solano tempest
DESCRIPTION
The student newspaper of Solano Community College.TRANSCRIPT
Physical education is no joke
3 Theatredebut goeshyperactive
3 Football team stayshopeful
OPINION ON 3 A&E ON 4 SPORTS ON 8
FAIRFIELD, CALIF.www.solanotempest.net
VOL. 28, NO. 11MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
MORE ONLINE AT WWW.SOLANOTEMPEST.NET - Football and aquatics program cuts “Try not to become a man of success but rather to be-
come a man of value.”-Albert Einstein
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
THE TEMPESTT H E V O I C E O F S O L A N O C O L L E G E
Children’s program is more than just babysitting
By Mark BeierlyStaff [email protected]
Many people would acknowledge Valen-tine’s Day as the day we celebrate our loved ones or the concept of love. The Japanese celebrate another holiday similar to Valen-tine’s, called White Day. On March 14, the Japanese, Taiwanese, and South Koreans observed White Day, when the men give chocolates, cookies, or other gifts to women in return for gifts they received on Valen-tine’s Day.
Japanese culture dictates that on Valen-tine’s Day, only the women give chocolate and other gifts to men. The idea of appre-ciating our loved ones on two different days may be a surprise to other cultures.
Solano Community College’s Japanese Arts and Culture Club called attention to White Day by celebrating the holiday at a booth near the cafeteria and the ASSC of-
fices. The club celebrates many aspects of Japanese culture from food to traditions such as origami. “The club enjoys most aspects of Japanese culture and usually discusses the cuisine, customs, and its most popular anime within the club,” said Ike Cooper, club president.
The celebration of White Day is a prime example of how the JACC (Japanese Arts and Culture Club) gives Solano College stu-dents a taste of Japanese customs. “The club also gives a chance to showcase the club members’ talents and artworks,” said JAC club member Angelica Cabanlit.
The intention of JAC club’s events and fundraisers is to show how Japanese culture affects other people. The club members made homemade plush dolls of famous Jap-anese pop culture icons like Pokémon and other Nintendo characters.
Club member Lisa Gurlin made key chains, Moogle charms, and mini origami to demonstrate the uniqueness of Japanese
culture. In observance of White Day, many of
the club members made white chocolate and Japanese style cookies for sale at the JAC table booth.
White Day, the male partner’s turn to cel-
ebrate the validation of a loving relation-ship, is a time honored custom that is not only celebrated by the Japanese but by So-lano Community College’s JAC club.
JAC club members sell homemade items at their booth on White Day.Mark Beierly/Tempest
Club celebrates Japanese version of Valentine’s Day
By Deborah GrahamStaff [email protected]
Malissa Hayden watched patiently as two preschoolers worked out a sharing is-sue at Solano College’s children’s center last week. Hayden, 20, is an early child-hood education (ECE) major at Solano Community College. The children’s pro-gram at Solano Community College gives her an opportunity to put into practice what she is learning.
For Solano College ECE students, this is not just a baby sitting center, this is their classroom
“This program teaches students the right way of doing things; everything is done by the book,” Hayden said. SCC’s Children’s Program started in the 70’s as a child development laboratory for the early childhood development department. The program is the laboratory school to support the early childhood development department and the human development department.
The program offers both full and part-time programs for children between the ages of six months through kindergarten. Approximately 130 children attend the
program daily, with 528 families on the waiting list. There are also morning and afternoon sessions for three and four-year-old students.
Director Christie Speck says it is won-derful that the program supports the ECE students and human development students
to gain foundation skills. The program is committed to serving SCC students who are parents.
“SCC children’s program is the only lab school in Solano County,” Speck said. “The students are able to put theory to practice by coming to the center and actu-
ally working with the children.” On Jan. 5, Gov. Jerry Brown released
a 2012-13 budget proposal that would cut child care and development programs. Speck said that the major funding for the laboratory school comes from the Califor-nia Department of Education.
She noted that SCC does contribute a portion as well, but the deep cuts proposed by Brown would hurt the program, primar-ily low-income families.
“Families who pay little or nothing for the children’s program would lose our ser-vices,” Speck said. “We don’t know how many families we would lose through attri-tion but we lose about 60 families a year. If some families are able to pay for services, this option would allow us to continue the lab school.”
Amanda Pacheco, an early childhood education student who has been with the program for a while, says she loves the abil-ity to get the hands-on experience.
