The Ranger Sept. 25, 2009

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

Vol. 84 Issue 3 Sept. 25, 2009

Dude looks like a ‘Leading Lady’

Dude looks like a ‘Leading Lady’

Comedy mixes farce and fashion 9Comedy mixes farce and fashion 9

LAB HOURS CUT 4

CHALK TALK 9

EYES ON YOU 11

LAB HOURS CUT 4

CHALK TALK 9

EYES ON YOU 11

2 • Sept. 25, 2009 The Ranger

The Ranger • Vol. 84 • Issue 3 Sept. 25, 2009 • 3

Only online @ theranger.org

People slideshow

Fotoseptiembre founder builds photographic legacy

Drug war Hot Potato

Plans for city GLBT community center

Chancellor gets 3-year, $1 million contract

Mayor Castro seeshope for the future

Students’ summer trips abroad to China, Japan

Biology department’s new greenhouse

Editorials

Share enrollment celebration with students

Staff Council: It’s never too late to take a stand

Go to www.theranger.org

for news and information. The next print

edition will be Oct. 9.

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

www.theranger.org

4 News

4 Administrators dress to impress graduation messageBy Vanessa M. Sanchez

4 Lab hours, staff cutBy Laura GarciaPhoto by Destiny Mata

5 Chancellor ad appears after no-confidence voteBy Vanessa M. Sanchez

7 Budget cuts silence foreign languagesBy Trey Randolph

11 Surveillanceeye on the wallBy Laura GarciaPhoto by Destiny Mata

6 People

8 PremiereInternational accordian festival this weekend By Henry A. ChavarriaIllustration by Juan Carlos Campos

8 8 in 8 guerilla filmmakingBy Henry A. Chavarria

9 “Leading Ladies” comedy opens ThursdayBy Mario AnguianoCover photo Destiny MataStory photo by Priscilla Reyna-Ovalle

9 Chalk Day encourages free speech By Zahra Farah

10 Calendar

12 EditorialsCartoonsYou can always vote them out

14 ViewpointStudent balances motherhood with studiesBy Erika TorresPhotos by Destiny Mata

15 Blotter

15 Cops hop big wheelsBy Henry A. ChavarriaPhotos by Priscilla Reyna-Ovalle

16 BackpageCreativity and coffee flow at open mic nightsStory and photos by Leda Garcia


Campus administrators to hit the mall in cap and gownBy Vanessa M. sanchez

The first and third week of October, admin-

istrators will appear on the mall and other parts

of this campus wearing graduation regalia to

encourage students to apply for graduation.

This is to remind those students close to fin-

ishing that the deadline to register for December

graduation is Nov. 2.

Students who are close to graduation will

receive a printable “button” to be worn where

administrators can see them.

Students spotted with the button will have

their names placed in a drawing for several iPod

shuffles.

Dr. Jessica Howard, vice president of aca-

demic affairs, said the event is an invitation to

converse with administrators about graduation

and to increase the number of students consid-

ering graduation.

Howard said administrators

may put up a graffiti wall

to get even more stu-

dents involved.

In a phone

interview Tuesday,

Howard said of last

year, “We definitely

saw an increase” in

the number of stu-

dents who applied

to graduate, the largest

number of graduates and

degrees awarded ever.

“We’re trying to make graduation a part of

our culture,” Howard said. “We want to con-

tinue that campaign the entire year.”

Students will be able to download a print-

able button from their PALS e-mail account

or the school’s Web site, www.alamo.

edu/sac, to participate in graduation

week.

Administrators will not

announce when they will be

walking the campus to keep stu-

dents wearing the buttons daily.

For information on applying

for graduation, visit academic

departments or the office of coun-

seling on the first floor of Moody, or

call 486-0333.

Counseling is open 7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Hours, staff cut in many departments’ labsBy Laura Garcia

Labs on campus are limiting

hours and staff available for stu-

dents this semester because of

budget cuts.

The student learning assistance

center, or SLAC lab, on the seventh

floor of Moody Learning Center

has reduced staff through attrition

from 17 in the spring to 13 and lost

seven hours weekly.

The lab is open 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

SLAC office supervisor Jennifer

Chopra said the lab is staffed with

temporary employees. Numbers of

students visiting the lab after 9

p.m. were unavailable.

Another lab experiencing cuts

is the foreign languages lab in

Room 120 of the academic instruc-

tion center. Last semester, the lab

had two work-study students and

a full-time lab tech and offered

weekend hours. But this semester,

Maricela Ramon, the communica-

tion arts lab tech for the depart-

ment, works all three positions.

Foreign languages Chair Anna

Budzinski said budget cuts have

affected the amount of paper and

toner available and they are look-

ing into charging students 10 cents

per copy similar to the SLAC lab.

The grammar and writing labs

in Room 118 and 122 of Gonzales

Hall have cut tutors from 20 to 12.

The lab operates on a mix of work-

study and temporary employees.

