating, dancing and playing video games. By adding a fitness center, it will turn into a circus.

Student life is supposed to try to serve the needs of all students, but putting a workout center in the caf-eteria doesn’t come close. Imagine sweaty students after a workout while everyone else is trying to eat.

Loftin is also the setting for live performances and lectures. It’s bad enough those events have to compete with the midway sounds coming from the video arcade and pool hall at the north end of the cafeteria.

Now add the sounds of a gym. And where are these body builders

supposed to change and shower?

Also, a fitness room will require a monitor — can you say liability? — for the 12 hours a day student life envi-sions the center being available. That’s 1 1/2 jobs actually.

And won’t the monitor need to be able to maintain the machines and have some training to be able to advise students (more liability) on their use?

The equipment quote is $106,000, but student life is trying to work out a better deal. Planning this fitness center started more than a year ago — probably about the time the idea of adding boxing did — but there are so many questions still unanswered.

Who even asked for this? We hope it isn’t just a private club house for cheerleaders, dancers, athletes or oth-ers with an unhealthy obsession with body image.

Students should use Candler Physical Education Center facilities instead. How about using some of the funding from the student activity fee to support open hours in the gym we already have?

Originally walled to house coin-operated entertainment, the room could still be used for that or a comfy study area where students can relax. A monitor is still required so why not move Bailey’s Café in there where stu-dents might be able to get a little quiet and the computers wouldn’t have to be disconnected, unplugged, stored and set back up every single day.

An extension of Bailey’s Café would offer additional computer access. Too many of our students do not have access at home. Studying and learning are student activities, too.

Cafeteria, workout center gross mix

In the Feb. 19 Ranger, in “National Engineers Week builds to signing,”

the Puentes grant was incorrectly identified. It is a Title 5 grant.

Also, in “CSI team leader thrilled to be at Pat Booker site,“ Dr. Lina Silva

did not decline to comment.

Correction and Clarifications

Feb. 26, 2010 • 19 The Ranger Opinion

When adjunct faculty do not receive paychecks on time, it says a lot about what the district is doing to make Banner run smoothly.

More should have been done.It is great that supplemental checks

were distributed, but it does not seem that the district did enough to react swiftly and proactively.

Waiting in long lines is unacceptable, unnecessary and nonproductive, not to mention what it does for morale.

And if this is the way Banner is going to run for adjunct faculty, imagine how the student module will work?

Should students fear not receiving financial aid?

Get it fixed and make sure before the student module of Banner is imple-mented next fall, that it is complete and ready to go so we don’t have lines of angry students who won’t be as polite or as patient as our employees have been.

Fix Banner nowThe college should not pay for a

part-time vice president. Dr. Robert Vela, vice president of

student affairs, is transferring to the new center for student information.

He will spend as many as four days a week more than 16 miles away monitoring that facility. So when will he deal with student affairs?

It must be exciting to be part of an emerging new entity, but, if dis-trict wants our VP, then they should pay his salary.

There’s no doubt that the center will need management, but there are vice chancellors and assistant vice chancellors who could run this sort of project. Why can’t district administrators handle this?

The almost 22,000-student body needs their go-to guy, not to men-tion the faculty and staff who report

to Vela.There is no dean under Vela. He is

in charge of overseeing student life, the assessment center, admissions and records, disability support ser-vices, enrollment management, counseling and the empowerment center. There is no way he can over-see these departments effectively in just one day a week.

This is a bad idea.District thinks of consolidation,

efficiency and cost-saving mea-sures and leaves its students high-and-dry in the process.

The college is already strained financially, and paying for some-one who won’t be available to us is unreasonable.

You wouldn’t pay a Northwest Vista College adjunct’s salary from our budget would you?

Wait, that’s already happening.

Keep VP here, or you pay him


Fault line shapes San Antonio landscapeBy Victoria G. ortiz

Earthquakes may not elicit

much interest in this part of the

world, but this college sits on an

active fault line.

Evidence of the Balcones Fault

Zone is seen along Dewey Place

in the change in elevation from

McCreless Hall, which sits below

street level, to McAllister Fine Arts

Center, which sits well above street

level.

Devastation from the earth-

quake that rocked Haiti Jan. 12

is not likely to ever threaten San

Antonio, but the Balcones fault line

gets attention periodically.

The Balcones Fault Zone was

created when erosion caused the

rocky layer atop what is now the

Edwards Plateau to slide down

toward the coastal plains. With a

lighter load, the Earth’s crust actu-

ally experienced uplift much like a

cupcake rises in an oven, geology

Lecturer Dwight Juran said.