“I love working with the children,” Pacheco said. “You receive a lot of help from the teachers and other staff members. You really get to apply all the training you learn from your courses. This is definitely not a babysitting program.”
Deborah Graham/Tempest
Two preschoolers work together at the children’s program science area.
OPINION2 THE TEMPEST n March 21 - April 3, 2012
correction
Wed. March 21Student Health Center- Health Faire400 building downstairs lobby11 a.m. – 1 p.m
Mental Health TherapyMain CampusRoom 1409Workshop Times:11 a.m. – 1 p.mTues. 1 p.m. – 3 p.m
Thur. March 22 Last day to petition for May graduation400 Building - Admissions and Records
Tues. March 27ASSC meetingVacaville Center12:45 pm – 2:30
SCC Guest Reader SeriesClive Rosengren“Murder Unscripted”Room 70312:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Sat. March 314th annual SCC Cosmetology Club Hair Fashion ShowSCC Theater5:30 pm
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campus calendar
Cutting athletics is not the answerAs many students know now: on Wednesday, March 7 the football and aquatics programs were cut as the governing board voted 4-2 on the decision.
Although I am not involved in either program, I have been a stu-dent at Solano Community Col-lege since 2006, first taking extra-curricular classes in high school and then as a college student up to the present time. While it may have taken me a long time to figure out what I wanted to major in, one thing that stayed solid with me throughout my years here is the opportunities that physical education classes on campus have presented me with.
As a senior in high school, I began taking judo with Sensei Tanaka and loved it so much I stayed in the class my whole se-nior year. Tanaka’s class instilled confidence in me, taught me respect, and motivated me to keep active. I was honored to be at the ceremony that presented Tanaka with his 8th degree black belt and was proud to know that
our college had won such a large number of awards in divi-sion meets. I never thought back in 2008 that Tanaka’s class would be cut and probably wouldn’t have believed it if I had been told back then.
Although I do not speak much about it, I have struggled with serious depres-sion for much of my teen years and all my adult life. To be able to take classes on campus and force myself to work out when I don’t even want to get out of bed has been extremely beneficial to my health, both mentally and physically. I can personally thank Coach Marks, Coach Borchert, Coach Cardinal, and Coach Pearson-Bloom for being such excellent teachers and inspiring me to go above and beyond when it comes to physical education, for believing in me when I did not believe in myself.
The British Journal of Psychiatry published a study in 2010 in which participants were asked a series of questions relat-ing to their level of physi-cal activity. The study found that individuals who stuck to a regular routine were less likely to be depressed than those who did not practice regular exercise. If you go to Google and type in depression and exercise in the search bar you will
be overwhelmed with myriad of similar results refuting the validity of exercise’s benefits, not only for body, but the mind as well.
College students are stressed out enough as it is with classes and fiscal concerns. To take away athletic program on campus is not only a step, but a leap in the wrong direction. The athletes and teachers were not given a chance to raise the money to keep their programs, and for Coach Marks and Coach Parrish, their jobs. The governing board members let
the public know that the decision could be rescinded if enough money came in, but fundraising doesn’t always come easy, espe-cially when those who must raise the funds did not know until the last minute.
“I don’t think cutting any kind of sports is the right answer,” said governing board member Phil McCaffrey during the Wednesday meeting. McCaffrey and Hon-eychurch were the only board members who voted to reject the cuts.
I may not be a member of a sports team on campus, but I stand firm and agree with McCaffrey whole-heartedly that cuts in physi-cal education are NOT the right answer. Instead of spending our budget on exorbitant legal fees and unnecessary expenditures, we need to put the needs of our stu-dents and teachers first. We are the life and breath of this college, not a side note to be glanced at momentarily and tossed aside.
If you happened to miss the news, the Solano Community College governing board on March 7 held a meeting ap-proving the laying-off of two faculty mem-bers, and cut the football and aquatic programs.
It should be noted that the week before, the school’s admin-istration, not the board, made the unilateral decision to slash summer school. It is curious why the board is not clamoring to make the decision to cut or retain summer school themselves. Remember, it is an election year. Such news is quite sobering and distressing; yet there is a silver lining. Yes, I’m serious.
You may ask, “John, how can you have such optimism about Solano in the face of bad news?” It’s simple. For over two hours, students, faculty, staff, and members of the public exercised a sacrosanct principle: the right to petition their representatives.