The open lab closes at 7 p.m.

on Mondays and Wednesdays and

6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Previous semesters, the lab closed

at 8 p.m. and was open Saturdays

9 a.m.-noon. They no longer offer

weekend hours.

English lab supervisor Evette

Ruiz-Gonzalez said the grammar

lab next door was hurt the most by

cuts, only opening to accommo-

date sections of English courses.

They are now offering hours in

the morning and afternoon and

Tuesday until 7:30 p.m.

A staff member of the writing

center in Room 203 of Gonzales Hall

said the lab is booked with appoint-

ments more than a week in advance

and hopes to expand the staff.

The student multimedia lab in

Room 412 of Moody is open 7 a.m.-

4 p.m. Monday through Friday but

usually closes at 5 p.m. when fully

staffed.

Michael Raso of media ser-

vices said that lab is waiting for

work-study positions to be filled so

hours can be extended again.

The math tutoring lab in Room

124 of McCreless Hall stays open an

extra hour on weekends because

an instructor comes in earlier.

Otherwise, lab hours during the

week remain the same from 9 a.m.-

7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The lab is open for tutoring 9 a.m.-

2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Destiny Mata

Biology sophomore Jamar Bell and Armando Cantu, human

resources management sophomore, study in the SLAC lab in

Moody Wednesday. Bell works on physics homework while Cantu

studies math using the lab’s Plato software.

The Ranger Sept. 25, 2009 • 5

By Jason B. Hogan

The Alamo Community College District

board of trustees continues to show moral and

financial support to Chancellor Bruce Leslie

with a new $15,000 annual retention bonus

inserted into his three-year contract extension

— despite an overwhelming 90 percent vote

of no-confidence from faculty members in the

four accredited district colleges.

Board Chairman Denver McClendon, who

represents District 2, announced at the Sept. 15

regular board meeting that a new contract with

Leslie had been approved.

The contract was a topic of discussion in

executive session of the special board meet-

ing Aug. 25 to approve the tax rate. The board

approved the contract 8-0. District 3 trustee

Anna Bustamante was not in attendance.

With an annual $15,000 retention bonus,

Leslie stands to receive an extra $45,000 follow-

ing the completion of his new contract, payable

by Oct. 31, 2012.

The contract, which officially began Sept.

1, also features an automatic rollover clause,

effective Sept. 1, 2010, for an extension of an

additional year, unless the board deems Leslie

unworthy. He also could be awarded annual

increases separate from his retention payment.

The chancellor’s base salary remains

unchanged, at an annual rate of $313,663.84,

from his original terms of agreement with the

board of trustees beginning Nov. 1, 2006.

The chancellor will be eligible for a subse-

quent raise for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 should

the board approve an increase for all district

employees at the same percentage increase.

If the chancellor is terminated prior to the

ending date of his contract — either by vol-

untary dismissal or for good cause — Leslie

will collect $833.33 per month for time served

between Sept. 1, 2009, and Aug. 31, 2010. He will

receive a payment of $1,458.33 per month for

Sept. 1, 2010, to Aug. 31, 2012. Compensation

for time served month-to-month for a disability

resignation will be paid at the same rate.

But the chancellor will continue to receive

entitled benefits assigned to him under his

original 2006 contract, such as use of the dis-

trict’s Plaza Club membership, participation in

insurance and retirement plan benefits, a life

insurance policy worth twice his annual salary,

as well as a $1,000 monthly automobile allow-

ance and use of a district gas credit card.

In addition to routine business expense

reimbursement, he will be reimbursed for an

Internet access card for his laptop.

Leslie receives the same holidays, personal

disability, sick and other leave as other employ-

ees on 12-month contracts, but he accrues two

vacation days per month without limit and will

be paid for unused vacation at his termination.

If Leslie chooses to resign, he must offer

12-months notice. If the board requests he

vacate the position sooner, he continues to

collect salary and benefits as spelled out in

his contract and continues to accrue vacation,

holiday, sick and personal leave time and will

be paid for them.

Chancellor gets three-year, $ 1-million-plus contract

Chancellor’s ad appears day after no-confidence voteBy Vanessa M. sancHez

In the Sept. 16 issue of the San Antonio

Express-News, Chancellor Bruce Leslie appears

in an ad, showing a full-length photo of Leslie

standing with arms folded. The message reads

“The faculty and staff of Alamo Colleges are

making us look very smart right now. Thanks,

everyone.”

The ad was 4.9 columns by 21 inches, cost

$4,749.55 and was published the day after fac-

ulty released its votes of no confidence in the

chancellor at the September regular meeting of

the Alamo Community College District board.

The ad was purchased by the district’s com-

munications department out of its budget that

increased from $1 million to $1.7 million this

year, Leo Zuniga, associate vice chancellor of

communication, said.

Zuniga said that as chief operating officer,

Leslie is the face of the Alamo Community

College District.

As to the timing, Zuniga said the communi-

cations department was waiting for the census

date to finalize the ad.

“This ad was reserved weeks in

advance,” he said.