This uplift produced the

cracked layers of rock referred to as

the Balcones Fault Zone and creat-

ed the Edwards Aquifer, which col-

lects precipitation underground.

The University of Texas Institute

for Geophysics reports that there

have been three historic earth-

quakes that have been felt over all

or at least in a significant portion

of West Texas. The institute credits

low damage to the relatively low

population.

The first, Aug. 16, 1931, struck

with a magnitude of 6.0 near

Valentine, halfway between Marfa

and Van Horn. The second, Jan. 2,

1992, shook the Texas-New Mexico

border near Andrews and Hobbs

with a magnitude of 4.6.

The third was in the evening

of April 14, 1995, near Alpine with

a magnitude of 5.7. That quake

prompted an evacuation of

the campus after reports of the

building shaking came from the

fourth floor of Moody. The college

remained closed the next day for

an engineering inspection.

According to that week’s Ranger,

most students were unaware of the

tremors. The students who felt the

quake were on upper floors.

For more information, visit

www.edwardsaquifer.org or the UT

Institute for Geophysics at www.

ig.utexas.edu.

The Balcones Fault Zone at Dewey Place between McCreless and McAllister shows a

change in elevation. See full story online.

Scott Aranda


By Ximena Victoria alVarez

Cheryl Oechsle was born and

raised in Haiti by missionary par-

ents. When she was 15, her family

returned to the United States to

make a home in Illinois.

She married Jarrell Oechsle

and became mother of three chil-

dren, Judah, 14, Obadiah, 16, and

Kristian, 18.

After having three kids, the cou-

ple decided they were not going to

have more children, but one day

maternity called.

The Oechsles opted to adopt.

She did not want to adopt just

any child. Cheryl Oechsle want-

ed to adopt an infant from her

beloved Haiti.

Cheryl Oechsle worried about

the children of her former home

in the wake of Jan. 12th’s devastat-

ing earthquake because government

corruption may hinder recovery and

adoptions. “They are so greedy,”

she said. “They won’t let anyone

have them, but they won’t take care

of them.”

Before she and her husband

started the adoption process, she

spoke to her children and got their

approval. Cheryl Oechsle said the

couple painted the worst-case

scenario for their

children. If she and

her husband passed

away, the children

would be responsible

for the adopted child.

Knowing this, they

still weren’t against

it and decided to

contact Stephanie

Huband, a missionary

friend.

“We contacted a missionary

friend of ours that at the time was

in Haiti, but because we already

had children, we did not qualify

(for an infant),” Cheryl Oechsle

said.

“We had put an application

for HOLT International adoption

agency but after this we had to put

it on hold,” Cheryl Oechsle said.

The Oechsles wanted a baby

girl; however, they only qualified

for a 6- or 8-year-old, twins or a

child with special needs. Instead

they applied through Methodist

Mission Home.

Huband told them about a

baby boy with spina bifida who

was coming to the United States

for surgery and look-

ing for a family.

Spina bifida is a

birth defect in which

the back bone and the

spinal canal do not

close before birth.

The mother of the

infant was an illiterate

unwed teen mother;

the agency assumed

she was 16; however, different

papers had different ages on them,

Cheryl Oechsle said.

The unwed teen had gone to a

clinic near her village and was told

that the only way her baby would

survive was for him to be sent to

the United States for surgery.

So she walked two days to the

city of Pestel and gave her baby to

Huband.

Immediately after the Oechsle

family was notified, they started

the medical visa process and

planned to travel to Indiana to

meet their new son.

The Methodist Mission was

able to get the Haitian baby into

this country, but sponsorship was

still a problem.

Fortunately,

the organiza-

tion Mending

Kids, for which

actor Mel

Gibson serves

as spokesman,

was able to get

surgeon ser-

vices donated

from surgeons at the University of

California in Los Angeles.

Dr. Jorge Lazareff, the surgeon

who separated Guatemalan twins

conjoined at the head in a 23-hour

surgery in 2002, operated on the

Haitian baby, but Mending Kids

requires a child to be returned to

its home country once stable.

“The staff from Mending Kids

personally took our son back, and

we had to start the adoption pro-

cess all over again to get him back

here,” Cheryl Oechsle said.

When unwed teens in Haiti

have a child, it is customary for the

grandparents to raise the child as

their own. His grandparents had

five other children to care for, but

because the baby’s mother begged

so much to let

her keep him,

the grandpar-

ents finally

agreed.