Arriving at 5 p.m., I carefully and strategically found the seat on the end of the row next to the speaker’s podium. I had a front row seat to democracy in action and it made me damn proud to
be associated with Solano College.
It made me proud when students from various majors pleaded with the
governing board to keep the foot-ball and aquatics programs.
It made me proud when faculty implored the board and school administration to take another look at the health and benefits numbers.
It made me proud when the governing board representative for the Associated Students of Solano College student govern-ment raised her voice to make clear that these cuts were unac-ceptable; when the career/techni-cal education senator refused to yield the floor because he wished to be heard under the ASSC report, and when other members of the ASSC student government became vocal and demanded to be heard.
It made me proud when faculty presented a petition to the board which asked that the police de-partment be retained.
It made me proud when stu-dents presented petitions to the board asking that summer school be saved.
It made me proud when the welding professor spoke about his students and how they were changing their lives for the better.
It made me proud when the father spoke about how his two children have benefited tremen-dously from the education and care they received from Solano’s children center.
And it made me proud to see the Solano Aquatic Sea Otters come out to support the aquatics program and keeping the pool open.
Hopefully, these cuts can be re-versed. If not, it was an honor to witness such democracy in action.
Solano board meeting was democracy in action
By John Glidden
Staff Writerjglidden@
solanotempest.net
By Sharman Bruni
Editor-in-Chiefsbruni@
solanotempest.net
It made me proud when stu-dents from various majors pleaded with the governing board to keep the football and aquatics programs.
The photo on page 6 of Occupy Education marchers in the March 7 print edition of The Tempest should have been credited to Kelcey Cromer.
March is Women’s history month. The rights that today’s generation takes for granted were the same rights women struggled to attain years ago. The struggle continues.
A March 24, 1986 article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) , by Carol Hymowitz and Timothy D. Schellhardt, “The Glass Ceiling: Why Women Can’t Seem to Break the Invisible Barrier That Blocks Them from the Top Job,” is credited with coining the phrase, “glass ceiling.” It has been more than 20 years and to me the playing field is not completely level.
If we look back at the the late 1700’s during the pre-industrial era, women were often seen as delicate and unable to complete tasks that required strength and intelligence. While the men did the real “heavier” work such as hunting and plowing, women did household chores such as watch-ing after the children, milking cows, and washing clothes.
As years went on, a woman’s place continued to be solidified in the home taking care of the household and catering to their husband’s needs. Unmarried
women weren’t allowed to own property. They weren’t allowed to sue or be sued. They couldn’t even make a contract. However, when married, she would give up her name and all her possessions would then go under her husband’s name.
My girlfriend, Esther Wilson, last year opened her own jewelry shop. It was something she had been thinking about for years. She and her husband and two children had been struggling financially, due to her husband’s disability she was the major bread winner. She worked for a company in mid-town Manhattan that was on the par of a Facebook corporation, fast-paced and quickly moving up Forbes ladder. She had been working there 15 years. Last year she decided to put herself out there and go for that senior management position. She dressed sharply the day of the interview. She knew
everything about the position and knew was a top candidate for the job.
When she entered the office
the second question she was asked, aside from her name was, “So are you going to have any more children?”
She responded, “My husband and I haven’t decided that. Are you and your wife going to have any more?” She didn’t get the job. Experiences like this made me aware that women continue to face challenges in being fairly evaluated for their qualifications. According to a July, 2005 edition of “The Economist,” an article written by Booz Allen Hamilton, a consulting firm that monitors departing chief executives in America, found that
0.7 percent of CEOs were women in 1998, and 0.7 percent of CEOs were women in 2004. In between, the figure fluctuated. But the firm says that one thing is clear: the number is “very low and not getting higher.”
I don’t feel that we have begun to put a dent in the glass ceiling. Women are still struggling get into roles that have for so long been male dominated. It is so im-portant as women, with the eco-nomic downfall, that we capitalize on the changing attitudes about gender roles at home. We need to empower and encourage other women to take advantage of the doors opened in the workplace by prior generations of women. We need to continue that fight until we see five women making up the top 10 list in Forbes magazine. That will be a time we women can then truly say, “We have over-come.”
OPINION 3THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
campus conversation
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Why did you become an educator?
“I did my student intership and I loved it. I just love watch-ing the light go on.”