Mario Muñiz, district director of

public relations, agreed his depart-

ment planned for weeks to put the

ad out on that specific day after

the final enrollment in district

colleges was calculated.

The ad “wasn’t related to

the vote of no confidence in

any way,” he said.

“Sometimes, it just

seems that people are

reading into things,”

Muñiz said after he said he

thought The Ranger was calling to com-

plain about the ad.

Zuniga also questioned the call for infor-

mation on the ad. “What’s the problem here?

What’s wrong with the message?”

Zuniga said the district frequently purchases

ads in the San Antonio Express-News.

The district ran an even larger

ad New Year’s Day to list

accomplishments. That ad

was 5 columns by 18 inches

and cost $11,742.

Muñiz said there was an ad

in a Sunday edition July 26 that

no one called or complained

about. That ad congratulated 30

faculty, shown in a group photo,

who won the NISOD Excellence

Award. The ad, which stated, “Great

teachers make successful students,”

was 6½ columns by 11½ inches and cost

$2,286.

The marketing budget includes television,

radio and Web ads along with digital billboards.

See cartoon on Page 13

See the entire 11-page contract online.

6 • Sept. 25, 2009 The RangerPeople

Entertainment: Trio Azul’s vocalist, Azul Barrientos, sings a

Huapango, a type of conga, during a perfomance for Hispanic

Heritage Month Sept. 18 in the Fiesta Room.

Leda Garcia

Competition: Biology freshman Arturo Martinez

plays in a tennis tournament Monday on the col-

lege courts. The tournament was sponsored by the

student life office and will resume when weather

permits. First place wins an iPod shuffle and sec-

ond place a college T-shirt.

Priscilla Reyna-Ovalle

www.theranger.org

Log on for more People photos.


By Trey randolph

Budget cuts and the district’s

new edict against full-time adjuncts

are preventing some programs from

blossoming.

Department Chair Anna

Budzinski attributes these prob-

lems to the losses of two language

programs, German and Chinese,

because of the departure of two key

professors who taught those classes.

She said the problem is as simple

as “adjuncts are paid poorly, and

people need income.”

According to the district Web

page, adjunct, or part-time, pay

starts at $2,159 per three-hour

course taught by an instructor

with a bachelor’s degree, and tops

at $2,678 for an instructor with a

doctorate teaching that same three-

hour course.

By comparison, full-time adjunct

pay starts at $17,181 per semester,

or $3,436.20 per three-hour course,

and full-time tenure track begins

at $34,362 per nine months, or

$3,436.20 per three-hour course.

Carol Swanson, English-as-a-

second-language instructor and

former department head, agrees

with Budzinski, saying part-time

adjuncts do not work enough hours

to develop a program potential stu-

dents could consider successful or

worthwhile.

“The way it is, if you don’t have

a full-time, probably tenured pro-

fessor, the program is in danger,”

Swanson said, adding that full-time

tenured faculty teach the depart-

ment’s two most popular programs,

Spanish and ESL.

“The district is thinking of dollars

and cents, and they’re pretty igno-

rant of the individual programs,”

Swanson said.

“If you don’t give good faith to

a program, the students realize it is

not worth their time.

“In order for us to offer a minor

language,” she continued, “you have

to give the students the expectation

that they can take a full series or it’s

hardly worth it. In order to do that,

the professor needs to teach more

than allowed as an adjunct.”

Budzinski thinks adjuncts are a

better fit for her department than

tenured faculty because language

popularity is always changing, and

the department needs to change

with the demand.

“For languages or for some sub-

jects, it’s a good solution (to hire full-

time adjuncts). I think it’s better than

having tenured faculty because if

there are fewer classes, we can offer

fewer,” she said.

“If there is a tenured instructor,

we cannot have them without a job.

For a program like language, when

one language becomes very popular,

like Japanese right now, we have to

have this teacher.”

Budzinski said Japanese is the

most popular program, with about

150 students in six courses.

Budzinski said the German pro-

gram had to be cut after the depar-

ture of Instructor James Dunn.

She is looking for a new German

instructor and said she hopes to

restart the program as early as fall.

The department also lost Chinese

and ESL Lecturer Len McClure, an

instructor Budzinski described as

“fabulous.”

Swanson said McClure got a full-

time job with the city because “he

has a family to take care of.”

Budget cuts don’t translate to foreign languages

Sept. 25, 2009 • 9

By Mario anguiano

Those who can’t get enough of “Mrs.

Doubtfire,” “Some Like It Hot” and other

scripts involving guys trying to walk around

in heels, can take in “Leading Ladies,” by play-

wright Ken Ludwig.

Ludwig’s play, which debuted in 2004,

opens Oct. 1, directed by theater and speech

Professor Jim Mammarella and featuring four

theater sophomores.

“Leading Ladies” is a farce — a comedy

with unlikely or extravagant situations, dis-

guises and mistaken identity — set in York, Pa.,

in 1958. Two starving, British “Shakespearean”

actors, Jack and Leo, hear of a woman search-

ing for her two nephews to leave them her

fortune.