But the

burden was too

great; within

two months,

the mother

realized she

couldn’t take care of her infant son

nor pay for his medical expenses. A

follow-up surgery was urgent.

Once more, the teen mother set

out walking, this time three or four

days to the city of Puerto Principe

where she found Huband.

Huband immediately called the

Oechsle family and asked if they

were still interested. “We really

think God called us,” she said.

Local perseveres to Haiti adoption

Steven, 23 months old, was adopted from Haiti by Jarrell and Cheryl Oechsle.

Sharon Hensley

“… because we already had children, we did not qualify” (for an infant).

Cheryl Oechsle, adoptive parent Log on to

www.theranger.orgfor the full story.

22 • Feb. 26, 2010 News The Ranger

By Steffany Gutierrez

Scholarship opportunities, col-

lege recruiters and the Alamo Colleges

Mobile Go Center are just a few of the

things high school students will find at

the Young Leaders Conference.

The conference is a free one-day

event for high school juniors and

seniors from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday

at Palo Alto College’s Performing Arts

Center, 1400 Villaret.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. and

breakfast will be available at that time.

Mayor Julian Castro and state Rep.

Joaquin Castro will be keynote speakers.

The conference will feature sessions

addressing college financing, college

careers, volunteerism, student involve-

ment, technology, time management

and student success.

It will also include two workshops

designed for parents such as “What

Parents Should Know About FAFSA”

and “Money Management.”

To be considered for one of 10

$1,000 scholarships provided by the

Alamo Community College District

Office of Institutional Advancement

and Foundation Board, applications

were due Sunday.

Late registration is possible by call-

ing 485-0790. Applicants must also sub-

mit a typed essay on educational goals.

To be eligible, applicants must be

a high school senior with a GPA of 2.5,

submit a high school transcript and two

letters of recommendation. Scholarships

are for the 2010–11 academic year.

Requirements also include attend-

ing the entire Feb. 27 conference and

enrolling in a minimum of six credit

hours by fall 2010.

For more information, visit

w w w . a c c d . e d u / d i s t r i c t / s l i /

announcements/082409b.htm or call

Alamo Colleges Student Leadership

Institute at 485-0790.

2010 ACCD Young Leaders ConferenceBy VaneSSa M. Sanchez

The district planned to test its emergency notification system

today, but Dr. Tom Cleary, vice chancellor for planning, perfor-

mance and information systems, said the test was moved to

mid-March because personnel in the IT department are busy.

Still, people are encouraged to register or update their

contact information.

In case of an emergency, everyone will be notified via

e-mail, phone, voice mails or text messages, that is, if their

information is updated.

Sgt. Ben Peña of the district’s police department said it is

important for the district to have an emergency notification

system because it allows them to notify anyone about a cam-

pus emergency. Peña said this is an important system to keep

people safe and out of harm’s way.

Students, faculty and staff can leave their home, office and

cell phone numbers to receive calls and text messages in case

of an emergency. The system also sends texts to any text-based

device, including TTY and TDD for the hearing impaired.

To update information, click on “Emergency Contact

Information View/Update” under the “Personal Information”

tab after logging in to student services at the district’s Web

page, alamo.edu.

Alert system test postponed


By Vanessa M. sanchez

Gil Castillo, former associate director of stu-

dent activities, died Saturday.

While the cause of death was unknown,

an autopsy is pending, Ruben Flores, dean of

evening, weekend and distance education, said

Monday.

Castillo’s brother called Flores Monday

morning to notify him of the death, saying he

believed his brother died of natural causes,

Flores said.

Castillo was 53. Arrangements were still

pending Thursday. Flores said he would notify

The Ranger as updates are available.

Castillo began his career at this college

March 15, 1985, and resigned Feb. 17, 2009.

Before working with student activities, he

worked for Flores processing adjunct faculty

applications for about 15 years until he went to

work for the student activities office, Flores said.

Flores said Castillo was such a good worker

that he was promoted twice in five years.

One promotion moved

Castillo into a position as a com-

munity liaison working with sur-

rounding high schools.

Castillo was one of the first

people to advocate the creation

of Staff Council, saying that

because faculty and administra-

tors had their own forums, staff

needed one, too, Flores said.

Castillo also was involved with

TACHE, the Texas Association of

Chicanos in Higher Education.

He was president of the organiza-

tion’s San Antonio chapter and later headed the

state group.

Flores said other association presidents held

doctorates, but because Castillo was a staff

member at this college, his presidency was

significant.

Adolph Lopez, director of the assessment

center, is a member of TACHE and a friend of

Castillo.