-Debra BerrettOccupational Education Coordinator/Instructor
“Both of my parents were teach-ers. I enjoy working with stu-dents and touching so many lives”
-Jeff Lamb Dean
“I really like teaching, especially mentoring students.”
-Kevin Andersoncomputer science/business law
“I like to help students get the same opportunities I had. I want to help them move on with their career and get a job.”
-Karen Cookpsychology
drafting instructor/coordinator
“I enoy teaching math and watching the students get it.”
-Charlene Snowmath professor
THE TEMPESTThe Voice of Solano College nVol. 28, No. 11
The Tempest is published by Solano College
students. Opinions expressed in the paper
are those of the individual writers and artists,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
the college’s governing board, the administra-
tion, the faculty and staff, or the Associated
Students of Solano College.
Readers may take up to five copies of The Tem-
pest free. Additional copies may be purchased
for 25 cents.
Member: California College Media Associa-tion • Journalism Association of Community Colleges • California Newspaper Publishers
Association
Sharman Brunieditor-in-chief
contact us
It is Tempest policy to correct any errors in the paper. Please contact us if you spot one. To get in touch with us:phone:(707) 864-7000, ext. 4361e-mail: [email protected] address:SCC, Room 18614000 Suisun Valley Road, Fairfield, California 94534
Sharman Bruninews editor
Ben Gognasports editorphoto editor
Nick Sestanovich a&e editor
Deborah Grahamonline editor
opinion editor
Camille LevasseurLarry RaglandJohn GliddenMark BeierlySam ZaghloulTim Hosford
Valentino HicksVigil Taltonstaff writers
Phillip Templecartoonist
Samanda Dorgeradviser
Women broaching the glass ceiling?
By Deborah Graham
Online Editordgraham@
solanotempest.net
When she entered the office for an interview the second question she was asked, aside from her name was, “So are you going to have any more children?”
Women are still struggling to get into roles that have so long been male dominated
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT4 THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
Production shines light on ADD
By Nick SestanovichA&E [email protected]
For years, the question of whether or not to prescribe ADD children with Ritalin has been a major concern. In “Distracted,” Solano College Theatre’s final production of the 2011-2012 season, that issue will be explored. Lisa Loomer’s 2007 play about a 9-year-old boy with ADHD and his parents’ decision to medicate him has been running off-Broadway since its inception while focusing on topics like parenting, teenage and child angst, the intrusion of technology in society, and the morality of prescribing drugs to hyperactive children. Under the helm of George Maguire, it will be performed at Solano for the first time. “I saw the show at its premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and I loved it,” Maguire said. “It’s funny, but it talks about a serious issue.” Maguire chose the play because he felt the subject matter would be beneficial to Solano students. “Part of why I did it is because it is an issue parents are facing today, but I also think that it affects the students,” Maguire said. “People over 20 are rarely diagnosed, so this really affects the young as well as current or future parents.” The cast features actors of all ages which Austin McLellan, who plays the 9-year-old son Jesse, feels has been an eye-opening experience. “I was nervous because I didn’t know anybody and I thought that since I was just a kid, they would all treat me that way,” McLellan said. “But I’ve felt very comfortable.” The play has a lot of comedic moments as well as emotionally intense scenes which allows the actors to constantly change moods, according to Sara Sakurada who plays the angsty teenage neighbor Natalie. “There are scenes where Natalie gets sad, so I have to be sad, and scenes where she’s very upbeat, so I have to be upbeat,” she said. “I find it enjoyable going through different moods in this play.” The actors draw inspiration for their roles from experiences with others and trying to imagine themselves in such situations. “There’s a kid in the musical theater I was in who had ADD symptoms,” McLellan said. “He was all over the place and switched doing things all the time. I take from my own experiences with other kids and bring it to my role.” “It’s a lot of taking what I was
like in high school, so I pull from what I know I felt like,” Brittney Smith, who also plays Natalie on certain dates, said. “I listened to a lot of sad music to prepare, but I’m usually a happy person, so it’s easy for me to do both.” The parts require the actors to step out of their comfort zones, which has proven challenging for them taking on such intense roles. “Jesse cries, and I find that hard because I’ve always played happy characters, and I’ve never dealt with this kind of sadness,” McLellan said. “I’ve also never shouted swear words, so I would look over to my mom during the auditions to see if she was OK with it.” For Smith, the most difficult part was hitting the “highs and lows” that Maguire expected of her. “When I get done with an emotional scene, I have to shake it off,” she said. Despite working with such heavy material, the actors agree that what really lights up the rehearsals is the cast. “About 90 percent of having
fun in acting comes from the other actors,” Sakurada said. “We’ve developed close relationships with each other.” They also love the hard work of the director. “Everybody adores George,” Smith said. “He’s gotten me to come out of my shell since I’ve always had stage fright.” With such a committed cast and provocative topics, “Distracted” will likely lead to a lot of discussion. “In every play, you learn something, and this play gives a real understanding of the fact that students may have to face this as parents,” Maguire said. There is coarse language throughout, but Smith encourages audience members to look past that. “People should watch the whole thing because it’s such a good play, and they should not leave because there are swear words,” she said. “They should focus on the message.” “Distracted” will be performed from April 5 to April 22 at the Suisun Harbor Theatre. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available at the box office and are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and faculty, and $13 for students and children.