They hatch a scheme to pose as her neph-

ews only to discover that they really need to be

posing as her nieces, Maxine and Stephanie.

Leo finds himself falling for the woman’s

actual niece, Meg, who is already engaged to

the local minister, and the minister becomes

increasingly skeptical of the actors’ behavior,

even though he has his own plans for Meg’s

fortune.

Romantic entanglements and odd

shenanigans shake things up as the

two actors find themselves filling out their

brassieres.

Steven Reyna, who plays the Rev. Duncan

Wooley, Meg’s fiance, said “Leading Ladies” is

the funniest play he has ever acted in. Reyna

has performed onstage since high school.

Loretta De La Torre plays Meg, the heir to

the sought-after fortune.

She said the cast is expect-

ing a lot of laughs. “It is just

a flat-out comedy. There are

situations the characters find

themselves in that are very far

out there,” De La Torre said.

“When you step into the

play, you see all these funny

characters and situations, and

it’s like ‘Oh, God, where is this

going to take me,’ but there is actually a lot of

romance going on,” she said.

De La Torre said Meg is just going along for

the ride with the two dragsters. “She’s either

very gullible because she’s never experienced

anything like this or she’s trusting of situa-

tions,” she said.

Acting as Leo, who is posing as Maxine,

Sean Minogue said he is grateful for what the

role brings out in him as an actor playing an

actor.

“He’s a really funny guy. He’s an actor, and I

like that about him,” Minogue said. “He’s got a

lot of energy, and I have a lot of energy to use

toward it.”

Minogue said that Maxine starts to become

a character all her own, adding to the chaos

that most farces entail. “It’s interesting to delve

into that ‘womanly realm,’” he said, adding

that he hopes that while wear-

ing high heels “not to break

a leg in the process, literally.”

John Belcher plays Jack,

posing as Stephanie, who

always follows Leo’s lead, even

if it means putting on a pair

of heels.

“He cares so much about

his best friend, Leo. It’s very

rare that you get to [play] someone who will

sacrifice themselves for the good of somebody

else,” Belcher said.

Belcher was familiar with Ludwig’s works.

He won a UIL award in 2008 performing in

another Ludwig play, “Moon Over Buffalo.”

“Ludwig’s work is fun, it’s quick, fast-paced,

and it’s enjoyable.”

“Leading Ladies” will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct.

1-3 and Oct. 8-10, and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 4 and

11 in McCreless Theater.

By Henry CHavarria

On Nov. 14-16, the office of student life and

the media communications department are

sponsoring the “8 in 8 Boot Camp” in guerilla

filmmaking where students will learn the art

of taking great movie ideas from a concept to reality in

eight short hours.

Dr. J.C. Alvarez-Klebahn, a graduate of the

Zaki Gordan Institute for independent filmmak-

ing in Arizona, will lead the workshop.

Klebahn graduated from Princeton and

Columbia universities to pursue a career in

politics and the corporate world but in 2000 found her

true passion in filmmaking. Since 2002, she has conducted

workshops. She said that everything she did prior to film-

making gave her the skills to be a successful filmmaker.

“The best way to learn the art of filmmaking is to do it

repetitively. Digital filmmaking allows us to produce at a

faster rate and makes the art more accessible to the com-

mon person,” Klebahn said.

Klebahn designed her workshop to take a big film idea,

break it up into pieces, organize the pieces and then execute

the filmmaking process.

“A lot of creative types lack the skill of organizing,”

Klebahn said, which is why she emphasizes that students

find what they are good at and pick the right person for their

production team.

The goal of the workshop is to have students “think

outside of the box,” Klebahn said. “I want to take potential

filmmakers and give them their first victory.”

The workshop will focus on various filmmaking tech-

niques like scriptwriting, pre-production, casting, location

setting, lighting and sound, cinematography, shot mapping,

shot listing, editing, working on a limited budget

and time. Student life will provide cameras, light-

ing and editing equipment.

To apply, students must make a team of four

to fill the jobs of the director, camera, light/

sound and producer.

Each group must submit a three-minute short video to

introduce the team, explaining everyone’s film experience

and interests.

The “8 in 8 Boot Camp” application must be submitted

with a video by 5 p.m. Oct. 9.

All team members must be current students enrolled

here in a minimum of six hours with a GPA of 2.0.

The top 10 teams of four will be selected by Klebahn and

media communications Professors Markene Bennett, Terry

Tackitt and Dr. Yuk-Kwong “Edmund” Lo.

Winning teams will be notified Oct. 19, and on the final

day of the workshop, their films will be showcased at a film

festival on the mall.

For more information, call student life at 486-0134.

By ZaHra FaraH

Students crouch, hands

dusty with chalk, ready

to exercise the right to free

speech by drawing, quoting or

writing poetry on the mall. Chalk Day,

which celebrates freedom

of speech and assembly,

will run from 11 a.m. to

1 p.m. Oct. 9.