Lopez said Castillo was a

hard worker who advocated on

behalf of students, injustice and

Chicanos.

Lopez said he had known

Castillo to be effective in getting

faculty and students involved in

various events. He said Castillo

helped organize Hispanic

Heritage Month and always tried

to get students involved in clubs

and organizations campuswide.

Belinda Saldaña, former

association president, provided

a statement on behalf of TACHE Tuesday, say-

ing, “We express our condolences to the fam-

ily and friends of Gil Castillo. He was the state

president in 1994 and an active member of our

local chapter. He will be deeply missed.”

Castillo worked on behalf of students, staffRosary and memorial are set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Mission Park South, 1700 S.E. Military Drive.

Gil Castillo

Project WORTH teams with Big Brothers Big Sisters

By steffany Gutierrez

Project WORTH and Big Brothers Big Sisters

held an information session to recruit volun-

teers.

The event, made possible in part by the

service learning department, took place in the

United Methodist Student Center.

Project WORTH, the city of San Antonio’s

teen pregnancy prevention program, and Big

Brothers Big Sisters paired up to recruit volun-

teers and mentors to work together with three

middle schools in San Antonio: Tafolla Middle

School, 1303 W. Durango Blvd., Mark Twain

Middle School, 2411 San Pedro Ave., and Davis

Middle School, 4702 E. Houston St.

Project WORTH focuses on emphasizing

youth development and abstinence and help-

ing teens avoid risky behavior and postpone

pregnancy.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, the oldest and larg-

est youth organization in the United States, also

focuses on developing positive relationships

and impacting the lives of young people by

mentoring them.

Their mission is to help children reach their

potential through professionally supported,

one-to-one relationships.

Their vision is successful mentoring rela-

tionships for all children who need and want

them, contributing to brighter futures, better

schools and stronger communities for all.

Among the students present, foreign lan-

guage major Belen De Leon listened attentively

and said she was “interested in mentoring and

helping kids and teens.”

The volunteer opportunities available with

Big Brothers Big Sisters and Project WORTH

are many.

There is a community-based program in

which volunteers visit a little brother or sister

about once a week and participate in commu-

nity activities.

In the school-based program, volunteers

visit a school once a week.

There also is a volunteer program for high

school students.

Project WORTH’s program manager Mario

Martinez, and outreach and recruitment

Coordinator Barbie Leal-Hallam, spoke about

the importance of becoming a volunteer for

community organizations in contributing to the

healthy development of teens and are reward-

ing experiences for the volunteers or mentors

and members served.

Volunteers serve as a positive role model for

younger students, encouraging them to stay

in school, avoid negative behavior and work

toward a better life.

In addition, according to the speakers, vol-

unteering and mentoring is great in that it

“demonstrates people and time management

skills, and looks good on job résumés.”

For more information on Big Brothers Big

Sisters, call Leal-Hallam at 225-6332, Ext. 131,

or visit www.bigmentor.org.

For information on Project WORTH, call

Martinez at 207-8850.

For service learning volunteer opportuni-

ties, call Audrey Grams at 486-0763.

Volunteers, mentors to work on helping local teenspostpone pregnancy.


Top left, American sign language sophomore April Lopez

browses the silent auction with her husband Eddie, Feb.

20. The auction raised more than $6,000 for the Rea and

Barbara Hinrich’s Scholarship Fund.

Top right, lab technician David Raymond lunges at

interpreting sophomore Amy Calvet (left) during a Jerry

Springer spoof Feb. 20,

during the fourth annual

American Sign Language

Talent Show in McAllister.

Performing as the opposite

sex, Calvet told Raymond he

was breaking up with her.

Left, the audience cheers

Feb. 20 following a dance to

Sonny and Cher’s “I’ve Got

You Babe” by Blanca Zamarripa and lab Director David

Solis during the fourth annual American Sign Language

Talent Show in McAllister. Applause in sign language

involves silently waving your hands in the air.

Photos by Tyler K. Cleveland

www.theranger.org

Go online for the story.

American sign language sophomore Ariel Johnson signs “this sucks” Feb. 20 while performing the skit “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from “Annie” during the American Sign Language Talent Show and Silent Auction in McAllister Feb. 20.

Interpreting graduate Sharon Zarb-Cousin signs to Mercy Me’s “I Can Only Imagine” during the American Sign Language Talent Show Feb. 20 in McAllister.

And thecrowd Roared

The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010

Documents

Transcript of The Ranger Feb. 26, 2010