Photos by Mike Padua
Jesse (Austin McLellan) becomes transfixed by television while his parents (Melanie Bandera-Hess and Henry Swensen) watch with concern.
Austin McLellan plays the role of a boy living with ADHD.
“Distracted” combines comedy with emotional intesity
“It’s funny, but it talks about a serious issue.”
-Director George Maguire
“DISTRACTED”
-April 5 to April 22, 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. on Sundays.
-Suisun Harbor Theatre. -Tickets are available at the box office and are $20 for
adults, $18 for seniors and faculty, and $13 for students and children.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 5THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
In the bowels of Netflix, I found a movie that is uni-versal in its appeal: a Japanese movie released five years ago based on a televi-sion show from the ‘60s that was never released in the States, “Masked Rider: The First.” (Also called “Kamen Rider: The First”) It’s the timeless story of a college research assistant (Hongo Takeshi, played by Masaya Kikawada), who is kidnapped by the secret society known as SHOCKER and turned into a cyborg soldier brainwashed into serving them. Eventually, he breaks out of the brainwashing…but not before the love interest, a reporter named Asuka (Rena Komine), is led to believe that he killed her fiancé (what with him previously holding up the dude by the neck and the throwing him 20 feet to side before being de-brainwashed). To make matters even more complicated, SHOCK-ER sends another cyborg, Hayato Ichimonji (Hassei Takano), to kill him…and he also has the hots of Asuka. Melodrama and face punching ensues. The action, which is the real reason we’re all here, is fantastic, well-choreographed, and fast- paced. It’s just the right balance between being over the top and realistic. I like the fact that most,
“Masked Rider: The First” provides top-notch action
if not all, the stunts were done with wires and stuntmen, not CGI (not that I have anything against CGI). Some-body actually had to kick a dude while driving a motorcy-
cle--a motorcycle fight scene, guys. That’s awesome. I have mixed feelings about the plot itself, though. It’s very much focused on the love triangle between the three main characters. That’s not really a bad thing, since it’s pretty subtle and low key, with no big, overly dramatic displace of affec-tion or sloppy make out sessions. It’s adult about it. There’s also a subplot about two kids in a hospital, the significance of which isn’t completely appar-ent until much later in the movie. While it’s not that distracting, it can feel a bit like padding at times, and your mileage may vary on how necessary it is. The subtitles in the beginning of the movie (yes, there’s no English dub, man up and deal with it) are a bit…overly literally, but after the first five or so minutes it really starts to improve quickly. To sum it all up, I really enjoyed this movie, if only because years of watching “Power Rangers” has programed me to think that A: helmets are awesome and B: kung-fu fighting fixes everything.