The event started in 2004

after former student Gabriel

Garza left a bucket of chalk

on the mall to see what his friends would do

while he went to class, Irene Abrego, journalism

instructor, said. “They used it and wrote all over the

pavement. A staff member saw them and complained,

because one, they did not have permission, and two,

who was going to clean that up?”

“I thought it was ridiculous for them to get in

trouble. It’s chalk; it will wear off,” Abrego said.

Bam! Chalk Day was born, an event sponsored

by The Ranger and the journalism program.

“A few people thought it was childish,” she con-

tinued. “I think it’s because it’s not what people do

everyday, and it reminds us of our childhood, but it

is not necessarily childish.”

Even though the event is a celebra-

tion of freedom of speech, participants

are encouraged to follow standards simi-

lar to those used by The Ranger. “We dis-

courage people from using obscenities.”

Chalk Day is in conjunction with

National Newspaper Week, this year observed

Oct. 4-10, because it too celebrates the First

Amendment, said Jason B. Hogan, editor of The

Ranger. “Once you know what Chalk Day entails, it

gives you the opportunity for your voice to be heard

through the written word as it is meant to be,” he said.

The journalism program distributes at least a

hundred pieces of chalk throughout the day, he said.

Abrego said what is important is that people

enjoy themselves and join in the impromptu cre-

ativity. “I walk around campus, and I don’t see many

people smiling, but on Chalk Day, they are relaxed,

they are happy, and they feel a part of something. I

think they feel a bit naughty, too,” she said.

There used to be a designated free speech area on

campus, but the Supreme Court ruled that it actually

represents a restriction on freedom of speech.

Hogan and Regis L. Roberts, Ranger Web editor,

remember a drawing of an egg detached from a

uterus that read, “40 million killed.”

“I thought it was tasteless and offensive,”

Roberts said. “But the beauty of Chalk Day is that

one thing can be offensive to one individual group,

but you or anyone else cannot be in control.”

Abrego said, “It is not graffiti or vandalism. Just

as quickly as it appears, it disappears.”

Squeeze in accordion festival

Making an 8-minute film

in 8 hours

By Henry CHavarria

The International Accordion Festival

is taking over La Villita Oct. 9-11 featur-

ing free live performances, workshops,

open mic and accordion jam sessions.

On three stages, students can enjoy

ensembles from all around the globe

playing everything from Panamanian

pinyin to Czech polka.

The festival will feature artists

from Taiwan, Argentina, Lebanon,

Scotland, Bulgaria, Spain and

the United States.

Some of the major acts

are Buckwheat Zydeco,

Daniel Diaza and Lia Davis,

Jaime y los Chamacos and the

Zydepunks.

“The festival is totally unique,”

the director of the conjunto music

program at Palo Alto College, Juan

Tejeda, said, “celebrating the diverse

world of accordion tradition.”

In the educational component, stu-

dents can find workshops facilitated by

some of the artists performing at the

festival.

The workshops consist of informal

sessions and performances featuring

personal interaction with master artists

and their music.

The International Accordion Festival

is two days of cultural integration

b o a s t i n g

ethnic foods, beverages and

unique merchandise booths.

For the full performance

and schedule line-up, visit

www.internationa-

laccordionfesti-

val.org.

40 to learn guerilla filmmaking

Chalk Day celebrates free speech

‘Ladies’ take the lead in new drag productionPriscilla Reyna-Ovalle

Juan Carlos Campos

AdmissionFree for ACCD

students and employees with ID. General admission, $10; seniors, military and children age 5 and older, $5. No one under age 5 admitted.

Pre-med sophomore Breanna Villani and theater

sophomore Loretta De La Torre play Audrey and Meg

at dress rehearsal Wednesday in McCreless Theater.

8 • The Ranger Premiere


Today

SAC Event: Outdoor movie screening of

“Star Trek” 7:20 p.m.-10 p.m. in the mall.

Call 486-0125.

SPC Exhibit: “Jewels of the Earth/Las

Joyas de la Tierra,” paintings by Elizabeth

Elequin in Room 100 of Watson. Continues

through Oct. 12. Call 486-2704.

Saturday

SAC Workshop: Free “Planning and

Paying for College Workshop” 8:30 a.m.-1

p.m. in Room 218 A and B of nursing and

allied health. Call 734-8937.

Monday

SAC Event: Karaoke 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in

Loftin. Call 486-0125.

SAC Meeting: Mexican-American

Engineers and Scientists 2:30 p.m.-3:30

p.m. in Room 144 of Chance. Call 486-

0125.

SAC Transfer: Texas State University

San Marcos 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on the first

floor of Chance. Call 486-0864.

SAC Transfer: University of Texas at San

Antonio 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on the first floor of

Chance. Call 486-0864.

SAC Transfer: Texas A&M San Antonio

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the transfer center

on the first floor of Moody. Call 486-0864.

SAC Event: Two-mile run 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

at San Pedro Springs Park. Call 486-

0125.

SAC Workshop: “Using SAC Library to

Enhance your Course” 1 p.m.-3 p.m. in

Room 716 of Moody. Call 486-0030.

Tuesday

Employee Development Day: College

closed; no classes until 5 p.m.

Wednesday

SAC Event: Antojitos Festival 9 a.m.-1

p.m. in mall. Call 486-0125.

SAC Meeting: Cheshyre Cheese Club

2 p.m.-3 p.m. in Room 127 of Gonzales.

Call 486-0125.

SAC Transfer: Texas A&M San Antonio

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the transfer center

on the first floor of Moody. Call 486-0864.

SAC Transfer: University of the Incarnate

Word 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on the first floor of

Chance. Call 486-0864.

SAC Transfer: University of Phoenix 10

a.m.-2 p.m. on the first floor of Chance.

Call 486-0864.

SAC Meeting: Society for the

Advancement of Chicanos and Native

Americans in Science at 2:30 p.m. in

Room 144 of Chance. Call 602-4940.

SAC Meeting: Astronomy Club noon-1

p.m. in Room 101 of nursing. Call 486-

0125.

SAC Meeting: Gay and Lesbian

Association 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. in Room

612-613 of Moody. Call 486-0125.

Thursday

SPC Performance: Azul and Marco,

aka Mexican Stepgrandfather, at 7 p.m. in

the Heritage Room of the campus center.

Call 486-7231.

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

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

www.theranger.orgComplete calendar online

Calendar


By Laura Garcia

Look up. Those glass bubbles

on the ceiling are keeping an eye

on you. Officers may or may not

be watching the feed. The district

police monitor a digitally record-

ed camera surveillance system.

Almost every building in the dis-

trict has eyes. More are on the way.

Of 1,029 cameras through-

out the district, there are 277 on

this campus alone. They cost

about $1,200 each. Periodically

throughout the day, the feeds

rotate through a bank of monitors.

Recordings are kept for about a

month on DVR.

Sgt. Ben Peña of the district

department of public safety said

the cameras have aided in most

crime investigations. He said the

cameras helped after an Aug. 9

report of a break-in of Fletcher

Administration Center.

“We are hoping to have cam-

eras in all of our buildings and

public areas in the next few years.”

About four years ago, district

officials decided to invest in cam-

eras and have been installing them

since then based on availability

of funds and need. Cameras were

incorporated into new construc-

tion during the capital improve-

ments project.

Northeast Lakeview College

has cameras in every building.

Northwest Vista College has just

one building without cameras.

Buildings without cameras here

and at St. Philip’s and Palo Alto col-

leges will have cameras installed at

the end of renovations.

“The district is trying to

enhance the level of security on

campuses by adding more camer-

as and controlled-access systems,”

Peña said.

The controlled-access systems

set up on many buildings on cam-

pus enable the police to conduct

a lockdown digitally if neces-

sary from DPS offices. They are

attempting to install the systems

in every building.

A surveillance camera in Gonzales Hall sends a continuous digital feed to a DPS

data bank to aid in investigation of campus crime throughout the district.

Destiny Mata

District adds more surveillance

The Ranger 12 • Sept. 25, 2009 Editorial

The Ranger, the student newspaper at

San Antonio College, is a laboratory project

of the journalism classes in the Department

of Media Communications, published Fri-

days except during summer, holidays and

examinations.

News contributions accepted by tele-

phone (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 (486-1765).

The Ranger is a member of the Texas In-

tercollegiate Press Association, the Associ-

ated Collegiate Press, the Texas Community

College Journalism Association and the As-

sociated Press.

Guest Viewpoints: Faculty, staff, stu-

dents and community members are wel-

come to contribute guest viewpoints of up

to 450 words.

Writers should focus on campus or cur-

rent events in a critical, persuasive or inter-

pretative style.

All viewpoints must be published 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, typewritten 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 news-

paper office in Room 212 of Loftin Student

Center, e-mailed to [email protected]

or faxed to 486-1789.

Letters must be signed and must include

the writer’s printed name, classification,

major, Social Security number and tele-

phone number.

For more information, call 486-1773.

Single Copy Policy: Because of high

production costs, members of the Alamo

Community College District community

are permitted one free copy per issue.

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 sub-

ject to college discipline.

Editor

Jason B. Hogan

Managing Editor

Vanessa M. Sanchez

Calendar Editor

Henry A. Chavarria

Photo Editor


Photographers

Leda Garcia

Destiny Mata

Production Manager

Laura Garcia

Production Assistant

Alena Ramirez

Newsroom Assistant

Zahra Farah

Illustrator

Juan Carlos Campos

Staff Writers

Mario Anguiano, Tyler K. Cleveland, Emilio Davila,

Zahra Farah, Lorraine Gomez,

Trey Randolph, Erika Torres

Web Editor/Circulation

Regis L. Roberts

©2009 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 re-

produced without permission.