Affording video games during the recession
By Larry RaglandStaff [email protected]
Putting a muzzle on entertainment spending as a gamer has been a necessary step in keeping our collective heads above water. As gamers, this can have devastating consequences. I’m not a thief so I won’t steal or pirate games, but I will save every legal dollar I can when mulling a purchase. Times have been a bit tougher the last couple of years. I am much less likely to take a gamble on a title at full price. If anything, nowadays I’m more apt to wait for it to hit the used rack. I don’t necessarily like to do that, but not because of the developers missing out on being paid for their work. I often feel as though many, if
not most, just aren’t worth the full price of admission. That and every used game represents either someone’s distaste for a title, or they hated giving it up and needed the trade in credits. To combat this tactic many developers have turned to locking out multi-player options or only allowing you so much online time with a used purchase. Without a code that locks the game to original owner, you are forced to purchase the online pass (usually $10 or so). This works well for me because I don’t feel that every game should have an online mode. If it isn’t implemented well, then what’s the point of having it? Especially when you have major online contenders across all genre of gaming to contend with. You can’t just make an online
shooter or another online fighter, another MMO…you have to bring something to the table if you are going to be relevant. Over the last few major releases I have managed to get more out of the games that I have and when I do eventually get around to them, they’ll be cheaper. The drawback, of course, is that you miss out on the initial water cooler conversations and your pile of shame stack keeps getting bigger.It used to bother me not being part of the initial wave of gamers diving in. But with buggy games, mediocre online play, and day one DLC already announced before launch, I’ll just wait awhile, save a few bucks and buy it when the bugs are gone, the DLC is all included, and the price is half of what it was.
Creative Commons
As the video game market increases, it’s important to save every penny.
FROM THE BOWELS OF
NETFLIX By Sam Zaghloul
Staff Writer
THE TEMPEST6 THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
By Camille LavasseurStaff [email protected]
As the sun peeks over the fire station in Dixon, 27 new recruits storm into the yard for another day of fire hose training.
“We teach ‘em to squirt it, put fires out, throw ladders and rescue people” Chief Richard Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie was in the first group of new students who graduated from the Solano Com-munity College Fire Academy in 1977. Tall and robust, his booming voice accepts no dissent from the students.
He’s come full circle since entering the pro-gram more than 30 years ago. Spending over 20 years teaching fire can-didates while still being a full time firefighter has given him a unique in-sight into what new stu-dents really need on the frontline.
Offered only a couple times a year, the acad-emy is the real “hands on” portion that puts practical application to concepts learned in the classroom.
With new teachers and expanded courses that focus on advanced level skills; this program has earned a reputation
within the fire commu-nity for producing ex-ceptionally qualified re-cruits. This in turn gives the recruits an edge when
it comes to finding a job in an extremely competi-tive profession.
“Some of our newest courses are high angle rescue, trench rescue, hazardous materials and our expanded wildland fire training,” Mackenzie said.
The students come from all over the county and are expected to put in 720 hours of training in the academy to gradu
Students train in full firefighter gear Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. All of the teach-ers are either retired or active firefighters and bring invaluable expe-rience with them with Chief Ron Karlen and Frank Drayton being the
most recently hired.This “hands on”
experience gets passed on to the fresh faces of new students just enter-ing the field, like Alayna Woody, an army reservist who hopes to become a firefighter one day. The only woman in the group of 27, she’s small but strong. A part time box-er for physical fitness, she said she’s always wanted to be a fire fighter. She doesn’t hesitate when she talks about how gen-erous the teachers are with their experience and how much the train-ing has meant to her.
“The most exciting part was when we got to put on the full gear with air tank and enter a smoky house to rescue someone,” Woody said. You had to find the per-son in all the smoke, the adrenaline was pumping and… this is why I got into it, this is what I want to do with my life, rescue people”
Although the pro-gram budget still pres-ents the most challeng-ing part of his new job, Chief Mackenzie says he is appreciative of all the support he gets from the committed teaching staff and the state of Califor-nia.
By John GliddenStaff [email protected]
In a 5-1 roll call vote, the Gov-erning Board appointed Catherine Ritch to the governing board to replace James Claffey who passed away on Feb. 6.
Trustee McCaffrey was the lone trustee to vote against the motion to appoint Ritch to the governing board.
Ritch will represent Fairfield, Green Valley, Travis Air Force Base, and Cordelia. The seat is up for election in Nov.
“I’m stunned. I’m very grateful and I will do whatever I can do to help the college,” said Ritch after the meeting.
Ritch acquired the references of Linda Seifert, Solano county su-pervisor, Gary Stanton, sheriff-cor-oner for Solano county, and Chris-tina Arrostuto, Executive Director of Solano’s First Five program.
The other potential appointees under consideration were David Brannen, Monica Brown, and Mi-chael Wright.
Prior to the interviews, Mark Taylor, CIS professor and member of the Solano College Faculty As-sociation informed the governing board that the members of SCFA held a vote and Brannen received
a majority of the votes; receiving the endorsement of the SCFA.
“[David] has a student point of view, been a member of the gov-erning board during the accredita-tion dark period a few years ago. He is uniquely qualified [for the position of trustee on the govern-ing board],” Taylor said.
Brannen garnered references from Jesse Branch, current com-munity services officer at the Va-caville center, Tom Henry, former special trustee who was assigned to the governing board due to ac-creditation problems, and Robert Jensen, former interim president of Solano college.
“The college needs leadership from within. I love this district because it took me from a truck driver to UC Berkeley,” Brannen said in his interview to the govern-
ing board.Currently, Monica Brown is
a teacher at Green Valley middle school. Brown garnered referenc-es from Michelle Coleman, trustee on the Solano county board of education, Mayrene Bates, trustee on the Solano county board of ed-ucation, and Helen Tilley former board member on the Fairfield Unified school district.
“If we don’t promote SCC, we are not going to make it. I love the diversity here,” Brown said in her interview to the governing board.
“We need to go lobby and talk with the elected officials,” Brown also said to the board.
The other applicant Michael Wright gathered references from Harry Price, mayor of Fairfield, John Mraz, council member for the city of Fairfield, and Chuck Timm, former council member for the city of Fairfield.
“I believe in being open and transparent to the college,” Wright said to the board during his inter-view.
“I have a lot of experience re-ducing expenses. I feel I’m the best candidate from this prospec-tive,” Wright also said to the gov-erning board.
There appeared to be some confusion before the governing board voted. Trustee McCaffrey,
through voice conference, attempt-ed to make a motion; however board president Thurston recog-nized trustee Chapman instead.
Trustee Chapman moved to approve Ritch as the new trustee. The motion was seconded by trust-ee Keith.
Trustee McCaffrey attempted to make a motion to approve Bran-nen as the new trustee. Trustee McCaffrey was instructed by board president Thurston that a motion was already under consideration.
After the vote, board presi-dent Thurston told trustee Mc-Caffrey that he could make his motion which trustee McCaffrey demurred to do so since a majority of the governing board approved the appointment of Ritch as the new trustee.
Fire Academy expands its horizons Governing board appoints new member to replace Claffey
Ritch is appointed as the new governing board member.John Glidden/Tempest
Fire technology program provides hands on experience for participants in Dixon.
Camille Lavasseur/Tempest
SPORTS 7THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
Falcons fall to Los Medanos 7–2
BASEBALL
Solano Falcons OF Zach Welz, freshman player, hoping to score in bottom of the 8th against Los Medanos March 10, 2012.
Photo Credit: Ben Gogna
Ben GognaSports Editor/Photo [email protected]
Solano Falcons, 2-3, 5-12 overall in conference failed to make a comeback after Los Medanos, 4-1, 9-7-1 overall, scored three insur-ance runs on four consecutive hits in the top of the seventh.
The Falcons only two runs came from Zach Welz scoring on a sac-rifice fly from Alex Crosby in the bottom of the sixth and Aaron Brasher when Jed Groeneway hit a double in the bottom of the seventh.
Pitcher Adam Kruzona started for Solano pitching 3 1/3 innings
giving up one earned run and reliever Ben Monroe came in pitching three innings giving up three earned.
Pete Nyznyk starting for Los Me-danos pitched seven innings only allowing one earned run.
Tim HosfordStaff [email protected]
Solano Community College first baseman Nick Spini, a freshman, broke his wrist during the home game against Los Medanos Col-lege on Saturday, March 10.
Spini received a Colles fracture while attempting to catch the ball, according to Alison Aubert, head certified athletic trainer.
Kelly Stairns, freshman from
Los Medanos, was running to first base after his hit and collided with Spini. Spini will be in a cast for about six weeks and is out for the sea-son, Aubert said.
A Colles fracture is a wrist fracture of the distal radius in the forearm with dorsal (posterior) displacement of the wrist and hand, according to a Wikipedia. SCC lost to the Los Medanos Mustangs 7-2.
Falcons first baseman Nick Spini breaks wrist, out for weeks
Photo credit: Tim Hosford
Nick Spini, first baseman for the Solano Falcons injures wrist during Saturday, March 10 game against Los Medanos
Alex Crosby hits a single in the game against Los Medanos on Saturday, March 10.