The RangeR

Photo by Priscilla Reyna-Ovalle

The Ranger Sept. 25, 2009 • 13Editorial

During the Sept. 15 meeting of the Alamo Community College District board, audience members floated the fact that three of nine trust-ees are up for re-election in May.

On that list are Bernard Weiner of District 1, Chairman Denver McClendon of District 2 and Anna Bustamante of District 3.

Considering the board members ignored the faculty’s objections to the leadership of Chancellor Bruce Leslie and voted him a new three-year contract with additional bonuses,

trustees seeking re-election should be aware that faculty and staff at the colleges vote at a much higher ratio than the general public.

If enough unhappy employees of district colleg-es vote, trustees could lose their bid to serve another term.

If more than 90 percent of students in a class had a problem with a pro-fessor and the students brought their complaints to the department chair, should the chair at least look into the situation?

If more than 90 percent of students in four of the teacher’s five classes expressed no-con-fidence in that teacher’s ability to teach them, what would you expect the chair to do?

The college’s academic grievance policy requires chairs to listen to both sides of a stu-dent-faculty dispute.

Right now, the trustees are in the same situa-tion, and it is a shame.

The trustees should listen carefully to the faculty’s objections to the chancellor before dis-missing them and forging ahead with the chan-cellor’s agenda.

The board works for the community. They were elected by them, and it is nothing short of asking them to do their jobs by listening to that community. That community includes faculty, staff – and students.

You can alwaysvote them out

Laura Garcia

www.theranger.orgGo online for editorials on Staff Council and district’s celebration of enrollment.

District 2District 1 District 3

4, 749.55

Corrections In the Sept. 11 article, “Committee approves early retirement plan,” the name of Linda Bower-Owens,

associate vice chancellor for employee services, was misspelled. Also in the story, Bower-Owens was

quoted incorrectly. It should read, “Employees must remain separate from the district for at least

one month.”

14 • Sept. 25, 2009 The RangerOpinion

I study quietly as my

3-month-old son sleeps

peacefully at my side.

I stop and stare at his

innocent face periodically.

He makes the struggle

worthwhile.

I know I need to better

myself so that I can pro-

vide for my son.

I live with my fiancé (my son’s father), in his

parents’ house.

With me not working, we barely make it

from paycheck to

paycheck.

I am in school

only two days a week,

while my son is with

my mom.

When I am at

school, I miss him

like the deserts miss

the rain.

And when I am

home with him, I

desperately miss the

outside world.

Compared to

some, I have it easy.

I have seen young

single mothers strug-

gle to keep a job to

pay for child care so

they may go to school and older parents who

quit school when they were younger and wait

until their children are grown to return.

I have watched the education of friends

be flushed down the toilet after they have

children.

Their new role of “mommy” took priority, as

it should.

But their goals were forgotten.

When I first learned I was pregnant, I strug-

gled with school, dropping most of my classes

after falling behind.

I wanted to quit school altogether.

But seeing my son grow more and more each

day has inspired me.

I have to make an effort — for him.

I need more than a minimum-wage job to

give him all the things he needs.

I don’t want my son to grow up on welfare,

wearing hand-me-downs from his older cous-

ins, never knowing a Christmas with more

than a couple of pres-

ents, or being afraid

of playing outside

because we live in a

bad neighborhood.

I know my family

deserves better.

I want a house of

our own in a decent

neighborhood with

a yard for my son to

play.

I want to buy

him new shoes every

school year and a new

car on his 16th birth-

day and pay for his

honeymoon.

I want to give him

the world.

I have decided to work hard to finish my

associate degree so that I may have a chance at

a successful career — for him.

I hope one day he looks back at my life and

is proud.

I hope he knows that I did it all for him.

And I hope he is inspired to further his edu-

cation and make his own success story.

Parenthood not end of educational goals

Viewpoint by Erika Torres

Destiny Mata

Erika Torres holds 3-month-old son, Jay.

Editor:

I have been on the faculty at San Antonio

College for nearly 40 years, and I have never

seen a board so blind, an administration so

bad or faculty morale

so low.

When I began teach-

ing here and ours was

the fifth-largest institu-

tion of higher learning

in the state of Texas,

there were 10 officials

who ran everything.

Ten!

Today, however, there are legions of

administrators who are working them-

selves to death in an effort to justify their

existence.

The number of self-studies, staff studies

and feasibility studies that are ongoing is

mind-numbing.

The chancellor’s answer, regrettably, is

to attend more conventions, launch more

task forces, and have more consultants and

high-salaried administrators.

In actuality, if we fire three out of four

administrators, we could reduce unnec-

essary work, save a fortune on salaries,

travel and other administration-generated

expenses, and improve the efficiency of

the entire operation at the same time.

Perhaps, then, we could refocus on our

recently neglected mission of providing a

quality education for our students.