Photo credit: Tim Hosford
schedule
3-22 1PM YUBA COLLEGE - DH FAIRFIELD
3-27 1PM NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE - DH NAPA
3-29 1PM CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE - DH SAN PABLO
4-3 1PM COLLEGE OF MARIN - DH FAIRFIELD
home games in bold
SPORTS8 THE TEMPEST n MARCH 21 - APRIL 3, 2012
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Ben GognaSports/Photo [email protected] GliddenStaff [email protected]
With the football program voted to be cancelled at last week’s governing board meeting, Solano Community College football coach Floyd Burnsed acknowledged the setback the team faces, but says classes must go on.
Burnsed, head coach of the Falcons, spoke to team athletes and staff at a meeting Monday, March 12, about the cuts.
“The meeting was to keep the football players abreast of what I know as far as what our chances are of keeping the program,” Burnsed said. “I have no idea of what the chances are, as of yet.”
Burnsed told the athletes that they can transfer to other community colleges and that they would immediately be eligible.
Burnsed also discussed the requirements to play football. He discussed the summer school program, eligibility requirements, and “red-shirting.” Athletes who redshirt can extend their eligibility by practicing but not playing during an academic year.
One point Burnsed hammered home to students was that they needed to be eligible, even if it was for another team. He insisted that academics are “number one,” and that players need to get credits to be eligible for the season. Burnsed wanted to let players know that if there isn’t a team next season, that players still need to train so they could be in shape for when and if they decide to transfer to another school.
“Actually right now, we aren’t doing a whole lot. We have a class called off-season conditioning,” Burnsed said. The coach said
practice times would be 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. with no practice on Fridays.
“We can fundraise to raise money to play football,” Burnsed said.
Burnsed says he has options for fund-raising, but is waiting on direction from the board.
“We are getting ideas about fundraising, but as far as starting a fundraising campaign, we need to wait and make sure that it is a go,” Burnsed said.
Solano Community College governing board voted four to two Wed. March 7, to cut the football and aquatic programs and lay off two coaches for next year.
The majority of the board — Pam Keith, Thurston, Sarah Chapman and A. Marie Young — said they supported cutting the programs and positions because there’s a chance it could be rescinded. Athletes and coaches said Wednesday that they are open to fundraising if it means keeping the programs and positions afloat.
“This is my family,” said Kevin Marks, assistant coach to the football program at Solano Col-lege, addressing the governing board as he pointed to at least 20 football players who attended the meeting.
“Do the right thing. Save the pro-gram,” Marks said to the govern-ing board.
In 2001, the football team was cut for a year because of lack of funds. In 2002, Burnsed brought the team back, and in 2003, his first year as coach, he led the team to a 5-5 record. The following year the Falcons won the conference title. Burnsed has also led the Falcons to back-to-back confer-ence titles in 2010 and 2011.
FOOTBALL
Football coach holds out hope
Coach Floyd Burnsed talks to his off-season conditioning class Monday, March 12. Burnsed discussed the cancellation of the fall football program.
Photo Credit: Ben Gogna
Ben GognaSports/Photo [email protected]
The Solano Falcon softball team (8th ranked) won the Silver Division Championship at the March Madness tournament in Fremont.
The Falcons went 2-1 in Saturday beating DVC 10-6, Cabrillo 7-6 (in 9 innings), and then losing to Fresno 8-4.
Winning three in a row on Sunday, the Falcons eliminated Consumnes River 12-10, DeAnza
6- 5, and Feather River 12- 1 in the championship game.Sophomore pitcher Hannah Wilbur saw some action in all six games pitching 30 innings on the weekend earning four wins and throwing 30 strikeouts.
Darian Quist-Richard led offense batting 11 for 25 with two doubles and six RBIs and Taiylor Sakurada went 10 for 19 with two doubles, one triple, and seven RBIs.
The Falcons, currently first place in conference, with a 2-0 record (10-7 overall) pursue 7th consecu-tive Bay Valley Conference title. The team is coached and led by Terri Pearson-Bloom, head coach of Solano Softball. Terri has led the Falcons to seven BVC Chami-onships. 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
Winning three in a row on Sunday, March 11, the Falcons win the championship game against Feather River 12-1.
“Solano Falcon Softball team had a great weekend of competition winning the Silver Division Championship”
-- Terri Pearson-Bloom
SOFTBALL
Softball starts strong
March 22 - Yuba College - FairfieldMarch 27 - Napa Valley - NapaMarch 29 - CCC - San Pablo
schedule