Dr. Thomas M. Settles

History Professor

Letters

Change for the worse

Viewpoints, Letters & Comments

Log on to www.theranger.org for reader comments such as this one posted on Zahra Farah’s

viewpoint about Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.www.theranger.org

Bruce Leslie


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 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 WayHelotes, TX 78023Work: 567-5544 Fax: 520-9185E-mail: [email protected]

District 7: Charles Conner13306 Hunters Hollow, San Antonio, TX 78230Home: 493-7176 Fax: 493-7909 E-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

SAN ANTONIO

COLLEGE

Sept. 8: An officer

observed a vehicle

with windows

open in the Park

Place lot. Vehicle

checked, came back

as stolen.

PALO ALTO

COLLEGE

Sept. 8: An individ-

ual reported theft of

district property.

ST. PHILIP’S

COLLEGE

Sept. 8: An individ-

ual reported theft of

district property.

An individual

reported theft of

personal property

from a classroom.

SOUTHWEST

CAMPUS

Sept. 8: An indi-

vidual reported

burglary of vehicle.

Blotter

BY HENRY A. CHAVARRIA

Six months ago, a new idea developed in the

district department of public safety to put offi-

cers on electric T3 Motion vehicles to improve

contact with the public.

T3s cost 10 cents a day to charge the battery

three to four hours and purchase of the 10 units

cost the department $9,000 each.

According to www.t3motion.com, the T3

Motion is an energy-efficient, single-person vehi-

cle that gets the equivalent of 500 miles per gal-

lon. They are clean-energy vehicles and release

zero emissions into the environment.

The police department intends to station two

units at each campus to give officers enhanced

visibility from a 9-inch high platform. It also

allows them to reach speeds up to 25 mph.

DPS Sgt. Mike Nemcic is ready to get the T3

Motions out in the field after facilitating T3 train-

ing along with Deputy Chief Derrick Patten and

Cpl. Guillermo Perez.

The training consisted of a two-hour course

including academic and practical testing.

“These vehicles are a supplement to cars, not

a replacement,” Nemcic said. “They will allow

us to spend more time on campus and less time

patrolling around campus which improves cus-

tomer contact.”

This means that patrol cars will still be used in

case of an arrest, traffic accidents or other major

incidents.

“The T3 Motions are going to be a big asset

as far as the department’s community initia-

tive design to integrate the department into the

community versus monitoring the community,”

Nemcic said.

He said this new law enforcement technique

will show students that the department is there

to serve and not disturb.

The department’s plan is to have one security

officer and one police officer on a T3 unit per

campus. The T3 Motions can be operated indoors

as well as outdoors and should be in routine use

within the next week.

Deputy Chief Derrick V.

Patten instructs offi cers

on the use of the new

T3 motion vehicles Sept.

16 at the department

of public safety at West

Park and North Main.

The district purchased

10 T3s, fi ve for police

and fi ve for security

guards.

Cops hop big wheels for patrolNew vehicles are aimed at

improving contact with public.


www.theranger.orgGo online for complete

blotter coverage.


Story and PhotoS by Leda Garcia

Students and community members joined the first

Coffee Night Open Mic of the semester sponsored by

the Cheshyre Cheese Club Sept. 11 in Loftin Student

Center to share their creativity.

Participants shared their original writing as well as

pieces from their favorite poets, jokes, songs and tal-

ents, such as playing instruments. Some

members of the club went on the stage

and shared their past experiences with

the club.

During the event, participants were

treated to free coffee, cookies, popcorn

and cheese.

“We’re like a family. It feels good to

come back and be part of this,” said Terry

Robledo, the event’s host and a former

student of this college, while holding his

9-month-old daughter, Helena Robledo.

Biology sophomore Taylor Hansen said he came to

help club members set up the event and by the end of

the evening, he had decided to perform on his guitar

while singing.

Aside from all the stage happenings, the event

also included a button contest originated by English

Instructor Jane Focht-Hansen, co-sponsor of the

Cheshyre Cheese Club. Participants could make a

button to wear featuring words they had

written. Tony Guerrero, English sopho-

more, described it as “inspirational” and

also as a great opportunity to develop

one’s portfolio.

The next Coffee Night Open Mic is 6

p.m., Oct. 9. in the round in Loftin.

For more information on the

Cheshyre Cheese Club and upcoming

events, e-mail [email protected]

or attend a meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday

in Room 127 of Gonzales Hall.

Creativity and coffee flow at open mic

English sophomore Santo Randazzo reads an excerpt from “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville at the Coffee Night Open Mic

Sept. 11 in Loftin. The event takes place monthly in Loftin, organized by the Cheshyre Cheese Club.

Graphic design sophomore Samantha Wiblitzhouser plays

the accordion during Coffee Night Open Mic Sept. 11 in

Loftin.

English sophomore and club member,

Caroline Richardson, signs up for an

opportunity to participate.

Biology sophomore Taylor Hansen performs to “Use

Somebody” by Kings of Leon.

The Ranger Sept. 25, 2009

Documents

Transcript of The Ranger Sept. 25, 2009